So good!!! We got the chicken wonton in chili sauce and pork xlb. They also had this cute combo with your drink of choice read more

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Stopped by this new spot in Encinitas during their second day of soft opening. The vibe? Casual, with a glass section where you can watch the chef make dumplings. Service was friendly but a bit chaotic--lots of reminders needed. As for the food: Chicken Dumplings with spicy oil (2/5): Mostly wrapper, with barely any stuffing. Fried Pork Chop with Scallion Oil Noodles (2/5): The pork chop wasn't juicy, and the noodles were off-balance, leaning too sweet with hardly any scallion fragrance. The scallion oil was practically MIA. Pork Soup Dumplings (2.5/5) : Tiny with a thicker wrapper--if they were bigger, the wrapper thickness would make sense, but the flavor was still decent. Beef Potstickers (4.5/5): Finally, a win! Perfectly balanced with juicy stuffing and a wrapper that was just the right thickness.. Overall, a mixed bag, but it's early days. Hopefully, things improve with time! read more

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Came here with high expectations because we saw someone do a review on TikTok with a great experience . Unfortunately, for me, I feel like I've been tricked. We ordered the beef curry XLB, crab XLB, sweet and sour pork baby back ribs, crispy pork chop noodle with scallion oil. In the chicken wonton in spicy chili oil. - The ribs felt like I was eating beef jerky and sauce was really dark - The noodles with the pork chop had no flavor at all - The chicken wonton was kinda good - Now about the XLBs - The filling was decent, nothing special but the wrapper for each one felt like they were frozen for a while and reheated, but like in a very chewy way. Also a lot of them came already POPPED which was really disappointing bc all the juice was gone. ( you can see in the picture) Unfortunately won't be coming back - you're better off going to Ding tai Fung or dumpling story. Good luck dumpling lovers read more

Dumpling Bar - Beef curry XLB - Chinese Near Me - Encinitas, California

Cute place in the shopping center of Trader Joe's and Gap. The food is fresh and everything is very tasty. I was very impressed with the green beans, the dumplings are made fresh. read more

Dumpling Bar - Beef Pot Stickers(6pcs) - Chinese Near Me - Encinitas, California

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The long boa was fantastic! However the shrimp dumplings are the main reason to visit. We had pork Xl potstickers and tried each soup. The Egg flower was better elsewhere and the pork sticky buns needed more bbq pork. Server never took all the empty plates and was frustrating. Busy place with an open floor plan, single restroom with a line read more

Was excited to try this place out. Walked in at 8:15pm...they close at 8:30pm. They asked if I wanted to be seated. I said, no, just want to get some food to go. The woman then told me, oh no...our kitchen is about to close. WTF? You were going to sit me, but not take my to go order? Not the best first impression. read more

This place is so good and I've never been more impressed and pleased with an AYCE restaurant. It is so clean and the staff is so nice, always makes sure you are satisfied. I really like how the drink is included with the AYCE option, and the ice cream selection is so yummy. The food is also amazing, the wontons especially, this place wiped any other AYCE in north county out of the water and we will be returning . read more

I waited for 45 minutes. Then was finally set and a family that did not wait outside for 45 minutes was seated right behind me as we both were seated at the same time. They were given service right away. I still continued to sit at the table. I had to flag down the server to even get a water. Now the family is eating. And I don't have one thing. I finally told the server that I was leaving. It was ridiculous. NOT WORTH THE WAIT IN MY OPINION. WILL NEVER RETURN HERE AGAIN. read more

I went today and found out that you took cold dish spicy beef off the manu!! I'm so sad You have the best spicy beef in this area!! PLEASE!! BRING IT BACK!! read more

Don't want to be petty and roast these guys with an awful review so I'm gonna keep it 3 stars because it's always been pretty good here in the past. Let me get this out of the way though Encinitas is the most overrated overhyped place and this is the most stressful and crowded parking lot ever Anyways they used to say hot and sour soup after 5pm only on their menu but recently I feel like they took this disclaimer off so I ordered some hot and sour soup at 12. I just got black broth and cubes of meat at the bottom. No vegetables or anything, feel like I definitely should have waited until 5 cause the soup needed to cook for another 5 hours. Just saying if it's not ready don't feel pressured to make the order just call and cancel the order for me or ask me if I just want... broth with meat cubes read more

Food was great and it came out quick. We got there early enough to get a seat right away and our waitress was very kind. Food was awesome and super tasty. The only downside was just that there was only one waitress serving a room of 12+ tables and it was obvious that they needed another server. Someone get that girl some help! read more

I've been wanting to come here for a while and finally squeezed in a lunch date with my girl friend for some dumplings, service was very quick and the shop was a cozy atmosphere. We ordered the shrimp dumplings, xiao long Bao, shumai, pork dumplings, beef noodle plate and an appetizer of seaweed salad. To say the least the dumplings were amazing! The dumpling skirt was perfectly made, the xiao long Bao soup broth was very light and flavorful. The beef noodle plate was absolutely delicious, the noodles perfectly chewy, but the star was definitely the beef. Fall apart, tender and perfectly balanced for the bowl of noodles that came to the table. We were all very full by the end of the meal. Definitely a spot I would come back to if I'm in the area read more

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The food was delicious. My husband and I elected not to do the all you can eat so we could take our left overs home. Our only complaint was the wait time. It was very unorganized and we had to wait over an hour after being quoted 10-15 minutes. read more

Best spicy beef noodles- super tender meat thought it was pork for a second. Great jasmine milk tea with the fried xlb pork dumplings. Loved the steamed xlb bao, I think the fried ones were better because I like the crunch. Beef dumplings were bomb absolutely need the soup in it. Everything 5/5. Get the cucumber salad no idea what the seasoning is but so good and savory. I actually filmed a bit while I was there, might post a little feature soon! Would love to come by again and try some of your new menu items. read more

What a surprising find! Encinitas really is making strides in adding variety and Dumpling Bar might be the best. Service: Really great - attentive and food comes out quick. Can't complain. Inside: For a small spot, there's actually a decent amount of tables. We came at peak dinner and were seated right away. Food: Dumplings are made to order and they come up quick, and piping hot. The dough is delicate on all the dumplings, and may be the best dumplings I've had. - pork XLB (5/5) - wowowow. We ordered two orders because my wife liked them so much. Flavorful with just enough soup inside. These are the best XLBs we've had - sorry DTF. - spicy chicken wontons (4.5/5) - again, just as flavorful, and nestled in a "spicy" sauce. Not really spicy for me, but the flavor is rich, and I loved the delicate texture of the boiled dumpling. - porkchop with noodles (3.5/5)- really popular based on looking around, but this was kinda a low point for us. The porkchop was nice and crispy, but was a little dry and salty. The noodles were dope tho! - shrimp dumpling (4/5) - very simple and well executed. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and tender. - cucumber salad (5/5) - fantastic. The cucumbers were COLD and refreshing. The chili old adds a nice subtle heat. We'll be back and have been spreading the good word. read more

We ordered in through uber eats so take that into account when reading the review. The soup dumplings had hardly any soup in them. The shrimp dumplings were a little chewy. The Lo Mai Gai was very good! The custard buns were extremely disappointing Very hard to find a good dumpling place in North County. Maybe this place is better when you dine in but it was mediocre for us dumpling lovers. read more

Service is great but the food isn't as authentic as I thought it would be considering the pictures and reviews. The xiao long bao is not bad but the sauce is missing the ginger that all XLBs come with. The other dishes were more bland. Even the chili sauce wasn't spicy and that tells a lot! read more

Dumpling Bar - Pan Fried Pork XLB(6pcs) - Chinese Near Me - Encinitas, California

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This place is wonderful for lunch! Fast service, not too crowded. We loved the fried pork potstickers. Steamed beef potstickers were good too. The cucumber salad had a unique dressing that provides a pleasant surprise. The Chinese churros weren't really churros but they were fried tasty treats. read more

Fun selection with a lot of variety. There's a little something for everyone, which with a big family with a variety of preferences, is always appreciated! read more

We came down to try Dumpling Bar on a Monday evening around 5pm. We waited around for about an hour to be seated. The restaurant is quite small, it had 13 tables. We decided to try the All You Can Eat menu. If you're super hungry-- it's worth it. My favorite things were the pork XLBs & cucumber salad. I'd come back just for those items. The staff were very busy and still provided great service. The ambiance was fast causal, pretty loud and nice music. read more

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The food is good however the wait time estimation is WAY off and they are so understaffed. We checked in on the ipad, and the estimated wait time was 15-30 minutes. We were finally seated an hour and a half later. When we went to order, they were out of many things on the menu and said the most basic things like rice would take longer than usual to make. I understand it gets busy, but the manager should really plan better for weekend nights. It wasn't the staff's fault, but they definitely suffered as a result. There were a lot of angry customers due to the long wait times, incorrect time estimates, and the fact that they were out of everything. Poor management!! read more

Staff was welcoming and accommodating. Slight wait but worth it. Dumplings were good and came out fast sliced pork was served cold as well as the string beans which was a little surprising. Definitely recommend both types of the xlb as well as the ribs. read more

Dumpling Bar - Crispy Pork Chop /Spicy Noodle Plate - Chinese Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Our party of 5 luckily sat with no wait between 5-6pm mid-week (there were plenty of people already seated or waiting for their pick up orders though). The restaurant is cozy and has an open view into the kitchen. You can watch the XLB being made! We started with the appetizer combo and we got the cucumber salad, garlic string beans, and sliced beef in chili sauce. The cucumber salad was our table's favorite appetizer! So refreshing and tasty. The sliced beef had a slight kick to it, which I liked. The garlic string beans looked kind of mushy but still tasted good. We also decided to try the spicy wood ear mushroom with celery and sweet&sour pork baby back ribs. The ribs were drenched in sauce but tender. The wood ear mushrooms were vinegary and crunchy. For our main dishes we had to get the pork XLB and chicken wonton with chili sauce as well as beef pot stickers, crispy pork chop with noodle with scallion oil. My personal favorites were the chicken wonton chili sauce and the crispy pork chop. Very tasty chili sauce and pork chop were fried just right! We got the steamed custard buns and chocolate buns as dessert. The custard buns was sweet and a perfect dessert bun but I also loved the rich dark chocolate in the chocolate bun. Also the green milk tea was really good! Overall, servers were attentive, food was great, and I would recommend Dumpling Bar! read more

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We were headed up to the botanical garden and we're looking for a place to have dinner and found this place. What a great find , there was a little wait to get in but it went fast, they are making the Dumplings right in front of the restaurant so every Dumpling is fresh! We ordered a selection off the menu, and everything was delicious. The stand out for me were the pan fried soup Dumplings, they were so good we ate 2 orders. the wait staff was on point but this is a small busy restaurant. Now I just need to fine more excuses to be in this area for dinner. read more

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Stopped by The Dumpling Bar while running errands and was seriously impressed with how fast the service was. The staff was super nice too, which made the whole experience better. Only downside, ordered a milk tea and it never showed up. Food-wise, everything was solid. The open kitchen was cool to see, and while the decor wasn't the most aesthetic, it was cute and the place was really clean. Loved that the jasmine tea had free refills. Tried the seaweed salad, which was crunchy but kinda one-note flavor-wise. The egg drop soup was packed with veggies, which was a nice surprise. The crispy pork chop scallion noodle plate was huge and had a nice smoky flavor. And the dumplings? Great texture, good size, definitely worth ordering. Overall, food was great, service was crazy fast, and the staff was friendly. Just wish they hadn't forgotten my milk tea, but I'd still go back! (Disclaimer: the photo of the dumplings and noodles were after some initial bites/moving the food) read more

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amazing waiters and food! there AYCE is incredibly worth-wile and the atmosphere is excellent. Will be returning read more

Dumpling Bar - an outstanding and heavily attractive waitress - Chinese Near Me - Encinitas, California

Came in at 7:30 and sat down at an open table after putting name on list. A server proceeded to tell us that the restaurant was not taking any more guests because there was a waitlist of people, even though no one was there waiting. They basically booted us out of the seat and told us they were removing us from waitlist. Terrible customer service. I won't be back. read more

So good! So good! So good! We did all you can eat, and the servers were so friendly! Can't wait to visit the area again, and enjoy the Dumpling Bar! read more

We ordered five different dishes, and unfortunately, not even one was enjoyable. Some arrived cold, and all of them were overwhelmingly greasy, which completely overpowered the flavors. Sadly, nothing was truly edible. I'd rather make the drive to Convoy next time for a proper meal. read more

Their waiting time estimate is horrible, the staff is letting their friends jump ahead in the queue. When we signed up, it said 12-30 minute wait. We walked in after 45minutes and they told us we were still 45minutes away and we saw people sitting that signed up after us. it's just too bad, we like the food, but the young staff is rather rude and unaccommodating. We were there with our young child waiting and had to go somewhere else... Other people waiting, heard our conversation and shared the same complaint. bad for business Dumpling Bar! read more

Good points: Delicious Bao (6) + Boba tea for lunch. Enjoyed! Bad points: $17 + tx Waited 20 min for take out lunch. No seating outside. Waited in hot car. Would recommend this place for a sit down dinner if not in a hurry and your budget is open. read more

Is no to flavored, waiting list is crazy and no good service is just good this place is just marketing

I was super excited to try this place, but was honestly not too impressed. Their dumplings were basic, I've had much better at Joyee. The server was ok- she was not helpful when we asked questions about the menu. It was tight in there with tables super close together. It was honestly just ok, but I may give it another try- and will update if it's better the next time. read more

Restaurant was covered in dust and cobwebs, and service was a bit slow for how empty it was. Food wasn't too bad. read more

Dumpling Bar - Dusty and dirty windowsill - Chinese Near Me - Encinitas, California

Came here around 5pm on a weekday, the dining area is not the biggest but still plenty of tables to sit and eat. There were a decent amount of people there but we were still seated right away and they took our orders quickly. We got to ordering a lot of different dishes and I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor that these dishes had. The highlight of the night were the fried xlb and the chicken wontons. The xlb had a nice and crispy undercoat that added a nice texture, and the meat itself was seasoned very well and offered a refreshing bite. As for the wontons, the sauce they came with was amazing. Perfect blend of a vinegar and soy sauce taste with a little kick. The appetizer combo we ordered contained the cucumber salad, green beans, and sliced beef. All of them were good but the cucumber salad of the standout of the bunch. Offered a light taste with good crunch comparative to the rest of the items. The spicy noodles with the pork was also yummy. The noodles were cooked very well and although the noodles themselves did not have much flavor, eating it with the pork was a delicious combination. The pork was cooked so it was still juicy and the crunch of the panko added good texture. The ribs and soup dumplings were a nice tough to our meal, nothing about them really stood out but they were solid enough that I was glad we ordered them. For dessert we got both the custard buns and chocolate buns. The custard was super good, creamy and sweet and the dumpling itself was cooked well. I would definitely order that again. As for the chocolate bun it was super rich with dark chocolate, good but I don't know if I could finish one by myself. All in all, dumpling bar offered a great dining experience coupled with great service even on a busy night. I would definitely come back here if I was craving this type of food! read more

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We tried the dumpling bar for the first time recently. Overall, the flavors were spot on. We ordered the soy noodle salad, spicy woodear mushroom with celery, pork Xiao long bao, vegan dumplings, and glutinous rice chicken. The wood ear mushroom dish reigned supreme. However, the portion sizes were rather small, especially for the high ticket price. The ambiance is nice and the service was decent. I hope they decide to increase the portions especially with inexpensive items like the glutinous rice dish. We were still hungry after the meal. read more

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If you're craving some seriously good dumplings, this is the place to go! The dumplings are fresh, juicy, and packed with flavor. You can tell they're handmade because the wrappers have that perfect chewiness, and the fillings are well-seasoned. The pan-fried ones have a nice crispy bottom, and the soup dumplings are legit - super juicy but not too greasy. Besides the dumplings, they also have some great side dishes. The scallion pancakes were crispy and not too oily, and the cucumber salad was super refreshing. Service was fast and friendly, and the prices were pretty reasonable for the quality. The place itself is cozy, nothing too fancy, but it feels warm and welcoming. Definitely a solid spot for a dumpling fix. Would totally come back! read more

Dumpling Bar - Chinese Near Me - Encinitas, California

What I got today is amazing food and great service. This place is clean. The food is so delicious. We order the beef noodle soup and dumplings. We will be back soon. read more

Let me preface my review by saying that I was extremely happy to see a dumpling spot open in Encinitas. I love dumplings/dim sum/yum cha and one usually has to go to Kearny Mesa to find such fare. As such, I kept a really close eye on when they opened and was actually their first customer. Since the first day of their soft opening, I have tried a number of their dishes. The menu is slightly limited, but given Dumpling Bar's size, this is not surprising. And there is much to like about it: they often a good variety of authentic dishes, authentically prepared. The prices are reasonable for Encinitas (some not used to coastal pricing might find them a bit high). The staff are friendly and efficient. That said, there could be improvement. The tastes are good, but dishes don't seem to be made with as much care to presentation as one might hope. Shumai and xiao long bao were in particular a disappointment to the eye. It is clear that some of their meat dishes are pre-made: the sweet and sour ribs and the braised beef had that half-warm, reheated quality. Lastly and perhaps most concerning are their wrappings for various dumpling dishes: they tended towards the thick. Sometimes that is fine, but normally they should be delicate--especially when a dish is steamed. In short, the offerings are all a bit crude. I do think this place can improve on some of the criticisms I have made here. But this will require Dumpling Bar's management to really take quality control to heart and make sure each dish delivers to the mouth and the eye. I honestly hope they succeed. read more

My buddy and I came here for the first time today. The food was amazing! We had the pleasure of having Chrissie, Leo, and Brian serve us. Very patient with us as we tried to decide on what to get. Very attentive and got us all the food we ordered in a timely manner. Very friendly staff. The entire restaurant smelled of freshly cooked dumplings, great ambiance. Will come back again! read more