Came here on a Friday at 8 for dinner got seated within 5 minutesThis place is a hit or miss .On Saturday luckily it was pretty good!!Ordered the geo duck sashimi and salt and peppered was good but Pricey $60 per pound :(Deep fried oysters my friends liked itSalted fish eggplant clay pot was good with ricePea sprouts with crab meat was good and freshSweet spareribs was goodCrab meat and fish maw soup was goodWhite rice was watery this time :(We got free dessert this time:)I think usually when they're closing up they will give you dessertOr when you order expensive seafood they will give you better serviceI
Reviewed by:
Jo S. on:
3/27/2013 5:58:00 PM
Dim sum is good but dinner is mediocre. Came here for a huge dinner party for my mom's aunt's 80th birthday close to year ago. It was a set menu. The presentation of the food was nice ie shark fin soup in a coconut bowl. The food was not memorable and bland. I would still come here for dim sum but not dinner.Service is a hit or miss.
Reviewed by:
Tina N. on:
3/27/2013 12:38:00 AM
Friend took me to the "best dim sum" of Northern California (most people claim in their reviews). We got there and there was limited parking because it was packed and it also next to another American restaurant (Applebee's?). We got parking real quick though probably because it was the afternoon about 12:30pm.We went up to the hostess and told her we had two people in our party. She handed us a receipt with a number and it says that we can leave a phone number for them to call, but no need. They announce it on the speakers as it comes. We got seated 5 minutes after arrival.We were seated and asked what tea we wanted. We ordered the tea pot with Pu-erh and Chrysanthemum $1 per person ($2.00) - Super good and refreshing with the mixture of the two teas. Cleanser between each dish.---You order by selecting from a pamphlet and marking the number of items you want.Sea Scallop Dumpling ($3.95) - Better than the har gow (shrimp dumpling) itself! Delicious. They don't give you soy sauce, but their stuff is already flavored and salty enough.Har Gow - Shrimp Dumpling ($4.95) - Average tasting.Deep Fried Crab Claw with Shrimp Paste ($4.95) - Crispy and fresh tasting with a dab of the paste makes it perfect.Shrimp Rice Roll ($4.95) - Great with the soy sauce that they soak it with and it is best when hot.Bird's Nest Egg Custard Tart ($6.90) - First timer. Small, but delicious. The bird's nest is apparently known to help your skin. ;)Durian Paste Puff Pastry ($6.90) - Not so much a fan of durian itself, but it is good. Friend said not many places carry this so if you are a fan, I suggest you order it.Almond Cream Filled Bun ($4.95) - A must order item! Cannot leave without getting this.Overall, good food. Price was a little higher than usual for dim sum. Total of $43.01 for all that. I ordered too many shrimp dishes though! Our server made a few mistakes with our order, but I ended up liking the dishes! A lot of people talked about the service, but with this nature of business it has to be like that noisy and fast versus quiet and fancy.
Reviewed by:
Roger L. on:
3/25/2013 9:52:00 PM
The $74 set dinner is such a steal! Comes with crab, peking duck (skins with buns), duck soup using the duck bones, and duck noodles using the duck meat. Also comes with steamed fish and xaio lung bao, Easily feels 4-5 people
Reviewed by:
Venna Q. T. on:
3/23/2013 12:37:00 AM
Dim sum ftw!Also, we had an uncle's surprise (birthday) party here and it was quite nice!
Reviewed by:
Garett T. on:
3/22/2013 11:38:00 PM
Grapefruit -- a little like the texture of grapefruit. You know what I'm talking about. It was my first time trying it, and that's my interpretation. It likely was initially dried and then preserved for up to 5 years, but this is what people rave about. I would have it again, but not worth waiting THIS long for (45 min with reservation?) -- Koi Palace is jam-packed!!
Reviewed by:
Lena H. on:
3/22/2013 1:44:00 AM
Foods: I totally love the dim sum in Koi and have been going back for years since I moved to SF. I am a picky eater and Koi's overall dim sum quality is very good. LOTS of variety to choose from!Among all the dim sum restaurants I tried so far (many many of them), Koi is delicious and price is fair. Yang Sing is very good too, but I think they overcharge for dim sum!Service: altho they are busy all the time, they hire enough people so service is attentive. We don't need to wait too long to refill tea or get napkins, etc. Usually it is fast to get services.Tea: love their Japanese rice flower tea. So good!Waiting time: waiting for a table REALLY sucks, doesn't matter what size your table is. The average time I waited for a table is ONE hour to one hour and a half on regular weekends. Over one hour and a half on weekend holidays! Peak time is from 11ish to before 2:30. The trick is either go there before 11 or after 2:30 to reduce waiting time to about 20 to 30 minutes. You can leave your cell phone number with Koi on a regular day, and they will text you when you are next in the queue. Have been here too many times and waiting is always a must :( but food dim sum make it worth a while.Price per person on average is about $15 to $20ish per person.
Reviewed by:
Krystle D. on:
3/20/2013 11:09:00 PM
Even after getting out of Arcasia for a mini trip, my father always insist that we eat Chinese. Ehh...The appearance of this place is pretty fancy and nice, but it's a typical Asian restaurant that I'd find back in LA. The seating is super crowded and it is very difficult to move around. The food was alright... nothing special. The service was a bit slow, but they had a lot of customers that night.
Reviewed by:
Torie N. on:
3/18/2013 12:06:00 PM
The best baked Cha Siu Bao I've ever had. Excellent dim sum.I went for an early lunch on a weekday. There is a long wait to get a table if you don't go by around 11:30am.The service wasn't great but the food is worth it.
Reviewed by:
Ee Vonn Y. on:
3/17/2013 9:28:00 PM
In the bay area, finding a dim sum place ranked 4 and above is nearly impossible because each of us have our preference dishes and certain places do it better than others.The reason why Koi Palace really ends up getting a 5 for me and probably one of the best dim sum places I've ever experienced is simple--solid dishes that make up for the hideously long wait and uncomfortable waiting area that they make you stand in.My favorites- Taro cubes: they're not hot, but oh do they squish heavenly in your mouth and make you eat more than you want- Ha Gao: I don't eat the skin of the Ha Gao but that shrimp paste was gone instantly. The skin was the evidence that something had mauled it.- Shark Fin Soup: a staple item that can't go wrong of course- This one dish with a chinese donut wrapped in rice noodle: holy cow, this was like a chinese donut kingdom on a platter. It took all my self-control to not eat more than one...plate- This one dish that was wrapped Chinese noodles in spicy seasoning - I never eat this. I never eat it because its tasteless carbs on top of tasteless carbs. Oops, there went half the plate. It was spicy somewhat but probably the best Chinese rice noodle I've ever had....I think that might have been every dish we ordered...Negatives- Wait time (forever)- Tables (small and slippery!): better get cozy and know how to make the most out of your space. Something will spill and something will fall off.Tips- Once you're seated, order from the menu they give you. It takes forever for them to have the servers mingle to your table and offer you dim sum items--and they don't have many of them wandering either so it might give a false perception that this restaurant doesn't offer much when their menu is 3 pages front and back. Especially if you're caught in the "down time" they have occasionally. This will cut down on some of the wait time on top of the wait time they already punish you with at the entrance.
Reviewed by:
Brent T. on:
3/17/2013 5:24:00 PM
Came in here on accident, really. We were scheduled to eat at Moonstar across the street but were told that for a group of our size (13) we would have to wait an hour and a half. We were all starving and thought we'd walk over to Koi Palace to see if it would be any better. As luck would have it, they had a table for us immediately. Sweet!We were sort of crammed into a table not really designed for 13, but hey, at least we got to sit down right away. TONS of people were standing around waiting for a table when we got there (12:30 PM on Saturday). I imagine under normal circumstances you can expect to wait here for quite a while.There is a stigma about Chinese restaurants in general that service is not good or even nonexistent. In my opinion, the service here was fantastic. Most Chinese places you'll ever go to won't really have cheery, chatty service, and Koi Palace does not either, but we never found ourselves wanting or waiting for anything particularly long. They were pretty good about keeping waters full and pots of tea replenished the whole time we were there. Most of the food also came out pretty quickly, and as dishes were emptied they were taken away.I'm no expert on dim sum but the food all tasted pretty good to me. We didn't have anything that was bad, in my opinion, and in fact most things were pretty tasty. Of note in my mind were the shrimp dumplings, soup dumplings and the donut-like things (kind of like an airy, eggy, sugary cream puff minus the cream).A bit far for me to make the trek from the South Bay too often, but now that I've been and know that it's pretty good, I would definitely like to come back sooner rather than later.
Reviewed by:
Charlene E. on:
3/14/2013 5:34:00 PM
Dim sum galore! Table of four for dimsum? Might take a while. Koi place is packed with families - big families, loud and happy eating dim sum.This homey, rough around he edges Chinese restaurant specializes in Cantonese seafood dishes like salt and pepper lobster and steamed rock cod, some of it is straight from the tank, they also have delicious, succulent hot pots.
Reviewed by:
W G. on:
3/10/2013 1:40:00 PM
We always order the $60+ combo where you get soup, dumplings, duck, fish, noodles, etc. It's not about the price. The food is worth it. Individual dishes can add up & get pricey tho'.It is - almost - like Hong Kong: solidly good food, even great food but mediocre, even poor service and mediocre, even not-so-wonderful environs like blaring, glaring TVs in the corners. Come but know it is all about the food.The reality is that nowhere else in the entire SF Bay Area have I found anywhere nearly as good as Koi Palace in resembling my favorite HK meals. There were once HK Flower Lounge & Fook Yuen, both both those places have seen their better days. Took me 15 years to find Koi Palace but I'm glad it is still here to give me a taste of HK without hopping on a plane.PS Have not clue why the pics they have on this site are not so appetizing. The food is delicious though & you will be greeted by tanks full of swimming sea animals. The Cantonese like things fresh & you can taste the difference. (Be PC & don't order the shark fin soup.)
Reviewed by:
Eric W. on:
3/8/2013 7:56:00 PM
Dim sum here is good, it is on the expensive side. Dinner isn't cheap, you can order entree in different portion. This is probably the most expensive Chinese restaurant I been too or restaurant in general. Never knew Chinese food could be so expensive.You could easily spend couple hundred dollars, no joke. Service is probably what you expect at a Chinese restaurant, nothing special. My only compliant is the wait. Large party of 6 or more expect to wait 1-2 hrs, it's not because they don't have enough large table, they have plenty. I figure out why the waiting list doesn't move. The regular customers don't put their name on the waiting list, they wait inside and help them self to a table when it opens. Waiters don't say anything. People who are waiting don't know cause the lobby and dinning room are separated. I couldn't recommend someone to wait 2 hrs for Koi Palace.
Reviewed by:
Nei N. on:
3/4/2013 8:45:00 AM
I hit the character limit on my review so I have to continue it here.I just wanted to add that there are more pedestrian dishes that are also really, really delicious.Onion Pork Chops (Yeurng Choong Jiu Pah) - I have no idea what they do to make these pork chops, but they are probably the softest and most tender pork chops I've ever eaten. The sauce combines the sweetness of the onions and a certain intensity that brings out the natural sweetness of the pork. It might be from the stir frying process or just MSG. Either way, it's pretty damn awesome.Soy Sauce Chicken (Si Yow Gai) - Perfectly cooked. The real test for chicken is how the white meat is prepared. It's no easy feat to keep the breast meat tender and juicy when cooking a whole chicken, so I'm impressed that Koi Palace can accomplish this consistently with the Soy Sauce Chicken. The sauce is also expertly crafted. There's a sweetness to it that adds another layer of flavor missing from other restaurants. The way KP balances the sweetness and savoriness of the sauce makes the flavor of the perfectly cooked chicken pop. Super delicious.Stir Fried Sticky Rice (Sang Chow Loh Mai Fan) - There's a tremendous amount of Chinese cured meats in this dish, which makes it really rich and savory. Each and every grain of rice glistens with porky goodness. Your body might regret eating this, but your taste buds won't.TL;DR: No one should eat at this restaurant so I can have it all to myself.
Reviewed by:
Mark D. on:
3/2/2013 2:49:00 PM
Came on Sunday around 11am. Waited for an hour.All dishes were from their dim sum:===GOOD DISHES===None===DECENT DISHES===Shrimp Har Gow - 4 pieces. nothing special. I don't like har gow in general, and I didn't like this one.Dried Scallop & Meat Sticky Rice Lotus Leaf Wrap - 2 pieces. Not exactly sure what a dried scallop tastes like, and I couldn't figure it out while eating the dish. This is one of my go to items for dim sum. This was okay, but I don't like the chinese sausage they put in it. I hate chinese sausage. Wouldn't mind getting it again, but won't because it is nothing special.Szechuan Style Surf Clam - first time having surf clam, and I enjoyed the texture. Tastes like abalone, which I like. The sauce was disgusting though. Way too sweet and greasy. Every surf clam I ate, I would wipe it on the napkins to get the sauce off, then eat it. Comes w/ a shit load of ginger in the middle. I don't know why. We're not eating sushi...though next time I do I'll be sure to try out a hokkigai (surf clam)!===BAD DISHES===Black Truffle Mushroom Shumai - 4 pieces. the black truffle mushrooms were nice, never had them before. Aside from that, it honestly tasted like some shumai you'd find at any buffet, which I don't like. Too dry. Will never get again.Steamed Pork Rib over Rice Roll - like 8 pieces or cut up rice roll. rice roll is way too greasy. I am beginning to have a hunch that rice rolls are supposed to be like this, so this is perhaps just a personal things. Pork ribs are whatever. They were kind of hard. The sauce is lacking in flavor, but they put these cylindrical pieces of "black bean sauce flavored" cubes that I'm guessing we're supposed to mix up w/ the sauce? I don't really understand, why didn't they just do it before serving it?? Also a subtle sweet flavor that I found strange. Will never get again.Steamed Chicken Claws w/ Black Bean Sauce - 4 pieces. another one of my favorites gone horribly wrong. They put too much sugar in the coating. It was too sweet for me and I will never order it again. Chicken claw itself is fine.===================Too many bad dishes from this experience so I can't give it 2 stars (my neutral rating).Came in here w/ pretty high expectations but was let down greatly. I may come back here again because of their high reputation, being sure to research carefully what dishes to order beforehand...
Reviewed by:
Daniel K. on:
2/28/2013 5:04:00 PM
I was here for dinner last night and it was "meh." Going on a Wednesday wasn't super crowded. We were able to get a reservation for 7:30 which was great. The location is super convenient to get to, right off the freeway and they have a parking lot which is nice.As for the food, this is where it was just okay. We ordered the crab and fish maw soup, which was delicious. It was also quiet a bit of soup, probably 8-9 bowls worth. We also got some deep fried oysters, which were more batter than oyster. It came with a sauce which helped, but they weren't anything special. The best dish we got was probably the tofu vegetable plate which was quiet good. The last dish was a smoked sea bass, which came out almost 20-30 minutes after the rest of our food. It was good, but not particularly amazing given its $28 price tag. The waiter recommended it, when we tried to order a different fish, and my uncle speculates that he was just trying to get the expensive dishes on tap. Not sure, cause it was still pretty good, but combined with the wait, it was not really worth it.Overall, I think that the food quality is just okay for chineses food, but the prices are way higher than the average restaurant.
Reviewed by:
Jon W. on:
2/28/2013 8:24:00 AM
I have to say the dim sum here is very good. It is more expensive but the quality is indeed better.The waitress bringing the food can be rude but it could be the language and culture barrier. One waitress brought some dim sun and asked if we would like to have it. My friends looked up then looked away. That was obviously a silent no. But the waitress asked again loudly "YES or NO"? That did feel a bit rude.
Reviewed by:
Joanne L. on:
2/24/2013 9:22:00 PM
Service stinks here!! I've been to Koi twice, both times I experienced terrible service. They are rude and obnoxious! Be prepared for a long wait! Yes the dim sum is good, lots of variety but the terrible service is so off putting I'm not going there again. I rather go to HK Lounge, great service and great food!
Reviewed by:
cadence p. on:
2/24/2013 9:26:00 AM
I love everything about this place except for the service. I hate having to wave down a waiter and when they see me, they pretend they didn't. I know you were just looking at me cause I was obviously staring you down hoping you'd see me. Anyways, I love the dim sum here, probably the best I've ever eaten :)
Reviewed by:
Andrew I. on:
2/19/2013 7:55:00 PM
Never been here for dim sum before, only for dinner. Really great seafood selection! Very fresh,very unique, and always really good! However, everything is so expensive here, hence -1 star. A good meal for 4 people comes up to be over $100, especially if you order anything from seafood menu. Not that I regretted anything I ate here, because it's so good! Crabs are large size, lobsters are almost perfectly cooked, shark fin soup actually has a very defined taste instead of bland, and grilled fish are very fresh tasting!If you didn't make any reservations here, you'll be waiting for at least half an hour! But I love the decor of this place, a lot of seating, very grand feeling, almost like you're in an emperor's home. Don't be scared to try new things on this menu. They cook everything very well, so if you want to try something new, this is definitely the place to try it!I will try this place for dim sum and give my verdict. Maybe compare to the location in Dublin, since it's sort of closer to where I live.
Reviewed by:
Tiffany H. on:
2/17/2013 6:47:00 AM
I've been going to Koi Palace since I was a kid.Koi Palace is always crowded. If you have hookups, they skip you to the front of the line. If not, the wait usually takes 40 minutes to over an hour, which sucks. Sans hookups, to avoid the line I would recommend you come early. This way you'll also find parking.The venue. Koi Palace is huge! I love its ambiance. The ladies with their dim sum carts adds to the customary dim sum restaurant atmosphere. You can grab food from the carts or order separately.Seriously, one of the best (if not the best) dim sum place I've eaten at. I use to love their yellow custard buns. Oh gosh, the best.But why are you so expensive now?! WHY KOI PALACE WHY. hurts my wallet.. and my heart.Back then, I would rate this place no doubt a 5. But with their rising price and the lower quality food.. 3/5.
Reviewed by:
Marco M. on:
2/12/2013 3:15:00 AM
Been coming here quite a few times and let me just say that the dim sum is definitely top notch here. So, if you don't mind the rudeness and lack of customer service here, then I'd highly recommend this place lol.
Reviewed by:
Mike C. on:
2/11/2013 9:24:00 PM
Hey.... big spender! This song came to mind when my childhood friend recommended a particular fried rice here. (http://www.youtube.com/w…)This dish is named "Foot Low Chow Fan"(http://www.yelp.com/user…), which roughly translates to Big Spender Fried Rice, no bargain as it is priced around $18.00 per order. When you examine the ingredients, then you'll know why as it includes dried and "fresh (freshly frozen)" scallops, diced prawn pieces, and shark's... oops, not legal in California now... that clear sinewy stuff found in decadent Chinese soups OUTSIDE of California, thinly sliced Chinese gai lan, and egg. My friend described this at his "perfect version" of fried rice and, given that his father was a famous chef in San Francisco, I believed him. The only sour note was, when I ordered a takeout order of this, I asked for a small container of XO sauce, figuring that, given the quality, this would be the accompaniment; the reply was, "It will be six dollars extra for this." I opted for a small container of the complimentary hot sauce instead. Didn't leave a particularly good taste on my mouth, but the fried rice certainly did even with the regular hot sauce.A few weeks later, with this destination clearly in my radar, I brought a few friends for a weekday lunch. No, it did not disappoint as their dim sum was as good as I remembered from many years ago. The service was good as the waiter placed covers over our jackets to prevent any stains or spillage issues. The only minor blip was that our waiter forgot to place my order for the above fried rice. Will order again on next lunch visit.Finally, per Ken K.'s recommendation (http://www.yelp.com/user…), +1 on their canned abalone.Will be be dining here later this week for another culinary odyssey with Uncle Lai. This place continues to impress and you might want to wait until after the New Year's holiday to have dinner here as their banquet schedule is likely booked solid. 4.5 solid stars for the fried rice sans XO sauce!Happy Chinese New Year!
Reviewed by:
An P. on:
2/11/2013 7:33:00 PM
I don't want to give even 1 star just because their customer service from the reception to high level people works inside this restaurant. We have to wait 90min to get table for 8 adults and 2 children. Theres no prob to wait for that long if the receptionists work fair for everybody, its just unfair coz they let people give them $$$ to have table first, be sure to remember this rule if u dont want to wait.2nd way to hav table easily is not check in at reception and walk to left side (way to restroom), theres a man were chinese yellow shirt setting up table around there and give him $$$, sure u dont hav to wait too long. I dont know if the boss knows what his/her employee is doingService is really bad when u sit down but really fast when u pay.Never come back here even though the food is good.
Reviewed by:
Oscar T. on:
2/8/2013 7:13:00 PM
I consider this is the real 5 star restaurant so far we try.This is the only place we can eat without feeling MSG syndrome afterwards,We love the Almond Bun.It is the first place we have tried this style.The place is a little bit pricey compare to other Chinese Dimsum Restaurant.But this one is worth the dollars.The only thing we can be picky on might be,they are always packed and loud inside.Well~ people can see this as a compliment though.Come early if you don't want to wait.We always go at 9 in the weekends.
Reviewed by:
Paris S. on:
2/7/2013 8:16:00 AM
Im a regular customer at Koi. I would give 4 stars for their food, but the service was sucks. I hate to see a high end gourmet Chinese restaurant with a poor wait table service. I really think those front house employees should go din at Danny's or Outback to experience what wait table is all about. I enjoy their food and the deco. Just hoping they can improve their wait table skills.
Reviewed by:
Richard A. on:
2/5/2013 5:26:00 PM
Too crowded!Didn't eat here...
Reviewed by:
Mary N. on:
1/29/2013 12:41:00 AM
Looking for pure dim sum deliciousness that's better than any dim sum place that you've ever tasted? Look no further, it's all right here in Koi Palace!If you're going to come, come early. My party and I made a reservation at 11:30 am, and it still took us 45 minutes to get seated from the time we checked in with the restaurant. People that didn't come early/make a reservation were waiting for 40+ minutes for a table to open up. No joke, this place is crowded. I saw some old people walking past the lobby into the back area of the restaurant when they entered. I'm not sure what it is, but I believe they might be ordering take-out, which is a pretty smart idea. Old people are wise.It's tastefully decorated and has a chef preparing dragon beard candy when you come in. Koi palace is against the ban on shark fin soup, so if you are looking for the real fins, come early to get a bowl! I believe the bowl prices get pretty hefty, so be prepared to bring your credit cards. Something I loved about Koi Palace was that they accepted all major credit cards, including American Express. If you walk further into the restaurant and out of the stuffed lobby, you can see the FRESH sealife that they can prepare for you should you be interested in ordering it. They also have some sort of desserts laid out on a table for you to buy if interested. It's nearby the manmade Koi pond with 7 koi fish. Beyond that, you're just going to see endless tables.The dim sum ladies walk around w/ trays of food and offer it to you. They could do better to let us see what's inside, but it worked out b/c we would ask them to lower the tray so we can view what we wanted to choose. You are also given a menu of other dim sum items and can mark off what dim sum or kitchen items you would like. It's a bit hard to order this way b/c some items don't have pics, but it is also a very convenient way of getting your food quickly.I think I had 1-2 pieces of 3 diff dim sums, lots and lots of hot tea + water, and 2 kitchen items + duck. I was super full, but felt so satisfied afterwards! Prepare for a food coma after you leave.
Reviewed by:
Nhung T. on:
1/20/2013 1:49:00 PM
Koi palace..........what can I say about this place? That their customer service suck here? That they have VIP lines? That they let their friends and families member cut in line first and make other customers wait for a long time?Food is overrated!
Reviewed by:
Sophia Y. on:
1/17/2013 1:25:00 AM
Me and my sister can't stop talking about the amazing dim sum we had! So good!This place is HUGE!! and it's PACKED!! Luckily, my family got us a huge table. They have a HUGE dim sum selection on paper and of course the ladies came around with their cart. We ordered A LOT of food I can barely remember what we got. All I remembered was that everything was delicious and I had no complaints. All the food was hot and flavorful, savory, juciy... mmm... I wish I could go back but I don't live here anymore.Some things I remember... chicken feet!! I practically ate a whole plate by myself! Shu mai, ha gao, anything with shirmp was really good.. lobster rolls! mmm! my sister's not a huge fan of lobster and she wouldn't stop talking about these.Overall, really good dim sum!! I didn't pay, but my guess is that it's not chinatown cheap :P
Reviewed by:
Riya S. on:
1/13/2013 8:44:00 AM
My 2nd time here today this past year with my family. Both times have been great. The food is a little pricey, but well worth the quality.We came here a little past 10am on Sunday, and there's already a long line of people, as the place opens at 9am. They have a nice hi-tech queueing system, so the number we take is nicely ordered with the waiting list shown on a video monitor, so we can see our number crawling up the line. Overall it's about a 20-30 min wait for the time that we came in.The food was great, and the service was really good too (maybe to justify the prices), compared to other dim sum places. We ordered some plates from the staff who brought dishes around to the tables, but also ordered from the menu too.From the menu, be sure to order from the Specialties section, which has some unique dishes for this place which are very different from other Dim Sum places.This time we tried the Pork Steam Buns, which came in a clay pot with grilled onions underneath, with sizzling sauce poured in at the table. The steam gets infused into the bun and makes it so tasty and juicy! We also tried the Black Truffle Siu Mai which were interesting, but once is enough for that. We also tried a Spicy Seafood Dumpling from the Specialities section which was also delicious and interesting, but once is enough for that too. The Steam Buns were the best so far!The seafood chow mein at $14 was reasonable for the price and it was awesome! Lots of seafood in the dish, and the flavor got penetrated all the noodles too so it was really delicious. Maybe a little on the salty side, but still very tasty.We had a few other things, and spent more than at other places, but we always leave here happy and satisfied.
Reviewed by:
Peter C. on:
1/9/2013 10:26:00 PM
You'll like this place if 1) you like touristy Chinese places, 2) love paying for overpriced food that tastes mediocre, and 3) like eating with Koi.I'm not sure why my family always makes me drive all the way out here to Daly City for this place. Sure, its nice when you walk in. There's a lot of Chinese people, so that's good sign number 1, right? And then you look at their menu, or the dim sum carts depending on the time of day, and you order your food. Then you bite into your food and you're like "ok, that's good I suppose." While you're waiting for your next round of food, you can soak in the nice atmosphere of the Chinese courtyard (there's live Koi, little bridges everywhere, cool looking things).but then you get the bill for a couple of hundred dollars, maybe more if you ordered the banquet. Your eyes pop out and wonder, "Wow, was that shark fin soup or lobster noodles worth $85/person? My god, maybe I should have went to Jardiniere's instead." yeahhhhhhhhhh. That's my train of thought for this place...every...single...time that I come here...
Reviewed by:
Steven N. on:
1/8/2013 2:19:00 PM
Great place for Dim Sum make you get here right when it opens. you can end up waiting for over an hour esp on weekends. the food is pretty good. I could tell that this was that much better than other dim sum places some dishes are better like the har gow.Rather than picking and choosing what dishes you want like other dim sum places; here you get a menu when you sit down and fill it out with how many dishes you want of what kind. it takes the fun out of seeing what you are getting. we ended up ordering so much more since we underestimated how much we ordered.
Reviewed by:
Clifford P. on:
1/7/2013 6:06:00 AM
OK, so I don't live in the SF South Bay, but I've tried quite a number of dim sum restaurants over the years, and Koi Palace has clearly been the best so far. The variety is outstanding, many dishes I've never seen anywhere else. Some memorable dishes that come to mind are the coffee spare ribs, Shanghai dumplings, durian puff, and fried oysters. There were many other unique dishes that I enjoyed, but so many in fact that I can't recall all their names at the moment.One aspect of the restaurant that I liked was that you order off a menu rather than waiting for a cart of dim sum to go by your table. I always thought that the cart method was unreliable, as the cart would sometimes run out of our favorites just before reaching our table, or would pass us by as we were ordering from a prior cart. Ordering from a menu makes life a lot simpler and guaranteed we got all the dishes available from their wide variety.A definite return visit the next time I'm in SF.
Reviewed by:
Jie Y. on:
12/28/2012 9:21:00 PM
service below averageFood greatAtmosphere goodThis is a good choice for Cantonese dishes. Great tastes of seafood.However, it is terribly busy and one has to wait a lot for attentions from waiters.Not all waiter know English well. a little bit overpriced.
Reviewed by:
Atom B. on:
12/28/2012 3:40:00 PM
Perhaps my expectations were simply too lofty, but what an unbelievable disappointment!Having heard from friends about Koi Palace for sometime and also familiar with its reputation as a regional destination, I finally made a reservation to visit. Mistake number one!Goodness me, that Seinfeld episode with the rental car says it all. When I arrived for my 6pm ,party of 3, reservation there was absolutely no record of it. After several minutes of the greeter speaking Chinese with other patrons and doing her best to ignore me, I was able to convince her I wasn't lying and we were shown to a table.Sitting down was mistake number two! It was a full twenty minutes before someone came by to ask if we'd ordered yet. When we answered "no", they first brought us some menus a few minutes later along with some dirty plates as a bonus.Most of the food arrived slowly and unpredictably staggered. What did arrive was on par with average suburban Chinese food; okay at best. A full two hours after ordering, one of the three dishes still hadn't made it to the table, but the check (including the cost of that dish) certainly did. We told our otherwise nonexistent server that it never arrived and he replied, quite frankly, "the kitchen is very busy".With a staff too busy to tend to its customers and a kitchen too busy to prepare food, I was left wondering where I was. If someone told me a restaurant, I couldn't possibly believe them.
Reviewed by:
Eric C. on:
12/28/2012 9:31:00 AM
Reservations means absolutely nothing.I put in a RSVP for 12:00 and they aren't even near ready @3pm. :-pTheir computerized seating system is more annoying than efficient. Think windows 95:level efficiencySo get there before they even open if you want a chance of making your tummy happy.Parking is a bitch and everyone there will willingly dent you car and walk away like it's not a problem.Seating inside is refugee camp style. Pricing is going to milk you like a solo cow on the farmNOT the place to bring a girl on a date nor should it be a top option.
Reviewed by:
Shum S. on:
12/22/2012 6:48:00 PM
I've really had it with this place. I've been here at least 6 times and I just can't stand that they even exist.- The workers are mostly rude and oblivious to any kind of decent customer service. "Our crab is SUPPOSED to be that salty because it comes from the ocean" is not an appropriate response.- On another night, my family and a full house of diners were subjected to the tone deaf, would-be-dead-if-their-life-depended-on-carrying-a-tune karaoke singing at full blast. Unacceptable.- Even without the occasional drunken crooners in the back room, the dining room at night is unbearably loud to the point that I couldn't hear a friend of mine sitting right next to me.- Finally, the food. Most things on the menu are ok. They are good and consistent but so is King Wah on Southgate. Or Tai Wu's on King Drive and plenty of other great choices in SF.I find chinese food to be boring because I've been eating the same thing since I was old enough to chew. Shrimp dumplings. Again? Has anyone ever thought of putting something different inside? It always tastes the same.So, Koi Palace, if you aren't going to do anything special, I'm not gonna put up with your less than mediocre ways of doing business.
Reviewed by:
Peter R. on:
11/24/2012 12:42:00 PM
I was here for lunch and damn... what an awful place.They won't give us a straight answer as to why our first dish of food came 40 minutes later and our last dish (that was simple to make) took 1 hour 10 minutes to get to our table.The table behind me had the same problem, and they were pissed too. Everyone else around us got their food in an orderly fashion and pretty darn quick. The table behind me demanded to speak to the owner of the restaurant, but he thought it'll take about 40 minutes to get to him... oh wait... it would have.. IF HE DIDN'T TELL THEM TO SCURRY!All we got was a small compensation which was like $2.What a mess... I didn't let it ruin my day though. I just won't come back. This really bit it.Past History:The other times were that it messed up our order and didn't make two dishes we ordered (we waited 40 minutes for it), and the other was the Maître de wouldn't seat me and my grandma because our whole party wasn't present... It was just 2 of the 4 missing and the other 2 were looking for parking.
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
It was good to me - i went for a brunch and had a great time. A little pricey, but seemed very authentic. Let me take my irish friends and maybe i'll be told differently. Oh well.. .it was fun and good to me ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
Good food, good portions, sweet nice staff. my boyfriend fell in love with his 'cottage pie'. I prefer the seafood options, and of course, we both love the drinks. resonably priced for the quality. looking forward to going to breakfast there ...?
Reviewed by:
Contributor on:
always-packed restaurant makes Daly City a dining The Scene Walk through the moon-gate entranceway to see a series of tanks filled with seafood and display cases featuring luxury ingredients like shark's fins and dried abalones. The dining room, with koi pond and Day-Glo jade-green decor, ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2000-05-09
Their dim sum is ok, not really worth the price. They specialize in seafood and unfortunately, they don't do a very good job. We've had the steamed baby abalones and they were bland and way overcooked, it tasted like we were chewing on ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2000-05-11
Prepare to wait a long time when you come here for dim sum on the weekend. They will underestimate the wait time; I waited for a little over twice the estimated time given which was about an hour. The food is nothing spectacular and not ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2000-08-07
I love this restaurant!!! One of the only few good Chinese restaurants in Daly City. I have never had their dinner but have enjoyed dim sum there several times. Don't even think about going there on the weekends after 10am...the place ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2000-08-15
Boy, am I glad the Bay Area has a dim sum and seafood restaurant of this quality!! It's probably worth living in the Bay Area alone! When my wife and I were living in Hong Kong, we don't recall having any cravings for a particular dim sum ...?
Reviewed by:
diamante on:
2002-07-17
I've eaten at Koi Palace several times, mostly for dim sum and once for dinner. I've tried all the big dim sum places in the Bay Area but Koi Palace is the best, with the largest variety of authentic, delicious dim sum and a strong tea ...?
Reviewed by:
aliu12345 on:
2002-07-25
What can I say? this place is packed with dim sum lovers every day and you usually need to wait for a good hour to seat on the table. Food is superb. As usual, the service is not very impressive as the place is always crowded. ...?
Reviewed by:
mcc0412 on:
2002-07-30
I went there for dim sum a few times and wasn't very impressed. The wait was long, the service was ok (slow if you have small parties). The food was better than average. ...?
Reviewed by:
cs_totoro on:
2002-08-07
There's a massive variety of dim sum. The prices are a big high, but it's affordable! Great quality seafood! The wait is over 1 hour on the weekends though. ...?
Reviewed by:
bjc_forever on:
2002-09-03
Whenever I eat out for Chinese I insist on eating at Koi Palace (despite the wait...and I am inpatient) because of the quality of food and the service. Granted, the service is not comparable to that of a 5-star American restaurant, however, ...?
Reviewed by:
hhting on:
2002-09-06
Incredible dim sum--some of the best that I've had outside of Hong Kong and China. But, the waiting area and the crowd reminds me of catching a 3rd class train in China--be ready to battle the Chinese grandmother and don't be afraid to ...?
Reviewed by:
noefoodie on:
2002-09-12
I can put up with a lot to get good food, including bad atmosphere, bad location, etc. However, I can only go so low when it comes to service. The service at Koi Palace is the lowest I've ever seen, ruining any good taste the food has. ...?
Reviewed by:
hogene on:
2002-09-12
If you are looking for the best authentic Hong Kong-style dim sum in the Bay Area, and possibly in all of the US, come to Koi Palace. The variety, quality, and flavor are amazing. The decor in the main room is refreshing and airy and ...?
Reviewed by:
jchao on:
2002-09-19
Sure you get the fancy setting but you could also get food equally as good for much cheaper if you're willing to forego the ambiance. This location is a winner b/c it fills a need for a good chinese restaurant in dc but go to any number ...?
Reviewed by:
hkwan on:
2002-09-24
Great authentic Hong Kong style. Crowds are overwhelming on weekends, but worth the wait. Try the bbq'd seabass fillet: slightly sweet flavor baked into a flaky, moist, smooth cut of fish to be remembered. Dim sum is very good ...?
Reviewed by:
angelitopreyes on:
2002-10-24
I must agree the food is well prepared,but I can,t hear myself think, the whole place is exploding with noise. and rude servers are like never have some kind of education in good manners and right conduct ,I will never recomend this place to ...?
Reviewed by:
tiger8877 on:
2002-11-30
My Chinese friend recommended me to go the restaurant. He said it was the best Chinese restaurant in Bay Area. However, I didn't like it. The service was very bad, and it was so noisy that I couldn't hear what my friends was saying in ...?
Reviewed by:
DAVIE20241 on:
2002-12-22
I AM SURE THAT IS A LOT OF CHINESE RESTAURANTS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN KOI PALACE RESTAURANT. THEY HAVE VERY BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINNING. SPECIALLY THE HOSTESS AND THE MANAGER. THEY ARE VERY RUDE. ...?
Reviewed by:
unibuckley02 on:
2002-12-23
If you're in for a big disappointment, this is the place to go. If you're not Chinese, don't even think about having a meal at Koi Palace. I gave them 5 chances and their ratings went down hill every time we go there. Last time I went there, ...?
Reviewed by:
ElizabethAtTheRaces on:
2003-01-29
I have had dim sum everywhere since I first bit into a dumpling in 1977. And I thought I'd seen it all. . . .well, I did until Koi Palace. Their dim sum offerings I've never seen before. Ok a few of the dumplings are ho-hum, but Har Gao ...?
Reviewed by:
pulibear on:
2003-01-31
Food was tasty; service was OK but not great; waiting time was ridiculously long. My biggest complaint is the staff speaks very poor English so they can't explain what the dishes are. It's a difficult place to go to if you aren't fluent in ...?
Reviewed by:
xxsoledad67xx on:
2003-02-07
First of all I would like to say that the Koi Palace Restaurant is the best restaurant I have ever been to. Well I live in New York and I came upon this restaurant when I was on vacation during spring break. At first I thought it was just ...?
Reviewed by:
sleepiii on:
2003-03-09
Excellent food and pretty good service from most of the waiter/waitresses. Hostesses tend to be a little stuck up (I think they think they look good). Dim sum is great and so is the seafood. Food is definitely on the expensive side, but hey, ...?
Reviewed by:
gub on:
2003-03-09
The title sums it up but an explanation and some patience are in order for those other than Chinese-American Silicon Valley tycoons and inlaws thereof on extended family Sunday brunches (together, 95% of the crowd). It's all about fresh, ...?
Reviewed by:
gooseduck on:
2003-04-20
Even when compared with the low standard in many Chinese restaurants, the obnoxiousness of Koi Palace hostesses is astounding. What kind of upbringing did these people possess to behave in such odious manner is beyond me. ...?
Reviewed by:
versailles79 on:
2003-08-24
The dim sum is the best I've had, and the variety is great. They have dim sum dishes that other places don't have, such as the duck wrap, eel pastry. If you are a duck lover, you've got to try the duck wrap. But be mentally ready for the ...?
Reviewed by:
paulnadler on:
2003-11-17
Great dim sum- very very authentic. If you prefer "Americanized" Chinese food/dim sum, you may not be accostomed to the food served here. BIG place. Only downside- the wait to be seated for dim sum on the weekends. I only go during the ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2003-12-27
The dim sum is a lot better than many other restaruants. Wait time is usually about 30-45 minutes, reservations available. Some people complain that the rstaurant is very expensive. But on the average, dim sum for 3 is about 35-45 dollars, ...?
Reviewed by:
foodilicious on:
2004-01-13
This is my forth time going to Koi Palace. The only reason that keeps me coming back is the food not the service. They have the worse dim sum service by far. Our waiters are not very attentive and you have force them to get any service. ...?
Reviewed by:
t0asty on:
2004-01-13
The dim sum is excellent here. But you have to order from the menu to get the best selection or your favorites. Service is flaky. You have to forcefull with the waiters to get any kind of service. Be prepared to wait as this place is ...?
Reviewed by:
shingo_love on:
2004-01-29
The food they serve is excellent, but the service they provide is terrible. I felt that they only target Chinese people as customers. I asked for some menu item and explained them what I wanted, but they didn't care. ...?
Reviewed by:
tzunamae on:
2004-02-22
Took family to dinner here and after reading previous reviews was a bit apprehensive about coming here. But had to try it out based on friend's recommendation. Turns out that most reviews were right. Rude service, noisy atmosphere but in ...?
Reviewed by:
d_m_king on:
2004-04-25
I was looking forward to a good Chinese meal and while I believe the food was good, the lunch menu was lacking and the service was sub-par. This is not American Chinese food, so dont expect Mongolian Beef or Kung Pao Chicken, as a matter ...?
Reviewed by:
cynthiarooper on:
2004-05-09
Best chinese food I've had in a while. Quality of food is great, but make sure you have a reservation or be prepared to wait. Great variety of food. Although, there wasn't any noodle dishes on the menu. Tried the vietnam beef steak and beef ...?
Reviewed by:
plainjohn on:
2004-05-23
I go during the weekday before noon, or you will have to wait. The wait- person gives you this sheet and you choose varying dishes. They also have ladies bring around dishes which you can choose from. Compared to other dim sum palces, ...?
Reviewed by:
scbsee88 on:
2004-05-25
With Vancouver fresh on my mind, I have to say that Koi Palace can roll with their best restaurants. For those that don't know, Vancouver is considered to be HK#2. Many of Koi Palace's dishes like the Spotted Prawns with Garlic were ...?
Reviewed by:
baceliu on:
2004-09-20
The absolute WORSE restaurant you can ever find! The service is just horrible. From the hostess to the captains and the managers. None of then know what custmer service is. The owner really should read the comments on his restaurant. ...?
Reviewed by:
sk_chan on:
2004-10-07
Went here for mom's birthday. Made reservations but were seated next to the kitchen door. Table was not ready, staff seem very unfriendly. The food was very good and the portion are good size for the price. However, you need to work on ...?
Reviewed by:
Kindsis on:
2004-11-08
All Review Photos This highly rated restaurant in Daly City was quite an experience! The restaurant itself is located in the back of Serramonte Plaza, behind unsuspecting banks and other buildings. Once we found it, boy, were we in for a ...?
Reviewed by:
IleneOba on:
2005-01-01
I wish I had read the previous reviews in Citysearch before going. Koi Palace has gone downhill. The service is RUDE. We called ahead & were given the wrong info on when they open. It was a mob scene for dim sum. Service horrible & the ...?
Reviewed by:
chains007 on:
2005-03-08
This is definitely the best dim sum place in SF (or just outside SF). Expect to wait a long time on Sunday mornings - you better arrive before 10am or after 1:30 if you want to reasonable wait. You'll see plenty of chinese people there, ...?
Reviewed by:
amy_koo on:
2005-05-09
Lots of complaint from friends & public: Long wait due to cheating of the in house hostess and Managers. Only provide seats for known customers. Dishes are expensive. If you order common inexpensive dish, then you receive no service at all. ...?
Reviewed by:
vassariggy on:
2005-05-15
Line gets long quickly at lunch time. Lots of items to choose from, and you can order from the menu if there's something you want but hasn't come around yet. Good chicken feet. Large dining space, perfect for groups if you plan ahead and ...?
Reviewed by:
yuen on:
2005-05-27
This restaurant is always packed with people. The food is good but the service is the worst in the city. From receptionist to manager, most of them has poor customer service. They only serve well their regular customers. ...?
Reviewed by:
apple7388 on:
2005-06-20
I think Koi is the best Dim Sum place in the Bay Area! It's a real Hong Kong style Dim Sum place, and you have varity choices for seafood. The price is reasonable with the high-end food quality. Many people are all complain about their ...?
Reviewed by:
criticalcritic5 on:
2005-06-21
This is about the best dim sum place I've tried outside Asia. All loyal customers of Tong Kiang should try Koi -- it is SO much better than Tong Kiang on Geary. Yes, the wait is long, but there's a reason for that. The dim sum is always ...?
Reviewed by:
nkiseki on:
2005-07-26
It's a nice setting and cleaner than most Chinese restruants. Although, I'm a fairly patient person, the wait is more than tiring. If you get there before 10:30 there's no line but after that, all hell breaks loose. Often, I get a number ...?
Reviewed by:
Arlene R. on:
2005-08-14
My friends and I went to the Koi Palace Restaurant with a reservation expecting to be seated right away. To our surprise we waited for a whole hour before we were seated. The waiters were rude and the place was just too crowded and noisy. ...?
Reviewed by:
James Q. on:
2005-09-04
Koi Palace is widely known throughout the Asian community across the Bay Area as one of the best dining experience available. The interior design creates a comfortable environment to chat and relax. The food is certainly the factor that ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2005-09-06
The dim sum at Koi Palace is probably one of the best in the Bay Area. The wait on the weekends is very long though. The service is terrible if you do not speak Chinese. PROS: food, parking CONS: wait, service ...?
Reviewed by:
bluebaby1 on:
2005-09-07
Koi palace does have the best dim sum in the bay area. If I'm going to eat dim sum, i must have it at koi palace or I rather not go to the other places. It's of course still no comparision to the dim sum in HK but here in the bay area, ...?
Reviewed by:
Dee T. on:
2005-09-08
If you' re looking for authentic chinese cuisine food., this is the place to good. Lunch time favorites include dim sum all served piping hot. You can also order fried noodles and soup at lunchtime too. Dinner dishes include a large array of ...?
Reviewed by:
Jennifer M. on:
2005-09-08
I think this restaurant serves the best dim sum in the Bay Area. They have a huge variety of delicious dim sum and many that you probably can't find at other dim sum places. Good food of course has its price. Everything here is slightly more ...?
Reviewed by:
Patricia F. on:
2005-09-14
Koi Palace is the perfect, authentic dim sum experience. It's not as shi-shi as Yank Sing, but it's a nice atmosphere with truly outstanding food.The ladies come by with carts of old favorites (BBQ pork buns, shrimp dumplings, custard ...?
Reviewed by:
Peter L. on:
2005-09-20
Koi Palace Seafood Restaurant is THE best chinese restaurant in the bay area. Price is moderate to high depending on what you are eating. No matter if you want Dim Sum in the morning and fine dining at night, this is a great place to eat. ...?
Reviewed by:
Jenny L. on:
2005-12-29
This is my number one favorite Dim Sum restaurant and for dinner too. First off, for Dim Sum. It is always packed there.. whether its a weekday or a weekend. Unless you go when it opens, you most likely would have to wait. ...?
Reviewed by:
A TripAdvisor Member on:
2005-12-30
Although, we dined before the 6PM evening crowds, my Cantonese did not have a respectful affect in receiving our four dishes in a timely manner.The fourth course of our dinner arrived late while the first three courses were consumed and ...?
Reviewed by:
xuser1 x. on:
2006-02-21
The food is good. However the service is pretty bad. Because they know that they are popular in the area. And it is not worth to wait in a long line especially during the weekend for the dim sum. ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2006-03-12
This place is very crowded on the weekends and a wait after 12pm. Dim Sum is the best as it's hot and good. You order from a menu and other items brought around that you can choose from. If you don't speak the language, tell the guy in ...?
Reviewed by:
phuyen on:
2006-03-19
This restaurants packs in a good crowd and seems to be doing good business which probably explains the arrogant attitude that I got from employees at the restaurant. It's obvious that the management at this restaurant has not gotten the ...?
Reviewed by:
Chunky_Monkey on:
2006-03-20
The wait cane be up to 2 hours long and longer on weekends. Their dim sum is good and was fairly priced but have recently raised their price but their dim some is good so it doesn't matter. Try their whole crab meat Shanghai dumpling ...?
Reviewed by:
traderc on:
2006-03-21
disgustingly horrible service. Long waiting time plus rude service make an unpleasant experience. The waiting staff from hostess, waiters to manager carry an attitude on their face. There is no fun to dine at Koi regardless of Honk Kong ...?
Reviewed by:
nativedave on:
2006-03-23
Kiang is good dim sum, check this place out, it is the REAL DEAL. Of course it's a pain in the neck to go there during peak periods. If you can find some time during the week, check it out, it's well worth it. I have enjoyed literally every dish I have had there, ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2006-03-26
Poor service. order a coke and get it in a glas with one ice cube. a very small amount of soy sauce is poured into a very small shallow dish by the waiter. to get more sauce, you must flag down a waiter...a difficult task in and of itself. ...?
Reviewed by:
Superswank on:
2006-03-29
awesome. Go with a big group and sit at a big table and order lots and lots of food. Their chow fun is delish. Try to go with someone that knows what all the food is so you can make wise decisions. And be prepared to wait. ...?
Reviewed by:
yum on:
2006-04-06
I went there many times, and tried all kinds of dim sum. I have enjoyed every dish I have had, like nativedave. They are very fresh and delicious. I also had Fu-Jin Shreds Fried Rice, and it was super as well. If I don't need to wait ...?
Reviewed by:
francoaj on:
2006-04-17
Koi Palace sure knows how to serve its renowned food up with a rotten attitude. The staff has no concept of service. From the moment we sat down I had to repeat my order 3 or 4 times to 3 and 4 different people, and still we waited forever ...?
Reviewed by:
promotersf on:
2006-05-07
City...but when you find it, it's like finding Nirvana. This is a LARGE restaurant, but on weekend, the crowds are larger creating...long waits. And wait you must, because the seafood and dim sum is solid. From the basics like har gow, shu mai, to their shrimp and crab ...?
Reviewed by:
allrookie on:
2006-05-14
dim sum houses. Everything here is top quality. Expensive but worth it. Big place but long waits still. Everyone does seem to come here. Abalone soup for 2 was excellent. Cost like 70 bucks but worth just to try. My mother and granny loved the soup. ...?
Reviewed by:
waddling on:
2006-05-14
Mother's Day, 2006: After three hours of waiting, we finally sat down to eat. After our meal, and as a large table behind us cleared, some folks just swooped in and claimed the table. They'd been waiting inside the restaurant, apparently ...?
Reviewed by:
lowpost on:
2006-05-16
Been there 3 times. Food is good, no doubt about that - but not that good that you'd want to wait 3 hours for a table while having to stand around in a parking lot. There are a lot of dim sum restaurants in the bay area that are also ...?
Reviewed by:
fairview on:
2006-06-08
Palace though the crowd is surely defying of their food and service. definitely make a reservation before you go or you can wait for upto hours on end. Dimsum is average the regular run of the mill items nothing as Innovative as my fav Yank Sing, ...?
Reviewed by:
eat_me on:
2006-06-08
if you have reservations. The variety is good (try the King ShuMai) and you can see the chefs preparing the dumplings from the dining area. Although the women come around with the carts/ trays, you can order off the sheet they give you and the kitchen will bring ...?
Reviewed by:
Tom H. on:
2006-07-05
Among the many, many Chinese seafood restaurants in the Bay Area, the Koi Palace stands out. Phenomenallly good food. Their dim sum is also fine, but this is really a banquet restaurant most suited for large parties. Go with six friends ...?
Reviewed by:
Marcus R. on:
2006-07-19
You will need to wait in queue but the dim sum is solid. It is in walking distance of the marcuscomplex which is a big plus. They expanded recently so seating is a big easier. ...?
Reviewed by:
JenJenn on:
2006-08-05
You can wait for almost 2 hours on weekends and up to 1 hour on weekdays unless you go when they open.. The food is good and always hot but it's on the pricey side which they raised their price probably a couple months ago and the ...?
Reviewed by:
nancysee on:
2006-08-14
Usually very good for dim sum although the wait is insanely crazy and long. Dinner absolutely is not worth the wait and definitely not worth going to for Chinese New Years! I really wish we hadn't. The service was horrible. ...?
Reviewed by:
kennyboy on:
2006-08-29
selection of dim sum in the Bay Area. I would go there every weekend but the wait is just simply unbearable. One time I was there, I waited for almost 2.5 hours and during the wait, I saw the hostess giving tables to the "preferred" customers who came way after me. ...?
Reviewed by:
NancyE876785 on:
2006-08-31
is about this dim sum - Yank Sing in the city is far and above the better choice. We found Koi to be horribly overcrowded (be prepared to wait surrounded by "fresh" seafood with nearly 100 other people) and abrupt. When we were finally seated (2 ...?
Reviewed by:
phrillz on:
2006-09-09
I know that the wait is really long and kind of irratating, but then again i;ve never really had that problem heh heh. The one thing i would really change with the place is the servie, most of the servers dont seem to smile nor do they ...?
Reviewed by:
Christine C. on:
2006-09-13
Dim Sum here is great but it is so crazy busy and crowded that don't go there to expect a comfortable eatting experience. Also be prepare to wait for a long time. ...?
Reviewed by:
A TripAdvisor Member on:
2006-09-16
This is the second time that we tried to go to Koi Palace. (The first time was a bad decision to celebrate Mother's Day. Needless to say, with an hour plus of waiting and no table in sight, it didn't happen). We wanted to try Koi Palace, ...?
Reviewed by:
mmm...tasty on:
2006-09-18
the wait on weekends is killer, though, but the food is sooo worth it. dinner in the evenings is good as well... everything is fresh... check out the swimmingly live seafood display in the front for picking and choosing the creature(s ...?
Reviewed by:
mapleleafgirl on:
2006-09-26
the long wait and well ---we just couldn't get it together any earlier. The service was fabulous and friendly! (Oopps...i guess sarcasm doesn't come across on here) They mentioned about 3 times in the 1st 30 seconds on the way to the table that they close at ...?
Reviewed by:
tbhk4ever on:
2006-10-18
dim sum is ok although the wait is 2hours and 45 minutes long. The service was horrible, host was mean and waiters were mean, table was not set, tea was not what we ask for and we were hungry and annoyed after such a long wait. ...?
Reviewed by:
chowdawg on:
2006-11-07
the lines are daunting!!! go somewhere else have pancakes or eggs on the weekend..tell everyone you know this place sucks! do not even think about this place! this is prolly the best hong kong style dim sum in the region. ...?
Reviewed by:
minimay on:
2006-11-08
Food is not very impressive, bad service but price ok. This is the restaurant that I will try to avoid. They are not that special to worth the torture. ...?
Reviewed by:
sfmama on:
2006-11-12
I was really anticipating a great meal and was completely disappointed. The Har gow, shrimp dumplings, smelled fishy and were not tasty, the selection seemed poor, the service was incredibly slow. We would request things and it would take ...?
Reviewed by:
Cecilia C. on:
2006-12-04
I just attended a banquet on Saturday. The floor plan was poorly designed. Service was hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Food was so so, and the worst thing was the waiters and captains TALK BACK to the customers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The restaurant ...?
Reviewed by:
Joanne G. on:
2006-12-15
I wouldn't say the service is bad here; it's just typical of what you'd find at any Chinese restaurant. Curt but efficient. Koi Palace is one of the best in the Bay Area for dim sum, which is served every day. Huge variety and good quality. ...?
Reviewed by:
slackjaw99 on:
2006-12-26
place to go for Christmas brunch dim sum. I've never been there but immediately had a bad feeling when i entered the parking lot and saw the throngs of chinese folks out front. My sis said she put her name in at 10:45am and was told it would be 45 minutes. I noticed that there were ...?
Reviewed by:
dave s. on:
2006-12-26
My sister thought this would be as good place to go for Christmas brunch Dim Sum. I've never been there but immediately had a bad feeling when i entered the parking lot and saw the throngs of Chinese folks out front. My sis said she put ...?
Reviewed by:
tastebud on:
2007-02-09
of its own success). I've eaten there on and off since day 1. Early on, the place was a godsend in Daly City. Live seafood, superb dim sum, and Americanized service. The fresh abalone was sold per oz, but worth every gm of it. This place was the first few ...?
Reviewed by:
A TripAdvisor Member on:
2007-02-27
A group of us went to Koi Palace in February 2007 for a Chinese New Year's banquet. We had a reservation for 7:00pm, but when we arrived, we were told that no table was available. We waited over half an hour before we were finally seated. ...?
Reviewed by:
ThomasD on:
2007-03-13
30 on weekends). For the Bay area, you won't find any better dim sum. It is truly inventive and the quality is on par with what you'd find in Hong Kong or Vancouver. ...?
Reviewed by:
nickandsophia on:
2007-04-03
but you have to deal with the obnoxious and crude service. They're fast but you know immediately when you should be leaving, right after the last bite. ...?
Reviewed by:
minime2007 on:
2007-04-03
The waiting line is long for dim sim, but the extra VIP (non-waiting list) even make the wait further longer. The dim sum overall is still good, but not as good as before. With the drive and the wait, I do believe I have some other dim sum ...?
Reviewed by:
ShaiM7093 on:
2007-04-09
30-40 minutes for lunch but it can easily take 90 minutes and sometimes even more. Dim Sum dishes are ok but nothing outstanding and would not justify the long wait. There are much better options for good Dim Sum in the area... ...?
Reviewed by:
Traveling Foodie on:
2007-04-09
weekend. Main problem here is the horribly long long wait. If you can actually get a table, the food is among the best dim sum found in the Bay Area. They also have "Dragon Beard" candy-making here on the weekend. Great placed to dine with your ...?
Reviewed by:
inuyaki on:
2007-04-12
waits to get in and slow service. great place to scare dim sum newbies with exotic fare like tripe and duck tongue, but they have all the basics, too. The fritter wrapped in rice noodle is great, and don't forget to finish off your meal with the sugar egg puffs, that are ...?
Reviewed by:
KrisMT on:
2007-04-12
It's best to go with a group of people, so you try more of the wide-ranged menu. While some of the dishes are on the more expensive side compared to the lower-priced Chinese food restaurants you can find in San Francisco, the quality and ...?
Reviewed by:
dmenkes on:
2007-04-22
I've had great success coming here at 9:15 on a Sunday morning, even though the dining room is already quite crowded I've had parties of 5 or more seated within a minute or two. Compare that to coming here around 10:30 or later where you ...?
Reviewed by:
t_girl_dining on:
2007-07-02
Yes - one of the cardinal rules of selecting a Chinese restaurant is to see if the majority of patrons are Chinese - if yes, stay. Many families come here. Koi Palace has developed a great reputation for its variety and quality of dim ...?
Reviewed by:
samswng on:
2007-08-19
Koi Palace arguably serves some of the best Chinese food in the Bay Area but also has one of the worst services. The staffs are not friendly and are snobbish. I only go there because my wife likes the food but we are often being treated ...?
Reviewed by:
osome1109 on:
2007-08-21
I?d usually have a lot of patients when it comes to try out new restaurant. I was told the food ?dim sim? here is really good, so I?ve arranged for my family all to meet there on a Sunday. So we've got a number for 6 people at ~11:05am, ...?
Reviewed by:
wonderingaround on:
2007-09-24
Six of us came to Koi on a weekend evening. The lady at the front desk asked us to wait for 45 minuets. After 90 minuets, we found the crowd in the waiting area have come and gong for multiple times but we were still waiting. ...?
Reviewed by:
seisei on:
2007-11-04
We chose Koi Palace for "hot-pot" to celebrate our friend's bday, knowing that this place is supposed to be a high class restaurant among other chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, we were wrong. We were not warned about the food portions ...?
Reviewed by:
KoiPalaceSucks on:
2008-02-18
The food is okay, definitely not worth the money... especially when they charge you $72 for buying the raw fish, then charge you an extra $18 to cook it. Who would buy just the fish alone and not have them cook it with vegetables or tofu? ...?
Reviewed by:
AntonH on:
2008-02-25
The Shanghai dumplings (sha lum pao) and egg tarts are my highlights but all their other items are so refined and tasty. Be prepared to wait an hour on weekends or else go on weekday. ...?
Reviewed by:
TimC6329 on:
2008-03-03
The dim sum is outstanding. However, the service is terrible. On Mother's Day, our party had to wait three hours (I kid you not) for a table. We endured the wait because there was really nowhere else to go. When we were finally seated, ...?
Reviewed by:
KristinaH1507 on:
2008-03-11
Helpful menu with photos guide you to familiar & new things-just mark what you want on the menu and hand to your waiter. Fresh items made for you will come to your table. Fresh ingredients, lighter than air pastry and dough, not swimming in ...?
Reviewed by:
LynnL9235 on:
2008-03-20
The wait is long and uncomfortable but once you get past that to the food trolleys, you're happy. It's tough to find stellar dim sum and Koi comes to darn close. ...?
Reviewed by:
cashmoney on:
2008-04-15
Oh my gosh this dish is soooo good. Just huge chunks of wok fried lobster over a bed of lo mein noodles. It was swimming in a light ginger/green onion sauce... I'm drooling thinking of it and would seriously love to go back to order a ...?
Reviewed by:
Foodielover on:
2008-06-14
service doesn't reflect the cost of the food, they still treat you as if you were in any ordinary Chinese restaurant. They do change your plate a couple of times but it's hard to flag down the attention of non-English speaking waiters who can't comprehend what you're asking for. ...?
Reviewed by:
foodielover on:
2008-06-14
The restaurant is huge and you definitely need reservations for dinner. The food is comprised of expensive and good if not high quality ingredients but is it reasonable to spend $388 for a banquet table that serves 10? I didn't feel the ...?
Reviewed by:
JBHIII on:
2008-08-25
to get the right dish or seated promptly (we waited 45 minutes despite having a reservation) but neither my low service expectations nor my high food expectations were met. Maybe I'd go back to try the dim sum but the Peking duck dinner certainly didn't live up to the hype of a ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2008-11-19
It's too barbaric to imagine, but it still happens. Fishermen catch a shark, slice off its fins, and then, cast it back into the water to die. This horrific practice is already prohibited in federal waters of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Carribbean, but sharks need more protection from finning and other threats.This industry also implores these nations to ban the cruel, wasteful and destructive practice of shark finning in local and international waters. This practice wastes 95-99% of the animal and makes proper management extremely difficult.?
Reviewed by:
EricLien on:
2009-01-03
If you have to get a number and wait, you are a 2nd class customer who would have to wait and wait. For a regular customer who passes tips first to the head waiter, you get seated ahead of those with numbers waiting. ...?
Reviewed by:
JamesH5473 on:
2009-02-16
- The service at this restaurant is abolutely unacceptable. If this place considers to be a high price, high class place, they need to do two major fixes before even considering to be a high ranked restaurant, especially here in the US.1. ...?
Reviewed by:
J W on:
2009-02-22
While the food is still generally good, quality is spotty compared with past dining. What is particularly disappointing is the terrible service and generally rude maitre'd / supervising service staff. Added to the hour-long wait for our ...?
Reviewed by:
2pickyaneater on:
2009-02-24
is not acutally in sf). lots of variety, and the quality matches and surpasses a lot of the places in hong kong. service can be intimdating to a non-chinese, and even to a chinese on occasion. ...?
Reviewed by:
BrianT777572 on:
2009-02-27
but definitely worth the wait. The food was amazing despite this being the fifth time i've been there. The service was adequate. One goes here for the great dim sum and not the service or decor. The Best in bay area if not the entire california. It's sister restaurant in ...?
Reviewed by:
sf1222 on:
2009-02-28
uncommonly pleasant interior. Many fried items so be sure to order dumplings and vegies if you are interested in a more healthy dim dum meal. Exceptional sweet dim sum offerings. ...?
Reviewed by:
ElaineL on:
2009-03-01
reason even the chinese people are willing to wait over an hour for dim sum - the food. you really can't beat Koi for dim sum. their har gow is big and juicy and they have all the traditional dim sum fare. a nice sweet surprise not to be missed are ...?
Reviewed by:
susanm0941 on:
2009-03-02
Get there early or be prepared to get a number and wait to be called outside in the parking lot. Huge selection of dim sum. Bring all your family and friends and you'll fit right in with the noise and fun. ...?
Reviewed by:
DemosthenesP1826 on:
2009-03-04
to China, go to Koi Palace. I've lived in the Bay Area all my life, but I've never been to a place that transports you to another continent like this place. Dining is an adventure because you'll taste food you've never tasted before. If you order liberally, you'll ...?
Reviewed by:
STY1400 on:
2009-03-06
lobby, long wait and poor service, the food especially their dim sum is quite decent. Their dinners particularly seafood are excellent but just don't expect too much service out of them. ...?
Reviewed by:
RachelS4169 on:
2009-03-09
The Shanghai dumplings and salt and pepper sea bass are stellar. For dinner, order a giant lobster cooked three ways. If you don't speak Cantonese, you won't get good service. Excruciating waits for dim sum. Better go early! ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2009-01-04
I am a picky eater, and when it comes to chinese food I am cautious! i came here with some co workers and the food was on point!?
Reviewed by:
LeonoraC6603 on:
2009-03-14
The wait can be long, especially on weekends. Be sure to phone in advance and add your name to the list. The service is fast pace, one comes here for the food, dim sum style. Comparable to the best dim sum places found in HK or Singapore. ...?
Reviewed by:
Melinda ChingA7150 on:
2009-03-16
as the waiting time is ridiculous. This place is not really worth the wait. The food, overall, is average, but not great. The service is very, very slow. Nice location, but average overall. ...?
Reviewed by:
WendyC2450 on:
2009-03-16
always adding special dishes throughout the year. However, the staff can be completely unhelpful at times and have a tendency to help those they know get a table causing your wait to be even longer. Even if you make reservations, be prepared to wait. ...?
Reviewed by:
CindyW7454 on:
2009-03-23
on the weekends, but this only means that they only serve the most quintessential dim sum in the city. Weekends are very hectic as it's on average a 30 minutes late before you get seated. But good thing is the dim sum carts fly by almost the second you ...?
Reviewed by:
HeatherL1832 on:
2009-03-26
in the bay area. They make some unique dishes that most dim sum restaurants don't have. The duck shread burrito is one of them. They have the best shanghai dumplings. Always a wait at this restaurant unless you get there when they open. ...?
Reviewed by:
GregT3930 on:
2009-03-28
Dim Sim, mass produced factory food pushed by Cranky old ladies,90 minute waits as this is the best of the worst,Would rather fly to Hong Kong Once a year than be tortured with this harsh+Unpleasant service. ...?
Reviewed by:
ydtsai on:
2009-04-24
We went to the restaurant with 4 adults and 1 toddler. I don't know where does the restaurant come up this rule: If you are over 5 people per table, you will be charged 15% tips(lunch) automatically. I am pretty sure ,it was not on the ...?
Reviewed by:
I love restaurants on:
2009-06-23
seafood. They have great chefs. Unfortunately, service was absolutely terrible. It seems to our party (of four) that they see only regular customers. They have two faces for regulars and non-regulars. It is a culture from the top management. ...?
Reviewed by:
SFTim67 on:
2009-07-14
was dim sum on a Sunday. Once we were seated, the carts started rolling right by. We were the only two white guys in the dining room at the time (albeit in the smaller, back dining room), but had no problem getting served. The shumai were fantastic and we had some ...?
Reviewed by:
A TripAdvisor Member on:
2009-09-21
we had to wait like for 1 hour and 30 minutes... i almost feel asleep... and when i finally started eating... i asked for a glass of water... and it came 10 minutes later... i think even longer. (bad service) but then that only thing i liked ...?
Reviewed by:
A TripAdvisor Member on:
2009-10-09
Been here a few times, and each time, the dim sum has been consistent. It's always very flavorful, and delicate, as it should be. The shark fin soup is delish. Go on a weekday to avoid the crowds, otherwise be prepared to wait at least ...?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2009-06-29
On June 27th, 2009, I brought my whole family of 7 to this Koi Palace at Daly City. I got the waiting number 13, and half an hour later the waiting number of 18 with party of 8 called for seating. I asked the reception lady why we were not called for seating, she explained that the table is bigger for 8 people. I don't why the table is bigger for 8 can't be big for 7????????????? I went there couple times of a year, but this time the food is just so so, but waiters' service was good so that they fill up the tea pot few times during our waiting for changes of the bill, but the changes never comes. They we give up for the changes but leave big % of tips. I believe the cashier's service is very BAD, hope was not that lady at the front.?
Reviewed by:
Anonymous on:
2009-12-02
Ok, just writing this review makes me want to go tomorrow. Koi Palace has very good food, and I always bring my friends here because they really try to impress specially when dim sum is served. Long, long, long lines though, that's why only a 4*.?
AVG:(3.7)
