Very inexpensive and delicious! Ordered the Shrimp and Chive Dumplings, they were one of the best I ever had. Only paid half the normal price of any other dim sum restaurant. I also came back for green tea and mango ice cream. Can't skip out on dollar scoops! It's really awesome to watch the cooks making dumplings as you wait. There aren't any seats, just a standing table but it is Dim Sum EXPRESS so don't expect the whole nine - the restaurant is a grab-and-go. The workers were kind and service was great and as efficient as possible. Great spot for a quick dim sum fix! I will come back to try their Xiao Long Bao! read more

This place is so meh. My mom is Chinese and I've been eating dumplings ever since I was a little girl. For Chinese New Year I often make dumplings with my mom and grandma for long life and riches and all that. So I guess it's fair to say that I have standards for Chinese food and especially dumplings. I am not impressed by this place. I've gotten the pork dumplings with kimchi (which is supposedly spicy), shrimp dumplings with chives, veggie dumplings and the ones with soup in it. It's all meh. The wrapper is too thick. The shrimp did not taste fresh... The chives did not taste fresh... I think I keep coming here because it's convenient and I like the idea of a dumpling restaurant. In reality, if you care what your Chinese food tastes like you should go to Chengdu Restaurant or Happy Valley which are probably within 5 min walking distance from this place. I need to remember to not come back here... It's not that bad it's just not that good.... read more

I ordered the Shanghai pork soup dumplings for lunch. Twelve for $5.50 + tax = $6 is a very good value. The dumplings are wrapped right before your eyes and steamed immediately. Wait is only roughly 12 minutes! The dumplings were really soft and juicy. I've had better but I am not complaining since xlb is hard to come by near campus, let alone in Berkeley. Cash only for the time being but I supposed charge cards will be accepted in the near future. Can't wait to go back to try the regular dumplings and rice plates. read more

New restaurant specializing in dumplings! XIAO LONG BAO!! YASSSSS! They have a ton of different dumplings and they make it right in front of you with fresh ingredients. You can watch the little asian ladies meticulously assembling these balls while you wait for your order. Super cheap too! read more

Dumpling Express - Xiao Long Bao Shanghai Dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm a huge potsticker fan and have been lucky to have my fair share ranging from the streets of Hong Kong to the chilly aisles of Costco (Ling Ling chicken postickers ftw, heh) to the infamous mom-pop-grandma(actually, though) shops lining SF and NYC's respective Chinatowns. I was happy to see this place open up and do go back once in a while, even though their dumplings aren't the best I've had. Why should you go here? This place offers a nice variety of authentic dumplings without you having to drive to Oakland or SF. Most of their dumplings are 12-pieces for less than $6 based on what specific combination you order. What I really like is the various dumpling ingredient options they have. In addition to your regular meat + chives pot-sticker, they also offer combos such as fish + tofu dumplings & chicken + corn among others. I love trying out new ones each time I go, but fish + tofu is definitely my favorite one so far! Only down side - everything is handmade freshly throughout the day, so service isn't the fastest :( Tip: Take cash with you because prices are cheaper than with using your credit card! read more

This place is okay if you want cheap and quick chinese food. I actually didn't realize I come here very often, but not because I love it a lot, but it just satisfies my chinese food cravings and its on the way home. Pork and Preserved Egg Congee: I bought this when I was sick and wanted some congee. The rice is really broken up, I assume this is because they keep it boiling for so long. I don't mind that, but if you don't like your rice too broken up, this is not the place to go. Because of that it was rather soupy. I mostly wanted the preserved egg, and it was not bad. Hot and Sour Soup: I saw this suddenly when I was at the cashier, so I got a container of it. It was good! I'm not sure if its the best hot and sour soup I have ever had, but I don't have it often. So, it was not too bad. And it was vegetarian which was nice! Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves: I love sticky rice, so I was excited to order this. I had the vegetarian one of course. Not bad. The seasoning in the rice was good. The order came with three little wrapped sticky rices. Taro Bun: My favorite. I definitely would come back for the buns. I don't think there is any way to mess up buns. Vegetable mixed over rice: I got this after seeing a friend get this. They gave a really big portion of rice and vegetables. The sauce that is cooked with the vegetables is good. The vegetables were crunchy and I liked it. I wouldn't say I love it, but I liked it. There were baby corns, green beans, carrots, water chestnut, broccoli, bok choy, etc. It was a healthier choice among others in Berkeley. The portion was really big, could be split up into two meals. Vegetarian Dumplings: Honestly, it was only alright. The taste was not so bad. I got it to go, so it started becoming a little rubbery, but that was my own doing. I forgot to get sauce with it, so that is a definite must if you get it! Definitely not visually aesthetic. I had been craving dumplings for so long, and this didn't really hit the spot, but I didn't hate it. The taste was forgetful but still filling! They do seem to be handmade, which I appreciate. read more

Dumpling Express - Vegetarian Dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Every person on here rating down Dumpling Express for its seating, speed of service, or ambiance clearly does not understand that Dumpling Express is not trying to be a sit-down restaurant. Their location simply does not permit this. They are a hole-in-the-wall take-away establishment first and foremost, and to that end they excel. My partner and I discovered this place somewhat by accident, and we have been back at least a half-dozen times since. This is one of the top places in Berkeley to enjoy fresh, traditional Chinese dumplings. Some highlights: - Beef porridge is fantastic and filling - Shanghai xiao long bao are a bit small by mainland standards, but still very flavorful - Pork dumpling with kim chi are packed with flavor - Lamb dumpling with vegetable are subtle and rich - Vegetarian dumpling are crisp and fresh They also often have specials, such as steamed pork buns and fried sesame balls, which are also fantastic in their own right. As an aside, people on here rating down some of the dumplings as "bland" also do not seem to understand that these dumplings are intended a) to allow the flavor of the ingredients to show through individually, and b) to be eaten with dark vinegar and chili. **These are intentional features, not mistakes!** To the left of the register is an entire condiments spread, including the necessary dark vinegar and sriracha. The restaurant also makes its own chili oil, if the sriracha isn't enough. The staff are friendly and helpful, and are quick to respond to customer concerns. For example, we once received an order of steamed pork buns that had become a bit wet, probably by steam condensation. We didn't even need to point this out; the staff member, inspecting the order, saw this and immediately swapped it out for a fresh *double* order of the same. So, do yourself a favor: show up with cash from one of the many ATMs nearby (I think they have one in the store, too), put in your order, go around the corner to one of the bubble tea places, get a drink while you wait, and come back to pick up your order. That, or call ahead! read more

Made to order and exceptions/substitutions need to made aware in advance. Extremely fresh, frozen also an option. don't forget to ask for dipping sauces read more

The Shanghai soup dumplings with pork are so so. Steam bun with mushrooms is somewhat better

For some reason the Vietnamese sandwich tasted bad. I ordered the traditional version and ended up throwing away the entire sandwich.

Delish XLB to go plus they give like 2 buns for free when you order an order of XLB. Ughhhh boo on increasing the XLB price by 100%!!!

Super underwhelming "fast-food" chinese. We ordered a bunch of pan fried dumplings, shao mai, BBQ pork buns, some wide rice noodles with beef, steamed broccoli, and everything was meh. The noodles weren't cooked particularly well and lacked any sort of real seasoning aside from soy sauce. The dumplings similarly lacked any real flavor and were not cooked particularly well. That may have been a factor of the delivery (which took FOREVER). Will not be ordering from here again. Save your money and time and order elsewhere! read more

Came next door to try Artichoke Basille's. After having a slice and was underwhelmed, I was more interested in coming here especially seeing their signs about homemade dumplings. When you walk in, it feels like you walked into a food shop in HK or some hole-in-the-wall place in Shanghai. It's a small place with an exposed kitchen that you can see the lady making all the dumplings and cooking the noodles. They have the typical Asian drinks like cold chrysanthemum tea and soy milk. Funny that they have cash and credit card prices for everything on their menu. It's a $0.50 difference. If I was hungry, I would have wanted to try their wonton noodle soup or beef chow fun. Good place for take out! I just ordered 6 pcs of the XLB to-go. I re-steamed them back at home and they still tasted good. Skin was not too thick and had decent amount of pork and juice in it. read more

Ordered the ma po tofu and egg custard buns. The wait was long, at least 20 minutes, and there wasn't much of a line. Ma po tofu was overwhelmingly spicy, and the heat took away from the tofu and vegetable aspects of the dish. The egg custard buns were dry and the custard was all clumped together and not very rich in flavor. If you're looking for authentic Chinese food, I wouldn't recommend this place. read more

Dumpling Express - Ma po tofu - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I came here to buy porridge because I was feeling a bit under the weather. Although it came out super hot and fresh, the flavor was a bit lacking. All I tasted was the sesame oil. The consistency is also super watery as they try too hard to dilute the porridge with water. I also got the pork buns and they were also mediocre. For the cheap price in the bay area, it gets the job done but is not amazing. read more

I'm always back because they r now have a new items and its really yummy and cheap!!!omg, the Vietnamese sandwich called binh mi really good! about $6bucks and it come with coffee or green tea!!! so nice! it take about 5-7 mins so definitely fresh,warm, fast take and go! Best Chinese food in Berkeley for me. like after I eat this restaurant I dont feel thirsty cuz other restaurant have SO much MSG! I always feel so thirsty from them, but not with Dumpling Express. that's plus there. read more

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The food here just isn't good, period. You can't really get too many stars for that. And kind of overpriced. The service is alright. I got the soup of the day (hot and sour), though it seems to be the only soup of the day ever. Whatever. It just tasted really weird. I mean I love hot and sour soup, and whatever they had was hot and sour, but it was just not good. My roommate got some chow mien and that was sub-par as well. Another friend of mine got shrimp dumplings (might as well get dumplings since it IS *dumpling* express). But those weren't very good either. They were very skimpy on the filling and especially skimpy on the shrimp. I wouldn't come back. I wouldn't recommend. read more

This place was a disappointment. The pictures on Yelp looked great and right when you walk in, you see a woman standing there making the dumpling skins from scratch. I had high hopes but the food just was not tasty and I don't plan to go back. Service was friendly and fast but there is only a small counter with chairs on both sides to eat at so you could be sitting across from a complete stranger sharing this narrow counter space. The menu shows the price for each item based on whether you pay cash or credit. Shouldn't credit card fees be part of the cost of doing business? I felt like I was at Arco except instead of a $0.35 transaction fee, I had to pay a premium price of $0.50 more for each item I ordered (YES, you read that right--extra $0.50 per item). The dumplings were a BIG LET DOWN. Dumpling skins were way too thick and doughy. The filling literally just had whatever two item ingredients were listed so for example, pork and napa cabbage had just pork and napa cabbage, shrimp and chives had just shrimp and chives. No salt, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, NOTHING to add any umami except for the sad container of soy sauce and Sriracha that you dip it in. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations though because the name is called "Dumpling Express" not "Tasty Dumplings". They were in fact quick with their service so maybe that was my fault for thinking a place that specializes in dumplings would actually have yummy dumplings. The soup dumplings were the only decent thing that we ordered that I didn't have to choke down but for $6+ for six mini baos, not worth it. Next time I'm craving dumplings, I'll opt to go to 99 Ranch for a bag of the frozen stuff with some flavor! read more

It was ok, not the best I've ever had not the worst Highlights -save 10% if you pay with cash -lamb dumplings were very good esp with sriracha -soup dumplings were fine Lowlights -egg custard bun was soggy and not flavorful -chicken corn dumplings were meh -bbq pork bun was meh read more

Dumplings handmade on the spot! The best were the special pea shoot sprout dumplings advertised on the posterboard outside. Prepare to wait a bit since they are cooked to order. I kinda went overboard and ordered 4 different kinds of dumplings. They are not expensive, but it added up to at total of $26 with tax! Make sure to pack up some sauce of vinegar with a splash of soy sauce while you're waiting... We actually took the dumplings to a picnic table outside Urban Outfitters to eat, while our out of town guests shopped inside. read more

Decent. I like the concept of quick fresh dumplings on the go. However there might not be such a thing since dumpling making seems like it requires a careful craft. Yes the orders do take a little while (10+ min) but I appreciate the fact that its made fresh in the open for customers to watch...unlike other Chinese restaurants or many other restaurants! So you can feel confident about what you're eating in terms of the preparation and cleanliness of the kitchen. It brings a little interactive element too which is always cute. The place seems a little new and shaky but you can tell the staff is working hard and their motivation is in the right place. The food was okay taste-wise but I only got one item, one of the chicken dumplings. Price is pretty affordable too. I think the place might simply need a little time to adjust. I wouldn't mind coming back in a couple months to try it out again. read more

The Shanghai soup dumplings with pork came 12 per order, which sounds like a lot until you realize that each of them can pretty much be eaten in one mouthful. The pork and broth within were flavorful, but the wrapping was a little thick for this type of dumpling and got in the way, especially once it cooled down. The dumplings seemed to be made fresh, which meant that once they got to me they were nice and hot, but it also meant that I had to wait 15 minutes for my order to arrive. Be prepared to wait for your food. I wanted this place to be good. Berkeley needs a good dumpling place, and this is the best one I've found so far in Berkeley. The dumplings are decent, but long service times get in the way of this being a place I would go to regularly. read more

This place is just ok- it gets the job done but there is definitely room for improvement. Shrimp and chive dumplings: the skin is not firm enough so it falls apart when the dumplings are boiled. The filling is also not terribly exciting. They need to add more things to it so that there is more texture. Basically, it is wet chives with some pieces of shrimp so the filling doesn't stick together very well. I felt like the entire thing was just falling apart before I even put it in my mouth. Chicken wonton: above average. I like the broth a lot, it's not too heavy and it doesn't taste like a bunch of msg. The wontons themselves weren't anything to write home about but they were satisfying enough. The noodles are also nice. I would order this again for the noodles and the broth! Cooking time could improve, but the way I think about it is that I would take like at least two hours to prepare the same thing so I'm not complaining! read more

This place is amazing! Here's why: - For $6 you get a monster portion of noodles that will easily last you another day! And lots of vegies too. - The staff is sweet and service is quick. They make it right in front of you; small scale family stuff, it seems. - Not too far from Asian Ghetto and yet so much better than any of their restaurants in terms of flavor, price, and portion. read more

I've been here a few times, and overall am a fan! The food is great, cheap, fresh / made to order, and have generous serving sizes. Besides their dumplings, I recommend their congees and fried rice dishes. I would **highly** recommend placing your order by phone and coming in to pick it up, unless you have time to burn. Every time I've came by to order, there's a long wait for your food of at least 15-20 minutes (which is pretty long for to-go standards). I don't think they offer online ordering yet, which is a shame. Also, you get a discount for paying by cash, so bring cash!! read more

Although you have to wait for it, it would be worth it. I love their shainghai soup dumplings and especially their kimchi pork dumplings. Those are extremely unique. I think that's what they are famous for. I love their food here. You have to find this place on the corner of the street. read more

First time visit for me today, and a big "thumbs up!" I really enjoyed the two varieties that I tried (pork with napa and lamb). They make it fresh, by hand, which means a wait. But, it is worth it. There are other standard dishes, but dim sum appears to be the main draw. And it is cheap to boot; 12 for less than $7. I also had a side of kimchee and some spicy cucumber. All good! There is no seating, but they do have counter space, so it is certainly not a place to "sit and savor." It can also get a bit crowded with people waiting and dining in the rather limited space. All in all, a good spot! read more

I'm not sure how this place is still in business. The place looks super authentic with old chinese women making the dumplings by hand in front of you. Yet they've somehow managed to mess up the dumplings to the point where frozen supermarket dumplings are much better. The xiao long bao are served in aluminum foil packets. A huge no no in my experience. I've never had a good xiao long bao served in foil and this place was no exception. There was barely any soup inside the xiao long bao. They are called Soup Dumplings for a reason.... The normal dumplings were served with all their skin torn, letting all the fillings get super waterlogged by the water they were boiled in. As a result the fillings had a strange mushy, watery flavor with all sorts of weirdness from all the different dumplings being boiled in that water. Ha Gow (shrimp dumplings) were a dessicated, dry and chewy mystery. This place would do better by just buying frozen stuff from 99 Ranch and reselling it. read more

Reasonably priced average quality Chinese food. Some items are very cheap like the porridges! but ever since they raised their prices, the rest of the items are priced more at an average range. Personally I only come here for their porridges! They're cheap, tasty, and come with a decent amount of ingredients. Great for sick or cold days! The store front is rather small and easily overlooked, and the only seating area is the bar counter area next to the waiting line, so it's definitely not a dine in friendly place. Although the open kitchen and snack racks make the atmosphere feel very cozy and authentic. Ideally this place would be a great spot to grab a quick bite between classes, but their service has always been slow so I wouldn't recommend it if you're in a rush. read more

The pork dumplings skin was really thick. Plus the pork are not tasty. Soup dumpling is good. Thin skin, tasty pork inside. The fried rice was soggy, bbq pork was really dry, maybe couple days old. The tan tan noode was not the traditional tan tan noodle. The noodle is the skinny noodle, plus the meat are salty. The hot and sour soup was awful. Full of pepper, you won't able to eat it, way too spicy. It's like the whole box of pepper was poured to the soup. It's prettty bad chinese food. Basic fried rice was not even good. read more

Definitely one of the best places to eat in Berkeley, especially for any Cal student as the pricing and portion sizes are unbeatable. Service is very friendly and attentive. The food is always on point: I recommend the prawns with scrambled egg over rice. I go here atleast once a week, it's that great. read more

Reminds me of home. As a Chinese American, I have fond memories of wrapping dumplings at home with my family. Warms my heart to see them wrapping dumplings by hand here, don't take this for granted!!! I took my mom here when she visited (that's how much I like it) and she loved it. Support them! I just graduated and I'm leaving the area, and they're one of the handful of places I hope to see standing when I come back!!! read more

I was looking to get some steamed buns but they didn't have a large selection, granted they are dumpling focused. I ended up trying 3 mini mushroom / veggie buns for 2 dollars but it was pretty tasty!! I wish they had meat and veggie steamed buns. And by steamed buns I don't mean the Shanghai dumplings but I want the thick flour and juicy inside type of bun. They are very fast in service and there seems to always be a decent amount! I know they also have fried rice and some other varieties if you are not into dumplings. read more

Another cheap eat for the college students in the area. The food was just ok...shamefully I could make a better dumpling and I'm certainly no expert. We tried the standard pork and it was super bland, but hey for the price and ease of not having to make them yourself...well I can see the benefit in that. I'm not sure if we need to give them another shot to see if maybe we got a bad batch or what but we were simply underwhelmed when we came to eat dinner. Maybe just maybe we'll come on another random night. read more

This is legitimately the worst bahn mi I've had in my life. Cold, slimy meat, and soggy bread.

Good food! My kids liked all the food I ordered; dumplings (shrimps and crab), shrimp dumplings, Fried rice, and beef vermicelli noodles. I like the burnt taste, very authentic! The minor thing is no seating. read more

Dumpling Express - Handmade dumpling station and kitchen - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I've always thought dumplings were something missing in Berkeley and now there is a place go. Wish it were here when I was still in school. I'll give it FIVE because I like newer places. The dumplings here are priced fairly and taste good. The only thing I hope this place can improve on is the set up...condiments and utensils placed on a little table on the side...can get messy pretty quickly. Wait time for dumplings and soup dumplings when I visited (couple of months ago) was kind of slow because there was only two employees. However I recently went back and it was bustling with workers so it's probably better now. Would try again. read more

When my vibrations are all out of wack, and I need to rejuvenate my inner moonchild for those late afternoon Moffitt grinds, there's only place I go: Dumpling Express. Daily special of six Shanghai Soup Dumplings (CHICKEN SOUP IS SO OVER) and a bun of your choosing is the perfect light meal to get me refueled (biodiesel body baby), recharged (shoutout Elon), and rejuvenated. Until they can put soup into a crystal form to pull energy directly from all the soups around the world, Dumpling Express is always there for me to scratch that itch. Long story short: cheap daily special, delicious food, fast service. Woof woof baby. read more

I hate to be the first person to give this place anything below 4 star but it really didn't deserve anything more than 3. First off the servings come in 12 for 5-7 dollars, pretty good deal if you were to share or you wanna eat piece of the same thing. If you're like me you'll want variety, which means I order to have another type of dim sum you'll need to buy 12 more. 24 pc is a little too much. Second, you're not given much options for a dim sum place. They have 6 or 7 types of dumplings. Most of them are the same with different stuffings. Where's the pork buns, shu mai, etc?? You can go to any other establishment and get about 40 different type of dim sum. Finally, it's not the best tasting dim sum. Although everything is freshly made they should definitely work on their veg to meat ratio. Our shrimp w/ chives was majority chives which covered the flavor the shrimp. Since it's only been open for a week I really hope they approve their busy. The people working here seemed really passionate about this place. read more

I've been eating here once a week since first being introduced to this place. The prices are super reasonable and the dumplings are tasty. Ok, so I'm basically devoted solely to pork dumplings so I only ever order D4, but I think that still qualifies as adequate devotion. Also, the chile oil is so worth it. read more

Dumpling Express - D4. Pork and cabbage dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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