Welcome to Liyin Rice Roll Brookline 荔银肠粉

“ Two words to describe this place would be: “pleasantly surprised.” I came here with my brother and we were seated quickly on a Thursday evening around 6:00 pm. Both of us ordered the Combo A for $15.50 since it’s not something we know how to make ourselves. I recommend you do too if this is your first time coming! As for me, I got the 3 Treasure Rice Roll with Sliced Fish Porridge while my brother got the Beef & Egg Porridge (not pictured) and a rice roll whose name I’ll update when I remember (sorry!). What makes this place stand out are, well, the rice rolls. They’re not as thick and chewy as the classic ones in dim sum; they’re also not as thin and silky as the kind you’ll find at Joe’s Steam Rice Roll in Flushing (New York). The wow factor is that they are massive—I love it! Filling is plentiful and well seasoned with just enough give to not feel overwhelmed when breaking it apart. The porridge was wonderful. Very generous portion, though I’d highly suggest adding white pepper to give it more taste if you order the fish version. My brother did think the beef version was just fine without it. Shoutout to the tableware too! Though few and far between, some places do skimp out on that and provide paper or plastic containers which makes the food get colder, quicker (not good). Only change that I’d make is *very* nit-picky: slice the napkins into quarters to reduce waste, if possible. Atmosphere is sweet and we were lucky it wasn’t too busy. I’d definitely come here again because the value is pretty good and it’s easy to talk to the servers. Show ‘em some love! ”

“ Given the price range, I’ve had a fantastic dining experience at Liyin Rice Roll. I spent a considerable amount of childhood near the Canton region in China, and these are some dk the best Rice Rolls I’ve had in the US. Would be back, and recommend ordering the Beef rice rolls with the eggs add on :) ”

“ Updating my previous review after we visited Liyin again a few more time. The food has much improved. The congee is tasty, much better than before. The beef chow fung noodle has a great texture and flavor. Their in house hot chili oil is a great complement to the beef noodles. The shrimp rice roll is our favorite rice roll. It has scallions inside which enhances the flavor. We tried the hot milk tea and it's very authentic, like the ones in Hong Kong, and you can order it with desired sweetness level. The staff is friendly, efficient, accommodating and able to speak Cantonese. I appreciate and enjoy that as part of the whole dining experience. Liyin is a great addition to the neighborhood. ”

“ Liyin Rice Rolls Master has quickly become one of our favorite weekend spots. The food is exceptional—flavorful, satisfying, and made with care. We absolutely loved the Chinese donut (not a donut in the American sense!)—crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and perfect for dipping into their warm, comforting congee. I asked for a spicier version of the chicken dried rice, and they nailed it—just the right heat, balanced with incredible umami. The pork rice rolls are a standout: soft, silky, and packed with flavor. Portions are generous, so you’ll leave full and happy. The service is quick, friendly, and efficient—ideal for a relaxed but timely Sunday morning meal. If you haven’t been yet, you’re missing out! ”

“ I was so excited to see a whole restaurant dedicated to one of my favorite foods: cheung fun (rice rolls). I was excited to try their cheung fun and see how it measures up. I got the fried donut stick (youtiao) and plain cheung fun. At dim sum, I go for either the plain or with the crunchy youtiao inside. I was sad I couldn’t have the two together here! Regardless! The cheung fun is springy and smooth. It was odd how large it was. Usually it’s smaller rolls, but this was one big roll. Meaning I had to finagle a bit to cut it up into bite sized pieces. The youtiao was crisp and gently oily. It wasn’t anything particularly special, but I enjoyed it. I’d come back! ”

“ Liyin Rice Roll is a new restaurant that has popped up in the area right near the Brookline HMart, expanding from its location in Boston Chinatown and a future location planned in Allston. We came during lunch and the restaurant had a few guests, but not too many. Service was quick, and the food was brought out within 10-15 minutes. The menu is pretty expansive with the number of rice roll options, with a decent price for the portion. We got the rice roll that came with pork. One downside is that it isn’t cut up when it’s made, so it’s hard to share easily. The rice roll was decent, filling could’ve had more but for the price it was good. We also tried the beef jook. Personally the jook was good, but I dislike ginger in my jook and they put ginger inside it. The portion size was also pretty big, with the bowl filled to the top with jook and the price being pretty reasonable for the size. We also got youtiao to dip into the jook, which was a nice addition. Overall a good place to go for a quick bite of HK breakfast styled foods. ”

“ A hopeful 4 star place once they get the ball rolling and into their groove! We went on the 2nd day of opening (per one of the waiters) at around 12. Liyin was open already, and the small waiting area had a group ahead of us. A waiter came by to ask us how big our party was and then let us know it would be a 40 minute wait as they had just opened. A few more parties came behind us after, and eventually someone from the restaurant had to tape a closed now sign to the door as they seemed quite overwhelmed. They also originally didn’t take down names, have a waitlist, or give us numbers which led to a little confusion on which parties came first. We noted food came out quite slowly as we waited for our table and there were many seated parties that still had not received food. When we sat down, the service was friendly and efficient with them again letting us know it might be a wait for our food. We ordered the Red Rice Roll w/ shrimp and Three Treasure Rice Roll alongside combo C. The beef pan fried noodle was fine at best, with the beef being heavily salted but still unable to clear the gamey taste. The congee base was great and thick, but the fish and shrimp in our Signature congee a bit fishy. Additionally, I was a bit surprised at the small size of the congee although we did order combo size. The soy milk was good and sweetened, and the milk tea had a strong tea base, I would get it again! Our waiter was kind enough to let us try the milk tea for free while the soy milk came w/the combo. Finally, the rice rolls were pretty good. I would recommend the Red Rice Roll as it came paired with siracha mayo and has a crunchy interior to complement the shrimp. The three treasure combo had no crunch and so it relied on the cheung fun which for both orders was on the sticky and softer side. Service was kind and informative, although everyone seemed a little bit confused on what orders had come out for what tables. All in all, I am excited to see how this restaurant fares once it’s been opened for a bit! ”

“ The rice rolls here are soooo good! Loaded with toppings, silky, and addicting! Good for small groups of 3/4 people or less, and our waitress was very friendly. Can't wait to come back for more! ”