Dim Sum Bistro — Restaurant in San Francisco

This place is not that big and the food is very good. My meal order was very good but it would have been Nice as barbecued if Upon ordering I would have been able to ask for it to be. (FYI my food ToGo box was not sturdy.)

My 'bSfO' ordered Fried rice which looked very good too but seemed as if it was missing some ham or barbecue meat and maybe some green onions or whatever (I looked at the picture on the Foodie website). __** Service is good and the nice thing is that you can likely get quick snacking and meal picks at their 'Look at this Food that's Ready' window. A nice passerby and visitor vibe of food bonanza.

It would be good to post Minimum Pay Card amount for purchase transaction if not less than $5-$10.

If it gets busy then it's busy. There are many pleasant restaurants nearby, even bars during Happy Hours for a small plate with your beverage of elixir or water.

Most 'Family Style' entree portion dishes would likely be at least enough for one with a second helping if not four person servings sized portion depending on price of meal and if casual or festive.

It is nice when the Restaurant's notate the obvious of serving size at least one and if it is Family Style Number Person for Group Sized meal 'potluck'. Per completed and processed order(s).

It helps if there are large parties for Each Person seated have their 'notated' order of detail. Even on a group tab So that you would know what items to order for mealing again.

For a small place like this I would Suggest to (On specified Hours of Day: Busy Time) put a Sign Up which If order is placed:called in & Paid For within the hour: may be Ordered and ready to Pick 'Meal Up' within 30-45minutes.

I would definitely ask for a Notated Time Expected (for cooked food) after Payment is Made & Received by the business for Placed Order(s) to be received.

The business would be able to Provide Shelf Space by the register for 'PickUp' Window. With a process of verifying the orders and payment.

At least the menu is available to place your order For example on any future(not same day) Pre Ordered and Reserved Seated Meal or Catered.

I don't like how there would (potentially) be food ordered and not taken (on a placed Order) or if Money just changes hands; There must Be reliable tracking on Receipts with Cashier Notation for a business to...

Dim Sum Bistro, similarly to Good Mong Kok Bakery (another local favorite dim sum spot), is very much one of those typical "hole in the wall" asian restaurant in the US.

So, on what occasion would you find yourself at Dim Sum Bistro? Well, you want affordable food and you could care less about service. To further elaborate, the restaurant is not a sit down restaurant. The interior is small so when a line forms (in which it almost always does) the restaurant feels crowded. While the line to take your order proceeds quickly, there is another line of people patiently standing by till their order is called.

The food itself is alright, taking into consideration how cheap the food is. While you do have staple items like Shrimp and Pork Siu Mai, Turnip Cake with Pork, Preserved Egg w/ Pork Porridge, (+a separate order of) Chinese Fried Donut, you do also occasionally find yourself ordering foods that you are better off not ordering.

All the Rice Noodle Roll items we ordered: Shrimp, Pork, and Beef were disappointing. The ratio of the rice roll to stuffing was just off - mainly the noodle rolls were weirdly thick and there was little actual filling inside. Perhaps to save on extra costs.

On top of the above mentioned items, I also ordered their Pan Fried Shrimp and Chive Dumplings which were alright, and a couple other items like their Pan Fried Shrimp Cutlets and Deep Fried Sesame Ball, which were completely missed. Not sure why they gave us Rice Cake instead but by the time we were back home with food, it did not make sense to go back just to correct the order.

While it might make sense to order food to go from Dim Sum Bistro for convenient, cheap food, I do not think it is worth it to wait in line for an extended period. The establishment is again small and there is no area to sit and wait for your food, whether that be inside or outside. If that does sound like you though, have a fun 40+ minute wait or perhaps come back when the place is...

Update Jan 2025 It is still as busy as it used to and Waite line around meal time. Still like the turnip cake, shrimp with chip dumpling, fried shrimp with Chai dumpling. The big Taisan dumpling also good. Other wasn't as good as it used to be. Specially how the server handling the food. She accidentally dropped a baked bbq bum between stacks of steamers/ food warming trays to surface below that contains dripping oil waters who know what else. She just picked it up and put into the order fulfilling container! Probably not coming back again.

Can't go wrong with this place, lots to choice from, and they are taste good. Can be quit busy at time.(Aren't good place do?) You can order ahead if you know what you want and can't wait. (saw quit a few peoples done that and pick up quickly)

They usually are very busy, so the kitchen has to work hard to keep up the pace on the counter. (Which also meant food stay fresh and hot.) Great price too. Worth the visit, no seating currently, but it's only 2 blocks from St. Peter and Paul church where there are plenty of view and open space. Why not enjoy the view...