Koi Palace

Did not know this was the original location as there is also a Koi Palace in Milpitas!Very packed and busy on President's Day holiday. It sucks that you can't reserve on the day of and they do not have a yelp waitlist. Pretty outdated if you ask me. I heard this place will be moving to Serramonte though - so hopefully it'll be more updated and larger.We were a party of 6, but had to split up. However they were accomodating and allowed us to move to a table that was leaving (that could def fit all 6 of us!). They charge for tea here which is new to me....Food: seabass was okay, pretty oily and didn't expect to have so much bones. Shrimp and beef rice rolls were good. Typical har gow was good too. I tried something new, the xo steamed shrimp dumplings. Fire!! The soup dumplings had a strong ginger flavor but I didn't mind it at all. And lastly, don't get chow fun here. It's not good.

18% service charge on bill~!18% service charge on bill~!18% service charge on bill~!I would NOT recommend this place at all. Recently stopped by for dim sum and everything was subpar at best. Service was very slow, dim sum was decent quality, and did I mention the mandatory 18% service charge. Although, I did enjoy the ambiance, I couldn't justify paying $$$ for below average dim sum. I would stay away!!

Delicious Wor Won Ton soup but....1. Mandatory 18% tip for one person. This is usually applied for a group, in my experience.2. Service: Not good. Maybe a 10 percent charge, at the most.3. My chair had many stains on it. I hope I don't have any on my slacks. I should have taken a photo.

Koi Palace is my go-to spot for dim sum, but this time, I came for dinner. We made reservations and were seated right away. The service was efficient, and I appreciated how they replaced our dirty dishes with clean ones before each new dish. The staff was attentive, frequently refilling our tea kettle and easy to wave down when we needed something.We ordered their Chinese New Year special, the "Treasure Pot," which I believe needs to be pre-ordered in advance. The portion was huge and definitely meant for at least six people. With just four of us, we struggled to finish it and had plenty of leftovers. The pot was packed with an impressive variety of ingredients, including pork belly, fish cakes, duck, chicken, scallops, tofu, broccoli, cabbage, abalone, mushrooms, fish stomach, and more.One of my highlights was their complimentary XO sauce which paired perfectly with the dish. The Treasure Pot was served in a hotpot over a burner, keeping everything warm throughout our meal. We also appreciated that they let us take the pot home and even found a lid for it in the kitchen. Thanks, Koi Palace! At $288, it's definitely a splurge, but considering the portion size and the hotpot included, it felt like a worthwhile experience.

Go early, even on a weekday, for seating and parking. It's been awhile since I have been to Koi Palace. The main room looks like you're dining in a courtyard, so pretty. The food was delicious, we ordered some of the basic dishes plus the giant clam that is on their special menu. The servers are so nice, I especially appreciate our waiter for double checking for peanuts and tree nuts. My favorite dishes were their durian mochi and pineapple custard buns with pineapple in the filling.

Have come to Koi Palace a number of times now and always enjoy our meals. Koi Palace deserves all the hype it gets - food is authentic, tasty, and reasonably priced. Their XO sauce is a must try. We also loved their vermicelli clams on our most recent visit. You can make reservations ahead of time, which I recommend. You need to be assertive when flagging someone down, but that's to be expected.

Returned for dinner with my family after bowling nearby. Even though it was prime dinner time on a Friday night, there were quite a few empty tables.Our order:安格斯清湯牛腩 Angus Beef Loin in Supreme Beef Broth w/ Daikon: $38.00(Previous name: 清湯牛腩 Braised Beef Short Rib w/Daikon in Clear Broth)+Served in a glass pot over a candle, it stayed warm throughout our meal.+Even though the name states that it's angus beef loin, the beef tasted the same as previous visits.+Daikon was juicy & not fibrous.-Compared to previous visits, the clear broth was too salty to drink on its own.乳猪烧鹅拼盘 Roasted Suckling Piglet and Roasted Duck Platter: Medium - $48.00+Roasted suckling piglet had crispy skin and juicy meat.-Roasted duck was salty and didn't have crispy skin.-Seaweed salad was salty.海鮮兩面黃 Seafood Pan Fried Noodle: $26.00+Large portion+Scallops, shrimp, and squid tasted fresh and were plump.+Textural contrast of crunchy and soft noodles+Plenty of chives, mushrooms, and vegetables-Sauce was a bit thick and salty.豉汁炒大蜆 Stir Fried Manila Clams in Black Bean Sauce: $28.00+Bell peppers and onions added color and crunch.-Lots of empty shells, and the ones that did have meat were small.-Salty蒜蓉大豆苗 Stir Fried Pea Vines w/Garlic: $28.00+Pea sprouts were tender and not fibrous.+Not too salty-Kinda greasy-Expensive for the price豉油王鹅肠 Soy Sauce Goose Guts (special of the night): $32.00+Goose intestines were cleaned and cooked well: No funky smell!+Bean sprouts were fresh and crunchy.-Small portion: Majority of the dish was the bean sprouts on the bottom.Complimentary:1.) Hot tea+We selected 铁观音 Iron Goddess and it was robust.+Tea pot was kept over a candle, so it stayed warm throughout our meal.2.) Peanuts w/anchovies+Like last time, we couldn't stop eating these! They were salty & sweet w/a hint of spice.3.) Red bean & taro sweet soup+Red beans and taro were soft.-Very sweetSide notes:1.) Credit card required for reservations w/3+ people2.) Automatic 18% service charge3.) Large lot w/free parking*Verdict: 3.5 starsDishes were on the saltier side and even though it wasn't crowded, it was hard to find our server.

Growing up, koi palace seems liked it was a luxury experience that I got to have once in a while. However, now that most dim sum places have similar pricing, I would come here more often as the quality of their food excels others. My favorite is their soup dumpling which many dim sum places do not carry. Only reason I docked one star is because of their long wait times. Ordering online is fine but the choices are limited and prices are higher than the printed menu.

Still consistently good. Went at 11am on a busy after Thanksgiving Sunday. Table for three seated immediately.Ordered the same as last time but some different stuff. Ordered:- Beef Chow Fun, tasty beef slices, good amount of fun that didn't fall apart, a little more bean sprouts than I like.- Sesame Taro Roll, too dry for me- XO Shrimp Dumpling, lots of XO Sauce on plump shrimp dumpling...Pork Riblets, Siu Mai, Chicken Feet, were also good....

If you're looking for a top notch Cantonese banquet-style dining in the Bay Area, Koi Palace is the place to go. I recently attended a friend's birthday dinner here, and we went all out for a private room experience and the lavish "wedding banquet" meal--even though it wasn't a wedding. This experience delivered on nearly every front, with standout seafood dishes and an over the top canto banquet vibe.The star of the show was the Alaskan king crab, weighing in at a hefty 10 pounds. The waiter made sure we knew the crab was fresh by bringing the living creature into our room, so we can hold it up and take turns taking photos with it. The preparation was flawless--tender, sweet, and full of natural flavor, perfectly complemented by a light garlic sauce. The lobster, another highlight, was exquisitely cooked, with a rich yet balanced ginger and scallion seasoning. Both dishes showcased the restaurant's expertise in handling fresh premium seafood.Other banquet staples, like the abalone and steamed fish, were equally impressive. The abalone was braised to perfection, with a velvety texture and deep, savory flavors. The steamed fish was delicate and fresh, with a subtle soy-based sauce that enhanced its natural sweetness.The ambiance of our private room was a big plus--clean, quiet, and ideal for celebrating a special occasion. The service was attentive without being overbearing, ensuring that every course was served at just the right pace.As for the price.. it's def not cheap, but you get what you pay for: high-quality ingredients, meticulous preparation, ostentatious presentation, and an unforgettable dining experience. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that while everything was excellent, i used to live in Hong Kong and have unbelievable high standards for this type of cuisine. While koi palace is prob the best of its kind in the Bay Area, it didn't quite reach the level of mind-blowing compared to what I've had in hk.