The 38 Essential Restaurants in San Diego

"Don’t be fooled by Meet Dumpling’s nondescript storefront in the Point Loma strip mall, near San Diego’s marinas and military bases. The tiny Chinese restaurant, owned by a husband-wife team that moved from San Francisco in 2022, serves dumplings from the Chinese province of Liaoning where co-owner Howard Gao grew up.  A small cut-out in the kitchen door gives customers a first-hand view of the deliberate process that begins with a piece of dough being broken off and flattened with a rolling pin. Each wrapper is filled individually and pinched in pleats before being dropped in scorching hot water. The boiled dumplings are available with fillings, including ground pork, shrimp, celery, mushrooms, and cabbage; the green chive dumplings with shrimp and pork are a signature dish. The rest of the menu is also worth exploring with options like Dongbei beef noodle soup with thin, springy wheat noodles and Beijing-style zhajiangmian noodles, mixed tableside with sesame oil, soy sauce, and housemade chile oil for a kick. Also try the rougamo, a Shaanxi flatbread sandwich with stewed seasoned meat, paying homage to the Western province where Gao’s wife, Alice Wang, grew up. No meal here is complete without an order of boba tea, made with muddled fruit like passionfruit, lychee, or strawberry." - Candice Woo, Helen I. Hwang