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    Food Opera

    3.2 (29 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    FOOD OPERA ATMOSPHERE

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    Curry fish ball
    Nhung N.

    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.

    Edward W.

    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!

    Dana W.

    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.

    Bean curd rolls
    Jannet C.

    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.

    This is the tea and sago it also shows a spring roll and sticky rice wrapped in a leaf with pork!

    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!!

    Dim sum
    Amy C.

    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

    Dim sum
    Leona C.

    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.

    Dim sum in July 2022

    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.

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    2 years ago

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

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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

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    4 years ago

    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.

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    Dynasty - T15 .Xiao Long Bao T15

    Dynasty

    4.3(251 reviews)
    0.1 miChinatown

    My friend found this place from a viral item they are serving--scallion pancake crab rangoon. They…read morewere not on the menu so we were worried we were at the wrong place but they assured they had it. They were super good--gooey and cheesey and still like a crab rangoon. I would come back for these. Someone next to us also ordered them. Now I did still want to try their traditional dishes so we split Xaio Long Baos which were really good soup dumplings. They were fresh and tasty. I also got a general gau chicken which I know is more Americanized Chinese food but got it since it was offered as a plate with rice. It was tasty, a little spicy and a large portion--I had leftovers. I would like to come back to try more of their authentic dishes as the food was of high quality and it was busy inside so that's a good sign! What we ordered: Scallion Pancake & Crab Rangoon T15 Xiao Long Bao Z16 general Gaus Chicken

    I wasn't super impressed during my latest visit to Dynasty... I had dined here once before ~2 years…read moreago for a special event and really enjoyed my experience so the expectations were maybe too high. First of all, the arrangement they had for queueing for tables was a bit confusing and unclear. We were given a slip of a paper with a number on it, which the hostess eventually called out after about 10 minutes. I wish they had a more seamless system for handling this (in an app or taking phone numbers instead). We ordered lots of dishes to share.. pineapple buns with roast pork, the viral crab rangoon scallion pancake, soup dumplings, rice rolls with ribs, etc. The standout for me was definitely the crab rangoon scallion pancakes. I 100% get the hype! It's ooey and gooey and perfect for any crab rangoon lover. I was however pretty disappointed in the pineapple buns (one of my favorite dishes) and soup dumplings, which honestly just tasted like they were frozen and reheated from the grocery store. The service was also very absent and it took awhile for us to wave someone down so we could pay our bill. Not sure if we visited on an off day or something, but I wasn't very impressed.

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    Dynasty
    Dynasty - Yin yang fried rice

    Yin yang fried rice

    Dynasty - Fried salt and pepper eel

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    Fried salt and pepper eel

    Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant - Mango Mochi - Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant 1/2026

    Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant

    3.6(571 reviews)
    0.1 miChinatown
    $$

    My go to in Chinatown for baked goods. If you come early enough (before 9:30), the bread is still…read morewarm! I prefer the pineapple bun here compared to other Chinatown bakeries and they have a couple more varieties including pineapple coconut which isn't as easy to find in Boston. Their egg tart is also fantastic with good egg flavor in the custard and a buttery, flaky crust that smells so good. Prices are reasonable with most buns and baked items coming in under $2. Cash only for the bakery. I haven't tried the restaurant and need to do that soon. Definitely worth coming to visit the bakery!

    It's hilarious that a reviewer left one-star because she was harassed about leaving no tip for good…read morefood that was delivered in a timely manner. And they bring complimentary tea! This place is legit, I wouldn't mess with this team. : ) My wife and I stumbled on Great Taste by chance. The tiny restaurant area was completely packed. My elbows practically touched our neighbors, but hey, it's popular. We were the only people in this spot that weren't Asian. A small pot of tea was set down for us immediately. The food was the best Chinese I've ever had. I'm from Texas and a friend from Boston gave me a heads up that the Chinese I'd find would be next level. Sure, we didn't see our server much, it was busy. But every dish was delivered and cleared in a timely manner. We grabbed pastries on the way out (cash only on that side) and they were fantastic.

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    Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant - Bakery

    Bakery

    Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant - Rice Noodle Rolls

    Rice Noodle Rolls

    Great Taste Bakery & Restaurant - Rice Noodle Rolls

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    Rice Noodle Rolls

    Empire Garden Restaurant

    Empire Garden Restaurant

    3.1(564 reviews)
    0.1 miChinatown
    $

    Held on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Boston's Historic Chinatown District at EMPIRE GARDEN in…read morePartnership with THE CHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION (CPA), with a Banquet of over 500 attendees along with several luminaries as RUTHZEE LOUIJEVNE, Boston City Councilor-At-Large, JULIA M. MEJIA, Boston City Councilor-At-Large, MINIARD CULPEPPER, Boston City Councilor - District 7, SHARON DURKAN, Boston City Councilor - District 8, EDWARD M. FLYNN, Boston City Councilor - District 2 and LIZ BREADON, Boston City Council President and Boston City Councilor - District 9. The Honorable Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, not only addressed the attendees and Presented Certificates but took the time to talk and do photo-ops and was extremely gracious and extremely supportive and friendly to us all! A bit of history of the location of this Mega Banquet located on Washington Street built in 1903, as a Theater which eventually became, The Pagoda Cinema, becoming a Chinese Speaking Cinema till its closure in 1995. Purchased by David Wong which he then transformed this massive building into what it is today, EMPIRE GARDEN which can accommodate for 400-600 guests. This Glitzy and Festive attire Event was full of colorful pageantry and choreographed dance including The Lion Dance, performed by Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy Dancers. The songs sung during the evening were performed by the CPA Members. Between all the entertainment and multitude of speakers, all 53 tables were continuously presented with Platters of amazing delights such as Lobster with Ginger & Scallions, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Fried Whole Sole, Crispy Whole Chicken to name a few. The food was endless! The Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) is an organization totally dedicated in providing support, equality and empowerment to the Chinese Residents in Boston and surrounding communities in which City of Quincy is part of. QUINCY VOTES!, established in 2022 and becoming 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization in 2023 has changed the Voting Landscape to a higher level. Giving City Voters a multitude of Resources to all to make every Vote, "MATTERS". Their dedication and hard work along with pounding the pavement door to door proved fruitful that in 2025 15,852 voters gave their vote! Its impact with education and resources made history in Quincy! First Time Candidate TOM LEUNG, running for Quincy School Committee, made a huge turnout Win with 8,086 Votes, an impressive performance win! TOM LEUNG, was invited to address the attendees at this event by, "Wishing all a Happy New Year of the Fire Horse 2026", and Thanked, "CPA, I love the work that they do and CPA, an organization that's special to me!", Tom Leung. (CPA) President Emeritus - Suzanne Lee spoke eloquently addressing the whole room then mentioned "Next Year is expected to be a bigger Event"! In closing - the success of the evening brought everyone together in harmony and sharing ideas along with photos taken to remember of a night to celebration and focusing toward a positive future.

    Food is pretty good and servers are attentive. Very big on the inside. Rice rolls aren't as good as…read moreMings, but still yummy.

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    Empire Garden Restaurant
    Empire Garden Restaurant
    Empire Garden Restaurant - Interior is so cool looking

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    Interior is so cool looking

    Food Opera - dimsum - Updated May 2026

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