I recently sat down for dinner there. I had reviewed the menu in advance as I have an allergy to mushrooms. Nothing on the menu revealed an issue. Unfortunately when I arrived and mentioned my allergy to my waiter, he at first didn't think that it would be an issue. However, having experienced an issue with mushrooms being undisclosed on all food at Wu Chow, I asked the waiter to check. He subsequently came back and told me that mushrooms were basically on all dishes and that dishes could not be prepared without them. Needless to say, my party and I could not stay and left for dinner elsewhere. My concern however, is that had I not asked the waiter to actually check with the food preparers, I would have experienced an allergic reaction and likely, a night in the hospital. The menu looked very enticing but, without the ability to avoid mushrooms, I can not go back. read more

Went for my birthday - for their dim sum brunch, and it was perfect! All of the food was delicious and we even got our own little room/space for our table of 7. Staff were friendly and helpful, and the food & drinks flow did not stop. Would absolutely return! read more

If I could give Qi more than 5 stars, I would! Qi is a must see; as soon as we walked in we were greeted by the restaurant owner who was serving as the host. The reservations are a must for this restaurant; during our time there, we saw many people turned away because they didn't have a reservation. So let's get started on a review of the food. The pork dumplings are a must try, the lobster dumplings were good but not as good. The rice was light and fluffy but full of flavor and the chicken was crunchy and saucy. I got the lavender gin drink and it was beautiful and tasty. Now to talk about the service; we were in and out of Qi faster than I would have imagined because the service was quick and the food amazingly fast. This restaurant is smaller which is why reservations are necessary, but once you're in, you'll experience that 5 star service that is so hard to come by now a days. Whenever I visit Austin again, Qi will be on the must stop list and whenever I have to give a recommendation of where to eat in Austin, I'll say Qi. read more

OK, I first learned to cook seriously (50 years ago) from Chinese cookbooks, and Chinese dishes play a regular and important part in my own cooking. I've eaten in major Chinese-restaurant cities: San Francisco, New York, London. This is the best one I've ever been lucky enough to eat at. It is, hands down, easily the best restaurant of any kind in Austin. It specializes in steamed dishes and dumplings (for me, the most difficult part of Chinese cooking), but everything is wonderful. Chef Ling Qi Wu's food is both delicious and unique. I've never found anything remotely like it, and I've never had a bad dish there. She makes the best hot and sour soup I've had, both in flavor and texture. I *wish* mine tasted that good. The steamed buns and pancakes feel like silk on the tongue and have a subtle trace of sweetness. If you choose the dim sum seating, the menu offers dishes in fanciful shapes. My last trip featured a dumpling that evoked a fat baby chick. The table next to ours had a "crispy chicken turnover" in the form of a cute little mouse. It counts as one measure of the aesthetic and dedication of the chef that she doesn't *have* to do this. As I say, the food on its own sets my taste buds dancing. The decor, down to the chopsticks, is elegant, the staff friendly and extremely capable. You will pay more than what you expect at the usual place, but you get more value for the money (and a good typical Chinese restaurant already counts as a bargain). The food isn't mere food, but art. I previously lived in New Orleans for 26 years, so I have some experience with great food. Dining becomes a memorable experience. After 17 years of living in Austin, we will be moving many states away. This is the only restaurant I'll miss. I would seriously consider visiting Austin just for this place, because like New Orleans, you can't get this food anywhere else. Qi's will remain one of the summits of my dining life. read more

Absolutely beautiful restaurant with the best staff and such a unique menu. This is a place I'd go over and over just to order the soup dumplings. read more

This place is AMAZING! It was my first time getting dim sum and let me tell you it did not disappoint!!! Everything I had was delicious! Their silverware is too cute and the inside decor is even cuter! 10/10 read more

Ambience and the only place I know in Austin that has Shanghai soup dumplings. Drinks were creative, and the sweet n sour soup was outstanding. Coming back for sure read more

I usually don't like to leave negative reviews, but the service was so awful at Qi. When we entered the restaurant it took the staff a while to greet us and check us in which was fine, we understand they may have been a little understaffed. When we finally got seated our server was so rude and short with us from the beginning. He rushed us into ordering and gave us an attitude when we asked questions about the menu or took a minute to give him our order. Up to that point we figured he was just having a bad day but things escalated when I asked him a question about one of the dishes and he totally snapped. Everybody at the table was taken aback and our dining experience from there on out was pretty horrible. Nobody deserves to be treated like how we were. We'll never recommend this restaurant to our friends or family. read more

Nice indoor and outdoor seating with fans and misters. The food was OK but way overpriced. The soup dumplings (5) were very good as was the oxtail, although, 2 pieces for a supposedly family-style serving is just too stingy. The mustard greens were disappointing. The service was very good. read more

Vegetarian's review - Tried the veggie dumplings, pea shoots, and S&P Tofu. All were on point, including service. Food is simple, fresh, and delicious! Can't wait to return. Dessert (chocolate dome) was underwhelming. read more

My sister and I had a fantastic brunch at Qi today! We were sat facing the kitchen and got to observe the dumplings being made which was a cool experience. The food was some of the best Asian cuisine I've had. We had lobster dumplings, crab balls, soup dumplings, bbq pork buns, and the egg tart dessert. Everything came out hot and each dish I caught myself saying "alright this is the best thing I've ever eaten". Excited to support a family-owned FTT restaurant and can't wait to go back! read more

Food was delicious and ambiance was fun. Only two restrooms which created a bit of a line for such a busy place.

Really enjoyed this restaurant, especially the parking and delicious selections. My husband thought the host was unfriendly but the ambience was dynamic and very GenZ + millennial. I want to return to try the dumplings which I believe are a big draw... read more

Fantastic dishes. Everything was prepared expertly. We had multiple dim sum dishes and liked them all. I will be back.

Great dumplings....rice is ridiculously overpriced. Fried chicken was ok... I think we would try more next time and if you'd like to sell a kidney or your boat try the fried rice for $26! read more

Nice change from typical local Chinese food. Great care was paid to the quality of the food and the decor. While not nearly as good as what I eat in Shanghai on a regular basis this is very good for Austin. Given the location the prices are sky high so be prepared for sticker shock. But it's a nice place read more

Soup dumplings were almost as good as the ones I had in Beijing 10 years ago. This spot is a must go.

Great food. Fun atmosphere. We had a large party of roughly 15 and they were able to accommodate us with no reservation. Jonest tended to our party and he was amazing! Customer service was outstanding. Great place to visit. If I lived here I would be a repeat customer. Thank you Jonest and the rest of the Qi team. We had an amazing dinner thanks to you!! read more

I called the restaurant about 45 minutes before my friend had a reservation for a special birthday, and wanted to send a dessert to their table as a surprise. The guy who answered the phone was very dismissive and said they were already sending one over from the restaurant. I tried to ask if it could be from me and he abruptly hung up. Not great customer service. read more

Ooooo what an awesome new addition to Austin. Starting with the aesthetic- it was super cute inside. There is a (I believe free) parking garage connected to the restaurant. Service was great (shoutout to Danny)! The Wild Orchid drink was cute and pretty good. The lobster dumplings were pretty straight forward, but great. Truffle fried rice was 10/10. The whole red snapper was what stood out the most.. it was crisped to perfection and plenty of food for multiple people to share. *chef's kiss* THE TOILETS- weird, I know, but also noteworthy. Bidets, warmed seats, automatic lids. So over the top, yet so necessary. Will definitely return! read more

We came for dim sum on a Saturday afternoon. Service was exceptionalLy good , Amanda was our server! Our favorites were the snow pea leaves, salt and pepper shrimp, beef bao, and seasonal veggies in birds nest. We loved the face we could have dim sum that was less greasy than the usual fare in Houston. read more

Great Food! Very nice service by AJ! Would love to come back again. We enjoyed the dumplings and the whole red snapper cooked to perfection.

The food at Qi is fantastic. Very similar to Lin Asian Dim Sum but with some nicer options. But the Drink program is incredible! The Bev Director has made an awesome menu and has a bunch of hidden tricks up her sleeve like these drinks that she made on the spot. Will be going back often for dumplings and fun drinks read more

See all

Food was ok. Owner was super rude. It was clear they only wanted white clientele. The owner was so rude because I asked for table while waiting for my friend to show-"I can't loose money" is literally what he said. No one was waiting. read more

Very underwhelmed by the flavor and seasoning of the food. We had the combination fried rice ($20) and it was the worst fried rice I have ever had in my life. Some of the rice was still hard and not fully cooked when fried rice should be cooked twice on the principles of cooking fried rice. We also had the pork belly dish ($20+) and it was also very underwhelming. Pretty much pork belly covered in cheap soy sauce with too much vinegar. This place masks itself under mid to high price dining cost to make you think it is good food, yet their patrons must be of the unseasoned loving kind. For real though stay away, their food is trash, for you can get way better food at a better price. I will pay great money for great food and this is not even good food. Very disappointed with my experience. White washed Asian food hands down. read more

What a terrific meal, fantastic service, and beautiful restaurant! I can highly recommend this new offering from the folks at Lin. Go now before it gets busier! Since it was Halloween the chef surprised us with a gift of two mouse shaped chicken popovers. Delicious. They also have an imaginative and equally delicious drink menu. read more

Qi Austin - Chicken popovers (Halloween special) and chao shou. - Dim Sum Near Me - Austin, Texas

TL:DR - Good service, pretty solid food, tad overpriced for what it is but was a disappointment compared to previous visits. My review is through the lens of consistency. This is my third time visiting and had really enjoyed the previous visits however this one was a bit of a let down. For better or worse, I'm a creature of habit so when I find something I like, I tend to get it again. The soup dumplings are good and taste just like Lin, both of their akaushi beef entrees are solid (I think one was just added to the menu), and originally I would say the sesame chicken was the best I've had. Yes, I get it, sesame chicken is basic, but for 20+ dollars there's a certain level of expectation/curiosity. For the first two visits, it lived up to the billing, the breading was thin but incredibly crispy, sweet but a hint of savory, and most importantly wasn't doused in sauce. This past visit was the complete opposite: covered in sauce with soggy breading. Also low key and probably only relevant to 0.001 of customers, their diet coke was objectively bad (low carbonation, not enough syrup). As an additional data point: the restaurant was completely empty when I went so it's unclear if that had any impact on what was being put out of the kitchen. read more

Ambiance for this restaurant was amazing! The food was also delicious. They say they're family style but portions are kind of small in my opinion. We got the lobster and it was delicious and cooked perfectly! The staff were really nice as well! read more

Food great. Service lacking. Staff seemed inconvenienced at our 1pm reservation. Lunch kitchen closes at 2, but we were declined a dessert order at 1:45. We literally had to flag down our waiter for service. And our check had several things on it that we did not order. The server laughed and then brought us a corrected check. Recommend for the food, but service staff needs training. And be sure to check your bill. read more

What a great find. In from out of town and Yelped this place. The food, atmosphere and staff were outstanding. You can feel the pride they have here. Outstanding. read more

Fantastic food and service! Absolutely love this place! We love the soup dumplings! They are made fresh and so yummy!

Service was mixed. Our server was super friendly and helpful with answering questions, however we repeatedly had to ask for simple things like chili oil, a knife, the $85 bottle of sake we ordered 15 min ago... Also we had called ahead and made reservations and explicitly asked if we'd have covered seating since it was raining. We were reassured several times that YES it'd be outdoors but covered. However only half our table was covered and the other half was in the rain. We asked to be moved and were told there was nothing they could do about it. read more

This place truly blew us away. From the minute we entered the restaurant, we were impressed with the restaurant's Asian-inspired ambience. Warm lighting throughout shine through the parasol fixtures on the ceiling. And the impressed feeling doesn't end there -- our dishes were outstanding as well. We ordered the lobster dim sum and soup dumplings, and you could taste the umami and time, dedication, and love put into them with each bite. Our main dish was the curry seafood - again, full of flavor and cooked to perfection. We went all the way in with dessert and got the mango bomb and chocolate. This is definitely more so a date night or special occasion type place...on the pricier end but oh so worth it. read more

Went on Christmas Day to Qi and I cannot rave about this place enough. Our server Claudia handpicked each of our items according to our likes/dislikes and each and every dish somehow surpassed the next. I will absolutely be coming again & thank you Claudia for your patience with our table!! The meals were incredible!!! (I only took one picture but this was sooo delicious) read more

Qi Austin - Dim Sum Near Me - Austin, Texas

The food and service were outstanding. It took a while for the food to come but likely because everything is fresh made and it tastes like it. Highly recommend! read more

Not bad, but Lin and 1618 Asian are better. Dinner seemed over priced for what you get. The soup balls had a wheat texture/flavor that didn't compliment the broth. The spicy/sweet beef entree was way too salty and did not even come with rice. The lobster dumplings and cocktails were a smiley surprise and the service was great. With the other choices mentioned I wouldn't come back for dinner at least. Maybe brunch is the move? read more

Came here with a group (4) of friends. We ordered several dumplings, entrees and drinks. Everything was great and we were really enjoying our time there. Our server was fantastic, friendly, ready with recommendations and attentive. After dessert we paid our tab and remained at the table a bit longer finishing our conversation. Out of nowhere a server we had not seen before rudely told us we had to leave since they needed the table for a reservation. Mind you, we had just spent over $300. We all come from the business and understand the need to turn tables. However, the manner it was done was completely unacceptable. When speaking to the manager about the situation he was just as rude and could have cared less. Truly disappointing. Needless to say, I will not be returning. read more

Cannot recommend Qi and Lin's enough to everyone that asks me what my favorite food in Austin has been so far. I love love love the Shanghai soup dumplings. I'd just go and order 3 of those and be happy! But we went for dinner and did the dim sum brunch at Qi, everything was so good. read more

Absolutely amazing soup dumplings, they melt in your mouth with rich flavor. Order enough of these and you won't need anything else off the menu. There's a romantic ambience inside that's perfect for a date location! read more

If I could give zero stars to this restaurant, I would. I have been here many times, and decided to bring my friends out to try this restaurant. After sitting at the table for two hours without any warning that our table had a reservation coming, the server rudely came to the table and told us that the reservation would be there soon and that we need to get up from the table and leave and then he walked away very rudely. I have never been treated so poorly at a restaurant, and I will never come back to this restaurant in the future. After trying to inform the manager, he would not even make eye contact and completely brushed us off. What a terrible place with horrible, horrible customer service! read more