Best Dim Sum in Portland, Maine

Ever since eating amazing Dim Sum recently in both Seattle and New York City, we are always on the hunt for highly rated dim sum restaurants. I was pretty skeptical when my husband told me he wanted to try a dim sum restaurant when we were visiting Portland, Maine. The whole time I was thinking our whole trip to Portland would be all about the lobster and didn’t even have dim sum on my radar. 

Empire Chinese Kitchen

The place he chose for our first meal of the weekend trip was called Empire Chinese Kitchen. It was about a fifteen-minute walk from our hotel in Old Port, Portland. We made a reservation for that Friday night. This was a good call because the restaurant was packed.

First up, a drink to follow up that long car ride! We each ordered a Chinese Margarita with jalapenos. It was tasty but incredibly spicy!!

One of my favorite things to order is any variation of a pork bun. At Empire Chinese Kitchen they had Spicy Pork Belly Buns. They were a little different than your typical pork buns, and I loved everything about them! They weren’t too spicy and I wish I had gotten these to myself!

After having the pork buns we got a few traditional dim sum menu items!

Another thing I enjoy when eating dim sum is when it all comes out when it’s ready. Therefore, instead of it all coming out at once, you get to enjoy each dish one or two at a time. And in fact, it was fairly quick here at Empire Chinese Kitchen, even for the busy Friday night crowd!

So, we pretend that our girls are adventurous eaters, but that is far from the truth. They will try new foods, but they always prefer to eat kid-friendly food. At Empire Chinese Kitchen the girls split a bowl of Bacon Fried Rice. And they loved it so much I didn’t even get a picture of it!

Empire Chinese Kitchen isn’t your traditional dim sum restaurant. We love the modern spin on dim sum classics this restaurant added to their menu. It was fairly kid-friendly, but also a spot for great drinks and delicious food. Check out their menu and don’t forget to make a reservation 😉

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