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    Ocean Island

    4.1 (108 reviews)
    InexpensiveDim Sum, Cantonese, Barbeque
    Open 7:30 am - 7:30 pm

    Ocean Island Photos

    Business Info

    OCEAN ISLAND ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Ocean Island

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    Reviews With Photos

    Beautiful egg tarts
    Sanny C.

    My mom loves getting dim sum here. The foods are always fresh. One of her favs are the egg tarts. The golden orange/yellow color and the buttery crust lol yumm...tastes even better when it's fresh out. Recently, she discovered the sesame buns. Omg! These were so good. Inside had a good amount of sesame. I always enjoyed the turnip cakes here. Never burnt and super fresh. Never received an ugly piece. The Har Gow was good as well. The shrimps tasted good. Not so salty. The skin was good too. It didn't fell apart. My mom never had a problem ordering. We will return Hehhe

    Crispy pork
    Piyathida R.

    I found this place by accident after leaving the supermarket, and honestly, it feels like a hidden gem! The dim sum and roasted duck looked amazing, but I ordered 1 lb each of BBQ pork and crispy pork to go. BBQ pork was tender and well-balanced, not too sweet or salty. The crispy pork was perfectly crunchy and not greasy at all. I also tried the pork bun ($3). It was very large with a lot of dough, and the filling was delicious, but I wish there was a bit more filling inside. I'd give this item a 4/5. The staff didn't speak much English, but they were very friendly and tried their best to help and recommend items, which I really appreciated. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There's no seating available, but parking is easy since you can use the supermarket parking lot for free.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Lo Mai Gai (糯米雞)
    Joyce G.

    My go to for roasted ducks. Got some snacks to eat like BBQ Pork Buns, Lo Mai Gai (糯米雞), and chicken feet. They were delicious and filling. Store is next to GW Supermarket and others at the strip mall. Parking is easy to find during the weekdays and totally different story on weekends. Service is great and fast.

    Eddie E.

    Ask us as it geta for a takeout dimsum place Been here countless times throughout the years and prices have steadily gone up but everything is pretty solid and of good quality. Even their egg custard is good (or just as good as any sit down dim sum spot). Just have to learn to deal with the lady servers who are rude and impatient.

    Menu
    Ann A.

    The sesame balls, shrimp dumplings, and shrimp rice rolls here are typically exceptional. My friends have mentioned that the chicken feet can be inconsistent. Occasionally, they may be mild, while at other times they offer a pleasant level of spice. While I haven't personally experienced the taste of chicken feet, I can discern when a dish lacks flavor. She then begins incorporating her own ingredients into the chicken feet. She also enjoys the roasted pork. There are instances when the white rice cake is soft, and the flavor is not quite right, leading me to discard it. I believe this establishment offers some of the finest dim sum options for takeout.

    Nor mai gai, spring rolls, pineapple buns, siu mai and baked cha siu baos at the top! Yum
    Christina F.

    Nor mai gai (sticky rice, meat, and mushrooms wrapped in a lotus leaf) was so moist and flavorful. Really good shrimp spring rolls. Siu mai (pork and shrimp dumpling) was solid, not as good as Lucky 1, but decent. Very good baked cha siu bao (bbq pork bun), lots of meat. Excellent nai wong bo lo bai, (pineapple custard bun) so much custard. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There's some tables inside, but it's more of a takeout place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] My family got takeout here years ago and I think the food quality has improved since then! Will definitely stop by if I'm in the area again.

    Maria A.

    We stumbled upon this spot when we were doing some shopping in the area. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It wasn't super busy when we stopped in but got gradually busier.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I did notice a ton of people getting to go orders and a handful of people sitting and eating in the restaurant. For the food, they opted to either have you fill out the order sheet (if you don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese) and submit it and get in the line for cafeteria style ordering. Price wasn't bad $4.89 or $5.59 depending on what was being ordered. We got the Shrimp and Green Leek Dumpling, Sticky Rice Dumpling, Shanghai Dumpling, and Shrimp Rice Roll. Aside from the mishap of getting out of line and having to go back in line to order, we were delayed an extra 15-20 minutes. The food was pretty good for take out dim sum and we got the food pretty quickly. Luckily I had secured a spot to eat in the restaurant (there were 4 other tables that were partly vacant and some that had others enjoying the dim sum. Not bad for a spot with no people pushing carts out with the dim sum offerings, but there were at least 6-8 employees on hand either cooking, prepping, or processing orders. The spot accepts cash or card for payment. Not bad and decent food selection. I'd probably visit again in the future, should I be in the area. The spot has a private lot for parking and it wasn't overly packed.

    Pan Fried Pot Sticker.
    Cindy S.

    A Takeout Dim Sum spot that's conveniently next to Great Wall Market in Monterey Park, Ca. Ocean Island is a Cantonese restaurant that is mainly takeout and specializes in Dim Sum and Barbeque dishes, the menu has an impressive selection of baked, steamed, fried dim sum. DIM SUM PRICES are broken down into two categories: A):$4.89 and B): $5.59. In addition, pastries, congees, noodle soups, rice rolls, roasted Chinese BBQ, and BBQ rice plates can also be found and ordered. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Although it's mainly a takeout spot, a few tables are available for dine-in.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's divey. It's casual.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Ocean Island is perfect for a quick and delicious snack, lunch, or dinner. NOT the best place in town for "takeout dim sum", but not the worst either. The staff are friendly. *Cash and Credit Card accepted. *Parking shared with Great Wall market and other businesses.

    Benedict P.

    Ohhhhh don't you love it?! Cause I love it!!! Dim Sum food is always the best no matter what time it is in the world. And no matter where you at, it's always the BEST TIME. I came here to try this place out and it was just so delicious. The food were made fresh an either baked or steamed to that perfect temperature. Staff were so happy and excited to help their customers and welcome them as they walked on in. The price range is affordable and not too expensive. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance here was a little humid because they were steaming new freshly made food but that was okay.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I would definitely come back when I am ever hungry for a quick snack.

    Maruko X.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance: it's a tiny dim sum place located right outside a grocery store, limited dining table inside and no one is cleaning, it's mainly a takeout place[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service: disorganized lines for ordering and picking up, some people cut the line more likely unintentionally Food: variety choices of dim sum and Cantonese bbq Pork & Shrimp Dumpling Siu Mai - *** average Shrimp w/Green Leek Dumpling - **** recommend Shrimp & Scallop Dumpling - *** average taste Sesame Ball - **** crispy and chewy, filled with red beans, recomedn BBQ Pork Pastry - *** crispy outside, lack of flavor inside Roasted Pork - *** crispy but very dry Chicken - ** undercooked and flavorless Roasted Duck HK Style - **** recommend Price: generous portions and affordable prices, expect $40~$45 per order for a group of two to three, and note it's cash only payment here

    Pork Rib Plate, comes with Chicken Feet too...Really good
    Melinda L.

    I was a big fan of this location when it was the old 'Yum Cha Cafe,' and when I was in the area, I learned it's now, 'Ocean Island.' As much as I miss the previous establishment, Ocean Island does have a good selection of dim sum, pastries, and your basic congees (jook), noodle soups, and rice plates. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There's like three tables inside if you want to eat there, but with the constant foot traffic, you may just to take your food to-go (like everyone else).[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It really helps if you speak Mandarin or Cantonese here - the ladies are working fast and there's kind of a line and also kind of none lol. I was trying to place an order and they didn't hear me for some reason, then this kind lady who spoke Mandarin told them I wanted to place an order (so nice!) and I did just that. I only came here to try their Boa Luo Bao (Pineapple Bun) and their Pork Ribs Rice Plate, which turned out really good on everything. The dim sum also looked good, but I feel like the pastries and plate meals might be better value. Even though it's a to-go shop, the prices are still slightly steep for dim sum - about $5-$7 per dish or so...that definitely adds up! Quality of food is good though. Parking here is a hit or miss in the lot, depending on the day you go there. It shares a parking lot with other shops and the giant supermarket, so parking space can come sparingly. But street parking is available if it's really packed. But yeah if you're in the area, worth stopping in and get your dim sum fix.

    Menu as of 8/19/2024
    Katie C.

    Cash and card accepted with no additional fees, Visa and Master cards. I am thoroughly impressed by the quality of food they have for a to-go dim sum spot. So good we got it TWICE in the same week. You need to give their deep fried items a try. None of them are soggy and dripping with grease like other places are. All their baked buns the dough used for it seem to be the same for all of them- soft, great texture, fluffy, moist. Rice roll batter has a great texture. 24. Pan Fried Leek Dumpling- very good, filled with ground pork mixed in with leek. There was a crisp to the pan fried sides (both sides). 30. Sesame Ball- filling filled to the brim, very crispy and amazing texture. Filled with red bean filling, if you prefer the lotus kind I would steer away. Not too sweet. Gao Choi Gao (11. Shrimp w/ Green Leek Dumpling)- filling was great, the wrapper fell apart before we got home to eat. Still very good! Chashu Cheung Fun (41. BBQ Pork Rice Roll)- surprisingly had green onions and cilantro, which I loved! Added so much depth. Usually restaurants only fill it with the bbq pork and no greens. Dan Tat (37. Egg Custard Tarts)- pastry shell was nice and flaky. Custard wasn't too sweet or dense.

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    9 months ago

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]Nice place for express dim-sum.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I like their hacao and shumai. Service is great and price is nice.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Ocean Island

    How is parking in general?

    It's adjacent to a supermarket so you can park there.

    Does their food have MSG?

    Probably

    Is the dim sum available all day? Like can I go get some for dinner?

    You sure can! Their steam trays are there all day long ^-^

    Do they accept credit cards?

    Yes. Over $20.

    View All 6 Questions

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    I never leave reviews, but this place was a total gem. My boyfriend and I were starving on a…read moreSaturday night and wanted good food that was worth the price -- this exceeded our expectations. It has that "hole in the wall" vibe, but the dining area has nice ambience and it wasn't overwhelmingly busy. We ordered the beef and broccoli (with rice) and the chicken chow fun. Both were delicious, flavorful, and came in huge portions -- we even had leftovers. Our total was about $35 before tip, which is amazing for the quality. Highly recommend this spot. It deserves a line out the door, but for now it's our little secret. We'll definitely be back!

    My last two visits have been positive. On my first visit, I placed a to go order for the beef chow…read morefun and kung pao chicken. I asked for extra vegetables with the kung pao chicken, and they added them without charging extra. Both dishes were really good. On my most recent visit, we dined in and ordered the mixed vegetables, orange chicken, and wonton noodle soup with beef brisket. We've had the wontons before, and they're always good and taste authentic. The beef brisket was tender, the wontons were delicious, and they put plenty of fresh bok choy. It was our first time trying the mixed vegetables and orange chicken. The vegetables were fresh, crisp, and flavorful. The dish also included pieces of Chinese sausage and squid. The orange chicken was sliced very thin, and the batter was extra crispy. We enjoyed it, but it's different from the typical orange chicken you'd find at most Chinese fast food restaurants. The customer service is really good here. At the end of our meal, we were offered a complimentary dessert, which was a sweet soup made with sweet potato and egg. It was good and reminded me of a sweet version of egg drop soup.

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    Interior
    Interior
    Crispy Fried Tofu
    Crispy Fried Tofu
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    Fried Rice
    Henry's Cuisine

    Henry's Cuisine

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    My aunt wanted to treat us to some seafood so we decided to come to Henry's cuisine. We ordered:…read more - Deep-Fried Tofu - Crispy Walnut Shrimp - Deep-Fried Chicken Wings - Chinese Broccoli with Dried Fish - Deep-Fried Salted Pig Knuckles - House Special Vietnamese Style Lobster with Noodles Everything was really good, especially the House Special Vietnamese Style Lobster with Noodles and Deep-Fried Salted Pig Knuckles. We also really like the fried tofu and the chicken wings. We really appreciate the fact that the crispy walnut shrimp had the mayonnaise sauce on the side so we were able to control the sweetness. We also like the Chinese broccoli. We also appreciated that they gave us Hong Kong Egg Waffle on the house. Just remember that they do have a 12% service charge. That's already added to your tab. We will definitely be back to try other items.

    I wish yelp had half stars because I'd give Henry's cuisine a solid 3.5 stars. The restaurant…read morelayout and decor is a little tacky, with spray painted crab shells decorating the walls and plastic partitions between the tables. The partitions reminded me a lot of Covid times, but it did create this semi intimate space for each table to have better conversation with each other. We came with 5 people and ordered 4 dishes to share. The average of each dish was about 30 dollars but the portions are extremely generous. The fish maw, shrimp paste, dried shrimp, mustard greens hot pot came out first. They were out of fish maw and wouldn't replace the ingredient with anything else or give us a discount, so we just had shrimp and greens in the soup. The soup had a good balance of fish and seafood flavours and went well with the slightly bitter mustard greens. The fried black tiger prawn with dried fish and garlic came next alongside the dried scallop and egg white fried rice. The prawns were such a visually stunning dish and the aroma was incredible! The prawns were huge, slightly juicy and packed a ton of flavour, it paired well with the egg white fried rice. The chestnut chicken hotpot came out last. It was a nice, hearty, umami dish. The chestnut and green onions melted in your mouth, which was great, but the chicken itself was a little dry and had lots of bones in it. Overall everything was well cooked and tasty, but nothing was a particular standout. It just felt a bit expensive for what you get. Lobster was $40/lb and minimum of 4lbs so we didn't try it, but it looked great from peeking at other tables. I'd recommend coming with a large group of people so you can split a variety of seafood to try.

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    Outside
    Outside
    House special lobster on top of yee noodles
    House special lobster on top of yee noodles
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    Ordered longevity noodle to go with the lobster - delicious
    Seafood Palace

    Seafood Palace

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    Hidden gem. Lunch prices are awesome starting at only $11.99. On the day we went the food was very…read moretasty and generous. From the outside it's a hole in the wall, but inside is pretty spacious for larger families to dine. My husband's aunt reserved a few tables for her birthday, so we sat in the corner area. The tea is not fragrant like other restaurants, but it'll do. I like that they give you disposable plastic cups for water too. Soup and rice was complimentary. Thought it was herbal soup, but it was some kind of seaweed soup. I was hungry, so everything tasted good, except for the fried fish (a bit dry). Parking sucks, so you'll have to park across the street.

    They didn't have a lot of stuff here that we wanted to eat. We came on a Thursday night and we…read morewanted to try a bunch of stuff on the menu and we were able to order a lot too because we had 7 people at our table. However, most of the items on the menu were not available.. strange. My aunts friend wanted to take us here specifically for the fried garlic crab. However, personally, I was not a fan because it's just too much work to break down the crab just for a little bit of meat. My favorite that night was probably the fried tofu. They definitely did that very well. We also got a lot of other dishes like the clay pot rice, chicken, clams, seafood crispy noodles, and other foods I can't remember. Overall, just okay for me. I don't think I would necessarily come back.

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    Seafood Palace
    Fried squid (salt and pepper)
    Fried squid (salt and pepper)
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    JJ Hong Kong Cafe

    JJ Hong Kong Cafe

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    We went to SCAL last month and of course we have to stop our all time favorite spot JJ, parking can…read morebe challenging during the day and some nights, their food is always hot the spot for us, my son always like to try something new so he had the baked pork chop over fried rice. My younger son and I are their die hard fans of their jumbo size mix grill platter, it is always wholesome, tasty and irresistible taste that hit the spot, paired with their iced lemon tea made my day!! Service at JJ is decent and they can get very busy during lunch and dinner time. We also ordered and tried their Singerpore style turnip cake, man the flavor profile is so good, the curry flavor with the flavoring dried ingredients combined together for the ah ha moment why this is one of their best seller!! I recommend this place if you love HK style cafe

    JJ Cafe has been around for many years and has been a Monterey staple for affordable Hong Kong…read morecomfort food They're open daily 7am-2am Parking can be tough but there is nearby street parking and there is a parking lot in the back. Inside was spacious and had plenty of seating. Service could use some improvement in terms of friendliness and attentiveness. Lunch special was such a good deal! All the dishes are under $20 and there was a good variety of dishes. It's nice that it's daily 11am-5pm and it comes with either rice or spaghetti and coffee or tea (with one refill!). Got the Grilled Pork Chop & Chicken Steak ($14.25) with mushroom sauce. Love that there are a nice variety of sauces to choose from - black pepper, mushroom, onion, garlic, spicy garlic, or teriyaki! The pork chop and chicken steak were huge and very crispy. It was packed with flavor and not too salty or greasy. The meat was very tender and juicy. I was very impressed with the portion and how delicious it was! The complimentary Iced Tea was very refreshing but slightly too sweet but it was nice that it came with a free refill! Overall, I really enjoyed the food and would definitely recommend and return!

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    Dining hall
    Dining hall
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    Steam Fresh

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    4.4
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    0.5 mi
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    Came in on the weekend. Parking lot was packed but we still found parking. You can order dim sum…read morehere almost any time of the day. They have a new menu and we ordered the Minced Pork & Egg Rice. This is the non-gravy/sauce version like some local restaurants are starting to do. Break the runny egg yolk and mix everything together. It was pretty good. We also ordered the pan fried turnip cake which is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It's better than many dim sum restaurant versions. Also got their beef rice roll again. Their rice rolls are always a hit. Don't forget to order their HK lemon iced tea on the side. It pairs well with everything especially on a hot summer day. Good air conditioning. Lots of indoor seating. Great service. Highly recommend!

    Yummy food from an unassuming restaurant on Garvey Ave, a street in Monterey Park sprawling with…read morevarious Asian cuisines. Staff were welcoming and helpful. Interior is hardly decorated but has statement black and red tables and chairs haha. No one was dining in, but it seemed like Steam Fresh was popular for takeout. For us, a black sesame roll (could be a snack or dessert), four orders of steamed pork siu mai, two orders of juicy pork dumplings (soup dumplings), and a beef chow fun with soy sauce dish totaled to a little over $55. Everything came out piping hot and packaged well for takeout. We only waited about 15min, which was not bad at all. We really liked the siu mai and chow fun. Both were savory and addicting. Siu mai were especially juicy and meaty; they definitely satisfied our dim sum cravings. Soup dumplings were ok - I found the wrapper to be doughy and the filling kinda plain. The black sesame roll had an interesting rolled look and a sticky, chewy, jelly-like texture. It tasted like lightly sweetened black sesame paste mixed into what seemed like a combination of mochi and agar. The small parking lot in the back is free. We got lucky finding a spot in the late morning, but when we were ready to back out after getting our food, cars were either circling the lot or waiting for someone to leave.

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    Small kitchen and counter to place order
    Small kitchen and counter to place order
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    HK Style Minced Pork Lo Mein

    Ocean Island - dimsum - Updated August 2026

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