The first rule of dim sum is to never go alone. Sitting around a table crowded with bamboo steamers, arms darting across the spread to grab the last shrimp dumpling, is all part of the charm. Plus, when you come as a crowd, you can order more plates, and more plates is the goal.
Dim sum is the Cantonese tradition of sharing small plates, like steamed dumplings, fluffy buns, rice noodle rolls, and custard tarts, over pots of hot tea. It’s traditionally a daytime meal, and at classic restaurants, servers push carts of steaming baskets through the dining room so you can pick what looks good as it passes. Think of it as brunch where you can see what you’re getting into before you order.
Not every great dim sum meal comes off a cart. In Atlanta, some of the best bites come from Buford Highway spots where you order from a menu and everything is cooked fresh, along with a few dumpling houses that take a different approach to the same idea.
Here’s where to start.
Royal China
Royal China was a Chamblee dim sum standby for years before moving into a former golf superstore in Duluth in 2019. Look up and you’ll still spot the industrial ceiling, now hung with swirling crystal fixtures above gold lattice walls. Carts loaded with har gow, siu mai, and chicken feet still anchor the meal, but the menu goes much deeper. Seafood lovers should look past the steamers to the live specialties, including Dungeness crab and geoduck clam. Doors open at 10 a.m. daily. 3960 Venture Dr., Duluth, royalchina.kwickmenu.com
Canton Kitchen
The newest restaurant on this list, Canton Kitchen opened earlier this year and gave Decatur a serious dim sum option without the Buford Highway commute. The dim sum menu is short, but it’s served all day. Plates land fast and steaming hot, a welcome change for anyone used to lukewarm baskets. Order the spare ribs in black bean sauce, the beef balls, and the bean curd skin rolls, plus a side of the Sichuan chili oil wontons if you can handle the heat. 1357 Clairmont Rd., Decatur, cantonkitchenclairmont.com
Oriental Pearl Seafood Restaurant
A longtime anchor of Chamblee’s Atlanta Chinatown mall, Oriental Pearl reopened this year after a renovation, alongside a broader refresh of the complex that also brought a revived courtyard garden and new murals by local artists. Carts make the rounds at lunchtime, and dim sum is available from the menu afterward. Beyond the dumplings, look for sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf and candied walnut shrimp, then walk it off in the garden. Know before you go, it’s closed Tuesdays. 5399 New Peachtree Rd., Chamblee, orientalpearlseafoodrestaurant.fronteats.com
Canton House
Canton House never makes you choose between dim sum and dinner. Carts circle the dining room until 3 p.m., and after that, the full dim sum lineup stays available via menu until closing. Whatever the hour, order the sugarcane shrimp, black pepper beef ribs, and barbecue pork buns, and save room for sesame balls for dessert. Weekends get busy, so plan to arrive around the 10 a.m. opening. A second Duluth location offers all-day dim sum, too. Multiple locations, cantonhouserestaurant.com
Dumpling Factory
Fan Zhang has watched diners wait an hour or more for a table at his Buford Highway restaurant, Northern China Eatery, so in 2024 he brought its handmade dumplings inside the Perimeter. This counter-service spinoff in Westside Paper, a converted 70-year-old warehouse, serves them steamed, pan-fried, or boiled, with black vinegar and chili oil on the side. Watch for rotating seasonal dishes, and take Zhang’s advice: 12 to 16 dumplings make a meal. 950 W. Marietta St. NW, Ste. A130, Atlanta, mydumplingfactory.com
Dim Sum Heaven
As many of the best places are, this family-owned spot is discreetly tucked into a crowded Buford Highway strip mall that’s easy to miss. There are no carts here. Everything is steamed or fried to order, so plates hit the table piping hot, usually with a pot of jasmine tea, on the house. The menu is massive, but regulars return for the soup dumplings, pork buns, and shrimp-and-pork wonton soup. 5203 Buford Hwy. NE, Doraville, dimsumheaven.com
Dumpling Master
Dumpling Master is all about the details. Order from your phone, then step up to the open kitchen to watch cooks assemble your dumplings one pinch at a time before a robot delivers the delicate morsels directly to your table. The homegrown chain opened in Peachtree City in July 2024 and now has outposts across metro Atlanta and north Georgia. Its signature sheng jian bao, pan-fried pork buns with crisp bottoms and soupy centers, are the move, along with a bowl of beef noodle soup. Multiple locations, dumplingmaster.us
Happy Valley Dim Sum & Asian Cuisine
For the full Hong Kong-style experience, aim for Sunday, when Happy Valley’s yum cha service fills the Norcross dining room with regulars and rolling carts. Carts circulate until 3 p.m., and dim sum is made to order after that, though fried and baked items are best ordered earlier. Pair the crab meat dumplings with a Chinese donut noodle roll, and save room for the Thai pandan layer cake. 5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross, happyvalley-ga.com
Dumpling Garden
Sushi, ramen, and Sichuan specialties all share the menu at Dumpling Garden, but the handcrafted dumplings are the reason to point your car toward East Cobb. Order the pork and leek dumplings (get them pan-fried), plus a basket of xiao long bao, then raid the Sichuan side of the menu for a mala dry pot loaded with chiles, lotus root, and your choice of protein. No need to brave I-285. 2731 Sandy Plains Rd., Marietta, dgmarietta.com
East Pearl Seafood
From the outside, East Pearl looks more ski lodge than dim sum hall. Inside, tanks of live eel and crab hint at the kitchen’s seafood focus. The carts cover the classics, so save your appetite for specialties like steamed scallop dumplings and jalapeños packed with seafood and lap cheong. Come on a weekend, when the dim sum selection is at its biggest. 1810 Liddell Ln., Duluth
