A question we’ve received multiple times is “Where can I get some dim sum in Wichita?”
Given our high number of Chinese restaurants in Wichita, the options are very limited. One of the places that many people I know go to is Tom’s Lotus Garden. They’ve had a longstanding dim sum offering on the weekends for years. I’ve heard there’s a Chinese buffet that offers dim sum but haven’t been able to verify that yet.
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822 S Broadway St.
Wichita, KS 67211
Dim Sum available on Saturday & Sunday: 9am – 2:30pm
316-263-8888
Cash/Card Accepted
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So some of you may be asking now, “What is dim sum?”
Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine prepared as small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum dishes are usually served with tea as it is at Tom’s Lotus Garden. Imagine receiving a big assortment of different appetizers. That’s how I would best describe dim sum.
At Tom’s Lotus Garden, they have roughly 32 items on their menu.
How it works at Tom’s Lotus Garden is when you first arrive you’re given your tea.
After that, you’re given a little ticket that only the wait staff uses to mark off what dim sum you received. The prices are $2.80 and $3.50 for what you get. I was told that all seafood based dim sum was $3.50 while the other options were $2.80.
Once you’re seated and situated, the wait staff pushes around steam carts that display all the dim sum they are offering. There’s a lot to choose from so be careful that you don’t go crazy grabbing everything like myself or it can get expensive.
I grabbed a little bit of everything: jalapeno with shrimp, shrimp rolls, pork spareribs, fried squid head, steam dumplings, mussels and chicken feet to name a few.
The chicken feet were very interesting. I’ll always try everything once and don’t get bothered by texture but it was really odd gnawing away at the chicken feet and trying to get the meat off of the little toes. You could really feel the cartilage; definitely a unique experience if you’re into trying new things. Flavor-wise, I’m just not sure it was there and the amount of meat on the feet made me feel like it was not worth it.
All the other stuff was excellent. Some of my favorites included the jalapeno with shrimp, pork spare ribs, and fried squid.
I’ve read some bad reviews on the dim sum after I stopped by Tom’s Lotus Garden and the experiences I read weren’t the same as mine. The service was great and the staff did an excellent job of explaining to me what was what and making suggestions. When I stopped by at 10am, the place had a large contingent of customers already inside.
The dim sum brunch is a great lunch outing with a group of people. Having everybody order different things and trying all sorts of new food could be very fun for you. If dim sum isn’t your thing, they have a lunch buffet during the week that I used to go to for years and then a regular dining menu during dinner time.
Have you tried it yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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