The Best Dim Sum in North York, Compared: Joyous, Yu Seafood, Delicacy Kitchen and Lee's Dumpling House

Toronto's dim sum conversation usually starts in Chinatown, but North York has a few strong options of its own. This guide compares four places that recent Toronto coverage points to: Joyous Chinese Cuisine, Yu Seafood at Yorkdale, Delicacy Kitchen and the North York outpost of Lee's Dumpling House. We draw only on published reporting from Destination Toronto (April 2025) and Streets of Toronto (February 2025), so we have not listed street addresses or prices that those sources do not give.

Joyous Chinese Cuisine: the classic Cantonese pick

Joyous is the North York name with the most evidence behind it. In a February 2025 blind taste test run by Streets of Toronto, chefs Anthony Rose (Fat Pasha) and Trevor Lui (Fat Bao) compared Joyous against Chinatown's Wok Theory. The article describes Joyous as serving "authentic, no-frills Cantonese flavours" in a classic setting.

Joyous won two of the four rounds. Its honey BBQ pork buns beat Wok Theory's, and its shrimp dumplings stood out for a generous, fresh shrimp filling and a thin wrapper. It lost on the pork bean curd rolls in oyster sauce (one judge found them too delicate and prone to falling apart) and on siu mai, where one judge felt the fish roe topping was missing. Wok Theory took the overall win, 60 points to 55, but a five-point loss to a well-regarded Chinatown rival is a good result for a North York restaurant. Destination Toronto also recommends Joyous for everyday dim sum staples and sweets such as durian puff pastry and steamed longevity peach buns.

Best for: a traditional, no-frills Cantonese dim sum meal, with shrimp dumplings and BBQ pork buns as the dishes to order first.

Yu Seafood at Yorkdale: the photogenic one

Destination Toronto places Yu Seafood inside Yorkdale Shopping Centre and highlights its dim sum as photogenic, with crispy eel puff pastries that look like black swans. The mall setting is subway-accessible and surrounded by other restaurants and cafes, which makes it an easy option if you are already shopping.

Best for: a dim sum meal combined with a trip to Yorkdale, and for anyone who wants the eye-catching pastries.

Delicacy Kitchen: the all-rounder

Delicacy Kitchen is not a dedicated dim sum restaurant, according to Destination Toronto, but it has a basic, well-executed dim sum menu. It also serves Canadian Chinese favourites such as General Tao chicken and black bean beef rice noodles.

Best for: mixed groups where some people want dim sum and others want familiar Canadian Chinese dishes.

Lee's Dumpling House: the dumpling specialist

Destination Toronto notes that Lee's Dumpling House, listed in its East Chinatown section, has a North York outpost. The specialties it names are spring onion pancakes, halal chicken options and new mini soup-filled pork dumplings. The article gives no address for the North York location, so confirm it before you go.

Best for: a dumpling-and-pancake meal, and for halal-conscious diners who want to check the menu.

How to choose

For traditional Cantonese cooking, start with Joyous. For a mall-based meal with showpiece pastries, pick Yu Seafood. For a group with mixed tastes, Delicacy Kitchen covers both dim sum and Canadian Chinese dishes. For dumplings and spring onion pancakes, try Lee's. None of the sources we reviewed list hours, prices or reservation policies, so check each restaurant's website or call ahead, particularly for weekend dim sum when waits can build.