Tasty authentic Shanghai dumpling place in the Castro. No wait for lunch. Terrific numb-tongue pepper mapo tofu. String beans had perfect amount of dragon breath sizzle and not over cooked. Favorite was the Shanghai style pan-fried pork buns. Think XLB meets potsticker. Chewy pan-fried brown bottom with XLB juiciness inside. Be careful not to burn your tongue. Luckily mine was already numb from spicy tofu. read more

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The dumplings and soup were incredible. Very friendly staff and interior was quite nice. Easy walk from the trolly!

Updated review: My third time here with my friends I finally got to try some new items! We got the pork xiao long bao, pan fried pork dumplings, pea shoots, and the beef fried rice with truffle. The pea shoots got to our table first and our table finished off the plate so fast. Tender greens stir fried with whole pieces of garlic and seasoned to perfection it was such a good start to the meal. Definitely more pricey but I think it's worth it if you have never had pea shoots before or if you are craving them. The xiao long bao were filled with soup and the dumpling skin was thin with a good chew. Dipped into the black vinegar, it was really a perfect bite. I would definitely put these in my top 5 soup dumpling spots for sure! The pan fried pork dumplings were also juicy, I am weird and personally don't love these, but objectively they were good. Crispy on the bottom with thicker dough, juicy meat filling, and a thinner dough on top. I would skip on the beef fried rice with truffle next time, there was no truffle flavor and the rice was missing seasoning overall. I can definitely make this better at home, this was the one dish that was a bit disappointing. Of course, we also ordered the boiled fish dumplings which are my favorite thing here. It was juicy and filled with tender, supply white fish. We ordered a second round of the pork xiao long bao, but there was confusion in the kitchen and we had to grab our check before it came since we had an event to go to after dinner. They were nice enough to take it off the check but also brought out an order on the house! I appreciate when restaurant's make it up to you when they make a mistake! Again, such a good dumpling spot and I always take my friends from out of town here. read more

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Food was adequate but it all tasted the same. The service was terribly slow and it took us over an hour to get 2 orders of dumplings and an onion pancake. The fillings were almost identical and the texture was just ok. read more

Amazing food and friendly service in a nice atmosphere at a decent price. I love the string beans, eggplant, and braised beef in pancakes.

A great neighborhood option. Good spicy sichuan. I tried the pork and noodles. Both were really solid offerings

I love coming here. The dumplings come out fast, fresh and delicious! Try the fried dumplings. I honestly don't know what they're called but I posted a picture. The times I went for dinner it wasn't too crowded. We sat in the back but in the indoor area because outside was cold at night. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - I never had fried dumplings before like this. So good! - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

Star of the show was definitely their pan fried pork buns. Crispy, slightly chewy, super juicy and flavorful filling. They let me know it would take extra time, and for this kind of item, a little wait is always a good sign as it signals to me that it's being made fresh and with attention. For a simple lunch they offer some great lunch specials at a very good price for the portion IMO. A couple of guests next to me were having General Tso's and Sweet and Sour chicken, they both looked very happy. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - Shanghai pan fried soup buns - delish - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

I ordered delivery which was quick and polite. They sent a few texts informing me of my order's progress and they were spot in, making the final price with delivery fees, tax, tip, etc worth it. A big plus. Overall the food was very, very salty, and I love salt. Except for the MuShu chicken- that was very good. Flavorful with fresh crunchy veggies, great plum sauce and the pancakes were perfect and there were enough of them (6 maybe). The dry fried chicken entree was chewy and tough and salty. I had three bites and gave up. The steamed sticky rice Shumai was so salty it burned my mouth. Two bites. And there was a beef and gravy wrap style appetizer that I don't see on the menu today, maybe it was removed. Saltiest of the salty. One bite. I think I should have focused on the dumpling menu since it's what they're named after. If I tried again I'd get some MuShu and a lot of dumplings. read more

Everything was insane. Didn't have a single bite of food I wasn't satisfied with. Bless

I found this place very average. The service was lacking. They used a microwave for a lot of our food. It came out in an odd order. The hot and sour soup wasn't that tasty. I wild say if you want dumplings, go to Mama Ji or Bao for a much better use of your money and time. read more

The food was very good. We had a delivery service. Bring the food to our hotel and the food was hot. Tasty and I would go again.

How this place can be less than 5 stars I don't know. Hurry on down before they get wise and raise the prices. I had Mongolian beef. The thinly slices beef was meltingly tender, contrasting nicely with the al-dente sauteed onions and peppers. At my request they added steamed broccoli, which was arranged around the dish edge. These were excellent with the house made chili oil. The sauce though. Delicate with a sweetness and spiciness that must be savoured. It's been a while since neighborhood Chinese gave me a happy surprise. read more

Fantastic food! My friend and I had the following dishes (in the order from best to worst, but even the "worst" dish was still good): - Shanghai-style pan-fried pork buns - a MUST-get! Soooo good. Very flavorful juicy meat, and the bun bread was soft and doughy at the top but also perfectly crispy/fried at the bottom. - Black truffle with beef fried rice - never had truffle fried rice before--and. It. Is. The. BOMB. I could taste the truffle in every bite, and yet the flavor was not overpowering. It was smooth, rich, and very tasty. - Steamed giant crab meat dumplings - came with generous portions of soft, flavorful crab meat. Very novel kind of dumplings for me (I had never heard of crab meat in dumplings before), so it was a great experimental dish to try. - Eggplant with garlic sauce - great standard classic dish. Nothing more that needs to be said lol. - Steamed BBQ pork bao - meh. The meat was tasty, but portions were quite small and mostly of bread, not much meat. I would rather buy BBQ pork baos (which are larger) from cheap fast Asian bakeries. read more

The atmosphere was top tier! We were immediately greeted and seated with a smile and the server, Sherri, helped suggest items since this was our first time. I have the vegetable potstickers and they were some of the best potstickers I have had in a long time! We also got the Chili Oil steam dumplings and Sherri helped adjust things to our liking. Overall, great experience, will be coming back for sure! read more

Although it's not as good as my mom's, it really brings me back to the taste of my hometown.

Another of the cluster of dumpling shops on Taraval. Don't forget to get some frozen ones to take home

It's ok in location adjusted terms. Could you get better on the westside or chinatown? Yes. But as an option in the castro, it's alright. The XLB in general could have more soup and thinner skin (which is generally what you're going for). The XJB are too doughy. The beef tripe tendon in chili oil could be softer. read more

I walk in , waited for While no eye contact. Nothing. After long time waiting they came assisted, then 4 people walk in, was set , their food oder on it, nothing for me. they were more concerned at big tables, and to go food.not good for single to two couple. read more

Dumpling Kitchen is a hidden gem along Castro Street for great Chinese food! I first went to their Sunset location and was so excited to see they opened one closer to me. It's my favorite place to go to (or order from) whenever I'm craving dumplings. Typically little to no wait as well (unlike Dumpling Home in Hayes Valley). Looks like a small restaurant, but it actually has a cute back patio with more seating. My favorite items: - Shanghai-style Pan-fried Pork Buns: A must order! It's crispy, fluffy, and juicy. - Spicy Wontons: Always love a good spicy chili oil wonton. It's also pork wonton (for anyone who has a shrimp allergy like myself). - Shanghai-style Chow Mein: I like this noodle because it's a larger noodle with more bite. - Dry String Beans: One of my favorite vegetables at Chinese restaurants and they do it well. I also love the cold spicy pig ear, but they don't have that at this location (only the Sunset Taraval location sadly). Also, a skip: beef stew noodle soup. I've had better at other places. They also serve alcoholic drinks, including cocktails, beer, wine, and sake. I had the Lychee cocktail which was good! Service is generally fast as well if you do eat in. If you order takeout and pickup, it's slightly cheaper to call directly (rather than through DoorDash). Parking is tougher here though since it is along Castro St, but not too bad of a walk from the Castro Muni Station on Market. read more

What a great addition to the neighborhood! Dumpling Kitchen was a bright, vibrant and bustling with energy the Sunday afternoon we visited. The team was very nice and all our food arrived so quickly. Every dish was very flavorful and I kept wanting more! My favorites were definitely the wontons in chili oil--the heat from the chili oil was nice. I'd definitely come back and bring more friends, the space is great for groups. read more

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I grew up in Shanghai and I have very high standards for Xiao long bao (Shanghai style steamed soup dumplings) and Sheng Jian bao (pan fried little pork buns). This place has hands down the best dumplings in San Francisco. The pork belly is another traditional Shanghainese dish (acquired taste) that I totally loved. The flavor is so rich and smooth. A few other modified dishes also impressed me, including the black truffle fried rice (you can see the truffle pieces and totally taste it in every bite. It's a big portion too) and the butter garlic edamame. This is going to be my new go to place in Castro. read more

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The food wasn't bad and I liked the atmosphere. The service was also good; nothing to complain about. The issue I had though was that all the dishes were lukewarm or room temperature, even the soup. The food was probably sitting out for awhile (or possibly not even freshly made). I say this because the dumplings, shiu mai, and other skins were starting to dry up. Even the dumplings that came in bamboo steamers were drying up, which is weird. My guess is that the bamboo steamer is just for show because the steamer wasn't even hot or looked like it touched any steam. We also got something pan fried and it was again, lukewarm. I would expect something fried to at least have some residual heat. read more

TLDR: I appreciate their vast menu items, but I wouldn't go here again for dumplings. I'd give this place a 6.5-7/10! I prefer Dumpling House for dumplings (2-3 blocks over from Dumpling Kitchen). My partner and I did a mobile order for pick up since this place closes for the afternoon (close at 3pm). We live in the neighborhood, so the food wasn't sitting for too long before we ate it! PORK POT STICKERS: The filling was okay - a good standard pork dumpling. My only gripe is that the wrapping was really thick .. you'll see that this is a common factor in their dumplings! PEA SHOOTS WITH FRIED GARLIC: This was good! It wasn't overdone, and the garlic cloves were great and plentiful. CRISPY SALTED FISH: This was good too! It definitely had a kick to it, the jalapenos were such a nice touch. A little on the salty side, but I didn't mind it especially because we had it over white rice. CHILI OIL WONTONS: I didn't like these as much as I was hoping. The wrapping was really thick, stuffing was okay. Their chili oil was the redemption factor of this dish - definitely had a kick. CHICKEN AND CORN DUMPLINGS: I didn't like these at all. The stuffing was interesting in that it was hard .. and not soft at all? There was a lot of corn in it which I appreciate, but the chicken texture was so odd. It wasn't juicy. Definitely on the end of a firm dumpling .. read more

We once lived in San Francisco, and find ourselves returning to the Castro several times a year. Today we discovered Dumpling Kitchen..... and to be honest, the young ladies who answered our questions, (I'm vegetarian), coupled with the adorable patio out back, won us over. And in we went. The servers were gracious, efficient, and helpful. We identified several items on the menu, not all vegetarian, and ordered. The dishes were delivered to our patio table in a timely manner, and with a smile. Presentation was very nice. Everything we had was delicious, onoliscious as we'd say on Oahu, and the prices were reasonable. The fact that the table next to us had a doggie at their feet only made the lunch all that much more enjoyable..... and Moe was a rescue dog from Kauai to boot! Maika'i !!! While we ate outside, which was wonderful, the indoor restaurant was very nice. Tidy, organized, etc. We would have been happy with an indoor table as well. Will we be back? Absolutely! read more

The whole chebang! Food, service and ambience is great! I visited DK on Taraval street! I love this place read more

They don't take the online waitlist. What a waste of time. They barely attended anyone in line. Don't waste your time here if it is busy. Terrible customer service. They should remove the waitlist online to avoid miscommunications. read more

So totally thrilled to find this place! We just attended the grand opening today (10/8/22): the food was freshly delicious & the service seamlessly attentive without any of the usual hiccups of a normal brand new opening. Everyone who works here is well-masked (in adorable Pride Rainbow surgical masks) and I as an immunocompromised person felt completely comfortable & safe eating in the well-ventilated outdoor back patio. Honestly I probably would've ordered my mail to go if they didn't have this patio, because there is no sidewalk seating which is fine by me bc I prefer a little privacy when I dine! The back patio is both intimate and spacious at the same time with 7 tables well-spaced for social distancing. My favorite was the noodles with ground pork & black bean sauce (very filling enough for 2 people) and the pan-fried pork dumpling a strong second. We also ordered chow mein which we added broccoli to & our special request was honored. The dumpling dipping sauce is light and flavorful and their chili oil is so fragrant. What I love most about this spot is they manage to have both great food and ambience which not all dumpling places are able to accomplish! read more

I like the spacious outdoor seating in the patio, and the friendly, flexible staff paying attention. The food was ver (very) good in taste and presentation read more

The food is always delicious! The staff is consistently prompt and courteous. The food is brought out to the table quickly. Great service and food at reasonable prices (which is hard to find in SF these days). Highly recommend trying the chocolate dumplings for dessert! read more

Nice dumpling restaurant. They have another location on Taraval which has a different menu. We've been to the Taraval location, and after eating there, the menu at the Castro location is not as big. We ordered some dumplings, one order was completely over looked yer we were charged for it. The staff acknowledged their error, apologized and removed the charge from our order. read more

I ordered DK via delivery. I had high hopes after seeing great reviews but was disappointed by lack of food safety. 1 - smashed cucumbers were put in a paper box that got soaked through, opened and leaked around whole delivery bag. 2 - my har gow order was full of undercooked, raw shrimp. I realized #2 well into eating some, and hope I do not become ill as a result. Other than this, food tasted good but food safety comes first. I hope you can resolve these issues. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

Too expensive for what it is. They should offer a lunch special with a cup of soup for $13 or less. Working people in the Castro would flock here if they featured that. As it is, today on a Friday afternoon prime lunchtime hours there are 6 people here. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - Nobody here. - Dim Sum Near Me - San Francisco, California

Wow. This new restaurant in the Castro is terrific. Patio seating provides a peaceful, pleasant environment. Every dish we had was outstanding: Shanghai dumplings bursting with flavor: pan fried seafood noodles with tender, tasty bay scallops. And the best garlic sautéed bok choy I've ever had. Prompt, friendly servers. What's not to like. This is a dynamite addition to the Castro. Great place to share beautiful, creative food with friends. read more

Everything was fresh, we loved the food. We came at 4:50 and were seated right at 5. They brought out the food pretty quick. One of my fav dumpling restaurants in SF. Fried pork dumplings and chow mien are top tier!!! Please get them if you come read more

Not fancy, but great food. The green beans were crisp, though perhaps a bit over oily. Dumplings were wonderful. Steamed pork buns were fluffy! read more

Nice restaurant in the Castro district for some Chinese food. Food was delicious, wonderful service, I'll be back.

Food and service, quite good! But as my partner and I sat finishing our meal near closing time, we watched the waitress shamelessly refill the wine bottles at the bar from a box-wine spigot. Yes, their expensive by-the-glass wine is actually Chinese box-wine. We won't be back, 'cause who knows what else is going on? Geesh, she didn't even try to be discreet about it. read more

Leaving this review because I was impressed with the Szechuan chicken. I got it as delivery and usually I'd expect the crispness to be gone because it steams in the package but it was hot and super crispy when it arrived. And the leftovers were just as crispy the next day. Honestly the rest of the food could be awful and I'd still come here just for that. Super happy! read more

Excellent meal. First time here. We had the Hot and Sour Soup. It was spicier than we've had, but it was very good. We had a number of dishes all of which were terrific. We ordered more than we could eat, but had a great lunch the next day. read more