Dumpling Kitchen

I have been there twice at this point. The first time, I ordered the pork belly. It was OK, but not great. The second time I went, I ordered dumplings, and they were all great. Not as inexpensive as Chinatown, but also not as mass produced tasting and clearly steamed or stewed to order, rather than sitting in a steamer for hours. Nice house sake, friendly staff. I'm actually going a third time tonight. They don't have Cheung Fun, or Chow Fun, but have more than enough on the menu to keep me happy.

The ambiance is typical, but it is the food that matters!

We were in the neighborhood and were in the mood for Chinese food.

Dumpling Kitchen is a cozy restaurant and has many vegetarian selections.

We enjoyed the Vegetarian Chow Mein and also the Bok Choy with Garlic. The Jasmine tea hit the spot.

The service was nice and attentive.

We look forward to returning:)

A must try EVERYTIME:
A01. Pork dumplings
A19. Steamed bbq pork bao
B07. Green onion pancake
E05. Black truffle rice (this right here is the STAR of the show)
F03.garlic string beans
L01. Chocolate dumplings

I travel over 2 hours to come here, hands down the BEST dumpling place I've ever tried!

This came up when I searched "cheap eats" in the Castro on Yelp. And I totally agree! I think we got 7 dishes to share - family of 4, two teens - and the bill was around $62 before tip. We all had water to drink. Overall excellent value.
The Shanghai style pan fried pork dumplings were the table favorite. We also enjoyed the vegetarian spring rolls, and the teens loved the BBQ pork bao buns. The steamed Shanghai style pork dumplings were good but we preferred the pan fried. The green onion pancake was a little bland. We got boiled pork and chive dumplings which half the table enjoyed. The service was friendly, the food came out quickly, but we did wait quite awhile to get our bill. Great place if you just want to keep chatting though!

Best dumplings in the Castro area! Fast service in a casual setting. My go to for nearby dumplings!

Came here for a late lunch and got:
-Shanghai style steamed pork dumplings
-Shanghai style pan fried pork buns
-Pea sprouts with garlic

The portions were a tad smaller and pricier than what you can get in other parts of SF, but I kind of expected that. Regardless, the food tasted on point. The steamed pork dumplings were juicy. The fried pork buns were crispy and the pea sprouts were tender with a strong garlic flavor.

Service was also friendly and efficient.
The covered patio/ back area that I was in had lots of natural lighting and plenty of other seating.
Overall, I would still be back if I was in the area and craved some dumplings.

The xiao long bao here tasted pretty good! The buns weren't as chewy as I usually like, which also meant that the buns stuck to the steamer and tore easily. Still, at this price point, the xiao long bao here is pretty solid.
Shanghainese Pan Fried Buns - This is one of my favorite Shanghainese dishes, so I order this every chance I get. I really liked their version, although the fried flavor on the bottom was a little stronger than I'm used to.

The Shanghai steamed dumplings are my favorite type of dumplings and Dumpling Kitchen has them by the dozen. The juicy broth of the Shanghai steamed dumpling was amazing. The Steamed Shrimp Har Gow was also delicious. This is a must try place if you are a dumpling fiend like me. When I get a dumpling itching , I go to Dumpling Kitchen.

The catering from Dumpling Kitchen was excellent! Johnny was great help, communicative, food arrived in silver party trays as requested as well as sauces with paper plates, utensils, napkins and tongs! Dishes were labeled. Highly recommend them for future events! The whole office was so content and many people went back for seconds! The chest had our food which we gave back to Johnny after unloading.

* Pan - Fried Pork Potstickers (24) $59
* Pan - Fried Vegetarian Potstickers (16) $39
* Shanghai Style Steamed Pork Dumplings (30) $54
* Steamed Vegetarian Gow (16) - as a meat lover, this was my favorite and was suggested by Johnny! $39
* Boiled Wonton in Chili Oil (30) $42
* Chicken Chow Mein $52
* Vegetarian Fried Rice $60
* Dry Braised String Beans $60
* Salted Egg Custard Baos (30) $52

Love coming here for their pan fried pork buns. We also usually get the XLB as well, but we've found that the XLB sometimes stick and get broken. The taste and soup is still really good though and we would come back if we're in the area. Would recommend overall!