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    Dumpling Specialist

    4.3 (331 reviews)

    Order Dumpling Specialist Takeout or Delivery

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    DUMPLING SPECIALIST ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Reviews With Photos - Dumpling Specialist

    Steamed Pork and Cabbage Dumplings (5 pcs) ~ $6.95
    Jean S.

    Dumpling Specialist is a very small hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant in Taraval. There's usually a wait when I've come here and their hours and very limited, especially on the weekend. I came on a Saturday and had about a 15 minute wait for a party of 2 before we were seated and brought hot tea. The food was mixed for me...I liked some dishes, but didn't care for some also. We ordered the cucumber salad, savory soy milk, sticky rice roll, steamed pork cabbage dumplings, Shanghai dumplings, and wonton in chili oil. The cucumber salad didn't have a lot of flavor. At least all the cucumbers on the top didn't. The ones that were soaking in the bottom were better, but the flavor still could have been stronger. The savory soy milk was just okay. I liked how it came with pieces of the fried Chinese donut (you tiao) and pickled veggies (zha cai), but the flavor of the savory soy milk didn't compare to some of the best I've had. The wonton in chili oil was just okay as well. It wasn't bad, but didn't stand out either. The Shanghai dumplings were good in flavor, but lacked a bit in presentation. The steamed pork cabbage dumplings were good. The sticky rice roll was pretty good. The staff was nice and good with service. There is a 3% fee if you pay by credit card. No extra fee if you pay cash. They also take Venmo, no fees. Also, they didn't charge for hot tea. The portions are small, but the prices are not high. Overall, this is a good Chinese restaurant. It's best if you don't come with a large party.

    Menu pt 2
    Samantha L.

    Small place but good food. They do predominately takeout orders. Ordered 5 dishes for $50, enough for 2 people. Dishes (ranked from best): 1) Pork and cabbage potstickers 2) Sticky rice roll: unique Taiwanese dish that is hard to find. It's good but not too special 3) Walnut shrimp: standard 4) Shanghai Dumplings: good but need to ask them for sliced ginger 5) Dry-Fried Chicken Wings: would skip because it tasted like Kung pow chicken (not crispy) Logistics: -limited street parking -accepts card and cash (cheaper if you pay in cash) -can order takeout

    Menu 1/5/25
    Vans C.

    Good food! Came right when they opened on a Sunday and there was no wait, phew! By the time we finished there was a crowd forming outside the small restaurant. Hot and sour soup ($11.50) - Really good, they were able to make it vegetarian for my friend. Sticky rice roll ($5.25) - So nostalgic! Is it just me or is it hard to find a place that serves this? Five spice beef stew noodle soup ($11.00) - Beef was tender but tasted like two spice noodle soup. A bit bland for me. Shanghai dumplings ($6.95 for 5 pieces) - Not bad. Got some juice. Vegetarian dumpling ($6.95 for 5 pieces) - Decent.

    Dry Dry-fried Chicken Wings (干烹雞翼)

    First, service was very slow as owners have changed. We waited a long time to receive the menu to order and even saw other tables have to go grab their own menu. The food took a long time, despite being the first of all tables to order. The food, especially what would have been considered appetizers were served last and much later than the rest of the order. I usually visit to grab their sticky rice roll and peanut noodles and unfortunately were let down. We received our peanut noodles and to second another review here, it has changed. The sauce is different, barely any sauce and the noodles are just tossed in what seems like soy sauce and some "peanuts" which the staff pointed out made it peanut noodles. Usually the sauce is creamy and more than JUST peanuts as a decoration that makes it peanut noodles. The dry fried chicken wings were overly sweet, completely different in a bad way to the popular San Tung wings, almost like the wings were dipped in honey. The sticky rice roll was alright, the Chinese donut was overly hard. Overall, I would not visit again as everything is different-- the staff, service, food.

    hot and sour soup
    Kendra H.

    Knocking off all the places on Taraval St. This place has 6-7 tables inside and when we went at 6pm on a Monday, it was empty (for obvious reasons), but I've seen this place packed before on weekends when walking by! Pretty solid Chinese food! The Shanghai noodles were my favorite because they were super wok hei, same with the Mongolian beef!! The pork/cabbage dumplings and pan fried buns were flavorful and delicious as well! I could pass on the sticky rice roll and the hot and sour soup though. I wished the soup was more sour and spicy lol. It didn't quite hit the spot but at least it came out piping hot!

    Fantuan sticky rice roll
    Erica W K.

    Love the pan fried pork buns here! We went on a weekend night and the restaurant was quite empty so we didn't have to wait at all! The food was a solid four stars. We got the fan tuan (sticky rice wrap with fermented vegetables and pork floss), dumplings, Shanghai style chow mein, and pan fried pork buns. The highlight for me was the pork buns. The bun is soaked in umami soup. The pork is sooo tender. I wasn't a big fan of the fan tuan as it felt kinda plain and was more of sticky rice than fillings. I would go again for the pan fried pork buns!

    Dining area (kitchen is behind the curtain)
    Annie W.

    First time at Dumpling Specialist and probably not the last! We had an order of Shanghai dumplings, some chicken and corn soup, dry fried chicken wings, beef with bok choy over rice, potstickers, and the pork and cabbage dumplings for 3 adults and a 4 year old. We all really liked the chicken and corn soup, especially the toddler. The dumplings were pretty good as was everything else, but I wouldn't say the best I've ever had. The broccoli was cooked perfectly, though, beautifully green and still crunchy. The wings were definitely not as good as another establishment I frequent, but very palatable nonetheless. Prices were good, but the portions are also on the smaller side; the upside would be that you can try a couple of different items for the price of what you have to pay for one item somewhere else. I would definitely return!

    Love the sticky rice rolls here! $4 each. Plus sweet soy milk $2.50. I wish it came in a cup but I get the container is more spill proof.
    Kathleen S.

    There aren't a ton of places that we keep coming back to in the city but Dumpling Specialist is one of them.  We specifically come for the fan tuan or sticky rice rolls! It's the perfect thing to pick up and enjoy on the go with some piping hot sweet soy milk which they also sell here. The rice is perfectly QQ, the chinese donut inside extremely crunchy, and the sweetness of the pork floss harmonizes so nicely with the pickled veg inside. Don't change a thing! I have not found another place that sells fan tuan in the city so if you know of a place let me know. I've had fancier versions in LA and in the South bay which were also great but seems to be a dearth of places that sell the sticky rice rolls in SF so we keep coming back here and not mad about it.  The other thing we enjoy here is the bean curd salad. Highly recommend getting this! The bean curd noodle texture is chef's kiss and pairs beautifully in the sauce with the bites from the cucumber. So good! I could eat a giant bowl of this.  Shanghai dumplings are also a fav. They're solid and the price is right.  Unfortunately I haven't tried a whole lot from their menu since we stick to the fan tuans here and they're pretty filling with the rice.  Service always fast and efficient. Pro tip: Order online before and take the food to the park right across the street called McCoppin Square. They have several picnic tables you can enjoy your meal at as well as a few benches to sit on. Parking can be a bit tough to find in the area though.

    Pork and Preserved Vegetable Stir-Fried Rice Cakes
    Sherry L.

    Small shop and popular, which means a wait for dinner at around 6pm onwards. The turnover isn't that quick so prepared to wait a bit. We got the savory soy milk (comes with youtaio and zhacai), wontons in chili oil (sesame sauce base), shengjianbao, dry fried string beans, and pork and preserved vegetable rice cakes. Everything was pretty good but the portions are on the smaller side, which is made up with their lower prices per dish.

    Good food with reasonable price in sunset district.

    New opened restaurant in sunset district to serve dumpling and fresh soy milk. Reasonable price for lunch special. Must come to try.

    Seafood Stir-Fried Rice Cakes

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    Dumpling Specialist Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Dumpling Specialist

    What vegetarian dumplings do they offer?

    They have steamed vegetarian dumplings and vegetarian pot stickers. 5 pieces per order.

    Is it vegetarian friendly?

    They also have a vegetarian noodle soup.

    The beef stew noodle soup description shows peanuts in parentheses. does that mean they sprinkle crushed peanuts on top or is it a blended in ingredient? thank you!

    I do not recall seeing crushed peanut. To the best of my knowledge, peanuts might have been mixed with other ingredients.

    View All 7 Questions

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    Dumpling Kitchen

    4.1
    (2.3k reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$
    Curbside pickup during COVID-19
    Grab-and-go

    I've been coming here regularly for the past 4-5 years, so this review is long overdue!…read more This spot is one of my go-to's, I bring my family and friends here especially if they're new to the city. Food is always fresh, hot, flavorful & delicious! My favorite dishes are the black truffle fried rice, salted egg pumpkin & shrimp, and pork & napa cabbage dumplings. My mom loves their sliced beef & pig ear in chili oil. Cold soy milk is super refreshing on a hot day. The workers are always so nice. Sometimes we'll see the owner & chit chat with him. Parking can be relatively easy outside of lunch and dinner peak time.

    If you're coming here on a holiday, or maybe even just a busy weekend, snag a reservation on yelp!…read moreI grabbed a reservation on Father's Day day of for 6pm and got seated right away despite a long waitlist. I'm glad we came with a large group because we were able to order a lot and try a bunch of items. We ordered a bunch of dim sum, and got chow mein, chow fun and fried rice. The standout for us was the sticky rice roll! I've been wanting to try it out for a while and was extremely happy to see they had it here. I also really enjoyed the pan friend dumpling, it was extremely flavorful and juicy! As far as the other food, everything was decent, good at best. Pretty standard in terms of dim sum, with nothing that really wow'd us. The service here was great! Despite it being a full house with constant to-go orders, we were able to order quickly and got our food really fast as well. Everything came out fresh and piping hot which I really appreciated. Enjoyed my experience here, but not particularly eager to go back right away. Definitely worth a try if you're craving dimsum in the area!

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    Bund Shanghai

    Bund Shanghai

    3.8
    (678 reviews)
    5.4 mi
    $$

    Normally, I would write this in the "Tips" section but it's no longer available…read more I am sad to share that this restaurant will close on 6/15/25, final day of service. The owners, the Shen family, are retiring. When they opened in 2008, replacing two popular Chinese western food restaurants, they were a refreshing addition to the mainly Cantonese cuisine Chinatown community. There was only a small Shanghai literal hole in the wall spot across the street that closed many years ago. The mom did the cooking while the daughter ran the front of the house, literally producing home style Shanghainese cuisine. They have regular normal northern cuisine favorites like hot & sour soup and mapo tofu, small bites like XLB (soup dumplings), green onion pancakes, and Sheng jian bao (pan fried dumplings). I often had family style dinners here enjoying Shanghai staples like Lion's head meatballs, Shanghai stir fried shrimp (use that blank vinegar), braised pork shank, and stir-fried eel. Never had the pleasure in trying their Dong Po pork. Get their steamed rice with bacon and vegetable to accompany those saucy dishes. With their departure, I do not know of any authentic Shanghai restaurants in San Francisco... clue me in if you think of one. The closest that comes to mind now is in San Mateo off the top of my head. Thank you, Bund Shanghai and Shen Family for providing my family, my coworkers, and me many meals over the years. You will be sorely missed but enjoy your retirement.

    An institution is going away! If you're reading this then I want you to know that the last day of…read moreoperation is June 15, 2025. The chef is retiring, so wish them a congrats and farewell if you're stopping by soon. I can definitely taste the authenticity behind the dishes. While I thought the crab sauce tofu was a bit too sweet and the rice cakes too salty, there wasn't a single bad dish. It's hard to find Shanghainese food in DTSF and I'm sad to see this one go. If you find yourself here, do order the stir-fried eel, XLB, pickle and ham steamed rice, and the Sheng Jian Bao. Overall, it was worth a visit and hope the area gets more Shanghai cuisine in the near future.

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    Nanking duck
    Nanking duck
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    Nian gao
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    Shanghai Dumpling King

    Shanghai Dumpling King

    4.4
    (174 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    Shanghai Dumpling King looks completely unassuming from the outside, but inside they are cranking…read moreout some seriously delicious food. The staff were friendly and super prompt about clearing empty plates and refilling our tea whenever we signaled it was done, which is always great as the dishes just get on coming! We ordered a bunch of dishes to share, and several really stood out. The spicy tendon was fantastic, shredded paper thin and swimming in a classic spicy sauce. The spicy lamb dumplings were another highlight, with an incredibly thin wrapper and a super flavorful and not gamey at all lamb filling. I also loved the stir fried rice cakes, which were sliced thin enough to avoid that overly chewy texture, and the stir fried noodles Shanghai style were classic and simple in the best way, with big chunks of cabbage and meat and just executed really (the chefs clearly have some serious wok skills!). Not everything we ordered was an absolute knockout as the vegetable dishes could use a bit more flavor and seasoning, but everything overall was good, and the portions across the board were very generous. The desserts were a last-minute decision and I am so glad we went for them. The lava custard buns were fluffy and amazing, with a molten salted egg custard inside, and the sesame balls had a satisfyingly crispy exterior that gave way to a perfectly chewy interior and sweet red bean filling. The value here is also excellent. We left absolutely stuffed and spent around $30 per person, which felt like a great deal for how much food we got and how much we enjoyed it. Highly recommend!

    Flat out, I didn't like my meal. Service was great. The place was nice and clean. But the food…read more . . no. Shanghai soup dumplings were leaden. That's it. Heavy. The combination egg foo young had very little detectable egg and I could find only scraps of shrimp and whatnot. Another big miss. But I'm an outlier and most people like this restaurant. I just use Yelp as a diary so I can remember what was good or not so good to me.

    Photos
    Pick up counter
    Pick up counter
    String beans
    String beans
    D2. / Spicy Wonton (8)

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    San Tung

    San Tung

    4.1
    (8.8k reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$

    ordered: wings, green beans, black bean noodles, bok choy, honey walnut shrimp, and shrimp fried…read morerice. highlights: literally everything. im not a big fried rice but they put something in it that had me spinning the lazy susan often to get another spoonful. The black bean noodles and wings are always a hit (hot and fresh). service: they were fast at first and then getting the bill took a bit but you just have to flag them down. misc: we came in around 2pm on sat with a group of 15 and got seated really fast! maybe it was luck haha. they also have two bathrooms in the back. parking can be tough but i don't usually have to walk more than 10-15 mins.

    Had to come here to try their famous dry fried chicken wings! We came on the Fourth of July (a…read moreSaturday) a little before noon and we were luckily seated in around 5 mins! It's not too big inside so seems like it's always crowded with a line. Pretty tight and loud inside but service was decent despite how busy they were. Most of the food came out quickly but the potstickers came out when we were almost finished. -Original dry fried chicken wings (4/5): Crispy and juicy! Coated with a rich and savory sauce that had a very slight kick. Tasty and flavorful but didn't blow me away -Shrimp fried rice (3/5): Big portion but a little too moist and needed more flavor and wok hei taste -Potstickers (3/5): Huge, juicy and crispy. Stuffed with pork and cabbage filling but was kinda bland so I needed lots of soy sauce

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Garlic string beans
    Garlic string beans
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    Dumpling Specialist - dimsum - Updated July 2026

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