The food is great. It's hot, fresh, and tastes good. The decor and style is on point and matches the theme in a fun and sophisticated way. Food comes out as it's ready which is fun. The service is terrible. Our drinks were made wrong the first time. Then when e asked for water 3 times from two different waiters and actively watch ours take water to another table, pick up ours and set it back on the bar and disappear into the kitchen. Then when we asked a 4th time, he picked up the abandoned water from the bar and played it off as funny that he was so forgetful. read more

I enjoyed this location, especially once I realized I entered through the rear. At first I thought, this is a very odd entrance right by the restrooms. lol Went on a Friday evening around 7:30 and wanted to sit at the bar as it was just myself. The bar looked occupied until one of the staff shifted a backpack over to allow for a seat to open. Prefect! I already forgot the wonderful staff members who took care of me. They were so kind and gave great recommendations. Started with a lychee martini that was perfect! Found out the staff member made it and they shared with me how they did so. Note to self..... I got the spring rolls, pork stuffed steamed buns and the chicken steamed dumplings. Definitely a lot of food and I left full. Everything was hot when it arrived at the table and good flavor. The pork steamed buns were my least favorite, however still tasty. They had quite a bit of seating and you could walk by the window to the kitchen. The service was great at the bar and I'd go back just for that and the lychee martini! read more

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I really wanted to like Ugly dumpling however i think at the time that we went they were still working through the restaurant flow of their menu. We came here on a Wednesday to check out the imitation Din Tai Fung. This is the perfect spot for the restaurant however the main entrance is from the courtyard area. Ambience: Fast casual dining experience, plenty of seating options. Service: Prompt service however the order took awhile to come out, we also arrived around happy hour so the prices were rather reasonable. Food: The table ordered the soup dumplings...these were probably the star of the show a bit more of a thicker wrapper then i'd prefer on a soup dumpling still tasty! The cucumber salad, which were cut relatively large. Some chicken dumplings and the red chili wontons which i prefer at special noodle. All in all not bad but definitely not a Din Tai Fung imitator. Will probably come back to try out more of the menu in the future and see if its changed since i last went close to the time they opened a couple months ago. read more

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The Ugly Dumpling is another Austin Restaurant Week find. It is located in the Arboretum shopping area in between Juliet Kitchen and Estancia Brazilian Steakhouse...recessed between the two restaurants. Walking into the restaurant, you feel transported to another space and time. High ceilings, soothing colored walls and a modern flair sets the vibe for your dining experience. Ugly Dumpling occupies a large space. The hubs and I ordered the kung pao chicken, which was generously portioned. A large bowl of white rice accompanied the main dish. The kung pao chicken was not breaded with a subtle inviting sauce on top. The vegetables were somewhere between being fully cooked and al dente. We had a substantial amount of leftovers. Two improvements recommended - 1) only include large chunks of onion (some onion skins were included) and 2) less oil in the dish. Our server was new and did her best in supporting a good dining experience. Overall, Good meal... read more

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Interesting dumpling restaurant. They do a good job and you will likely have a nice meal. For me it was ok, and that is due to my time in Southern California and my access to the fantastic diversity of Asian cuisine so prevalent there. For me the all-star should be the pork soup dumplings (xiao long bao). What we experienced here was ok, not great. Wontons and Shumai were much better. Enjoyed the meal but will continue on visiting the other dumpling spots in Austin. read more

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My friend ordered the Kung Pro chicken which I would normally not order but wow, it was actually really tasty. The chicken was perfect. It was actually my favorite dish! The Pork fried rice: the fried pork was tasty and tender, the fried rice was just okay. The Spicy pork and shrimp wontons was fine. The Soup Dumplings, I got the sampler and didn't get to eat all at the restaurant cos I got too full. 1. Truffle pork: yeah that was good. 2. Regular pork: decent. 3. Spicy pork: Maybe too much Sichuan spice for me. 4. Pork and crab: Meh. Servers were top notch. Is this Din Tai Fung? No, but it's a lovely to have another soup dumpling place in Austin! read more

Ugly Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

I think Ugly Dumpling is a chain, and I'm honestly so happy Austin keeps getting more and more Asian restaurants!! The branding is super cute, and I was actually surprised by how big the restaurant is inside. It has a really fun atmosphere, and our waiter was hilarious and so easygoing, which made the experience even better. As for the food, I thought everything was pretty good, but nothing really stood out as being super unique or memorable. My favorite dishes were definitely the wontons and the beef noodle soup. Both were flavorful and satisfying, but I don't know that they were necessarily better than what you can find at a lot of other Asian restaurants around Austin. One thing I probably wouldn't order again is the boba. It was just okay, and I think there are a lot of better boba spots nearby if that's what you're craving. Overall, I enjoyed my meal and appreciate having another Asian restaurant in Austin, especially one with such a fun space and great service! That being said, I don't know that I'd personally go out of my way to come back. I think it's worth trying once, but there wasn't anything that made me immediately want to return. read more

THE BIG: Soup dumpling spot in the Arboretum area of Austin! Dark gray exterior but very vibey and modern interior. Plenty of parking outside in the lot. THE BLACK AND WHITE: Came here with the wife and son because we've been driving past it on our way home from Trader Joe's. The place isn't too busy but very pretty inside. For food we got the ugly dumpling sampler, string beans with garlic, orange chicken, and ugly bao bun. The ugly dumpling sampler was actually really pretty with the different colored soup dumplings. The taste was another thing. All had a different flavor inside but it was missing that extra kick, maybe a bit more salt to get the umami out. I think my favorite was the pork & truffle since you could really get the truffle flavor (I think it was the black one). The other dishes were just alright, a run of the mill chinese takeout produces the same quality. THE FINAL BAMBOO: Overall the damage done here was around $85 for everything. Good service, however the food was lacking in my opinion. read more

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For anyone wondering if this is a Din Tai Fung dupe, it isn't. Pork soup dumplings 3/5 - the dumpling wrapper is too thick in my opinion. While there is a good amount of soup, the flavor was just meh to me. Beef noodle soup 3/5 - the broth has an overwhelming sweetness to it and not as beefy or savory as a typical beef noodle soup. The noodles have a good texture. Pork chop fried rice - 3/5 we ordered it "ugly" which is an extra $2 charge by the way, and it just tasted like a bunch of five spice powder and black pepper sprinkled everywhere. I most likely won't come back here but good to give it a try plus the location is in a great area. read more

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Got curious after seeing Ugly Dumpling pop up at the Arboretum and figured it was worth trying. Austin has been getting more dumpling spots lately, so naturally I had to see where this one lands. Atmosphere: Casual and easy. It's more fast-casual than sit-down banquet hall, which honestly works for this kind of meal. Clean space, quick flow, and a good option if you're up north and want something better than the usual lunch rotation. It's located at 10000 Research Blvd in the Arboretum area, so parking is pretty painless. Food: The obvious move here is the soup dumplings. I'd start with the sampler if you're new, since it lets you try a few different versions instead of committing to one flavor. The pork truffle XLB is the safe classic. They come in that perfectly instagrammable steam baskets The dumplings were satisfying--good broth, nice flavor, and exactly the kind of thing you want to eat carefully unless you enjoy burning your mouth for sport. I'd also throw in scallion pancakes or chili oil wontons for the table if you want something with a little more punch. Not everything needs to be complicated; sometimes warm dumplings and a solid dipping sauce do the job. Service: Pretty straightforward. Order, wait a bit, and food comes out at a reasonable pace. Staff was friendly enough and the setup keeps things moving. It's not a place where I'd expect a long, guided dining experience, but for a casual dumpling stop it works. Wrap-up: Ugly Dumpling is a solid add to the Arboretum area. Casual, comforting, and a nice change of pace from the usual chain-heavy options around there. I'd come back when the dumpling craving hits, especially for soup dumplings and a couple of shareable sides. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Pork truffle - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Amazing service, okay dumplings. My husband and I tried this place on a Thursday afternoon. The space is large with high ceiling and modern decor. The steam baskets around reminded me of DinTaiFung. Service is exceptional with someone always checking in at our table. We got the mix of soup dumplings, green beans, orange chicken and baos. Overall, food was okay. It was bad, but it wasn't out of this world. I think the soup dumplings and baos could use more flavor. read more

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Absolutely enjoyed our dinner service at Ugly Dumpling's day 1 dining service. We had come across their soft open and the crowds were phenomenal at dinner hours but the staff were so welcoming, our service by Michelle was even more welcoming. Michelle took the time to address and introduce us to all that Ugly Dumpling had on the menu and made some good recommendations! I absolutely loved the XLB sampler and our noodles were very tasty, spicy wontons were seasoned well and seeing the staff hand making dumplings in the window were so fun to see. The bubble tea drinks were refreshing and we loved the beautifully decorated interior, can't wait to return and love their offering of an assortment of Chinese comforts in Austin. Will be back soon! read more

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I can't complain about the food. Everything is super tasty and fresh when it comes out. The spicy pork and shrimp dumplings are my go to app. Such an amazing way to start a meal and you need to follow those with ugly bad buns (pork belly bao buns) which taste so dang good!! Shredded beef noodles and the soup dumpling sampler are both awesome. Again, the food rocks, it's just the inconsistent level of service that we have received each time we go. We have been 5-6 times and some days service is amazing and other days we end up waiting for everything even though tables around us have received their food and even left in some instances. We will keep going, but they need to get service set to truly provide an amazing experience for all their customers. read more

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Ugly dumpling is a newly opened restaurant in the Arboretum. We went for lunch at midday mid week and it was a fantastic experience. Because they are new, they are not fully staffed yet and we did wait a few minutes for a table, which was not a big deal. We appreciated them spacing the seating out to not overwhelm the waitstaff. The soup dumplings were delicious and we tried the variety sampler. The potstickers were also very tasty. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and offered suggestions. It's a great addition to the neighborhood and we will definitely be back. read more

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Came here during a weekday with lunch, and the restaurant wasn't too packed. The inside is definitely fancier than the outside. The restaurant is pretty big inside. The building is in the shape of a U. There is a small window where you can see them making the dumplings on the right side once you enter. Got the wontons in chili oil, chicken dumplings, ribs, pork and fried rice (ugly version), and Mongolian beef. The wonton was great. The sauce is great, and the wrapper is thin and had a nice stuffing. The ribs' flavor is on point but could be a little bit more tender. Pork and fried rice is a little bit salty; the ugly edition is just a spicy version of the dish. Mongolian beef had good flavor, and the beef was tender. Overall, the place is pretty, and I would come back. I would like to try some of the noodle dishes next time. read more

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We tried several of their dishes and all were really good. We ordered Miso Ramen, Green Beans with Garlic, XLBs, Pork BBQ (a bit dry), and a couple others. Ambiance was casual with modern design. There were a few parties with large groups and they didn't seem to have any issues. Service from our server was spotty as they are still short on personnel. It seemed they had enough runners, but were short on servers. They just opened two weeks ago according to our server. He managed to forget our Hot and Sour soup despite that we asked about it twice. Ironically, he recommended it since that appetizer typically comes out faster. Not so for us today. Be that as it may, the service we received was not atrocious. Price points were what we expected from a new and trendy dim sum venue. Great food, just not quite on par with DTF. Give them a try when you're in the area! read more

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Grand opening day was not as busy as I thought it would be and we were seated within 10 minutes. The restaurant is spacious with two entrances and plenty of parking. We started off with green beans and they were a hit. The popcorn chicken had flavor, but could use some Kewpie mayo for more of an oomph. The skin on the soup dumplings was a little too thick for me, but otherwise decent enough. Not the best, but not the worst. Beware: the Szechuan one is spicy! I wish the beef noodle soup had a kick to it, but the meat was tender and the broth had a slight sweetness to it. The prices here are pretty decent compared to comparable places around Austin so that's a huge plus. If the craving strikes, this place hits the mark. read more

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Came in for an early dinner and arrive in time to take advantage of their happy hour specials. Didn't get any drinks this time but did get the half-price spring rolls from the happy hour menu. Ordered the pork, shrimp and spinach soup dumplings and the BBQ steamed buns. Both were quite good. My companion hadn't had steamed buns before and wasn't a fan of the steamed bun texture but highly enjoyed the filling. Overall, I found everything to be seasoned quite well and very flavorful. The soup dumplings were slightly thinner than I expected and a couple of tour, but that's really not a complaint so much as an observation. Fully intend to come back and try some other recipes and would recommend anyone who enjoys dumplings give ugly, dumpling a try. read more

The food was delicious! Service was strange. We got our food but had no plates or spoons or anything at all to eat with. Asked 3 people which resulted in nothing. Had to go to the front desk to ask a 4th person. Then continued to wait. The server came over and said they were looking for some. I just found that incredibly strange that a restaurant would serve food and nothing to eat with and have such a hard time finding something. It took what felt like 15 minutes to get spoons to eat our soup and dumplings with. That was weird. Other than that I liked the pork soup dumplings. The sampler ones were not great. One was way too spicy. My husband said a couple were disgusting and so they got wasted. The wonton soup was good. And the location was super cool. read more

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We LOVE this new restaurant!! First, the place feels upscale and they did an amazing job with the decor. Adding lights to the art is a nice touch..many nice touches! The beef noodle soup is the best we've had since our favorite place in CA. Bao buns were good, and the orange chicken was great and crispy, with fresh broccoli and rice. Served family style. Fair prices. We added boba at the end just bc we were having a great time. Clean, delicious, nice music. Its a large restaurant, with a bar as well. You can watch them make the buns. Will get super popular. We plan on driving here frequently from Cedar Park. read more

New place, saw it somewhere on the internet, prices for food and dumplings brought us in the door. Problem is their internet page was wrong, wrong, wrong and we asked the waiter if maybe this was a lunch menu. He didn't recognize the page with the menu items/prices and asked his manager but ultimately either a mistake, grab from another store or something went wrong. It was from their domain website specific to this location, so obviously wrong. Real prices were much higher and more realistic. Oh well. I ordered the regular dumplings which we thought were really good and the waiter suggested the 'soup' dumplings, which we also did and they were good but it takes a bit of practice to get them off the paper, onto a spoon and to bite the top off and eat the soup from them. It was an experience. I ordered the Kung Pao chicken. Sadly this dish was severely lacking in taste. There were at least good chunks of chicken (still not tasty) but the veggies were chopped too fine to enjoy hunks of red/green bell pepper, etc. We came, we tried. read more

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Everything we had was delicious and the service was great. No wait when we went (party of 3) and food came out quickly. Ambiance was nice. It's a big spot! Hopefully they nail down what is and isn't available - our server had to inform us that they were taking things off the menu, but it wasn't marked. Stickers indicating menu changes would be nice while they learn what customers want. read more

Amazing prices!!!! Such a friendly staff. The vibes were immaculate, welcoming and not pressuring. All the food was absolutely amazing and came out so fast. read more

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I love a good pun and a good dumpling even more. You'd better believe I pretty much ran to Ugly Dumpling the day it was confirmed open. Come ready to eat because they pretty much start throwing food at you immediately, and in no particular order. Appetizers came last, drinks after the first dish, and hardly a minute to breathe in between. Vegan options are mercifully marked with a green leaf. All the vegan wontons and dumplings feature the same spinach wrapping to easily identify the veggie contents, which seem to be a mixture of cabbage, bok choy, mushroom, and tofu. My favorite of these were the spicy wontons, adding a mala-umami one-two punch that really brightens up the overall flavor. The cucumber salad is another must-order. Deceptively simple, the crispy rounds sing with garlic and a touch of black vinegar. Happy hour pricing makes them an absolute steal, too. Will I come back? Oh hell yeah. The space itself is bright, modern, and surprisingly accommodating to diners of all stripes. Families, first dates, solo eaters; all in attendance, even in these early days. The restaurant is also HUGE, with plenty of parking, making it an unusually stress-free outing for a busy weekend evening. read more

I've never heard of this restaurant before but I did hear it was similar to Din Tai Fung. I went here for dinner with a friend and we got the pork xiao long bao, spicy noodles, and shrimp and pork wontons in spicy sauce. The pork xlb were unfortunately not that great. The soup wasn't that flavorful and my friend said the pork was kinda gamey. The wrapping on them was kinda thick too. The spicy noodles were yummy. They aren't really spicy at all, but we wished there were minced pork with it. The wontons were okay too, nothing stood out to me on those. We got pork baos too and they were ok. It was pretty loud where we sat and we did ask them to turn the music down which they did. It is also very echoey, so it's hard to hear each other. It's awesome there are new Asian restaurants popping up, but this one was just alright for me. read more

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I encountered a very off-putting odor at this establishment . Due to the pervasive, unpleasant smell, I cannot suggest this place to others . This business has a really unpleasant smell and for that reason I do not recommend it. Too bad the food looks good on pictures. read more

food was amazing, especially the beef soup. waiter was awesome also . Very accommodating and clean. Yes the dumplings amazing also read more

Went the day before official grand opening. They did a very good job with the build out. For the first day of service I can say they did a very good job with training. Staff was very knowledgeable and attentive. Ordered: Pork soup dumpling Pork and crab soup dumpling Spicy wonton Hot n sour soup Shrimp stir fried noodles I have tried soup dumplings from a lot of places including a few countries in Asia. I must say these are in my top tier and for sure better than most places in Austin. Definitely coming back again. read more

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Our server, Scott, was so helpful today. First time there for lunch. Disappointed there was no lunch menu. They could offer 2 or 4 dumplings for lunch. We shared chicken soup dumplings and frankly they were a bit dense. The sauces were tasty. Friend had beef & noodles which enjoyed. I had chicken kung pow without the chilies which was pretty good. Serving portions were dinner size and required a take-home box. Scott came out with two delicious ice teas with orange slices. Yum. The restaurant decor was pretty, too. Nice place. Hope it lasts. read more

It pains me to rate this place so low because we've been so excited to have it open/try it, but this was just a total miss all the way around. They must have had their "B team" staff working the afternoon shift (came in around 2 pm) as the staff from the host to the waitress left a lot to be desired. Very perfunctory interactions and no true gratitude shown to the customer. The staff made us feel like we were supposed to thank them for every little interaction yet didn't need to reciprocate? Very strange and I don't understand all of the positive reviews for the service based on my experience. Now onto the food. The pros: the food came out pretty fast and hot (but tbh, are we excited our food comes out super quick??). The shrimp stir fried noodles were good, but tasted very chain restaurant-esque. The steamed pork dumplings were pretty good (chili oil on the table had very little chilis left in it and was just oil) and the steamed bbq pork buns were good! We ordered some spring rolls and I regret to say they are probably the worst spring rolls I've ever had. Whatever was inside was pure mush and the sauce they serve with it was so sickingly sweet; we didn't even finish one spring roll between 5 of us. The shumai were also mush inside. I was super excited to try the sesame noodles, but it was way too peanuty; it literally tasted like noodles rolled around in peanut butter. Perhaps we ordered wrong and should have just stuck to dumplings as the name highlights. The inside is beautifully decorated so it was pleasant to sit in there. Though as others have mentioned, there is a sewer smell emitting as soon as you walk through the doors which is super off putting. All in all, this place is not for me. There are a ton of other restaurants around town that have better service and better food. read more

I saw this place a week ago and decided to try it out and I'm glad I did! First off this place is clean with a nice design inside.. my friend and I sat in a booth. Nice hostess sat us. Then our very articulate waiter James took our order. He even asked if we had any dietary preferences... that was a nice touch especially since I don't eat pork. We ordered the soy garlic wings and spring rolls as our appetizer (happy hour half price appetizers from 2-6 M-F) and my friend ordered the chicken soup dumplings and I got the braised beef noodle soup. It was all very tasty. And I will be back again!! The beef was very tender cooked to perfection! I loved the wings and spring rolls! The chicken soup dumpling actually has the soup in the dumpling... it surprised my friend as it wasn't your topical soup dish with dumplings inside... these dumplings you have to pierce in your soup spoon and drink the liquid then eat the dumpling. The prices were good especially since we went during happy hour!! I will be back!! :) read more

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So I really wanted to like this place is not a huge dumpling fan and Austin needs more good dumpling spots but I was met with terrible service when they first opened and then again 6 months later. I honestly don't even know if the food is that good because the service was so bad but it was distracting. I walked in at 9:24 and they close at 10:30. The hostess did not want to seat me until I pointed out, they close at 10:30 and then she proceeded to seat me at the worst table in the restaurant by an exit door completely out of sight with nobody else in the restaurant. The table was so uncomfortable it shouldn't even be a table bc they clearly don't have the demand to fill every corner of the restaurant. this place deserves to close and they will read more

Great soup dimplings I had 18 and loved every one!!! I was a little shocked when they came out black but I found out they dye each flavor

I'm not sure if it was because the restaurant has just opened recently and they were still working out some kinks, but we were unfortunately not impressed by this place. The moment we walked in, a sewer smell enveloped the whole place, which was very unpleasant. The food felt overpriced for what you got, but maybe that's just fancy dimsum nowadays? We had the xiao long bao sampler which my husband liked but was a bit underwhelmed by - the unique flavors weren't for him. I had the veggie wontons which were fine, nothing special. I wish drinks didn't come in plastic cups. Maybe not so good for vegetarians? There were some other things that the server recommended - maybe those are better. Anyway, I don't think I would go again - a dimsum place in a Chinese grocery store is probably more worth it for me. read more

This was our first visit to Ugly Dumpling it was a good experience. our wait person was very nice and patient and explain the sauces to us and how to eat the dumplings which we have never experienced anything quite like it. We both ordered the Chicken Dumplings which to my surprise it was colored pink which i do not know why it is pink and they have different colors for different dumplings anyway the Chicken Dumplings were very nice the ambiance of the restaurant is very nice and very big and they stay open late as well. the only thing i did not like was the sauces i was not a fan of the Spicy Chili Sauce or the standard dipping sauce that is reccomended for the Chicken Dumplings but either then that the food was very good. read more

1st and foremost, the place is beautiful. Majority of the food was great. We had braised beef noodles, bbq pork bun, soup dumplings, beef and broccoli, and crab rangoon. We also ordered cocktails which were pretty good. The cheesy (crab) rangoon was entirely too sweet and they served it with an even sweeter sauce. I wasn't a huge fan. Literally everything else was great As far as the service, the hostess had an attitude. She even spelled my name wrong on the wait list after I said it aloud and spelled it for her. We decided to remove ourselves from the wait-list and sit at the bar when seats became available. Overall, nice restaurant, I'll return again soon. read more

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Service is ok. Our waiter took our order and they had food runners. Food is eh. Bbq bun was meh. Soup dumplings ok. Mongolian beef was super sweet. The beef was cut in weird un-uniform extra large pieces and wasn't tender. This dish should be called budda delight with all the Vegs. The total was around $60 including tip. I didn't like the tip option. 22%, 25%, and 30%. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Mongolian beef for an app - Chinese Near Me - Austin, Texas

Finally tried out this new Asian spot for lunch today and although it was not bad, unfortunately none of the dishes over-exceeded my expectations. The soup dumplings (we tried the both the Pork & Truffle and Szechuan Pork) lacked flavor in my opinion and the outer wrapping was a bit too thick and doughy for my preferences. That being said, I will say that there was a good ratio of soup in the dumplings. My favorite dish was the Noodles w/ Spicy Sauce. I liked the tenderness of the noodles but there honestly wasn't any spice to the sauce. We had to add their chili oil to the dish in order to give it some kick haha. Their Signature Pork Chop Fried Rice was another top choice. The meat was fried well and the fried rice had a good amount of savory flavor without being too salty. The service was QUICK! All the food started coming out within 10 minutes but we did have a 45-minute wait around lunch time on a Sunday so plan accordingly. The inside construction was my favorite! It was modern and well lit, and they even used the steamer lids as decor -- it was a refreshing concept for an Asian establishment! read more

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I was in the area for lunch and ordered the shrimp stir fry noodles for lunch. Found out that they just opened. When I went in to pick it up, there were a lot of people there and it's very spacious. The noodles were really good potion and I liked that they gave me chili sauce on the side. I will definitely come back and dine in and try their popular dumplings!! read more

Incredible value and on Happy Hour. Cucumber salad and chicken dumplings were good. Lychee Martini was excellent. The bartender was helpful, very kind, and welcoming. Cute bar with huge TVs for watching sports. Upbeat music. Very enjoyable atmosphere. read more