Meet Dumpling
Chinese restaurant · San Diego
2907 Shelter Island Dr suite 104, San Diego, CA 92106
Highlights
Handmade dumplings, noodle soups, and fresh fruit boba teas.
Handmade dumplings, noodle soups, and fresh fruit boba teas.
"Meet Dumplings sits only a few doors down from Supannee House of Thai in an unremarkable plaza off Shelter Island. The restaurant, which is co-owned by husband-and-wife duo Howard Gao and Alice Yang, serves handmade, pillowy, and plump dumplings from Gao’s hometown Chinese province of Liaoning. The dumplings here are the real highlight — order them stuffed with green chive, shrimp, and pork — but leave room to try the green onion pancake and beef noodle soup with a flavored boba tea. Indoor table seating is limited, but everything on the menu travels well as takeout." - Keri Bridgwater
"A hidden-in-plain-sight Chinese standout praised for exemplary handmade dishes and singled out as a local favorite in the essential-restaurant roundup." - Kelly Bone
"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 worth exploring: 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. Know before you go: Take a peek in the kitchen cut-out to see the dumplings scratch made in small batches." - Candice Woo
"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
"This tiny Point Loma spot distinguishes itself by handmaking its dumplings, often right when you order them. The plump boiled dumplings are available with a variety of fillings, from shrimp, chive, and pork to cabbage and pork, mushroom and chicken, and celery with beef. Newly added items include the tasty Beijing zhajiangmian noodle dish and the rougamo, a Shaanxi street food comprised of stewed pork sandwiched in a pillowy Chinese flatbread." - Helen I. Hwang
