damnlines.comdamnlines.comA cavernous, old-school Cantonese seafood hall in Brooklyn's Sunset Park Chinatown known for classic push-cart dim sum service that still draws lines of regulars on weekends and holidays.
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at East Harbor Seafood Palace yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
Taking the Kids reports that regulars "show up right when doors open at 9am" to beat the crowd, and that on peak days like New Year's Day "the wait stretches to 30 or 40 minutes" even as the dining room "still keeps moving at full speed." The outlet's practical advice for visitors is to "come before 10am on weekends or prepare to stand in line with everyone else who had the same idea."
Cinnamon Society's Diana Kuan, writing about a Presidents' Day visit, describes waiting roughly 20 minutes for a table using the restaurant's first-come ticket system ("Twenty minutes had never seemed so long"), then being seated once her party's number was called. She counted "200 or so diners" in the room at once, illustrating that East Harbor runs regular dim sum service as walk-in-and-wait rather than by reservation.
Yelp reviewers commonly describe weekend waits in the 30-to-45-minute range, with some reporting waits closer to an hour during the busiest stretches, while weekday visits are generally described as calmer with little to no wait.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: No formal reservation system for regular dim sum service; seating is first-come via a called ticket number, per Cinnamon Society.
Walk-ins: Yes, for regular dim sum service; parties are seated as their number is called (Cinnamon Society).
Dim sum service begins at 9am daily, per Taking the Kids.
Taking the Kids reports the wait stretches to 30-40 minutes on the busiest days like New Year's Day, even as the dining room "still keeps moving at full speed." Cinnamon Society's Diana Kuan clocked roughly 20 minutes for a table on a Presidents' Day visit using the restaurant's number-call system, and Yelp reviewers commonly cite 30-45 minute weekend waits, with some reporting closer to an hour during peak periods.
For regular dim sum service, East Harbor runs on a first-come, ticketed number system rather than reservations, per Cinnamon Society's account of waiting for a number to be called before being seated. Taking the Kids advises diners looking to skip the line to simply arrive before 10am on weekends rather than relying on a booking.
Yes, dim sum service is walk-in, with parties seated once their number is called, per Cinnamon Society's description of the seating process. Taking the Kids notes the room is large enough to keep moving "at full speed" even when a line has formed at the door.
Taking the Kids recommends arriving right at the 9am opening or "before 10am on weekends" to beat the crowd, since regulars who know the routine fill the room quickly once doors open.
Taking the Kids specifically flags New Year's Day as a peak, reporting the wait "stretches to 30 or 40 minutes" while the dining room keeps pace at full speed.
Sources: Taking the Kids · Cinnamon Society · Yelp