Best dumplings I've honestly ever had. Go check them out. I would highly recommend! read more

If you like average food, you'll love this place! The appetizers are the highlight of this place, the soy garlic wings were the best thing! The service was wonderful and the server was attentive and sweet! The vibe in the place was cutesie and elegant! The food just wasn't giving.. read more

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I loved everything about the Ugly Dumpling! I HIGHLY recommend it! From the moment I walked in I just knew I would have a great experience. The hostess was so welcoming and warm. Then the service by Raul, my waiter, was superb. It's as if he could read what I was in the mood to eat :). The pork and crab soup dumplings were steamed beautifully and were super tasty. They use real crab and I could really taste the different flavors. The garlic green beans were to die for and the braised baby back ribs were so succulent that I was licking my fingers the whole time. I also ordered the Pork BBQ Baos and they were perfectly and freshly steamed. The portions were hearty and I ended up taking several items home with me. Everything is made to order. There are plenty more items in the menu I want to order during my next visit such as their Mongolian beef, their Braised Beef Noodle Soup, Green Tea Noodles with Sesame Sauce and Fried Pork Chop Appetizer. The venue itself is very Zen--inspiring calm, an open layout and tasteful decor. Customers can also go to the Bao Lab and see how their dumplings and Baos are made and steamed, which is very unique in this area. All in all, I loved my experience at the Ugly Dumplings and look forward to coming back, especially during happy hour when their appetizers are half price and their interesting cocktail menu also offers discounts. Keep it up good folks and you'll earn your reputations with the larger Hamden community and vicinities! See you again soon!! read more

Honestly, not too shabby! One of the better Chinese restaurants in the New Haven area! I was a bit skeptical of this place at first because of the reviews and because it's a large chain, however, I was not disappointed. The food was pretty good. Not the most authentic, but close to it. The garlic green beans and spicy wontons were both delicious! The spicy wontons were not very spicy though. I also loved the beef noodle soup. There's not many places around the area where you can get this style beef noodle soup, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I would honestly skip the soup dumplings. Not the best, but maybe get it if you've never had it before. Also, the service was got was great. The kitchen was about to close in which they reminded us to order our to go food before which was thoughtful. read more

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On my way to Quinnipiac, I tried Ugly Dumpling for the first time. Nice interior. I sat at the bar and tried the Red Lotus cocktail, and it was very refreshing. Also got the shrimp and pork wonton soup. It was a cold rainy day so the hot soup warmed me up nicely. Since it was their "signature item", I also tried the chicken dumplings (steamed). Dumplings were only ok, and the sauce it came with didn't help. read more

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The staff was great from when we checked in through out. Our only issue was we had a young server. Or maybe it was the kitchen Im not sure which. Our entrees came out before our appetizers. My husband thought our server looked young. So after every appetizer he said as an appetizer. So we had all of our food on the table at once which was not ideal. But worse things good have happened. We ordered three appetizers fried pork chop, garlic soy wings, and chicken wontons. We ordered all three because we could not decide so we went for it. The fried pork chop was nice and crispy. The soy garlic wings - big, crispy, and we could actually taste the garlic! The chicken wontons were stuffed nicely and had a nice kick to them! I did not like my shredded beef lo mein meal. It was bland. This wont stop me from coming back though. Because my husband got the Mongolian beef with white rice. That was an excellent meal‼ The beef was tender, the veggies were sautéed nicely, and it had a good spice kick! The rice helped tone down the spice. An overall good meal. read more

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Wasn't impressed by my first visit. The staff was nice but one or two still needed more menu knowledge. My dumplings were just ok, would like to try again when it's just a couple of us, we had a party of six. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Dumplings lab - Chinese Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Amazing experience! Will definitely be returning. Lilly's attentiveness as our server & explanation Of the various options was greatly appreciated read more

I had an appointment near by and figured this was a perfect time to try Ugly Dumpling. I ordered online and did a store pick up. I was so happy with the kind staff that greeted me as I entered. I loved the way the food was packaged helped maintain freshness as I drove home. The braised beef soup was so delicious. The meat cooked to perfection and broth had a depth of flavor I have not often found in a "simple" noodle soup. The dumpling sampler was great so I was able to taste a few flavors since this was my first visit. The bao was perfect food to eat in the car to hold me over u til I got home for my meal. read more

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Greetings - Regarding my recent visit to the Ugly Dumpling in Hamden, Connecticut. I tried to be diplomatic about this visit, by emailing the local establishment, and trying to reach a manager today, on April 20th, by phone. I rarely go out to eat these days, because it has become expensive, but, on April 3rd, I found myself in Hamden, and I wanted to visit Ugly Dumpling as I had a take-out order a while back. On April 3rd, I sat at the bar, and enjoyed a very pleasant customer experience by the bartender / server. My receipt has been emailed to this company. Now.. I can do math. I am a salesperson, and deal with numbers and percentages all day. Upon a detailed review of my bill, I noticed that the management suggests a tip, based on the food and beverage AND state tax. Honestly, is this necessary? You'll notice that I left a generous, 20% gratuity for my pleasant and knowledgeable server. Additionally, after I processed my payment and gratuity, my final receipt shows additional tip suggestions of 2%, 3%, 5% and 7% !! What exactly is this for? Is this for real? read more

Ugly Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

My wife has a bit of a thing for soup dumplings so this place has been on her radar for a few months since she found out about it. We got there about 6:45 on a Saturday night and there was a 25 minute wait so we sat at the bar. My wife had a toasted coconut mojito which was a bit heavy on the ice given the price of the small glass but it was really good. From the appetizer menu we got the salt and pepper popcorn chicken which was decent but desperately needed a dipping sauce. Glad we had some leftover from our spring rolls and fried chicken dumplings which were both decent enough. Pork and truffle soup dumplings were very good. Beef noodle stir fry was good, but maybe not something I'd get again. Service was very slow. I get bartenders are busy making drinks for the restaurant, but we weren't even offered water and it took like 15 minutes for them to take our food order. The food came out incredibly quickly, maybe less than 5 minutes, but we had 3 of our dishes in front of us before they offered utensils or side plates. Pricing was actually surprisingly cheap (besides the drink). Overall I would come back, but would probably order a few other items from the menu, but would probably opt to a similar restaurant that's closer to our house in the future. read more

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I love finding out about new foodie recommendations on social media, and after seeing some awesome videos about this location, I had to give it a try! I'm a sucker for a beautifully plated meal, but of course, the food has to be delicious. Our family stopped into Ugly Dumpling, and I was immediately impressed by the decor, just by opening the front doors! The interior and ambience were very sleek and modern, with a little bit of an edgy vibe that I loved! The seating area had plenty of options, from seats at the bar to a traditional table top. Our server, CJ, was excellent - very helpful and insightful. I loved that our server asked if it was our first time there and made sure to point out the Bao Lab, where they encouraged us to come back to watch their cooks freshly prepare the dumplings by hand, through an observatory glass. So cool for our kiddos to take that in, since we enjoy cooking together so much. Now, onto the menu! At first glance, we just wanted to have one of everything! Given our limited time and first visit, we opted to try the Ugly Dumpling Sampler, which comes with one of each flavor: pork, chicken, pork and crab, pork and truffle, pork shrimp and spinach, and Szechuan pork. I have always wanted to try soup dumplings, so this was my very first time, and I really enjoyed the variety of flavors included in the sampler. The truffle and the Szechuan were among my favorites! Our server was helpful and guided us through some of the more popular options, and we tried quite a few more, including the Soy Garlic Wings, which were delicious and not to be missed; Salt & Pepper Popcorn Chicken; Ugly Bao Bun; Cream Cheese Rangoon; Pork Chop Fried Rice which actually comes with a pork chop on top of the fried rice; Brown Sugar Boba and a Lychee Martini--looking forward to coming back to try even more options, especially the signature green beans. read more

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I like the concept and the atmosphere is nice. Service was friendly. My husband and I split a few dishes: Mongolian beef 5/5, wings 5/5, pork/shrimp wonton 4/5, variety soup dumplings 3/5 and surprisingly the pork dumplings rate only a 3. They were out of noodles?? Mongolian beef portion was small. Prices were high. More like a 3.5 rating. Might be a nice place to go with a bunch of friends or coworkers but not good enough to add in a regular rotation since B.C.E. there are many good Chinese restaurants in the area. read more

The service was really uplifting. Easy to get to with plenty of parking. It's very spacious so a large group can be comfortable. The vibe is so upbeat. Food was flavorful with nice portions that can be shared. I loved the soup dumplings. They didn't fall apart easily and the soup inside was the perfect temperature to enjoy. They have a full bar and some signature drinks that were refreshing. Even though it's a chain restaurant, it doesn't feel thqt way. If you overeat you have stores nearby to walk it off. read more

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I loved the concept of this place and really wanted to like it, but I couldn't have been more disappointed. The waiter was super nice, but our food came out at the same time (SO FAST, TOO FAST) and everything wasn't even that hot. The orange chicken was almost cold, the rice was pretty bland, and the Mongolian beef was just alright. The soup dumplings were the only thing remotely worth getting. I wouldn't return. read more

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23 April 2026 Had lunch here recently, midweek. Really loud music in the middle of the day in a nearly empty restaurant. The server claimed it could not be turned down because of "corporate regulations." (Note to corporation: loud music + empty restaurant does not equal inviting atmosphere.) Fried chicken dumplings ($3.50) were middling. They were large, the taste was not particularly good, and the wrappers for the dumplings tasted like they had sugar in them. Overly sweet. The shredded beef stir fried noodles ($12.00) were insipid and, oddly, barley warm. The noodles were kind of warm. The added vegetable -- something leafy green -- was actually cold. I am not sure how a restaurant serves a lukewarm stir-fry. This is my second time trying this restaurant; I won't go back. As another reviewer (T and AJ) said, "If you like average food, you'll love this place." read more

I sat at the bar for my first time there! The food as good, the green beans were packed with flavor as well as the soup dumplings. They give you plenty of vinegar and chili oil on the side. The service was good and the ambiance is bright and welcoming! read more

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We went 45 mins before they closed & had trouble getting a seat. When we sat down the waiter was really nice and accommodating. The food however was unfortunately not good. The cucumber salad was supper vinegary and they had gnats in the restaurant which ended up falling into the cucumber salad. As far the dumplings they had no flavor. The food unfortunately was very disappointing. The waiter was nice enough to take it off of the bill. The location is super pretty & the tables were nice. However the food quality was poor. I was really excited to try the food here, unfortunately it was not a pleasant experience. read more

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The worst food and service!!! What a dump!!! Never going back!! Waitress did not care! read more

I visited with a large group of friends and had a great time. Our waiter was friendly and helpful. He made good recommendations and was patient with our large group of split meat/no meat eaters. I started with the lychee berry margarita which was sweet and refreshing. For food, our meat eaters side ordered the soup dumpling variety (these were good, not great, the highlight was the pork and truffle), the fried pork chop (my least favorite, this was dry, cold and chewy) and the braised beef noodle soup (tasty, but the broth was not particularly warm and the noodles weren't exactly conducive to sharing, too long!). The highlights were the spicy pork and shrimp wontons (flavorful, though not too spicy) and the sesame noodles (still too long, but delectable!). Yummy food for the price. read more

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what a great place and experience at Ugly Dumpling! This restaurant features Dim Sum, Shanghai Style Street Food, and all different kinds of Dumplings! I absolutely love the look on this place, it's inviting and modern. And it was so hard to pick what to get since they're so many amazing options and at such a reasonable price too! The szechuan Pork dumplings were one to remember - they certainly brought the heat but the brought was flavorful and delicious! One of the best soup dumplings i've had in Connecticut. We also got their Steamed BBQ Pork Buns and I will say, they were a bit underwhelming. The ratio of bun to filling was not balanced at all and I just felt like this dish was missing something overall. However, their Beef Noodle Soup and Noodles with Beef and Szechuan Peppers were so delicious and vibrant. I can't wait to go back! read more

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We thought this was such a fun restaurant to try! My 11-year-old found it and requested it for his birthday lunch. He has been obsessed with dumplings lately. We got a bunch of different soup dumplings. We really liked most of them, but found the crab dumpling to be very fishy. We also got a noodle dish that was very tasty. We have talked about going back a couple of times and can't wait to try it again! read more

Service is slow and our order was messed up. It's a new place so I won't fault them for that, it happens. We went on a busy Friday night. We were seated quickly. The food is tasty. There's a lot of different dumplings options. Everything we ordered was good. I would definitely go back. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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I'm giving 2 stars because the staff is friendly, the take out was quick on even a busy night, and the food was hot when we got home. The chicken and broccoli was tasteless. My husband had to dump soy sauce and pepper on it to give it flavor. The chicken was tender, but lacked any flavor at all. The dumpling sampler was colorful, but that was about it. Two of the 5 dumplings were edible. The rest were just gross. Worst dumplings I've ever had. We will not be going back here. read more

Rating: (6/10) Visited Ugly Dumpling in Hamden for the first time last night. They've only been open for about a month, and I've got to say--the place looks really nice inside. It's spacious, well-lit, clean, and has plenty of seating, including booths and a full bar. The staff was super friendly and welcoming, which really set a good tone for the evening. I sat at the bar, and the bartender was great--very knowledgeable, personable, and knew the drink menu well. I first ordered a Lychee Martini, but it was way too sweet for my taste. I'd rate it about a 2/10. The bartender kindly swapped it out for a Gun Smoke Cucumber Vodka drink (forgot the exact name), which was decent--not amazing, but drinkable. I'd give that one around a 4.5/10. For food, I tried the Fried Chicken Dumplings. They looked good, but flavor-wise, they were just okay. Not much seasoning or anything that stood out. I'd give them a 4/10 as well. Six dumplings for $7 isn't terrible, but for about $20 total (including my drink), I was hoping for something more memorable. That said, I really have to give credit to the staff--they were the highlight of the experience. Super kind, attentive, and professional. Because of that, I'm willing to give Ugly Dumpling another shot--probably during the daytime to try something else off the menu. Overall, I'd rate it a 6/10 (or 3 stars). Beautiful atmosphere, excellent service, average food and drinks. Hopefully, next visit will be better. read more

I don't know why they rated this place low, maybe because it was in their soft open stage? I think the food is pretty progressive/ get everything ugly for that extra impact. I would suggest the dumpling sampler. Service gotten better, remember this is a new restaurant. Ambiance is pretty expansive, I really like the bao lab which shows you live your dumplings being made. Give this place a shot and you tell me. read more

This was our first time and most likely our last.The service was great. Connor was definitely the highlight of the evening. His recommendation on the Thai tea was perfect! The food was mediocre. All of the dumplings tasted the same and the noodles were very salty. There are other places nearby with more flavorful dumplings and noodles. read more

Service was AMAZING! Our server was very lovely and was great at describing the dishes, their favorites, and recommending for first timers. The ambience was nice and clean service overall 5/5 Now for the food.. not great. The noodles with diced beef and szechuan peppers were terrible. The noodles were oily, the dice beef was very chewy, dry, and had a bunch of bone pieces.. The soup dumplings were ok, truffle is the winner of the samplers. Again, a piece of bone upon the first bite of the pork bun. I really tried to like it, maybe I got the wrong items, but the food was not good. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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Nice interior. The wait staff attentive. The salt and pepper popcorn chicken was so good. Their soup dumplings are so good as well. We will go back. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Soup dumplings chicken steamed and salt/pepper popcorn chicken. - Chinese Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

My daughter told me Ugly Dumpling was the Din Tai Fung in Connecticut. I knew Din Tai Fung very well as I grow up in an apartment that's 5 min walk from the original one in Taipei. We tried Ugly Dumpling today and I have to say I agree with my daughter. Salt & Pepper Popcorn Chicken tasted just like what we had in Taiwan. I ordered Pork Chop Fried Rice and it was the Din Tai Fung style fried rice. Pork soup dumping was very good. I did not think about taking pictures before we finished everything we ordered. I'd give it a 5 star based on the foods alone. I think the Din Tai Fung in NYC is way too expensive and not nearly as good as the original one in Taipei. I'd recommend my friends to try Ugly Dumpling instead. I saw some bad comments on Yelp and I suspect those are from folks who are more used to heavily seasoned American Chinese dishes. (BTW, I don't consider American Chinese food such as General Tsao Chicken as Chinese food. Those are just chicken nuggets with sweet and hot sauce. Ugly Dumpling has Kong Pan Chicken instead of General Tsao on menu, which is a good sign. ) Soup dumplings are designed to go with the sauces. The standard way of eating soup dumplings is adding vinegar in soy sauce in a small plate, dip the dumpling into the plate before putting it in a spoon, add some ginger, then enjoy the it. You can control the sauces you use to enhance the flavor. read more

this isn't a restaurant it's an influencer hangout. I feel terrible for the staff they have so many "talking points" they HAVE to say. oh feel free to take pictures, oh here review us after you're done, you're solo? sot at the bar not where you asked at an empty restaurant. Their soup dumplings are awful. the only flavor in them is from the crazy amount of food dye put into them. The foods expensive and quite frankly bland. They put way too much effort into making the place and food look interesting but not anywhere on the flavor. it's such a shame. read more

Gabrielle R. was an excellent server! She was super sweet, kind and made sure my mom and I had everything we needed during our lunch. The food was excellent just like the last time I came to Ugly Dumpling. It's a very calm and spacious environment and we will be back soon! read more

Great food, good vibes, Gabby was very nice and welcoming. Noodles are really good, so are the soup dumplings!

Went to Ugly Dumpling for the first time recently. Some good things, some bad. Front of the house staff was very friendly and immediately greeted us and got us to our table. The restaurant was maybe half full, by no means busy. We waited maybe 20 minutes before anyone came to our table to even offer water. Eventually the server sidled over with excuses and very very low energy. I really did not appreciate the attitude. I know he works at a chain restaurant which has to be very unfulfilling but I'm just looking for the minimum hospitality. He did get the orders correct though, so that is more important. Dumplings were pretty decent surprisingly. I wish there was any indication about which dumpling was which as we got the sampler but overall good. The truffle one and crab one were slightly unpleasant. I don't need truffle in dim sum. Also ordered the chicken and broccoli which was inedible! The chicken tasted old; musty. Sauce and broccoli were flavorless and also kind of old tasting. I don't love the idea of watching the workers make the dumplings in the "dumpling lab." It feels really dehumanizing for some reason. It's not a Michelin star restaurant so we really don't need that. Also observed numerous instances of food runners trying to bring food to the wrong table. This place has some potential but a lot of issues to work out. Also don't love observing the restaurant respond to bad reviews with ChatGPT canned responses. Not a good look. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

I went to the location in NJ and thought that this would be comparable but this one was way more americanized by the slightly different menu. All the food wasn't fresh and you could tell by how fast the food was coming out. Our xiao long bao soup was luke warm, String beans didnt have enough garlic, and the chicken spicy wontons had some small bones in it. The only decent thing was the soup from the braised beef noodle soup, however the beef tendon was hard and chewy. read more

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No real ambience...food was just o.k. and I thought expensive...good side...friendly service

Sorry , I did not photograph the excellent soup dumplings. We got takeout but was informed that the resturant was hopping at 8pm on a Monday. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Chicken fried rice with chicken broccoli, not pictured strung beans with garlic sauce - Chinese Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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This is the new restaurant that moved into the old TGI Friday's. Right away, I noticed that the interior was clean and contemporary. They had an open kitchen so people could watch the dumplings get made, but there was no open kitchen for wok-based dishes. I got takeout, but the person working the front desk was kind and dutiful. I started out with their namesake special: the Ugly Dumpling Sampler. This was the best part of the meal; all the dumplings ranged from good to great. I especially liked the pork & crab and the pork, shrimp & spinach dumplings. This I would get again. The kung pao chicken was mostly average. The meat itself was very fresh and tender and the dish had a nice spicy kick, but the sauce flavor was mediocre and they were stingy on the peanuts. Also, the portion was small for the price. Finally, the veggie egg fried rice was the worst part of the meal. It tasted overly salty and kinda funky. Also, there were barely any vegetables; there were some onions and scallions and a small amount of spinach. Very underwhelming. All in all, it's a Chinese chain restaurant with an emphasis on dumplings. It's okay, but you can easily get more enjoyable food for less money at a local mom and pop takeout spot...and those types of places aren't exactly scarce. read more

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Lychee martini sweet and smooth. 6 light Rangoon in appetizer, should be 8 due to small size. Kung Pao chicken is a large chopped portion of chicken, peppers, tomato, zucchini, onions, peanuts. No hot pepper identifier on menu but has a pepper spice that's medium to hot. Generous side portion added- 1-1/2 cup bowl white rice. 2nd meal: green tea noodles, scallions in a brown peanut sauce and added sliced, boiled chicken breast pieces. Mild tangy spice bite. Noodles have a whole wheat texture but taste mild and not like a green tea beverage. Dining partner served way ahead of my dish. Kind server later identified policy is to serve dishes when ready. Service quick for beverages and ordering. Menus à la cate style. Happy hour til 6pm. Located in old TGIF building. Abundant parking. Bar available. read more

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What a disaster! I ordered dinner (two noodle dished and two dumplings) for pickup within 30 minutes. Spouse arrived in about 30 minutes. Using the "track order" link in my text it showed that my order was ready for pickup. Spouse waited for 30 minutes and spoke with staff twice who told him they'd check in the food but never gave him an update. We had hungry children at home so spouse left, picked up McDonald's for kids, dropped it off at home and returned to restaurant. He inquired again about our order and manager gave him the order. Luckily he checked the bag and there were no main dishes, just the two sides. Manager told him they ran out of our food and couldn't provide a refund. Said we needed to request a refund through the website. (Website does not offer that feature -- just instructs you to call the restaurant. One fellow customer in the restaurant called his wife and told her to request the refund. She called the restaurant WHILE HER SPOUSE was there and they hung up on her!) Instead they gave us two additional side dishes. So 1.5 hour wait for so-so appetizers. Was the food good? I guess so. Worth the wait and hassle and terrible customer service? Absolutely not. read more