{"id":124895,"date":"2025-08-06T23:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T23:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124895\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T23:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T23:59:12","slug":"iconic-san-diego-chinese-restaurant-chinese-max-reopens-in-the-convoy-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/124895\/","title":{"rendered":"Iconic San Diego Chinese Restaurant Chinese Max Reopens in the Convoy District"},"content":{"rendered":"

As dusk settles on a Thursday evening in the Convoy District<\/a>, a line flows out of the door at China Max Dumpling House, snaking around the complex as customers wait to grab a table at the iconic Chinese restaurant, some waiting as long as four hours. This is China Max 2.0 with new owners and a new menu. Opened on March 1 and renamed China Max Dumpling House, the restaurant incorporates a more dumpling-centric model after the owners found success with their restaurant Dumpling Bar in Encinitas, which they opened in October 2024.<\/p>\n

China Max Dumpling House is one of the many San Diego Asian restaurants striving to compete in the dumpling space. Inspired by the astronomical success of Din Tai Fung, the privately held Taiwanese soup dumpling chain with 17 U.S. locations, Asian entrepreneurs are modeling their restaurant ventures after the casual dining concept that generates more revenue than any other American dining chain, including Mastro\u2019s Restaurants, Cheesecake Factory, and Nobu Restaurants, according to Restaurant Business Magazine<\/a>. Din Tai Fung also keeps innovating by adjusting to American palates, such as adding chicken dumplings and mango shaved snow desserts to their menu.<\/p>\n

\"Rows<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

\"Folded<\/a><\/p>\n

Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

On weekdays, China Max Dumpling House hosts a promotional all-you-can-eat dumpling, soda, ice cream, and New York-style cheesecake deal for lunch and dinner. There\u2019s a 90-minute limit at the tables for the AYCE experience, and customers are getting their money\u2019s worth. The kitchen team folds wontons and soup dumplings at a rapid pace. The chefs continue to adjust the recipes to customers\u2019 tastes, like making the soup dumplings juicier and plumper, as well as adding crab xiao long bao, and a hand-rolled noodle dish with spicy peppercorn sauce.<\/p>\n

After five years of closure, one of the most beloved Chinese restaurants in San Diego reopened its doors<\/a> after an accidental fire destroyed the iconic landmark during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> in April 2020. The incident destroyed the restaurant and any hope that it could participate in the steady takeout business that helped restaurants and livelihoods during the lockdowns. When the original owners, Cindy Woo and her husband, opened China Max in 1983, it became a pioneering institution: one of the first Chinese restaurants to establish itself in San Diego\u2019s Convoy District, now well-known for its dim sum and Cantonese restaurants<\/a>. Always bustling, the restaurant was a gathering spot for families and friends, often boasting lines out the door.<\/p>\n

After the fire, the Woos intended to rebuild and reopen the restaurant, but ultimately decided to sell the business and retire. They sold it to a team of owners who have Chinese restaurants in the Convoy District, Encinitas, and several major cities in China. With extensive restaurant experience behind them, the team includes Shuai Liu and Yingkang Lu, a University of California San Diego grad whose family runs several large catering halls in Wuhan. A third partner, Yukun Sun, owns several restaurants and karaoke bars in Kunming, China, including an elegant, high-end Chinese restaurant recognized in the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide<\/a>, the Chinese equivalent of the Michelin Guide.<\/p>\n

In San Diego, the team owns the nearby Cantonese restaurant Taste of Hong Kong, which specializes in roasted meat dishes and other Chinese dishes. (Many of the chefs and servers from China Max went to work at Taste of Hong Kong as the restaurant was rebuilding.) In September 2024, the owners opened Dumpling Bar in Encinitas<\/a>, which has gained popularity in the beach town. Liu says the success of Dumpling Bar influenced them to change China Max\u2019s menu to more of a dumpling focus. Another of their restaurants, Kanpai BBQ and Shabu, opened in August 2023<\/a>, offering all-you-can-eat barbecue and shabu shabu. And finally, they opened a second Dumpling Bar<\/a> in San Marino, California on May 1.<\/p>\n

China Max\u2019s journey to reopening did not unfold without challenges. The fire caused $4.5 million in damages. The team faced several roadblocks in the five-year process to rebuild. It had to navigate the city\u2019s permitting process, negotiate with insurance companies, and oversee major reconstruction, including the installation of a new foundation. \u201cOnce the contractors did any part of the work, they needed to ask for reimbursement from the insurance company. [That process] took a long time for evaluations and negotiations,\u201d says Liu.<\/p>\n

When the restaurant opened, China Max 2.0 debuted with a more modern interior with tall windows, cushioned high-back chairs, and pink carpet, plus an expanded menu. The former enclosed patio space has been redesigned to be part of the interior footprint. Dumplings are constantly being made by hand in a viewing space just like at Din Tai Fung.<\/p>\n

\"Hands<\/a><\/p>\n

Dumpling preparation. Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

The restaurant relaunched with an evolving menu that is still being expanded and tweaked. Staple dishes include pork xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, along with a pan-fried version of xiao long bao. Other popular favorites include chile wontons, sweet and sour ribs, green beans, sticky rice, hand-rolled noodle dishes, and Beijing duck tacos that come prepared in a steamer basket. Soon to be unveiled on the restaurant\u2019s second floor is a buffet featuring Northern Chinese dishes, such as tomato and egg dishes, eggplant with potatoes and green peppers, stir-fried pickled cabbage, shredded potato stir-fry, and sauteed green beans. The dishes are already available for takeout, but Liu, who hails from Shenyang in China\u2019s northeast region, hasn\u2019t set an opening date for the upstairs buffet. \u201cNorthern Chinese cuisine has become popular in China. I want to bring dishes from the area I grew up in to San Diego, my adopted hometown,\u201d says Liu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original China Max was a pioneer in helping to establish the Convoy District as the dining destination it is today. Lots of people in the Asian community and San Diego were waiting for the reopening, and wondering if it would reopen at all. The fire was a blow to the owners and the neighborhood, says Wesley Quach, director of the Asian Business Association San Diego and Convoy District Partnership. \u201cThe return of China Max reflects our neighborhood, and frankly, our community\u2019s resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lines for the renamed China Max Dumpling House have returned after five years, even with tighter parking after the city removed some 300 street parking spaces to make way for bike lanes. Sizzling House owner Mrs. Lin told Eater, \u201cIf people don\u2019t want to wait in line, some might try our restaurant,\u201d a few doors down from China Max. The Lins (who requested not to use their full names for privacy reasons) reopened in January 2025, after closing in April 2020 due to the China Max fire.<\/p>\n

The newfound energy from China Max\u2019s reopening has been good for all the businesses. Mrs. Lin says all the restaurants shared information about the bike lanes and how that would affect parking, while China Max also assisted Midnight Skewers by allowing piping to run from its first-floor kitchen to a second-floor kitchen. Kickstarted by the reopening of China Max Dumpling House, Asian businesses in this particular corner of the Convoy District are also rising from the ashes.<\/p>\n

\"Exterior<\/a><\/p>\n

Exterior of China Max Dumpling House. Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/a><\/p>\n

Dining room. Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

\"Wall<\/a><\/p>\n

Decorative steamer baskets on the wall. Matthew Kang<\/p>\n

China Max has been serving authentic Chinese cuisine and dim sum to San Diego since 2003.<\/p>\n