Decided to try this place as there's really no good Chinese food on Miami beach. Â Came here on a Saturday night around 9 pm, there was only one other table filled in the restaurant ( plus a few people at the bar). Â The soups were good ( hot and sour, and shrimp wonton), was disappointed they did not have egg drop - they tried to make it for me by adding egg to the shrimp wonton soup, tasted fine but was definitely not egg drop! Â Many minutes pass by and they finally bring our entrees -- Â not good. Â We had beef with broccoli which had little taste and had some other vegetable instead of broccoli, and shrimp with lobster sauce, the shrimp did not taste fresh. Â We also ordered the dim sum shrimp dumplings, which were still frozen/raw as my boyfriend bit into the first one. Â The took it off the bill as we no longer wanted them. Â Wouldn't go back here, Â Â Still on the search for some good Chinese food in Miami!
Review Source:If you are lucky enough to be there with Mr. Chu himself, you are in for a real treat!
I can't even believe that I have been going here for 2 years and have yet to write this review. I guess that's because I rant and rave so much about it via word of mouth to those who have never heard of the place. Yes, it is a little hidden gem that is hard to spot if you don't know to look for it but once you discover it, you will ask yourself how you lived without it for so long.
The food is always spot on, I have yet to be disappointed by any dish here. They have dim sum, for lunch and dinner, and while I am relatively new to dim sum it is in my opinion some of the best dim sum in Miami. They also have great cocktails and during some nights have good drink specials to make sure you have a delicious libation to go with your spectacular meal.
The bar is open pretty late too, so you can come revel here until 3am on a weeknight or 5am on weekends, as we did on the glorious night of the 2013 Heat victory over the Spurs.
If enough drunken debauchery is going on, you may even get to sing karaoke with the regulars. Oh yes.
I went here with a few coworkers of mine for lunch today because one of them suggested it, having been there once. We were greeted by what I would assume the owner, an older man. There were a few people eating lunch there that worked nearby. They had a lunch special menu which I didn't look over because we were there for dim sum and other Taiwanese specialties. So we ordered shrimp har gow, shrimp noodle roll, turnip cake, garlic chive dumpling, fried stinky tofu and beef noodles.
For the most part, I think the food was just okay... Nothing special. Most of the dim sum items (especially the shrimp noodle roll) were premade, possibly bought frozen. The shrimp noodle roll especially disappointed me, just because it's one of my favorite dim sum items and the noodle skin instantly fell apart, meaning that the skin wasn't fresh. The soy-based sauce wasn't astounding either. The shrimp dumpling was nothing noteworthy. The garlic chive dumplings was good, although a bit small. The turnip cake was pretty good though and possibly the best dish I had. The stinky tofu was what I had expected. It wasn't "smelly" at all (unlike its counterparts in Taiwan), thus it was blander than I would've liked. It was authentic though in terms of ingredients. It came with pickled vegetables on top of it and was covered in a soy-based sauce too as it should. Though the flavors were muted, it was nonetheless pretty decent, especially when it's the only place I can think of that actually serves this dish. Be noted however, it is a very Taiwanese dish and is especially an acquired taste for non-Taiwanese/Chinese people. Lastly, the beef noodle soup was bland with a few diced Chinese sauerkraut pieces. I wasn't impressed by it and I suppose the best I'll ever have of it in Miami is in my own house.
That said, the prices are wayyyy too high. I get that it's in Coral Gables and in a relatively nice location, but I think the prices aren't justified with the portion sizes and generally so-so food. I'm sure their Americanized Chinese and Asian fusion dishes are delicious, but I came here to try out the authentic stuff and critiquing the food as someone who comes from that heritage.
It's good that they have Taiwanese-style dishes since just about nowhere else serves it (except for Shing Wang in North Miami Beach, which isn't serving entirely Taiwanese food either). But for the price and mediocre food, I don't think I'll be back (unless the check's on someone else)!
Can one lust over a restaurant?
It wasn't a question that I've ever considered but after eating at Chu's, I know that it's possible.
Since moving to South FL I have craved and deeply desired delicious dim sum and soup dumplings. Â I suppose these are foods that are forgotten or not desired by the foodies of south FL. Â It is a first-world woe that I have had to deal with but my problem was solved upon eating at Chu's!
This place is FANTASTICALLY delicious. Â My friend and I ordered a wide variety of food and were not disappointed in the least. Â We ended up coming for dinner and ordered these amazing dishes: the beef noodle soup (special), taiwanese pork noodle soup, pork soup dumplings (dim sum, order of 8), stuffed peppers (dim sum, order of 3), rice ball with fried dough, pickled vegetables, and pork inside (appetizer special), pork blood patty (special). Â There was not a single thing I did not immensely enjoy. Â My taste buds were dancing a disco at the height of the disco-era.
Prior to taking my bite of the soup dumplings, I was a bit skeptical because I've been excited about food in South FL many times and have been sorely disappointed more times than not. Â The soup dumpling was smaller than I was used to as they are ginormous up north so I stared at it skeptically before delving in. Â Upon taking my first bite, a wave of flavor wrapped my mouth and coated every bit of it in delicious ecstasy. Â I sat in my seat, closing my eyes, nodding my head just saying, "Yes, yes... oh, yes". Â I savored each bite and shed a small tear at the thought that this savory wave was soon to end. Â FINALLY! Â I had found delicious soup dumplings in South FL! Â
The next star of the table was the rice ball appetizer special. Â When my friend and I had seen it on the specials it sounded like such an odd mix of flavors. Â We're not ones to shy away from interesting food so we ordered it. Â When this rice ball came, held together wrapped in plastic saran-wrap it was such an interesting specimen of food.. Â After my friend broke it open we saw all the ingredients inside and dove in. Â As much as I expected the mix of pickled veggies, fried dough, pork and rice not work together... it did. Â It was such a delicious surprise! Â All the flavors married so well and were such a delight to eat. Â I wish it would be a staple on the menu... but hopefully next time I come to Chu's it will be there!
As for the other items... they were also all amazing. Â I don't want to go into a detailed, racy, romance-type novel of how much I loved each and every item. Â I'm afraid I might bore you all... but I loved them all. Â I gluttonously ate the large beef soup that I had ordered because I loved the flavor so much. Â It seemed wrong to let such a delicious flavor sit unappreciated. Â Oh, I could go into detail, but then this post might go to NSFW.
Anyhoo- Â please eat at Chu's. Â It is amazing and delicious and if you're looking for authentic, Taiwanese flavors then this is your stop. Â Eat here and enjoy! Â It's amazing and worth the prices (in my opinion). Â I also loved how from where I sat I could see the whole kitchen. Â The service was also friendly and fast. Â I loved everything about this place! Â I will without a doubt be coming to this place again!
Mr. Chu's does a great job of creating a transformative experience where you actually feel like your in a restaurant somewhere in the orient. For starters his clothes and hat rich with color, look less like a costume and more like authentic Taiwanese clothing. He also has one of those wiry mustaches that you see in old kung-fu flicks. Behind all this is a most inviting smile, that lights up the room when a new customer walks in. You can tell all are welcome and he wants you to sit drink, eat, and be merry. Being greeted by Mr. Chu upon entering the restaurant was just the first step of a what felt like an escape back to a different place and time.
When we were there Mr. Chu was drinking with a group customers, whom I coincidentally knew, and he and his wife were also singing karaoke throughout the night. She is much better than he is; her voice is quite nice, it was interesting how much of an effect it had on our overall experience. The fact they were singing did not at all affect our service. While the bar area was a bit more boisterous, largely fueled by flaming shots and sake bombs, our area was quieter. At times it did seem a bit loud for our liking, nevertheless it was not at all out of control or crass. It was simply loud fun from drinking and laughing, in a way that sort of made us feel like we were at some local restaurant in Taiwan. That part was awesome!
Now to the food. It too was authentic and excellent. Â I started with the shrimp dumpling soup and could have simply eaten 2 more bowls of this and been happy. The dumpling wrapper was the best I've had. It wasn't to firm or starchy, and it wasn't too soft. It really was delicious. The shrimp in ide was fresh, clean, and well cooked. I'd have preferred if it were diced and maybe mixed with something but it was very good as is.
We also had the sea bass, which I generally don't order due to the buttery flavor profile. True to form this bass was buttery and very well prepared. It was served with a very nice sweet and spicy sauce. The fish was presented in a flaming pot which added to the experience. All in all  it was a well prepared dish. We had a bunch of other dumplings and some sake. We stuck with mostly the meatless dishes, and it was all very good.
In conclusion Mr. Chu's offers above average, simply prepared food. The portions are fair, as are the prices. There are enough different meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes to satisfy a group of dinners with different tastes and dietary needs. There are also enough different price points to accommodate everyone's budget. This place is better than 3 stars but not quite 4 starts- a solid place to eat in Miami. Â I'll definitely be back and may bump them up to 4 stars once I've had a wider sampling of food! Looking forward to that!
Chu's would receive 5 stars had they gotten the Japanese eggplant perfect. It's really 4.5 stars. Widest selection of freshly prepared dim sum I have ever seen in Miami, and it's served all day! All the dumplings are freshly prepared, there is a variety of healthy vegetarian steamed versions, as well as pork buns and meatballs. We totally pigged out and left with a $60 bill for dinner for 2, amazing.
The kitchen is huge, open and the entire staff is from Asia. The restaurant appears to be family owned and operated. From what I can tell, the menu is authentic. Everything is served family style and there is a great variety of pricier dishes likes market price seafood or Beijing duck as well as low priced rice, noodle and veggie dishes. And you know the stuff is good when a majority of patrons speaks Chinese.
Here is the takeaway from our little indulgences:
Hot sake- strongest sake I ever tasted, in a good way. I have a sneaking suspicion it might be homemade. Either that or they order the stuff straight from Taiwan.
Japanese eggplant. Too mushy for my taste, topped with BBQ sauce. Good dish but I've had better.
Pan fried leek dumplings. Great, a bit spicy and crunchy.
Steamed spinach dumplings. Awesome. $4 buy you three huge steaming dumplings. The spinach filling is bright green, fresh and flavored with dried shrimp. Yummy.
Shrimp wonton soup, once again huge, fresh and great.
Sweet and sour crispy sea bass. Big enough to share and served with a side of white or brown rice. Delicious, just like the sweet and sour fish I've had many times in China. A little oily but hey, that's what happens with deep fried fish.
Finally, desserts. Just as they do in China, there really are no desserts on the menu. They have some sweet dim sum options that are very traditional. Sesame balls, egg custard tarts, almond pudding and a pineapple bun. The pineapple bun was big, large enough to share. It was fresh, steaming, soft and not too sweet. Even the BF took a couple of extra bites, although he is usually not a dessert eater.
We will most definitely be back to sample some more of their dishes. Maybe next time they'll get the 5 star rating.
i cant even begin to say how amazing this place was, honestly the best Chinese/Taiwanese food i have ever had. the Peking duck was completely out of this world, the stuffed bread was a real treat, the pork giant wonton was amazing like you will nenver know, and the crispt tofu roll was serious as can be. also, the duck ribs were amazing and the beef soup was the most flavorful i have ever had. you need to try the spicy sauce there and the poached stuffed clam was wild! please please please go here you will not be disappointed. chu himslef serves food and drinks and has an amazing kareoke at nights!!!
Review Source:When I eat, I savor my food with three senses- sight, taste, and touch, so when I rank my favorite foods, one of the main things I focus on is texture. I know that's a really random thing to write, but texture is important when it comes to food. You want a dessert that's soft and melts in your mouth, or you could want something crunchy, so when I tried Chu's pineapple buns, I was in joygasmic heaven.
Chu's pineapple bun is everything I could ever want in a dessert. When you first bite into it, it is soft and feels like it just came out of the oven. The sugar crystals in the top  also give it a special crunch, and the filling inside has the creamiest pineapple flavor I have ever tasted. It is also pretty big for a dessert bun. I highly recommend everyone try it when they visit. I l work five minutes away, and I am definitely making it a priority to visit this place whenever I am craving a savory treat and have an extra $3.50 to spend. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!
I have only been here once with Yelper, Albert L., and the servers here are pretty nice. The dim sum is also good from what I heard, but I have not tried it yet.
Five stars for their pineapple bun. It seriously is a piece of joygasmic heaven!
It's hard to come by good Asian restaurants in Miami. Chu's would definitely not be recognized for ambiance with its dark strange decor and mortal kombat type techno blaring, but the food is delicious. Tasty and simple such as the Chinese broccoli with Oyster Sauce which is just that steamed just right. Or any of their dumplings. My husbands favorite is their fried snapper that is presented grandly (a little scary) on a platter with a nice honey glaze.
Review Source:I'm definitely a fan of this place. This is my "Cheers" bar. The food is always made fresh. The dim sum selections are vast and they taste awesome. The prices is reasonably priced for the area. Love the Seafood Tufu Soup and the Chicken with basil. Mr. Chu's signature dish, Peking Duck, is really good! It's so much duck you it would be wise to take at least three hungry people with you to help you eat it all. Trust me you will be taking a doggy bag. Mr. Chu and Nikt (wife) are great and very welcoming. Don't be surprise if you end up signing karaoke with one of them.
Review Source:This is the best dim sum I've had in south florida. They have a number of rarities that are done amazingly like the soupy dumpling (a dumpling made of a gelatinous inner material that becomes soup internalized once heated) and the sticky pork bun (crispy fried outside, sticky glutinous rice dough, with a succulent savory pork inside that is shockingly flavorful and delicious). Many of the reviews are somewhat bizarre. The prices are good for Miami, but I think people made the mistake of ordering dim sum at night. Dinner prices are higher, but most traditional dim sum never serve it except at lunchtime, if not only on weekends. The entrees look great, though I did not try them. From the chinese broccoli to shrimp eggplant all the ingredients were fresh, cooked to perfection, and solidly balanced. Nothing was too salty, gelatinous, or greasy as can happen.
This place gets the little things right. For tea, they offer you jasmine, green, or oolong. It's housed in a gorgeous old building that feels homey. There's stained glass with ornate metal work, nice cosy paintings, a full bar, and lots of space/rooms. The owner was fraternizing with patrons, drinking wine, and chatting. Everyone was friendly, and the service was quit. I like a place where you can stroll in, chat with friends, enjoy great food without too much pomp or intrusions. This is my new go-to dim sum place, probably not more popular for location alone (in the abyss that is coral gables and a few blocks off miracle mile out of stumbling distance for all the bmw suv driving denizens).
I'm surprised to see a few bad reviews here and there, Chu's has really surpassed my expectations. I only came here today for Dim Sum which apparently they serve all day (huge plus), and everything from the broccoli in oyster sauce to the buns and dumplings was amazing, fresh and delicious! The highlights were the sticky pork bun (the texture, flavor and crunchy outside were all out of this world) and the shrimp stuffed eggplant (so tasty!). Everything tasted very well-seasoned, authentic and healthy. The atmosphere was nice, it wasn't crowded and our orders came very quickly, the guy who showed us in was incredibly sweet and our waitress was nice and explained each plate as they came. I only found good Dim Sum in Broward/West Palm, so this is a great discovery and a much closer one! I am definitely going back.
Review Source:Only tried the fried rice and Taiwanese lettuce sautéed in garlic...wary of the more interesting and authentic dishes.  There are only a few dishes on the menu that would qualify as Taiwanese. The rest is just your typical hodgepodge of Chinese dishes.  The Taiwanese lettuce was done right...light, sautéed in garlic, and not salty, saucy, and corn starchy like what many Americanized places offer.  The fried rice was also quite good, not browned in soy sauce.  I would try it again the next time I'm in town and possibly try the more interesting dishes, since they've established some credibility.
Review Source:Love this place. Go to lunch here at least 2-3 days a week. Price is good. Quality is definitely great, best I've had in the Miami area. Love the service. It feels very authentic. Only caveat is they don't open on Tuesday. ;)
Great soups, dim sum and vegetables. Never tried deserts here, but never felt the need for them.
5/2/2012 - I really wanted to like this place, but I'm afraid I have to give it a bad review. It's a shame because what worked, worked well, but what didn't, failed miserably. If this were up to my girlfriend (who has a lot more experience with Chinese restaurants), it would get one star.
First, I will say the pork soup dumplings (xiolongbao) were good. It was a bit pricey at $12 (for the dinner order), but they were a good size and it came eight to an order. The soup blended perfectly with the vinegar and it was quite tasty. That's what we came to eat and for that alone, the restaurant doesn't fail.
Second, we had a beef and noodle dish (Chow fun) in black bean sauce. The chow fun was above average and the black bean sauce was pretty tasty. We also had some table-side service for this, so they get some points there. Also, we had a Chinese sausage bun (bao). I've never seen that before, but it was good, if slightly on the tough side. For those who have never had Chinese sausage, it's very greasy, but sweet and tasty. There was a bone in it, but that is unfortunately usually found in Chinese sausage, so I spat that out. I wouldn't eat it again, but I didn't feel like I wasted my money.
Finally, we had the shrimp rice pasta/crepe (ha cheung). It was disgusting. Honestly, I should have sent it back. It was steamed so long that the rice crepe had disintegrated into tiny, bead-like balls of crumbly, inedible dough. The shrimp was cooked into a starchy, tough, unappetizing shrimp-shaped waste that makes frozen shrimp seem lovely. My girlfriend was shocked that the chef let it get out of the kitchen. I'm pretty sure the chef cooked all three of our steamed dishes at the same time, with no concern with cooking time. It honestly brought down the entire meal. Also, it cost about $50, which would have been fine if the food was great, but it was quite poor.
I can only recommend the soup dumplings for the price and even then, I'd recommend you go during lunch. In a slight defense of the restaurant, it's likely the normal Dim Sum chef was not working since we ate dinner on a Wednesday, but a restaurant shouldn't offer Dim Sum items all day if it sends out such garbage past peak hours.
Extremely pricey for some sub-par "chinese" food. Extremely small portions.
The appetizers items I had (ie soup dumpling, shrimp wonton) taste like frozen food that can be purchased at Costco. Anyone who knows what good chinese food taste like would recognize a fresh and properly made wonton. There were definitely gnats flying around, and the restaurant had a very damp, muggy feel to it. I have to admit the decor is beautiful-- however, I believe this is likely due the previous restaurant. To purposely put stained glass and stone brick walls in an asian restaurant is unlikely-- its more suited for Italian or Spanish. The bar was the most popular spot at the restaurant and it is mostly populated by family/friends of the owner. At first glance, the location and the ambiance will win you over. But at the end of your meal, you are left with disappointment and feeling like you've been ripped off.
In summary, I would not recommend this restaurant for the food.
(The ONE star is for the drinks. I love lychee martini and the bartender did a great job).
Anyone wanting to eat authentic Chinese cuisine, try South Garden or China Pavilion.
Best Chinese food I've had in the greater Miami area (yes this includes Tropical Chinese). Â I always find it re-assuring when the majority of the patrons in the restaurant are Asian. Â The Dim Sum menu was great. Â We highly recommend the Peking duck "appetizer". Â Appetizer is a misnomer though as it will feed 4 easily. Â Unlike other Chinese restaurants their sauces are just perfect as opposed to being overbearing. Â Started off with the best Bombay Saphire martini I've ever had. Â The service was very good. Â
The main reason that I only gave it four stars is that the restaurant layout is very disjoint. Â The restaurant is divided in 3 areas. Â The decor is a mix of what was there before an Argentine place and Chinese decorations. Â There aren't enough 2 people tables, so they were going to sit us in a very large table that was not very intimate. Â Instead, we sat close to the bar and got too much cigarette smoke. The place could definitely use a makeover.
This lovely Taiwanese restaurant is a must try. Â It is owned by a wonderful Japanese/Taiwanese couple. This time we had the shrimp lettuce wrap, Taiwanese pork noodle soup, fried pork intestine and Taiwanese bok choy. Â They all taste delicious. Â We had no complaint. Â The price of each dish is a bit pricey, but I went with a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon, so I had a good deal. Â At the end of dinner, the restaurant owner came out and gave us a pineapple custard bun ON THEM!! They are so kind! I'll definitely go back. It's hard to find Taiwanese food down in South Florida!
Review Source:Best Asian restaurant in Miami so far. Â Had the snapper and lychee martini. Â Going back for seconds for sure. Â Good service. Â Saw the little bugs someone complained about. Â Looked like gnats. Â Not a big deal as there were three of them. Â The gnats were kind enough to split the bill with me. Â Very civil.
Paintings on the wall are from the Bates Motel, but whatev'. Â It's not like Miami has any good Asian restaurants anyway so I don't mind the crazy art.
Update--The freaky art is gone. Â Gnats still there. Â Whatev'. Â Consistently good food & service!
BUGS EVERYWHERE!!!! Before I even get to my review of the food, I'd like to express how disgusting it was to have little bugs flying everywhere around our food. Â We were not outside or close to a door or anything that would provide some explanation for the little bugs, which were not mosquitos. Â We complained only to be told there was nothing they can do. GROSS. My husband must have killed at least 5 bugs right on our table during the course of dinner. If it were not asian new year and I weren't so damn superstitious, I would have walked out. Â However, since I am Vietnamese (born and raised in Vietnam), I had to stay and eat the obligatory new years foods.
We had the pan fried pork dumplings, spring rolls, chicken feet, steamed snapper with ginger & scallions, beef chow fun, and baby bok choy. Â The food was decent, however, VERY overpriced, even with our <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon. Â Steamed snapper was $34, dim sum size portion of baby boy choy an outrageous $13!!! Â And they don't even serve white rice with your food - what kind of asian restaurant was this?!? Â The food was not good enough for me to return. On top of the bugs, the servers were clueless as to some menu items. Â Looking for a sweet ending (how can you mess up dessert, right?), we asked for pineapple buns (clearly pictured on their menu). Several waitresses had no idea what they were and seemed very confused, resolving to tell us they were "sold out."
They may have fancier decor than other places, but for real authentic Chinese (which would include taiwanese) food at reasonable prices and no bugs, I would take the hike to Sangs on 163rd or Silver Pond in fort lauderdale over this place any day of the week.
Get the steamed fish!! Just ask the server what their freshest fish is (they don't have live fish on hand though, unfortunately) and it will come out perfectly perfectly cooked in hot oil and soy sauce. Simple flavorings but more than sufficient. Don't think it's on the menu, but get it because it's great. We shared a large red snapper among 3 people which was more than enough. This entire dish was about $40 but worth it definitely.
Came with a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> gift certificate. Go buy one before you come. Otherwise, it's pricey.
Service is attentive. Dark interior, but upscale and classy. Open kitchen. This area needs good Taiwanese cooking and this place fits the niche.
Definitely not your typical asian restaurant. This was my first time eating tawainese cuisine in the area. Some dishes I've tried is their 3 cups tofu, pork belly dish, clams in black bean sauce with basil, and their crispy peppery chicken with basil. There could of been a few more, but I don't remember the names of it.
Everything tasted delicious! If you love tofu, the 3 cups tofu dish was my fav and will be yours too! Followed by the pork belly.
Also there is a huge portrait painting of the owner by the bar... you may even see him walking around.. so if you do a double take, you are not seeing things! I coincidentally saw him in the same exact outfit lol
Finally went back again and had the Snapper Supreme! No other Asian restaurant cooks this dish :) It's one of Chu's signature dishes that will blow you out of the water. It is cooked to perfection as the fish is drizzled with their sweet ginger sauce.
I do admit however that the pricing here is higher than other authentic restaurants in Miami, which keeps me from coming more often. Thank you Chu's for your authentic cooking!!! :)
I was born in Taiwan. I frequently visit LA when I lived in AZ. And since I came to Miami, I feel like a warm, comfy baby thats just been yanked from the welcome environment of my mother's womb. At least when it comes to any asian food.(Please spare me any messages about how there's an amazing chinese place next to your house that has the best fried rice or the sushi place in your neighborhood with the best JB roll) When I went to this place last week, I felt like I had gone home.
Lets be honest, the dim sum here is out of this world..its a little pricey, and its not readily available like some other places here...BUT its made to order, which I can tell actually makes a difference. More than anything though, are some of the authentic taiwanese dishes that they have, the most notable of which is the 3 Cup Chicken. O. M. G. I haven't had this dish for over a year, and when I first tasted this, I promise you I almost cried. This dish screams Taiwan to me. The prices here are a bit(understatement) high, but its worth it for this feeling of nostalgia and a good authentic meal. Do yourself a favor...come to this place...get cultured. Just do it.
I have to say it was the worst dim sum I've had in Miami. Â With five in our group who grew up in Hong Kong, we know what good dim sum is, and this is NOT it. Â I want to tell Mr Chu: If you don't know how to make Cantonese dim sum, please stay with Taiwanese food. Â The only good thing I can say about this place is that the decor is nicer than your avg Chinese restaurant (though the paintings creep me out a bit). Â
We ordered a bunch of dumplings, but several were just a bland lump of unidentifiable stuff that we couldn't figure out which ones they were. Â The tripe was tough. Â The worst is the rice paste roll. Â It's supposed to be a thin layer of paste with stuffings like beef, shrimp, etc, rolled up inside. Â The rice paste sheet here was so thick. Â Imagine a nice blanket softly contouring your body. Â Then imagine wrapping yourself in a yoga mat. Â That's how their Cheung Fun looks. Â The Xiao Lung Bao was a disappointment too, though I've never had a good one in S, Florida, so I suppose I can't really call that below par. Â Oh, dream on for the juicy soup dumpling...
The service was also lacking, the teapot was not refilled promptly while empty plates piled up on the table.
Rarely can one go to dim sum and leave hungry, but we did, Â as we had no desire to taste more dishes from there. Â Wish I could give a more complete review of their noodles/rice and entress, but you'll have a hard time trying to drag me back.
I really wanted to like it more but it wasn't great, nor a good value and the service was simply bizarre.
Our bad, we didn't order the best things on the menu.
Pan fried leek dumplings ($6) ie two small leek pies, slightly burned.
Ginger Scallion clam soup. ($7) pretty good, interesting and different. Unfortunately most of the flavor was at the bottom with the greens, it should have been mixed better, but OK Â it was a good moment.
This is where we didn't order right: Curry flavored Singapore noodles ($16 and totally mundane) and Stir Fry Pad Tai ($14 and just boring). Our mistake, but it  is their menu and it adds up to $43 + tax + tip = $54 of boring Chinese food.  Drinks not included.
And the service was just weird. In over 50 restaurant reviews this is only the second time that I complained about the service. The kitchen was very slow considering how few diners there were but no biggie. Worse was that every time I waved at the little prince waiter ( ref: Saint-Exupery ) he would look away and hide. I really think he was afraid that I wanted to complain about the slow service when all I wanted was to know what the table next to us had ordered because it smelled great.
In the end I had to get up and chase him down to get the check -this in an empty restaurant! Â That didn't stop him from writing in an 18% service charge on the check. Unreal.
Caveat emptor: Â this is another example of how puzzling Yelp's star rating system can be. I count 5 terrible and 7 mediocre reviews out of 32 (37.5% negative) yet the overall rating is an excellent 4 star.
Also 3 of the raving 5 stars were awarded by people who have only rated this particular restaurant and were never heard from again -which strains their credibility as Yelpers.
Real Dim Sum!! I tried this place because I had a credit to <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurants.com&s=8b83bf0ff8b716aae84527dc95577a310f201b166dcca25c8ca3824b15703869" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurants.com</a> and it was the most interesting option in my area, although I had never heard of it and was very skeptical. But, I thank <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurants.com&s=8b83bf0ff8b716aae84527dc95577a310f201b166dcca25c8ca3824b15703869" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurants.com</a> for leading me to Chu's because it was great and I can't wait to go back.
We first ordered the Steamed Soupy Pork Dumplings. You MUST order these. The dough is smooth and perfectly shaped and when you bite into them you get a gush of savory liquid along with the tender pork filling - it's like a Taiwanese Gusher. Our next favorite was the Baked BBQ Pork Bun. The dough was fluffy and sweet the BBQ pork filling was savory and tender. It was nothing like anything I've tried before.
In addition to delicious food, Chu's prices are appropriate for the food and the service was great. The dim sum ranged from $3-$12 and the server gave us perfect recommendations for first timers. If you need some diversity to Coral Gables, South Miami, Coconut Grove dining, get some Taiwanese food at Chu's. You will not regret it -- unless you go on Tuesday because it is closed.
I have never been to Mr. Chu's but always pass by it. Therefore, my friend who has been wanting to have lunch with me for two years decided to have our lunch meeting there. I did not know what to expect.
First of all, they have a 7.99 lunch special but we had to ask for it as the waiter gave us the regular menu. The lunch included an lunch entree and salad. I had the Sweet and Sour chicken and my friend had the sweet and sour pork. It was delish!
The salad was made out of Japanese vegetables that tasted like radishes. When I got my lunch entree, there were about eight big pieces of chicken and the brown rice was freshly made. I really was surprised about  the freshness and tenderness of the rice.
Will love to come back for more!
I love this place, great service and awesome food. Had Veggie spring rolls and Steamed Shrimp dumplings for appetizers, and finished it off with a whole snapper in shallot/ginger sauce to die for. Went back again this week and had chicken with ginger and garlic with brown rice, excellent flavor also. This is a must in your agenda.
Go check it out
Best Lychee-tini I've had in a looooonnnnggg time and these guys do it right. My martini glass is patiently waiting, chilling - literally w/ ice water inside, while the bartender is crafting the perfect mix of lycheeholic goodness. The dim sum is legit and whether you want a small bite or a feast fit for an emperor, this place has it all.
Rumor has it they have a super-fun balls to the walls drunken karaoke party that I have yet to witness, but friends say it is worth the embarrassment of singing in front of friends and soon-to-be friends.
I heard about Chu's from a friend nearly two years ago. When she told me it was a Taiwanese restaurant I knew I wanted to try it out first-hand. I tried coming here a few times but I always caught them as they were closed or closing. But finally due to a little get together with old friends we ended up eating here the other night!
Before heading to the restaurant, I called Chu's to make sure there was enough seating, since we were a fairly large group of 8 people. The hostess on the phone told me that a reservation was needed for such a large group but we didn't have to wait long since it was still early in the evening.
Chu's has a very classy asian feel to the restaurant. The bar at the entrance retains the American vibe while the dining area pertains a  calm atmosphere where you can enjoy your food. From the dining area you can also see the Chefs cooking up different food with Wok and blazing flames.
After we were seated I glanced at the menu and recognized a lot of dishes that my mom and/or I would cook at home. I knew that instant that the food at Chu's would be the most authentic Chinese/Taiwanese food you could get in Miami.
If it's your first time I would recommend the Peking Duck or the Steamed Snapper this could feed about 3-5 people depending on how hungry you are. The Chicken Basil is good too if you are looking for something smaller in portions.
As we were leaving the restaurant transitioned itself into a little club but as people in my group were getting tired from the night I will most likely review that some other day. As well as the Dim Sum! =)
It's not bad for a not-so-traditional Chinese restaurant in Coral Gables. The dim sum was affordable and well-presented. The portions were generous, maybe a little bit too large for dim sum, since they are meant to be bite-sized food. No complaints there, as you get more food for the money.
Just thought that some of the dumplings were steamed too long, the fillings got a bit chewy on some like the shark fin dumplings and shu mai (shrimp and pork dumplings). The ha cao (shrimp dumplings) were cooked right, though the dumpling skin was a bit thicker than usual. The bai kut (pork spareribs) were delicious. The bak choy vegetable dish was also cooked just right, not too salty and not under-seasoned. The shia long bao (soupy pork dumplings) were made well, the soup retained well inside the thin skin and did not break when picked up from the steamer tin.
The only turn-off was the fact that both servers who tended our table didn't  know anything about the menu nor the Chinese food culture. They kept saying that they're new there. But, shouldn't you still go through training even if you were new? This resulted in our multiple requests for things like the chilli oil to accompany the soy sauce as well as the Chinese spicy mustard that is customary in traditional dim sum restaurants. Also had to ask for more ginger in the vinegar sauce as well as soup spoons to eat the shia long bao (soupy pork dumplings) properly, as how they should be eaten.
It's also worth mentioning that their restroom is unusually clean and done up nicely, for a Chinese restaurant, which was a pleasant surprise. Nonetheless, If I were back in town I would probably go there again.
What I learned from this dining experience is: you cannot always trust fellow Asian reviewers. (No offence to Rob and Jennifer!) But I thought, these two people have written many reviews and they know what they are talking about...so I had very high expectations of this place.
First, it took me forever to find the place! It's around the PDL circle...across from the regions. They have some crazy barrier/construction right outside the restaurant so I drove in circles (literally) to find the $@#%@$^$%*^* place. After calling the place twice, the waiter came out to flag me down...and told me to park in the back so I didn't have to pay for parking at the meters.
Walking into the place, it looked like a uncommissioned bar..turned the corner into the dining area, probably about 7 tables? The kitchen area was visually accessible but probably not aethetically pleasing.
The food was alright, I have had way better. But I suppose it's Miami and you can't find XLB anywhere..;/
1. XLB - 8 for $12...the XLB skin was a little thick so it got dry quick. There was no burst-in-your-mouth XLB effect...but the meat was well-seasoned and tasty.
2. Crispy pepper chicken - $8 for Chinese KTV-style popcorn chicken. Decent portion but nothing that special.
3. Baked bak choy with creamy crab sauce - $6 YUCK. When it arrived, my friend and I had this look of shock and disgust on our faces. It tasted BLAHHHHH!!!
4. Pan fried noodles with soy sauce - $10 It was probably one of the better dishes we ordered....but couple strips of black mushroom, onions and scallions. Full of MSG..like most Chinese food!
I was actually sad after eating there...I got all excited for NOTHING.
Q: Would I come back again? A: Probably not.
Q: Am I sure? A: No...if my XLB craving is bad enough, maybe.
Tip-bits:
XLB probably the only thing worth getting.
Located along the circle between Almeria Ave and Sevila Ave, parking meters available on both streets
Finally, after 9 years of living in Miami, found a Taiwanese place... I have to say, I was NOT disappointed. Â It's worth a try!
Being the ONLY Taiwanese place I know here in Miami, it was good... a little pricey but I guess if they're the only one in town, they can do whatever they want.
The salt n pepper chicken with basil was quite good. Â I have no idea what that other review was about. Â They definitely have some traditional Taiwanese dishes, but NO PORK CHOP RICE (which is my favorite). Â They do have sliced pork with garlic sauce, zo gen soup, minced meat sauce on rice... etc.
The service was very friendly and accommodating. Â I even asked the waiter to tell the owner that I am suggesting for them to add the pork chop rice... we'll see what happens. Â I really hope they would consider it.
I should probably follow my dad's rule & never eat at a restaurant the week it opens, but I decided to be a rebel and go. Â I kept hearing about the famous Mr. Chu's Dim Sum for years, but never ventured to the South Beach location. I figured this guy would know what he was doing, since he ran a successful restaurant before. Â
For one thing, the waitstaff was clueless. Â I had some questions about the dumplings and he first said they were out and then admitted that he had no idea what they were. I ordered the soupy pork dumplings and they were flavorless and all the soup basically streamed out at first bite (too big to eat in one bite)
ordered the Pepper Chicken, and it was just plain chicken nuggets with a stem of fried basil on top.
we got some extremely bland king crab dumplings.
When it came time to order dessert, the waiter told me they had none and that the only thing close to dessert was a lychee martini (HUH?) BTW, after he took our orders we never saw him again until the martini offering.
Asian cuisine is my ultimate favorite and there aren't too many places here that do it well. Â So, when I heard about Mr. Chu's in the Gables, I had to go satiate my senses, and satiated I left.
Few of my friends and I headed here for dinner last night. Â We walked in, were quickly seated, and promptly were provided with a complimentary dish of pepper chicken. Â This dish is simple chicken nuggets fried (you could never tell from the lack of grease in the dish) and is sprinkled with just the right of a lemony-pepper. Â Ooooh, so good!!!!
Then, we ordered mostly dim sums for the evening. Â The staff was attentive and had excellent recommendations. Â We had the Soupy pork dumplings (the favorite of the evening, it was a repeat order right away), the King Crab dumplings, the Shrimp dumplings, and the Taiwan Sausage (it's oh so sweet and served on a bed of mild onions - mouth watering again).
They have a decent size wine list and are a very reasonably-priced place serving some "yummy in the tummy" food.
Go, you know you want to.
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