I'm a big dumpling lover. So when I saw a Vanessa's Dumpling House in the American Dream Mall food court, I was pretty excited. I recognized the franchise from my visits to Chinatown, the mecca of dumplings and foolishly assumed that meant good eats were to be had here. But this was such a disappointment. Call me a grump, but I believe the namesake food at an establishment should be the best thing on the menu. We ordered two kinds - a fried pork chive dumpling and a boiled chicken and basil. But if I were blindfolded, I don't think I could've told them apart because both wrappers were not only thick but had similarly gummy textures. The chicken and basil dumplings also had a pinkish purple hue that gave it the off-putting look of raw chicken. After a few ho-hum attempts to eat them, my husband and I ended up forgoing the wrappers entirely and simply rescued the innards with our chopsticks. On the slight plus side, these tasted great - well seasoned and meaty. The spicy beef dan dan noodles were okay. For all the sauciness and toppings on it, I was surprised that the word that came to mind was 'boring'. As far as flavor went, there was a slightly fermented funk that made it just a little interesting, but I ended up dousing my bites with Sriracha to add the fun I felt was needed. A bright spot of our order was the side of sweet and spicy cucumbers we randomly ordered. Doused in a vinegary chili oil, this provided just the fresh texture and acid that brightened up our otherwise dispirited meal. read more

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We frequently stop by for a quick meal while walking around the mall, everything is decent, easy to order, and usually easy to find seating.

There's almost no food so universally eaten, enjoyed, and celebrated as the dumpling. The Polish have their pierogi, the Armenians their manti, the Japanese their gyoza, the Koreans their mandu, the Russians their pelmeni, and so on. Dumplings are important in Chinese culinary history. Guo Tie (锅贴) are one of the most common Chinese dumplings found in restaurants around the world. They are typically recognized by their English translation: pot stickers. Started in 1999, Vanessa Weng opened a small storefront to sell dumplings on Eldridge Street in New York's Chinatown. As the demand expanded, this establishment chose a partner in 2010 to grow the brand throughout the New York metro area. Located inside Court A of the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, I stopped by Vanessa's Dumpling House, known for its Beijing-style street food. The menu, besides dumplings, features sesame pancake sandwiches, homemade noodles, and soups. I decided on the vegetable fried dumplings to share with the vinegar soy sauce. They arrived quickly and were served warm. The pan-fried veggie dumplings were delicious and served their purpose. The filling was well seasoned with a spinach-colored wrapper charred and grilled on one side. The price was reasonable considering 6 pieces. I can recommend this place. read more

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Dumplings are good for being in the middle of a tourist trap and paying tourist trap prices. It was the most reasonable option available. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Dumpling - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

This location is in the American Dream mall. Waiting in line for the WWE Superstore and seen a dumpling spot. Needed a quick snack before having lunch later. Ordered the chicken & basil dumplings. They were cooked and out to me in less than 2 minutes. Dipped them in some soy sauce and they were very tasty, hot, juicy, crispy outside and chewy inside. This is a typical walk up only food court location. Nothing special about the ambiance. You average mall food court location. Would stop by any of the the locations when in the mood for dumplings! read more

6/22/24 This is inside the American Dream so there is a $5 fee to park. It's far from the food court. Actually nearer to the Big Snow section of the mall. I actually took these to go. Maybe because it was insanely hot that day, but they were still warm a couple of hours later lol Surprisingly these were good. I didn't need sauce. Pork and Chives Pan Fried Pork and Cabbage read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Pork and Cabbage - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

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Ordered fried chicken dumplings, the dumplings tasted great, however as you can see it's burnt. The lady who took our order was very pleasant. The place was clean and very nice. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Basil and Chicken fried Dumpling - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Stopped here, there are two kiosks for ordering and a guy on the phone at a register. Took him a while to get off his phone just to start making my order. I ordered a bubble tea with less sugar and less ice. Both of those were satisfied, though the tea itself was somewhat gingery flavored which wasn't enjoyed. The tea was strong, you could tell the black tea and with a little milk. Overall I've had better but I'll stop by to try the dumpling some other time when I haven't had a meal beforehand. read more

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The dumpling were delish and the chili oil is very well seasoned. I would definitely go there again.

We ordered the pork noodles and they were extremely spicy. The owner was kind enough to take some of the heat off and my daughter was able to enjoy them more! read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

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Had the Assorted Boiled Dumpling it was good and suggest trying it. I know I'll try them again. The service was great.

This is one of the better Asian food restaurant in AD, compared to the ones in food court. They have a decent menu with some noodles, soups and dumplings. The beef soup was the best item to me, tasty soup, soft beef and good noddles. The Dan Dan noodles is the second best item. It lacks some seasoning/sauce. Sweet and spicy cucumber is a really good side. On the other hand, the sesame pancake and duck sandwich were not so enticing. I didn't find any good taste in them, neither was there any sauce there to add some extra flavor to them. The food preparation also takes really long time, about 15-20 minutes of wait time. Overall we had a good meal, but not exciting enough for me to go back and try more stuff. read more

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Not as good this time. They were out of everything I wanted! The sesame noodles were better cold but were a little bit bland. The dumplings were overcooked. read more

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Wow. Food was hot, fresh, and tasty. At first we thought it was expensive then we realized how much we got for our money. The noodles in the peanut sauce was delicious but I ordered them hot - next time I would try it cold. Fast service. Very efficient ordering process. I liked that they texted us when the meal was ready. Nice sturdy containers. read more

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I was super happy to see a Chinese food chain opened at this mall. I have gone to this place twice already. My son and I loved the dumplings. Too bad they don't have peanut free noodles otherwise we will be all over it. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - people standing in line - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

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The staffs were friendly. We ordered food from the kiosk. There's noodles, dumplings and pancakes. Food quantity tasted like the one back in Chinatown, NYC however it is pricier than Chinatown, NYC. read more

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Came to American Dream and wasn't expecting much out of the food scene. I was craving Asian food as my family was craving burgers, so I went here on my own. I got steamed chicken and chive dumplings. It came within 3 minutes after ordering and it was on a plastic tray, in a plastic container, with a plastic fork (lots of plastic for sure...). There was a spot on the counter where you can pour your own sauce. Honestly it was nothing impressive, but because I was heavily craving Asian food, this hit the spot. Can't complain. What I appreciated about the dumplings was that by the time I was halfway done, the dumplings were still hot inside, and I LOVE eating my food hot. Can't really say much about the fried dumplings, but this is my take on the steamed dumplings that I ordered. My mom decided to order some sort of veggie noodle here with peanut sauce too. Whatever that she got made my dumplings look like they were from a Michelin star restaurant. Those noodles were bland AF. They didn't even deserve a photo. Sorry not sorry. Bottom line: I recommend the dumplings ONLY IF you have no other choice of Asian food in the area / and if it's a desperate craving. Do NOT order the noodles unless if you're okay with bland tasting veggie noodles. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - chicken and chive steamed dumplings - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Nice hidden gem in American Dream. I say hidden because its location in the mall is quite tucked away. I wouldn't have known about it if it weren't recommended by my sister. We had lunch here on a Friday and our orders came out QUICK. I can speak on the two items I ordered: fried dumplings and soup. The dumplings were delish! & I was impressed by the soup. One small dumpling soup for $3.88 came with 3 or 4 dumplings. Pretty good if you're looking for a quick yummy bite read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Chive and Pork Dumpling, Shrimp and Chicken Wonton Soup - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

We ordered Dan Dan mein vegan noodles tasted good. The only thing I did not like that it was a bit oily. Second thing we ordered was vegetable pancakes sandwich. It was filling but lacked little flavor. Hope to try dumplings sometime. read more

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Skip it. The shrimp dumpling were more like perogies and lacked flavor. The fried buns were mushy and we're definitely not fried. Also no flavor. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Just bad Shrimp Dumpling - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

average food. Flavor is okay. I feel they are not freshly cooked food. Service is quick. Big seating area. read more

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For a mall food court offering, we really enjoyed Vanessa's Dumpling House! If you're at American Dream Mall and looking for a tasty and quick bite of food, you should check out Vanessa's Dumpling House. It's located in the Food Hall on the second floor close to the Big Snow and right by the arcade. Easy to order kiosk screens and they text you when the food is ready. The food only took five minutes! We enjoyed everything we ordered. We got the Dan Dan Mein Noodles with Ground Beef and the adults liked it a lot but it's too spicy for kids. The noodles were perfectly QQ and the fresh cucumbers and carrots were the perfect crisp and fresh addition. We also got the Beef Sesame Pancake Sandwich which was really interesting. Thin slices of beef paired with carrots and cilantro in a crispy and puffy sesame pancake. A little greasy but had great flavor and was easy to eat. We also got the pan fried chicken and basil dumplings which the kids devoured. Lots of easy seating in the open food hall. No high chairs that we could see but lots of different options of tables to pick from, including high tops. We will be back to try different things from the menu next time we are at American Dream! read more

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Vanessa is a dumpling restaurant from NY and now they are in NJ. Don't let the name fool you they got more than dumplings, like noddles, soups, sandwiches, and bubble tea. It's really a soft opening, no combos as shown on the menu, and the coffee has no milk or sugar ?. I was not to interested in the dumplings, but what caught my eye the Sesame Pancake sandwiches, so I got the one with White Meat Chicken. Frist off, the chicken meat was dark not white, and it's not pancakes but a flat like pocket bread with lots of sesame seeds. But OMG my first bite was delicious taste of sesame seeds bread its like a real good Italian bread. I could eat it toasted with melted butter by itself and would had been happy with that. The shredded chicken even if dark was good, and carrots with fresh cilantro made up the rest. The frist bite went down well, but my second bite I got a mouthful of the cilantro and the taste was overpowering and it now dulled the taste of the sesame seeds and chicken. I use a fork to just eat the chicken with carrots and rip off pieces of the bread now since I didn't want any more cilantro. For the price the size of sandwich was good, but I think the sandwich could used some sauce in it or a dipping sauce on the side to make it better and way less cilantro. read more

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I was so excited to try this at American Dream. This review reflects my experience a couple of days after opening. I will update my review after giving them a second chance. It could truly just be they had no idea what the heck they were doing a few days in. But...they should. I ordered vegetable dumplings, a passion fruit bubble tea, and sesame noodles. I got my order number and receipt. There were just a couple of people ahead of me with numbers. I held onto my receipt and stood by the pickup area. ...and stood there. ...and stood there. How long did it take for my order to be ready? 42 minutes!!!! You read that right. A fast food, food court place. A simple order. IT TOOK 42 MINUTES FOR THEM TO CALL MY ORDER NUMBER. I walked up when they called me. I was reaching for my tray when the one employee ran over to the employee who called my order number. "I didn't make her bubble tea yet." 42 minutes and my bubble tea wasn't even made! Luckily, I had company and we were chit chatting and entertaining each other. We also went next door to Lady M to buy cake and eat it before our actual dinner. Close to 45 minutes to receive an order like that is absolutely ridiculous. Even if the restaurant is new. I could have eaten at one of the sit-down restaurants next door and been out the door by that point. In addition, the employees said not one word about how long the order took. No apology. No, "Hey! We're new. Sorry it took so long." Nothing. He just pushed the tray in my direction and carried on with getting the next order. Unacceptable. The food itself was decent. I will give them another try. But I have no idea why it took so long for my order. I'm writing this review so they get their act together! Because there are so many great places to eat at American Dream. No one will go back after this negative experience! I went to the mall just to try the dumplings. I hate paying for parking, and at American Dream, it is free under 1 hour. I was planning on getting the dumplings and leaving. Well, of course, I went well over the one-hour mark and had to pay for parking. All because this establishment took an ungodly amount of time to prepare my food. Please fix this. Please. I was rooting for you! read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

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Just don't do it. Food doesn't taste fresh, I've actually had better frozen dumplings. The sauce they are in is over powering and very salty. The filling didn't have much flavor ( maybe the sauce) and we didn't even finish the food once we tasted it, too many options here to force yourself to eat something you don't enjoy. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

I ordered the A1 combo and everything was surprisingly really good - the dumplings were super juicy and flavorful with a slight crisp on the bottom, the cucumber spicy and addictive, and the tea tasty but not too sweet. I wish there was an option to get a combo with ~4 more dumplings or so, was still kinda hungry after only 8. read more

As a Chinese, I can tell you the dumplings they had it here is just wrong. Even frozen dumplings you got from Chinese market taste better than this place. They also like to trick you to add spicy sauce on your dumplings which is $2/order， but they never said it up front. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Love me som dumplings! Came to the Mets stadium for a game and decided to stop in the mall to get some food. The dumplings were juicy and well seasoned. Must add the chili oil and scallions! I would come back just for these. read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Pork and cabbage pan fried dumplings with spicy sauce, garlic, cilantro and chili oil - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

terrible dumplings falling apart, i asked for soy sauce and i got vinegar soy sauce after specifying i didnt want vinegar in my soy sauce terrible do better read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Basil and Chicken Dumpling - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Used to eat at Vanessa's in NYC. Perfect street food for the big city. While you lose some of that "feel" it is still nice to see (and eat) their tasty offerings, albeit in a giant mall. I feel their dumplings are not as great (despite the name), but noodles and meat pies/pancakes are just as I remembered them - amazing! Tucked away on second floor across Lady M, highly recommend. read more

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A surprise find in American Dream, located on the second floor of A court. Price is pretty reasonable. We tried Combo B: pork sesame pancake, pickled cucumber, and a cup of black tea. My mom loved the pancake and she had me go back to order another one. The beef noodle soup was also pretty good considering it's in a food court. The soup could come with more flavor, and the noodle was a little too soft or overcooked for me. The boiled pork and cabbage dumplings were also pretty good. Each order of dumplings came with 8 pieces, and for $7 something, it's pretty reasonable. We are big fan of this place, and we will try it again tomorrow for lunch!!! read more

Vanessa’s Dumpling House - Beef Noodle Soup - Bubble Tea Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

had dumplings and noodles today, yum, yum! tastes authentic! The person is friendly too. I will come back!!! read more

Very Disappointing. Vanessa's is actually a staple in NYC and has always had one of the best cheap dumplings in the city. This is a far cry from that. The first time I came here I was so excited I could cry. Automatically the best dumplings in jersey. And it was just as good as the city locations! Dumplings were perfectly pan fried, hot and juicy inside. The spicy shrimp wontons, which have always been the best thing on the menu, phenomenal! I'm not sure what has happened since that first trip. I've. Even back at least 5 times hoping to get the same experience and it has been near inedible. The spicy shrimp wontons are okay now, better than the dumplings for sure. But the dumplings have been a disaster. Whoever is in the kitchen quite frankly may not know what they are doing. They are being sent out soggy and honestly just taste like they aren't nearly fresh. If you told me they were made overnight and then tossed in the microwave upon ordering I would believe it. Very disappointing as this was an exciting opening for jersey. Hopefully the management can step in and turn things around. 2 stars only because the shrimp wontons remain decent read more

Surprised with negative reviews. Granted, no line and waited ten min for piping hot food. Chicken noodle soup and the chicken was wonderful. $12.88 plus tax. A bit steep in price, but it's the times I guess. Steamed pork/chive dumplings were the fattest dumplings I've seen. $7. I bought a bag of frozen dumplings to go. (25 pieces for $13) read more

If I pay 20 bucks for food, I expect the food to be better than what I can make at home. The dumplings were just edible, the scallion pancake was cold, the taro milk tea was average. I really wanted to like this place, but should have read the yelp reviews. read more

This was my first visit to a Vanessa's Dumpling House. It was a Saturday at noon. I ordered Combo C which consists of dan dan mein spicy beef noodles, sesame pancake, my choice of kimchi and cup of tea. I enjoyed my meal while listening to mall holiday tunes. I tried to hate it based on the reviews but I found everything to be fine. If the noodles weren't enough then the pancake really fills ya up. I would had gotten a smoothie but the machine was down. read more

Oh boy... where do I do even start? After a seemingly endless trek through a mall the size of a small town, a place with more candy stores than clothing stores and more employees than customers, we settled on Vanessa's Dumpling House. There's a few locations in the city and it's supposed to be good, so why not? Well, if I could go back in time, here's why not: it took 10-15 min to get our dumplings, and there was only one other customer there. They asked for my name, but just plopped the order on the counter without letting me know. Must have been high quality dumplings for such a long wait, right? Wrong. The boiled dumplings were absolutely horrifying to behold. Outside, they were slimy and plain, like someone (or something) had just given birth to a Mrs P's pierogi. Inside was even worse; a little oblong mass of filling that looked like something a cat had coughed up. The shrimp dumplings were atrocious, we couldn't finish them. The pork & chive dumpling was actually decent, despite being an aesthetic nightmare. The Veggie dumpling was legitimately tasty and since it was pan fried, and we paid $2 (!!!!!) for sauce & scallions on top, it actually looked good too. Unfortunately it was barely warm by the time we got it (I assume due to a long gestational period for the boiled dumplings). All in all, this affront on our senses cost us $40, which you'd be better off spending on Angry Birds Mini Golf (yes, that's a thing). Or better yet, just donate it to American Dream, they clearly need the money. read more

My family and I have come to Vanessa's Dumpling House a few times already and we truly love the food. Genuine real dumplings one of the best places we've ever eaten at. Everything is very flavorful. My favorite is wonton soup with shrimp and chicken. I loved the bokchoy. read more

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It's so bad not even my dog eat the food. It also made my daughter sick with vomiting. Never ever again! Plus, the guy in the register would not leave his phone while taking the orders from the clients, he made me wait until he finished doing whatever he was doing with his phone before I could order. read more

The beef in the beef noodle soup was tender and just about the only thing that was good. The dumpling (we got both fried and boiled) was about the se you would get at any Chinese fast food joint. For a place that calls themselves a dumpling house, they need to do better. The dumpling skin was thick, doughy and chewy. read more