Golden Unicorn — Restaurant in New York

This restaurant is highly raved about online so my friend and I tried it out while in Chinatown. We went around dinner time on a Friday night and was instantly seated. We did notice there were a few larger groups. At first it seemed service was good but then it went downhill. We barely had time to look at the menu before a waitress came over to ask for our order. We told her we weren’t ready yet and needed a bit more time. She seemed annoyed, but did give us hot tea without even offering water or bothering to explain what drink she was serving us. When we were ready it took almost 15 minutes for her to come back around for our order. We started out with two orders of dim sum and two orders of hot and sour soup. We had plan on ordering more if the food was good. We waited 15 minutes or so before the first order came out. Finished it then had to wait another 20+ minutes for the second order. After finishing the second one, at least 20+ minutes had passed and our soups hadn’t been served yet. We noticed our waitress running around serving other groups but she never once came over to check if we were enjoying our food or to refill our empty tea pot. Finally we had enough of waiting and caught the attention of another waitress. She checked on our soups and told us it wasn’t ready yet. At this point we were furious. How had it been at least an hour and they still didn’t have our order ready? Shortly after a man (he was well suited so a supervisor it seemed) served us our soups with no apology for the long wait. We instantly asked for our check so we could pay upon finishing as we didn’t want to wait again for our waitress to notice when we were done. He happily obliged and wasted no time taking our payment method before we even finished eating. How rude! Most places wait until their customers finish their meals first or if the customers say they’re ready to pay. Needless to say service was a great disappointment! The food was good and we wanted to order more, but unfortunately they seem to prioritize their larger groups of customers over their small ones. We wasted nearly 2 hours of mostly waiting for our food. We left and ended up finishing our dinner at a small Italian restaurant a few streets over…Zia Maria! Highly recommend!! Even though we came in an hour before they closed we still received phenomenal customer service from every waiter and waitress. They were attentive to all their customers. Not to mention the atmosphere was fun and lively. We ordered 4 dishes and they were served in a timely manner...

Feedback Regarding Concerning Policies at Golden Unicorn Restaurant

I learned something surprising and concerning policies at Golden Unicorn Restaurant that I believe warrant attention from a friend who had tea this morning there, where they experienced some unannounced and rather strange rules:

Waiting Policy: Customers are apparently not allowed to sit at a table without actively eating, even when waiting for ordered items that are delayed in preparation (e.g., dumplings in soup took 20 minutes). This policy seems to place undue pressure on customers rather than addressing potential issues with food preparation times. Seating for Incomplete Parties: There appears to be a policy against allowing customers to be seated while waiting for their entire party to arrive, despite ample table availability (e.g., at 11 a.m. when many tables were empty). Order Ticket Placement: Management reportedly requires order tickets to be placed face-up on tables for inspection. While the need for accurate order tracking is understandable, this practice may make some customers uncomfortable. Time Limit on Dining: There seems to be an unspecified time limit imposed on customers to finish their meals, presumably to increase table turnover. Without clear communication, this policy can create a rushed and unpleasant dining experience. Selective Enforcement: There are concerns that these policies might be selectively enforced, potentially discriminating against certain groups (e.g., Chinese Americans/Chinese customers). If true, this would be a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

While I understand the need for efficiency and courtesy in restaurants, especially during tough times for the industry, these rules can significantly impact the customer experience. Display policies prominently at the entrance and on menus will be helpful to both the restaurant and the customers. Transparent communication, proper signage, or providing estimated wait times, could help alleviate customer frustration, and fair treatment of all customers will ultimately lead to a better dining experience at Golden Unicorn, maintaining its reputation as a premier dim sum destination while addressing operational needs. Clear, consistent, and fair application of policies will foster customer loyalty and positive...

Sometimes, a place is famous for being famous. This is one such tourist trap. Dim Sum can be amazing if and when done right. I will save the comments about the service for later in the review. First, the food. I tried Pork Siu Mai, pork buns, shrimp Siu Mai, rice in lotus leaf, custard buns, shrimp wrapped in noodle, sesame buns. Not one of them is one standout. All of the dumplings and buns are whipped out of substandard dough with plenty of baking soda to save flour, and the pork in the lotus rice was so dry and cartilaginous that I wondered if it was the ear or the feet of the pig. The only acceptable dim sum was the sesame bun which was really quite good with a good crust and the right amount of sweetness inside.

Now, the service. It seems that the servers here work on a commission based on how many plates they can manage to force the guests to order. At least twice members of my family felt forced to say yes to a plate as they hurriedly leave them without us asking on the table and stamp our order sheet immediately before casually walking away. On the day we went, the head waitress was directing all the other servers to certain tables in specific ways. For tables with Chinese guests, the best carts go first. For tourist tables, three servers are allocated with specific carts of dim sum which have more desserts in them than the Chinese guests do. The Chinese guests get the best desserts and the rare turnip cakes while our table and surely other tourist tables get the custard buns and the mass steamed dumplings. At the end of the saga, if you don’t tip a minimum of “suggested” tip of 18% the head waitress literally yells at you until you do. This has been the experience with the service here for many New Yorkers and many many tourists.

You want dim sum? Try to explore the other hidden gems in china town. If you do end up at this trap, try the sesame buns. Just don’t...