Dim Sum Garden — Restaurant in Philadelphia

I rarely ever have anything negative to say at the places I dine in at because I very closely understand that I might have just caught a business at a bad moment, but after just this one time of eating here today I have to report that I am honestly quite appalled due to the lack of professionalism this establishment holds. First of all, the food did not live up to the hype. The pan fried soup pork dumplings were decent but nothing special and I'm sorry to say that the chicken soup dumplings were terrible. The broth tasted like old unseasoned bad quality chicken leg bone marrow and the chicken itself was mushy like ricotta cheese and honestly quite hard to eat but the worst part was that it was still slightly cold in the middle. I'd like to add that they did not bring out my and my companions food at the same time. Very disappointing. Secondly, the atmosphere was incredibly noisy and it was NOT because of the other customers. They had random pop music blasting like it was a club which just made it hard to conversate with my lover. Lastly, at the end we were obviously not satisfied, but we still gave a 2 dollar tip for our 20 dollar meal to a waiter we did not know because we did not have a consistent waiter throughout our experience there. To top it all off, some random other new waiter came back with our money demanding more money for a tip. I understand it was a little low but since when was tipping mandatory especially when u had a very unpleasant experience. I was very shocked at the waiter almost throwing the check back at me because she wasn't satisfied with the tip but to who was this tip going to??? At least I gave a tip and I shouldn't have given more because of that woman's rude behavior, but also the terrible chaotic environment, but I was honestly scared and they were staring me down as of I didn't pay. I payed and tipped couldn't I have just left then?? Is it not illegal to hold someone back over something like that? Never going back that woman was insane I wish I...

TL:DR food is pretty good, experience overall is not great. I went with a large group, there were 12 of us. Anticipating it might be hard to get a table for that many as a walk in I called several weeks in advance to see if I could make a reservation, they told me all reservations are required to order off their party menu, which is very limited, but that I could call ahead the day I planned to come with my group and they would get a table ready for us. I called at 5pm for a 6pm table and the person on the phone said not a problem and that they had plenty of tables. They ended up seating us as 2 tables of 6, which was annoying since we weren't all able to talk to each other. And the group next to us had a similar number of people and they had moved tables for them to be able to sit together but didn't do the same for us. It was incredibly loud in the restaurant as well, there is nothing in the space for noise dampening, which made it hard for the waiter to hear our orders and resulted in some items needing to be sent back because they were made incorrectly and couldn't be eaten due to dietary restrictions. The food came out with no rhyme or reason to the order of dishes. Some people received all the dishes they had ordered 10-20min before others received any of what they had ordered. And one dish never made it to the table and the girl ended up getting it in a take-out container instead. They are cash only, but do take venmo. They need to write down the transaction number from the venmo transaction on the receipt. They also don't tell you that you're not supposed to pay with more than one transaction or do part venmo, part cash. Despite just dropping a tablet with the QR code and no other explanation. So the payment process also ended up being quite chaotic. The drinks are very pretty, and they have fun mocktails which is nice. We spent about $40/pp on average...

When I first visited Philly Chinatown for dim sum (pre-COVID), this was the place I went to. It was a cap off to a fun day together with good friends, I was incredibly hungry, and I was really craving soup dumplings (which I hadn't had in a while). I left in high spirits and a very positive view of Dim Sum Garden.

Fast forward 4 years, I made my second (and last) visit to this place. I don't know if COVID changed things, if my positive associations were influenced by other factors, or if I just became a more discerning eater (probably all of the above), but this place is no longer (never was?) the one I (embarrassingly) recommended to others in the past. They have an underwhelming selection, high prices, and food quality that makes it clear the owners care more about pumping out dishes than putting care into preparation.

The worst, though, is the service. My recent visit was with some friends, including one who happens to be on the bigger side. Our server made it her mission to hustle him HARD. First, when my friend ordered a soda, she claimed they didn't have any, insisting he buy a beer (soda cans were in clear view in the fridge across the aisle). Then, she made multiple references to my friend's weight, egging him on to buy more food since he must need it. It was disgusting and inappropriate.

I later learned from another friend that this place is known in the local Chinese community as "the dim sum place [catered] for white people." I'm still searching for that traditional dim sum haven in the Philly area (carts, notepads with tick marks, low prices per dish, and all). In the meantime, save yourself the disappointment and go to Dim Sum House by Jane G's. It's not in Chinatown and just as pricey, but you get a much better selection, solid food, and even a true celiac friendly environment.

Just, whatever you do,...