Hollywood East Cafe

I went with safe Americanized choices but I definitely picked up on the Hong Kong Cantonese flavors used. I can tell they are more authentic than most Chinese food places. A nice find for a mall restaurant. large, spacious dining room with plenty of seating. Staff is friendly and attentive.

Dim sum is good! Nice, clean and quick service! It’s not too bad too give it a shot, After a long shopping it’s definitely a god place to stop by and eat!

Best dim sum in DC area. Great price. For me and 2 girls (grown women with appetites but not true hungry men), the bill usually comes around $ 40. Not bad considering I’m overstuffed by the time we leave.
Wide selection of all types of items. Way better than your standard eggs/​pancake type brunch.
Absolutely delicious.
Only thing they could add would be some beers and maybe baijiu (for that authentic gasoline-​tasting Chinese liquor experience).

We’ve eaten at the restaurant (dim sum and not) and frequently get take out. The food is always excellent. Try the shrimp tempura. Try the crispy shredded Sichuan chicken or beef. Even the beef with broccoli has flavor!!!

Pretty good authentic food, nice new décor and services at a new (relatively) location. I wish it is actually moved to somewhere with a more convenient parking though…

When I go shopping, I usually look forward to taking a well-​deserved break at the food court and eating some Asian food from Sakura or Panda Express (I can’t be eating nice restaurant food all the time). This time, I decided to try out this sit-​down restaurant at Wheaton Mall and was pleasantly surprised.
We got lunch specials (I always enjoy these combo deals!) — the shrimp in lobster sauce and the roast pork. I love eggplant, so I decided to order the eggplant dish with XO sauce (the name intrigued me). The roast pork was the favorite; it was well-​seasoned, tender, and flavorful. For the shrimp and eggplant, I was surprised by how light the sauces were. I’m used to heavy, thick sauces when I get Chinese food, so it threw me off a little bit. Although I would have preferred them to be heavier and stronger in flavor, the lightness of the sauces grew on me, and it was actually somewhat refreshing.
Overall, a solid place to visit while getting your shop-​game on. Definitely go for the lunch specials!

We were looking for Dim Sum in the Wheaton area and Hollywood East popped up, so we decided to give it a try. At first glance it looked questionable since it’s in a kind of run-​down mall, but the food ended up being quite tasty. We arrived shortly after it opened so variety on the food carts was a bit limited at first, but things picked up within a few minutes. The quality of everything we had was good and service as friendly. This wasn’t the sort of place I’d go far out of my way for but if you’re close by and want Dim Sum it’s a good choice.

We had «Beef Chow Foon» and some dim sum. Chow foon is my fav. Chinese food. This was «THE WORST» chow foon I’ve ever had. The noodle was unseason but the beef was too salty. It was like eating two different food out of one dish. So as dim sums. They were so unseasoned, didn’t have any flavor.
Also the waitress gave one of our food to the table next to us by mistake. That dish were on that table for about 5min and people there were talking. When the waitress noticed that the dish was on the wrong table, she pick it up from their table and gave that same dish to us. Who knows what went into that dish when those people were talking ?
Never going back to this place.
A star for the restaurant being cleaner than many other chineae restaurant. (Since it’t in the mall, it should be)

This review is on the standard Chinese menu, not the dim sum. We came in as part of a large group and we were seated promptly in he back. I have mixed feelings about the experience because the service was really mediocre but the food was delicious.
First the service. Our waitress was waiting on several other tables besides our group of 25. Maybe they were short-​staffed, but it seemed like we should have had a server to ourselves because our group was so large. We were given water when we first arrived, but my husband tried to order a beer for 20 minutes before the waitress finally came back to take drink orders. After that, the server never refilled water glasses without being hunted down and called over. After eating some spicy noodles, I reverted to drinking my 2 yr olds water and sucking on my leftover ice cubes because the waitress was nowhere in sight.
All that being said, the food was superb! The host of our group ordered for our table and it seemed like a never-​ending flow of food. We started with spring rolls, dumplings, and fried tofu. I can’t speak for the tofu, but everyone that had it loved it. The spring rolls were crisp, a little greasy (a good thing IMO), and flavorful. The dumplings were some of the best I’ve had in the area. Next up was the peking duck, rice, and green beans. Again, I can’t speak for the duck but everyone that ate it said it was good. Then we had shrimp with snow peas (A+), Sesame Chicken (A), Beef and Broccoli (A), Fried Rice (A++) and Curry Noodles (A). The standout dishes for me with Fried Rice and the dumplings.
I think probably our group overwhelmed the restaurant a bit and the waitress was super busy with getting our food out and waiting on our table. I’ll definitely come back and try again with a smaller group. The food was really excellent!

Dim Sum Review.
Hollywood East Café does an excellent Saturday and Sunday dim sum cart service. There were constantly fresh, hot plates and the carts were paced in a way that constantly kept you feed with delicious dumplings, pork buns and desserts.
Located in the Wheaton Mall, Hollywood East Café is a hidden gem that is worth exploring. This isn’t the overrun, jam packed dim sum seating that you might experience at other restaurants. It’s relaxed and worth the slight up-​charge compared with its competitors.
I wish that I could share a favorite dish or comment on something to avoid, but to be honest it was all dangerously delicious. My inner fat-​kid came out hard and didn’t want dim sum to end.
I would highly recommend checking out Hollywood East Café for dim sum.

I *love* dim sum. And there aren’t many places near DC without going to VA, so any options are worth considering.
We only ordered dim sum items from the traditional wheeled carts; we did not order anything off the menu. The selection was more limited than I’m used to, but adequate. The server seemed knowledgeable about what was in each of the items (especially helpful for me because I’m allergic to shrimp), and the three or four different carts came by pretty frequently. Chili oil was already on the table so we didn’t have to ask for it, although I wish we had asked for hoisin sauce as they did not provide any sauce with most of the dumplings, and the soy sauce on the table was very salty. We ordered: barbecue pork buns, sticky rice, steamed rice in a banana leaf, pork shumai, baby bok choy, beef chow fun noodle crepes and duck and vegetable dumplings. Everything was okay, the barbecue pork buns were pretty good. The dumplings varied: The duck was under filled and under seasoned, and the shumai had an odd almost chemically aftertaste. Either would have been better with a little sauce. Under seasoning seemed the norm — the baby bok choy had delicious fried garlic and would’ve been very good with just a hint of soy or other seasoning.
The odd Hollywood themed décor and the mall location don’t add to the ambience, but there is plenty of parking.
Overall, it’s worthwhile just to know about the dim sum place this close to home.

Having non-​asian reviewing asian food is pretty strange. It’s like going to Bologna to have «Spaghetti bolognese» (If you get where that came from kudos to you!) Sounds pretty racist you say? Unless you have some cred in being in SF/​SGV (L.A.)/China/HK… you have skewed the bell curve.
So lets get to the facts. Dim sum is a morning/​Brunch thing, Don’t expect to get some awesome dim sum after 1−2pm. w/​Dim sum it always arrives on your table steaming hot; coupled with tea is the TRUE experience of what breakfast/​brunch in HK is like.
I had craving and looked around the DC area. Some were plain expensive for such a claim on being dim sum. With the stars: reviews ratio it was worth the shot in a interesting spot @ the mall.
Service: Decent young adults that are making their living w/​range of not giving much of a crap to actually trying.
Food: There is a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ split on the dim sum. Due to getting there after 12p… Siu mai, Pork buns, Custard bun, chicken feet (for the hard core asians), and other style of dumplings were warm. Chinese broccoli was surprisingly cooked well.
Total bill: ~$ 40 for 2 It’s on the higher side per dish/​serving ratio of dim sum.
YES I’m quite aware with such a concoction of area and the reviews on here. You should never judge a book by its cover. It was an attempt at dim sum but if you don’t feel like driving far for the experience then this will be the place. Otherwise as the 2 star Unilocal would say «Meh! I’ve experienced better.»

The best dim sum I’ve had in the DMV, out of the six restaurants I’ve tried. But when compared to dim sum restaurants in the SF Bay Area, Hollywood East would be about 3 stars.
Pros:
–Very large variety of dumplings available during the weekend dim sum service.
–They have bacon wrapped shrimp balls! Haven’t had it since I lived in CA and boy was I glad it tasted as good as I remember.
–Har gow was also delish.
–Attentive wait staff. They’re all young though, so you miss out on the whole «auntie» experience of dim sum.
–Short wait for a table during prime time.
Cons:
–The whole staff wears black, so it’s not obvious who to ask certain things like ordering something during dim sum or paying the bill.
–Wheaton Mall. Getting in and out of that place is a hot mess.
–No congee cart.

I have to update to rip on their dim sum. I went the weekend before xmas which is the peak of annoying holiday traffic (could not find parking– had to park on grass!) and the rest of the mall was packed except for HEC. With all the asians over at Costco, you’d think they’d be like «oh it would be nice to have some dim sum before shopping» but there was barely anybody here.
The actual dim sum tastes OK; it’s about on par with Oriental East (= mediocre) but a tad cold. What I could not get over was the PRICE. It was almost double of Oriental East for two people and the price is not indicated on your stamp card. NO WONDER THERE WAS NO ONE HERE. ASIANS HATE BEING RIPPED OFF, YOU’RE BEING RIPPED OFF!
Dim sum for two with about 10ish dishes for my SO and I at Oriental East was 26 dollars vs. the 46 I paid at Hollywood East Café! No way was that worth 46 dollars. I felt nauseated I fell for the dim sum when all I really wanted was a chicken stir fry. SIGH.

Music Man Adaptation of the song «Wells Fargo Wagon»
O-​ho the Dim Sum Wagon is a-​comin’ down the aisle
Oh please let it be for me!
O-​ho the Dim Sum Wagon is a-​comin’ down the aisle
I wish, I wish I knew what it could be!
I got a steamer of shrimp dumplings on my birthday
For desert I got a fried lotus ball
And once I got some steamed duck with vegetables
And don’t ya worry– it was a dumpling, and some liked it most of all
O-​ho the Dim Sum Wagon is a-​comin’ now
It’s for the Unilocal Luck Club to eat and see
It could be pork buns!
Or dumplings!
Or a Minced Shrimp Bacon Roll!
Or it could be
Yes, it could be
Yes, you’re right it surely could be
Somethin’ Special
Something’ very, very special now
Just for we!
O-​ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-​comin’ down the aisle.
Oh, don’t let it pass my fork
O-​ho the Dim Sum Wagon is a-​comin’ down the aisle
I wish I knew what dish was next to serve.
I got a shrimp rice noodle crêpe last service
And I expect a lotus leaf wrap
I wish I knew what is in this hot dog
The Unilocal Luck Club had guessed the bill to win a coffee mug!
O-​ho the Dim Suma Wagon ith a-​comin’ now,
I don’t know how I can ever wait to thee.
It could be thumpin’ for thumone who is
No relation but it could be thump’n thpethyul
Just for me!
O-​ho, you Dim Sum Wagon keep a-​comin’
O-​ho, you Dim Sum Wagon, keep a-​comin’.
O-​ho you Dim Sum Wagon, Don’t you dare Mae a stop
Until you stop for me!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Important points!
— Dim Sum can be scheduled any day, you just need to talk to the restaurant before hand.
— The whole song about the wagon… there wasn’t actually a wagon as we were the only ones doing Dim Sum ;)
— Unilocal Luck Club loved it!
My individual ratings for each dish:
Shrimp Rice Noodle Crêpe: 5 Stars
Baked Roast Pork Buns: 5 Stars
Pan Fried Pork Dumplings: 4 Stars
Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage: 2 Stars… just was not my jam
Scallop & Watercress Dumpling: 2 Stars… something about the texture inside wasn’t right for me.
Steamed Spinach Shrimp Crab Dumplings: 5 Stars
Beef Rib With Black Bean Sauce: 2 stars (a little too oily/didn’t seem like there was black bean sauce on it)
Assorted Meats with Sweet Rice in Lotus Leaves: 4 Stars
Bacon Roll With Minced Shrimp: 4 Stars
Steamed Duck & Vegetable Dumpling: 4 Stars
Deep Fried Sesame Balls w/​Lotus Paste: 4 Stars
Baked Custard Buns: 5 Stars
Shrimp Balls: 4 Stars
Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow): 5 Stars

Hollywood East Café was October’s pick for the Unilocal Luck Club, and my first time attending a Unilocal Luck Club dinner.
First off, I was SO PLEASED to be eating dim sum on a weeknight. I have found I am unable to fulfill my dim sum cravings as often as I would like because I tend to be busy on Sunday afternoons (prime dim sum-​ing time!).
The restaurant is huge — perfect for large groups! Our group of 14 made good use of the HUGE lazy susan on our table as we passed around various dumplings, shu mai, peppered beef, lotus leaves, shrimp balls, and desserts (custard buns and sesame lotus balls). My favorite item that we ordered was the steamed spinach shrimp & crab dumplings. They were green and very flavorful. YUM!
We had a contest at the end where we tried to guess how much the total bill for our table would be, and I am happy to say I WAY overestimated. Not sure if it’s because I’m used to NYC prices or because Hollywood East Café is very reasonably priced (maybe both?!), but I call losing that contest a win-​win!

I was super duper excited to try Hollywood East Café out, as this was October’s pick for the Unilocal Luck Club: D The restaurant itself is located in Restaurant Row at the Westfield shopping mall, around the corner from JC Penny (under the parking deck). There were 14 of us, and it was a great-​sized group! We had a large table reserved for us in the back, and service was attentive enough and the dim sum that was ordered came out piping hot. We were able to sample the following: Shrimp Rice Noodle Crêpe (contained two whole shrimp), Baked Roast Pork Buns (cubed BBQ pork in a sweeter/​bbq sauce, all in a fluffy bun), Pan Fried Pork Dumplings (one of my favorites, as they were crisply-​fried on one side and great with the soy sauce/​chili oil combo to dip it in), Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage (the Chinese sausage tasted like candy to me, as it was sweet), Scallop & Watercress Dumplings, Steamed Spinach Shrimp Crab Dumplings, Pork & Shrimp Dumplings, Beef Rib with Black Bean Sauce (these looked like a Chinese version of galbi, but the meat itself was extremely soft (too soft for my taste) and the black bean sauce wasn’t too flavorful), Assorted Meats with Sweet Rice in Lotus Leave (this one was an interesting surprise, as I thought I wouldn’t be a fan of it; the sticky rice in this dish was actually pretty okay, but I wasn’t a fan of the Chinese sausage), Bacon Roll with Minced Shrimp (one of my favorites; who can deny bacon? Plus, it wasn’t too greasy, and that was one big shrimp ball!), Steamed Duck & Vegetable Dumpling, and Shrimp Balls (looked like mini croquettes, but it was a solid piece of shrimp within a ‘crispy’ exterior), Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow). For dessert, we tried the Deep Fried Sesame Balls with Lotus Paste and Baked Custard Buns (also one of my favorites of the night, as the bun itself was nice and soft, and inside, it had a nice little mound of custard — not too sweet). This was my 2^nd time trying out ‘dim sum,’ and it was definitely a better experience than my first — I liked how there was a nice variety (even though it was heavily shrimp-​focused); there were some orders I probably wouldn’t have even considered in getting, so it was good to get an idea of other ‘possibilities!’ There was plenty of food for all (and leftovers), and that lazy susan was definitely working that night! I brought one of my best friends, Amber J., and we both had a blast: D It was really fun and everyone was so cool and laid-​back :D I’m glad I was able to check this place out!
+Pan Fried Pork Dumplings
+Bacon Roll with Minced Shrimp
+Baked Custard Buns

I’m on a DC-​area dim sum quest. It’s sort of like Pokemon, I’ve gotta try them all. The trouble is the timing, since dim sum is typically a lunchtime offering — I work on weekdays with little time to explore, and the weekend rush at every dim sum location is fairly terrifying. Hollywood East was the easiest location to knock off my list, in Westfield Wheaton, convenient to the Beltway and serving dim sum daily until 3PM. It’s a little hard to find inside the mall, as it’s just on one of the corridors near Macy’s. But we realized as we left that there’s actually a sign outside that could be helpful.
The restaurant is huge, which explains how they can handle the area’s dim sum demand. When we arrived on a weekday around noon, we were ahead of the lunch crowds… in fact, we were alone for a while. The server handed us a sheet where we could check off our choices, which is honestly sometimes nicer than picking off a cart because you can be sure to get things you’d like and a good range of dishes. The dishes have sizes (S, M, L) but I found them all to be comparable enough that I didn’t worry too much about picking based on size.
We tried a variety of dumplings, all of which were tasty, and a noodle crêpe that left a bit to be desired. After a great experience out in San Francisco, I was eager to try some duck feet again. Unfortunately, these were pretty lackluster, not very flavorful and overwhelmed by a really sticky sauce. The turnip cake wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it was good and had a reasonable amount of smoky meat flavoring it. The highlight of the meal was the deep fried sesame balls with lotus paste, which really blew me away. I’m usually underwhelmed with dim sum desserts, but these were wonderful in flavor and texture, and a great way to end the meal.
I’m going to keep trying all of the local dim sum offerings, but I’ll happily return to Hollywood East.

Dim sum. Yum! This place slowly fills up once the doors open… and it feels more leisurely… perfect way to spend a morning. The décor is not my favorite, but good enough and not too distracting.
Now for the food. I am a picky eater and the things I ordered were good. There was flavor and not over salted. Everything looked fresh. There were a couple interesting items that went by such as seafood tarts– which didn’t look appetizing so didn’t try it. I did however try the more traditional dim sum. Which was pretty good. Now if you are apprehensive about dishes, ask what’s in them. The server will explain. The chicken feet were good. Egg tarts ok– i like the more flakey crust myself. The long rice noodle with pork or beef filling is good. Fried taro with filling was semi good– i like more taro! And so many more dishes… overall good. I can’t say anything about the non traditional dish though. .
Also– if there’s something you really want, just ask the server and they’ll get it for you. Also take a look at what other tables are getting– its a good indicator of whats good.

This place did everything I hate about a bad dining experience:
Pushy hostess
Uncomfortable seating
Confusing menu
Unfriendly and lazy waitstaff
Heck, the waitress even snatched my phone from my hands to use my Unilocal coupon for checking-​in without asking me.
I will never return to eat in this place.
However, take out I would definitely consider.
The food wasn’t mind-​blowing but the the dim sum was on point. I literally tried a little of everything: steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed beef ribs with bean sauce, vegetable rolls, steamed chicken feet with bean sauce, pan fried taro cakes, pork and shrimp spring rolls, and bacon rolls stuffed with minced shrimp.
Everything had a little something to offer but my favorite was the bacon rolls stuffed with minced shrimp. Fried on the outside and soft shrimp on the inside.
I doubt I’ll return here but the food was a nice change of pace.