In the mood for some dim sum? Fantastic, because today’s article is about the best dim sum restaurants in Calgary to satisfy your (and our) cravings.
But enough chit-chat and onto the snarfing. Let’s take a look at our top picks!
Table of Contents
The Best Dim Sum Restaurants in Calgary
Before anything else, here are the factors we use to evaluate our entries:
1. Central Grand Restaurant
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Service | 4/5 |
| Place | 5/5 |
| Good value | 5/5 |
Central Grand Restaurant is an excellent option when you want the best dim sum in town. They have been serving authentic Cantonese cuisine for over two decades, offering a wide variety of Chinese dishes and more.
The restaurant offers small, medium, and large sizes of a variety of dim sum – ideal for various appetites. For a small bite, you might want to try their best seller, the pan-fried egg yolk cake, alongside an order of deep-fried wontons.
When it comes to dumplings, customers return to this restaurant for their chiu chow steamed dumplings and shanghai pork dumplings. If you ask us, there are a lot of dim sums to choose from, but if it’s your first time, we recommend their bestsellers first.
Unfortunately, they don’t accept online orders, but you can place them over the phone. If that’s the case, it’s worth checking out their website since they have their complete menu there (there are English translations so you won’t have a tough time).
And we’re sorry to say that if you’re in the mood for some midnight dim sum, you should look elsewhere. The restaurant typically closes at 3:00 PM, so dinner selections are out of the option.
Speaking of going to their place, we appreciate that the restaurant can seat up to 280 people. With these many seats, you can bring your entire family or group of friends to Central Grand Restaurant for a dim sum lunch at any time.
Pros
- Two decades in business
- Offers small, medium, and large sizes of a variety of dim sums
- Complete menu available on their website
- Delivery available
- Can seat up to 280 guests
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Doesn’t accept online deliveries
- No dim sum for dinners
Impressive and attentive service
The best quality dim-sum and service I’ve experienced in Calgary. Brought my in laws who are from Richmond and they were very impressed by the attentive service. Waitresses asked if food was ok which most Chinese places don’t do. Truffle shrimp dumpling and long donut wrapped in rice noodle and the daikon law back gou were my favourite. – S M
Affordable; varieties of dim sum
Great service and food is delicious. Very friendly service by the servers with a smile. Prices are reasonable and affordable. Varieties of dim sum to choose and tasty. Restaurant is clean and hygienic. – Tuck Soon
2. Bill’s Peking House
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Service | 3/5 |
| Place | 4/5 |
| Good value | 5/5 |
Bill’s Peking House, which opened in 1988, has become one of Calgary’s leading Chinese restaurants with locations across the city. Through the years, they’ve received numerous awards, the most prestigious of which was the Herald Readers’ Choice Award in 2007.
Today, people all over town come to this restaurant for a break and to try good dim sum. They even have a hell of a menu for this dish, ranging from steamed shrimp dumplings to deep-fried stuffed meat dumplings.
It’s a fact that sauces play an important role when eating dumplings, and theirs doesn’t disappoint at all. We love their “no mouth-puckering and tooth-cringing” sauces – and many of their loyal patrons agreed with us too.
Customers also praised them for serving reasonably priced dim sum, which ranges from $5.50 to $8.95 depending on the size. However, other dishes on their menu appear to be quite pricey, so keep that in mind if you want to try other meals.
Bill’s Peking House delivers, perfect for late-night dim sum cravings. To top it all off, they offer free delivery on orders of $40 or more, however, they only deliver within a limited area.
All things considered, Bill’s Peking House is one of Calgary’s premier dim sum restaurants, especially given their current and growing customer base. Moreover, they’ve proven to have a large dim sum menu, giving you plenty of options.
Pros
- Over three decades of experience
- Extensive dim sum menu
- Delectable dim sum sauces
- Affordable dim sums
- Delivers orders within a limited area
- Free delivery for orders over $40
Cons
- Minor complaints regarding slow service
- Often understaffed
- Limited area for deliveries
Delicious, large servings
Everything we ordered were delicious and we didn’t expect the large servings. We ordered over 15 dim sum items and they were all delicious. Would go back again. – R H
Priced well
One of our to go place for dimsum. Been bringing friends and family. everyone enjoyed it. The dimsum are price well and always served hot. The siumai is very generous. The egg custard bun is cook very well, the custard inside is soft and not overcooked and not so sweet.it has the right taste. The staff are also friendly and very helpful. – Q
3. Silver Dragon Restaurant
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Service | 4/5 |
| Place | 5/5 |
| Good value | 3/5 |
If we’re talking about the best Chinese restaurants in Calgary, Silver Dragon Restaurant is almost always on the list. Well, it’s to be expected given that they’ve built a solid reputation in the culinary scene since 1966.
When visiting this restaurant, it’s actually a must to try their shrimp dumplings, though their pork dumplings are a close second. Of course, you’re free to try their other dishes as most of them are reasonably priced and deliciously served.
They have a whole-day dumpling menu, so they can serve you any time of the day you dine in. However, we personally recommend you try them during the daytime, as their menu features an expansive offering of nearly 100 dishes.
On the other hand, their evening dim sum menu’s limited selection is actually quite good. There are a few options, but it still has its best-selling shrimp dumplings, so coming at night isn’t such a bad idea after all.
When it comes to service, the restaurant appears to have received mixed reviews. We were made aware of some complaints about their staff being unpleasant after not being tipped, which made us seriously question their attitude toward customers.
There were also some poor notes regarding their prices being unworthy. However, compared to the average cost of dim sum, theirs isn’t bad at all (Their simplest shrimp dim sum starts at $8.25, which is quite decent).
So, in general, we believe Silver Dragon Restaurant can offer you an affordable and diverse selection of dim sum dishes. Plus, their availability is a wonderful point to consider in case you get your cravings.
Pros
- Five decades of restaurant experience
- Has daytime and evening dim sum menu
- Daytime offers nearly 100 dishes
- Reasonably priced
- Wide variety of shrimp dumplings
Cons
- Evening dim sum has limited selection
- Minor complaints regarding their pricing
- Minor complaints about the staff’s attitude
Prompt service, good variety
Awesome place, exactly what you would expect to experience when you hear dim sum. Service is prompt, the carts with the dishes come around quite regularly. The variety is good too. – Mike Kula
Solid dim sum place
Went for dinner. Loved the custard buns, shrimp dumplings and ginger beef. The siu mai was just okay but my husband loved it. The hot and sour soup was very sweet with hardly any spicy or sour. Still giving 5 stars because giving 4 stars would pull down its score and overall it’s a solid dim sum place and very good by Calgary standards. – Rebecca Barry
4. Magic Bowl Chinese Eatery
| Menu | 5/5 |
| Service | 3/5 |
| Place | 3/5 |
| Good value | 5/5 |
If you want the ultimate dim sum experience, we recommend Magic Bowl Chinese Eatery just for its vast and diverse selections. They have a large menu just for dim sum, so you’ll have plenty of options to try.
It’s also worth noting that they handcraft all of their dim sums, ensuring an authentic dim sum experience for all customers. The restaurant’s owner is Chinese and very knowledgeable about dim sum, by the way.
On that note, it’s clear that they made all of their dishes authentically, with natural flavors. In fact, many people enjoy not only their dim sum but also the rest of their menu because it all exemplifies elegant Cantonese cuisine.
Now, their dim sums come in small and bigger plates through steamer baskets, allowing customers to select the size that best suits their needs. However, we’ve come across reviews that make complaints about them serving small portions of food.
Magic Bowl Chinese Eatery, sadly, only has limited dim sum options in the evening, but their entire dim sum menu is available daily for lunch. Because of this, lunchtime may be crowded, although that’s typical for most restaurants anyway.
Overall, when it comes to being the best dim sum restaurant, Magic Bowl Chinese Eatery met our expectations. We believe that the authenticity of their food is a reason to pull you in for a quiet meal.
Pros
- Handcrafts all their dim sum
- Extensive dim sum menu
- Affordable pricing
- Offers discounts
- Free delivery within 5 km on orders over $42
Cons
- Complaints about serving small portions of food
- Small place
- Limited dim sum options at night
One of the best, service is better
The dim sum made in house is one of the best I’ve had in Calgary. The service is even better, very welcoming and kind! – Kaelan T
Hidden gem, great food
Really great food and prices! Highly recommended. We will be back. Great Dim Sum and my wife called it a hidden gem. Can’t wait to order again. Also the lady working here is very friendly and easy to deal with. Thank you for the great food and service! – Will Willson
5. Peking Garden
| Menu | 3/5 |
| Service | 4/5 |
| Place | 5/5 |
| Good value | 4/5 |
It’s no secret that Peking Garden offers a diverse menu of dinner options, including seafood, beef, chicken, vegetables, sizzling rice, and duck. However, their specialty appetizer, dim sum, is the real star of the show.
They don’t just serve the usual type of dumpling – they’re offering more of its healthier variant. And for that, they offer dumplings stuffed with grilled pork and mixed vegetables, which is the only kind of dumplings they have on their menu, by the way.
If we’re being honest, the restaurant’s one serving of the said dish is quite pricey. However, if you look closely, paying $13.99 for ten pieces of that type of dumpling is well worth it, especially since it tastes great.
Besides the food, we also looked at the actual place, and we truly loved their humble yet striking setup. During personal visits, we felt very welcomed by its comfortable ambiance, not to mention how homey the place is.
However, we can’t help but notice small signs of poor service. There were complaints about slow service, rude staff, and the fact that utensils cost extra when you order food from them for delivery.
Fortunately, there are still major reasons why we consider Peking Garden to be one of the best dim sum restaurants in Calgary. It’s their over 20 years of experience, flexible availability, online ordering, and, of course, the impeccable dumpling cuisine that makes them stand out.
Pros
- Over 20 years of experience
- Specializes in vegetable dumplings
- Comfortable and homey place
- Competitive prices
- Has a diverse menu of dinner options
- Online booking available
Cons
- Mixed reviews regarding customer service
- Limited dim sum cuisine
Comfy, a gem Chinese restaurant
It’s always comfy and enjoyable experience here. The food quality and service level was alway consistent. My kids are picky and they can enjoy their meal here. Great gem Chinese restaurant in Calgary. I really like the bonsai with moss on top of the dirt in the front. The staff said the tree in it is 20 years old. – FM
Good deal, good taste
Went for a family dinner and ordered a dinner set for 4. It was a good deal and good in taste. Big portions too. Friendly service. They offered to change the menu a bit to suit our needs too. – Kaushan Wimalasiri Devasurendra
6. Happy Veggie House
| Menu | 3/5 |
| Service | 4/5 |
| Place | 3/5 |
| Good value | 4/5 |
Happy Veggie House deserves to be on this list because of its excellent vegetarian dumplings. Well, they’re a vegetarian restaurant, so most Calgary residents go there for their veggie dumpling fix.
Before we get there, we’d like to point out that this restaurant serves a variety of delicious vegetarian Chinese dishes that are always hot and fresh.
These are actually the focal point of the majority of their positive feedback. And we can personally attest to how well served each dish was despite being a relatively busy place.
Now, their famous vegan appetizers, the ten-piece vegetarian dumplings, are worth a shot. It’s very popular alongside other appetizers like stuffed tofu rolls, assorted wheat gluten, vegetarian spring rolls, and steamed vegetarian buns.
Looking at their prices, all of their foods are actually reasonably priced, particularly their vegetarian dumplings ($10.45 for ten pieces). The rest are relatively affordable, so we think there’s no harm if you want to try other dishes.
However, some returning customers shared that there were inconsistencies with the food they ordered. They mentioned that the food is sometimes a bit flavorless and other times great, which is an unflattering point to us.
Despite this, Happy Veggie House redeems itself with its reasonably priced vegan Chinese cuisine and tasty dumplings. Not to mention that they’re also known for their hospitality and quick service.
Pros
- Has a variety of vegetarian Chinese dishes
- Affordable vegan dumplings
- Hospitable and quick service
- Accepts online orders
Cons
- Small inconsistencies in food quality
- Limited option for dumplings
Good service, not at all pricey
The best place for VEGAN Chinese food. This place has all the alternatives for all kinds of meat. The taste of the food is delicious. Not at all pricey. The quantity of the food compared with the price is perfect, not less at all. The service by the staff members was too good, they explained each and every thing thoroughly when asked for. – Krina Shah
Well-prepared food
I came here with a group of friends recently. The food was well prepared and it tasted phenomenal! All of my friends were delighted with the service and taste of the food. It was worth every penny. The coconut rice, spring rolls and vegan kung poa chicken were my favorite! – Sheily Amaya
