Largest dim sum restaurant opens in Castro Valley

HL Peninsula Restaurant, the largest dim sum restaurant in the U.S, with a capacity of 846 guests, has recently opened in Castro Valley. The restaurant serves dim sum in the morning and all items on the menu are there until the restaurant’s closing. 

The restaurant is located at 3868 Castro Valley Blvd, next to the Castro Valley Mei Mei. Parking is typically full and it’s hard to find a spot, especially at night where many people come out to eat. 

The restaurant is extravagantly decorated with elegant Chinese ornaments. 

When you’re walked to your table, you’re seated in a spacious rectangular room with countless tables lined close to one another with chandeliers overhead. There are enormous televisions placed on opposite sides of the room playing from sports channels. 

Furthermore, the menu contains a large selection of Chinese dishes, categorized by the type of meat being served. Each dish was artfully plated with various bright colors and arrangements pleasing to the eye. 

The menu included various dishes ranging from full course meals such as oxtail stew with red wine, pork sparerib in balsamic glaze, deep-fried scallops with crispy garlic, and braised duck with dried orange peel and ginger. The menu even extended to desserts such as Osmanthus Goji Berry Pudding and Durian Green Tea Snow Meringue. 

Some notable dishes/items include the House Special BBQ pork, which tasted somewhat cold but held bursts of a savory and sweet flavor in each bite. The mango sago was sweet and especially creamy and held a nice sour taste to balance the dessert out from the pomelo, a tart fruit. 

The restaurant also offers condiments such as chili sauce and soy sauce if requested to a waiter/waitress. 

A yelp review by user Jackie H notes that this restaurant is good for large parties or events. “We had a large group party here, and it was an amazing experience from start to finish. The restaurant is beautifully decorated—stylish, warm, and perfect for a celebration,” she wrote.  

The place is very big and has a large capacity which contributed to some food coming out cold and service being slow. However, its large capacity makes it perfect for large celebrations.

There are few staff compared to the large number of people in the building resulting in slower service. The staff primarily speak Chinese so I was faced with a language barrier. 

Overall, the dish’s portions ranged from large to small. The meals were well cooked and flavorful and although service was slow, the waiter offered friendly smiles and tried to be as considerate as possible. Not only that, I was served red bean sweet soup as a complimentary dish. 

HL Peninsula is definitely worth visiting if you’re interested in unique, well-plated flavorful dishes and have a large gathering coming up.