Shanghai dumplings as close as I've gotten to soup dumplings since having them in Shanghai. Their fresh vegetable dumplings are superior; cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, sea vegetable and all fresh. read more

i live dangerously close to this place. i have been three times, (2 inside) one take out. This is not wheelchair/stroller friendly FYI. a lot of stairs. i really like it, but honestly surprised we don't have more dumpling places in the area! (though dumpling time is coming soon) highly recommend - pan fried dumpling. like a thicker skinned soup dumpling. - soup dumplings - delicious, a classic - siu mai - the first time i had these they were perfectly steamed and JUICY. almost a soupy siu mai hybrid. probably the best bite of siu mai i've had. the second time we ordered it they were slightly oversteamed and so all the dumplings burst and the meat was tougher. still good, still ate it. - salt and pepper fish - delicious but salty. we ate too much but our tummies hurt after (that's on us - not on dumpling kitchen) - beef roll - sweet, savory and delicious skip - sesame paste noodles - so bland - black bean noodles - also forgettable I wish they were selling their pork and crab dumplings. a few dumplings were crossed out from the list. hope one day they have them. this is def going to be a usual spot for us. you have to ask for the vinegar, which is weird. why dont they just leave it on the table? idk. read more

I had the wonton with broth and the wonton in chili oil. Wontln in broth was NOOOOTTTT wonton and i know they had wontons because the chili oil wonton was actually wonton. The wonton broth was dumplings with 小笼包 (shanghainese soup dumpling) filling, which is good but definitely not what i wanted to eat tonight. Besides that, the broth was just saline water, so the dish to me was a big disappointment. However, serving was very good size, so if u like a fat bowl of soup dumplings in salt water for $10, this is for you. Now the wonton in chili oil. Theres no chili flakes nor flavors in the oil, so it was just wontons dumped in oil with no seasoning, so it was quite hard to eat as i just envisioned my veins getting clogged by the second and i had visions of my imminent death. It felt fattening. Again, wontons in oil. This is not how they do it in mainland nor taiwan, so i can confidently say this is also a disappointment. Service was ordinary and ambiance was ordinary too. They played nice mandarin and canto sad songs. read more

Stopped by this place while checking out an event at the college with my daughter. We were seated pretty quickly, ordered our food and got it quick. Hot and fresh. It was so good! Will definitely be back to try more things in the menu. read more

11/21/21 This would be an XLB / Shanghainese restaurant right in the middle of student row. It was a Sun night, and the streets were still full of people, though... 90% were students. I wasn't expecting much, but it was definitely far better than I had hoped. No real service although staff were also all college kids. But that's okay, food was fine. A01. Shanghai-Style Steamed Pork Dumplings (8pcs) $9.45: Okay super funny.... I always write down all the items I am going to order as a memo on my iPhone, so I have notes. I handed my phone to the waitress and said, "All this." And she goes, "What's 'XLB'?"......... hahahahhhahahaha. "Xiao loooooong bao," I says. Okay whatever. So, yeah, I gotta say they tasted good but the shell was weird. It really tasted like boiled wonton skin, and not the texture of standard Shanghai skin, or the quite different Din Tai Fung skin... won ton? But I gotta say, even though the skin was super soft, it did not tear! But it wasn't my thing anyway. The stuffing was pretty good though--tender and pretty juicy. Not the juiciest out there, but it's still pretty good. Great flavor in the soup too. 7/10 A02. Crab and Pork Steamed Dumplings (6 pcs) $12.80: Same deal as the pork one but far more expensive. It tasted like fish, not crab. No crab texture either. Don't get this. 2/10 A13. Shanghai-Style Steamed Sticky Rice Shumai (6pcs) $9.95: So, I NEVER order this cause it's almost always bad. I've made this mistake a few times at other XLB restaurants. Usually the rice is hard, under cooked, or the shell is hard, or whatever. Anyway, I dunno why but this was calling to me, so I got it. Totally not what I was expecting! Think Zhongzi innards, but spilled into a XLB shell (same wonton skin tasting one.) It's not the typical white sticky rice, but the soy sauce marinated version in Zhongzhi. Anyway, it tasted good for what it was, but I don't think their style is standard. 6/10 C1. Hot and Sour Soup (Pork) $9.95: Yeah, another NEVER EVER ordered. But strangely, my gf wanted it. So, it was good... TONS of stuff inside, including the traditional wood ear fungus and bamboo. Nice. Perfect texture and stickiness. Nice flavor. 7/10 E1. Shaghai-Style Chow Mein $10.80: Not sure what the true traditional style is in Shanghai (when I went we didn't order stir-fried noodles haha), but this was pretty good. The noodles were hand-pulled, and there was plenty of other stuff in there. 6/10 So, if you don't mind the atypical wonton-tasting wrappers on your XLBs, and waitresses that don't know the names of their menu items, and hunting for parking for 20min,... Oh, and no ice with your water. 4/5 #berkeley #xlb #chinesefood #chinesecuisine #shanghainesefood #shanghainesecuising #shanghaifood #shanghaicuisine read more

I find that Dumpling Kitchen was generally good, nothing special but nice. I thought the soup dumplings had well-rounded broth yet the meat inside was a bit lackluster. The steamed rice was circular and fun to destroy. The Mini Egg tarts tasted good but they had the essence of coconut oil. With all of the food options around Dumpling Kitchen, it is probably the best thing in the area that also has a relatively affordable price. Overall good, 7/10 read more

Located in the heart of Berkeley this restaurant was overall pleasant, the wait time was basically nonexistent. All the food was least good but the few that stood out to me personally were the sesame rice balls (with red bean paste), Pork soup dumpling, and cucumber salad. The rice balls were deliciously warm and crisp on the outer layer, the bean paste on the inside was obviously made with care and it was one of the best sesame rice balls I have ever had. The presentation was cute and instagram worthy. The pork soup dumpling was very flavorful! The soup on the inside was tasty and the perfectly pulled skin made a cozy treat. A complaint would be that after a few minutes if you have not eaten the entire batch, the dumpling will stick to the paper on the bottom, ripping the dumpling and causing the soup to leak out. And last but not least the cucumber salad, while the presentation was nothing to write home about and was very basic BUT the salad was refreshing and a great opening meal to prepare me for what was to come, which was a very fulfilling meal! With so few options in the East bay a good Xiao long bāo place is few and far between, but with this being one of the few options it could most certainly be much worse. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Bad service and unorganized. Didn't bring out a couple of the orders. Even when I brought it up to them the moron didn't update or apologize. Some people shouldn't be operating a restaurant. Food is barely mid too. Nothing special. read more

The food is amazing! Food came out very fast and very easy to order! Great service, even when it was super busy, seems like lots of people enjoy the food too!! read more

Absolutely delicious. Went with my Roomates and got the pork soup dumplings and they were really something. Combine the three sauces they give you: two parts chili oil one part soy one part vinegar. They were really stingy with the tea and I'm not sure if it's exactly affordable for college students, but a great sit-down place for celebration or when your family comes to visit. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - E1. Kurobuta Pork Soup Dumplings / - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is now a staple in our dining out allotment -- the Shanghai style pan fried dumplings are HEAVENLY, the chili wontons are PERFECTION, and we are obsessed with the green beans. We try to try a new dish each time we visit so we also have enjoyed the rice cakes and beef roll as well! read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love this place! Food here is super tasty at fair prices. My favorites are the pan fried soup dumplings and I always get chow mein with it. This is not a big restaurant, It's a cozy place. I've been here like five times already and the consistency of their food is amazing. Their house made chili oil is pretty good too. This place is not going to disappoint! I recommend it. read more

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Winner winner dumpling dinner :D Had dinner at dumpling kitchen on a Monday evening and I was happy to start my week with this meal. The restaurant was definitely busy for a Monday night. It has 2 small spaces with approximately 6-7 tables each. It was clean, and well-lit - good for a sit down meal. Service was good too. As for the food... 1. Pan fried potstickers: 4.5/5 plump, juicy morsels of pork filled in a thin wrapper, pan fried to perfection 2. Pork buns: 5/5 this was surprisingly my fav of the night. The pork filling was savory and flavorful, the buns were crispy on the bottom, and so chewy and yummy on the inside 3. Soup dumplings: 3.5/5 these were not as punchy as I had hoped. The soup was not bad, but don't expect these to be life changing XLBs 4. Wontons in chili oil: 3.5/5 the wontons themselves were tasty. Again, quite plump and hefty. But the chili oil was seriously lacking in oomph. 5. Kung pao chicken: 4/5 pretty standard. Reliable entree. read more

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TLDR for the food: Sweet vinegar Spare ribs: 2/5 Egg custard baos:3/5 Pan fried pork baos:3/5 Vegetarian potstickers:2/5 Vegetarian chow mein:1/5 Steamed pork dumplings: 3/5 The food: I came to this place because I really liked the SF branch. I think I will continue going to the SF one if I'm being honest. I didn't really like the sweet vinegar spare ribs I feel like it's more of the marinade that I didn't like. The meat had a nice texture and wasn't chewy. Egg custard baos were good, but I'm not sure why the filling felt powdery not sure if that's what it's supposed to be like. Pan fried baos were good slightly more fried then the ones I liked in SF. Vegetarian potstickers were alright. My friends sister said she's had better vegetarian potstickers. Vegetarian chow mein was the worst in my opinion bc it had no flavor. It kind just tasted like we were slurping noodles what were just cooked in oil with no seasoning. When I bit into the vegetables there was also no distinct flavor. Kinda tasted like they were lightly steamed then thrown in with the noodles. Steamed pork dumplings were nothing too special. Still solid. I would say for college students this is a pretty good choice for dumplings. However if you have the time just go to SF :) The mood: Pretty casual place. Smaller than your average dim sum place. Parking is non existent but there is a nearby parking garage. read more

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My family of 5 (2 adults and 3 small children) dined here on Sunday at 5:00 pm. We were seated quickly, but when we went to order, we're informed they were out of XLB. They apparently sold out for the day which was surprising since it is a dumpling shop. Ok, that's fine we ordered other items and the food was enjoyable. Not much can be said about service as we were pretty much left on our own when the food finally arrived. No ginger, no spoons, no check ins from the waiter. Most surprising and irritating was when I went to pay, I was told because my family was a party of 5 (3 of which were kids) that they automatically charged an 18% gratuity. I paused and shared with the cashier that this is not a normal practice I have EVER seen at any dining establishment as this is generally reserved for bigger parties (6 or 8 or more is when I am accustomed to). Now, I am historically an over-tipper especially post pandemic, but they eliminated my opportunity to leave a tip based on service I received and leveraged my family size to try to reward themselves for an undeserved tip amount. I asked if this was posted on the menu or anything that informs patrons this is their practice and they said no (it should be or they should be required to inform diners beforehand). Beware and take a closer look at your bill here. While the food was good, this left such a sour taste to our dining experience that it is highly unlikely we would return back here. read more

Love the food, the service and if you are looking for a good authentic XLB this is the place by the University. Place is small but everything i've ordered from their noodles and pan fried dumpling is very good and always hits the spot. read more

Food was amazing! We got the salt and pepper chicken wings sooo good, the green onion pancakes were life changing. Kung pao chicken had a nice kick. And the egg yoke custard buns are phenomenal! read more

Surprise to find a nice local gem with great food and excellent service. Pan fried dumplings is da bomb and simple green beans so delicious

Okay been here and we have tried this place a few times, but definitely not wasting a dime here anymore it's too expensive for what we got bad food ,and bad service, no thanks plus tip wow dumpling kitchen So for dine In we Ordered hot and sour soup , and spicy beef ramen soup both watered down ,cold ,tasteless, we also ordered Beijing beef but it seemed to be Beijing oñion n veggies!where's the beef ? The dumplings were definitely not the best either as a student's sister we typically come often and noticed that this place is definitely over priced and top it off the portions are appetizer size for 1 like seriously , feel like they're ripping off all these hungry students which is sad because they're the ones here buying food , read more

Major Fails - XLB had no juice inside SJB also had no juice inside Average - Boneless Salt and Pepper Chicken tasted ok but was hard Good - Eggplant with Garlic Sauce was solid Shanghai Stir Fried Rice Cake was the only true win of the evening. read more

good prices and a lot of options. food is more cantonese style imo and owners r nice. good chinese option in berkeley

Takeout dumplings from this place exceeded expectations. For the price I think it was worth it.

Honestly, spend your money somewhere else. Was excited for a great Chinese restaurant near campus but this turned out to be an utter disappointment. The stir fry noodles had to have been the worse that I've ever had. The texture of the noodles made it clear that they were stale. To make it worse, the dish was underseasoned, which is quite rare for this dish. I also had xiaolong bao which was also not as good as many others that I've tried. Though there was nothing horribly wrong about them they were just very subpar... which isn't really what I'm looking for if I'm going to pay a healthy amount for the food. Overall, keep scrolling through yelp. read more

Stopped by for their soft opening! Good dumplings, soupy and savory. Service was a little slow but that's okay! read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Pork dumpling - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

A bit pricy, but I love the food! Service is great. Love the environment in the restaurant.

Everything from this place is good especially the soup dumpling and pan fried pork buns! highly recommend as a place to go with friends since lots of the dishes are shareable! read more

We ordered takeout through DoorDash earlier this week, and everything was very good. I would imagine eating in the restaurant would taste even better since delivered dumplings usually have cooled down a bit (they were still good). Particularly good we're the pork ribs, green beans, pork dumplings and chicken wings. Fried noodles too! read more

3.5 We were craving dumplings and took a chance on this new spot. Unfortunately, they were out of dumplings so what we ordered instead were: shanghai style rice cakes, beef roll pancakes, pan fried pork buns. The total was around $27, which was not bad. Prices are very fair. We called in our order and we were told it would take 20 minutes. We got there 20 minutes later and our food was still not ready...It ended up taking around 35 minutes. Busy dinner rush I guess? Would have appreciated if they quoted a more realistic time so we didn't have to putz around. Onto the food... We love the beef roll pancakes from Liang's Kitchen but the ones here do not even compare. Not even close. We opened the container and were disappointed by the sad looking wrap we saw. It was very skimpy for portion size and definitely not flavorful. The shanghai style rice cakes were also a bit bland. This is a dish we love and order often from Din Tai Fung and also recreate at home from time to time. Is it bad when you feel like you could have made it better instead of paying money to be disappointed? We definitely took out some kitchen sauces to dress it up a bit and make it more appetizing. The only redeeming dish of the night was the pan fried pork buns. We'd go back for that dish and maybe try dumplings if they had any left. read more

Great food. Authentic, fast, nice little eating area. It's a hole-in-the-wall college spot, so it's not like ambiance is key, but service is quick and food is good! read more

I like the smooth seamless process of signing in and ordering. The food is great, customer service is fast and effective.

Wow authentic shanghainese food close to campus in Berkeley ? Didn't know what to expect when coming here but I was amazed. Ordered the pork dumplings, mapo tofu and sweet spicy soup. Pork dumplings were fantastic. You can taste the different components of the dumpling, meat, soup and wrapper. Mapo tofu and sour spicy soup were both on the salty side but had an amazing numbing spice sensation and great flavor profile. Will definitely come again. read more

Solid experience and easy to walk in, get a table, and (over) order. Since this is very campus centric may be more hectic when classes are in session. Dumplings were solid, not perfection but definitely hit the craving. Salt and pepper chicken is addictive but what's not to like? Cucumber salad was tasty and as expected but helps to squeeze a veg in there read more

My husband and I decided to try this place since it seemed to have the shortest wait on a Friday night. The greeter was very friendly and seated us right away, but the food was very mediocre. We ordered the Shanghai steamed pork dumplings, spicy oil wontons, baby bowl Choy in garlic and the walnut shrimp. The dumpling and wonton wrapping was too thick. There was barely any soup in the dumpling. Oh! And they didn't have ginger, only vinegar. The walnut shrimp was also over-battered, which is great for the crunch but not much substance. As for the environment, we were seated upstairs and it could use better ventilation. I probably won't be visiting this restaurant again. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley. Try to stick to ordering their Shanghai dishes as that is their specialty and make sure to do family style! sheng jian bao is a must; very juicy inside and perfectly crispy outside that stays crisp even after it sits a while. Stir fry with rice cakes is also a very addicting dish and comes in a large shareable pot Lionhead meatball was an unexpected winner. Supppeerrr juicy and contains salted egg yolks inside. The cucumber appetizer is simple yet a great refreshing dish to crunch on and cut through the heaviness of the rest of the meal read more

We enjoyed brunch on a rainy Sunday. Several popular items were marked as sold out on the menu, but there were still plenty of choices and everything was delicious. The food came fast and was very hot from the kitchen. Our bill was about $70 for four hungry people. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Sophia and Fiona - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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There's something about dumplings and buns I can't get my tastebuds around, but it's delicious in the mornings. Great atmosphere, great service, good food read more

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Reminds me of the taste of hometown. Warm and thoughtful service. Fast serving. Sweet and sour pork ribs are delicious, especially recommended. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - A6. Beijing-Style Boiled Pork and Chive Dumplings G1. Sweet Vinegar Spare Ribs - Shanghainese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This place was horrible! First time I went the dumpling had a hair in the first bite! Really gross . When I pointed it out , the waitress was rude and refused to bring out a new batch. I was disgusted. read more

Tasty dumplings. I really liked the cucumber salad. Too bad they don't deliver. Clean space and nice server.

The dumplings and bao came very fast and they were nice and hot. The chow mein had a lot of flavor but the noodles were not very fresh. The chile oil was the highlight!! read more