4. Restaurants

Chung Shin Yuan

183 California St, Newton, MA, 02458
  • (617) 964-0111
  • Store is closed

Chung Shin Yuan Menu

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  • Cindy G.

    This review is specifically for the Sunday brunch service. My family of 6 came here around 12:30, and the place was so busy! We waited half an hour for a table. Good thing is once you sit down, food comes out relatively quickly. We each ordered a round of sweet soy milk and fried dough 甜豆浆和油条, and it was AMAZING. I haven't had such a great 豆浆 since going to China. The soy milk had the right level of sweetness and a perfect consistency and tasted even better when you dipped the fried dough into it. Afterwards, we ordered a beef noodle soup, a dry noodle covered in sauce 炸酱面, and a number of dumpling options. The beef noodle soup was very tasty, noodles were chewy and stewed beef was super flavorful. It had a mild level of spiciness, so generally suitable for all tolerance levels. I wasn't crazy about anything else that we ordered. It was good, but nothing remarkable. The service here is not spectacular. It was a hot and humid summer day in Boston, and the air conditioning was not nearly strong enough. I probably sweated half the calories I ate, so maybe consider getting take-out? Either way, I can always overlook poor service if the prices are low and food delivers, and this place definitely does.

    (4)

  • Jack E.

    I've been a fan of this place for a while now.... and like many others, have come to learn that if you can overlook the service here, the food is quite excellent. Both their dim sum and regular dinner menus are quite delicious. It's also nice to have a Taiwanese option amongst the Cantonese-rich eateries of Boston. I'm always a sucker for good Ma Po Tofu, and there's is quite delectable. I can say this - there was a time I'd have given them 5 stars, perhaps back around 2007. I do feel perhaps their quality slipped one notch over the years, which I've discussed with friends as perhaps "cutting corners" with rising costs of ingredients. Regardless of this, their food remains strong and worth a recommendation.

    (4)

  • Jimmy B.

    It's been awhile since I was so unsure of my final rating on a review. Honestly, my ranges were from 2 to 4, but settled on 3 due to lack of a similar option in the area (and for Taiwanese brunch on the weekends, very limited options in Boston) despite the many dishes that missed their mark, although they were close. Since their brunch offering is a bit like tapas with lots of variety of dishes to choose from, this review will be more like a list for ease: The Pros: -Taiwanese Brunch. Not many places offer this, and it's very reminiscence of childhood memories in Taiwan! -Soy bean milk is solid - not too sweet or creamy, a perfect balance! -It's packed. I know, weird pro point, but that just means it's a solid place if you're willing to wait as this restaurant is in a very secluded neighborhood. -Pan fried dumplings were very delicious. Although I would have preferred thicker skin, but that's my American side coming out. The Cons: -Limited seats. Brunch is of course their prime time, so consider coming right when they open or around 1-2pm when the first wave starts to die down. -Tiny steamed dumplings didn't do it - skin was dry, and the taste unfortunately bland. Plus, they didn't have black vinegar to dip with - wtf! -Spicy beef noodle soup was not spicy. One of the three items on there with a chili sign.. so.. I expected.. you know, spicy. Well it wasn't. Also, could have used some bok choy, it was a bit heavy with just noodles and beef (which were good at least). The Compromise: -Lack of Parking. Literally about 3-4 spots off-street. On-street is a bit of a stretch as this is more off a residential area, so you'll be a bit confused finding street parking. But there's actually ample space despite the restaurant being crowded - you just may need to walk a bit. Just don't park at the adjacent McDonalds! -Fried dough was HUGE and tasty - however, it was a bit too crispy (not enough dough, or they overfried it). -Vermicelli with chitlins (pig's intestines, it sounds gross but trust me, this is a delicious Taiwanese staple) was very delicious and hard to find so well prepared in Boston, but missing pickled veggies. How can you not add this, it's a staple in itself. How. Howwww?? - Shao-bing beef sandwich was solid, but dry. Could have used Hoisin sauce. Maybe my standards are a bit higher since I eat some good ass authentic Taiwanese cuisine at home, and have scoured the streets of Taiwan nomming on street food in the past. However, many dishes fell short of my expectations despite presenting a solid dish. In any case, I do recommend trying the Vermicelli with chitlins. Seriously. Try it. If I had to name a dish that represents Taiwan, it would be that dish, so swallow any second thoughts and be adventurous!

    (3)

  • Lillian C.

    This place has THE BEST TAIWANESE BREAKFAST (only available on the weekends). I knew this place was authentic when I walked in and heard people speak Mandarin! There was a 10 min wait when we got there around 2. I've heard that the line is always long so come early or come late - they close at 2:30. The menu has so many items I wanted to try, but since I knew I couldn't eat that much we settled for beef noodle soup, fried leek dumplings, soy milk, and the pork ribs. My favorite was definitely the fried leek dumplings! The beef noodle soup was also really good and not too spicy. I also saw people order large plates of pig ear and that looked so good! The food was delicious and the prices were reasonable. I can see why this place is a favorite!

    (4)

  • Zhe W.

    Traditional Chinese and Taiwanese breakfast! Worth to try different things each time!

    (5)

  • Samantha S.

    I feel like this place has slightly decreased in quality over the years but I still enjoy it enough that I want to come back everytime I am in town for some of my favorite items. I come for their weekend dim sum. When you first take a glance at their menu the prices may seem high. But the portions for the dim sum here are a lot bigger. We got 6 dishes and that was enough for our party of 4. Whereas at most other places you would need maybe 10 small plates to satisfy everyone's appetites. Make sure to get the Shao-Big with Five Spice Beef Sandwich. Spicy Stewed Beef Noodle Soup is always tasty. The chive pie is sort of like a scallion pancake but more in a massive dumpling form. I also like the pan fried white turnip cake. Steamed spiced spareibs, these come with chunks of sweet potato. So the contrast in flavor is nice. The steamed glutinous rice is wrapped in bamboo leaves and has peanuts and pieces of pork in it which isn't mentioned on the menu. For dessert can't go wrong with tofu jello in light syrup. Or I also like to get the shao-bing and dunk it in the sweet soy milk. Some people eat the bread as is. that's lame! Dunking it is way more fun. Kinda like China's version of tea and crumpets I guess.

    (3)

  • Nina S.

    Finally! A Taiwanese place I would recommend amd come back to! :) boy was I excited when I saw pictures of this place on yelp. I arrived for weekend "dimsum" (not your Hong Kong type with carts, here you order ala carte and can choose from am array of Taiwanese eats) at 2:20pm. They close for lunch at 2:30, but the place was still bustlin! And it was mostly Asians which I consider a good sign of good authentic food. I really wanted some pan fried buns but they were out, so got the scallion pancake, Taiwanese lao mian, the chitlins noodle soup, fried white turnip cake, and soy bean milk with youtiao. The youtiao and scallion pancake were a bit oily but still good. I have to admit I didn't try the chitlins noodle soup cause I don't like intestines, but from what I hear it was good. The lao mian was my fave though, nice flavor throughout, nice texture to the noodles, and nice fried onion crunch going on. The soy bean milk came out piping hot which I appreciate and tasted nutritious and freshly made. The turnip cake was different than ones I've had, cause there was no dried shrimps mixed in, and I actually prefer it without cause you can taste the subtle flavor of the turnip. Def enjoyed the food here and it was totally worth the drive out. Will be back!

    (4)

  • Joyce L.

    I love trying different cuisines and experiencing different flavor profiles, so I was really excited when my sister told me we were coming here for saturday brunch. This was my first time trying Taiwanese food and I've got to say - not bad! My sister claimed that this place fills up really fast so we got there at 11:15AM (the place opens @ 11:30AM) and waited in line with about 10-15 other people before the place even opened up. The interior is pretty small, but the food comes out extremely fast so we were in and out of there in like an hour - 1.5 hrs. It fills up fast so make sure you come a bit early or expect a wait time! We ordered the following: 1. Soy bean milk (sweet) with fried dough - extremely delicious. the dough comes out piping hot and the soy bean milk is not too sweet. the bowl is really big - you can share it between 2-3 people (we didn't know the bowls were so big and ended up ordering one bowl/person...none of us could finish it. I think we had 2 bowls left untouched so we packed it, of course :)) 2. Pan fried buns - I loved this especially with the hot sauce (you need to ask for this). Nothing more to say, just an amazing pork bun. 3. Steamed Glutinous Rice - It's steamed in a bamboo leaf and there are HUGE pieces of meat and beans in it. My parents didn't like it so much. We could have done without since we ordered so much, but I still enjoyed it. 4. Pan Fried White Turnip Cake - An interesting way to serve turnip! Delicious 5. Taiwan Style Calamari Soup - the BEST PART! I loved this soup. It wasn't too salty and it hit the spot on a cold, autumn day. We had to order 2 bowls to feed 8 people (just a reference to show you how big it is) Overall, very good dining experience! I can't attest to the "authenticity" of the food since it was my first time trying Taiwanese food, but everything that we ordered was delicious and I wouldn't mind waiting in line to come here again!

    (4)

  • Li S.

    Great place for Taiwanese dim sum! I usually get the pan fried buns, five spice beef sandwich (!), fried turnip cake, steamed pork ribs and hot soybean milk! There's always a wait when I go on the weekend and there's convenient street parking.

    (4)

  • Gill T.

    The soy bean milk and Chinese fried dough are my favorite. Pan fried white turnip cake surprised me with excellent taste and sauce.

    (4)

  • E F.

    Solid Taiwanese food in the Boston area. I'd come for either (Taiwan style) dim sum on the weekends, or for dinner during the weekdays. Depending on the timing crowds can range from empty to incredibly packed, line out the door. And for good reason: the food is just great. Skip the Americanized dishes. Come here if you're ready to order the real thing. I see some reviewers complain of poor service. What do these people expect? If you're looking for Ritz Carlton, then by all means hop in your limo and head down to the Ritz Carlton. This is a casual neighborhood restaurant, so temper your expectations for service accordingly. I would absolutely come back, as I have many times. Bring cash just in case you don't break the credit card minimum charge limit.

    (5)

  • K T.

    Great lunch place, specially weekends. Space is tight so I like to come here before 1130 to wait in line. Otherwise the wait is long.

    (3)

  • Lala I.

    beef shao bing sandwich and steamed spareribs with sticky rice are the MUST

    (4)

  • Jeannette L.

    Went here for Saturday brunch, and overall, I enjoyed it and would definitely go back. * Brunch is from 11:30am - 2pm. But someone told me to come earlier because line forms even before it opens. Well, it was a rainy day, got there around 11am, and the line did form by around 11:15am. It's not a big place, it got packed very quickly right after it opens. I think it's worth going there early before it opens. * FYI, you need to spend at least 20$ to use credit card to pay * The service was bare bone, which is fine with me. As long as you know what you want, tell them quickly, flag them down if you need something, they can be efficient. Tea was also refilled promptly. * The Gay gnn (sp?), shao bing with five spice beef sandwich, spicy beef noodle soup, turnip cake, pan fried buns were all really good * unfortunately, I thought the xiao long bao was very disappointing to me. It's not juicy, I've had much better ones else where. * I did not order this because we had too much food already, but everybody seem to enjoy the fried dough. I saw it on almost every table.

    (4)

  • Yunzhi H.

    Don't come in for dinner . This place is dead at weekday nights for reasons. Food is bad, overpriced, and service is rude. At the end, they will add service fee on top of the price without even noticing you.

    (1)

  • Vivian Z.

    Good spot for try out anthentic taiwanese breakfast, we got there 20 minutes before Sat Brunch hour and there was already a long line. Worth the waiting though. Try out the YouTiao, Dou Jiang! Xiaolongbao is so so

    (5)

  • Sharey H.

    They gave me wrong order even confirmed twice ! The taste is so so... No need to go that far!

    (1)

  • Christina F.

    In all my 23 years, I have probably been coming here for 20 of them. My dad works in Watertown and for as long as I can remember, he would bring the fried wontons and hot and sour soup home every now and again for my mother. As I got older, we started coming here as a family, and then just my father and I whenI moved to Boston. I was recently home for the weekend and this was the first stop I made from the airport. We always stick to two dishes here, and never really had the need to switch it up. I remember I was the first one in my family to try the chicken and vegetables and it has stuck with us for years. It's loaded with chicken and veggies in a semi thick sauce. It's a little spicy, but also on the milder side. For the lunch special you get hot and sour soup for a starter and rice or Lo Mein (only on Tues/Thurs) and 2 wontons for about $5-$7. My go to dish is the spicy beef with carrots and celery. This is a great dish. It has a ton of meat with green pepper, celery, and carrots in a super spicy sauce. We usually try to come on a Lo Mein day (it's definitely better than the rice). This is probably the best Chinese restaurant I have been to (and I have lived in NYC, Boston, and Chicago). It's never crowded and the service is always quick and attentive. I would always get extra wontons and hot and sour soup to keep in my fridge when I lived in Boston. You always see a lot of Asians in here, that's how you know its good food!

    (5)

  • Justin K.

    I have a love hate relationship with this place, I come often to browse the menu and place a take out order. Never has the wait for take out been under 25-30 min. Never is there anyone in the dining room when I come and there is absolutely no reason it should take so long. As I sit waiting for food, I hear at least 5 discernible voices coming from the kitchen. Really stop making me wait so long. The dishes here which are really good are good enough I'd wait 20 min for but nothing worth waiting as long as I am about to wait. Spicy means spicy, spicy dumplings rock. Crispy sesame beef good, but could use some veggies. Who wants a plate of just meat. Sorry, for dinner I will only come when I have time to waste, which is just about never.

    (3)

  • Ashley F.

    I have been eating at this restaurant for over 30 years. When I come back to Boston, I always make a point to eat there. It is the BEST Chinese food I have ever had. The staff treats us like family. The place is clean and well serviced. Jason, the chef and owner has gone from waiting tables 30 years ago to owning and being head chef. He has continued their tradition of excellent food. My favorite dishes that they do extremely well are the moo shu pork, and chung shin flounder. Another excellent dish is the chicken with spinach in garlic sauce. But I have never had a bad dish there, and I have travelled to many cities and tried to find an acceptable substitute. This is is the place I set my highest standard to!

    (5)

  • linda c.

    Its a love/hate relationship with this place, almost like the Soup Nazi experience. We love the food but everyone there are so mean in the restaurant. To a point, my friends and I have to rock, paper, scissors to go in the restaurant. We tried both speaking English and Chinese. The food is definitely up to expectation, we want to boycott the place but can't find another location with similar standards. We use to do the dine in service but with the ridiculous line and rushed/rude service, eventually we decide to do take out. Even with take out, it takes forever! it can take up an hour sometimes and we are always squeeze among the dinning in customers. Its such a struggle~

    (3)

  • Rena C.

    Horrible service. Food was greasy with no taste. No proper waiting area, restaurant owner got tired of saying "excuse me" to get through the crowd, so instead he said "I'm not gonna say excuse me anymore, if I bump into you, so be it." We were served with no tea, and dining supervisor insisted an item was already served, but in fact, hadn't. Supervisor cancelled the item but instead of apologizing, she started talking back at us with a very bad attitude. We got sick after eating here. This restaurant is very pricy and has way too many forgiving customers. They need to go out of business to understand how truly bad their service is. DO NOT DINE HERE!!

    (1)

  • Carolyn S.

    Tasty, Taiwanese comfort food whose ambiance and humble storefront appearance also upholds the authenticity of its cuisine. There is typically a line out the door (and down the steps and around the parking lot for a soft-serve at McDonald's) on the weekends, but it makes the feel of realizing your number on the crinkled, flimsy notecard was just called for your party of five to be squeezed into the tiny, 11-table eatery that much more satisfying. The place is happenin', and not just for the cool kids. They serve up a homey, Taiwanese classic for brunch -- Shao Bing You Tiao with Soymilk. Awesome. Pair that with oh, some tender Sliced Pig Ears, Soup Dumplings, crispy Green Onion Pancake, Leek and Egg Pockets, Fried Buns, and Daikon Cake, and you've got yourself set to unbutton your pants. Don't forget the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup!...better just wear elastic-waisted pants. So, while the flavors are legit, my main beef with the dishes is that many items are fried instead of pan-seared, as they normally would be (like the Leek & Egg Pockets or Daikon Cakes). I assume this is to speed-up the cooking process, since the service is notably fast and well, patrons are considerably hungry after waiting outside for 45 minutes (unless they already had an ice cream from McDonald's. Did I already mention that?). Also, the service style is that all waitstaff help serve and bus all the tables, so you basically holler out whatever additional items you want to order to whomever happens to pass by your table at the moment. I'm sure they have some sort of efficient system worked out in the kitchen where they keep track of each table and their orders, and I'm sure it probably works maybe 85% of the time, but the other 15% of the time, a couple of the dishes you ordered might be forgotten. And so might your drinks. But at least they'll be friendly about it! Overall, Chung Shin Yuan brings Taiwan to the corner of Watertown and Newton, and, while there are a few quirks here and there, the food is good enough to gain the approval of your Taiwanese in-laws and make them pardon the fact that their ABC daughter-in-law can't cook Asian cuisine worth a lick (speaking of which, don't park at McDonald's, because they'll tow!).

    (3)

  • Christine C.

    First, the quality of the food is going downhill. And the service was horrible; our server was actually very rude to us. Plus it was so noisy in that small place, you can hardly carry on a conversation. I would never go back again.

    (1)

  • constantconsumer c.

    The oil stick (chinese long donut) continues to be the best of all the restaurants I've ever had it in. It stayed crispy even though we got takeout this time and it hung out in the bag for 1 1/2 hours. The shredded pork and mustard greens noodle soup is fantastic. The roast beef in a shao bing sandwich was just ok. The scallion pancake was also so-so. The peking ravioli dumplings were good. The spare ribs was a good portion and pretty good as well. I didnt order my usual pig ear salad or spicy tofu salad which are 2 more of my favorites because my mealmates preferred non-spicy. This restaurant is pretty far from us but we still enjoy coming every once in a while for some fabulous dishes even we also end up ordering some of the so-so dishes.

    (5)

  • Momo K.

    the quality of their food has declined. the last couple times I went, the food was not good at all. the beef bing was not good, the wrapper tasted very oily but stale. the food is very greasy. the service however, is just as bad as usual.

    (1)

  • Michelle T.

    Impressed with several dishes and the selection but a few deal-breaker dishes that tastes nothing like the authentic Taiwanese food I grew up with. We came 30 minutes before opening (11am) on Saturday morning to get in line. If you're late, good luck waiting until the first round of folks finish eating. Great Dishes: - Sweet soybean milk - on the sweet side, served in a bowl and hot when brought to your table. Tastes just like what I'm used to! - Pigs ears - Marinated in sichuan/ma la spicy oil, their ultra thinly sliced pigs ears were a hit. - Pork Dumplings - Can't go wrong with these porky, thick skinned dumplings - Shao Bing - Much thicker than the ones from Taiwan, but still nice sesame crust on both sides. Brought me back home! - Scallion Pancakes - More greasy than what I'm used to, but still tasty! Skip these for sure: - Xiao Long bao (mini pork buns) - Ultra thick dry skin, and the meat inside was rock solid rather than juicy tender. Ultra-dissapointment! - Pan fried pork bun - They got the bottom crisp, but the bun itself was so soggy it was nasty!! - Turnip Cake - First time i've had it fried. There's hardly any turnip/radish in it so it just tastes like a fried rice cake. Lucky everything tastes alright when it's fried. OK dishes: - Glutinous rice parcels (Zong zi): Bland and lacking in ingredients, but alright. If I lived nearby, I would go back again for some of the dishes, but since it's so far of a drive outside the city...there's close to zero chance I'll be back.

    (3)

  • Tiki N.

    Sick and tired of eating Chinese dim sum? How about Twainese brunch this weekend? Brunch is only on weekend from 11:30am to 2:30pm. This is smallplace and it's always PACKED!!!!!!! during brunch hours. I suggest going with 2-4 people since the restaurant is small and there's limited seating. Don't expect great service because time is money here! If you want to avoid the wait order food to go and try it at home. Either way it's worth a try... :) Food to consider: Soy bean milk, fried dough, sticky rice, scallion pancake, and spareribs.

    (4)

  • Andrew D.

    OMG was this place money. **The Turnip Cakes had an amazing garlic dipping sauce. **Five-Spice noodle soup was like nothing I've tasted, as was the similar cold beef. **Very good dumplings. And CHEAP ... tons of food, huge table, $15 a head with tax & tip. Be forewarned - the wait at brunch was very long, don't go with anyone for whom that is a dealbreaker.

    (5)

  • Mia E.

    I just had the same dumplings as I usually have & they had a bizarre taste. The herbs in the dumplings clashed horribly with the sauce which otherwise made these yummy and different than your run of the mill dumplings. Hardly a scallion in the pancakes, the sauce for these also awful. I didn't even bother tasting the main dishes. This restaurant use to be good, though the service was always on the short and rude end.

    (1)

  • Josh W.

    Amazing little Taiwanese restaurant. The food here is amazing. I'd highly recommend coming here early or you'd be expecting a wait for a table.

    (5)

  • Mike D.

    As a huge fan of the Americanized Chinese luncheon special I've been saddened in recent years by what seems like its decline. But then I discovered Chung Shin Yuan, and perhaps more to the point, Chung Shin Yuan's Chung King beef, a beef and cabbage concoction bathed in chili bean sauce that I love despite the occasional pain and suffering it causes me the morning after. You know what took me so long to check them out? It's kind of goofy, but from the outside it looks like one of those 1960s egg foo young joints that still scar my memory. It's not. I've had a number of dishes from the Americanized menu and been happy with everything (in addition to the Chung King beef, the kung pao chicken is also great). They get a line out the door for the Taiwanese brunch on the weekends, but I don't like lines so I haven't checked that out yet.

    (5)

  • Derek L.

    This place has been around as long as I have lived in this area, which means that it is probably the oldest Chinese Restaurant in Newton and possibly the whole Metro Boston area! I have never written a review because I have eaten sporadically over the years and just took the place for granted... Last night, I went with family in the middle of the week. For some reason this place never seems to have any serious volume in the evening hours. We ordered a beef dish, a mixed vegetable dish, a Chinese broccoli dish, a smattering of very basic appetizers and a Tofu dish. Plus a fish filet and spinach dish. Everything was spectacular! Years ago, I remember coming with a family of cousins from Taiwan originally, they all ate in a grumpy silence, making me think this restaurant was too Americanized for Asian taste. Well I have traveled pretty extensively domestically and internationally and realized that right in my neck of the woods, we have a serious winner!!! The wierd thing is, apparently the elderly head chef, finally retired a couple of weeks ago. She must have left her recipes and a well trained replacement!

    (5)

  • Dick N.

    We went here based on the 64 reviews with an average of 4 stars. Must be pretty damn good, right? Nope. The Yelp people of the surrounding area of Newton/Watertown have completely lost any credibility. These people should not be allowed to review restaurants, drive cars, have kids, ride a bus, and I hesitate to agree to let them breath air. Seriously. I might not know a lot. Some say I don't know Jack. Some say I don't know how it feels to be me. But I do know Chinese food. And this is bad Chinese food. Bad. I got some staples by which all Chinese food should be judged: chicken fingers - bad, with a weird batter; chicken lo mein - bad, all yellow with dry chewy noodles; crab rangoon - bad, chewy with a strange texture; and General Gau's Chicken - very bad - super overcooked. Seriously - is this fake life? Are you people insane? This is as bad as it gets. I coulda been nice and done 2 out of 5 stars, but I really had to counteract all these dummies/liars saying this is good. It isn't. And why do google reviews have this as 2/5 when yelp has it at 4/5? Hmmm? Hmmm? Dick Nipple Out! (ps - another good way to get an idea as to whether Chinese food will be good or not is the duck sauce and hot mustard. If they're serving them in a packet, you know it will be horrid. This joint serves the duck sauce in a large sticky ketchup like dispenser and its a weird off pink color - gross! The mustard ok spice-wise, but was so watered down it would not stick to anything. Again, you people are idiots!!!!)

    (1)

  • Jamie Y.

    Legit Chinese food is hard to find in these parts. Legit Chinese breakfast is even rarer. So this place is a real gem. Chinese breakfast: dou jiang, shao bing, you tiao, guo tie, cao nian gao...really really good. Of course my grandma makes everything 10x better, but for Boston, this place is great! GO! AND make sure you go 10-15 minutes before opening in order to get a table RIGHT when they open. OTherwise you will be waiting...and waiting...go early!

    (4)

  • Anne W.

    This place is packed on the weekend. You can get there at 12 and be waiting until almost 2 before you can find an uncomfortable spot in this packed joint. I don't recommend Taiwanese brunch for those who are not at least Asian. It's just that it's a particular flavor that if you didn't grow up with, you probably won't appreciate the wait or taste. I have only been here twice because I can't stomach the wait (and sometimes wander next door to McDonald's to tide me over) or the parking (parking three streets away because they dont' have a real parking lot). Best things on the menu: short ribs steamed with yams turnip cake you can pick one of the dough goods.. i like the five-spice beef sandwich. Perfect for two people.. four people.. good luck with that!

    (4)

  • Leila T.

    We went last night at @5:45, the place was empty with good reason...Hostile waitress, disinterested manager, rock 'n roll music. The food is mediocre and expensively priced for what you're getting. We will NOT be back!

    (1)

  • GiGi H.

    Always love Chinese breakfast!

    (5)

  • Betty H.

    I went on a Sunday and arrived at 11:05 AM, where there was a crowd of people waiting outside the front (the restaurant doesn't open until 11:30). Two other parties arrived after us, but before the restaurant was open. At 11:21 AM, they opened doors and began seating. The place seemed less crowded than Chinatown places. We ordered the Spicy Stewed Beef Noodle Soup, Shao-Bing, Chinese Fried Dough/Youtiao, Pan Fried White Turnip Cake and something else I couldn't recall (it wasn't that good anyway). The highlights: + Spicy Stewed Beef Noodle Soup - good flavor, but too salty, even for me (a Chinese native). The noodles were very good inside the soup as well. + Youtiao - it's deep fried dough. You can't really mess that up. + Pan Fried White Turnip Cake - the black sauce on the side was pretty good. Not so good: - Shao-Bing - it's bread that's flaky like a crossiant and covered in sesame seeds. Not much flavor to it - Another item that had pork and sweet potatoes in it smelled odd. P.S. Parking is terrible. We ended up parking across the street in the residential area.

    (3)

  • Kathy A.

    Consistently good homemade food. We try to come here every time we visit from New York. Service can be a little slow at times because they hand make even the moo shi pancakes but it's always with the wait!

    (5)

  • Jonathan G.

    Moo-shi pancakes are homemade. Where else can you get that!

    (4)

  • Concious S.

    THE ruddiest restaurant I have been to! They took away our unfinished food even when we tried to stop them. The waitress DARE to say, "oh, we've been here too long, didn't you see there are so many ppl waiting for the table???" The food is not good enough to make up for this kind of service. Would NEVER come back for it!

    (1)

  • Al C.

    The rude (but tasty) Chinese son returns! Talk about an unexpected gem of a restaurant. This place has such a reputation already that it commands a line an hour before it even opens on a Saturday morning. Come too late and you'll be waiting in the parking lot with the gnats and wishing you had arrived earlier. The selection of Taiwanese brunch items was great. Many comfort foods and we definitely indulged in a wide variety of them. Probably the best sweet soy milk I've ever had (SF & LA), and also the best Chinese fried doughnuts sticks too. Very good. We also sampled some of their buns, pancakes, roast beef pockets. All were top notch. Now service on the other hand was curt and nothing to write home to our country relatives about. It was pretty poor compared to even some of the worst Chinese food places I've been too, and I've been to a lot... When we asked the waitress if the number of dishes we ordered might be sufficient or not for a party of six, she merely retorted, "how should I know how much YOU people eat?" and left it at that. Dang, help a brother out here. We had no idea if they serve larger style portions here or the wimpy portions. Common problem, right? Well, thanks a lot lady, we ordered too much so I guess they won. They were also a bit frenetic and you could tell they wanted you in and out as quickly as possible. If maybe they just opened up maybe an hour or two earlier in the weekend everyone can slow down and problem solved, right? 5 stars for the food, 1 for the service.

    (3)

  • Rene' Y.

    Uh... when it comes to Chinese food, I am extremely particular becuase I am chinese. Well, their Sunday brunch is like the Dim Sum except they don't push the carts around. I usually have to write down the dish numbers when the waitress is taking the order, otherwise, I forgot what I've ordered. The dishes are so delicious and really reminds me of home cooking. And the pricing are so reasonable than some big name "Asian Cusine" chain restaruant (should I even go there?). I usually bring my Americanfriends with me to savor the yummy food, and everyone loves it. When I frist brough my sister there, she ALMOST one of each dish that is offered on the menu and some to go . LOL. In fact, we will be there tonight. This place is very small, basically almost like a "hole in the wall" type. but, hey, these type of restuarant usually serves the BEST food in town. We used to have to drive to China Town, but then when I am craving for Authentic chinese food, this place is just as good and sometimes better.

    (5)

  • Susan D.

    Shortly after 1pm, the wait was still long at about 20-30 minutes. Luckily there is a huge stack of foodie and Asian pop magazines. Once we were called, I felt like VIP ... actually just lucky to grab a table in the middle of the room. This not-so-large place can pack about 60 people with booths along both lengths of the walls. Dim sum is a very quick order-and-chow kind of ordeal, so I was disappointed to see that only two of our 5 plates arrived to our table before they gave us our check. At first, I was understanding that it was busy, but the fact that the lady manager told us that our food already came, kind of ticked me off. Then she backtracked by saying that she could take the items off the receipt because the food would take too long or more like they didn't feel like serving us anymore. Not very welcoming!! The first two plates we tried were the steamed buns (soup dumplings) and the chive-stuffed pies/empanadas. They were just okay with the chive pancake being the yummier of the two. After the above fiasco, we finally had the steamed spiced spareribs (overcoooked? but nicely presented on sweet potatoes), pan fried buns (white pillows with fried bottoms - YUM, but oily!), and greasy pot stickers (weird dark crispy flakes stuck to the bottoms). I had much better dim sum and Taiwanese food in the past and won't be patronizing here if I can help it.

    (1)

  • Lorraine C.

    Did I forget that I gave this establishment a mediocre review previously? Yes. So since my husband was spending, he wanted food from Chung Shin Yuan and I picked up the order. Does anyone care about cleanliness? The smell and the evidence of the carpeting, leads anyone to believe that there is a problem with cleanliness. It gives me the impression that they want the money and can care less about the upkeep of the place, which would lead me to believe there might be other places where they are not protecting my health. Care for the customer includes tasty food and a clean environment. Needless to state, I did not eat the take out...

    (2)

  • Jeffrey C.

    Most definitely the best place for Taiwanese dim sum on the weekends. That's the only thing that I come to this restaurant for. I was recently in Taipei and found the shaobin and yotiao only slightly better. The beef soup noodle is also to die for. Getting hungry just thinking about it. Tomorrow is Sunday...

    (4)

  • Derek S.

    One of the few restaurants to earn 5 stars--specifically for its Taiwanese dim sum brunch. The food is amazing. Service is fast and efficient (don't expect fawning service at an authentic Chinese place). There's a long line for dim sum, so bring a book or call in take out. 5 spice sandwiches, beef noodle soup, pan-fried dumplings are especially awesome.

    (5)

  • A A.

    We have a party of 4 adults and a 4-month old infant. The server puts us at a table for 4 people. My baby, in a car seat, was squeezed between me and my husband while the two of us occupied half a seat on the bench. When the check comes, the restaurant charged us the mandatory gratuity because we have "a party of 5". Our server was also incredibly rude. Good food but will never return.

    (1)

  • Hank C.

    Tasty Chinese and Taiwanese style brunch. Dimsum comes highly recommended, but only had time for a breakfast here, very authentic shao-bings and yo-tiao with soy milk! Can't wait to come by and try more dishes.

    (4)

  • Jeannie H.

    Who are these people who love this place? Are they even Chinese? I first came here 4 years ago and thought the meal to be completely unmemorable. Then a few of our friends kept on raving about it so I gave it a second chance and ICKKKK! Atmosphere - Cramped and a little musty. Service - Rude but fast. Food - It's just not good. I ordered xiao long bao (likely defrosted from some supermarket purchase but definitely not made fresh), Chinese fried dough (grease laden), five spice beef sandwich (such a classic dish but the "bun" was dry and lacked flakiness), spicy stewed beef noodle soup (soup was boullion and not stock), pig's ear (good dish), steamed short ribs (a heaped soggy mess), and scallion pancake (had freezer burn on it). I would not recommend this place to anyone! The food is awful. If you want this type of food, Shangri-La in Belmont does it much much better. At least the food there is edible.

    (1)

  • Stephen O.

    I've been going here for several years, friends introduced me and I now consider it THE BEST CHINESE west of Boston! I always enjoy going, mostly evenings but the brunch is killer good. One of the cooks recently passed away :-( but they are going strong - it's a family business. I go back and back at least three times a month. They ARE wheelchair accessible and serve beer and wine too.

    (5)

  • Manfred S.

    After frequenting for Chung Shin Yuan for weekend brunch (albeit too infrequently) for twelve plus years it is still a delight. The ribs, steamed dumplings, five spiced beef, fried turnip!!! are delightful. The only problem to day was the new waitress. First she rushes the order (and messes it up). We get a couple of dishes that were supposed to go to another table. Attentive as we are (around 2 PM after the "spring forward" clock change), we told her and had her send the dishes to the right table. What pissed me off was the bill - written in peasant Chinese script - crossed out the dishes that went to our table wrongly, but they still tried to charge us for them. Hence, this was one of the rare occasion that my tip dropped below 15%. I doubt though that they got the message. ADVICE: Check you bill! However, the food is still delicious and I shall be back (with a watchful eye).

    (4)

  • Chris W.

    The brunch here is amazing. You can close your eyes and pretty much just pick something from the menu! And a quick tip for the early bird brunchers, the doors open at 11:30 on the weekends, but you should get there by 11:15 because there is always a line. This spot could easily become one of my regular brunch routines based on the their awesome pan fried buns, moon pies, sweet soy milk, and the everything else on the menu!

    (5)

  • Peachy L.

    I want to emphasize how RUDE these people are. It has nothing to do with a language barrier, it's just flat out disrespect. Don't they say "the customer is always right"? Not that I agree thats always the case, but here they sure as hell don't think that way. I order for work occasionally and I'll go pick it up for everyone. Out of all the times I have I've only had one good experience. Usually I won't order for myself. For what it is, the prices are to expensive. The place is a dump, i don't want to pay to sit in there. You can't even tell what it is from the street, there is no sign or building number. Every time I call they're in such a rush to hang up with me. I never know if the order is even right or the price. More then once I've walked in and stood there. No one around. If they are around its because its busy and they have to be. After the last time I was there I will never go back, and have been discouraging co-workers about going as well. When I DO order food there, all I get is plain noodles. That's it. I don't know why its always a process to ask for that, but it is. Usually its $3, considering its a TINY BOX of plain noodles. I always double check to make sure that's all they're charging me just in case. So my boss calls it in and I go to get it. They're trying to charge me almost $8 for my noodles. So I tell the girl I always get them, they're always $3. She proceeds to argue with me about it, shoving her finger at the menu on the wall. what she was pointing at was NOT what I had ordered to begin with. I told her "that's not what I ordered, or whats in the box" she told me she didn't care, its noodles. Noodles are noodles. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Lady, they cost 2 cents to make, I always pay $3 and you're going to charge me $8? It's not that $5 is a huge deal to me, it's the point that I always pay $3 and she was so rude to me about it. When I told her No, I'm not paying for it then, take it out, she ripped open the bag and threw them on the counter and rolled her eyes at me. I hadn't ate all day, this was lunch... I was ready to flip out or cry. It's like... ok, good job, you just wasted food because you're stubborn. Shove it down your own face. She was the younger girl, and from what ive heard gives an attitude to everyone no matter what. Good business sweety. i'm writing a bad review and I tossed all the menus we had at work and am making a point to tell people everyone to order elsewhere. There are a million Chinese food places all over this city. Suck up the $5 so people will come back. Dumb.

    (1)

  • Princess M.

    This place gets really crowded for their Taiwanese brunch on weekends, so be prepared to wait. My favorites here are the steamed pork ribs (fen zheng pai gu). Other staples that are great are the cold tofu with century egg, the fried dough fritters and soy bean milk and fried chive pancake. Great place to have a meal with friends on the weekend.

    (4)

  • reese w.

    Tasty taiwanese style brunch. Try the five spice beef in pancake, the fried crueller, sweet soy milk, and taiwanese noodles. If you're feeling adventurous, try the tofu with preserved egg. I'm not so impressed with their dumplings, but the other items on the menu are all very good. Be prepared to wait on the weekends as it can get quite crowded.

    (5)

  • Jonny L.

    I Come here because it is convenient, they have 2 menus, the regular menu is not available during the weekends, when it is replaced by a dim sum menu. Not knowing and having happily ordered from their lunchtime menu during the week, I dropped by towards the end of their lunch time session during a weekend. I tried to order the large pork dumplings and the vegetable dumplings, but both were sold out. So I ordered the scallion pancakes,small fried pork dumplings, turnip cakes and a noodle soup. The Scallion pancakes had no scallions in them, the turnip cakes had no pieces of Chinese sausage, mushroom, shrimp or anything else in them and tasted like it was made mostly out of flour rather than grated turnip. The noodle soup was OK but did not look appetizing or hearty, no garnish of scallions etc, a small bowl of skinny white noodles. The fried pork dumplings were good. It seems this place is a little disorganized, popular dishes should not run out even during busy times. From what I can see, they substitute using frozen food, cut corners and skimp on quality ingredients (which may impact the cooks ability) Give this place a miss for Dim Sum and come during the week, the only reason why this place does well for dim sum is because of lack of local competition. China town is far superior for Dim Sum for price and quality. The regular weekday menu for lunch is really good, for which I give 3 stars.

    (3)

  • Dee H.

    The four stars is for the Taiwanese dim sum they serve only on the weekends. It is very popular and the lines start long before they open at 11:30am. I've enjoyed the food from the dim sum menu everytime I've been here. I've also dined here on the week days, and while the regular menu is not as popular (or should I say there is other competition in the area with similar dishes on the regular menu), the food is still good. The restaurant is on the small side, so while coming here with a larger party during the weekdays shouldn't pose a problem, it sure can be challenging for weekend dim sum.

    (4)

  • Jesse W.

    12/29/07: Probably the best Taiwanese brunch in town. Served only on weekend mornings, come here early to secure a table during their first seating. Our group of eight, arrived 30 minutes before their opening (11:30am) and within minutes there were several groups behind us. Fortunately, everyone in line made it to their first seating (probably 55-65 people) - a line soon for the second seating! We ordered the following dishes: chinese fried dough (giant french fry), scallion pancake, small steamed buns, shao-bing with five spice beef sandwich, stir-fried scalloped rice stick, spicy stewed beef noodle, steamed spiced spareribs, seaweed salad, tofu jelly in light syrup (dessert item), pan-fried white turnip cake (skip this dish, its deep fried and not pan fried) and jelly fish salad. More than enough food, we were very happy with all the dishes! Food quality has not changed over the years, if anything, it is even more popular now- If you're not up for waiting for a table, take-out is also an option. I believe you have to call them around 11am to place your order and pickup around noontime.

    (5)

  • Perry F.

    I've only been here for the Taiwanese dim sum which is served only on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 11:30 until 2:00. There is always a line waiting for the restaurant to open. The place is tiny - about a dozen or so tables. People are moved into the restaurant relatively quickly and the regulars already know what to order and place them while sitting down. Be prepared to wait if you do not get in on the first wave. The service is ... and food is very good. Now let's get into the foods! Here's what I've enjoyed - - Fried cruellers - some of the best, if not the best, in Boston. Light, fluffy, not too greasy. Perfect for dipping into one of the many soups they have. - Pan Fried Dumplings - not bad - 5 big dumplings where the dough was not too thick and the pork was tender. - Fried Turnip Cakes - these were wonderful! Crispy on the outside and the turnip puree melting on the inside. Perfect consistency! - Gay Ginn - this is a stick of seasoned ground pork wrapped in a soybean wrapper and pan fired to perfection. - Five Spice Beef Sandwich - this is a nice crunchy bun (almost similar to phyllo dough where it is flaky) filled with five spice marinated thinly sliced beef shank. Wonderfully done! - Xiao Long Buns - steamed dumplings - very good but still like the ones at Shangri-La better! - Mustard Green and Pork Noodle soup - yum! Goes perfectly with the fried cruellers! Now the service - meh. I understand it's busy and they want to clear out people as soon as they are done eating but this is almost ridiculous! Servers are constantly asking if you are done with this plate or that plate. But then again, I get the same treatment from other Taiwanese restaurants. Maybe it's a cultural thing. I don't know but it does hinder the overall rating of this restaurant which could have easily earned a 5 star from me! Just saying...

    (4)

  • Angel C.

    Very yummy Taiwanese brunch. I have to echo everyone else's comment about getting there early. They open at 11:30; get there by 11. Some of the highlights are the beef noodle soup (very tender beef in a slightly spicy broth), the sweet soy milk with fried dough, the five-spice beef sandwich, the chive pancake, and the meat sauce noodles. I'm also a fan of the short ribs - small pieces of ribs, covered in rice flour, on top of sweet potatoes (or is it yams?). Mmm. I also like some of the more "adventurous" items, like the jellyfish and the tripe. I don't know if they were even attempting to do xiao long bao because the steamed dumplings I ate did not have any soup inside, but they still tasted good. Their turnip cake is good, but I like the Cantonese version better. I was disappointed that they took the red bean buns off the menu. Oh well, I still had the sweet tofu for dessert, which is good too. This place is a little out of the way if you live in the city, but totally worth the trip.

    (4)

  • Min L.

    I've never had the dimsum here, but I've heard a lot about it and am still open to trying it. But man I have to say something about the weekday lunches because they are inexcusably bad. I've had lunch here twice and each time, I've gone back to work with a headache and feeling very thirsty. Despite the massive amounts of brown sauce that most of the dishes come soaked in, the meals taste bland. This confuses me. It's really unfortunate...I'd be here all the time during the week if the food was as good as people say it is on weekends.

    (2)

  • lauren f.

    Very cramped. Everything tasted precooked. Very busy so maybe I went on an off night.

    (2)

  • Mark K.

    My wife and I have been going here for weekend dim sum reliably for more than 15 years (probably 5-6 times a year). In that time I don't think their dim sum menu has changed...but that's okay because we like what they offer and continue to come back for it. The place is small and there is almost always a line on weekends. At their busiest waits will easily exceed 30 minutes. For best bets in getting seats get there before 11:30, or come after 1:30, or in the winter come during a fierce snowstorm(seriously)--seats are usually plentiful then. In the time we've been going here the prices have also changed very little--so you end up eating well for a very reasonable price. Since this place is small, the dim sum does not include waitresses pushing carts of pre-made goodies. Everything is taken to order and prepared in their kitchen. Our brunch selections always includes the home made youtiao (oil sticks= unsweetened fried dough) and a big bowl of their hot sweetened soy milk. We tend to vary some of the other dishes but our favorites include the five spiced beef (cold, fragrants, sliced beef shanks), the steamed pork ribs and chit'lin's (yes pig intestines--yumm) which is served on a bed of steamed sweet potato chunks, the chive pockets tasty and vegetarian, the chicken roll (ji juan) which is a ground season chicken wrapped in a tofu skin, sauteed and sliced, Pork soup with rice noodles (fensi), the sticky wrice dumpling (zongzi). We aren't crazy about their steamed buns, but will go for most everything else on the menu. The menu is somewhat limited but, judging by the crowds, popular. The crowd is almost always 90% asian (and probably 90% of that is Taiwanese) so this is likely to be some of the most authentic Taiwanese food you can find in the Boston area (apart from being invited over to someone's house for dinner). I am a little bit reluctant to post this review because it will simply make it harder for my wife and I to find a seat when we go. This is a reliable standby place for us which has changed little in many years and continues to satisfy. Good for a small group of people. Not good for parties more than 6 though due to the size.

    (4)

  • Aaron H.

    Went ordered a takeout on Saturday and got the food still cold and plastic film in the food...food tasted like leftover from days before. Not a pleasant experience at all.

    (1)

  • Nathan R.

    Wow, I have to thank my friend from Taiwan, Yen, for turning me onto this place. I went for the weekend Taiwanese Brunch and man, oh man...it was worth the 15 minute wait in line. The seaweed salad was perfectly executed with just a hint of spice as not to dominate the delicate dish. The scallion pancake was so delicious- not overly greasy, the Taiwan Style Noodles were simple and comforting, and the Sweet Soy Milk with fried dough was a perfect cap to this delicious lunch. As stated by other reviewers- be prepared to wait during the weekend; however, the turnover seems to be pretty quick.

    (5)

  • Dee W.

    This place made me so happy - true Taiwanese food on the weekends for brunch/breakfast. We had their sweet soymilk (I had the salty but it's more of an acquired taste) and three orders of shau bing and you tiao, fried turnip cake, green onion pancakes, and xiao long bau - all of that resulted in leftovers (even though there were four very hungry people eating) and the price was amazing - it was only $26 for brunch for four! What a steal and what great food!! EDIT: Pictures uploaded

    (5)

  • Terry C.

    I've been here a handful of times and have never had a bad meal. The food is delicious! However it's taken me so long to write a review because I never knew the name of this restaurant. My friends and family all refer to "the Taiwanese dim sum place in Watertown/Newton". So when i went this past weekend, I made it a point to remember the name. This place only serves Taiwanese dim sum on the weekends, from 11-2:30. The place is small and humble, nothing spectacular but the food is great. The service is ok, but with the crowd and the lack of space, sometimes i feel rush to eat and be out. Don't get me wrong, the place is not cramped or uncomfortable to dine-in. I would suggest to order a few dishes to share for lunch, some of their best dishes are: peking ravioli sweet soy bean milk Five spice beef sandwich - the sandwich is more like a biscuit with tender marinated beef. i usually get one to split so that i can eat other food. spicy stewed beef noodle soup - this is my most favorite dish in the restaurant. Its the perfect amount of spiciness and the soup is so flavorful! chinese style peking meat sauce noodle - this is an equivalent to the Bolognese sauce. Served with shredded carrots and scallions to mix in. My not so favorite are the: small steamed bun which is their soup dumplings. The dough is too thick and the soup within is kind of bland. The dumplings were also kind-of dried. chinese fried dough - many people eat this with the soy bean milk but their fried dough is soaked in oil. Try to come early or after 1:00 to avoid the crowd.

    (4)

  • Sun Jin P.

    It took me five years to get to this place mang. My foodie sister told me to go five years ago but due to my lazy ass, i did not get to go until today. and i only went today cuz my girl was in the mood for something different. so we went to a market in the city and then timed the arrival perfectly to arrive around 11am in time to line up with about 20 others to go and have this well known taiwanese dimsum. make sure you arrive at 11am or you get to wait with the other losers for another 40 minutes. the parking is pretty open on the street during that time. no need to stress. i saw some peeps parking in mac donald's right next door, but that is sure way to get towed some time in the future. okay. for the food. dude. please don't expect to get wowed with the taiwanese food unless you've had it before and you know what you are getting into. i followed the other yelpers and ordered what they suggested. pig's ear tripe and pork fired chitleins steamed spiced pork and taiwanese soup. hahhahahahahaha. it's really pig's ear sliced up. you know what tripe is? it's stomach boy. you know what chitleins are? it's pig intestines. hahhahahahahaha. after i realized what they were. i took a taste and wasn't disappointed. it's like my first reaction after i realized i was eating real chicken feet. neways. next time i go i will order some of the normal sounding things. like fried taiwanese dough, and five meats and shia bao. and someone wrote there are soup dumplings there. dude, maybe you or I am mistaken, but the soup dumplings that i get at Joe's Shanghai in NY is not sold here. maybe there is another type of soup dumpling. anyways. there is one more place my sister told me to go. maybe in another five years.

    (4)

  • Cyn C.

    I've only been once, but I'm going back! I was so excited to hear that there was an authentic Taiwanese brunch in Boston... I ordered some of the small steamed dumplings, salty and sweet soy milk, and a couple of the sesame/fried crullers. I drooled over other tables' orders of the sticky rice, pan fried turnip cakes, steamed veggie buns, and a multitude of other authentic brunch dishes. I can't wait to try their spicy beef noodle soup too. The other reviews are spot on... when you go for the first time, (go early!) do look for the strange line next door to the McDonalds. ETA: Went back with the parental units (who were born and raised in Taiwan). The sao bing got the big nod for flakiness, as did the guy gynn (pork roll in tofu skin?). Turnip cake was deep fried instead of pan fried, which was a bit disappointing. My mom enjoyed her almond tofu (cold) and I liked my salty soy bean milk. They were out of the pork and sour cabbage buns (damn). Five spice beef was pretty good (could've sliced beef a bit thinner). ETA2: Have come a few more times and ordered to go since last update. I was disappointed with take out (they got my order mixed up with someone else's... but they did refund my credit card). The chive pie is delish, if a little on the greasy side. The taro/turnip cake is missing the chinese sausage bits. Still the place to go for taiwanese brunch, but check your order before leaving with your take out. Four stars for here and only for brunch. I have no idea what the rest of the food is like.

    (4)

  • Eric C.

    NOTE: 5 Stars "As good as it gets" is relative to the Boston area - maybe there are better places in NYC/Taiwan. The ONLY time you should actually try this food is on Sat & Sun for brunch because this is the only time they serve Taiwanese brunch (think of it as dim sum but more like street food). After reading the comments, I feel the need to respond to the negative comments about this place. Having lived in Asia(mostly Penang) for 20+ years, I'd like to believe that I'm somewhat qualified (to a certain extent) to be able to distinguish between 'bad' and 'good' chinese/asian food. Then again, food is such a subjective thing - it can vary from one person to another. Some people love durian - others don't (little hint of my food experience) - some love balut, others think its disgusting. I have to admit, some of the items on the menu are subpar, however, overall, there are some 'must try' dishes that one of the best available of its kind in the Boston area. My first experience here wasn't good AT ALL as I had ordered the wrong things, in fact, it took me 2 years to return to this place. I finally returned there with a Taiwanese friend and he managed to order all the right dishes - been coming here ever since. Recommending dishes to try is a difficult process as its impossible to know what people like and dislike. For those who are going to try this place here is what I would recommend (will updated later): 1. Chinese Fried Dough (its freshly made) - Not sure what some reviewer was refering to it being greasy was but all you need to do is look around you and almost every table has at least one or two of these. You won't find anywhere in town where this is made to order. I would describe it as tasty and crispy though its tradition to eat it with soup or between the sandwiches. 2. Steamed Spiced Spare Ribs - Its fall off the bone ribs on a bed of sweet potatoes with crushed steamed rice over it. This is a unique dish and a must try for those who like munching on cartilage. 3. Pan Fried Turnip Cake - Different from most places. Texture is crispy on the outside, a little soft yet firm on the inside - and is made fresh. 4. Spicy Beef Noodle soup - Imo, its one of the best in Boston. Yes, I've tried the versions at Shangri-la and Blue Cafe but the quality of the soup and beef itself is much better. There is no 'beefy' smell (For those 'hardcore' fans of this soup, I urge you to compare this to Blue Cafe's and let me know if I'm wrong). 5. Shao-Bing with Beef Sandwich - An oven-toasted multi-layered pastry with sesame seeds with slices of seasoned beef and vertically sliced scallions with a light dash of sauce. Seldom find this elsewhere in the Boston area. 6. Chilled Beef slices: Selected cuts of beef shanks/shin(because of its marble texture) are simmered in spices and then later chilled. They're then sliced thinly and brushed lightly with a soy based sauced. Food I would refrain from ordering: 1. Xiao Long Pau (Small Steamed Bun) - This is traditionally a very difficult thing to prepare and I've not found a place in the entire New England Area where anyone has gotten it right. Skin is always too thick and chewy - so I usually get my fix when I go back to Asia. Final thoughts: - If you're going to be there early and are trying to meet up with friends there, make sure they're on time. Don't hoard the table of 8 when only two have shown up and others are 'on the way in 20 minutes'. You'll get into trouble with the person running the place. - For those expecting 'kiss your feet' service, remember, this is an asian restaurant - They're not 'rude' but like any other asian joint, time is important - they're not going to chat with you about how your day went and what you did last night. - Those complaining about 'getting your check too early', once again, if you're going to let something as 'small' as that get to you, you're definitely better off dining at Paparazi's or Aquitaine for the fine dining experience. That's how the place does it - they usually leave your check on the table early but why should it bother you? if you need to add more items, they'll just update it. That place is PACKED for a reason, simply because the food is pretty good (YES even with the shortcomings in 'service'). To avoid the hassle of crowds and service, you can always call to order and pick it up later.

    (5)

  • Tessa C.

    This is the real deal on the weekends. Long lines next to a McDonald's may seem peculiar on the weekends, but people flock here for the northern Chinese/Taiwanese style brunch (don't call it dim sum - the management will correct you.) Service is very curt, but the food is worth it. Don't expect lots of shrimp and pork repackaged in different ways like Cantonese dim sum. And no carts. For the uninitiated try the following: Spicy Beef Noodle Soup - spicy and savory Sweet Soybean Milk with Fried Dough (just get one for 2-3 people) Steamed Pork Spareribs on a bed of Sweet Potatoes Small Steamed Pork Dumplings - eat this with a dip of soy sauce, vinegar, and julienned ginger. Succulent, spicy, salty, sweet, and sharp all in one bite! The interior is well designed and more upscale and modern than the industrial brick facade might tell you. Come here at 11AM for the 11:30 opening time - or you'll be waiting at least an hour for the first round of tables to clear. Parking on the street - just don't park in the McDonald's parking lot. (It's currently being renovated.)

    (5)

  • Aimy T.

    I've been coming here for over 10 years with my Taiwanese family and I'm glad this place is still going. Lunch combos are pretty average but you should be coming here for brunch or dinner anyway. Especially brunch. They have Taiwanese style lo mian with cilantro and shallots, beef shao bing sandwiches, pan fried buns with crispy bottoms, 2 ft long sticks of fried dough (dip in soy milk), traditional beef noodle soup, gay gnn, chitlins, crunchy turnip cake (bf loves this), chive pie (a vegetarian hot pocket), and zha jiang mian- noodles with beef gravy, carrots, bean sprouts, and green onion (my favorite). Dinner is yummy too. The crab rangoons actually taste like crab. Definitely try the crispy sesame beef with sautéed spinach or green beans. You might have trouble communicating with the staff unless you know some Chinese but the food always comes out quick and there's always a waitress around if you need one.

    (5)

  • Ben Y.

    I was told that for Tiawanese brunch here you should get there early, and I was told right, they open at 11:30, and by that time there was already a line ofover 40 people. Good thing we showed up early, we had a party of 15, were seated and we ordered, the food started coming fairly quickly, the beef noodle soup was very good. I would reccomend that. The little steamed dumplings that we had were not very good, i was a bit dissappointed at those. there was no juice inside which is what they are known for. the fried dough was good, but very oily. the steamed buns were good as well. The prices are reasonable, the service was ok, you you would expect for brunch at a Chinese resturaunt. The only down side was that since there were people waiting, and we were occupying (sp?) a large table, they just wanted us to finish and get out, and i don;t like to be rushed when i am trying to enjoy my food, Other than that, it was good experience, would go back again at some point.

    (4)

  • Stephen D.

    I love this place, great flavor and it's high end Asia cuisine!

    (5)

  • Joy Y.

    LIke many others who have written reviews on Chung Shin Yuan, I am very particular about my Chinese food. And I'd like to think that despite being able to enjoy the occasional piece of General Tso's (which, just for the record, I would never order myself) my ability to judge is not too shabby. That being said, I loved Chung Shin Yuan. My dining companions and I went for "breakfast" Sunday morning and got there 15 mins before it opened at 11:30-- good thing since we were at the tail end of the line and got the last table before we would have been forced to wait for the first round of diners to finish. Regardless, it was well worth the wait. Although the soup dumplings left a little to be desired (mostly because my heart lies with JoJo Taipei when it comes to soup dumplings) everything else was, in short, amazing! Plus it was super cheap! We ordered more than enough food to share and It came out to $10 a person, tip included. I was particularly a fan of the Beef Noodle Soup. Being my personal version of comfort food, I have been on the hunt for a bowl that is as close to my mom's with little to no luck...until now. Yay! It was perfectly spicy and not too oily, which for some reason, I often find with many of the other places I have tried. I must say the only downfall to this place was the fact that it was advertised to me (albeit by my friends) as "dim sum" and there were a few things I was looking forward to that weren't on the menu (egg tarts and shumai anyone?) Anyway, go check it out. It's delicious!

    (5)

  • Xintian L.

    I am chinese, and I love chinese food from different part of China. their Taiwanese Dim Sum in the weekend is fantastic. I love the food there, don't get me wrong, but the service there is terriable...I was asking one of the waitress to check my order, however, the waitress told me, you know it takes time to cook food. I was so pissed off. I got 2 bachelor degrees and 1 graduate degree, and I don't know it takes time to cook?

    (4)

  • Fortuna F.

    delicious Sunday Taiwanese dim sum. There was a line so get there early--11:30 or so. Best dishes: steamed short ribs, pig ears, you tiao, luo buo bing (turnip cake) fried crispy Don't park in the McDonald's next door lot or you will get ticketed or towed! Great dishes and well prepared.

    (4)

  • Angela M.

    I am a fairly recent graduate of the New England School of Acupuncture, and heard of this place because it's right across the street from the school. The signage is very subtle, to say the least, so I went about my days, graduated, and forgot about it...until recently. One recent evening, after a full day of acupuncturing, I passed this place on my way home and decided on an impromptu dinner here. The place was clean, the food was flavorful, and the service...pretty speedy. Chung Shin Yuan seems to have quite the strong following, too; we met a mother and daughter who traveled from Needham to go to here, which, from I've read on other reviews, isn't too uncommon with this this hidden gem. In a world where good Chinese Fast Food is hard to find, come to Newton and check this place out. I think you'll find it's well worth the trip!

    (4)

  • Carol W.

    I do think this place is slightly overrated but have been coming here for the past 7 years every few months or so. My husband was feeling lazy this morning, so we did take-out for the very first time. Around 11:40AM, I called to place my order and was told it would take 45 minutes. I ordered the five spice beef noodle soup, the shao bing beef sandwich, the spiced spareribs over sweet potatoes, and a sweet soy bean milk. They weren't kidding about the 45 minutes, as I got there a few minutes early and waited for my order. Overall, the take-out was okay. The only disappointment was that the soup broth was not hot, but just warm. It seemed to make a difference in the taste/flavor of the soup as it seemed blander than usual. The sandwich bread was light and flaky - very well done, and my soy bean milk was good. Based on the rave reviews, I ordered the spareribs. While they are unique, there wasn't anything special about how they tasted. I think the food here lacks a depth of flavor, nothing especially jumps out as being especially tasty or memorable. However, for the price and this style of Chinese food in the Watertown area - you can't beat it!

    (3)

  • Dave H.

    Chung King Beef with white rice: easily one of the top five meals that I've ever had in my life. Enough said.

    (5)

  • Ryan T.

    Likely the best taiwanese style breakfast in the Boston area, the food is still a bit of a far cry from what I've had in Flushing, Queens NY. The salty soy bean milk is executed decently, and the sao bing beef sandwich is equally edible. The fried triangular turnip cakes are my favorite at this joint. Their shen jian bao are far different from Manhattan Chinatown's Moonhouse though... (not a fried tiny bun, but a very large bun) In any case, if you crave some sao bing + you tiao, Chung Shin Yuan is probably worth checking out.

    (4)

  • Kya F.

    I'm pleasantly surprised to see others have given Chung Shin Yuan such high ratings. This is my comfort food. When I crave Chinese, this is where I go (for take out, I've never actually eaten in). My family has been customers for almost 30 years. True story. The day my family first moved to Newton in 1978 my parents asked their new landlord for a restaurant recommendation, and they were sent to Chung Shin Yuan. I'm craving Chinese. I'm going tonight.

    (5)

  • Roni E.

    So I just recently found that this place is closed on Mondays!!!! WTF!!!! They lost a star just for that! But in all fair honesty, I finally went to this place this weekend because I was totally craving Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Buns), but they just didn't meet my expectations. I was hoping for some big soupy pork buns where I need a Chinese soup spoon to hold it and sip out of, but was completely let down, when my metal steamer had 7 buns and they were the kinds you'd find in your Asian Supermarket's frozen food sections. I actually have the one they use in my freezer! On top of that they expect you to make your own concoction of ginger soy sauce with the Kikkoman/Vinegar on the table. While I was pleasantly full after having the 5 spiced beef, shao bing (which I've never had before - not so great), scallion pancakes, soybean milk, and the pork buns, it was certainly not worth the 30 minute wait. We had actually gotten there before it opened (which by the way is 11:30 on a Sunday - not 11, which I was under the impression of) and there was already a line of Asians waiting. I figured hey this place MUST be good if they're all waiting BEFORE they open. But to my dismay it was truly a disappointment. I was however craving for some spicy beef noodle soup all day today and no one seemed to be picking up their phone, so I figured I'd take the ride down during my dinner hour from work and get some yummy soup, but they were closed. So to Shangri-La I was going to go, but they too wasn't picking up their phone, so I eventually ended up at Asiana Fusion (see review for them). Maybe tomorrow evening I will have better luck. P.S. This place is only open during certain hours in a day. They seem to close mid-day! No one seems to have pointed that out and so I will save you some aggravation if you plan on eating mid-afternoonish - THEY ARE CLOSED FROM 2:30 - 5 PM! They also don't say this on their answer machine either. Hrrmmmpphhhh!

    (3)

  • Lidya T.

    I will only come here on weekends for their taiwanese dimsum and i am not fond of their dinner menus for they are only mediocre. Long lines during those weekend lunch hours so be prepared to wait for 30-45 mins before you can sit down and enjoy the famous 'you tiao' and soy milk, the taiwanese style ja-jang myun, steamed buns, fried turnip cakes.

    (4)

  • Eddy C.

    Taiwanese food in Boston? Actually, check that. Taiwanese food in Newton, MA? Who would've thunk it. But my gf and I were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the "Taiwanese brunch" at Chung Shin Yuan. Their "yiu tiao's" were fried just right and their soy bean milk was very tasty and definitely authentic, judging by the layer of soybean "skin" on top. We were also impressed with the "shiao long baos" and "tsung yiu bings" -- both very delicious. The only thing that we didn't like that much was the "luo buo gaos". The texture was different than what we're used to eating at dim sum and the taste was a little on the bland side. Service at Chung Shin Yuan was ok. Efficient though not necessarily warm and friendly. If I had to choose, I'd rather get my food quick than have to wait for my food while I exchange pleasantries with my server. Prices are a little high for what you're getting but that would be assuming that you could get this stuff somewhere else in the greater Boston area. For anyone craving some pretty authentic Taiwanese breakfast food, I would definitely recommend giving Chung Shin Yuan a try.

    (4)

  • Hsiao-Ting C.

    I am new to Boston. My friend took me to this place. I would never think that such great food can come out of this small building that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived at the place, some of our friends were there already. They were waiting outside. I thought it was packed since there was a line but apparently people were waiting for the place to open. I was thinking this place must be good for people to wait for it to open. This place is small. We ordered a bunch of dishes: - pig ears: pretty good seasoning...nice and crunchy - radish turnip cake: really good...nice and crispy and the sauce is really good that goes with it - beef noodle soup: the beef was really tender but not as spicy as I expected it to be - you tiao (aka chinese donut): fried just perfectly...not too greasy - soy milk: not too sweet but they don't have cold ones...you have to order it hot - scallion pancake: really yummy - steamed buns: very juicy - Taiwan spareribs: first time having something like this...really good! the spare ribs just melts in your mouth....there's some sweet potatoes underneath the spareribs to compliment it - almond tofu: perfect dessert to finish off the meal...very light and refreshing Overall a great Taiwanese place. One of the best Taiwanese place I have been to. My friend told me they only have this on the weekend so you should go to this place on the weekend. During the weekday, apparently the food is "Americanize." They have a different chef on the weekday that's why.

    (4)

  • Joy H.

    This review is for the weekend Taiwanese brunch only, as I've never been here any other time. I've been to a couple of the other Taiwanese brunch places, but I always end up coming back here. As long as you get here by 11 am (they open at 11:30 am and there's almost always a line), it's not hard to get a table, even for a large group. I love the turnip cake, and their you tiao (fried cruller) is the freshest I've ever had, even compared to the ones I've had in Taiwan!

    (5)

  • Sean M.

    Sigh, for two years I lived in walking distance from CSY. It was a nice walk too, from Watertown over a footbridge. Many a Sunday morning I made this journey. Moved to Brookline, still made the trip regularly. Moved to Westborough, still make the pilgrimage every month or so. Every time I go here it is for brunch. I am not familiar at all with the lunch or dinner menu. Stuff we get: * Pork Tripe (best in Boston area) * Pig Ear salad (best in Boston area) * Vermicelli, like in the pic. * Tofu Salad w/preserved duck egg * Spare ribs w/ yams * Soy milk with cruellers * Pickled cabbage * Meat Sauce Noodles * Fried chitlens * Shao Bing & 5 spice beef (make samiches, yum) * Fried Turnip Cake * Soup Dumplings (better than Taiwan Cafe imho) Yeah, that's alot but we do the same thing when we go to Super 88 food court, when you are 30 miles out of the city in the great Chinese food desert you learn to "provision". Tip: Not so fun waiting to be seated. How to put this delicately? The art of "queing" seems NOT to be a Taiwanese strong suit. Go early or at least "plant" a beachhead person in line. Otherwise just call in take-out.

    (4)

  • Darius K.

    Thank you Yelpers for pointing me to the best brunch I've had in a very long time. We ordered the pan fried dumplings, small steamed dumplings, steamed red bean buns, beef with noodles, five spice beef sandwich, fried turnip cakes, fried dough, potstickers, and a few other things I don't remember. I highly recommend the turnip cakes, the fried dough, and the pan fried dumplings. Although everything was really fantastic! I recommend eating here with a group of five or six. Much larger than that and there might not be room. Smaller than that and you don't get to try everything. The price is right: I went here with a party of five, and we ordered a ton of food. The bill, with tip, came out to $48. That's less than $10/person, folks. You can't even get brunch that cheap at some diners.

    (5)

  • T D.

    It's the best Asian food that I've had in the Boston area. Go early. Had yo-tiao with soy milk, tofu, spare ribs, xiao lung bao, onion pancake, little beef sandwiches, fried buns, and rice cake. Walked away so full and satisfied, but a good meal tires me out so I napped for the rest of the day.

    (5)

  • Eric E.

    Yup, I'm a convert too. Previously a fan of the Chinatown Cantonese-style dim sum - really the only thing I knew. Easier parking and better quality food will make this my first choice when craving dim sum. Pleasantly surprised by the variety, quality and freshness of everything. No carts, you order off the menu. Favorites on the first visit were the chive pie, ravioli, hot and sour cabbage, and jellyfish salad. Looking forward to the small steamed pork dumplings next time. Hesitant to leave this post as we don't really need a bigger crowd there when they open.

    (5)

  • Trevin L.

    Authentic as it gets! From the light, crispy fried dough (best in Boston) to cartilage-y spicy pig ear, the Taiwanese brunch menu here is a true gem. Highly recommend it!

    (5)

  • Wesley C.

    i would give a 0 rating if yelp allows that. honestly the food is not bad however the msg content is astronomical. now the main beef i have with this establishment is it's service which is atrocious. the manager is rude, the waitstaffs are rude, and even the cashier is rude. i hate this place.

    (1)

  • Kate F.

    Yum - we love this place. We have only had take-out a couple of times, but it has been tasty, fast, and most importantly NOT greasy! I love Mushu (sp?), and have been really pleased with it here. Downside is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to remember the name and to find a menu online.

    (4)

  • Dharia M.

    dimsum for vegetarians, yay! when i had dimsum in chinatown i new there would be lots of meaty things without labels, so i was prepared to wait until others tried things first and let me know. In the end i think i ate some cabbage and maybe a steamed bun and left feeling sad. This taiwanese dimsum isn't served from carts you just point at, there is a menu you order from. There are tons of things to choose from, and LOTS of them are vegetarian. I love their red bean buns, turnip cakes, and that big fried dough thing. The last time we went i ate my carnivore friends under the table. seriously, as others have said, get in line at 10:45. bring your coffee and a magazine. Its worth the wait to be in the first seating. If you can't stand the line you can come a bit later and go for the second seating, but they often run out of several menu items by then.

    (5)

  • David C.

    The food is pretty decent. To be honest I prefer Shangri La and especially Taiwan Cafe. Slightly more expensive than either too. When you stand outside it looks like a hole in the wall but when you go in its surprisingly very nice looking inside. The spicy beef noodle soup is barely spicy but tasty. The bao was good but does not have the soupy goodness that joe shanghai or taiwan cafe does. And it bugged us that the bao came out in less than 2 min. When that happens you know they're cutting corners. The highlight was definitely the beef sandwich. Crisipy flaky bread with some tasty beef. One thing to note though. WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! For this reason alone I will never dine in this restaurant again. Maybe pick up a sandwich from them if i happen to be in the hood but that's about it. The waitress never came by. Had to flag down the busboy to get a waitress and believe me the place is not big enough where a waitress should not be able to notice us. Wait staff was grossly unattentive. We asked for hot sauce and they gave it to the table next to us. WTH? The busboy slammed into my chair with the dirty dish cart. And then the greeter smacks into my chair with a couple of chairs he was dragging. Keep in mind that this is a authentic taiwanese restaurant. Being such you have to know that efficiency is more important than customer service. So ordinarily i wouldn't care because you have to just expect it. But being a frequent diner of authentic asian hole in the wall restaurants (they tend to be the best food) this was by far the worst customer service i've ever experienced.

    (3)

  • Shirley Y.

    my friend has came to this hidden establishment a few times and she heard of it word of mouth. we decided to come here one weekend for their taiwanese dim sum because someone had a car and could drive out here. admittedly, i was curious as my friend was raving about it and as i am not as familiar with taiwanese cuisine, what i have been exposed to has been nothing spectacular. after a drive, we pulled off what appeared to be a desolate place off the side of the road on the newton-watertown line. i would never have found this place in a million years. there is not even a sign! usually, there is a line out the door for a block, but today, it was quiet due to the memorial day holiday. the place is small but was bustling and i was delighted that our server spoke cantonese. i was told by the other people i was with this establishment is only open on the weekends during the day...? as my friend is shanghai-nese and she did not like the xiao long bao they served there, we skipped it. we ordered sweet soy milk all around. splendid -- i haven't had this in a long time! we also ordered the 'yao tiew,' which are the fried dough sticks. they were fresh out of the fryer, which made them nice and crispy. i tend to avoid getting this, even in hong kong where it is regularly served with congee. we had to keep in mind that the dim sum at this place is not like your typical dim sum that you may find in chinatown -- their food is northern chinese. this was demonstrated by the pork spare ribs we ordered. instead of steaming them with black bean sauce, the spare ribs were fried and then steamed with sweet potato yam. the combination of flavors was perfect and delicious. another example of how taiwanese cuisine varies from cantonese cuisine is in the sweet tofu dessert i wanted to add on. cantonese style is usually made with ginger and sugar syrup. chung shin yuan served it with a simple syrup, but with also boiled peanuts. we were not as keen on this, as we were not expecting this. we also ordered the spicy beef noodle soup. it was good, but the cuts of meat did not compete with wisteria house's and it was not as spicy. however, what really stayed with me was the pork ear salad. i love pork ear to begin with [served regularly in hong kong, and if you are squeamish, you have no idea what you are missing]. the pork ear was served finely shredded on a bed of lettuce, and with the perfect amount of spice. what was odd was when we requested for a second dish of it, the salad came out cold, and with less spices. the house tea is terrible, but i would still come back here again for a change of scenery if someone had a car.

    (4)

  • H R.

    I've lived in the neighborhood for about 5 years, and used to sing the praises of this place all of the time. But they've really gone downhill more recently. The last few times I ordered takeout or ate in, the food was greasy and not as good as I remembered. One thing I don't find anywhere else, though, is the turnip cake. With garlicy sauce...yum

    (2)

  • Dave C.

    I heard the raves about this 'hidden jewel' in Newton, so I went to try it out with high expectations. The food, which didn't taste bad at all, had several special ingredients in them! I bit into a wire mesh from an SOS pad, and when I told the waiter, he took it to let the manager examine it. Okay, they took it off the bill, but the absolute outrage was when my wife fished a hair out of her food; and it wasn't from someone's head! That was the final straw for me. Tastes good, but beware of finding 'hidden treasures' in the food! Bleeeaaahhh!!!

    (1)

  • Mo P.

    It's all true about the long line for weekend brunch, but I'm not a fan of dim sum, so I'll describe my dinner experience instead. It was quiet there on a Friday night in summer at 7:30 PM, not much business. The place is not fancy, with almost everything being noticeably scuffed, holes in the wall, needs painting, etc., but those things don't bother me because some of my favorite Chinatown places have been in this condition. Fairly small menu. Dish prices are nice and low. Service was fast if not overly courteous. My two Shanghainese companions and I had three dishes over white rice and an appetizer. I'll give the consensus ratings. "Scallion pie" appetizer = very good, nice freshness and consistency, though a bit bland and needing salt in the mix. Shredded beef & vegetable with pancake wrap = excellent, bold flavor but not over the top. Shanghai duck = very good, soft, not too boney, big portion, mild brown sauce (though it has nothing to do with Shanghai). A chef's specialty, pork with Chinese celery = fair, a very strong and slightly sharp flavor to the meat, which was also shredded, and agreeable enough in small quantity, maybe 6.5 on a scale of ten. My friends agreed they'd like to return to try some other dishes. Though not many authentic dishes, it's not typical localized Chinese food, either. And it's inexpensive.

    (3)

  • Ryan L.

    This is only a review for the weekend mid day taiwanese brunch that they serve as I would never come here for americanized chinese food. The food is spot on here. They do a dang good job of their taiwanese northern style dishes. The pig ears rock and their dumplings and noodle dishes are excellent. My only gripe is the service can be slow and the lines are stupid long on weekends for their midday brunch. My advice is to get there 30 minutes before they open or get there towards the end of brunch because they fill up fast.

    (4)

  • Ellen L.

    Very long wait on weekends for dim sum. Uses much higher quality ingredients than any place in chinatown and feels SO much cleaner. It's definitely not the same style of food but if you really must compare, chinatown has a larger selection of foods. I love this place because although their selection is limited, it's more of the stuff that i like, and comparatively, much tastier.

    (4)

  • Tony C.

    You have to go on the weekends. Their brunch (a.k.a. taiwanese dim sum) is fabulous. No where else in MA (and probably very few choices in the east coast in general) can you find such great taiwanese-style turnip cakes. the noodles and buns are superb as well. be prepared for a wait. the doors open at 11am but often there's a line waiting by 10:30am. even takeout can take 45 minutes...painful, but worth the wait.

    (5)

  • Jiggahoya F.

    **I'm extremely disappointed due to the fact of the bad service!! The food was satisfying, but it seems like you're always in a rush. They made a mistake on the bill by over charging us. We asked them for a credit of the overcharged amount. They refused and wanted to give us a STORE CREDIT only. While showing frustration and giving us a bad attitude, after the argument. They gave us another bill, which was the correct amount, and refused to give us the voided receipt. They were very rude and did not apologize for their mistake. *** This is to inform you to check your bill before you leave the restaurant.***

    (2)

  • Jim L.

    After reading the stellar reviews for this eatery I decided to give it a shot. Went for lunch yesterday. One can normally tell if a restaurant is good or bad by the number of patrons in the place during meal time. There were only 3 other groups of people eating at high noon so right away I was suspicious. I'm a bit of a foodie so I'm picky but not so much that I can't tell good from bad. I had a plate that consisted of chicken, beef and shrimp. Nothing was fresh, meats were tough and tasted like they were cooked yesterday, all the veggies were soggy. Not sure what these other reviewers were eating but what I had was awful. Food was awful. Rice was cold and sticky and there was enough MSG in my meal to choke a horse. Like many reviewers here I had a headache that lasted 2 days. Never again.

    (1)

  • So S.

    Upscale authentic Chinese cuisine (only one other than the amazing "Shanghai Cafe" and the Americanized "PF Changs" in chinatown). Definitely the best in MA if you are looking for Szechuan/Peking cuisine and a hidden gem! Get the Chinese menu (its in English). Love the Noodles w/ Peking Meat Sauce!! Very unique dishes for brunch (DimSum) such as the Chive Pancake with a pastry dough etc. Hot Fresh Soybean Milk!!! I guarantee you will love almost everything on this menu!! Reminds me of some great restaurants in SF in taste and decor. Small place and always crowded during weekends.

    (5)

  • ying l.

    The place was crowded on the weekend, that's for sure. i don't understand why, since the food was so terrible. Most of it came out lukewarm. Much of the food looked like it had been prepared beforehard, and kept under a warmer. the dumplings were dried and flavorless, small. the turnip cakes were deep fried and crispy, but lacked all turnip flavor, with not a single piece of turnip in the cake itself. i waited 30 mins to get in, followed by some of the worst service I've ever had, even for a chinese restaurant. waiters never checked up on us, never refilled out water. our food was thunked down onto the table like a sack of bricks. If you're starving this might be a good place, since all the food is already prepared you get served really quickly. however, you have to wait for a table to open. I think that eating at the Mickey d's directly adjacent to this establishment would've been a better investment.

    (1)

  • Michelle B.

    For people from Taiwan, this is a place to bring back your old memories with Taiwanese night market food. They offer taiwanese brunch only on weekend noon. There will always be a line outside before it opens on the weekend. The beef noodle soup is a must try. Every friend I bring to the restaurant love it, even american. I give one star less because it has no vegetables. The only one thing that has a little bit is the chive pie, with chive being a filling. The waiters are always too busy so you always have to wait a little. But I guess, that comes with people loving their food in every restuarant.

    (4)

  • Bill B.

    saw the reviews and tried this place out a couple of times. nothing special at all here, just an average chinese restaurant with food that tastes like every other chinese restaurant you have been to. too bad! but why is the average yelp review 4.5 stars?? prices are a bit too high and there is not much parking. and why is it that the rugs in almost every chinese restaurant are, like, four years overdue for a cleaning?

    (1)

  • Food Hunting T.

    I am a Taiwanese, I read a lot of review before I go in, as you see the most 5 stars rating that encourged me to go to this Taiwanese restaurant. I went to there on Saturday lunch buffet , that is everyone's favorate choice, I arrived at 2:35PM, I know I was late, so I just want to ask someone can we still have lunch? but everyone was busy and a waitress is looking at us with 15 feet away with a poker face, finally she want to listen us, after I asked the seat, she said "no, we are closed", ok, but the hostess said"wait a minute, let me check", the hostess was so nice, then the waitress was unhappy. finally, we sit down and order some traditional Taiwanese food, I order a salty-soy milk, I almost want to return it, it doesn't tast it at all, and the other food was so~so, and no waitress come to pick up the dirty dishes, they were just sitting beside us and chatting to each other and eating their food, now I realized, their stomach and tea-time are much important to guest, when I asked the owner( non-uniform, speak loudly style) for wrapped the food to go, she gave me some plastic-bowl and said" I have gave this ti you, help yourself", is this a joke? if the owner is also a Taiwanese, I felt so embarassing, and of course, I won't pay any penny for tips, the funny thing is, when I get out of the main-door, she jumped out the door and said" you didn't give us the tips", I said" NO SERVICE AT ALL, I REFUSE TO PAY TIPS", then she back up to her place and said" I don't care", my friend, this my truly experience want to share with you, maybe you are lucky, would not have this sh*t, but I would like to say, even I live in Newton, but I would not come back to this sucks place, their food is not similiar with Taiwanese style, their service... maybe will depand on you are lucky at that day, As a Taiwanese, it's a shame on this restaurant, What a joke!!!

    (1)

  • Debra A.

    Had very low expectations. It looks like a hole in the wall, but it was surprisingly tasty and the traditional Chinese standards (mu shu, scallion pancakes, tofu with bean sauce) stood up. Great for takeout.

    (4)

  • Aubrey C.

    You should only come here for Taiwanese brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I'd give that 4 stars. 0 stars for dinner service on a random Tuesday evening where you'll end up ordering generic fried rice and general gao's chicken because there's nothing else really all that worthwhile on the menu. Also, for some strange reason - you will be waiting an eternity for your food even though the whole restaurant only had patrons at two tables. Really bizarre. I'd suggest these guys expand some of their Taiwanese offerings to not only be during Saturday and Sunday brunch (Ex: beef noodle soup, pork chop rice, etc.)

    (2)

  • Wayne T.

    customer since childhood, always get the beef noodle soup, chitlins, fried dough, quality sometimes inconsistent depending when you go there also only do take out now since so many people come for weekend dim sum and wait sometimes unbearable but close by, good chinese food, service is typical chinese, min on credit card weekday menu entirely different, very westernized, but several good choices such as spicy cod,twice cooked beef; lunch special good too like delights of 3 but weekend brunch is only real reason to come

    (5)

  • Steve W.

    I've only been here for taiwanese brunch/dimsum on wkends. There's always a line out the door. We decided this time to come later around 1:20 pm and there was still a wait, but only about 20 minutes. Less jostling w/ the crowds when they open. We got some spicy beef noodle soup, fried daikon, five spice beef sandwich, sweet soy milk, fried dough, spare ribs. All were delish. Service was good, waters refilled when requested. Been coming here for past 15 years. luv it.

    (4)

  • Matt F.

    This place has gone downhill in a big way. Or maybe it's just the weekday menu. Fake Chinese food. Rude service. Overpriced. Not coming back. Ever.

    (1)

  • Joyce T.

    Chung Shin Yuan is the most authentic Taiwanese breakfast I can find around Boston. Love their 豆漿&油條

    (5)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Tue

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Brunch
    Parking : Street
    Wheelchair Accessible : No
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Loud
    Alcohol : No
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Chung Shin Yuan

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