Denise C.

I happened upon Lao Yu Yuan Dumpling House as I walked through the Arcadia Mall. They are an aesthetically pleasing Shanghainese restaurant that caught my eye. They specialize specifically in dumplings. I have a soft spot for soup dumplings, so I immediately ordered crab and pork, shrimp and pork as well as chicken soup dumplings to go. The soup dumplings are made to order so it took a good 15-20 minutes to get. I wasn't disappointed though, as they were packaged nicely. The soup dumplings were in sturdy containers along with side sauces that were well wrapped in plastic. This is really important as the sauces add umami and is a nice accompaniment to the soup dumplings. The soup dumplings all tasted fresh and the dough that encased the filling wasn't too thick. In my opinion the dough to filling ratio was just right and the amount of soup in each dumpling was perfection. I'll be back for a sit down, so I can try more of their traditional Shanghainese dishes served.

Rich R.

The food was terrible. Workers speaks mandarin and no english. I order a pork with noodles. The pork was like pressed head cheese. The broth was cloudy and stale. This is Shang Heinese food so I can't tell if that was normal. My friend said their food suppose taste a little sour. Not going back again, I'll stick to cantonese food much better.

Karen M.

Hidden inside the first floor of an apt. complex is this great spot for soup dumplings and a variety of traditional breakfast dishes and fresh soy milk. This is located near Franklin Ave. and Main Street minutes away from the center of downtown Flushing. We ordered some light snacks and noodles and everything was fresh and tasty. The soup dumplings were great as well. Service was friendly and attentive.

Danni F.

Came without a reservation on Sunday around dinner time. Parking in flushing is always a pain but was able to find some street parking, free on Sundays. It was surprisingly empty inside given the quality of food we got. The servers were very friendly and helpful, we had a great experience with them. The restaurant was located inside a mall, but it was clean and organized, and fairly easy to find in the mall. But this could be why it was not as busy, not the most convenient location. We ordered the truffle, beef, and mixed soup dumplings and the house gave us an extra tray of pork soup dumplings for free. The soup dumplings were great! We have been to many flushing soup dumpling places and I liked this place better than some of the bigger name ones around the area, so far this is my favorite after closing of kung fu soup dumplings. We also got the spicy pork noodles, which were so good! Everything here were very authentic and not to mention the price, very reasonable. Would definitely come again next time we are craving soup dumplings, and hoping this restaurant would get more recognition soon!

Nando F.

Pork dumplings that taste the closest to what grams used to make. Very consistent in the way they make their dishes. Every time we go there we end up ordering more than we can finish at the place. Have gotten good service during each visit. The atmosphere is very casual. This place is definitely one of my go-tos. The restaurant sits inside of a mall that seems to be falling out of the masses favor. Most of the retail stores in it are now closed. I hope other restaurants open in their place to keep the mall open.

Lillian L.

An ok place for Shanghainese food. Crab soup dumplings. I've had better elsewhere. The knot on top was a bit too thick. Crab pieces had a very strong fishy aftertaste. My companion refused to eat any more, after tasting just one. Fried Pork buns were good. Tender and bouncy bun. Filling was good but could have been more juicy. Fried perfectly to a nice golden hue. Bathrooms are outside the restaurant and in the downstairs of the food court. Decor: nicely presented. Tables were a bit narrow, but made for easier conversation.

Jeannie T.

Shanghai Restaurant located inside the Acadia Mall. It's nice to see they are making great use of the space they're in. The seating is plenty but definitely with smaller groups in mind. They are able to accommodate larger groups 6+ but a reservation is suggested in that case. The seats look like they can be configured to fit larger if planned ahead of time. This visit, we were a party of nine. I felt comfortable and not sandwiched by my neighbors. Lighting is good and plenty of service staff on hand. Some of the misses: salted egg yolk crab and rice cake. I wanted this dish to be great but it was just okay. Crab portion was decent but the flavors were just shy of great. Color looked promising but overall too much work to eat. Another miss, sadly was the wine chicken appetizer. Likely over marinated and the chicken was too skinny. Even the color seemed a tad off. Note: if you spend over $50 or $100, you get a free order of the soup dumplings with your meal. We ordered over ten dishes so we definitely made that minimum. The soup dumplings were good but nothing memorable about them. The chili oil and peanut sauce wontons were good but ran on the smaller side and I'm shocking myself by saying that they were not spicy. Nothing chili oil on the side can't fix. Fried dumplings and scallion pancakes were good. The fish with plum sauce was quite enjoyable. Great for sharing, as was the seafood pan fried noodles. We ordered plenty and everything else was fine but nothing was a must try. Came here for the convenience of the location and because it was recommended by a family friend. Figured we try.

Patrick W.

TLDR: Dumpling Galaxy's space is now occupied by Lao Yu Yuan Dumpling House. Similar type of menu format as Shanghai You, Nan Xiang, etc. Found the carb dishes to be more interesting than the soup dumplings. Decent enough I'd come back if in the area. Salted Egg Yolk Rice Cakes with Shrimp - excellent. There is parking downstairs where they validate. It's not free parking but it is discounted. How did we end up here? The line at Kong Sihk Tong was just absurd and we were wondering what this new spot where Dumpling Galaxy used to be was. Got sat at a very small table but ordered a few things. Like their counterparts - you get a complimentary pork soup dumpling with about $30 worth of other things. Spicy dry seven treasure noodle. An assortment of shrimp, pork, chicken, etc. in a mildly spicy sauce over noodles. Tasty enough - I would probably eat it again although I'd rather dry some other items. Scallion beef pancake. Crispy, decently seasoned beef slice, as thin as you can get on the pancake. Salted egg yolk rice cakes with shrimp. Arguably the best thing we had here. Al dente slices of rice cake, nice yolky umami from the salted egg yolk, bouncy shrimp in between bites. I would come back here for this alone. Would I make my way out here as a destination? Probably not but if you're in the area and are looking for Shanghainese without going closer to the 7, not bad. They also validate parking as a plus.

Tiffany C.

Nestled inside the Acadia Mall is a newcomer, Lao Yu Yuan Dumpling House. I ordered on the phone for takeout, and they were quick to take the order, as was the pickup process. One issue is that they quoted us a price over the phone, but the receipt showed a different price, and when you pay with a card, you pay a different price. What I ordered: Pork and Crab Dumpling - My group said this was good. Pork Dumpling - This was yummy and has a heavy pork flavor. Pan-fried Pork Buns - Juicy and meaty pork-filled buns Shanghai Udon Noodles - Bouncy, flavorful udon Salted Egg + Crab Rice Cake - Great, but missing another layer of flavor Pork chop over rice - The pork chop was nice and crispy, but the meat sauce was very salty.

Gordon Y.

Important Update: heard that the head chef has left after only one week after grand opening. Follow up visit was lackluster at best. Very noticeable difference in Gi Choi Wonton and Snow Cabbage & Edamame. Hope he comes back, otherwise, I think Lao Ke Le Shanghai Cuisine will be my preferred new Shanghainese restaurant. They both opened around the same time. Cuisine: 8 Service: 7 Decor: 7 Value: 8 Overall: 8 After two visits during their soft opening, I can safely say that I will be revisiting this restaurant regularly. Though not everything was perfect, much of the food here definitely reminds me a lot of what I experienced as a child growing up in Shanghai. Being a new Shanghainese restaurant, we had to try some of the most iconic cuisine from my hometown. Overall, the dim sums were a bit of a letdown, but the cold and hot dishes are where they really shine. 1. Salty Soybean Milk - Not what we expected and somewhat lacking. Would not get again. 2. Gi Choi Wonton - These are traditional wontons made with pork and sheperd's purse (gi choi). Though the name is poorly translated, these are some of the best Shanghainese style wontons in NYC. When I want something light and clean, I will come for this. 3. Soup Dumpling w. Pork - Wrapper on these were a bit thick and sticky, but the filling and soup were quite good. Not what I would come here for when there are so many better options in Flushing. 4. Soup Dumpling w. Crab Meat & Pork - Skin on these were definitely better on these. I wish there was more crab flavor to the broth and the filling was a bit too loose. Once again, go elsewhere. 5. Turnip Puff w. Pork - What's inside was delicious! Unfortunately, the pastry crust needs to be crispier and flakier. The server said it usually would be, so hopefully it improves. I would give this item another chance. 6. Fried Bean Gluten - This cold dish was excellent and the flavors were on point. However, know that it is meant to be sweet and savory, therefore be mindful if you do not like sugar in your food. 7. Braised Fish w. Sesame - Another classic cold dish done relatively well. . Usually made with fresh crap, this fish is fried and then marinated in a sweet soy sauce. Be careful of bones. 8. Chicken in Wine Sauce - Skip! The meat was not tender and the wine was a bit sour. 9. Snow Cabbage & Edamame - Dish of the night! Wow! Best version in NYC period. Description leaves out that the bean curd "noodles" that is the star of the show. If you ask them to remove the shredded pork, this item can be made vegetarian. 10. Squirrel Fish - Never understood the name, it is basically a deep fried grass carp (best guess) drenched in a sweet and sour sauce, drizzled with pine nuts and peas. Flavors were good. Could be crispier. 11. Braised Deep Fried Round Hoof - If you got a large group, this entree can be the centerpiece. The mostly lean pork was delicious dipped in the sweet soy sauce. It is surrounded by a melt in your mouth pork skin (best part) that makes you forget that you're on a diet. 12. Gi Choy, Bamboo w. Pork Rice Cake - If you see shepherd's purse, bamboo and pork together on or in anything, it is likely a Shanghainese classic, as was this offering. Chewy rice cake stir fried with this tasty combination is absolutely heavenly to me. 13. Shanghai Pork Rice w. Vegetable - Very hard to find a good version of this item in NYC. We make it at home all the time. Made with salted pork and bok choy, this dish is finished off with a scoop of lard to add flavor. Though quite good, they did overdo it with the lard and made the rice a little too oily. I told the servers and hope they fix this mistake. The leftovers we took home tasted better after I added a little more rice. Honestly, I am excited to find a chef from Shanghai that can produce food that comes close to my memories. I would not come here for the dim sums except for the wontons, but hopefully as they improve over time, this may be where I get my fix of Shanghainese cuisine.

Garin W.

New spot opened a few months ago in Flushing. Stopped in for lunch and pleasantly surprised. Dining Area is clean and brightly lit. Tables are meant for 2 or 4 ppl so larger parties require tables to be pushed together to make a larger table (or for those of us who order a lot of food). Food was pretty good, especially the shrimp & crab noodles. Xiao Long Bao w/Truffle had thick skin and truffle was overwhelming, so not worth the price. Pastries and small plates were generally pretty tasty but the Fried Crueller was clearly fried in oil that wasn't hot enough and came out light yellow and chewy instead of brown and crunchy. Service a bit all over the place...some servers knew what was going on with the restaurant & food, others looked lost or confused when asked a question about the history of a dish that's on the menu. Even our primary server looked disinterested with us initially and missed a few items when taking our order. Then she was smiling and very nice when we left and encouraging us to come back again. In between, she was either busy answering the phone or leaning on the pick up counter. Overall, will return to try more items.

Elaine L.

After many years of having Dumpling Galaxy reign in this spot I was curious to see who had taken over the space. What I found was this newcomer offering shanghainese cuisine that has put a special spin on a lot of trending flavors that are sure to entice your adventurous palate. We had made a reservation which I was glad we did. The restaurant still had an open layout with many tables and booth type seating and it is not an enclosed space so you can look out into the rest of the mall. Despite the hour long wait to order on a Saturday afternoon we were just sitting around catching up so we didn't necessarily rush. The place was bustling despite it's distance from the center of downtown Flushing. We had to of course get a bunch of soup dumplings - we got the pork, the crab and the fried ones. The skin held up to the test of chopstick, spoon, dip and transfer to the mouth. I enjoyed them since they were not scorchingly hot. I desperately wanted to try the crab noodles which were surprisingly not too rich. There was ample sauce covering every last bit of noodle and the shrimp added to the extra briny flavor. I wish I had ordered some rice to eat with that leftover silky crab sauce or even some bread to sop it up. The scallion pancake was super crispy and made for a nice crunchy bite between the dishes. The fried dumplings were not too doughy and a bit chewy but not bad it had a good slurp of soup hidden inside though I wanted it to be a bit more fried. I definitely enjoyed the salted duck egg rice cake. It was prepared similar to the crab noodles with shrimp but covered in a puree of salted duck egg yolks. It was hard to wrap my mind around the flavor not as funky as one would expect and smooth despite the mouth feel of the crumbly yolks and the shrimp were an added bonus. The rice cakes were the softest I have ever had. Sometimes I feel like I will lose a tooth from chewing rice cakes so I don't usually order them but I appreciated how these were cooked really well through. At the end I washed this all down with some sweet, cold, soy milk which was very refreshing on a hot day. This is one of the meals I think about often as it made me try something in a way that was familiar yet I have never had before so I will definitely return and bring more friends.