Best Dim Sum in Houston: Cart Halls, Order Sheets and What to Order

In Houston, dim sum isn't brunch. It's a weekend sport played with teapots, and the field is Bellaire Boulevard. On a Saturday morning in Chinatown you can watch steel carts roll through a dining room the size of a ballroom, or sit in a strip-center diner ticking boxes on a paper order sheet while har gow arrive faster than you can pour the tea.

Here's the part most people miss: the restaurant that calls itself Houston's largest dim sum house is inside a shopping mall. Ocean Palace, in Hong Kong City Mall, describes itself as a 38,000-square-foot restaurant whose second floor alone can host up to 800 guests.

This guide sorts the field into the two styles you'll meet, tells you when to go, and gives you a short list of what to order so you never stare at an order sheet in a panic again.

Carts or order sheets: know which room you're walking into

Houston dim sum comes in two formats, and choosing the right one shapes your whole morning.

• Cart halls. Big banquet rooms where servers push carts of steamer baskets between tables. You point, they stamp your card, the basket lands. Carts usually run on weekends, when the rooms are full enough to keep them moving.
• Order-sheet rooms. You get a printed menu and a pencil, tick what you want, and everything is cooked to order. Everything comes straight from the kitchen.

Many places do both: order sheets on weekdays, carts on weekends. If carts are the whole point of your trip, call ahead the day you go.

How we chose

We looked for restaurants where dim sum is a main event, not a side menu, and we favored a mix: grand cart halls, quick order-sheet spots, and a couple of modern rooms for when you're bringing someone new to it. Every restaurant on this list was confirmed as operating on its own official website or ordering page in October 2026.

Hours and cart schedules change, so treat every time below as "typically" and check the restaurant's site before you go. Where a place's cart service has varied over the years, we say so.

Chinatown and Asiatown: the Bellaire Boulevard run

1. Ocean Palace

Asiatown, 11215 Bellaire Blvd (Hong Kong City Mall) · cart hall · dim sum daily

If you only do one dim sum morning in Houston, make it this one. Ocean Palace says it opened in 1999, calls itself Houston's largest dim sum restaurant, and on weekends parades traditional rolling carts through the dining room loaded with dumplings, chicken feet, tripe, sticky rice, ribs, taro puffs, buns, congee and more. Dim sum typically runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

Insider tip: Ocean Palace runs an online waitlist through its website. Join it before you leave the house on a Saturday and you skip most of the lobby crowd.

Best for: first-timers, big families and anyone who wants the full cart experience.

2. Arco Seafood Restaurant

Chinatown, 9896 Bellaire Blvd, Suite K · seafood hall · dim sum daily

Arco is a Cantonese seafood house with a serious dim sum service. It typically serves dim sum weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., which makes it one of the better late-start options on the boulevard. It also takes reservations through its website, which is a gift on a weekend.

What to order: lean into the seafood. Arco's kitchen is built around it, so shrimp-forward dumplings and fried shrimp items are the natural move.

Best for: a group that wants to book ahead rather than wait.

3. HK Dim Sum

Chinatown, 9889 Bellaire Blvd, #110 · order sheet · dim sum all day

HK Dim Sum feels more like a Hong Kong diner than a banquet hall, and that's the appeal: you sit, tick a sheet, and food arrives quickly. Its menu covers steamed shrimp dumplings, barbecue pork buns, beef tripe, cheung fun (rice noodle rolls), congee and noodle soups.

Watch the clock: it typically closes at 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and stays open into the evening the rest of the week, so it doubles as a dim sum dinner spot on Thursdays through Sundays.

Best for: a quick, no-fuss fix, or dim sum for dinner.

4. Dim Sum King

Chinatown, 9160 Bellaire Blvd, #B · order sheet · open daily

Dim Sum King is the efficient one. Its menu is organized the way many Houston order sheets are, by basket size: Small, Medium, Large and Special, plus rice noodle rolls and fried rice. Learn that system here and every order sheet in town makes sense. It typically opens at 10 a.m. and serves until 8 p.m., and it also does takeout.

Best for: a weekday lunch, or picking up a box of dumplings for later.

5. Crown Seafood

Asiatown, 10796 Bellaire Blvd, Suite C · order-from-menu · dim sum all day

Crown serves dim sum all day on most menu items, which matters if your crew can't get moving before noon. The restaurant is a Cantonese seafood house first, with whole fish, Dungeness crab and lobster, so it's a smart pick when half the table wants dumplings and the other half wants a real seafood lunch. Lunch specials typically run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Best for: late risers and mixed groups.

Sharpstown and the Southwest Freeway

6. Fung's Kitchen

Sharpstown, 7320 Southwest Fwy, #115 · banquet hall · dim sum daily, closed Mondays

Fung's is one of the long-running Houston dim sum names, a big seafood banquet hall with live seafood and a dim sum service it advertises as daily. It typically opens Tuesday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. Fung's was long known as a cart room; cart service has varied over the years, so if carts are what you're after, call (713) 779-2288 before you head out.

What to order: dumplings to start, then something from the live seafood side. Fung's highlights its Peking duck and salt-baked spot prawns.

Best for: a celebration lunch where dim sum turns into a full banquet.

The Katy run

Katy's Asian Town has become a second dim sum destination, and it's an easy weekend trip if you live on the west side. Pair it with our Katy restaurant guide or things to do in Katy.

7. Tim Ho Wan

Katy, 23330 Grand Circle Blvd, Suite 180 · order sheet · open daily

Tim Ho Wan started in Hong Kong under chef Mak Kwai Pui, earned a Michelin star in 2010, and still bills itself as the world's most inexpensive Michelin-starred restaurant. The Katy restaurant is its only Texas location on its official site. Hours typically run 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, later on Friday, and from 10 a.m. on weekends.

What to order: the baked barbecue pork buns. They're the dish the brand is famous for: a crackly, sweet crust over char siu instead of the usual fluffy steamed bun. Add steamed shrimp dumplings, sticky rice in lotus leaf and a barbecue pork rice roll.

Best for: anyone who wants to tell their friends they had Michelin-pedigree dim sum in Katy.

8. Dim Sum Box

Katy, 1223 Grand West Blvd, B107 · order-it-yourself plus a cocktail bar · closed Mondays

Here's a fun one: Fung's Kitchen's own website links to Dim Sum Box as a sister spot, so think of it as the younger, louder sibling. You order yourself, there's a full cocktail bar with a weekday happy hour, and it typically stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Yes, that means late-night dim sum in Katy.

What to order: soup dumplings, lava buns, pan-fried pork dumplings and the steamed pork bao.

Best for: a dim sum date night, or a group that wants cocktails with their dumplings.

Inside the Loop

9. Silk Road Asian Tapas & Bar

West University area, 2929 Westpark Dr (inside the Courtyard Marriott) · reservations · closed Mondays

Silk Road is dim sum for people who want a table, a reservation and a cocktail list. The restaurant says its dim sum is handcrafted from scratch daily, and its chef brings more than two decades of experience in Michelin-starred fine dining. It's open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and books through Resy or by phone.

What to order: the cordyceps dumpling, the baked barbecue pork bun and deep-fried taro with wagyu beef.

Best for: introducing a skeptical friend to dim sum, or a weeknight dinner near Rice Village.

What to order: the starter set

If you're new to dim sum, order these and you'll have a great table anywhere on this list.

• Har gow: shrimp dumplings in a translucent wrapper. The benchmark of any dim sum kitchen.
• Siu mai: open-topped pork and shrimp dumplings.
• Char siu bao: barbecue pork buns, steamed or baked.
• Cheung fun: silky rice noodle rolls with shrimp, beef or barbecue pork, sauced at the table.
• Lo mai gai: sticky rice steamed in a lotus leaf.
• Turnip cake: pan-fried, crisp-edged, savory.
• Egg tarts: save room. They're the classic finish.

Feeling brave? Add chicken feet and tripe.

When to go

Weekends are when the carts come out and when the rooms are at their best, and also when the waits are longest. In our experience the sweet spots are right at opening or after the main lunch rush. Weekdays are calmer and lean toward order sheets, which can mean hotter food and faster service.

Bring a group of four to six if you can. Dim sum is built for sharing, and a bigger table means more baskets to try. Many of the big Chinatown halls are in shopping centers with their own parking lots, but on weekend mornings those lots fill fast, so leave a few minutes to circle.

Table manners that make you look like a regular

• Dim sum is also called yum cha, which means "drink tea." Tea comes first.
• When someone refills your cup, tap two fingers on the table as a quiet thank you.
• Want more hot water in the pot? Leave the teapot lid propped open and staff will usually notice.
• At cart halls, your card gets stamped with each basket. Don't lose it: it's your bill.

Save this: the Saturday dim sum route

1. Join the Ocean Palace waitlist online before you leave home.
2. Arrive at opening, order from the carts and the menu, and pace yourselves.
3. Walk off the dumplings with a lap of the shops along Bellaire Boulevard. Our Chinatown and Asiatown guide has the stops.
4. If the waitlist is long, pivot to Arco (book ahead) or Crown (dim sum all day).
5. Take a box of baked pork buns or egg tarts home for later.
6. Next weekend, do the Katy run: Tim Ho Wan for lunch, Dim Sum Box for late-night round two.

Want more? Our Chinese food guide goes beyond dim sum, our Bellaire and Chinatown restaurant guide covers the whole neighborhood, and our brunch guide has the rest of your Sunday mornings covered.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find dim sum carts in Houston?

Ocean Palace on Bellaire Boulevard runs traditional rolling carts on weekends. Fung's Kitchen on the Southwest Freeway was long known for carts, but service has varied, so call ahead. Most other spots use order sheets.

What time should I go for dim sum in Houston?

Arrive at opening on weekends, typically 10 a.m. at the big Chinatown halls, or come after the lunch rush. Weekdays are calmer and usually use order sheets.

Where is the dim sum in Houston Chinatown?

Mostly along Bellaire Boulevard, from around 9100 Bellaire out past Beltway 8 into Asiatown, including Dim Sum King, HK Dim Sum, Arco Seafood, Crown Seafood and Ocean Palace.

Is there Michelin-starred dim sum in Houston?

Tim Ho Wan, the Hong Kong dim sum brand that earned a Michelin star in 2010, has a restaurant in Katy's Asian Town at 23330 Grand Circle Blvd. Its baked barbecue pork buns are the signature.

Can I get dim sum for dinner in Houston?

Yes. Crown Seafood serves dim sum all day, HK Dim Sum stays open into the evening Thursday through Sunday, Silk Road serves dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and Dim Sum Box in Katy typically stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

What should I order at dim sum for the first time?

Start with har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai, char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), cheung fun (rice noodle rolls), sticky rice in lotus leaf and egg tarts to finish.