Asian Palace in Oklahoma City: Cantonese Dim Sum and Wok-Fire Entrées

Asian Palace operates as a full-service Cantonese restaurant in Oklahoma City, anchored by a dim sum service that runs during lunch hours and a dinner menu built around wok-fired dishes, roasted meats, and seafood preparations. The restaurant sits in the Asian District along NW 23rd Street, a neighborhood where several regional Asian cuisines cluster, making it one of the few spots in the city to order traditional steamed and fried dim sum items rather than sushi or pad thai.

What Asian Palace Actually Is

The restaurant functions as a sit-down venue with table service, dim sum carts during lunch service, and a full Cantonese menu at dinner. The space accommodates groups and families, with lazy Susan tables suited to shared plates. Unlike casual counter-service Vietnamese or Thai spots nearby, Asian Palace targets diners seeking a more formal dining structure and a broader Cantonese repertoire. The dim sum service distinguishes it in Oklahoma City's Asian food landscape, where dim sum availability remains limited to a handful of establishments.

Menu and Pricing

Dim sum service (lunch hours; verify current times by phone) offers small plates priced individually between $3 and $6 per item, with typical selections including har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai (pork dumplings), char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), chicken feet in black bean sauce, and egg custard tarts. Carts circulate the dining room; servers mark plates on a checklist at the table. A light dim sum meal for one runs $15 to $25; larger groups ordering 8 to 12 plates spend $40 to $70 combined.

Dinner entrées range from $12 to $24 and include salt-and-pepper squid, whole steamed fish with ginger and scallion, beef chow fun, roasted half duck, and lobster and scallop preparations. Soups and rice dishes sit at the lower end; live seafood specials command higher prices. Combination platters for two cost $30 to $45.

How It Compares to Other Oklahoma City Asian Fusion Options

Asian Palace differs from Thai orchid restaurants in the same district by specializing in Cantonese technique rather than Southeast Asian heat and aromatic profiles. It also stands apart from quick-service ramen shops or poke bowls by maintaining a sit-down dim sum service and roasted meat program. Against Vietnamese pho houses nearby, it offers a broader temperature and preparation range (roasted, steamed, fried) and table-based dining rather than quick counter service. For diners seeking Sichuan or Szechuan spice, Asian Palace leans toward Cantonese restraint and balance; for those wanting sushi or Korean grilled items, the restaurant does not pivot into those cuisines.

Who It Suits and Who It Does Not

Asian Palace suits groups ordering family-style, multigenerational diners familiar with dim sum etiquette, and anyone seeking Cantonese roasted meats and seafood preparations in Oklahoma City. It works for lunch dim sum browsers and for dinner occasions where table service and shared plates match the dining plan. It does not suit diners requiring quick takeout, those with strong preferences for spicy food, or anyone seeking vegetarian-heavy menus; the restaurant centers on meat and seafood. Dim sum is lunch-specific; dinner does not include cart service.

What the First Visit Involves

Arrive early during dim sum service (before 1 p.m., or verify current timing) to access the full cart rotation; carts slow as lunch progresses. Request a table, and a server will seat you and place a checklist sheet and pen at your place. As carts pass, point to items you want, or ask the cart attendant for recommendations; staff will stamp or mark your checklist. Order tea and any additional dishes from the menu. Pace eating to overlap with new carts; the experience spans 45 minutes to an hour for a casual meal. At dinner, order from the printed menu or ask the server for daily specials and house recommendations. Lazy Susan tables spin plates to each diner; shared ordering is the default.

Hours, Parking, and Logistics

Asian Palace operates lunch and dinner service daily; exact hours change seasonally and should be confirmed by phone before visiting. Street parking is available along NW 23rd Street, though availability varies during lunch rush (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.). The restaurant does not offer dedicated lot parking. Reservations are accepted for dinner and recommended for groups of six or more, especially on weekends. Dim sum is first-come, first-served during service hours.

Asian Palace fills a specific role in Oklahoma City's dining landscape, offering one of the few regular dim sum services and a Cantonese repertoire that most local Asian restaurants do not attempt.