This is very close to home but honestly I'm not driven to eat at this second rate food court in a small neighborhood mall. I grew up going here when there was a Lamont's Dept store there, hence the escalators inside to take you up to the huge book store and food court. You sit in the common seating for the community stage space. So my cousin eats the same thing here twice a week when he is in town from out of state: braised pork belly noodle soup. He raves about it and is the type of food I adored. So we finally got together to try it as his treat to us. All of us ordered the same thing so no menu pic! Actually there isn't much of a menu as they use the electronic screens over the counter for just pictures??? And the menu is a dingy paper menu off to the side. This is not the typical Asian restaurant as it's a counter run by two young white girls and I'm assuming a chef in the back cooking the food. Ordering was simple and pay at screen. Food came up fairly quickly but you pick it up in individual trays with condiments at the counter. There is really no service here so wonder about tipping beyond standard. We had to take our trays back up before finishing our discussion as they were closing and both ladies were sitting at the other end of the counter scrolling their phones without getting up or acknowledging us really. Yet it was close to closing so I thought this was very odd compared to most Asian restaurants with hardworking staff. The noodles were cooked good and a very tasty rich broth that didn't need the soy sauce packet provided but it did need the chili sauce given! Pork belly was truly tender and the fat cap melted in your mouth. Only a small bit of bike choy which could have been more robust like I'm used to elsewhere. My big complaint is so simple! Little plastic western style spoons! It's so hard to eat all this broth out of a huge ceramic bowl with these and either the plastic disposable Asian spoons or reusable plastic Asian spoons need to be implemented before I come back or I'll bring my own! Really a pain to deal with that without bringing the whole bowl to your mouth in public. After reading reviews of this location vs their brick and mortar mothership in Edmonds, this one gets dumped on because of what's perceived as rude or poor service and high price for experience. Yes this is a little high on price per the experience but not extremely so. And honestly the service and its format was not impressive but I didn't find them rude. Perhaps complacent and disengaged as it's just a counter job for this staff and not real table service etc. After looking at the Edmonds reviews, the product offerings are far more varied then this little food counter and it seems that there's is a gracious owner/operator there and better food and beverage options! I'd prefer eating there I think if it weren't for the fact that I can almost see this food court from our house. 4 stars is a bit generous but they executed a good pork belly noodle soup ultimately. read more

How I heard of this place: We were visiting Third Place Books and ran into a friend who was enjoying her meal from Dumpling Generation. She gave my daughter a sample and we were sold; she had to have her own. Type of cuisine: Chinese, with dumplings, noodles, and rice bowls. A selection of bubble tea is also available. Ambiance: A "strip mall" like setting, Dumpling Generation is one of three or four eateries inside the building that hosts Third Place Books, and sits directly across the way from the stage and cafeteria seating area. The fluorescent lights above and linoleum floors below, while somewhat vanilla, still give a warm welcome, as the space is bustling with friends and happy faces. What I ordered: We ordered the Tomato & Egg Mixed Noodles ($16) - their signature homemade noodles with a tomato and egg sauce, plus edamame and cucumber atop. What I loved: My daughter devoured the noodles with eggs and tomato as well as the cucumber. I loved it, too, especially considering the coldness of the edamame and cucumber. Tasty and worked surprisingly well together. Why I loved it: The place seems happening with so many to-go dumpling orders. We stuck with the one item recommended to us, but would love to go back and try what they are known for. Cost: Average to high read more

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Service was decent but oddly not tasty. Actually seemed like decent cleanliness and quality of the food ingredients. Their other location has such great reviews so I'm not sure if management doesn't see the potential here. Hope you guys can make it better. read more

Wanted soup and saw beef brisket soup. I had been to the Edmonds location. I experienced wonderful food and service. Unfortunately, cranky teenagers at this location. As a mother of a past surly teenager, I am accustomed to rudeness. One star off for feeling inconvenienced by placing an order and interrupting of their happiness, by ordering a meal. After placing my order, I am forced to sit in the land of "whenever the teenage help decides to serve me." No idea of the wait time for my order of beef brisket soup. After waiting and after minimal notification, my order was ready after 20 minutes. The soup broth was great, really enjoyed it. However, there was too many noodles and big chunks of beef fat. I separated the fat and noodles, to have a balanced soup. Not enough greens, they skimp on the bok choy. The redeeming part of the meal for me, was the hearty beef broth. Menu totes homemade noodles. These are very good. Nice bite to the noodles.A good side dish. read more

Rude, rude, rude. I am relieved to see from many other reviews I am not the only one who thinks so. So now I don't need to second guess myself. Doesn't matter at this point if the food is good or not. When the service is so bad you won't want to visit. Go see for yourself and leave a review. read more

I am so shocked to see these negative reviews- I got take out from here after a visit to the bookstore and the folks working there were super kind at explaining things and I really liked the food! We got egg and chive dumplings, pork belly bowl- all super delicious. I love the dumpling skin- nice and chewy. I am pretty picky about dumplings- can't be too thin, has to be chewy enough but not too doughy. Their dumplings were definitely a perfect thickness and proportion with the filling. I am definitely coming back for more dumplings next time. read more

Dumpling Generation - Lake Forest Park - Menu - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

I paid 33 dollars and waited 20 minutes for awful food. Went to the counter to get a to go box and the two teenage girls behind the counter were gossiping about me. I was standing there and they didn't even see me. I took pity on the mean one (for those who have been there recently she was the short, heavy set one with shoulder length brown hair) and interrupted before she put her other foot in her mouth and asked her to finish what she was saying. She stared at me with her mouth hanging open. Wow, so unbecoming. I just have to say that people can be so ugly and sometimes it heart-breaking. The service AND food was awful. read more

I very much wish that I could give this place an extra pity star. There are plenty of subpar places I'm willing to tolerate if they offer some little glimmer of promise, pride, joy, or desire to provide a good customer experience. Unfortunately, this is not one of those places. We've been to the location in Edmonds a few times, and I would rate it a solid 3. Decent food that comes up quickly and efficient staff are it's high points. My family loves all things dumplings and boba tea, so when Dumpling Generation took over the space in Third Place we were stoked. But it's been consistently disappointing. Not only is the food not good, the service is terrible. It doesn't seem to matter who is behind the counter. I've been barked at by grumpy older men, ignored by high schoolers, and flat out ignored by older women. Our last visit will definitely be our last. Two older women sat behind the counter, riche near the order window, eating food. They didn't make eye contact with my or my son, and instead ate and chatted with one another while we just stood there, obviously waiting to order. Finally, one of the women stands up with a huff, and just stands in front of us - no greeting, no "may I take your order," and still, no eye contact. I should have walked away, but my son really wanted one of there drinks, so I placed an order anyways. She she didn't tell us what the total was, just flipped a screen around for me to enter my card and sign. No further instructions, no "it will be about 10 ten minutes", no anything. When our drinks arrive, she doesn't call to us to let us know, just plops them down at the pick up area and then sits down again to resume eating. We take our drinks and say "thank you." No acknowledgment was returned. We sit down at a table to enjoy them, and my son takes his first sip. His face freezes. He stops drinking, looks at his drink, and then looks at me. "What's wrong?" I ask. "This doesn't taste right." Keep in mind, this is a kid who dumps sour gummy worms into his buttered popcorn, dips pickle spears on mustard, and uses A1 Sauce for salad dressing. He pushes towards me, and even though I'm not big on the sweet drinks I try it. How can I describe the taste? A disgusting amalgamation of powdered plastic, sugar, and something medicinal with a hint of... soap? I taste mine, and it tastes like - nothing. It's opaque, so I know there's something in there, but it lacks any flavor whatsoever. Maybe my taste buds sustained damage when I tried my sons drink, but that's seemed improbable. We didn't even ask to have them fixed. Why bother? In the bin they went. We are at Third Place Books a lot, and oftentimes someone in our group is hungry, so we've given this place plenty of opportunities to redeem itself. I'm not even sure how this place stays in business. Maybe a steady supply of customers who are none the wiser? It's a mystery. Hopefully this review will save you from having a bad experience. The adjacent gyro place is delicious, and Honey Bear is pretty solid too, so you do have options. read more

Way overpriced for the portions and quality. It's not great but not horrible, but feels like even in this inflation world it's like 50% more to places to like Kirkland read more

I don't hate it and I don't love it. As another Yelper mentioned, this is the 2nd location for this restaurant wand has a condensed menu. Depending where you live, this can be a good central location if you don't want to go all the way to the ID or Edmonds/Lynnwood for some dumplings. The price is definitely high for the amount you get. The dumplings were fine, nothing mind blowing. I do like their dough though because it's a bit chewy which I prefer. The spicy noodles weren't spicy to me but I have a high spice tolerance. I recommend going to the Edmonds location instead, at least I feel like I'm getting my money's worth there. read more

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Oh gosh got the bubble tea. So watered down. Where's the milk? Avoid. Staff not that pleasant to boot.

Ordered the chicken cabbage dumplings (6 of them) for $10 (+tax). They are made fresh, so expect about a 15 min wait if you order them. The restaurant even has a sign up that if you want to order dumplings expect 15 mins and for buns expect 20 min wait. The dumplings are very filling and we're hot temperature wise. There is a lot of filling compared to dumpling skin thickness. However, the flavor was a little bland, so used the soy sauce that was provided. I would be interested in trying other items on the menu; I probably wouldn't order the dumplings again. read more

Dumpling Generation - Lake Forest Park - Chicken and cabbage dumplings (6) for $10. - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

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20 min to get the veggy tofu soup with noodles. Not worth the wait. Barely any veggies and tofu. Will not eat here again.

Barely edible and overpriced. Had the beef bowl, the beef was cheap fatty chuck that was either too chewy or too hard to chew. The rest of the bowl was 2" deep of mushy rice And for this they charge $18! I will never be a return customer. read more

We've tried this place twice now, and NEVER AGAIN! Awful Service. Just Awful. 20+ minutes for a simple order of dumplings. Dumplings that are frozen and reheated to mediocre quality. All this and ridiculous prices. Seriously you will do better with frozen dumplings from Trader Joes. read more

A good for takeout place in a food mall settings by a bookstore. It has decent steamed dumplings. Not too memorable or unmemorable. Got the chicken and pork+chive dumpling It does feel like the dumplings have been frozen for long time and then steamed to order. As far as taste go they were fine. Not too juicy but i suspect its the freezing that causes the little dryness. They were steamed well, not raw or anything. It is not a dine in place. Think of a food mall. Parking is not an issue since there is a lot of it around. I doubt that i would drive here for dumplings when there are better options close by. But still worth a shot if u r close by and in mood for dumplings read more

Unfortunately I can't recommend this shop. I love Third Place books and have tried dumplings here twice before and found them bland. On my most recent trip, I'd given up on the dumplings but tried their advertised Black Sugar Milk Tea. The young gals at the counter seemed harried and were rushing about doing their best. Unfortunately the drink came up to about 7 dollars and tasted like just milk and a lot of ice- I think they forgot to add the tea or the aforementioned Black Sugar! My wallet and I were very surprised. You might try some of their other options, but I can't fully recommend it. read more

Meh. The dumplings, while somehwhat flavorful, didn't travel 15 minutes home very well, not that I had high hopes. If in the area again, I'd order and eat them there to give an honest review. The chili and sauce for the dumplings were good, and the chilled spicy noodles were okay. Kids loved their mango and watermelon boba tea, but my black sugar milk tea for $5 was lacking a sufficient amount of black sugar and, well, tea. It was like very slightly flavored milk. I though that maybe I had to mix it up better, but no, thoroughly mixed it was still just milk. I wouldn't seek this out again, but wouldn't completely reject it if I was hungry after buying books. read more

Dumpling Generation - Lake Forest Park - This place. Meh. - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

very good food and service, love the ambiance and would recommend. i love the vibe and the people that work there

I think I would've liked going here better if it weren't for the fact there was a rock and a hair with rice tangled through it in my Beef Rice Bowl. I'm not sure I'll be getting food here again even IF I come back to Third Place Books. read more

Dumpling Generation - Lake Forest Park - Beef rice bowl with a rock and hair for a garnish. - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

Great vegan dumplings. Spicy cold noodles are super spicy. Service is good depending on the staff.

I don't know what happened to their braised beef noodle soup because it was tasteless. I was so disappointed. This was my go to place for this soup and today was wow - it did not taste good at all. I ate the beef, one mouthful of noodles and that's it. I did not finish it. Won't be coming back anymore. What in the world happened??! read more

Should have read the reviews before we went here! The noodles are terrible, so so bad, and for $20. The dumplings are just okay - I liked the Edmonds location but this place needs some serious revamping to their cooking. read more

Was so happy to see there is a dumpling generation closer to the eastside. Living in Kirkland it seems like there is not too many dumpling spots. While this is still a little far out, it's better than driving to Edmonds. The quality tasted pretty on par with the original Edmonds location. Unfortunately they only had take out so you loose some of the freshness of dining in but luckily they offer frozen dumpling which you can easily cook at home! Highly recommend the dumpling (pork and chive is one of my favorites) as they have a great juicy bite in the middle. I hope they find a way to package the beef noodle soup a little differently because the bean spouts get a little soggy in the soup but otherwise still very tasty. read more

Their milk tea boba is terrible. 90% ice, I complained and they basically said "that's how we make it". Avoid order here imo

We Lucy! I was with a friend, and we got bubble tea. I accidentally spilled it, and not only did lucy (an employee) clean up the mess, she also got me a new drink! Great customer service! The bubble tea is top notch! I recommend! read more

We've tried this plan 3 times. NO flavor! 2 different dishes the last time...such a disappointment. We asked if they have anything to make the veggie Pho have flavor and they said it is just noodles with water because they're restricted. They gave me a packet of soy sauce. TERRRIBLE - We highly recommend cup-a-soup or ramen from the grocery store over this. Honestly...sad because we live near-by. read more

What a disappointment. Had wanted to try DG and finally did on a calm Friday midday. No line. In a nutshell; ridiculous prices, dry, poor tasting, most likely reheated food,long (14 minutes) wait (only one person working) for an order of one dumpling and one beef bowl. The dumpling came plopped in a bowl with a tiny side cup of sauce. It was soooooo dry (obviously reheated in some fashion), and unflavorful that even adding the whole cup of soy sauce didn't help. Awful. The beef rice bowl at $18 should have been fresh and splendid.. and I do give two stars instead of one because the broccoli was bright green and crispy.. but the beef... I mean two tone... brown and black brown (old and reheated??? I dunno but unappealing ) and dry as a saddle. Not worth the time, cost, or the effort to try to eat it. Even my 2 companions who had ordered from a neighboring food stand, couldn't help but be appalled and comment on the poor quality of food. Of course they had received timely, good quality food from a neighboring stand and had time to stare since we all had waited so long for this disappointing order read more

The hours listed on the chalkboard out in front stated that they open at 10am on Mondays. I asked if I could get some dumplings to go for my daughter at 10:25 and the rude red head shouted that they weren't open and walked away. We will never give them any of our business again. There is a nice way to talk to people. It's not the customer's fault the wrong hours were listed. read more

The first time I tried to go there no one was there so I went back and sat down. Then I go back up later and am waiting to be seen for a few minutes, girl working the station is ignoring me. Then she FINALLY comes up. I say "hi is your boba blended" She says, "we stop serving at 7:30." I look at the clock and it's 7:30 on the dot. The hours on Yelp say until 8pm! Hmm....overpriced food from looking at the menu. I didn't get to try it but probably won't. read more

As much as I hate to do it I need to warn others. Don't go here. Spectacularly bad service. Literally stood at the counter to get a glass for our drink for 5 minutes making eye contact with both ladies and they would not come to find out what I needed. 10 feet away. Ordered a pork loin bowl, pork bun and wings. Horribly cooked/steamed pork loin. Wings were grey, wet and disgusting. Pork bun tasteless and without much filling. To top it all off food was 20-25 minutes and it was not busy. Read the other reviews and avoid at all costs. read more

I waited 30 minutes to get one order of 12 dumplings and finally asked (they have signs telling you not to ask about your order because dumplings take a while to make). Turns out they lost the order then wanted another 15 minutes to make it. I had to get back to work so wanted a refund. They couldn't find my order in the system so I had to go behind the counter to find it for them. Then had to give MYSELF a refund because they didn't understand their own point of sale system. In the midst of it the two employees were arguing with each other about it further wasting my time. All in all I lost an hour of a busy workday, and I'm starving. read more

2.5 star. I would say this is an improvement for the 3rd place book store food court. The food of Dumpling Generation is definitely better than the last business who left. I've been to their original restaurant in Edmonds, my impression and comment was decent food, but too pricy. I have similar feelings about this new location too. The menu is very limited here, which is understandable. Being Chinese, I just don't have any excitement after seeing what they offer. I tried the pork bun and pork belly rice bowl today. The pork bun was tasty, and the quality was decent. However, it was 5 dollars for a single bun, which I think it's unreasonable. I know how to make them too and the cost of one bun is well under a dollar. The pork belly bowl only has rice, steam broccoli, and braised pork belly. The pork belly was so so, underwhelming, and the steam broccoli was completely unseasoned. When Chinese people make a rice bowl, in most cases, there should be at least two types of side veggie, or at least one veggie and half a boiled egg. Their rice bowl here is very stingy, but it came at a premium price of 10 dollars. There are lots of other Chinese places that offer way way more food with good quality for similar pricing. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of this business. read more

Best take out around! Super friends staff and the food is amazing. I ordered the spicy cold noodles, spicy edamame and the chicken and cabbage dumplings. Man, a lot of food for one person. Lol! Those 6 little dumplings are super filling! Make sure to grab chili oil and soy sauce with your take out. Delicious! read more

Dumpling Generation - Lake Forest Park - Spicy edamame, spicy cold noddles and chicken and cabbage dumplings. Yum! - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington

I've actually never been here before, but I had a dream that their dumplings were so juicy and delicious, I ascended into the skies. must try ! read more

Just meh, unfortunately! Have been wanting to try the Edmonds location for a while and so when I saw this was here while stopping by for book shopping at Third Place Books this afternoon, I decided to give it a try. They were sold out of a lot of things (at about 3pm on a Sunday afternoon). I recognize that there was a concert in the commons so it was likely busier than normal. I also did takeout and it was roughly ~15min before I was able to sit down to eat so that should be taken into account. Other Yelpers are correct in that it takes a while to get your food, sign says 12 min for dumplings, I think I waited roughly 15. I ordered a 6 count of the Chicken & Cabbage dumplings, as well as the marinated chicken wings (small bites, 6 wings). Everything was tasteless (I mean not even salted really!), and at the price point I would expect a lot more flavor. I even added the house-made chili oil and dumpling sauce, and still no flavor. I have a Taiwanese sister-in-law who makes (and introduced me to authentic local spots) amazing dumplings, so I felt pretty disappointed at this. I plan to zuzz up the leftovers by pan frying and adding a bunch of spices and a bit of salt but when I spend $19 on 12 bites of food (before tax & gratuity), I should not have to do anything to it to make it edible. As much as I would love to support, I think I'd go for (Towne Center tried and true classic) Honey Bear before I'd return here. read more

Wow!! This was disgusting!!! 11 bucks for a beef rice bowl. The beef was ALL fat! You couldn't even chew it!!! I am so disappointed. We all drooled over my son's choice at Honey Bear Bakery. We should have went with Honeybear! Do not waste your money!!! Our dogs got lucky. There is no excuse for this!!!!! Shane on you! read more

Been looking forward to trying this spot for some time. Ordered two types of dumplings and soup. Waited a long time, 30 minutes for the food. Way longer than they told us. Asked for dine in and they automatically packed it to go. Very confusing closing time. Food was amazing! Fresh, flavorful, hearty and homemade! My only dissapointment was that dine in is not super inviting and the food does take a while. Worth the wait but just wish it was a dine in traditional restaurant. read more

Tried the pork and chive dumplings. Wow! I really liked them a lot. They definitely used quality ingredients. I look forward to trying the Edmonds location, which is closer to home. read more

Pretty good but will wait for a second visit to fully determine my opinion. Wings were cold but they reheated for us, though once warm they weren't super exciting. Dumplings were okay. Will try again in case this was an off night. read more

Dumpling Generation - Lake Forest Park - Wings and chicken dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Lake Forest Park, Washington