Dim Sum Station — Restaurant in Hackensack

UPDATE - 10/25/24 Originated in southern China’s Guangdong region before eventually making their way to Hong Kong, dim sum is translated to English, meaning “touch the heart." It is a traditional Chinese meal made up of small plates of dumplings and other snack dishes and is usually accompanied by tea.

I’ve decided to pay Dim Sum Station located on River Street in Hackensack after a year. Since there was no table service, this was setup a bit like a fast food establishment where one orders from the counter and waits until your number is called.

The menu comprised an assortment of seafood, meat, and vegetable dishes that are prepared in various ways: steamed, fried, or baked. Their selection was smaller compared to other restaurants I’ve visited in NYC.

Greeted by the staff, I decided on the Har Gaw and Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup. Har Gaw (shrimp dumpling) is one of the most popular dishes. These are chunks of shrimp encased in a thin, translucent dumpling wrapper and served in a plastic container. They were tender, chewy, and soft. The Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup has giant shrimp wontons filled with a generous quantity of shrimp that tasted fresh and succulent. The noodles were authentic Hong Kong style—springy and thin.

For dining in, every dish was served in plastic takeout containers. Prices can be a little expensive, and the service is always friendly. All forms of payment are accepted. There’s a small parking lot available on the side and back, but suggest coming early and during the week. They take their food seriously while not so much the dining experience, which I continue to recommend.

—————— Gong hei fat choy(恭喜发财) 🧧

Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit 🐇/Cat 🐱 in Vietnam symboling longevity, peace, and prosperity. Those born in a year of the Rabbit /Cat (2023, 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, 1927) are believed to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded, and ingenious.

Given the importance of food in Chinese culture, it is not surprising that certain dishes play a major role in Lunar New Year celebrations which I came to this establishment in Hackensack today. Dim Sum Station located off of a busy River Road offers authentic dim sum which saves from having to go into Gotham whose taste comes close to Manhattan’s Chinatown quality. Upon arrival, the restaurant has the look of a fast-food establishment and luckily was able to get parking in back on their small lot. It is served cafeteria style where one orders your food at the counter and pick it up when the order number is called. All the items are pictured on the paper menu, so you have an idea of what you are ordering. I’ve decided on the pork soup dumplings, Hong Kong Style Wonton Noodle Soup and Egg Custard Tarts. The soup and egg tart were available right away. The soup with its pork wontons were piping hot and flavorful. The pork soup dumplings were smaller and tasty but could have been juicier & served hotter. The egg tarts were smaller but delicious. The food was genuine Cantonese, staff friendly, service good and the price expected for not going to NYC which I...

First visit 3 months ago. Yesterday 2nd visit Oct 2024. I updated to 5 stars. I feel it is as good as a place like this can be- trying hard to provide for a local community with authentic offerings. Should not be compared to large chains with corporate budgets.

This visit: shrimp wanton noodle soup. I didn’t think the shrimp were as big as last time! 🤔 but the soup and noodles are still savory.

Chinese greens - they are steamed, not stir fried which would be more satisfying. But steamed is healthier and it does comes with a side of oyster sauce.

Siew mai were huge and meaty.

Beef stew over rice take away. Fried dumplings take away.

Nice note pasted on their counters - they are against tipping. Their policy echoes the hearts of many consumers. The tipping culture has gone crazy in this country. Customers here order at the counter and clean up their own tables after eating. Restrooms are well maintained. Customer service top notch! I was injured and they very nicely gave me pack of ice. Very friendly folks.

This place is the go-to if you are in the area and not expecting fancy set up but wholesome filling dim sum.

Two things for management: Wish you would bring back the bubble tea and add pickled green chilies for condiments!

Original review:

Shrimp wanton noodle soup has GIANT shrimp wanton filled generously with shrimps that tasted fresh and succulent. The noodles were hong Kong style, springy and thin. The soup was a little interesting - maybe there’s lemongrass inside? A bit sour.

The dried shrimp rice noodle was alright (v salty). Next time I wouldn’t get that again and try the shrimp rice noodle instead.

The baked roast bun didn’t disappoint. At $2 each, I felt it could be a little bigger.

The fried turnip cake was nicely pan fried, one of the fave on our table.

Branched roll in abalone sauce is the least fave.

Brisket noodle soup a course on its own is generous with meat and beef broth. Nice noodles.

Most items were $6-$8 for a plate of 3/4 items except the noodle dishes were $11.

Decent value, clean and not bad considering you don’t have to drive all the way to the city center for decent dim sum.

We spent $50+ for 3 persons with...

A fast casual dim sum restaurant where you order and get your food at the counter and seat yourself. Pretty good food for the area, but not nearly as good as spots in Chinatown.

Two caveats to my review: They didn’t have hot water or tea available the day we went. They also seemed to have run out of scallions because I was expecting them in my congee and dried shrimp rice noodle rolls.

Dried Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls - Good. Not too slimy, not too firm texture. Just wish it had scallions and peanut sauce. Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai - Good flavor. Steamed BBQ Pork Buns - Okay. Maybe the filling could have been more saucy, I don’t know. Black Pepper Short Ribs - Okay. Decent, but I realized I meant to order Spare Ribs in Black Bean Sauce instead. Pan Fried Pork Dumplings - Good. A good fry on the dumplings. Pan Fried Turnip Cakes - Good. A slight crisp on the edges, good consistency and flavor. Pork and Century Egg Congee - Okay. Did not feel like the ingredients melded together, if that makes any sense. I am used to the pork being soft ground in this dish, but they were tougher cubes instead. Some century egg bits were a bit rubbery. Also, didn’t have scallions. Steamed Seasonal Vegetables - Good, not much to say. Egg Custard Tarts - Okay.

I think this place has a lot of potential. They have a solid menu, clean space, and friendly service. My dream would be if this place evolves to become more like Delicious Food Corner in the Los...