James Beard Award semi-finalist Alex Au-Yeung’s Phat Eatery in Katy is known for its excellent Malaysian street food but don’t sleep on the small menu of house-made, hand-crafted dim sum. The dim sum platter is the perfect route to take to sample each of the offerings of har gau, siu mai, shrimp siu mai, and the addicting lotus leaf-wrapped sticky rice made with chicken and shitake mushrooms.

A project by Gilbert Fung from Houston’s beloved Fung’s Kitchen family, this Katy jewel box is a modern and stylish fast-casual location, with plenty of Instagram-worthy eye candy. With more than 40 tried and true Fung’s favorites, get your fill of soup dumplings, Beijing duck, and lava buns. Or try the items created specifically for Dim Sum Box, like the fried garlic dim sum, fried jalapeno har gow, and salted egg yolk soft shell crab. Order at the counter, then grab a seat, and wait for the beautifully plated, color-coded morsels to arrive (Fried items are served on bright red plates while steamed items come in stylish silver baskets).

Katy’s Asiatown is home to the first Texas dim sum outpost of lauded, Michelin-starred restaurant Tim Ho Wan. The restaurant is known for its fluffy barbecue pork buns, but there are countless standouts on the menu, including comforting congee, sticky rice served wrapped in lotus leaf, and spicy wontons. Don't deny your sweet tooth — Tim Ho Wan’s sesame balls reveal a sweet custard worth savoring.

Located in the heart of Midtown, Taste of Mulan (formerly One Dim Sum) remains one of the very few dim sum restaurants inside the loop. Traditional Chinese dishes including Beijing Duck, sizzling plates, and stir-fries as well as all-day dim sum are offered. Familiar favorites such as the fried pumpkin puffs shaped like mini pumpkins; and bright green, flower-shaped mushroom dumplings are still featured alongside traditional dumplings and rice rolls.

Looking for vegetarian dim sum? The selection at this Vietnamese tofu house, market, and cafeteria may be meager with around 10 items to choose from, but it’s the only place in town that offers completely meat-free options. With the option to dine-in or take-out, items displayed behind a glass partition at a buffet-style counter help diners take their pick. Fried items come three to an order and include selections such as egg rolls, crispy taro puffs, and stuffed fried tofu skins. Steamed items, including the vegetarian har gow and shu mai, come in four pieces. All dim sum, priced at $5.50 an order, are available for most of the day.

Prominent signs out front that read “All Day Dim Sum” assure you that you’ve reached the right place. Known for its strong dim sum game, Shanghai serves up crazy-good ham sui gok, fried glutinous pork puffs, lava buns, and the equally delicious Cheung fun rice roll with crispy shrimp and chive. Kids will also love the adorably Instagrammable pig-shaped sweet milk buns.

Family-owned and operated by chef Mr. Guo, this beloved Cantonese restaurant has served Houston for the past 15 years, offering moderately-priced dim sum daily until 4 p.m. in an elegant, crystal-chandeliered setting. Regulars swear by the fresh, sweet taste and texture of the shrimp-based dim sum, including its iconic fried shrimp egg rolls and fried crab claws. Desserts like sesame balls, custard tarts, and mango pudding are also excellent. As impressive as its 1,000-bottle wine inventory is, the restaurant also allows for BYOB with corkage. 

With what is undoubtedly the largest dining room in Chinatown, Crown Seafood can seem quite cavernous when it’s not full, but that’s the beauty of it: Plenty of lazy-susan-topped tables for large parties, easy-to-find parking, and minimal to no wait times, even during peak weekend dim sum hours. Offered daily until 3 p.m., dim sum is ordered from a small markup sheet, accompanied by a picture menu for easy ordering. Made fresh, the piping hot morsels, like the shrimp shu mai and plates of crispy shrimp balls, are delivered to the table via pushcart. Don’t miss out on the giant deep-fried crab claw (it’s massive!), or the special lobster dine-in steal for just $35 per order, with a limit of one per table. Indulge in the specialty teas, beer, and wine, or take advantage of the BYOB with corkage policy and bring your own.

Ocean Palace is one of the most popular dim sum houses in Houston with wait times often exceeding an hour during the weekend rush. Patrons flock to this restaurant for its creative dim sum dishes like the truffle shrimp and pork shu mai, the ginseng har gow, and its soup dumplings, which include a truffle pork option and an oxtail soup version. Beer and wine are available, but you can also BYOB with a corkage fee.

Houstonians waited impatiently for the return of Fung’s Kitchen after it was forced to close due to a fire in 2021. The iconic spot for dim sum on pushcarts that roll past your table, located on the Southwest side, made its comeback in late 2022 and people continue to queue up during brunch hours to get their fill of dumplings, steamed buns, and noodle rolls, as well as a small buffet of specialty items such as garlicky sautéed green beans and salt-and-pepper chicken wings. Dim Sum is offered daily from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The newest destination for dim sum is located in Stafford, where New Palace has replaced a massive Chinese buffet. Dim Sum and Cantonese specialties are offered daily, and though it does get busy during peak brunch times, wait time and service are quick. There are no traditional pushcarts here. Orders are taken a la carte and brought out hot and fresh. Favorites here include the plump har gow, crispy cheung fun, and sesame-salted lava egg buns.

A mom-and-pop joint located inside Sugar Land’s Jusgo Supermarket complex on Highway 6, Joy Dim Sum offers the quintessential no-frills experience with just a handful of tables, freshly made dim sum, and affordable pricing, with a 5 percent discount if paying with cash. Though the short and sweet menu is not as extensive as other dim sum establishments, patrons will attest to the quality of the Cheung fun rice rolls, chicken feet, fried taro, crab claws, and more. Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Monday.