Mother's Dumplings

Chinese restaurant · Kensington-Chinatown

Mother's Dumplings

Chinese restaurant · Kensington-Chinatown

421 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5T 2G6, Canada

Highlights

This cozy spot serves up shareable Chinese plates and handmade dumplings amidst a warm garden ambiance, making it a charming dining experience.

421 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5T 2G6, Canada Get directions

mothersdumplings.com

CA$20–30 · Menu

@onthegrid

"Chinatown is full of delicious 24 hr asian restaurants galore. Our studio has been battling a debate of the ages between which dumpling house is the best on Spadina and we’ve narrowed it down to two. Just south of College on Spadina is this gem of a restaurant called Mother’s Dumplings. Pan Fried, boiled and our favorite steamed dumplings are staples here and with well priced house craft beer options it’s the perfect group outing spot." - Tennis

On the Grid : Mother's Dumplings

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@michelinguide

"Chef-owner Zhen Feng has folded so many dumplings for Toronto that she might as well be the city’s honorary mother. In 2005 she opened a small, eight-table nook on Huron Street. Five years later, she relocated to a much larger space and by then had boiled, steamed and pan-fried her way to becoming a city institution in the heart of Chinatown. The menu boasts all manner of Chinese dishes, but stick to the namesake specialty, which are rolled out and folded at all hours by a dedicated team in the back. One could make a meal out of just the boiled pork and dill dumplings, but other types are also worth dipping into. On the way out, bags of frozen dumplings are available for take-home when the craving hits and Feng’s kitchen is closed for the day." - Michelin Inspector

Mother's Dumplings

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@onthegrid

"Mother's Dumplings, Chinatown by Tennis. Chinatown is full of delicious 24 hr asian restaurants galore. Our studio has been battling a debate of the ages between which dumpling house is the best on Spadina and we’ve narrowed it down to two. Just south of College on Spadina is this gem of a restaurant called Mother’s Dumplings. Pan Fried, boiled and our favorite steamed dumplings are staples here and with well priced house craft beer options it’s the perfect group outing spot."

Toronto

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Carol F

Google

Located near College and Spadina, Mother's Dumplings has earned a spot in the Michelin recommended guide for 2024, which prompted our visit to try it out. The restaurant is fairly good in speed and quality, and the food served was generally good. However, it fell a little short due to the flavours that we were expecting in 'standard' dishes that we try at places to set the initial experience. During our experience, we ordered several items from the menu like the Pork and Chives Dumplings (boiled), Juicy Pork Bun (essentially soup-filled dumplings), Green Onion Pancake, Hot & Sour Soup, and Potato Salad. The Pork and Chives Dumplings were flavourful but did not stand out compared to other preferred dumplings in Chinatown. In contrast, the Green Onion Pancake was well pan-fried, and best in crispness and taste. The Hot & Sour Soup was filling for its medium size, although it lacked the expected sourness. The Potato Salad presented a unique twist, being slightly sweet and spicy, with shredded carrots and thinly sliced potatoes. However, it deviated from the traditional expectations of potato salad, which typically includes a vinegar-based dressing. The service at Mother's Dumplings was very quick to turn around our food and attentive staff who promptly noticed that our dumplings did not include the right amount and proactively told the kitchen to begin cooking additional portions without delay. Additionally, they offer the option to purchase frozen bags of dumplings to take home for later. Lastly, they only take cash or debit.

Sathira Katugaha

Google

Great atmosphere but the food didn’t wow me. It was very enjoyable with interesting flavours in the dumplings, but the dumpling filling didn’t really bring any new flavour profiles to the table and none of the filling combinations I had tasted bold. I had the beef and celery, pork and pickled cabbage and shrimp, chive and egg fillings. These dumplings have very traditional tasting flavours and I will say, the big plus of this place is that all the ingredients taste relatively fresh. Even the dumpling itself and pancake batter taste very light and clean. That being said I personally would prefer a spot that had bolder flavours, but if that’s not your vibe then maybe you’ll like this place

Cassia Attard

Google

Very vibey spot. It’s fast and they’re really nice! The dumplings are fine. The green onion pancake was good! The boiled and pan fried dumplings were better than steamed for sure. Skip the steamed pork dumplings. They were quite not good. They have good vegetarian options.

Mister Morelight

Google

Stumbled upon this one by luck, we only found out later that they have been around for a while. Very welcoming and attentive staff, this is the restaurant’s strong point. We ordered shrimp & pork dumplings and beef rolls. Of the two (2) options, the beef rolls were actually the stand out item. The dumplings are good, I mean, most dumplings resemble each other, but as others have pointed out, the walls are thick as a brick so we found them less refined than other places. Average on the dumplings. For management : you might want to clean your tables more often, ours was greasy and sticky, does not leave a good first impression (minor detail but still). Atmosphere is dated but I kinda of love the retro feel, feels authentically kitschy which is fun. Credit cards not accepted : only cash or debit. Overall, good value for money and above average service makes this a recommendable stop on Spadina. P.S.: if this review was helpful, please leave a quick 👍, thank you 🙏

Isabella Grandic

Google

Lovely lil restaurant with vegetarian and non-vegetarian dumplings + sides!! Absolutely cozy inside. Complimentary jasmine tea. Tons of booth seating. You can see them fold the dumplings live. I thought it was a cozy, family vibe. Super warm ❣️ Dumplings themselves were good, not great, partially for me lacking some flavour on the fillings. Chive pancakes were good. There’s a ton of soya, siracha, chili oil, vinegar, etc on the table to make your sauce. My favourite were the pan fried pork dumplings, or the vegetarian steamed. Portions are pretty huge!! This spot will run you ~$15-20 pp. I regret not trying the BBQ pork bun!

Or Gal

Google

This is the first restaurant on the Michelin guide where the food doesn’t get five stars. Now, don’t get me wrong, the food in my opinion is good, however it doesn’t completely outshine its competitors. I’ve gone to other Chinese spots where the food was marginally worse but significantly cheaper. If you want to just grab some tasty dumplings (as this is the restaurant’s specialty) and a few additional side dishes, go ahead it’ll be tasty and slightly more expensive. Just don’t come here expecting your mind to be blown. Still, it’s nice and I recommend at least trying.

Mon

Google

Food was yummy and the prices were really good, for sure I’ll go back. We ordered fried dumplings, fried rice with shrimps, spring rolls, chocolate ice cream and sesame balls. We were a party of 3 and we paid around $50🫶🏼

Erum Irfan

Google

Saw all the Michelin posters and thought to give this place a shot. Their Bao is supreme and their fried rice made me see heaven. Safe to say I will be frequenting this establishment often. Their food is delicious and their service is so good. They serve tea with whatever you order and we got these cute fortune cookies at the end of our meal. 10/10 food And 10/10 dining experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐