Imperial Soup: authentic double-boiled soups and all-day dim sum in Oakland's Chinatown
Imperial Soup offers authentic Chinese cuisine in Oakland's Chinatown, with double-boiled soups (燉湯) as a signature feature. Guests praise abalone soup and black silkie chicken soup, plus all-day dim sum, garlic clams, and delicate shrimp dumplings. Soups arrive in cylindrical ceramic containers; the set menu for two delivers quality, quantity, and value. Fast, friendly service completes a welcoming, hole-in-the-wall dining experience.
723 Webster St, Oakland, CA 94607, USA
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Nourishing soups like ginseng chicken and black silkie chicken, slow-cooked for health benefits and authentic flavor.
Fresh dim sum items including shrimp dumplings, garlic clams, and spareribs, available throughout operating hours.
Hearty options like beef tendon noodles and sticky rice, featuring balanced flavors and tender textures.
Value-packed combos with soup, steamed chicken, fish, vegetables, and rice, perfect for sharing.
Dishes like steamed rice with eel wrapped in lotus leaves and osmanthus cake, offering unique tastes.
Overall rating
Jamal Mansuri
This place slaps my taste buds, I got lamb noodle soup (flavor), beef shank over rice noodles (succulent), shrimp dumplings (delicate), the chicken buns (the best). Get a rice or noodle dish and the all day dim sum
Clare Lee
Really enjoyed our visit! Maybe family run? They seem to speak Cantonese and Mandarin. The herbal soups were good! We tried #8 and #11 chicken with ginseng. Both tasted healthy but I think I preferred #8 a little more. The soups are in the little cylindrical ceramic containers and make a good appetizer/side dish. Fun to get as a part of one of their special combos. The special dim sum of garlic clams was tasty and pretty fresh. Excellent value for $6.50! Enjoyed the sticky rice too - well balanced flavors and not overly salty. The beef tendon with noodles was tender and had a good texture. A smidge salty for my taste but flavorful and a good size. Fast & friendly service - there was a bit of confusion about how many soups we ordered but got it sorted out. The bathroom seems to be upstairs so might be a challenge if there are mobility limitations. Look forward to trying other dishes next time!
Margaret Huang
First, even though it feels like a hole in the wall, the service is top notch, warm and friendly. That is rare in this type of establishment and deserves a shout out. I consider this a hidden Oakland Chinatown gem. Second, their food is authentic Chinese and some of it is hard to find. The main attraction is the double-boiled soup (燉湯). Ours was bone and heart-warming. We had the abalone soup (#1) and the black silkie chicken soup (#6). These soups are considered to be extremely nourishing soups - there are ones designated for high blood pressure etc. It's also the kind of soup that pregnant women are told to drink. I come here for soup after surgery. We ordered the set menu for two, which included two soups of your choice, half a steamed chicken, a whole steamed fish, a plate of green steamed vegetable, and two bowls of rice. My 83 year old Taiwanese mom kept saying she couldn't finish her soup because of all the other dishes. But finish every drop she did, and she clearly loved hers! Their set menu is a bona fide DEAL (quality, quantity, and value). We stuffed ourselves so we had to waddle out to our car. Before I could pull out of the parking spot, mom demanded that I bring her back again this weekend before she leaves. We devoured the steam fish so fast that we forgot to take a photo. Not one morsel was left. The steamed chicken was moist and flavorful; the ginger/scallion sauce was great. The vegetable was cooked just right. Their chef is amazing. The steam rice with eel wrapped in lotus leaves is next on my list for my next visit. We almost hijacked another table's order of it. They serve dim sum all day - what?! Yay. Please don't come. We want to keep getting seated with no line.
Angela Leung
The variety of the double-boiled soup (燉湯) was amazing. The steam rice with eel wrapped in lotus leaves was great. They also serve dim sum all day. The shrimp dumplings 蝦餃 is delicious. The osmanthus white sugar steam cake (桂花白糖糕) is a delightful surprise!
reskapo
Great place for authentic Chinese cuisine in the heart of Oakland Chinatown! I especially love their twice cooked pork belly noodle soup and is highly recommended to go with their various varieties of dimsum accompaniments. My favorites are their slow-braised spareribs in blackbean sauce and tripe with chili toppings.
