came here again after a short hiatus. ordered some dimsum and the fried pork chops. all the entrees come with an infinite supply of rice which is nice. prices are still super cheap for the amount of food. which is also nice. buut its becoming a habit that theyre out of certain dimsums and the water they offer is gross. but all in all, definitely big steps in the right direction.
Maritess C.
Tu valoración: 5 Imperial Beach, San Diego, CA
Went to get a snack here mid afternoon. Had the green apple with boba with lumpia(vegetable). Also tried the taro with boba. Yummy! Wanted to try the other stuff. I will be back. Service was a bit slow, but the people were nice.
James W.
Tu valoración: 5 Chula Vista, CA
So apparently everything is new now, because this place is so awesome!!! the snow bar is so unique, everything is so unexpensive! The food is great! I will be coming back for sure! i got the orange chicken, salt&pepper wings, and honey walnut shrimp. And for dessert i got the mango snow bar. oh my gosh it was huge! i love this place :)
Thea S.
Tu valoración: 1 National City, CA
They are extremely rude and the food isn’t nearly as good as when theyFIRST opened. When they first opened everyone was so nice, the owners always came out and asked how everything was. I went last week and walking in the staff didn’t even say hello when I was ordering they kept talking to each other in Tagalog thinking I couldn’t understand them, saying how I didn’t belong there. And that it was nasty because it was me and my girlfriend.(We are gay by the way and I am Filipino and white but look Mexican because of my dark hair and light complexion so I understood them.) the food is not nearly as good, as before. It was a horrid experience. They should not be allowed to have this business open.
Noelle E.
Tu valoración: 1 National City, CA
This place has drastically went downhill ever since it went under new management, and the staff didn’t help at all. Especially this rude, snarky and uncomplacement man server. He must be the manager on duty then but he was unfit to be in that kind if position. I though at first it’s just the way he was but he was really beyond disbelief, when my Dad asked for a complementary water nicely he snaps back«Mamaya na nga ho at busy ho ako ngayon(translation: Later, for I’m busy right now) he was taking my order at the time and had just thrice repeated my order WRONG! And then for 6 boba shakes it took 30 something minutes??? While waiting for our order, he walks out of from the back kitchen only for my Dad to tell me his fingers were touching the food, when I said something about it he just wipes his hand and continues on to deliver the food to some people who orders it. Then he gave one of my drinks to another table and when i asked why am I missing a drink from my order he snatches the receipt from my handmand snarkily snaps at one of his waitress „Asan na yung isang drink nila? Masyadong bastos ‘tong batang to e“(translation: where’s their other drink. This kid is disrespectful» waitress: «ay nadala ko dun sa lamesa»(I accidentally took the drink over to that table) grumpy old man: kinuha ba nila?(Did they take it) waitress nods GOM: gawa ka na ng iba. ‘Di bale charge ok na lang sila, kinuha pala nila e.(Just make a new one. I’ll just charge them, because they took it) Then hands me my receipt back, without even a smile. Didn’t even apologize, but I shouldn’t kept my hopes up that high. I’m only giving the one star for the food. Never going back here!
Ian R.
Tu valoración: 1 National City, CA
Service is slow, we were literally the only ones here as well. Stop by next door and get some phở instead!
Athena M.
Tu valoración: 2 San Diego, CA
This is my first time here, my mom decided to celebrate my grandma’s birthday & In all honesty me & my boyfriend didn’t really enjoy it. We can begin with the water. My boyfriend was so thirsty he took a huge gulp & said it tasted as if they didn’t wash out all of the soap. We both ended up asking for soda when we both don’t really drink soda unless we’re chasing a shot. Haha. For dinner we had ordered family platters which was cool cause it consisted of a little bit of everything. The downfall is that the food just didn’t do it for us. The only thing I really had was the breaded shrimp.(Hence the two stars) That was actually pretty good, but I’ve had better at other places & would rather go there. I kinda wish we went to the phở place next door. It’s my favorite. Hahah.
George P.
Tu valoración: 4 National City, CA
After almost two years since my last visit, I’ve ended up returning to this place twice within a week, in addition to discovering it’s gone under some new management. Last week I dropped by because I had been craving their snow ice bar, which was my favorite thing the previous time I had gone there. Nice to know they still offered it(although with a few less options, from what I used to remember getting) but nonetheless, it ended up being pretty good still. Employee that helped was pretty nice, and he had remembered me asking about it over the phone. Second visit ended up being today(for Mother’s Day), and while I had remembered they had gone through some ownership changes, I was wondering how the actual menu had changed as well. Their menu has gone through some improvement, as everything’s categorized well and the prices are very inexpensive(for lots of food). My family ended up ordering one of the large platters which included half a roast duck, some battered flounder, fried rice, and crispy fried pork. Food was pretty good overall, in addition to the extra appetizers we ordered(egg drop soup, egg rolls). Plus, thai iced teas with boba were tasty as well. Service-wise, the staff was very friendly and kind, but hands down, they were severely understaffed. Came in with my family where there were only 3 – 4 tables filled, and while there was some bit of time before we were seated, drinks taken, and food ordered, my family managed to make the time pass. However, things started taking longer and longer, as more families arrived, and we noticed that the previous tables before us ended up looking like they had been waiting a bit long as well. The place soon became almost full, and sadly, there were only two main servers/cashiers and 1 – 2 other employees(perhaps Tita herself?) helping as well. Overall, I really enjoyed the food, and while I’m not sure if they’re still in the transitioning period of hiring new/more staff, for now, food and service may be really slow. Here’s hoping for some much needed help, especially for the very nice & helpful staff they currently have.
Joann S.
Tu valoración: 1 Cerritos, CA
don’t come here 1. Understaffed: bunch of tables that needed to be cleaned. Dirty plates and unfinished food were just everywhere. 2. Drinks were never served. Couldn’t even remind the«busy» server/busboy/cashier(all one person). He took his sweet time doing everything like a snail. 3. Food tasted like something from the grocery store that you just heat up.
Edison L.
Tu valoración: 1 San Diego, CA
If I could give this place no stars I would. They are under new management, everything’s changed for the worst. The last time I came, My gf and I walked in and there was only a couple people but took 5 minutes for someone to greet us. I asked for the combo they usually serve with entrée and a dim sum. The man rudely told me in his exact words. Obviously we don’t have those anymore. We have new stuff. Instantly made me want to leave but was so hungry we stayed to eat. We ordered an order of chicken feet, they were like rocks with some sauce. We also ordered fried rice and shrimp balls which were edible. DONOT go to this place.
Jocelyn B.
Tu valoración: 1 San Diego, CA
1 star for the salt and pepper pork chops… they are really good! Minus 4 stars for the service and for charging us for the tea that we did not order! I assume you put something on our table, it’s complimentary. Just like every other restaurant. I think it’s shady practice for a place to do that. Lame-O
Mae T.
Tu valoración: 3 Honolulu, HI
We stopped by the filipino grocery and saw this place on the way out the shopping center. The service was okay, it kinda bothered me that there was huge flies flying around from table to table. Eeeeek. I have this thing about flies! The food came out pretty quickly. And in really large portions! It tasted pretty good too. We ordered house fried rice– delish, mongolian beef– also delish!, honey walnut shrimp– delish and they did not skimp on the shrimp. we also ordered egg drop soup– which came out warm, not hot. this bothered me a little. and we also ordered potstickers which my husband seemed to enjoy. If im in the area again, I would come back. Its much better than the chinese place by our house, thats for sure :)
Jeff L.
Tu valoración: 3 Chula Vista, CA
Apparently this place is now owned by Tita of Tita’s Kitchenette. To me the food may have gone downhill a bit. They do have a new deal that is a good bargain. For $ 6.50 you get one piece of dim sum and one entrée. My friend and I tried the following Fish Fillet with black bean sauce: the best dish of the day but it needed more sauce. The fish was properly cooked and delicate. Chicken Feet: Pretty good very tender and soft, could use some black bean for flavor. Salt and Pepper Flounder: Chunks of fried flounder that was overcooked and dry. Not very good. Shrimp Rice Noodle: Shrimp was ok but cooked too long decent not great. Shrimp Har Gow: The wrapping was too thick and kind of gummy and the shrimp filling was overdone also. Steamed Shrimp Balls: This was not good, the rice was way too mushy and soft the filling was overdone again. They used to have a nice turnip cake but they took that off the menu. Overall I think this place needs to improve quite a bit. I think there were more customers than normal because of the Tita’s affiliation. That being said the only reason I come here is because it is cheaper than dim sum in the convoy area and closer. I may have to spend the extra money and get much better quality dim sum and drive a little longer to get my fix. Emerald to me is still the only real decent dim sum place in San Diego.
Trucy H.
Tu valoración: 1 San Diego, CA
If I can give this place zero stars, I would! I came in today and ordered my dim sum togo, bc I have to go back to work. My food tasted spoiled, old, rotten, and smelled funny.(Shrimp rice noodle & sticky rice in lotus leaf). Needless to say one-two bites I threw it out! YUCK! I’m sure they didn’t want these to go to waste and gave em to us. Rude! As food providers they should know when the food is still edible or not. Called them once I got home from work to let them know since I bought a bunch of food from there earlier. They told me I have to drive back with the food so they could examine it. Told her I do not live in the area nor do I work near them. She told me sorry the only way is to examine the food – Wtf what are you going to do, taste it? Psh. NEVERGOINGBACK! Ill be sure to let all my co workers and customers know. Disgusting. I advise y’all if you don’t want a stomach ache and spoiled food don’t go here. There are plenty of other places.
Christina H.
Tu valoración: 2 Grove, OK
I love Dim Sum and came into this place to see if they had anything different and interesting that I hadn’t tried before. They didn’t. The selection wasn’t that great and the food they brought out wasn’t anything to write home about. Also, we came a little later in the afternoon it looked like everything we ordered was just left over from earlier service. Literally everything we ordered, we saw them put in the microwave and bring to our table. The service wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t that great. The staff was friendly enough, but it sure did take a long time for them to bring our microwaved food considering there was only one other couple in the restaurant.
Angela F.
Tu valoración: 1 San Diego, CA
Décor doesn’t mean delicious. The service is horrible, unless you don’t mind having teenage girls everywhere gossiping and giggling. I had to tell them 3 times what my order was because apparently they didn’t remember the first 2 times. The tofu and beef dinners were a disgrace, both cold and soaked with grease. Both came without rice. All the clueless high school students working there could only say«its not lunch time, we only have rice at lunch». After more questioning, what kind of Chinese place doesn’t have rice? I was finally told rice cost extra. $ 23 for 2 dinners and no rice! If they can’t even provide rice with a meal what else the owner is skimping on — Poodle puppies ala broccoli beef?
Linda F.
Tu valoración: 2 San Diego, CA
I came in today to see if I could find something out of the ordinary on the menu which happened to be posted on a podium near their entrance. I looked at the menu and could not find one thing that really made me want to order except the Salt and Pepper Flounder Fillet. We went in and waited but no one ever came to greet us. Is there a secret rule that I am not aware of? I just wanted to eat something new and apparently they didnt want my business and I left. So much for the country’s finest as stated on their menu. The cool thing about this place is that if you live within a 3 mile radius and you are spending over $ 35.00 they will deliver between the hours of 11:30 am to 9:00 pm. OWNER: Please make sure someone is always looking for people at the door or you will continue losing money. I wish I knew what your food tastes like.
Kim S.
Tu valoración: 4 San Diego, CA
I would give this place 5 stars, but the name of the place throws it off. I’ve tried the Dim Sum, and it’s okay. I don’t come here for the Dim Sum though, I come here for the salt and pepper pork chops and the tripe plate they have. Those 2 alone are amazing. If you’re tired of salt and pepper wings, give the salt and pepper pork chops a try, you won’t be disappointed. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a tray of these at your next filipino family party right next to the salt and pepper wings. The staff here is more than friendly, they try to go above and beyond to keep their customers happy. I have been here a handful of times, and we plan to keep coming back for the food and the great customer service.
Lisa N.
Tu valoración: 5 San Diego, CA
My boyfriend and I always go to Seafood City to do groceries and we would always see this spot next door. I was kind of skeptical in trying this place. Because I mean not the correct area for dim sum. But we tried it one day after having difficulty in figuring out what we wanted to cook so we ended up here. We actually came here twice and in both times it was pretty empty, maybe 3 groups already including us. The place is pretty spacious to me, maybe because no one is there. The workers are also nice too. They give you a number and then they bring you your food, and then afterwards you throw it away. Seems easy enough? So the first time coming here we got the salt and pepper squid and salt and pepper pork chops. I didn’t eat the pork chops so I can’t comment on that. But the salt and pepper squid was definitely on point. Honestly I didn’t have high expectations from this place but it definitely exceed my expectations. The food tastes better here than any other to-go place I have ever been to. The second time coming here, we got the salt and pepper squid again. It’s still good. And I wanted the honey walnut shrimp, now that was on point. The shrimp was not soggy and it was cooked properly. The sauce it’s in, I believe it’s mayo and something else, well that tasted just right — not too much mayo. The walnuts were also good too. Usually I don’t eat the walnuts in honey walnut shrimp but those were good. If you’re thinking you can’t go wrong with walnuts, YESYOUCAN. On this visit we actually got to try the dim sum. We ordered: Shrimp and pork seaweed roll — I didn’t want to eat this because it didn’t look appetizing but it was pretty yummy Fried potstickers — It was okay. It would have been better more fried and I didn’t like the filling inside that much but it wasn’t bad. &we had some kind of ball like«dumpling» I didn’t eat it though because that does not look like a dumpling to me. My boyfriend said it was a filipino version but eh whatever. We had something else too but I can’t remember what it was. But to sum it up I would definitely go here again and I would recommend it. I would probably just come here for the rice meal combos though. It’s cheap and for the portions you get it’s worth it. I want to try more of the dim sum but I probably wouldn’t come here solely on getting dim sum. OHYEAHANDTHEYDELIVER(:
Nette B.
Tu valoración: 3 San Diego, CA
After looking at new businesses on Unilocal Little Dim Sum caught my eyes. On a Sunday morning Ian and I made our way to National City to try it out. In the heart of Filipino town sits the first Dim Sum Restaurant. Little did I know that it’s ran by Filipinos and they offer not only Chinese dim sum but the traditional Filipino breakfasts.(tocilog etc etc) All I can say for the food is CHEAP! CHEAP! ANDMORECHEAP! Inexpensive and good food for the price. It’s not your traditional dim sum atmosphere. No push carts being pushed around but you order at the front counter. Also, the dish I ordered didn’t come in the traditional steamer but on a plate. The staff seemed nice and the restaurant is large with a lot of tables. Very clean(probably because they’re still new.) Nothing really gave me the WOW factor other than cheap. I wasn’t too pleased with the young lady at the front. So overall everything was okay. I will definitely come by again just to try out the other dishes like the sliders. The desserts looked great and the salt and pepper pork chops made my mouth water.