overall a really great chinese food option in the Castro! seems much easier to get into than the Sunset location. * no wait on a weekday around 6pm * we had to wait a long time to put in our order (seemed they had a LOT of takeout orders to deal with) but our waiter was super friendly * scallion pancake - 4.5/5, very crisp and not too heavy * veggie bao - 3/5, i appreciated that they had this option but it was rather bland * fish dumpling - 4/5, this was solid but not as good as the Yuanbao Jiaozi ones * steamed veggie dumpling - 4/5, i loved the texture and this had a lot of veggies! but also seemed a bit underseasoned * crab giant soup dumpling - 4.5/6, amazingly this was HUGE and didn't have any pork. they stick to each other and break easily (so sad) but otherwise it was delicious with vinegar. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - steamed veggie dumpling and veggie bao in the background - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

So excited that Dumpling Kitchen opened in the Castro, so I don't have to make the trek out to their Sunset location! The location is nicely located in the heart of the Castro district, so there's a lot to see and do while you wait for a table. The food here is always delicious, you can never order the wrong thing. We ordered the shanghai style pan fried pork bun, shanghai style stir fried rice cakes, salt and pepper tofu, steamed pork dumplings, braised beef pancake roll, pork and chive dumplings. The flavors were amazing and it was very filling. My favorite dish was the beef pancake roll, the contrast and coordination of sweetness of the sauce on the roll and the saltiness of the braised beef was so tasty! The service here is amazing, the staff was very attentive and the food came out quickly after ordering. The price is definitely worth it, you can get so much food and don't have to break the bank doing so. I would recommend this place if you are ever craving dumplings! Great spot for a date night or going out with a group of friends. read more

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it was mid a little I didn't like the food but it wasn't raw. the service was good too. the ambiance wasn't 5 stars but wasn't bad either.

Ordered takeout from this place because I was craving honey walnut shrimp. I opened the Tupperware (the lid was broken and it looked used) and was utterly disgusted at what I saw. This was a very sad attempt at honey walnut shrimp. The sauce on the side did not even resemble what honey walnut shrimp should be. Also the shrimp was not fried like it's supposed to be. It looked like they microwaved day-old shrimp. So sad cause it was $18 and I had to throw it in the trash after taking these pics. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - Honey G15. Walnut Prawns - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This is the best breakfast I've ever had in the Bay Area, especially the steamed buns, which melt in your mouth and you want more after finishing them. read more

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Had a delightful dinner this weekend with a bunch of friends. Saturday night and the restaurant was busy, with a couple of tables empty. Generally the service was a little slow in the back room, but good overall. Dumplings were fantastic and they had a good number of non-pork options for me. I also love that they had Chong Qing chicken and some regular entrees for the anti- dumpling people in the crowd! read more

Overall great place - I came during lunch so I was just in time for their lunch special! This dish was only 11.8 and the portion is pretty big so it aaa hella worth it. The mapo tofu itself was pretty spicy and numbing so do not get this dish if you can't handle your spice. The service was fast and the place has a nice ambiance- perfect if you just want to enjoy a quiet meal by yourself or with a few friends. I would definitely come back and try their xiaolongbao which looked really good! read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - H3. Mapo Tofu over Rice Lunch Special - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

The food was so good--yum! I am keeping my fingers crossed that Dumpling Kitchen stays in this space that has been so many things before it: Nirvana, Papi Rico, and more! Four stars for the food and hospitality! We sat out back because the rest of the restaurant was reserved. This was good to note because next time we'll make a reservation. It was packed. I wouldn't say I liked sitting out back--it needs to be worked on a bit. It felt isolated and a bit dirty. You can think of the restaurant being divided into three separate spaces: the inside [as soon as you walk in there is also a small bar area], the middle section which is a large enclosed room, and then the backyard area. The restrooms were interesting. There are two of them, but one just has three urinals. They are so close together that you'll bump elbows with someone. They could use some TLC. The entire restaurant could too. It needs to be picked up and cleaned up a bit. The stairs to the backyard are sketchy, for example. Service was so nice but they were slow! Dishes came out at odd times and the condiments for the pot stickers were not brought until we asked for them. We ate them before the soy sauce, vinegar and hot oil arrived! Yep--they were delicious. Kind of doughy though. Loved the assorted chow mein, shrimp dumplings, and chicken and broccoli. Good food. Nice people. Lots of options. Make a reservation! read more

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I have been there twice at this point. The first time, I ordered the pork belly. It was OK, but not great. The second time I went, I ordered dumplings, and they were all great. Not as inexpensive as Chinatown, but also not as mass produced tasting and clearly steamed or stewed to order, rather than sitting in a steamer for hours. Nice house sake, friendly staff. I'm actually going a third time tonight. They don't have Cheung Fun, or Chow Fun, but have more than enough on the menu to keep me happy. The ambiance is typical, but it is the food that matters! read more

Fantastic food, the hot and sour soup is amazingly delicious. Added with a little heat, the dumplings are all super juicy. The knockout surprise performance was with the fish and chive dumpling. So smooth and delicate yet accidentally executed and delicious. The truffle fried rice, another surprise, knockout, unexpected and delicious highly recommend. All the dishes, my friends ordered they enjoyed thoroughly on top of the hot and sour soup which my friends keep coming back to time and time again. The lovely atmosphere that's relaxed and humorous at times is what it is relaxed no nonsense, excellent service with a little bell on your table to order more food. Quick and efficient worth the way, can accommodate large groups. This has become a favorite of the neighborhood and the new favorite in my heart. I read more

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Wow this is such a fantastic dumpling spot in the Castro! I came here with my roommates on a Sunday night and we were seated immediately in the cutely decorated dining area. Everything was delicious - the xiao long bao and pan fried pork buns were absolute hits. The black truffle with beef fried rice is another must order! I think Dumpling Kitchen is a much better and less expensive version of the ever so popular Dumpling Home in Hayes. For a fun and interesting dessert, be sure to try the chocolate hazelnut soup dumplings! read more

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Is this the best Chinese restaurant in SF, no... but it's pretty good for this neighbourhood. The prices are reasonable and the service here is very good. I really like the young people who work here, they are very friendly and know about Chinese culture stuff. Like I eat my Chinese food with an empty bowl, and they get it. The food is delicious and the chef is very accommodating! I got a 辣子豆腐，like I was surprised he would even do it! But I asked and he could:) if you have ever been to China you know they eat a lot of veggies over there, and here we ordered all the green veggies and they were perfect. Get the cucumbers and green beans. We had a perfectly healthy and tasty meal! Also their hot chilli oil and vinegar are good quality and good flavor:) the restaurant is much bigger than it looks and the vibe is chill but fun... read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - Before - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Ordered via UberEats! I I ordered the salt and pepper chicken wings, braised pork belly with preserved vegetables, pan fried pork dumplings, combination fried rice, and string beans. They don't give a lot of food when you order their takeout. My gripe with this place is that it looks like they have a large menu, but actually just have very little. It's dumplings with different combinations of meats, chicken with different combinations of flavors, or fried rice/chow mein. . Salt and Pepper chicken wings: pretty good, can't go wrong w this! Juicy meat and crispy skin . Braised pork belly: the meat wasn't as tender as I would've liked . Pan fried pork bun: Had a good amount of soup, the meat was tender, the bottom was crispy, and it was the right amount of bread to meat. Just wish there were more buns in an order - 10$ for an order of 4, other restaurants typically give you 6-8 buns... The meat could've had more seasoning as well. . Combination fried rice: lots of little pieces of meat, decent but not amazing . String bean: also just decent read more

If this one is in way related to the one in the Avenues, you could not convince me. Ordered from them one night and it was inedible. I made three trips here just for the hot and sour soup. When I say "hot," I'm talking about two types of hot. First, the steaming, huge bowl that landed in front of me was steaming, almost boiling. Second, that steam carried with it a touch of the peppers infused in the broth. I was NOT disappointed. I'm a Texan, raised on a large ranch with a Mexican cook who was my second madre. From my earliest days, I loved her, her cooking and the heat of the jalapeños, serranos, habaneros, anchos, etc. I swear she put them in everything! My first sip and the broth carried that whisper of pepper that grew into fire in my mouth before I could swallow. The second spoon was an inferno and I WAS IN HEAVEN. The intermingling of spices elevated the flavor above any hot and sour soup I've had anywhere. I really need to not order the soup the next time so I can try the rest of the food. The few other tastes I've had of friends' dishes all proved to be excellent. On previous visits, I tried the dumplings, dim sum and pot stickers friends ordered. They were heaven! Can't say enough great things about this place. read more

I was hoping to really like this spot given I'd heard good things about its original location, but found myself disappointed by the dishes we got. pork soup dumpling - These were the best item we got - the pork itself was quite juicy and tasty. Don't expect a top tier soup dumpling (say like Din Tai Fung), but these will do if you're craving soup dumplings. braised beef pancake roll - The second best thing we got, the filling was tasty and the scallion roll was super crispy. Surprisingly I found the roll too crispy for me and I can't put my finger on it but something about the overall construction just didn't match up to the best versions I've had, but it was still yummy. beef shank & tripe in chili oil - do not get this. The beef shank is sliced pretty thickly and the sauce was just wrong - it had a weird vinegary / sour taste to me that was off putting. pan fried pork buns - The bottom was way too thick and crusty, it was hard to bite through. Skip this. read more

Excited to have Dumpling Kitchen in the Castro, and I love that they kept the murals from Papi Rico (and points for the rainbow word art menu from Microsoft). I always liked their Taraval location, so I'm happy they're branching out. Noodles come out piping hot here, freshly wok-fried, and not too oily; get the Shanghai-style chow mein! All the dumplings we've gotten have been good, from XLB to the fish & chive dumplings. Great for groups since there's plenty of seating inside and out. read more

All around awesome. Fresh delicious dumplings, fast service, what else do you need? One of the better dumpling spots in SF

My friend found this place on Tik Tok so we decided to try it out! It was a new experience for sure. I've always loved dim sum and I order bao from a bunch of different places around the bay so I made sure to order some of my faves while here, and try some new things too. The soup dumplings were interesting! Very juicy and I was NOT ready for the explosion that happens when you bite into one. We made a mess on our plates, but it was a happy mess, lol. My favorite items were definitely the wontons in chili oil, bbq pork bao, and pork belly! The pork belly was so tender and melts in your mouth. As far as parking goes, there's street parking in the area but you may have to walk a little bit to find a good space. Don't forget, don't leave valuables in your car! read more

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So glad to have another solid Chinese restaurant in Castro! We went for the soft opening and felt like they were still figuring things out, but excited to see how they improve with more time. FOOD Beef Shank & Tripe in Chili Oil - This one is a Chinese classic that I order as a baseline at most restaurants I go to. It was really well-seasoned, albeit a little too salty. The pieces of beef shank were super thick cut, whereas I feel like this dish is usually thin, deli-slice style beef pieces. Shanghai-Style Steamed Pork Buns - The xiaolongbao here were pretty reasonable! The wrapper was not as chewy as I usually prefer, which also meant it tore super easily when it stuck to the steamer. At this price point though this is a solid place for XLB. Shanghai-Style Pan Fried Pork Buns - This is one of my favorite Shanghainese foods, so I order it whenever I get the chance. I really enjoyed their version of it, though it had a slightly stronger deep fried oil taste on the bottom than I'm used to. Pea Sprouts w/ Garlic - Solid stir fry! Will definitely be back if I'm craving Shanghainese food. read more

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A small storefront tucked in the heart of the Castro surprises you instantly if you walk in and ask to be seated in the back patio. We went midday on a Sunday and saw that this place had just had its grand opening! Din Sum gets all the love in San Francisco, it's about time to see another Shanghainese place pop up. We ordered the classics, the pork XLB and the pan fried pork bun, both had incredible flavor and were so juicy. While the flavors were spot on, the XLB didn't have the smooth looking skin you'd expect and the pan fried buns had a bit of a thick bottom. The dan dan noodles were delicious and had a perfect texture, but the chili oil wontons left much to be desired. They were really mild in flavor and had a very thick wonton skin. Overall this place had such a home-y feel and mostly nailed all the nostalgic flavors from my childhood, but there are some imperfections with the skins for the buns, wontons, and XLB. They're just starting out and I'd be interested to check out how they improved in the near future! read more

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I am here in San Francisco on vacation and I am so happy that I came here for dinner! It was delicious and I loved the service we received! I loved the sizzling rice soup so much!!!! Definitely recommend :) read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - A01. Shanghai - Style Steamed Pork Dumplings - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I've never had such blatantly unsafe to eat food served at a restaurant. Absolutely horrible. I got served pork dumplings with raw pork (hot on the outside and raw inside). Returned them and subsequently was served RAW CHICKEN dumplings. Omg they are so horrible it's a joke. Whelp, so much for a MamaJi's competitor. Also service is slow. read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - Raw chicken and corn dumpling - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

Super happy to see a restaurant open up in the previously Papi Rico space. It's a lovely space with a back patio that needs to be used. Overall the food here was great, and I would definitely come back to try more dumplings. All the dumplings were great, you really can't go wrong. The service was a bit slow, probably due to the fact they have just opened and are likely training staff. We put ourselves in on the Yelp waitlist, but when I talked to the person at the host stand, they said they hadn't checked it. The host seemed busy bussing tables, taking orders, and bringing food out, so likely they are understaffed at the moment. There were also a couple of items on the menu that they didn't have in stock, including the chocolate dumplings. I hope those arrive soon!I'm looking forward to them. All that is to say: I expect and hope these issues will be fixed soon. I have no doubt it's hard to start a business in the Castro. I can't wait to come back in a few months and have a 5 star experience. read more

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Popped into this place to check it out for the first time and was super impressed! Lemon chicken was super flavorful and just the right about of crispy. The cucumber salad had this amazing sauce - also super tasty, and the dumplings were cooked perfectly. We were in a hurry so we only ordered a few things, but everything that came out of the kitchen from other guests that passed by our table looked so delicious. I will definitely go back and try even more things on the menu. Really happy to see such a great spot in Castro! read more

We are happy with the wok fried items but want to highlight all dim sum we ordered were terribly executed. Pork bun is crispy from the outside but the filling is plain and faint. Don't really have the enjoyment of having a good bite of pork bun filling. Shrimp dumpling or Har Gow is so wrong in every way. They didn't bother to break the dumplings apart before steaming it. The texture of skin is also wrong, soggy, sticky, and very thick. The filling is made of smaller shrimps and they break apart easily. Definitely do not recommend read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - A05. Shanghai-Style Pan-Fried Pork Buns - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

Wow! Welcome to the 'hood! As you walk in, there's a small space where a lady makes fresh dumplings. The choices are fantastic, we tried all the Shanghai dishes and everything was delicious and excellent. Great service, and absolutely wonderful food! Enjoy! read more

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

The Black Truffle with Beef Fried Rice and Shanghai-style steamed pork dumpling were perfectly delicious for our lunch. The flavors were great and well-seasoned. The portion size was not what I expected but so far the quality didn't disappoint me. The Chow mein was so savory and appetizing too. The place has great vibe and the staff were so friendly. read more

I've had Dumpling Kitchen bookmarked for almost 3 years now and was so surprised to see they had a second location at Castro, which is much more convenient for me! Definitely glad I finally got the chance to go. Though this definitely isn't the cheapest Chinese spot in the city, the quality and flavors of the food was great. Some of the food I tried and really recommend: - Salt and Pepper Wings (amazing flavor) - Soup Dumplings (thicker skin than I'm used to, but still enjoyed and the pork/soup were great) - Eggplants + Garlic - Pan Fried Dumplings - Shanghai Fried Rice Cakes read more

Food: wontons in chili oil (5/5) super yummy and the sauce is amazing. Soup dumplings (3/5) - a bit too big and thick for my taste. Truffle beef fried rice (3/5) - just ok wouldn't reorder. Green beans (4/5) they added some Szechuan peppers for us which was a nice added kick. Sat in the back patio which was nice read more

10/10 every time. I love the shrimp fried rice, pork soup dumplings, green onion pancakes, Shanghai style chow mein, steamed pork bao buns. Delicious!!!! Love this place so much. Great service read more

Dumpling Kitchen - Castro - Pork soup dumplings, shrimp fried rice, and chow mein. Delicious - Noodles Near Me - San Francisco, California

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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