Dropped by here in because there was a huge line for the place we were going to originally go to and I was happy with this place! My group of 4 ordered the Garlickly Green Beans ($11.50), Shrimp Toast ($12.50), Wagyu Beef Gyoza (5 pieces for $16.50), XLB (6 pieces for $10.50), Beijing Noodles ($10.50), and Southeast Fried Rice noodles ($16) and it filled us up. With tax and tip it came around $25-$30 per person which wasnt bad especially for a dimsum place. Most notable foods were the southeast fried rice noodles and the shrimp toast. Worth the try! The Wagyu Beef Gyoza was good too, it came with like a white sauce that was sweet and some kind of soy sauce (which tasted good mixed together and dipped). My friends also got a cocktail called The Far East Side (cucumber, gin, lemon, shiso and ginger beer mixed) and let me try it. IT WAS REALLY GOOD!! It didnt taste like alcohol at all and was really refreshing. I would recommend that if youre going for a cocktail. Waiters were really nice but it took a while to get the check after we were done eating (I think it was because they were really busy). But other than that I would come back again if I was craving dimsum near the area. read more

Dumpling Time - Left: Shrimp Toast Right: Wagyu Beef Gyoza (5 pieces) - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

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Arrived here roughly around 11:30 yesterday. I took most of this week off to refocus my mind, spend time, w/ my kids, and rest. This has been on my bookmarks since it opened. A great addition to Santana Row. What we ordered: - crispy sesame tofu squares - crispy vegetable spring rolls - shrimp toast - BBQ pork bao (steamed or seared, we chose seared) - mala shrimp and pork siu mai - maine lobster and truffle oil siu mai - pork dumplings - lamb dumplings - XLB - wagyu beef gyoza We were seated right away. We took the last available table for 3-4 inside. It's cold plus I've never enjoyed dining outside. Our server was prompt and helpful. Very welcoming, too. I originally ordered all of their siu mai open faced dumplings but he suggested I don't order the shrimp and pork siu mai for their gyoza. I could not tell between all the different dipping sauce that came w/ our dish but I will say that their sweet chili and what looks like an aioli was delicious; soft flavors that enhanced each dish w/o being overpowering. If you need/prefer iced water, ask because the water served upon seating is at room temperature. Staff were quick to take away empty dishes, bowls, and bamboo steaming trays but not quick to ask if we needed a refill of our water. Appetizers: The crispy tofu squares and crispy vegetable spring rolls were delicious; fried w/o it feeling and looking oily. In fact, it wasn't greasy even some hours later when I finished it off the leftovers. The sesame provided life to the tofu taste profile and has a velvety soft texture. The crispy spring rolls was our vegetable delight. Not that being fried makes it any better or healthier but I try. The cabbage was crisp and cool and was a great offset to their sweet chili dipping sauce. Mains: I enjoyed the shrimp toast (I love Chinese donuts) but I did not get any hint of shrimp. The taste was very mild but I really loved the spicy mayo that adorned this dish. It not only made the dish look exquisite but added a mild heat to this dish. The mala shrimp and pork siu mai and the lobster siu mai was good. The lobster one had a more springy texture. out of the two dumplings we ordered, the pork and cabbage one takes the cake; super juicy and flavorful. I did not even need the dipping sauce that came w/ it. The lamb dumplings were good; the five-spice seasoning was evident but subtle. The XLB was very good.. the skin was soft and delicate which holds the pork and its broth magically inside. The gyoza was delicious.. loved how all of their dumplings were steamed to perfection; not one dry piece! Oddly, my favorite out of this meal was their BBQ pork bao. It was my first time ordering it pan-seared instead of steamed and I could not get more than 3 bites since Gavin stole the rest. All of the dishes came out fast so I couldn't keep up w/ the picture takings but glad my kids understand the rules when dining w/ their mom before digging in. I already can't wait to return. read more

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This was our first time at this restaurant. We decided to go with the shrimp toast followed by the firecracker shrimp & tofu!!! And the food was amazing delicious! The tofu was the highlight I would give us 10/10!! The firecracker shrimp was full of flavor & the shrimp toast made a great appetizer!! read more

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Another wonderful time at DT - this time with drinks! The wait was actually less than 10 minutes on a Saturday night. You can't reserve over the phone, but I'd recommend calling in first to get an estimate wait time and plan accordingly. Food was fantastic as usual. I love restaurants like these that always keep up the same strong standard! For drinks, we tried: 1) Far East Side 2) Type A 3) The Rising Sun Rated in order of preference. The drinks are definitely a bit pricey, tasty thought. Also huge rave for the green beans that I've been missing out on! read more

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Welcomed warmly, seated promptly. (Tuesday is a good day to go if you want to avoid the lines.) Cucumber, Fresno Chili Salad - Sesame oil based marinated cukes with a slight kick. Don't skip the peppers! Tasty! Garlicky Green Beans - Still crispy, sautéed green beans. A tad on the salty side, but not a deal-breaker by any stretch. Shrimp Toast - This is the most unique dish we ordered. Light and crispy with a purée (?) of shrimp on top. I would've enjoyed a tad more shrimp for added flavor. BBQ Pork Bao - Your typical bao. Nice flavor to the BBQ pork and a little more sauce inside, too. Shrimp Har Gow - Fresh, fresh, fresh! A winner any day! Shrimp & Pork Siu Mai - Fresh, fresh, fresh! Another go-to dish, for sure. Pork Gyoza - Another typical go-to choice. Sweet Bao - A nice way to end a meal. I just wish one could select which flavor sweet bao came in your trio - because the egg flavor is my favorite, for sure. (The other flavors are green tea, and taro.) Service was outstanding and everyone was very pleasant. We'll be back, for sure! read more

Dumpling Time - Cucumber, Fresno Chili Salad and Shrimp Toast!! - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

Paid by card. Dumpling Time is located in Santana Row just a short ways from Boba Guys and Mai Do. I went here for lunch on a weekday and was seated right away. They have indoor and outdoor dining with heated lamps so there was plenty of seating options to choose from. I sat outside under the heated lamps and was comfortable. I was pretty disappointed with this place. Although I was seated right away I wasn't given any menus and had to ask. The server asked if I wanted drinks and I said water, then was given a pitcher of water but no cups. I had to wait until the server got back before I could ask for cups. I ordered the XLB and Beijing Noodles, both were ok. I feel like the noodles were a little bland but I was happy they weren't too salty. The chili oil on the table is not spicy at all but I asked for Sriracha and when mixed together they added a lot to the noodles. Overall I'm not sure I would go back due to the service and the ok food. read more

Dumpling Time - Menu - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

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We are pretty spoiled in the South Bay when it comes to dim sum. Between Koi Palace, Sifu Wong and Din Tai Fung, we have some bomb dining choices. But I'm always willing to give the newcomers a go. And a few Dumpling time dishes can certainly hang with the big boys. The great: -Shrimp toast: DUDE, this was amazing. The exterior was nice and crunchy, the inside was chewy and flavorful. The sauce on top was a nice addition bringing the whole dish together. The portion was generous and perfect for sharing. -Green tea & milk bun: Out of the trio this one was my favorite because of its unique and delicious flavor. If I could go back, I would load up on this one, for sure. -Seafood gyoza: This dish was superb. From the beautiful green skin to the fresh shrimp and scallops. These gyozas were so tasty the didn't need any sauce, which tell you a lot about quality. This was the best dish I've tried and now can't imagine having dim sum without it. The good: -BBQ pork bao: a great ratio between bun and saucy pork. The bun was yummy, just not exceptional. But I would definitely order again. -Shrimp and pork siu mai: While the dumplings were tasty and the quality was good, for $8 you could two times the siu mai at Sifu Wong. -Egg yolk bun: a little sweeter than most buns I'm used to, this was still pretty good. -XLB: this was neither the worst nor the best XLB I've had. The soup is relatively mild in flavor, but the meat is good. If they could tweak the broth, this would be amazing. Note that they do a fanatic job on the dough. It's not too thick... The skips: -Garlicky green beans: Tiny portio, overall pretty bland flavor. Not worth it. -Beet & Taro bun: horrible bun to paste ratio and completely flavorless. I'm definitely going to come back for the 3 standouts and to try their cocktails. I hear those are quite tasty... read more

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Going back for sure They have fresh steamed yummy sui mai dumplings but nothing super special. The garlic beans are very tasty and the pork and shrimp staple sui mai were the best thing here. Shrimp toast was i interesting- once! Moving on to bigger and better Chinese brunch places in the area!The shrimp toast is really great! The management team is good as I talked to one of them and enjoyed the dialogue.The chicken gyoza is good with the waffle like crispy dumpling wrap! read more

The good: It's always a good time for Dumpling Time. This is a great addition to Santana Row. There's outdoor and indoor seating. The outdoor seating area has heated lamps and overhangs. The interior is modern, trendy and has tall vaulted ceilings. I tried the trio of dessert buns, the seafood gyoza, shrimp toast, Tom yum xlb and the regular xlb. The tom yum xlb was a pretty red color and had a nice acidic flavor to it. The regular xlb was full of meat. The milk buns were sweet and were in flavors I've never seen before. The presentation of the food was very appetizing and the flavors didn't disappoint. The manager mentioned that the green beans were the best dish they had there but I didn't have enough stomach space to try it. I came on a Sunday night around 6PM and waited around 10 minutes. The bad: They had gan dan noodles on the outside door menu but not on the phone scanned menu. They were out of it. Our waiter forgot one of our orders but it was okay because we decided to cancel it because we got full anyway. There wasn't a lot of space for my baby stroller at my table. The interesting: The shrimp toast was made with youtiao (Chinese donut). I was pleasantly surprised! read more

Dumpling Time - Tom yum xlb, seafood gyoza and shrimp toast - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

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We ordered the tom yum XLB, shrimp toast, lobster siu mai, and seafood gyoza for takeout. The tom yum XLB is so so. Didn't taste any coconut milk or any tom yum flavor at all. Shrimp toast is a good new take on Chinese donut. Little amount of shrimp on the top. Lobster siu mai is good. A little salty, but it has good flavor. My favorite is the seafood gyoza. I only tasted shrimp and cilantro. Not sure what other seafood is in it. Expensive gyoza too. Overall, it's a good place to try. read more

I know I should not be comparing restaurants to each other but it helps explain my rating per dish. Background: I'm a sucker for Din Tai Fung. It is the first dumpling restaurant I have gone to where I loved each and every dish, especially the XLB. I have since started exploring other restaurants to find the next best dumpling spot; because let's be honest, no one wants to deal with the 2-3 hour long waits at DTF. I was excited about Dumpling Time based on the reviews and was most excited about how it's much more different than DTF. We ordered: + Shrimp Toast + Maine Lobster Siu Mai + Xiao Long Bao + Pork Gyoza My top 3 dishes at Dumpling Time have to be the Shrimp Toast, Maine Lobster Siu Mai, and the Pork Gyoza. Hubby has raved about Chinese donuts. I personally haven't ever heard of it but that spicy mayo sauce sold it for me. The Siu Mai was super heavy/packed with flavor. I felt skimped on the lobster but it was still delicious. I also noticed the Siu Mai had truffle oil in it but I didn't taste it. Nonetheless, it was good. Lastly, the Pork Gyoza. It was a cute stuffed gyoza packed with pork and veggies. The spicy powder they topped was unnecessary but hubby loved it (I couldn't quite handle the spice). The Gyoza sauce it came with was a favorite along with the lemon grass topping. Yum! Now on to the so-so: the XLB. I thought the presentation of the XLB's in the foil trays was quite a sad sight. The XLB had a super thick coating of dough and the filling didn't do it for me. I ate one and had the hubby finish the rest. I think they need to learn from DTF and thin out their dough/wrap. I also wasn't a fan of the dipping sauce which consisted of red wine vinegar (or was it apple cider vinegar?) and a tiny piece of ginger. I would have much preferred the Gyoza sauce with all my items. Dumpling Time was also lacking in the vegetable/appetizer category. I did not like how they changed their menu so quickly from what is printed outside their restaurant. I love a type of vegetable with my dumplings and they no longer sell the pickled lotus & carrots or the wood ear mushroom salad. Boo. The service was friendly and fast. It's first come, first serve at Dumpling Time and you have to stay in line to be seated next. Regardless, dumplings are very much a tapa-style meal so you're pretty much in and out of this restaurant. Cheers. read more

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I was here for work and decided to try out Dumpling Time for my solo lunch. There was a little bit of a wait, but since I was just a party of one, they were able to accommodate my request for outdoor seating by taking out a table from the back and setting it up for me. The staff was also apologetic for making me wait about 15 minutes, but I honestly didn't mind. I placed an order for their shrimp toast, pork gyoza, and the edamame (about $32 for all 3 items before tip). The food came fairly quickly with decent sized portions. I really liked the shrimp toast, which was basically just minced shrimp cake in a Chinese donut and a siracha aioli sauce drizzled on top. The Chinese donut wasn't too oily and it was an interesting twist on the breakfast staple. The pork gyoza was fried perfectly with a crunchy bottom and juicy inside. I could've done without the edamame since it didn't really taste like anything besides a basic steamed edamame. I expected it to be spicy since it had a lot of seasoning sprinkled in. I'd probably come back again and try their other dishes, like their dumplings and noodles. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and their staff was very friendly and attentive. read more

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A pretty decent XLB addition to Santana Row. Though the management is a big messy, the staff are very friendly and the food comes out quickly (literally in less than 5 minutes!). My food recommendations: + Pork XLB! The Tom Yum is good, but not as flavorful as I hoped for. The foil was also inconvenient since the skin would stick to the foil occasionally. + Mala Shrimp & Pork Siu Mai is very unique! It has the mala numbing effect, but with the classic siu mai flavor. Pretty enjoyable and a creative take on dim sum. They have a bar area that plays K-pop videos and occasionally some sports. Very diverse content on their TVs, which I appreciate. KEEP IN MIND: + They automatically charge you 4% for "Living Wage" + The cocktails are STRONG! They taste completely of alcohol. + The food is overall pretty oily and greasy! The Wagyu Beef Gyoza especially was very greasy and felt too heavy to eat. + They do not have a waitlist! You have to wait in line to be seated and servers will come outside calling for people. Similar to Ramen Nagi inside Valley Fair... For example: "Table of 2 outside available!" read more

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I have been here multiple times and have had an enjoyable experience. Today that was not the case. Today, I was served raw meat in my Tom Yum dumplings. This was noticed after we ate some and noticed the texture was strange and the temperature was off. I took one and pulled it open to cold raw meat inside. I asked for the manager to show him and he took the plate to "show the kitchen" when we said we were ready to leave, we notice they still charged us for the raw food! Terrible. We will not be back because nothing was said or shown to show that some would be different next time and the customer service was poor. Sad. read more

Dumpling Time - Raw Tom Yum served to us. - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

What should we do on our weekday off work? We decided to try Santana Row's Dumpling Time for lunch. Last time we went to Boba Guys after dinner with our group of friends and saw that Dumpling Time had a huge line, so today we decided to try them out at this location. Upon arrival, our party of two were happy to find that there was no wait line. We were greeted right away and given the option of indoor or outdoor dining. We opted for indoor in case it got chilly outside, but the outdoor decor was super cute. The restaurant was very neat and clean, servers greeted us with smiles, and the cool thing was that you could see the food in the making from the see through glass door at the front. Overall Experience: (5/5) Seating: (5/5) Seats looked comfortable, clean, and spacious weather it was indoor or outdoor. They also have a bar inside. Service: (5/5) All of the servers were friendly. Our server offered us advice and told us their popular items, checked up on us throughout our meal, and gave us ample amount of time to order. Food also arrived promptly which was a plus. Seafood Gyoza: (5/5) Highly recommended dish. Wow you should try this if you're a seafood person. Presentation is beautiful, but also the taste. Love the seafood flavors when you bite into it along with the thin crispy layer makes this dish so special and enjoyable. Perfection. Wagyu Gyoza: (4/5) This was good too but I prefer the seafood flavor. Presentation is more eye catching than the seafood Gyoza due to the red color. BBQ Pork Bao: (4/5) This was enjoyable, but this wasn't the best BBQ pork bao I've tried before. Size and texture were good. Bun was soft and meat was savory. Tom Yum Xio Long Bao: (4/5) Their Xiao Long Bao was good, but I prefer Din Tai Fung's because I find Dumpling Time's bun a bit too thick. There's plenty of juicy flavor inside each Xiao Long Bao which is how it should be. read more

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I haven't gone to the SF location and was excited when I had heard they opened a location closer in Santana Row. We went around opening on a weekend and was able to be seated immediately. We ordered an array of food to sample different things and among everything we got, I'd say my favorites were the Tom Yum Goong and the Garlicky Green Beans. The Tom Yum Goong was a more novel dish with a thai-esque flavor profile with beet skin that I found to be different and delicious. You can't really mess up garlic green beans and that's always an appetizer that I love eating so here it was very good. However even with these 2 dishes being my favorite, nothing really stood out to me as that WOW factor. If you're in the mood for some dim sum and you like the Santana Row area, then sure stop by here (granted if there's not a long line). Otherwise purely for food, I may recommend you considering checking out DTF across the street at Valley Fair (granted if the hour-long waits are not as crazy). read more

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Brand new restaurant at Santana Row. I had high hopes, but the dishes are pretty much hit and miss so I'll give it a solid three stars. Each dish we ordered: Maine lobster Siu mai - you can definitely taste the lobster. Bigger than I expected. I enjoy lobster so I liked this one. Beijing noodles - I was thinking maybe I just didn't know what Beijing noodles usually taste like, but I was told it should be salty. This dish tasted like nothing except oil. I had to add soy sauce to make it edible. Bland as ever, but the noodles were great in texture and composition. Steamed BBQ pork bun - very good. No complaints here. Wagyu beef dumplings - very juicy and tasty with the sauce they come with. The wrapper was chewy and tasted homemade. Chili pork dumpling - don't expect this to be like DTF's chili pork wontons. It was basically what it said it was, which is covered in chili sauce. The chili sauce has no flavor. Again tasted like oil, but spicy oil. You need soy sauce with this one too. Crispy tofu squares - nicely fried, tofu was a little bit softer than I expected, but still good Overall consensus: Dough and noodles are perfect in texture, but there just needs to be more dimensions in their taste profiles. Service was excellent though. read more

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I felt like dumpling time was better at this location two years ago than what it is now. I didn't enjoy how the meat was tough in the soup dumplings. However, service is great and it's nice they have outdoor seating and it's dog friendly! read more

Came by for lunch the other day and it was a decent experience. Parking was plentiful on the surface lots next to Santana Row! Upon arrival, there was already a line out the door, for outdoor dining. Indoor dining had immediate availability. Our server Mimi was cordial, wore her mask covering her mouth and nose, along with her Dumpling Time t-shirt. There were also two individuals that came by to check on us during our meal while wearing a "suit" Indoor dining was full during lunch service and the tables in the main aisle were probably a foot away from each other... The tables on the side of the restaurant were more spacious. Started off with the sesame Jellyfish Salad spicy and it was decent. it was definitely spicy. The jellyfish was well prepared. Moved on to the shrimp toast with the Chinese donut, minced shrimp, and spicy mayo. Unlike the design district location, the minced shrimp was on the lighter side. The Chinese donut was also denser and crispier than the original Design district location. The Maine lobster siu mai with chives, butter, and white truffle oil was also okay. I definitely tasted the lobster, but am not sure I would order this again... The pork gyoza with pork, green onion, ginger, and cilantro must have been the highlight of the meal. The gyoza was well presented, super fresh, and the pork was juicy and flavorful. Ended off the meal with the trio of steamed buns and they were a light and fluffy way to end the meal. ~$35/head after tax and gratuity for lunch. read more

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Worst service we've experienced in a long time! Will not be back. Food was decent but very long waits between things coming out. Waitress never checked in. There was a mistake with the bill which she fixed, she comes back and the bill has increased--she didn't actually fix it. Appalling. Don't come with kids, they'll lose their cool before the meals over. read more

First time eating here and honestly wait time not too bad, and food was actually good but read below for why despite having good tasting food, the rating is still just 3 stars. Cons: 1. Waiter took 20 minutes to come and bring us water, introduce himself and take our order. I understand places are busy but popping by and saying it's a bit busy and I'm You're waiter will definitely change the vibe rather than me waiting for 20 minutes. 2. Bathrooms were soooooo dirty! There was paper all over the place, wet floors, just dirty. This is not that standard i expect when eating at Santana Row. 3. We were seated outside and wanted the heater on, it was pretty chilly, asked the server 3 times, and manager 2 times then 30 minutes later they finally got the message. 4. We ordered 3 cokes, they only brought 2 and it took us speaking to 3 different people to get another coke. Pros: 1. Small wait to be seated maybe 20 my 2. Once the food is ordered it comes out pretty fast. 3. Food overall was good. Didn't like the beef noodles. Vegas rice was really good! And the XLB were ehh. I wish there was more soup in them. But then again the way they have them in little cups, the soup gets spilt out before it even reaches your mouth. read more

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If you're expecting traditional dim sum at Dumpling Time, you're going to be disappointed. Sorry, no [duck] tongue or [chicken] feet action in yo mouth here. No visible yellow bucket and mop either. Ali Wong fans will get this. =) BUT, if you're looking for a trendy dim sum place with hype, photo ops, and booze, Dumpling Time will be your jam. I've brought my dim sum virgin coworkers to their Design District location and they loved it. Located at the former Village California Bistro (next to EMC), this is Dumpling Time's 4th Bay Area location. Their SF locations are less than 15 minutes from me but I wanted to check out their new Mantana Row location for... Wings and people watching. Plus, there's plenty of free parking. Walk-in only, no rezzies. Arrived 15 minutes before opening time and there was already a line. There's indoor and outdoor seating (front and side patio). Heat lamps available. Dog-friendly. All staff wore masks properly. M E N U All-day dim sum with veggie, rice, and noodle dishes. The wings are exclusive to this location but they were already "sold out" at opening time. =( Not on the menu but the char siu ribs are available. Full bar. F O O D * Crispy Tofu Squares ($8.50): https://bit.ly/32VIbNg Light and crispy on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside. Served w/ a tangy sweet plum-like sauce. * Shrimp Toast: Chinese donut, minced shrimp, spicy mayo ($12): https://bit.ly/34yg7Qq This is my go-to at their SF locations. While the donut was golden brown and crunchy, there was very little shrimp paste. * Har Gow: Shrimp Dumplings w/ cilantro dipping sauce ($8.50): https://bit.ly/3HM59oD Least fav item, the skin was thick and gloopy with tears. We just ate the fresh shrimp filling which was firm and sweet. The cilantro sauce was chunky instead of the creamy aioli-like sauce at their other locations. * Maine Lobster Siu Mai w/ chives, butter, white truffle oil ($14): https://bit.ly/3F8WtH9 Friend wanted this but I like their pork siu mai more. Mild tasting lobster paste with a bouncy texture. Couldn't taste the truffle oil. * Pork Gyoza w/ pork, green onion, ginger, cilantro ($9.50): https://bit.ly/34nQL7A This was my fav dumpling of the bunch. Chewy skin with a savory pork filling and a crispy, lacey skirt for a textural contrast. * Tom Yum XLB w/ pork belly, coconut milk, wrapped in beet skin ($10.50): https://bit.ly/3r37dSj The XLB needs a lot of work - the thickish skin stuck to the foil cups so they broke upon picking up and the broth leaked out. I picked the nicest one for the pic but the pleating was uneven for the other XLBs. Also, could use more soup. * Char Siu Ribs, off the menu ($19): https://bit.ly/3zBgpkY Highlight of our meal, the savory sweet char siu ribs had a nice crispy, caramelized bark and the meat easily pulled off the bone. S E R V I C E Five stars for the customer service. Like many restaurants, they are severely understaffed but the staff are trying hard to keep up with the high demand. Chatted with Jonathan and Micah, the GM and they were really receptive to feedback. Micah was super proactive, pitching in to help staff, and checking in with every table multiple times to ensure customers were having an enjoyable experience. A M B I A N C E Hip and trendy. You can watch the dumplings being made at the front window. Bar area has a TV for watching the game. P A R K I N G Free garage and lot parking. Overall, the food needs work and is not up to par with the SF locations...yet but it's only day three. I'm confident that the BOH will get there in a couple of months. 3 stars for the food but adding a star for the excellent customer service. read more

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FILL-ing oh so good after a WON(ton) in a million meal. Here's what I tried: Five-O: old fashioned cocktail handcrafted from Maker's Mark, Chinese five spice turbinado, bitters Edamame, seasoned with salt and Szechuan peppercorns shrimp toast: fried Chinese donut, minced shrimp, spicy Mayo crispy vegetable spring rolls, with sweet chili dipping sauce BBQ pork bao: made with char-siu roasted pork belly shrimp and pork siu mai vegetable xi'an dumpling chicken gyoza My favorite items were the crispy vegetable spring rolls, shrimp and pork siu mai, and vegetable xi'an dumplings, which were so unique and beautifully crafted. You can tell that they pour a lot of love into elevating common Chinese street foods into these elegant delicacies. I wish I had the opportunity to try their xiao long bao, but I guess that's another excuse for me to stop by soon! read more

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Amazing food, kind service and beautiful interior. The overall feel was very comforting and a pleasant experience, would definitely recommend for Santana Row wanderers! read more

I was excited for this new addition to Santana Row, but overall the food was overpriced for its location and the taste was average at best. this seems to be their 4th location We came on a Thursday evening and were able to get seated right away at their outdoor patio. Menus are by QR code, and they take your order. I was primarily pumped about this concept since usually dim sum doesn't come in alcohol options! First of all, the servers will super duper nice, but there definitely seemed to be some overall confusion about our orders. I ordered a cocktail, got two o them (not complaining about that!), but our green beans didn't come until far after we paid for the check... The cocktail also took a while, which is probably how I ended up with two, and generally I prefer to get my cocktail before the meal. High Time cocktail- I couldn't really appreciate the yuzu flavor. I'm not very familiar with my whisky's, but the alcohol base is a Japanese whisky, but overall the drink tasted like an average gin-based lime spritzed cocktail. Green Beans- again, came in a to-go box after we paid for the check, but they were fine, cooked to a light crisp, served greasy Shrimp Toast- as a dish recommended by our server, this dish was also an F in my book. It's basically a $12 standard Chinese donut. There was a very very thin light pink spread, that had no shrimp flavoring whatsoever. Lobster Shumai- I really couldn't taste much lobster flavor, it just tasted like a jumbo-sized shrimp shumai XLB - the regular XLB is standard, not that juicy, I would say you could get something similar or better at a authentic Chinese place. The Tom Yum is probably the only thing we got worth trying- so this was an XLB that comes in beet-colored skin, and is much juicier as they use coconut milk Vegan Fried Rice- so flavorless. My mama and my white husband both make better fried rice... Overall, it's overall fun to try each new Santana Row place once, but I certainly have no intention of coming back a second time. read more

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We came here for an early family dinner - my husband and little one. We sat outside in their patio area. It was really nice and cozy. Crispy Tofu Squares - A bit bland. Shrimp Toast - Basically a Chinese donut with very little shrimp. It was oily. Kind of expensive for glorified donut. Lamb Dumpling - I did not like the flavor of the lamb. My husband enjoyed it. Waygu beef gyoza - This was probably the best thing we ordered. Comes stuffed with beef. Beijing Noodles - This came with a decent amount of noodles. Pretty good. Overall, I would say that this is a glorified Americanized dumpling joint. If you want real Chinese food I would say go somewhere else. Each item came with a sauce on the side which isn't very authentic. One was a garlic butter - definitely NOT AUTHENTIC. Our first female waitress was very friendly and nice. Our second waiter name Omar gave off a lackluster vibe. He was gone for a long period of time and couldn't even bother to smile when we were paying our bill. read more

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My mom and I spent the weekend in Santana Row, and noticed there was a line forming at this place when it wasn't even opened yet! We got in line immediately, and thank goodness we did because they were having their soft opening, and told us they were serving a limited menu. S E R V I C E: We waited in line for about an hour - but that was because this was their first week opening. The line ended up wrapping around the building, and the staff was working hard to make sure everyone would get a table. My mom and I chose to sit outside. Even though it was a cold night, we felt super warm because of the heater above us. They have a QR code for us to scan for the menu. The menu didn't have your typical dim sum options - there wasn't much variety. Our waiter was awesome thought because he explained everything thoroughly, especially for the items we didn't know about. F O O D: We ordered their tea to start, and it came inside a pretty glass tea pot. Most of their items contained pork, so if any of you can't eat pork, you may be SOL haha. I don't really eat pork, but we ordered some items that were mixed with shrimp. The only chicken item they had available was their chicken dumpling and it was delicious! It was stuffed with mushrooms and presented in a very unique way with something crispy at the top. We also ordered noodles, and those were my 2nd favorite. You can tell the noodles were made fresh, and I was able to eat the noodles without the pork because they give you the pork on top instead of mixing it already. O V E R A L L: I wouldn't mind coming back, maybe when they have their full menu available. I do wish they had more chicken options, but I know there's not many chicken dim sum haha. I hope they have more variety available next time such as just shrimp or veggie options. Everything tasted delicious! read more

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We stumbled upon Dumpling Time during our trip to Santana Row yesterday and were intrigued by the menu. It was about an hour and a half before their dinner service began, so it was empty except for the workers in the window preparing the evening's dumplings. We came back half an hour later and there was already a queue forming. We had never heard of Dumpling Time before, but we are fans of dumplings, so we decided to hop in line and give it a try. Soon after they opened at 5PM, we were seated and ready to go. There's ample indoor and outdoor seating for you to choose. To be honest, the food didn't wow or amaze us, but the service was SO stellar and friendly that it alone bumps this review up. Our server consistently checked in on us and was so sweet. The general manager was also constantly on the floor and helping with guest management and seating. Beijing Noodles. A little lacking on the flavor side but noodles were a chewy and good consistency. Shrimp Har Gow. The most disappointing. The skin basically disintegrated as soon as our chopsticks touched it, and the shrimp felt mushy. I was also under the impression that there would also be pork mixed in with the shrimp since the menu description states "shrimp, juicy pork" but that wasn't the case. It was served with a side of creamy cilantro sauce, which was... a little odd for us and didn't seem to match the cuisine. XLB. We'll probably have to stick to Din Tai Fung for XLBs. These kept breaking no matter how careful we were with trying to pick them out of their tin plates, so we were left with puddles on our plates. The flavor itself was okay, but it's pretty disappointing when your soup dumplings have no soup. Tom Yum XLB. This might be our favorite of the meal just because of how unique the flavors were. The skin on these also seemed to hold up a little better, so we were able to get bites of tom yum flavor packed in a little dumpling. Garlicky Green Beans. Nothing fancy and exactly as described, but a good side to order if you feel like you need to balance out all of the meat and dumplings. Trio of buns. One of each of their dessert buns: matcha & milk, taro & beet, egg yolk custard. Our favorite was the egg yolk custard, which reminded us of a traditional dim sum custard bun. The matcha & milk was a close second. Overall, I don't think we'll be waiting in line again for this place (not worth the hour wait!), but we might come back if there's takeout available. We'll definitely have to try some different items on the menu, too, to see if we just ordered the wrong things! read more

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We were hanging out Santana Row. Try this place out. Most foods are pretty good and interesting. I have a good time. I do recommend this place. read more

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Dumpling Time has made its way to SJ + I'm so glad! It was my first time having Dumpling Time; it was quite a treat! The interior of the restaurant is sleek and modern. It is quite spacious outside. They do have outdoor seating as well. We were attended to promptly. We ordered the pork XLB, spicy sesame jellyfish salad spicy, cilantro har gow, DT Wings (sweet & sour), seafood gyoza, Maine lobster siu mai, lamb dumplings, and trio of buns (green tea and milk bun, beet and taro bun, and egg yolk bun). Trio of buns - 5/5 - My personal favorite of the three is the egg yolk bun. It was so good! Lamb dumplings - 5/5 - Generous portion, flavorful with hints of cumin/curry. Cilantro har gow - 6/5 - My ultimate favorite dish! Made up of shrimp, pork, cilantro. The cilantro sauce it is accompanied with is fire! So good! Pork XLB - 3/5 - Soup dumplings made up of pork belly, savory soup, and shao hsing wine. It was okay. It didn't wow me. Sesame jellyfish salad - 4/5 - Never thought I'd eat jellyfish, but it was recommended to us. It was tasty; reminded me of beef tendon. Maine lobster siu mai - 5/5 - It is made with chives, butter, and white truffle oil. So good! DT wings (sweet and sour) - 5/5 - Very tasty! Seafood gyoza - 5/5 - It is comprised of spinach skin, crab, scallop, shrimp, and served with chili butter sauce. Very flavorful! The servings for each dish was large. We had a few leftovers and were full at the end of dinner. They also give warm wipes for your hands. Overall, loved the food and experience. We will definitely be back again! read more

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Came here for dinner on a Saturday night for a table of three. They do not do any reservations. Also, they don't take your phone number when you put your name down so you have to wait around the restaurant until you hear your name called or else they'll skip you. I think this is temporary since they just opened but I'm not 100% sure. The food really isn't worth the price since I found that most of the dumplings were lacking in flavor. I ordered the Shrimp and Pork Siu Mai, Chili Pork Dumplings, Wagyu Beef Gyoza, Tom Yum XLB, and Beijing Noodles. Although I really enjoyed the Beijing noodles as well as the chili pork dumplings, the rest of the dumpling were... mid. The bad service didn't help either. Nobody refilled our waters and one waitor made a terrible joke about how we stole the soy sauce from our table when we asked for soy sauce. read more

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We were invited to try this new restaurant with some friends and came on a Sunday evening. Their hours for that day was 4 - 9 pm, and we came here a little before 6 pm. The line started outside but they had a check-in booth at the entrance inside the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant was spacious and had modern interior. They also had a full bar and we saw some people dining at the counter top. They had outdoor seatings in the front and side of the restaurant. We waited in line for about 20 minutes until we got seated. We were fortunate to get an outdoor table on the side of the restaurant with heated lamps above the table so it kept us warm and toasty. We ordered pork xlb, bbq pork bun, chili pork dumplings, mala shrimp pork siu mai, lobster siu mai, shrimp har gow, shrimp toast Chinese donut, wagyu beef gyoza, cucumber salad, garlic green beans, and trio of buns. My favorites were pork xlb, seared bbq pork bun, and shrimp toast Chinese donut. The soup in the pork xlb wasn't too hot, seared bbq pork bun had good texture and flavor, and the shrimp toast Chinese donut was toasty. The cucumber salad and garlic green beans were also good, but nothing fancy. The mala shrimp pork siu mai, lobster siu mai, chili pork dumplings, and wagyu beef gyoza were lacking flavor. The skin on the shrimp har gow broke apart as soon as I grabbed it with the chopsticks. Some of the items came out with sauce but we didn't try them. The trio of buns was good and it came with three flavors: sweet milk, taro and egg custard fillings. The service was great, attentive and quick to help us. They came by several times to check on us. They also brought out the food really fast and named each item as they placed them on our table. Overall, it was a good experience, service was great, but the food was okay and it wasn't what I was expecting. However, this restaurant location is still need and they have room for improvement. I would like to try this restaurant again in the future and try different items on the menu. read more

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Pros: - Dishes were generally pretty good. My favorites were Crispy Sesame Tofu Squares ($8.50) and the BBQ Pork Bao (super soft! $8). I would stay away from XLB- wasn't nearly soupy enough and better in other restaurants - Service was great. Server was very attentive, wore mask, and we did not have to wait long for food - Plenty of seating indoors and outdoors, so great for big parties Cons: - Very pricey for a dumplings place, but guess that's part of the SR experience? - Disappointed in certain dishes like the XLB ($9.50) as mentioned above and the Wagyu beef gyoza ($16) was overcooked . DT Wings ($16) had broken bones - No beer on tap, so was a bit surprised by that! Overall, I thought there were more good food than bad here, but not sure if I would go back unless someone really wanted to go. Rather go across the street to Din Tai Fung for the same type of food. read more

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Finally came here for brunch on a cloudy Saturday around 11:45 am so there was no wait and we had option of indoor/outdoor seating. We chose outdoor which has heaters and very comfortable chairs. The service is great, but it does take a while to place order, receive order, etc. Not everything comes out at the same time, but we didn't mind that. It was my husband's first time trying dim sum, although it isn't a traditional dim sum place. It's also south bay/Santana Row prices so expect to pay about $10 on average per small dish. We ordered 4 items and it was more than enough for the two of us, but we also don't stuff our faces. If you have a big appetite, prepare to spend a lot more. We ordered: -Crispy vegetable spring rolls: delicious and thick wrap, but very little filling -BBQ pork bao (seared): delicious but very little pork inside - Pork XLB: I liked these because they have hot soup inside -Chili pork dumplings: probably our fave out of everything because the chili was mild spice but the pork inside was flavorful but light It's a beautiful space but it definitely made me miss the more traditional dumpling restaurants with the carts (iykyk). read more

Dumpling Time - From top, counter clockwise: pork bao, spring rolls, pork xlb, chili pork dumplings. - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

I came to Dumpling Time on two different occasions. First was a weekend/holiday where we had to line up in a queue for about an hour. Second was on a weekday at 3pm with no wait and lots of open tables. I definitely recommend coming on a weekday if you can to avoid the line! Service was good both times, so I would rate it 3/5 because of the food. All the dumplings were very doughy. To bite into them, the first bite is a thick layer of the dumpling wrapper. The XLB - not that that much soup to begin with. Also it gets hard to take out of the aluminum tin because the dumpling gets stuck in it! If you insist on trying to XLB, go for the original instead of the tom yum. Potstickers - soo much filling and the wrapper would fall apart. Only really ordered this for the crunchy skirts Chili pork dumplings - average, nothing wow about it My favs from the meals would be the appetizers. Jellyfish has good texture and spice. The string beans had sautéed garlic that was super fragrant with some kind of soy sauce. Shrimp toast did not have a lot of shrimp (and a lot of mayo) but I love the Chinese donuts it was on. Very fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. read more

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Service was great. We were seated pretty quickly. We got a variety of dishes. My friends liked the Shrimp Toast and the Southeast Fried Noodles. I personally preferred the Beijing Noodles more. Tom Yum XLB was unique, but didn't taste like tom yum. But I liked the sourness of the dish. We also got their Crispy Sesame Tofu Squares and their Sesame Jellyfish Salad. Both tasted pretty good. I would skip the Pork Gyoza. It was nothing special, probably better if you try their other dishes instead. Overall, not bad. Everything was decent but nothing really stood out that would make me want to go back again, especially since DTF is nearby anyway. read more

Dumpling Time - Tom Yum XLB - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

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A dumpling place in a fancy area.. It may be OK for business meals or occasions. It is not recommended if expecting decent authentic dumplings. We ordered noodles, dumplings, gyoza, siu mai, and crispy rice sticks. To be honest, none of them were tasty. I don't recommend this restaurant for food. read more

We came here with a party of 10 on a Friday afternoon (post covid) and there was plentiful seating! We ordered a ton of food and most of the dishes came out separately. You order and pay through their app, which makes everything streamlined! We tried the XLB, dumplings, the little white buns with black sesame seeds on top, cucumbers, sesame noodles, sesame salad. Most of the items we ordered were delicious! One of our friends rated the XLB as one of the best she's had in the US since having them in Shanghai! We cleared pretty much all the plates and left with full, satisfied bellies. The establishment was pretty kid friendly and the bathrooms were clean. We didn't have a problem with the staff, but we did notice that we had different waiters bring out our food. Also, I like that the location is in a bustling plaza that offers a lot of dessert options. We each enjoyed a Tan Cha tea (next door), while we waited for our food to come to the table. Overall, we had a great experience and would definitely come back! read more

We visited with our dogs since they offer outdoor seating, which was a big plus. Tried the tofu squares and pork XLB. The pork XLB was packed with flavor, but the tofu squares fell a bit flat. Nice spot overall for dining with pets. read more

Dumpling Time - Pork XLB - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Jose, California

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This is a fantastic dumpling/dim sum restaurant with a lounge feel. They have a section at the front of the shop where specialists are hand rolling dumplings; it's interesting so make sure to take your phones out. The taste of each dish tasted so authentic with traditional ingredients. The food tasted more authentic than some of the dim sum houses I've been to? Like there's no shortcut in their cooking. The crispy sesame tofu squares are delicious and has a nice gooey inside which is an interesting texture. It's crisp on the outside and still moist inside. This goes well with their dipping sauce. The shrimp & pork siu mai is my favorite! This is tasty and has lots of flavor. The Maine Lobster Siu mai is just ok and not worth $17; we thought it tasted like the frozen siu mai from the Asian markets. The chili pork dumplings were ok too; I wish their dumplings were fully covered with the chili oil and wish they were more moist rather than dry, otherwise, it was tasty. Their Wagyu beef gyoza is just ok as well but not worth $17. The gyoza tasted bland and sort of like a burger meat. I didn't really care for it. The XLB soup dumplings are amazing! Love dipping these in the vinegar and drinking the soup from the inside. Their popular Beijing noodles is good and has this herbal Chinese taste which is distinct and brought me back to my childhood of eating authentic Chinese food. Overall, I thought their food was good but truly, only a handful of items are worth trying again. We didn't really care for the rest but it's worth trying either way. We'll be back again! read more

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