Asian Jewels ★8.5

Asian Jewels: The Best Show in Flushing Rolls on Wheels

Forget tasting menus — the most entertaining dining format in Queens is a steel cart stacked with bamboo steamers, steered through a chandelier-lit hall at speed. At Asian Jewels in downtown Flushing, the carts keep coming, the lids keep lifting, and every table becomes a rapid-fire negotiation over har gow and rice rolls.

The Concept

This is Cantonese dim sum done the classic Hong Kong way: a cavernous banquet-scale room, carts in constant orbit, and a seafood kitchen working behind the scenes. A Flushing mainstay for years and a Michelin Guide listing, it has survived every food trend by simply refusing to change the formula.

What to Order

Flag down the essentials first: translucent har gow, pork-and-shrimp siu mai, beef rice rolls, and spareribs with black beans. The adventurous lane rewards too — beef balls with crunchy watercress, marinated chicken feet, poached jellyfish with scallion and sesame, chicken and ham wrapped in yuba. Come back at dinner for the Cantonese seafood side of the menu, from whole steamed fish to lobster with ginger and scallion.

The Space

A genuinely cavernous hall dressed in ornate chandeliers, bamboo plants and oversized round tables built for ten. Weekend mornings run at a happy roar — carts rattling, tea pouring, lazy Susans spinning — and the whole operation moves with the efficiency of a place that also hosts full-dress wedding banquets.

Who It’s For

Groups who want maximum variety with zero commitment, dim sum first-timers who learn fastest by pointing, and anyone exploring Flushing’s food scene who wants the loud, glorious, old-school version of it.

Good to Know

When are the carts running? Dim sum service is a daytime affair — mornings through mid-afternoon, with weekends the liveliest.

Will I wait for a table? On weekend mornings, usually — but the room turns fast, and waits rarely drag.

How does ordering work? Point at what looks good as carts pass; each dish is stamped on your table card and tallied at the end.

Is it group-friendly? Extremely — big round tables are the default, and shared plates are the whole point.

Anything for vegetarians? Yes: greens with garlic, tofu dishes and vegetable dumplings circulate alongside the classics.

Opening hours