Kind of a wait but worth it! Reasonably priced but small portions so order more items to try! XLB and Pan fried buns were one of the best I've had! Ginger and scallions noodles were so addicting! Very quick service and can order from online ordering system. read more

See all

Food (4/5): Got the pork xiao long bao. It's solid but definitely quite overpriced for only 4 pieces. Service (5/5): Fast seating at the restaurant. The food took around 10 minutes to come. Ambiance (4/5): Nice ambiance with Chinese decor and hanging lights. Plenty of seating and quite a busy vibe with lot of people. read more

See all

Came on a Sunday around 7pm and there was still a line but we were seated within 15 mins so not terrible. They use QR scanning on the table but the servers do come around to check if you have questions. We ended up seated outside, which wasn't bad since it was a bit warm that day. We ordered the regular soup dumplings (XLB), the pan fried ones, (SZB), the egg and Chive pancake, and the green onion noodles (recommended by the server). Both baos were excellent and we ended up ordering seconds of both of those. The chive pancakes were pretty good and the noodles were tasty as well but we felt that for the price, it wasn't worth it. We'll likely be back again but stick to the baos. read more

See all

Beef XLB 5 super thin skin, very juicy, curry flavor Jellyfish 4 cold appetizer, very crunchy, light and refreshing flavor read more

See all

We ordered: *Pork Wonton with Sesame Sauce & Chili Oil *Crab & Pork Xiao Long Bao *Dan Dan Sesame Paste Dry Noodles (Pork) *String Beans Sauteed with Garlic Sauce Service: The service left much to be desired. I'll leave it at that. In terms of food, table side dan dan noodle mix was a nice touch. Really not much to say in this review. read more

Dumpling Hours - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

I don't have much history of this restaurant, but doing a quick search, it does seem like they have a few locations. Update to my draft review: I didn't quite remember being to this place before but then it came back to me. My husband and I came on a Tuesday evening and it was still empty, but by the time we left it was full. This time we ordered pork XLB, Minced pork noodles, and wood ear salad. Everything was delicious and came out fast. Prices are a bit higher but come with the location since it's in downtown Palo Alto. They have an online waitlist linked with Yelp, but didn't have to use it this time. read more

See all

I have dined at the Walnut Creek Dumpling Hours and to be frank, I was impressed when I did so over the past several years. I dined at their downtown Palo Alto location a few months back and I wasn't as impressed after finishing my meal. I would say to be fair, my rating is 3.5 stars(not just 3), however Yelp still has not implemented half stars. Please do so Yelp. We ordered our usual XLB, ginger and scallion noodles, green onion pancake, and the pig ears. Everything I mentioned was solid but not spectacular. The interior is clean and modern. Spacing is nice between tables. Our waitress was polite and efficient. read more

Great place for a meal! Been a few times. This time went with people who are vegetarians. The veggie options are limited. The veggie items were good but the meat options are significantly more flavorful. We usually sit outside as the patio is dog friendly. I like that the ordering and tab can be cleared using QR code on the table. read more

See all

Ok place for a quick lunch especially with little kids. Lots of dumpling offerings, a few noodles, none for rice (just white rice). read more

See all

It's more like a 3.5 than a 3. Located in Downtown Palo Alto, the restaurant could be packed during lunch time on the weekdays, but it's decently spaced inside and outside. Parking is all along the streets and nearby parking garages. My mom and I came for lunch on a Friday afternoon and it quickly filled up. You can order via the QR code at the table which was convenient and we opted for: -Pan-Fried Pork Buns - Probably the best dish we ordered IMO, a good amount of soup inside -Braised Beef Noodle Soup - broth could use more flavor, noodles were chewy -String beans sauteed with garlic sauce - not dry enough to be cooked so a bit soggy, needs more garlic flavor -Beef shank with spiced sauce - skip, the meat smelled weird Overall, I think there's potential at Dumpling Hours. I just wouldn't say they're the best I've had. Service was decent although there really isn't much interaction aside from getting directed to a seat and then requesting the check at the end. Prices are a bit higher but I attribute it to the Palo Alto area. read more

One of my favorite spots in the bay! They have a few locations and I typically go to the one in Walnut Creek since it is closer to me. However, I came here since I was in the area for lunch and it didn't disappoint! There was no wait when we arrived with a party of 4 on a Sunday. We got the pan fried pork buns, pork xiaolongbao, and sesame paste wontons to share between the 4 of us. The shengjianbao are as good as I remember - juicy filling, flavorful soup, and a nice crispy bottom. One of my favorites! I love the sesame sauce on the wontons, and their xiaolongbao are easily better than din tai fung's. Prices are reasonable as well - highly recommend! read more

See all

Had a delicious meal with our son. Enjoyed all the stir fry vegetables. The xiao long bao skin was nice and chewy, filled with a lot of soup . Green onion pancakes light and crispy . Pan fried dumplings was piping hot and juicy. Service was great. read more

See all

Delicious XLBs, comparable to Din Ding (DD), but maybe even...better?! Their XLBs have soooo much soup that you could burn yourself if you're not careful. We love the Crab and Pork ones - the crab flavor is more prominent at Dumpling Hours compared to DD. What I love about these is that their skins stay intact!!! Even if they touch! The DD XLB skin can tear and tear the ones they touch. How they perfected the skin beats me, but Dumpling Hours is soooo good and there's no daunting feeling of losing the soup. Aside from the XLBs, their noodles (Dan Dan and Beef Noodle soup) are super tasty. We also love the spicy wontons with the sesame sauce. Service-wise, great. No issues. We also went right when it opened, not busy yet, so staff was attentive towards us. Food also came out quickly. Feels like a Chinese restaurant. And great for a casual meal. read more

See all

The chicken XLB and the ginger and scallion noodles tasted pretty good. The chicken dumplings with shiitake mushroom were alright in my opinion. The chrysanthemum tea was quite soothing. Overall a relatively good new find in the area and the service was prompt and friendly. read more

See all

Overall closer to 3.5 stars. I've been to another Dumpling Hours at their Walnut Creek location several times in past years. This is my 1st visit to their downtown Palo Alto location. On first entry, I liked how nicely spaced out the tables are, so you're not sitting shoulder to shoulder to your neighbors. The interior itself is nice and bright with natural sunlight. We shared several dishes. I liked the pig ears but I thought there weren't enough cucumbers. The Ginger & Scallion Noodles, Green Onion Pancakes, and the 2 XLBs were good but not great. I will say this in any of my XLB reviews that the gold standard for XLBs is in another place located in San Jose in a mall. Service was ok. Overall not a bad place for some authentic Chinese food if that's what you're looking for in downtown Palo Alto. read more

I was so jet lagged from a 15 hours flight that honestly I did not care much of what to have for dinner. My bestie suggested we should go and get dumplings at Dumpling Hours. I like don't tell me it's selling xiao long bao cos I will have no choice but to compare them with Din Tai Fung. She said no, this place has this dumplings which are pan-fried at the bottom and steamed on top. I like huh?? FOOD 3/5 Juicy Pan-fried Pork Buns - 5/5 My friend was right!! These were so good! Trust that even though I am fighting with the jet lag monster, my taste buds did not fall asleep. I have never had any dumplings like these. Soft on top and crispy at the bottom. Inside the buns (or dumplings) had pork and soup, similar like those xiao long baos, but better! Braised Beef Noodle - 4/5 The broth was great and the beef was tender. Was it out of this world, not exactly. It was like comfort food. Not a fan of the noodles though. The radish complemented the broth very well. Huge portion! Pancakes with Red Bean Bean Paste - 2/5 Not crispy, not much red bean going on and def not really sweet. I won't recommend this. (Just realized I did not even bother to take pic of the pancakes :/ ) AMBiANCE - 4/5 Kind of noisy. I could barely hear what my friend was saying half the time. SERVICE 5/5 Staffs were friendly and seemed really hospitable. Overall, will recommend this place, order the juicy pan-fried pork buns, and say no to the pancakes with red bean paste. read more

See all

My friends and I went to Dumpling Hours for lunch on a busy Sunday afternoon. Scan the QR code at the table and order your food, it comes out quickly. We ordered a few items: Pork XLB - great, the skin is thin and chewy, holds the soup in perfectly. Pan fried juicy buns - nice, the sides are brown and crisp too. Hot and sour soup - apparently a must have when eating dumplings Cucumber salad - the best ever, fav Beef tongue - thinly sliced, cold appetizer, nicely made Boiled chicken dumplings - ok, was surprised by the yellow appearance and numeric taste. Can be noisy in the restaurant, outdoor seating with heat lamps are available. read more

See all

My friends and I came here for a quick lunch during the week. We were seated immediately upon arrival. Food: My friends and I ordered several dishes to share. I thoroughly enjoyed the cucumber salad, the ginger & scallion noodles, and the vegetarian dumplings. They were all flavorful. My friends also enjoyed the pork fried buns and the spicy wontons. Service: Service was prompt. The food came as they were ready. It was a quick work lunch, and my friends were on our way before our short lunch hour was over. TL;DR - Good dumplings and which service! read more

See all

My shanghainess friend found this place. So you know it is good when she invites another shanghainess friend. We visited in the summer time. Regular Palo Alto parking situation around. Service was what you would expect. Food was good. Their most authentic dish has to be the pan fries dumplings. Wow. It was delicious and super authentic. Carb heavy though. But wow. Definitely worth the calories. Restaurant is cozy and clean. Nice and authentic Shanghainess food here. read more

See all

While Palo Alto is jamming on a Saturday night it was still easy to get a table for two. Friendly, quick service Hot and Sour soup was closest we've had on the Peninsula to old school New York Hot and Sour soup! Big surprise was the pork wontons with sesame paste and chili oil YUMMmmmm! Hadn't had this combo before if you are a lover of wontons and chili oil and cold sesame noodles - this is for you. We saw many people ordering the juicy long bao so we had to try them and also a stand out dish. Many places fill them too much with ' juice' making them large with pockets of hot juice and not much meat these are the perfect size and flavor profile. Servers were helpful and can't wait to go back. read more

Dumpling Hours - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

See all

Dumpling Hour is a great spot! Some dishes were a bit on the saltier side, but everything was still really tasty. The garlicky green beans were flavorful, the soupy dumplings held their integrity when picked up, and the crispy chicken wings and noodles were both packed with flavor. Service was quick and to the point -- exactly what you'd expect from a busy dumpling house. I'd definitely come back for more! Nice and clean inside. Everything you would expect from a dumpling spot. read more

See all

I came here for dinner with two friends on a Saturday night, we had a good time. The food was really good, I tried the ginger scallion noodles and vegetable dumplings, I would recommend both. The dumplings especially I really enjoyed, they were generously filled and flavorful and paired well with the dipping sauce. There are many vegan options, when I asked the waiter he seemed to not know whether the green mark on the menu was for vegetarian or vegan, but based on the menu items I'm pretty sure they should all be suitable for both. Only reason I'm not giving five stars is because it's pretty expensive, it was almost $12 for 4 dumplings and $16 for not a huge bowl of noodles. Otherwise though everything was great, staff was friendly and service was pretty fast. read more

Dumpling Hours - Vegetable Dumplings, Ginger &Scallion Noodles - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

This place was packed on a Friday evening. My friends and I wanted to grab a quick bite before heading to a concert. Too bad the "quick" meal wasn't so quick because of the queue. Annoyed that we couldn't join the Yelp waitlist prior to coming here. The wait felt so long!! Eventually we got seated and immediately ordered since we were on a time crunch. You order on the QR code on the table. The food here is so good! The XLB dumplings were so plump and juicy. Prices wasn't too bad. We ordered the scallion pancake which I thought was just ok. I've had better elsewhere. The chili oil peanut dumpling was also mid. I prefer them more on the slicer side instead of the nuttier side. The Dan Dan noodles, pan fried pork buns, crab and pork xlb, and pork xlb were all great! Soup was so flavorful! Super fast paced environment and attentive service. I would definitely come back. read more

See all

Thanks to Yelp Nation for recommending this establishment. The fam and I were hankering for something different and this popped up. Delicious food, great service, fair pricing. It was fairly crowded which is always a good sign, right? read more

Dumpling Hours - Juicy Pan-fried Pork Buns - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

We came here on Martin Luther King Day for lunch. There was no wait, and we were seated immediately. The service was great, and the dishes were served pretty quickly. We ordered pan-fried pork buns, pork xiao long bao, Brussels sprouts with truffle and salt, and dry-fried chicken wings. Our expectations for the pan-fried pork buns and pork xiao long bao were high; however, they turned out to be very average. The pork filling in both was too loose, making it hard to appreciate the texture. Compared to authentic Shanghai pan-fried buns and xiao long bao, the pork filling here lacked umami. The Brussels sprouts were too greasy, and we could barely taste the truffle flavor. Our favorite dish was the dry-fried chicken wings. They tasted similar to Korean BBQ chicken wings--perhaps they used the same sauce to coat them. Since this restaurant is pretty far from where we live, we likely won't return, as the flavors of the dishes did not deserve the trip. read more

See all

Love this place and how efficient it is to order , eat and pay. Love the steamed pork dumplings , crispy green beans and Dan Dan noodles . Chefs kiss !! read more

Heard great things about this place but I don't think it was anything special. Food came out super fast, about 1 min post ordering. Three out of the four dishes were completely lukewarm. It made me wonder if these were already made and waiting on the counter for any order than came through, like a fast food takeout restaurant (but with sit down restaurant prices). The Dan Dan sesame noodles were super soft and almost mushy. The noodles were warm but paired with a cold sesame sauce, which was quite chalky in texture too. The highlight were the green beans. Freshly cooked and came out steaming. It had plenty of minced garlic tossed throughout and so much garlic flavor in each string. Order via scanning the QR code with your phone at your table. You can pay online though, need to ask for the check. read more

See all

The Shanghainese food is quite yummy especial the XLB and beef tongue. Ask for their signature dishes and you won't regret!

I was in the area doing some shopping and I got hungry so here I am. I ordered the dry fried chicken and the pork xiao long bao (4). I also ordered a side of rice in the side. There's xiao long bao was kinda juicy lol. The dry fried chicken was solid. The service here was okay. Nothing crazy. There's a lot of seating inside and a few tables outside. Parking however can be a challenge depending on what time of the day you come. Try it out if you like. :) read more

Dumpling Hours - Dry Fried Chicken Wings and Pork Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Overall... a super solid spot! I have been here a few times and it never disappointed. I definitely recommend their Xiao Long Bao, which had the perfect dumpling wrapper thickness to me. Sooo much soup too! I also recommend their Shen Jian Bao (Pan Fried Soup Buns). Super JUICY(!!), while still having a crispy exterior. I loved the filling as well because of the savory meaty broth. Cucumber Salad and the Braised Beef Noodle Soup were both tasty, but nothing special. The XLB and SJB are definitely where this restaurant shines! read more

See all

Brief Summary: - Cucumber salad is great to eat between dumplings - Most of the orders arrived in an orderly fashion - The steamed dishes tend to take the longest to arrive, but that's common for most dim sum restaurants I believe I visited a branch in Walnut Creek, and I'm happy to say the flavors are consistent. We arrived here for a very early dinner, so there were open seats. The staff noticed us as soon as we stopped to the view the order and welcomed us in. Our spot was far into the end of the restaurant, where the kitchen staff were folding and cooking the dumplings. We were on the hungry side, so in addition to ordering our favorites we also added new dishes for curiosity. One of them was the cucumber salad, and this one was an instant hit with the family. The cucumber texture was so crispy it cracked as soon as I took a bite. It was evenly seasoned with salt with a boost of garlic, it was a nice bite in between eating the dumplings. We also ordered the potato salad, and this also had a good crunch. However, having starch with other dumplings that have carbs, it grew a little bit hard to finish in the end. I still suggest it if you ordered fewer dumplings. Soup dumplings and the well-known fried soup dumplings are a constant deliciousness. I will mention that the fried soup dumplings pack more volume than the regular soup dumplings, so I suggest to only order this if you are on starving level. read more

See all

For cold appetizers, we ordered the pig ears, which came with some juicy cucumber slivers, and the braised beef shank. They were tasty, although somewhat unrefined given the price point, and I feel that in particular the beef shank needed more herbs to add a bit of colour. The pan fried shengjian dumplings were very nicely made and had excellent broth, coming in so hot that even after 10 minutes it was a struggle to avoid burning myself. The meat portion inside is somewhat small, however. The ginger and scallion noodles had a lovely flavour. Overall, the restaurant is rather expensive, but they have no trouble filling up their small space, so I cannot complain too much. The wait for a table is a little chaotic given the cramped pavement outside. I think it's a lovely addition to Palo Alto. read more

Dumpling Hours - Pig ear and beef shank - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

See all

Decided to go out on a Friday night with my husband and ended up in Downtown Palo Alto to see where we should eat. Found Dumpling Hours and decided to give it a try. Arrived at 6:15pm, put our name down on the iPad in front. Although there were about 6 names in front of us and inside looked full, we were seated in about 10-15 minutes. They gave us menus (although there's a QR code on the table) and water. After looking at the menu, we decided on the Pork Xiao Long Bao (4 pieces), the Juicy Pan-fried pork buns (6 pieces), seasoned beef pockets, fresh okra w/garlic and the wood ear mushrooms. I was able to place our order via the QR code, although I noticed they will also take your order as well. Food came out fairly quickly. The taste of the pork ziao long baos were savory, hot & juicy. They do give you a small plate with chinese vinegar & ginger in it. I would have preferred a bit more ginger with my vinegar, but that's personal preference. These tasted delicious. The Pan Fried pork buns were good. We ordered them as it looked like the most ordered item on the menu. I would say because of the way they're wrapped and cooked to give it that "coin purse" look, the dough is a bit thick on the bottom, but otherwise, still very good and juicy. The Beef Pocket was good, but a little heavy on the hoisin sauce. The pocket was nice and crispy and good portion of meat inside. The okra was just ok. It was under seasoned, although it came with a bunch of chopped garlic, it needed some type of seasoning with it. Loved the wood ear mushrooms. Great seasoning and would recommend as it had black and white fungus mushrooms in it. Inside is tight, but not too bad. Open kitchen so you can see them cooking and making all the dumplings. Service is great. Cost came to $74 not including tip for 5 dishes. read more

See all

Best dumplings in PA. After giving up waiting in line at Ramen Nagi, I turned around to see Dumpling Hours packed with people. My two friends and I decided to give it a shot. Pleasantly surprised by the quality. The dumplings were the shining star of the meal. The noodles and veggies were nice but nothing to write home about. XLB was my favorite, seconded by the BBQ pork buns. read more

Pretty good overall. We got the wood ear salad, string beans, pan-fried pork buns, and shrimp & luffa XLB. The wood ear was well-seasoned and the string beans had plenty of wok hei. The pan-fried buns were small and cute with quite a bit of a crunch and a good amount of soup in the middle. For XLB, we went for a different flavor than the traditional pork to avoid duplication, and it was light and refreshing, a nice contrast to the rich pork flavor of the pan-fried buns. read more

Arrived at 11am on Sat.. no wait! Quick service & delicious food. The pan fried buns (which I think was particularly deep fried instead), I were super good & had soup in them still. I enjoyed the reg XLB more than the chicken. The price wise is a bit more than I'd like to pay for dumplings but it's also due to location read more

Dumpling Hours - Chicken w/Shiitake Mushroom Dumplings Seasoned Beef Pockets (2 pcs) Juicy Pan-Fried Pork Buns Chicken Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

See all

The restaurant is located downtown where it's very walkable but not a lot of parking. It's also in a great area to walk off the food after you're done There's indoor and outdoor seating available. It looks like you can order with the waiter, but seems like they prefer for customers to use the mobile app. The waiter was very nice and so fast. I think there was one waiter doing it all, which was very impressive considering how pact it got by 6:15pm The soup dumpling were really good. Just the right amount of soup, not too cold, not too hot. The flavors were rich and slightly spicy. Along with the vinegar, it was delicious. I also tried the Dan Dan Noodles which I thought were a bit too peanut buttery. I think the menu said it would be spicy, but I had to add chili oil to make it spicy. Still very good This is a pretty casual restaurant. Decent prices, fast service, and good food! read more

See all

We came a little before opening, and we were seated before it was officially opened. It started filling up soon after, but it wasn't too noisy. We ordered the pork xiao long bao, string beans sauteed with garlic sauce, juicy pan-fried pork buns, and shrimp pork & vegetable potstickers. The pork xiao long bao were delicious! The wrapper is a little thin, and didn't contribute much to the mouthfeel of the overall bao. The spoons they provide are very useful in this regard, as your wrapper may fall apart on you. The soup and the meat inside were flavorful, if not a little too gingery. The pan-fried pork buns were tasty! Doughy and crunchy at the same time, with its own very flavorful soup and meat within. The string beans were decent. Just a little overdone, but otherwise the texture is fine. The flavors were good, but nothing to write home about. The potstickers take some time, so potential orders, beware. They came out as we had finished our dumplings. Overall, they were just okay - but for the price, I wouldn't recommend them. They're nice and crispy, though. read more

See all

Came here on a Saturday night. Got shenjianbao, regular xlb, spicy xlb, dan dan noodles, string beans sautéed with garlic sauce, okra with garlic, shrimp and luffa gourd xlb, and shrimp pork vegetable pot stickers. Regular pork xlb was the best in my opinion. I also really enjoyed the spicy pork xlb. The two vegetables were pretty good. The Dan Dan noodles I thought were really meh. Shrimp and luffa gourd xlb was interesting and unique. I don't think I would mind ordering these again. Worth a try. The pan fried dumplings are decent, but nothing worth writing home to. I thought their vinegar and spicy chili oil were quality. Would come back again read more

See all

Came here on a Saturday evening and to my surprise there was no wait and we were seated immediately- no wait at all! The service was super fast. You can order food on phone by scanning the barcode on the table so it's pretty convenient. We tried a number of dishes and overall the food was excellent. The ginger scallion noodles were delicious. The texture of the noodles was so good-perfectly springy and satisfying. Their pork xiao long bao were perfection. The broth was warm and comforting on a cold winter evening. It's definitely some of the best xiao long bao I have had in the bay area. The juicy pan fried buns were great as well-crisp on the bottom with warm flavorful broth inside. Although, my personal favorite was their xiao long bao and I would definitely go for that next time over the pan fried one. I also ordered their green onion pancakes which was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't evenly cooked. I am definitely coming back here to have their xiao long bao and other dumplings. read more

See all