Gave this place another shot and had to update my last review. Got an assortment of different things: - Pan fried soup dumplings - Shao-mei - Honey walnut prawns - Beef knife cut noodles - Chicken and corn soup - Beef roll pancake Everything we had was superb, but the pan fried soup dumplings and beef roll pancake in particular stood out. Made fresh, perfectly fried and crispy where it needed to be, but not greasy. Tasted so good paired with the vinegar that they provide on each table. Beware of the hot sauce here - it is HOT. One drop is enough to feel the burn on your tongue. The service was great here and the prices of the dishes are very competitive compared to industry standards now. We had a very enjoyable and filling meal as a family here, would definitely come back. read more

I really wanted to like Dumpling Era because it's one of the closest dumpling spots in my neighborhood, and with how many amazing food options we have in this area, I was excited to finally try it. Unfortunately, the experience was pretty underwhelming from start to finish. The food itself was very mid and lacked the flavor and quality I was expecting. The dumplings didn't taste fresh or particularly well seasoned, and honestly I've been more satisfied making Ling Ling dumplings at home in my own kitchen. That was disappointing considering restaurant dumplings should easily outshine something frozen and store bought. The scallion pancakes were probably the best part of the meal. They were decent enough, but still nothing memorable or worth going back for. Overall everything just felt very average, especially for an area known for having such strong food spots and authentic flavors nearby. The establishment itself also didn't leave much of an impression. The atmosphere and overall experience felt just as mediocre as the food. Nothing stood out, nothing felt special, and there wasn't really anything that made me want to return or recommend it to anyone else. I hate leaving negative reviews because I genuinely wanted this place to become a regular spot for me, but with so many great food options around here, I can't justify spending my money here again. read more

2.4 First time customer. Our takeaway order was made hastily , and that was a shame. Niurou Juan---- barely any filling, the roll fell apart the skin was too thick. My friend's daughter complained more cukes than beef, sauce too sweet. Shes white I'm Chinese, but I agree. Our dumplings; those veggie dumplings were pretty awful. I couldn't get past after eating one. What do they put in there-- smashed tofu, egg white, and super diced celery or cabbage? Not for me. Our chive shrimp dumplings were pretty awful as well. We took another fork and opened that up too. Disappointingly 89% chive and the tiniest 2 cm piece of shrimp per dumpling. I can't come here again. I'll try their competitors in town. Almost $6@ charged, what a ripoff read more

Small mom and pop Restaurant serving awesome dumplings that are reasonable priced! I got crispy tofu with seven color and number 43 pork dumpling with spinach. It was so good. I added number 21 pork pot stickers to my meal. I was so totally satisfied, I ordered Yangzhou fried rice number 68. I'm not from the area. I had a one night stop over. Looked up on Yelp and found this place. Very satisfying. Highly recommend will not disappoint. read more

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Dumplings were perfection ! The salt & pepper wings were recommended by the nicest lady behind the counter (I did not get a name) but they had plenty of flavor. & the veggie chow mein was also very good. read more

Dumpling Era - Pork Dumpling with Green Chives Pork and Shrimp Dumpling with Green Chives Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings Veggie Chow Mein - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

3.5/5 Small hole in the wall shop with some street parking in front of the store. My favorite was the shrimp torn noodle which had a good amount of shrimp and chewy noodles with a great sauce on it. The pork and cabbage noodles were also very good with texture and filling. The sheng jian bao was just okay (only four small buns with small filling.) The liang pi tasted kind of soggy and had a slight bitter taste and too much garlic so I would skip it. read more

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Had high expectations due to high ratings but it was just okay. We came by for dinner and we were seated right away. It's so cold inside the restaurant btw. Service: 3/5 Only 3 tables inside but the waitress didn't really check in so my fiancé had to physically go up to her to ask for our check and then to pay. Food: 3/5 Wonton noodle soup - Not much flavor and the broth looked as clear as day which was our first time lol. Pretty sure they use handmade noodles here, which were also just okay. Shrimp torn noodle - Much more flavorful, tasted more like soy sauce? Not much noodles or shrimps and more veggies. Seafood dumplings with cuttlefish ink - This was just sad. No seafood but just 1-2 tiny pieces of shrimps with mostly green onions and chives. read more

Dumpling Era - Shrimp Torn Noodle - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Ordered off DoorDash because I was craving some good comfort Chinese food. Got some black squid dumplings, beef pancakes, and chicken chow mein. It was all very tasty and satisfying! read more

Dumpling Era - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Or go-to dumpling joint, we pick up from there frequently and get their frozen ones as well. I'm a big fan of their corn dumplings but we haven't had a miss with anything on their menu. read more

Hole in the wall but a hidden gem It's loud as they turn dough into noodles. They don't buy store bought noodles, these are made fresh The location mainly caters to take out, the interior is industrial sparse. It's loud. The folks who work there speak Chinese loudly on their speaker phones But it's so awesome and the food is great read more

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Food was ok, pricey for what you received. Staff friendly, not very clean. I can't say I'm very satisfied

Ordered via their online platform for takeout and thought it'd take a long time to fulfill but the food was ready when I arrived. It was just ok, not much flavor and pretty oily. Plenty of street parking available. read more

I'd probably give 3.5 stars but will round up. The dumplings here are good, and there are some seafood and vegetarian options which is always nice. Scallion pancakes were crispy and oily and delicious. Green beans a bit overseasoned but cooked well. The knife cut noodles were ok, a little too oily and if not eaten hot straight from the kitchen they were t super good, and also there were not a lot of noodles in the vegetarian noodles, it was a lot of bean sprouts. This mostly looks like a to go place, server was friendly and attentive but the ambiance of the place is pretty stark, no music, lots of tables inside though. Steamed custard buns weren't super soft. So I'd recommend the dumplings here, and if you dine in it was fine for us because it was nice and quiet and we got to chat with our friends without feeling rushed, pretty much empty except for us on a Thursday night. Street parking was available nearby and not too hard to find just off El Camino. read more

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The food is delicious with frozen dumplings you can also purchase to make at home! Definitely would recommend!

The dumplings here are good, and I often order to go rather than dine in. The food is decent overall, but the to-go orders can sometimes be inconsistent, especially the fried items. They tend to get soggy when packed in the box. I like the beef roll, but I wish the cucumber was sliced thinner so it would be easier to bite and chew. Overall, not bad, and just a bit of feedback for improvement. read more

This place is authentic and no frills. Stopped in here for lunch while waiting for some friends to arrive at SFO airport. When we walked in there was an older gentleman sitting at a table, hand making dumplings presumably for the evening dinner crowd. I enjoyed the pork dumplings with dill. The dill was not what I typically would have gravitated towards, but our server recommended it and I'm glad I took her advice. It was not an overpowering flavor and really complimented the pork. Pot stickers were hot, fresh and tasty as they should be. read more

Dumpling Era - Vegetable Spring Roll - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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This was our third visit in three years. The restaurant is small and we walked in just after noon. There were maybe four tables in use and one waiting to be cleared. We were greeted and pointed to a four-top. Menus and set-ups were already on the table. A pot of tea was brought out and the server went back to answering phones and wrapping dumplings. It took a minute to catch her eye when we were ready. We ordered three items and I let her 'talk' me into a fourth. Mom doesn't eat nearly as much when out but she'll tear it up at home. We ordered: Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings - 5 - Excellent again! Yes, a bit pricey but we'll worth it! Shrimp with Knife-Cut Noodles - 5 - I could smell the wok hay as she brought the dish to the table. The Shrimp were beautifully cooked as were the noodles. Soft and thin, similar to Egg Noodles. Delicious! Steamed BBQ Pork Buns - no score - We were between doctors appointments and our hour for lunch was coming to an end. We had only received 2 out of 4 dishes. I asked the server how much longer. Like a deer in headlights, she took a guess and went the wrong way. Instead of going to the kitchen and asking, she guesses 15 minutes? I asked if I could cancel it and she said no. I told her that we still had to leave so just box it up for us. She came back to the table with boxes for the food we already had and told us just another 2 or 3 minutes. When the check came, we were only charged for three items. The item that I had let her "talk me into" didn't show up. In case you're wondering, it was Xiao Long Bao. The food is generally very good. The service is questionable. I would recommend this restaurant for their food but not if you have time restrictions. read more

Dumpling Era - Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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I've only had takeout here and i would highly recommend the beef roll and the pork baby back riblets (very sweet which i love, like candy) the flavor is so rich and i love it! Pricing is extremely fair and has quite a lot of deals on door dash for it too! Will definitely return for the other stuff read more

Smell pulled me in from the street! Loved the mom and pop feel. Service was very friendly and the food looks delicious. read more

Dumpling Era - 9. Chicken Chow Mein 14. Pork Dumpling with Dill 2. San Tung Style Chicken Wings - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

*They offer their handmade frozen dumplings to-go so you can cook it yourself at home whenever you'd like! Absolutely love it! *Catering options are also offered, both through UberEats and in-store Crispy tofu: crispy and not dry, but could be more moist; nicely flavored and not too spicy at all Hot & sour soup: super delicious (my absolute favorite hot & sour soup in the bay), medium spice, good amount of ingredients loaded into it so it's somewhat filling Szchuan spicy wontons: flavorful, tasty, thinly wrapped Garlic cucumber: Enjoyable, taste as expected Steamed bbq pork bun: Same as above Walnut shrimp w/honey & wasabi sauce: fresh, saucy, but I didn't love the wasabi sauce with it Sesame chicken: ordered a few times! Yum! Pork & cabbage dumplings: medium wrapped, consistent, and juicy read more

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Price has been raised a little higher than my previous visit. But they have many variety of food, great taste and excellent customer service. read more

Thanks to my fellow Yelpers for the rec, this little place is spot on! Delicious, fresh, authentic, I definitely recommend a stop in if you are craving dim sum or noodles. We have a stop over in San Francisco before heading on to our final travel destination and did a quick search for dim sum as we were leaving the airport. And after scrolling through about 20 reviews, we decided on this place. I love a good "hole in the wall", divey (if that's a word) and scratch made eatery. Ambiance is not a strong point if you are looking for mid to upper scale setting. But, if you can put appearances aside and listen to your stomach, then consider yourself home! This is a smallish shop, clean and with hot tea service (no alcohol). The service is fast, friendly and with a smile. There is a lady in the back, CRANKING out handmade wontons (be still my heart!) The portions are huge and family style! My daughter and I ordered enough for a six person family and judging from the look of surprise on the chef's face, we did a good job of polishing off most of it! ‍ One thing we tried that i had never heard of is the beef roll. It's really good and way bigger than i had thought. Kind of like a calzone. Highly recommend the spicy wonton and the knife cut noodles with shrimp. These knife cut noodles had such a luscious, silky mouth feel, i could have slurped them all day! We also enjoyed the fried spring rolls and shao mai. Price point is very reasonable. We had six different dishes for $64, which includes tax. Just about $10 per dish with huge servings. We have plenty of leftovers in our hotel fridge for later Anyway, jump out of your comfort zone and dive in to flavor town at Dumpling Era, you won't be disappointed! read more

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Pretty darn good food. Has a homemade quality and feel too, which was nice. Definitely a place to come back to. read more

Extensive menu of noodles - torn, knife cut, regular - and dumplings - all handmade, good chewiness and flavorful. Not at all trendy, just a small, old fashioned nicely kept family cafe near SFO. We had XLB, spicy wonton dumplings, scallion pancake, garlic broccoli, mapo tofu with noodles. Only two of us and we took a lot home. I always want more scallions in my pancake so I wish there was more flavor to it. The spicy wonton was a bit sweet which might be nice for some, not for me. But otherwise flavors were good and I wish I could have tried more. Another time! Nice people. Don't come here for ambiance however. And respect for the chili sauce on the table! read more

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My out of town family came here for take out to eat back at their hotel and they really loved it! They highly recommended it so I came here recently with my family and were not disappointed. The first things I noticed going into the restaurant were the high ceilings and the lady in the back making fresh noodles and dumplings by hand. Love it! The dining area is not huge but has a good amount of tables. Came here on a Sunday for lunch and almost all the tables were full by the time we were done eating. We ordered the following and recommend each one: Beef roll (our fave dish with the crisy outside and moist meat with just enough hoisin sauce. we loved so mcuh we ordered another one after finishing the first one) Beef knife cut noodles (loved the bite and chew of these but I needed scissors to cut the long noodles) Chicken torn noodles (loved the bite and chew of these) Shanghia soup dumplings aka XLB (these were good but the skin was thicker than I like) Pan fried pork dumplings (these were good but might try unfried next time) I can see why my family recommended this place so much. They still tell me about it! I will be back again when I am in the area! read more

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Picked up some food for lunar new year to bring to my aunt's place to make up for being late to lunar new year celebrations every year and it did not disappoint. You've heard of Taylor Swift's eras but dumpling era is my kind of era bwahahaha. I have always ordered takeout and love their pig ears, beef tendon, pea sprouts with garlic, shrimp and chive dumplings, pork and chive dumplings, and black bean noodle. Everything hear hits the spot and I can't wait to come back ! Also their orange hot sauce stings, but it's still good! read more

Fast and efficient and super delicious! I love that I'm able to go here after a long Sunday and they're open late! Even late night had fresh and yummy food! read more

My favorite dish to order here is the pork and corn dumplings. I could eat a whole order just to myself. But there's a bunch of other really great food options here too, like the green onion pancake and the many noodle dishes. The price is reasonable and the food is always consistent. The only thing that deters me from coming here more often is that the parking is near impossible. It's on a really busy street (El Camino Real) and it's all street parking. The restaurant has a few tables and it's never been an issue getting a table here when we walk in. The staff here is friendly. If you can handle some spice, be sure to try their orange sauce! It's my favorite thing about this restaurant. It pairs very well with the dumplings. read more

I'm surprised I haven't reviewed this place yet as I thought I did. This is probably one of the best places for Dumplings (水饺) because they are delicious here. The price is decent and you get to see them making them because someone is always making them nonstop. Service is good enough but the place is very small and parking can get annoying unless you get lucky and found parking right outside. However food wise I like almost all the options because the dumplings are very good and they are fresh. There are many different options so I suggest you go with a couple of people so you get to try multiple choices. read more

A true hidden gem! Dumpling Era in San Bruno is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall treasure. Every dish I've tried here is an absolute 10/10--seriously, not a single miss. Their spicy wontons are out of this world--perfectly tender, flavorful, and with just the right kick. And the spicy green beans? Addicting. I could eat them every day. You can taste the love and authenticity in every bite. It's the kind of spot you almost don't want to tell people about because you want to keep it all to yourself, but they absolutely deserve the praise. read more

Oct 2023 Got food delivery, and was better than my last visit with their food since that sat in my car for a long while to get home. I had gotten the seven color tofu, beijing style bean paste noodles with pork, mustard green noodle soup with tofu, and garlic green beans. Everything had good flavors. The tofu was definitely better a bit fresher. The beijing style noodles were good once mixed, though I wish I had a bigger bowl for stirring it all together. I tried the shake and bake it method but it doesn't work very well with those containers unfortunately haha. The noodz all had good flavor though. I liked the simple broth for the noodle soup. It was nice and fresh with the veggies the next day. Garlic green beans were as expected, prepared well nonetheless and the flavors worked. read more

Dumpling Era - Garlic green beans - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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The one star represents the delivery company they use. I love their food but getting it delivered to me is a whole new ordeal. I live 15 minutes away from them but in a condo complex with multiple buildings. I put pretty explicit directions but they just can't find my building. My last order was dumped in the lobby of another building. Delivery person texted me he 'delivered' it. Luckily someone in a building next to me found it & called me. So until Dumpling Era uses another delivery service I will not be enjoying their food. read more

In the area visiting my sister and met here for lunch. BIL and sister come here often and note how much they like the noodles. Although I didn't try the Bean paste noodles with pork, the kiddos seemed to like it a lot. The beef roll was also a hit at our table, although I didn't get to try that either. I enjoyed the pig ears and dumplings, which one can watch get freshly made. We also ordered the pan-fried pork dumplings. They were good, but a bit too doughy for my liking. I'd definitely return when wanting a dumpling fix. read more

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Unique food all around but I enjoyed immensely. Their vinegar tops that off because they have a little sugary twist. Their menu is huge and we almost ordered 1 dish from every section - we picked 7 and almost 8 until the waitress kindly less us know we'd ordered enough for the 2 of us Most interesting item for me was crispy tofu but all were tasty - need to get the salted egg yolk chicken wing next time read more

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Knife curved noodle was so good!! And we always order black fungus with cucumber, which is so tasty and never going wrong. read more

I spent a lot of time sitting in my car on El Camino real in Millbrae, looking on Yelp trying to figure out which of the dozen or more Chinese restaurants in the area were most favored. And I narrowed it down to Dumpling Era. Even though I wasn't wanting dumplings right then, just basic Chinese food, the reviews were really good. So I decided to get my standards, chow mein and Kung Pao. For me, with chicken, I'm a bit of a snob and only like chicken breast. Unfortunately, a lot of Chinese restaurants only carry dark meat, and Dumpling Era is no exception. So my second choice is always shrimp and so I got shrimp chow mein and Kung Pao shrimp. Folks, the chow mein is absolutely out of this world! So many chow meins I've had in this area are flavorless, or the noodles don't taste fresh or are overcooked, or the sauce they use tastes weird, even sometimes like ketchup. But not at Dumpling Era! They have one of the best chow meins I've ever had in my life! It actually has kind of a smoky flavor, which might be because they put those long stringy mushrooms in there. And the noodles taste so FRESH, like they were just made, and have a wonderful "al dente" texture. SO good! The Kung Pao, however, was a little bit of a disappointment for me. Kung Pao can be made in so many different ways, and this one is one that has a particular type of sauce that I didn't love. Don't get me wrong, completely edible, and I think some people will actually like it a lot, depending upon their taste... I just have a particular liking for it in a different style and there's a place I go to in downtown SF for that (DM me if you want to know what that is). But I'm not taking away any stars for that as that's just a matter of personal preference, and I think they do a really great job here and I will be coming back again and again for the chow mein and will try some other dishes as well. read more

It was ok. Restaurant could have been a lot cleaner. There was no cabbage in the chicken chow mein. read more

Dumpling Era - The start of dumplings - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

The food was all right. Nothing special but reasonably priced. Will come back to try more items. A bit of a surprise to get a paper plate, plastic spoon, disposable chopstick and small plastic container (for sauce) as your setting when you sit down. Oooohhh-kayyyy... So we ordered the following: chicken and chive dumplings 3/5: Was this freshly made? You see the lady sitting there patiently wrapping a bunch of dumplings but which one was she wrapping? Couldn't help but wonder if it was a frozen pack that they just boiled. san tung like chicken 3/5: If it had tasted like san tung we'd be there all the time. Sadly, it was nothing like san tung (maybe that's a good thing or they'd get in trouble with san tung!). The chicken had batter on it and it was too sour to be san tung. Oh well. Back to the city we go for that! 7 color deep fried tofu 3/5: Super crispy but didn't see the 7 colors. A bit spicy for the first bite but you get used to it. Really just fried tofu with spices. Eh. pan fried shanghai dumpling 3/5: There was juice in it. Not the best I've had, but not the worse. They seem to have regulars come in all the time and their taro root bun that someone at another table ordered looked intriguing. Maybe we ordered wrong so I think we'll give it another try... read more

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Quick take: grimy The table tops, all the sauce and chili holders, and tea pot are really dirty and sticky. The walls are dirty with splatters of sauce and chili sauce. This place needs a good pressure wash. The Shanghai dumplings (6) weren't good. I do not recommend this item. I did like the pork, shrimp, and chive dumplings (12) and the chicken dumplings (12). I would recommend takeout if you would like to try the food. 10% off for cash paying customers. read more

Dumpling Era - Pass on the Shanghai dumplings - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Decent noodles and dumplings, not too far away from SFO for those travelers coming in. Sparsely decorated inside and parking isn't great but the food is good and it's open fairly late for this area. Had beef noodle soup, pan fried dumplings, scallion pancake with egg, and beef knife cut noodles. All were good and came out fairly fast. read more

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