Good dim sum lunch. Ala carte ordering. Hot and sour soup could have been more of both and finished with some green onion on top. The shrimp hargow was very tasty. The spring egg rolls were crispy. The steam bbq pork bun was a touch gummy. The stag is fantastic, helpful and attentive. Ala in all an enjoyable lunch. read more

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Came here on a Sunday afternoon for a late lunch/early dinner and the place was relatively busy, but there were still a few tables available so it wasn't packed. There were plenty of staff members walking around though which made it feel busy. The menu has a good variety of dimsum dishes which was nice, however they didn't have tripe listed and when we asked, they said they were out. A little disappointing, but the rest of the dishes were still tasty and came out pretty quickly. Their bubble tea was all right, however it took a while and they didn't have regular tapioca bubbles which was a little sad. Nonetheless, it was made well and the white bubbles I got instead were fine. We actually just chose to sit and chat for a while after finishing our food which was nice since they had us in the corner by the window and they didn't kick us out even though we were only drinking tea for the last hour of our meal. They were pretty nice about refilling our teapot and didn't rush us to leave. The price was a little expensive for how the dishes were, but given it's downtown, it was a little understandable. Overall, I would say come here if you are looking for a space with a lot of tables so less pressure to eat quickly and leave. Their service was okay, not super friendly or attentive, but otherwise gets the job done. Just a little disappointed they didn't a full menu the day we went, but I wouldn't mind going again with a larger group of people to enjoy some dimsum. read more

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Food Opera, formerly Hei La Moon, is the best dim sum in Boston but fairly standard with regards to other states. First of all, please do not come here expecting "good" service. It is a Chinese restaurant with good food. Saw a girl complain about service to over 5 different employees which was definitely a waste of time for her and the employees. They don't care and it's not worth the energy to care. Don't take service personal, it's about efficiency. Don't worry about a long wait, they have a big space now and things work fast. You'll likely be seated within 30 minutes, if not less. While most items are fairly standard here, there were a few items different. Fu Pi Juan (tofu skin rolls) is a plainer in look and taste, much simpler. This can be a hit or miss depending on taste buds. I thought it wasn't as flavorful, but can appreciate the simplicity and clean taste. read more

Food Opera - Dim Sum assortment - Dim Sum Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Opera House (Hei La Moon) replaces long time Chau Chow City Restaurant's location in Chinatown. I'm my opinion, it is an improvement to the former restaurant in terms of food taste and decor. Walking in, you are greeted by a row of chandeliers dangling from the ceiling with long golden threads, the walls are painted a warm butternut squash color, and big windows let in plenty of sunlight. We found parking walking distance from the restaurant. There is metered street parking or if you have deeper pockets, there is a parking lot that charged by the hour next to the restaurant. The restaurant was packed for a Wednesday morning. You have your typical dim sum fare, nothing creative. I was a bit disappointed that their old menu did not carry over. The pictured menu was very helpful and easy to use for ordering. You can check the boxes next to the item that you want. Every dishes came out piping hot and were all delicious. You have to get over the splintered bamboo dim sum trays and chipped dishes. I was pleased with service on a Wednesday morning, it was very efficient. I have no complaints. If I was in Boston, I recommend coming here for dim sum. If I was looking for a unique or fusion dim sum experience, then this would not be a place. See my pictures. read more

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After moving to this new location, this is my first time trying Hei La Moon. I am not sure if they changed their name temporarily or if it is permanent. I ordered the char siu rice rolls(义燒腸粉), siu mai(燒賣), and chiu chow dumplings(潮州粉菓) for takeout. All the dim sum was still piping hot. The siu mai were plump and delicious and the chiu chow dumplings were on par. The char siu rice rolls were good but the rice noodle itself was thick(unlike the newer rice roll places like Big Fun). Overall, pretty good dim sum! read more

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The bad experience started when they sat us in an area where there was hardly any air conditioning, and wile the place was packed we hesitated to be asked to sit elsewhere as there was a line out the door waiting to be seated. The family was in agreement that the food was edible, but it lacked flavor. Our family of 8 left hungry as there was lack of variety the day we visited. We ended up at Joyful Garden about an hour later. We found out after the fact that it was the old Hei La Moon which was good in it's hey day, but went down hill towards the end. Will NOT be returning. read more

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One of the best places for classic Dim Sum in Boston. All of the Dim Sum classics are on point, with a special shout-out to their feng zhao (chicken feet) in black bean sauce. Service is attentive and efficient. This is the new location of Hei La Moon, a classic Cantonese Dim Sum parlor that used to be a few blocks away. Ambience-wise, there's a sort of incongruence between the sleek, modern, trendy look the interior designers were shooting for, and the parlor furniture they brought over from the old location. But that doesn't distract from the experience. Main thing is that it is clean, even the bathrooms. Opens at 10, later than Dynasty (9) or Great Taste (8), so it's more of a lunchy experience than a breakfasty one. One of my main go-to spots for Dimsum in Boston. read more

This place has gone downhill. Like way below average! Rice rolls were thick skinned with little filling. Tofu skin rolls were pale, lacked flavors. Chive dumplings were good. Steamed roasted pork buns were average. Wonton noodle soup only looked good in picture and the wontons were hard. This place is not how or what it used to be. Sad but true. We had good food and good memories there once upon a time. read more

Ate here for nighttime dimsum but wishing for more. The dumpling soup dimsum dish was okay - the meat inside was a bit stiff, with a fairly uninspired wrapper and a bit of soup (not sure if it was a sauce or a soup). The gailan Chinese broccoli was oversalted with oyster sauce, and the leaves of the gailan were not fresh enough. The shrimp dumpling could have had more texture differentiation between skin and shrimp meat, and could have been hotter as well. The turnip cake had not enough pieces of daikon radish; the flavor needed to be significantly 'deeper.' The fried taro shrimp was an interesting concept; they seemed to have created some sort of crab shape with the shrimp meat and the crunchy bits, but the crunchy bits were too hard, and less than elegant. The shrimp rice roll was somewhat uninspiring, with a medium-sized shrimp inside, and a rice wrapper that wasn't consistently translucent. It might also have been a bit dried up. The stir fried eggplant dish was way way too greasy. The dried beef rice noodle had beef that was too salty, and used too much tenderizer as to almost change up the flavor of the beef. The chive dumpling might have been one of the better things on the platter. The sticky rice surrounded by a thin rice wrapper was also one of the better things of the day; the cilantro flavor came out nicely, and the wrap had a neat thin texture, with consistent texturing and more subtle flavors on the sticky rice. I agree with previous posters who feel that the new place is not as good as the former Hei La Moon. Also, it's confusing to identify the title of this restaurant; is it a Hei La Moon, or is it Food Opera? read more

This is a new location of Hei La Moon, and also is named Food Opera. We looked forward to going to the original Hei La Moon whenever we come to Boston. I was always impressed with the variety of the push carts with all kinds of dim sum. I was looking forward to the cart that fried dumplings right in front of you. They must have changed both location and ownership, bc this place has no resemblance of the former Hei La Moon. We went on a Friday and there were no push carts. You order and they bring the dim sum to your table. The decor is fancier, with gold table cloths. But we didn't come for the decor. The dim sum is smaller and was just ok, nothing spectacular. I felt we left wanted something more. We got rice rolls that came out kinda flat, bean curd rolls with some meat and shrimp, more like the same filling as sui mai, and no sauce, and beef chow fun, beef were made from dried and not fresh noodles. This place is not what not what we were expecting and used to. The service was nice and polite though. read more

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I've been wanting to try Food Opera for a while because I really liked their old location as Hei La Moon. Unfortunately, the dim sum wasn't nearly as good as it was when it was Hei La Moon. The beef balls didn't taste like anything at all and they didn't add the Worcestershire sauce that usually goes on it. The outer layer of the Har Gao fell apart as soon as I touched it with my chopsticks. I did, however, enjoy the baked cha siu baos and the pan fried egg noodles. I would likely not come back since there are so many other options with better dim sum nearby. read more

Food Opera - Dim sum - Dim Sum Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We came here on a late Saturday evening for dim sum. Some of the items were not available (almost all the shrimp dim sum items weren't available). Regarding the quality, some of the dishes like the pork shu mai, the pork flat noodle dumpling, etc were pretty good. Some of the other items were not so great. Their pork spare ribs were basically like a general Tso's chicken and filling but not particularly good. Overall an okay place if you have a hankering for dim sum. read more

The food was delicious! It hit all the right spots, the sago was creamy it was very tasty! The service was amazing though the couldn't speak a lot of English they tried there best to tell you what all the food is. But that was also half the fun of trying delicious food and not knowing the ingredients. If your gluten free vegetarian or vegan or have any food allergies you might not want to take any chances with the food. The tucker ware was clean and the tables were clean. So overall it was an amazing experience and I am definitely coming back!! read more

Food Opera - This is the tea and sago it also shows a spring roll and sticky rice wrapped in a leaf with pork! - Dim Sum Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

It's my first and last time to dine in this place. It has no service at all, hard to find server to place kitchen order. And dim sum auntie tried to sell off her cart by placing multiple items on our table even we only order quantity of one. We also ordered pork pan fried noodles, way too salty, the kids had to drink lots of water. Not recommended to anyone read more

If you're just hungry, you can find enough food here to solve that problem. Gigantic Chinese food joint, certainly beliw our expectations for a "classic" 20-year institution. Pros: Scallion pancakes were crunchy. Sizzling chicken sizzled. Good Hot and Sour Soup. Cons: Scallion pancakes had virtually no scallions. Factory-like atmosphere. Bored unfriendly servers. Would not repeat. read more

This place is great! Dim sun carts filled with goodies. Carts come often, good variety plus you can order anything you do not see (for ex we always order Chinese broccoli). Prices are incredibly fair. We stuffed ourselves! There always seems to be a line but we also always seem to get seated within 10 minutes. Side bonus they have strong air conditioning on those hot summer days! Highly recommend. Metro: Chinatown read more

Food Opera - Dim sum - Dim Sum Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Great dim sum location with new name. Some of the best tripe and chicken feet I've had anywhere. Otherwise, has the typical foods expected from a dim sum location. read more

The food is pretty good. However, unless you've had dim sum before, there is no explanation on what to do and how to order. There is now way of knowing what is what, food-wise. I feel like you realllllly need someone who speaks Mandarin (?) to accompany you. Price is good!! Definitely had my filling for around $30. read more

Newest dim sum spot in Chinatown boston. Formerly Hei La Moon as they moved from Beach street. Review is for dim sum only Food: pretty decent dim sum and some dishes were a miss (shrimp ball and the fried bao). Otherwise a great addition and option. Will be my new go to place. Another plus is that they have bbt and smoothie made on site! The inside is clean, including the bathroom which is a plus! Really liked the push carts and seeing all Of the steaming dishes. There was a lot of staff, so easily got seated (even though it was a busy Sunday morning) , and staff was attentive of your needed anything. Note that you'll be eating on paper plates, which is not my First choice. Overall a pleasant visit and will be returning soon. read more

Food Opera - Dim sum in July 2022 - Dim Sum Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Came here today with a friend. We both agreed that the food was really good compared to other dim sum places we had been to. Would definitely come back for a few more times. read more

Food Opera - Dim Sum Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Wings here are literally wing dings. The food is extremely salty. I left a tip on the table near my tea, as I was leaving one of the workers chased me down to ask me did I leave them a tip. Unbelievable. Yes I did but how dare they chase me as I walk outside. This place is terrible. Don't waste your time or money. read more

We have done take out from here many times. Decent selection and many of the dishes are tasty.

i like the new Hei La Moon! We were there on a Saturday early afternoon. We sat at a strange table where we had the advantage of being able to see everything coming out of the back! Cute redecoration and the bathrooms are so much better than the old location. I also think that the dim sum has gotten better especially with the deep fried items with mochi- just so soft and chewy with the lightest crunchy non greasy outside! Wished that our eyes could have ordered more for our bellies! read more

Visited this place with some friends from out of town! The food and tea was good af ngl

We came during the Saturday/Sunday service that is a little bit different because there are no menus, just carts of unmarked food items to choose from. It seemed like such a cool place at first and we were very excited. But, If you don't have someone with you that 1. Has been there before and knows exactly what they are doing or 2. Speaks mandarin, you are out of luck. We were seated in a pretty inaccessible corner and were pretty much ignored for the first 20 minutes of service apart from a tea that they placed on our table without asking (and we were ultimately charged for). Everyone around us was given water, dim sum, etc. but we never were. The food carts come around and a lot of the stuff looked really amazing, but we were consistently passed by by the dim sum carts and only the other cold carts would come to our table. If we asked what something was or said we didn't want something they were placing down, the server would just leave. I really wanted to love this place, but of the 5 dishes we had, only one had any flavor, and it had gone cold:( I really don't write bad reviews, but I just wanted to give as many tips as I can! read more

Thought the huge crowd waiting means good food. Well, not really in this case. Food is mediocre at the best. Definitely a lot room for imWait forever for our desert and being told there is none unless we wait even longer . Guess what , the moment I stood up paying my bill, I saw the exact desert going to my neighboring table. Not right on my book! There are rooms for improvement. read more

I went there today for dim sum. I'm truly disappointed. There was not much selection and some items were cold. I don't recommend.

Looking for an authentic Chinese dining experience, we landed here. First impression was jarring: the place is lit up and laid out like an elementary school lunch room. Once seated at a long table, it took awhile to get a server interested in taking our orders. Communication problems with the servers (no fewer than 5 handled our visit, including one wearing a "cookies" t-shirt) can sometimes be a sign of authenticity, so we let that slide. My Szechuan-style sesame chicken arrived and was unlike anything I'd seen before. The breaded chicken lumps were nearly fist-sized. They rested on equally over-sized broccoli that seemed straight off the cutting board- no apparent saute involved. The sauce was pooled at the bottom, deep red on one side of the plate and basically water on the other. There was no simple means of emulsifying the sauce nor in introducing it to the other ingredients. Some sesame seeds were sprinkled on top as an afterthought. There was no evidence that the ingredients making up the dish were co-involved in the cooking process nor that anyone with knowledge of Chinese cooking was involved in its preparation- a complete lack of culinary finesse. Our appetizer, soup wontons, were good but, in another credit to the chaotic and indifferent servers, arrived well after our entrees. Speaking for myself and not my co-diners, a very disappointing experience. I do have one plaudit: the complimentary tea was really nice. read more

I am giving it a 1 because the dumplings were good, but the rest of the food we have NO idea! Got the beef before anything else, by the time we got the rice the meat was iced cold. We took everything home because the service was SO bad we did not want to be there any longer. Never going back! Too bad, used to have other owners and the place used to be great. No thank you ! Never again read more