Cha Lau Dim Sum

Overpriced for such small quantitiy.

I had come to this restaurant because I like dim sum. The portions are very small, and quite expensive. However, the service was very good. I do like the idea of dim sum all day, however after my meal I was still hungry even though the meal was expensive.

I came here because of the unique idea of having Dim Sum at night. When first walking in, the interior is nice and the staff is pretty good. The food is definitely really good and tasty especially the Shu Mai and other numerous types of dumplings. However the only downside here is the price. Small portions of food w/​a very expensive cost is disappointing. But overall this place is alright.

The price is a bit pricy for me but overall everything was good. Im quite happy with the food and service at Cha Lau. Recommend for who want a less crowed restaurant to try dimsum.

On a Sunday before a holiday Monday, it can be difficult to find a restaurant you want that is open.
So tonight we ended up at Cha Lau for dim sum and I felt they deserved another star.
The Hargow (shrimp in opaque wrapper) and the Siumai (pork dumpling in wrapper) which they top with a thin slice of scallops were both top notch.
The steamed spareribs with black beans were addictive, the black pepper beef pot stickers are a specialty we have not had elsewhere and are so good.
The chasiu (Chinese BBQ pork) Bao is smaller than usual but the filling is just as big so a much better filling to bun ratio!
The steamed greens are perfectly tender, and I prefer them plain so they served the garlic sauce (or oyster sauce) on the side.
The sticky rice in lotus leaf again, was smaller than average, but again you end up with a greater chicken to rice ratio.
Excellent service too.
Hands down the tastiest dim sum downtown, and considering it takes at least 45 minutes to get to Markham these days the slightly higher prices for the quality are worth it.

The dim sum here is nothing compared to the dim sum you can find in Richmond Hill or Markham so don’t set the expectations too high! It is also quite expensive.

Was in here few days ago, Ordered the bamboo steam rice and bau bum, the steam rice one the bamboo was no flavor and bau bum was too sweet, none of the flavor are original has been changed to American way, also the waitress was so rude, we wanna ordered another food so we told to the waitress but she didn’t answer yes or no, just walked away and so on so on, so we told to the manager who is an male old man we don’t want this waitress to service us, but didn’t work, and the whole restaurant speaking Cantonese, so we even know they were mocking us or speaking something bad because they didn’t serviced well.
If waiter and waitress can’t smile to the customers and response how should I give you tips and good review?

Excellent Dim Sum all around! One specialty that is my favorite here is the Spicy Tofu. The chicken feet are also excellent. Every item is flavorful, hot, and high quality. The décor is dark which is one of my only complaints. If you are looking for good dim sum downtown Toronto, I highly recommend checking it out.

I make a big goddamned deal about dining when I go out of town on business. I do my diligence, read up and occasionally ask for opinions. I’m usually right, if I can pat my own back. But then again I know what I like.
I was really looking forward to staying in downtown Toronto. Under my own aegis, i have dined rather well in the great white north. Under the guidance of my pals there it has been hit and miss. This DimSum joint looked like it was just the right thing, so it became my choice for the day.
Well i was right – The place was fab fab fab. They sat me in a tight little 2-​place booth which didn’t give me the kind of real estate I like for a DimSum feed, but that wasn’t reason to carp.
I had all the requisite golden oldies you usually order for DimSum, and i have to say the flavors were fresh and quality was high. Service was a little surly, but what the hell, it usually is in a DimSum situation. My only gripe is that I could not get a refill on my water or Diet coke.
The charge card machine was on the fritz, and I was lucky I had enough Canadian cash to pay the tariff, which was bit dear to tell the truth, but in line with the quality.

Worst place for dim sum, especially for the price you pay. Take a street car into Chinatown and you’re way far better off. The ha gou and siu mai were ok, forget about the Shanghainese dumplings — downright the worst I’ve ever had. The turnip cake was mushy and don’t get me started about how bland their BBQ pork fried rice was. I couldn’t eat anymore of it because I could hardly find the minuscule cubes of pork.
The staff were polite and service was fine. I’m just thrown off by how terrible the food was for that price.
Don’t waste your time and especially your hard earned dollars on this place. Save a buck and go to Wendy’s across the street.

Hmmm, how very odd. I have written a review for this place previously but it seems to have disappeared completely despite that I recall seeing it posted. Anyway, In Toronto, there are tons of great places to eat. This is not one of them, the portions are small, they charge you for tea and the prices are high. There is so many better places to go for Dim Sum. The only positive thing I can say about this place, is that they didn’t charge me for the dish I found the short, black curly hair on.
You’re best bet for Dim Sum is to eat elsewhere

I was there few weeks ago. This place has one of the best dim sum (esp. steam dumplings) I have ever had in Toronto for the past many years. It’s on par to the dim sum I used to have in Hong Kong (grew up having dim sum almost every week so I know what is good).
The price is higher than those neighbourhood friendly Chinese dim sum resto in China Town, Scarborough, and Markham. Giving the central location and food quality I wouldn’t mind to pay more.
I was recommended by a senior wait staff to try the steam dumplings. He said their dim sum are all made in their kitchen instead of the mass produced dim sum from a food factory. And he was right. The dumpling skins are soft yet slightly chewy. The best part was the skin/​wrap was not mushy and not any single dumpling skin break when we picked it up with chopsticks!
We had 5 – 6 types of steam dumplings. All tasted amazing and all made in different shape using the same type of wraps. Lovely presentation. I also recommend both type of beef Siu Mie and sesame balls dessert.
I will definitely go back again.

AVOID THIS PLACE!
This would be good if you are a baby and one dimsum would do the trick but for what you get and what you pay, you would have to pay 100 $ to be full.
Quality was very oily and portions are super small.
service was terrible. This place is not fine dining and it tries to be.

Not bad. Everything is really small n tasted okay. Nothing sticks out as bad or great. Okay dim sum.

Very friendly staff and clean environment. But the food is just too small portion and not tasty at all. DO NOT ORDER FRIED BLACK SESAME BALLS!!! They taste nothing like real dim sum at all.

Every time I go back and forth from the YMCA I see this place with ‘Dim Sum All Day’ written all over the glass. And I love Dim Sums! So today I finally stepped in for dinner and was greeted by a really sweet lady (the server).
We tried the Singapore Noodles, Shu Mai, Ha Gau, Mushroom Dumplings and some Pork Dumplings. The noodles was really good, very flavoursome and not oily at all. Our favourite dim sum was the Shu Mai, it was bigger in size than what gets served at most places. The service was really good and the green tea was refilled regularly.
Our total bill was $ 31 which is not very cheap but ok if you go dutch.
If you are too lazy to go to Chinatown for dumplings this might satisfy the craving.

Came here at noon on a Sunday. The place was mostly full. The interior design and their cutlery choice was very tasteful. The service was good for consistently filling up the teapot for us and food came at a reasonable pace.
We ordered
— bbq pork buns — was good but kinda soft
— Shirmp dumpling — yummy
— beef tripe — average but decent
— chicken mushroom congee — really good!
— fried squid — well cooked, flavourful
— mango pudding (baby koi fish shaped.) — super small and wasn’t that good
— Peiking duck from chef’s recommendation– was good but the portion was soooooo small there was literally one slice of duck, one slice of cucumber wrapped in thin layer of thing thing you wrap peiking duck in for $ 5.50 not really worth…
In total we spent about $ 45 dollars for 2 people. Overall I give it a 3 star for the decent taste but this place is not worth the money for their super small portions. Not coming back here for dimsum again though.

Do not go here.
First of all, it smells like a dirty toilet as soon as you walk in. It immediately takes your appetite away. It was so bad I almost turned around and walked back out but they waitress already came over and ushered us to a table.
They charge you for tea, where 99% of other Chinese restaurants provide you with complimentary tea. The portions are TINY, and are expensive. I wouldn’t have minded the small portion and high prices if the food was actually good, but it was less than average.
I don’t even know how this place stays in business, or even has return customers that can stand the awful smell.

This is my absolute favorite dim sum place in the city. I have been there many times and it’s the place that I prefer to bring friends who come in from outta town: «you gotta try this place, best dim sum I swear» kinda place. Some may disagree because they have their own favorites but no one leaves there questioning whether it deserves a spot on their list of favorites. My uncle came in from Montréal — and this is a guy who has never said a kind word about a restaurant in Toronto without adding «but it’s not as good as Place X in Montréal» and he said it was the best dim sum he’s ever had too.
The pieces are portions are small, delicate. the orders are carefully, lovingly made just for you. It tastes like heaven. Try the pork Sui Mai, salty base with a sweet slice of scallop on too and tell me it isn’t among the best thing you’ve ever had.
EVERYTHING THEY MAKE IS GOOD.
So try it all.

BOTTOM LINE: Beautiful décor and a solid dim sum spot, especially in this part of town.
Cha Lau Dim Sum fills the all-​day dim sum demand on this strip of Yonge where your other options include either trekking to China Town or paying a premium at Lai Wah Heen or Crown Princess.
The décor is beautifully furnished on the inside with dark wood finishes, classic Chinese art and tea pots and nicely embroidered seats. Attention to detail is evident as the menu is bound in cute bamboo covers and even the table ware is more refined than your typical Chinese resto (individualized chopsticks holder, actual porcelain teapots and not the ugly steel ones, etc.).
The dim sum offerings covers your typical dim sum offerings and doesn’t try to re-​invent the wheel. The prices range from $ 3 – 5 per dish and are generally well done, albeit with somewhat smaller portions than you might expect.
Highlights:
–Shrimp dumplings (it passes the universal test of any dim sum place’s worth),
–Chicken and Japanese mushroom dumpling
–BBQ duck cheung fun.
Lowlights:
–BBQ duck pastry (too sticky and not enough duck)
–Ham siu gok (whilst tasty, was much too small)
–Siu long bau (aka the pork soup dumplings weren’t soupy enough).
Overall, we ended up ordering about 10 of their items and enjoying most of it. If you’re downtown and ever get a dim sum craving, I’d recommend giving this place a try.