Tropical Chinese Restaurant

• Cuisine(s): Chinese, Dim Sum
  Hours: Sun 10:30am-10pm, Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm, Mon-Thu 5:30pm-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-11pm, Sat 11am-3:30pm
  Price: $$$, $$$$
  Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Takeout, Private Party, Catering, Banquet Facilities, Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly, Vegetarian Friendly
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
  Alcohol: Full bar
• Reservations: Accepted, Recommended for Large Parties, Recommended on Weekends
  Parking: Lot Available

Description

Tropical Chinese is still going strong after more than 30 years in the biz. The interior is a palette of reds and black, dimly lit by glowing crimson lanterns. A wall of glass separates diners from the dumpling-making and wok-rolling in the brightly lit kitchen. Drop in for dim sum on weekends, when roast pork buns, shrimp in rice noodle rolls, sesame balls, and custard pots are usually less than $10 a dish. The dinner menu is chock full of offerings, from the traditional to the exotic. Appetizers include wok-fried salt-and-pepper-style calamari ($9.50) and the fun-to-eat "rainbow pancake," featuring four wraps to fill tableside with vermicelli noodles, wood ear mushrooms, shredded carrot, cabbage, scallions, and freshly ground peanuts glazed with plum sauce ($10.50). A must-have entrée is the crispy flounder boat, made from the fish and supporting a decorative basket filled with wok-tossed salt-and-pepper-style nuggets of flash-fried flounder, crisp wine-battered banana slices, and broccoli florets ($28.95). Another favorite is the roasted garlic cloves with prawns simmered in a hot pot with black mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and fresh spinach ($17.50). There's also the curry chicken in hot pot ($12.50) and sizzling black pepper beef, stir-fried with shredded green pepper, onion, and Tropical's signature black pepper sauce ($14.50). Tucked just across the way from Tropical Park is some of the best Chinese food in Miami.