Dolphin Bay

The food here was pretty darn good. Sesame noodles SHINED and the beef noodle soup was also a perfect meal for the winter. The popcorn chicken was crisp and was decent. The Boba had a nice emphasis of flavor on the tea. Happy with my experience and will be back!

Great and delicious food, especially popcorn chicken and oyster omelet. Friendly staff and nice service. Definitely will visit again.

This place was so nice, me and my friend came on Saturday around 12 for lunch and it wasn’t very busy it got busier around 1pm. The women is very nice and the food is so delicious and the portions are very good for the price. I highly recommend this place. Will need to get desert next time.

One of the few places in Boston to get actual Taiwanese food. The chain started from Cerritos, CA, and was fairly popular amongst many Asian immigrants. Food was decent. Crispy pork chop rice was definitely crispy. However, meat was super thin, and more batter than pork. It was a bit disappointing. Popcorn chicken was fine, but missing the vital ingredient of fried basil. I guess cutbacks had to happen...

As a Taiwanese, I can responsibly say that this is the most authentic Taiwanese food in Metro Boston. It makes me feel back to Taiwan.

This is a solid local Taiwanese restaurant. It's nothing fancy and a bit run down looking on the inside, but the food is solid and the drinks are good. The servers are very nice, but very inattentive. You have to call them over to your table. One was on her phone, while eating dinner. The other was in the back for a while. We got their popcorn chicken, beef rolled pancake, taro tapioca drink, a few rice plates and their noodles dishes. Everything was tasty. The rice dishes come with some steamed egg and cabbage. The popcorn chicken could use a bit more flavor, but it's still a tasty bite.

5 stars for this authentic Taiwanese restaurant! The food is amazing and great portions, the owner is very friendly and great service! They also served us some Taiwanese milk tea. We had crispy pork, salt and pepper pork, beef noodle soup and pig feet noodles. Would definitely come back and try other dishes!

They had so many options in drinks and food—we ended up getting the mango sago, dolphin bay Boba, and honey grapefruit boba for the drinks and they all tasted amazing other than the fact the mango sago was a bit artificial. We got the basil chicken, the appetizer with seaweed, egg, and tofu, the popcorn chicken over rice, the braised beef soup, and pork and bamboo. They were literally all equally delicious, and amazing! We finished almost everything. The waiters were so polite and apologetic when they forgot the rice. They checked on us during our meal and the atmosphere was great overall. I would recommend their chicken.

Wow--above and beyond. Everything was incredibly flavorful. Got the crispy pork chop over rice and added the steamed egg. The crispy coating was super seasoned with an almost mochi texture right under the crisp, and the pork inside was juicy and well seasoned as well. Steamed egg was so custardy! Such a great complement to the rest of the meal, don't skip these. Dumplings were also fantastic and flood your mouth with umami flavor as you bite into them. And the beef scallion pancake is fluffy and filled with beef that seems to have some tendon too, so a combination of textures. Onto the service, which was extraordinary. The waiter who helped us was super polite and friendly, and the owner came over too and was such a generous and positive person. She even offered us some delicious, fragrant less/no sweet oolong tea from their homeland in Taiwan, which was fragrant with floral and slight honey notes. Last time I came here I got the winter melon tea with grass jelly, very low sugar, which despite being more in the dessert tea category was refreshing and even felt sort of healthy. Nice, relaxing atmosphere with hand-painted walls featuring dolphins at the shore. This visit was a great reminder that we need to come back much more.

Came in around 8:15 on a Friday night craving some warm comfort food and did we find some here! The ladies working were so, so sweet and welcoming and made everyone feel at home. We ordered the popcorn chicken, pork belly gua bao, spicy wonton noodles and beef scallion rolls. Popcorn chicken--hot, crispy, juicy, no complaints here! Spicy wontons--hit the spot--could maybe use a garnish like some cilantro to cut through the sauce a bit but still delicious and huge portions. Beef scallion roll--good flavor, but also could use some greens like cucumber or cilantro. Gua bao--took a bit to arrive but they were super sweet and comped that for us AND gave us free milk teas! Pork belly is a bit fatty for my own personal taste but the sauce was yum and the pork from the wonton noodles is awesome on the buns too! Would absolutely come back anytime I'm craving some good, carby comfort.

Taiwanese food in Allston! A small spot with mom-and-pop vibes, and good if you're looking for for a really casual comfort meal. Most of the dishes I've gotten / seen are individual servings and the portions are generous; I'd say fairly priced given the large portions. I usually go for their rice plates because its a Meal meal - rice, meat, egg, side veggies. Menu includes starters to share with the table plus some sweet treats (slushies, milk tea, shaved ice). I never have complaints with service here, and the staff is hospitable -- they actually gave my table milk teas on the house the first time I went. My things I'd recommend ordering as mains are the Pork Chop Rice and the Beef Noodle Soup, and for table starters I really like the Pop Corn Chicken and the Beef Stuffed Pancake.

I can't believe I've been walking by this place for so long and have never tried it. It's a pretty small restaurant and very easy to miss, but it was completely amazing. Both the quality and quantity of food you get here is 100% worth it, and I will absolutely be back in the future. My party ordered the popcorn chicken, pork belly, and pork chop all on rice, but I personally ate the popcorn chicken. Popcorn chicken on rice - my 5/5 stars is mainly for this dish since it's what I ordered and ate all of. The chicken itself was so crispy and nicely marinated under the batter. It's hard to describe the taste if you haven't had Taiwanese popcorn chicken, but it has some sort of a sweet soy taste to it, and I ordered this mild which wasn't spicy at all but added some nice depth to it. The batter was perfectly crunchy with juicy dark meat chicken inside and there must have been at least 20 or more pieces on my plate - I normally eat a lot of food but even I had leftovers. This also comes with a hefty portion of rice, some nicely pan fried cabbage, and an absolutely delicious hunk of steamed egg with ground pork on top. The amount of food and variety of flavors you have here is really outstanding. Pork belly on rice - this was decent - the pork belly looked like a good portion and it was nicely braised. I didn't eat a ton of this since I only had a taste, but it was nice and came with the same sides as the popcorn chicken. Pork chop on rice - this was HUGE and had a really great flavor. It was pounded and the batter had tapioca starch or something so it was super crispy but also a little mochi-esque. Really nice dish, but like the pork belly I only had a taste. This also came with the same sides as the popcorn chicken. On top of that, we ordered and got our food in probably 5 minutes - the service was extremely fast and they kept refilling our waters as we drank. I also don't remember the prices exactly, but it was around $15 a dish, which is a great price especially considering how much food you get. I didn't expect the steamed egg to be such a good portion and such a great flavor and texture, especially with added ground pork! This was a great experience and I will be back many, many times. 5/5 - perfection!

This place is underrated. Server is fast and attentive. The restaurant has about 40 people capacity, music was great. I ordered beef shanks and Alex's noodle. The beef shanks is a must have. It's tender and rich. The noodle was cooked al dente and pork meat was tasty too. The food were really tasted like mom/dad's cooking. Definitely recommended!!

I love supporting local small businesses and restaurants, and I'm so glad my friend introduced me to Dolphin Bay! From afar, it doesn't look like much, but when you enter, you'll be greeted by kind servers and a warm atmosphere that is actually harder and harder to come by these days. I'm not a Taiwanese food expert, but my Taiwanese friend said that this place has a unique style and I'd say the food that I've tried so far has been tasty and memorable. Serving size is also generous and you will leave feeling very full! My favorite so far is their beef noodle soup and their popcorn chicken. You can adjust the spice levels on these, which I'd highly suggest if you're not able to eat spicy food.

Delicious as usual, and the servers are always some of the nicest people. Got my usual braised beef noodle soup and shared some popcorn chicken with friends

Mom and Pop shop located in the heart of allston, serving authentic taiwanese cuisine with a fun interior. Their noodle soup as well as braised pork with rice was great, but don't skimp out on their popcorn chicken and their custom bubble tea made in house

Excellent customer service and delicious winter melon drink. Music is lively inside with decent amount of seatings. Street parking can be challenging

Here's a polished version of your review: The food was truly authentic, and every dish we ordered was exceptionally delicious! The staff, including the owner, were incredibly kind and even surprised us with their tasty milk tea. The service was impressively fast, and we highly recommend this place!

Came here on a Saturday noon with no wait and had a group of four. Good: - Food came so fast! We got there and ordered and food was there in 10 min - I liked the Alex's lunch and it came with so many noodles and bok choy, huge portion sizes Bad: - Pretty casual place and hard to flag down the waiters. Overall this place was solid for a quick casual catchup meal.

Living in Allston has allowed me to notice restaurants I would never realize as I pass them a million times because sometimes it takes a while for me to really register things. Dolphin Bay feels like a very mom and pop restaurant from its more traditional decor and furniture. I found out on my more recent visit that the restaurant was originally in California. Despite some of the negative reviews I'm happy to say both of my experiences were very different. When I visited this time, It was a weekday evening and there were not too many people inside as I went to choose a table. They had separate menus for food and drinks like bubble tea, drinks and teas. We got popcorn chicken which was mild spice but was really tasty. The noodles were a little light in flavor for me but still really good. I really liked the flavor of the beef and pork belly. The portions were a good size as well and I ended up taking food home. The staff and possibly one of the owners were really nice and even helped box our food for us. It's a very chill restaurant if you just want something good. Prices $ Food 7 Atmosphere 5 Service 8 What we got Hot olooga tea Popcorn chicken Pork belly noodles Braised beef noodle soup

Stopped in for dessert of shaved ice. They have some preset options, I picked #3 with extra pudding, and they made a different one entirely.... With ice cream and strawberries. They have us the red bean once they realized the mistake, no big deal. The coconut drink with mini bubbles and taro was okay this time. Blended too smooth according to my fellow diners as they liked the previous bigger chunks. Still, good for dessert, and street parking for two hours was free and easy to find. Downside was construction made it a pain to drive in the area.

I liked the flavors of the spicy wonton noodles and the braised beef! Slight miscommunication with the server a couple times but he seems nice. Very chill spot to eat for a solid dinner.

Great food, service and lovely ambiance. Kind and thoughtful attendants with great conversation.

My favorite Taiwanese restaurant in the whole Boston! Their Dolphin Bay Milk tea always brings back childhood memories for me. My go to order: chili wonton, popcorn chicken, beef noodle soup, Taiwanese sausage rice or braised pork belly rice.

i honestly had high expectations for dolphin bay, based on what i've heard from others. however, the food wasn't all the good. service was a bit slow, despite there only being 2-3 families dining during the time we were there. we ordered popcorn chicken - it was ok. it was essentially just chicken dipped in a think layer of break crumbs. the restaurant isn't too big - they've got about 12-15 tables. lots of BU students go there, so during the weekends it can be quite busy. overall rating: 7/10

Giant bowl of shaved ice!!! Super friendly owner and staff! Loved how you can add a lot of toppings to the shaved ice! Definitely enough for a group to share (more than enough to share between groups of 4-5). The owner was very nice and stopped by too chat, we just came to get some dessert after having dinner somewhere else and enjoyed the shaved ice :) portions are huge and great for groups!

I have gotten their popcorn chicken here twice and both times I feel like it was super bland and not seasoned well. I didn't taste much of the salt and pepper Taiwanese flavor when I had the popcorn chicken here both times and I'm not sure if it was just my luck or what. I haven't tried the others though so I may just need to go back and try other dishes.

My first time here; my partner had been several years ago and wanted to visit again. We ordered popcorn chicken, salt & pepper pork chop, and spicy wonton noodles - TASTE: 3/5 - I was expecting to be wowed. The seasoning on the popcorn chicken was only on the top pieces. The pork chop was okay, more peppery than anything. But the spicy wonton noodles were def a highlight: I loved the chili oil, spicy paste, and pork-filled wontons. Didn't get a chance to try their sweets! TEXTURE: 4/5 - the popcorn chicken and pork chop were fried nicely. I liked the texture of the noodles, paired w the bok choy PRICE: 4/5 - prices weren't bad SERVING SIZE: 4/5 - enough to bring home for leftovers after SERVICE: 3/5 - we walked in at 5pm on a Sunday and there were two other parties seated. Our food started coming out 30min later after ordering ATMOSPHERE: 4/5 - iconic nautical decor and dolphin-painted walls. Small space with lots of character! PARKING: 4/5 - got a free street spot a couple of blocks down Brighton Ave

Dolphin Bay is an amazing Taiwanese restaurant! I have been wanting to go after seeing the other reviews and photos of the popcorn chicken and beef noodle soup. I got the beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken appetizer, and the salt and pepper pork chop with rice. The beef noodle soup was so good and flavorful and I loved the added spice (I got medium). Popcorn chicken with no seasoning just salt and pepper was easily some of the best popcorn chicken I have ever had and I like how simple and peppery it was. The pork chop was also great! The portions here are a solid size and I definitely would go back to try their desserts and other foods!

Cute restaurant with amazing portion sizes!! Most recently, we ordered their beef shank and oyster omelet appetizers and shared a spicy wonton noodle dish. My favorites were the appetizers! I loved the flavor and softness of the beef shank and the chewy mochi-ness of the omelet! The noodle dish was good as well, but definitely not spicy. Service was friendly and efficient. Next time we're craving Taiwanese flavors or large amounts of noodle, we'll pop by to try some of their other items!

I was really looking forward to good Taiwanese food because there aren't many options in Chicago. Unfortunately, this didn't satisfy that craving. Beef noodle soup was bland and the noodles were not fresh, and in my opinion, not compatible with the soup. The beef rolls were not crispy enough. In the braised pork rice, there was not enough sauce and finely cut pork belly to cover every bite of rice. Service was excellent though. Staff was polite. When they got one of our orders wrong, we were compensated with free drinks.

Dolphin Bay is my go-to Taiwanese place to eat whenever I'm craving Taiwanese food. The food is hearty and home-y. It hits the spot whenever I'm craving home-y meals. Don't expect anything fancy here. It's not likely to blow your socks out of the water, but for being one of the only Taiwanese places that is easily accessible in the city, it's a regular for me. I would recommend the spicy popcorn chicken. Crunchy, and flavorful. I love that they also serve it with sides like curry potatoes and stir-fried cabbage. My girlfriend loves the spicy beef noodle soup. The spice definitely has a kick and the broth feels like a warm hug. I also tried the drinks here, they were okay. Not bad, but not amazing, I'd probably go somewhere nearby for drinks. Pro-tip: buy the 32 oz ground pork for take out!! You will NOT regret this decision. It goes well with everything you're cooking. Super flavorful and enhances everything. Good price and worth it. Parking is street parking.

I first tried Dolphin Bay in 2019 while visiting a friend at BU and remember being quite surprised at how authentic the food was. We are both Taiwanese American and from New York so I naturally have pretty high standards when it comes to this cuisine. Fast forward three years - my then fiancé (who is also Taiwanese American) and I decide to take a day trip to Boston and I had to bring him here. Here are his thoughts: Dolphin Bay is a slice of heaven. The pork chop (generously spiced and fried to golden-brown perfection) is, quite simply, divine. Rarely on the East Coast (I grew up in California) do I find Taiwanese restaurants with all the fixings, including appetizers of mixed seaweed and dried bean curd. Moreover, the kitchen and wait staff all seemed to be a friendly and unassuming family, which added to the warmth of our meal. We visited on a miserably rainy day and I can say honestly that I would hike through a monsoon to have this food again. 10/10

Favorite dishes to get (December 2023 update) Basil chicken - entree loaded with flavor but does not come with rice Crispy chicken cutlet noodle soup - still a personal favorite, they have a rice dish version if that's what you're looking for Dolphin Bay Snow - standard milk tea with boba and pudding, nothing special The past 4-5 visits have been take out but one day, I'll dine in again so I can try their shaved ice...

To satisfy my childhood nostalgia of going to Dolphin Bay back when it was located in Rowland Heights, California, I went to Allston on a Thursday evening and found myself at a familiar sight. The establishment was half-full at 7PM, so I received seating immediately for my party of 3. I ordered the appetizer combo / 小菜拼盤 ($8) to share and the braised beef noodle soup / 紅燒牛肉麵 ($14.5) for myself. The appetizer combo consisted of marinated egg, five spiced tofu slices, and seaweed with soy sauce paste (it has a consistency of a thick sauce). It all tasted like basic marinated stuff, as expected. The portion size seemed a bit small, especially with only 2 marinated egg halves. 3* The beef noodle soup's portion size seemed larger. The beef seemed tender enough, but the soup base tasted slightly sweet. Not sweet enough to suggest msg, but enough to notice that it was attempting to make up for a too-light beef broth. That broth could not sufficiently carry the noodle soup. 3* Nostalgia aside, Dolphin Bay represents a type of cuisine that is rapidly growing out of fashion in Chinese communities across the states - Taiwanese cuisine. Boba aside, these Taiwanese restaurants that served beef noodle soup, curry rice, and popcorn chicken rice are slowly getting phased out in favor of hot pot and mainland Chinese cuisine. While demography plays a factor (immigration trends, population size, etc.), I suspect that the cuisine itself plays a part. The palate is simplistic and dated, and cannot compete with more novel, interesting flavors.

I ordered 肉燥饭 mainly because it's a famous Taiwanese dish. But it's so good. I usually think minced meat dishes are ok. But this is so flavorful that I finish the whole pállate with no problems. The steamed eggs are soft and the vegetable is very good cooked. The service is good. It seems 盐酥鸡 is their popular dish. But personally I think it's ok. It's a bit too dry to my taste. But still, I'll come back for 肉燥饭 and maybe try some other dishes.

Hadn't had Taiwanese food from my hometown for a while, so I came to Dolphin Bay with high hopes for some warm beef noodle soup and fried chicken for the 9 hour long drive back. I had a good first impression since the workers all spoke Mandarin with the same regional accent I'd find in Taiwan. But I left disappointed and am surprised Dolphin Bay expanded from California where competition would be high. I had the beef noodle soup and popcorn chicken. The balance of noodles, beef, and vegetables was perfect. But the food was tasteless and underwhelming. I also got a spicy popcorn chicken, but it wasn't spicy at all. It just looked spicy with the red powder on it, but it wasn't spicy. I've had better popcorn chicken from Chinese restaurants opened by mainland Chinese people.

Located right off Brighton Ave., but a great spot for Taiwanese food. There's plenty of 2 hr parking on the streets. I got the braised beef soup and popcorn chicken but anything here is pretty good. The place was pretty quiet on a Wednesday night and plenty of seating around 7pm. The servers were attentive and answered any questions we had. The meat was soft and tender. The soup had a little kick of spice and the noodles were yummy. You can adjust the spice levels to less/more if you like.

Wow I can't believe it took me 4 years to find out about this restaurant! This is easily the best Taiwanese restaurant in all of Boston (move over Taiwan Cafe and Mulan) in terms of quality and cost. I came in on a Friday night and the place was packed. The restaurant's small, but there's about 10 tables available for seating and they do takeout. There was easy street parking available outside. We ordered the Beef Scallion Roll as an appetizer and it was good. If you're a fan of Scallion Pancakes you will love this dish. For the main entrees, we got the Popcorn Chicken Rice and the Noodle Soup with Fried Pork Chop. My rice dish came with a side of broccoli and cabbage and a side of curry which was a pleasant surprise. They also give a very generous portion of chicken that I could hardly finish. The chicken was crispy and perfectly fried. My friend got a huge pork chop with his order and a lot of noodles. Overall, very affordable place with large portions and authentic Taiwanese food

I brought my parents here to try something new and I don't think I will be coming back. The food was good, but the service was not. When we first walked into the restaurant, we had to wait to be seated as there was dirty plates on many empty tables. Once we were seated, it took a couple minutes for us to be given minutes and then more time passed for us to be given hot tea. It took over 30 minutes for 3 of our meals to be served. It took another 15 or so for the noodle dish to arrive too. We ordered the oyster pancake as well. The food was just okay - nothing in particular stood out. I personally don't think it is worth coming back for the quality of food and the prices.

First off: the staff here are so welcoming, friendly, and smiley. They gave us complimentary black tea which was very kind of them. They seem like a family and it was a gesture that my friend and I appreciated. Secondly, the noodles tasted fresh and handmade. The beef was tender and so were the vegetables. The broth was light and flavorful. I got it mild and there was a good kick of spice. The passionfruit green tea was yummy. The tea strength was good to my liking. The ambiance is cozy. There is cute decor with dolphins and the ocean scenery. I would come back here and try more of the menu.

Ordered the salt and pepper pork chop to go and it was great! Nice and crispy pork, juicy on the inside and I really enjoyed the veggies on the side! $16 is an average price nowadays for a meal for one person so not bad

I've been a regular at Dolphin Bay for three years now. The food is quite decent. They use to have this waitress--the owner's grandchild--but she must have gone on to college. Now, the waiters/waitresses vary significantly with different level of service and knowledge and ability for customer due care. Overall the food is still decent!

When I was a medical student in Rhode Island, there was an absolute famine of Taiwanese food in my area. I had to go to Boston for my nearest fix. And for Dolphin Bay, I would have absolutely zero problem with making the trek. It's owned by an adorable family, and even though I've since moved away to Chicago, I have fond memories of eating there. Things you must order: 1) Beef noodle soup. A deep and richly flavored broth with beef and bok choy over chewy noodles. 2) Popcorn chicken. Crunchy morsels of boneless chicken, breaded and deep fried with five spice. You can decide how spicy you like them! Addictive. 3) Jasmine green tea with salted cream. Basically heaven on earth. The sweet and floral tea combined with the salty cream is a perfect union.

Stopped in for dinner on a weeknight. The beef soup was really good. We also got an order of the jalapeno gravy over noodles with chicken. That was just 'ok' and not really exciting. Would go back and stick to the beef soup and the bubble tea was made fresh and flavorful

Sorry let me update this. It is a Taiwanese restaurant! Thank you to my coworker for correcting me :)

Boston, unfortunately, is scarce in quality Taiwanese food, so Dolphin Bay is one of a few go-to spots when I'm feeling nostalgic for the flavours of home. I stopped by with a friend around 7pm on a weekday to a generally empty restaurant - only a few other tables were occupied - and service was very prompt, from being seated to ordered and getting served. Overall, food was certainly not bad by any means, but perhaps my high standards for Taiwanese cuisine left me a little disappointed at the end. Beef noodle soup was definitely the highlight of the meal - the broth was a little less rich/savoury than most beef noodle soups (a bit more like the flavour of Taiwanese steamed/marinated pork jus), but delicious nonetheless, with nicely cooked noodles and tender cuts of beef. Popcorn chicken was also quite tasty - well seasoned and juicy bites - paired with yummy tofu and veggies on the side. Our other dishes were mediocre; the spicy wontons, the oyster omelette, and the beef stuffed pancakes (all signature Taiwanese dishes, mind you) were passable. They weren't particularly tasty, and in particular the wontons and the pancake didn't really taste fresh or authentic. Price point was considerably higher than I expected though - and certainly higher than I think the quality and quantity merited. Overall, probably worth another visit (their desserts did seem promising), but I won't be rushing to come back anytime soon.

Service was very sweet and helpful with my to-go order! Ambiance was nice too, can totally see myself chilling here during the weekend or catching up with friends! Food was solid but lacking some more seasoning, but overall nice place to try at least once. My friend and I shared their popcorn chicken combo (with rice, egg, cabbage, beef, etc.) and beef noodle soup! Ordered the following items: - Popcorn chicken rice Tasty chicken and I appreciated the little morsels of cabbage, egg, and beef it came with but nothing special? Again more seasoning would be nice, but I would be content eating this for lunch! Portion was large enough to share with a friend - Beef noodle soup (medium spice) Again lacked some seasoning but still tasty enough to eat and share! Noodles were a nice texture and beef was good; we enjoyed the broth but it wasn't that spicy!

Okay food that satisfies the Taiwanese food craving. Like many of the other reviews have mentioned, there aren't many Taiwanese food joints in Boston. Dolphin Bay, being one of the few Taiwanese restaurants that exists in Boston, is a good option if you're looking for a solid meal. They offer a nice selection of Taiwanese dishes and the food pretty good (and comes in large portions). From what I ate, this is what I think of the food: - Mustard green and pork noodle soup had a great broth and the mustard greens were fresh, but the noodles were not that great and we couldn't finish it. - The beef noodle soup was just okay. Broth was not amazing -- I thought it was too sour, noodles were the same as the mustard green and pork noodle soup, but the beef was really good (strong flavor and perfect texture) - Popcorn chicken was solid. It was crispy and juicy, with good seasoning. - Oyster pancake was okay. Not a lot of oysters, but the pancake was gooey, as it should be, and the flavors were yummy. - Pork on rice had good flavor and is another solid dish. Lots of aromatics and pairs super well with rice. The curry is a bonus and the portion is also huge. - Squid balls were overlooked by the group, no one really touched it so I would not recommend ordering it. It was dry and didn't have a lot of flavor. - Chicken leg was juicy and tender. Also had pretty decent flavors. Overall good meal, but nothing wowing to me. The service was super kind and quick, but the food is just okay. I'd only come if I were craving Taiwanese food and it wouldn't be a top option for me if I'm dining in Allston.

I've been to dolphin bay twice now to order way too much takeout for two people and I've been mostly pretty happy with what we've tried. It's home cooked Taiwanese fare so lots of nostalgia, meat/carb heavy deliciousness. The menu can be overwhelming but here are my favorites: -Chicken wings: Taiwanese fried chicken is one of my favorite things. I love both popcorn and wings so you can't go wrong with either. -Pork chop, crispy: Similarly, Taiwanese pork chop is incredible. Crispy, slightly spicy, so juicy. Ugh so good. -Braised beef noodle soup: A classic Taiwanese dish that I thought was done decently. Not the BEST I've ever had, but pretty good. -Spicy wonton: Ahhh can't go wrong with red chili oil dumplings with sweet/spicy sauce. Tender wonton skins, bursting with flavor. -Beef stuffed pancake: Another classic done REALLY well here (better than the versions I've tried in Chinatown for sure). Super crispy scallion pancakes, tender beef, delicious dipping sauce. Things I tried but prob won't re-order: -Oyster omelet: My husband really liked it...I think it's an acquired taste because of how slippery the texture is. Not "q" enough IMO. -Gua bao: I liked the texture of the bao but the pork belly was a little dry. -Pork and bamboo stir fry: This dish grew up on me over time but initially the bamboo shoots were pretty sour tasting, the next day it mellowed out and tasted a lot better. Would have liked more garlic flavor and pork. -Braised pork belly: I would have liked more tender pork pieces, amount of fat was good though, liked it came with veggies. ...I will definitely be back.

We ordered three appetizers, roast beef, oyster fries and seaweed, hard tofu plates. They put the same sweet soy sauce on top it's end up taste the same. Two hot dishes, three cup chicken, pork and bamboo are fine. Beef soup is the same slide roast deef in broth with boycho. Shrimp and egg fried rice is ok. It's a tapa kind of restaurants for light meals.

Consistently excellent, authentic and delicious. Our favorite place every time we visit.

As a lot of other reviewers have mentioned, Dolphin Bay's main pro is that it offers authentic Taiwanese dishes. I have eaten here a few times when I am craving them--the food is homey and all dishes are fairly solid, but to be entirely honest nothing stands out. Overall, the dishes are lighter in flavor which can leave my tastebuds yearning for something more, but maybe this can be a good thing (perhaps healthier/indicative of less MSG?). Service in my experience has ranged from noticeably inattentive to neutral, and unlike some other reviewers, I actually found portion sizes to be on the smaller side for the price point. Some things I have tried: - Spicy Wontons: tasty! The chili oil + sauce is very yummy, though not spicy in my opinion. - Oyster/Shrimp Pancake: I have definitely had better before. It was drowned in sauce and did not have the right texture, my Taiwanese mother was particularly disappointed by this one when I brought her :( - Beef Stuffed Pancake: one of my favorite dishes in general and they do it pretty well here! The beef is tender and sauce is good. - Popcorn Chicken: this one always lets me down a bit--it looks better than it tastes, but it is still good. Very crispy, but did not find the spicy flavor to be very spicy at all and the chicken could use more seasoning in general. - Shaved ice: massive portion size, good topping selection. Great value and definitely a multiple person task to conquer it. It is not a particularly notable dining experience, but with realistic expectations the food is overall solid and the authentic offerings will keep me coming back when I want Taiwanese food!

Dolphin Bay is like home base for my friends and I. Whenever we didn't know where to go, we always ended up here. Your best bet for eating there without a wait is to get there before 7pm. They have a bunch of Taiwanese classics that are good whether you're dining in or taking out. It's not the best Taiwanese in the world, but it's fast, friendly, and affordable, so I can't complain. My favorites are the Spicy Wontons, Popcorn Chicken, and the Salt & Pepper Pork Chop Rice. These come at a consistent good quality, while the rest can be hit or miss. The rice plates are pretty big, so often I had enough for 2 meals. Sometimes the owner will give everyone free milk tea with their meals too!

A place sitting atop of our "go-to restaurant list." My husband and I have been trying to find an authentic Taiwanese restaurant. And we are beyond happy to have found this place! First, the staff are very friendly. Second, the food is cooked to perfection and full of flavor! A must try is the popcorn chicken! A plus is that the food portions are plenty. Third, their drinks and shaved ice are a wonderful treat! We will definitely be frequent customers

My friend grabbed a quick oolong milk tea for me when she was walking by. They passed my slightly chewy and soft boba test. With less sugar and ice, I was happy with my order. Would be interested in trying more items, especially food, from their menu in the future.

Nice authentic Taiwanese cuisine, cozy mom and pop atmosphere, good smoothies and boba too.