Dragon King Dim Sum Review: A Local Wan Chai Favorite in Hong Kong
After landing in Hong Kong and checking into my hotel, I headed straight out for my first meal: Dragon King Dim Sum, a popular Wan Chai dim sum spot.
If you’re staying nearby and looking for a casual local place, this Wan Chai dim sum restaurant is an easy first stop.
Dragon King Dim Sum
Dragon King Dimsum
I picked it because it was close to my hotel, AKI Hong Kong – MGallery.
That convenience alone made it perfect for a first meal in the city.
Hong Kong hotel review.
Wan Chai Dim Sum: What to Know Before You Go
Dragon King Dim Sum is a small shop with a bright yellow sign, so it’s easy to spot.
Hours are 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.
One important thing: they do not accept credit or debit cards.
You can only pay with cash or an Octopus card.
We found seats right away and went straight in.
It was around 1:30 p.m., so a slightly late lunch, but the place was still almost full.
There was only one table left.
Luckily it was a table for two, so I didn’t have to experience shared seating right away.
The table was already set with dishes and chopsticks, plus a pot of hot tea for rinsing your bowls and utensils.
That hot tea for washing the dishes was one of those little Hong Kong dining customs that feels unfamiliar at first.
Since it was my first time in Hong Kong, it felt a little new to me.
Thankfully I’d watched a few YouTube videos before the trip, so I knew to sanitize the bowls, plates, and chopsticks with the tea.
The menu comes as a disposable paper sheet.
You just mark what you want and hand it in.
It was hard to read in one shot, so I cropped and zoomed in on parts of it.
Most dim sum dishes were around 4,500 to 5,800 KRW, so roughly $3 to $4 each.
The iced milk tea was about 3,700 KRW, or around $2.70.
Since the prices were pretty reasonable, we ordered a little bit of everything.
This was our order slip. I honestly couldn’t tell what everything was just by looking at it, but we definitely ordered a lot.
The total came to HK$192 (about 34,000 KRW).
Also, that tea they give you at the beginning for rinsing your dishes is not free.
It costs HK$6 per person (about 1,000 KRW, or less than $1).
I thought of it kind of like the Japanese otoshi system, where there’s a small automatic charge at the table.
You use the tea to rinse everything first, then drink what’s left. It actually smelled really nice.
Milk tea came out first.
Hong Kong milk tea is so famous that I was really curious if it would live up to the hype, and honestly, one sip made me get it.
It wasn’t overly sweet at all.
There was a gentle sweetness, but nothing cloying or heavy.
At the same time, it was rich and strong, which made it even more memorable.
That said, neither of us is obsessed with milk tea, so we didn’t end up drinking it constantly during the trip.
First up was xiaolongbao, soup dumplings.
These were packed with broth and really satisfying.
Har gow was also generously sized and stuffed full.
The shrimp had that bouncy, snappy texture I love, so this one was a hit too.
We also tried something listed as flour roll.
It looked soft and slippery, almost like a very delicate steamed dumpling roll.
I ordered it because I saw a lot of people mention it in Google Maps reviews.
But for me, this one was a miss. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Last up was siu mai.
Everything except the xiaolongbao came in sets of four, which made it easy for two people to split evenly.
Overall, I enjoyed everything pretty well, but to be honest, Hong Kong food isn’t the absolute best match for my personal taste.
So I’m not sure I can give the world’s most objective review.
For dessert, we ordered potato balls.
I’d had amazing potato balls before at Seven Hotpot in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, so I was curious whether these might be just as good.
These are the potato balls from Dubai.
But these were definitely not the same.
The outside was almost like rice cake, but not in a pleasantly chewy way.
It was more sticky and heavy, and I wasn’t crazy about the filling either.
Still, for my very first meal in Hong Kong, this was a pretty satisfying start.
That alone put me in a great mood for the rest of the trip.
Dragon King Dim Sum near Wan Chai Station is a solid local pick.
I wouldn’t say it’s worth crossing the city for, but if you’re staying around Wan Chai, it’s absolutely worth stopping by.
Since they open at 8 a.m., I think it would also be a good breakfast option if you want an early Wan Chai dim sum meal in Hong Kong.