Open Rice Metropolitan — Restaurant in Charlotte

I found this place via the Charlotte subreddit, while someone was asking for recommendations of Dim Sum. A lot of the people were talking about this place called Open Rice . Never heard of it, so I decided to make the trip and give it a try (you can never say you do not like something if you've never tried it, right?).

Well, I tried the Lump Crab and Shrimp Fried Rice and the Salt and Pepper Fried Chicken (pictured). The camera added color, so the rice and chicken were not as yellow-tinted as appeared. The fried rice was like a cooked white rice. And the fried chicken bites came with a lightly colored, cream batter. I can't say anything special about the rice, because, besides the shrimp and crab meat, it had no flavor. However, it cost almost $20.00. The Chicken bites on the other hand, were plenty flavorful and were made with real chicken. most Chinese restaurants in Charlotte, do not use real chicken in their dishes, other than if you get chicken wings! So this was a huge plus. The bites cost $9.50 - this was the highlight of my meal. The Rice and Chicken Bites came plentiful - which resulted in me having to fridge the remaining until this morning, when I microwaved them for a few seconds - and let me say, I added salt to the rice and baby - it came alive! No more bland, unflavored tasting rice. It's like the people that don't season their chicken. No way jose!

As for the service: Decent. I made a mistake, I think, and added a $5.34 tip while running my card in the card reader and then the receipt came out I asked where did this tip come from, since I was picking up. The girl pointed and was like you accepted it during the payment process when you slid the card in. They do not use any Apple Pads - just the payment card reader you usually find in convenience stores - so you'll probably get taken for a ride if you're not paying attention. It was past 8pm, and it was crowded, so I let them have it.

The Atmosphere was acceptable. pretty tight space, looked clean.

Would I ever order from this restaurant again - probably not. But it was an experience that I can tell people...

Delicious Dim Sum is back in Charlotte again! As a Hong Kong native who also lived in San Francisco for 20 years, I have eaten a lot of Dim Sum at a lot of places. After moving to Charlotte, I have been searching for Dim Sum reminiscent of the meals I had back then. Having tried previous Dim Sum places in Charlotte, by far, I believe Open Rice stands out on two main points. 1. Location and 2. Atmosphere. It is located in a quaint area near uptown Charlotte with free parking. The inside of the restaurant is spacious and filled with natural lighting. I went to try their Dim Sum during the second weekend they offered it. We had a table of 6 and waited about 30 minutes after being seated before our food arrived. We were seated around 1:45 pm and were probably part of the later-lunch crowd so the Dim Sum came out within a reasonable time. Based on the amount of guests at the time of our meal, I wouldn't be surprised if earlier guests would have had a longer wait time as it was still quite busy. The wait staff, while definitely pressed for time due to the lunch rush, were still kind and attentive to our table. While I know that everyone's experience of service quality can vary, I would like to say that the staff at Open Rice have been consistently welcoming based on my own experiences and those of many others I know.

The Dim Sum is also of higher quality than any of the previous Dim Sum restaurants in Charlotte. I have worked at a reputable Dim Sum restaurant in San Francisco and, while not perfect, Open Rice's Dim Sum definitely has potential. Taking on Dim Sum service at a restaurant is no easy feat. This is especially true when there are very limited options for Dim Sum in Charlotte and the weekend crowds will flock to the restaurant hoping for a taste. There is always room for their Dim Sum to improve. That being said, I believe that Open Rice has proven itself up to the challenge and I look forward to seeing how much their Dim Sum service develops...

Dimsum has to be one of my top favorite category of dishes of all time. So when I heard that Open Rice had them, I got so excited because dimsum in Charlotte is very scarce. When we got there, I only found out that they only served dimsum during lunch. NOWHERE in their website will you find information about this. (-1 star)

We came back another day and was able to try dimsum. Their staff was delightful, friendly, and very helpful. One the of the cart servers reminded me of my aunties back at home who would always tell me which ones to eat.

The dining area has high ceilings accommodating great natural lighting and spacious ventilation. Interior has a modern clean finish with a touch of an upscale Asian vibe.

We ordered siu mai, turnip cake, spare ribs chicken feet, shrimp dumplings, pork baos, egg tarts, sesame balls, and pork soup dumplings.

Loved the siu mai, just the right balance of shrimp and pork. Turnip cake was soft, light, and flavorful just the way we liked it. Spare ribs were okay. Soft and tasty but the flavor was a little off. Chicken was cooked well, soft, and flavorful. Shrimp dumplings were fresh and packed with juice and flavor. Pork baos were soft, sweet, and tasty. Egg tarts and sesame balls just had the right amount of sweetness.

Soup dumplings. Xiao long bao. My favorite dimsum of all. Usually when I order xiao long baos, they should not be coming from the cart so that the soup is still plump and hot. The soup dumplings that we ordered came from the cart. NO SOUP. It was already dry as you can see in the picture and might been sitting in the cart for too long. (-1 star)

This place has so much potential. And I will still go back here to support them. Most of the dimsum tasted well. I really hope that they will try to improve the things I've...