This small and unassuming restaurant in an Edmonds strip mall is a solid dim sum spot north of Seattle. It serves handmade dim sum with complimentary tea all day long. Its piggy buns — pig-faced steamed buns filled with sweet egg custard — is a crowd pleaser and Instagram hit, and the layered shrimp balls are equally as stunning. The latter features plump, juicy shrimp paste coated in mounds of thin, crispy, deep fried wonton strips, shaped to look like a bird’s nest.

China Harbor recently acquired Peony Kitchen’s head chef, Danna Hwang, to launch its new dim sum menu. Traditional items, like the siu mai and the fried taro ball, are elevated with the addition of truffle and abalone. China Harbor’s pan fried chive dumplings also impress, but be sure to get them with the rice paper add-on. This wraps the outside of the dumpling with a delicately crisp, frilly rice paper, adding an extra layer of crunch to the experience. Those who dine in can enjoy the ornate dining hall, and sweeping views of Lake Union.

Vietnamese restaurant Monsoon offers a weekend dim sum brunch in a neighborhood without many dim sum options. The drunken chicken is a go-to favorite, as well as the shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and crispy shrimp and chive wontons. Monsoon’s patio and rooftop seating areas are perfect for a sunny weekend. Eastsiders can also enjoy weekend dim sum brunch at Monsoon’s Bellevue location.

An essential Pike Place Market stop, Mee Sum is known for its fluffy, sweet hom bow selections (the barbecue pork is the most popular offering), pineapple bread, and other pastries and buns baked fresh daily. The green tea black sesame mochi ball has an emerald green exterior coated in black and white sesame seeds, fried, with sweet and savory black sesame paste at the center. Grab either (or both!) for a perfect, on-the-move snack at the market. Mee Sum also has a cafe in the University District.

This small dim sum shop in the Chinatown International District (CID) sets itself apart by offering everything a la carte. Each piece of dim sum is sold individually, and all patrons have to do is mark a sheet of paper with the quantity of each item that they want and hand it to the cashier at the front. Some highlights include the thousand year egg congee — which typically sells out early in the day — as well as egg tarts, made with a thick cookie crust and generously filled with a silky smooth egg custard.

Harbor City is one of the few places in the CID that had previously served dim sum on carts rolled throughout the dining room. The carts have disappeared since the pandemic, but the taste and quality of the food still remains. The chicken feet are braised until incredibly tender, and the turnip cakes are pan fried to a perfect crisp on the outside, with a soft and meaty interior inside.

Hong Kong Bistro is perfect for anyone craving late night dim sum. The restaurant currently closes around midnight, but before the pandemic it was known to stay open even later. Here the dim sum is served all day, made fresh to order. The baked pork buns feature sweet barbecue pork stuffed in a fluffy bun and topped with a sweet, crumbly, crunchy coating. Pair this with a refreshing mango freeze — a mango smoothie combining coconut milk and sago pearls — for an indulgent meal.

Homestyle Dim Sum, formerly Duk Li, offers takeout Chinese pastries on one side of the restaurant and a dine-in area on the other. Its fried pork dumplings, often known as footballs, are not only huge, but are perfectly fried and offer a satisfying crunch. The baked, salted egg yolk custard bun stands out with a sweet, tender cookie crust on top.

Good dim sum outside of the CID can be hard to find, but Foo Lam delivers for those in the New Holly/Rainier Valley area. The green beans are crisp, the shrimp har gow are a must, and the lightly toasted sesame balls are perfect.

Dim sum restaurants on the Eastside are few and far between, making Macky’s Dim Sum an essential choice. The spinach and shrimp dumplings look like little gems. The skins are a pale, translucent green, flecked with bits of spinach leaves. The filling in Macky’s pork siu mai is just that, only pork. It differs from the more common pork and shrimp combination, but these dumplings are nonetheless incredibly juicy and tender.

Dim sum restaurant by day, hot pot restaurant by night, Triumph Valley offers dim sum all day, and a limited selection in the evening. The menu includes creative items like the deep fried pork dumplings shaped to look like a pear, and the salted egg yolk mochi. The mochi is a must, featuring a fried, chewy exterior and a  golden, lava-like, sweet and savory salted egg yolk interior.