East Harbor Seafood Palace: The Complete Brooklyn Dim Sum Guide
East Harbor Seafood Palace is a Cantonese seafood restaurant and dim sum hall at 714 65th Street in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, right on the edge of Dyker Heights. It’s the kind of place locals bring out-of-towners when they want to prove that Brooklyn’s Chinese food scene can hold its own against Manhattan’s Chinatown, and it has earned a spot in the MICHELIN Guide for exactly that reason. If you’re trying to figure out when to go, what to order, or whether the wait is worth it, here’s everything you need to know before you show up.
What Is East Harbor Seafood Palace?
East Harbor Seafood Palace is a large Cantonese banquet hall known for traditional cart-service dim sum on weekend mornings and an extensive seafood and Cantonese dinner menu the rest of the day. It seats hundreds of guests under gold-accented ceilings and chandeliers, and it’s widely considered one of the best dim sum restaurants in New York City.
The restaurant opened decades ago as a fixture of Brooklyn’s Chinatown along 8th Avenue in Sunset Park, an area with nearly as many dim sum spots as Manhattan’s Chinatown. What sets East Harbor apart is scale: the dining room is enormous, the cart selection is deep, and the kitchen keeps turning out fresh trays well past the usual weekend rush.
East Harbor Seafood Palace Location, Hours, and Contact Info
Here’s the practical information you’ll want before you plan a visit.
- Address: 714 65th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220 (Sunset Park, near Dyker Heights)
- Phone: (718) 765-0098
- Hours: Open daily, 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- Cuisine: Cantonese, Chinese, dim sum, seafood
- Price range: Moderate, roughly $$ per person for dim sum, more for a full seafood dinner
- Recognition: Selected for the MICHELIN Guide USA
Dim sum service runs from opening through early afternoon, and the kitchen switches over to a full Cantonese dinner menu in the evening, so the experience genuinely changes depending on what time you walk in.
What to Order at East Harbor Seafood Palace
The dim sum menu at East Harbor Seafood Palace is the main event, and it’s worth going in with a game plan since the carts move fast and it’s easy to miss a favorite if you’re not paying attention.
Dim sum classics to flag down:
- Siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), usually the first cart out
- Har gow, the translucent-skinned shrimp dumplings
- Rice noodle rolls with shrimp in a sweet soy sauce
- Turnip cake, pan-fried until the edges crisp up
- Black bean spare ribs, tender and well seasoned
- Zongzi, sticky rice stuffed with pork and mushrooms and wrapped in tea leaves
- Beef tendon and chicken feet, for the more adventurous eaters at the table
- Taro pork dumplings and black sesame steamed buns for dessert
Beyond dim sum, the regular East Harbor Seafood Palace menu leans into Cantonese seafood: whole steamed fish, king crab, braised abalone, and a crab fried rice that regulars order on repeat. The peppery beef ribs and pan-fried flounder both come up often in reviews, along with a hot and sour soup that’s a good starting point on a cold day. Portions run large, so it’s worth ordering family style and splitting dishes across the table.
The Dim Sum Cart Experience at East Harbor Seafood Palace
If you haven’t done cart-service dim sum before, here’s how it works at East Harbor. Once you’re seated, a server takes your tea order (pu-erh is a popular pick), and then it’s a matter of watching the carts roll by. Each cart specializes in a handful of dishes, so you point at what looks good, the server stamps or marks your check, and the plate lands on your table. There’s no menu to browse through in advance, which is part of the fun but also means it helps to know a few names going in.
The dining room is large enough that carts keep circulating steadily, so even with a full house you’re rarely waiting long between dishes once you’re seated. Weekday visits tend to be quieter and more relaxed, with a smaller cart rotation but faster turnaround, while weekend mornings bring out the full lineup and a livelier, more chaotic energy that a lot of regulars actually prefer.
Best Time to Visit East Harbor Seafood Palace (Wait Times Explained)
This is the question most people searching for East Harbor Seafood Palace actually want answered, so here’s the short version: weekends are busy, and weekday mornings are calm.
On Saturdays and Sundays, especially around 11 AM to 1 PM, expect a real wait. Reviewers consistently mention waits of 30 minutes to an hour, with a number system and an announcer calling groups over a speaker once a table opens up. If you want to skip most of that, arrive right at the 9 AM opening or before 9:30 AM, when the dining room is still filling up and tables turn over quickly.
Weekdays are a different experience entirely. The crowds thin out, the pace slows down, and you can usually walk in and be seated within minutes, even at lunchtime. If your schedule is flexible, a weekday visit is the easiest way to enjoy East Harbor Seafood Palace without the queue.
Parking and Getting to East Harbor Seafood Palace
East Harbor Seafood Palace sits in Sunset Park just off the BQE, and driving is a common way to get there, especially for groups. The restaurant offers valet parking, and there’s also free and paid street parking in the surrounding blocks, though spots can be tight during peak weekend hours. If you’re coming by subway, the D and N lines both stop within walking distance of the restaurant.
Because the restaurant handles large groups well, with high chairs available and a layout suited to bigger tables, it’s a common pick for birthdays, family gatherings, and other celebrations that need space.
Vegetarian Options and Dietary Notes
Cart-service dim sum can be tricky if you’re avoiding meat, but East Harbor Seafood Palace has more vegetarian-friendly picks than you might expect. Tofu skin wrapped around mixed vegetables, steamed vegetable dumplings, and choy sum in broth all show up on the carts or can be ordered from the kitchen. Just know that broths and sauces at a Cantonese restaurant this size often use shared cooking surfaces, so if you’re dealing with allergies or need strict separation, it’s worth calling ahead and asking a server directly once you’re seated.
Planning a Visit: Groups, Kids, and Nearby Things to Do
East Harbor Seafood Palace is built for groups. The banquet-style layout, round tables, and high chairs make it a natural choice for birthdays, reunions, and multi-generational family meals, and the cart format actually works better with more people since you can sample more dishes without over-ordering. Solo diners and couples are welcome too, but you’ll get the most out of the menu with at least three or four people at the table.
If you’re making a day of it, Sunset Park’s 8th Avenue strip is a short trip away and worth a walk for grocery shopping and bakery stops before or after your meal. In winter, the restaurant’s proximity to Dyker Heights means it pairs naturally with a visit to the neighborhood’s famous holiday light displays, since it sits close enough to be a convenient dinner stop before or after walking the lit-up blocks.
Is East Harbor Seafood Palace Worth the Wait? Our Take
For dim sum specifically, yes. The combination of scale, freshness, and price is hard to match elsewhere in the city, and it’s a big reason East Harbor Seafood Palace shows up on so many “best dim sum in NYC” lists. The tradeoff is that popularity means a wait during peak hours, so the real strategy isn’t avoiding the restaurant, it’s timing your visit. Go early on a weekend or pick a weekday, and you get the same food with a fraction of the hassle.
If you’re planning a trip around the Dyker Heights holiday lights or just spending a day in Sunset Park, it’s an easy, satisfying stop that works for a big group or a quiet weekday lunch just as well.
Frequently Asked Questions About East Harbor Seafood Palace
Does East Harbor Seafood Palace take reservations?
Yes, East Harbor Seafood Palace accepts reservations by phone, and walk-ins are also welcome. That said, during peak weekend dim sum hours, even guests with a booking may be added to the general queue since the room runs on a first-available-table system.
How much does a meal cost at East Harbor Seafood Palace?
Dim sum runs affordable, with most reviewers estimating around $10 to $20 per person depending on how much you order. A full Cantonese dinner with seafood dishes like king crab or lobster will push the total higher, since specialty seafood is priced by the dish or by weight.
What is East Harbor Seafood Palace known for?
It’s known for its traditional cart-service dim sum, especially the siu mai, har gow, turnip cake, and black bean spare ribs, along with a large Cantonese seafood menu that includes crab fried rice, whole steamed fish, and roast duck. Its size and old-school banquet hall atmosphere are also a big part of its reputation.
Is there parking at East Harbor Seafood Palace?
Yes, the restaurant offers valet parking, and free and paid street parking is available nearby. Parking can be more competitive during busy weekend dim sum hours, so arriving early helps on that front as well as for seating.
Whether you’re chasing the best dim sum cart in Brooklyn or planning a family-style Cantonese dinner, East Harbor Seafood Palace is worth building a trip around, as long as you go in with a sense of when to arrive and what to order first.
