Im originally from Toronto then moved to the U.S. and currently visiting. I told myself I would eat as much dim sum as I can since where I live now they don't really have any dim sum places. I came across Rol San online and found that it was opened late and within walking distance from my hotel. I didn't really have any expectations for the place and the place may not have the best food but their food was still good! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal there and would definitely go again. The inside was clean and customer service was excellent. The servers were so nice and they are one of the reasons why I would go back and gave this restaurant the review I did. read more

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As hyped as this place is, I just don't get it. We sat right away and our food came out quickly, but there wasn't much to really write home about. Also, for a place that doesn't serve flies... there were certainly a lot of flies everywhere that food existed. Still, our seats were pretty nice; I like personal-sized booths. We ordered a number of dishes, and the real standout here was the turnip cake, which had just enough glutinous rice flour to hold itself together without completely ruining the texture and had a good amount of seasoning. Another highlight was the soup dumplings, which I thought were lovely -- first time I've had dumplings in soup rather than soup inside of them. Value: 3/5 Quality: 3/5 Quantity: 5/5 Service: 4/5 Atmosphere: 2/5 read more

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My parents would rave about how great the dim sum is in Toronto compared to Chicago, and I think they got it right! Rol San is a little hole in the wall place that when you walk by it, you might not think much of it. However, inside the restaurant is clean and bright. The servers are kind, and the food is amazing! Everything I had was absolutely delicious! I would definitely come here again. read more

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Checked out the new spot and it's definitely a lot smaller than the original location. Went on a Sunday so it was obviously busy but we only waited 15-20ish minutes. The food came out pretty fast and the dim sum is still my favorite! Didn't get to take a picture of it because I was too busy eating. read more

Rol San - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My sister and I stumbled upon this place while trying to decide where to eat. I thought the name sounded a bit strange, but we looked it up online and read some reviews and decided to walk in. Surprisingly, the place was full on a Saturday afternoon around 3 PM. We were greeted immediately by a very friendly gal and was informed there would be about a 25 minute wait so we put our name down. We were able to leave the restaurant, and she said she would call us when the table was ready. We ordered the black bean beef rice noodle dish as well as the wonton noodle soup dish. The rice noodle dish was very tasty, lots of black bean, tender beef and tons of green peppers! Delicious and we thought the portion size was good. The soup came with 5 big wontons, some greens and lots of noodles. The prices are very reasonable here. We were hungry so forgot to take the pictures! The restaurant also has dim sum choices however, we were not in the mood so we did not order any. We were very happy with our noodle dishes. Service was very fast and efficient. I would definitely come here again the next time I am in Toronto! read more

Dim sum was everything I expected The surprise is that they serve dim sum all day The order came out quite quickly service was very good but there is not much in the way of ambience It was reasonably priced read more

Delicious dim sum. Friendly service and nice ambiance. Fried calamari is very good along with their shrimp rice rolls and many other things.

For people who live downtown, Rol San is considered a gem for dim sum lovers. It's not as good as the dim sum places you find in the suburbs like Markham or Scarborough but it's passable. Some of the food here are quite good, the only drawbacks are the service and the price. It seems every 2 or 3 months they hike up the price. Good service is also nonexistent here so don't be disappointed when you don't feel welcome the moment you walked in, or when you feel ignored by servers, or you've been overcharged, etc. This is how they are and they've been in business for more than 20 years because people come here for the food and not for their lousy service. I have tried all their dim sum dishes and IMO these are the best tasting dim sum to order in Rolsan: Shiu Mai (Pork Dumplings with Shrimp): Shiu Mai is my all time favorites and the first thing I grab whenever I go to dim sum restaurants. If you've never had this, it's kind of like a juicy meatball, held together by a soft dumpling wrapper. Rol San's Shiu Mai is one the best I've ever tried. The texture is toothsome but juicy and tender at the same time. The filling is bursting with rich and meaty savoriness. One order comes with 4 pcs of delicious Shiu Mai and I bet you will eat more than one. Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings): Har Gow is one of those dish that you will either love or hate depending on how it was made. I have tasted Har Gows where the dumpling wrappers are perfect but had a terrible filling. And then there are some that have flavourful filling but the wrappers are either dry and breaks apart when you grab with a chopstick. Not the case with Rol San's Har Gow. The dumpling is translucent and flavourful. It has a smooth texture and able to hold the dumpling shape well. Fried Eggplant with Stuffed Shrimp Paste in Soy Sauce What I like about this dish is that it's not oily even though it's fried. The eggplant plus the shrimp filling makes this dim sum dish even better. Combined it with the flavourful sauce and this is one dish that is very satisfying. Deep Fried Seaweed Roll with Chicken & Shrimp: I was surprised on how good this dish was! If you're not a dim sum aficionados, you won't even know about this dish as this is one of the lesser known dim sum. I know people always order the Shiu Mai or Har Gow but trust me on this, try to order this dish and you will be hooked. Shaped in a form of cigar, it's crunchy on the outside, chewy bouncy inside and bursting with umami flavour. The smokey seaweed hugging the shrimp/chicken mixture and served with mayo sauce is one delectable dish you will surely enjoy. Char Siu Bao (Steamed BBQ Pork Bun): I love Rol San's BBQ Pork Buns! They make this perfect snowy white bun which is so delicious. Cracked open on top, you can get a glimpse of the barbecued pork filling. You cannot go to a dim sum restaurant and leave without trying their soft, fluffy buns with chunks of BBQ pork in a sweet savory sauce. Honorable Mentions: Fried Bean Curd with Stuffed Shrimp Paste in Soy Sauce - the taste is similar to the stuffed fried eggplant but with fried bean curd. Pan Fried Beef Short Ribs - delicious and tender, this is one dish you should try. Steamed Bean Stick Rolls with Mince Pork & Shrimp Paste in Oyster Sauce - another umami flavoured dish. The beancurd wrapper, sauce, coupled with a combination filling of pork, shrimp, mushrooms and veggies is packed with flavour and is absolutely yummy. Meh and not worth it: Deep Fried Squid Tentacle - rubbery and tough, enough said. Curry Cuttle Fish - one of the worst dimsum dish in Rol San. The curry sauce doesn't taste good and cuttle fish is not soft enough. Beef Tripe with Ginger & Scallions - I love Tripe but this dish is rubbery and gristly. Pan Fried Turnips Cake with Pork Dry Shrimp & Chinese Bacon - they definitely skimp on the filling ingredients here (especially the turnips) since all I can taste is rice flour and starch. Not good compared to other dim sum places. Steamed Custard Buns - I find Rol San's Custard Bun dry and not soft. The custard filling also doesn't have the creamy texture compared to other Custard Buns I've tried so I didn't enjoy this dish. Sesame Paste Ball - very oily and tasted greasy. There are other unworthy dim sum dishes in Rol San that I'd rather not mentioned here. You can try them and see for yourself, who knows you might even enjoy them. read more

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As the most famous dim sum restaurant in Chinatown, this place gets really busy when the late night bar crowd comes in. At nearly midnight, there was surprisingly a wait to get a table - but it was certainly worth it. The dim sum was juicy and flavourful, and goes really well with the vinegar + soy sauce combo on the side. My favourite was the chicken and chive soup dumpling, but they're all pretty good and I can't say there's one dish that really stood out among them all. They also have delicious jasmine tea, some of the best I've had at a restaurant. I'll certainly be back soon. read more

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Old favourite for dim sum with a lot of locals. Been here quite a few times over the past few years. Busy and no frills. Front area is their classic interior but they have a back area past washrooms that's more up to date if you prefer. read more

Rol San - Har gow, shrimp rolls and Cheung fun - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This was my choice back 10 years ago when the portions were large and the prices were reasonable. Ever since they moved to this new location, the portions have been made small and the prices tripled. A regular Singapore Noodle dish is about $14 at most places. Roland charges upwards of $25. With small portions and price gouging, you will not be seeing me back again. There are way better options at 1/3 the price all along Spadina. read more

Amazing experience for large groups. We didn't have a reservation and they took our 12 person party no problem for dinner on a Monday night. Service was great and the food was delicious. read more

Rol San - Selection of dim sum. Fried squid. Bean curd rolls. Shrimp stuffed eggplant. - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place was ok. I have to give them props for being open so late, but staff was gruff and distant (we got a quick NO when we asked if there were picture menus, for example lol) and dim sum selection could have more variety. We got: Har gao: This was your typical plump shrimp dumpling. It was probably my favorite of everything we ordered. Siu mai: Yet another typically decent dish. Nothing to write home about except that it's a solid standard. Haam seoi gok: The dough was a bit too thick and there was too little filling inside. It's also strangely on the sweeter side of my usual haam seoi goks and it was also incredibly oily. Another little peeve is that they did not cut these in half as most other dim sum joints do. Shrimp cheung fun: Another dish I wish came pre-cut. They also didn't drizzle much sauce over the top so we had to really wipe the bottom of the dish clean to get the soy sauce. Fairly bland and not exciting; a bit too sticky as we didn't quite have enough soy sauce. Soup dumpling: This was literally a giant dumpling in a bowl of soup. I'd say it was meant for one person because there was only 1 dumpling? Soup was sweet-ish and filling was actually kind of nice. Not something I'd get again though because you can't quite share. Overall, everything was pretty ok but not mind blowing. People keep telling me dim sum in Canada is life changing, but this ain't the one. If anyone got any better recs, please let me know! read more

I haven't been to Rol San in years we used to frequent it monthly. Today we went to the new location on Sat July 8th. Right when they opened at 10am and the seating filled up fast so go early. Will include photos of all dishes, dim sum menu & regular menu as well. We had: Har Gow: done perfect. The skins were thin tucked around plumb fresh shrimp 5/5 Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce: it's a big portion. Not fatty and a happy balance of garlic & black beans. 5/5 Stuffed Shrimp Paste Tofu: Crispy on the outside, not greasy & a huge amount of shrimp 5/5 Curry Cuttle Fish: this is the best version I've ever had. The Cuttle fish was so tender and the curry was subtle 5/5 Bean Curd Skin Rolls: stuffed with eggplant & water chestnuts. A bit greasy but tasty. You get 4 portions. 3.5/5 Shrimp Spring Roll: probably the easiest dish to make but wasn't that great. Bland and although hot temperature wise wasn't crispy 2/5. Tea is $1.50 per person. Service was excellent. Restaurant is modern and very clean. Auto 15% gratuity added to bill (staff are worthy of it and maybe a bit xtra). Definitely returning. Morning parking not a problem. Later in the day it's a gamble. Edit : Would only let me post 9 photos. So I couldn't download all 14. read more

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Took my family of four here to eat dimsum on Wednesday morning. We loved it. And my parents are very traditional Chinese folks. Would recommend. Ambiance: felt clean, modern. Not upscale/too pricey which would drive my parents away from here Food: truly delicious! They did a good job with all the orders. My favorite was the spare ribs and chicken feet. Service: kind and quick! read more

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$7.88 for Har gow. That's like $10.25 per dish, including tax & gratuity. That's like $2 50 per dumpling. That price is pretty steep! How?! I stopped at 2 dishes. $22 for 2 dishes. What irks me a little is that the price increase was a rapid one. It is what it is. I won't say it's ridiculous, but Rol San certainly priced me out of their market, having been a customer for at least ~30 years. read more

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Food quality has changed, thought they might have been under new management. Maybe change the quality of oil. Used to go every couple of weeks. Havent been there for a few months now, very heavy and not the usual. Will think twice next time. Can still taste the oil hours later. read more

Too yummy that I only got time to take ONE photo lol Haha but actually we ordered more than 5 dishes this time. This restaurant is always my 1st choice whenever I want something quick and good deal for my desire of Chinese dim sum place! Lunch hours is always better than dinner or weekends! Hate waiting in line for hours for food! Looking forward to go again! Yummy! read more

Rol San - Chinese radish Pancake - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

First time in this popular restaurant. Came here around 11pm. Nice atmosphere, with classical music in the background. Seated quickly and the food service was quick. The food came out really hot and fresh. We had some dim sum items, beef noodle soup and Cantonese chow mein. We asked for more broth for the soup which we received! The price for the dim sum items is a bit pricey $7+ for some items. But the food quality and flavour was worth it. Everything was delicious. I would come here again. I rate this 4.5 stars! read more

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I felt bad for bringing my brother to try this dim sum restaurant after being spoiled by Pearl Harbourfront the other day, but I thought it was essential to experience what locals usually eat for dim sum. We got seated in the back section which seems like a more modern renovated area. Without much observation, I can tell this is just an average dim sum joint as my brother couldn't even finish his piece of sui mai, "it is too salty," he said. I picked up a soy sauce-soaked Shrimp Rice Roll across to my plate, while a track of soy sauce droplets landed on the glossy plastic tablecloth. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was missing but I felt like the food were bland and serve to only fill your stomach. But I began to understand what makes Rol San a favorite over a place like Pearl Harbourfront because you can have a gathering of friends for some no-frills, fast-serving dim sum fare without forking 2X the bill. Though, I was impressed that even for an average local dim sum joint, it was still noticeably better than NYC's standard joints. Rol San does have a certain charm to it and it won't see the last of me, perhaps the last of my brother though. read more

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Since the pandemic, i feel that service has gone downhill for many restaurants. Yes, good quality food is important to me, but my restaurant experience should come with great service as well. Which is why I wanted to share my experience at Rolsan. You may think it's just another pricey dimsum restaurant, but they have proven me wrong. Set in the middle of Chinatown, Rolsan has a decent amount of dimsum items to choose from. I actually went there because they have steamed octopus/cuttlefish that I can't find at other restaurants. The quality of food was very good, and they don't cheap out. The only dish I didn't care for was the hargow as it smelled off. I mentioned it to the server and she immediately removed it from my bill. I was really surprised by that and was happy they did it automatically without my asking them. For that, I was grateful and ended up tipping them more than usual in order to recognize their professionalism. Thank you. read more

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For downtown standards, Rol San is a solid place for dim sum! The restaurant is fairly dated at the front however there is actually a renovated back section that is much more modern and comfortable. You can definitely expect lines on the weekend for lunch (when dine-in is open of course) but it generally moves quickly and I have never had to wait for longer than 15-20 minutes. In the summertime they also offer patio seating but it's not the greatest since it is on a high-traffic street! My favourite dishes here are the tripe (it always comes out hot and tastes so soft and soupy) and the deep fried squid tentacles (it's battered vs. other dim sum places where usually the squid tentacles are served grilled). The staff are very efficient and friendly. You can expect to get your food shortly after submitting your dim sum form. Would definitely recommend if you've never been to Rol San and love dim sum. read more

Rol San - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Food and service were decent. Wish there were pictures for dim sum tho. Location was convenient as it was on the main drag. Tables were close to each other and snug. read more

We were all craving dim sum and knew it was what we wanted on our rainy Toronto journey. Our fellow Yelpers led us here to this popular spot in Chinatown and it was a really solid choice. Our table of five got seated rather quickly even an hour into their weekend opening time. Dim sum here is ordered and delivered instead of the traditional steam carts rolling around. Since we're from the States, all the prices at Rol San seemed lesser than most places like San Francisco or LA = big win! I always end up ordering the same items at dim sum restaurants to judge their quality and felt the selection here was on point. The siu mai and har gow were both juicy, and definitely more on the larger side. The chern fun (rice rolls) were good but they didn't cut them for us which made it difficult to share. Everything we ordered was good and overall helped to settle our cravings. Service here was not bad either especially for busy dim sum restaurants. While we kept asking them for glasses of water, they turned over our tea quickly each time. Towards the end though they did hover around us essentially telling us to leave, but I understand since it was a busy time of day with patrons waiting. Rol San- thanks for the dim sum. You're not bad and I hope you get better in due time. read more

Rol San - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Rol San has moved! [Just down the block!] But you can still spot it from the cute little seafood neon signs that they've always had hanging in the front window. The dim sun is just as good as I remember, if not better. The new place is a bit more "swanky" but still very, very casual. They still only accept Cash or VISA payment, so be sure to keep this in mind. Some crowd favorites: anything deep fried & the soup dumplings! Enjoy! read more

Great taro balls and fried tofu with shrimp. Shui Mai was full of meat! Great service

Food was what you would expect to get from your Chinese restaurant. The normal food menu items was plentiful, dimsum choices included, which is always good. Prices were reasonable as well. There were 2 main things I did not particularly like during the time I was here: the table and the service. It was not easy dining because of the way the tabletop was laid out. The surface texture of the white table mantel that they used was not at all any good. It was squeaky, stretches out a lot, and could be a little slippery. The overall feel or ambience of the place comes out cheap. The other thing not commendable was the waiters' attitude towards service. It was just all business for the old oriental (I just can't assume she is ethnically Chinese) woman who took down our orders. As customers, you do not receive that extra level of welcome reception coming in. You just sit down, then they take your order. It was not even a busy time during that occasion. This is the small kind of gesture that makes all the difference to make a food establishment stand out from all the other similar restaurants present in the area. read more

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Stumbled into this place while strolling with my family in Toronto Chinatown. It was my birthday, so we spontaneously decided to treat me to some dim sum. As others point out, the dim sum is served all day, but that didn't stop aficionados from queuing up just before it opened on Monday morning. The dim sum is solid. It wasn't the best but it was far from the worst. Stick to the basics and you'll be fine. I made the mistake of over-ordering (did I really need 2 orders of sticky rice???) but some of it came home with me (to a hotel room lacking a proper fridge...womp womp). read more

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My favorite dim sum spot in Toronto! Service and ambiance are okay as it's situated in the heart of Chinatown and is always busy. However, the food makes up for it. Any of their dim sum items are amazing so it really depends on what you like. My go tos are always shin mai and har gow! read more

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Had a chance to hit up downtown Toronto - and of course, had to try some awesome food! Was on the way to visit Casa Loma and wanted to grab a quick bite to eat. When looking to see places that were open, this one popped up so we had to give it a shot! Once I got here I ended up ordering: *Har Gow - these are smaller than what I'm used to in the Bay Area, but these were delicious and juicy. Came in a pack of 4 *Fried shrimp on Fried bean curd - I love fried food so I knew I had to give this a shot. This came with three big pieces of bean curd (piping hot and juicy) with fried shrimp on the top. Loved this, but wish this had more shrimp on the top. Overall, the food was fresh and hot - also tasted delicious for dim sum. Definitely a bit on the pricier side, but was really good! read more

Rol san is a consistent Asian hot spot for all day dim sum, while it's not absolutely amazing it's always a good choice for a quick bite. Food comes hot and fast. read more

Great mix of Dim Sum and traditional Chinese cuisine. Fast service and attentive. There is most times a line up because the food is so good but it moves quickly. read more

We are glad we found this place. The dim sum was top notch. The shumai was huge and tasty. Their other small dishes were wonderful too. Their serving sizes were very generous for dim sum. We were very full by the end of the meal. Environment was clean, and service was prompt. read more

All day dim sum till 2am! Sounds like a steal right? Wrong. I love dim sum, nothing will ever change that. This rating is mostly for the service and menu. This divey Chinese restaurant near Kensington on Spadina Ave, welcomes all the late nighters in Toronto. Given that I've been to several Dim Sum restaurants in Toronto, this one was by far the most expensive. (Something to be mindful of when Downtown Toronto). The menu indicated $1/per person for tea. However, if you do NOT want tea, you will still receive it and be charged for it. Confused? So was I. Our waitress explained to us even if we don't want it, they will still give it to us because it's their policy. In other words, you don't have a choice so just drink the tea... Food was decent, not like most. Their fried dishes were extremely dry. Dim sum was good, can't really go wrong with it! Although, it wasn't my favourite or top choice of dim sum, it still serves your dim sum fix. read more

Rol San - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I'm sad to write a negative review of this place, because the food is great. However, after 2 visits in a 3-day span (coincidentally, two separate people invited us to go), the poor service has convinced me that it's not worth the stress of returning. During our first visit, the speed of food service wasn't horrible. However, the servers were not pleasant, and it was difficult to get anything beyond our basic food order. We had to get up to search for our own water, napkins, and forks (despite trying to flag down the servers). The second visit was horrible. It took around 40 minutes to have a waiter even speak to us, and our food took around 70 minutes to arrive. The food would arrive on our table without an explanation for what exactly was being served, and our waiter barely looked at us. And the water was, once again, a problem. We asked for water immediately with the order (since we knew it was a problem previously). We got 3 small glasses of water for 7 people, and despite repeated requests, we couldn't get any more. Not easy with a spicy meal! We grant that the restaurant was very busy, and clearly understaffed. However, the wait staff was rude and detached. And the huge number of online take-out orders (which piled up right in front of us), just rubbed salt in the wounds. We saw a steady stream of drivers waiting for orders (sometimes in a line of 4-5 drivers), and massive orders being filled. There was no doubt that the restaurant decided to sacrifice service to their eat-in customers in favour of the money they make from take-out orders. Unacceptable! The food was excellent. Some highlights included: 1. Crispy beef in ginger (a nice surprise - not the typical overcooked spicy beef), 2. General Tao Chicken, 3. Moo-shoo vegetables, Some dishes that weren't great: 1. Pad Thai (serves me right for ordering Thai food in a Chinese restaurant), 2. Squid tentacles (Calamari - fairly tasteless). Sorry - I won't be back. They need to work on making the experience pleasant for the customer. read more

Well the place we used to go for dim sum downtown seems to be closed. I haven't looked lately to see if they reopened. His favourite bakery reopened. I had a chicken feet craving and if you've ever looked up how to make them, you would not bother. It's worth just paying someone else to do all the work. You have to deep fry them and steam them!!! Anyways my son loves the Deep fried tentacles. And he wants them breaded. Other places just salt & msg and deep fry them. I've had their har gow, siu Mai the standards cheong fun and they are all good here. You order by menu so you don't have to wait and with covid I doubt if any of the cart places could run anyhow. Prices are average. Definitely worth supporting especially if you still want dim sum downtown! read more

Really good. Exactly what I expected from an all day dim sum. The food was delicious. And, as always, I ate too much. Although this restaurant looks ordinary from the outside, give it a go if you like dim sum. It was busy but the food came fast. The service is as you would expect; basic without a lot of love. However, it was busy because the food is good and that is what we came for.. read more

Rol San - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The best dim sum in all of Toronto. Got the pork BBQ bao, shrimp Har Gow, and fried octopus. Highly recommend, have been twice and both times were a perfect 10/10! read more

Rol San - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Love the dim sum here. My friend and I go every other week. I grew up in Taiwan and eating dim sum often. I am telling you this place IS GOOD. I hate when I go to a dim sum place and they serve me warm dim sum.............. It is dim sum!!! It has to be served when it just came out of the steamer or fryer!!! And this place, the dim sum is always hot and burns your tongue. If you don't like your dim dum hot, tough it up and men up! No pain no gain! (well.. or just go to Dim Sum King for dead body temperature dim sum...only 10 mins walk) Rol San is for true dim sum lover. Make sure order the sesame balls and this pumpkin shape fried balls with runny salted egg yolk inside for desserts. The serving is horrible. But! I am here for food not for being pampered. There are emotional people think bad service ruins the food. Well if you can't keep your taste and emotions apart. Then yeah don't come. The good food here is not for you. Sweet reminder~ the chilli oil here is good but very spicy. Add it little by little when you are making your own dipping sauce. read more

Rol San - Dim Sum Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Deep fried sesame balls - 5/5 Deep fried pumpkin balls - 5/5 best two desserts I've had in a long time. overall food is tasty!! dim sum is interesting and yummy. get the moo shu crepes without the moo shu read more