Came here on a Saturday evening and to my surprise there was no wait and we were seated immediately- no wait at all! The service was super fast. You can order food on phone by scanning the barcode on the table so it's pretty convenient. We tried a number of dishes and overall the food was excellent. The ginger scallion noodles were delicious. The texture of the noodles was so good-perfectly springy and satisfying. Their pork xiao long bao were perfection. The broth was warm and comforting on a cold winter evening. It's definitely some of the best xiao long bao I have had in the bay area. The juicy pan fried buns were great as well-crisp on the bottom with warm flavorful broth inside. Although, my personal favorite was their xiao long bao and I would definitely go for that next time over the pan fried one. I also ordered their green onion pancakes which was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't evenly cooked. I am definitely coming back here to have their xiao long bao and other dumplings. read more

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I was searching for places to eat in Palo Alto that maybe hidden gems when I found Dumpling Hours on Yelp. (It is on a side street off of University Ave) This place is fantastic! You can order with a QR code and they will put the receipt on your table like most dim sum type places. They are very quick and efficient. There is a clear view of staff creating their masterpieces as fresh as can be. Any time I made eye contact with the wait staff they were very attentive and polite. Service grade: A+ The seating is nicely setup and very clean. The place doesn't give up an uppity vibe which I usually avoid. I must have just beaten the lunch rush because, as I left, there was a wait. I suggest arriving before noon. There is outdoor seating as well! Ambiance grade: A Let's get to the important part, the food! Wow. I couldn't speak for 10 seconds after I had my first bite. I was confused because I had never had such flavorful fillings and I've had a lot of places in my time. In the hunt for my favorite Xiao Long Baos (XLB), this is my current favorite place. Grade: A+ My next favorite dish, was the Juicy Pan-Fried Pork buns. Warning they come very hot and very pressurized with juiciness just as its name. I'm not a novice and it still got me. They too are very delicious and beautifully made. (See picture) These were also awesome texture-wise. Grade: A+ The Shrimp and Pork potstickers were also very esthetically pleasing. They were crispy and pretty good. I may opt for more dumpling dishes rather than these, but people did enjoy them. I think I prefer more of a traditional potsicker. Grade: A-/B+ I always like to try what I see on every table around me that is recommended. There were noodles that just looked delicious that I had to try. The ginger and scallion noodles were definitely popular according to surrounding tables so I gave them a try. They were sauced well and gave a distinct taste as advertised. Nothing was overpowering which was a plus. In the grand scheme of if I would order it again, the Grade: B- I ordered the beef pockets which were similar to beef pancakes elsewhere. The pancake was nice and flakey and there was a good portion of beef inside, but the beef was cold as can be. This was my most disappointing dish. I didn't think it would possibly be that cold inside with such a nice warm flakey shell. Grade: C- If you've read this far, you've done well. I appreciate your time reading my grading of a wonderful place. Would I return? Absolutely! As much as I was disappointed with one item, the other items were phenomenal. I would like to try the rest of the menu as they had many options for fillings. My honest rating of this place is a 4.7 with the potential to be greater. read more

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Dumpling Hours has been amazing every single time. My girlfriend and I travel from LA to the Bay often, and this place is an absolute must stop usually once on arrival and again before heading back home . We've tried countless dumpling spots in LA, and honestly, none of them come close. The green beans are incredible, the noodles are always on point, and the pan-fried pork buns are the real standout--crispy on the bottom, soft and juicy inside. Easily the highlight of the menu. Even the veggie dumplings are thoughtfully done, shaped like little leaves. The attention to detail, cleanliness, and consistency really set this place apart. Lunch, dinner, quick stop, or full sit down this place delivers every time. Hands down, the best dumpling spot in the Bay Area. read more

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Decent place for a quick xiao long bao meals, we visited on a weekend dinner time, there's no wait. We had the hot and sour soup, it's delicious. My favorite is the spicy xiao long bao and the juicy pan fried pork bun. Love the soupy dumplings, both the xiao long bao and pork bun were so great. read more

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Pretty standard dumpling restaurant. Not bad but not amazing. It's pretty crowded on the weekend though! Xiao long bao was normal, and the green beans too. Wonton soup was good, and the best was the sheng jian bao! I noticed most of the sheng jian bao I've tried in the bay area have the bottom extremely fried, but this one was more lightly pan fried. Decent food but nothing special for me personally! read more

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Yummy food for a reasonable price! Ordered the pork xlb, shrimp/chive dumplings, green beans, and Dan Dan noodles! The first three dishes were pretty much spot on. Xlb was nice and juicy, green beans were flavorful and crisp, and dumplings were nice and comforting. The Dan Dan noodles were pretty standard but I felt the flavor could be improved a bit but it might just be personal preference. Shared these four dishes amongst 4 people and was a good amount of food for a reasonable price. Came on Labor Day and had a bit of a wait but not too long! Service was friendly and efficient. read more

Dumpling Hours - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Headed over on a Sunday night at around 6 pm and it was packed. Luckily, we were able to snag a seat inside for our party of 4 and made our order through the QR code at our table. The food came out pretty soon after within minutes from each other. String Beans Sauteed with Garlic Sauce - It had a rich flavor coming from the garlic sauce and I love this dish because the string bean is fried before it is sauteed which helps it maintain the crunchiness. Dan Dan Sesame Paste Dry Noodles - I think I expected it to have a more savory punchy flavor that comes through from the peanut sesame sauce but it was pretty tame and could have used a bit more spice. Juicy pan-fried Pork Buns - A classic item that always hits with the soft top, crunchy bread like bottom. It came out piping hot and with a warm comforting savoriness from the meat and soup inside. Pork Xiao Long Bao - A must order at a dumpling restaurant. This one was made with a thin wrap that was delicate but able to hold the pork filling and soup inside. Paired with the vinegar and eaten on the small spoons they had was very tasty. A nice place to get dinner if you're in the downtown palo alto area and wanting some simple comfort foods. read more

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The pan fried soup dumplings are my absolute favorite. But be careful as the hot soup will spray out if you bite right into them. Service has always been A+ Restaurant is small but inviting and clean. They do have a few tables outside. read more

Dumplings are really good. Thin, delicate wrappers and a good amount of juice inside. The fillings seem to be a bit soft/mushy to carry all that juice; so it doesnt not have much of a bite to it. All flavors are really potent. My fav is the truffle but it's 15$ for 4 dumplings. The Sesame Noodles is decent, but would not order again since its really oily and not spicy as all. Would def come back to try out all other flavors :) read more

Dumpling Hours - Hot & Spicy Pork Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Super crowded for lunch time. XLB was good. The boiled dumpling skin was thicker than I'd like. But overall pretty good! read more

Dumpling Hours - Pork Xiao Long Bao very soupy. Good! - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Solid soup dumplings, not a big fan of the saucy wontons because the sauce tastes foreign to me, but everything else is good read more

Dumpling Hours - Shrimp & Loofah Xiao Long Bao - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Food 3/5 Thought the Dan Dan noodle sesame paste was too thick and dry. Also didn't have the fragrant sesame flavor that you get from a good dab Dan noodle shop. The cucumber garlic salad was a little under-seasoned too. The saving grace was the cucumbers came in thicker/larger cuts and super crunchy, which nice. The hot and sour soup were a little bland and could use a bit more black vinegar. Their dumpling meat wasn't the freshest and the skin was a little on the thicker side though. Service - 4/5 fairly fast except dumpling which is normal to take a little longer time. read more

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A1 authentic dishes - Pan Fried dumplings, Xiao Long Bao, and Noodles are all perfect. Would eat this same meal over and over again. Quaint spot hopping place right off the main drag Palo Alto. read more

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I thought this place was just ok. I came here for lunch last Friday with some friends and we had a good time all around, but the food itself was about a C-. I thought their best items were their pan-fried pork buns and ginger scallion noodles. The Dan Dan noodles was pretty good too. We were not big fans of their wonton soup; it was too seaweed tasting and had too much of this white peppery flavor. The wontons were small and didn't taste like the traditional wontons I'm used to. The prices were pretty high too with about $15-$17 each dish. The pan-fried pork buns are steaming hot with broth inside. I've never seen anything like this item before. It's a must try! It's obvious that prices would be this high especially being in downtown but there are plenty other dim sum places that are low cost and more authentic tasting. Maybe this specific place is from a different region? whatever it may be, I'm just not a fan of the flavors. I won't be coming back but I do recommend people coming here to try; maybe you'll have a better time than I did! read more

Dumpling Hours - Pan Juicy Pan-Fried Pork Buns - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Had a lovely lunch here on a rainy day. They had a great selection of Chinese dishes and they were all great. For appetizers we got the pig ears with cucumber and red oil. The pig ears were generously portioned and well seasoned, but the cucumber slices I think could have been better prepared if they were cut to smaller pieces Both the pork Xiao long bao and pan fried pork buns were amazing. The crispy underside of the fried buns and the juicy interior of the Xiao long bao were very delicious! Definitely on par with those at din tai fung! The dan dan sesame noodles were quite good too. Felt more like sesame noodles with ground meat, but still delicious! read more

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SOUP DUMPLINGS IN THE SOUTH BAY ARE BACK, BABY! Ever since my absolute favorite soup dumplings placed closed down in Cupertino, I felt like the South Bay had a really tough time with decent soup dumplings. Not to exaggerate, but that place in Cupertino that made imo THE BEST XLBs closing down was essentially my 9/11. And no, no, no, don't ever tell me Din Tai Fung XLB is good. It's not. DTF is hella overrated. It's just a spot to go for work lunch with co workers because you are too insecure to admittedly eat somewhere 100x better albeit at a shanty hole-in-the-wall place. This place is apparently the sister restaurant to Dumpling Kitchen in the city. It took over the old Bevri spot. More recently Bevri is on the main University Ave road now. The restaurant is quaint and fast. The dishes and utensils are nice and modern. In lieu of a soup spoon you get this soup spoon-ish ramekin that is nice to use. The pricing is high though. Got 5 dishes and it was $105 out the door (taxes and tip included) which is closer to $21 per plate. It's that downtown PA pricing I guess. But also it's a pretty fast casual dining experience, so the price is steep for the food and experience you're getting honestly. I ordered: Juicy Pan-fried Pork Buns(6) $15.95 - Delicious, very nice to look at as well. It's always described as regular XLB but pan fried, but usually most places don't do it that way. This place does, as it clearly resembles their XLB and just pan fried at the bottom half. Definitely soup in it as well, so be careful! You should order this. Pork Xiao Long Bao(8) $16.95 - Delicious as well, a must order! Lots of soup broth, and it's incredibly flavorful as well. Lots of places that claim they can do XLB often times will have soup that resembles chicken noodle soup broth from a can or something. Not this place, though. This place is very similar to my favorite place in Cupertino that closed down, it's hearty and you can see the fat chunks in the broth. So much flavor. You should remember: Fat is flavor! Hot & Spicy Pork Xiao Long Bao(8) $16.95 - I was pretty skeptical about ordering this but it was basically just as good as the regular XLB but a nice hint of spice to it. It's more gentle and not super spicy. I can see some people skipping this and that's fine, but if you want some slight variety to your meal instead of all regular XLB you may be interested in this. String Beans Sauteed w.Garlic Sauce $15.95 - Decent, no complaints. If you're someone who has to have a veg dish with your meal, maybe get this. Ginger & Scallion Noodles $15.95 - I was kind of stoked to get this because of how good it looked but honestly it was underwhelming. The noodles were way too chewy and the flavor was just not "punchy" enough compared to the rest of the food. It tasted more like burned onion pasta, but the pasta wasn't al dente. No point in gate keeping this (as if I ever). Honestly the Bay Area food scene has crashed out so bad these past few years anything worth checking out will travel very quickly through word of mouth, through word of hungry mouths that is. Bay Area got hella foodies but the options are severely lacking these days. read more

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Quick take: Really good dumplings The dumpling skin is super thin but it didn't break while removing from the steamer. All very good and the wait for lunch wasn't too long. read more

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This is a solid dumpling spot that gives an elevated flavor profile to their menu items by adding peanut and sesame pastes. Chilli pork wontons were peanuty-creamy and tasted great! Dan dan noodles with pork were again, peanuty yet satisfying. They provide some ginger- vinegar on the table. Mix that up with the soy sauce and chili oil kept table side and you've got yourself the best sauce combo that's tart, saucy and flavorful. Chicken dumplings and spicy pork xiong long bao were both fatty, brothy and delicious. The spicy pork dumplings had chili oil in them and the taste was fab!I loved the house made wrapper. It was flexible, chewy and smooth at the same time. Loved the sheen on the dumplings as well. Everything was being made fresh. You can actually see the masters make each dumpling by hand. What a masterclass if you have a direct view of the dumpling making process. We also tried the hot and sour soup. It had tofu, wood ear mushrooms, button mushrooms and bamboo. It was delicious and soulful. I hope service is better the next time I visit but loved dining here with my love on a beautiful afternoon. The menu items can be pricey when compared to other dumpling spots. All in all, a solid choice if you're craving rich dumplings! read more

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Damn. Dan Dan Mien and Chicken Wings. A $40 meal for 1. But it was so good. Nice texture and flavor. Prices are insane in Palo Alto, but at least this was good. The spot is popular so there's usually a wait. Hits the spot. read more

Stopped by for a late lunch on a weekday. The restaurant had a lot of customers, which is always a good sign. The restaurant offers inside and outdoor dining. You can order through a server or place your order online, via a QR code. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I like how this place offers 4 piece or 8 piece dumplings. I like to try a variety of dishes so the 4 piece option was perfect for me. I got the black truffle Xiao Long Boa dumplings. They were pretty big, but the right amount. I also got an order of garlic string beans and hot and sour soup. The soup is really large and can be split between two people. I knew it was a lot of food, but I wanted the variety. It worked out great because I had leftovers for a light lunch the next day. In summary, the food was great, as was the service. The restaurant was clean and has an open kitchen. The service was quick too. I'm a fan! read more

"Food's a little gentrified but it's good" H. Lee. "I'd sell my birthright for some of that soup" Diya B. "YUMMMM. Drooling" Clara D. Safe to say we had a great time. Great staff, funny vibes, spectacular food. read more

Dumpling Hours - Gluttonous mofo - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Great Chinese addition to the Palo Alto food scene. We sat down quick for a party of 5 Sunday night. It's great that the servers are pretty quick paced and are attentive to tables. I pretty much enjoyed everything we ordered off the menu. Some highlights were: - XiaoLongBao (probably what you came for) pork was good, but the pork+crab was even better. Thin skin and lots of savory broth inside. - Green onion pancakes. Thin and plenty of green onions inside - DanDan noodles. A little on the oily side but so nutty and flavorful - Pan Fried Pork Dumplings. Again, very crispy on the bottom and juicy - Green Beans. A must, lot of good "wok-hei" flavor - Dry fried chicken wings. Crispiest batter ever. I was only really disappointed by the soybean noodles (Zhajiangmian). Very salty and overwhelming with beancurd sauce and not much else. Since I'm always looking for a good spot for XLB, this one makes it to the list! read more

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Food (5/5) XLB were terrific. Highly recommend the hot & spicy if you can handle it, the spice level is medium. The soup inside had a lot of flavor and I loved the ratio of dumpling, pork, and soup. String beans were also amazing! The pan fried pork buns were delicious, similar flavor to the XLB but with an interesting crispy texture on top. The ginger & scallion noodles were fine, would skip them next time. Service (5/5) Waited around 15 minutes for a table. Service was fast and attentive, you order via a QR code on your phone then pay with a standard check at the end. Not my favorite experience but it was quick and worked. Ambiance (4/5) The restaurant is medium sized and has a good amount of seating. It was on the louder side but the music was pleasant and vibes are good. You can see some of the cooks making the XLB depending on where you're seated. Will be coming back to have more dumplings, string beans, and try some other dishes. read more

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This place is a do not miss this place. The pan fried dumplings are the best! We never miss going here when we are in town

I've tried this restaurant in Walnut Creek and so excited that they now have one in Palo Alto ! I ordered through door dash. Pan fried pork buns -- no one else has anything like this. The bottom is so crispy and crunchy and the bun still has plenty of juice inside. So good! Dry sautéed string beans -- very fresh and tender. Seasoned beef pockets -- the sesame bun was light and flaky and the beef slices were very flavorful. Wontons in sesame and hot sauce -- this was my least favorite dish. The wonton skin was thick and meat was not tasty. The sauce was also bland . Overall a great place for dumplings. It would even be better if you eat it there. I didn't order xiao long bao because that's never good for take out. read more

Went here for dinner on a Sunday night and it was busy. It was close to closing time so there wasn't a wait. It is a nice location near a lot of other restaurants and stores. You can find parking around the streets or lots. Shredded Bean Curd Salad (4/5): This was nice and fresh. The bean curds were like noodles. The portion could've been better. Juicy Pan-Fried Pork Buns (5/5): These were definitely yummy. It seemed like everyone in the restaurant ordered them as well. Good pan-fried bottom with a bunch of soup inside. Dan Dan Sesame Paste Dry Noodle (4/5): The noodles were thicker than usual but still good! The sesame flavor was pleasant. It wasn't spicy though which I was expecting. It comes with ground pork in the sauce. Overall, I would definitely come back. It is a nice lunch or dinner spot. The menu has a good variety for everyone. The service was great too. I didn't expect them to mix the noodles for me but they did. read more

Dumpling Hours - Shredded Bean Curd Salad - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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The worst shumai I've ever had- comparable to gas station food! Gave me awful GI issues.

This place is very busy which must mean it's good! Came Sun morning before noon got last open table before u need to wait. The patio seating isnt bad with a heat lamp. I mostly go to dumpling time and Din Tai Fung for dumplings and enjoy the flavor which is almost the same there for the Xiao Long Bao. Here, i must say the flavor is completely different though not in a bad way. The steamed Xiao long bao has very thin so u need to be careful when picking up. But it is fairly large and has lots of soup. The pan fried ones taste the same but a crispy outside also with alot of soup! The dan dan noodles are also very different tasting, still pretty good though the temperature was a bit cold, and the cucumber garlic salad is VERY lightly seasoned tastes very naked but fresh. It's just such a difference from the other places i might say i like the other places better but the food here was good and homey and would still recommend to try out. read more

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Saw that a new dumpling spot opened in Palo Alto so thought we would give it a try when we were in the area. We came here on a Saturday for lunch and waited for 30 mins or so. Ordering is easy - you just scan via their QR code. We ordered the pan fried dumplings, soybean paste noodles and braised beef noodles. I think most people order the pan fried dumplings and they keep making them because ours arrived within a few minutes of us placing our order. The pan fried dumplings were pretty standard, good but nothing to rave about. Maybe we shouldn't have over indexed on the noodles at a dumpling house, but I found both noodles dishes to be pretty bland. read more

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We heard this is a sister restaurant to dumpling time in sf that we frequently go to. We decided to test this out since this is a lot closer with us being in the Southbay. We came for the spicy XLB which is their number one most popular thing. We could eat this all day every day!. It had such good flavor and the right amount of spiciness that it really didn't need anything extra on it. The skin was thin but it held up when being picked up and was filled with lots of soup. We also got the pan fried juicy baos which was pretty good and had good flavor and crispiness to it. We also got the Dan Dan noodles which I thought was just all right I needed more minced meat in it, but had a good nutty flavor. read more

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A solid spot for soup dumplings, though the price point is on the higher side. We ordered the pork XLB, crab XLB, stir-fried garlic string beans, and scallion pancakes. The soup dumplings were juicy, flavorful, with soft but sturdy skin that didn't break easily. The garlic string beans were also well-prepared, with good seasoning and a nice crunch. The scallion pancakes were decent but not particularly memorable. Would come back more often if it wasn't so pricey, but it's to be expected given the location. read more

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Good pork wonton (4/5). You can definitely taste the peanut butter. Wish there was a little more chili oil but there was a slight kick to the wontons. Pork had a nice subtle flavor to it. Chicken wings (3.5/5): although they were very crispy, the batter was too thick. The sauce was also too sweet for my liking. I would have wanted more soy and garlic taste. They almost tasted like orange chicken from Panda Express without the orange. read more

Dumpling Hours - Dry Fried Chicken Wings - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Service was very attentive and helpful. The hour of opening to 6 is usually the best bet for no wait after it gets packed for dinner. Order the garlic green beans read more

Dumpling Hours - Pan fried XLB - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

My fiance and I came here because we had to wait a while for my appointment at Stanford. We had no issues finding parking considering it was a Saturday. We were checking in at the kiosk when a server greeted us and told us there was an open spot inside where it was warm. The staff were very friendly and the restaurant felt very inviting and had good vibes. We ordered the pork dumplings, their wings and noodles. The noodles are a very good portion for two so that was a plus. The wings are so crispy and flavorful yet tender inside. The dumplings were exceptional. Prices were fair as well. Overall I'd really recommend this place! read more

Dumpling Hours - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

We tried a few things and everything was so good. The green beans were perfect. The beef noodle soup was great. Service was pretty fast. We arrived just in time before the lunch hour rush around 11:40. Soon after every table was busy. Definitely recommend it. read more

Service is pretty fast. Went here on a Saturday night and waited about 10 minutes. Ordered the cucumber salad (9/10-could add some spice), truffle pork xlb (10/10), shrimp and luffa xlb (4/10-more luffa than shrimp), pan fried buns(10/10), okra (1/10), string beans (10/10). It's bright and a little messy inside, typical of an Asian fast food restaurant read more

Palo Alto really needs more legit Asian restaurants. Dumpling Hours is a Palo Alto 5, maybe outside of the area would be more a 4. But I've gone twice and both times, it's been consistently good. The shen jian bao (pan fried pork buns) have just the right thickness of dough, crispy bottom, and juicy pork filling. I have similar praise for the xiao long bao- flavorful bursts of soupy and juicy filling, and the skin is not too thick. We also tried their green onion pancake, beef pockets and zha jia mien (black bean noodles) and all were good. However, I agree that the forte of this restaurant is the dumplings and shen jian bao. Service was also extremely quick and friendly. You can order from a QR code menu or the tradition way lol. This place fills a void for me in this area. read more

Great location and welcoming staff. I ordered food to go at the counter and waited for about 15mins for my vegetable dumplings and ginger scallion noodles. The staff were very friendly and offered me water and a chair while I waited. The decor is modern and stylish. The dumplings had a lot of flavor and the noodles were delicious with a good chew. I'll be returning to try other things in the menu. There's plenty of on street parking nearby. read more

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I've been really excited to try Dumpling Hours for a while now, and finally had some extra time to stop in for lunch today. This restaurant is very cute and comfortable, and there was a lot of seating open around 11:30 am. By noon, it had almost filled up completely. You order through a QR code on the table, and food came out really quickly. The servers were still attentive despite the QR code system and it being peak lunch hour. I ordered the XLB Pork dumpling and the green beans with garlic. Both were great, but not the best I've ever had. There are a few places in SF that I feel have better XLB, but for Palo Alto this is definitely the best I've found. There are a few others things I really want to try that I wasn't able to get today, so I'm excited to come back and try more soon! read more

Dumpling Hours - Green String Beans Sauted with Garlic Sauce - Dim Sum Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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I was on my way to Salt and Straw and saw a sign for dumplings! I made a little detours and found this cute restaurant! It was packed and had a line out of the door...as people waited to be seated I asked if I could order to go... I ordered their shrimp and pork soup dumplings. When I received my order I thought the bag was a little light for 6 dumplings for $15... the idea was to eat 1 and save the rest for when I got home...I ate all of them on my drive home... they were super flavorful and I couldn't stop eating them! Though a bit pricey the ingredients were fresh and hot. read more