ATXReview
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Qi Austin
Included In
The term dim sum roughly translates to “touching the heart,” and when we’re Downtown and in need of a little heart hug, we head to Qi. It’s from the same people behind Lin Asian Bar and a few other Chinese restaurants in town—much like all of their spots, the dumplings here are some of the best in Austin. During lunch and dinner hours, there are a handful of options—from scallop caviar sui mai to crab meat fish maw soup dumplings—but show up for brunch on the weekends and there are about three times as many choices. Of course, Qi isn’t just a dumpling restaurant—there’s a full menu of terrific dinner entrees as well, many of which are made with premium ingredients like lobster, caviar, and Akaushi beef.
The front patio has all the expected cool factor of a Chinese restaurant built on the ground level of a West Sixth street high-rise, which is to say, not much. Though it does allow you to look out onto the street and watch Whole Foods corporate employees from the same complex heading out of the office for a post-shift kombucha. But once you open the tall (and heavy) wooden doors into the dining area, you’ll find yourself in a lively room with exposed beams, tall windows, and hanging paper umbrella lanterns.
Qi isn’t really the type of place you casually show up to with a crew on Saturday morning to go face to face with a rolling cart full of dumplings—it’s a little too pricey for that (also there are no carts). But it’s well-suited for a brunch dim sum date. Come to Qi when you want to turn an average Tuesday night into one just a little more memorable, or when you want to take your parents somewhere that shows them you eat more than just Taco Bell and Panda Express every night (especially if they’re paying).
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Food Rundown
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Shanghai Soup Dumplings
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Scallop Caviar Sui Mai
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Akaushi Beef Potsticker
photo credit: Richard Casteel
Akaushi Beef With Green Pepper
photo credit: Richard Casteel