Peony Seafood Restaurant is a spacious and lively spot that serves a diverse menu of delicious dim sum and Cantonese dishes, perfect for brunching with friends.
"Peony is one of the Bay’s few Chinese banquet halls, and while you may end up here for a massive wedding reception or big extended family dinner some day, it’s best for brunch. The Cantonese restaurant on the top floor of the Pacific Renaissance Plaza is a multi-room maze where you can go for a spread of dim sum every day but Tuesday. Try the baked barbecue pork buns and wiggly mounds of cheung fun, and always finish the meal off with their adorable pig-shaped mango jellies. " - julia chen 1, lani conway
"You’ll find all the classics here, but also slightly more contemporary and hard-to-find options: Buried in the restaurant’s vast menu are gems like pan-fried daikon cake with XO sauce; crispy-garlic-topped “typhoon style” taro cake; and cute, Instagram-ready piggy-faced steamed custard buns." - Dianne de Guzman, Lauren Saria
"Located on the top floor of Pacific Renaissance Plaza, Peony Seafood Restaurant is a quintessential Cantonese-style dim sum banquet hall. During the day, you’ll find steamer baskets filled with dim sum adorning the tabletop lazy susans. They’ve got the classic soup dumplings, chicken feet, and pork buns available alongside newer additions like delicately crafted crispy durian fritters and oozing custard buns. Though events were on hold throughout the pandemic, weekend evenings in the past would usually be reserved for special occasions and weddings in their banquet rooms." - daphne wu
"Peony is one of the Bay’s few Chinese banquet halls. So, naturally, it’s where you'll end up for the massive wedding reception of some extended family, or when your aunt decides to "get everyone together." The Cantonese restaurant on the top floor of the Pacific Renaissance Plaza is a grandiose, multi-room maze with big round tables and red cushioned chairs. And there are the requisite lazy susans, which you should top with plates of lobster or abalone, honey walnut shrimp, and pan-fried noodles. This place is slightly better at lunch, when the dining room is more energetic and they offer dim sum (what Peony does best) like baked barbecue pork buns, cheong fun, and adorable pig-shaped jellies. photo credit: Andria Lo" - Julia Chen
"One of a small handful of big banquet halls and dim sum parlors left in Oakland Chinatown, Peony made waves when it closed down very early on in the coronavirus crisis. It’s since reopened for takeout, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily, with both dim sum and regular family-style dishes available." - Luke Tsai
