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    Ma-daSao

    3.6 (25 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Ma-daSao Photos

    MA-DASAO ATMOSPHERE

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    Susie T.

    Its "dim sum" ayce brunch price had increased to 26$. I like the concept but the day I went they had 0 shu mai. I was told the guy that usually makes it was not working that day. Bummer bc thats the ONLY dim sum, or "breakfast" item that would categorize this ayce brunch as dim sum. They don't advertise it as such, but please tik tok foodies, stop spreading misinformation. The spaces in this place is tight and it gets full during the ayce chinese food times. For brunch they have the menu items and all the buffet items. Interesting bc for dinner ayce, it won't include some menu items. The food here, for me, was either bland, or the broths had too much mala taste but not flavorful or spicy. The walnut shrimp was the best tasting item there. I liked the Chinese broccoli too. I dont think the price is worth the kinds of food you get. Its for sure better than oanda express or fadt food chinese. Nothing beats the REAL ayce dim sum in vegas for 22$ ALL day. You can try happy ayce hot pot or 1968 bistro for ayce dim sum in california, but for quality and real dim sum items, you cant beat vegas.

    Jackie T.

    What a nice place to have dinner. This place is super clean and spacious. The customer service is on point. I like that this is an all you can eat Chinese restaurant. It's really rare to have authentic Chinese food that is tasty. Thank you so much for your hospitality and tasty food. We will definitely be back.

    Various dishes

    Sleeper restaurant, current rating doesn't accurately reflect how legit the dishes are at this restaurant. The chefs are from Shanghai and Yangzhou, so the dishes are all very authentic and tasty, and it is a great place to try a variety of Chinese food. All are well known dishes in China! The price is super worth it on the weekdays too. Make sure to get the Lion's head meatball, fried rice, dessert tang yuan soup, eggplant, and cold dishes!

    Inside
    Angela M.

    Madasao is now known as Shanghai. They are mostly an all you can eat buffet style Chinese restaurant that serves a mix of Chinese food and random Chinese food. The Chinese name of the restaurant made me think that it would serve very traditional Shanghainews food, but when I went, it wasn't the case. There is a lot of variety for its buffets, and I think for the price, it's pretty worth it. But taste wise, I don't think it's very authentic Chinese. If you don't want to eat that all you can eat, they do allow you to order things à la carte such as Shanghai, wontons, Shanghai, rice, cakes, or chow mein, etc. I do enjoy all of the little dishes that they serve during the buffet to give you a taste of all sorts of things.

    Daughter eating strawberry and watching Ms Rachel. Did not like the taste of the tofu or soup. :( Hope she is not picky in the future.
    Alan L.

    Food was so so. Kind of a home cook meal. The mapo tofu did not taste like the one I eat regularly at home as it was more sweet and have that kind of taste. Came here because of all the hype on tiktok and instagram. Was disappointed that there were no dim sum as it was only on the weekend that the videos fail to mention. Not alot of variety of food. The service was great though. I love the staff there. Just wish there were more options or if it was satisfying that its worth the 23 dollars for AYCE.

    Momo Z.

    Now Sunday open too,it was $28 per person. The selection is rich and varied, with dishes stir-fried fresh and served hot. Spicy dishes are optional and can be chosen based on your preference. Now add more dishes, like dim sum, soy milk, and sweet rice wine glutinous rice balls available. New dishes keep coming out throughout the meal -- not everything is offered at the same time -- which makes it fun to try different items. .

    Kitty C.

    I'm not sure which place to write a review because I heard this is Shanghai Cuisine as well. We came here on a Saturday morning a little after 12pm. It was already packed. They have a writing notepad by the door where you add your name to a wait list. We didn't wait long, maybe about 5 minutes but a ton of people came after us and there was definitely a wait after that. The seating area is cramp, we ended up getting a table in a separate section that had three very large tables that probably accommodated family style eating because there was a center turning table. Overall, the food was okay. The really good stuff went fast but some stuff sat out for a while. Not too much dim sum items, mainly sui mai, ha gaw, chicken feet and soup dumplings. We also ordered off the menu as well which is included in the AYCE price $28.78. At first, bowls were getting taken quickly, and then it was piling up. Drinks are not included but water is and it took till the end of our meal to get it refilled. Favorite items were soup dumplings, potstickers, gailan, daikon salad (I think), fried chicken, and sui mai. Everything else was either dry or looked good but tasted okay. I would suggest to at least try once but not something to do all the time.

    Menu
    Christine M.

    Came here for lunch with a coworker recently. I have been to this place over the past 18 years under different names. All I can say is that they have gone more fancy and expensive esp the regular menu. But it seems like the norm for all restaurants in San Diego (the expensive part)...so it is what it is. Light lunch was what I was shooting for so lunch special it is. It came with one soup, one rice, an egg roll, one floret of broccoli (gotta get your veggie!) and whatever dish you prefer from lunch special menu. I ordered shrimp and tofu, hoping that it'd be a good high protein and low-ish calorie option. And I was right. The dish was relatively light. Sauce not over powering. I could decide how much carb I wanted. Definitely a good option when you want to stay relatively healthy in a Chinese restaurant. I guess it'll be my regular dish from now on at ma-sadao!

    Lamb soup, pork belly with bean curd, duck, eggplant in garlic sauce, salad, beef and vegetables.
    Camila O.

    We came here with a group of friends to celebrate Chinese New Year. The food was delicious. Service was very good. It is better if you can speak mandarin. I give it 4 stars because the sitting arrangement was odd. We still had a great time.

    Rey D.

    What a Surprised Lunch we have, walk in and noticed the completely redesign interior of this place. And it is truly looks nice, the chairs and tables and the cutes little bowl of lunch food, they have soup, chicken, beef, tofu and seafood. So it is very convenient as you walk in they will assigned you a table then, there you go grab your dishes, the red rice is so good and it is not good to waste, so if tour with somebody just get 1 because they are filled up. Before we leave we swing by again at the food counter and I noticed some new items we don't have initially, so we all said, next time... lol... Its AYCE for $19.99, ALL YOU CAN EAT, well don't fall asleep at your work after.

    Spicy fish, king Pao chicken with soup and rice
    Salman S.

    Been going to this restaurant for a few years now. Used to be Mr Holy Gao and served fairly decent sichuan cuisine. It's been Ma-Dasao now for a few years under new management and they recently changed their service to provide not only à la carte but a set of cooked dishes cafeteria style so you can pickup two dishes, a soup and rice for $15. The serving size is decent and a good value. The food is also tasty although they toned down the spice level quite a bit to appeal to everyone. I enjoy eating spicy fish there and the premade dishes cafeteria style lacked quite a bit of spice that the dish ordered from the menu had. Nevertheless this makes getting a quick lunch easy as the foods already there and ready to enjoy.

    Minjoo J.

    If you are looking for real authentic Chinese food this is it with out going to convoy. Sorrentovalley/mira mesa/la jolla/utc have crap chinese food. This is THE best chinese food in these areas. The food is 4.5 out of 5. The price is reasonable. The service is reasonable. Lot of folks outside of asian cultures always expect great dining services but great asian restaurants don't have good services but the food is bomb. And service here was actually good so idk what people are complaining about. You always always always give review by food strictly when it comes to asian restaurants. The more beat up and rude they are the food is probably better and you still go because it's that good.

    It is with rare occasions that I find a restaurant that illuminates an ambiance of warmth and comfort. Absolutely amazing food and gave me the opportunity to sample an assortment of genuine chinese cuisine by a family-run restaurant. This is a must try that feels like home Prices: $19.99 All you can eat from 4:30-8:30 AND $14.99 1 Soup 2 Dishes from 11:00-2:00

    Mini Shanghainese pork wontons

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    22 days ago

    Fantastic! Excellent food and top notch customer service. This is our new favorite lunch spot!

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    Dumpling Inn - XLB

    Dumpling Inn

    3.9(3.5k reviews)
    5.8 miKearny Mesa
    $$

    There's just so much good food on Convoy St. my friends and I were looking forward to a hearty meal…read moreand we're recommended this spot. We got the: XLB - Plenty of broth and the right amount of pork filling. Dumpling skin was nice and thin. Shrimp pork dumpling - Quite flavorful with good filling and shrimp/pork ratio. Beef noodle soup - plenty of beef and noodles. The beef was tender and nicely seasoned. Wonton soup - this soup was refreshing to cut all the grease. There were decent sized tasty wontons. Stir fried garlic green beans - for some reason this wasn't on the menu, but when I asked about it, they said they could just make it for us. Honey walnut shrimp - Very nostalgic. Plenty of shrimp and candied walnuts, my favorite of the meal! It was quite a busy night with customers coming in and out. I don't ever expect superb service at these restaurants. It was a good and delicious experience overall.

    This definitely seems like the go-to spot for dumplings in San Diego! I stopped by on a Friday…read morenight and the place was absolutely packed. The decor is honestly one of the highlights, it's got this cool, atmospheric mashup of Hong Kong street food vibes and an old-school Shanghai saloon. The bar area was super lively, full of people grabbing drinks and Chinese food, which gave the whole place a great energy. As for the food, we mostly came for the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), but they were unfortunately a bit of a letdown. The meat filling wasn't very flavorful and the texture felt pretty rubbery. On the bright side, the Fried Rice was solid and hit the spot. We also tried the Kung Pao Chicken, but it felt more like the "old-school Chinatown" style I remember as a kid as it's very heavy on the sweet fried bean paste and a bit too sugary for my taste, rather than being authentic Chinese. The service was impressively swift; even with the crowd, our dishes came out fast. However, parking was a total headache, and honestly, the total cost felt a bit steep just for a casual meal. Great for the vibe and a quick drink, but the dumplings might not be the main event here.

    Photos
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    2-2026 6-aTV's

    Dumpling Inn - Fried rice with shrimp

    Fried rice with shrimp

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    Facing East Noodle & Bar - Deluxe Paiko Ramen

    Facing East Noodle & Bar

    4.1(1.9k reviews)
    5.7 miKearny Mesa
    $$
    Happy hour specials
    Grab-and-go

    Love this place!!! I got the tonkotsu ramen it's so delicious, the soup dumplings are amazing,…read moreas-well as the piggy custard buns!!! The service is great, with easy ordering and the food comes out super fast and delicious:))) the music is great!

    Facing East is one of those spots you always notice in that Convoy plaza but somehow never actually…read morecommit to until one day you finally do. It's in a plaza with a ton of other restaurants, so just know parking can be a little chaotic. I went on a Wednesday around 5:30PM and still found parking pretty easily, but I can see it getting rough later. The place itself is on the smaller side, but they fit a good amount of seating. Every time I pass by it never looks super packed and even this time it wasn't that busy. I ordered ahead through their website, which was smooth, but when I walked in the cashier didn't see my order at first. I showed her my confirmation text, she checked with the kitchen and let me know it was still being prepared. She was super kind about it, so no issue there. I sat and waited and it ended up being around 20 minutes, which felt a little long for just two items, but not terrible. There was also a moment where a group came in and no one was at the front, so they asked me how ordering worked. We both just assumed you scan the QR code at the table and order from there, which probably explains why there isn't always someone upfront. A little confusing at first, but it is what it is. Once my food was ready, it was packaged really nicely. I had about a 25 minute drive home and everything stayed warm, which is honestly the best part about good takeout. Popcorn Chicken ($9.50) This might be the best popcorn chicken I've had in San Diego, especially for the price. You get big pieces, like actual chicken, not just fried coating. The seasoning is kind of addicting, a little sweet, a little salty, savory, with a slight kick. Super fragrant too with green onions mixed in. The sauce tasted like a cilantro jalapeño crema, almost taco vibes, which sounds random but it worked really well. And the shredded cabbage at the bottom soaking up all that extra seasoning... so good. Only thing is I wish some pieces were a little crispier and more golden, but still really really solid. Spicy Shrimp Wontons (8 pcs, $10.80) These come in a soy, vinegar, chili oil sauce that's super balanced. The wontons themselves are a bit smaller and don't have a ton of filling, so price-wise it's a little eh. But the sauce carries. After sitting in it during my drive home, I thought it would be too salty, but it actually soaked in perfectly. The color got darker and richer and the flavor still stayed balanced. Overall, this place is honestly solid. The menu isn't huge, more focused on noodles, dumplings, and apps, but based on what I had, they do it well. I'll definitely be back to try more, but that popcorn chicken alone is already enough reason to come back.

    Photos
    Facing East Noodle & Bar
    Facing East Noodle & Bar - Black garlic ramen

    Black garlic ramen

    Facing East Noodle & Bar - Spicy Deluxe Paiko Ramen

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    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe - Pork & chive dumplings

    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe

    4.4(590 reviews)
    8.0 mi
    $$

    Been wanting to come here for a while and SO glad we finally did! First, the staff here are super…read morefriendly and attentive. Ordering is done via an ipad at the table but they're available for any menu questions and quick with water refills. Food is SO GOOD. You can really tell the dumpling wrappers (for dumplings, xiao long bao, and wontons) are handmade. They're more springy and al dente and beautifully wrapped. We ordered a ton of food and everything was really tasty I didn't react fast enough with photos. Xiao long bao are a MUST - and you gotta enjoy it with the vinegar and ginger! The cucumber salad is WAY better than ding tai fung's in both taste, texture, and portion! Chili oil wontons were big and deliciously fragrant, not spicy. Pan fried pork buns were crispy on the bottom with a soft and pillowy bread and juicy meat filling. We also got the combination fried rice which was beautifully golden eggy and full of meat & shrimp. The green beans were flavorful and not overly oily. Fried chicken wings were one of my favorites! Last but not least we also ordered the chonqing spicy chicken - not too spicy, full of numbing peppercorn goodness, fried lightly and very criispy. The restaurant is well decorated and clean, very spacious and good for groups. There's a cute gazebo table right at the front too. Plenty of parking in the plaza lot. . A great place for authentic Chinese food. Will definitely be returning!

    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe attempts to appeal to both Western and Asian palettes and succeeds with…read morewell prepared dishes like orange chicken and xiao long bao. Service is also unusually friendly for a Chinese restaurant (IYKYK). I look forward to coming back to try more of the menu!

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    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe - Inside

    Inside

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    Village Kitchen - Coconut Sago Balls not too sweet!

    Village Kitchen

    3.4(307 reviews)
    4.5 miClairemont
    $$

    It's not meal time. There are very few people and it's very comfortable!…read more There is no problem with stir-frying now, and the pot is very good! Parking is very convenient. There are many seats at the door. You can park directly and come in. The taste is OK. If you come from China, you want to restore the taste of China immediately. This is a choice that does not step on the pit. I thought the food ordered for the children would taste mediocre, but it was better than expected; Special: Iron-plate squid beard, this dish is really not ordered in China, only in the United States, it feels the most delicious, I don't know why!

    Parking 5/5 -big plaza parking lot with plenty of spots…read more Service 5/5 -staff is friendly and efficient Food 5/5 -stir fried pork feet bites with green peppers, gelatinous texture and it's savory and spicy and delicious, the pork feet in small pieces makes it so much easier to eat. If you're scared of eating the skin texture, maybe avoid -grandma's braised pork, the pork belly is so tender and requires no biting, you take a piece of the pork belly with the pickled veggies and you put it in the steamed bun, a crowd favorite -tofu in casserole with pork, super soft tofu with thin slices of pork, good pairing for rice -steamed egg, soft and delicious, no notes -fried rice, this is my favorite dish out of all five, it's so fragrant and simple but so addicting, I would order this every time Ambiance 5/5 -the dining area is lively, great for gathering

    Photos
    Village Kitchen
    Village Kitchen - Coconut Sago Balls not too sweet!

    Coconut Sago Balls not too sweet!

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    Ma-daSao - shanghainese - Updated May 2026

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