Fook Lam Seafood Restaurant

The best place for dimsum in Oahu in my personal opinion. Wait was long, but the food came out quick (once you got a table) and the variety was good. And the key here is that they have vegetables! Soup dumplings were delicious. I love that they have all the regular dishes. I rate their egg tarts to be excellent as well. Well worth the wait. Parking is also easy once you get into the local garages.

Knocked down 1 star because the seats and linen were so dirty. The service was excellent. The food was great and tasted right. However, I wish the portions were a bit larger. I guess it's a Hawaiin thing that they come in 3s. The chicken feet came with only 4pc. When I asked for a takeout box, the staff packed it for me and tied it up in a plastic bag. The first wasn't right in the middle so she untied to to tie it again so that it doesn't tip. Wonderful service with every staff we encounter. They speak English, Cantonese, and mandarin. Pay at the front counter (not at your seat).

My husband i were craving dimsum and wanted to try this place. And we were soooo happy we did. The food was incredible. One of the best dim sums we have ever had. I highly recommend trying the place. The food was amazing and service was really great too. It was a little hard to find. It is in the chinese cultural plaza, on the outside near the water. When we were there, there were a lot of older asian grandpas who were playing cards. Look for them and you'll find the enterance! :) there's also not a lot of street parking, but their is a parking garage. The food was fairly inexpensive. In Denver we would typically pay about $100 for 2 of us (we order a lot of food with leftovers), but here the bill came up to $80 and we still had leftovers.

Favorite Dim Sum on the island. Service is aggressive like any Dim Sum restaurant, but they get ish done and have a sense of humor...for the most part. $2 nearby parking and always be aware of your surroundings, especially in this area.

Some of the best Shanghai dumplings I have ever had. Everything was delicious. Fast service. As soon as we sat down, we already had food on the table.

Located by the canal, parking can be on the street or at a small parking garage nearby with good rates. You'll also get a good view of the Asian men gathering around tables playing cards lol. It's a popular dim sum spot but I personally think there are better dim sum choices out there. I tried a couple of dim sum and they weren't as good as we hoped. The skin wrapper was either mushy or too thin that they broke apart when the dumplings were being picked up by chopsticks. The flavor wasn't lackluster. The congee was OK but nothing to write home about. The best item there that we all enjoyed was the deep fried sesame balls. Very crispy, good amount of sweetness, light and airy, a true delight! I feel like their deep fried food might be worth trying more than their steamed items.

Dim Sum here is delicious. Very typical aggressive Asian dim sum ambiance but the food is great. Try the baked custard bread!

They have more dishes that are more closer to the authentic dim sum than other similar nearby restaurants on island only. They probably has the best Kai Lan in oyster sauce, Har Gaw and chicken feet in town. The dumpling's wrap and the lok fun's skin are all too thick. But in terms of sauce or seasoning, they are better than most of the dim sum on island.

My absolute favorite dim sum place on the island. We have been coming here for years! Out favorites are the chicken feet which is so masterfully marinated and it comes with some peanuts at the bottom also. The shrimp and chive dumplings are a must and the siu mai is delicious. The owners are very nice. They told me they close in April for vacation and to come visit them any other month. Parking is via paid lots all around Chinatown. Indoor seating. Casual. They still push the carts around at this place.

Has cart service, seated fairly quickly on a holiday weekend, aggressive service (they try to push you to get more things), reasonable price (Flavor/taste) Dim sum - average Chow fun - average Wonton noodle soup - really good, would come back just for the wontons Porridge - below average Unlike most dim sum places, they have siu mai/pork hash and har gow readily available. Made to order food also came relatively quick

NEVER JUDGE A CHINESE RESTAURANT BY THE SERVICE. The ruder the better when it comes to dim sum. Apparently some of the servers use telepathy; they put dishes on your table before you even decide. Fook Lam is located adjacent to the river in a seedy part of China town. You can watch men gambling outside while you wait for a table. FOOD IS PRETTY DARN GOOD. House special Look Fun is excellent--tempura style shrimp with shreds of lettuce wrapped in chow fun noodles--has great texture and flavor. The Fook Lam style jook was the best jook I've ever had. Mix of beef, chicken, fish, and pork with a dash of white pepper was heaven (no thousand egg thank god). The paigu (Chinese spare ribs) were steaming with bits of garlic--super good. The shumai was a tad anemic. The shrimp with scallion and shrimp with spinach were colorful (come as three pieces only). Har gow was standard. Xiaolongbao was very good. Custard tarts were out of this world. The gailan (Chinese broccoli) was a bit overcooked. The place is typical chaotic Chinese restaurant. Go for the food! The manager was friendly and smiling (once she rang up the check LOL) I'll go back for sure

(Dined 05/21/23 SU @ 8:30am): Fook me... a dim sum restaurant with carts! A friend and I were meeting others for dim sum Sunday brunch at Fook Lam Restaurant. I loved dim sum and would eat it every day (I seemed to be able to eat ANYTHING everyday!), so I was excited about this. I always felt dim sum should be eaten during any time of the day, but rarely were you able to find anywhere that served it past lunch time. Was it fookin' good for my first time having dim sum on the island!? PURCHASE Shanghai Soup Dumplings 6pc ($13.95): Hot juicy suckers that were small enough to fit entirely in your mouth and exploded with steaming soup while the casing was chewy and sticky. It was always an adventure when I ate this because I rarely ever sucked the soup out first. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=jHVh8fPPG2AWWOp2A3Aj4g Here were additional notes of the partial food spread that was eaten: https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=urQjXLAdVqOxiEhuX5cxIQ ~Baked/Steamed Char Siu Bun 3pc ($5.50): Fluffy, sweet, and packed with pork. ~Chinese Red Bean Malasada 3pc ($5.50 x2): Cut in half for easier sharing, I felt they lacked red beans although the dough was chewy and nice. ~Deep Fried Mochi w/Meat 3pc ($5.50): Nice flakiness and loaded with seasoned minced meat. ~Deep Fried Spring Roll 3pc ($5.50): Standard and crispy. ~Steamed Shrimp Dumpling 3pc ($5.50): Lots of shrimp, and I could eat these all day with some hot spicy dipping sauce. ~Deep Fried Seaweed Roll 3pc ($7.25): Delicate and wasn't satisfying. ~Shrimp Look Fun ($8.50): I wished the shrimp was cut into bits instead of whole. ~Steam Fish Ball 3pc ($8.50): Packed fish in a ball! ~Steam Shrimp Ball 3pc ($8.50): Equally-packed shrimp in a ball! ~Chinese Style Salty Creamy Egg Bun 4pc ($9.95): A lovely dessert like a Cadbury egg. My first plate, and I was getting full! https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=nKT1PU3oF2cpseWnXFxDiQ SERVICE My friend and I showed up a tad late to meet others, so we buzzed past the older hostess and made a beeline to where they were sitting. Some food was already present, so we simply dug in. When it was time to hail someone for more food, one of the ladies pushing the carts https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=P7NZ4XDXrFLCYx7CY85oZQ got to us rather quickly. We weren't checked on frequently, so if we wanted more food, water, or to pay the bill, we had to hail someone down... which was pretty standard in dim sum circles. Once we were done, we simply split the receipt evenly and off we went - xie xie! PARKING (Varied; FREE this instance) Located in downtown Chinatown where parking could be difficult and pricey, it was a Sunday, so we found FREE parking along one of the many nearby streets and walked the rest of the way. Usually, this type of parking was either metered or timed. Otherwise, there were also paid parking structures all around - 'nuff said. ATMOSPHERE, DÉCOR, AMBIENCE A large spacious dining room https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=OVkmWzRnxN81qnhswZZwYA filled wall-to-wall with chairs and tables both round and square in addition to a few corner booths, a display case of various goodies once you entered, and a tiny counter at the front door to ask for a seat or pay your bill. There were a handful of framed pictures hung on the walls. Plenty of natural lighting came in through the large surrounding glass wall windows and front doors while many electric ceiling lights filled in the rest. There were no TVs nor any background music but plenty of chatter. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw&select=maLHoIO5lku7lKmCM6VzVw ATTIRE Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-shirt, boardshorts, and flip-flops. OVERALL It was nice to catch up with fellow Yelp friends over dim sum at Fook Lam Restaurant, and I would consider a future visit. Generally-speaking, I enjoyed the food and the portion sizes were good. However, the prices seemed to be a bit elevated, and the service was what I've experienced elsewhere (i.e. curt and direct). Plus, I always preferred to support small mom & pop businesses. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience per person was around $26.00 BEFORE any discounts and/or tip). And, although they accepted credit cards, not mine of choice... AMEX! 4.0 STARS

Fook Lam has always been my go to place for dim sums and morning breakfast! The line moves very fast and service is super quick too! Make sure to try out the dim sums there! The aunties usually go around offering you dim sum, so make sure to try those out. They also have really good jook, so definitely try those out! Their look fun is also really good, so make sure to order those as well! Definitely come here and share your food with your friends and family to try out more dishes. Don't be intimidated by the line or the crowd! It moves really fast and the aunties are really accommodating and friendly. Definitely come here for breakfast or brunch so you can get their best dishes early!

Very good authentic dimsum [Honolulu HI] Since my knowledge of dimsum is limited to only shu mais and xiao long baos, my friend Kathy did all the ordering for us. The ladies would come around with their dimsum cart and this is what we got: Deep Fried Taro Puff Fried Shrimp Wonton Shanghai Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) Pan Fried Shredded Taro Cake Custard Tart (egg tart) Chicken Feet w/ Black Bean Sauce Steamed Spinach and Shrimp Dumpling Beef Look Fun Shu Mai Seafood Roll Steam Shrimp Ball Har Gow Most of the dimsum came in threes. What my friend did was she set a third plate for my hubby who couldn't join us. She would set the 3rd piece on the extra plate. Towards the end of our meal she had the plate wrapped to go so I can take it to him. Everything we ordered was delicious... except I still will not try the chicken feet. Parking is available in the building with inexpensive parking rates. Fook Lam Seafood Restaurant is located in the Chinese Cultural Plaza in Chinatown Honolulu. Thank you, Kathy! Review #3573

Located by the canal, parking can be on the street or at a small parking garage nearby with good rates. You'll also get a good view of the Asian men gathering around tables playing cards lol. It's a popular dim sum spot but I personally think there are better dim sum choices out there. I tried a couple of dim sum and they weren't as good as we hoped. The skin wrapper was either mushy or too thin that they broke apart when the dumplings were being picked up by chopsticks. The flavor wasn't lackluster. The congee was OK but nothing to write home about. The best item there that we all enjoyed was the deep fried sesame balls. Very crispy, good amount of sweetness, light and airy, a true delight! I feel like their deep fried food might be worth trying more than their steamed items.

So while looking for a good place to eat we passed by and said that we have to stop by and try this place. The food is excellent and the service was awesome. Gina and team was great.

Delicious Sunday Breakfast! Posting a little late as I went a couple of weeks ago...but this is a great spot in Chinatown, Honolulu. Great for big families, it was us and our friends with their kids, who had called a head to reserve a table. Dim sum is fresh and delicious, very flavorful. Lots of options to chose from. Everything comes out fast since they are so busy they anticipate such a huge rush and come out with food to choose from. Really friendly service too!!

Very good dim sum place located in Chinatown. It wasn't too busy since there were a lot of available seats but the flavor and quality remain consistent. Service is what you expect at any dim sum restaurant, slow and not as attentive. Their dim sum and the cooked large dishes are delicious. Full of flavor and tasty.

Fook Lam has great dim sum and the best Xiao long bao I've been able to find on island so far! The broth was so flavorful and the skin of the dumplings was thick enough to hold the filling and soup nicely. Prices are comparable to other dim sum spots I've tried such as Mei Sum Dim Sum and Happy Days. The service was so fast and efficient. The only reason I subtracted a star, was the location and ambiance. Unfortunately, River Street is pretty rough even during the day and as a female dining by myself, I didn't get to enjoy my meal as much as I would liked to as I worried about leaving the restaurant alone. This will not stop me from supporting Chinatown businesses and this is a great spot to grab dim sum with a group!

This place serves up seriously legit dim sum! An incredibly authentic experience, with everything fresh and steaming hot--not your typical cold dumplings from a cart. While they still have carts with great options, we loved how fresh everything was. The bird's nests were some of the best we've ever had, and every dumpling was to die for, especially the soup dumplings. Highly recommend if you're looking for authentic dim sum in Honolulu!

The place to go for dim sum. It's in Chinese cultural center. If you're coming weekend morning - eg dim sum hour expect a wait. My favorite here is the Jin dui - crispy and the size of a softball!

Dim sum always hits the spot, and Fook Lam will more than satisfy your craving for these little bamboo-steamer dishes! My party went in at around brunch on a weekday, and it wasn't crowded at all. We were immediately seated. That being said, once you sit, get ready for the carts to come speeding towards you! They definitely are speedy with their service. For someone as indecisive as me, sometimes the pushiness of the servers can actually be a good thing! That, or having someone decisive in your party. I love watching the carts of steaming dishes roll in and being able to see what I'm ordering. Dim sum is the best because you can get a wide variety of so many yummy dishes in small portions! We ordered the pan-fried turnip cake, cheung fun (steamed rice rolls with filling), siu mai, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), lo mai gai (steamed sticky rice), har gow (steamed shrimp dumplings), chicken feet, egg tarts, and some others I'm forgetting! (There was a lot!) My favorites were the xiao long bao and egg tarts, but honestly, you can't go wrong here. Best to be adventurous and try a new dish! Honestly, the "worst" part of coming here is the parking. I'm sure you can find street parking, but there's also a parking garage, and it's super reasonable pricing. Now, I can see why Fook Lam ranked high on the Honolulu Magazine poll! I'll definitely be coming back when I'm in town.

Decent dim-sum in the heart of Chinatown. The place is a little sketch, but the service and prices were decent. FYI, there's parking right behind the restaurant.

First time at this restaurant. Wife and I decided to get dim susum for lunch. We ordered Char Siu look funn, Spinach shrimp dumplings and of course Shumai. I thought all three were very good. The Char sui look funn was more of a look funn burrito. The Char ssiu was wrapped in the look funn noodle. My wife called in the order, when I got there the lady commented " you're here already. 'Well I explained the I live across the street. After a some chit chat I told her the I was a Yelper. And if the food was good I would give the restaurant Five Stars. She laughed and said her name was Stella. This is a good option if looking for dim sum in China Town. Enjoy

Relative to all the other dim sum spots I've tried in Hawaii, this one taste the most authentic! Definitely not the nicest looking dining room or in the best location, but the food is on point. I tried over 10 dishes and everything was solid.

This has become my fave dim sum spot now in Honolulu Chinatown, thanks to my good friend Tin who introduced me to this place! Food is good and we went early today and had really attentive service! Went 3x so far and none of those visits have disappointed. A really nice alternative if other places like Legend Seafood is busy... from there, this place is a 1 minute walk down the river walk! Thumbs up for me and recommend you give this place a try!

Not sure where to do dim sum I consulted, Paul C, "unofficial mayor of Chinatown"and Nadine C who both recommended Fook Lam. The neighboring restaurant where the family has been going recently was full so it was a no brainer. Luckily we were able to waltz in and only waited 2 min for them to clear a table since I was ravenous. Hadn't been to this place in years and was so glad we got reacquainted!! 3 of us made the perfect number for dim sum since most dishes came in 3s. We shared about 11 dishes and had some left over. We had many of the usuals like pork Siu Mai, foo juk bundles one with seafood, one with veges, mochi rice, look fun with beef, beef balls, as well as shrimp balls with shiitake mushrooms, fishcake balls, etc... My faves were the Xiao long bao (theirs are small and come with a soup spoon) and Fresh cucumbers which were like a Chinese version of the Korean kimchee cucumbers. These were seasoned with garlic, chili, and peanuts, a nice contrast to the rest of the dim sum. We ended with a fresh custard tart that was soft inside with just the right amount of sweetness surrounded by a nice flaky crust. Yum! I spied one of my most challenging students this year dining with his parents and went over to say hi . He looked much cuter outside of the classroom. We both went to pay at the cash register and they ended up picking up my tab! This was a first in my many years of teaching! Hooray for teacher appreciation!

Went here on a weekday and there thankfully was no line. The dim sum cart came around quickly and our order for other items taken promptly. But it took forever for the lo bak goh and minute chicken noodles to come out!! We waited an hour for the noodles and ended up having up take it home without eating it at all. Soooo slow that day! The food was good. I particularly liked the short rib look fun. Need a bit more meat so that the meat to noodle ratio was more appropriate but it was delicious all the same. The noodles actually were not great. I do not recommend. They aren't really that crispy and the veg they use doesn't go with the minute chicken well. The lo bak goh, char siu bao, pan fried shrimp and chive dumplings were really good. I would definitely come again but not order the noodles.

First timer! loved the dim sum! very large selection. Normally I would order the usual, manapus, pork hash, sshrim shu mai, shrimp with chives. This time true something different. beef tendons and seafood bundle that was amazingly delicious! Chinatown is usually a seedy place, but, it has its own charm! Love coming here! once in a while!! shopping is fun.. all things lei stands, crack seed stores...herbal teas etc.

This place was pleasant surprised. They service you quickly but be careful the cart lady will put it on your table be for you say yes. If you don't want something you'll Have to say no. The "pork hash" was okay not 5 stars maybe 4 stars but rvrthing else was delicious. The lo bok go is pan fried on the side and is perfectly crisp. The sesame balls was so yummy yum i would definitely order them again. The seafood chives was yummy with all kind of stuffing. The beef chow fun was the best so far they give you a lot of bean sprouts and green onions. See my photos. The only thing that was bad was the air is blasting and your hot food get cold quickly

Came here for lunch with my dad and literally the second we sat down they were trying to put dishes on our table that we did not want before we could even say anything. 3 people all at once trying to force food on us lol. My dad does not eat red meat though so after we told them a couple times they backed off a little. Other reviews mention this as well so I'm sure it's a selling tactic of theirs that works on some to overwhelm people who can't say no. The food was good. Price wise it is a little more expensive than other dim sum restaurants in the same area. If you're okay with pushy servers then I would give this place a try. They were nice otherwise. I also used the restroom while I was there which was surprisingly very clean considering this is in China town.

Wow it's been awhile since I've come here. It's my favorite place for dim sum in Chinatown. Lots of things have changed here. The first is their prices lol. I had sticker shock when it was $90 for the both of us. And that most items were over $5 a plate. Dim sum was always known to be an affordable type of meal, but this kinda blew our budget lol. They have automated parking now at cultural plaza. First 30 mins is free and every hour is only a dollar. Not bad considering you don't need validation. I was also slightly confused that day because there was chair covers all over the restaurant. I honestly thought they were closed for someone's party that day.

Delicious food, it came very hot and fresh and fast! The service is incredible-- the best I've ever had. Very fast and nice, refilled tea and got us everything we asked for. The red bean balls were fantastic! Big, not too sweet, and fried to perfection. My new favorite dim sum restaurant, much better than any I've had in Monterey Park.

Yes i understand that this is a staple for locals, but the lady at the register will up charge you and not tell you. They may pretend they don't understand english, but as a chinese local, they have TRIED to rip my family off, but being chinese we got our way LOL (having a chinese speaker helps) sooooo just make sure you keep track of what you order and check your bill!

The food was so good and the service was amazing and fast! The restaurant was very lively and full of people! We took so much leftovers home LOL. I need to go back asap!

They serve overnight spoiled food, and the surrounding area is cramped and unable to move, which makes it uncomfortable to eat in such a confined space. The prices of the food are exorbitantly expensive compared to other Chinese restaurants. Be prepared to be overcharged when you pay the bill, as the owner intentionally increases the amount. Before paying, do the math to ensure you're not being deceived. They don't provide a breakdown of the charges; instead, they only offer the total bill amount. This restaurant is a clear scam, and it's ranked as the worst one out of all.

Not my favorite place. I love dim sum, grew up on it. I ordered take out one day after work, and it was super busy. It seems pretty popular with not local people. A childhood favorite, the har gao. I ordered 6 orders, about. But I regretted it because there's just something off about it. Cashier was very nice though! Would not choose this place other others.

Very tasty and they have the carts here, even though the scenery is not so nice and tourist friendly... It's an interesting and eclectic crowd that gathers outside. The food however, is delicious and we chowed down! We ate so much and it wasn't expensive for three. I will say though, that I wish they had chilli oil and complimentary hot tea (I'm spoiled by this from other dim sum restaurants) but overall, everything tasted fresh and their house special rice roll was nice and crunchy and unique! A fun spin on the regular ones. I didn't love their chicken feet, as I've had better, but this was the only miss for me. Service was fast but payment was a bit slow.

This place was great and they really hit the spot for Dim Sum! We came at 10am on a Sunday and it was busy, but they sat us right away. Food carts and trays were circulating consistently, and food was hot and delicious! We ordered custard tarts and they had to make them, but it only took 5-10 mins. Service is exactly what I excepted. Fast and no frills. A bit on the pushy side, but on brand culturally, and feel free to "just say no" if they really really want to serve you something you're not interested in, which is most likely something they made too much of and want to unload. Most small dishes are $5. Paid something around $40 for the two of us and had more than enough and ended up taking some home.

Dim sum was delicious, although rated #4 in honolulu magazine poll, I really think foik lam deserves #1. Very friendly and attentive staff. Greeted you when you arrive and thanked you when leaving. Come one guys parking at cultural plaza only $2.

Just tried Fook Lam dim sum after a while and it still doesn't disappoint! Dim sum is yummy, service is friendly and engaging, and the restrooms have been renovated as well! This remains our fave dim sum place for its consistency in quality and service!

This is my new favorite dim sum spot! Food is always hot and fresh. So good love their seafood bundle and their curry tendon( never knew what that was until the lady just told me to try lol). They really are attentive and they are fast to turn tables. We thought it was gonna be a long wait because of the crowd outside but they got us in quick. They really know how to cater to their customers. Must try their custard buns and tofu with the ginger honey sauce (I think that's what it was). Anyways 10/10. IF YOU WANT AUTHENTIC DIM SUM THIS IS THE BEST BY FAR!!!

Authentic dim sum. Carts you choose dishes from. Filling. Right in Chinatown area. Quick service. Tight seating, large and small tables. Overall, as expected. Would recommend and would come back. Happy eating!

Best dim sum on the island. Plenty parking, lots of tables, great dim sum selection. Super tasty and pretty affordable.

Delicious, hot, fresh food! Very friendly service, nice vibe. Lots of windows, bright and clean. A bit spendy!

Came here because people were saying it's one of the best dim sum place in Honolulu. We got a little lost looking for it after parking in the garage but luckily a local was walking by and showed us the way. The garage is free for the first 30 minutes and then it's a dollar every 30 minutes. We stayed for 1 hour and only paid $1 for parking. Restaurant is small and we were seated right away. But the servers bombarded us the second we sat down asking what we want. Multiple people talking at once and I was afraid they may have ordered us food we didn't want but they listened pretty well. There's a menu on the table you can order from or just go through the cart and see which one you want. We ordered our classics siu mai, chicken feet, spare ribs, tripe, char siu bun, egg tart, and beef look fun. Overall, food was subpar. We've had better dim sum at home. If this place is one of Honolulu's best dim sum then that tells me people need better taste buds or honululu needs to step up their dim sum game. Would not return here for dim sum.

Food was hot and tasty. Service was fast. Those ladies really tried to take care of the customers. Place a little small and cramped for a dim sum place. Price a little higher than other establishments.

Among all the things we tried here, I loved their cucumber salad and lotus mochi rice. The place has a buzz and service was really quick. Everything we ordered came really quick. None of the dim sums we ordered disappointed!

Fook Lam is my new favorite dim sum restaurant. The food is good but a little pricey. The menu has a wide variety of choices. Service is great for a Chinese restaurant. It can get pretty busy but the wait is not too long.

One of the best dum sun restaurants in town! Always busy, but wait time was not bad. Well worth it! Steamed fish cake is so yummy! Have not had that anywhere else.

One of my favorite dim sum place. Everything always fresh and flavorful. Really love the custard bun and short rib. Server were nice and restaurant is clean.

Visited a few months ago during my babymoon and was not disappointed. Definitely a high energy place during brunch time, with aunties running all over the place, pushing their steaming dim sum plates to each table. Authentically Cantonese (or Hong Kong). While some of the servers do speak English, if you can speak Canto, they will love you more for it. I had to dust off my limited skills but I wanted to make sure I got to try all my faves. The dim sum was good!

Fook Lam was the choice of Auntie N's dim sum gathering on a recent Sunday morning in Chinatown. We were hosting a bunch of Elites, yet little did they know I was bringing some unique Yelp swag from the mainland to hand out courtesy of my home CM (thanks Hannah). :) The place opens at 8 am so that was when we arrived to secure a large table in the back corner of the dining room. There were supposed to be nine of us which would have made splitting the dishes more easily because many of them were served in quantities of three. Items came out between a combination of rolling carts and trays brought from the kitchen. Prices were very reasonable compared to the dim sum restaurants where I live. Small orders cost $4.95 which included basic staples like har gow and char siu bao. Medium orders were $6.75, look fun (aka cheung fun) was $7.95, and jook (porridge) was $9.45. We shared numerous dishes, but some traditional fare was forgotten or bypassed by our group such as spare ribs, chicken feet, and pan-fried turnip cake. I was most impressed with the jin dui and the xiao long bao, the former because of their size and the latter because of the freshness of the dumplings that you could enjoy with red vinegar and ginger. The servers spoke Cantonese so it's helpful to have at least one person in the party who is fluent in that dialect to facilitate the ordering. Thank you to Angel for serving in that capacity. I think I could have held my own, but it's safer to have a native speaker. I was wondering why some customers were taking a photo of a sign on the door leading to the corridor where the restrooms were located. It turns out the six-digit code to unlock the restroom was posted on the door so it made sense to record the number on your phone instead of trying to memorize it. While we were paying the bill, a staff member informed our party that they no longer validate parking. You just pay the amount charged at the machine (i.e. $3 for two hours). A few of us took advantage of the free curbside parking because it was Sunday. I was grateful to meet new friends in Oahu and just as pleased we could all enjoy quality dim sum to start the week. Our experience at Fook Lam was an easy four star rating from this out-of-town visitor.

Dim Sumday at Fook Lam! Super excited to give this place a try since I rarely get the chance to come out to this part of Chinatown and from the reviews my fellow friends have left it seems like this is the serious place to be. Nadine C our most hospitable host and unofficial tour guide to our visiting friends from San Diego Ryan M and Emmett T gathered up the group to a fun filled start to our Sunday morning. Fook Lam opens bright and early at 8am so we got here on the dot to start as it can fill up fast so a large group like ours can grab a table suitable for our size in the nice corner...you know for picture purposes lol!! Having a shellfish allergy it certainly was phenomenal to have Angel H in our group to do the ordering and interpret for us as there was a item that usual doesn't contain shrimp actually having it in the dish saved me from a road to disparity so be sure to firmly ask because the server didn't know but checked for us on my behalf. Thankfully they all had an idea what to order and with items I'm able to enjoy with everyone as well...baked Char Siu Bun, Steamed Char Siu Bun, Beef Look Fun, Char Siu Look Fun, Jin Dui, all was just yummy carb loading goodness but my absolute favorite is the Shanghai Dumplings which is a soup dumplings with a side dish of red wine vinegar and julienne ginger which you need BOTH to thoroughly enjoy this dish...such a sucker for dumplings! Other items I wasn't able to take a chance were Deep Fried Taro Puff, Deep Fried Seaweed Roll, and several items I just can't remember the names all enjoyed by the group easily with just a request to cut into smaller shareable pieces by the server with a simple scissors snips. Just when I thought I was done Nadine insisted I try the Soft Tofu Float which is their dessert made with soft tofu in ginger sauce...I must've gave the look cause she then say let's share lol! Well you know she's right because it was the perfect thing to end the meal on a refreshing light treat that's made with guiltless soft tofu...yum! It was such a pleasure to meet you Ryan M and Emmett T who also was so thoughtful to arrange with his San Diego CM Hannah N for the cool swags (Yelp Bag, Boba Straw and Chopsticks!) a perfect Eco-friendly foodie tools! Making wonderful new friends Angel H, Ruby S along with Peter Y, and Dan O it sure was a place I'd recommend because it's sure all that and Dim Sum! Thank you!

Dim sum triplets can easily turn into six. Sweet ladies will arrive with carts quickly and very often to offer a plethora of food. Be assertive to accept with quantity or decline with hand gestures. They will use scissors to cut some in half for group to share. Amazing Cantonese dim sum experience served family style in a casual ambiance! Thank you all for great conversations! Emmett T and Ryan M from SD for sharing food experiences and bringing Yelp swag! Nadine C for the invite, being a gracious host and gift. Angel H, thoughtful interpreter, teacher and travels, Peter Y for the treats, Irene M for Yelp tips, and Dan O for travel tips. Jin Dui, Ha Gau, Siu Mai, Steamed Seafood Chives Dumplings, Deep Fried Taro Puff, Deep Fried Seaweed Roll were very flavorful, fresh and yummy! Honorable mentions: Shanghai Dumplings: Seven soup dumplings w/ red vinegar and ginger. Place one dumpling in soup spoon, pour a little red vinegar, add a few pieces of julienne ginger. Enjoy! My fave! Deep Fried Mochi with Meat: Tasty filling! Worth trying. Baked Char Siu Bao: Lightly brushed sweet glaze, diced char siu. Steamed Char Siu Bao: Soft, pillowy dough stuffed with diced char siu and adorned crevices. The one I consumed featured a higher proportion of dough. Prefer equal or higher ratio of char siu. Look Fun (shrimp, beef, char siu): Choice of protein wrapped in glutinous goodness and partially immersed in a sea of sauce. Custard Tart: Dense in weight, egg and taste. Not sweet in a sturdy, flaky crust. Soft Tofu Float: Tofu immersed in sweet ginger. Must have! Delicate dessert perfect to cleanse palate. Tea sips in between each item helped to cleanse palate and tummy. Restaurant does not validate parking. Find metered, street parking on Vineyard Blvd, Maunakea St or park in Chinatown Cultural Plaza and pay $3 for 2 hr validation at parking machine. There are separate restrooms. Use numerical codes posted on the main entry. I arrived on an empty stomach and rolled out full. Come here with an empty tummy, super hungry or hangry! Highly recommend!

This place is def one of my top dim sum places here! It gets busy on the weekends but it's worth it! Service is quick and fast and I love the ladies that push the dim sum carts around. Great place to come for your dim sum fix! I love their mochi dim sum. Everything is pretty good here!

Great food! Their Turnip cakes are so yummy. Parking is a pain. Amazed at how their employees all work so hard.