I've been coming to Dumpling Inn when they were at their tiny previous location. Mostly solid menu with the dumplings being standout. We like the Scallion Lamb and dumplings in spicy broth. Jelly fish salad is a fun try if you've never had it read more

Def the best Chinese spot I've had in San Diego! The xiao long baos are souperb. Ha. Get it. Just the right amount of wrap, soup, and filling. Definitely get multiple orders cause they'll get eaten up quick! The other dishes we tried (orange chicken and fried rice) were also super yum, would definitely order those again. I just wish they had more dipping sauce options. The inside has cute decor and it's always super bustling inside but the service is great and everything comes out fast. read more

Zha Jiang Mien is not on the menu, but it's in their computer. Ask for Meat Sauce Lo Mein. Fantastic. read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

The name says it all! Dumplings didn't disappoint! Parking can be challenging but goes with any place in the area. Service was fast and friendly, Decent size portions. read more

All the stars for the food! The Xiao Long Bao filling and soup had the deepest and richest flavor. So delicious! Beef Noodle Soup had umami and the tender slow cooked beef was very tasty. Again, all the stars for the food. Service just needed a smile and to sleep some care and appreciation for the customer. Host and hostess were very kind. Servers just needed to take some customer service tips from them. Lastly though, unfortunately, is the cleanliness. Even if a restaurant is frequented by many, there has to be a daily cleaning especially in the areas where people dine (see photo). Is really off putting if your mind starts to wonder what the back of house looks like. The restaurant space should be a shining and clean example of the pride of the restaurant owner and staff. Hope that these things are noted, because the food is really, really good! read more

See all

The Dumpling inn has great authentic Chinese food and dumplings made to order. The XLB soup dumplings are popular and very tasty. We especially liked the perfectly cooked orange chicken and chow menu. The restaurant interior is very open, with wide spaces and lots of seating. The bar area is also great for small parties to sit and grab a cocktail or drink. Service was fast and efficient. They took our orders quickly, refilled drinks and food came out one by one as dumplings were cooked with perfection. They have a small selection of good dumplings so don't expect a large dim sum bar selection but what they have is very good. read more

Dumpling Inn - Chicken dumpling - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

They have a great selection of dumplings as their name implies, but the also have a good variety of Cantonese entrees. Parking can be problematic at peak times, but their is a convenient pay parking structure read more

My friends and I were in the mood for dumplings so we tried this restaurant for the fist time. It's huge! There's a bar serving all kinds of drinks, which was not something we expected in a dumpling inn! Before I get to the food, I have to say the parking situation was a nightmare! The parking lot was congested and you almost have to pay to park in the parking structure or park along the street a few blocks away. There were limited parking spaces in the parking lot, but it was only free for the first two hours. I wasn't so lucky and had to park a few blocks away (because I refused to pay for parking!). So about the food....they weren't bad, but they weren't amazing either. My friends and I ordered the following: Wor Wonton Soup Pork Soup Dumplings Pork Dumplings Shrimp Chow Mein Shrimp and Veggies Beef and Scallions The broth for the Wor Wonton Soup was perfectly seasoned. The wontons were good and plump. This was my favorite out of all the dishes we ordered. I found the dumplings to all be on the dry side and the skin were a bit too thick and doughy. The noodles and stir fried dishes were good. Overall I'd say my experience was a 3.5, but I rounded it up to a 4 here since we can't award half points. Our waiter was very pleasant and we enjoyed our dining experience. We polished off all of the food! read more

See all

for a bit of background, i'm from the 626 area (Rowland Heights - aka Asian central) and i tried this place without reading any reviews. i cannot express enough how disappointed i am with the food here. the Hong Kong style pan fried noodles (usually one of my favorite all time dishes) here is absolutely bland flavor-wise, overcooked to the point where it's almost like a cracker, and has no balance with the fried noodle to gravy noodle ratio (predominantly just overcooked fried noodle). the soup dumplings were nothing memorable either. i was hungry having starved most of the day but i didn't even want to eat much because everything just tasted so dry and uninteresting. don't come here if you enjoy authentic chinese food or anything with flavor. good service and nice ambiance for larger groups, but not going to ever come back for sure. read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

First time at the Dumpling Inn, and absolutely will not be the last! Service was on point, and very friendly! We had a mai tai each, and although us San Diegans are spoiled with Bali Hai, this was a pretty tasty runner up! We had the War Wonton soup, Chinese sausage fried rice, and soup dumplings. All of them I would highly recommended and would get again. I definitely saw some dishes on other people's tables that I want to get next time, so we'll be making our return soon! read more

See all

We first found this place during Covid trying to find restaurants that served food outside and at the time, it was one of the few high-quality Chinese food, restaurants that would accommodate. After we went one time, we were hooked. This place has an awesome bar with great drinks, amazing dumplings, obviously, and everything you order is so fresh and amazing. We always get the house made noodles and at least three or four orders of dumplings in all different flavors. The service is awesome and you will definitely leave with a full stomach. Maybe even too full of a stomach to be honest. Definitely give it a shot if you are in the area. No need to feel like you are being adventurous because everything is straightforward. Awesome Chinese food. read more

I sweaaaar by this orange chicken!!! My absolute fave spot - idk what secret is in that sauce but we always come for their orange chicken. We also got soup dumplings and chow mein (forgot to take a photo of it). I have been supporting them since covid as I was trying to support more local businesses and its always been a top favorite. The workers are all so sweet and friendly. Be ready to wait a bit depending on when you come because they do get busy, but now you know why! Its a 10/10 for me read more

See all

Service- We stopped by for lunch on Friday and there was no wait for a party of 2. The server was really sweet and let us know right away that if we'd like to order dumplings, to let her know before ordering our other food, because the dumplings take longer. The server was really professional and stopped by our table and the tables nearby quite a few times to check on everyone. Food- We ordered the shrimp, chicken & chive dumplings (boiled) first. This one was not very good, the dumpling exterior was a bit thick and tough and the filling wasn't very flavorful... even when combined with a soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, and sesame oil mixture from what was available at each table. The beef curry dumplings arrived next. The flavor on this one was nice but there was little filling. The honey walnut shrimp coating was very mayonnaise heavy, too much for me... but the shrimp was nice and crispy. The spicy eggplant with pork was flavored really nicely but the pieces of eggplant were cut so thick that they became very stringy when eating them. The lamb with greens was our favorite- the meat was tender and the greens complimented the meat well. We asked for hot tea as well- not that they only have jasmine tea here. Ambiance- The ambiance here was pretty calm, with lots of business lunches going on inside. They have a bar here as well but it wasn't rowdy on a mid-day Friday. Pricing- Our total bill was about $34.50 per person. Fair prices! read more

See all

This experience was unlike last. Wish they had crunchy noodles to put in soup & dip in sweet & sour sauce ALL Chinese restaurants provide them. The wor wonton soup lacked flavor there was no bbq pork in it. read more

Came here around 5:30pm on Sunday. We put our name and party number down and got seated around 6pm for 12-14 people. Dumpling Inn was buzzing with people--lots of group and family style dining. It's quite loud in here, everyone is talking loudly/yelling to get their conversation across. I guess you'd say it's quite lively here! Something to note: The plates on the menu aren't individual style, but more family/sharing type. They have QR codes on each table for you to view the menu. They also had physical copies although you just have to ask them for it. Some people might not know, but the cylinder tube with the green and red tape on the table is a signifier item for the waitstaff to know if you're still eating or you want them to clear the table(you're finished eating). In addition, on the table they have soy sauce and white vinegar. I thought the white vinegar was a cheap route because usually Chinese places would have black vinegar to pair with the dumplings and such. Our table ordered: - Honey Glazed Shrimp: this had a crispy coating, succulent and plump shrimp, and the glaze wasn't overly sweet. I like the little bit of spice in it! In addition, the finely shredded bed of cabbage it sat upon tasted delicious with the sauce. I highly recommend at least 2 plates of these! - Green Bean Fish with Black Bean Sauce: the fish was light and well cooked. The black bean sauce didn't feel heavy in any way and it paired nicely with the green beans. I enjoyed the crunch of the green beans and how it kept its vibrant green color. I like pairing this with white rice. - Salt & Pepper Calamari: the batter for this was a taddd thick and it didn't hold onto the salt and pepper seasoning that well. I think this would taste good with the extra sauce from the plate of honey glazed shrimp. - Filet Mignon Black Pepper Steak: this steak was so soft-- I think they velveted it quite a lot. It had more of a sweet n sour type sauce on it compared to black pepper. Not really what I was expecting and the slices of bell pepper were big and long. Personally wouldn't get it again. - XLB (Xia Long Bao): it is a pork dumpling with cabbage, green onion, and broth. The wrapping was nice and thin at the base. Sometimes they stuck to the liner in the steamer. There wasn't a whole lot of broth in the dumpling. The filling of this, wasn't my preferred. It tasted a bit too compacted and the flavor wasn't there. I'd skip this next time, but others might like it. - Wonton Soup: This had pork wonton, cabbage, snow peas, etc in it. The flavor was very lacking, but maybe it's a soup where the pork wonton holds the flavor. If you think about it, this is a nice change from the fried and spicy dishes. I liked the cabbage and the snow peas. - Spicy Pork with Eggplant in Garlic Sauce: This had great flavor. I couldn't describe it but it was delicious. Sadly it wasn't spicy and I didn't taste any garlic. The eggplant and pork were wonderfully cooked. (This is coming from someone who doesn't enjoy eggplant). I could be wrong, but it looked like there were also bamboo shoots in it. This dish pairs well with white rice. - Deluxe Fried Rice: solid plate of fried rice. Very enjoyable for everyone! - Beef Chow Mein: The noodles were well coated in the sauce and seasonings. They had great flavor and everything tasted delicious. This plate was so big, we had to bring it home! - To drink, I ordered the "Dragon's Eye" cocktail. This contains: Lychee Martini, Lychee syrup, vodka, and fresh lemon. It also included one lychee in the middle of the glass. The glass was beautiful and sophisticated. I liked the color of the drink, it was a light pink. Compared to the pictures from previous times where it was the color of clorox (vibrant blue), this color is more suitable for it. Strong vodka amount but you can still taste the lychee! The service was great! They brought the food out all at once. Make sure you make room on the table for everything. Overall, this was a great choice for family dinner! We ordered a few more things than what was mentioned, the total came around $300 something. Next time, I would try the broccoli beef and maybe mapo tofu as well. read more

Dumpling Inn - Spicy Eggplant w/Garlic Sauce & Dragons Eye (Lychee Martini) in the back - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

This place was fantastic! Dumplings were so fresh, house made noodles were so yummy, wor wonton soup was fire! I highly recommend! read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing food. Incredible to see what it is now considering its previous location. Great food and good service. Spicy wontons and Kung Pao chicken are incredible. read more

I got the beef broccoli and xia long bao to share with my boyfriend and the food has pretty much zero flavor. The xio long bao tasted like trader joe's frozen food and the beef broccoli tasted like it's been sitting out for days. The service was alright she didn't check on us much however it does look nice inside. read more

There was plenty of seating when we walked in and we were seated right away. The place was well decorated with lots of things to look at. I believe the Shanghai Saloon is the bar and the Dumpling Inn is the restaurant, though I'm not entirely sure. I noticed they did have separate pages on Yelp though. We ordered the xiao long bao, jellyfish, fish and chive dumplings, deluxe chowmein, and the fried pork potstickers. Everything came extremely fast, if I remember correctly around 5 minutes or under. I think they might already have food cooked and waiting to be ordered as some dishes could be warmer. We did, however come in during lunch rush so that's understandable. Everything was pretty good, nothing really wowed me. My favorite was probably the fried pork potstickers, though the xiao long baos were also delicious. The jellyfish I think could use more vinegar. It's a nice place to sit down and have a quick lunch like we did. The service was great, attentive but not hovering. Overall, we had a good experience. read more

See all

To be honest, I don't understand the hype and maybe I didn't order correctly. I saw this place on an Eater list of places to try on Convoy, and decided to check it out. I got here around 4:30 on a Sunday and there was already a long line waiting for a table, so I figured it must be good. We were seated fairly quickly despite the long line and found that the inside was much larger than we expected it to be based on the appearance of the outside. We ordered the XLB, potstickers and pork and chive dumplings (just a light meal). The potstickers were fried really well and were really large, but they lacked flavor, so condiments are a must. The XLB were the same - the soup was hot but it wasn't well-seasoned and relied on condiments to save it. The best of the three were the pork and chive dumplings which were juicy, flavorful and really large. It ended up being too many dumplings for the "light" meal we expected since the dumplings were all larger than expected, so we ended up taking some leftovers home. There is a paid parking garage behind the restaurant if you continue past the small chaotic lot up front. Makes it a lot easier to find parking! I doubt I'll be coming back here but I will say that it was super busy the entire time we were there, with a constant line, despite how quickly people were able to be seated, eat and leave, so they're doing something right! read more

Dumpling Inn - Potstickers, XLB, pork and chive dumplings - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

This place never disappoints. Today I happened to be solo so I sat at the bar. Matt the bartender was great! He had some great food recommendations! I ordered the pork and chive dumplings, per his recommendation I got them pan fried with this cilantro, jalapeño hot oil not on the menu. The insider recommendations were clutch! He did not disappoint. Then I ordered the peppered steak, they use filet mignon in the dish and the meat was just so tender so much flavor absolutely delicious! Thank you Matt for the great service and great food suggestions! I definitely have to come back. I'd like to try the duck next read more

See all

Great ambiance and good service. The food was so good that I almost forgot to snap pics before it was gone. Parking and getting a table can be a challenge so make sure you leave time and have patience. It's well worth the wait and experience. read more

See all

I really like it here their XLB is good but I also like their garlic green beans, thicccck homemade noodles, their honey shrimp (bomb), their soups Yummy in my tummy read more

The soup dumpling are definitely yummy and they are very generous with the size which I like. The only thing is that sometimes the waiters take a long time to get back to you. I personally don't like that sometimes the dumplings can be a bit doughy. read more

When the group suggested this place to hangout and have dinner, I was really not very happy even when they assured of having veggie options because dumpling places have always decieved me. But this place was really an exception because they have a vegetarian/vegan menu on request which had so many good options to choose. But we were just 2 vegetarians in our group of 14 so we couldn't try everything :( I tried veggie dumplings - amazing with the dips provided, veggie egg rolls were super food with the plum sauce, orange tofu was a super hit even non vegans loved them, I tried a little bit of veg chowmein and it was decent, I did not like the veggie fried rice. The guy who served was very helpful and made sure my food didn't have any eggs as well in them.. This is a super good place for large groups to hangout. Recommend it read more

We had an excellent experience today at Dumpling inn. We came right after they opened and they were already really busy! We got king Pao, orange chicken and some dumplings-everything tasted great and was very fresh. The ambience is nothing like Chinese, with large beer barrels, but who cares lol. We will be back! read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

Not a fan... I was very surprised with the food and service quality based on large number of good reviews that completely did not match up with my experience. Met friend for the dinner, half way of me trying to sit down server asked for the order. We asked for a quick second to look over the menu. Within first 10 minutes server stopped by 3 times asking for order. Ok hit taken - I will take a fried rice. This was the most tasteless veggie fried rice in my life. No thank you, there are better places around. read more

1st timers and came for the soup dumplings. Arrived on a Wednesday about 4:10pm and we were lucky to find parking right away. If you frequent convoy for eateries you well know parking is a pain! We were greeted right away and seated. Menu is via phone only. Dumpling Inn is located in same lot as Kura Revolving Sushi. Parking can be horrific any time after 3:30pm no matter what day of the week! Large open venue with a full bar. Murals on all the walls are amazing! Great decor inside for your viewing pleasure. Venue can easily accommodate large parties! Customer service was average. Prices are reasonable for the portions they serve. We ordered the following: Beef curry fried dumplings - good Pork dumplings - BUST...pork meat was a bit too pink for me Soup dumplings - BUST...name soup dumplings is misleading as there was no broth in our soup dumplings AT ALL Lamb chow mein - I did not care for the taste of the lamb meat here Veggie chow mein - delish Sautéed green beans - good read more

Dinner rush... great service by Connie. Always checked in on us. Was a busy time and still provided genuine service. Connie showed great knowledge of the menu and offered great selections. The ambience was perfect. It did not have a restaurant feel. read more

Good was delicious. Honey nut shrimp is OMG Fast service and food is steamy hot- can't go wrong at Dumpling Inn read more

Dumpling Inn - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Came here for the first time and the food was delicious. Yvonne attended to us and gave us the best service. She recommended all of our meal and it was so good. Thank you dumpling inn, I will definitely be back!!! read more

The food quality for being on Convoy isn't great. There is definitely better - don't waste your time. The food came out faster than fast food, which is saying something. The chicken fried rice was incredibly bland. The orange chicken was terrible - honestly, Panda's is better. We did enjoy the dumplings, but that was it. read more

Great traditional food. They are quick and efficient and always seem to be able to accommodate, even if we show up with a group!

Its been awhile since my last visit here so this review is based upon my visit pre-Covid. I came here for Happy Hour with my friends and we got all the hot foods on the HH menu and they were all really good! I believe some of the drinks were on HH but they only had Jameson. Full bar would've been perfect as I'm a cognac girl. Parking definitely sucks here since it's your typical Convoy area with shared lots in plaza so be prepared to drive around a couple times unless you're lucky. read more

See all

The food here is amazing. I've come here twice the last two times we visited SD. Every single dish we've gotten is so good and flavorful. We came for the XLB (soup-filled dumplings), but also got the string beans, black pepper steak, and eggplant. The flavors are spot on and the portions are good. Our friends were impressed. Wow I'm hungry just thinking about my last meal here! We didn't dine in, but the place was buzzing each time we were here. Long waits for a table, but a good 25 minutes for our order. They provide measurements for their rice in terms of ice cream scoops. It was very confusing. They accept credit cards and have a lot that they share with the rest of the businesses in the plaza, but it's pretty packed, so you might have to wait for a spot. Try it out! It's delicious!! read more

Can you say good size portions? That's what we got when we ordered for four . We just grabbed and passed the plates along . The diced cashew chicken was so good . Had dumplings with the delicious hot sauce and vinegar and a side of rice Decided to grab a drink from the bar , something light with ginger beer ( mule in a china shop) The service was super fast and they brought plates out in a flash . They kept checking on our table to see if we needed anything . We will be going back for more . Make sure you check times before making a visit . Hours vary read more

See all

Was visting with family and we all wanted to try some dumplings in the area. We were all curious about this spot, and decided to make a visit! And we were sure glad we did, because it was a place you would not think would have pretty good Chinese grub. Read on! :) Walking into Dumpling Inn, you will notice the darker and bar-like decor, as they do have a huge bar area. The decor reminded me of being at a lounge, with some cool backdrop artwork, and the staff was in their work attire. Our service was really top-notch, and my family was telling me they were really satsified with their attention to detail and service. Their menu has basically every kind of Chinese entree you enjoy. They have rice plates, noodles, and of course, tons of dumpling options. We got the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), Chive Dumplings, and a Chow Mein entree. They all had a very authentic flavor and just overall tasty with every bite! In all, a worth spot to visit. Really unexpectedly good! For parking, there's some free parking if you come here early enough, otherwise, you will have to do paid parking in the parking structure. read more

I actually didn't know this place even existed to be honest. I came to this area to eat at Kura Sushi but the wait was 2.5 hours on a Friday evening but I already paid for parking for only 3 hours so was trying to find a different place to eat at and found this place. The wait was only 20 minutes long so it wasn't too bad compared to 2.5 hours. Once I got in, they took the order pretty fast and the food didn't seem to take too long to come either. Our Xiao Long Bao came first and I was quite impressed with the soup and the taste of it. I was a little confused why they had ginger on one dumpling and not on others or on a separate small plate. But it's still pretty good if you're craving some soup dumpling! Also got Kung Pao Diced Chicken and Chinese Pork Sausage Fried Rice and they were actually good together as a combo but the Kung Pao Chicken did seem a bit salty in my opinion so I'm probably not going to order that one again. Overall, I would like to try coming back here again and trying out other options but definitely not coming on a Friday evening when the parking lot is almost full (for the free ones) and when it's definitely less crowded. read more

See all

I had been hearing really great things about Dumpling Inn. Growing up I would enjoy dim sum with my family every Sunday. After moving away to San Diego, I missed that tradition and am now happy to add on those memories with my SO here at Dumpling Inn. We were welcomed by the staff and seated shortly. They do get busy, so please be mindful of wait times and service. Our server was flying around the restaurant, catering to so many different tables, but she did amazing. We ordered the Xia Long Bao (soup dumplings) which are pork dumplings filled with hot broth, napa cabbage, and green onion. These were delicious. The wrapper held up well and had a really great texture. The soup and pork filling were to die for. It tasted so good with the soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil. We also got the Orange Chicken. It was a more red color with a lot of seasoning chili flakes. The portion size was nice and big. The chicken pieces were large, crunchy, and sticky from the glaze sauce. This is not your panda express chicken! It was very tasty. We also ordered the Beef Chow Mein with Home Made Noodles. This was really good too! The veggies were cooked to perfection. The portion size was great, and they were generous with the beef. The noodles were wide and had the perfect amount of chew. I didn't get to try their amazing cocktail list but will be back to tackle that tipsy feat. Overall, we had a really great experience. The food was delicious and the staff were quicky and kind. I will definitely be returning soon. Thank you Dumpling Inn. read more

See all

The quality of soup dumplings is not close to how it should be. When I first walked into this restaurant, I had a feeling that it was going to be Americanized-Chinese food based on the decorations and ambience. It's very busy at this place, so with a group of 4, we did have to wait. I was looking forward to the soup dumplings, and they were disappointing. Small buns, barely soup, not much flavor in the soup of meat, and the skin was thick. It didn't taste close to the soup dumplings I've had before. The service of the place is great. All employees are super friendly. The restaurant has a high-top bar inside (which you'll never really see in a Chinese restaurant), and there were lots of TVs. This place has a lot of seating and large tables, so it's good to large groups. Overall, if you're looking for quality soup dumpling, I recommend looking elsewhere. read more