Tropical Chinese Restaurant
Chinese restaurant · Ludlam ·
Dim sum, Peking duck & classic Chinese plates in modest strip-mall digs
Dim sum, Peking duck & classic Chinese plates in modest strip-mall digs
"Miami has always been a city of big families that want to celebrate at a dinner table. It’s hard to do that these days without dropping stupid amounts of money. But Tropical Chinese is still the place for an affordable group dinner with your entire family (even the ones you’re not wild about). The best time to come is between 11am and 3pm, when the dim sum carts are rolling through the dining room. If you miss that, get the $85 Peking duck that’s carved and served tableside, then reappears minutes later after being tossed in a wok with vegetables." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer
"Consider this Miami’s king of dim sum. The popular Chinese restaurant has been going strong for over 40 years, and its brunch is as popular as ever. Its unassuming strip mall location gives way for a buzzing restaurant offering a huge assortment of bao, buns, and dumplings. The Peking duck is a fan favorite, but don’t pass up the excellent steamed shrimp or leek dumplings either." - Eater Staff
"Skip the peking duck at Komodo unless you want to sip $28 cocktails and rubberneck to see a DJ from the bottom half of the Ultra lineup. The $85 version at this Miami classic is better. It’s carved tableside, the crispiest bits are wrapped in pancake cones dripping in hoisin sauce, and the remaining meat reappears minutes later after being tossed in a wok with vegetables. This dish can feed you and your six hungry friends while you're gathered like little knights at the restaurant’s big, round tables. If you really want to feel special, go between 11am and 3:30pm, when you can pair the duck with incredible dim sum from Tropical’s roving carts." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino
"Miami has always been a city of big families who want to celebrate at a dinner table. It’s hard to do that these days without dropping stupid amounts of money. But Tropical Chinese is still the place for an affordable group dinner with your entire family (even the ones you’re not wild about). Some things have changed here. Before the cartoony murals you see today, the walls were lined with framed articles and awards they’d received since they opened in 1984. Honestly, those smiling palm trees creep us out a little. But their dim sum is still our favorite in Miami, and we still come here to celebrate with as many people as we can stuff into a big, round table." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino, mariana trabanino, virginia otazo, virginia otazo
"This Bird Road spot has a huge menu of Chinese classics, but the reason we come here is for the dim sum, which they’ve been doing since 1984. This fantastic buffet on wheels consists of over 50 dishes, so pace yourself. There are a few standouts, like the plump pork-and-shrimp siu mai. The shrimp rice roll is excellent and slippery and we point and order it every time we see it roll by too. And those baked roast pork buns are perfectly round and smooth balls of sweet dough with a center of delicious roast pork. Also, Tropical Chinese is just a Miami classic—and one that we still love." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino
