Tom's Dim Sum

As we arrived we were told that we couldn’t stay to eat, they were closing in 45’. The service at the desk is not really friendly, they do their job, not more. We took the food and went back to our hotel and as I opened my fried rice I saw that it was a lot of black “things” in it. These are bits from the bottom of a frying pan!!!! Absolutely everywhere in my meal! The food not bad, but the shrimp are dirty and full of crap. So take your time to pick out what you want to eat. 😒

Tom's Dim Sum on Arch Street in Philadelphia's Chinatown is an absolute gem! Conveniently located near our hotel, it became our go-to spot, with visits on both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day after the parade. The standout experience? Being served by a robot waiter—it added such a fun and modern twist to our meal! The food was unforgettable. The scallion pancakes were perfectly crispy and flavorful, and the noodles were so delicious I’ll be dreaming about them for ages. Every dish we tried was fantastic, and the warm atmosphere made it the perfect spot to unwind during the holiday festivities. Tom’s Dim Sum is a must-visit for anyone craving authentic, comforting, and exciting Chinese cuisine!

The Piggy Buns were so good. The custard was thick and sweet. All the buns we tried were pillowy soft. Highly recommend the scallion pancakes too

Service was stellar, The staff was super attentive- refilling our water and checking in on the table. And replacing the dumpling sauce which was (AMAZING)!!!! sweet and savory!! We were seated almost immidiately, And order was placed within 10 minutes of our arrival. I ordered the steamed chicken dumplings and wow! The texture was excellent , the filling was delicious and that dumpling sauce again, was such an enhancer for the meal. We also got the crab Rangoon, the spicy tofu, the vegetable dumplings and a v steamed vegetable bun. My favorite plate was the crab rangoon and the steamed dumplings. Vegetable dumplings had a filling of cabbage , carrot and some other vegetables, they were light and tasted good with soy sauce. The restaurant itself was very clean and well kept- brimming with life and plants. Quaint atmosphere and gentle energy. Would definitely reccomend- They also sell soup dumplings, which I didn’t try but they sounded amazing , and you suck the filling out through a small punctured hole!! A menu is posted outside so you are able to look at it before entering- Parking however was a little difficult to find. We parked around the corner in a paid lot , which was like .75 or 1.50 for an hour. There’s a lot of really cute shops on the street aswell so adventuring is accessible. Perfect for a lunch date on the town

Top soup dumplings that I've had, sesame chicken highly recommend - tons of flavor without being too heavy of your typical similar dishes. Overall well priced and nicely balanced portions, not a ton heaping but quality

Got orange chicken with white rice. Chicken is crispy and tasty, white rice is typical Chinese rice (good). Service was not that friendly, but not rude

There’s a robot here!!!!!! It didn’t serve us but it’s there…just watching I suppose. This place has really solid general tsos and the dumplings are above average. Service wasn’t super fast but no big deal. I like the location, it’s super close to the AMC theater.

This is a great location across from the hotel or to get out of heat with a lot of seating. Service was great and price is very cheap. However, the food was not bad but seemed like it was sitting, waiting to be served versus fresh or at least recently made. We ordered and got our food within 5 minutes. Everything was hot but felt like it was sitting under a heating lamp, if that makes sense. We got scallion pancakes, which were large, non greasy and did not skimp on scallions. We also got pork soup dumplings and spicy pork fried dumplings. The fried dumpling was fried perfectly with the crust but very doughy. We also had chicken skewers (curry flavor I believe) which were very large and general so chicken and veggies (great variety).

Great online ordering and pickup experience. Food-wise it's what you expect from an Americanized spot -- some items are leagues better than others. I wouldn't typically come here because Chinatown is right there but it's worthwhile on my circuit for parties to pickup a bunch of diverse food.

Found this place in a pinch, it's right next to the Convention Center- Torn, because I wanted to like it, but can't Ambiance is chill, service is fine, so this is a food/flavor note: Egg drop soup: 0/10 (it wasn't an egg drop soup, more like a scallion + mystery veggie soup) Spicy Pork Dim Sum: 2/10 Shrimp shumai: 8/10 Presentation: 0/10 (food carelessly tossed) And I found a hair mixed into my napkin :/

Was at the convention center and spontaneously decided to try this place on my way back to the car. We were seated almost immediately and menus were tossed at the corner of the table. Place was busy... We tried: Crab rangoon - crispy and delicious Pork soup dumplings - good Shanghai style ribs *w/ white rice - so good and good flavor My son tried the chicken fried rice and my husband had the seafood fried rice (only 2 pcs of shrimp :/ ) Overall okay for a quick eat.

Came in on Christmas Day because it was one of the only restaurants opened on Christmas in Philadelphia. It was packed that night which meant service was going to be slow. Luckily I didn't wait too long for a table, however ordering did take a bit long. We ordered some dim sum to share. The food was the typical dim sum you would get in dim sum places, nothing gave me a deep impression. However, the server did forget our chicken w/ chili sauce appetizer which we didn't get until we finished all our food. Would definitely give them a second chance if I was in the area and it's not too busy inside.

Tom's Dim Sum is located on the outskirts of Chinatown. The scallion pancakes weren't anything special but were crispy and warm. The pan fried pork buns did not have a crispy bottom as I would have hoped. The bread was soft and fluffy but the meat filling was tiny. Overall, it was a pretty decent bite but I wouldn't get it again over the soup dumplings. The soup dumplings came out hot. The soup and filling was delicious and perfectly seasoned. The restaurant is simply decorated. Service was ok, they accidentally missed one of the ordered items. We also didn't get spoons for the soup dumplings. Experience and food was just ok. I would only come here if I absolutely didn't want to wait at dim sum garden.

Awesome spot! Great atmosphere and even better food. There's a parking garage right across the street and the food isn't very expensive. I would definitely recommend getting the pork soup dumplings.

During the Flower Show it was a welcome respite to sit and enjoy the most luscious soup dumplings! Followed by delicious double sauteed pork and garlic eggplant. The robot server is also fun to watch -- sorry no photos because we couldn't wait to devour the food. Don't expect a smile, this place is all business and as long as the quality remains at this level that's a deal!

Last night in Philly (well until next time) , I ventured over to Tom's Dim Sum for Chinese food. It's near the hotel, and other folks mentioned it was good. Well, not only was the food very good, but a robot brought the meal out of the kitchen so that our server could bring it to the table And interesting touch for dinner service. Anyway, I ordered the Crystal Shrimp Dumplings as an appetizer and the Shredded Pork with Spicy Garlic Sauce and noodles. Believe me when I say nothing was left on either plate...lol...good choice, quick service and very good.

Decent dim sum, quick and affordable option. I had har gow, chicken soup dumplings, scallion pancake and sesame red bean fried balls. A tasty quick option downtown.

I came about this place while walking with friends around Chinatown. Not a bad shop, very straightforward ordering experience where they take your order, refill waters and bring your order. My main entree was the cumin stirfried noodles with beef. I wanted something spicy so I ordered it as it was marked off with a symbol for spicy. Cumin is indeed a spice so its not false that it was spiced up but it more so an oiled up powdered cumin taste instead of something that would make me sweat. Its a chilly winter night and I wanted to be heated up so it wasn't what I had in mind. The other items I had pictured were shareable items I ordered with the table. The crab rangoon, scallion pancakes, and walnut shrimp were all so good that i probably could just order more of them. The whitish yellowish sauce on walnut shrimp was like a honey mustard mayonnaise mix, maybe kewpie mayo, but it was a delicious sweet sauce that complimented it well. There was shrimp fried rice that I didn't get to try because the cumin noodles was actually very filling for me but it definitely looked really good. It is probably better to get dim sum from a shop like this as my friends did get pork dumplings with a soup broth inside them. So it may be worth checking out still if you're in the area

Fine place to get dim sum that's extremely close to the convention center, but there are likely better places out in Chinatown that it would be worth the time to go to. We came as it was a block from the convention center. They are very fast paced and in less than 5 minutes from when we were seated they were ready to take our order. The food came out extremely fast as well. For the food itself, we tried many different dishes. My favorites were the seafood xiao long bao and pork xiao long bao (though the dumpling wrapper was a bit "gummy"). The HK style and shrimp shu mai were also delicious but on the saltier side. The crystal shrimp dumplings were fine, nothing too special. The pan fried pork dumplings and roast pork buns were not our favorite but were extremely filling. Overall, great place to come in a pinch since you will get quick and effective service but taste is a bit lacking.

This was a nice find! We headed to Reading Market for cheesesteaks to find out it was closed for the 4th of July. We walked a block or so and happened up on Tom's Dim Sum. The restaurant was very clean as was the restroom. We had: - Chicken with Broccoli - very good - Pork and Crab/Pork Soup Dumplings - delicious - Vegetable Fried Rice - good if a bit bland. - Fried Chicken with French Fries - good, the chicken was a bit dry The staff was very friendly and they have a robot rolling around the restaurant bringing the food from the kitchen.

I went here for lunch on a Friday afternoon, quite by accident as I was unable to find my first choice restaurant. This place is super busy. The ambiance is modest but not unattractive. I had to wait a bit for a table but that was not a problem. I was seated and placed my order. Then I waited. And waited. And waited. After 30 minutes, I noticed that many tables around me that came after me had their food. So I asked where my food was. They told me that because I ordered dumplings, it takes some time. But that was not quite the real story. Besides, this is a dim sum restaurant and their business is to turn out dumplings quickly. I waited a bit more and then one of the waitresses asked me who took my order. I pointed her out and she shook her head, denying that she took my order. Some waitresses use a tablet to order but my waitress did it the old fashioned way with a pen and paper. Apparently, she forgot to place the order with the kitchen. In total, I waited 40 minutes for my food. Once they got it straightened out, my food came out in 10 minutes. The chicken soup dumplings were good but not the best dumplings I ever had. There was a flavor of chicken soup, which I suppose is the point, but after I added dumpling sauce they were better. The chicken skewers were really good. Good seasoning, moist and tender, they were among the best I ever had. They gave me a free salad of some kind to compensate for their mistake, and it was good. I think it was seaweed but since I did not order it, I am not sure. Overall, the food was good. The service was below par. Prices are very reasonable, which is probably why they are so busy.

A nice Shanghai style restaurant with dim sum offerings near the Hilton Garden Inn in Center City, Philadelphia. Unattractive exterior (chaotic, dirty, unkept) but very nice interior (soft ambient lighting; even a robot bringing dishes out from the kitchen). No-frills service with NO smile, but dishes came fast. Name was funny: Tom's Dim Sum. The Chinese name is actually Shanghai Garden 上海園. Here are some of the best dishes: Seaweed soup. Unassuming name but so delicious! Spot on! Soup dumplings (juicy and delicious). Large portion though. Nice cucumber salad

Ale: The food was average in terms of dim sum, but the best thing we ordered was the xiao long bao. Alo: First time trying dim sum, and was good. I would recommend fried pork and chives. The service is very fast paced. The ambiance was okay, nothing special.

Tucked under the convention center and difficult to get a parking on the street. Had to park in a lot for $20.00 just to come eat here. This was recommended by customers and the menu had quite a few interesting dishes so I ordered a few to try. Good thing I ordered extra dishes, the portions were small. And I'm not referring to any dim sum dishes. I ended passing on the dim sum after looking thru the menu their dim sum was not up to my standards. So all my selections were entree. The dishes were ok to decent not really worth the prices.

Got a variety of different foods at this restaurant. Service was quick and the food came out fast. I will say that I have had better dumplings, scallion pancakes, and bao buns at other places. If looking for a quick bite to eat for a cheap price, this is a go too, but if you're looking for a better quality, maybe go to a different place.

First time trying dim sum, and was okay. I would recommend fried pork and chives. The service is very fast paced. The ambiance was okay, nothing special.

This place was a bit of a let down and I would recommend other dim sum places over this. Food: Chicken soup dumplings - the broth itself was good but the rest was kind of so-so. I didn't really like the dumpling wrapper and some of the dumplings tore when trying to remove them from the steamer basket. Steamed chicken dumplings - honestly just not good at all. The wrappers were very thick and the filling was bland. Chicken w/ noodles - great dish! The chicken was very tender and in small pieces which made it easy to grab noodles with each bite. The noodles were thick and flavorful. Chongqing chicken - instantly regretted ordering this after it came out. Not spicy at all and the chicken was a bit tough. Service: Service was just okay. It was clear they were spread thin but we had to ask for water twice before we got it and I never got the tea I ordered. They rang in one of our dishes wrong on the bill and charged us for a dish that was slightly more expensive. I gave them my card and asked them to fix the error but they just ran my card without fixing. Ambiance: Nothing special. The lack of ambiance would be fine if the food and service made up for it but it doesn't.

Came here for a treat after cutting work early one day and left ready for a nap - their portion sizes are great and the food is so affordable, you can (and we did) order nearly one of everything on the app menu. The soup dumplings did not disappoint but the star of the show was the general tso - crispy and fresh and flavorful. Service was quick and attentive and it's in a great location to explore the rest of Chinatown. Will def be back for more :)

Solidly great dim sum at this Chinatown fav spot! They also have an amazing private dining room. We ordered so many small plates and dumplings and all were delicious. My favorites are the Shanghai shumai, the soup dumplings, and the beef pancakes. It's a scallion pancake stuffed with hot marinated beef and it is out of this world. I also love the pan fried dumplings as they have an amazing Szechuan peppercorn flavor. The star was dessert - the piggy buns with a delicious filling of egg custard, and a light fluffy outside. service was solidly good but not outstanding - they are very fast!

I always walk past this place and it's packed every time but I've been skeptical to try it because of the mixed reviews. Was feeling pretty desperate one night and wanted something light so I decided to try their noodle soups. I got the seafood noodle soup and pickled cabbage shredded pork soup. Both were pretty good but very salty lol You do get a good amount of seafood and meat in the soups though. I probably would get again if I am ever nearby.

pan seared pork gypza and the bao buns are out of this world. sesame ball for a dessert. super chill and good food in a relaxed environment. BYOB is a plus

Grumpy servers, okay food. I ordered the chicken kung pao and asked to sub the rice with noodles. That costs $4 extra. The quantity of the noodles was quite small. The chicken tasted ok. What I didn't like was the service which was very indifferent.

Dined in 09.30.24 went inside around 9pm. Let us in but didn't say they're closing soon. One of the entrees was put on the table first leaving the apps last which made the entree cold. Bill jacket was placed on top of one of our to-be-used-plates which is horrible and also without the food being served completely! Server said they are closed already "9:30" at 9:50 without even letting us know about their closed time. On the menu their closing says 10:30. So we have to eat quickly and pay our bill while we're eating! Food doesn't taste anything especially the fried rice.

I can only speak to my delivery food, and it was absolutely terrible. It literally was flavorless and I had to re-cook it, adding a ton of ingredients just to be able to eat it. They say "when in Rome" so next time I will order some Dim Sum as it HAS TO BE better than their fried rice!

So the night I came here, the night after Xmas,service was a little challenging. It was quite busy and there appeared to be only two wait staff working the room. So I get it. But when the woman who takes your order comes back to your table 35 minutes later and asks you what you ordered... not the best sign. However... we live in a world where restaurants are strained. I'm definitely more forgiving of this now than I would have been three years ago. But it was part of the experience so I have to be honest. Total wait was well over 45 minutes for my food. To be fair, the woman who took my order was extremely busy the whole time. I actually feel for her. And the fact that she did realize it took a long time for my food to come out and make an effort to fix it, I give her credit there. I will however base my review solely on food quality. Because once I tasted the beef brisket noodle soup and the steamed crab pork soup dumplings, I completely forgave them. Up until now, I considered Dim Sum Garden the best soup dumplings in the city. Now, there's at least a tie. These explode with flavor. And the soup... I haven't had brisket that tender at barbecue joints. The handmade noodles carry the flavor of the broth which just zings your tastebuds. The green onions were also amazingly fresh and added to the flavor. Sometimes you have to overlook the issues and give a place a chance to win you over. They did. I'm a big fan now. I still love Dim Sum Garden and I think it might have a little more of an authentic and diverse menu. But Tom's is going to get more attention from me now.

I came here during Chinese new year and at the time of a busy conference. The place was so busy and despite this they operated very efficiently. The portions are huge, I foolishly got two orders of soup dumplings thinking it wouldn't be enough. One order is more than enough for one person! Juicy dumplings, crispy scallion pancakes, and amazing texture on the sesame balls.

Every item here was a knock out of the park! We ordered the sweet corn chicken soup, crab soup dumplings, crab Rangoon, edamame, and Bok Choy and everything was delicious. The edamame was wonderfully salted, the bok choy was juicy and savory, & the soup was delicious. The soup dumplings were excellent. The service was friendly and prompt - a great spot to check out if you have time before a movie at the nearby amc!

The food was just OK. The waitstaff behaved as if they were VERY busy, but the restaurant wasn't super crowded. ‍ The dining room was unremarkable, but was VERY conducive to having conversations. The best thing about the experience was the people that I dined with.

I finally tried this restaurant after walking past it countless times on my way to Chinatown, and I was pleasantly surprised. Good, authentic soup dumplings are hard to find, with the most important feature being thin dumpling skin (and soup of course!). The pork soup dumplings here had good flavor, a decent amount of soup within, and the skin was not super thick like some other places! I also got eggplant with garlic sauce, Shanghai-style ribs, and Shanghai pan fried pork baos. The eggplant was delicious and slightly spicy and the ribs were super tender and on a bed of tasty baby bok choy. Both of these came with rice. The most disappointing item was the Shanghai pan-fried pork baos. These were not crispy at all (the bottom should be super golden and crispy), but the flavor was okay. This is the only thing I would probably not get again. Overall, the prices were great, nice ambiance, and despite how busy it was the waiters were all super nice and attentive. Will definitely be back!

The food was good. We got a variety of soup dumplings, and specialties. I would recommend the food. I had my heart set on drinking tea with my meal, but was informed that they hadn't had any tea in two days because the tea maker was broken. Pretty hard to believe in this situation that there is no tea or any way of having tea or that the machine wouldn't be fixed or you couldn't boil water.

I always walk by this place and haven't always been motivated to try it since I typically see mostly westerners inside, but I saw JL Jupiter feature it in a video so I figured I'd give it a try. To my surprise, it was a lot better than I expected! Food: The beef chow fun was my favorite. The noodles were soft yet chewy and had a good caramelization. The meat was also very tender. The beef pancake was also very good. I liked the pickled mustard green in it. Lastly, the crab and pork soup dumplings were good but it was a bit disappointing to see that some of them came already popped. The skins on them were a bit thick, but the flavor was pretty good still. Crab and pork soup dumplings: 3.5/5 Beef pancake: 4/5 Beef chow fun: 5/5 Service: The service was fast and timely. They do a $10 minimum per person. Ambience: It's pretty renovated and modern inside. Lots of seating and good for groups

It is not worth me trying to write a review for this place because I almost died while eating my beef noodle soup. There was a piece of plastic about 2.5 inches long and my beef noodle soup. It was hard, definitely not some thing edible. I don't know how you could miss such a big piece of foreign object in the food. They rush you to leave the place if you eat in person. I'm happy to say that I will not be going back.

The place is a bit tight for large groups but had quite a few vegetarian options that made everyone happy. The food was delicious and the seservice was decent.

The food was good, not amazing but a good treat in the middle of a day of shopping. The service was alright and the ambiance is "hole in the wall chic."

Food here was very mild. The dumplings I ordered were kinda bland and didn't have much flavor to it. Service wasn't bad, just the food was miss for me. But still a okay place

The service was not good unless you were Caucasian, the food was not very good & not very fresh because I had to rush home to use the restroom... Everything about the place was not good but my bill but even that will never get me to return to this establishment

Food looked good although they didn't seem to have shrimp rolls on their online take out menu. I was planning to take out on Sat around 10 pm but the door hours say 11 pm and they closed one hour early. I wonder if they had the Phillies World series game playing or not inside- no idea. Probably would've gotten the stir fry noodles with fish ball and other but oh well. Might just try the one in Media instead. I would probably give a better rating if I got to try their food but was disappointed when they closed one hour earlier than what is posted on the door.

Ordered on doordash. It got here fast and did not disappoint. I have also walked by the restaurant which looked very intimate/familial and a good atmosphere to go to with a group of friends/family and enjoy food together.

I tried Tom's for the first time after my brother-in-law recommended it as the best dim sum restaurant he's been to. I brought my parents because they're from NY and they know real dim sum. We got a ton of stuff including soup dumplings, brisket soup, shrimp dumplings, chicken skewers, shrimp ho fun, bok choy, pork ribs and scallion pancakes. Everything we had was HOT and tasty. My dad complained that a few things were a bit on the sweet side, which he wasn't a fan of when he's in the mood for a savory meal, but all in all we were all pretty impressed food-wise. The reason for my 4 stars is 2 fold. First, the wait on the soup dumplings. We all ordered, got everything but the dumplings, ate our entire meal and got our table cleared before the dumplings showed up. No one said anything until they were clearing our table that the soup dumplings take "a really long time." Thanks for the heads up . They took 40 minutes after we ordered. The other reason for a less than perfect score was the bathroom. There is no changing table, so I had to change my toddler while leaning on the sink. Really not cool at all. How hard is it to get one of those fold down changing tables? Parents have enough of a hard time wrangling our kids. It's the least you can do for us. The last thing I'll say about this place is that I'm not sure why they call themselves a dim sum place. It's a regular Chinese restaurant. No one is walking around with prepared items, the food doesn't arrive in those cute little wooden steam baskets and there aren't any specialty items you'd normally get at a dim sum place. Would I come back here? I probably would. Is it the best dim sum place I've tried? Sorry to say, but no.

The food was excellent & the service was a delight. They serve good portions and has reasonable pricing. It's located in center city so good ambiance & fast service. We got 2 orders of dumplings, two small white rices, stir fried noodles, general tso chicken, and chicken skewers which feed 4 people and came out to $56! Great place!

Stopped in with some friends to grab a bite and bring in the Lunar new year and we had a great time!! it was a bit busy due to celebration so we did have to wait about a half hour to be seated be we did except the wait from the beginning. this spot is byob so we did bring some drinks and other tables who were leaving but still have some drinks left offered up there bottles so that was pretty sweet the food? amazing. 10/10. The scallion pancakes were to die for! my friend had the General Tso's chicken and after trying some of their i ended up ordering me some to take home. we also had the rangoons but there not pictures be we ate them as seem as the plate hit the table. A great spot to enjoy some food friends and have a great time and great food.

This is such a hidden gem in Philly we saw a food vlogger visit here and we just had to try it out. I will be going probably every time we visit Philadelphia. The ambiance inside was cozy and small but that didn't bother us as we are okay with that. The food was reasonably priced and not expensive

I have heard so many great things about this place and it just did not live up to the hype for me. Don't get me wrong the food was mostly tasty, but it felt rushed and very haphazard in there as far as the ambiance went. I felt like I didn't know how the flow was supposed to work and no one really explained or came over to our table for way too long if you ask me. Once we were able to order the food did come out quick but it truly took longest to get service. The place was also very loud, mostly other patrons that were loud but it was very distracting. I would do take out from here but don't feel the need to go there for inside dining in the near future.

Sooooooo, when I come to China Town... I would expect authentic food... this place however is NOT authentic. Crab Rangoons & Spring rolls you could get out of frozen food section at kroger .... Price for (2) spring rolls $5 .... (4) crab Rangoon $7, which is same price as the HK (shrimp & pork) shumai which is the only reason this is getting 1 star from me, last thing we ordered was the chicken soup dumplings which were also frozen then steamed. Sad to say this was the only disappointing meal ive had in philly.

Would not call it Dim Sum. It's more of a dumpling, Xiao Long Bao place and did not live up to the standard of quality Chinese food in the middle of Chinatown. Disappointing.

decent dim sum but wow, was that egg drop soup a miss. i don't think a proper 蛋花汤 should have more than a third of the bowl be cilantro

Second time at Tom's and the dishes I've been choosing continue to miss the mark. The Chong Qing Chicken had perfectly crispy fried pieces of chicken but I've never seen it done with sauteed onions and an awful lot of them. This is in addition to the spring onions which are supposed to be there so I fished all the others out. The real crime here was the lack of heat and garlic and that was sorely missed. I also had the Pan Fried Pork Dumplings and there was just way too much dough and not enough filling. Very disappointing.