🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Hat Yai is an old Chinese-Thai town, so dim sum is woven into everyday life here — not just something for tourists. On a weekday, office workers stop in before clocking on; on weekends, families settle in for long, leisurely meals. What the good shops have in common: they open very early, baskets are cheap, and the hot Chinese tea keeps coming. We picked 10 shops that get talked about a lot and are still genuinely open, ranked from the ones with the heaviest queues on down.
Read this before you go
Most Hat Yai dim sum shops are breakfast-only, and many close around noon to early afternoon. Some run out of dishes before closing time. If you want the standout items like shrimp har gow or salted-egg bao, getting there before 9am is the safer bet.
10 Hat Yai dim sum shops locals actually go to
Chokdee Taetiam
The most famous dim sum shop in Hat Yai, open for over twenty years, right in town. On weekend mornings the line stretches out the door, but it moves fast — about 15 minutes and you've got a table. The menu runs to more than 30 dim sum dishes; people go for the shrimp har gow, crab siu mai, and char siu bao, and you shouldn't skip the clear-broth bak kut teh, fragrant with Chinese herbs and fall-apart pork ribs.
Kookchai Dim Sum (original, Thung Sao 1 Rd)
Another town fixture that all of Hat Yai knows — come early to get a table. The dim sum is made fresh, and people single out the pork-and-shrimp siu mai and the fried taro. Another draw is the sea bass rat na noodles, which is the shop's signature dish.
Tim Sum Nak Wing
A favorite among early risers — open before the sky lightens, perfect if you're up early for a run or to give morning alms and want to stop in after. The menu spans both pork and seafood dim sum, with salmon siu mai and spinach-cheese dumplings you won't easily find at the usual shops.
Hat Yai Dim Sum
A retro-styled shop with a more comfortable sit-down feel than the usual stall setups. There's dim sum, congee, bak kut teh, and rice dishes, so it works well for a group where everyone wants to order something different.
Ama Dim Sum
A shop near Prince of Songkla University on Thamnoonvithi Road, with prices friendly to students — 20 THB for a regular basket, 30 THB for a large one. It covers all the basics: har gow, siu mai, bao. A good stop before heading out around the PSU area.
Suan Siri Taetiam
An old-school dim sum shop, praised for getting the basics right and for solid noodle dishes. There's steamed chicken feet, sticky rice with chicken, steamed fish, and rice-noodle rolls — the full classic spread your parents' generation grew up on.
Khohnang Taetiam
A shop in the Chuan Khao area, known for its pork-and-shrimp siu mai and herbal broth. Locals come here for bak kut teh and dim sum as a regular breakfast. It feels like a genuine neighborhood spot, not one built for tourists.
Wufu Dim Sum
A modern Chinese-style shop near PSU, with fresh ingredients and dishes that look more contemporary than the older places. It stays open for most of the day, so it's a good call if you sleep in and still want dim sum without rushing out early.
Thipnarin
A small family-run shop where locals stop in for herbal soup and char siu at breakfast. The dim sum is made fresh and it's quieter than the famous spots — a more relaxed option if you'd rather skip the long queues.
Audi Dim Sum (Halal), Zone 8
An option for those eating halal, over in the Zone 8 area, with dim sum and grilled-fish miang at easy prices. It's a shop where Muslim travelers from Malaysia and locals alike can eat with peace of mind.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Hat Yai food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
The dim sum dishes worth ordering for a full spread
If you're new to it and not sure where to start, these are the dishes nearly every shop has and that rarely disappoint. Try to balance steamed and fried, then finish with a basket of bao or something sweet.
- Shrimp har gow — thin, translucent wrappers with a full bite of shrimp inside; it's the real measure of a shop's skill. At a good one you can clearly see the shrimp and it isn't mushy.
- Pork siu mai / crab siu mai — a must-have basic. The best shops top them with crab meat or shrimp roe.
- Char siu bao / salted-egg bao — soft dough, generous filling, good for lining the stomach. Some shops do a molten salted-egg custard version.
- Rice-noodle rolls — soft rice-flour sheets wrapped around pork or shrimp, drizzled with sweet soy sauce; something people always order alongside dim sum.
- Steamed chicken feet / sticky rice with chicken — the classics worth a try; the steamed chicken feet in black-bean sauce are so tender they nearly fall off the bone.
- Bak kut teh — herbal pork-rib soup, the classic companion to Hat Yai dim sum, which many shops do well enough to make it a standout dish.
How to get the most out of it
Dim sum is priced by the basket, so order a little at a time and top up — steamed dishes taste best hot, so that beats ordering everything at once. The hot Chinese tea is usually free to refill, so just ask for more hot water for the pot.
What time do they open, and how bad are the queues?
Most Hat Yai dim sum shops are a breakfast affair, opening around 06:00 and closing in waves between 12:00 and 14:00. The famous ones like Chokdee Taetiam and Kookchai are busiest from 7–9am on weekends. If you'd rather not wait, try a weekday around 8am, or pick a quieter second-tier spot like Thipnarin or Wufu.
Get there earliest (before 7am)
Tim Sum Nak Wing and Kookchai open at 6am — everything's fresh and the queue hasn't built yet. Perfect for early risers.
Sleeping in (after 10am)
Wufu is open most of the day, and Hat Yai Dim Sum runs until 2pm, so you've still got plenty of time.
Plan your breakfast and the full eat-and-explore trip around Hat Yai
See the Hat Yai travel guide →