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It's popular indeed and we had to wait for about 15 minutes
It's popular indeed and we had to wait for about 15 minutes outside as we try to get seats from the outdoor sitting. We ended up going to their second floor dinning.Here's some observations while they were serving outside. I did see some (maybe one) of the dim-sum trays uncovered as they walk from kitchen, cross the sidewalk, and walk towards the street dining area, which was covered. Majority though had another top tray covering the food. So, maybe that was just one odd incident and it was one of those fried balls with no cover that I saw exposed. We finally were send inside and took the elevator to go to the second floor. At one point, the lady was going to set up a table BY THE ELEVATOR and told us to wait and she will set up a table for us. Hmmmm. Eventually after five minutes, no tables or chairs, and we weresent upstairs for a more comfortable way of dining.I've been a dim-sum consumer all my adult life. Almost like a Sunday go to after church. Hence, I'm a very experienced dim-sum consumer and have personal insight to share.Service is always fast-paced when you go for sum dim-sum. LoL! Maybe because of Covid restrictions, they only have three carts roaming and the rest, you mark on the menu and they bring it over. There were no clear explanations when we sat down, I just found a pen and tons of this colored menu. Then we ask, ahhhhh.. I was right.We marked our orders, gave the paper menu and it all arrived together. Fun times!Why I gave them a three star rating: The shrimp was not cooked well. The wrapping was not as fresh as I would like it. Folks, I had better ones where I can tell the difference. To me, it was too pricey too. It was $5.98 for three pieces of dumplings where some house would price it at $3.75 for the exact same items.It's good, but there are tons of dim-sum restaurants to choose from. I'd probably not come back to this place once I travel to NYC for some dim-sum solely because I want to explore more in Chinatown.
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Very long wait times with a chaotic system.
Going on Sunday morning we expected a wait but the system they used made the process hectic. We got there and asked for a table for 6. They said the wait is 20 mins and we said okay. After 20 minutes we asked them how long the wait would be... 20 more minutes. After we finally got a table the food was pretty good. We were served some RAW shrimp har gow. So that was pretty disappointing.
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This is the place to go if you want good Dim Sum.
There's no parking. They have the menu and the green tea and the carts which are super cute. Cute like an empty clear showcase or a person cooking clams and everyone holds their bowl out. So many freaking options. I mean I'm not going to name each thing I left photos check them out. That food was super fresh and tasty and perfect. It was not expensive. The wait was like 2 minutes and you had to take a number and go up in the elevator. Our waiter was as attentive as I needed which was good; not exceptional but fair. Best dim sum I been to in NYC and I went on a Sunday party of 2.
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See photo of delivery guy from Golden Unicorn literally
See photo of delivery guy from Golden Unicorn literally pissing on our front entrance. There is a kids bedroom facing him just 6 feet away. Disgusting, will never order from this place again.
I grew up on dimsum and dimsum is a part of my soul. I usually eat dimsum around 8th ave in Brooklyn, but wanted to try Golden Unicorn because I was in the area. Golden Unicorn has been around for a long time and is one of the better known dimsum places in Chinatown. I went on a Saturday around 11am. Me and my friend waited around 1 hour before we got seated. It's dimsum. Usually there is a wait. We were seated upstairs in what looked like a ballroom. It was packed inside. They gave us a paper menu and you write down what you want on the menu. Then they pick up the menu and bring you the food. It is very easy to order and food comes out from the kitchen quick. Most of the food, they bring to you from the kitchen. However, they still had cart ladies. But the main food, they bring out from the kitchen. The waiters were also very attentive and actively cleared dishes and helped gave more soy sauce when we were in need. Good food and good service! Just be prepared to wait a little before getting seated.
This world famous restaurant was disappointing. My friends from Malaysia are regulars at this multi level place. There is an elevator. COVID restrictions made it awkward in the lobby as we attempted to remain staggered. Because there was only 2 of us we had waited an hour as tables of 3 or more were seated quickly.
However, I understood and remained calm.
We waited for our waitress. Our order took a long time in the world of dim sum. And the order was incorrect.
However, the waitress never returned.After 40 minutes we received our bill. The bill reflected the items that we did not receive.
Instead of correcting our bill, she brought the missing food. We did not want food when our coats were already on and the table was cleared.
The food was average.
I truly wanted to go because it is an icon.
However, I probably won't return on my own.
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Really great food and quick service! Looks like a hole in
Really great food and quick service! Looks like a hole in the wall, but worth it for the great food!
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Visted New York with a group of friends for Spring Break
Visted New York with a group of friends for Spring Break and we're a pretty big fan of Dim Sum, so it was no question to try the best Dim Sum in NY. We were really excited and had high hopes for this place, but instead faced some serious ageism at this place. Keep in mind that we're definitely look much younger than many people here.We visited Golden Unicorn on a busy Sunday afternoon, so there was no doubt that the place would be jam packed. We got our ticket and waited in the lobby for around 40minute to almost an hour. Eventually the whole lobby cleared out and we were the last ones to finally be called up due to our big group of 6. We were hyped to finally be seated, but our waiter seemed to just throw our plates and utensils down on the table and left. Seemed like she had a long day, we assumed. We then wrote the quantities of our orders on the sheet, and no one really came to check on us. It gave us a sense that maybe they didn't really care for us. Eventually we raised our hand for a couple minutes, until she finally came and took our quantity sheet to the kitchen. Food eventually came out and we asked for water and soy sauce. I guess they don't ask for what beverages and such before hand and the tables were not set with soy sauce already. The first half of our meal met the ordinary dim sum standards. Afterwards, nothing else that we ordered came for the next 30 minutes. Pretty weird. We sat around a bit confused seeing other people order and their food was coming out before us. We lost our waiter and eventually told another waiter that we had plenty of food still missing. She asked us what we wanted as if we were reordering, even though everything should be on the paper sheet they took back to the kitchen. We ended up reordering in a lesser quantity just to help them speed up the process. The new waiter brought the food out less than 2 minutes later. Did they really completely forgot about us until we reminded them? At this point we finished up our food and was ready to ask for the bill and leave as soon as we could. She came out with the bill AND the ordering paper from the beginning of our meal. I wanted to make sure that she didn't charge us for the extra food we ordered, that we never got (when we reordered in lesser quantities). She then left, but then came back with a very angry man. He opened up our ordering paper and started pointing and counting the sheet and bill in his language. I do not think he was aware that I did not speak his language. I replied to him in english the situation and he begin pointing and counting at the sheet and bill even louder. I looked at the sheet and tried to count up the food we receive and match it with the bill, but he was constantly getting more and more aggressive screaming numbers. It was talking/looking down on me and he was yelling at me as if I was a child. Eventually, I was able to add it all up and it seemed like everything checked out right, so I let him know thank you for not charging us. Totally seemed like a big miscommunication, but the way this manager handled the situation definitely seemed out of pocket. In conclusion, the service here is absolutely terrible. If you're okay with not being checked in on, not being able to ask questions, not having your food be brought out, and just want to enjoy average dim sum, this is your place. There are TONS of local dim sum business around this area that I can guarantee you to provide a WAY better experience when it comes to wait time, service, and probably even food quality.
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O NYC weather can't keep me from 9:30 dim sum on a thursday
O NYC weather can't keep me from 9:30 dim sum on a thursday morning. My cohort suggested this place, and if you want to sit inside it opens at 10:30. Overall we had a fun time, though it was a little chilly, and the dim sum was good. Standard dim sum prices and the beef roll, shrimp dumplings and fried pork ball were tasty. The soup dumplings had a good flavor but as we were outside the soup solidified again which was a bummer. Would come again, maybe not the winter.
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Golden Unicorn is a must try! Be prepared to wait to be
Golden Unicorn is a must try! Be prepared to wait to be seated. It's classic Cantonese-style banquet-style dining restaurant with dim sum service. They currently have a cool robot that delivers food to tables.
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We got the Steamed pork buns, steamed chiu chao dumplings,
5/5 by
M M. on 02/24/2022
We got the Steamed pork buns, steamed chiu chao dumplings, baked pork pastries, and wonton soup. The food was all amazing but the baked pork pastries and wonton soup was worth the trip to NYC on its own. Very inexpensive and fast service. 10/10 would recommend
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Pros:- food comes out very quickly- waiters are stopping by
Pros:- food comes out very quickly- waiters are stopping by your table every few minutes unprompted to ask if you need anything and clear dishes- large variety of things to choose from (meals and dessert)- tables aren't on top of each otherCons:- can be a bit of a wait if you get there after 12
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this is my favorite dumpling place for over 10 years.
5/5 by
N A. on 02/20/2022
it's always crowded, still cash only and completely worth to wait.
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Ended up here on Xmas for a dinner with a group of friends
Ended up here on Xmas for a dinner with a group of friends who stuck around the city and had a great experience. This place had popped up on a 'must-try dimsum' restaurant because it has been around Chinatown for decades now. I'm not sure where the harsher reviews come from, but given I'm not a dim sum connoisseur I may not be able to accurately reflect on the food. The indoor is hilarious; in a great way -- it felt like a 1990s ballroom that you'd rent for a large family birthday party with lots of random aged decor. Gave it a really unique and authentic feeling. The place doesn't have dim-sum carts that you grab food off of, but mainly order and they bring it out (quite quickly). The place easily accommodates large groups and we got in super easily. Apparently they do (?) take reservations as per the waiter but it was unclear because they didn't when I called (2x).Food:Large menu to choose from with limited drinks that included generic beer or wine, no cocktails available. We ended up ordering a bunch of things on the menu but I have a hard time remembering exactly what we got. Perhaps this is sort of a tell that the food was all 'overall' good, but not very many memorable things. I did/do recommend the Peking duck and the chili oil dumplings because those were my personal favorites.Long story short: Great place for a group meal; fun/entertaining atmosphere and decent food for a very reasonable price.
5. A solid choice if you've got a group and want classic dim sum. We arrived at 4pm for late dim sum. Probably better to get here earlier when everything's super fresh made to order. Our order came out in 2 mins and steamed items were not piping hot. We got the turnip cake, green leek dumplings, steamed sticky rice chicken and Chiu chicken dumpling--all were very tasty. We ended with durian pastry which is rich, creamy and unique. Perhaps an acquired taste. For 2 people 5 medium dim sums is plenty. We were stuffed. Golden Unicorn is a little more expensive than some places and you can see people are loving it. The huge dining room was packed with happy patrons.
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Golden Unicorn has been around since 1989, and I have vivid
Golden Unicorn has been around since 1989, and I have vivid memories of coming here with my parents when I was young. This time around, I came with some friends and had a great time for an affordable price. They have one main space(2nd floor) and two outdoor spaces due to COVID. My friends and I accidentally stumbled across the outdoor space while looking for the dining room. Since it had no wait on a Saturday morning, so we decided to do that instead. Do note, however, that the outdoor spaces do not have carts coming around, and I suspect the food is actually prepared in the main space and re-heated. The food was still warm when it came to us, but we did have some mishaps in what we ordered (by marking items on a menu) and what was brought to us. Food tasted pretty good, and my all time favorite was definitely the har gow and turnip cakes! Would skip out on the soup dumplings if you're outside, since it gets cold quickly. Their pork buns were just ok, which is surprising since this was my favorite dish growing up. Definitely would recommend this place and I'd come back for the nostalgic value. However, get there early to sit in the main dining room, and you'll have a more authentic experience!
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Went for an early birthday dinner the day after Lunar New
Went for an early birthday dinner the day after Lunar New Year (2/2/22) - we really went for the robot kitty which we saw, but I guess doesn't service small groups. The decor is classic and unchanged from the last time I was here. The menu is ample with enough gf options like rice noodles and veg options to satisfy any diner. The huge "Happy Birthday" sign on the wall was a reminder of the draw of this place for a younger crowd - it's a great choice for dinner for anyone, just be forewarned that it can get really loud. - hot and sour soup: excellent- egg drop soup: great- rice noodles and beef: great- veg dumplings: good- tofuskin wraps: okay - friend bacon wrapped shrimp: excellent Probably needed more veggies for dinner.
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Food here comes out very quickly and hot, which is good.
The egg drop soup is really hot and hits the spot in the cold weather, and it tastes good too. However, on the whole, This place was so disappointing. None of the dim sum were very good. We ordered the bean curd roll, veggie dumpling platter, turnip cakes, lotus stuffed with rice, and the piglet buns we really only liked the piglet buns which aren't even special to this place. Save your money.
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Loved my siu mai, my lotus rice, my pan-fried radish cakes
Loved my siu mai, my lotus rice, my pan-fried radish cakes (yeah -- multiples!), my (tender and perfect) bao, and even the (silly but exceedingly tasty!) little piggy bunsCOVID-19 prevention measures very much in placeExcellent red bean-filled sesame balls for dessert!
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Excellent food and a delightful dining experience
We hosted a family and friends dinner at the Golden Unicorn for our son's wedding weekend. It was a terrific success. They gave us four large tables in the front corner, used the best fabric tablecloths and napkins and chair covers. We pre-ordered the menu and the food was delicious. The service was excellent. They accommodated one guest who is vegan, at no extra charge. We were completely happy with the entire experience.
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Never Got Seated -- And Was Lied To
My family went a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon. We were ten people. we were told we would seated in 45 minutes. After an hour and ten minutes, we were told that we would be seated in another ten or twenty minutes. Up to that point, they had generally avoided giving us any information or even speaking with us. So we said we were leaving. They then asked us for our vaccine info. They had not asked anyone before for this, and it turned out this was just a delaying tactic so they could scare up two tables of five and ask us to take that instead of the big table we had been assured we would have. I've been to the restaurant before. The food is greasy and not as good as Dim Sum Go-Go down the block. Plus, their behavior was and is deceptive. And you have no idea if the patrons have Covid since only we were asked for vaccine documentation. Avoid.
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Awful/Avoid the food quality and poor customer service. Take your money elsewhere
Awful/Avoid. God know how your food was prep and cleanness with the mass production/factory style. If you coming here with 2-4 people they have you wait and take a number. But does not honor the wait time. They let people who had 6 ppl pass everyone and let them seated 5 min. And the number were completely off. It's not worth it. 1 star because if there were 0 you deserved it. Golden Unicorn should be name Plastic Peony. To the women at the front "all of you" I discovered there were 3 locations. 1 main entrance and two outdoor space. The food that you think are coming fresh was a actually coming from the main 2nd floor to your outdoor space. The mass amount I witnessed concerned me on health and cleanliness of this space because no where there was a chief working behind this place but pre-ordered/reheat. You were fooled thinking authentic coming from here. There are many dim sum place in Chinatown that has not turned itself to a factory and god know what exactly you are being feed. Save yourself as a New Yorker go to Dim Sum Palace or smaller area. I do not support greed and fake smile and dishonest and this is not the place to go as a restaurant supporter. Take your money to restaurants to places that honor themselves. As a fact I hope health inspectors are checking out this place. It is not worth your wait...there are tons of places in Manhattan. This restaurant remind me of Chinatown selling you fake bags-only this is food. AVOID. Most importantly health.
Their customer service respond was they take larger group like 8 due to Covid to sit all large group together. Pretty much 6 feet apart does not apply here. But reality is I had the lady at the front told me. We have to take large group first. So there were many people who waited. Outside or inside there were large group seated first. It was very strange. What do you expect right Chinatown. This was worse than some ladies try selling me fake bags on the street in Canal.
Tips: If you want to go for food. There are better and cheaper dim sum in Chinatown. The food is factory style pre-prep and/heat.
If you want something classy. This is more like street style including the service. When I say street style more towards a little corner slum. Now thats different from street food. Eat with cautious.
Recommendation: Skip it. There are many dim sum places like Dim Sum Palace that's even cheaper and cleaner.
In short, we expected better. We went at about 1145 and there were only a few people there on a weekday. The place was clean And big , service was good.
The teams all came out at the same time and was not steaming hot. It was Luke warm. We would not go back again