Dumpling City 水饺之城

Most Chinese people strongly complain about how not authentic the food Panda Express is. I think this place is basically Chinese version of Panda Express. It’s more like a pick up and to go place. There is no dine-in table. You can simply pick the size of the box and pick 2 to 3 main and 1 side dishes. They have various options for food such as Orange chicken and Mapo Tofu. They also have handmade frozen dumplings. You can go to the freezer and pick whatever you want. You simply steam by yourself and eat them at home. We also bought several frozen dumplings, haven’t tried yet though. Hopefully they taste good too!

Please add air conditioning. Working conditions seem almost unbearable in this heat, plus for food safety. Ms Ren was great. They have a wide selection of excellent hand-made dumplings, steamed buns, Shanghai soup dumplings (Xiao long bao), and even snacks like chong you bing. Quality is top notch, higher than most high end restaurants.

We loved this place but have stopped going because some of their vegetarian dumplings (which they actually label vegan/vegetarian) turn out to have chicken powder in them. Please remove the chicken powder and train your staff (the ladies who are working there don't seem to take this seriously). We liked the plant based beef and egg&chive ones but can't buy them anymore. Please let us know when this is fixed so we can come back.

I’ve been getting delicious frozen handmade dumplings here for years and am so happy they keep expanding their selection. They have all sorts of fillings for the steamed/boiled kinds as well as wontons, pan-fried dumplings, soup dumplings, buns, etc. So much better and fresher than the ones from a grocery store and better variety!

They sell only frozen dumplings; no hot food. A bag of 20 frozen dumplings is about $10, depending on filling. Boil for 10 minutes and you have a fast delicious meal. One bag of 20 along with some vegetables is a quick complete tasty dinner for 2 of us.

Very tasty dumplings with good service. I would go to again. The dumplings are made fresh in the building which is very nice

I'm from Toronto in Canada and tried the 鍋貼，it's delicious and recommend people for try the dumplings here.

I love their dumplings and it's way better than all the frozen dumplings sold in the supermarket. My favorite is the pork dumplings with dill! You can't eat it there, they only sell frozen ones for you to cook at home.

Great to have a bag or 3 in the freezer to boil up for too-tired-to-cook nights. Chili crisp, soy sauce, and vinegar dipping sauce. Simple pleasures

Most Chinese people strongly complain about how inauthentic Panda Express is, but I think this place feels like the truly authentic Chinese version of Panda Express. It's more of a pick-up and to-go spot with no dine-in tables. You just choose a box size and select 2-3 main dishes along with 1 side. They offer a variety of options like Orange Chicken and Mapo Tofu. What's unique is their selection of handmade frozen dumplings. You can grab them straight from the freezer and steam them at home. We picked up a few to try as well--haven't tasted them yet, but I'm hoping they're just as good as the fresh dishes!

Been here many times.,,,these people work hard to make a fresh product. Customer since they opened!

good takeout dumpling spot in palo alto. upon entering you can see the staff folding the dresh dumplings. dumplings are pre packaged in the freezer and they serve other food. service was okay - the employees were not very communicative. card and cash are accepted. 1. // pork and cabbage dumplings // these were our favorite. the pork and cabbage was very flavorful. the dough was a bit thick but chewy and the filling was juicy 2. // pork xiao long bao // we steamed these. the dough was a bit too thick and the filling wasn't very flavorful. they were juicy 3. // fish and chive dumpling // the chives were strong and i couldn't taste the fish at all

Parking right in front of the shop at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon. Paid for 2 bags of frozen dumplings. In and out in 5 minutes. Recipients had a good meal, I'm told.

This is a takeout only spot where you can pick up bags of frozen dumplings from freezers and be out within a minute. There's quite an assortment of dumplings on offer, and I'm continuing to make my way through the menu, but my favorite is still the pork and cabbage ones (which I swear are much juicier than the chive and green bean variations). Otherwise the chicken and corn is also a nice combination if you're feeling something a little different, with a nice contrast with the sweetness of the corn. It's hard to go wrong though, as the dumplings all have this great, thick (but not too thick) and chewy skin that holds up well whether you're boiling, steaming, or pan-frying. They're fairly small but come in bags of 20, which makes the prices reasonable enough for two meals. Overall, this is my favorite spot to pick up frozen dumplings, and makes for a great freezer staple!

Not worth the hype or the money. The food was just ok. Nothing was outstanding or excellent.. if you want good dim sum don't come here.

Ordered online on Sunday 2 hours before close. Chowbus provided updated timing that food was ready. Got there nobody spoke English, order was not ready, printer was out of paper. Other customers had to help them understand as their English was as poor as my Mandarin. 2 items from my order was out, had to substitute with lesser items. The only saving grace was that the frozen dumplings were delicious. The items from the bar were old and subpar, worse than Panda Express.

Absolutely incredible experience. We were looking for a late lunch on Christmas Eve, and this was one of the few places on El Camino that was open. They sell bao, frozen dumplings, and a few meat dishes. You can sit there and watch the staff diligently prepare and fill batches of dumplings and bao. It's as direct and unpretentious as you can find for a restaurant on the peninsula. Dumplings are about $12 for 20 if you pay in cash, which is quite reasonable, given that it's located in Palo Alto.

They're called Dumpling City and does this live up to the name! Their frozen dumplings are super tasty and a good price for what you pay. A quick 10 mins on the stove and they're ready to go into your mouth. Delicious! The ladies here are also super friendly! However, I once made the mistake of ordering from their lunch menu. Maybe don't recommend that. Go there for the dumplings.

It shouldn't be categorized as a restaurant as it's a take-away place and also sells frozen dumplings to cook at home. The dumplings are homemade as you see them making them but they are not selling cooked-versions. Nowhere to sit and enjoy the food. So, don't come hungry craving fresh dumplings you'll be super sad.

The dumpling is pricey, the wrap is thick but flavor is good. Not sure if I would purchase again.

This is our favorite dumpling place in the peninsula, which says a lot given that it's not actually a sit down restaurant and you're just picking up frozen dumplings! But these dumplings remind me of something that might come out of your Chinese mom's kitchen, which means a lot when that Chinese mom is hundreds of miles away in SoCal. Our kids love the pork and Napa cabbage and we've also tried the wontons and potstickers. All are amazing. My six year old daughter astutely said "I like Dumpling City better!" after I tried to serve her Costco frozen dumplings. Don't we all?? Don't we all?? One minor complaint is that each bag is $9-11 and only has about 20 dumplings. For our family of five, we usually need at least two bags to feed us, plus I'll usually stir fry a quick vegetable to go with it. For ease and tastiness, you can't beat Dumpling City and I've taken to keeping a few bags in our freezer for a quick weeknight meal.

5/5 stars..!!! I happened to stumble upon this place while I was looking for food browsing around the area. Frozen dumplings? Why not? I purchased the pork & cabbage, pork & cilantro, and pork & chives. Wow, I was so impressed by how tasty and flavorful all of the different dumplings were I honestly could not figure out which was which because I kept mixing the bags but literally every single dumpling was so delicious. I had to go from cooking 8 to about 10 per meal because they're so good! Will definitely be back!

4-4.5 stars but rounding up for a legit dumpling spot that sells a variety of homemade dumplings! I stopped by Dumpling City on a weekday around 5pm, and they weren't busy at the time. They are located in a small storefront on El Camino Real, and they were still making fresh dumplings inside when I arrived. All staff were wearing masks properly, and hand sanitizer was available. They have a table blocking the doorway for Covid times, and there is a menu/list of all the different varieties of dumplings available. All bags are 20pcs each, and range from $10-$11/bag. I decided to try their Pork & Chinese Spinach Dumplings (20pcs/$10) & Pork, Chive & Shrimp Dumplings (20pcs/$10.50) [https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=xj1QaF30mhC8szPDxBSx7Q&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg]. Both dumplings were really good, and super fresh! The dumpling skin was the perfect thickness, and had a slight chew to it. The chive dumpling was my favorite, but the chinese spinach was also solid. I will definitely be back to purchase more dumplings, and to try their other flavors. Parking was easy to find at the time since there is some street parking on the sidewalk in front of the store.

OMG- taste, texture, home made goodness wrapped in a delectable package- be sure to serve one package per person- the vegetarian one did not sound promising but I was so wrong! So tasty and just incredible! Felt like I was back in China or some Tiger Moms kitchen - YUM- perfect home cooked meal without the planning, prepping, and cooking- the flour wrapper is homemade too I believe- how else could it be ao perfect?

Dumpling City is THE place to go for satisfying your dumpling cravings!!! They seek to provide an authentic, handmade Chinese dumpling and dimsum experience. They offer both frozen dumplings and fresh dimsum. For frozen dumplings, of which I have gotten countless bags, they offer almost 20 different types of fillings or types of dumplings, where each bag contains 20 dumplings! For example, I've bought (at least) the following fillings: pork with Napa cabbage, pork with chive, pork with celery, chicken with corn, pork and shrimp with chive, lamb and Napa cabbage, shrimp with chives, fish with chives, and vegetarian. And they are all delicious and superb. The frozen dumplings are very easy, convenient, and quick to prepare! You just place them in boiling water and wait around 10 minutes - and then you have the PERFECT dish for sharing at a potluck, for sharing for a meal among friends and family, for yourself as a snack whenever you're hungry. They also keep very well in your freezer! But that's not all. In addition to their fantastic frozen dumplings, Dumpling City also serves hot and fresh dim sum. If you go at the right time, you might be able to catch the opportunity to buy some of their fresh steamed buns (with fillings like pork, beef, veggies, taro, red bean, lotus seed, etc.) before they run out. When you visit Dumpling City, you can watch all the staff hand-crafting / hand making the dumplings and dim sum before your eyes. In addition, Dumpling City would be one of my favorite places to visit even if they didn't serve dumplings and dim sum. Every time I've gone, the lady at the register smiles at me and talks to me, as a friend remarked, like I was her daughter. And it feels really nice! Again, Dumpling City is THE place to go for dumplings and for dim sum! They really are your neighborhood kitchen, providing both an authentic handmade experience and a sense of community. I would definitely recommend enjoying food from Dumpling City!!!

I have only got the frozen dumplings here and this is on of my favorite place to get frozen dumplings. The skin is nice and the filling is good. Other places I have tried, the skin is too thick Orr he filling is too salty for my taste. This place isn't like that. The skin is nice and the filling tastes great

I looove dumplings, and I really really really wanted to love this place. Two stars cause of the experience. I called and asked if they only offer frozen dumplings (based on reading reviews), and if they have any that is cooked. The man said ,"We have frozen dumplings, but we can also cook and prepare them for you." Yay! Unfortunately upon arrival, nothing offered was cooked even after asking. I ordered a total of six items, some were frozen, some were fresh. They rung us up via manual calculator and plugged in the total to square and swiped our card. Offered no receipt, and no receipt even upon request. I would've been cool with a written one, just sayin. We got home and looked over the orders... 1 Fish dumplings with chive (count of 18) 2 pork & shrimp dumpling (count of 18 ea.) 2 soup dumpling (12 count ea.) 1 vegetarian dumpling (20 count) What's wrong here? We were short of dumplings on three of our orders!! Not cool. All orders comes in either 20 frozen or 12 fresh. Some of the ones we had were served fresh because they ran out of the frozen ones. Very no bueno on the counts. Ooo!! They also happen to sell masks! Awesome, but the workers preparing the dumplings were not wearing masks. The dumplings are good and priced well hence the two stars. The phone convo, no receipt, not wearing masks, and being short on dumplings knocked those stars to the ground. What's the major lesson here? Count your blessings and your dumplings, cause you may not be getting what you paid for.

small shop, not easy to locate. clearly focused on the food product. try them and if the dumplings fit your tastes, then great. not industrial dumplings.

Everything they sell is available at your local Asian market so why pay more at Dumpling City? Well some items are worth it and others aren't. Buns: The chicken and chives bun was really bland. The bread was a bit dense. Dumplings: their filling are good but the skin is too thick. We enjoyed these fillings: lamb and Napa cabbage, pork and dry mushroom. It is edible as long as you make a nice sauce to dip them in. XLB: similar to the dumplings, the filling is good but the skin is too thick. Because of the good flavor, this one is still worth buying. Wonton: their shrimp and pork wonton is worth buying. They are better than some wonton I get at restaurants.

Mmmm I LOVE dumplings!!! It's one of my favorite foods. I ordered these three through Yelp: Xiao Long Bao Pork & Shrimp Wonton Pork and Chive Dumplings As I was driving by Dumpling City, I noticed a couple of people picking up their orders. This was on a Thursday, and in the middle of the day! I loved ALL of the dumplings. I think I overlooked the xiao long baos because my xlbs didn't have the soup in them. My boyfriend said he loved them and had a bunch of soup in his! I cooked the dumplings in an electric skillet/steamer attachment. After heating up the water, it took around 10 minutes to cook! I can't wait to go back and buy more!

Been coming here monthly for years. My favorite is the 白菜豬肉. Authentic and delicious. Very lucky to have this place.

This review is only for my frozen dumpling purchase. It's an awesome place for you to come grab some frozen dumplings to cook at home. They're consistently making more and the favors seem endless. They also have instructions on the wall to teach you how to cook the dumplings to perfection. To be honest, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to cook them and you have to be pretty bad to mess these guys up. One bag is going to last you several meals, it's a great bang for your buck! Will be back for more.. hopefully this time I can pinpoint which flavors I liked best and which were just okay. Will also want to try out the potstickers that they also make here. If you don't live close by, be sure to bring a cooler to prevent your precious dumplings from melting and going bad before you get home.

One of our family traditions is my Dad making dumpling skins while the rest of us make the filling and wrap. So I never order them at a Chinese restaurant that uses pre-made wrappers. A friend of mine whose family in China also makes delicious homemade dumplings recommend this place to me, especially the pork and dill dumplings. I've never had dill in my dumplings and would try them but I picked these up for my parents while visiting and went with the more traditional pork and chive as well as the lamb and zucchini dumplings. I only got to try the lamb ones but they were plump and delicious. My parents said the pork and chive were tasty too. I'll definitely pick up more bags to try other flavors next time I'm in the area.

If you think you're going to eat dumplings at this place, think again. It's a dumpling factory. They appear to sell primarily to restaurants. Even interacting in Mandarin, the best the friendly manager could offer was a few for us to snack on. If you want to buy a few dozen for a party, that would be a great use for this place.

Excellent wontons and chives pancakes. Dumpling skin is a bit thick to my taste. Will go back for more, best choice for quick dinner

I've already ordered from Dumpling City 3x as I write this -- for 3 weekends in a row now, since moving in within walking distance! Every time, I've ordered: * Pork and Napa cabbage dumplings ($11 for 20 dumplings per pack, I usually get 2 packs to meal prep 5 meals with). This is a terrific price by the way. Especially for this legitimate Chinese food. Couldn't recommend it enough. Let me tell you all about these yummy dumplings. Sure, dumplings *seem simple but there are a number of different qualities that make some dumplings easier to cook with or meal prep with: 1. The skin isn't super thin. It's thicker and pretty delicious, meaning your dumplings won't easily burst while boiling. This contrasts with machine-made dumplings that you find in grocery stores. 2. The dumplings are just permeable enough to let some soup inside! This is my favorite part; the soup inside the dumpling is always so good (but very hot!) 3. Even *after several days in the cooler and microwaving, the dumplings are still very delicious. Now that's a fresh set of dumplings! Not to mention, since they only "serve" frozen dumplings, they're extremely fast. I kid you not: I walked "in" (table setup by the doorway in light of COVID precautions) and out within 60 seconds. These folks are fast and efficient. I rate purely based on food (5/5 here), but if I could in this case, I'd add some flair for fast and friendly service.

First off this isn't a restaurant or even a takeout to eat. It's take away and cook yourself. I feel like this place is more like a grocery store than takeout. I stopped by hoping to get lunch, instead inside the door was a line of women hand making dumplings, which are sold packaged and frozen. The dumplings are great, after you get them home and cooked. I don't understand why this place came up as a restaurant.

Edit: I hit edit accidentally and posted an updated review so here's some new info for ya: they just added five star rewards so the money you spend will be accumulated into points where you can redeem items once you hit a certain number of points! Finally, money towards dumplings will reward me with more dumplings, mmmmm! Yesss, frozen dumplings shop!! (They also make awesome steamed buns). The staff is friendly and always busy at work, making many types of dumplings. My favorite are the pork napa cabbage and fish chive dumplings. The pork veggie buns are also pretty good, as well as red bean and taro buns. I find that they are very fluffy and the filling is a pretty concentrated flavor (nice!). The pork pot stickers are also so good! A bit pricier, so sometimes I'll pan fry & steam the regular dumplings which works wonderfully haha. I love to stock up the freezer at home with their food, it's awesome.

Reposting from an incorrect account. TLDR: Dumplings taste homemade. Pot Stickers are thick and chewy. I have a big soft spot for restaurants that do basically one thing and do it exceptionally well. This is one of those restaurants. I whole-heartedly believe that a restaurant with a limited menu is a thousand times better than a restaurant that has a little of everything. Of course the downside to that is, if that ONE thing they make sucks, then the entire restaurant is doomed to failure. But anyway, I admire the courage of a restaurant to put all their eggs in one basket. Do ONE thing, but make it out of this world! This restaurant is one of these rare gems. It does one thing (Dumplings, if you haven't guessed) and yes, they are excellent. The dough definitely has that hand-made chewy texture. I'm not sure what it means, but when my wife boils them, these float, as opposed to sinking to the bottom. It does mean, it's easier to clean the pot, afterwards! We have only bought dumplings from one other restaurant, Fuji Dumplings, so that is all we have to compare it to. This place definitely has a LOT more variety of dumplings than Fuji. One of the dumplings we ordered was the chicken and corn dumpling. The corn was so sweet and stood out against the chicken meat. The skin was thin, but chewy. It was simply delightful. We also ordered potstickers. They kept the texture very well. They were thick and crispy and held their shape. Inside was perfectly moist. I'm so glad we bought a lot of different dumplings. I am looking forward to trying each one out!  Definitely this is a place we will revisit again!

Good food and prices, generous portions. Went with in group of 4 and ate more than we thought possible Not from California, so the pre added tips/fees were surprising, but have been told that this is standard in the Bay Area

I walked in during open hours and the workers ignored me. I even asked them at one point if they were open and they just continued their conversation. Very rude

This place is a no frills, no mess, straight up authentic dumpling producing machine! They provide the dumplings for multiple restaurants in the area and you can buy their restaurant quality dumplings frozen for much cheaper than getting them cooked at a restaurant. You go in and right at the door is the register, tell them what you want off the menu. The lady will bring them out and accept your payment and off you go! No waiting! They speak mandarin, too! You can see the ladies folding dumplings as you're ordering. Hair nets and masks! Most of their dumplings are best BOILED (but you can cook them in other ways). In Chinese, these dumplings' name literally mean "water dumpling." They're juicy and delicious and the skin is PERFECT and delicate. I would happily eat 100 of these juicy dumplings! Boil water, and throw these puppies in for 10 min and BAM they're done! They have pork, chicken, lamb, pork + shrimp, and vegetarian options. And they come paired with either chives, napa cabbage, or radish. $10 for a bag of 20 dumplings unless you get lamb dumplings then its $11 for a bag of 20 They also have soup dumplings, but they were sold out when I got there. :( They also have "chive boxes" and green onion pancakes and buns. But I come here for the dumplings. 99 Ranch is far and these dumplings are WAY better anyway. I come here and fill my freezer with these delicious dumplings for those nights when I am lazy or just miss good authentic Asian flavors. This truly is a Palo Alto gem. Authentic Chinese/Homestyle food is hard to come by the modern Silicon Valley, so I'm very thankful for this place! 5% off if you pay in cash

Been here a few times. Dumplings are tasty and a lot of different kinds. Good for the price in my opinion. When picking it up, there are ladies in the back who are putting the dumplings together. Doesn't get more legit then that. There are no cooking instructions and I have tried asking Twice how to cook them. But the language barrier was a challenge. Emailed on their website and got back a quick response. Cook in Boiled water: 9-10 minutes. Medium-medium high. They could break and are somewhat fragile

God bless this place. Over the past few months of the pandemic, I've really missed eating dumplings. Though other places have opened up, most dumpling joints have been converted to take-out, meaning that dumplings ordered via pick up or takeout are usually cold by the time they arrive. I also tried making home made dumplings and it took friggen hours. In comes Dumpling City to the rescue! I was so happy to find that this place had a pretty healthy assortment of dumplings, all packaged up in frozen bags, and at a really good price- $10 for 20 for most. We tried a bag each of chicken & chive and pork & shrimp- both were super good and lasted for multiple meals for 2 people. The flavor and consistency of each was fantastic and really hit the spot. It was also so gratifying to boil them and have them piping hot in the comfort of home. I originally came here looking for a pandemic-friendly substitute for a dumpling restaurant, but now think that (in finding a way to have fresh dumplings at home) found something even better!

Cute little restaurant on El Camino Real that serves Chinese food. The dumbling's are terrific. They have many other dishes and I plan to return to try something new.

Our go to frozen dumpling spot! Tasty dumplings and wonton with different types of fillings. Xiaolong bao are just ok but have never turned out that well so would give a miss. Definitely recommend for to go frozen dumplings! No eating on site btw, so just for home cooking!

Workers were not wearing masks which is appalling given that we are dealing with Omicron AND they are in the food industry. At first I thought it was just one worker who wasn't wearing a mask, but while waiting in line, I noticed many workers not wearing masks while assisting and talking to customers with zero distancing. The space is also poorly ventilated. Usually I love their lamb dumplings but the lack of mask wearing and proper ventilation makes this an easy pass during Covid. EDIT: Lowering my original 2-stars review to 1-star given the owner's careless and irresponsible response. Dumpling City certainly did not take "strict precautions" and "followed local mandates to keep our community safe" like the owner states. I should have taken a photo as proof of how many employees were maskless while preparing food and assisting customers. The fact that the owner didn't even bother to look into this further and replied with this form response is pretty shocking and I won't be purchasing from Dumpling City again, even post-pandemic. It's crystal clear that the owner does not care about either his employees' health or his customers' health. If this is how they operate during a pandemic, I can only imagine how low their health/quality standards are during normal times.

Frozen dumplings only! But authentic and reasonably priced for your home dining! I'm excited to eat them when I get home.

Went there enthusiastically thinking it'll be really good. The window making the dumplings is a good touch, but the food wasn't the greatest. It was slow service too.

About the best shop in the area for frozen dumplings. Wide variety including 4 kinds of vegetarian dumplings. The zucchini dumpling is pretty good. But the best veggie is not listed on their menu or website: Beyond meat & corn dumpling. This is the closest veg version to the juicy pork dumpling. Just ask for it at the store. Now serving hot take-out dishes (see photo of menu). Not all items may be available every day. You can call ahead and check availability, and they may even set some aside for you to pick up if they're running low.

Went already there from SF just to get the dumplings got it home and cook it really good must try !

I really hate to say this about a local small business but I have to echo what someone else said about the food here making me sick :( I bought 1 bag of fish and 1 bag of pork dumplings. I have no allergies to any kind of food but even with cooking it all the way through properly, it gave me food poisoning. To their credit, I also bought the steamed pork bun and that was completely fine. I don't know what it is about the dumplings but just be cautious. They taste great, for what it's worth, I'm so sad this didn't work out and now I have to throw out the dumplings.

Excellent!! The dumplings are made on the spot and come out steaming. Our favorite dishes included the Soup Dumpling which actually is soup in a dumpling. The other clear favorite was the beef pancake. The cilantro and pork, chicken and Chinese spinach, and the shrimp cilantro were all worth the trip. They supply many local and SF restaurants. The frozen dumplings are 20 for the price of 12

Delicious! Authentic handmade Chinese dumplings, comes in a variety of fillings ranging from pork to chicken to seafood to veggie. I tried the pork and cabbage, chicken and corn, and vegetarian dumplings. The pork and cabbage filling was my favorite, but the vegetarian dumpling was a surprisingly close second. It was flavorful and fresh and you don't even miss the meat!

Service very bad not friendly, I was place order online then to pick up But they are not friendly

I'm very happy to have found this place. I've tried their dumplings, steamed buns, Shanghai dumplings, and mantou. They were all excellent. My husband who doesn't particularly enjoy dumplings even thought this was better than any Chinese restaurant we've been to. Will definitely be a frequent customer here.

BEST DUMPLINGS IVE EVER HAD! 20 handmade frozen dumplings for 11$; worth every penny! When I picked them up I seen the beautiful woman hand-making them & they provided a detailed preparation slip, which isn't complicated at, the only thing I missed was soy sauce but not necessary!