This was hands down the best Chinese food I've had in a WHILE. It really doesn't get any more authentic than this. Highly highly recommend any of their Xiao Long Bao, although they are known for the classic Pork and Pork + Crab. The portions are super generous and every single dish is so delicious. If I'm not mistaken, this place used to be located somewhere else and was PACKED with hour+ lines all the time. Ever since COVID, they moved to this location and it seems to be less crowded. Definitely not complaining -- that just means faster and more delicious Chinese eats for me (and the other people who have discovered the relocation :)) read more

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With plenty of parking, you won't have trouble finding a spot. But you may have trouble finding a table. There are only about ten in the restaurant, and with food this good those seats fill up fast! Besides being on the smaller side, the restaurant is plainly decorated. Nothing stood out in the ambiance department, but it was clean and the servers were welcoming. Here was our order: - The cucumber with scallion. It's a cold refreshing dish with lots of flavor and a good crunch. It's served as a good appetizer and nice palate cleanser in between. - The cold noodles with sesame sauce were beautifully plated. The noodles were cooked to perfection. I think they slightly overdid it with the sauce, however. The peanut was a bit overpowering. - The pan fried pork buns were outstanding! They were packed with pork and the buns boasted good texture. - The pork soup dumplings were delicious. They were filled to the brim with soup and the dumplings were sturdy. There is lots more to explore on the menu, but these headliner dishes hit the spot. Stop in! read more

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WOW WOW WOW... looking for some authentic Shanghainese food? Then look no further!! Don't let the unassuming simple storefront fool you... definitely the best xiao long baos (soup pork dumplings) and some other delicious apps!! We are certainly coming back! read more

Lao Wu Authentic Shanghai Dumpling - Delicious Spicy beef tendon with a nice chew! Nice steaming hot and juicy Xiao long bao!! - Shanghainese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

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We stopped here as a family of 4 for dinner after going to an event in Edison. There was about a 15-20 minute wait for a table - this place is small & cozy but it was super busy when we got there. A lot of people order ahead for takeout. There is about 8-9 tables for sit down. We ordered fried dough and scallion pancakes for appetizers. We wanted to try a nice array of buns so we got Shanghai fried pork buns, crab meat/pork steam buns, veggie steam buns and golden lava buns - all delicious and flavorful. We got the kids the fried udon noodles with minced pork and vegetables. Very flavorful & the kids devoured it. It was a great experience & I understand the reviews that came out before this one - this place is a hidden gem! read more

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I wasn't sure if I should make this review or not. Only because this is a small place and a really nice kept secret. My husband and I got a variety of things. We started with the spicy pork u-don noodles. The spice level was really nice and the texture was fantastic. We got a few rounds of the pork soup dumplings. They were absolutely phenomenal. We tried the pan fried pork dumplings. The flavor was really nice. My only critique on them was that the dough was just a little too thick. We also had the egg yolk shumai. That was the first time I had them like that and they were flavorful. All in all, great food and the people were really nice. read more

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Delicious no frills pork dumplings! Efficient service, low price, and delicious food!

Fantastic Shanghainese food and great service, would definitely come again! We came here on a Thursday evening for dinner and the place was decently busy. It was relatively small space wise and that made it feel pretty homey/cozy with most tables being occupied. We were seated pretty quickly and placed our orders fast as well. They have a good selection of food and it was hard to pick everything we wanted, but sharing 5 dishes was enough for 3 of us. The XLB (soup dumplings) were really good - they didn't give us tongs which made it difficult to pick up, but the taste and sturdiness of the baos was pretty good where it wasn't a huge issue. The noodles were filling and well flavored, the scallion pancake was larger than I anticipated and tasted good as well, and then my favorite was the fried pork bun. They warned us it'd take 20 minutes to come out and it was worth the wait - huge and delicious! If I'm ever in the area with my parents, I'm definitely showing them this restaurant as they love any excuse to eat authentic Shanghainese food (both being Shanghainese themselves). Thanks, Authentic Shanghai Dumpling! read more

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Pretty solid crab xiao long bao in Edison, which is a decent trek from where we live in Essex county.

Fabulous! No wonder this place is always packed. The soup dumplings are the very best. Tasty, soupy and a really thin skin. Perfection. Other dishes are good but the true stars on the menu are the soup dumplings which are what folks visit for. Friendly crew there as well. One of those authentic hole-in-wall spots you hope never change. read more

Great authentic Shanghai Chinese food. Lacking in ambience and service, but food and price make it up. Always packed

What can I say??? The dumplings were simply amazing. I ordered them takeout and tried my best to save some for the next day. I'll definitely be back. This is my new dumpling spot! read more

Lao Wu Authentic Shanghai Dumpling - Shanghainese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

The service was good, no nonsense. They were attentive and the food came out quick! We came during a weekday lunchtime and it was 1000% worth the money. Soup dumplings were outstanding. Would definitely come back and recommend to others. read more

It was my first time here and everything was so flavorful. I especially loved the rice cake dishes. Their scallion pancakes and juicy dumplings are to die for. There's always a line of people waiting, stretching as far as to outside the door. The interior is slightly small so it might be crowded but the food and affordable prices are worth it. read more

Great food, great service. Will definitely return to try other dishes. Large dumpling at a good value.

Not a large restaurant but many modern tables. You order your food on a kiosk, what I did was go to their website, place a mock order and brought my phone up to the kiosk making ordering easier. Had 7 different items and all were outstanding. Service was prompt and friendly. Definitely will return again! read more

The pork soup dumplings are the best I have ever eaten! Better than that well known dumpling place in Chinatown NYC on the Bowery! We ordered the pan fried dumplings to try but the soup dumplings are so much better. Thought the fried dumplings were a bit overfried. The scallion pancakes were ok but they were fried and crispy, different from how I have eaten them. But the pork soup dumplings are out of this world. Small place so get there early. read more

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Some of the absolute best, thick-skinned juiciest soup dumplings (xiao long bao) I've ever had, competitive with the best dim sum places in New York and Taiwan!! Seriously, give this place a go if your priority is great food at solid prices. Don't be fooled by the small store front: this place is no frills, all quality, a cozy Chinese eatery experience that honors its titular claims of authenticity while securing hidden-gem prestige to outsiders and beloved mainstay status among locals. Definitely get both pork and crab xiao long bao. Get multiple steamers. Smother each one in the vinegar sauce and garnish with sliced ginger. Then fill up with their tasty appetizer and dim sum dishes. They have really good beef-wrapped scallion pancake, buns/rolls, fresh cold dishes, their cucumber with scallion is insane. For entrees, their noodle dishes are consistent with most Chinese places, their rice cake w preserved cabbage/shredded pork is classic, and get their cold noodle dishes. read more

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Went on a weekday afternoon. No AC inside just fan. The food is ok. But not as I expected. Rice cake with too much soy sauce. Not so sure about the scallion pancake ... as it's not what I was expecting. It's more like a deep fried flour read more

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Pork soup dumplings are incredibly good. And I like the small shop atmosphere. Highly recommend!

What a gem! The steamed xiao lung bao was really good. I also like the shredded vegetable and pork soup noodle a lot. The Shanghai stir fry udon was too oily, but it tasted very good. The restaurant was really small. Service was not too bad. I will come back to try other dishes. read more

Incredibly affordable and good spot to get shanghai style food when you're craving it. Soup dumplings are incredibly juicy and have lots of soup. However, I felt that the food overall was very homey but nothing spectacular. It reminds me of my mom's homemade cooking a lot :) I had high hopes for the pork wontons in spicy sauce, but it was incredibly bland. It comes served in a peanut sauce mixed with chili oil. It was kind of sweet but besides that, i wish there was some more salt. I also personally wasn't a fan of the noodle soup, but I did enjoy the udon and the soup dumplings. The rice cakes were good. Highly recommend the beef scallion pancake wrap. It's very similar to Cantonese duck baos if you've had those, except it's beef and wrapped in a crispy scallion pancake!! Overall would definitely come back, especially considering how reasonably priced the food is. read more

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Small, cozy place with delicious food! The soup dumplings were full of soup with thin skin, the noodles were soft and flavorful. Friendly service. I would come here all the time if I lived closer. read more

Lao Wu Authentic Shanghai Dumpling - Soup dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

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The food is always very good here and bursting with flavor and it comes out super fast! We got the soup dumplings (the crab is better than the pork), cucumbers (which are super fresh and tasty), egg drop soup (which was very flavorful), chive boxes, scallion pancakes, beef wrapped in scallion pancakes, golden lava buns, and jelly fish. Great restaurant! read more

Glad I was able to find a new soup dumpling restaurant! Parking is easy out front in their shared lot. The restaurant itself isn't the biggest; can probably only hold 10 parties of 2-4 at a time. We waited about 15-20 mins for a table of two; turnover and cleaning of tables is quick. We ordered the cucumber with scallions, Shanghai pan fried pork buns, and crab meat & pork steam juicy dumplings. Perfect meal for a cold night in January! I love adding the cucumber as a side; really refreshes the palate as you go in from another bite! Definitely recommend this place! read more

We really enjoyed this place. The food is authentic and fairly close to what you can get in Shanghai. Everything was delicious, and prices were very reasonable, with most dishes under $10 (and the 5% cash discount was nice too). Our favorites were the dumplings (which actually had broth inside) and the noodles. The fried pork buns tasted a little different to the standard, but were still really good. They are on the big side too... we had ordered 2 orders for our party of 4, but will just get one order in future. Its a really small place so be prepared to wait. I will try come early in future. Not sure I want to order takeout as much of this food tastes better when it is freshly cooked. There were several tables where the guests were just lingering despite people waiting, so I'd suggest that the staff do a better job of trying to turn around the tables (at the very least proactively give tables a check as a hint). But apart from that service was great. read more

Came here on whim because we were craving some pork dumplings. We ordered the Pork Steam Juicy Buns & the Pork Fried Buns and they were AMAZING!! It's a small place that gets crowded pretty quickly but it was totally worth it for the food! And you can't beat the prices either. This place is a MUST for anyone spending some time in Edison. read more

Lao Wu Authentic Shanghai Dumpling - C3. Shanghai Pan Fried Pork Buns - Shanghainese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

This isn't a big restaurant by any means, only about 6 tables in the place, but I certainly do wish it was bigger so more people could experience it! Me and my family stop here every once in a while when we're either passing through Edison, or when we go grocery shopping at Kam Man next door. It's always such a treat. The menu isn't very big, which I like. There isn't an overwhelming number of items to choose from, and what they do offer - they do very, very well. We usually get Shanghai pan fried pork buns ($7.95) and rice cakes with preserved cabbage and shredded pork ($12.95). This last time we went, we also got the Shanghai spicy minced pork noodle soup ($8.95), and I'm so glad we did. I'm not the biggest fan of pan fried pork buns in general, because they're a bit too much bread for me in each, but with that being said, if someone else orders them I'll certainly eat them. My mom loves them, so she got an order. These are nicely fried on the bottom, giving them just the right amount of hard crunch, while on the top, they're thick and moist, and the meat inside is packed with flavor. One order (4 pieces) of these are actually quite filling. And it's important to keep in mind that these do contain a little bit of broth in them, so be careful not to burn yourself when taking that first bite! Shanghai rice cakes is one of my all-time favorite dishes. Sometimes you can get it with pork, chicken, or shrimp, or a combination of two or three. We got it with pork and it's perfect. Depending on where you eat, some places make the rice cakes harder or softer, and here they're a little bit on the softer side, which I really like. They're also not overly greasy. It's a very enjoyable dish. I haven't had Shanghai spicy minced pork noodle soup in a good few years, but we were pretty hungry so we decided to get this as our last dish. It's definitely spicy. You'll find plenty of hot peppers in the bottom of the bowl, but I like spicy so this wasn't an issue. Although, it does hit the back of your throat powerfully, so you might expect some coughing. Aside from that, it's incredibly tasty with a generous amount of minced pork on top. It's always a fun little experience coming here, especially when every time we go, no matter who our waiter is, they're very amused by my mother speaking fluent (mostly) Mandarin to them. read more

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Informed the waiters of my peanut allergy multiple times and the chef came out and insisted that they could bring out the peanut sauce but on the side. We had to tell them no multiple times and decided they would just give us the chili oil on the wontons. We asked them to make sure there was no cross contamination, yet I still got an allergy reaction. After we told them, the waiter explained it would not have been possible for me to have an allergy reaction and the chef never came over after the food was delivered and avoided us and stared at us from the corner. AVOID THIS PLACE. read more

This was a SPECIAL FIND! The food was authentically dee-licious and service was fast and polite..

Small joint to stop by in the Kam Man complex. This place makes the soup dumplings and lots of small eats. The soup dumplings had a nice thin skin and were filled with juice. The spicy pork rice cakes were good, but really spicy. Chive pockets were standard. Overall a great place to stop by for some small eats, but come at an off time as the place is always packed and there are only a few tables! read more

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If you are looking for authentic 蟹粉小笼包, this is as close as it gets without applying for a Chinese visa. This has been my go to place since I was in college, when the restaurant was then located in Highland Park. It later moved to the former Route 27 location in Edison, and now the current location on Route 1, where the number of menu items has shrunken, but the savory taste remained. The food is phenomenal, and the boss, Lao Wu, personable. As busy as the place gets, he would always make time to greet his regulars, and those who are not so familiar. My top three recommended dishes are: 蟹粉小笼，麻辣牛筋，and 辣肉葱油面。If it is the appropriate season and I have any space left, I would add on 酸菜鱼片汤. Bon appetit! read more

So glad they opened a new restaurant! I prefer this location versus the old location on Rt. 27. There's so many good things on the menu, it was hard to pick. Try to go during off-hours to avoid crowds and wait times. I went with my family around 2pm on a Sunday and didn't have to wait for a table. What I got: - Beef Scallion Pancake Wrap: If you like scallion pancakes and beef, you'll like these. - Cucumber with Scallion: My favorite side dish! These are addicting to eat. - Pan-fried Pork Buns: If you're craving something crispy and fried, try these. Very well seasoned and crisp, but still has soup inside. - Pork Soup Dumplings: A MUST! - Golden Lava Buns: This is perfect if you're craving dessert that's not too sweet (the perfect asian dessert compliment). - Lion's Head: A giant meatball! Very well seasoned The service here was good and the dining experience was made to be very fast-paced. I was able to get everything I ordered within 30 minutes of ordering. This place is my guilty pleasure. I will definitely be going back. read more

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Soup dumplings here are cheap and delicious! Family owned small business too. Highly recommend their cold appetizer dishes too. The lion head meatball soup was decent, wouldnt get it again though. read more

Lao Wu Authentic Shanghai Dumpling - Steamed pork soup dumplings - Shanghainese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

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I came here twice in the last week, and ordered several dishes to try: chicken in wine sauce, sticky rice shumai, pork and veggie wonton soup, soup dumpling and pan fried buns. First of all the service was good. Not overbearing, but attentive. Food came out at a pretty fast pace. Out of everything I ordered, I really liked the sticky rice shumai and pork and veggie wonton soup. The filling shumai has tons of flavors, and has a good balance between rice and meat. The pork veggie wonton soup was made well too. Wonton has thin skin and the veggie was not tough to eat like Chinese spinach can be sometimes. The others are good too, though comparable with other Shanghainese restaurants. I took off one star because they did not have a dish I wanted both time I was there. I will just have to try again another time. read more

Lao Wu Authentic Shanghai Dumpling - B12. Shanghai Chicken in Wine Sauce - Shanghainese Near Me - Edison, New Jersey

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Great home style cooking and extremely attentive service. Very fast turn round with food.

Whoa this little place is extremely popular so be prepared to wait for a table. The service is efficient so the wait is not too bad. We got the shanghai pan-fried noodle, pan-fried udon with minced pork, pork steam juicy buns, pan fried pork buns, and golden lava buns. All came out quick, tasted delicious and the portion sizes were generous. They give you a menu to order from, but they do have a menu on the wall behind the counter that seems to be their most popular items. The items we ordered that were on the wall menu came out the quickest. Pan-fried udon had unique spices, the soup dumplings were the perfect texture and didn't rip when trying to pick it up, pan fried pork buns had fluffy bread and really tasty meat, and the golden lava buns was the perfect sweet to top off the meal. Prices were extremely reasonable and I can see why this place is always full. Definitely recommend, but the weekend is definitely very busy! read more

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The best soup dumplings in the area. There are so many soup dumplings within just 15 mile radius, but this is one of the best and worth your $$$. The place is small. So if you have a party of 5 or more is not going to be comfortable. The food is great and price doesn't justify how good the foods are. Highly recommend the pan fried noodles and the soup in addition to their soup dumplings. However, I believe you cant go wrong with anything on their menu. Highly recommend read more

Vegetable appetizers and dumplings were great. The dumplings and buns in particular had great wrapping (just chewy enough) and flavorful filling. Service was friendly and efficient as well - will definitely come again read more

Lao Wu is an absolute gem. Pure love, soul, and joy is in each dish served. Although it's got so much hype coming from social media, and the waits may be long, it's worth each and second. Lao Wu is the best dumpling spot on the East Coast. The pure authenticity of each meal keeps me coming back almost each weekend. read more

Food is solid but the seating situation can get very tricky. I went with a party of 5 on a Tuesday afternoon and the place was packed! There is no waiting system so unfortunately we had to wait outside in the cold to get a seat, a few parties behind us actually left because of this! The server was also a bit rude, not wanting to give us a table that could comfortably seat 5. Food wise, we enjoyed the Shanghai soup dumplings with crab and scallion pancake with beef the most! Would definitely recommend trying to come with a smaller party or consider going in more off hours. There is a more "to go" style of this place not too far down the street too if wanting something quicker. read more