We decided to go here for Dim Sum as that's what they are known for and it was our first meal in Hong Kong. It's a well recognized, popular place in central Hong Kong, located by Victoria Harbour. I had heard about this place from before visiting Hong Kong. Tim Ho Wan, which is a one Michelin star rated famous dim sum place, was at the top of my list for Dim sum but we couldn't make time for it based on our sight seeing itinerary. When we got here, there was a wait but the line was moving fast. You have to mention to the front door receptionist about how many people you have in your party and you get a number. Once your number is called, you get seated. Once seated, a server comes and places plates and silverware and offers you water and tea. Tea is complimentary. I have heard that some places in hong kong charge you for tea while you are under the impression that it's complimentary. The way it works for ordering dim sum items here is that servers constantly are around pushing carts full of variety of food items. You with flag them down or when they come by your table area, you tell them what and how much you want of the foods they have on their cart. There's a list of items on the side of the cart to tell you what all they have in that cart. Once you are given what you wanted, the server marks on your bill what you got and how much of it. Later, you take that bill to the cashier and pay. We ate a lot of variety of foods. Dumplings, buns, fried rolls, roasted pork pieces, and mango oriented dessert items. It was all delicious and good. We loved it. It was worth the visit. This place is good for anyone (locals and tourists). It's in a nice setting. The restaurant room looks like a banquet hall room with white cloth tables, chandeliers and servers in uniforms. Go check this place out. I highly recommend it. It's worth eating their dim sum because it's really tasty and good. read more

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TLDR; decent service, beautiful setting, ok food This dim sum restaurant is huge and right next to the water so you can get a really good view. It's a classic Dim Sum place with both ordered food and carts that go around. The food is a mixed bag -- for instance, the pig blood wasn't fresh and the chicken feet wasn't steamed tender enough, but the Chang fun and dumplings were wonderful. read more

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Prices are up but otherwise, it hasn't changed much. Highish end dim sum by the Maxim restaurant group. No surprises. read more

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Very fancy dim sum restaurant right next to the harbor where you can even catch glimpses of the ferris wheel. Service was excellent and all of the dim sum that we ordered was delicious but the prices are way too expensive. We ended up spending ~$35 USD per person, which is absolutely unheard of for dim sum! It's basically an extra premium for the upscale environment and the views. We arrived shortly after 9am on a Sunday and there was no wait for a table. The entrance is kind of hard to find since it's not on the main street. You have to meander through a small yard first before arriving at the entrance to City Hall. read more

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If you are a tourist and this is one of your first days in HK, you must come to Maxim's. The views of the harbor are breathtaking ina beautiful setting. And you get the old timey HK dim sum experience with aunties rolling steaming carts serving dim sum at your table. If you can, arrive as the restaurant opens and rush to get a table by the window. The food is OK. It is not even close to the best dim sum in town. But, the best dim sum is usually in small crowded restaurants that rush you out the door. So come for an experience you will talk about when you get home. read more

美心皇宮 - Restaurant with the Kowloon skyline and harbor through the window. - Cantonese Near Me - Hong Kong, HK

Very hard to find. Trust Google Maps when it sends you to a nondescript office building. It's two flights up. No longer serves Dim Sum but the food is good. Large menu with pictures helps with the language divide. But we thought we ordered noodles and received noodle soup instead. That was not tasty. We went at 8 PM on a Monday night and the restaurant was maybe 10% full. Large room and no sound dampening makes it difficult to hear your dining partner even with few other guests. Overall impression was that it is geared to locals rather than tourists. read more

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It was a bit expensive for two people but it gave me the feels to see the aunties pushing dim sum carts. Reminds me of my old high school job. My only regret was not having a bigger stomach so I could truly try everything my eyes wanted. We were lucky to have come at a good time before a line formed. The aunties made probably two rounds so don't worry and get FOMO with your food. I wasn't a fan of the beef tripe but liked the beef stomach. Fan of the Malay sponge cake, sweet tofu and siu mai. This place should definitely pass the "will my old school parents like this place?" test. read more

Had dinner. Ordered a roast pork that was top notch. It's a great location to enjoy the evening light show. It has large windows along the restaurant. Transportation to and from may not be the most convenient but has a taxi stand outside. So it's pretty easy to hail an Uber. read more

I am floored. Gorgeous interior with awesome view of the Victoria Harbor. I think I have just found the best dim sum place in the world. Like all the other reviews, order everything that comes with the little karts. They only have congee during the weekends, but it's okay. Arrive early. The space fills up fast! read more

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I had wanted to go to English High Tea while in Hong Kong but it did not fit into our schedule. My family's rebuttal is that Maxim IS High Tea. Fine China dishware and flatware, chandelier, expensive pretty finger sized appetizers, and of course, tea. It is high class dim sum in every way. The harbor view also adds to the experience. We had a difficult time finding this place. Address and signage are not marked from the outside. We walked past this place and into City Hall. Asked 3 people who did not understand the English name. Asked 2 people who said, it's over there. We almost gave up the search. People should have been more detail in their reply, like go into the entrance of the performance art building and up the stairs. The place was very fancy, I felt under dressed. I was hot and sweaty from the long walk in the sun so wanted to drink ice water. But hubby said you have to drink hot boiled tea to be safe!! I washed my face in the bathroom instead. The carts rolled around for awhile but then stopped and parked for about half hour. Maybe it was a work shift change? We lounged and relaxed during that time but later I had to go cart searching for food. All the food was good, light delicate clean taste, not overwhelming in flavor or msg. But I must say their Xia Loong Bao is not as good as Ding Tai Fung. Their mango pudding is the best I have ever had anywhere, hands down. I think this is a must visit place for a memorable dim sum experience. read more

美心皇宮 - Cantonese Near Me - Hong Kong, HK

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Food is average and the service is terrible. No one stopped over to offer water. Had to get my own soy sauce and hot chili oil. Totally over-rated. Would've rather preferred an authentic dim sum on the street. read more

This is the other place I go for dim sum, and the more traditional kind. What's more important is that they still use carts that go around and pass out dishes. Yes, the wait can be long, but that's because so many people come here, to eat and enjoy the view. The staff does their darnedest to flip tables as soon as they can, even with huge parties there for wedding related stuff-I've seen a bunch of brides walk around but I don't know where they get seated. The standards are there and done well, shiu mai, cha siu bao, the pork pastries, even the turnip cake-which I'm not a fan of, all of it went down well. I really like the shrimp dumplings-but some of my more pickier friends have said that the skin is a little too thick here. Most of the tea ladies don't speak English that well and while they have signs it's hard to pick up on because they move so quickly. They do try to be very helpful and make suggestions but it's usually in Cantonese (while having a speaker isn't necessary it helps a lot.) I've also had juices from their juice bar-it's pretty good, but not sure if it's worth flagging down waitstaff then waiting. read more

Dim Sum does not get better! Near the waterfront in City Hall on Hong King Island. Order everything -- we did. read more

Happy, confused, fun and first meal stop on our honeymoon. Highlights: Get a bingo style, fill in your order for mystery food and drink items, or point at the dishes on the carts that stroll by. Enjoy the sight of celebrating +70 year olds drinking tea and having laugh on their regular get together. And throw down a good 10 bao buns. read more

美心皇宮 - Bao troubles - Cantonese Near Me - Hong Kong, HK

A wonderful dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong's City Hall (Central) with harbor view, patient and efficient service, and delicious dishes. Must tries include their lotus leaves fried rice (see the pictures), duck and scallops ("surf and turf"), and pumpkin soup (inside a pumpkin!). read more

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This venue is all my dim sum dreams come true! A huge banquet hall with chandeliers, white table clothes and great views of Victoria Harbour. More importantly, it has carts! My boyfriend and I arrived about 1pm on a Monday - we were surprised to find no line and were immediately seated at a small table close to the windows (yes!). Within a minute, the first cart approached us. The dishes are listed on the side in Chinese and English, making ordering a breeze. I jumped at steamed aubergine while my boyfriend got shrimp and rice rolls. We poured jasmine tea and ordered from more carts. Vegetable dumplings, pork buns, egg tarts, vegetable buns and more! While some reviews said staff didn't speak English, we found otherwise - we could clearly ask for beef or vegetarian or staff would show us a dish and say pork, for example. We asked for chilli oil and were so glad we did - it was very hot - just how we like it! We had no idea what the prices were but didn't care. We also ate more than we should've, but didn't care. My vegetable dumplings weren't the tastiest I've ever had, but I loved how much greenery was packed into each one. They were like little pak choy parcels, albeit unseasoned (but I had soy sauce and chilli oil, so who cares?). After an hour, our stomachs said the dim sum feast had to end. We ordered perhaps 8-10 dishes between us, but we'd skipped breakfast and didn't plan on having dinner! The bill was around HK$550, a bit higher than we expected, but we didn't care. The setting, experience and range of food was worth it! Highly recommend for anyone visiting or looking for a traditional dim sum experienxe. read more

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This is w/o a doubt the best dim sum restaurant I have ever eaten at worldwide. The food here is beyond amazing and everything tastes delicious. Me and my family had a wide assortment of items ranging from beef and shrimp to veggie and egg dishes. The dim sum comes around on trolleys. You point to the item on the board that you want and the server gives it to you. He / she also stamps an ordering card so you know what items to pay for at the end of the meal. Some standouts include the barbecue pork bun (great texture and flavor), an egg soup type dumpling where you slurp the inside (very good), an eggplant dumpling (I don't even eat eggplant and it was good), spare ribs and a veggie filled dumpling (full of flavor). The restaurant is located on the third floor of the City Hall building (located near the IFC Mall, Hong Kong Observatory Wheel and the Central metro station). The staff here mainly speaks Chinese and don't understand English very well and is at times hard to communicate when ordering. Despite that, this is a MUST-VISIT restaurant for any Hong Kong tourist and a true taste of authentic quality dim sum. read more

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I WISH Maryland had dim sum like here! Food was delicious!! It is very close to the train so very easy to walk to and the line system is so efficient. Even though we had like 50+ people in front of us, the wait was less than 30 minutes for a table of four. Such a grand looking place with a nice view of the harbor! if only there was not construction by the water. I enjoyed the food so much! back at home for me, food is greasy and not as flavorful. I love how the carts had english of what the foods was! So no translating needed! The mango sago was my favorite dessert! and i loved their version of tripe! I see a lot of reviews saying the dishes are expensive, but compared to back at home for me, they were about the same! I would totally come here again if I am back in HK! read more

This is the place to have a classy and elegant dim sum meal in HK. You pay a premium for the historic setting and elegance and you also can get a limited view of the harbor from here. The dim sum quality is top notch as is the service we found. Push carts are still used here, and they are labeled in both Chinese and English. We probably aren't the only ones with a tale to tell of finding this place. It's dead quiet in the area surrounding this 2nd floor establishment (it's adjacent to City Hall), with no restaurant signs anywhere. The locals all know where it is but just give you some cryptic directions like "just turn over there". It's dead quiet with no foot traffic, and then you stumble into this bustling gigantic dining room with maybe 500 people having at it with their dim sum! Anyway, I would say it's a must-do for an HK tourist. read more

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Maxim's Palace is such a solid place for their dim sum and as a restaurant overall. A definite high recommend to check them out while in Hong Kong! Located inside City Hall, it definitely was a struggle to find this location. I had to walk inside the main gates, then enter the second floor. A family friend had recommended this spot, saying this was one of the places you should eat at for dim sum, and this recommendation was a great one, at that. Maxim's Palace is also close by the Hong Kong Observational Wheel, Victoria Harbour, and Central Pier. If you sit closely to the windows, you can also get a pretty nice view as you dine as well, which is a bonus. I came towards the end of their dim sum hours, so closer to 2-3 pm, and the wait time was pretty small. In fact it was almost non existent, so if you come later in the day towards closing, the seating is really nice. The service here is also top notch, and relatively quick. I ordered pretty much all the classics you'd normally get at dim sum, steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed shrimp & streamed beef noodle crepe, pork crepe, and a ton of other food, and everything I ordered was cooked really well. Everything tasted fresh and was really good quality! The English here speaking wise is limited, though they do carry English signs for their dim sum written on the carts as they pass by. Though slightly pricey for the food, I highly doubt you'd have anything less than an excellent time here. The service, food, and ambiance are well worth the price tag here, in my opinion. I'd give it a 5, as everything here really was overall fantastic. Definitely worth checking out and I'll be back again here for dim sum in the future! read more

I really like this restaurant for a quick dim sum lunch or Sunday chill. Good hargow and I adore the sesame balls filled with egg custard. Chicken feet in black bean also good. Always efficient service, good food and reasonably priced. Use the Food Gulu app for weekend tickets to save waiting for long stretches. There is also an a la carte menu & the carts are in English as well as chinese. read more

美心皇宮 - Cantonese Near Me - Hong Kong, HK

Located at the Macau ferry terminal Maxim Palace is an exquisite dining experience that offers dim sum. Our group of 6 came here Saturday morning to give this place a try. The ambiance is beautiful, spacious and clean! The service was excellent! Dishes portions come in different sizes from small to large. This was your typical Chinese dim sum serving all your classic with a lot of variety. Parking is readily available as the venue is also linked to the ferry terminal. Prices here are quite steep! Expensive...I mean hey I'm from Toronto, I know how much my dim sum is on average but maaan folks in HK pay an arm and leg.. read more

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Tourist or locals, this is still the top go to place for dim sum in Hong Kong. Located inside city hall, Maxim's palace serves dim sum daily until 3pm (last orders). What's amazing is that they still have the trollies that go around the aisle so customers can see what they are ordering. The menu of each trolly is written in English at the front too. The restaurant looks over the iconic Hong Kong observatory wheel, Central Pier, Victoria Harbour and ICC. This way you can enjoy your meal and view too. One annoying thing is the queue. On busy days (weekends) the waiting time can be up to 2 hours. But if you download an app called GULU, grab a virtual ticket, you can cut some time off your wait. Do try to be on time though, because if they pass your number, you might have to queue all over again! read more

A yum cha institution - I've been coming here for years! A true test of stamina as the lines are unbelievably long. We had to wait in person (couldn't get on the reservation app) so highly recommend reserving a spot beforehand! Service is meh but the variety of yum cha offered is always spot on and my favourite dish is the deep fried milk! read more

美心皇宮 - Yum cha - Cantonese Near Me - Hong Kong, HK

Solid traditional style dim sum. My family and I had dim sum here twice during our one week visit. Maxim is my grandparents go-to spot. And it's super convenient and easy to get to from the train. Added bonus! The dining room here is gigantic. Apparently, it gets super busy on weekends. But we've only dined on weekday mornings so each time it wasn't very busy. Because it was the weekday we ordered from the menu rather than the dim sum carts. We had... Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow) Steamed Shrimp Noodle Crepe Steamed Beef Tripe Chicken Feet Steamed Shrimp & Vegetable Dumplings Rice Cake with XO Sauce Turnip Cake Fried Pumpkin Mochi Balls Fried Turnip Dumplings 1000 Year Old Egg Congee Pork Spare Ribs Sesame Balls Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant Everything we had was excellent. Prices are on the higher end, but well worth it. Service is good. read more

From my first visit to HK back in 2008 to my most recent visit in 2018, Maxim's remains THE place for Dim Sum. It's changed slightly since then - as in it has a better ticketing/reservation system so you don't spend too much time waiting around. Just don't miss your number being called because they WILL move on to the next number and you'll lose your spot. The dining hall is massive but the carts come frequently with little signs in both Chinese and English. The dim sum is just everything you want it to be, very fresh and tasty. I could have eaten 100 of the flaky, sesame seed speckled pork pastries. Wish the luo bo gau was seared a little more. Also don't miss their dessert. Almond soup, mango pudding...can't go wrong! read more

Delicious. Had a wide range of dumplings plus ribs and dessert. All was fantastic. Especially loved the shrimp steamed dumplings. The shui mai were the best I had ever had. Jasmine tea was tasty and hot. All traditional dumplings were extra tasty and had their own "Maxim" spin. Not just same old same old. For dessert we had a sesame coconut gelatin that was fantastic and a cold mango and grapefruit soup. Yumalicious. Very happy with this place. We got there before they opened and there was a long line. But it moved fast once the doors opened and was totally worth it! read more

If you want to experience old school dim sum parlours in the comfort of modern technology, this is the place you need to be. This location of Maxims had been a very popular wedding banquet location when the wedding registry was in city hall. But now that hotel wedding banquets have become de rigeur, this place has become very popular for dim sum lunches and the lineups are notoriously long. (I was told there is a normal line up and a VIP line up. Go figure) The decor is western style with high ceilings and chandeliers, and an arresting view of the harbour, still very suitable for banquets. The dim sum served is decidedly old school. With fine dining restaurants trying to one-up each other in terms of luxurious dim sum, sometimes it's just nice to stick with the basics. The dim sum is wheeled around the spacious dining hall in metal carts like back in the days, but the difference is that the carts now have a color flat screen panel that shows names and images of the dim sum in the cart. You would then order what you want and the cart lady would stamp your dim sum cart to keep track. Dim sum is overall very good here. Personal favorites are the calamari and the sesame jelly rolls. read more

(Real Review: 3.5 Stars) Its reputation precedes it. Although we waited for 45 minutes, the food tasted pretty good. Granted, this was my first meal after my 12K hike at the Peak. We had a good view overlooking the harbor and the flyer. Highlights: 咸水饺-Roast pork in a fried Mochi-like crust, chicken feet-delicious stewed gravy, bolo bun, Siew Mai. Mediocre: Egg Tarts-too much crust, fried beancurd skin wrapper shrimp. Still on my quest to have the best Dim Sum in HK! read more

Maxim's City Hall is a great place to go with a group for a traditional dim sum experience, particularly with a group or with family. Maxim's is set in a large banquet hall, with large windows overlooking the harbor. Getting here early on a Saturday (by 10:30am at the latest) is a really fun thing to do with friends who are visiting Hong Kong. Everyone lines up at the door and down the stairs, and when the restaurant opens at 11:00am the line rushes in to secure the best tables. While I always shoot for one of the tables in the right-hand corner by the picturesque windows, I readily admit that these are the furthest from the kitchen and you have to watch as the carts make their way across the massive hall to your table. The dim sum is also excellent, if a bit expensive. But, you are in part paying for the experience and environment, so it never seems unreasonable to me. The dim sum staples are all high quality, particularly the rice rolls (shrimp or pork), the char siu bao and the baked pork buns. Since Maxim's still has the dim sum carts you can always be on the lookout for something new or different, and that always adds to the experience. One thing that I always save room for is the delicious mango pudding dessert -- cold, sweet, and refreshing, it's the perfect end to your over-indulgence. The service is friendly enough and definitely efficient -- just keep your eyes peeled for your desired dish and prepare to throw your hand in the air. This is a place where I always bring visitors for a taste of the grand, old-style dim sum experience and it never disappoints for flavor or ambiance. read more

Not the easiest restaurant to find but so worth the hunt. It's located inside the Hong Kong City Hall building so it's not so apparent on the outside. We came on a Friday morning right before noon and we got seated immediately. I was surprised that there were not that many customers to begin with. It could be partially due to the ongoing protests that's occupying the Admiralty/Central area. Anyhow, this dim sum place is one of the very few restaurants that still does the traditional cart pushing. I like that they label what they have on the front of the carts, both in English and Chinese. Unlike the ones in NYC, the portions here are smaller. Instead of three char Siu baos, they give you two here. But it's much more delicious of course!! The tea here is great too! Love getting jasmine tea! I hope this place continues to stay afloat and keep the traditional cart dim sums! read more

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Little pricey but nice that they have the traditional push carts. Everything was pretty solid. Try to get a seat next to where the carts come out otherwise you may have to fight and get up to find dishes you want. Lunch * Pork Spare Ribs (Good) * Pork Buns (Excellent) * Shrimp Rice Noodles (Excellent) * Dumpling In Soup (Good) * Rice Cakes (Excellent) read more

This is by far the fanciest dim sum place I've been to. Went with 3 other friends on a Tuesday. It's good that we're able to make 11:00am reservations online, but we still had to wait around 15 minutes for a table. They have a decent variety of vegetarian dim sum for my one odd ball friend. HK is definitely not a vegetarian friendly city. Heh. Food was fresh, and service was pretty on par. The total bill was about $100 for 4 people. For dim sum, I definitely prefer Tim Ho Wan over Maxim's. read more

Super fun dining experience. The carts made it super fun sit and have all this food dropped off. Wish this was closer to Portland so I could go every few months. read more

Food is ok, has a great view of the harbor, but I feel it is overpriced. You can get better food at lesser price somewhere else. The dough/skin of dumplings were overcooked, which broke easily and got stuck on my teeth. The sauce for chicken feet was too salty even with rice. Mostly for tourists or for locals who bring guests from overseas, it seems. I got there right when it opened, and saw there was much more selection of food in circulation when we were leaving, about an hour after it opened. I've been there a few times 3 yrs ago and this month, and I think their quality of food has gone downhill. read more

After a 45-minute wait, my dining companion and I were seated towards the middle of the giant room (quite like a ballroom) at a large table draped in white, typical of dim sum restaurants. I think we would have enjoyed our lunch more had we been placed by the harbor view window. Instead, we were jostled by carts and noise passing through the undecorated room, and had to shout to hear one another. We were constantly reminded that this was a business, and nothing else. They let you in, the carts go by, you grab your food and receive the stamp, and they hustle you out. Yet, despite the number of carts and servers, the service was quite slow. It took about 15 minutes for us to grab our first set of dim sum baskets, which is quite a time considering it was already prepared! To be honest, the food was good--but just that. I've had better dim sum elsewhere, and in more convivial settings including in San Francisco and New York. read more

My friend and I went here because we were told that if you wanted good, traditional dim sum, this was the place to go, and I was very impressed. The decor of the place was beautiful; I felt that I was in a large ball room. Additionally, the service was great as well; our plates were cleared relatively quickly. The dim sum itself was great. The barbecue pork bun tasted both tender and sweet. The taro was crunchy on the outside, but chewy and delicious on the inside. In fact, every dish we ordered (shrimp flour, mango pudding, tofu pudding, and rice flour shrimp) were top notch. My only complaint is that it was a bit pricey, but dim sum usually is. I would definitely come back again. read more

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Overpriced Dim Sum w Minimum Service. Couple of dishes were a Standout; Wrapped Lotus Leaf Rice w Chicken and Steamed BBQ Pork Buns. I would give them 4-4.5 star rating alone but the rest was all average to below average tasting. Average Tasting Dishes: 1) Steamed Noodles w Shrimp 2) Shu Mai 3) Fried Wontons 4) Steamed Spare Ribs Below Average Tasting Dishes: 1) Steamed Sesame Buns 2) Chicken Feet 3) Steamed Tripe 4) Steamed Bean Curd in Oyster Sauce read more

We enjoyed this old style dim sum place. The wrappers for the various dumplings we ordered were delicately made and delicious. The cha siu bao were some of the best I've ever tasted. Wish we had known to come a little earlier for the discounted prices, eat before 11:30 for about a 30% discount. Missed not having the carts come around. We actually order from a pick list menu. Overall, not the best dim sum we've ever had, coming from California, but Maxim's was enjoyable. read more

美心皇宮 - Notes on pricing and discount periods - Cantonese Near Me - Hong Kong, HK

Located in the basement of the building in Sheung Wan where the jet leaves for Macau. It's a higher end Maxim's group restaurant with lots of their employees from their Siu Sai Wan branch before it closed. Dimsum and tea prices here are a lot higher than your average place. Service and quality of food is a tad better, but in my opinion, not enough to justify the price difference. I wouldn't say that this is "high class", but for a normal dimsum meal, this would definitely be on the higher end in terms of ambiance/environment and prices, quality of food-wise, I would beg to differ. Because it's in the same mall as the jet to Macau, there are lots of tourists here, but also an even mix of locals, so be prepared for a line-up if you get there after 10am, ie. for a late breakfast or brunch. Weekends are also, as expected, far more crazy. read more