“ Located in the Tsang Chiu Ho Building for more than a century it was after a 20-month closure that Lin Heung Lau reopened in April 2024, the Tea House and Dim Sum Parlor returning to its traditional cart-style service popular for both the quality and low prices. A two-story space on Wellington Street, tightly packed tables navigated by trained staff with a variety of items, guests are invited to approach stationary podiums reloaded frequently to make selections or to wait patiently for gracious servers offering Soups and Sweets. Featured in films and print, though on this day a packed house appeared entirely local, best bites come from molten-centered Egg Yolk Buns and delicate Har Gow while Sticky Rice Wraps, Congee and Siu Mai also perform admirably. ”

“ Old timey place that is now full of mainland tourists. There are maybe 2 od 3 left in HK. The spittoons are gone but the boiling pots of water for tea is still next to the pillars are still there. Happily, the food is still pretty good but cacophony of the crowds & clatter of plates is not very soothing. ”

“ A very old school, traditional tea and dim sum house. My partner and I specifically came here because they still do the trolley experience and it's so fun. However, instead of waiting for the trolley to come to you here, you must get up and forage your own sustenance before all the good stuff is gone! We came during the mid-autumn holiday weekend, many other restaurants were closed so we were glad they were opened. We shared a table with another couple that shortly finished up after we got seated. We got the staples, shrimp dumpling, sui mai, rice rolls, tripe, bean curb wraps, and a few other items. The dim sum was fresh, delicious and still steaming hot because the auntie just push the trolley out of the kitchen. We enjoyed every bit of this place, including the old school decor, super quick service, the food and the overall experience. If you're up for a different kind of dim sum experience, definitely check out Lin Heung. ”

“ 很久沒有吃，我小時候最喜歡食的黑芝麻！ 在美國不易找到。 We hopped off the mid level Central escalator and walked over to this restaurant. The restaurant has been around since 1920s but was closed for a few years and now has a new owner. The service was attentive. It has a lively atmosphere with old school charm. The food was delicious and it's obvious it was not premade from a frozen package. Their gift shop sells tea leaves, some of which are 20 years old! ”

“ If you like "firsts", and you like crowds, then you'll like Lin Heung Tea House, the oldest "yum chai" ("to drink tea") eatery in Hong Kong - so I guess that means, it's the first and oldest yum chai tea house in the world. In truth, Lin Heung Tea House was at least the oldest still existing yum chai eatery in the Guangzhou Province of China, opening in 1889 in central Hong Kong. Its original shop in China is still there, and we went to it. The Yan family is the current owner and operator of Hong Kong Lin Heung, and they have owned it for generations. But how did I get here? I came here first in the late summer of 1985, when my mother insisted on hauling my 26 year old butt to China, after she visited Epcot with my niece, and saw the panoramic Guilin exhibition at Epcot's Chinese Pavilion - and she became inspired. I had been to Europe a number of times by then, twice with my parents and twice with my friends. But this was my first trip to Asia, and it was sure great that my mother was footing the bill. We began our adventure in Japan, flying then to China for a four week tour of the PRC, which ended up in Hong Kong for our final week. And believe me, after 33 days in the Peoples Republic of Communist China moments after the death of Chairman Mao, where everyone dressed the same, and there were nothing but bicycles on the streets, I was overjoyed to finally land in a city that had cars, electric lights, and a decent Health Care System. Our fellow tourists, including our Canadian guide, were so overjoyed to be out of the Peoples Republic, with its pigs ears for breakfast and its hacked up fish with bones, that all they wanted in this hundred year old British Colony was to get a pile of cheeseburgers and crawl into their air conditioned hotel room to watch some English language Television. But not me, or my mom. While everybody else on the tour raced off as fast as they could to the nearest McDonald's, my mother and I took a taxi to the oldest Dim Sum place in Hong Kong, Lin Heung Tea House. Up a long flight of red ceramic stairs was one of the most crowded and loud restaurants I have ever been to. The energy in the room was electrifying. As each jam packed steamer cart emerged from the kitchen, customers leapt from their chairs, pushing their way to it waving their dim sum count slip above their heads, quacking loudly in high pitched Cantonese. It reminded me of traders trying to buy stocks at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, or a neck to neck horse race. They descended on the cart like birds of prey, and in moments the cart was empty. This happened over and over again with each cart that emerged. And nobody seemed bothered by the noise or the running and the pushing; not even the aged women who were pushing the carts. In fact, everybody appeared to be enjoying themselves. It took a while for my mother and me to be seated, but when we finally were, our own horse race began. I leapt out of the starting gate like a crazy person and descended on the nearest cart as if I had been doing it all of my life. And it was delicious: cheap and delicious. And I got a free workout to boot. HERE'S SOME HISTORY AND FACTS ABOUT DIM SUM (not written by me) During the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), people would stop by small houses to catch-up with each other and drink tea. In Cantonese, drinking is "yum" , and tea is "cha". There weren't many tables, just benches and seats where people could rest for a moment. "Tea", written茶, is pronounced chá in Mandarin and Cantonese, but te in the dialect of Southern Fujian Province and Taiwan. What is yum cha called in USA? Literally meaning 'drink tea' in Cantonese, yum cha is as common a meal in Hong Kong as coffee and toast in Western culture, where Chinese tea is enjoyed with dim sum at traditional tea houses. The world's oldest tea remains have been dated to 453BC-410BC in China in a new study by archaeologists from Shandong University and scientists from the University of Science and Technology Beijing. The 2,400-year-old remains of tea leaves were discovered in a royal tomb in Zoucheng, Shandong province Unsurprisingly China is top of the charts as the spiritual home of the humble cuppa and tops the list as the world's largest tea producing country. China produces some 40% of the world's tea weighing in at 2.4 million tons. ”

“ You can't skip out on Lin Heung if you're in HK. It's just one of those last places that still serve dim sum in a cart. You have the option of ordering your tea in an individual tea set or just the typical pot. This isn't a place to really just sit and relax. You look for your own table, there's no host. The chairs are not the most comfortable, and the tables are close to one another. If you have a small group, there's a high chance you'll be sharing the table with some other folks. I'd say come early as some of the rice dishes get sold out mid morning (10am). Keep that stamp card close by you, because you'll want to bring that with you when you fight everyone in your way to your food. Kidding, it's not that violent. But you do have to get up from time to time to get your food. The carts might be empty by the time they come by your table. They have quite a bit of dishes that I haven't quite seen at other restaurants. There's the fish maw wrap, pig liver shumai, big bun (with chicken, egg, etc filling), roasted pork belly bun. You'll also have the classics like barbecue pork bun, malay cake, egg tarts. I love their malay cake, it's very soft and spongey, light and airy, with just a hint of sweetness. ”

“ I had dim sum here with some Japanese and Mainland China friends one of my last trips to HK. It is RAW. You basically seat yourself, where you can find chairs, and then you go for it. The dim sum is good, and cheap. Their Tea is good and authentic. They don't have napkins. At one point the soy sauce dripped on my poppy colored pants. I was in a state of disarray. They also don't take credit credits cards. So although I offered and had every intention of paying the tab for our group, they don't take credit card (on short 2-3 day trips I rarely get cash for HK), so my Japanese friend ended up picking up the check. I was surprised to see that is place is pretty raw. I mean I don't think I had been to a place where Chinese get up and walk to the cart to get the dim sum in a while. This place is as another review put it, dirty. I suspect the kitchen is filthy, but hey it is a taste of old HK. I'll come back. But I'd need to make sure to have HKD on me. ”

“ Lin Heung is one of the traditional bakery and restaurant that has been in Hong Kong for a very long time. It's one of those cannot miss restaurants in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, it is closing next week after more than 80 years. Therefore, my parents and I had to visit one last time. Excellent dim sum. I especially couldn't get enough of their egg yolk bun. Of course, they are well known for many other things such as lotus seed bun and moon cakes. I feel very sad for the employees that will be out of a job next week. Many of them appear to me to have been there for a very long time. My parents and I am so glad that we got to experience this legendary restaurant for one last time. We will miss you, Lin Heung! ”