Lin Heung Lau: An Old School Yum Cha Institution in Hong Kong Serving Dim Sum in Rolling Carts

This article is part of the Hong Kong Food Trip series. Check out the installments in this series: Hing Kee Restaurant (Claypot Rice) | Oi Man Sang (Dai Pai Dong) | Yat Lok (MICHELIN-Starred Roast Meats/Goose)

One of the food experiences that you should try in Hong Kong (and it’s almost a crime to miss it) is having yum cha (literally “drink tea”) or eating dim sum (literally “touches the heart”, it refers to small plates of food). And it’s best to try it in one of the legendary tea houses in HK—Lin Heung Lau.

Originally from Guangzhou (China) and established there in 1889, Lin Heung Lau opened in Hong Kong in 1918. It has existed for more than a century, surviving a couple of closures in 2019 and 2022. Fortunately for visiting foodies and loyal patrons, Lin Heung Lau reopened in April 2024 under a new management. I guess you can’t put a good tea house down! LOL.

Lin Heung Lau is best known for being old school. I love that they have retained their white walls and fluorescent lighting.

When you’re seated, you’ll be given a pot of tea…and it’s not for drinking! It’s actually for cleaning your dining ware.

But they’re best known for serving dim sum on rolling carts. These carts roam around the tea house, and hungry diners battle their way to get their favorite dim sum.

So how does this work? Groups will be given a piece of paper which they will have to bring with them when getting a dim sum from a rolling cart. A staff will mark it, indicating the items they got from the rolling cart.

Our “Ordering Paper” (not sure what it’s called)

When I was researching about Lin Heung Lau, I learned that diners “fight” for their dim sum, running towards the carts to get first dibs. But during our visit, one cart carrying the steamed dim sum (which are the most coveted of them all) is just stationed in one spot, and it’s always full of the popular items such as Siu Mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), Har Gow (shrimp dumplings), and Char Siu Bao (barbecue pork buns).

Intermission: Are you planning a Hong Kong trip soon? Can’t decide what activities to do yet? Then check out the activities in Klook!

Here are the dim sum items we tried:

Char Siu (Honey Barbecue Pork): It’s tender and not too sweet, but it’s not among the best ones we’ve had.

Chicken Feet: It’s sweet and its skin is soft. I’m also happy that there are four huge pieces per serving. It’s one of my favorites at Lin Heung Lau.

Egg Tarts: It has a sweet and creamy custard and a crumbly crust. But honestly, I’m not a fan of Hong Kong egg tarts because I find it plain.

Fried Taro Dumplings: It has a crisp exterior and a smooth taro paste.

Quail Egg Siu Mai: This is my favorite item in Lin Heung Lau. It’s plump and tasty, with the quail egg adding a creamy element. It also has piece of shrimp (so allergy alert!).

Steamed Custard Buns: This is also another favorite. The bun is soft, oozing with sweet, salted egg yolk custard.

Of course, our yum cha experience won’t be complete without drinking tea.

Honestly, we can find dim sum in the Philippines that are as good (or even better) than the ones in Lin Heung Lau. So we’re not really impressed with their dim sum. However, I will recommend that you try it once for the experience. Traditional tea houses with rolling carts are becoming rare in Hong Kong. So unless you find another traditional tea house with better dim sum, then I suggest you visit Lin Heung Lau at least once.

What traditional tea house should we visit next?

P.S. We didn’t get to try other dim sum spots in Hong Kong on our last trip. Maybe those spots will have better dim sum, and I’m excited to try them in our next visit!

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