Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Chinese
Delivery
Take-out
Asian

Chinese vegetarian restaurant in Manhattan since the 2000s. Offers extensive menu of vegetarian/vegan versions of traditional dishes as well as dim sum items, priced per dish. Food appears to be mostly or all-vegan. Fried rice, steamed buns, fried rolls, different mock meats, pan-fried dumplings, and much more. Open Mon-Sun 10:30am-9:00pm.


Venue map for Vegetarian Dim Sum House
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71 Reviews

First Review by Poundie

Jarhead

Points +50

Vegan
20 Sep 2019

I now frequent this place because it's so good

I don't know why there are so many negative reviews on here. The staff was very friendly, but their English is limited. They told me everything on the menu is vegan, but you may want to ask just in case. They immediately serve you tea once you sit down, which I love. And the times I went the place was empty which is also really surprising.

The menu is huge, and if everything is vegan like they said, wow! What I do is order a few of the small dishes ($5) on the small menu and share it between people. You can feed two people to the point of being full for $15 which is super cheap for New York, especially vegan New York.

I really think more people should go here. It's now my favourite restaurant in NYC.

Some of my favourite dishes: sweet and salty dumplings, mashed taro treasure boxes, pan fried dumplings, mock roast pork buns.

Pros: Lots of vegan options (they told me all of it was), Tea! Quiet atmosphere, Very cheap (if you order off the small menu)

Cons: Underappreciated

IrisCredo

Points +74

Vegan
07 Jul 2019

Great flavors

Have always loved dim sum and it was a treat to find a place where I could eat most anything on the menu. Traditional dishes like "shrimp" (seitan) dumplings and "pork" buns, and other vegetable dishes. All tasty! Great location in heart of Chinatown.

Pros: Great variety, all tasty!, Affordably priced!

AndrewTasi

Points +46

Vegan
19 Mar 2019

Despite what they might say on the phone, they do NOT take reservations.

Don’t come here expecting anything approaching normal levels of service or politeness. I made a reservation over the phone, only to arrive the next day and be told they don’t take reservations and it’s walk-ins only. We ran into another party in the lobby that had been told the same thing.

It was a big disappointment. The food itself was decent.

lafuitedebarbara

Points +196

Vegan
18 Mar 2019

Feast yourself with little money!

Authentique food, delicious, cheap, abundant! Everything is great.

Ciad

Points +1520

Vegan
02 Mar 2019

Get Sum Dem Dim Sum

Stopped in for a couple things to take out. Got the Vegetarian Mock Shrimp Dumplings and the Turnip Cake. Ate it outside of the Harley Davidson locale. Excellent.

Pros: Friendly People, Good Prices

mum2nicky

Points +36

Vegetarian
16 Feb 2019

Come hungry and ready to feast

We ordered a lot because dim sum menus are usually very limited for non-meat/non-seafood eaters so we couldn't resist trying as many dishes as possible. Most everything was very delicious and there were 1 or 2 average dishes. The value is outstanding. So much food for the money compared to every other restaurant we visited. We'll definitely return on our future visits to NYC,

JackyMuñoz

Points +38

Vegan
28 Jan 2019

So flavorful!

Great tea, great service, great food all at a reasonable price in chinatown.

Mormor

Points +42

Vegan
04 Sep 2018

delicious

Great food. Humble and authentic place

Pros: big portions and yummy

Prufrock

Points +567

Vegan
23 Aug 2018

Good but...

The place is a typical Chinese restaurant located in the heart of Chinatown.
There is a huge variety of dishes, original Chinese recipes in their veg version. Unfortunately, the staff is not really helpful, and if you are not used to Chinese food it is difficult to pick up a dish.

You are given free hot tea with your meal.

Pros: Good price, perfect place for Chinese food lovers

Cons: The staff is a bit dismissive.

Astrid_Maine

Points +181

Vegan
10 Mar 2018

vegan options galore!

I do agree with the previous reviewer that items here can be hit or miss, but once you find something you like, it will be reliably tasty year after year. We love the shark fin soup, the Buddha rolls (made with tofu skin, yum!), the Chinese veggies (yesterday it was Gai Lan or Chinese broccoli.) Will return on our next trip to New York!

Pros: many vegan options

theevetree

Points +158

Vegan
03 Nov 2017

will go back for corn congee & snow pea dumpling!!

many vegan options available!! the items are hit & miss, but when you pick a good one, it is just incredible!! we just had dim sum there, no main dishes. server was great. the water they gave us tasted funny tho so we ordered tea. just to be safe, don't order water. it wasn't that impressive, but i will go back if i'm in the area.

Pros: big menu with lots of vegan options, snow pea dumpling & corn congee, friendly staff

Cons: the water didn't taste right, cash only (that's a con for me--i don't like to ca

esjay

Points +49

Vegetarian
10 Oct 2017

Disappointing

The egg rolls were average, Buddha's bean curd rolls were interesting, the curried vegetables were mediocre, and we finished with some terrible red bean cakes. Many of the juices were out of stock and the staff were not helpful. This is an interesting place where you can try many dishes that are not normally available as vegetarian, but could use some improvements in service and some refinement in flavoring.

Pros: A full menu of vegetarian options

Cons: Rude staff

yup

Points +112

Vegan
05 Dec 2016

Microwaved frozen food

I went here, delighted that I found a veggie dim sum place near my cousin's favorite dim sum place, and was extremely let down. Prices were high, portions were small, and everything was super salty. The pork buns I got were cracked on the top which only happens if you try to heat a frozen one uncovered in a microwave, instead of steaming them. The shrimp wrapped in rice noodle was the saltiest thing I've ever eaten, and there were two on the plate, each containing one faux shrimp and the saddest bit of cilantro. I think that plate cost $5? I only wish I could rate this one star, but happycow doesn't allow me to do so.

Pros: Veggie options

Cons: Salty, Expensive, Terrible

Simoon96

Points +38

Vegan
11 Sep 2016

An array of flavours

A calm and quiet escape from the bustling city. Extensive menu with a large array of vegetable, and mock meat dishes. Service was good, and the price was reasonable for the area. Good portion sizes, don't order more than 3 dim sum! Good but not the best

Pros: Extensive menu, Good for sharing

Cons: Mock shrimp balls - avoid

A.Z.P.

Points +623

Vegan
11 Sep 2016

GREAT... But Dissapointing

This place is owned by the same people who owned "House of Vegetarian" on Mott. St, which was my FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD. 2 weeks ago it closed for good and had a sign on the door directing us us to the Vegetarian Dim Sum house instead. We ate there twice and both times we were disappointed.

The "Steak kew" Gluten and Duck appetizers were as spectacular as ever and the hot and sweet steak Kews are probably still my favorite foods in the world. The sauces and textures are divine.

The Iron steak which is made out of deep fried yams with a tangy/unbelievable Chinese BBQ sauce , was still amazing, but the flavor of the sauce was slightly off and instead of the Al Dente Broccoli which always came with it, it came with bok choy, which does not go nearly as well with the tenderness of the "Iron Steak" or the powerful flavor of the sauce. The curry tofu (order it fried!) had a great sauce and was still the best tofu dish I've eaten in 34 years as a vegetarian, but the tofu was not cooked as well and lacked any crunch and there were less veggies in it. I would still highly recommend both, they just didn't quite live up to expectations.

While the flavor of the Hot and Sour soup was excellent, the soup itself was thoroughly displeasing as it was just a huge bowl of broth with no content except for crumb sized pieces of silken tofu in it. and the smallest soup was almost 6 bucks.

The biggest disappointment was definitely the dim sum. We tried two types: the shrimp and spinach. The shrimp was just a vege shrimp in a dumpling wrapper and was as bland and unimaginative as could be. The spinach had very little spinach in it and was mostly some kind of soft mush which most closely resembled soggy kasha. We both spit it out after one bite.

Overall, this place is probably the last link in the chain for those who loved the original Chinatown Vege Mainstays of Vegetarian Paradise I & III, and House of Vegetarian, so for those like myself who grew up eating there, it's a restaurant to be treasured, as they still make the same dishes, despite coming up just short of the greatness of its predecessors.

Next time we're in New York we'll definitely give this place another shot, considering that they make some of the most amazing flavors and dishes I've ever had, I;m hoping that cooking-wise they just had a few off nights.

Pros: Spicy & Sweet Gluten=Best food in the world, Huge menu filled with Delicious flavors, Quick Service

Cons: No Lunch special, No Dipping Sauces 4 appetziers

Johnnykt

Points +96

Vegan
03 Aug 2016

wow, what a disappointment!

Stopped in for lunch on a recent visit to NYC. Very sorry I did so. None o the food tasted very good... Just plain. Service was bad.. A bunch of young women in the middle of a Dinah room not doing much of anything. Menus did a really poor job of describing food. So very frustrated to have wasted the time and money there. Very much like a chinese restaurant where the primary language is Mandarin... Servers didn't speak English, menu descriptions weren't good in English. Wish I could recommend but I just can't.

raverz

Points +15

Vegetarian
01 Jun 2016

Decent vegetarian fare

Quite an extensive menu. Servers are very knowledgeable and helpful. Food was amazing although the interior is a little dated. Not sure if they take reservations but they do not have space for large parties.

If there's a party of 3-4, the appropriate amount would be 3 dishes as the servings are quite large. For 1-2 people, stick to the dimsum or the servings for a single person.

Reminded me of the vegetarian food I used to get back in Malaysia & Singapore.

Overall, a reasonable family dining experience. Will totally go back for more!

Pros: Good Food, Friendly staff, Large Portions

Cons: dated interior

danielmillr

Points +42

Vegan
20 Mar 2016

Go Here! (often)

When I'm not in NYC, I'm thinking about Vegetarian Dim Sum. When I'm in NYC, I'm thinking about Vegetarian Dim Sum. If I could, I would move next door and eat at this place every day.

Pros: huge menu, amazing dim sum, staff

Cons: dated interior

shineonyou

Points +853

Vegan
20 Feb 2016

Cash only, inexpensive

I have very little to add to the many other reviews, but I can't believe none of the other reviews seem to mention that it's CASH ONLY! Not a value judgement, we just would have saved a few minutes had we known beforehand.

The menu is huge and cheap. We ordered a ton of dim sum and small soups and it was still only $15 a person.

Cam

Points +2072

Vegetarian
31 Oct 2015

Lots of options

I'm always frustrated when I go to a dim sum restaurant: as a vegetarian you have basically no choices. So every time I'm in NY I go to this place: you can choose between 30 or so options. You're not sure what you will get but surprises are part of the experience. Dim Sum are 3 to 4$ for 3 or 4 pieces. Two people can eat for less than 20 dollars.
Service is fast but not friendly.
Updated from previous review on Saturday October 31, 2015

Pros: Cheap, Fast, Surprises

Cons: Surprises, Unfriendly service

pistol_pete

Points +261

Vegan
28 Oct 2015

Amazing

So worth the walk to get here. Amazing food, super cheap, super tasty. You get 3/4 dumplings for like $3/4. There were some weird items on the menu I avoided.

Pros: Affordable, Tasty, Lots of vegan options

Cons: Not 100% vegan, Some weird items on the menu

Oscar M

Points +199

Vegan
29 Sep 2014

Vegetarian dim sum

A lot of options. Food is alright.

Pros: Cheap

Michael Tait

Points +149

Vegetarian
09 Sep 2014

Good food, fast service

Enjoyed an evening meal Sept 7. Attentive waitress, nice meal

Pros: location, price, good food

cookiem

Points +5865

Vegan
24 Aug 2014

Veg dim sum and Chinese food!

This is a vegetarian institution in Chinatown, and the decor may be showing it. The dim sum is awesome and veg, so you can rest assured when you eat here that there is no pork lard, chicken broth or oyster sauce in or on anything. The menu is in 3 parts: specials, dim sum and the menu book.

On the specials list, the snow pea shoots and watercress dumplings are highly recommended green dough wrapped triangularly around snow pea leaves and shiitake mushrooms. On the dim sum list, consider items like the taro, rice rolls with kale, rice rolls with crueller, sticky rice in lotus leaf, turnip cake, and the steamed fake BBQ pork buns. Delectable vegan yum!

For the main menu, it is divided into sections like mock meats, tofu, mushrooms, noodles and rice dishes. They also have traditional congee! My favorite dishes are probably the noodles dishes- pan fried, thin rice or thicker rice noodles. There is also a pumpkin and beef and bell pepper dish. The mushrooms do a delicious job of flavoring the choy.

The staff are very friendly and attentive, kindly answering your questions. Sometimes, it can be hard to get the staff attention. On the more than a dozen- two dozen times I have been here, the staff is always running around.

Great food that is affordable!

Pros: Vegan dim sum, Vegan noodles, Mushrooms and tofu

Cons: Cash only, Decor

binjones

Points +87

Vegan
08 Mar 2014

wow great dim sum

While it took a but of time to find, the good was excellent!
Staff had limited English comprehension but servers was really decent

Pros: options

slo0go

Points +1884

Vegan
02 Feb 2014

Best vegan roast pork buns

I grew up as a meat-eater in Flushing. I basically grew up on dim sum, and I loved roast pork buns. When I became vegan, I went to Buddha Bodhai in Flushing and in Chinatown. Their dim sum is pretty good, but their roast pork buns cannot compare to Vegetarian Dim Sum House. The rice rolls are great, and I also enjoy the treasure balls, which are like constituted potatoes mashed into balls and fried. Put some hot oil sauce on there and bam! Delicious. The only downside is the restaurant is cash only!

Pros: Vegan roast pork buns, Vegan dim sum, Dim sum all day everyday

Cons: Cash only

sirhin

Points +161

Vegetarian
28 Dec 2013

Great Variety of Vegetarian Dim Sum

I love dim sum. I wasn't always vegetarian and I remember I would scarf down everything at a dim sum place, but that changed once my diet changed. In Houston, we only have a place that sells a limited amount of vegetarian dim sum items (maybe around 5-7), so coming to this place (smack dab in the middle of NYC's Chinatown) that boasted a fairly extensive dim sum menu.. I was in heaven! The only thing missing were the rolling carts that can be seen at those get-the-full-experience dim sum houses and a larger dim sum dessert menu, but the place was packed, as per usual at dim sum houses. Note: the English translations of the items were odd so I stuck with the Chinese.

It's a normal Asian place. The service is decent and the bare minimum (they seat you, take your order, and you're left to your own devices until it's time to pay), the cleanliness is passable, and the food greasy (it's DIM SUM - it's not healthy and it's not meant to be eaten regularly, so even though I tend to go towards healthy food, this is my Asian comfort food). We ended up choosing 7 items for two people with a pot of tea, which came as soon as we sat down. The tea is necessary to digest the oils in the food. It also turns out that from what we could tell (we also asked), a good majority of the dim sum items are onion and garlic free. Score!

We ate it and we soon found ourselves full with a little less than half leftover and ready to be taken out for that day's dinner. It was cheap and enough for an entire day's meals for two people! All I have to say is where are the egg tarts?? Other than that, this place is a winner. Don't expect spotless conditions or perfect service. You're in Chinatown and the food is enough. They do have another regular Chinese menu, but I was there for the dim sum so I ignored that.

New York, you're spoiled! NOTE: For vegans, dim sum (and Asian food in general) is primarily vegan. The only thing you might need to worry about are the desserts and items with eggs, but from what I could tell, it is largely vegan.

Pros: large variety of food, delicious

Cons: needs to come to Houston

yup

05 Dec 2016

dim sum at basically any place that doesn't explicitly say that they're veggie friendly is most definitely not primarily vegan. my cousin is all about dim sum, and the omni place we went to satisfy her dim sum cravings only had two things that were vegan: a steamed vegetable, and a sweet silken tofu dessert. all of the savory dishes except for that one vegetable contained some form of meat, and many of the desserts had egg.




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