Order har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), char siu bao (BBQ pork buns) and a pot of jasmine or pu-erh tea. That is the classic starting four: two steamed dumplings, one baked bun, and tea. It covers every texture dim sum does well and takes about ten minutes of courage to order. From there you can add freely.

This guide walks through what each dish actually is, how much to order per person, and what to skip until visit three.

The classic starting order

These four dishes appear on nearly every dim sum menu in the world, from Vancouver banquet halls to London tea rooms:

  • Har gow (虾饺): translucent shrimp dumplings in a thin, pleated wrapper. The benchmark dish. If a restaurant's har gow skin breaks or goes gummy, order accordingly.
  • Siu mai (烧卖): an open-faced pork and shrimp dumpling topped with roe or carrot. Savory, juicy, forgiving for beginners because there is no wrapper to fight with.
  • Char siu bao (叉烧包): fluffy white steamed buns filled with sweet BBQ pork. Also exists baked (bo lo bao style) at Cantonese bakeries.
  • Tea: jasmine for floral and light, pu-erh for earthy and rich, chrysanthemum for something caffeine-free adjacent. Tea is part of the meal; yum cha literally means "drink tea."

Two or three people can share those dishes plus one more steamer and be perfectly happy.

Dumplings worth adding on round two

Once the classics land, branch out:

  • Xiao long bao (soup dumplings): delicate wrappers around pork and a gelatin that melts into hot broth. Bite a small hole, sip, then eat. Nan Xiang in Flushing and Manhattan has built a devoted following on these.
  • Cheung fun (rice noodle rolls): silky steamed sheets rolled around shrimp, beef, or just scallions, dressed in sweet soy sauce. One of the gentlest dishes on any menu.
  • Wontons: boiled rather than steamed, usually in broth or over noodles.
  • Turnip cake (lo bak go): pan-fried discs of shredded radish and rice flour, crisp outside, soft inside.

Rice, noodles and bigger plates

Dim sum kitchens also cook larger shareable dishes when the table wants heft:

  • Lo mai gai: sticky rice with chicken, mushroom and sausage, wrapped in a lotus leaf. One order feeds several people.
  • Fried noodles or chow fun: wide rice noodles, usually with beef or seafood.
  • Congee: savory rice porridge, often with preserved egg and pork. Comforting and cheap.
  • Vegetable greens: gai lan or pea shoots with oyster sauce (vegetarians should ask for it on the side or omitted).

Dessert comes at the end

Save room, because dessert trolleys and menus are real:

  • Dan tat: egg custard tarts in flaky pastry, served warm when you are lucky.
  • Sesame balls (jiandui): chewy glutinous spheres rolled in sesame, filled with red bean paste.
  • Tofu fa: silky tofu pudding in ginger syrup.
  • Mango pudding: a chilled, colonial-era Hong Kong classic.

The adventurous column

Not required, but these are the dishes regulars argue about:

  • Phoenix claws (chicken feet): deep fried then braised in black bean sauce. Gelatinous, bony, genuinely good once you commit.
  • Beef tripe: honeycomb texture, ginger and curry notes.
  • Pig liver or blood curd: appears at old-school houses; skip without guilt if it is not your thing.

How much should you order?

A reliable rule of thumb: two to three small dishes per person, plus one extra for the table. A group of four orders roughly nine to eleven items, mixing steamed, fried, rice and one dessert. Carts keep coming, so pace yourself; you can always flag the next trolley.

If math helps, our guide on how much dim sum costs per person breaks down real bills at different tiers.

Three quick ordering tips

  1. Go with a group. Dim sum is engineered for sharing; solo visitors do better at bakery counters like Good Mong Kok in San Francisco.
  2. Say yes to the cart. When a server lifts a lid, look before you decline. Our guide to cart service explains how the stamp card system works.
  3. Relax about etiquette. Pour tea for others before yourself and tap two fingers to say thanks. The full rundown lives in our dim sum etiquette guide.

Ready to practice? Browse every city in our dim sum directory and find a table near you.