We've lived in San Diego for so long and I can't believe this is the first time we're eating at Shanghai Saloon. I'm so happy we finally did though! I absolutely loved the vibe and decor in the dining area. It felt like we were transported to a restaurant somewhere in China. The food was good. The wonton soup was very comforting and delicious. I loved that it wasn't too salty. I can do without the chicken noodle soup now when I get sick--just give me a heaping bowl of this wonton soup and I'll be good. Their walnut shrimp was super tasty too. I really enjoyed that it was still crispy when it was served and the sauce wasn't too sweet--in fact, it just had the perfect tanginess to it. The pork & shrimp wontons were the bomb diggity too, especially when you have some of the sauce with each bite of the wontons. *chef's kiss* Service was fair. Our food came out quickly and the staff were nice. Overall, I would love to come back and some more of their food! I think I might try other dishes next time too. read more

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Dumpling Inn is a Kearny Mesa staple! The dumplings are always FIRE, but honestly the salt & pepper wings might be my favorite. We always get seated pretty quickly, even with bigger groups, and the waitresses are super friendly and fast. Free rice with your meal and free parking for up to two hours are a nice bonus. Definitely one of our go-to spots! read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

We came a little after 4pm and the main restaurant was more than half full!! Sean at the bar was very inviting to offer a splash of my tasting! Food came out quick as it should. My favorite among the dishes ordered was the eggplant and the paper steak. **They gave free rice with these 2 entrees. Oddly- I cannot remember the last Chinese restaurant I have been to that does that. Has great early Saturday evening Vibes. Don't forget that you do pay for parking in the lot now! read more

The sausage rice dish is amazing. We get it every time. The service here is. Quick business like always great. The ambience is dark, romantic, loud weekend, style dining. I picked this place above all others on convoy. read more

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Went here to catch up with a friend, and while the restaurant's decorations and ambiance are nice, the food was pretty lacking. Service was average, they pretty much did the bare minimum, but they were still friendly. The xiao long bao wasn't terrible, but for a place called dumpling inn, I would expect it to be the star of the show, but instead we just got some very average tasting XLB. We were able to ask for sauteed green beans even though it wasn't directly on the menu, but they were pretty good. The cashew chicken was a little salty, and it had too many other things (cashews and maybe some random radish?) in it compared to chicken. Overall, this place was fine, but it wasn't anything I'd go out of my way to go to again. read more

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This definitely seems like the go-to spot for dumplings in San Diego! I stopped by on a Friday night and the place was absolutely packed. The decor is honestly one of the highlights, it's got this cool, atmospheric mashup of Hong Kong street food vibes and an old-school Shanghai saloon. The bar area was super lively, full of people grabbing drinks and Chinese food, which gave the whole place a great energy. As for the food, we mostly came for the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), but they were unfortunately a bit of a letdown. The meat filling wasn't very flavorful and the texture felt pretty rubbery. On the bright side, the Fried Rice was solid and hit the spot. We also tried the Kung Pao Chicken, but it felt more like the "old-school Chinatown" style I remember as a kid as it's very heavy on the sweet fried bean paste and a bit too sugary for my taste, rather than being authentic Chinese. The service was impressively swift; even with the crowd, our dishes came out fast. However, parking was a total headache, and honestly, the total cost felt a bit steep just for a casual meal. Great for the vibe and a quick drink, but the dumplings might not be the main event here. read more

My friend was craving some vegetarian dumplings and wanted to try this place out. I have been here before but that was over 10 years ago. We ordered the vegetable dumplings, egg drop soup and honey walnut shrimp. The service is quick and we got our food in no time. The honey walnut shrimps were great! Shrimps were big and they didn't use too much batter. The dumplings didn't hit and the dumpling skins were tough to chew through and thick. It was hard to eat those and finish it. My friend really enjoyed her egg drop soup! That was her favorite thing. I did feel like they were trying to rush us out of there and clean the table. Even though there wasn't a line out the door or anything. I would give this place 3.5. read more

We had a nice experience dining here recently . The restaurant aesthetic is nice and clean . The service was not the best , but it was good enough. The parking lot is small in front of the restaurant. If you can manage to find a spot there it's free for 2 hours. They also have a parking garage in the back . We paid $8 for up to 3 hours , I highly recommend their pork and shrimp wontons. read more

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Service was really quick and the hostess and server were both welcoming. Wish I got our server's name as she was sweet and fun. The food is decent. It was a spur of the moment decision to come here, so I think what we ordered was not bad. The chow mein was flavorful and the walnut shrimp tasted extremely fresh. I wish they gave more broccoli, but overall it was a solid 9/10. The veggie egg rolls were a bit meh, sort of an item that has potential to be really delicious if it had a bit more going on but cabbage and noodles. The interior hasn't changed over the years which I like. It's reminiscent of old times for sure. I remember the remodel, so it's nice that the structure is holding up nice. Prices of the dishes were incredibly fair. Our total was $42. Which for 2 entrees and an appetizer for 2 people is impressive in 2026. Much better than making all this at home. We didn't actually try the dumplings, but perhaps next time. read more

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Convoy Chinese food Dumplings And more Full bar Parking available Amex accepted Restrooms inside Indoor seating Fast service Vegan and Vegetarian options Large menu selection read more

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I come here religiously with my family and friends! The service is fast and they stay consistent and quick! The alcohol is quite tasty and STRONG lol. You can have huge parties here which is why we are here so often. The food is family style, so I do suggest ordering a variety! The meat entrees do come with rice on the side. This restaurant is HUGE but the parking is doodoo. There is a parking structure nearby but this structure gets really busy. I enjoy coming here and the staff is that mixture of rudeness from the authentic Asian restaurants and that kindness of hosts and waiters who are attentive. This place can be casual but also can be dressy for a nice meal after church or for a dinner party. I have gone here for date night at the bar, and it's a perfect area due to being in convoy! read more

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Parking in the lot is free the first 2 hours. The parking structure in the back is not free. When we sat down, I was not impress with their menu. I expected more dumplings for their name, Dumpling Inn. The food mainly fell under drinking food. The food came out fast and I was surprised on the taste and quality. They have a lunch menu. Pickled cucumbers - to my surprised, they were not sour, pickled or taste like vinegar. Seasoning was light and refreshing. Definitely not with dark sauce. Honey glazed shrimp - meant to order honey walnut shrimp but this was our favorite. Big battered shrimp with a bit of sweet and chili sauce. Crispy pan fried noodles- the description said crispy noodles. Wrong. I was expecting pan fried crispy noodles instead it's the birds nest. The noodles did not taste stale, tons of veggies with very light brown sauce. A but bland but better than salty. Soup dumplings - The wrappings were thin, not much liquid, so it wasn't juicy but the pork was soft and semi bland. I'm okay with that once you dip. Not the best but not the worst. This place has been around for a very long time. Glad we finally stopped in but it'll be our last as there are so many others with the same concept to try. 3.5 round to 4. read more

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We got here early - a little after 4pm when they open to beat the crowd. We ordered 4 items for 3 of us: pork fried won ton appetizers (6), wor won ton soup, house chow mein and soup dumplings. 1) The soup dumplings (10 for $15) is a must and their specialty which tasted great. Add vinegar and their chili sauce to your own liking. 2) The appetizer fried hot oil won ton was good but be careful of the peppers which is really hot. 3) The deluxe chow mein for $16.50 was great with pork, chicken beef and shrimp. It's made with their house fat noodles and they charge $4 extra for the house fat noodles. It was very tasty. 4) The wor won ton soup ($15) was very soothing included about 8 pork won tons, shrimp, pork, chicken and napa cabbage The IPA Shanghai beer was $6 (very reasonable) Prices are reasonable and comparable to other restaurants. Service was great - water kept getting refilled without asking. Food came out quickly. Go early and street parking is available. We enjoyed our meal. The location is within walking distance to several dessert places. read more

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Updated 11/25 Dumpling Inn is my family's go to spot for birthday get togethers as they can accommodate larger parties and get the food out quickly. We love eating family style so we can eat multiple entrees and try new things. We always start with the potstickers to share. I got hosed last time being the nice guy and only ended up with one potsticker from two orders. :( For our entrees, we shared chicken chow mein, sweet and sour chicken, deluxe chow mein, honey glazed shrimp, and two ordered of beef with scallions. This was for five adults and two kids (11 & 13). We ordered five alcoholic drinks and three sodas. Our total with tip was $240 which I thought was extremely reasonable. Since we are a group of seven, we were seated in the back corner of the restaurant. Seemed to be our regular table. The restaurant opens at 4 pm for dinner so make sure that you get there early to put your name on the waitlist. Service is quick. Staff don't chit chat with you as they are hustling getting everyone situated and fed to keep moving people in and out efficiently. Since the restaurant shares is parking lot with other businesses, parking can be tricky. I parked in the back lot and paid $8.55 for two hours. The street parking is very hard to get. read more

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There's just so much good food on Convoy St. my friends and I were looking forward to a hearty meal and we're recommended this spot. We got the: XLB - Plenty of broth and the right amount of pork filling. Dumpling skin was nice and thin. Shrimp pork dumpling - Quite flavorful with good filling and shrimp/pork ratio. Beef noodle soup - plenty of beef and noodles. The beef was tender and nicely seasoned. Wonton soup - this soup was refreshing to cut all the grease. There were decent sized tasty wontons. Stir fried garlic green beans - for some reason this wasn't on the menu, but when I asked about it, they said they could just make it for us. Honey walnut shrimp - Very nostalgic. Plenty of shrimp and candied walnuts, my favorite of the meal! It was quite a busy night with customers coming in and out. I don't ever expect superb service at these restaurants. It was a good and delicious experience overall. read more

I met up with some friends on a Thursday evening for a dumpling-filled dinner. Though it was a week night, the parking lot was filled and cars were circling the lot. However, I learned that there is a side lot where customers can park for two hours free. There is also a paid parking structure next to the lot. After securing my free parking spot, we walked into the restaurant. We were greeted readily and seated right away. It was 7PM and there were several open tables. Service was fast. We were offered drinks and shared a pot of tea. They had only jasmine, which isn't my favorite, but it was OK for what it was. I had a cocktail called Shanghai Champagne, which was a bit of a twist on a mimosa with Champagne, Lillet, lemon, honey, and grapefruit liquor. It was surprisingly good. We shared three different types of dumplings. We had the soup dumplings which were filled with pork. We had the steamed veggie dumplings and then fried beef curry dumplings. The first two were very good. They were delicate with lots of flavor. I didn't care much for the beef curry dumplings, as they were just too fried and I didn't taste much curry. We also shared the pickled radish, which was simple but refreshing. Finally, we shared the Kung Pao Chicken. It also was served fresh and hot with a lot of flavor. The ambiance was simple and not fancy. The restaurant considers itself a saloon, but it is really a restaurant that has a small, but decent bar. We spent time at the end of dinner chatting and catching up, so we were there until close, which was 9PM. It is not a late night spot for sure. All in all, Dumpling Inn is a simple, but good spot to enjoy dumplings and cocktails at the same place. I would return. read more

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Overall, found this place to be disappointing. We ordered the xiao long bao, pan fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, wonton soup, and jellyfish for an appetizer. The jellyfish was the best dish, and even that was lackluster. The dumpling skin is too thick, meat inside isn't very flavorful -- and we tried all the dumpling variations to form a full opinion. Of the dumplings, the pan fried was probably the best (probably because the oil added extra flavors). Safe to say, I am not likely to come back. Pros: plenty of seating inside. They have free parking for 2 hours. Though parking can be tight in their small lot. read more

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Pro-tip: Parking is complementary two hours if you can snag a spot in the lot. This is NOT your typical local Chinese fare, it's basically a sports bar. Highlights: It's a really large restaurant so there's definitely ample seating even for big groups. The food comes out pretty quickly. My dad enjoyed his duck noodles lunch set. Lowlights: I'm confused at the many reviews and high rating of this place and I wish I heeded more caution with the bad reviews that I had read because they were on par. The restaurant is this weird combination of a bar fused with Chinese food. The food is truly mediocre at best. The cha siu wonton noodle has only two flimsy cha siu pieces in it. They're supposedly signature soup dumplings XLB seriously taste worse than frozen ones - the filling is so soft, I had no idea what I was eating and the wrap just falls apart. After we sat down, it took so long for anyone to take our order or even acknowledge us even though a host lead us to our table. read more

Dumpling Inn - Soup Dumplings "XLB" - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

This place is five stars all the way. The service is amazing. The food is delicious. Dumplings were perfect and we had the honey glazed shrimp and it was simply amazing. I'm so glad we came to this place. read more

I have been wanting to try this place and the only complaint I had was parking (not to be helped it's Convoy). The food was fast and fresh and very flavorful and the cocktails were fun. It is giant inside but still come early so you don't have to wait long. I enjoyed everything and staff was on it! Fun and very yummy! read more

Dumpling Inn - Pork Dumplings Soup Dumplings "XLB" - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is a great place for small or large parties. The wait isn't too terrible since there's so much seating inside. Overall, I really enjoyed their pan fried dumplings. I personally liked the flavor better than their soup dumplings. But their soup dumplings were still good! The orange chicken definitely has more of an orange flavor compared to your more Americanized restaurants. I enjoyed the tangy flavor, but for my kids, not too much. We also tried their house chow mein, and it was very flavorful with more of a stronger oyster sauce flavor. Overall, would return for some fresh dumplings and orange chicken. Service was pretty quick. read more

The quality of the dumplings has gone down over the years. Used to drive all the way from Chula Vista to dine here, now I'll only come if I'm in the area. Customer service has remained decent though, staff are attentive especially with drink refills. No reservations but if you have a small party and get lucky, you can seat yourself at the bar right away. The XLB and dumplings are mediocre now, especially the XLB, which are often stuck to the paper in the steamer trays, the soup is often dried out and there's no soup in these "soup dumplings." This has happened the last two times I dined here. Orange chicken, pork & wontons in chili oil, salt & pepper wings, hot & sour soup are all just okay. The only dish I love here and that has remained consistent is the honey glazed shrimp that comes with a small bowl of rice. That's the only thing I'll now come back here for. I'll stick to DTF or the other new dumpling places in my area. Dumpling Inn is no longer worth the drive or long wait to be seated. read more

Since I just reviewed the Shanghai Saloon side of things I should really give credit to Dumpling Inn, the force behind the food that you enjoy while Shanghai Saloon is the fuel behind the fire poured into your glass. You can check out my Shanghai Saloon review to cover the bar area but when it comes to the food, get the soup dumplings, they're delicious and they will not let you down. If for some weird reason they do, order another drink and you'll be just fine. read more

I love this place and will definitely be returning. This was my first time here and I have some comments! Service: The servers were really kind and made sure to provide recommendations. Additionally, they didn't mind when we wanted to send something back to the kitchen. Food: We ordered four things in total, here is my ranking: 1. Deluxe Chow Mein (5/5): I am a big noodle fan so this is heaven. The flavor and texture were just amazing. I would come back just for this. 2. XLB (5/5): This stuff just melts in your mouth and pairs perfectly with the soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil mixture. I would definitely come here for this. 3. Beef Curry Deep Fried Dumplings (4/5): These were pretty good! Kind of reminded me of sambusas. 4. 1/2 portion of Duck (1/5): Don't get this. It's really dry and flavorless I can't wait to come back! read more

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I wanted to like this place when my friends were telling me about the pricing but after going , the pricing makes sense. The dumplings have no flavor and taste mushy and not fresh. Almost like it's made from frozen. I wish I had something nice to say about this place but I also trust yelp reviews so... do with this information what you will. read more

I almost hate to review this restaurant because it will only increase wait times!! ; ) In all honesty though, best Chinese food restaurant in San Diego. It took us a while to go because the outside sign also says "Shanghai Saloon" so we thought it was a bar for the longest time and we were looking for a place to take our kids. We later discovered that they expanded and took over the bar that was next door - so now, it's one big room with a bar in the middle, and very kid friendly. The service is always super fast, the restaurant has fun decor, and there are a lot of options to choose from. As the name implies, they do have dumplings and they are delicious. They also have most of the Chinese food dishes you might expect. We've liked all the dishes we've ordered: kung pao chicken, orange chicken, spring rolls, veggie chow mein, beef with broccoli. You can make any dish a tofu dish, I really like the orange tofu. We have had to wait a few times (on busy weekend nights) but it's never more than 15-20 minutes. For the quality of food and price, worth it!! As a bonus, they are in the same lot as an ice cream store - iceskimo. Our kids love to stop there after dinner. Win-win. Parking is free in the uncovered lot (covered you have to pay) but if it's full we just find street parking off convoy. read more

Such a great place for all size parties any time of the day/evening! We came here for a large birthday dinner and were shocked to see how large this place was! Don't let the outside fool you, parking is tight, the outside looks small but the inside is huuuuge and so greatly spaced. We were accommodated with our large group so nicely. The portions are huge and soooo good for large groups. I feel like we ordered half the menu and oh my goodness it was SOOO much food! The dumplings were good, can't compare them to the famous dumpling chain but this was second best to it and still recommend coming here. Orange chicken, tofu dish, noodles soup dumplings, veggie dumplings and so much more were great! I got a fried noodle veggie dish and realized it's nowhere near as good as their normal noodles veggie dish. All our servers were so great too. We can't wait to be back! read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

Had a party of four stop by Dumpling Inn & Shanghai Saloon after work at approximately 5:30 PM on a Friday. It is crazy busy around that time (and pretty much all of the time), so be prepared to fight for parking. Upon entering the restaurant, you'll notice that it's super spacious with tons of seating. While it's unquestionably a popular, crowded joint, it's unlikely that you'll be waiting long for a seat. There's a bar area in the center of the restaurant where there are large TVs playing sports games. It's also rather delightfully decorated, so overall, there's a great upbeat ambiance to this place. FOOD: There's soy sauce and vinegar at every table. Additionally, I thought all the food was reasonably priced, and the portions were super filling. We actually had a lot of leftovers to bring home. Xiao Long Bao (4/5) - Solid xiao long bao option. Nice and juicy. Dumpling skin is not super thick, but the bottom skin of the dumpling can be quite delicate and break if you are not careful with your chopsticks. Comes with a heap of thin ginger slices that you can enjoy with the dumplings. Deluxe Chow Mein (4/5) - Pretty standard chow mein. Nicely flavored and will satisfy a chow mein or general noodle craving. The texture of the noodles was pleasant, but I wish they were a little more generous wth the proteins and that the dish was less oily. I would get it again as a carb-centered dish for the table that's great for sharing. Pickled Cucumber Salad (3/5) - Not super pickled tasting. Just tasted like raw cucumbers with little garlic chunks... because that's essentially all that was. Good thing I like both cucumbers and garlic (lol). Pork and Chive Dumplings (4/5) - Comes boiled. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the dumplings here. I am not super picky about dumplings; I really am an enjoyer of all dumplings, especially if there's a nice dipping sauce of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil available. Orange Chicken (1/5) - Do not get the orange chicken here. It was shockingly bad for such a well-established restaurant. It was violently neon orange, and looks-wise, the sauce most closely resembled American buffalo sauce. Taste-wise, it was unbearably sweet and very different from the orange chicken I typically encounter and enjoy. It tasted as if they had melted orange hard candies and used that as the sauce. Sauteed Lamb with Chinese Greens (4.5/5) - Wasn't expecting much when my friend ordered this, but it was delicious. It tasted homey, like my grandma was in the kitchen and prepared this. Too salty to eat alone, so eat it with the rice it comes with. Lamb was tender and not gamey at all. SERVICE: (5/5) The place was pretty packed, but the staff were all super attentive and polite. My water was constantly refilled. They're really on top of it! TLDR// Pretty good place to get dumplings, and they have plenty of other upstanding dishes. Whatever you do, though, do not get the orange chicken. Would come back to eat more solid dumplings or just to try more of their extensive menu. read more

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Why did it take us so long to find Dumpling Inn and the associated Shanghai Saloon? Stopped in over the weekend for dinner with friends and it was awesome. It's a great space. Service was excellent and the food and drinks were great. It was busy but not packed and there was no wait to be seated. Lively but not too loud. We will definitely be back. read more

Love coming here for any occasion. Everyone always enjoys the fresh delicious food. Plenty of food to share. We usually choose a few different dishes and we all share. I highly recommend this place. read more

Picked up a few things for takeout. And I know to make sure to ask for condiments/sauces otherwise you don't ask, you DONT GET! But I didn't think I needed to ask specifically for crispy fried wonton when ordering a large order of the egg drop soup because it is nowhere to be found when I got my food! I trusted that it would be in there. I should have listened to my gut to check the order before walking out! Such a bummer Got my usual: Seafood kung pao Chao mein Shrimp wonton Egg drop soup And black sauce beef for the first time which is really good read more

Dumpling Inn - Delux chowmein, seafood kungpao, XLB, - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

The best homemade potstickers in the state of California. My wife has been going here for over 30 years. Just as good as when they were a hole in the wall. It is a MUST stop when you are anywhere nearby! read more

Soup dumplings where a disappointment. They tasted like water and had no flavor. The beef and scallops and the deluxe noddles are great! I felt rushed out and didn't really feel like I could take my time eating. read more

Dumpling Inn - Beef and Soup Dumplings "XLB" - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

Dumpling Inn has such a big menu to choose from, it was hard to pick!! We got seated right away and were attended to quickly. The XLB is always a great choice here and we decided to try the boiled pork dumplings. We got the spicy soup for $3 more and poured it over the pork dumplings & it changed the game! The chow main & Kung Pao chicken were also very flavorful. I look forward to trying more food here. read more

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I'm so, so happy to be back at the Chinese restaurant! We had Chicken Chow Mein, Wonton Soup, Pork Dumplings, and Honey Glazed Shrimp with rice. The flavors were just right, not too salty, but rich and full of that delicious Asian seasoning. The servers were great, the restaurant is gorgeous, and parking was easy. Loved it! read more

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Decent dumplings for an okay price. I'm still searching for really good dim sum/dumpling restaurant in San Diego though. This didn't quite hit the mark. The decor of the restaurant is kind of confusing. It's got a lot of traditional Asian decor with random saloon elements thrown in. Staff felt a little rushed and subsequently, I felt like they had no time for us and we were burdening them just by being there. read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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We have been here several times. When we go to San Diego and are craving some good food/dumplings, we go here! Fast, friendly and delicious! read more

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Food- the food was really good, but I was bummed that they don't do grilled pork buns with the crispy sesame seed bottoms. Service- the service here is excellent, the food came out fast too. Ambiance- family vibes, cute bar read more

One would think that a restaurant called Dumpling Inn would have good dumplings, but nope. The dumplings were worse than the frozen ones you can get at Costco. The drinks were ok. Would save your time and money and head over to a more authentic place for dumplings. read more

I used to love this place. My favorite was the XLB juicy pork dumplings, but they're not juicy anymore. Last three times they have been dry. Their kung pao chicken used to be wonderful, but last time I got it, it was dry, so was their orange chicken. My last few times have not been what they used to be. Their ambience is the best on Convoy. Customer service is excellent. read more