I've been looking for a new dim sum place since the Kim Son in Stafford closed down and I think I have found it. Fine River is a very small restaurant, nothing like the big dim sum banquet halls like Ocean Palace or Kim Son. We went on New Year's, so it was expectedly busy and the wait was about 45 minutes. Parking is plentiful. You order all in one go and they bring your meal out in pieces as they make the food. It's all fresh and absolutely delicious. It's all about standard cost for dim sum. The shumai was excellent. I did not like the hargow as much but otherwise, everything was great. The taro balls were nice and crispy, the cheung fun chewy with a nice sauce, absolutely great. I'm so glad I found this place. Can't wait to come back! read more

Fine River - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Fine River is a fine institution. Promoting itself as "Hong Kong Style" dimsum sets a high bar for me. You'll find this place tucked in a corner of a forgettable shopping center. Once inside, this place isn't exactly large, so more often than not, you'll have to wait for a table. Service is the "hustle in order and get out" kind. You'll find busy bodies walking furiously to serve the tables and they try to turn over tables as soon as they can. Ordering is through marking off a list on a paper and turning it in. My favorite was actually the chicken feet. It was soft, adequately tasty, and also very meaty. Perhaps it wont' always be like that, but it definitely was a welcomed time for my taste buds. Their shrimp chuerng fun was good as well, but didn't have as many shrimps as I anticipated. Fried taro ball was good and crispy. The other staples we ordered was also on point. Not much to complain about here honestly. Experience and taste was expected, everything decently good. Chicken feet was my favorite for the day. Good stuff. I'll come back again if given the chance. read more

Tried out a new to me dim sum place and overall had a decent time. This has more of your small mom and pop feel than a large banquet style, which means you may want to get here early if you've got a big group. I also feel like it's a great place to go for lunch during the week. The menu has your staples and some of my favorites there were the chicken feet and xiu mai. The stuffed eggplant got a lot of popularity, and it was good, but my favorite was the chicken feet. It was juicy and meaty and had great flavor. The cheung fun options were good, but I think because I went on a Monday that it might have been resteamed so it was a bit too soft and didn't quite hold together. The service was decent and overall a good dim sum place to try. read more

After my family's favorite dim sum place had shut down, we decided to try out a new dim sum restaurant in Houston. Fine River is located near Bellaire and is in an unassuming plaza. We came on a Saturday around 1 PM, and the restaurant was packed! The wait wasn't bad at all, but be prepared to wait during busy lunch hours. The menu features primarily dim sum cuisine, with some Chinese stir fried dishes as well. We decided to try the Siu Mai, Ham Sui Gok, Shrimp Cheung Fun, Stuffed Eggplant, and General Tso Chicken. Everything that came out of the kitchen was piping hot and fresh. Overall, I really enjoyed everything and to my surprised, I enjoyed the General Tso chicken more than I had anticipated as the breading was light and crispy. Portion sizes were good, and the price was fair on everything. The only things I would note is that the Cheung Fun was kinda falling apart easily, but flavor wise it was still good. The only dish I would maybe not get again is the stuffed eggplant, but it was still good nonetheless. In case you are wondering what it's stuffed with, it's steamed shrimp. There are about 3 staff members manning the entire restaurant so expect somewhat of a wait if the restaurant is busy. Definitely will be back! read more

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Did they changed dim sum chef? Foods are not as good but still a decent value. Main dining area service is decent. read more

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New Dim Sum!! My favorite dish to order when I'm eating dim sum is Cheung Fun. Imagine my excitement when I found this new hole in the wall dim sum restaurant offering a super affordable selection. Keep in mind that Fine River is nothing fancy, but this is part of the charm of a small business. Mom and pop restaurants like these deserve more love. The restaurant is quaint and intimate, with only a couple booths and a couple tables inside. Once sat, I immediately glanced over the menu finding several varieties of cheung fun, but went with my favorite: the shrimp. Immaculate. Amazing. Soft and fresh. I also placed an order of the shu mai which was good too, but the cheung fun takes the cake for sure. Of course, it was too much food for myself alone, so I had to take the rest to-go. The worker helping me was so sweet - she packed up the food all nice and neat for me to take home. The service was great! the ladies were quick and super nice. I plan on coming back here with friends so we can experience the entirety of the menu. Super excited and happy to welcome a new restaurant to the dim sum scene. read more

Fine River - Shrimp Cheung Fun - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Craving for dim sum this is definitely a must try when in Houston. We wanted a good meal before leaving for home and heard of Fine River, and what a great choice. The inside is not as big as most restaurants so get there early as there may be a wait,(well worth the wait). The veggie pea shoots was fresh, lightly seasoned which enhanced the taste, it was excellent, then came the stuffed eggplant definitely a new favorite, stuffing was tender and the ego was the perfect pairing, lotus rice just wow, all the flavors wrapped which infused all the flavors and the aroma added to the experience. The Congee gets it own recognition as this was the best I've had, the addition of sesame oil swirled around put this over the top adding a delicious depth to the dish. Can't wait to return to try more dim sum. read more

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Great dim sum! No wait. Good service; if you need anything, just ask. We ordered 4 dishes, all delicious and steamingly hot! Reasonably priced. read more

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The dim sum scene in Houston can be hard to enter with so many established classics. Fine River was actually a place I've been to multiple times before I saw that they've finally gotten a Yelp page. TLDR: each time has been great. This is definitely in a hole-in-the-wall unassuming location compared to the rest of the main places you'd go to in Houston's chinatown. However, don't let that stop you from giving this place a try. Some of the other reviews have knocked this place for the deco and music inside. That's really not much of an issue in my opinion. The decor definitely fits that of traditional Chinese tastes. The music isn't loud... or maybe I'm deaf. Either way, nonissues for me. The service also is pretty standard. Like a lot of dim sum places, you'll mark down what you want on a piece of paper and then hand it to one of the servers when you're ready. There's also a menu with pictures which I appreciate for the newbies. For me, what stands out are the chicken feet and shrimp rice noodles. The chicken feet here have such a good gelatinous texture that goes wonderfully with the sauce that it's cooked in. There's plenty of shrimp in the shrimp rice noodles and they use a not too sweet soy sauce that pairs with it perfectly. Everything else is either pretty good or bout average. The only thing that I feel could be significantly improved upon are the pig's blood curd. It tasted like it didn't have enough of that iron-y flavor and almost "watered down". At the end of the day, I'd definitely come back, and will, for the consistently, well-priced food. read more

Hidden dim sum place and it's a good thing it is. It's seriously a hole-in-the-wall, so expect to wait if you're not going to make it within the first 30 minutes of opening. The restaurant is small so there's limited seating. However, it's worth the wait! The dim sum is fresh and not as expensive as other places so win-win for us. I will say some dishes may be inconsistent. The footballs were not the good the first time we had them, but VERY good the second time around. Even our NY Chinese friends approve! I will warn you though that it doesn't look like the cleanest place to eat. So if you like good dirty Chinese.... read more

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The service is fast, the food was really good, very nice workers, thus resturant is the best. read more

Fine River - Bar area - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

Hole in the wall dimsum located in the Bellaire area. I have mixed experiences with all of their doing some options. A few they do really well, some are very standard, and some are quite the disappointment. Raise eggplant and shrimp filling is a must try! It's well seasoned and the sweet flavors of the eggplant grow really well with the shrimp. Rice rolls with shrimp or rice rolls with pork or done really well! They rice flour feels fresh and retains its shape very well. The pork filling verion is bursting with flavor and compliments the role really well. Turnip cake was definitely a miss. It falls apart too easily the moment it meets your chopsticks. Also overly burnt on the outside. The fried shrimp ball with another disappointment. The feeling feels very clumsy and two loose, laxking in chewy textures. It also gives off a overly aged or fermented Seafood odor but I do not think is intended for the dish. There was no issues with service. Our food came out rather quickly and was very accurate. They'll bring you a copy of your old receipt that you can use to bring up at the cashier when you're ready to pay out. read more

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Definitely a bit of an off-the-path spot near bellaire but something i'm glad to have gotten the chance to try recently. I came here with a few of my friends that were far more familiar with ordering Dim Sum than I am, so I can't identify for certain everything that we ordered. My favorites, however, were these shrimp noodles and pork noodles, friend stuffed eggplant, and the fried squid claws. For a group of four, we ordered quite a lot of food that came out to about $30 a person and we all left VERY full. Not sure how it measures up to other Dim Sum restaurants yet but I am happy with the price! Service was also amazing here. Staff made sure that we didn't run out of green tea to drink throughout our meal and was overall attentive to our needs, checking in with us occasionally throughout our meal but not feeling overbearing either. There were a few dishes that didn't quite meet the expectations of the table, such as the turnip cakes and the BBQ Pork bun. Not much else was a miss, though, and we all left satisfied with the meal and the experience. read more

Fine River - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

Best Dim Sum I have had in Houston in a long time! Dishes are prepared to your order so they come out at the perfect temperature. Don't let the location keep you from trying this unassuming restaurant. The staff was friendly and the food came out quickly. All the dishes we tried were excellent. And like other reviewers, my favorite was the chicken feet. Add this place to your list in the Bellaire area. read more

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Came here during Sunday lunch time, and the place was packed. They have a clipboard at the front desk for customers to be on the waiting list when the tables are full. Self-filled in paper menu is also at the front. That paper serves as the customer's order form, and to be given to the staff upon seated. Food came out fast and hot. I loved their har gows, which had thin skins, and fresh shrimp stuffing. The BBQ pork cheung fun was also good. The turnip cakes and fried Chinese bread were delicious too. The supreme soy sauce fried noodles was good. However, the pork and preserved egg congee was a letdown. There was barely any pork in the congee. The congee was flavorless too. Another disappointing dish was the steamed mini bun with juicy pork. The pork filling wasn't juicy at all. There were only two staff on the floor. It was hard to catch the staff's attention. The restaurant is small, and they do not take reservation. I would avoid peak hours. read more

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WORST beef and broccoli ever! What in the h-ll? Are they out of soy sauce, salt, and cornstarch? Super duper bland. So mad right now. No words to say how bad this is. read more

Fine River - Beef and Beoccoli - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

The addition of Fine River (缘来轩) is a welcome change to the already underwhelming dim sum scene, where despite not being overly impressive still provides a lot of value by their presence alone. It gives Houstonians another option and provides another level of competition to the mainstays that frankly could use the nudge. Ultimately, Fine River serves solid dim sum and should be revered more given their simple approach to all day dim sum offerings. While they boast that this is HK style dim sum, the family running this place is from Guangzhou and the name 缘来轩 is more akin to "Fate Pavillion" (#1). The service has been steady and friendly and has a bit of a mom-and-pop feel to the place. Decor wise is not going to impress anyone, but the fact they basically have their own dedicated parking lot (#2) is a huge win. Instead of operating like a big banquet hall, the menu would suggest otherwise. Their limited selection is no deal breaker, but it does mean that variety is not their strong suit. I ordered a number of their items: shrimp dumplings (蝦餃), various rice noodles (腸粉) but their fried bread rice noodle (炸兩), turnip cakes (蘿蔔糕), siu mai (燒賣), leaf wrapped glutinous rice (糯米雞), beef balls (牛肉丸) among a few other dishes. Nothing stood out exactly, but I will give them props on keeping it fresh and well priced. I even gave their wonton noodles (雲吞麵) a shot, which I was told the wontons were handmade. It appears to be the case, along with the piping hot broth, but something was off with the actual wontons. I've been spoiled by a number of bowls but I will have to come back to revisit this. The same boded for their beef chow fun (乾炒牛河) and Singapore fried noodles (星加坡炒米粉). Their Chinese broccoli (芥蘭) was not half bad. Folks paying cash can expect a 5% discount. I am definitely planning on trying their evening service at some point and am looking forward to seeing how they progress. They're off to a good start and I am hoping they continue to improve as time goes on. ____________ (#1) 如果你真係明白要意思請同我講... (#2) Or at least shared with the rest of the strip mall. read more

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This place so so good! Stopped for lunch on a random Tuesday craving Chinese and they did not disappoint! Large menu options, budget friendly and delicious. Everything was good but the shrimp and chive pancakes were one of my favorite things--they were like little dumplings and full of flavor. The general tso chicken was also so good--had a good balance of sauce and crisp. The portions are pretty big so come with a group and try everything you can! read more

Fine River - General Tso - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I thoroughly enjoyed this place! I love that it wasn't crazy busy for Sunday dim sum. The place is a lot smaller than most dim sum restaurant but it's okay, felt cozy. The menu was limited but I do like that. Because when gievn too many options, it's a little bit overwhelming. They have your main dim sum staples like xỉu mai, ha cao and chicken feet. Prices were fair. Food was good! Not bad at all. Everything came out fresh and hot. Service was okay. But had to wave down the waiter a couple of times. Overall, good place do dim sum without the chaos. No long waits either. I'll be back whenever craving for dim sum. read more

Fine River - dim sum & noods - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

Definitely a dive kind of atmosphere kind of a dated little restaurant however great flavors freshly prepared dim sum friendly service. I'm a big fan of going to a Chinese dim sum restaurant and the majority language that I hear is Cantonese or Mandarin. It's very exciting. This one is a relatively small footprint I want to say probably 12 to 15 tables, but was able to accommodate larger parties. We had about six in our party that day. The bathroom is dated, but yet clean The parking lot shares other retail stores, so you might not get a very close spot since it's sunk in the corner of the retail strip . Would recommend if you enjoy dim sum, but not through the cart service and if you feel like that Hong Kong style kind of cooking read more

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This is a new dim sum place my mother recommended to me. She's very picky, so I knew it must be good. The location is a bit off the beaten path, in a desolate shopping center on Wilcrest. Wasn't a fan of the interior decor, but the food is what really matters! It was raining when arrived on a Sunday during lunch. Business looked pretty decent as almost every table was filled and we didn't have to wait for a table. The menu was a folded sheet with colored pictures that doubled as an ordering sheet. The prices were very fair. We ordered some popular favorites and then some. I noticed there was quite the variety to chose from! The har gow and siu mai, both my favorites, were extra large and plump. The skin could have been thinner on the har gow, but the taste was there. The chicken feet were big and soft. Everything was pretty tasty. My favorite item was the beef chow fun. It was cooked very well with plenty of wok hei flavor, and it wasn't greasy at all. Definitely don't pass this up! I asked for some vinegar so I could make a dumpling sauce, and all they had was sweet red vinegar. Oh well... Since it was just the two of us, we didn't get to try everything we wanted despite the bill being $40 and having a small box of leftovers. We were both pretty stuffed. Overall an excellent choice if you want some dim sum without the wait and don't mind the simple setting. There weren't many tables, as this place is on the smaller size, but they did offer ample tables catering to larger groups. Would be happy to return! read more

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I came here on a Sunday afternoon and was seated right away. There were booth and table seating. It's located in a plaza, so there's plenty of parking too. It's your standard dim sum, delicious and authentic! Pricing was also comparable to nearby dim sum restaurants. My favorite dishes were the crispy fried shrimp ball, bbq pork cheung fun and turnip cake. I would recommend and will be back! read more

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$60 for 4 people? You gotta be kidding me! This place is probably the cheapest in Houston right now. And, I love that it's authentic dim sum. This might probably be my new favorite place for dim sum. We ordered: chrysanthemum tea, steamed shrimp dumplings, siu mai, sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf, spare rib w/ black bean, crispy fried shrimp ball, shrimp cheung fun, BBQ pork cheung fun. I liked everything, except the sticky rice. The sticky rice is good, just not something I would order myself again. The cheung fun was delicious! Honestly, I was not expecting a lot of people since there's barely any Yelp reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised. This place if definitely a hole in a wall; if you know, you know! I came on a Sunday and the restaurant was filled with happy customers. read more

This is a small dimsum restaurant but very busy. Food is good and service is fast. You have to expect to wait to get seated due to limited number of tables. The Siu mai, dumplings, sticky rice are good. Even the salted egg bun is good. It was a pleasant surprise for a dimsum restaurant not in bellaire area. read more

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Honestly extremely happy that we decided to try this place today. We came in for lunch on a Sunday and there was no wait which is uncharacteristic for a dim sum place in china town. The service was fast and efficient, the restaurant was clean, and the food was amazing. Their siu mai was enormous, juicy, and seasoned perfectly. I love how they add some sort of cartilage to the mixture which makes an interesting texture. The cheung fun was also really good, the sauce was slightly sweet and seeped into the rolls very well. Lastly, their chili oil was also delicious, it kind of tastes like spicy nothing but everything all at once. Our bill came out to be 60 dollars for 4 people. Fine river is definitely a hidden gem with unbeatable prices for sure. read more

Fine River - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I wish I could give them more stars, but unfortunately I cannot. I don't have high expectations for service in a place like this, but I expect the food to speak for itself. In this instance, most of our dishes were quite a missed opportunity despite how robust this place was. All tables were full but we were able to get seated after about a 5 to 10 minute wait in the lobby. THE GOOD:::: Foodwise, my favorite was the BBQ pork Cheung Fun! It was seasoned well, and bursting with flavor. The shrimp variant performs similarly as well. Chicken feet was not bad, not my personal best ever but still quite enjoyable. Braised Eggplant Stuff with Shrimp was another well deserved dish, packing with sweet and savory flavors. The fried fish fillet were quite enjoyable with a dipping sauce. It felt fresh and seasoned just right for you to enjoy it as is or with a sauce if you're looking for more. THE UGLY:::::: To my biggest disappointment, the Turnip Cake was overly burnt and too charred, yet it was so sloppy and loose that it broke apart the moment I attempted to pick it up. A complete failure. I suspect it was either overcooked to begin with, or it was reheated several times over and over to where the structure compromised, gave way, and crashed at first touch. The Beef Short Ribs were another huge disaster.... the meat was extremely beefy with a gamey smell along with an extremely chewy texture that was incredibly difficult to eat. I wouldn't be surprised if the table next to us could probably hear how hard I was chewing through the beef like a cow on grass. The Fried Bird Nest was cooked well, but the shrimp/fishcake filling was too loose, lacked the typical bounce back you'd expect from descent quality fishcake filling, and had an aged-like seafood odor in the aftertaste. The Chinese Brocoli was also a disaapointment, probably a result of their cooking method. It was a watered down stir fry lacking in that sweet vegetable flavor, instead of a crispy product of a quick blanch with an oil coating to preserve the flavor that is typically done in most other dim sum places. Unfortunately, it is likely that Fine Rivers and I may never meet again. read more

I've had plenty of dimsum in Houston and another great example of fresh high quality dim sum that doesn't have to be closeby to Bellaire where most Asian restaurants are and I like how I don't have to drive too far to get good dimsum. All the dishes average between $4-5.50 so good selection, the restaurant offers a full menu, The dishes offer great chew, crispy textures, firm shrimp, creamy eggplant, tart taste, salty from the soy sauce, so a must try. read more

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We ordered seasame balls (loved them), Siu Mai (not our favorite), steamed bbq pork (good and sweet), steamed dumplings chouzhou style (too many peanuts), steamed beef meatball (no likey), turnip cakes (so good), beef cheung fun (LOVE), beef chow fun (loved!), special rice (good), chicken potstickers (delicious/fire), fried squid claws (good). For a total of $72!!! We arrived pretty late but they welcome us. Fast service, polite, clean. We would definitely return! read more

Fine River - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

Came here to eat lunch and surprised it was amazing. I was skeptical at first but once I tasted the food amazing. read more

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Ordered to go Fave was the cheung fun (shrimp), really perfectly done, shrimp were fresh and nicely sized. One order is pretty generous, and the sauce is on point, very flavorful. Really liked the bean curd sheets too. Cheung fun and bean curd are my fav dim sum dishes and they didn't disappoint. I didn't get to try the sticky rice but it smelled really good. The shumai was good but nothing special. I've had better turnip cakes, these fall apart a bit too easily. The pork ribs were cooked well but I prefer more black bean sauce. Congee was ok too but didn't have much pork in it. I liked that they didn't put the sauce on the Chinese broccoli so it didn't get watered down in transit. Overall really enjoyed it and will be back. 10 dishes for under $60! read more

A very solid Dim Sum spot! This is own of few spots that serve dim sum in the evening and I was very glad to try it. The service was quick and the interior was clean. They don't have more options than the typical dim sum spot but they had the standard. I would also say that the prices here are cheaper than the prices at other spots. My favorite was the pork Siu Mai was juicy and flavorful. The Shrimp Rice Roll was soft and perfectly cooked. The Hacao I would say is good but the wrapping around the shrimp felt sticky, but the taste was still there. The chicken feet could be more flavorful but it did the job. What struck me was the full enormous plate of General Tso chicken for $8.88 which is an insane deal at a restaurant. The price point, food quality, and service here are definitely on par. Overall, 8/10. read more

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Service: The service was disappointing and inattentive. Staff seemed unprofessional and did not respond promptly to requests, which added frustration to the visit. Ambience: The atmosphere was unpleasant and uncomfortable. The décor felt outdated and poorly maintained, which made it hard to enjoy the meal. Food: The food quality was below expectations. Dishes lacked flavor, were poorly presented, and some items seemed undercooked **Noise Level:** The place was excessively noisy, making conversation difficult. The noise came from loud music and poor acoustics, creating an uncomfortable. read more

This is probably a new favorite dim sum spot of mine. Loved how there was no wait on a Sunday morning compared to the other dim sum restaurants in Chinatown. All the dishes were fresh and not too greasy which is important to me when it comes to dim sum. Very affordable prices and fast service too. My favorite dishes were probably the eggplant, turnip cake, and fried shrimp balls. read more

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Bellaire Boulevard has two large communities, Vietnamese and Chinese, commercial establishments, restaurants, services... This morning, I went to Fine River Dim Sum Restaurant. The restaurant space is small and beautiful, and all the tables are full because of the large number of customers, waiting for about 15 minutes to get a table to eat. Delicious dishes, good service. read more

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This is a cute little place with solid dim sum if you're looking to get away from the usual weekend crowds at the more well known places in Bellaire. You order off the sheet, the waiter retrieves it, and your dishes come out as they're ready. My group enjoyed trying this place out and would definitely recommend to others! read more

Fine River - Dim Sum Near Me - Houston, Texas

A new dim sum restaurant that took over a somewhat will known vegan restaurant space. Because the restaurant is pretty new the food came out very slow. For example we ordered everything and our shrimp dumpling came out last when we are all full. I would skip the shrimp dumpling even though it is a must have at a dim sum but the Sui Mai where really good size for the price. The Spare Rib with Black Bean was good also. read more

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We ended up leaving after waiting for more than an hour and having 2 large parties cut in front of us. Apparently the two large parties (one had 11 people) were friends or family of the owners, so they arrived and got seated immediately while there was a wait list of customers waiting for a table. This place doesn't care about the customers or care to uphold any principles. What's the point of having a wait list if they're going to let their family and friends cut in line? read more

The restaurant is on the smaller side. Definitely get there before 11. The decorations are sub par. As you walk in you out your name on a list, they give you a menu so you can start to prep your order. The food is good, nothing spectacular though. Plenty of parking read more

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Fine River serves one of the best dim sum in town. Their prices are very reasonable and their services are top notch. We had tried other dim sum places in town and we really like the food here. We came here a few times and never once have any bad experience. I always recommend Fine River. read more

We came here as a group of friends after our afternoon worship. The place is tucked into a corner, and we arrived close to their closing time, but they still welcomed us, which we appreciated. The ordering system is a bit old-school--they give you a paper to fill out your order, which they then staple to the menu and your receipt. Personally, I think it's a bit of a paper waste, but it gets the job done. Dim sum is definitely their focus. My family and I ordered a good variety: shumai, pork BBQ buns, chicken feet, chicken spring rolls, fried taro dumplings, and a few others I can't quite remember. The food was good, and it came out surprisingly fast considering there were only two staff members on the floor handling everything. Our total bill came out to around $40, which felt reasonable since we left with some to-go items. The price point is fair, the quality is okay--not mind-blowing, but satisfying. I do hope they work on keeping the place a bit cleaner and fresher when you first walk in. That would definitely improve the overall vibe. But overall, if you're looking for some authentic dim sum, this is a spot worth checking out. read more