Ocean Harbor

I go here for dim sum from time to time and here's what always happens: - I'm waived to a table by the left wall - I ask for water and tea but only get tea no matter how many times I ask for water - Very little contact with a waiter or waitress and any interaction is very curt and short - I wind up not tipping the waiter or waitress, been asked and explained why I haven't (I will personally give something to the women who move the carts around but this doesn't seem to be how they prefer it) Go here for the dim sum only if you truly want some good dim sum and don't give a crap about the people who work there. Believe me, they don't give a crap about you. more

I've eaten at Ocean Harbor several times and each time was very good to excellent, but here's the problem I see with all the bad reviews I've read so far. This is a very Asian-oriented restaurant and, that said, and it's no fault of you or the restaurant, if you're not Asian in certain Chinatown restaurants, you might not be treated so well in them. If I went to an Italian restaurant where they spoke mostly Italian, I'm sure I'll be treated okay but not as well as a native speaker. It's just the way it is and I've come to accept it. It's also not a takeout oriented restaurant - it's a sit-down banquet hall restaurant - so the reviewer who said that his takeout was bad should just go to one of those little neighborhood Chinese restaurants with four or five tables that are owned by Vietnamese or Korean people and order his takeout there. Those little restaurants have perfected takeout. Ocean Harbor first came to my attention when my cousin invited me there in 1990. My first meal there reminded me of some of the same kinds of restaurants in New York's Chinatown where I ate at every week until I was 17. Good stuff. The service is even snippy to Chinese people, so don't take offense if nobody asks you how the food is. If you want that kind of service, you should pay twice the price and go to Susanna Foo. Every Chinese restaurant in Chinatown is designed to give you good food at diner-like prices, so, that being said, would a waitress in a diner honestly ask you how you like your food if she doesn't know you? Nope. I recommend any chicken with vegetables dish. Pepper steak is also really good. I also recommend the seafood in the nest made of fried noodles or taro. It's awesome. In a Chinese restaurant, it's up to you to make your experience enjoyable. The servers are just there to help you along. If you bring a large group of people, such as your family, and order eight dishes all to be shared, you will be treated like royalty. They'll even give you free soup. Pros: Good food, big portions that are meant to be shared Cons: they probably treat native speakers better, tourists should probably go elsewhere more

We went to Ocean Harbor for Dim Sum based upon the many good reviews we'd read on the internet. It was easy to find, right off 95, and parking was easy, too, as it was a Wednesday night. When we got there, there were only a few asians eating in a large empty restaurant. The staff was not particularly friendly and spoke little to no english, and we were informed that they only serve dim sum from 11-3 (rather curtly). We decided to stay anyway, having driven up from Delaware without a ""plan B"". We ordered a dim sum sampler off of the appetizer menu, and truthfully, every piece was excellent. The entrees were just average though, and the service poor. We waited for long stretches when we felt like we were being ignored since there were servers around. Pros: easy to find, open late Cons: limited availability of dim sum, unfriendly staff more

We were taking a break from the Philadelphia Flower Show and decided to go to Chinatown for lunch. We were looking for seafood and picked Ocean Harbor after the first couple of restaurants weren't open. The restaurant was about half full and we were directed to a table right away. in a minute or so, we were served tea we didn't order (but were later charged for). It came in a broken teapot. Then a waitress came by with a cart and offered us about six different dishes, none of which looked too appetizing. The waitress was very persistent so we took small plates of calamari, noodles, and shrimp on peppers. All the dishes were at room temperature. The calamari was a bit salty, but OK. The noodles were definitely old. The peppers were very greasy. So having finished that, we tried to get someone to take our order. One waitress I asked just said ""Later"" and walked away. We asked another waitress for water but she never brought it. All around us, other diners were being served hot dishes that actually looked pretty good. We gave up waiting and decided to leave. The check had nothing written on it except three zeros in boxes next to some printed Chinese symbols, so we were stunned when we got to the register and were told the bill came to $17.50. So we paid the bill and left only to have the manager run after us to say we forgot to leave a tip. So we gave him a few bucks and got out of there as fast as we could. Now maybe w didn't understand the customs there. We were the only non-Asians in the restaurant. But I have to wonder. In short, bad food and worse service. I won't be going back to Chinatown anytime soon. Pros: It was open at 1:00PM when we went to lunch Cons: Bad food. Terrible service. Expensive. more

I love to come here for dim sum since I'm partial to seafood. Come here if you want the majority if not all of the dishes to be seafood. During the weekend there is always a wait to get a table but it is definitely worth it. Just thinking about the food, my mouth waters. One of the best dim sum place if not the best. Pros: Dim Sum, sea food Cons: long wait more

This is a GREAT place for Dimsum in Traditional Cantonese Style Just Like Hong Kong... Pros: Great food for those that know Chinese food Go with 4 or more persons for more variety Cons: Noisy, smokey,,,love it more

I came here on the weekday and the restaurant seems pretty empty. The waiter took my order pretty quickly. The food came out pretty fast too. I ordered a general tso chicken and I think it doesn't taste bad. Overall a pretty good experience. Pros: Pretty quick service Cons: Nothing more

I tried this place for dinner and found the food to be not really very good and a bit pricey for what you get. Ordering simple stir fry dishes, which ought to be easy for any chinese place to provide, I was unpleasantly surprised. The chicken stir fry had a nice amount of white meat chicken delicate and thin and the veggies (snow peas, water chestnuts, mushrooms) were there but the entire dish was very tasteless. I don't know what was missing but whatever it really lacked any taste. The bean curd was better but with so much greasy gravy, I can't see how anyone could be impressed. Pros: fast and efficient; food is hot Cons: tasteless and lots of greasy gravy more

I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience I had at this restaurant. Friends and I wanted to find a place that we could get dim sum at and I found this place on citysearch. Going on a Sunday and having to join a queue wasn't a problem because the turnover on tables is quick and you get seated quicker than expected. The atmosphere is exactly what is to be expected of a more authentic chinese dim sum place - busy and full. There was lots of variety in the dim sum that was offered and tons of carts circling to allow for constant choice! Every single thing that we got was delicious - i knew what some things were before trying them and didn't know anything about others. Everything was hot and delicious! Best part - with the four of us leaving quite full, the check was only 31 dollars! High quality food that was liberally ordered didn't break the bank! A great choice for anytime! Pros: Lots of variety and carts are always being wheeled nearby Cons: It is a busy and crowded atmosphere - but it's to be expected more

Been here a few times for dim sum. Try the white noodle bun with soy sauce as it was very good. The octopus was very tough and chewy though. We did try some type of beef organ meat of some sort that was tasty but you kept wondering what it is that you were eating as the servers are not fluent in English. The beef with broccoli was nothing worth trying again. We did have a whole steamed fish from the tanks adjacent to the dining room that was very fresh tasting and moist, and worth coming back for. The price was rather cheap, too, since the dim sum are only a few bucks a pop, and the whole fish was $18. If you know what's good here you may be in for a good, cheap treat but if you have no clue what you are looking for better beware! more

This place use to serve the best dim sum in Philadelphia. The service has gone down and the food is barely average. For example: my brother had the shrimp toast. he bit into it and it was raw inside-the shrimp was still gray and not pink. Disappointed. more

I went here while in Philly for the weekend, the food was excellent. My boyfriend and I dragged along two friends who were in town as well and they both LOVED it. It took us about 25 minutes to be seated though, but thats what happens when you go on sunday. With Dim Sum, you can NEVER beat the price, 4 people and 8 dishes between them = $33.00, not bad at all. Pros: Good Food Cons: Long wait for a table more

i went for dim sum... the service was prompt, the food was ok, and the place was pretty clean. I guess i am spoiled by other dim sum around the country,ie:NYC & San Fran, but this was very average. the scallop dumpling & pork bun were the best ones i tried, all were a bit overseasoned. if this is the best philly has to offer in dim sum then point your taste buds towards different cuisine. Pros: fast service, good location Cons: average food more