Dynasty Seafood Restaurant — Restaurant in Vancouver

Have you ever noticed that the names of Chinese restaurants all sound the same? Take, for example, “Dynasty Seafood Restaurant”… could this be any more typical of a Chinese restaurant name? In any event, Dynasty (not to be confused with Dinesty) is a popular and well received restaurant located on West Broadway in Vancouver. There is free underground parking, just remember not to pay at the machine (tell them your license plate number and stall number when you go to the restaurant).

We originally wanted to order some steamed rice roll dim sum dishes (like beef rice roll or Chinese donut rice roll) but realized that they didn’t serve that here. Instead, we settled for the Pan-Fried Rice Rolls ($8.89) which is served with hoisin and peanut dipping sauce. The rice rolls themselves were pretty good but I felt like the pieces were cut way too big and made it difficult to pick up due to the slippery nature of the rice rolls.

The thing that I look for in Steamed BBQ Pork Buns ($5.98) is how pillowy soft the bun is and how moist and tender the BBQ pork filling is on the inside. Nothing like pulling apart a hot BBQ pork bun and seeing the resulting steam fill the air in front of you.

Our dessert dish, the Baked Sago Pudding with Black Sesame ($5.28), arrived mid-meal. Sago pearls are similar to tapioca pearls and this is similar to baked tapioca pudding but the cookie-like topping wasn’t as good as the pineapple-crust topping that you usually get with the latter. In addition, there really wasn’t a lot of black sesame in this dish (but that might have been due to the size of this dessert.

One of the better dishes that we had here was the Deep-Fried Shrimp Balls served on a skewer of sugar cane ($6.98).

As if we didn’t order enough food for two people, we also ordered the Steamed Beef Balls ($6.38). Despite the size of these large and meaty items, I thought that the price was a bit overpriced. Usually, these are on the cheaper side of dim sum items and I didn’t see anything that really made these stand out.

The last dish to arrive at our table was the Minced Pork and Crab Meat Dumplings ($6.98). These dumplings were really good but they fell apart so easily that it was difficult to enjoy thoroughly.

Overall, some very good dim sum dishes here with a price point that leans towards the higher end of the spectrum.

Update: Revisit early January 2024. Still a busy place. Had the steamed beef balls, black truffle dumplings, spareribs, pan fried eggplant with fish paste, shrimp and chive dumplings, fried taro puffs with preserved veggies, baked sago pudding with black...

I was really looking forward to trying Dynasty as I love dim sum and saw reviews indicating this is the best restaurant for dim sum in Vancouver, but the food and service were both horrible.

Once we were seated; we were ignored for 10 minutes, until we flagged a server over and told him we were ready to order. We ordered 4 items (compoy and crab soup dumpling, BBQ pork buns, crab and pork dumplings, and BBQ pork pie with lemon). When we ordered, our server told us that the compoy and crab soup dumpling takes a little while longer to prepare (which is fine for us), but did not specify how long.

After about 5 minutes, the food started to arrive. First, the BBQ pork pie with lemon. While it was prepared well, the taste was like an overly sweet lemon cough drop - not good. Next were the BBQ pork buns - again, the buns were soft and light, but the BBQ pork filling tasted like it came from a can. Then the crab and pork dumplings arrived - the crab meat tasted rotten that I spat it out - horrible! Once we “finished” those dishes, after about 10min, we flagged our server down to ask how much longer for the compoy and crab soup dumpling.

He answered “it takes longer,” and when asked how long, he said 45min from ordering and that we’d still have to wait 20 more minutes, and then rudely said “I told you already” (no he didn’t!). I understand some dishes take longer, but when the average dish comes out in 10min, my definition of longer would be 20-25min, not 45min - this is something that should be labeled on the menu.

Finally the compoy and crab soup dumpling came out, and it was mediocre at best. We had to flag down our server again to get the bill, and then we left (still hungry, with an awful taste in our mouths). Would avoid at all costs,...

This restaurant used to be a longtime favorite for my family. Over the years, we’ve brought out-of-town guests here, hosted countless gatherings with local friends, and made many fond memories. Sadly, it’s no longer the place it once was.

The menu has changed significantly—prices have increased across the board, while portions have noticeably shrunk. What’s more disappointing is the service. While the staff may come off as friendly, it lacks genuine attentiveness. We’ve often noticed that servers mainly address the men at the table, and only seem to remember our family when my father is present. It’s subtle, but revealing.

What truly soured our experience was a visit two years ago when we were persuaded—under the guise of a better option—to order the Norwegian king crab instead of the Alaskan king crab we’ve always enjoyed. Without fully disclosing the cost, they selected an unusually large crab for our group of 5, or actually 4 as 1 is vegetarian (knowing that we won’t put much attention as we are treating friends from out of town), leading to an astronomical bill. It felt deceptive, especially toward loyal, long-time customers like us.

Despite up to a year of not visiting the restaurant, we gave the restaurant another try, hoping things had improved. Unfortunately, our latest visit confirmed otherwise. The ambiance is still pleasant, but the rising prices and declining value make it hard to justify coming back. We’ll likely be visiting far less often, if at all. We will be looking for better, more honest...