
Bustling, 2-story mainstay for seafood, classic Cantonese-style entrees & made-to-order dim sum.
Hours
| Friday | 11 AM–10 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–10 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Monday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–9 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–10 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 4698 Convoy St c101, San Diego, CA 92111
Phone: (858) 256-0260
Website: https://chinamaxdumplinghouse.site/
Menu Photos
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Reviews
Even though it is all you can eat, you can only order two items per person at a time, and you cannot order everything at once. Servers take a while to come back around, so there is a lot of waiting between rounds. By the time your next order arrives, you already feel full just from the downtime.
For two people, our bill came out to $76 before tip. For that price, you can get a better a la carte deal at other dim sum places and still leave satisfied, likely with leftovers to take home.
Parking lot was full during lunch. Drove around a few times before I got dropped off to check us in and pre order. At least it’s free parking in this rare area of Convoy.
Food came out with no presentation and in different order. Soup came out first and it was bland with no flavor. Cucumber salad came out last after all the hot food. Dim sum minimum 3 pieces in a big bamboo steamer all rolled around in different positions.
The utensils, plates, bowls were dirty with stains and sticky. We had to ask for a new set and wiped it down.
We ordered a la carte for 3:
Egg drop soup $7.95
Cucumber salad $7.50
Pork XLB $9.95 six pieces
Har gow $9.95 three pieces
Shu mai $9.95 three pieces
Braised beef noodle $13.95
From a price prospective, it’s better off ordering AYCE for $35 on week days to have access to the entire menu. We left with a tainted memory of never returning again and wonder why this place gets so packed.
As for the food, it was just okay. We did enjoy the Braised Beef Noodles, Truffle XLB, and the Chicken Wontons with Chili Sauce. However, my husband ordered the Wagyu Potstickers and Wagyu Beef Dumplings, and they never arrived. We followed up with the server, but it didn’t seem like she checked on the status.
The service overall was very slow. Even though the restaurant was busy, I honestly don’t get the hype—the food didn’t really stand out.
To make matters worse, we went on a Friday, which should be considered a weekday for AYCE pricing at $34.99, but we were charged $37.99, the weekend rate. Unbelievable.
I made a reservation on their website for 1pm, so we missed the lunch rush, and I got parking easily.
We were greeted right away and escorted to our table. Immediately, I noticed the chairs had unusually tall and “straight” seat backs, and they did feel stiff. I asked our server, Esme, about it after our meal, and she said they have received similar feedback. There is another section of the restaurant that has different “relaxed” chairs, and they open that section when it gets busy and on weekends.
There were two ladies making dumplings behind a glass window on the left side of the restaurant. Esme said they make dumplings 24/7.
Esme explained the options of all you can eat and ordering a la carte. If we order at least four items each, it’s recommended to choose the AYCE option. If we eat at least half of the item, we would not be charged full price for the item, and leftovers could not be taken home. We could order two items from the first two pages of the menu per round.
I started with the cucumber salad, and I asked if it was spicy. Esme said they can put the dressing on the side. I also ordered the sweet & sour baby back ribs. The cucumber salad was delivered with red dressing. I told the male server that I ordered it with dressing on the side. I tasted it, and it had it made me cough, so he took it back. The order with no spicy dressing was really good, with a mild sweet flavor. They ribs were really tasty, too. I think I could order these two items a la carte for takeout in the near future.
Next round, I ordered the pork and cabbage pan- fried dumplings and pork Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings). I was surprised it didn’t come with condiments as other dumpling places serve them with. Both dumplings were delicious.
I also ordered the chicken steamed dumplings and braised beef noodles. I was getting full, and I decided to pay full price for the braised beef noodles, which were really flavorful, and the beef very tender. I thought the chicken dumplings tasted good.
Last round, I ordered the taro balls and self-serve ice cream. The taro balls were served hot, fried crispy, and filled with taro paste. They tasted like small sesame balls without the sesame seeds. Yummy. Also yummy was the ice cream. I had both flavors–pistachio with nuts, and pistachio, cranberry, and chocolate with dried cranberries. So good.
Esme was very attentive, responsive, accommodating, and helpful. She let us know when they were taking last orders as lunch service was closing at 2:30pm. We did not feel rushed at all, which I really appreciated.
I’m excited to go back with my daughter, and hopefully be seated in the overflow room with the relaxed chairs.
We came for AYCE dumplings, but a few things felt off from the start — the water station had exposed ice for anyone to scoop, and service was a bit inattentive. The biggest issue was finding two flies in my Braised Beef Noodle.
The staff did apologize and offered to replace the dish, but after that, I just couldn’t continue eating. I didn’t demand anything else — I simply wanted to leave. They gave 10% off, which I appreciated, though it didn’t quite reflect the seriousness of the situation.
I hope management takes this feedback seriously and improves their food safety and service.