Dim And Den Sum

Can’t complain about the food since I actually didn’t get to try it. But I read the many ⁴⁄₅ star reviews on here & inquired about possibly booking them for my wedding reception. They upped their prices & said they wouldn’t do the event for less than $ 1,900.00! as soon as I threw the word «wedding» into the mix :(Really disappointed, especially since I’m only having 75 guest & wasn’t asking for a special menu, just what would normally be served if 75 random people showed up. Seriously, not cool :(

I’m keeping my word. In my prior review, I said I’d keep going to D&DS, and I have been. It’s very worthy of an upgrade. Hell, if for no other reason than that delightful pig-​laden lobster roll. But also because they seem to have stepped up the speed on orders, and they don’t seem to run out of food as quickly. They seem to be finding their food-​truck stride.

I first found out about Dim and Den Sum food truck when I visited the Cleveland Chow-​Down food truck event in Tremont, OH.
A couple months later I found myself working in Downtown Cleveland where I am able to visit this great food truck weekly, and I enjoy that lunch more than any other each and every week.
From the «classic» PBLT or LBLT to the Tacos to the Noodles, Steamed Buns, and Mac and Cheese they always deliver an amazing meal to me. The staff is always friendly and smiling even when the line is all the way down the street and people are in a rush to get back to work.
Today I had the Shrimp Tacos with an edamame slaw and grapes… and it was awesome. I’ve never had a bad meal from them and their ever changing menu.

It was all anticipation when I finally made my trip to Dim and Den Sum. I had sent my brother and he was nonplussed, but I was sure that was just a general lack of taste on his part.
I was wrong. The food wasn’t bad, but half of it was gone by the time I arrived. I can deal with that. I understand how the system works. So I decided to get the curry potato salad and the veggie burger. And don’t get me wrong, both were pretty good. But really nothing breathtaking. Not really worth recommending to friends and going out of my way for.
The burger had good flavor, but the texture was all wrong. It was overly mushy and extruded out of the bun like mashed potatoes. Also, the only condiments you get are a little salad dressing and a piece of lettuce.
But the kicker for me was $ 12 (after tip) for lunch at a truck AND I was hungry again in 30 minutes. Trucks are supposed to be a budget friendly alternative. I could have had better and more food at any number of brick and mortal establishments. Maybe if they’re nearby I would try them again, but I won’t be going out of my way to find this truck again.

Not as big of a fan of it as I was hoping to be. I hear soo many good things about this food truck and it is always outside my company. My coworkers love it, i’ve read great things about it, and i’ve heard alot about it.
I ordered their fish tacos and although i must say that i love that their tuna was very fresh, the fish taco flavors were overpowering. The cabbage (or lettuce) is in had really strong flavors and the tuna pieces were in big chunks. Also, when I ordered, I asked if the tuna was cooked and she told me it was. But, it was raw tuna.
I’m definitely open to trying it again because I’ve heard great things about their pulled pork sandwich (which did looks delicious).
But for now, not a huge fan yet. Hopefully next time. I’ll definitely update again when I try their pulled pork!

Just finished my first meal from Dim and Den Sum – a PBLT ($ 7, pulled pork, bacon, sriracha aioli, lettuce, and tomato) with a side of Curried Potato Salad ($ 4, curry, mixed potatoes, sweet pickled peppers and fresh herbs). The PBLT was okay, not great. The pulled pork was sufficiently moist, but I thought that the kick from the sriracha aioli and accent from the bacon got lost in the mass of pulled pork. I very much enjoyed the Curried Potato Salad with its thick and slightly spicy curry sauce. My only complaint would be that the wedges of potato were a little too big and cumbersome. Smaller chunks – and the increased surface area to hold that tasty curry – would have been better.
Overall, the food was of pretty good quality and definitely a step up if your usual downtown lunch fare is Subway or the food court. Dim and Den Sum was superior to the other food trucks I’ve tried – StrEat Mobile Bistro and JiBARO. I will confess, though, that I do have philosophical problems with the recent food truck phenomenon: For one thing, there is the lack of reliability or consistency in where or whether the food truck is going to show up that day. A related deeper issue, though, is that when you walk around downtown and see so many empty or underused spaces, one can imagine that these spaces could be filled with restaurants, cafes, bistros, or whatever from these engines of culinary creativity. That could go quite a ways to revitalizing downtown and Cleveland as a city. Granted, that’s a lot to put on these food trucks. Judging from the success and following of Dim and Den Sum, however, I don’t think it’s that far-​fetched.

There isn’t much to say about Dim and Den Sum that hasn’t already been said. They brought food trucks to Cleveland and us Clevelanders are helping to make it a viable business going forward. If you’ve never had «street snacks» as Chris, the owner likes to refer to them, you may wonder how the hell can food that comes off a truck be so good? Well I don’t have the answer to that question other than that Chris is crazy talented. He puts plenty of work into the food long before it gets handed to you out of the truck. I’ve had a number of items over the past year that he has been operating and I’ll touch on some of my favorites that are frequently offered.
PBLT — Pork, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato — If you are a fan of pork, you are bound to fall in love. Pork, extra pork in the form of bacon, lettuce, tomato and my personal favorite Sriracha Mayo. Great combination on fresh bread. One word description: Foodgasm
Steamed Buns are a new edition that I’ve recently tried and also a great choice. I forget exactly the combination but I’ve seen both pork and chicken varieties with cilantro slaw and cucumbers. Steamed buns are not something you find often in Cleveland and so I jump at the chance any time I can.
The Hawaiian Burger was the last item I’ve had recently and burgers aren’t something I typically get that excited for. I try not to eat red meat very frequently and if I do I want it to be a nicely marbled bone-​in ribeye. So the fact that this burger turned out so good made it well worth my red meat allowance. Had a nice balance of sweetness from the pineapple, smokiness from the bacon and BBQ aoili and spice from seasoning of the meat. Would order again without any problem.
They also cater and while I have not yet had any of the food they have catered I have experienced Chris’s cooking outside of Dim and Den Sum at various charity events and its a home run every time.
In the spirit of full disclosure I am friends with Chris the proprietor of Dim and Den Sum but that came about through his business rather than knowing him previous to it. I always support good food and it would only hurt my credibility to endorse anything less than excellent.

After these guys served some bite sized portions for the Elite event, I was determined to find them out and about and get some larger portions! I stalked them to Independence today and I am not sorry!
I tried the PBLT, the Hawaii Burger and the curry (yes, I really did order all of that for lunch, don’t judge) and everything was delicious. My favorite was the burger and I will be stalking them for the next few weeks, so that I can order another. The line moved really quick and I had my food in about 5 minutes.
My favorite thing about Dim and Den Sum is that they are totally approachable — if someone has a question (say about where they will be next Tuesday or what they will be serving or what time) they can simply ask them on Facebook and they always answer. I mean, how cool is that? How many chefs in Cleveland would do that? I have major respect for them

Wow. Just wow. Food trucks are a seriously under-​represented breed here on the Plum. If we had 50 as good as D&DS, the yellow brick road would re-​route itself to go right down Superior Ave, I swear.
Thanks to Unilocal,I had my first taste of Dim and Dem Sum at the Elite event at Visible Voice. I can’t say enough about how awesome this food is. The PBLT — Braised pork, bacon, lettuce, tomato, sirachi mayo — was so damn good, I really just urge you to try it for yourself as my description will do it no justice. The wings they had were also amazingly tender and flavorful.
My husband and I are now devoted (crazed?) D&DS followers (stalkers?) and will chase that little truck to the ends of the earth (or the Cleve, whichever comes first). LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Yummy. This is a mobile food truck of yumminess. What adds to the fun is that it’s like a game of cat and mouse on when and where they’ll be next. That little extra effort needed by us, the consumers, makes the experience all the more rewarding when you bite into their food.
This isn’t the lunch car of yesteryear that our grandfathers would have ordered from on their lunch break at the factory. Dim and Den Sum is serving dishes that most sit down restaurants would be proud to include on their menus — all at very reasonable prices.
Congratulations to them for bringing something wonderful and tasty to the mouths and stomachs of the CLE.

Dim and Den Sum is a new Cleveland specialty, an experience so strangely and uniquely Cleveland that you just want to hug that sea-​creature adorning the side of their restaurant on wheels.
The food is good, and I’m glad they rotate out the menu as a way to keep their patrons trying new things. Yes, some stuff is expensive for Cleveland, and yes, the portions are somewhat small, but really, you only think you’re being ripped off because the food comes from a truck. This stuff could be in any fusion restaurant in town (which, incidentally, they’re planning on opening!).
I’ve had some really memorable little bites from these guys. Their flavors run the gamut of sophistication and nationalities. Some flavors are subtle, others attack, but all are delicious.
I can only complain that sometimes the food isn’t the appropriate temperature (again, they’re making this magic happen On. A. Truck.), and they typically do run out of whatever I’m interested in by noon. Oh and their truck is sort of unreliable, so if they say they’ll be at a place and they’re not, they probably still love you, but the truck has likely broken down. Fix these little problems, and it’s five stars for sure.
But seriously, you haven’t tasted the Cleve ’til you’ve tasted D&DS.

Rolling Foodie street-​food with music. The tofu taco and pig ear Burger are fantastic. Who puts mung beans in a taco? Brilliant. Eat here when you get the chance.

My most recent two experiences with the Dim Truck have been meh. Occasionally, the creativity has gone a little too far, and you lose a little of the «good yummy food truck» thing. They have kind of eliminated tots from their menu, which is disappointing. A recent pork soft taco was on a tortilla that was just impossible to keep together, and the sweet potato dumplings were bad. Also, regularly out of their best food before 12. Running out is cool. Running out at 11:30 is not cool.
The grapefruit soda IS good, but I can buy that at the store. Bring back the tots so I can update with a 4 or 5 star review!

I seriously stalk these guys. Well, I more internet stalk them. I wait with bated breath to hear of they’re going to be somewhere that I can partake in all of the delicious that they offer. Unfortunately, now that I live in Kent, this rare. But I still find my ways.
I first tried DIm and Den Sum at Ingenuity Fest in Cleveland. I opted for the butternut squash dumplings. As much as I love butternut squash, when I make it myself I can never get the flavors to truly shine. There are no words to describe DADS dumplings. Each one bursted with flavor. The purple cabbage that was served with them complimented them perfectly. I never could have guessed that the flavors would work so well together.
If you’re looking to try their food, and trust me you really should, you should follow them on Facebook and Twitter to see where they’re planning to be next. They also often ask for suggestions on places to visit, so you can request that they come to your area.

I’m glad that they started coming to the Cleveland Clinic Farmers Market on Wednesday so I could finally try them without having to hunt them down somewhere!
Lined up like crazy at 11:30, at least 20 people in front of me, but the line moved very fast, they sure push out the orders at a rapid speed. Felt like trying the PBLT but unfortunately they sold out with around 5 people still in front of me in line… the fish tacos were quite the amazing substitute though!
Try the grapefruit soda… heavenly.
Hopefully I get to catch them again, I’ve heard amazing things about some sort of chicken and waffle combo and I’m drooling over it already ;o)

Heard about this place through family, and finally tracked it down in the middle of Shark Week for lunch, which consisted of apple soda (excellent and natural sugar) a steamed bun burger with cheddar cheese inside the burger, and a delicious apple barbecue sauce (i think the menu said ketchup, but this was better), and one of the more And Den Sum type items they’ve sold; the Shark Week Sammich. Thats pretty much a clue into the general attitude of the chefs and menu.
Second visit was a late night run consisting of Lychee juice and a pulled pork sandwich with pickled corn on slightly dry toasted cornbread (tasted fine) that i’d normally find overwhelming, but its perfect late night food.
Third was the Unagi Burger with grassfed beef burger, unagi (tasty itty bitty eels) aioli (or however its spelled), wonderfully crisp and clean pickled cucumbers, and daikon radish sprouts. I was planning to get the chicken and waffles taco, like some other people, but it was broken, unfortunately so I switched to the burger. Long story short, its the best burger and sandwich I’ve ever eaten, and I get all misty eyed whenever I think about it.
Overall these guys make absolutely excellent americana cuisine with some utterly graceful asian touches, and its definitely worth the risk to skip over something safe sounding like the PBLT for some of their more exotic sounding offerings which are easily the best things I’ve eaten. Moreover, they make some of the best and most interesting veggie dishes (sorry Tommy’s) and disprove any naysayers about the blandness of vegetarian cooking. Despite the high end sounding ingredients, it all tastes so familiar and is most definitely worth the adventure.

I concur with the rest of the reviewers — Dim And Den Sum ROCKS!
After weeks of stalking the truck and never being able to make it to their location, I finally tracked them down at Star Plaza in Playhouse Square. I had the PBLT, Tots and an Apple Soda.
HOLY MOUTHGASM IT WAS FREAKING DELICIOUS.
Now that they have an iPhone app (
), and they accept credit cards, they are a lot more accessible… and I’ll be quite a frequent customer.
Now…Go and GET SUM!

This is going to be or already is a Cleveland icon. Two dudes, running around the city, cooking up awesomeness and serving genuine passion for the food that they cook. Dim and Den Sum serves you everyday food that you recognize but throw you for a loop with it’s uniqueness.
For example, take your run of the mill tater tots. Sprinkle some cheese curds, add lightly seared foie gras in the mix with some sauce, what do you get? AWESOMENESS!!!
Hot dog, kimchee slaw, tots and sauce? Goodness gracious GREAT BALLS of FIRE!
Love them, and will hunt them down again!

I had been obsessed with finding this food truck for some time now…
I can assure you, it was worth the wait.
If you are lucky enough to happen upon the big octopus truck, you won’t be disappointed. They are often times at the Flying Monkey and Happy Dog late night. During the day, they can be found at various office parks and misc locals. You can keep up with them on Facebook. It almost becomes a game to keep up with them!
My first sampling was the Pulled Pork Taco and the Gravy Tots. The taco was excellent with corn relish and cilantro. Really refreshing and super yummy. The tots were great too with cheese curd and gravy. Next time, I will try the Foie Gras Tots. I heard it was to die for. I am anxious to try everything. The menu seems to change somewhat depending on the day. There are a lot of asian-​twisted offerings. Everything looks and sounds great and is super reasonable.
The guys who run this crazy octopus mobile are super nice too. It’s cool to see some serious entrepreneurial spirit. You can tell they are passionate about what they are doing. Keep it up!
I hope to catch them again soon, even if I have to run after the truck ;)

Dim and Den Sum takes «om nom nom» to a whole new level.
I had the PBLT. It was really freakin’ good. Fresh artisan bread, thick cut bacon, pulled pork. I heard about some cheese curd foie gras tater tots and of course had to have those too. I had never had foie gras before and was always opposed to it… but fuck it. It was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I just have to not think about the poor duckies.
I pigged out big time and seriously could have gotten more food. I was tempted to try everything they were offering.
It was very cool of the Happy Dog to allow them to park outside and basically steal their business all night. + 2,000 to the Happy Dog.
Seriously, this is something Cleveland needs more of. Very cool thing they’ve got going on. Get your ass out there and look for them. You won’t be disappointed.
Apparently there will be a «taco truck» driving around town soon as well.
Also, not sure why this business is listed as CLOSED. I sent Unilocal a message about it… but considering they ignore Cleveland I doubt that it will be fixed anytime soon.