China Pearl Dim Sum

Located at 9 Tyler St. in Boston's Chinatown, this dim sum restaurant is a true hidden gem. Keep a sharp eye out for the restaurant name as that is the only indicator of its existence. The restaurant is upstairs on the second and third floor, accessed only by a solitary unmarked door. Many have passed right by but if you're observant, during the hours of 10am - 2pm, there is a line down the stairs, out the door, and clustered groups on the sidewalk waiting for their number to be called.

Driving and parking in Chinatown can be a nightmare, especially on a weekend morning. There are parking structures around for $15-20 but taking the T to Boylston and walking there is best.

Once up the stairs, you get a number from the host. Larger groups are almost seated immediately because they hold large round tables just for those large groups. Smaller groups of up to four will usually have a 15-30 minute wait if you arrive during the lunch rush.

CP is a typical Chinese restaurant with the typical wall motifs and decorations. Brightly lit, it's great for groups or even the solitary diner reading a paper as he eats. Lingering is never discouraged (even if they do look at your table a lot). If a good indicator that an Asian restaurant is good, judging by the mostly Chinese clientele, this restaurant is great. Go even if you don't speak Chinese (most of the staff has limited English). I don't speak any and can perfectly communicate with gestures and pointing.

I have had dim sum in some of the biggest US cities with large Chinese concentrations, including San Francisco, New York, L.A. and Honolulu. CP rivals any of those places. CP has servers pushing the ever present food carts around, filled with delicious har gow (shrimp filled dumplings), shu mai (port dumplings), char siu bao (bbq pork bun), crab claws, shrimp wantons, sticky rice in banana leaf, etc. On each level, there is also a self serve station where you can take your pick of various dishes. I go almost every weekend and never tire.