TravelingHouston

BRN · Coffee & Brunch No. 4Asiatown (Bellaire Blvd)29.7029°N 95.5786°W13.1 mi from downtown

Ocean Palace

Pushcart dim sum in a two-story Chinatown palace

Houston's biggest dim sum hall still rolls the carts every day, and on weekends the upstairs banquet room opens to hold the crowds. This is the brunch Chinatown families have been doing since 1999.

Directions ↗Official site ↗

Ocean Palace anchors Hong Kong City Mall on Bellaire Boulevard, a 38,000-square-foot, two-story Cantonese restaurant that opened in 1999 and got a top-to-bottom renovation in 2018. Dim sum is on the menu daily until 5pm, but the rolling carts now come out on weekends only: steamers of har gow and shu mai, sticky rice, ribs, chicken feet, taro puffs, congee. On weekends the second-floor banquet hall opens and the whole place turns into a family reunion for half of Southwest Houston, with grandparents flagging carts and kids working through crispy shrimp balls. There is also a steam counter for braised dishes, wonton soup, and gai lan if you want something green. Bring a group, point at whatever looks good, and keep the tea coming.

What to expect

  • Big round tables with lazy Susans suit groups; come with people to share.
  • The hall is huge and carts are spread thin, so order from the menus too.
  • Park in the Hong Kong City Mall lot, which gets tight at peak hours.
  • The waitlist texts you, so you can browse the mall until your table is ready.

What to order

  1. Shu mai
  2. Har gow
  3. Crispy shrimp balls
  4. Soft tofu dessert
  • 1999Since
  • 38,000 sq ft over two floorsSize
  • All-day menu daily; pushcart dim sum weekends onlyService

Close by as the crow flies.

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