Oriental East

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

There was a line absolutely 150 feet from the entrance when I arrived 10 mins before it opened at 11am, so if you're up to waiting for first crack, get there before 10:30am. There is a Caribou Coffee that has iced tea drinks and other things to help your wait, and there are trees over some of the benches outside. Using my GPS, the restaurant is hidden, in the Giant Food Shopping Ctr on the opp. side of the street behind the Silver Spring Metro and was worth the wait. I was #9 to wait for a table, but shared a large table with 2 other parties, and we all wound up sharing dim sum (and other tea house experiences) with each other. When over 200 mainly Chinese people (there was also a healthy mix of all nationalities too) will wait for a tea house to open, that should tell you something.

If you get there after it opens, you may as well wait until early afternoon to get a table since people aren't in a hurry to finish. The photos I checked on their website are very representative of what you get. Carts were filled when they enter the floor but the dishes are snatched early and there's little room in the seating area for more carts - I didn't get a chance to try the 8 treasure rice in lotus leaves, prob the most ordered item - I saw those being taken near the kitchen entrance! (you can special order though, so keep a paper menu handy if you don't see what you want, or you'll fill up on other things while waiting.)

Some impatient guests wound up taking out. One item just "average" IMO today, was the sesame ball, the bean paste wasn't as flavorful in this batch, as another guest said, letting me try one. I've been known to peruse Chinatown dim sum joints as far as New York, Toronto/Markham, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Oakland, Seattle and Vancouver, and Oriental East matches OR more often, beats all of them. Please WAIT before biting a FRESH-baked pineapple bun, the steam (1st) and hot paste (2nd) will burn you, then you can't taste anymore. So if a plate of those treasures comes your way at the start, grab it and let it cool a bit. Only disappointment was that I didn't have room in my gut for more!

A postscript: Some people deduct because they suggest the servers are "rude." They aren't there to exchange pleasantries, their jobs are serving food; with the number of guests, they actually demonstrate more patience for our demands than I would deal with.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

We have been coming here for Dim Sum for more than 10 years. The food is consistantly good. We come all the way from Towson, Maryland just for the Dim Sum. I have been to Dim Sum in China, San Francisco, New York and just about every city in the U.S. and Cananda with a China Town and Oriental East wins every time. Since moving across the street the restaurant is very attractive, even though it is hard to tell because of the crowd.

We have a mix of Chinese and Americans in our family. My son-in-law grew up in Hong Kong so I especially enjoy his childhood stories that go along with each dish. It also helps that he speaks the language and can make our requests for us. (Although I must say that my daughter and the kids are pretty good at ordering too.)

It is definitely worth any wait that you have for a table. I enjoy people watching and seeing the families out together on Sunday mornings from Great grandparents down to new babies is always part of the fun.

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Best chinese food ever! I have been going to this restaurant for over ten years. I remember their previous location across the plaza. You can't go wrong with the menu, and the service is A-1.

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