This is definitely what they call a "hole in the wall" spot. I entered through the parking lot, and the pathway is through the KITCHEN which I thought was a bit odd that they allowed customers to walk pass this area. I will say it felt a little dirty and unorganized walking through and witnessing the back area but hey I'm here for the food right? Onto the positives, there was a lady that was making dumplings with a mountain of filling and fresh noodles on the spot where you can visually see her work which made me excited to taste! Knife cut beef noodles - I did not know what knife cut meant nor know what to expect.. but I thoroughly enjoyed the texture of the noodles. It was a little thinner than the chow fun noodles, and they stirred fried it with beef, mushrooms, and various veggies. Delicious! Canton Style Chicken wings - the "canton" style seasoning is essentially the dry spices added to basic fried chicken. It's not bad but nothing special! Garlic green beans - I've eaten at a lot of different dumpling spots and always ordered the green beans dish. This one definitely had an extra sour kick to it compared to normally just garlic type of string beans. Everything was served on paper plates, cups, and togo boxes which I thought was odd. Outside of that the food was pretty good, I would definitely comeback if I'm in the area! read more

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The spicy beef tendon was flavorful and nicely cut thin style. The pork and Napa dumplings were juicy and recommend to eat while hot or juices will dry up. Nice Thick skin, which I enjoyed. The lamb w knife cut noodles had nice wok flavor. The only disappointment was the Beijing bean noodle, looks good but bland, not sure but missing something Will return to try the Shanghai dumplings, pan fried dumplings and spicy fried tofu. read more

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I have been here a couple times and each time is always really good. The restaurant is always picks up immediately via phone or accepts my orders instantly on door dash. The dumplings taste so flavorful and the dough tastes fresh. Sitting down inside was really good and clean but I prefer to do take most of the time. Will definitely order again when the cravings hit for some dumplings read more

Stars: 3.5 Chinese food is never my preference when going out to eat, so it takes a lot to impress me. My five of us were able to get seated on a Sunday afternoon. They also utilize yelp waitlist. If you can't find parking in the front, there's parking in the back of the building. If you link your card on groupon, you can get some cash back. There may also be 20% cash back on groupon+ as well. We ordered seven dishes and it was a perfect amount of food. We got three orders of Xiao Long Bao (XLB - soup dumplings) and one order of regular dumplings. They were both just average. Not sure how to describe it but wasn't a huge fan of the flavor of the soup in the XLB. It seemed really fatty/greasy. I really enjoyed the beef knife cut noodles. It's like beef chow fun but with even thinner/flatter noodles. The salted egg yolk chicken wings were interesting! I would recommend trying them out. And lastly you can never go wrong (most of the time) with garlic green beans. Nothing to complain about regarding service. I would not be opposed to coming back. read more

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We were happy with the pick-up service. The front desk girl was attentive and friendly. Our order included: Crispy tofu (seven color), Sweet and Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs, Shanghai Pan Fried Soup Dumpling, Beef Chow Mein, and Hot Spicy Shredded Pork. Perhaps because I'm from Shanghai, I have a higher standard for food categorized as "Shanghai" food. I definitely enjoyed crispy tofu because of its crispy skin and interesting spices they put on. Sweet and sour pork baby back ribs is a traditional Shanghainese dish. But Dumpling era's version isn't quite Shanghainese. It's more like stewed meat, tender and soft. They also added star anise, which made it not so authentic. But I get it. Dumpling era is not a Shanghainese restaurant. :) Beef Chow Mein is our favorite. Just the way it should taste like. Dumpling era has a lot of noodle and dumpling selections but limited "wok" selection. I would go back and try a few more different dishes. read more

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2nd visit Chewy wide noodle chicken was not so chewy nor tasty today.Kind of disappointed. But, the pan fried shanghai dumpling with soup inside saved the day. read more

Dumpling Era - 2. Crispy Tofu-7 Color - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Great Dumpling spot. Small from the outside with about 10 tables inside. A variety of dishes to choose from for just about every picky eater. Located within walking distance from my location, I entered through the rear parking lot and you have to walk through the kitchen area which is a little different. Once we ordered our food it was brought to our table rather quickly. Every dish was cooked to perfection the flavors of the food was amazing. The beef roll is definitely at the top of must haves. If you haven't been here you need to visit and try some of the best San Bruno has to offer. read more

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Horrible indoor dining experience. I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to service during covid, it's tough we get it. But this was something else. Really a shame, the food was actually decent. Service - imagine someone was holding a grudge because you owe them something - that's pretty much the attitude we got. The dude who served our table said no word the entire time. Got some seriously long finger nails and he wasn't shy to poke his fingers inside the rims of our water cup. He dropped some plastic utensils and promptly left the table without realizing it was missing a set which we asked for twice before the dude snatched a set from the table next to us, again saying no word. The menus were made of paper that were clearly meant for single use, but nah they gave them to us anyway, wrinkly with oil spots on them. Our water cups said "coffee" on them. Table was wobbly and sticky with some sort of ink imprinted on it. Food - got the Dan Dan noodle and dumplings. To be fair the flavor was good. Dan Dan noodle was decent but the noodle was overcooked so it was soggy. Dumplings were fairly well made. The only complaint was the vinegar was sweet (?). I wish they served plain Chinese vinegar instead. read more

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I think Dumpling Era has average food for anyone who is craving dumplings. I was in the airport hotel for a conference and I was craving some food that was not hotel food, so I decided to venture out a little. Dumpling Era is located in a quiet part of town (there was not a lot around the area). The restaurant itself is small-ish. Our waitress was nice and attentive and I decided to try a few things: 1. Green bean with garlic - Probably one of the favorite of my dinner. I thought that the green bean was cooked perfectly and they had so much sauce on it, but it was not salty 2. XLB - You can't come to a dumpling place without trying the XLB. Since Dumpling Era reminded me so much of Din Tai Fung, I had to make the comparison and Din Tai Fund definitely won out. I did not like the skin, there was too much of it (although there was a lot of soup). The inside was also sort of average (nothing spectacular). 3. Beef Pancake - I thought it was just OK. The taste reminded me of peking duck (plum sauce and cucumbers). The beef was just average and I thought that there was too much plum sauce. 4. Dan Dan Noodles - I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed this dish. The peanut sauce was flavorful, but not overwhelming. The only thing I wished was that the noodles were a little fresher. I noticed that there were alot of dumpling places in this area, so I am not sure if I would come back. But, Dumpling Era serviced my dinner needs while near the airport. read more

We got take out from Dumpling Era and it was great! The 7-color tofu is something we've never tried before and it was unbelievable.

I came here last week and was pleased to see that their business was doing well now that most Covid restrictions have lifted. There were even parties outside, waiting for a table! We decided to not over-order and got the pork & corn steamed dumplings, green onion pancake, cold five spice marinated beef and cold sesame noodles. I enjoyed the dumplings, especially with their spicy orange sauce (it's pretty spicy so beware for those who aren't into spicy foods!) and the green onion pancake was the perfect crispiness. The marinated beef was probably my least favorite, it didn't have that five spice flavor I was hoping for and there's just something a little off with eating cold meat (but maybe that's just me). The noodles were good but hard to eat a ton of because it was heavy on the mala taste. Well...halfway through our meal, we decided to ditch our plan of not over-ordering and got their San-Tung style wings (that's really what it's called) and the garlic bok choy. Bok choy was great and the portion was huge! San-Tung wings were ok but definitely not as good as the real thing! Overall, I enjoyed eating here and can't wait to come back to try more! read more

This review is based on take out order and pick up. I called in my order with friendly service. I was told approximate time when ready for pick up. I was lucky to find parking on the street right on the storefront. So pick up was a breeze. They packaged all the food items in secure containers and it was still hot/warm upon arriving home to eat. I ordered the scallion pancake that had a nice crisp though soft middle, vegetarian dumpling and chow mein. All the food was good though not much flavor from the dumpling so sauces to your taste definitely helped. read more

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Was craving some comfort food - Dumpling era is open for dine in, and they're definitely being cautious with the disposable cutlery, plates, and bowls. Despite the huge amount of waste we still really enjoyed the food! Ox tail torn noodle soup - there's a lot of noodles in this, but not enough soup! The soup was so tasty and the ox tail was thoroughly cooked and super soft (easily comes off the bone when you bite into it) too bad there wasn't quite enough ox tail (compared to the amount of noodles) but it was definitely tasty Lamb knife cut noodles - the waitress recommended that we try the knife cut noodles and they did not disappoint! I highly recommend getting the knife cut noodles (I feel like there would not be a huge difference between meat/vegetarian, it's a personal preference l) Shanghai soup dumplings 小籠包 - these didn't quite hit the spot because the skin was a little too thick, and there wasn't quite enough soup for a soup dumpling. Beef roll pancake - these tasted and looked super good! The pancake was slightly crispy on the outside but the middle was chewy (instead of doughy) so it really did feel handmade. Highly recommend getting some kind of scallion pancake whether it's rolled or plain! Salted egg yolk chicken wings - these were good and crispy but definitely high cholesterol! Chicken Dumpling with Chinese Spinach - for a dumpling store, I'd definitely say their dumplings aren't their strong suit. We felt that the skin was too thick, but to be fair there was a lot of filling and it was well marinated and tasty. Spicy Sesame Paste Liang Pi - the menu does not mention that it's numbing spice! The more you eat the spicier it gets, so only get this if you love that kinda spice! We had a good experience here and also a huge food coma afterwards...! Definitely would come back for the noodles and scallion pancakes and it hit the spot for a greatly needed comfort food fix read more

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I ate at this restaurant for the first time last Friday, May 7 as in-person dining. We called ahead and asked if they were open for dine-in, said yes, so we came! COME HERE FOR THE DUMPLINGS! There's something about fresh dumplings. This place is it. We ordered 1 order of napa cabbage and pork... so good! Their sauce is also the perfect amt of vinegar and soy sauce. Yum!! I unfortunately couldn't handle the spicy sauce because it's SUPER spicy for me but he enjoyed it! We had the dan dan noodle traditional hot, mapo tofu noodle, crispy tofu, and 1 order of dumplings all w/ a reasonable and affordable price. Overall we loved the crispy tofu and the dumplings the most. The tofu is sweet, spicy, salty, and although I admit I had a hard time eating it because it was a little too spicy for me, it was still hard to resist. The dumplings tasted super fresh. The noodles themselves were also very chewy and fresh too. Who doesn't love freshly made noodles?! other things to note: -SUPER BUSY around dinner rush 6pm-7pm. We noticed so many online orders personally coming in to pick up, the DDash drivers picking up the food to deliver, and then you have the people who want to dine in, and it's just a lot of human traffic AND then the phones are ringing too. -Only 2 people were working all online orders and serving the in-person customers, and then probably one or two cooks in the back and one woman making all the fresh dumplings near the freezer!! -TABLES are noticeably dusty/dirty (saw a layer of dust but not sure if they're wiping down the tables or if that's just something that stuck on there over time?) and not a lot of tables available either. It felt kinda gross seeing the dust (it bothers me so much when I see dust...or not cleaning for a while...) so if you're not comfortable, order for pick up? -they're using plastic containers (the one you get when you order for pick up/delivery) when you're dining in person. I personally wasn't bothered by it and was kinda smart because obviously I didn't finish my food, so all I had to ask for was a lid! I'd come back for the tofu and more dumplings! read more

Consistently good takeout. Good dumpling comfort food. Fried spicy tofu is interesting too.

This place is a nothing fancy when you come in and eat. Dumpling Era is close to my work so I try to make it to eat Beef Noodle Soup, Onion Pan cake, dumplings and some hand toss noodle of some kind. I have to say they all taste very homemade and good. It is one of the best in the bay area. The skins on the dumplings are very good, and the noodles you can tell are hand made. I have no yet tried everything else on their menu, but I'm looking forward to it. As I was eating there I also saw lot and lots of Doordash orders to go. People where ordering food to go and some customers would stop in an buy the frozen dumplings and the Xiao long baos and take it home and cook it. There is that option too. Price point is average, and if you pay cash they have a 10% discount on the bill. Parking is street parking, and I can usually find one pretty close to the restaurant. I think it is worth a try! read more

We rushed from airport to Dumpling Era, even had a reservation. We made it into the restaurant and checked in prior to 40 minutes before closing hours , yet they refused to seat us . Instead, we were told to do take out. Scanning the room on a Friday night, there were plenty of other diners. We also had a group . Thus, it didn't make sense. It was upsetting. Why take reservations if you are going to turn us away? Waste of time getting there! Being on a plane for hours...We were starving and needed food. Instead, we had to find another restaurant. Bad, bad, bad. read more

Visited restaurant and dined in on 08/07/2021 Every time I drive by this place there is always a long line. I now see why. I ordered the sui mai, shrimp and pork dumplings and knife cut noodles. The knife cut noodles were nice and firm and the soup broth wasn't too salty. Dumplings were filled with loads of meat and crunchy vegetables. I parked at the back of the restaurant and had to walk through the kitchen. Yes, the restaurant is a little hole in the wall BUT the dumplings are fresh, juicy and delicious. The soy sauces on the table are actually vinegar and soy sauce mix. There is not chili oil for dumplings it's more of a siracha type sauce. I wish they had ginger for my dumplings. Our server was so nice and made sure to refill our water glasses. I will for sure go back and visit this place. read more

Dumpling Era - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

We feel incredibly lucky to have found this Dumpling restaurant. At first we were unsure if this spot would exceed our exceptions because of the hype around it. But they lived up to it. Every bite of food was better than the last! Definitely recommend trying multiple types of dumplings on the menu. Great value as well! We were soooo full for under $60! read more

Dumpling Era - Shanghai Soup Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

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Legit dumplings and noodles. Everything is handmade, fresh and delicious. Hot sauce is bomb. Service is quick and efficient. Try it! read more

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Some of the freshest Chinese food I've had in a long time and that's saying a lot because I was born in New York. Everything we tried was good but, some of my favorites were the spring rolls, hot and sour soup, veggie fried rice, and the green beans. Their dumplings were also delicious and not only do they have a wide variety but, you can even take some frozen ones home with you. The service was very fast and friendly. The vibe is super chill. Will definitely be back when I'm in the area. read more

I stopped by Dumpling Era this afternoon for lunch because Morning Wood down the street was closed for lunch (too many parties waiting, and it was close to 2:00 p.m. which was when the restaurant was closing). I'm so glad I did! The food at Dumpling Era is *really* good. With my two friends, we got the fried tofu, the salted egg yolk chicken wings, pork roll pancake, two types of dumplings, and knife cut lamb noodles. I've been to a lot of Taiwanese places in Sunset, Richmond, and South Bay that offer much of the same menu and Dumpling Era's food comes out on top. I'd definitely come back! read more

Ordered through yelp and did pick up. Got the squid ink dumpling, pork dumpling, beef tendon, green beans, dan dan mein, salty egg fried chicken, soup dumpling, and soup noodle. What can I say, everything was delicious. I enjoyed the fried chicken which did taste like salty egg yolk and not just a bland coating thrown on it. I always love the noodles and the dumplings were good as they were still hot. read more

Dumpling Era - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

I've visited Dumpling Era a few times, not sure why it's never busy since the food is decent. Pork and Napa Cabbage Dumplings - flavorful and tasty, but the skin could be thinner. Pork and Chives Dumplings - flavorful and tasty, but the skin could be thinner. Vegetarian Dumplings - compared to the meat dumplings, the vegetarian lacked flavor. XLB - flavorful and tasty, but the skin could be thinner. Love that it's juicy as well. Beef Noodle Soup - I don't eat beef, but the other guests in my party said it's flavorful. The noodles were fresh and chewy. You can tell the noodles are hand pulled. 7 Color Crispy Tofu - skin was nicely crisp and the spice level wasn't overpowering. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the "mala" flavor. Spinach Knife Cut Noodles - Noodles are fresh, homemade, and chewy. Overall, food hasn't disappointed me yet. read more

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My family and I stumbled on this place when we were searching on Yelp for a place to have lunch. My daughter wants dumplings and noodles. My son prefers rice. We parked and walked in and were able to get a table for 4. We placed an order of the following: Hot and Sour Soup (small) which feeds two to three people. Garlic Black Fungus Salad with Cucumber: Needed more seasoning but good. Marinated Pigs Ears - Love this, fresh and has lots of flavors. Spicy Beef Soup Noodles Fresh Noodle with Hot & Spicy Shredded Pork Sauce with bell pepper: Highly recommend this dish. Very tasty, with a little tang, and not that spicy at all to me. Spicy Won Ton - High recommend. The won ton was delish and the chili sauce was just perfect. Pork Dumpling with Green Chives - The dumpling skin was perfectly made. Not the doughy thick skin that some dumpling restaurant serves. Pork Shrimp Dumpling with Green Chives was also really good. The service was wonderful and friendly waitress. The order came out fairly fast. Highly recommend this place if you are looking for some dumplings and what can I say, parking was easy. If you want to see how they make the dumplings, there are two aunties making them on the spot. read more

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Great handmade dumplings, highly recommended! We ordered Pork Dumpling with Napa Cabbage, Spicy Wonton, Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings, and Shanghai Pan Fried Soup Dumpling. The Pork Dumpling with Napa Cabbage was my favorite, the skin is the perfect texture, you can tell it's handmade dumpling skin! The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings were delicious too, very crispy skin! They also sell frozen dumplings to go! Overall, I would highly recommend this place! read more

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Came for dinner with two other friends on a Wed evening around 7 pm. Surprisingly, the restaurant was full, so I added my party to the Yelp waitlist. We were seated maybe 10 minutes later. Ordered a number of items to share and most were either hit or miss. There were some that were pretty solid and others that fell flat, but there weren't many dishes in between. We ordered (** marks my favorites): Szechuan wontons ($6): one order comes with 5 wontons. It wasn't too spicy but was rather vinegar-y, so I only ate one. If you like vinegar, then you'll really enjoy this dish Salted egg yolk chicken wings ($8.50): this seems to be a popular dish here as I saw multiple tables order it, but it fell a bit flat for us. The wings come coated in a generous amount of egg yolk, but it was too much egg yolk and we left a lot of it uneaten. Also the egg yolk didn't stick to the chicken and fell off when you picked up the chicken wing. I wish the wings were coated in a way where it wouldn't fall off. I think the restaurant relies on the salted egg yolk to provide some flavor, but since most of it fell off, the wings were a bit bland **Pork dumpling with green chives ($7.50): solid dumplings and the homemade skin wasn't too thick Zhajiang mian (Beijing style bean paste noodles, $7.90): I didn't eat this but the friend who got it said 1) there were too many vegetables since traditionally zhajiang mian isn't served with carrots or bean sprouts and 2) there wasn't enough sauce for all of the noodles. The noodles themselves were good, but overall the dish was lackluster **Braised lamb noodle soup ($9.95): favorite dish of the meal across the table. The lamb was tender and the broth flavorful, the dish came with a generous amount of bok choy, and the noodles were made well with the right consistency Service was a little on the slow side. Every time I wanted to get someone's attention for something, it took a couple minutes for me to make eye contact and wave someone over. read more

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Right before the last lockdown hit San Mateo County, my friends and I decided to do a last minute friendsgivingmas eve of sorts. (Yes, we combined all three holidays!) We had originally wanted to cook, but since there was no time to prep, we decided to order from Dumpling Era. One if us placed an order for delivery via Grubhub on Thursday, December 17th. Our dinner for six arrived around 7:30pm. *Appetizer - 4. 夫妻肺片 Couple's Delight ($9.50): Spicy *Appetizer - 15. 凉拌猪耳丝 Marinated Pig Ears ($8.50) x2 *Small Plate - 4. 金砂鸡翅 Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings ($9): 6 pieces x2 *Dim Sum - 1. 上海小笼包 Shanghai Soup Dumplings ($8.50): 6 Pieces *Dim Sum - 2. 蟹肉小笼包 Crab Meal Soup Dumpling ($15) *Wok - 6. 孜然牛肉 Cumin Beef ($10.90): Spicy *Vegetable - 4. 蒜蓉大豆苗 Garlic Pea Shoots ($15) x2 *Hand Pulled & Hand Made Noodles - 1.担担面(冷) Dan Dan Noodle (Cold) ($8.90): Spicy *Hand Pulled & Hand Made Noodles - 10.虾炒面 Shrimp Chow Mein ($9.90) *Hand Pulled & Hand Made Noodles - 25.麻婆豆腐面 MaPo Tofu Noodle(Vege) ($9.45): no onions (In recapping what we ordered, I just realized we may have used the mapo tofu noodles in the dan dan noodle dish. That item was extremely large. I didn't place the order, so if there is a standalone map tofu, I believe that's what got instead. I could only find the noodle dish on the Grubhub menu. Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming...) I adore dau miu, so I wanted the pea shoots. These were cooked nicely. Garlicky, leafy, and super tasty. At times this dish can arrive a little mushy with delivery. Not true here! I'm actually glad we got two orders as some of my friends had never had pea shoots. They loved them! (Plus, I can eat a whole one by myself.) The salted egg yolk chicken wings were delish. Not something I would have been drawn too, but I ended up adoring them. The salted egg went perfectly with the meaty crispy fried chicken. The pig's ears were gelatinous with a nice chew. (I know that description is kinda gross, but I can't think of any other way to describe it. So good!) I only wished we had asked for hot sauce so I could make mine spicy. I hadn't had couple's delight in a while, so this satisfied the craving. Again, I did find myself wishing it were spicier. What can I say? I wanna burn my mouth off. The cumin beef had a nice mild flavor, but I found the meat slightly dry. The two dumplings were standard. I wanted the xiao long bao to burst in my mouth, but unfortunately, it wasn't very soupy. (Okay, bring on the TWSS jokes!) I didn't try the other dishes as I was staying away from the carb centric ones. Didn't need to add more to my current SIP 10. Great option for Szechuan type Chinese food. Our bellies were full and happy. read more

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The food is excellent! Some of the most delicate pastry used in the dumpling and noodles I've ever had (and that's a lot!). There are so many authentic dishes that you will rarely see, if ever, at another restaurant. The service was attentive and efficient (although we were only one of two tables seated at the time we were there). I'm not overly concerned or expectant regarding ambiance but it would be nice if they could lose the paper plates and Jr. chop sticks, my only criticism. I will definitely be going back soon! read more

Dumpling era is my absolute favorite! I get the beef knife cut noodles, the seven spice tofu and dumplings. It's a must try.

The flavors are very inconsistent. The shao long bao is really good here however: The strings beans were on the salty side. The boiled dumpling, chicken and chives was bland. The couples delight was not spicy and did not have the same flavors, I suspect it is a variation of a similar dish under different name and this place just named it couple delight or they dont know how to make it. The flat hand cut noodles were very good with the right amount of saltyness and the texture was on point. The vegetarian dan dan type noodle was average. My biggest gripe with this place is the orange/yellow hot sauce was not good, this is pretty much the deal breaker for me. There are plenty of other places just like this all over the bay and they are much better so I will not be returning. read more

Not pleased with my experience here. The only plus was the new and modern setting, especially on a stretch of El Camino where many of the Chinese restaurants are quite dated or frankly, fallen into the dilapidated category after years of neglect. Only ordered two items. The Szechuan Wontons ($6.00/5 pieces) were very good and were nicely presented. They were wrapped in the traditional way, with firm skins flowing nicely, and a tasty filling inside. The item I made the trip here for though, the Oxtail Noodles ($11.90) were a real disappointment. The noodles were clearly overcooked and not at all chewy or al dente. I'm not sure if the noodles were overly frozen to the point that they couldn't possibly be al dente, or if the kitchen lacked complete attention during the cooking process. Nonetheless, I left a good portion of my noodles uneaten, which is completely unheard for me. To top it off, the broth was bland, and the oxtails were dry. Seriously, you could easily get a better noodle soup in a Chinese dive for less money. Ordering may be a problem here if you don't speak Chinese. I was inquiring about the width of the noodles in the various noodle soup dishes, and it became quickly apparent that conversing in English was getting me absolutely nowhere. I quickly switched to some basic Chinese, and all my questions were quickly answered. Hopefully, they're staffed with other waitstaff that speak English. This might be understandable in the heart of San Francisco Chinatown (where at least broken English is still typically spoken), but in the Peninsula, the staff should be versed in basic English to accommodate the general clientele at large. For the benefit of this new restaurant, I'm hoping that it was an off day. Due to their new decor, and the fact that I've only tried two dishes, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (3 stars instead of 2), but not to the point of returning. There are just way too many other noodle spots to choose from nowadays, and customers in search of dumpling and noodles can be choosy in the Bay Area. read more

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Dumpling Era serves up solid noodles, dumplings, and other Chinese comfort food. I had the squid ink dumplings, stir fried knife cut noodles, and pig ear appetizer. The squid ink dumplings were filled with a fragrant seafood filling, but it did feel like the squid ink was a gimmick. The knife cut noodles looked like the kind you get out of a machine, not from a real knife. I think next time I'd get the regular hand-made noodles to see if they're really handmade. And finally, the pig ear appetizer was decent, but not mouthwateringly delicious. I'd give this place a solid thumbs up for being an authentic joint hidden in the sprawling San Bruno. read more

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This is a literal hole in the wall restaurant! I would have never thought to come here if it weren't for a coupon I received. I had skepticism coming into the restaurant because it looked run down but there's more to it than what meets the eyes. I ordered a beef roll pancake, beef fried rice, salted egg yolk chicken wings, and chicken & corn soup. Beef roll pancake - $8.50 - pretty good. What threw me off was the big piece of cucumber in the middle of the roll, but it helped add a crunch to the pancake. Dip everything in the spicy sauce - amazing! Portions could be better since there were only four slices for $8.50. Beef fried rice - $8.90 - it was okay. My boyfriend doesn't eat mushrooms and the menu didn't provide the ingredients so we were not expecting mushrooms in our fried rice. Maybe ask the workers before ordering to make sure you don't get something that you don't want in your food. Salted egg yolk chicken wings - 6 pieces for $8.50 - ordered this because the title intrigued me. They were not skimp on the salted egg - it was good at first, but after a few wings it started getting a little too salty for me. Still good to try if you wanna try something different. Chicken & corn soup - $5 - It came straight out the pot so very hot! Great to sip on cold days. Broth was creamy and the portion was good for the price. All the food came in either plastic containers or the plastic lids. Eco-friendly...maybe? read more

Dumpling Era - Left: Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings Middle: Beef Fried Rice Right: Beef Roll Pancake Top: Chicken and Corn Soup - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

The food was tasteless and very oily .There was little or no description of each dish . I will not get food from there again! read more

I haven't had dumplings this good in a long time! Pork and chive dumplings were delicious! I could have eaten all 12 pieces in one sitting if I didn't have other food in my order. The beef chow mein was so good as well! The handmade noodles melt in your mouth and the cuts of beef were super tender. Not fatty or chewy at all which I've experienced in other places. The beef pancake roll was ok. A little hard to eat given all the sauce in the pancake and the thickness of the cucumber. Beef and cucumber kept pushing out the back as I bit into it. I ordered by phone for pickup the next day. My food was ready right on time and was still warm when I ate it 45 min later. Nice staff and a discount for paying in cash. Bonus! All in all, a great experience. I will be back even with the 15 min drive from my house! read more

Dumpling Era - Beef chow mein. Beef pancake roll. Pork and chive dumplings. - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

This review is based on a take out order but I do want to say the restaurant interior is nicely done. The employees were very friendly and even offered me something to drink while I waited for my take out order. You take the menu with a pen and mark what you want. I guess there is no confusion of language barrier that way. Liked: - pork and chive dumplings - green beans - scallion pancake So so: - oxtail noodles was essentially one small oxtail - Shanghai dumplings too dry - bean thread noodles was a very very small portion Disliked - boc choy undercooked, not much taste The food overall was okay but not as tasty or memorable. I have been to better dumpling places but I am looking forward to trying them again one more time. read more

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Low prices, no fuss or frills. Fairly east street parking. Plastic utensils and plates so you know it's a true hole in the wall spot Service is adequate and doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. Food here is tasty, though not anything out of this world. Just a good, solid, affordable place to have a meal. read more

Dumpling Era - Beef Roll Pancake Garlic Baby Bok Choy Beef Knife Cut Noodle - Chinese Near Me - San Bruno, California

Dumpling Era was a Yelp discovery when I needed to find a place for a quick dinner on my first night in the Bay. This is also a strict COVID-19 era review as well as the order was for take out and their indoor space didn't really seem like it was welcoming guests. It's located on a nondescript stretch of El Camino Real, easily missed if you weren't deliberate in your search. The interior looked very much like your mom and pop Americanized Chinese testy and it's apparent some of their menu does serve that clientele. However, a further look shows that this is very much a dumpling shop. They serve traditional boiled dumplings, to Shanghai soup dumplings, to grilled dumplings. They do also have a small menu of noodle items which I believe are made with hand pulled noodles. The dumplings were indeed traditional, but on point with its flavor and texture. The pork and Napa cabbage dumpling was familiar. The shrimp pork and chive dumpling had a real nice skin and the grilled soup dumplings was delicate, yet packed a flavor punch. In fact the only thing that fell short for me was the Dan Dan mian which the noodles were over cooked and the sauce was extra oily and had a real odd texture, to the point that I would put it in the category of inedible. That aside, their dumplings definitely backs up the name of this establishment. Do yourself a favor, when you go to a place called dumpling era, just get dumplings and nothing else. Otherwise, you might leave disappointed. read more

I would say 2.5 - 3 out of 5. I wanted to try a different spot from my usual and after reading the reviews i was like okok i cant go wrong here .... WRONG it was like meh . The soup dumpling were weird mix pork that was sitting in sock water soup that would burst into your mouth once bitten into; i was not fond of the flavor whatsoever The shrimp and pork with chives were very chiveyy and still like an unusual flavor i couldnt put my finger on i thought the dipping sauce would at least bring the flavor together or more appetizing but it didnt . It didnt taste like soy vinegar but some plain soy sauce with another note of sourness i didnt care for The szechuan wonton was pretty good with the hot oil it was sitting in the filling was alright but still unsatisfying without the yummy dip of soy vinegar I got some bbq pork buns that were good. Two pieces in the order and steamed yet still a bit sticky - filling was sweet savory and satisfactory The garlic cucumber order was alright but not as bright and fresh as i had hoped. It was sitting in some sort of garlic vinegar sauce that was alright but maybe took away the crunch from my cucumber which i need and love but didnt get The green beans were okay, sauce was nice but a lil lackluster . I like my vegetables to still have a crunch but these were a but soggy and shriveled up The spring roll was alright nothing more than a frozen fried vegetable spring roll. All in all i just felt i was missing a bit of everything i was expecting and it sat in the fridge and eventually got thrown away ... wompwomp - but i guess an A for Effort read more

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