Find some of the Cities’ best dim sum at Mandarin Kitchen. On weekends, this spot is packed with families, and the line often wraps out the door. Build your brunch off the voluminous menu: Start with small dishes like pan-fried turnip cakes, and add pillowy steamed chicken buns, crispy egg custards, and steamed pork dumplings. At peak meal times, small parties of diners can expect to share tables — an arrangement that only adds to Mandarin Kitchen’s bustling, convivial atmosphere.

Tucked away off Lake Street and Nicollet in south Minneapolis, Cheng’s has a variety of Szechuan and Hunan specials, from double-sauteed pork to hot and spicy shrimp. Try the mai fun — a pan-fried thin noodle dish that’s especially popular in southern China — or the classic fried rice. Cheng’s has been a local favorite for years.

Situated on Eat Street’s main drag, Rainbow Chinese has been churning out excellent Chinese-American fare since the late 1980s. (In fact, asBring Me The Newsreports, it received a “historic small restaurants” grant this year.) At the moment, it’s operating as takeout only, but it’s offering dine-in service on Christmas Eve — it’s an ideal spot for a cozy, snowy evening with plates full of sauteed green beans and ma po tofu, simmered with Szechuan peppercorn.

Also near the University of Minnesota campus, Lao Sze Chuan is a great place to share food: A plate of chilled, tangy Szechuan noodles, tea-smoked duck, and steaming beef soup, infused with rich, spicy chili oil. Lao Sze Chuan’s appetizer list is notable, too — order some green bean jelly and spicy and sour squid for the table.

Kowloon’s Chinese American dishes are reliably great hits — but don’t overlook the specials, which include vermicelli pork hot pot, salt-baked squid, and shrimp balls with tofu. Be prepared for prodigious levels of spice.

Master Noodle (formerly Magic Noodle) makes fresh, hand-pulled noodle dishes daily in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. There are few better places for tender, springy dan dan noodles, hot sour noodle soup, and Mongolian beef fried noodles. Master Noodle also serves an excellent Taiwanese tomato beef brisket soup.

Peking Garden is a casual, family-oriented spot on St. Paul’s University Avenue, where it’s been serving Cantonese fare since 1991. Come for the excellent hospitality, the Dungeness crab in black bean sauce, and the sizzling beef brisket hot pot.

Part of the storiedDavid Fong’s legacy, D. Fong’s Chinese Cuisine is well worth the drive south to Savage. The entire Chinese American menu is reliably great, from the hot and sour soup to the hearty pork egg foo young.