Dumpling house is great for dumplings, and their XLBs are quite good, but the filling is a little dark and heavy. XLBs should be light purses with thin skin that burst hot light soup into your mouth, and the meat should be lightly seasoned and tender... Thus far I have found it very difficult to find XLBs in the Boston area that are on par with those to be found in NYC Chinatown (Shanghai Joe's, for example). Some of the noodle soups are not as chock full of goodness as at other places (Zoe's on Beacon, for example), but they are passable. The pork and mustard green soup is pretty good--at least the broth is right on, but I wish it had some mustard pickle (zhacai). The noodle soup with dumplings is o.k. but not great. The broth does not breathe vitality in the way I expect from other Chinese soups. That aside, the pork and leek dumplings and the Shandong dumplings are excellent. I would like to buy them frozen by the pound and eat them all winter. The Niangao (rice cake) is also wonderful. They have a pork and mustard green rice cake that is one of my favorite dishes here. Always expect to eat much more than you thought you ever could. For those who are lazy like me, order delivery on doordash! No brainer as sometimes there's a line out the door at this place. Highly recommend. read more

First time eating here. Had the scallion pancakes, vegetable spring roll, American broccoli with garlic sauce and vegetable fried rice. The scallion pancakes were alright, I usually like mine crisper. The spring roll was pretty good. The rice was a different rice, I ordered without egg. They at first gave me one with egg but quickly corrected it. I'm used to a yellow or brown rice, this was white with brown probably from the cooking. I was somewhat satisfied with it. My boyfriend got shrimp fried rice, he enjoyed the taste, and the egg. The broccoli was the best dish, the sauce was garlicy. They serve beer and wine, they may have just recently gotten their liquor license. read more

Pretty authentic Chinese food! One of the best in Cambridge

Swing and a Miss! Gave them a second chance, take out this time. Simple order, took 40 minutes and they screwed it up. Didn't get what we asked for and the portions are too small. Not going back. read more

Food is decent. One of the few decent Chinese restaurants in Boston area. However, like most Chinese restaurants, service is lacking. Not very friendly staffs, always crowded (seats are too close) and always loud. read more

Love Dumpling House! We order it regularly for delivery, but have also gone in to eat a few times. Great portions, great food, and great prices. Soup dumplings, pan fried dumplings (really any of their dumplings), sauteed rice cakes with greens, sesame chicken are all winners. Cannot comment on how authentic the soup dumplings are as we have never had them anywhere else, but absolutely love these! read more

Came here for dinner with friends. The dumplings are premade so they cannot adjust the fillings. One of my friends does not eat pork, so she was unable to have any of the soup dumplings. Because the dumplings are premade, they are frozen and boy can you taste it. The vegetable dumplings had a freezer burn flavor to it. Who knowI s how long they have been in the freezer. Scallion pancakes were greasy but yummy. Loved the candy bowl filled with asian treats at the front desk. read more

Very surprised about the negative reviews from this place. Since my family moved back from Shanghai have been trying to find good Chinese restaurants that satisfy me (a Westerner who lived in China), my wife from Nanjing who has lived in the US for 15 years and my mother-in-law who just relocated from China. Dumpling House has some of the best and most authentic Chinese food we have come across. The pork with garlic, stinky tofu and other dishes we tried were fantastic. read more

Incredibly solid Chinese food. Huge fan of the wok spicy fried chicken and house special fried rice. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful. Probably the only time I've ever stuffed myself at a Chinese place and not felt grossly sick after. The vegetarian eggplant with basil was a bit too goopy and the shredded pork in sweet bean sauce was too sweet for me, but the pork is my friend's absolute favorite at this place so check it out if you like sweet and hot. I'll definitely be back. Going with friends is the way to go so you can order tons of dishes! read more

First time here. Place was packed, but we got in within 5 mins so no complains there. Waitress came over quick and took order. We got steamed bacon, dumplings, and soup dumplings as appetizers. Bacon and soup dumplings came out first. Both were good. We then placed our order. Started to go down hill from there. Meals came out insanely staggered. Like 15 mins from the first meal to the last. That is unacceptable. Second, the dumplings we ordered when we first got there still haven't come. I asked and she said they take a long time. Yet she walked away and instantly came back with them. Sounds like she forgot. Then my friends meal still hasn't come out and she says they gave it to someone else but can make him a new one. Wow how nice of them to make him his meal. Food was all good. We asked for forks and she yelled "HOW MANY" at us in a rude tone. Here comes the doozie of the whole meal. We get the check. It was a bit over $100. So I put four cards and ask her to split it four ways. At this time we have a new server for whatever reason. She tells me they can't use more than 2 cards per table. I ask her why and she won't tell me. Then she points at the cash I have next to my wallet and tells me to pay with that. I tell her no and again ask her why she can't split it on four cards. She refuses to answer me. So I gave her two and had her split it on those. I know why she didn't want to split it, because they prob charge them like a dumb .25 cent per transaction fee. Cheap bastards. It's not like we spent $5. If your not willing to take a .50 cent hit to please your customers, good luck to you. We won't be back solely cause they are rude as shit here. Good Bye. read more

I have been here twice now. Each time I try something new, hoping I will find something that they make well and delicious. I have not yet succeeded in finding that excellently-made authentic sophisticated Chinese taste. Everything is a bit gooey. The leek boxes were okay but the chili sauce looked like it came out of a bottle. Perhaps they can try a little harder. I hope so. We need a good Chinese restaurant. read more

Mediocre at best. It's certainly not authentic Chinese food. I've had their Szechuan spicy chicken, but it tastes like Kong Po Chicken. Too much salt and MSG. Their chicken wings are ok, but if you eat more than 5 it will become intolerable. The good thing is that although the policy says credit card above $10 only, you can still use card for order below $10. read more

B+ food, rude service. The hostess argued with us about our 15% tip saying we did not tip enough. We will not be coming back.

I have a baby with me so i decided for ease to order through eat24. Put in my order and walked around outside for 15 min. Went to restaurant and asked if my order was ready. They had it printed and by the register and said it would be another 5 min. I waited 10 min and asked again. The kid at the register who was chowing down on a baguette strolled into the kitchen and came back saying it wasnt ready yet and he didn't know what was going on. I waited more then asked again. Again same thing. Meanwhile patrons at the restaurant kept getting plates of steaming food from the kitchen. Finally i couldnt handle it anymore as my baby was getting fussy and i told them its been way too long I'm leaving. They all just looked at me at let me walk out, no apology, nothing. What kind of establishment is this? They have the order printed with my name and everything, they never put it in, then they lied and said it would be another 5 minutes and they just walk around saying they dont know whats going on. Its so ridiculous. I was trying to make my life easier and instead wasted 35 minutes of it and no food. So disappointed. read more

The woman (the owner) is very rude. We are a party of 7 and 4 of us arrived with 3 were finding the parking space. She refused to seat us (though it is nearly empty there) until that we have all 7 people here. We have to stand there waiting ... Asked why and she said that it was her policy and we decided to leave at the end. Never seen such a rude service person. read more

Above average Chinese good. Good choice for Chinese food in this neighborhood. If your like stinky tofu, they do a decent job!

I'm visiting from CA. In comparison to CA Chinese food, the food was decent here. We ordered general Gau's chicken, kung pao shrimp with peanuts, house fried rice, and steamed dumplings with pork. I only liked the general Gau's chicken. Everything else was mediocre and not good. They give little portions. Don't expect big portions! The money doesn't match what you get. At the end, I tipped 10% because the service wasn't great and the food we got wasn't tasty. The waitress or whoever worked there hovered over me and just took the bill before I could finish "thinking" about everything. Then she nudged me and circled the suggested tip section and said this is what you need to pay. I understand they didn't force me to pay the 15% but I paid it anyway and left. I disliked the fact that they forced me to pay more... RUDE! I'm from CA and I know when Chinese food tastes good.. this one wasn't good. Save yourself the trouble and go to another place! Please! Or order something different.. sobs read more

I guess it's a dumpling place and you should order dumplings. Do not order any spicy food as it's horrible here. It's probably the only Chinese restaurant that I won't come for spicy food in Boston as they taste way different from the real Chinese food. They are also very heavy and oily. I'll probably come back here and try their dumplings next time. read more

Not great for spice, but quite good for "homestyle chinese" (家常菜). Get the scallion pancakes.

Came for lunch, split a few plates. The leek dumplings were great, but the other dishes were hit or miss.

Nice food but super poor customer service. I ordered for takeout but on my way to a meeting, asked whether I could sit down and eat there. At 2:30p in an empty restaurant the owner said I need to order more to use a table. I've been ordering takeout twice a week for months. I now don't plan on going back or recommending to my friends. read more

this place reminds me of sf chinese food, so glad i found it. the vegetarian spinach dumplings are really good. pickled cucumbers, scallion pancakes, and chow fun noodles are all great. the ratings here on yelp aren't that high, but the place is always packed w ppl who look very happy and satisfied eating the food so i'd recommend giving it a try for yourself. edit to add: i see some 1 star rating for the loud atmosphere and wait staff. i don't think that should stop anyone from eating here unless they want a quiet romantic dinner. not the spot for that, it is a lively bustling place w lots of action talking eating. i like it. reminds me of home :) read more

If anyone is craving for authentic, tasty, and flavorful Chinese food, this the place. The scallion pancake, the pork and crabmeat dumplings, and the vegetable spinach dumplings were amazing. The entrees especially Vegetarian Three Treasures and lamb cooked with cumin sauce were delicious. One of my friends who joined us for the dinner told that some of the dishes tasted exactly like the ones you get in Beijing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and I highly recommend this place. A great place for family and friends. read more

Sad and disappointing. Based on the reviews, I thought this would be awesome! My friend ordered soup dumplings and a pork noodle dish, and I got scallion pancake and squid with pickled mustard greens. (Before you say "yuck, squid with pickled mustard greens sounds horrible," I've had it at other restaurants and it was actually really good.) Anyway, the squid was awful! Everything was coated in thick, gelatinous, grayish, lukewarm sauce. The menu claimed it would be spicy, but it was not in the slightest. Scallion pancakes were extremely greasy and not nice. And my friend's noodles were basically inedible. She liked the soup dumplings, though. Maybe we just didn't know what to order. Other people's food looked and smelled a lot better. But if these dishes are so awful, why keep them on the menu? Also, the wait staff kept SHOUTING at each other, which was a bit distracting. It wasn't loud or crowded, they just communicate at high volume. read more

I thought that the Dumpling House location in Cambridge would be better than the Gourmet Dumpling House in Chinatown. Dumplings were pretty bad. Weird shape, and mostly dough. Not much filling. We also ordered sauteed spinach, sichuan peppercorn chicken, and fried tofu. The peppercorn chicken tasted okay, but the way that they fried it didn't seem right. The spinach was obviously good because it's hard to mess up very simple dishes. Tofu didn't have much taste. Maybe living in China spoiled me and gave me unrealistic expectations. Menu definitely is authentic, but quality isn't that great. read more

Dishes are too salty, services shitty, still ask for extra tips, totally not recommend

The most disappointing restaurant I've been to in Cambridge. The leek pie and spinach dumplings were bland and textureless. The crispy fried tofu was breaded and greasy, but not actually crispy - and of course, completely flavorless. The spicy beef soup tasted like spaghetti-o's. And to top it all off, the service was dreadful - we sat for quite a while before anyone asked for our order, and they forgot one of our dishes entirely (though it still wound up on the bill). Needless to say, I don't plan to return! read more

The scallion pancakes were a hit. The variety of dumplings accompanied by warm rice wine really satisfied our cravings for ethnic food. I would definitely go back and sample more dishes in the future. read more

The service and food was dreadful and the place felt grimy. I'd read it was as good as Chinatown and I suspect it was by someone planted by the restaurant. I highly recommend going elsewhere. read more

Probably the best xiao long bao I've had in this country. Very efficiently run, a great experience all around. Highly recommended.

The dumplings are amazing and the complimentary tea is delicious (any combo of pork or beef and celery or leeks). I am not a huge fan of any of their entrees, especially with chicken, I think it may be the texture, dry and stringy, but the dumplings keep me coming back. read more

Restaurants like this need to cover their bases with the basics, and Dumpling House definitely makes the grade: great service, friendly staff, teapot on the table a plus. It's a bustling place, but that's part of it's ambiance - you can easily have a conversation with the people at your table. With that taken care of, the focus is on the food, and all I can say is it's fabulous. Having been there numerous times, I can say that each dish I've ordered was tasty and cooked very well - the three vegetable treasures was just outstanding, and the dumplings I've had were all delicious. read more

The waitress was pretty busy and rude,not sure if I will come back. So I only gave 10% tip,However she asked me to change to 15%, kind of funny. I told her that is what her service deserves. read more

I've been here a few times and was never really impressed. I'm not a huge fan of dumplings and a lot of the items I tried from the menu were kinda whatever. The place did not impress me the first few times I went there. BUT THEN, yesterday, I actually looked at the back of the menu! I never really checked the back because after flipping through the menu, you get tired of reading everything. The back of the menu had a pleasant surprise! CRAWFISH!!! Omg I'm so happy I ordered it. The flavors!!! It was out of this world. I have to warn you that it is pretty spicy and also has Sichuan peppercorns. The peppercorns can make your lips tingle and mouth numb. I love that sensation and it kind of helps with the spiciness. Overall, the dish was amazing. Delicious and fun to eat! I'm already thinking about going back again. Warning it's a messy meal but they give you gloves. Anyways, I tip my cap to the chef read more

Dumpling House food is amazing. My wife was born in Taiwan, and knows what real Chinese food can be. Dumpling House delivers real, exceptional Chinese food. It is possible that some diners will not know he difference. Most of us have had American-Chinese food in many places, so the definition of what is "good" varies greatly. However if you want authentic Chinese cuisine, you're going to love this place. It is always packed, but the staff keeps food moving and you can usually get a seat pretty quickly. Don't miss it! read more

As someone who eats Chinese food day in and out, food here is awesome and authentic. Those who gave 3.5 stars must be amateur Chinese food eaters! I orderd hot and sour soup is great, xlb is also good. read more

The food here is tasty! We got the dumplings, pork dish (first one in the pork section), stir fried rice noodles, a couple of other dishes. All were amazing and we polished everything off. Great value! Nice restaurant atmosphere too, not too crowded unlike a lot of restaurants in Chinatown read more

I agree the food is slightly on the oily side but not horribly and it's fairly standard. My mom always asks for less oil. We ordered the pork and leek xlb, shrimp with dry bean sauce, Chinese watercress, and beef with longhorn peppers. All were really tasty. My fiance, who only orders Americanized Chinese food really liked the shrimp with dry bean sauce. It is a savory, sweet dish. The dry bean sauce is minced dry roasted soybeans (tastes nutty like peanuts) sauted in a sweet ginger soy flavored sauce. It pairs nicely with the shrimp over a bed of baby spinach. They give you a lot of shrimp, which is great. As for service, well, it's a Chinese restaurant, it's standard to not expect much. read more

Came across this place walking from Harvard square to central. We definitely got seated in just enough time before the crowds. Cute decor- chopsticks and spoons have there own station on the table so if you drop there's plenty more. Tea was placed on the table as we sat - that's a plus. LARGE menu - usually a scary thing for me makes me think there's waste and craziness in the kitchen but the menu is very repetitive. Ordered four plates all arrived with less wait than expected or what was stated on menu. ( some dishes are noted on menu for taking 15 min to produce) pork scallion dumplings - huge, pillowy and pretty yummy. Pepper steak was tender with loads of peppers and onions. Baby Clams with hot peppers- not spicy and plentiful. Crunchy noodles were delicious. Plates averaged $10 all perfect size for sharing. The seating is a bit odd, tables appear like there's space between party's but it was hard to converse in my group over everything else going on around. Staff was friendly and if you snagged any one of them walking by for help- all assisted no complaints. This is a get' min get' out place especially once the waiting line was about ten people long. As soon as they could clear the plates they dropped the check at the same time. Wouldn't track back just for this place but if in the area a good stop. read more

Subtly spiced and fresh fried rice came quickly to the table, followed by bright green Chinese broccoli. The dumplings were flavorful and hot-each dish comes as it is ready. The twice-cooked pork was spicy and salty, with good flavor. The three cup chicken was very tasty, watch out for the bones! Quick, friendly service, very good Chinese food much needed in Cambridge. read more