Service was great and the waiter was very attentive. The salt and pepper chicken was tasty! The fried rice was a little salty, but still good. The soup dumplings were SOOOOOO amazing!! Will definitely go back again! read more

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Now today was really their true first day because they got snowed out yesterday. So we're giving them a lot of grace on service. We are also a bit of a dumpling snob. We would say it is the best soup dumplings that are in Richmond. They have a diverse portfolio of dumplings. Also, some of the best wonton soup we've had. Yes today was the first day, so there was much confusion, but the manager came and talked to us and it's the first day. Be careful if you order everything at once because everything then will come at once. If you want bubble tea with bubbles, make sure you actually advocate for that. We will definitely be back, but we might let them get their feet under them before going back. read more

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Tens across the board! Everything from the food to the service was amazing. The ambience of the restaurant was decorated down to a T from the artwork also to the dumpling making station where you can watch them make fresh dumplings by hand. Our waiter Dexter did an amazing job of walking us through the menu and also gave us some of his recommendations. I'm definitely gonna go back and try dessert next time. I would recommend this restaurant to any and everyone. Overall 10/10!! read more

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When the lovely waitress asks if you're done or want more food...and you say "whew Chile... no" Ugly Dumpling was 10/10. So excited to have a small plates restaurant like this in RVA. I knew it was legit when the customers were at least 50% Asian. My daughter and I love Asian food so we were excited. Service was great. Went around 11:45 on a Saturday and it was already filling up. Ambiance is great and everything was clean. Food came out as it was ready which was fun and kept it hot. We both loved everything. The sesame noodles were good and spicy. The pork bao buns were perfect with a yummy filling and soft bun. Soup dumplings were very good. The soy garlic wings with a side of ugly sauce were probably our favorite item. Strawberry mochi was also refreshing and yummy. The plain steamed rice was the only meh factor. Overall a really great meal! 100% returning. read more

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I thought it was just me! Like some others, my experience included walking in, seeing most of the restaurant empty, waiting more than an hour, and seeing a ton of servers looking around because they were bored. This place lost A TON of business as most patrons left without waiting for a table. (The couple that sat beside us got up and left because no one would serve them. The managers saw the couple get up and leave and they seemed very confused. I don't blame them at all for leaving.) This place has great potential but so far, the management seemed WAY off. The tables are also arranged in a way that people were struggling to get through and some people were having accidents as they tried to get by. (Spilling, running into each other, servers not able to get by.) The food was so good!!! We ordered the shredded beef with noodles and the vegan wonton soup. Both were DELICIOUS, but the portions are smaller than a kids meal at a fast food restaurant. Do not go on an empty stomach. I'd give it a while before I go back. I think they need some time to figure it all out. read more

Heard about the opening of this Shanghainese soup dumpling place and had to give it a quick try. On further research their first restaurant was opened in less than 2 years ago and already 6 locations open and 4 more to come! The menu can be described as "best of" the trendy favs of Chinese food made popular by Ding Tai Feng, a famed Taiwanese restaurant which just opened one in a prime location of Manhattan. I actually grew up around the corner from the original location which my family would fight for a table in their tiny yet popular dining room. But back then it hasn't been hyped and everything was fairly priced. Today it's considered fine dining and therefore many soup dumpling places have been popping up. In comes ugly dumpling. I had to try the soup dumplings, of course. They are really good! The taste and quality both get top marks. Also ordered the braised beef noodle soup and it was also great - the beef was tender, the soup base is with a hint of spice. Not too salty nor spicy. Maybe I would have liked different type of noodles, more greens and some picked vegetables on the side, but it's a revolution for Richmond. We also tried the crystal shrimp dumplings, a standard for dim sum, it was not bad. Finally the scallion pancakes- too oily unfortunately, if not eaten straight off the pan. For sure I would want to try more items on the menu simply because we are finally getting away from the stereotypical "Chinese takeout food" which is not real Chinese food. The only complaint is the price though, when considering the concept of they are in reality street food.... read more

Came here tonight expecting hiccups because it was day 3 but they honestly did a fantastic job. Our server was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable and not only that other servers checked in on us and so did the manager. Everything we tried was delicious and the price point does allow for some experimenting. Our favorites were the noodles with shredded beef and shishito peppers and the cucumber salad. We will be back to try more things. read more

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Came in for Lunch food and service was great. This was first time here so tried a few of the dishes read more

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This is easily one of my new favorite spots in Richmond. I'm obsessed with the green tea noodles and their spicy sesame sauce as well as their Ugly Dumpling sampler, and I can't recommend them enough. I feel like I could eat them every day of the week and not get tired of them. The ambiance is also super cute and would make a great date night spot. Lastly, the manager, Fluffy, is also incredibly welcoming, kind, and really puts the customers first. If you haven't come here yet, write it down as next on your list! read more

Would not recommend. Greasy food, slow service, none attentive staff. Skip and go elsewhere

Food and service were good. The noodle type that we received looked different from the picture on the menu so I'm not sure if that changes from time to time. read more

Another great experience. Alivia service was amazing once again! This place is a must try and be sure to ask to sit in Alivia section. She provide recommendations and she's very attentive. read more

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We attended the Friendsgiving event at the Ugly Dumpling last night. It was an amazing experience!!! The event was advertised as a 5-course meal with drink pairings for each course and it delivered excellence. First course- garlic string beans paired with Proverb Chardonnay Second course- 4 soup dumplings (pork & crab, pork & truffle, chicken, and szechuan) 20/10 paired with a strawberry cosmopolitan Third course- shrimp teriyaki with udon noodles paired with a green apple margarita with red sugar rim (grinch vibes) Fourth course - steamed buns (chicken, red bean paste, & bbq chicken(?) paired with a cinnamon old fashioned Fifth course - I do not recall what the name of this dessert was, but it was the moistest, most flavorful round cake with a center that was or very close to cheesecake. It was paired with a non-alcoholic espresso type shot that was also super delicious. I can not stress enough how good this food was. Everything was seasoned well, served hot, and the drinks were full-sized and not watered down. However, as good as the food and beverages were, the service was EVEN BETTER. They made the experience one to remember and return to. Kudos to Ryan, Benjamin, Fluffy, Red, and everyone else that made this a memorable event. 20/10 No Notes! read more

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Stumbled across this restaurant on a random Thursday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised with happy hour specials! Our server, Hannah, was great! She was very knowledgeable about the menu and gave us good recommendations. The food came quickly and the vibes were fun. Will definitely come back! We got the salt and pepper popcorn chicken, fried chicken dumplings, cream cheese wontons, and beef stir fried noodles. We loved the family style serving and left feeling very full! read more

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Uggh I really loathe not having an amazing food experience but here we are. @uglydumpling.us we were so hopeful. The atmosphere/vibe and cocktails spectacular but the most important element the food was mid at best. I'm usually the more critical reviewer in comparison to Mimi but she didn't have anything positive either which is rare. So to start off positive again the vibe was it, very inviting and the staff was super friendly and welcoming. The drinks are a tad expensive (starting at $15 for cocktails) but the Peach Blossom was amazing lol our hats off to the bartender (5/5). Now the food: oddly enough the side of rice (2.6/5) came out first our waitress said it's like that as certain items come from different kitchens *blank stare* so I took the appetizer dish to cover in an attempt to hold the heat in (she said if it was cold she would replace it). A while later the cucumber "salad" came out and uggh tiny cucumbers drenched in so much sesame oil...very overpowering, otherwise tasteless (1/5). Mimi's orange chicken came out (2.9/5) it didn't give orange but it was decent nothing to write home about, fried well and good portion. My order of fried chicken dumplings came and though piping hot (which is always good) they were yes you guessed tasteless but luckily the sauce had an salty element to help (3/5) and as I generally do I ask the wait staff for suggestions based on popularity and she suggested the noodles with shredded beef and shishito peppers: zero flavor (go figure) other than the heat from the peppers, meat was a thin cut not shredded, noodles were sticking together. To make it palatable I added the dumpling sauce and a splash of black vinegar (1/5). We didn't bother to return the food (it's rare that we do unless it's inedible). read more

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My husband and I have driven past this place many a times as it was being built/in the process of opening and we were excited to finally try it. We went on a Thursday night and we were sat at a table in the middle of the room rather than a booth - we should have spoken up cause it felt like we were in kind of an awkward location but it didn't take away from the overall meal. The inside has a fun atmosphere - nice and open and my husband was happy to see the hockey playoffs were on in the bar (lol)! Our waiter was great - super friendly and attentive and answered my questions when I was curious about the size of the bao buns and the dumplings. We got the spring rolls and scallion pancake to start. Then we shared the chicken fried rice, bbq bao buns, pork dumplings, chicken soup dumplings, and the green beans. We got a lot of food and had to take some home. Everything was delicious - our only critique of the experience was that the soup dumplings kept sticking to the paper underneath which caused them to rip and leak - no longer really being a soup dumpling! Other than that, I'm sure we'd be back! read more

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The cucumber salad was good. The dumplings were good but nothing to write home about. The fried rice was offensive. Service was ok. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Chicken Fried Rice - Dim Sum Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Really enjoyed the dumplings and the green tea noodles with spicy sauce. I would definitely visit again. read more

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BF and I tried this place on a whim and we were surprised by how much we enjoyed the food! Pork and Truffle, Szechuan Pork Dumplings. We shared the chicken fried dumplings, shredded beef noodles and the green beans. There was not a bite left of any of it!!! A lot of food but easily sharable. Food came out quick and she warned us it would come out separate and out of order which reminded me of a tapas place. Service was pleasant and helpful. The restaurant itself was well decorated and comfortable. In general it seemed a little disorganized, but that might have just been the night. If you like Chinese and especially DUMPLINGS, highly recommend trying this place out! Enjoy! read more

The food was so good! It was a fun place to stop and get lunch. We will be back the green beans were fav read more

Ugly Dumpling - Dim Sum Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Ambiance was nice but I thought the food wasn't anything I'd go back for. The cucumber salad was good and the only reason this review gets 3 stars instead of 2. The stir fry noodles with shrimp lacked flavor. Too much spinach in the noodles. Shrimp were small and very few. read more

Overall food was decent but the service was terrible. Our server started off well but soon forgot food items and rarely stopped by. We got the peach green tea drinks which were good but came out wrong and had to be sent back. Cucumber salad and steamed buns were delicious. Not pictured are the chicken soup dumplings because they took over an hour to come out even though we ordered everything at once. Very disappointing service but good food and ambience. read more

Ugly Dumpling - Steamed BBQ Buns (3) - Dim Sum Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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This was my first visit. Everything was perfect from the hostess to the waiter to the food. Everything was delicious. Will definitely be back. read more

The food was good but the uncertainty with Happy Hour menu did put a damper on the experience. I really want to rate it a 3 star but the servers were still pretty friendly so it brought it up an extra star. We came to Happy Hour two weeks in a row and both times our server said that Happy Hour included 1/2 appetizers and dim sum. I even verified the specials this time around before I ordered since they do not have a physical Happy Hour food menu. When we went to pay the check only the appetizers were half off. They checked with the manager on duty and confirmed with us that only appetizers were in the specials. This caused a bit of frustration in our experience since I asked before ordering. All in all food was good regardless I am a bit off put by the miscommunication. *I didn't post any of the dim sum because of my frustration with being charged full price read more

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I went two weekends ago and it is the place to go for bang for your buck! We got so much food at a reasonable price. It leaned more toward the fast casual side of dining but still had a full bar. Everything was delicious. We tried multiple dumplings, wantons, and rangoons at the table and left very full! You can watch the staff make the dumplings as you eat, so you know they are fresh! Totally recommend going! read more

The place was, okay. After seeing review online we were excited to try. The dumplings were okay. The noodles were to be honest, bad. We got the spring rolls, which was again, okay. The pork chop was good. Even the white rice was truthfully bad. To be honest, many of us did not even finish our food. The ambiance is fantastic, the restaurant is very cute! The service is amazing. Kind waiters and a quick food turn around time. That is the only thing I give this place credit for unfortunately. read more

Great dumplings, poor service. Table of 9 with separate checks (they could have refused that request, if needed. We asked prior to ordering). Two meals didn't get served until the other 7 had eaten over half of their meals. One ordered wonton soup! That's premade broth with wontons! The second was a noodle dish. The wontons soup patron was comped the soup. The second customer said not to bring it out because the rest of the table had almost finished. The manager was called over and did nothing- said can't you see we are busy? They could have served it to go AND comped it. Nope. She left hungry without dinner. The wait staff insisted it was the kitchen's fault but he asked what we ordered three times before being able to provide us our bill. Good dim sum but we will not return read more

Pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this place! Food: the garlic green beans are a must try for garlic lovers. They are bursting with flavor! I feel like even if you don't really like green beans, you would like these. The soup dumpling sampler is a good way to try them without committing fully to one type. Meat/soup/dough ratio is good. Broth inside is flavorful. Standout was the schezuan! The spicy noodle dish was just okay. Not the best, not the worst. Service: everyone was so polite and explained everything well. Ambiance: place is very modern and clean! Will definitely return. read more

First time dining here and it was such a unique experience! Food was fresh, service was good, and the ambiance was modern and trendy. Would highly recommend trying the Ugly Dumpling and we will definitely be back again! read more

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Update: I've gone back pretty much every other week or more, the BBQ Pork buns are the best, all their servers are amazing although my pink haired one is the best, the restaurant is apps beautiful, I force everyone to go here with me and will continue to come back it is a must stop restaurant! read more

Ugly Dumpling - Bar area, mochi ice cream - Dim Sum Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This place was fantastic! The food was amazing but it had nothing on the service. I've never had such good service before. I'm glad we came all the way from VA Beach to experience this for the first time. We'll for sure be back! read more

I ordered takeout. When I arrived for pickup, I waited by the front podium for over 10 minutes. At least 5 of the staff made eye contact with me and proceeded to ignore me. Finally, I went to take my takeout bag that was right there and had my name on it. At this point, one of the staff who had previously ignored me started screaming at me. When I asked her why she and others had ignored me for 10 minutes, her response was that she was "busy" (she had in fact been standing around talking to another coworker so I'm not sure how that made her too busy to do her job). She also told me I was "lucky" she didn't through my food away. The food was also cold and mediocre. I would have considered giving them a second chance if it wasn't for the unprofessional, lazy, and rude staff. read more

Happening atmosphere, seated quickly, food came quickly. Chicken Stir-Fry noodles -- good, but a little salty. Very Americanized. Spinach, Shrimp, Pork Soup Dumplings -- delicious, best part of the meal. Vegan Dumplings -- not the best, would not get again. Fried Pork Buns -- tasty, would have liked 6 in the portion size. All in all, positive experience --- will be back, looking to try some more options! read more

Went to Ugly Dumpling to have lunch for my birthday and enjoyed the meal. Our waitress was very knowledgeable of the menu and made great suggestions for us as we were looking at the menu. We sat near the section they made the dumplings in, so it was cool to see the process a little bit. Everything was very filling, you will not be disappointed going here. read more

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Our food was so good and we had an amazing server named Kia , she was able to answer all of our questions and service was quick! I would 100% recommend this place read more

Ugly Dumpling - Dim Sum Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Peach Blossom drink is very good. The fried chicken wontons are very good & come with 8. The garlic green beans were really good. The soup dumpling sampler was good, ask them what color is which. The orange chicken was OK, I won't order it again. Fluffy was an excellent waitress, super friendly. They are new, and the waiting in line for a table experience was annoying. Be prepared to wait, which is fine...but how they took my name & number was chaotic. I'm sure they'll work out the kinks with time. The ambiance is nice, trendy. read more

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We ordered takeout on a Saturday night. We got scallion pancake, chicken soup dumplings, cream cheese Rangoon, and chicken pan fried noodles. Starting with the good the scallion pancake had a great texture and the cream cheese Rangoon were decently tasty. The chicken soup dumplings were ok but the black pepper flavor was overwhelming. The chicken noodles were bad. They had no flavor at all and the chicken was an odd gooey texture. Do not order the noodles. read more

Just found this new dumpling place and it's amazing! Dumplings, boba tea, popcorn chicken and other amazing dishes. The atmosphere was unique and classy and the music was fun too. Our waiter Smokey was amazing and quick and met our needs!!! Come out and try Ugly dumpling with me! read more

Ugly Dumpling - Szechuan Pork Soup Dumplings (6)Pork & Shrimp Wonton Soup (8) - Dim Sum Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

10/10!! The place is beautiful, the service was great,the food was delicious. Not a bad price as well. I will be back and back again!! read more

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If you're looking for a dining experience where fruit flies outnumber the customers, congratulations -- you've found the perfect spot. We walked in excited because we used to like this place. That excitement lasted about three seconds. The first thing we saw was a vinegar-soy sauce container that clearly hadn't been wiped since the Stone Age, absolutely swarming with fruit flies. Beautiful ambiance, truly memorable. After seating ourselves (since servers here seem to operate on "I'll acknowledge you when I feel like it"), we finally ordered and politely asked to move seats. The server pointed us to a spot basically one inch away from where we already were. Impressive hospitality. Food comes out and the fruit flies come with it -- at this point I wasn't sure whether I was eating dumplings or accidentally sampling the local insect population. Then my dish didn't show up because the order was wrong. Fine, mistakes happen. The manager walks over to explain it's being remade and asks if there's "anything else wrong." So we mention the ridiculous amount of flies, and her response? "Oh, it's because we left the door open." Right. Because apparently a door being open magically excuses actual swarms of flies hovering over customers' food. Still no apology. No concern. Just attitude. And then -- out of nowhere -- she asks, "Do you guys want boxes?" Mind you, my dish hasn't even arrived yet. We just stared at her like... are we being told to leave? The vibe was very much "wrap it up and get out." Meanwhile, that supposedly "being made right now" replacement dish took a solid 30 minutes of absolutely nothing. No update, no eye contact, no manager in sight. We finally gave up and canceled it. Then the manager brings the check we had requested to split from the beginning. She says, "It's already printed, nothing I can do," and basically tosses it at us. Thankfully, a server came over later and actually fixed it. Look, fruit flies happen. Restaurants aren't perfect. But the way the manager and server treated us -- dismissing us, ignoring us, and acting like we were the inconvenience -- is what really ruined the experience. We stayed polite the entire time, and they still couldn't bother to show basic respect or professionalism. read more