REVIEW: Disney Character Dim Sum at Crystal Lotus in Hong Kong Disneyland

The Disney Character Dim Sum meal is a dining experience at the Crystal Lotus restaurant in the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. It’s adorable, Disney character buns have caught the internet by storm. After years of hearing about this unique Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) dining experience, I finally found the time and money to experience this on the last day of my recent HKDL trip. But how was the experience? Was it worth the (admittedly) high price tag? That’s what we’re going to cover in this review, but in short, I thought it was well-worth it!

I’m going to cover what the experience booking the Disney Character Dim Sum meal was like, what the restaurant experience was like, what the food was like, and of course whether the meal was, at least in my opinion, worth the hefty price tag. As always, every review is tinged with my subjectivity, so even though I try to make this as objective as possible, some of my personal opinions will still get in the way. Just something to keep in mind.

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Table of Contents

Overview

The Disney Character Dim Sum is an exclusive to HKDL experience. It can be found in Crystal Lotus, a restaurant at the Hong Kong Disneyland hotel near the Kingdom Gifts gift shop. It’s known for its dim sum that are shaped and designed like Disney characters, from Mickey and Minnie to Duffy and Friends and Winnie the Pooh characters.

Two Meal Options

It should be noted that there are two ways to experience this famous meal. The first is by booking the Crystal Lotus Disney Friends Dim Sum Lunch Set (which is what we did) or by making a reservation at Crystal Lotus and informing them via email or phone that you want to purchase the Disney Dim Sum. You must do this at least 24 hours before the date and time of your reservation. If you do the latter, you’re going to need to tell them exactly which dim sum sets you would like to purchase and how many of each order you want. If you do the former, they’ll have the dim sum ready for you and you won’t need to reach out to them.

The Dim Sum Lunch set also comes with a bunch of other non-dimsum dishes and is designed more like a tasting menu. If you want just the dim sum, I would recommend just booking a reservation at Crystal Lotus instead of getting the lunch set. If you want to sample other dishes, however, then the lunch set is the way to go. Note that the dim sum is only available during lunch, and some specific dim sums may be unavailable on the day of your visit.

If you’d like to know more about the prices of the dim sum, click this link. Generally, an order of dim sum is priced at around HK$98 ($12.50) per order, while the lunch set is priced at HK$428 ($54.63). You can find more info about the lunch set here. Note that you need to be at least a party of 2 to book the lunch set.

There is also an option to do a dim sum making class that also includes the lunch set. It’s a bit on the pricier side but from what I’ve heard it’s a really fun experience if you have the money and time for it. It costs HK$1,388 ($177.16) for two people and includes both the class and the dim sum lunch set.

Booking Experience

The booking experience for the lunch set was seamless. I just navigated to the dining offers page on the HKDL website and found the lunch set from the list of options. You then book a day to eat (all the reservation times are at 12noon) and then you pay for it online. Booking online also saves you 10%. Booking the Crystal Lotus standard reservation is easy too. Just navigate to the dining reservations page and select crystal lotus. You’ll need to book a lunch reservation between 12pm and 3pm to be eligible to order the dim sum as it is only available during lunch.

I would also recommend buying the package through Klook. Klook prices are always slightly cheaper than Disney prices. If you want to book the Crystal Lotus Disney Friends Dim Sum package, you can use my affiliate link to save some money.

Experience

If you booked the lunch set, all you have to do is show up at Crystal Lotus and show the voucher that should have been emailed to you after booking to the cast member at the entrance of the restaurant. If you booked a regular reservation, be sure to contact Crystal Lotus at least 24 hours before your reservation and tell them which dim sum you would like to order. Please arrive before your reservation time.

Once you’ve arrived, you will be directed to a table. Crystal Lotus does not have a dress code, but it would be smart to dress at least a little above casual. That being said, they do know that some guests will be coming from the park so wearing shorts is ok.

If you have a regular reservation, you should be served your dim sum all at once. If you booked the lunch set, you’ll be given a menu of the different dishes you will be sampling in this lunch set. They will come out like courses in a tasting menu and they do make changes depending on if you have allergies or dietary restrictions. For the best service, be sure to tell them in advance if you have any dining restrictions or allergies, although they will try to accommodate you if you tell them on the day itself.

Service

I thought the service was excellent. The cast members at the restaurant were so professional, friendly, and accommodating. When we forgot to mention that my sister had an allergy, they were accommodating and made us an allergen-free version of one course last minute. They also double checked with us regarding our allergies before they sent out the food and gave recommendations and suggestions for what sauces we should try. Overall, they earned glowing reviews from us and their hospitality elevated the meal.

Food

Overall, we thought the food was pretty good and was worth the price we paid for it. While not the best Chinese food I’ve ever had in my entire life, it is definitely up there, and the uniqueness, albeit limited availability, of the Disney dim sum made the entire meal worth it. I’ll go item for item to give you a better idea of how each dish tasted and what we thought of each food item that was part of the lunch set.

The first dish they served us was a Chilled Smoked Duck Breast with Jellyfish and Pomelo. The Jellyfish was good but as someone who doesn’t eat it too often, I found the consistency of it a bit strange. The duck breast, however, was fantastic and I wish they gave us more of it. It was the perfect savory starter bursting with gamey flavor. It really set up how good the rest of the food they were going to serve us was.

This was followed by 3 kinds of savory Disney character dim sum: the Mickey’s Seafood Glutinous Pancake, the OluMel Pineapple and Seafood Bun, and the Piglet Chicken and Corn Bun. The seafood glutinous pancake was the biggest surprise. It was so crispy and had a good mixture of flavors. The OluMel and Piglet buns were good, although my one complaint was that they did not have enough filling. What was there was good, but there was just way too much bun.

Of the two, I personally preferred the Piglet Chicken and Corn bun, mostly because I’m not really a fan of seafood, but I did enjoy the sweetness of the pineapple in the OluMel bun. The presentation of each bun was also top notch. They looked incredibly cute and you can tell they were prepared with care and craftsmanship. My only other note is that I wish we got more of these buns. I would’ve liked to try the Pooh, Mickey, Minnie, Duffy, and ShellieMay buns. But for what we paid, these were good.

The next thing they served us was a Braised Seafood Broth with Bamboo Piths soup. This was also really good and just like the appetizer, I wished they served us more of it. It was so flavorful and I didn’t expect to like it given that I don’t really eat seafood but it was excellent. It didn’t taste fishy at all, which I like.

Following that they gave us Wok Fried Scallop with Cordyceps Flower and Yunnam Ham Sauce. I don’t eat Scallops so I just ate the different things that came with it and I have to say the sauce is the hero of this dish. It was so tasty, almost like a mixture of soy sauce and another sweet sauce, and really elevated the dish.

The non-dim sum star of the meal, however, was the other main course dish they gave us: Fried Red Rice with Wagyu Beef and Conpoy. This tasted heavenly. The tender and juicy beef paired perfectly with the rice and gave the whole meal a kick that made it so delicious. It was my favorite of the non-dimsum dishes by a longshot, and I would get it again if I could.

Then came dessert, which came in the form of a Winnie the Pooh Cactus Sweet Soup, Mango Sago Cream, and Pomelo, as well as a Tigger bun filled with Maltose and Purple Potato. The Tigger bun was just as cute and well-made as the other two buns we received, and it was just as delicious as the other two, but this time with a sweeter flavor. It also had the added benefit of having a lot of filling. The Pooh Cactus Sweet Soup was my sister’s favorite thing we ate. The cold and sweet treat was the perfect way to close out the meal.

Thoughts

I was surprised to learn when we got to the restaurant that we weren’t just going to eat dim sum but also a bunch of other dishes, and by the end of the meal I was grateful that the lunch set came with those other dishes. Many of the things we ate were standouts, and none of them disappointed me. If I had to choose, I would book a regular reservation so I can eat the other dim sums, but for what we paid I thought that the food they served us more than made the price worth it.

The dim sums were all really tasty, with the Piglet one especially being very good. I would have liked there to be more filling in the two savory buns, but with what we got I still think they were tasty and worth the price we paid for. My only comment would be that I wish they included more character dim sums. Having only 3 was a little disappointing. I wish I could’ve tried the other 5 we weren’t able to eat, but I guess that’s just another reason to go back.

As mentioned, the service was great and we both felt well taken cared of by the servers in the restaurant. They were incredibly friendly and responded to our requests diligently and with great care. The restaurant is also beautiful and has great views of Penny’s Bay and the hedge maze at the back of the hotel.

The experience isn’t perfect. As mentioned, I wish more of the character dim sums were included. And while each dish was good, I wish the serving sizes were bigger. But for the price we paid I think it had great value. I would do it again, but probably only if there were new items added to the menu or if there is a rotating assortment of character dim sums included in the lunch set.

Score

I would highly recommend this experience to anyone if it fits within your budget. It’s kind of pricey, but is cheaper than other tasting menus you’ll find in other restaurants in Hong Kong. Of course, the character dim sums were delicious and cute, and the other dishes were excellent, albeit with small portion sizes. Overall, it was a great experience and one that Hong Kong Disneyland should continue to offer.

8/10

Disney Character Dim Sum at Hong Kong Disneyland Review Conclusion

And that’s the end of this Disney Character Dim Sum review! I hope I was able to answer all your questions about this unique dining experience. If you need more info, or have any questions, feel free to contact me on Instagram @stephenthedisneygeek!

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