Yue Restaurant — Restaurant in Richmond

Weekends are made for dim sum (guess it’s the Chinese equivalent of brunch). We decided to check out Yue Restaurant in mid-August. This well-appointed restaurant is located in a little mini mall in Richmond and has a couple of private rooms in the back.

Prices at Yue are slightly on the more expensive side with small dishes running at $5.13 and large dishes at $7.13

When you order steamed beef tripe at many dim sum restaurants, you wind up with omasum (or bible tripe) – which isn’t bad… but sometimes, I’ve got a hankering for Honeycomb Beef Tripe ($7.13). These tender morsels of tripe were quite good but I was a bit surprised that they were served on top of stewed potatoes (which gave the impression of more tripe than what was in the dish).

The Fried Eggplant with Shrimp Paste ($7.13) had a perfect crispy texture. Unlike some other restaurants, this was accompanied with a sweet and sour type dipping sauce.

Next up was the Siu Mai with Black Truffle ($7.13). The 5 smallish pieces were similar to the ones we’ve had at Chef Tony and were smooth to the bite.

The next dish to arrive at our table was our dessert order of Lychee in Olive Jello ($5.13). These cube-shaped gelatin pieces were super slippery to pick up but were filled with real lychee and goji berry pieces.

I didn’t pay too much attention to the menu when I ordered the Steamed Red Rice Rolls Chinese Donut ($8.63) because I was surprised that the rice roll was red when it arrived at our table. Not only that, but the Chinese donut was hollowed out and filled with shrimp paste which made this dish velvety, crispy, and savory all at the same time.

Our final dish to arrive at the table was Steamed Bean Curd Wraps ($7.13) which had a really good pork filling but which were a bit difficult to bite through.

We returned the following month to try out some of their other dim sum dishes. The Steamed Beef Rice Rolls $7.13) were velvety smooth with the filling intermingled with the rice rolls instead of a more traditional filling that’s completely encased by the rice rolls.

Next up was the Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce ($7.13) which I found to be cut up into large pieces that made it difficult to eat. Most of the pieces were also more on the bony side instead of being meaty.

Like in many Chinese dim sum restaurants, our dessert came out mid-meal but I thought the Mango Pudding ($5.13) turned out fairly good.

The Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with Preserved Meat ($6.13) is a staple of Cantonese dim sum dishes (also known as lo bak go) and made with grated turnip and Chinese sausage.

You can’t have dim sum without ordering a dumpling so we opted for the House Special Dumpling ($7.13) made with shrimp, celery, and carrot. The filling was not as plump as you’d see in a har gow dumpling which is made of just shrimp.

The last item to arrive on this revisit was the Steamed Chicken Feet in Special Sauce ($7.13) which they initially forgot to put in the order for us. While I don’t eat this very often, I found that their version wasn’t very tender.

It was another 3 months before we returned to this restaurant. This time, we started with something that’s truly comforting… sticky rice. More specifically, Steamed Sticky Wild Rice with Preserved Seafood ($7.25).

For our dumpling on this visit, we picked the Steamed Dumpling with Scallop and Truffle ($8.75).

And then followed that up with the Deep-Fried Dumpling with Pork and Shrimp ($7.25).

Lastly, we had the Deep-Fried Bean Curd Sheet with Prawn and Chive ($7.25). I’m not sure what I was really expecting with this dish. Usually, we order a steamed version of the bean curd wrapper but I actually wound up liking this dish a lot. The bean curd wrapper had a nice crunch on the outside which complimented nicely with the filling.

Overall, I found that most of the dishes here were pretty good (with some misses).

Update Apr 2024: One of our go-to spots for dim sum in Richmond. Been about 8 months since our last visit. Dim sum prices were $8.8 for Sm, $10.8 for Lg, and...

Through a friend’s recommendation and seeing good online reviews, we decided to visit this restaurant for lunch on a Monday. Thinking it wouldn’t be too crowded on a weekday, we made a reservation for 12:00 PM. The parking lot outside the restaurant was spacious, but it was completely full, so we ended up parking by the roadside. Upon entering, we noticed many people waiting on the benches at the entrance, and the restaurant was packed inside. After waiting for about 20 minutes, we finally got a table. On the wall, there was a large screen advertising a special price of $48.8 for a whole Typhoon Shelter-style lobster. However, when we ordered it, the server first claimed that it was $48.8 per pound. I pointed out that the screen clearly stated “one whole lobster” at that price. The server then said, “Let me check if it’s sold out.” After 10 minutes, he came back and explained that the price was actually from the previous day and that the discounted lobster was “asleep” (essentially meaning it was dead). This back-and-forth left us feeling that the staff were not being entirely honest, which reflected poorly on the restaurant’s integrity. In the end, we ordered Typhoon Shelter-style crab along with some dim sum. The menu seemed creative and offered a wide variety of choices. The dishes were served promptly, and the service overall was decent—they even replaced our dirty plates midway through the meal. Most of the dim sum we tried tasted good, but the Typhoon Shelter-style crab, despite having a lot of ingredients, was underwhelming in flavor. Overall, today’s experience was quite...

If you're craving top-tier Cantonese cuisine in Richmond, Yue Restaurant won’t disappoint. Here’s why it’s earned a happy spot on my list:

Cozy Ambiance & Comfort The seating is noticeably plush and inviting—perfect for lingering over a leisurely meal. Whether you’re catching up with friends or settling in for a family celebration, the layout strikes the right balance between casual and refined.

Attentive & Welcoming Service The staff at Yue are always on their toes—quick to refill tea, clarify menu items, and accommodate requests. They strike just the right chord: friendly and efficient without being overbearing.

Stellar Cantonese Offerings From classic spring rolls and roasted duck to delicate seafood dishes, the Cantonese selection hits all the right notes in flavor and presentation. Every dish feels thoughtfully prepared and in harmony with traditional tastes.

Dim Sum & Dinner—an All-Day Delight Known far and wide for its dim sum, Yue certainly lives up to the hype. These bite-sized treasures are impeccably executed: fresh, fluffy, and full of flavor. But don’t stop there—dinner is equally impressive. The dinner menu boasts an impressive range of Cantonese standards, with each dish tasting as thoughtfully curated as the next.

The Verdict: Yue Restaurant is a standout among Richmond’s Cantonese spots. With great food, cozy charm, and top-notch service, it earns its reputation as a go-to for dim sum—and proves equally reliable for a satisfying...