By an extremely lucky coincidence, this weekend was Chinese New Year. Happy New Year everyone. This is also the weekend that we come to Canton House, one of Atlanta’s most prominent dim sum restaurants.
We went to Canton House with a group of friends to celebrate Chinese New Year by eating entirely too much dim sum. As with all chinese restaurants this weekend, the place was packed out. Fortunately for us, we timed it well enough to only have a 40 minute wait, which is pretty good for not having a reservation.
It was a crowded wait. There was a long line of people waiting to pay, a line of people waiting to be seated, and two streams of traffic – people trying to wend their way to the door to leave, and those trying to get to the desk to get on line to be seated. Whew.
I took the time to gaze at the chandelier in the foyer.
We got seated in the back, on a little elevated area.
Then we let the onslaught of dim sum begin!
Ribs, stuffed mushrooms, and baby squids.
Clams
Something delicious I don’t remember the name of… it had pork and shrimp in it.
Duck
Red bean buns in the back, custard buns in the front.
The inside of the sweet custard bun. (That’s paint on my fingers)
Radish cake – one of the traditional foods eaten at the New Year for good fortune.
Fried stuffed shrimp.
Lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice
Stuffed Eggplant… it had been out a little too long.
Some kind of sweet tofu soup.
Everything was so delicious. That eggplant dish was a little old and tired, but otherwise, it was all amazing. My favorites were the green thing I don’t recall the name of, the stuffed shrimp, the stuffed mushroom caps, and the radish cake.
At this point, we were pretty darn full! We snagged two of the dessert custards to share around the table, and called it a day. On the way out, I was better able to take some shots of the New Years decor and the regular decor.
The wall behind the elevated area where we sat had a lovely phoenix and dragon with flowers and clouds decorating it.
A lucky(?) dragon decoration.
In the foyer, they have two lovely citrus trees that seem to always be blooming or fruiting,
The hubs and I have been to the Canton House on several occasions before, and at various time of the week/day. Undoubtedly, the best time to come is when the restaurant is busiest. Since dim sum is pre-made and circulating the restaurant, it just make sense that you want to be there during a high-volume time, so the food turns over and what you get it freshest. These times are typically on the weekend, between noon and 3pm. Also, these are the times when there are the most dishes to choose from. (If you ask, the folks at the restaurant will tell you to come at these times for the best experience.)
There is a set menu, but I don’t think I have ever seen someone order from it. Canton House is known for the dim sum, and that is what most people come for.
On the off-hours, we have experienced diminished food selection and spotty service, but in the peak hours, the food variety was high and the service impeccable. The prices are also ridiculously affordable.
There are different price points for the different things you order, but they keep it simple – the dishes are marked as large or small and there is a set price for each type (I think it is $2 for small and $4 for large… I will double-check and update this post). Typically when we eat all we can eat, the bill comes out to about $10 a head. In honor of the holiday, we all went a little overboard and the final total was $15 a head before tip. Incredible prices.
We highly recommend the Canton House for a fun and tasty dim sum experience! 4.5 stars.
Canton House Restaurant
4825 Buford Highway NE
Chamblee, GA 30341
emily
Nerd. Foodie. Gamer. Homecook. Perpetual planner. Gardener. Aspiring homesteader. Direct response graphic designer. I use too many damn commas.
The green dumpling is a sui mai I think. I love them. Did you try the chicken feet or the tripe? They are both fantastic!
Hi Helen! I looked it up and yes, that green dumplings is sui mai or shumai. So tasty! Thanks for putting me on the right track with the name.
I have tried the chicken feet in the past (and tripe though not at Canton House), but it was during off-hours and I really had no idea what to expect. I had kind of written them off as one of those few things that some people eat but that aren’t for me, but I have been hearing more and more praise for chicken feet, or paws as they are sometimes called, as time goes on. So it may be time to give chicken feet another chance during peak hours! I’ll also give the tripe a shot on your recommendation – thanks!
As a slightly related aside, I recently learned that the chicken paw is the favorite part of the chicken for one of Perdue’s VPs, Carlos Ayala, in an interesting interview about them on Freakanomics: http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/12/09/the-economics-of-chicken-feet-and-other-parts/