Dumpling District

This is not Chinese food. The scallion Pancake was like a thick flour tortilla chip sprinkled with a few green onions. The noodles had zero taste. It's truly mall food.

Stopped by for a quick bite that ended up as a whole meal since the serving was pretty filling. You can order from the cashier or from the self-service kiosk beside the counter. Service was fast and the food tasted great. Combo 2 (braised beef noodle soup, fried rice, coke) $15.95, Pork Chop over rice $13.95.

This restaurant shouldn't accept tips. I dined in and paid a tip. There are inside tables but there is no server. You have to pick up your food yourself. If I pay a tip, I expect you to bring food to me and also clean up after I am done. But I had to clean up myself because there is no server. Moreover, there is no trash can inside. I genuinely want to ask what tips are for. You shouldn't accept tips if a dining in customer does all the work. The table was dirty also. I cleaned the surf ace of the table myself. Please don't accept tips if there is no extra service. That's just not right.

Low key this place is kinda slept on. A mall is not where you’d expect really good Chinese food, but I tried this place once and haven’t looked back. I got the pan-fried buns (生煎包). I give the taste a 9/10 on authenticity (which is very high for the US). I also got the fried rice. It’s okay. Could use more seasoning. It is also a little pricey, but I think overall $15 for a soda, fried rice, and 6 buns is not the worst for eating out.

Better than your standard mall food court options. This shop is on the edge of the food court and has plenty of seating inside. There is a kiosk for convenient ordering. Good price point and several combinations available. The steamed dumplings were flavorful and served hot. I just wish they offer dumpling vinegar soy, vs packet soy.

It's hard to complain about a fast food chinese place since its nice to just have options other than Panda Express, but people need to know that this place is extremely subpar even for Taiwanese/Chinese fast food dumplings. It is a disgraceful introduction to the real thing. This review is for the Beef Noodle, Steamed Pork/Shrimp dumplings, fried rice and hot sour soup. Good idea, good concept, poor execution unfortunately. P.S. I cleaned my own table to not sit down in stickiness and soy sauce, that did not add to the experience, thanks for leaving a rag and cleaner out for customers after they are asked to tip 15-25% for to-go only service.

It was newly opened here at the Pentagon City Mall, food court level. The food here is pretty good. I had the shanghai shumai and the Rainbow Soup Dumplings. The dumplings are made in-house, which is nice to see. All the food is served to go for now. The prices are a little expensive but you have to realize that this is at the mall and not your typical hole in the wall restaurant.

Food was good but took forever and bad look and service. The guy making the food was watching his phone nonstop. Eating cookies and dunking them in his cup and ran his hand through his hair several times - I was really counting on the steamer to make sure my dumplings weren’t germy. The girl who was supposed to be making drinks literally had her head down on the counter -basically laying down and staring at her phone as well while people waited and eventually had to ask if they could please have their water and tea. There wasn’t anyone who looked half awake and no one was hustling. But the dumplings were tasty so…

Location - 5 stars - This is one of the first eateries that you see coming up out of the Pentagon City metro stop. They also have their own seating - like a mini restaurant. So I'm not going to ding them for waiting 10 minutes for dumplings. That's how long it takes in a normal restaurant. Cleanliness- 3 stars. They weren't so busy that there was no one to wipe down their tables. All of the tables were dirty and several parties including ours ended up wiping down our own tables. Dumplings & hot & sour soup - 5 stars - such a refreshing change from your typical food court offering. And the rainbow soup dumplings were deliciously hot and soupy. The hot & sour soup was very northern style - spicy! Fried rice - 0 stars. Totally inedible. It was dry with no seasonings. We think it might have been old or microwaved. Bottom line - go for the dumplings & soup combo!

Food: 4/5 The soup dumplings here are my favorite.. pork and mala are super flavorful, and the wrappers are nice and thin so you get all that broth in every bite. They've also got fun options like black truffle and crab meat & pork. Everything tastes fresh and well-made, though some of the fillings could use a little extra seasoning. Ambiance: 3/5 It's in a small food court, so it's not fancy, and seating is limited. Clean and bright though, and perfect if you're just popping in for a quick, satisfying meal. Overall Vibe: 4/5 The staff is really friendly, and the dumplings come out fresh and hot. It's the kind of spot where you can grab a quick bite and walk away happy, or chill with a friend over some tasty dumplings. Definitely a hidden gem if you're into this kind of food.

Pan-Fried Pork Bao Bun Nice golden crust on the bottom. Dumpling dough could've steamed a little longer, it was still partially uncooked gooey in some bites. Pork filling was good, needs more flavor. The dipping sauce was straight soy sauce, it would've been nice to have had some spices added to it to jazz it up. I tasted the chicken soup dumping from my friends order. By far the flavor of the broth and chicken itself outshined the pork. Get that one instead. Service Used a self service kiosk, so the only interaction is to pick up the food. No complaints on the service. While it didn't feed my soul, maybe it feeds yours?

For food court food at this location, I think this is one of the more fulfilling offerings you can get at a great value. The dumplings are,of course, well made, perfectly cooked even sitting in a broth, have ample filling, and have great flavor. The small garnish of green onion gives a great aroma to the clear yet delicately seasoned broth. The noodles were moreso on the greasy side when we reached the bottom of the container, but it had a good amount of vegetables, the chicken was velveted so it had that classic chinese-take out preparation technique that allows for a soft chew, and the noodles of choice is interestingly udon which allows for a really satisfying bite. The overall stir fry sauce is savory, soy, and sweet and we got an incredibly large portion for both of these food items which fully fed 2 people but could be shared amongst 3-4.

This is my third time visiting this food stall on the ground floor of the old Macy's store in Ballston, and I'm consistently impressed. The food is always delicious, with generous portions that leave you satisfied without breaking the bank--especially impressive given that this is Arlington. Today, I tried the pork belly over rice, and it was absolutely perfect--flavorful, tender, and well-prepared. If you're in the area and looking for a tasty, affordable meal with large servings, I highly recommend checking this spot out!

I went to Dumpling District after a couple hours of shopping in the mall. The restaurant is relatively new so I thought I would give it a try. I ordered the crab and pork soup dumplings and was pleasantly surprised. The soup dumplings were served piping hot and were flavorful, especially coming from a restaurant in the mall food court. While they aren't as good as what you might get in a formal sit down Shanghainese restaurant you won't be disappointed in stopping here vs the other selections at the mall. My only critiques would be I wish there was someone coming around frequently to wipe down tables. I also had trouble locating a trash can while in the restaurant and ended up throwing my garbage out in the mall food court. Overall I would say this might be my go to lunch spot when I'm looking for something to eat in Pentagon City.

As of today October 13, 2024, there's no obvious lighted sign or placard that shows Dumpling District in the food court- so the easiest thing for me to tell people is that it shares a kitchen with Kung Fu Tea and the menu is to the right side of the Kung Fu Tea menu. I was pleasantly surprised with how good the soup dumplings were. They seemed to be made to order, as I saw a chef hand filling the wrappers after I placed my order. I tried the rainbow soup dumplings (one of each flavor) and would rank them as follows: 1. Mala spicy pork (red) 2. Black Truffle pork (black) 3. Crab Meat and pork (white with yellow tip) 4. Pork (white) 5. Shrimp & Zucchini (green) 6. Chicken (yellow) Even though I have a definite ranking, all of them were really tasty. If I were to order again though, I'd order a single order of 6 mala spicy pork. Side note about the mala spicy flavor though. I personally like the taste of star anise and fennel, which is a strong flavor in the red dumplings. If you hate star anise or fennel, the red dumplings would easily be your least favorite option. Also, when you receive your order, make sure you gently lift the dumpling off the parchment, or the valuable juice inside will spill out!

I love the fried rice cakes here! Great portion, make sure to add a protein, I always get chicken. Service is friendly and their to-go orders are well-packed. Please never take the nian gao off the menu!

Kiosk ordering is cool but also helpful that they have staff at kiosk to help and answer questions. Ordered the rainbow dumpling since their claim is "Home of the Rainbow Dumpling". Shrimp with zucchini, pork, pork with crab, chicken, truffle, and mala. Cute set up. Disposable soup spoons and instructions on table on how to best enjoy. The flavor was good and the soup was plentiful. Definitely recommend. And there is a boba tea spot here also. #winning

I decided to try this out since it had very high ratings on Yelp - but alas, Yelp has failed me. I was so disappointed when I took my first bite, and the disappointment kept getting worse. We got the shrimp and zucchini soup dumplings. The dumplings didn't have a lot of filling or soup inside. The soup and the filling tasted OK at best, but the sauce it came very tasted very off - not sure if it was supposed to be like that, but it wasn't too my liking. The rice cakes were extremely bland. Even after adding several packets of soy sauce and some chili oil, I was impressed at how bland a dish could be. At least it had a good amount of shrimp and vegetables. On the bright side, the food was very hot and fresh (other than whatever the sauce was) and the presentation was also very nice. But the flavor was seriously lacking. I would recommend trying a different place if you're in the area.

Best dumplings ever! Fresh, flavorful, and the vibe is amazing. Public Abou Dumplings District is my new go-to spot -- don't miss it!

Food was great. I believe they could do a little better with food pick up though. It was really crowded so it took a minute to get food. Maybe if they had a pick up window for customers. Or a spot on the counter just for that. So that workers wouldn't have to stop serving other customers to hand out takeout orders.

Ordered my food and after eating found something that looked like a worm. Picture attached. Please be careful choosing to eat from this place. I was extremely disgusted after finding this in my food. They refunded but asked if I wanted more.

Read some where that 3 stars means food is bomb but that's about it lol. First off, this is in a mall so I def am not expecting great service let alone, adequate service, but for a place that literally has dine in seating, it's a bit annoying to not be able to give that option when ordering and then have to take your food out the bag to eat there. Also it's wasteful on product. I get not wanting to have reusable things so you don't have to wash (I guess) but the paper bag is pretty wasteful bc it's not like you can hand it back since it's been stapled. I also did tell the cashier after that I didn't want it bagged bc I was going to eat there and he said no. The other thing that prompted me to write this review is that there is no trash cans inside their dine in seating area to throw away your trash. You have to walk several yards to the nearest trash can or I guess be rude and leave your trash on the table which I feel like it going to happen since you can't even see a trash can right outside the spot. Just too unnecessary if they literally have a dine in spot to sit (like a mean about 30 seats and booths!!) With that being said, food is GREAT. They make the soup dumplings in house. I was debating between the truffle and the spicy pork and the cashier recommended spicy pork. Did not disappoint and I'll def come back to get take out. There was a group of 4 dining as well and they def ordered a second round of food. If I was headed home, I would have too honestly.

Tried this place today with my mother! Very conveniently located in the Pentagon Fashion Center. The ambiance is nice and calming despite being in a mall actually. Service was 10/10 and pretty quick even with the amount we ordered. We got: Crab and pork soup dumplings Shrimp and zucchini soup dumplings Pan fried noodle with chicken Scallion pancake Everything was really good. Obviously the main attraction here is the soup dumplings and they TOTALLY live up to the hype. First, they're aesthetically pleasing and the different colors help differentiate which dumpling is which. The size of the dumplings was good, the skin wasn't too thick or too thin, and the dumplings were FULL of soup! Like if you pour the soup onto your spoon, the spoon will be full. And they're so flavorful you almost don't need the black vinegar. The scallion pancakes were also good; very flakey and crispy. And the pan fried noodle was flavorful! Love a crispy noodle. This place is also connected to a Kung Fu Tea which is a milk tea place so that's also a plus! Overall, loved the experience and the food. Some of the best soup dumplings in the area!

This place is new and it's delicious! We tried it a few days ago and coming back for a second time! Love it! So glad they are open! Finally a great dumpling place located in the Pentagon city mall and near the Ritz hotel. Service is good too!

Maybe I am a food snob but I have certain level of cuisine I am used to and unfortunately, this place is the run of the mill chinese food people eat to fill their stomach. Ordered soup dumpling hoping it would be similar to Din Tai Fung but not. Strangely very sweet and wonton skin very thick. I smelled a familiar smell in the air and asked the staff what it was. It turned out to be stir-fried chicken noodle which was big portioned but oily. The pork shumai was quite salty. Overall, if you know which items to order, you can have a reasonable meal to fill your stomach.