Help - Dumpling craving!

[CanIHaveABite]

So I've been eating various and assorted frozen dumplings but now I want the real thing, made by someone's hands, probably in a piping hot kitchen. I know there are lots of Chinese restaurants in Boston and I'm sure they each do their own thing but which ones are good and what makes them so? Thanks for the help!

[gini]

Some favorites already mentioned: Qingdao, Wang's. I'd place Mulan third on that list. Agree that Zoe's dumplings are subpar. I also like the Peking Ravioli at King Fung Garden and the Taiwanese Ravioli at Taiwan Cafe. I'm not fond of Taiwan Cafe's "steamed dumplings" though - the wrapper tastes like one of the preformed wonton wrappers. The pork wontons at Anise in Kendall Square are worth stopping in for, if you can stand the deafening silence. Also like the soup dumplings at New Shanghai in Chinatown.

[Allstonian]

BarmyFotheringayPhipps and I had the soup dumplings at New Shanghai on Christmas Day - we really enjoyed them. The skin was not the most delicate, but not thick and tough either, and it provided a nice balance by which we could get the dumplings from steamer to mouth intact. And the filling was really delicious, very nicely seasoned.

We also had an excellent dish of rice cake sauteed with shreds of pork and tiny bits of pickled veg of some kind, and spinach (European, not water spinach/hollow stem) with garlic. An order of crispy fried fish was not as pleasing as the comparable dish at Shanghai Gate - it was basically just a lot of small crispy breaded catfish fillets - but it made a nice contrast with our other dishes. Overall we were very pleasantly surprised by our meal there.

[enhF94]

If you're willing to travel, try Panda East in Amherst. Their pan-fried meat dumplings are unlike anything I've had in Boston. Big, meaty, full of flavor and not too much green onion.

(And I love Wang's!)

[teezeetoo]

love the dumplings at shanghai gate on harvard avenue near commonwealth

[JP RS]

I went to "Gourmet Dumpling House" tonight for my second visit in 2 weeks. It's pretty good:

1st visit:
-Soup dumplings with pork -- very good. Slightly less delicate wrappers than the ones at Taiwan Cafe, which was a plus for us. Only 1 broke/spilled on its way to our plates. Quite good.

-Taiwanese style pan fried dumplings. These were excellent. I think pork and leek, heavy on the leek. Longer and and with thinner skins than the pan-fried ravioli.

-Stir fried green beans with dried shrimp. Very tasty.

Tonight, I went on my own before the Pats game. I got the Taiwanese dumplings again, and a bowl of Taiwan Noodle Soup. Both were great.

The only downside tonight was that they tried to enforce a $20 minimum to keep me from using my Visa. I told him they weren't allowed to do minimums (it violates their agreement with the credit card companies) but I think the language barrier made that a difficult conversation, and ultimately I paid cash.

[kweesee]

oh yum. i cant wait to try them. i hope they're as good as the ones my mom makes at home :O)

[mollydingle]

king fung garden has awesome dumplings.
btw, where is mary chung now? we lost track of her...

[jgg13]

Same spot its been since she reopened in the 90s. Right on Mass ave, same block as the Middle East

[StriperGuy]

For dumplings I would give the vote to either Wang's or Gitlo's. Quingdao in third place.

[kweesee]

all my chinese friends LOVEEEEE this dumpling place in Sommerville - they say its awesome. Maybe other chow hounders might know the name, i'll try to find out for you.

[9lives]

I think Zoe's or Wang's are the usual favorites. Mulan in Cambridge also sells very good house made dumpings.

[teezeetoo]

board has been talking happy about a new dumpling/dim sum house in brighton, maybe harvard and brighton or cambridge street? sorry, don't have the name in front of me.

[9lives]

That sounds like Gitlo, great egg custards; especially when washed down with beer..:)..We sampled it after Grain and Salt.

Anxious to try..don't know if they sell frozen dumplings.

[Aromatherapy]

No frozen at Gitlo that I saw evidence of. A wider range than Wang's or Qingdao, which have excellent boiled dumplings and potstickers and a few other things on weekends. Have not been impressed with dumpings at Zoe's.

[mirage]

My son and his GF raved about those egg custards. And the shakes. When spouse and I went to Gitlos we had neither. But everything we did have was excellent, as reported by you all (thank you!) There were only two other people when we were there. Really hope this place succeeds.

[Sgt Snackers]

Qingdao Garden, on Mass Ave (beyond Porter and Davis), has excellent homemade dumplings. That might be the place you're thinking of... they also sell dumplings frozen to go.

[gansu girl]

Wang's? They have great, homemade dumplings. We like these and Qingdao's the best. Qingdao's frozen dumplings are nice to have on hand at home when a craving hits too . . . .