I've had better, much better... 1 star for the fact they were open on Thanksgiving. 1 star for having beer and serving the food fast and very hot. That's my 2 star's worth. Why I won't go back and don't recommend? The food is so-so. It's not horrible, it's just not good. A lot of salt and no flavor. We had a spicy chicken dish and a citrus beef dish. I believe the chicken was suppose to be General Tao's chicken and it was not spicy. I think everything is spicy, so that should say a lot. The citrus beef was citrusy it was just tough and heavily breaded. The low mien was good and so was the rice. We also had the calamari, which was very chewy. The sauce that comes with it was awesome (that was the only good thing). We also had some egg rolls (one of my favorites usually) and I had to spit out the only bite I took. Disgusting. We actually got our food to go, but let me tell you why I would never dine there: the floors in the dining room. They NEED a deep cleaning (or just a cleaning), as they are so dirty. You can see the heavy traffic areas and compared to the low traffic areas it's pretty gross. From working in restaurants there is one thing I know: behind the scenes is ALWAYS dirtier than what the customer is allowed to see. I will leave it at that. I would not recommend this place. I'm sure there are worse places...but this is a no for me. From reading older reviews it sounds like they lost a great chef some time ago and it is showing. I like to see places succeed, so I hope this place finds its grove again.
(2)
Mina A.
Not bad for a dim sum place in Kansas City. They have most of the item that is essential to a dim sum place. They use the carts to serve the dim sum and they come around and around many times so you dont have to wait or chase the waiter down. Over all the food is pretty good.
(4)
Mian W.
The food quality has gone downhill while the service is still as bad as before. ä¸€æ— æ˜¯å¤„ã€‚ When I moved to Kansas 3 years ago, I tried both Boling and this place. Pine and Bamboo was certainly the better choice in terms of their food taste despite the poker face receptionists and cashiers. Probably started about a year ago, I found that Pine and Bamboo has been constantly disappointing me. I know they still get plenty of visits but it does not mean they are as good as they used to be. It is simply because there are very limited options for Dim Sum in Kansas City and little competition results in no improvement in quality and service. They just don't give a $!*t.
(1)
Bobbi T.
For awhile this was my favorite place to go to for dim sum. The service was terrible but the food made up for it. The spicy wontons, sharkfin dumplings, peking duck and eggplant in hot pot were AMAZING!!! During our last visit, we had ordered what we normally ordered but nothing tasted right. We were beyond disappointed. It was almost like a whole new experience. The sauce for the spicy wontons was borderline gross. The buns for our peking duck were dry and falling apart. We ordered extra buns because we usually love it, fortunately they took it back and removed it from the bill. I had heard that the old chef left and took the recipes with them. Can someone please let me know when the food goes back to normal??
(3)
Linda P.
Food is closer to 4 star. Service was ok which was 3 therefore I say overall 3.5 star. A friend recommended this place and although the food was decent the reason for the drop in stars was service and selections. Almost everything we wanted we were seated so far back it seemed like we got last pickings. A group of 7 people we waited for table and they kept asking if our whole group was present since they won't seat us until we all were inside. For all of us to be sitting in seating area and our names called I don't see why we were asked again for our whole party to be present. Can't you see all of us getting up and filling up the whole wait area? Regarding the food I never got my favorite deep fried taro since they kept saying its coming and although we ate for over an hr I never saw it come out. Had to order chicken feet and greens for friends through waiter. Chive dumpling didn't taste same as other places but was ok. Tofu fa was good but cold. While waiting for carts to come back after their first round (3 carts in row) I kept waving and for some reason if I didn't scream out I was watching the cart leave our area still hungry. Small parking lot so carpool or hope to find a parking spot.
(3)
Joanna M.
This review is only based on pine & bamboo's dim sum menu. First of all, thanks pine & bamboo for being one of the only establishments in the KCMO metropolitan area to serve legit HK style dim sum. Coming from the Bay Area, I crave dim sum on the regular and constantly miss me some buns, rice soup, dumplings... I try to come here at least once a month and I absolutely love introducing friends to the culinary tour that is "the dim sum/brunch experience". My favorites here are the rice soup, curried squid, seafood dumplings, and pan fried green onion dumplings. I ordered the beef tendons and innards once and found them to be overly chewy and difficult to eat. Though I love chicken feet and siu mai usually, I also don't find them to be extraordinary at this establishment. The chicken feet are a bit soggy and the siu mai sort of taste like big globs of fat. The wait staff are usually available and attentive. It can be quite crowded around the brunch hour on the weekends so prepare for a bit of a wait. If you can come a little later at lunch time (say a bit after 1), the wait isn't too bad.
(4)
Daniel H.
The GPS on my phone navigated me correctly to this restaurant. The reason I say that was because there was a road adjacent to Shawnee Mission Pkwy. There was additional parking in the back but I found a spot in the front. We had probably 14 people and we all managed to fit at a huge round table with a lazy susan that was overloaded by the amount of food we ordered. This place had a lunch menu I believe or you can go dim sum style where you can pick what you want from the multiple carts roaming around. We also ordered 3 different kinds of tea: black, jasmine, and chrysanthemum. I seriously can't remember what we ordered from the carts but whatever I ate was delicious! I haven't had dim sum for such a long time when I used to live in California. It was pretty busy around 12pm on a Saturday. Of course, our group came when they opened on Saturday which was at 11am. Good place for some dim sum!
(4)
Casey W.
- overall rating: 3.5 - I wouldn't say that it was comparable with NYC dim sum but for Kansas City I was pleasantly surprised - recommend: shrimp rice noodle roll, egg custard bun - several of the items were soggy - the black pepper short ribs were lackin
(3)
Caroline L.
Again, I've been lagging like crazy in writing my review for this place. Especially considering the first time I was here was back in September 2012 when my parents first visited. Then we returned about a month ago, again because my parents were visiting. Our first visit here was on a Saturday for brunch and dim sum. There were 8 of us and were able to seat us almost immediately (which, by the way is something that never happens back in LA, especially on a Saturday morning). Service was quite prompt...well that is until it got busy, since we had arrived just as they had opened. Our first visit was excellent, definitely on par or even better (according to my father) than what is available in Los Angeles - which just so you know, is saying a great deal. Everything was excellently flavored and well cooked, in two words - simply delicious. Then about 6 months or so later, we returned on a Friday for lunch. Somehow something had changed and the food was not as good. Everything we ordered was off the menu and not dim sum. The overall feeling that everyone had was that it could have been better. Overall, the feeling that I get is they do an excellent job with the dim sum, but a somewhat mediocre one with their regular menu. Based on my first experience here, I'll definitely come back again for another try.
(3)
Mackenzie C.
This is my favorite restaurant of its kind in the area. The service is good, but the food is amazing. The staff will get to know you and remember you each time you come in. It's a little but pricey, but worth it. Parking can be an issue, but there is a lot behind the building that usually has spots. The crab rangoon is the perfect balance of filling and shell, and the triple delight is phenomenal.
(5)
Nolan Z.
So far, the best dim sum I've found in the Kansas city area. Most dishes are well made, though whether a dish is excellent or not is purely subjective. The food carts come around fairly quickly, though sometimes they seem to not notice when your entire table is covered with uneaten food, and try to offer you even more food. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just something I noticed. Since it's dim sum, don't expect the bill to come out at rock bottom prices; expect around $15-20 a person if you're hungry, or $10-12 if you're not. The wait times are fairly short. Parking is kind of an issue, and though there is a parking lot in the back, it can fill up quickly.
(4)
Ashery G.
I recently moved to the area from California and wanted to try out some local food. Came here for lunch today since this place has decent reviews. I tried out the Kung Pao chicken, ginger chicken, pork buns, and shiu mai. All entrees were way too salty. I couldn't taste anything but salt. The fried rice was flavorles and might as well have been steamed rice. The rangoon and eggrolls were made with wrappers that were so thick, I felt like I was eating jerky. The pork buns were obviously frozen (still soggy) and heated just prior. The shiu mai were awful and had a rancid shrimp flavor. Prices were about $7.95 for lunch special and $3.75 for each dim sum dish.
(1)
Mikael D.
My wife and I went here last week and they barely have any DIMSUM at all! It was so much better here three years ago! The lady with the cart had her hair down and looked pretty unsanitary as she came to our table. Very disappointed. A trip well wasted.
(2)
Alisa S.
I remember the first time I came here was a few years ago and the service wasn't that great. But now, I feel like the service has greatly improved. The spicy wonton is really good. I also think they have the best sharkfin dumplings. We had the crispy peking duck on our last visit which was very tasty, too.
(4)
Rob M.
This is out of my neighborhood, but I was in the area and decided to check it out for dinner. I know it's famous for its weekend dim sum, but thought I'd see what their other food is like. The menu is mostly American or Americanized favorites, but the last two pages of the menu binder consists of another menu of more "authentic" dishes. I ordered a couple of their chicken spring rolls and, from the "authentic" menu, the steamed shrimp-stuffed tofu. The spring rolls were delicious, with very crunchy and flaky wrapping. The shrimp-tofu dish consisted of squares of snowy white silken tofu into which a shrimp had been pressed, then steamed together and finally topped with lobster sauce. Very mild, in the Cantonese style, but delicious. Service was friendly and the efficient and prices were reasonable, except for the extra charge for the pot of tea (usually complimentary at most Chinese restaurants). I'll return to check out the dim sum. I could see some of the dishes being brought to a large party at a neighboring table and everything looked good! Further reports after the next visits!
(4)
Stephen H.
Introduced a new friend to her first dim sum and we had, as I've come to expect, a good time. They are open for cart-service dim sum Saturdays and Sundays, and they have made-to-order service all the other times. There were some incredibly misbehaved children during our visit, but the staff handled it well, and it wasn't the restaurant's fault.
(4)
Fred L.
I have been coming to pine and bamboo for almost 20 years. Was taken here by my dad's friend we live in leawood, he lived in Shawnee said you have to try my place. I loved the Shrimp Toast on the first visit, and Sesame chicken the guy was right best I have ever had. We proceeded to come back all the time to get shrimp toast and sesame chicken. We brought many friends and relatives to eat. My cousin loves it is his favorite. He loves the Peking Duck, sesame chicken with Fresh Mushrooms, Soft Shell Crab, Pork Loin, Spicy Salt, I also love the beef with mushrooms and brown sauce, the Beef Chow fun, we learned about in New York and we came back, Anton told us he had it, Its great. Everything they have is spectacular, they do the most amazing sauces no other chinese place is like this place. I have been to ones in New York, and Las Vegas that are not even close to as good. No one can match the sauces here. Especially the sesame chicken sauce, peking sauce, and many others. Peking Shrimp, Peking Scallops are all amazing. Also Sesame Shrimp. Soft Shell crabs are outstanding. Love the shrimp toast used to have friends that loved it and wanted to drive over there just to get shrimp toast its a delicacy. Anton is a super great guy and this place is the best chinese food around. Ill put up there food against some top china town places in New York and fancy places in Las vegas
(5)
Marcie T.
We had lunch here and it was just okay. The fried rice and egg rolls seemed old. Probably won't go back. This used to be my favorite many years back, bummer!
(3)
Patti K.
Very good! Wish we had made it earlier and been able to get some dim sum, but the dishes were great! I had ginger basil beef & my husband had his favorite sesame chicken, both were well proportioned, had plenty of sauce & elaborate flavors! The ginger basil beef had great vegetables with it, not the usual mixes veggies! We will be ordering to pick up, since this is so close to our home - look forward to writing more reviews for Pine & Bamboo!
(4)
Michael T.
The dim sum was the selling point for me. I got a steamed bbq pork bun and it was excellent! The General Tsao's chicken was pretty good quality but the menu was pretty generic for American Chinese food. Very affordable and a good lunch spot.
(4)
Grady G.
This restaurant is deceivingly spacious. The food was very good. My friend and I ordered their crab rangoon, which btw was fantastic. The cream cheese was not coagulated nor was it reheated. It was fresh, creamy and a good garlic kick to it. We ordered the crispy shrimp and the general tso's chicken. The shrimp was lightly breaded and not bad but the dipping sauce was delicious. The general tso's chicken was the best I've had in a long while. You get a good portion of good white meat, very tender (and I'm picky about white meat because I usually pick up on the dryness immediately). The chicken sauce was wonderful, subtle but flavorful. The only little drawback was getting to and around the place. The outer road was a little confusing and the parking was a little inadequate...BUT that's very very minute. I'd go back there any day, and this time try out something different and also order from the bar. ;)
(4)
Desiree D.
Excellent! I just wish there was more parking available. It's so cute and you won't go home hungry and the menu is huge! You can order something new all the time. Fair pricing can't go wrong
(5)
Karen L.
I have to say that I was SHELL SHOCKED when I saw the dim sum at this restaurant. REAL dim sum in Kansas City, MO?! I was infinitely happy. The dim sum here is legit! All of my favorites were present and actually tasted right. I've been to Bo Ling's in Kansas City in a desperate search for dim sum and it's OK - but not what I'm used to (I'm from socal). Bo Ling's is definitely subpar compared to dim sum here as far as I'm concerned. Pine and Bamboo Garden even has the spicy chili oil on the table and ready to go. I posted a bunch of pictures of most of the stuff we ordered. I'm Korean so I don't know the real names of everything in Chinese. I usually just point and say "that one!" for my lack of Chinese. So take a look at the photos if you want an idea of what it looks like. :)
(5)
Lawrence N.
I'm a new resident and was recommended by a friend. I arrived late on a weekday for dinner and the place was pretty quiet. After thumbing through the entire menu and reaching the back, I finally found the more authentic Chinese cuisine items I originally came here for. I ordered the Salt Pepper Pork Loin, my typical go-to dish for authentic Cantonese fair. While not the best I've ever had, it definitely didn't disappoint. The service was excellent, punctual, attentive, but not overbearing. I've been recommended by two friends to try the Dim Sum on the weekend.
(4)
Joi B.
Seeking a meal of Chinese Delicious Foods, we just so happened to be close enough to finally try Pine and Bamboo Garden, which I've been hearing nothing but great things about. Let us first venture past its demure strip mall exterior and we'll find a surprisingly pleasant interior that lends itself well to all kinds of occasions. Classic decor. Love all the little Asian tchatchkes (is there a correct spelling for that word?) and Chinese furniture. In addition, they've done the place up so that it's not a bunch of stores put together; rather they section it off with angles so that it seems there are more intimate dining rooms. Clever! But I suspect you care more about the food. Look at that star rating! Yelpers don't lie. You're not going to get much hype here and that's how it should be. I'll be honest and say there are better vegetarian options elsewhere. I was told that nothing on the "authentic" menu was meatless and then our *extremely friendly* waiter (read on) pointed to the diet menu where everything was steamed. LOL- if I wanted steamed vegetables, I would have made 'em at home, pal. OK, so that's not really true. I never steam more than one variety of vegetables at a time. I do appreciate going to a Chinese restaurant and getting a steam basket. Which is what I did this evening. I had them add tofu to the mix, white sauce on the side. I made no specifications on the vegetables but was happy to find that bell peppers were not in the mix. Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, broccoli, summer squash, straw mushrooms, cauliflower, chinese cabbage and snow peas *are* in the mix. Add a bit of sauce, rather than drown it, drizzle on the hot chilis and I'm in heaven (though it would have been nice if the tofu wasn't silken. Not crazy about that texture, which does not hold up to steaming). Next time, however, I'll push it and get some kind of specialty dish that I just *know* is lurking around back there. Now, onto our waiter. Not sure if it was intentional, but he made me feel like a rock star. I think he may have wanted to sit down and join our table, because I might have shared just about as much conversation with him as I have with recent dining companions, so... while this isn't always desired, it's a nice change of pace. Rock on, Pine and Bamboo Garden. Your spring rolls may be a snooze fest and let's be real, steamed veggies isn't what I can really judge you by, but I dig you and hope to return for dim sum (dare I hope that they have something for me on there? Call ahead first? I'll let you know!)
(3)
sharon s.
Our go to spot for dim sum (mind you. We only have like 2 choices here). You can't really go wrong with anything here though!
(4)
Jonathan L.
I usually only come here for the dim sum. Hands down, one of the best places. If you're looking for authentic Chinese food to try, this is it. Only thing I can say is it gets a little crazy when the rush comes in. Once the rush starts, it's pretty hard to get a hold of the push carts to come with some food. Food is worth every dime, though.
(4)
Austin S.
3 stars Long story short: not a bad place to get dim sum. I guess for Kansas City standards, it passes muster. Long story long: I had heard from a family I know that lives out here that there were a couple of places to get some decent dim sum. Being from LA, and the San Gabriel Valley no less, going to a place to get some good dim sum was not very hard. There were several places my friends and I would go to. However, I knew when moving out here to Kansas City, being able to find good dim sum (along with Asian food in general) was going to be a somewhat difficult task. The 2 places I was told about was this place and Bo Ling's. I was told Bo Ling's has a little bit better dim sum, but is more expensive. I decided to go with P&B. I got a couple of my classmates together, including one who is an international student from Hong Kong, so if there was anybody to appropriately rate the dim sum, it would be her. I actually tried this place once before as "reconnaissance" because this place is not even a block away from my chiropractor. That time, I got the fried rice, which was just ok. It was doused in soy sauce, which is not my favorite way to have it. They actually only serve dim sum on the weekends, so when my friends and I found a mutual day to go, we got pretty excited. We got there and were taken towards the back. The place wasn't entirely full, but there were definitely a good number of people there. Once seated, we ordered some tea and got started. It was nice to see people coming around the tables with the dim sum carts, which is what I'm used to. Though, side note... I've heard that the carts aren't a "traditional" thing. Well, I could be wrong, but it just came to mind as I was talking about the carts. We started with a lot of the dim sum favorites: shumai, har gow, braised chicken feet (at least for me anyway), and a bunch of other things that I don't know the name of. Oh, we also got turnip cakes, which are actually made with glutinous flour and sliced and pan fried, then served with a drizzle of soy sauce, is actually one of my favorites. We also got braised pork short ribs with black bean sauce. All in all, we got probably 10 or 12 different dishes, which me and my friend really had no problem trying, however our other 2 friends (who coincidentally are White) were a little hesitant to try a few of the dishes. For the most part, everything was pretty good. I didn't come across anything that wasn't the slightest unpleasant. When all was said and done, our bill ended up being about $10 per person, which is about what you should expect with dim sum. Service was pleasant and our waters were never empty. The only thing that kind of concerned me was the fact that the individuals pushing the carts were not Asian. I guess that's just something I'm going to have to readjust myself to. Would I come back? I'm not dying to, but I probably would.
(3)
Lisa L.
This is my favorite Chinese Restaurant!! I have been coming here back in the mid 90's when they used to be a one room little restaurant. The Crab Rangoon is the best I have ever had and the staff are alway nice. I usually get the Beef and Green Pepper....Nom Nom Nom LOVE IT
(5)
Deana W.
I am a huge Dim Sum fan. Just like a kid in a candy store, all the choices can be so overwhelming! But, much like the candy store, it is wonderfully overwhelming! The Chinese have perfected the buffet concept for couch potatoes. The feast comes to you. There is a constant flow of food carts that move from table to table, packed full of shiny, metal serving dishes with delectable treats. Savory and sweet. You are only charged for what you select. Sample away. In my vast experience with Dim Sum (Bo Lings), Pine and Bamboo prepares the standard options: spring rolls, dumplings, sticky rice, while also offering some exotic delicacies (chicken feet, stomach, tripe). My favorite was the Spicy Won Tons. Make sure to request extra sauce; you will want to dip everything in it. Maybe even your table mate, but maybe that's just me. I'm just sayin', it's divine. Keep my suggestion in mind though. Perhaps "take out" would be a better venue for that adventure. It's a very "family" atmosphere! I also got a kick out of the rock sugar for my hot tea. Fun! That is what Dim Sum is, and Pine and Bamboo sets out a fine feast fit for any Emperor, or just little ol' me.
(4)
Judy L.
worst restaurant I have ever seen, they slide my card twice for no reason, when I called them, they hang up. This is a kind of report, I hope can help others, do not choose this restaurant unless you are a Masochism
(1)
Kim N.
I love Pine and Bamboo Garden and I had forgotten how much I loved it. When we used to live in North O.P and I worked in Merriam I would eat here several times a week. Then we moved to the southwest and I work in south Olathe now, it is to far to go for a lunch break. However a friend that lives literally right behind Pine and Bamboo asked to meet me there for dinner last night. I said of course I will be there. In the past I would order the spring rolls, dumplings, beef and broccoli, egg foo young, etc. My friend being Asian wanted to order for us off the back pages, so he picked the Pork Belly Hot Pot and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce. Sounded good to me. He let me pick the app and I ordered the Shrimp Toast. 5 stars alone for the Shrimp Toast. Our waitress was superb. She made sure there was no dairy in any of the dishes and kept our glasses full. The Hot Pot came out and there were huge chunks of pork belly, onions and kimchi. I had never had kimchi and was a little anxious on how it would taste. I loved it. I will be going back more often now and ordering off the back menu.
(4)
Ben M.
This is my girlfriends and my second visit here and it won't be our last. This is the type of place you skip breakfast for so you can binge on the dim sum. And when I say binge I mean binge. Plan on unbuttoning your pants and being chubs for a while. This place is so good you won't want to stop eating. I've had nothing but good/great food here. I don't think there's a better dim sum restaurant in the Kansas City area. I am partial to the chicken feet & beef stomach.
(5)
Stephanie P.
I have been going here for over 20 years now. I now come (at very least) once a week! The food is outstanding and the service is second to none. Wether you like the Cantonese menu or the more traditional dim-sum, try it all. You won't be disappointed.
(5)
John W.
Really straight forward dim sum place during the weekend. Offer most of the traditional dim sum dishes, including shrimp dumplings (har gow), shumai, steamed pork ribs, braised chicken feet, steamed rice rolls, Cantonese porridge. The day we went in just over 11:00am right after the opening hour. The shrimp dumplings served still have frozen taste. The steamed pork ribs were slightly under cooked. Chicken feet were above average quality. Pu-erh Tea was real decent water is not too warm or cold and not too strong with good quality rock sugar. Shumai tasted like frozen too long, and kind of dry. Baked BBQ Pork Pastry was baked just right and fillings are above average quality. Overall food quality was all right for its price. Expect ~$10-$15 per person. Excellent services, and staff members are quick to response and polite. Will go next time.
(3)
Mnason M.
I was impressed. I'm pretty picky on Asian cuisine. Good service and food. I ordered the King Crab Rangoon and Peking Scallops. The rangoon didn't have much king crab that's for sure, but I wasn't expecting that for $6 rangoon . It was good though. The scallops were cooked perfect and had a very thin layer on batter that was tasty but not overpowering. I like water chestnuts so I was happy to see a lot of them. Broccoli wasn't bad either. My biggest complaint was the sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste and thought it should have had more of a spicy kick. My wife and I plan to return for Sunday Dim Sum to see what everyone is raving about. * Good service! Most Asian restaurants don't focus on good service * Good food * The Peking Scallops' sauce was a bit too sweet for me but otherwise enjoyable * I want to return to experience Dim Sum
(4)
Igor C.
Best Dim Sum in KC. More variety and better service than any other place I've been in KC. Not quite as much selection as some places in Chicago but still very good.
(5)
Jay M.
Good but not great is my 'first impression'. I will absolutely return but I would have liked to see some other/more vegetables in my lunch order besides 3 canned peas. Right now, I feel like I am slipping into a MSG comma.
(3)
Ivan W.
First trip here. Early for dinner, seated by the kitchen. Hot and Sour Soup was dominated by black pepper, spring rolls cold and greasy. Egg plant and pork hotpot was great! Great texture and flavor in the Egg plant. Staff was nice. Will have to come back for the Dim Sum.
(2)
Jordan B.
Delicious. Food is always fresh except for a few soggy egg rolls here and there. This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Kansas and 2nd favorite in KC. The egg drop soup is divine! Cashew chicken is not fried and is very tasty.
(5)
Andy M.
Stopped in on a Friday afternoon for some dim sum. It is not world-class, but it is pretty decent. I was expecting ladies pushing around carts, but I guess they really don't do that kind of lunch business. Instead, you order off a picture menu of about 24 items. The sheet looked like those pre-printed sushi placemats you find in Japanese restaurants, and what we got was pretty true to the pictures. Our favorite dim sum item was the fried taro stuffed with pork. It was a prefect blend of textures and flavors. Of the five items we tried, the rest ran the gamut from unappealing (riblets) to tasty with mustard (shrimp dumplings). We also shared a sizzling rice soup, which tasted fine, but I've had better in Lincoln. The rice needed to be crisped a bit more for a true sizzle. We did not try any sweet "dessert" dim sum because they were out of the coconut jelly we tried to order. Overall, I admire what these guys are trying to do, and it is more authentic Chinese than Chinese-American, unlike most places I end up trying when I travel. Definitely worth it if you are nearby. Very reasonably priced, too. There are no prices on the dim sum menu, but no plate was over $3. Got out of there for under $15/person and had too much food for two people.
(3)
Robin M.
Visiting from Denver, I wanted to introduce my three friends to dim sum, a meal they had never eaten. Thanks to Yelp, we found the lovely Pine and Bamboo Garden. Rather than sterile rows of seating, the booths and tables are artfully placed, intermixing round and rectangular, using interesting angles, and creating a sense both of community and privacy. The fittings and colors are lovely and tasteful. It was a most pleasant environment for enjoying a meal. The vast majority of the other patrons were Chinese, always a good sign of the restaurant's qualify. And now, to the food: We had sweet and spicy wontons, stuffed bean curd skin, pork spare ribs (not like the regular Chinese appetizer of sweet red spare ribs but small chunks of meat with bone in a thin black-bean sauce), beef balls with a base of bean curd skin, sticky fried rice, leek dumplings (these leeks are an Asian plant somewhere between leek and chive, about the thickness of scallion tops and absolutely delicious to me), another sort of little wonton-like dumpling served in liquid and filled with a mix of seafood and pork, sticky rice stuffed with sausage and other savory meats and wrapped in bamboo leaves, rice crepes filled with shrimp and topped with a brown sauce, a firm and tasty mango pudding with milk, coconut balls, and egg custard tarts. Whew, quite a feast for four! Everything was tasty and beautifully presented, as dim sum should be. Of course we had a few leftovers, but not many -- and dim sum is good cold too! We were very glad to discover Pine and Bamboo Garden and hope to try their regular menu in the future.
(4)
Daryl P.
We ordered Lemon Chicken and Mu Shu Chicken and both were great. Also tried the Crab Rangoon and they were good. Looking forward to a dine-in experience so we can try their Dim Sum.
(4)
Eliza C.
Very, very good dim sum! I only wish they had a few more dishes. I prefer the quality and price of the dim sum at Pine and Bamboo over Bo Lings, but Bo Lings DOES have more variety in their offerings (they are pricier though). The other good thing about Pine and Bamboo is that you can order dim sum from a menu any weekday from 11am to 3pm. I have done this several times. (Why wait 'til the weekend?!)
(4)
Julia C.
YUM. This place is probably the place to go if you want some authentic tasting dim sum. I love coming here. But as some of you have read, there's usually a long line. Upon talking with the manager/bosslady (?) I managed to get some good tips. 1. Arrive early, ie right when it opens, that's where you'll have the least amount of wait. 2. Saturday dim sum is a lot less crowded than Sunday dim sum. 3. Smaller parties are easier to sit than larger parties. I find that dim sum is more conducive to groups of 4 or so anyway (since each plate has usually like 4 items). I learned these lessons the hard way when I arrived at Sunday noon after Easter. yeah, it was a long wait. And it was just two of us. The food was worth it though. The delectable little plates with platters of steaming hot food. Seafood! Pork buns! Spare ribs! Shu Mai!
(4)
Dea L.
OK, so you want dim sum? Then you HAVE TO come here. Just read the reviews below - I agree with 99% of them. But let's talk about the regular menu. You know, the "back of the menu" Chinese food. Not the Americanized version of what people think is Chinese food. Like Crab Rangoon. Try ordering that in Asia and they'll look at you like you've got 3 eyes. But order fried marinated pork stomach, and you're good to go. It's an acquired taste, but if you can get past what it IS, then it's really good. It has the consistency of thick crispy chicken skin and comes with a bowl of sweet & sour dipping sauce (but we prefer the hot mustard). The cold jellyfish is awesome, too - "pickled" and crunchy. It's a fun dish, actually. For main courses, you should try one of the hot pots. We've had the eggplant & pork, which is served in a delicious brown sauce. Hubby has also had the pork belly with preserved vegetable, and the beef brisket hot pot. We've not been disappointed with any of them. Their crispy tofu in spicy salt is wonderful. Crispy & salty on the outside, and soft & yummy on the inside. We've also ordered the squid - both the crispy with spicy salt, and in black bean sauce. I can't pick a favorite between the two! Another favorite dish is the chicken and salted fish fried rice. It's salty, but, well... it's supposed to be! The fish is cut up small enough so it's not overpowering but enough to season the whole dish. They also make it with shrimp & salty fish, which is just as good. And if you get a late night craving, Thursday - Saturday they're open until 1:30am. This is typical in Asia, when most folks crave a good bowl of soup. Make sure you order the Hong Kong won ton noodle soup. It's big enough for two, but go ahead - be greedy! You'll be glad you did! It comes out hot & steamy with a ton of thin noodles, some fresh gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and a half-dozen of the most incredible shrimp won tons. These aren't your "typical" won tons, but are more authentic - so don't expect to see a bunch of perfect little dumplings floating in your bowl. These are light and fresh. So if you want good Chinese, I urge you to check out Anton & Patty's place. Even if you wind up ordering from the 'front' of the menu, you're going to get a great meal. But I suggest you take a peek at the back - you won't be sorry.
(5)
Malcolm S.
I ordered the spicy shredded beef, and like the typical omniscient waitress reaction, I saw a snicker towards my helpless taste buds. But this was not a worthy challenge that elicited sweaty palms, the spicy shredded beef was gone with nary a sniffle. As the waitress raised an ever so surprised eyebrow, I was left with the spirit of a champion, a conquerer of spices. The pink lemonade was great.
(4)
Stephanie P.
I admit I have fallen prey to the American-Chinese scandal. However, this is a good place to indulge in my craving for General Tso's chicken and hot and sour soup. My god, this place has the best hot and sour soup this part of the Midwest. I love that I can go there anytime and order to go and have a chat with the owner about new menu items and the weather. He is so lovely. He will also invite you to have a seat while your food is prepared fresh and piping hot. The decor is very fitting for this style of restaurant. It is exquisitely clean and tidy with dark wood and crystal chandeliers. I think if the location was different, they would have more business. It is situated next to a ghastly looking bar and a rental center. But don't let that throw you off, give it a whirl. Hey, I've also heard they have some of the best dim sum in this area, but have not tried it yet. Bring on the greasy Chinese named American chicken.
(5)
Albert B.
Growing up Dim Sum was a monthly, if not weekly, tradition for my family and when I moved to KC finding a great Dim Sum place was high on my food to-do list. Luckily this placed was recommended to me by a friend who had it recommended to him so the first place I tried will likely be the only place. Pine and Bamboo is a prototypical Dim Sum place. It has the push carts and the dishes that don't look appetizing but will reward you if you're brave enough to try them. Two dishes that really stuck out to me were the sticky rice and the beef tendon. The sticky rice was expertly prepared and wasn't mushy or dried out. The beef tendon was gelatinous goodness that melted in your mouth and tasted great. Everything else my friend and I had was great too and we probably didn't even try a quarter of the menu. All in all Pine and Bamboo will be a place that I frequent. Suggestions are to bring a big group, try everything and go back to try everything you didn't order the first time.
(4)
Keith K.
This place has been a regular favorite of ours for years. From the courteous staff to the excellent selection of items, this place is tip top. Its one of the few Chinese dine-ins where the ambiance isn't in your face or overly distracting. The music sounds authentic and is usually soft enough to really relax you. The dim sum here is great but be warned: some of the choices are definitely not "Americanized" or chosen to appeal to the typical burger and fries crowd. That said, if you like trying new things, the Dim Sum on the weekends is a great thing to experience. It's super busy though, so bring your patience and prepare to queue for a table.
(5)
Melissa C.
Excellent selection of dishes. They are very willing to customize a dish for you as well. Good service and take out is same quality as dine in
(4)
Shanon C.
Since moving to KC from San Francisco 2 years ago, I've been on the hunt for a decent dim sum place. Holy cow - this place exceeded my snobby West-coast expectations. I was impressed by the friendly service, the freshness of the food and the sheer variety of options. The cart pushers were super-informative and had great recommendations (this is important if you've never experienced dim sum). We over-stuffed ourselves and left with a $30 bill. Most people could probably eat well for around $10 a person. I envision many more Saturday's sitting in this jewel of the strip-mall. YUM!
(5)
Becky A.
I went to a weekend Dim Sum affair a few weeks ago. Wow. Fun and yummy. I almost became overwhelmed, but quickly recovered when I just made some quick decisions and dug in. So much more affordable than I imagined, too. Especially for how many plates our group devoured. Just go do it.
(4)
Aimee W.
So I convinced some friends of mine to join me for the Dim Sum Sunday (why yes I made that up all by myself...got something to say about it?? *wink wink*). We met up about 11:45am and the place was full. First I want to say that from the outside it looks like it would be a little tiny place. It is in a strip mall on Shawnee Mission Parkway off the access road if that makes sense. But this place is huge - lots of seating and I think a bar area although shockingly Aimee the Lush didn't get there :) Anyway, back to the dim sum. Divine. I haven't had dim sum in years and Craig and Rosanna hadn't ever had it although Pine and Bamboo Garden is their go-to Chinese restaurant. So we sit down and wait....and wait...and I keep looking around for the carts and then they start hitting. And they never stop the whole time we are chowing down on our plates of deliciousness. Rosanna doesn't like shrimp so she was limited a little by that. Craig likes everything so that worked in our favor. We shared 19 plates and our total bill was just under $60 which is about what I estimated it would be before we got there. we tried and loved: chicken spring rolls - holy crap those were awesome. shrimp shu mai - yummmy! bbq pork buns steams bbq pork buns mango pudding egg tarts some shrimp thing that looked like a birds nest shark fin and scallops something or other beef balls (no, not rocky mtn. oysters...beef meat balls) some pork noodle thing which was difficult to pick up and some other things I can't remember. Everything was delicious, hot and the staff was super helpful explaining everything to us. There were tons of Asian folks there so I always take that to be a good sign in an Asian restaurant - lots of cute kids who engaged in chop stick sword fights and I think have been practicing rock band at home. It was loud and very family friendly and I loved every minute of it. I will be back. okaybye.
(5)
Kelly M.
Best shrimp egg foo yung ever!
(5)
David B.
Sorry, but all the reviews for this restaurant were provincial. We tried 2 items from the last few pages of the menu, which one reviewer referred as a more authentic Chinese selection and an assortment of appetizers. We finished none. The appetizers were all over fried and oily. The main entrees were not exciting. My Spicy Salted Pork was deep fried for too long and the rice was not fresh. My wife's Chicken and Green vegetables was soaking in a corn starch gravy, vegetables over cooked and old rice. American ingredients alone do not explain how botched our meal was, however we may have been very unlucky in our choices. The ambiance is nothing but mainstream America stuck in a small strip mall. Sorry again, because I do not like leaving such a negative review.
(1)
Amy L.
After reading all these raving reviews about Pine and Bamboo Garden's dim sum, I HAD to make a visit - does authentic dim sum really exist in the Midwest?! Unfortunately, this place did not meet my expectations. The restaurant overall seemed dark and dingy, and their food lacked freshness and flavor. The shrimp dumplings were cold, dry, and mushy and their turnip cakes (albeit decent tasting) arrived cold as well. Very disappointing and will not be returning.
(2)
Adam P.
I cant tell you how many times I have eaten at this restraunt. I grew up eating at this place, and as I have left kansas city and gone to the west coast for a couple years and the east coast for a couple years, this restraunt beats them all. There chinesse food is the best. I didn't learn about Dim Sum till I lived on the west coast. When I came back to Kansas city, and found they had cart service Dim Sum on the weekends, I was in heaven. There food is just to die for. I love everything here!
(5)
Matt S.
Hands down some of the most delicious chinese food I have ever had. The Hunan Beef is amazing with some actual heat! I have eaten here a handful of times now, and have yet to be disappointed with a single thing on the menu.
(5)
Julie D.
FINALLY, good Asian food!!! For everybody who reads yelp reviews, this is a review of an Asian restaurant that is written by an Asian person! I went on a Sunday around 12:30 PM and had to put my name on a list, but I only had to wait about 10-15 minutes. This is definitely not typical for Sunday dim sum. However, it did appear to get busier a bit later. The food was hot, fresh, and the people pushing the carts were vert attentive. There have been many times that I have gone to dim sum but did not find all of the things that I wanted. This place had everything that I wanted and I did not have to wait a long time to get it because the carts were constantly circling. My friend and I ate BBQ pork buns, egg rolls, scallion cake (It was like a fried wonton that had a scallion mixture in it. I have never seen this before, and neither had my friend, but it was yummy.), pork spare ribs, Chinese sausage, sticky rice, chicken feet, cold jelly fish, shrimp fun roll, shrimp dumplings, and other things that I can't even remember. It was all good and the bill was $40.
(4)
G B.
I have been coming to this place for a very long time but the dishes have changed because the food is becoming more and more flavorless and becoming more your typical Chinese food. I think they change cooks often because the food is good one time and the next it is very bland. The husband and wife owners is often there and very involved. The husband is friendly but the wife is very hateful and has the personality of a mad dog. If you ask for special changes to your meal she becomes abrupt and unwilling to accommodate the customer. The biggest complaint is the attitude and poor customer service. I wonder if she picks and chooses who she decides to treat inappropriately. I would say not consistent in keeping their chefs and an unpleasant restaurant experience. I will choose many other authentic places that are holes in the wall, very friendly, accommodating, and the food is delish.
(3)
Joe H.
I've been to Pine and Bamboo garden a few times and haven't been disappointed. Today I had the pleasure of eating Beef & Vegetable Chow Funn, and it was very tasty. I got mine to go, and that container was packed full of wide flat rice noodles, baby corn, gai lan (maybe on that), little mushrooms, and a lot of tender beef. Oftentimes I am reluctant to get beef at restaurants unless it is a steakhouse. I hate to get a tough piece of fatty beef. Luckily this is nothing to fear at Pine and Bamboo Garden. The beef in my dish was tender and delicious with no hint of gristle or fat. I recommend Pine and Bamboo Garden highly and really can't wait to try the Dim Sum
(4)
Tony P.
Best chinese food I've found in this area if you order the right things. Sesame chicken, crab rangoon, and hot n sour soup. Mmm...
(5)
Jeff P.
Great egg drop soup. Great orange beef. Good service. Ambiance and decor was not very cozy, but bland. But, I would definitely come back.
(4)
Mike F.
I love the food!!. I have been a regular for years and always get an excellent meal.
(5)
Elizabeth P.
If you're going for the Dim Sum, it's a pretty great experience. There's a lot of variety in the foods that are available. Although, if you're not going with someone that knows what they're doing, it could be pretty daunting. There's a lot to try, and not all of the servers are great at explaining what might be in something.
(3)
Christina G.
This is my favorite chinese food restaurant. It always hits the spot! Whenever I come here I can depend on great tasting chinese. I usually do carryout and they are very friendly.
(5)
Annette D.
The best Chinese in the city. Dim Sum is better and less expensive than Bo Lings and the service blows it out of the water. Love the veg and beef fun rolls, plus lots of good dumplings. When in the dining room we order the Beef Tendon Hot Pot with all the gooey cartilage. There is a scallop dish also to die for, a little spicy, wish I could remember the name. One of my favorite restaurants. When doing dim sum, don't forget to order the Chinese Broccoli with garlic.
(4)
Ian Y.
I lived in KS for 9 years. Bo-ling has dominated the dimsum and not-so-authentic Chinese cuisine market in the KC area so I welcome any competitions when they come out. P&BG definitely wins out as far as dimsum goes. The restaurant isn't too big but it's good enough for the small KC market. Good quality (could be better on ingredient freshness, but still better than the US average) dimsum serving hot. I'm slightly disappointed by the lack of variety and quality on dessert, however. I went there for dinner once and the portion was good. I'd like to see more authentic dishes from the menu, but I guess ingredients are lacking in KC.
(4)
Anson P.
Often times, I play the role of the token Asian friend. Can't say that I mind it and it often gives me the excuse to "jokingly" call people white devils. Since my friend had taken me to 3 days of bbq, I figured I'd school him and his wife on how to do dim sum. I picked out a bunch of food that I thought they should try. And in no specific order: 1) shrimp dumplings- pretty standard dish, everyone at the table was a fan, good flavor 2) shu mai- another standard dim sum dish, very good, again everyone was a fan 3) steamed buns with Chinese sausage- the buns were very soft and there was a good amount of sausage inside (yes, I'm aware of how dirty that sounds and the innuendo) 4) sticky rice in leaf- the rice was very flavorful and there was a decent amount of savory filling inside. The rice to filling ratio was pretty good. 5) cheong fun (shrimp and pork varieties)- Of the two, I liked the shrimp better. When cut up, each piece was able to contain a shrimp. The pork cheong fun didn't feel like it had the same amount of meat in it. 6) jellyfish- This was a good sized dish of jellyfish. They did not go cheap on us and definitely didn't use a lot of filler i.e. pickled daikon and carrot. I would recommend this dish if you're a jellyfish eater. Surprisingly, my friends liked the dish. 7) taro dumpling- the fried batter on the outside was crispy and the inside was savory. My friends weren't fans of taro. I thought the dish was prepared well and there was a decent amount of savory filling inside the taro layer. 8) egg tarts- These were a little on the small side but they were brought out fresh. The egg custard portion was creamy while the tart shell was flaky and delicious. 9) tofu skin roll- The sauce was not too salty and there was a good amount of filling. Very good, highly recommend. 10) banana crepes- not typical dim sum fare, and I'm pretty sure not Chinese...but very good. The filling was chunks of banana and whipped cream. Everyone was a fan. 11) chicken feet- my friends wanted to be adventurous and this is something that I like but most people don't. They didn't like it, but I thought they were prepared pretty well. The sauce was savory and the feet themselves were pretty large. Would recommend for the chicken feet fan. 12) shrimp stuffed mushrooms- I'm not sure that I would recommend this dish as I didn't think the shrimp stuffing went well with the mushroom. I think it was more personal preference than how the dish was prepared. 13) shrimp and chives dumplings- very good, this was more like a shu mai than a dumpling but I would highly recommend it. 14) duck- I thought the duck was ok but I probably wouldn't order it again. It was an ok amount of meat and tasted ok. For some reason, there was a layer of tofu underneath the duck. All that food for roughly 60 bucks. Not bad. My two friends were overly stuffed. I was pretty full as well. Service was excellent. The staff was able to explain what was in each dish and they all spoke English fluently. The restaurant was clean and filled with a diverse crowd. Those of you looking for an Asian restaurant with Asian people in it can find it here. Parking is available both in front and behind the building. Overall, the dim sum experience here is pretty good. Granted, it won't be the same as say NY or Cali. Even though this is KC, this place can still hold its own.
(5)
Shana S.
When we want Chinese, this is where we go. I am still anticipating trying the Dim Sum at some point when we have time, but mostly we just get carryout for dinner, and it is by no means the closest option. We have our favorites, but everything I have tried there is good, and not greasy like you sometimes find places, and I'm always a fan of a place which doesn't skimp on the white rice.
(4)
Samantha A.
Nestled in one of Shawnee Mission Parkway's numerous strip malls sits Pine & Bamboo Garden, a Chinese restaurant with really good food. You have to be on your toes to spot the restaurant amid the overload of shops and neon signs along SMPW. Parking is a pain, too, since the restaurant sit on a frontage road that you have to back onto when leaving. But neither should keep you from checking out Pine & Bamboo's menu. You'll have to drive a long way in either direction to get better moo goo gai pan or shrimp with cashews. The restaurant has enough take-out business that there's always plenty of room to eat in.
(4)
Tim E.
One of the better Chinese restaurants in the area. Good prices for good food. I'd recommend it to my friends and family in this area.
(4)
Geoff B.
Excellent menu, quiet seating
(5)
Bob S.
We have enjoyed Pine and Bamboo for more than 25 years. Every meal has been excellent. Love the hot and sour soup. The fine, hard working owners insure the service matches the food.
(5)
Jessica D.
I ordered some take out here yesterday and I was told not to order off the authentic chinese menu. That was kind of annoying seeing as how I wanted to try something authentic. I gave in and ordered the american chinese vegetables. They were very ordinary - not bad but nothing to write home about. The dish was a little pricey for being only veggies. I will probably give this place one more chance and try dining in off the authentic chinese menu.
(3)
Kurt K.
By those in Shawnee, and I am sure elsewhere, Pine and Bamboo Garden is known as the best Chinese restaurant in town. Sure there are plenty of buffets and take out places, but for a nice sit down Chinese meal, this is a must. The menu has all the traditional Chinese favorites, plus a few unique choices you don't see everyday. As a sesame chicken fan, I had to try theirs, which was very good, not too heavy on the sauce and the chicken done so it still had some flavor. And I could go on and on about their crab rangoons. They may be the best I have had. They are creamy and velvety with the perfect amount of crab flavor and served nice and hot. My one complaint is it is not the most kid friendly place in the world. We have a three year old and there is no kids portioned sizes. However, she did enjoy the fried rice and we had plenty of leftovers for the next few days. The decor is not garish like some Chinese restaurants. It's classy enough, but also fairly minimalistic.
(4)
E F.
dim sum is so good and reasonably priced. i didnt enjoy their authentic menu at dinner though. it really wasnt authentic much
(4)
Sophia Z.
Most authentic and best dim sum place in the area!! This place puts Bo Lings to shame- Pine and Bamboo Garden has a much greater selection. On weekend brunches, they do the cart service and on top of that, will have servers holding individual plates of (extra?) specialty dishes that are not served on the carts. By far the best sweet dim sum I've ever had is their golden melty ball. I've been dreaming about it ever since- can't wait to go back and request it. It is a sweet bun filled with something eggy and sweet and creamy served piping hot fresh out of the oven- it literally melts in your mouth. Other favorites are their meat buns and the shu mai.
(5)
Vicky T.
Came for Sunday dimsum -- it was hardly alright. The only pleasurable dish was the bowl of porridge, but even the oil bread pieces were a bit.. sad. Nothing tasted fresh. The only flavor I tasted was MSG salty. After the meal I was definitely panting for water. I enjoyed their large-portioned white turnip cakes (luobuo gao), but, again, it was salty. I assume the majority of their dishes were frozen, store-purchased packages they simply steamed (or microwaved?). By the way, should I mention our table of 11 paid $18/person.. Anyways, all this to say, if you did not enjoy this dimsum experience, I totally understand. Dimsum should have been better than what you were served.
(2)
Douqi W.
Dimsum were great. They have many options to choose from and have some very unique choices that some other Dimsum places won't even carry. We went there once for dinner and wasn't very impress. The food was too salty for my taste and very expensive for what it's worth. So overall, recommend it for Dimsum, though pricey, but not for regular food.
(3)
Christina M.
My roommate and I are total fans of this place. The food is always great and it's prepared quickly. We have never "dined in" (only takeaway), but its awesome every time. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because they don't deliver. We don't live very far, but it's a in a location that is out of the way when driving down Shawnee Mission Pkwy.
(4)
Chi W.
I did not drive 3 hours from Arkansas to review this establishment's egg drop soup and I'm still wondering why anyone would bother especially when there are so many other items on the menu to sample. As far as Dim Sum goes, it simply does not exist in NorthWest Arkansas so people like me have to drive long distances to satisfy that craving. Having already tried Bo-ling and ABC cafe this was the only other dim sum place in town left to try as far as I could tell. Food quality is as good as bo-ling but a slightly better value, the food at abc cafe was better but the tight seating makes it less desireable even though the food is a pretty good value at abc. We ordered a large range of dim sum dishes (basically everything except for chicken feet and tripe) and found most of the dishes to be as good as can be with a few exceptions (skip the sausage buns and the BBQ pork buns, they're not terrible but they are also not up to par with the rest of the food.) Service was very good and the ambiance was comfortable. We ate at 12 on Wednesday so not sure what kind of crowds to expect at this place on the weekend. Eating on a weekday also means they don't have the dimsum presented on the carts but I much prefer ordering from the menu than the push carts. One of my favorites - Rice pooridge with pork and preserved duck egg - is only available on weekends and that was a little disappointing although completely understandable since it can take a while to prepare. There appeared to be plenty of seats but it seems like they have dimsum folks sit separately from the regular menu people. Not sure why they make that distinction. Parking at the front seems quite limited but they do have parking in the rear, unfortunately, we did not check it to see how much space is available. A few of the dishes we ordered took much longer to be served than the rest of the dishes but the timing worked out pretty good for us. stuffed eggplant, shrimp dumplings (har gow) and the shrimp fun rolls were particularly good but I thought the bbq pork fun roll to be unusual because nobody else serves that. I'm guessing they couldn't perfect the beef filling because I didn't see any other dishes on the menu that uses the same meat (ie steamed meat balls, shumai). Another gripe is the brown sauce they use on some of the dishes like the shrimp fun roll which tastes closer to straight soy sauce instead of the thicker sweetened soy sauce that is traditionally used on dim sum. My kids are bubble tea snobs and didn't care for the bubble tea. One of the non-dimsum dishes we like to order is the beef chow fun, but note that they do not serve a cantonese style of beef chow fun. Instead of the Cantonese style dish with gravy and chinese vegetables, they serve what I like to consider a traditional americanized style of dry chow fun which is far less desireable, but we still ate it. It's probably closer to 3.5 stars.
(4)
Brendan C.
Came here for Sunday morning dim sum. Not bad! Not exactly stellar either. They have a medium-sized menu of dim sum items, and they were mediocre. The shrimp dumplings in sticky rice wrappers weren't as juicy as they could've been, shao-mai were a bit dry too. Strange because all these items are steamed, but I guess the ground eat didn't have enough oil in them. The custard buns were made elsewhere and reheated here. The custard wasn't good and was a bit too grainy. The bread around it was a tad dry. We also ended up ordering the Chinese Sponge Cake. It wasn't as inflated and risen as I'm used to, but the taste was pretty much the same. It's weird to review a dim sum restaurant; it's almost like reviewing a buffet. This is one of the best dim sum places around Lawrence is what I hear from some locals and it was decent. Happy Eating!
(3)
Kim W.
This is one of my go to places when I'm in the Kansas City area. I haven't gotten the chance to try their lunch or dinner dishes, only their Dim Sum. There aren't many good Dim Sum Restaurants in Kansas, but myself, family, and friends really enjoy this place. They service dim sum by menu on weekdays and have more of a selection by carts on weekend. Weekends can get really packed and food comes out very slow. However, even though the selection is limited on weekdays it comes out hot and fresh! My favorites are the Ham Sui Gok, Ha Gao, and Sui Mai. Ham Sui Gok had a great meat and crispy outside ratio-simply delicious. The food is a tad over salted and can be greasy, so order hot tea. The staff is usually friendly and the food comes out quick. Prices are good for the quality and food you get. Now I'm craving dim sum.
(4)
Ami T.
We came here on a Saturday brunch for some dimsum. The wait was pretty long around noon so we ended up sharing a larger table with two other groups. They come around in their little carts and you can choose what you want to eat. Very easy way to try out dim sum for those who have never eaten dim sum but know that there's better. The food was decent. I wasn't impressed with the turnip cake or the shrimp shumai but their porridge was pretty good.
(3)
Kim T.
Pine and Bamboo Garden has the best Dim Sum that I've been to in the Kansas City area. They have a variety of dishes including typical dishes such as shumai, hargow, and egg custard tarts. They're very busy during the weekends (late mornings) and stop serving Dim Sum on push carts at 3 p.m. You can also order off their regular lunch/dinner menu anytime. This option isn't as popular so during their busy times, you can usually be seated immediately. My recommendation is to order only when you've finished the dishes you already have. It's easy to get more than you'll eat because the wait staff pushes the cart over and everything just looks so delicious--and so pricey if you keep ordering. (My largest bill there was over $80 for three people.)
(5)
Joseph P.
We barely missed the dim sum hours, but was still craving Chinese food, so we decided to give the sit-down menu a shot. As I always do in Chinese restaurant, I always ask the server what is their chef's specialty, since different region of Chinese cuisine would offer very different style and taste, asking which region where the chef's from never hurt! (tsk tsk, its what we Chinese/Taiwanese/Cantonese people always do in Asia!) Since there was only 3 of us, the waiter recommended 3 dishes: Duck, crab, and a tofu dish. It was definitely great recommendations. Being blessed of Taiwanese background, I know good Chinese cuisine when I taste one. This is definitely one of the better/more authentic Chinese restaurant in town. The price is a bit pricey, but that is probably because we ordered specialty dishes. Would love to come back and tryout the dim sum, since I heard a great deal of good things about it.
(4)
Steven P.
I have lived in the KC area for a while. There's a very popular local chain that offers sub par value, with decent quality, but nothing inspiring. I'd been disappointed with a majority of the Chinese food I'd tried. All were tightly bunched across a narrow spectrum. And then there's Pine and Bamboo garden. VERY good value and the selection is incredible. They offer Dim Sum on the weekends, which is a rare and exciting treat here in Kansas City. Some of their unique highlights are the Sa Cha Beef - which is a delicious combo, as well as some of the cool and authentic dim sum dishes, like the chicken feet and beef tendon. The ambience is absolutely unpretentious. The staff is courteous and helpful. It's a great place for families to eat. Try it- you'll not regret it!
(5)
Jason P.
Kids like sweet n sour chicken and orange chicken. Pork fried rice is not as salty as other places, nice, more like bacon. Light on the soy too. Twice I tried an item from the traditional Chinese menu... thin slices of pork with wood ear mushrooms, snow peas, carrot and zucchini squash in a light sauce. Overall the dish is lighter (ate lots without filling up too quickly) even adding white rice. These shrooms are tasty, not earthy, and delicate with slightly more texture than other types. Do try it!
(4)
Justin L.
So far the best dimsum I've had in Kansas City. The food... skip the regular dishes and stick to the dimsum. If you've been to bigger cities, you've probably had better, but for Kansas City, I haven't found anything comparable. The restaurant uses the old standard carts and walks around, which makes it easy on newbies, but if you just ask most servers, they're more than happy to bring around the dish you're looking for (if you know the name). I only tried one entree dish, and it was just so so. The venue... remember to arrive with your full group or you'll be waiting. The restaurant doesn't seat without everyone being present, so hopefully you've accounted for that SUPER late friend that always shows up half an hour late... because if you don't, you'll be stuck waiting on them (or you should ditch them and get a table anyways). It's a decently sized place, I've been there with larger groups closer to 10, and smaller groups of about 4. Either way, I've never had more than a short wait when arriving around 12 on Saturdays for dimsum. Overall... definitely a good option.
(4)
Josh Z.
The restaurant advertises Dim-Sum, but they only have it available in the morning, which was a disappointment, since that is the whole reason I went there. After finding out they do not have Dim-Sum on the menu for Lunch or Dinner, it's a pretty much standard fare Chinese establishment, with the usual menu items. We ordered a platter, Pad Thai and a couple other small items. Nothing was particularly memorable and the food was average for a typical joint like this. I would not go back, except to try the Dim-Sum, but only because Dim-Sum establishments around here are few and far between. The waitstaff was friendly and prices were around the expected amount.
(2)
Brent B.
Time again for another visit! The restaurant was brighter and more airy inside than I had remembered from my last visit, and was fairly busy on a very HOT day in late August. As previous visits, I had a very enjoyable meal--this time it was orange beef combination luncheon!! And didn't disappoint in any way. Pine and Bamboo is becoming a regular on my lunch-spot roster!
(4)
Tyler Z.
Great dim sum. I really enjoyed the food. The quality of their dim sum was much better than I had at Bo Lings 1 week ago. I will most definitely be back. We plan on taking my dad here when he comes in 2 weeks. This is most certainly the authentic place to go in town. Thanks to the owner for sticking with authenticity.
(5)
Miguel B.
Called to place to go order and was left on hold for 12 min. Called back and the gentleman who took my order was apologetic and pleasant. I was pleased with how quickly they prepared my order. King Crab Rangoon are big and generously filled. Get the Shrimp appetizer, 3 plump shrimp dipped in batter and fried to a crispy golden perfection. The vegetables with the entres were fresh and brightly colored. The chef left a firm crunch with the broccoli and snow peas. This was a treat enjoyed by our family of 6 in the comfort of our own dining room for $65.
(4)
Jody M.
While visiting relatives we decided to order carryout from Pine and Bamboo. We had 4 adults and one child and decided on getting the family dinner. Our order included: Honey Walnut Shrimp, Pad Thai, Shrimp & mushrooms, and cashew chicken. We also ordered Steamed Dumplings. Everything was SO good! The king crab wonton were great, the egg rolls were great...the Pad Thai was great! My 22m old daughter ate all the food on her plate, and a bowl of egg drop soup. A+ Pine & Bamboo. We will definitely be back to try the dim sum next time we visit!!!
(5)
April F.
This is seriously the best Chinese restaurant in the KC area. I drive in from Westport for the scrumptious hot and sour soup, and the general tso's chicken. One of the few reasons to visit JoCo. All around great food, great service and a clean atmosphere.
(5)
Rene G.
The fried calamari at this restaurant is absolutely the most succulent and spectacular calamari that I have ever had in my short 30 years life! Egg drop soup it's one of my favorite dishes and I have to say that this one wouldn't be found as delicious in China itself. I would literally empty my pockets at the opportunity to taste this dish. The Pad Thai combo is sweet and savory. I enjoy the balance of sweetness and spice. One of my favorite dishes to eat when I'm out to dinner with my wife. I always recommend this restaurant to my friends and family. If you want an authentic Asian taste always try pine and bamboo garden first.!
(5)
Maggie C.
Saturday morning dim sum was what attracted us here. Sadly, it really wasn't that tasty of an experience. We got in early, hoping to beat any traffic at the restaurant, but the place was fairly dead. The server to patron ratio was completely wack, we were helped by probably 5 different waiters when it came to being seated, getting water poured into our glasses, being brought the check, and paying. There were many carts being pushed around, but the taste did not even compare slightly to what you would find in Hong-Kong, or heck, even the dim sum restaurants in the bigger cities. The dishes tasted either flavorless (chicken feet for example), were way too salty (curry squid and ribs), or tasted like it came from the freezer section (shrimp dumplings..the skin does not break easily when it's freshly made). Hint, do not choose anything fried unless you know that it is freshly made. I remember really enjoying the taro puffs when I was younger, and any expectation that I had was completely crushed when I bit into one at Pine and Bamboo. I literally had to spit it out, it was soggy! I was pretty disappointed.. We ended everything with mango pudding, and that was delicious! Our bill came to 45$ and we ordered 10 dishes....yikes!!
(2)
Wenday L.
The service here was very good and accommodating, especially since I came here with a group of 10+ people. The restaurant is very spacious so it's definitely good for group events. I came here for dim sum and I was not disappointed. I'm not going to say every dish was phenomenal, but nothing I tried was bad. However, here are a few highlights. 1) Turnip cakes: new to me, and they were delish! Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside; remember to wait for it to cool or blow on it to avoid tongue burns. 2) Wontons: I think they were baked? Either that or steamed. But delicious! The filling was great and the wrap wasn't too chewy or too thick, a problem that a lot of wontons have. 3) Sweet tofu: heavenly. I love soft silky tofu with a little bit of syrupy water. It might be bland to some, but it was at the perfect level of sweetness for me. If you like your food a bit on the sweeter side, ask for more of the syrup. This is a good way to end the meal. If you like tea, I would recommend having some hot tea with dim sum.
(4)
Lauren M.
My husband I went here all the time a few years ago. We loved the crab rangoons and I always got the sesame chicken. It was so good and affordable. I had gone recently and the sesame chicken was more like burnt tiny chicken bits and the crab rangoons were cold and not like they used to be. It was really disappointing to see this place increase prices and decrease quality. We literally went there once to twice a week to never.
(1)
Melody C.
Went in on Sunday afternoon hoping to score some dim sum but they ran out for the day. Sad. We ordered instead a beef chow fun which was good but extremely salty. Authentic? Yes. Living up to the chinese food stereotype? Absoutely. Get your msg, grease, and sodium filled goodness here. It is chinese food after all.
(3)
Michael J.
I went to the to this restaurant for dim sum based on a previous review (by Tiger W). Seeing how he's got dim sum "street cred" being Chinese and having lived in San Fran, I thought well, why not? Bo Ling has always been my go-to dim sum joint in KC (I go to the Metcalf branch). It's certainly not the best I've had but it's comfort food that I've been eating for years and it's as good as it gets when it comes to dim sum in this city. Before I start with the review, I want to dish out a little bit of my "street cred": Chinese-American. Been munchin' on dim sum for 24 years all over the world. East Coast (New York City, Boston, DC), West Coast (San Fran, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, BC). Midwest (Chicago and KC), and South (Baton Rouge, Houston, New Orleans). Outside of the US, it's Hong Kong (birthplace of modern dim sum), Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou (where it all originated from). Best dim sum outside of China has to be Vancouver, BC. Most authentic dim sum experience is Guangzhou. Duh, it was invented there! Best all-around dim sum goes to Hong Kong. Now, as I've mentioned in my intro, I've been dining at Bo Ling's for years and I've always wondered why nobody has challenged its supremacy in KC. When I found out about Pine and Bamboo and read the reviews here, I thought perhaps this is the challenger I've been waiting for. I dragged my parents along with me but they were hesitant having heard numerous tepid reviews of this place from the Chinese community in KC. Nevertheless, I urged them to give it a try since Yelpers rave about this place. 4 stars! We went on a Saturday for lunch and the place was packed. There were a few large tables with Asian faces but I was mostly dining in a sea of chalk. Hey, nothing wrong with that :) The waitresses and female cart pushers were very friendly, helpful and cute. There was this one Caucasian waitress who spoke pretty good Chinese or at least the dish names. I thought that was definitely a good sign. But then, things started to go down hill fast once we ordered our dishes. Out of the 7 or 8 dishes we ordered, only two really stood out (braised chicken feet and tofu wrap). Pine and Bamboo failed the dim sum litmus test by serving us perhaps the most bland tasting shrimp dumpling I've ever had in a restaurant. In fact, I suspect the shrimp dumplings were probably bought frozen at one of those Asian grocery stores. They taste similar. The spare ribs were the worst ever. The meat had a spoiled taste to it. An earlier Yelp post also mentioned the same thing so I guess this wasn't an isolated incident. So what went wrong? In sum, great dim sum is defined by three qualities: freshness, complexity in taste, and ingredient. Freshness: Most of the dishes failed on the freshness scale simply because they weren't warm or hot when it arrived at our table. Egg tarts are always supposed to be warm and flaky. Instead, they were served cold and stale. All fried dishes should be at least warm when it's served. Fried food go stale and soggy quickly if you don't warm them. Huge mistake! Complexity in taste: This is something that separates good dim sum from the best. Sort of like drinking good wine. Good wine has complex flavors and bad wine, well, not so much. When you bite into a shrimp dumpling or shiumai, for instance, you should get multiple flavors flowing out of your mouth due to the various ingredients mixed into these little dumplings. Most of the dishes here gave me the same taste - SALTY. After eating five or six dishes, I can't distinguish one from the other in my mouth as they all ended up tasting the same despite their differing ingredients and textures. Ingredients: I don't feel like Pine and Bamboo used good ingredients in their dishes. The lack of freshness and flavor are signs that the restaurant is cutting back on quality ingredients. The meat dishes, especially the spare ribs, tasted tough and stale. And where is the juice in the dumplings? Fresh seafood and meat should have juice when it's steamed. Frozen or dried meat don't. In conclusion, I don't want to knock on Pine and Bamboo simply because I had one bad experience from dim sum. I'm sure a lot of the dishes on their menu are excellent, although I haven't tried them myself. Perhaps the dim sum might have been better if I had gone during a weekday where they bring them out fresh from the kitchen instead of being served off of a cart. But given this one experience, I don't think I would want to come back here again. Bo Ling's has been the "old faithful" for my family and I for years and it still hits the spot for us. It's not the best, but they do offer variety and at least they are warm and fresh when they arrive at your table. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Pine and Bamboo.
(2)
Katie B.
We stopped in here for a late lunch, and we were not disappointed. The food is delicious and service was outstanding. We ordered some calimari for an appetizer, it was made perfectly not chewy at all and just the perfect amount of batter. I ordered the honey walnut shrimp, and it was to die for. Lunch comes with egg drop soup, fried rice and your choice of an eggroll or crab rangoon. The eggrolls are huge and super crispy. My boyfriend ordered combination lo mein and his daughter had asparagus and beef, they both seemed to enjoy it. We will definitely be repeat customers.
(5)
A W.
Pretty good Chinese food! I wish they had fountain drinks, that's why they lost a star. The inside can use some remodeling, but overall very cozy.
(4)
Kristen L.
The ladies even though a stern face are always polite. The food is always amazing when we go in! The crab ragoon is to die for! We've ordered carryout a few times and we've discovered it's not as great as going in.
(4)
Drew F.
Lunch for 5 employees, good but not great, or cheap. All ordered off of lunch special section, came to about $8 each.
(3)
Ethan B.
The hot and sour soup is hands down a classic. With great dishes ranging from traditional American Chinese to traditional Asian Chinese, the food is all but disappointing. The portions are large healthy helpings. The lunch specials are a personal favorite, including a soup, and either a crab rangoon or an egg roll, and a main dish.
(5)
Ashleigh T.
Our whole family has been here twice and really enjoyed the food. I got the Pineapple Cashew Chicken, the husband got the General Tso's Chicken and the kids split the sweet and sour chicken. All very good. Plenty of rice. Would love to come back to try the dim sum!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Brunch, Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
GMari E.
I've had better, much better... 1 star for the fact they were open on Thanksgiving. 1 star for having beer and serving the food fast and very hot. That's my 2 star's worth. Why I won't go back and don't recommend? The food is so-so. It's not horrible, it's just not good. A lot of salt and no flavor. We had a spicy chicken dish and a citrus beef dish. I believe the chicken was suppose to be General Tao's chicken and it was not spicy. I think everything is spicy, so that should say a lot. The citrus beef was citrusy it was just tough and heavily breaded. The low mien was good and so was the rice. We also had the calamari, which was very chewy. The sauce that comes with it was awesome (that was the only good thing). We also had some egg rolls (one of my favorites usually) and I had to spit out the only bite I took. Disgusting. We actually got our food to go, but let me tell you why I would never dine there: the floors in the dining room. They NEED a deep cleaning (or just a cleaning), as they are so dirty. You can see the heavy traffic areas and compared to the low traffic areas it's pretty gross. From working in restaurants there is one thing I know: behind the scenes is ALWAYS dirtier than what the customer is allowed to see. I will leave it at that. I would not recommend this place. I'm sure there are worse places...but this is a no for me. From reading older reviews it sounds like they lost a great chef some time ago and it is showing. I like to see places succeed, so I hope this place finds its grove again.
(2)Mina A.
Not bad for a dim sum place in Kansas City. They have most of the item that is essential to a dim sum place. They use the carts to serve the dim sum and they come around and around many times so you dont have to wait or chase the waiter down. Over all the food is pretty good.
(4)Mian W.
The food quality has gone downhill while the service is still as bad as before. ä¸€æ— æ˜¯å¤„ã€‚ When I moved to Kansas 3 years ago, I tried both Boling and this place. Pine and Bamboo was certainly the better choice in terms of their food taste despite the poker face receptionists and cashiers. Probably started about a year ago, I found that Pine and Bamboo has been constantly disappointing me. I know they still get plenty of visits but it does not mean they are as good as they used to be. It is simply because there are very limited options for Dim Sum in Kansas City and little competition results in no improvement in quality and service. They just don't give a $!*t.
(1)Bobbi T.
For awhile this was my favorite place to go to for dim sum. The service was terrible but the food made up for it. The spicy wontons, sharkfin dumplings, peking duck and eggplant in hot pot were AMAZING!!! During our last visit, we had ordered what we normally ordered but nothing tasted right. We were beyond disappointed. It was almost like a whole new experience. The sauce for the spicy wontons was borderline gross. The buns for our peking duck were dry and falling apart. We ordered extra buns because we usually love it, fortunately they took it back and removed it from the bill. I had heard that the old chef left and took the recipes with them. Can someone please let me know when the food goes back to normal??
(3)Linda P.
Food is closer to 4 star. Service was ok which was 3 therefore I say overall 3.5 star. A friend recommended this place and although the food was decent the reason for the drop in stars was service and selections. Almost everything we wanted we were seated so far back it seemed like we got last pickings. A group of 7 people we waited for table and they kept asking if our whole group was present since they won't seat us until we all were inside. For all of us to be sitting in seating area and our names called I don't see why we were asked again for our whole party to be present. Can't you see all of us getting up and filling up the whole wait area? Regarding the food I never got my favorite deep fried taro since they kept saying its coming and although we ate for over an hr I never saw it come out. Had to order chicken feet and greens for friends through waiter. Chive dumpling didn't taste same as other places but was ok. Tofu fa was good but cold. While waiting for carts to come back after their first round (3 carts in row) I kept waving and for some reason if I didn't scream out I was watching the cart leave our area still hungry. Small parking lot so carpool or hope to find a parking spot.
(3)Joanna M.
This review is only based on pine & bamboo's dim sum menu. First of all, thanks pine & bamboo for being one of the only establishments in the KCMO metropolitan area to serve legit HK style dim sum. Coming from the Bay Area, I crave dim sum on the regular and constantly miss me some buns, rice soup, dumplings... I try to come here at least once a month and I absolutely love introducing friends to the culinary tour that is "the dim sum/brunch experience". My favorites here are the rice soup, curried squid, seafood dumplings, and pan fried green onion dumplings. I ordered the beef tendons and innards once and found them to be overly chewy and difficult to eat. Though I love chicken feet and siu mai usually, I also don't find them to be extraordinary at this establishment. The chicken feet are a bit soggy and the siu mai sort of taste like big globs of fat. The wait staff are usually available and attentive. It can be quite crowded around the brunch hour on the weekends so prepare for a bit of a wait. If you can come a little later at lunch time (say a bit after 1), the wait isn't too bad.
(4)Daniel H.
The GPS on my phone navigated me correctly to this restaurant. The reason I say that was because there was a road adjacent to Shawnee Mission Pkwy. There was additional parking in the back but I found a spot in the front. We had probably 14 people and we all managed to fit at a huge round table with a lazy susan that was overloaded by the amount of food we ordered. This place had a lunch menu I believe or you can go dim sum style where you can pick what you want from the multiple carts roaming around. We also ordered 3 different kinds of tea: black, jasmine, and chrysanthemum. I seriously can't remember what we ordered from the carts but whatever I ate was delicious! I haven't had dim sum for such a long time when I used to live in California. It was pretty busy around 12pm on a Saturday. Of course, our group came when they opened on Saturday which was at 11am. Good place for some dim sum!
(4)Casey W.
- overall rating: 3.5 - I wouldn't say that it was comparable with NYC dim sum but for Kansas City I was pleasantly surprised - recommend: shrimp rice noodle roll, egg custard bun - several of the items were soggy - the black pepper short ribs were lackin
(3)Caroline L.
Again, I've been lagging like crazy in writing my review for this place. Especially considering the first time I was here was back in September 2012 when my parents first visited. Then we returned about a month ago, again because my parents were visiting. Our first visit here was on a Saturday for brunch and dim sum. There were 8 of us and were able to seat us almost immediately (which, by the way is something that never happens back in LA, especially on a Saturday morning). Service was quite prompt...well that is until it got busy, since we had arrived just as they had opened. Our first visit was excellent, definitely on par or even better (according to my father) than what is available in Los Angeles - which just so you know, is saying a great deal. Everything was excellently flavored and well cooked, in two words - simply delicious. Then about 6 months or so later, we returned on a Friday for lunch. Somehow something had changed and the food was not as good. Everything we ordered was off the menu and not dim sum. The overall feeling that everyone had was that it could have been better. Overall, the feeling that I get is they do an excellent job with the dim sum, but a somewhat mediocre one with their regular menu. Based on my first experience here, I'll definitely come back again for another try.
(3)Mackenzie C.
This is my favorite restaurant of its kind in the area. The service is good, but the food is amazing. The staff will get to know you and remember you each time you come in. It's a little but pricey, but worth it. Parking can be an issue, but there is a lot behind the building that usually has spots. The crab rangoon is the perfect balance of filling and shell, and the triple delight is phenomenal.
(5)Nolan Z.
So far, the best dim sum I've found in the Kansas city area. Most dishes are well made, though whether a dish is excellent or not is purely subjective. The food carts come around fairly quickly, though sometimes they seem to not notice when your entire table is covered with uneaten food, and try to offer you even more food. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just something I noticed. Since it's dim sum, don't expect the bill to come out at rock bottom prices; expect around $15-20 a person if you're hungry, or $10-12 if you're not. The wait times are fairly short. Parking is kind of an issue, and though there is a parking lot in the back, it can fill up quickly.
(4)Ashery G.
I recently moved to the area from California and wanted to try out some local food. Came here for lunch today since this place has decent reviews. I tried out the Kung Pao chicken, ginger chicken, pork buns, and shiu mai. All entrees were way too salty. I couldn't taste anything but salt. The fried rice was flavorles and might as well have been steamed rice. The rangoon and eggrolls were made with wrappers that were so thick, I felt like I was eating jerky. The pork buns were obviously frozen (still soggy) and heated just prior. The shiu mai were awful and had a rancid shrimp flavor. Prices were about $7.95 for lunch special and $3.75 for each dim sum dish.
(1)Mikael D.
My wife and I went here last week and they barely have any DIMSUM at all! It was so much better here three years ago! The lady with the cart had her hair down and looked pretty unsanitary as she came to our table. Very disappointed. A trip well wasted.
(2)Alisa S.
I remember the first time I came here was a few years ago and the service wasn't that great. But now, I feel like the service has greatly improved. The spicy wonton is really good. I also think they have the best sharkfin dumplings. We had the crispy peking duck on our last visit which was very tasty, too.
(4)Rob M.
This is out of my neighborhood, but I was in the area and decided to check it out for dinner. I know it's famous for its weekend dim sum, but thought I'd see what their other food is like. The menu is mostly American or Americanized favorites, but the last two pages of the menu binder consists of another menu of more "authentic" dishes. I ordered a couple of their chicken spring rolls and, from the "authentic" menu, the steamed shrimp-stuffed tofu. The spring rolls were delicious, with very crunchy and flaky wrapping. The shrimp-tofu dish consisted of squares of snowy white silken tofu into which a shrimp had been pressed, then steamed together and finally topped with lobster sauce. Very mild, in the Cantonese style, but delicious. Service was friendly and the efficient and prices were reasonable, except for the extra charge for the pot of tea (usually complimentary at most Chinese restaurants). I'll return to check out the dim sum. I could see some of the dishes being brought to a large party at a neighboring table and everything looked good! Further reports after the next visits!
(4)Stephen H.
Introduced a new friend to her first dim sum and we had, as I've come to expect, a good time. They are open for cart-service dim sum Saturdays and Sundays, and they have made-to-order service all the other times. There were some incredibly misbehaved children during our visit, but the staff handled it well, and it wasn't the restaurant's fault.
(4)Fred L.
I have been coming to pine and bamboo for almost 20 years. Was taken here by my dad's friend we live in leawood, he lived in Shawnee said you have to try my place. I loved the Shrimp Toast on the first visit, and Sesame chicken the guy was right best I have ever had. We proceeded to come back all the time to get shrimp toast and sesame chicken. We brought many friends and relatives to eat. My cousin loves it is his favorite. He loves the Peking Duck, sesame chicken with Fresh Mushrooms, Soft Shell Crab, Pork Loin, Spicy Salt, I also love the beef with mushrooms and brown sauce, the Beef Chow fun, we learned about in New York and we came back, Anton told us he had it, Its great. Everything they have is spectacular, they do the most amazing sauces no other chinese place is like this place. I have been to ones in New York, and Las Vegas that are not even close to as good. No one can match the sauces here. Especially the sesame chicken sauce, peking sauce, and many others. Peking Shrimp, Peking Scallops are all amazing. Also Sesame Shrimp. Soft Shell crabs are outstanding. Love the shrimp toast used to have friends that loved it and wanted to drive over there just to get shrimp toast its a delicacy. Anton is a super great guy and this place is the best chinese food around. Ill put up there food against some top china town places in New York and fancy places in Las vegas
(5)Marcie T.
We had lunch here and it was just okay. The fried rice and egg rolls seemed old. Probably won't go back. This used to be my favorite many years back, bummer!
(3)Patti K.
Very good! Wish we had made it earlier and been able to get some dim sum, but the dishes were great! I had ginger basil beef & my husband had his favorite sesame chicken, both were well proportioned, had plenty of sauce & elaborate flavors! The ginger basil beef had great vegetables with it, not the usual mixes veggies! We will be ordering to pick up, since this is so close to our home - look forward to writing more reviews for Pine & Bamboo!
(4)Michael T.
The dim sum was the selling point for me. I got a steamed bbq pork bun and it was excellent! The General Tsao's chicken was pretty good quality but the menu was pretty generic for American Chinese food. Very affordable and a good lunch spot.
(4)Grady G.
This restaurant is deceivingly spacious. The food was very good. My friend and I ordered their crab rangoon, which btw was fantastic. The cream cheese was not coagulated nor was it reheated. It was fresh, creamy and a good garlic kick to it. We ordered the crispy shrimp and the general tso's chicken. The shrimp was lightly breaded and not bad but the dipping sauce was delicious. The general tso's chicken was the best I've had in a long while. You get a good portion of good white meat, very tender (and I'm picky about white meat because I usually pick up on the dryness immediately). The chicken sauce was wonderful, subtle but flavorful. The only little drawback was getting to and around the place. The outer road was a little confusing and the parking was a little inadequate...BUT that's very very minute. I'd go back there any day, and this time try out something different and also order from the bar. ;)
(4)Desiree D.
Excellent! I just wish there was more parking available. It's so cute and you won't go home hungry and the menu is huge! You can order something new all the time. Fair pricing can't go wrong
(5)Karen L.
I have to say that I was SHELL SHOCKED when I saw the dim sum at this restaurant. REAL dim sum in Kansas City, MO?! I was infinitely happy. The dim sum here is legit! All of my favorites were present and actually tasted right. I've been to Bo Ling's in Kansas City in a desperate search for dim sum and it's OK - but not what I'm used to (I'm from socal). Bo Ling's is definitely subpar compared to dim sum here as far as I'm concerned. Pine and Bamboo Garden even has the spicy chili oil on the table and ready to go. I posted a bunch of pictures of most of the stuff we ordered. I'm Korean so I don't know the real names of everything in Chinese. I usually just point and say "that one!" for my lack of Chinese. So take a look at the photos if you want an idea of what it looks like. :)
(5)Lawrence N.
I'm a new resident and was recommended by a friend. I arrived late on a weekday for dinner and the place was pretty quiet. After thumbing through the entire menu and reaching the back, I finally found the more authentic Chinese cuisine items I originally came here for. I ordered the Salt Pepper Pork Loin, my typical go-to dish for authentic Cantonese fair. While not the best I've ever had, it definitely didn't disappoint. The service was excellent, punctual, attentive, but not overbearing. I've been recommended by two friends to try the Dim Sum on the weekend.
(4)Joi B.
Seeking a meal of Chinese Delicious Foods, we just so happened to be close enough to finally try Pine and Bamboo Garden, which I've been hearing nothing but great things about. Let us first venture past its demure strip mall exterior and we'll find a surprisingly pleasant interior that lends itself well to all kinds of occasions. Classic decor. Love all the little Asian tchatchkes (is there a correct spelling for that word?) and Chinese furniture. In addition, they've done the place up so that it's not a bunch of stores put together; rather they section it off with angles so that it seems there are more intimate dining rooms. Clever! But I suspect you care more about the food. Look at that star rating! Yelpers don't lie. You're not going to get much hype here and that's how it should be. I'll be honest and say there are better vegetarian options elsewhere. I was told that nothing on the "authentic" menu was meatless and then our *extremely friendly* waiter (read on) pointed to the diet menu where everything was steamed. LOL- if I wanted steamed vegetables, I would have made 'em at home, pal. OK, so that's not really true. I never steam more than one variety of vegetables at a time. I do appreciate going to a Chinese restaurant and getting a steam basket. Which is what I did this evening. I had them add tofu to the mix, white sauce on the side. I made no specifications on the vegetables but was happy to find that bell peppers were not in the mix. Bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, broccoli, summer squash, straw mushrooms, cauliflower, chinese cabbage and snow peas *are* in the mix. Add a bit of sauce, rather than drown it, drizzle on the hot chilis and I'm in heaven (though it would have been nice if the tofu wasn't silken. Not crazy about that texture, which does not hold up to steaming). Next time, however, I'll push it and get some kind of specialty dish that I just *know* is lurking around back there. Now, onto our waiter. Not sure if it was intentional, but he made me feel like a rock star. I think he may have wanted to sit down and join our table, because I might have shared just about as much conversation with him as I have with recent dining companions, so... while this isn't always desired, it's a nice change of pace. Rock on, Pine and Bamboo Garden. Your spring rolls may be a snooze fest and let's be real, steamed veggies isn't what I can really judge you by, but I dig you and hope to return for dim sum (dare I hope that they have something for me on there? Call ahead first? I'll let you know!)
(3)sharon s.
Our go to spot for dim sum (mind you. We only have like 2 choices here). You can't really go wrong with anything here though!
(4)Jonathan L.
I usually only come here for the dim sum. Hands down, one of the best places. If you're looking for authentic Chinese food to try, this is it. Only thing I can say is it gets a little crazy when the rush comes in. Once the rush starts, it's pretty hard to get a hold of the push carts to come with some food. Food is worth every dime, though.
(4)Austin S.
3 stars Long story short: not a bad place to get dim sum. I guess for Kansas City standards, it passes muster. Long story long: I had heard from a family I know that lives out here that there were a couple of places to get some decent dim sum. Being from LA, and the San Gabriel Valley no less, going to a place to get some good dim sum was not very hard. There were several places my friends and I would go to. However, I knew when moving out here to Kansas City, being able to find good dim sum (along with Asian food in general) was going to be a somewhat difficult task. The 2 places I was told about was this place and Bo Ling's. I was told Bo Ling's has a little bit better dim sum, but is more expensive. I decided to go with P&B. I got a couple of my classmates together, including one who is an international student from Hong Kong, so if there was anybody to appropriately rate the dim sum, it would be her. I actually tried this place once before as "reconnaissance" because this place is not even a block away from my chiropractor. That time, I got the fried rice, which was just ok. It was doused in soy sauce, which is not my favorite way to have it. They actually only serve dim sum on the weekends, so when my friends and I found a mutual day to go, we got pretty excited. We got there and were taken towards the back. The place wasn't entirely full, but there were definitely a good number of people there. Once seated, we ordered some tea and got started. It was nice to see people coming around the tables with the dim sum carts, which is what I'm used to. Though, side note... I've heard that the carts aren't a "traditional" thing. Well, I could be wrong, but it just came to mind as I was talking about the carts. We started with a lot of the dim sum favorites: shumai, har gow, braised chicken feet (at least for me anyway), and a bunch of other things that I don't know the name of. Oh, we also got turnip cakes, which are actually made with glutinous flour and sliced and pan fried, then served with a drizzle of soy sauce, is actually one of my favorites. We also got braised pork short ribs with black bean sauce. All in all, we got probably 10 or 12 different dishes, which me and my friend really had no problem trying, however our other 2 friends (who coincidentally are White) were a little hesitant to try a few of the dishes. For the most part, everything was pretty good. I didn't come across anything that wasn't the slightest unpleasant. When all was said and done, our bill ended up being about $10 per person, which is about what you should expect with dim sum. Service was pleasant and our waters were never empty. The only thing that kind of concerned me was the fact that the individuals pushing the carts were not Asian. I guess that's just something I'm going to have to readjust myself to. Would I come back? I'm not dying to, but I probably would.
(3)Lisa L.
This is my favorite Chinese Restaurant!! I have been coming here back in the mid 90's when they used to be a one room little restaurant. The Crab Rangoon is the best I have ever had and the staff are alway nice. I usually get the Beef and Green Pepper....Nom Nom Nom LOVE IT
(5)Deana W.
I am a huge Dim Sum fan. Just like a kid in a candy store, all the choices can be so overwhelming! But, much like the candy store, it is wonderfully overwhelming! The Chinese have perfected the buffet concept for couch potatoes. The feast comes to you. There is a constant flow of food carts that move from table to table, packed full of shiny, metal serving dishes with delectable treats. Savory and sweet. You are only charged for what you select. Sample away. In my vast experience with Dim Sum (Bo Lings), Pine and Bamboo prepares the standard options: spring rolls, dumplings, sticky rice, while also offering some exotic delicacies (chicken feet, stomach, tripe). My favorite was the Spicy Won Tons. Make sure to request extra sauce; you will want to dip everything in it. Maybe even your table mate, but maybe that's just me. I'm just sayin', it's divine. Keep my suggestion in mind though. Perhaps "take out" would be a better venue for that adventure. It's a very "family" atmosphere! I also got a kick out of the rock sugar for my hot tea. Fun! That is what Dim Sum is, and Pine and Bamboo sets out a fine feast fit for any Emperor, or just little ol' me.
(4)Judy L.
worst restaurant I have ever seen, they slide my card twice for no reason, when I called them, they hang up. This is a kind of report, I hope can help others, do not choose this restaurant unless you are a Masochism
(1)Kim N.
I love Pine and Bamboo Garden and I had forgotten how much I loved it. When we used to live in North O.P and I worked in Merriam I would eat here several times a week. Then we moved to the southwest and I work in south Olathe now, it is to far to go for a lunch break. However a friend that lives literally right behind Pine and Bamboo asked to meet me there for dinner last night. I said of course I will be there. In the past I would order the spring rolls, dumplings, beef and broccoli, egg foo young, etc. My friend being Asian wanted to order for us off the back pages, so he picked the Pork Belly Hot Pot and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce. Sounded good to me. He let me pick the app and I ordered the Shrimp Toast. 5 stars alone for the Shrimp Toast. Our waitress was superb. She made sure there was no dairy in any of the dishes and kept our glasses full. The Hot Pot came out and there were huge chunks of pork belly, onions and kimchi. I had never had kimchi and was a little anxious on how it would taste. I loved it. I will be going back more often now and ordering off the back menu.
(4)Ben M.
This is my girlfriends and my second visit here and it won't be our last. This is the type of place you skip breakfast for so you can binge on the dim sum. And when I say binge I mean binge. Plan on unbuttoning your pants and being chubs for a while. This place is so good you won't want to stop eating. I've had nothing but good/great food here. I don't think there's a better dim sum restaurant in the Kansas City area. I am partial to the chicken feet & beef stomach.
(5)Stephanie P.
I have been going here for over 20 years now. I now come (at very least) once a week! The food is outstanding and the service is second to none. Wether you like the Cantonese menu or the more traditional dim-sum, try it all. You won't be disappointed.
(5)John W.
Really straight forward dim sum place during the weekend. Offer most of the traditional dim sum dishes, including shrimp dumplings (har gow), shumai, steamed pork ribs, braised chicken feet, steamed rice rolls, Cantonese porridge. The day we went in just over 11:00am right after the opening hour. The shrimp dumplings served still have frozen taste. The steamed pork ribs were slightly under cooked. Chicken feet were above average quality. Pu-erh Tea was real decent water is not too warm or cold and not too strong with good quality rock sugar. Shumai tasted like frozen too long, and kind of dry. Baked BBQ Pork Pastry was baked just right and fillings are above average quality. Overall food quality was all right for its price. Expect ~$10-$15 per person. Excellent services, and staff members are quick to response and polite. Will go next time.
(3)Mnason M.
I was impressed. I'm pretty picky on Asian cuisine. Good service and food. I ordered the King Crab Rangoon and Peking Scallops. The rangoon didn't have much king crab that's for sure, but I wasn't expecting that for $6 rangoon . It was good though. The scallops were cooked perfect and had a very thin layer on batter that was tasty but not overpowering. I like water chestnuts so I was happy to see a lot of them. Broccoli wasn't bad either. My biggest complaint was the sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste and thought it should have had more of a spicy kick. My wife and I plan to return for Sunday Dim Sum to see what everyone is raving about. * Good service! Most Asian restaurants don't focus on good service * Good food * The Peking Scallops' sauce was a bit too sweet for me but otherwise enjoyable * I want to return to experience Dim Sum
(4)Igor C.
Best Dim Sum in KC. More variety and better service than any other place I've been in KC. Not quite as much selection as some places in Chicago but still very good.
(5)Jay M.
Good but not great is my 'first impression'. I will absolutely return but I would have liked to see some other/more vegetables in my lunch order besides 3 canned peas. Right now, I feel like I am slipping into a MSG comma.
(3)Ivan W.
First trip here. Early for dinner, seated by the kitchen. Hot and Sour Soup was dominated by black pepper, spring rolls cold and greasy. Egg plant and pork hotpot was great! Great texture and flavor in the Egg plant. Staff was nice. Will have to come back for the Dim Sum.
(2)Jordan B.
Delicious. Food is always fresh except for a few soggy egg rolls here and there. This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Kansas and 2nd favorite in KC. The egg drop soup is divine! Cashew chicken is not fried and is very tasty.
(5)Andy M.
Stopped in on a Friday afternoon for some dim sum. It is not world-class, but it is pretty decent. I was expecting ladies pushing around carts, but I guess they really don't do that kind of lunch business. Instead, you order off a picture menu of about 24 items. The sheet looked like those pre-printed sushi placemats you find in Japanese restaurants, and what we got was pretty true to the pictures. Our favorite dim sum item was the fried taro stuffed with pork. It was a prefect blend of textures and flavors. Of the five items we tried, the rest ran the gamut from unappealing (riblets) to tasty with mustard (shrimp dumplings). We also shared a sizzling rice soup, which tasted fine, but I've had better in Lincoln. The rice needed to be crisped a bit more for a true sizzle. We did not try any sweet "dessert" dim sum because they were out of the coconut jelly we tried to order. Overall, I admire what these guys are trying to do, and it is more authentic Chinese than Chinese-American, unlike most places I end up trying when I travel. Definitely worth it if you are nearby. Very reasonably priced, too. There are no prices on the dim sum menu, but no plate was over $3. Got out of there for under $15/person and had too much food for two people.
(3)Robin M.
Visiting from Denver, I wanted to introduce my three friends to dim sum, a meal they had never eaten. Thanks to Yelp, we found the lovely Pine and Bamboo Garden. Rather than sterile rows of seating, the booths and tables are artfully placed, intermixing round and rectangular, using interesting angles, and creating a sense both of community and privacy. The fittings and colors are lovely and tasteful. It was a most pleasant environment for enjoying a meal. The vast majority of the other patrons were Chinese, always a good sign of the restaurant's qualify. And now, to the food: We had sweet and spicy wontons, stuffed bean curd skin, pork spare ribs (not like the regular Chinese appetizer of sweet red spare ribs but small chunks of meat with bone in a thin black-bean sauce), beef balls with a base of bean curd skin, sticky fried rice, leek dumplings (these leeks are an Asian plant somewhere between leek and chive, about the thickness of scallion tops and absolutely delicious to me), another sort of little wonton-like dumpling served in liquid and filled with a mix of seafood and pork, sticky rice stuffed with sausage and other savory meats and wrapped in bamboo leaves, rice crepes filled with shrimp and topped with a brown sauce, a firm and tasty mango pudding with milk, coconut balls, and egg custard tarts. Whew, quite a feast for four! Everything was tasty and beautifully presented, as dim sum should be. Of course we had a few leftovers, but not many -- and dim sum is good cold too! We were very glad to discover Pine and Bamboo Garden and hope to try their regular menu in the future.
(4)Daryl P.
We ordered Lemon Chicken and Mu Shu Chicken and both were great. Also tried the Crab Rangoon and they were good. Looking forward to a dine-in experience so we can try their Dim Sum.
(4)Eliza C.
Very, very good dim sum! I only wish they had a few more dishes. I prefer the quality and price of the dim sum at Pine and Bamboo over Bo Lings, but Bo Lings DOES have more variety in their offerings (they are pricier though). The other good thing about Pine and Bamboo is that you can order dim sum from a menu any weekday from 11am to 3pm. I have done this several times. (Why wait 'til the weekend?!)
(4)Julia C.
YUM. This place is probably the place to go if you want some authentic tasting dim sum. I love coming here. But as some of you have read, there's usually a long line. Upon talking with the manager/bosslady (?) I managed to get some good tips. 1. Arrive early, ie right when it opens, that's where you'll have the least amount of wait. 2. Saturday dim sum is a lot less crowded than Sunday dim sum. 3. Smaller parties are easier to sit than larger parties. I find that dim sum is more conducive to groups of 4 or so anyway (since each plate has usually like 4 items). I learned these lessons the hard way when I arrived at Sunday noon after Easter. yeah, it was a long wait. And it was just two of us. The food was worth it though. The delectable little plates with platters of steaming hot food. Seafood! Pork buns! Spare ribs! Shu Mai!
(4)Dea L.
OK, so you want dim sum? Then you HAVE TO come here. Just read the reviews below - I agree with 99% of them. But let's talk about the regular menu. You know, the "back of the menu" Chinese food. Not the Americanized version of what people think is Chinese food. Like Crab Rangoon. Try ordering that in Asia and they'll look at you like you've got 3 eyes. But order fried marinated pork stomach, and you're good to go. It's an acquired taste, but if you can get past what it IS, then it's really good. It has the consistency of thick crispy chicken skin and comes with a bowl of sweet & sour dipping sauce (but we prefer the hot mustard). The cold jellyfish is awesome, too - "pickled" and crunchy. It's a fun dish, actually. For main courses, you should try one of the hot pots. We've had the eggplant & pork, which is served in a delicious brown sauce. Hubby has also had the pork belly with preserved vegetable, and the beef brisket hot pot. We've not been disappointed with any of them. Their crispy tofu in spicy salt is wonderful. Crispy & salty on the outside, and soft & yummy on the inside. We've also ordered the squid - both the crispy with spicy salt, and in black bean sauce. I can't pick a favorite between the two! Another favorite dish is the chicken and salted fish fried rice. It's salty, but, well... it's supposed to be! The fish is cut up small enough so it's not overpowering but enough to season the whole dish. They also make it with shrimp & salty fish, which is just as good. And if you get a late night craving, Thursday - Saturday they're open until 1:30am. This is typical in Asia, when most folks crave a good bowl of soup. Make sure you order the Hong Kong won ton noodle soup. It's big enough for two, but go ahead - be greedy! You'll be glad you did! It comes out hot & steamy with a ton of thin noodles, some fresh gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and a half-dozen of the most incredible shrimp won tons. These aren't your "typical" won tons, but are more authentic - so don't expect to see a bunch of perfect little dumplings floating in your bowl. These are light and fresh. So if you want good Chinese, I urge you to check out Anton & Patty's place. Even if you wind up ordering from the 'front' of the menu, you're going to get a great meal. But I suggest you take a peek at the back - you won't be sorry.
(5)Malcolm S.
I ordered the spicy shredded beef, and like the typical omniscient waitress reaction, I saw a snicker towards my helpless taste buds. But this was not a worthy challenge that elicited sweaty palms, the spicy shredded beef was gone with nary a sniffle. As the waitress raised an ever so surprised eyebrow, I was left with the spirit of a champion, a conquerer of spices. The pink lemonade was great.
(4)Stephanie P.
I admit I have fallen prey to the American-Chinese scandal. However, this is a good place to indulge in my craving for General Tso's chicken and hot and sour soup. My god, this place has the best hot and sour soup this part of the Midwest. I love that I can go there anytime and order to go and have a chat with the owner about new menu items and the weather. He is so lovely. He will also invite you to have a seat while your food is prepared fresh and piping hot. The decor is very fitting for this style of restaurant. It is exquisitely clean and tidy with dark wood and crystal chandeliers. I think if the location was different, they would have more business. It is situated next to a ghastly looking bar and a rental center. But don't let that throw you off, give it a whirl. Hey, I've also heard they have some of the best dim sum in this area, but have not tried it yet. Bring on the greasy Chinese named American chicken.
(5)Albert B.
Growing up Dim Sum was a monthly, if not weekly, tradition for my family and when I moved to KC finding a great Dim Sum place was high on my food to-do list. Luckily this placed was recommended to me by a friend who had it recommended to him so the first place I tried will likely be the only place. Pine and Bamboo is a prototypical Dim Sum place. It has the push carts and the dishes that don't look appetizing but will reward you if you're brave enough to try them. Two dishes that really stuck out to me were the sticky rice and the beef tendon. The sticky rice was expertly prepared and wasn't mushy or dried out. The beef tendon was gelatinous goodness that melted in your mouth and tasted great. Everything else my friend and I had was great too and we probably didn't even try a quarter of the menu. All in all Pine and Bamboo will be a place that I frequent. Suggestions are to bring a big group, try everything and go back to try everything you didn't order the first time.
(4)Keith K.
This place has been a regular favorite of ours for years. From the courteous staff to the excellent selection of items, this place is tip top. Its one of the few Chinese dine-ins where the ambiance isn't in your face or overly distracting. The music sounds authentic and is usually soft enough to really relax you. The dim sum here is great but be warned: some of the choices are definitely not "Americanized" or chosen to appeal to the typical burger and fries crowd. That said, if you like trying new things, the Dim Sum on the weekends is a great thing to experience. It's super busy though, so bring your patience and prepare to queue for a table.
(5)Melissa C.
Excellent selection of dishes. They are very willing to customize a dish for you as well. Good service and take out is same quality as dine in
(4)Shanon C.
Since moving to KC from San Francisco 2 years ago, I've been on the hunt for a decent dim sum place. Holy cow - this place exceeded my snobby West-coast expectations. I was impressed by the friendly service, the freshness of the food and the sheer variety of options. The cart pushers were super-informative and had great recommendations (this is important if you've never experienced dim sum). We over-stuffed ourselves and left with a $30 bill. Most people could probably eat well for around $10 a person. I envision many more Saturday's sitting in this jewel of the strip-mall. YUM!
(5)Becky A.
I went to a weekend Dim Sum affair a few weeks ago. Wow. Fun and yummy. I almost became overwhelmed, but quickly recovered when I just made some quick decisions and dug in. So much more affordable than I imagined, too. Especially for how many plates our group devoured. Just go do it.
(4)Aimee W.
So I convinced some friends of mine to join me for the Dim Sum Sunday (why yes I made that up all by myself...got something to say about it?? *wink wink*). We met up about 11:45am and the place was full. First I want to say that from the outside it looks like it would be a little tiny place. It is in a strip mall on Shawnee Mission Parkway off the access road if that makes sense. But this place is huge - lots of seating and I think a bar area although shockingly Aimee the Lush didn't get there :) Anyway, back to the dim sum. Divine. I haven't had dim sum in years and Craig and Rosanna hadn't ever had it although Pine and Bamboo Garden is their go-to Chinese restaurant. So we sit down and wait....and wait...and I keep looking around for the carts and then they start hitting. And they never stop the whole time we are chowing down on our plates of deliciousness. Rosanna doesn't like shrimp so she was limited a little by that. Craig likes everything so that worked in our favor. We shared 19 plates and our total bill was just under $60 which is about what I estimated it would be before we got there. we tried and loved: chicken spring rolls - holy crap those were awesome. shrimp shu mai - yummmy! bbq pork buns steams bbq pork buns mango pudding egg tarts some shrimp thing that looked like a birds nest shark fin and scallops something or other beef balls (no, not rocky mtn. oysters...beef meat balls) some pork noodle thing which was difficult to pick up and some other things I can't remember. Everything was delicious, hot and the staff was super helpful explaining everything to us. There were tons of Asian folks there so I always take that to be a good sign in an Asian restaurant - lots of cute kids who engaged in chop stick sword fights and I think have been practicing rock band at home. It was loud and very family friendly and I loved every minute of it. I will be back. okaybye.
(5)Kelly M.
Best shrimp egg foo yung ever!
(5)David B.
Sorry, but all the reviews for this restaurant were provincial. We tried 2 items from the last few pages of the menu, which one reviewer referred as a more authentic Chinese selection and an assortment of appetizers. We finished none. The appetizers were all over fried and oily. The main entrees were not exciting. My Spicy Salted Pork was deep fried for too long and the rice was not fresh. My wife's Chicken and Green vegetables was soaking in a corn starch gravy, vegetables over cooked and old rice. American ingredients alone do not explain how botched our meal was, however we may have been very unlucky in our choices. The ambiance is nothing but mainstream America stuck in a small strip mall. Sorry again, because I do not like leaving such a negative review.
(1)Amy L.
After reading all these raving reviews about Pine and Bamboo Garden's dim sum, I HAD to make a visit - does authentic dim sum really exist in the Midwest?! Unfortunately, this place did not meet my expectations. The restaurant overall seemed dark and dingy, and their food lacked freshness and flavor. The shrimp dumplings were cold, dry, and mushy and their turnip cakes (albeit decent tasting) arrived cold as well. Very disappointing and will not be returning.
(2)Adam P.
I cant tell you how many times I have eaten at this restraunt. I grew up eating at this place, and as I have left kansas city and gone to the west coast for a couple years and the east coast for a couple years, this restraunt beats them all. There chinesse food is the best. I didn't learn about Dim Sum till I lived on the west coast. When I came back to Kansas city, and found they had cart service Dim Sum on the weekends, I was in heaven. There food is just to die for. I love everything here!
(5)Matt S.
Hands down some of the most delicious chinese food I have ever had. The Hunan Beef is amazing with some actual heat! I have eaten here a handful of times now, and have yet to be disappointed with a single thing on the menu.
(5)Julie D.
FINALLY, good Asian food!!! For everybody who reads yelp reviews, this is a review of an Asian restaurant that is written by an Asian person! I went on a Sunday around 12:30 PM and had to put my name on a list, but I only had to wait about 10-15 minutes. This is definitely not typical for Sunday dim sum. However, it did appear to get busier a bit later. The food was hot, fresh, and the people pushing the carts were vert attentive. There have been many times that I have gone to dim sum but did not find all of the things that I wanted. This place had everything that I wanted and I did not have to wait a long time to get it because the carts were constantly circling. My friend and I ate BBQ pork buns, egg rolls, scallion cake (It was like a fried wonton that had a scallion mixture in it. I have never seen this before, and neither had my friend, but it was yummy.), pork spare ribs, Chinese sausage, sticky rice, chicken feet, cold jelly fish, shrimp fun roll, shrimp dumplings, and other things that I can't even remember. It was all good and the bill was $40.
(4)G B.
I have been coming to this place for a very long time but the dishes have changed because the food is becoming more and more flavorless and becoming more your typical Chinese food. I think they change cooks often because the food is good one time and the next it is very bland. The husband and wife owners is often there and very involved. The husband is friendly but the wife is very hateful and has the personality of a mad dog. If you ask for special changes to your meal she becomes abrupt and unwilling to accommodate the customer. The biggest complaint is the attitude and poor customer service. I wonder if she picks and chooses who she decides to treat inappropriately. I would say not consistent in keeping their chefs and an unpleasant restaurant experience. I will choose many other authentic places that are holes in the wall, very friendly, accommodating, and the food is delish.
(3)Joe H.
I've been to Pine and Bamboo garden a few times and haven't been disappointed. Today I had the pleasure of eating Beef & Vegetable Chow Funn, and it was very tasty. I got mine to go, and that container was packed full of wide flat rice noodles, baby corn, gai lan (maybe on that), little mushrooms, and a lot of tender beef. Oftentimes I am reluctant to get beef at restaurants unless it is a steakhouse. I hate to get a tough piece of fatty beef. Luckily this is nothing to fear at Pine and Bamboo Garden. The beef in my dish was tender and delicious with no hint of gristle or fat. I recommend Pine and Bamboo Garden highly and really can't wait to try the Dim Sum
(4)Tony P.
Best chinese food I've found in this area if you order the right things. Sesame chicken, crab rangoon, and hot n sour soup. Mmm...
(5)Jeff P.
Great egg drop soup. Great orange beef. Good service. Ambiance and decor was not very cozy, but bland. But, I would definitely come back.
(4)Mike F.
I love the food!!. I have been a regular for years and always get an excellent meal.
(5)Elizabeth P.
If you're going for the Dim Sum, it's a pretty great experience. There's a lot of variety in the foods that are available. Although, if you're not going with someone that knows what they're doing, it could be pretty daunting. There's a lot to try, and not all of the servers are great at explaining what might be in something.
(3)Christina G.
This is my favorite chinese food restaurant. It always hits the spot! Whenever I come here I can depend on great tasting chinese. I usually do carryout and they are very friendly.
(5)Annette D.
The best Chinese in the city. Dim Sum is better and less expensive than Bo Lings and the service blows it out of the water. Love the veg and beef fun rolls, plus lots of good dumplings. When in the dining room we order the Beef Tendon Hot Pot with all the gooey cartilage. There is a scallop dish also to die for, a little spicy, wish I could remember the name. One of my favorite restaurants. When doing dim sum, don't forget to order the Chinese Broccoli with garlic.
(4)Ian Y.
I lived in KS for 9 years. Bo-ling has dominated the dimsum and not-so-authentic Chinese cuisine market in the KC area so I welcome any competitions when they come out. P&BG definitely wins out as far as dimsum goes. The restaurant isn't too big but it's good enough for the small KC market. Good quality (could be better on ingredient freshness, but still better than the US average) dimsum serving hot. I'm slightly disappointed by the lack of variety and quality on dessert, however. I went there for dinner once and the portion was good. I'd like to see more authentic dishes from the menu, but I guess ingredients are lacking in KC.
(4)Anson P.
Often times, I play the role of the token Asian friend. Can't say that I mind it and it often gives me the excuse to "jokingly" call people white devils. Since my friend had taken me to 3 days of bbq, I figured I'd school him and his wife on how to do dim sum. I picked out a bunch of food that I thought they should try. And in no specific order: 1) shrimp dumplings- pretty standard dish, everyone at the table was a fan, good flavor 2) shu mai- another standard dim sum dish, very good, again everyone was a fan 3) steamed buns with Chinese sausage- the buns were very soft and there was a good amount of sausage inside (yes, I'm aware of how dirty that sounds and the innuendo) 4) sticky rice in leaf- the rice was very flavorful and there was a decent amount of savory filling inside. The rice to filling ratio was pretty good. 5) cheong fun (shrimp and pork varieties)- Of the two, I liked the shrimp better. When cut up, each piece was able to contain a shrimp. The pork cheong fun didn't feel like it had the same amount of meat in it. 6) jellyfish- This was a good sized dish of jellyfish. They did not go cheap on us and definitely didn't use a lot of filler i.e. pickled daikon and carrot. I would recommend this dish if you're a jellyfish eater. Surprisingly, my friends liked the dish. 7) taro dumpling- the fried batter on the outside was crispy and the inside was savory. My friends weren't fans of taro. I thought the dish was prepared well and there was a decent amount of savory filling inside the taro layer. 8) egg tarts- These were a little on the small side but they were brought out fresh. The egg custard portion was creamy while the tart shell was flaky and delicious. 9) tofu skin roll- The sauce was not too salty and there was a good amount of filling. Very good, highly recommend. 10) banana crepes- not typical dim sum fare, and I'm pretty sure not Chinese...but very good. The filling was chunks of banana and whipped cream. Everyone was a fan. 11) chicken feet- my friends wanted to be adventurous and this is something that I like but most people don't. They didn't like it, but I thought they were prepared pretty well. The sauce was savory and the feet themselves were pretty large. Would recommend for the chicken feet fan. 12) shrimp stuffed mushrooms- I'm not sure that I would recommend this dish as I didn't think the shrimp stuffing went well with the mushroom. I think it was more personal preference than how the dish was prepared. 13) shrimp and chives dumplings- very good, this was more like a shu mai than a dumpling but I would highly recommend it. 14) duck- I thought the duck was ok but I probably wouldn't order it again. It was an ok amount of meat and tasted ok. For some reason, there was a layer of tofu underneath the duck. All that food for roughly 60 bucks. Not bad. My two friends were overly stuffed. I was pretty full as well. Service was excellent. The staff was able to explain what was in each dish and they all spoke English fluently. The restaurant was clean and filled with a diverse crowd. Those of you looking for an Asian restaurant with Asian people in it can find it here. Parking is available both in front and behind the building. Overall, the dim sum experience here is pretty good. Granted, it won't be the same as say NY or Cali. Even though this is KC, this place can still hold its own.
(5)Shana S.
When we want Chinese, this is where we go. I am still anticipating trying the Dim Sum at some point when we have time, but mostly we just get carryout for dinner, and it is by no means the closest option. We have our favorites, but everything I have tried there is good, and not greasy like you sometimes find places, and I'm always a fan of a place which doesn't skimp on the white rice.
(4)Samantha A.
Nestled in one of Shawnee Mission Parkway's numerous strip malls sits Pine & Bamboo Garden, a Chinese restaurant with really good food. You have to be on your toes to spot the restaurant amid the overload of shops and neon signs along SMPW. Parking is a pain, too, since the restaurant sit on a frontage road that you have to back onto when leaving. But neither should keep you from checking out Pine & Bamboo's menu. You'll have to drive a long way in either direction to get better moo goo gai pan or shrimp with cashews. The restaurant has enough take-out business that there's always plenty of room to eat in.
(4)Tim E.
One of the better Chinese restaurants in the area. Good prices for good food. I'd recommend it to my friends and family in this area.
(4)Geoff B.
Excellent menu, quiet seating
(5)Bob S.
We have enjoyed Pine and Bamboo for more than 25 years. Every meal has been excellent. Love the hot and sour soup. The fine, hard working owners insure the service matches the food.
(5)Jessica D.
I ordered some take out here yesterday and I was told not to order off the authentic chinese menu. That was kind of annoying seeing as how I wanted to try something authentic. I gave in and ordered the american chinese vegetables. They were very ordinary - not bad but nothing to write home about. The dish was a little pricey for being only veggies. I will probably give this place one more chance and try dining in off the authentic chinese menu.
(3)Kurt K.
By those in Shawnee, and I am sure elsewhere, Pine and Bamboo Garden is known as the best Chinese restaurant in town. Sure there are plenty of buffets and take out places, but for a nice sit down Chinese meal, this is a must. The menu has all the traditional Chinese favorites, plus a few unique choices you don't see everyday. As a sesame chicken fan, I had to try theirs, which was very good, not too heavy on the sauce and the chicken done so it still had some flavor. And I could go on and on about their crab rangoons. They may be the best I have had. They are creamy and velvety with the perfect amount of crab flavor and served nice and hot. My one complaint is it is not the most kid friendly place in the world. We have a three year old and there is no kids portioned sizes. However, she did enjoy the fried rice and we had plenty of leftovers for the next few days. The decor is not garish like some Chinese restaurants. It's classy enough, but also fairly minimalistic.
(4)E F.
dim sum is so good and reasonably priced. i didnt enjoy their authentic menu at dinner though. it really wasnt authentic much
(4)Sophia Z.
Most authentic and best dim sum place in the area!! This place puts Bo Lings to shame- Pine and Bamboo Garden has a much greater selection. On weekend brunches, they do the cart service and on top of that, will have servers holding individual plates of (extra?) specialty dishes that are not served on the carts. By far the best sweet dim sum I've ever had is their golden melty ball. I've been dreaming about it ever since- can't wait to go back and request it. It is a sweet bun filled with something eggy and sweet and creamy served piping hot fresh out of the oven- it literally melts in your mouth. Other favorites are their meat buns and the shu mai.
(5)Vicky T.
Came for Sunday dimsum -- it was hardly alright. The only pleasurable dish was the bowl of porridge, but even the oil bread pieces were a bit.. sad. Nothing tasted fresh. The only flavor I tasted was MSG salty. After the meal I was definitely panting for water. I enjoyed their large-portioned white turnip cakes (luobuo gao), but, again, it was salty. I assume the majority of their dishes were frozen, store-purchased packages they simply steamed (or microwaved?). By the way, should I mention our table of 11 paid $18/person.. Anyways, all this to say, if you did not enjoy this dimsum experience, I totally understand. Dimsum should have been better than what you were served.
(2)Douqi W.
Dimsum were great. They have many options to choose from and have some very unique choices that some other Dimsum places won't even carry. We went there once for dinner and wasn't very impress. The food was too salty for my taste and very expensive for what it's worth. So overall, recommend it for Dimsum, though pricey, but not for regular food.
(3)Christina M.
My roommate and I are total fans of this place. The food is always great and it's prepared quickly. We have never "dined in" (only takeaway), but its awesome every time. The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because they don't deliver. We don't live very far, but it's a in a location that is out of the way when driving down Shawnee Mission Pkwy.
(4)Chi W.
I did not drive 3 hours from Arkansas to review this establishment's egg drop soup and I'm still wondering why anyone would bother especially when there are so many other items on the menu to sample. As far as Dim Sum goes, it simply does not exist in NorthWest Arkansas so people like me have to drive long distances to satisfy that craving. Having already tried Bo-ling and ABC cafe this was the only other dim sum place in town left to try as far as I could tell. Food quality is as good as bo-ling but a slightly better value, the food at abc cafe was better but the tight seating makes it less desireable even though the food is a pretty good value at abc. We ordered a large range of dim sum dishes (basically everything except for chicken feet and tripe) and found most of the dishes to be as good as can be with a few exceptions (skip the sausage buns and the BBQ pork buns, they're not terrible but they are also not up to par with the rest of the food.) Service was very good and the ambiance was comfortable. We ate at 12 on Wednesday so not sure what kind of crowds to expect at this place on the weekend. Eating on a weekday also means they don't have the dimsum presented on the carts but I much prefer ordering from the menu than the push carts. One of my favorites - Rice pooridge with pork and preserved duck egg - is only available on weekends and that was a little disappointing although completely understandable since it can take a while to prepare. There appeared to be plenty of seats but it seems like they have dimsum folks sit separately from the regular menu people. Not sure why they make that distinction. Parking at the front seems quite limited but they do have parking in the rear, unfortunately, we did not check it to see how much space is available. A few of the dishes we ordered took much longer to be served than the rest of the dishes but the timing worked out pretty good for us. stuffed eggplant, shrimp dumplings (har gow) and the shrimp fun rolls were particularly good but I thought the bbq pork fun roll to be unusual because nobody else serves that. I'm guessing they couldn't perfect the beef filling because I didn't see any other dishes on the menu that uses the same meat (ie steamed meat balls, shumai). Another gripe is the brown sauce they use on some of the dishes like the shrimp fun roll which tastes closer to straight soy sauce instead of the thicker sweetened soy sauce that is traditionally used on dim sum. My kids are bubble tea snobs and didn't care for the bubble tea. One of the non-dimsum dishes we like to order is the beef chow fun, but note that they do not serve a cantonese style of beef chow fun. Instead of the Cantonese style dish with gravy and chinese vegetables, they serve what I like to consider a traditional americanized style of dry chow fun which is far less desireable, but we still ate it. It's probably closer to 3.5 stars.
(4)Brendan C.
Came here for Sunday morning dim sum. Not bad! Not exactly stellar either. They have a medium-sized menu of dim sum items, and they were mediocre. The shrimp dumplings in sticky rice wrappers weren't as juicy as they could've been, shao-mai were a bit dry too. Strange because all these items are steamed, but I guess the ground eat didn't have enough oil in them. The custard buns were made elsewhere and reheated here. The custard wasn't good and was a bit too grainy. The bread around it was a tad dry. We also ended up ordering the Chinese Sponge Cake. It wasn't as inflated and risen as I'm used to, but the taste was pretty much the same. It's weird to review a dim sum restaurant; it's almost like reviewing a buffet. This is one of the best dim sum places around Lawrence is what I hear from some locals and it was decent. Happy Eating!
(3)Kim W.
This is one of my go to places when I'm in the Kansas City area. I haven't gotten the chance to try their lunch or dinner dishes, only their Dim Sum. There aren't many good Dim Sum Restaurants in Kansas, but myself, family, and friends really enjoy this place. They service dim sum by menu on weekdays and have more of a selection by carts on weekend. Weekends can get really packed and food comes out very slow. However, even though the selection is limited on weekdays it comes out hot and fresh! My favorites are the Ham Sui Gok, Ha Gao, and Sui Mai. Ham Sui Gok had a great meat and crispy outside ratio-simply delicious. The food is a tad over salted and can be greasy, so order hot tea. The staff is usually friendly and the food comes out quick. Prices are good for the quality and food you get. Now I'm craving dim sum.
(4)Ami T.
We came here on a Saturday brunch for some dimsum. The wait was pretty long around noon so we ended up sharing a larger table with two other groups. They come around in their little carts and you can choose what you want to eat. Very easy way to try out dim sum for those who have never eaten dim sum but know that there's better. The food was decent. I wasn't impressed with the turnip cake or the shrimp shumai but their porridge was pretty good.
(3)Kim T.
Pine and Bamboo Garden has the best Dim Sum that I've been to in the Kansas City area. They have a variety of dishes including typical dishes such as shumai, hargow, and egg custard tarts. They're very busy during the weekends (late mornings) and stop serving Dim Sum on push carts at 3 p.m. You can also order off their regular lunch/dinner menu anytime. This option isn't as popular so during their busy times, you can usually be seated immediately. My recommendation is to order only when you've finished the dishes you already have. It's easy to get more than you'll eat because the wait staff pushes the cart over and everything just looks so delicious--and so pricey if you keep ordering. (My largest bill there was over $80 for three people.)
(5)Joseph P.
We barely missed the dim sum hours, but was still craving Chinese food, so we decided to give the sit-down menu a shot. As I always do in Chinese restaurant, I always ask the server what is their chef's specialty, since different region of Chinese cuisine would offer very different style and taste, asking which region where the chef's from never hurt! (tsk tsk, its what we Chinese/Taiwanese/Cantonese people always do in Asia!) Since there was only 3 of us, the waiter recommended 3 dishes: Duck, crab, and a tofu dish. It was definitely great recommendations. Being blessed of Taiwanese background, I know good Chinese cuisine when I taste one. This is definitely one of the better/more authentic Chinese restaurant in town. The price is a bit pricey, but that is probably because we ordered specialty dishes. Would love to come back and tryout the dim sum, since I heard a great deal of good things about it.
(4)Steven P.
I have lived in the KC area for a while. There's a very popular local chain that offers sub par value, with decent quality, but nothing inspiring. I'd been disappointed with a majority of the Chinese food I'd tried. All were tightly bunched across a narrow spectrum. And then there's Pine and Bamboo garden. VERY good value and the selection is incredible. They offer Dim Sum on the weekends, which is a rare and exciting treat here in Kansas City. Some of their unique highlights are the Sa Cha Beef - which is a delicious combo, as well as some of the cool and authentic dim sum dishes, like the chicken feet and beef tendon. The ambience is absolutely unpretentious. The staff is courteous and helpful. It's a great place for families to eat. Try it- you'll not regret it!
(5)Jason P.
Kids like sweet n sour chicken and orange chicken. Pork fried rice is not as salty as other places, nice, more like bacon. Light on the soy too. Twice I tried an item from the traditional Chinese menu... thin slices of pork with wood ear mushrooms, snow peas, carrot and zucchini squash in a light sauce. Overall the dish is lighter (ate lots without filling up too quickly) even adding white rice. These shrooms are tasty, not earthy, and delicate with slightly more texture than other types. Do try it!
(4)Justin L.
So far the best dimsum I've had in Kansas City. The food... skip the regular dishes and stick to the dimsum. If you've been to bigger cities, you've probably had better, but for Kansas City, I haven't found anything comparable. The restaurant uses the old standard carts and walks around, which makes it easy on newbies, but if you just ask most servers, they're more than happy to bring around the dish you're looking for (if you know the name). I only tried one entree dish, and it was just so so. The venue... remember to arrive with your full group or you'll be waiting. The restaurant doesn't seat without everyone being present, so hopefully you've accounted for that SUPER late friend that always shows up half an hour late... because if you don't, you'll be stuck waiting on them (or you should ditch them and get a table anyways). It's a decently sized place, I've been there with larger groups closer to 10, and smaller groups of about 4. Either way, I've never had more than a short wait when arriving around 12 on Saturdays for dimsum. Overall... definitely a good option.
(4)Josh Z.
The restaurant advertises Dim-Sum, but they only have it available in the morning, which was a disappointment, since that is the whole reason I went there. After finding out they do not have Dim-Sum on the menu for Lunch or Dinner, it's a pretty much standard fare Chinese establishment, with the usual menu items. We ordered a platter, Pad Thai and a couple other small items. Nothing was particularly memorable and the food was average for a typical joint like this. I would not go back, except to try the Dim-Sum, but only because Dim-Sum establishments around here are few and far between. The waitstaff was friendly and prices were around the expected amount.
(2)Brent B.
Time again for another visit! The restaurant was brighter and more airy inside than I had remembered from my last visit, and was fairly busy on a very HOT day in late August. As previous visits, I had a very enjoyable meal--this time it was orange beef combination luncheon!! And didn't disappoint in any way. Pine and Bamboo is becoming a regular on my lunch-spot roster!
(4)Tyler Z.
Great dim sum. I really enjoyed the food. The quality of their dim sum was much better than I had at Bo Lings 1 week ago. I will most definitely be back. We plan on taking my dad here when he comes in 2 weeks. This is most certainly the authentic place to go in town. Thanks to the owner for sticking with authenticity.
(5)Miguel B.
Called to place to go order and was left on hold for 12 min. Called back and the gentleman who took my order was apologetic and pleasant. I was pleased with how quickly they prepared my order. King Crab Rangoon are big and generously filled. Get the Shrimp appetizer, 3 plump shrimp dipped in batter and fried to a crispy golden perfection. The vegetables with the entres were fresh and brightly colored. The chef left a firm crunch with the broccoli and snow peas. This was a treat enjoyed by our family of 6 in the comfort of our own dining room for $65.
(4)Jody M.
While visiting relatives we decided to order carryout from Pine and Bamboo. We had 4 adults and one child and decided on getting the family dinner. Our order included: Honey Walnut Shrimp, Pad Thai, Shrimp & mushrooms, and cashew chicken. We also ordered Steamed Dumplings. Everything was SO good! The king crab wonton were great, the egg rolls were great...the Pad Thai was great! My 22m old daughter ate all the food on her plate, and a bowl of egg drop soup. A+ Pine & Bamboo. We will definitely be back to try the dim sum next time we visit!!!
(5)April F.
This is seriously the best Chinese restaurant in the KC area. I drive in from Westport for the scrumptious hot and sour soup, and the general tso's chicken. One of the few reasons to visit JoCo. All around great food, great service and a clean atmosphere.
(5)Rene G.
The fried calamari at this restaurant is absolutely the most succulent and spectacular calamari that I have ever had in my short 30 years life! Egg drop soup it's one of my favorite dishes and I have to say that this one wouldn't be found as delicious in China itself. I would literally empty my pockets at the opportunity to taste this dish. The Pad Thai combo is sweet and savory. I enjoy the balance of sweetness and spice. One of my favorite dishes to eat when I'm out to dinner with my wife. I always recommend this restaurant to my friends and family. If you want an authentic Asian taste always try pine and bamboo garden first.!
(5)Maggie C.
Saturday morning dim sum was what attracted us here. Sadly, it really wasn't that tasty of an experience. We got in early, hoping to beat any traffic at the restaurant, but the place was fairly dead. The server to patron ratio was completely wack, we were helped by probably 5 different waiters when it came to being seated, getting water poured into our glasses, being brought the check, and paying. There were many carts being pushed around, but the taste did not even compare slightly to what you would find in Hong-Kong, or heck, even the dim sum restaurants in the bigger cities. The dishes tasted either flavorless (chicken feet for example), were way too salty (curry squid and ribs), or tasted like it came from the freezer section (shrimp dumplings..the skin does not break easily when it's freshly made). Hint, do not choose anything fried unless you know that it is freshly made. I remember really enjoying the taro puffs when I was younger, and any expectation that I had was completely crushed when I bit into one at Pine and Bamboo. I literally had to spit it out, it was soggy! I was pretty disappointed.. We ended everything with mango pudding, and that was delicious! Our bill came to 45$ and we ordered 10 dishes....yikes!!
(2)Wenday L.
The service here was very good and accommodating, especially since I came here with a group of 10+ people. The restaurant is very spacious so it's definitely good for group events. I came here for dim sum and I was not disappointed. I'm not going to say every dish was phenomenal, but nothing I tried was bad. However, here are a few highlights. 1) Turnip cakes: new to me, and they were delish! Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside; remember to wait for it to cool or blow on it to avoid tongue burns. 2) Wontons: I think they were baked? Either that or steamed. But delicious! The filling was great and the wrap wasn't too chewy or too thick, a problem that a lot of wontons have. 3) Sweet tofu: heavenly. I love soft silky tofu with a little bit of syrupy water. It might be bland to some, but it was at the perfect level of sweetness for me. If you like your food a bit on the sweeter side, ask for more of the syrup. This is a good way to end the meal. If you like tea, I would recommend having some hot tea with dim sum.
(4)Lauren M.
My husband I went here all the time a few years ago. We loved the crab rangoons and I always got the sesame chicken. It was so good and affordable. I had gone recently and the sesame chicken was more like burnt tiny chicken bits and the crab rangoons were cold and not like they used to be. It was really disappointing to see this place increase prices and decrease quality. We literally went there once to twice a week to never.
(1)Melody C.
Went in on Sunday afternoon hoping to score some dim sum but they ran out for the day. Sad. We ordered instead a beef chow fun which was good but extremely salty. Authentic? Yes. Living up to the chinese food stereotype? Absoutely. Get your msg, grease, and sodium filled goodness here. It is chinese food after all.
(3)Michael J.
I went to the to this restaurant for dim sum based on a previous review (by Tiger W). Seeing how he's got dim sum "street cred" being Chinese and having lived in San Fran, I thought well, why not? Bo Ling has always been my go-to dim sum joint in KC (I go to the Metcalf branch). It's certainly not the best I've had but it's comfort food that I've been eating for years and it's as good as it gets when it comes to dim sum in this city. Before I start with the review, I want to dish out a little bit of my "street cred": Chinese-American. Been munchin' on dim sum for 24 years all over the world. East Coast (New York City, Boston, DC), West Coast (San Fran, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, BC). Midwest (Chicago and KC), and South (Baton Rouge, Houston, New Orleans). Outside of the US, it's Hong Kong (birthplace of modern dim sum), Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou (where it all originated from). Best dim sum outside of China has to be Vancouver, BC. Most authentic dim sum experience is Guangzhou. Duh, it was invented there! Best all-around dim sum goes to Hong Kong. Now, as I've mentioned in my intro, I've been dining at Bo Ling's for years and I've always wondered why nobody has challenged its supremacy in KC. When I found out about Pine and Bamboo and read the reviews here, I thought perhaps this is the challenger I've been waiting for. I dragged my parents along with me but they were hesitant having heard numerous tepid reviews of this place from the Chinese community in KC. Nevertheless, I urged them to give it a try since Yelpers rave about this place. 4 stars! We went on a Saturday for lunch and the place was packed. There were a few large tables with Asian faces but I was mostly dining in a sea of chalk. Hey, nothing wrong with that :) The waitresses and female cart pushers were very friendly, helpful and cute. There was this one Caucasian waitress who spoke pretty good Chinese or at least the dish names. I thought that was definitely a good sign. But then, things started to go down hill fast once we ordered our dishes. Out of the 7 or 8 dishes we ordered, only two really stood out (braised chicken feet and tofu wrap). Pine and Bamboo failed the dim sum litmus test by serving us perhaps the most bland tasting shrimp dumpling I've ever had in a restaurant. In fact, I suspect the shrimp dumplings were probably bought frozen at one of those Asian grocery stores. They taste similar. The spare ribs were the worst ever. The meat had a spoiled taste to it. An earlier Yelp post also mentioned the same thing so I guess this wasn't an isolated incident. So what went wrong? In sum, great dim sum is defined by three qualities: freshness, complexity in taste, and ingredient. Freshness: Most of the dishes failed on the freshness scale simply because they weren't warm or hot when it arrived at our table. Egg tarts are always supposed to be warm and flaky. Instead, they were served cold and stale. All fried dishes should be at least warm when it's served. Fried food go stale and soggy quickly if you don't warm them. Huge mistake! Complexity in taste: This is something that separates good dim sum from the best. Sort of like drinking good wine. Good wine has complex flavors and bad wine, well, not so much. When you bite into a shrimp dumpling or shiumai, for instance, you should get multiple flavors flowing out of your mouth due to the various ingredients mixed into these little dumplings. Most of the dishes here gave me the same taste - SALTY. After eating five or six dishes, I can't distinguish one from the other in my mouth as they all ended up tasting the same despite their differing ingredients and textures. Ingredients: I don't feel like Pine and Bamboo used good ingredients in their dishes. The lack of freshness and flavor are signs that the restaurant is cutting back on quality ingredients. The meat dishes, especially the spare ribs, tasted tough and stale. And where is the juice in the dumplings? Fresh seafood and meat should have juice when it's steamed. Frozen or dried meat don't. In conclusion, I don't want to knock on Pine and Bamboo simply because I had one bad experience from dim sum. I'm sure a lot of the dishes on their menu are excellent, although I haven't tried them myself. Perhaps the dim sum might have been better if I had gone during a weekday where they bring them out fresh from the kitchen instead of being served off of a cart. But given this one experience, I don't think I would want to come back here again. Bo Ling's has been the "old faithful" for my family and I for years and it still hits the spot for us. It's not the best, but they do offer variety and at least they are warm and fresh when they arrive at your table. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Pine and Bamboo.
(2)Katie B.
We stopped in here for a late lunch, and we were not disappointed. The food is delicious and service was outstanding. We ordered some calimari for an appetizer, it was made perfectly not chewy at all and just the perfect amount of batter. I ordered the honey walnut shrimp, and it was to die for. Lunch comes with egg drop soup, fried rice and your choice of an eggroll or crab rangoon. The eggrolls are huge and super crispy. My boyfriend ordered combination lo mein and his daughter had asparagus and beef, they both seemed to enjoy it. We will definitely be repeat customers.
(5)A W.
Pretty good Chinese food! I wish they had fountain drinks, that's why they lost a star. The inside can use some remodeling, but overall very cozy.
(4)Kristen L.
The ladies even though a stern face are always polite. The food is always amazing when we go in! The crab ragoon is to die for! We've ordered carryout a few times and we've discovered it's not as great as going in.
(4)Drew F.
Lunch for 5 employees, good but not great, or cheap. All ordered off of lunch special section, came to about $8 each.
(3)Ethan B.
The hot and sour soup is hands down a classic. With great dishes ranging from traditional American Chinese to traditional Asian Chinese, the food is all but disappointing. The portions are large healthy helpings. The lunch specials are a personal favorite, including a soup, and either a crab rangoon or an egg roll, and a main dish.
(5)Ashleigh T.
Our whole family has been here twice and really enjoyed the food. I got the Pineapple Cashew Chicken, the husband got the General Tso's Chicken and the kids split the sweet and sour chicken. All very good. Plenty of rice. Would love to come back to try the dim sum!
(4)