China Pearl Restaurant

I been a faithful follower of China Pearl for years, but recently service there has been disappointing that made me want to retract my previous good reviews. Today, one of the dish we order was fried, and when we got it, it was very cold. When we called the server over and request for a new one, he and she wanted to simply throw in the fryer to reheated. I cook fry food from time to time, and fried food need to be hot to be delicious, other wise it's going to be mushy, or trap too much oil to be delicious. Long story short, THEY TOOK THE FOOD BACK AND PUT IT DIRECTLY ON THE COUNTER, AND PLAN TO GIVE IT TO OTHER CUSTOMERS. This is very disturbing for a frequency diner, and I think this is a poor business practice. I want to inform other diner of this issue, and dine at your own risk. Thank you. Pros: price and environment Cons: they put returned food out for sale again more

Once upon a time I heard that Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger fame liked China Pearl for dim sum, so I grabbed a bunch of friends and off we went. We were not disappointed. Dish after dish tasted fresh, and authentic. One of our guests was not a huge dim sum fan so he was a bit tentative especially when it wasn't clear what we were eating. The rest of us just dug in and enjoyed every bite. Pros: so much good food Cons: you might not know what you're getting more

Took the family (2 adults & 2 children) into the China Pearl. We were greeted nicely at the door by a gentleman in a suit. We were the first to arrive for the evening. We were carrying a lot of packages from a shopping trip, the Host helped us to find a place to sit the packages so we could be free to fully enjoy our meal. The service was outstanding. Very clean and professional. The staff was aware of our table and would promptly arrive with water or tea before we even asked. Even though the service was wonderful, the food was the star of the evening. We tried several different Dim Sum items and each one was a treat in itself. Fresh made and hot. Presentation was outstanding, to the point that we took photos. We had the steamed BBQ pork buns, and they were out of this world, the best we had ever eaten. The seafood (shrimp, mussels, and crab) were fresh and tasty. Everything was exceptionally good. Would I recommend this restaurant... oh yes! We have added it to our ""must visit"" places for out-of-town guests. We will also be returning quite frequently, for the prices were comparable as well. Pros: Best Dim Sum more

We had dim sum brunch before catching a train at South Station and found this place to be perfect. The food was as advertised, delicious and constant with a good amount of selection. I've been to other dim sum with more varieties, but we reached full stomachs well before we got bored with the food. Though we were stuck in an out of the way corner, we still had constant service and were able to get in, eat, pay and leave all within a busy Sunday morning hour. Our one downside was the apparent drought: we were never once offered water and only after getting up and bugging some of the other servers did we finally get any. Pros: Service, quality, speed Cons: Busy atmosphere inside, poor water service more

Dim Sum is one of my favorite ethnic options and I have been really curious to try China Pearl after having read so many positive reviews. I appreciated the friendliness and efficiency of the staff, the paramilitary way in which tables are seated and the distinctive Chinatown ambiance. However, the bottom line for me was that the food just wasn't that good. The dumpling wrappers were thick and over-cooked, the fillings themselves lackluster. I also found that there wasn't much variety in the choice of dumplings. Almost all were some sort of shrimp plus something option, just another generic assembalance of the same ingredients in different configurations.\r \r If this is truly the best Dim Sum option in Boston, I think I'll skip it and wait until I leave town. Pros: Efficient service, cheap Cons: Food isn't up to par more

We had a wedding here of 100 people in the woburn ma location this past weeken(8/2/08) and everyone said to me that it was the best chiense food they ever had and every one went home full ( how many weddings you been to can say that ) ,, and the owner Brian was amazing from day one planning this ,,, they did everything we asked ,, and thety let me decated which ever way i wanted,,,,, and everything was a great price.... this place is great for lunch dinner or a event ,,, thanks again china pearl for a great night """" oh ya and the drinks ,, tell ya one thing no one went home sober lol Pros: everthing Cons: nothing more

The Dim Sum here is probably among the best in Boston for its fresh variety of delicious dishes. There is a considerable amount of stuff to choose from, however, its recommended that you get what you want quickly before someone else in the immense crowd snags it. The service has been incredibly friendly despite the busy weekends and have been more than accommodating for each occasion. The decor is quite nice, banquet-hall style but Saturday / Sunday afternoons are so crowded that people tend to share tables. The prices are consistent with most Dim Sum places and most importantly are not back breaking. Best recommended for the average Dim Sum foodie who can get here before the noon rush. Pros: Dim Sum, Service, Prices Cons: Crowded more

After going to several different dim sum places in Boston, I've found that China Pearl is the best in terms of variety and consistency. For people both new and old to dim sum, it's a great place to try out a large selection of different foods. In particular, I have found that China Pearl has by far the largest selection of vegetarian options, with carts often containing meatless versions of the main staples. The servers in general speak some English, but when all else fails, pointing works too. The main downside is that China Pearl can get very crowded, especially weekend afternoons. Also, if you're seated in one of the wings, not all of the carts will come by, and not very frequently at that. If they put you off to the side, request a table near the center or the 2nd floor if it's busy enough to get all the carts. Pros: Great variety with vegetarian options, servers speak some English Cons: Crowded and noisy on weekends more

China Pearl is a great place for dim sum compared to other places in the mini-Chinatown of Boston. It is in a huge two story building and offers many different standard dim sum dishes to please the palate. Going on the weekends is the best but it can also be the worst since that is when you have the most variety of food being offer but you have to wait in line. BUT that is the charm of dim summing: the crowd, the noise, and the ambience of sitting in a loud place while calmly sipping tea and chatting with your freinds Pros: Great food, Authenticity Cons: Crowded on weekends more

This is the most consistent place for good dim sum in Chinatown. The service is actually a little better than it was before because the cart servers actually speak some English as opposed to none. The best bet to avoid large crowds is to avoid 11am - 1pm particularly on Sundays. (That's the traditional time for Dim Sum). There's a good spread of dishes to sample, and the price is reasonable. Pros: Good Dim Sum, Authentic Cons: No parking, Crowded peak hours more

I always wondered why China Pearl got the props it did; perhaps it's because there isn't anywhere else to eat dimsum in Boston? Nevertheless, the restaurant is a bit crowded, it looks like a mediocre restaurant, the dimsum temperature is a bit . . . mediocre . . the shrimp dumplings are slightly less than succulent . . . adding up to an experience that is . . . well, . . . mediocre. Pros: Popular, Good for Crowds Cons: No Parking more

True dim sum atmosphere with an enormous selection and good quality and consistency. If you aren't a dim sum expert, this is the safest place to go because everything is good, whereas the other dim sum places are better in some areas and not as good in others. You need to get here early, or you are definitely going to wait. more