My niece and I agreed that these soup dumplings are the best we've had since tasting them in NYC!…read more The soup dumplings are fantastic, the cucumber salad was crisp and perfectly seasoned. The menu is short, but all you really need to know is they have the best soup dumplings in St Louis. Chicken, pork or beef. We tried pork & chicken and loved them both. Ordering is done at a kiosk and then they bring your food to your table. We loved it and can't wait to go back.

Hands-down, one of my favorite soup dumplings in St. Louis. I've been going here for years…read more Steamed dumplings in any of your flavor combination you like. A small cup of broth to complement the dumplings. While the ambience of this place is simple, I do love the fact that they have how to eat a soup dumpling on the wall. This place can get busy, but I've never been afraid to have others sit with me if they need a spot to eat. This practice is very common and other countries anyhow. The service is wonderful. They now have a system where you can order your food that will be brought to your table. The older woman who brings your food is so sweet.

A family dinner and it was DELICIOUS. You need to order the crispy beef because it was the stand…read moreout dish for our meal. This place has a huge menu, so it was a little overwhelming, but I think we did a good job lol. This place shares parking with other businesses, so parking can be limited depending on time of day. They have the standard big, banquet tables inside, and a fish tank for your little ones to enjoy. The service was friendly and DIRECT - so if you need to be coddled, you will not get that here lol. Be ready to eat and know what you want. I want to come back because I want to get their dim sum, and we moved from AZ where dim sum was available all day... so that was a bummer.

Party of 6 for a birthday and we ordered a number of delicious plates…read more * pan fried dumplings * sweet and sour chicken * crispy beef * beef fried rice, Hong Kong seafood noodles I can't remember the rest but there were at least 2-3 more... and everything was delicious. I've been coming here since I was a kid and it's never failed to be a great meal and good times. I'll always come back! Also the wait staff was so nice. Like extra nice. You'd think we were VIP or something and some of the other guests they knew by name and hugged them. What a great restaurant:)

If you're looking for authentic soup dumplings in St. Charles, Fan's Soup Dumplings is a small…read morerestaurant that delivers big flavor. The restaurant itself is cozy and simple, but don't let the size fool you--this place is focused on serving very good food. The highlight of the visit was the soup dumplings, which arrived in a bamboo steamer basket. The dumplings were tender and delicate, and each one was filled with rich consommé (soup) and flavorful meat. When you bite into them, be careful because the dumplings are full of hot broth that bursts out. The soup inside was packed with flavor and made the dumplings stand out. The sandwiches were also excellent. Whether you choose the pork or the beef, the bread was perfectly crunchy and the meat inside was very flavorful. It made for a great balance of texture with the crispy bread and tender meat. Another dish that really stood out was the mashed cucumber salad with hot pepper oil. It was fresh, slightly spicy, and very refreshing alongside the dumplings and sandwiches. Overall, Fan's Soup Dumplings feels like a hidden gem in St. Charles. It's a small restaurant that focuses on doing a few dishes very well, and the quality of the food really shows. Overall: A small but very good restaurant serving authentic soup dumplings, excellent sandwiches, and flavorful sides. If you are in St. Charles and enjoy dumplings or Asian cuisine, it is definitely worth a visit.

I came for late lunch today and was able to get a table to myself. This was my second time dining…read morein, but their menu has expanded quite a bit since they first opened so I wanted to give it another go. They had some calming music playing and the dining area was clean and serene, as I remembered from before. I placed my order at the register and took notice the large kitchen window which could allow you to watch them handmake your dumplings if you so chose--that's right, everything is made by hand, IN HOUSE! Soup dumplings are their specialty, which I tried in the past--they are delicious, and I don't know of many places that offer them in the STL/St Charles areas. That said, I tried the chili oil wontons and shrimp dumplings this time. I could probably skip the shrimp next visit, but the chili oil wontons are TO DIE FOR. DO NOT SKIP THEM!! I chose pork as my filling, but they offer beef and chicken as well. For a VERY reasonable price, you get enough in one order to easily have a pretty solid lunch. They are tender and the filling ratio is spot on. The chili oil broth could stand on its own, in my opinion. It isn't overly spicy, but they offer chili crisp at your table, which I happily added to up my spice level. Do yourself a favor and try them, you won't be disappointed. I will continue to eat my way through their menu undoubtedly, but these will be a MUST for every single visit, in my book!

It's been so much fun to see this small family-owned business thrive and grow, first with their new…read morelocation in Des Peres and now with another coming to St. Charles! As a small business owner myself, I appreciate when they're super-busy with pre-Thanksgiving crowds and one of the owners walks through the door, drops his coat and jumps in to help. That's him in the middle. I still order the pan fried chicken or pork soup dumplings plus an order of "spicy wonton," $4.75. I used to order "spicy wonton noodle," $8.25, which has a few more wontons, all served on a bed of rice noodles. Some time ago, though, they changed those noodles on the bottom and they're not as tender and delicate as the old ones. I think the drinks are under-rated especially at this location, where there are no extensive descriptions. I like the classic boba and the peach boba if I'm having spicy food. The Mango Dragon Cloud is a beautiful drink--and delicious--if more like a dessert,

While in St. Louis, I knew I wanted to eat somewhere that offered food unavailable to me in my…read morehometown. Having never tried xiaolongbao, Tiger Soup Dumplings seemed a natural choice! This small restaurant is located in a very large shopping center. The sign is a little hard to see but when you enter you're greeted with a clean and simple interior with friendly faces and a focused menu. They do pan fried or steamed dumplings (pork, chicken, beef, or shrimp filling), with cucumber salad or broccoli as a side option. I think they might also have boba and fruit tea but given I'd already made a boba trip that day I didn't order any. My husband and I ordered steamed beef and pan fried chicken dumplings to share, plus cucumber salad. The employee gave good recommendations on which meat went best with each cooking style. Our food came out quickly. I enjoyed everything we ordered. The cucumber salad needed a little bit more oomph but it was nothing some of the chili oil on the table couldn't fix. My favorite was the steamed beef dumplings. They were super rich and savory. The chicken dumpling wasn't quite as crispy as I'd expected and the broth almost had a slightly sweet quality to it. It was good, just a little different than what I expected. I'm very glad I got to try these dumplings! This wasn't a super gigantic or hugely filling meal so I'd probably order one extra side (the broccoli looked great and I kinda wish my husband had sided with me on ordering it, lol) just to round things out if I returned. Overall, a quite positive experience and I'm grateful to have had it!

Since I have been posting all the places I took my brother on spring break, I feel I should mention…read morewe went for dim sum at Lulu's! We were in for an early lunch Sunday with that spring forward nonsense. And we loved picking things from the steamer cart and others. The flavors are awesome as are the textures. Different dumplings for different things and I got a few pics but missed others. I find the carts are great for meeting hunger where it is -- quick and can order as you eat rather than order all up front. Going with a bigger group is lots of fun for all the things you can try but even with just two of us a range of small plates really hits the spot. The cart folks check in often til you say no more for a while but appreciate that the owner also checks in.

I just received a dim sum collection from Yelp which omitted Lu Lu, which was once rated one of the…read morebest Dim Sum's in the country. Many of the restaurants in Yelp's collection were carry out restaurants and not dim sum. Yelp, shame on you.

Akar is easily one of my top three favorite restaurants. The atmosphere is calming, cool, and…read moreperfect for a relaxed date night out. Every bite of the food was delicious. I ordered the Thai drunken noodles, and they were spicy, well-balanced, and full of flavor. The service was also very nice and made the experience even better. Parking can be a little tricky, but it's absolutely worth it. I came here for a date night, and it was the perfect spot. Definitely a place I'll keep coming back to and keep recommending.

Akar was one of the best fine-dining experiences I've had in St. Louis. With a small, intimate…read moredining room, Akar feels both cozy and elevated and is a great spot for celebrating a special occasion. With such a small dining room, service is very attentive and it doesn't get too loud. All of the food is delicious and beautifully plated: truly a delight for the senses.

Wow, this place use to be my go to place to eat. I remembered going here a lot for wedding and…read morefamily dinners prior to COVID. This place stop dine in during COVID and stop cooking food for a while. Their bakery did remain open. They recently reopen. I really wish I liked the dim sum food that we had this past new year day. However that was not the case. The building itself was also super cold. Maybe we went here too early. There was no hot water in the women restroom when I was last there. There was only about two server when we went here. It took forever to get most of our party water to drink. The tea did come after ten minutes of sitting but the water took about 45 minutes or so. Being here with kids, yea has too much caffeine for them so they waited a long time for water. It took about twenty plus minutes to get our check. The food was not what it used to be.

Visited on 4/3/2020: Opened for take out order online…read more(appears to be full menu & easy to navigate) & pick up on their bakery side, still have a selection of bakery goods & daily roasted ducks/pig Togo. Their door says delivery through chowbus though I'm not familiar. We ordered a whole roasted duck for $24 (TIP: ask for extra sauce), a few dim sum items & a couple sweet bakeries. Overall, fair traditional Chinese food, friendly cashier, outer appearance showed some aging but clean interior (bakery side) and has protective glass to protect their employees.

Absolutely delicious! There was barely any wait time, and the service was quick. The portions are…read morehuge, and everything was also so flavorful:)

I've been a regular at Cate Zone Chinese Café for a long time and usually go once or twice a month…read more I always order the crispy fish and mala tofu, and up until recently, I loved this place enough to justify a 30 minute drive. Unfortunately, my most recent visit completely changed that. I went on Sunday, 11/23, the weekend before Thanksgiving. I worked from 6-3 that day and placed my usual order online around 1:00-1:30 pm for ASAP pickup so I could grab it before their lunch break. I even left work early to make it there. When I arrived around 2:40 pm, I was told my order wouldn't be ready until 5:00 pm and that I would have to come back. I showed them my order confirmation, which originally showed a pickup time around 2:50 pm. Even when I refreshed the website, it showed 3:30 pm, still nowhere near 5:00. The cashier, a young man, was dismissive and didn't seem to care at all that my time had been wasted or that the information given online didn't match what I was being told in person. This was extremely frustrating and honestly unacceptable, especially for a place I've been loyal to for so long. I wasted my time, left work early for nothing, and left without food. As much as I've loved Cate Zone in the past, this experience was enough to make me question whether I'll be returning.

This is a buffet with a large selection of food from pizza to sushi. The waiter was attentive and…read morekept our drinks full. The ambiance was pleasant as the restaurant was busy but the noise level was good, I had no issues holding conversations with people at my table.

Sushi was served still FROZEN including the deep fried rolls, way too much rice vs food and the…read morerice was painfully dry, almost stale? Maybe it was because it was frozen idk, it tasted bad and I love sushi. Crab legs had no crab meat in them what so ever? Not to mention there was also not butter even if they had something in them, crawfish looked seasoned but once you actually ate them not a sign of seasoning, tasted straight like a creek, the giant lemon pepper shrimp where fried but soggy and the shell was impossible to remove and if you managed too the shrimp was not good. NOTHING WAS HOT the noodles and rice where above room temperature but that's about it, everything was way below room temperature despite just being put on the buffet and had the appearance of steaming hot (was just water under the trays steaming) The ribs where bland and unflavorful, the chicken was overcooked and bland, nothing was relatively good Went over to the hibachi to get some actually fresh and warm food, there was no one there so I rang the bell, waited for 5 minutes nothing, went and asked if there was someone for the hibachi, they said just ring the bell, went back and rang it again and waited for about 5 minutes for no one to show up (no one did) finally gave up on trying to get something to eat Got the check and went to talk to the manager lady upfront only to be laughed at by her and the server because "sushi supposed to be cold" tried to explain it was still frozen only got laughed at and ignored, she was beyond rude and ignorant and completely ignored the fact everything else is cold and no one is actually running the hibachi, she could care less and just ignores you and when she does listen just laughs at you, complete psycho behavior Worst food I have ever gotten, been coming here every year for the last 5-6 years for my birthday and this year was disgusting Drove an hour and a half, left hungry and disappointed, this was dinner too so I can't imagine how bad lunch is. I'm not sure if there under new management or what the story is but AVOID AT ALL COSTS, the food was SCARY cold im not sure it was safe to eat. Only redeeming factor is the place is clean and well decorated, good ambiance, horrible experience will never return, would give it 0 stars if I could.

The portion sizes here are very large and you get a ton of food for your money. We had a handful of…read morethings we did like, and some that we didn't like too much. The crab Rangoon and pork egg roll were both fantastic, as was the shrimp fried rice. The main chicken tso dish we got and the beef lo mein were both just okay. My husband had to wait a really long time for our order (like 45 minutes longer than when they said it would be ready), but it's also NYE so that could be the simple explanation for long wait times!

Won't be going here anymore 3 of the last 5 orders were wrong and then you don't even get an…read moreapology Snippy young girl is rude with a bad attitude