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Inside Dim Sum Garden’s New Restaurant

The Philly institution moved to a larger space in Chinatown, doubling the size of its soup dumpling operation.


Dim Sum Garden’s celebrated its grand opening with a traditional lion dance. / Photography by Cody Aldrich Photography

Lunar New Year kicks off tomorrow, and Dim Sum Garden is celebrating the Year of the Snake by moving into larger digs. They officially opened the doors to their new space yesterday, commemorating the special moment with a ribbon cutting and a traditional lion dance to bring in good luck and ward off evil spirits.

It’s the next chapter in the inspiring story of mother-daughter duo Shizhou Da and Sally Song. They both immigrated from Shanghai in the 2000s and have been serving soup dumplings in Philadelphia since 2008. Five years after operating out of their old 11th Street storefront (which is now Tom’s Dim Sum), they moved into the 1020 Race Street space, a larger restaurant that could better serve their growing customer base.

In 2022 they purchased the building two doors down, on the other side of Nan Shaou Hand Drawn Noodle House, for a reported $2.7 million. For the past couple of years, they’ve been building out a new restaurant, and this week, that space is finally open to the public.

Inside the new Dim Sum Garden located at 1024 Race Street.

The new location brings 200 seats, more than double their old space, which can accommodate larger groups and families as well as private events. There’s also a jewel-box balcony in the back of the restaurant overlooking a full bar where you can order wine, beer, and cocktails. And it’s all under a curvy, slightly postmodern, backlit ceiling reminiscent of ripples in a serene pond.

The view from Dim Sum Garden’s balcony.

Over the years, Dim Sum Garden has become known for its handmade xiao long bao, hearty dumplings filled with minced meat and an umami-rich broth. They have a variety of soup dumplings, including chicken, spicy pork, crabmeat with pork, and, my personal favorite, the classic pork, which I generously douse in vinegar sauce for a little kick.

While xiao long bao is their most popular dish, they also offer a number of other steamed and fried dumplings, including some Cantonese dim sum staples like siu mai and har gow. I’ve never had a dumpling there that I didn’t like, and that remains true at their new location. They also have Shanghainese noodle dishes and American Chinese staples like sesame chicken. You’ll never catch me dining there without an order of their thick, chewy, handmade noodles in pork with a side of snow pea leaves to round it out.

Dim Sum Garden’s classic soup dumplings and one of its new giant soup dumplings, hitting the menu January 30th.

The menu is pretty much the same, but on January 30th they will be introducing giant soup dumplings. It is exactly how it sounds: The massive dumplings are about six to seven inches in diameter and come with a straw for you to slurp the rich broth from the doughy cocoon. It’s a fun, new addition that xiao long bao fans should absolutely try at least once in their lives.

Stop by the new Dim Sum Garden located at 1024 Race Street in Chinatown, open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.