I love this place! My go-tos are the dumplings (obvi) and garlic noodles! The dragon dumplings are my favorite but they're all really delicious! Good garlic noodles can actually be pretty hard to come by but I have zero complaints about these! Literally just ate some for breakfast this morning (I had left overs from lunch yesterday!). Only Chinese restaurant I'll go to in Oakland. read more

NEVER COMING HERE AGAIN ! first, the service was BEYOND terrible ! I waited and waited and waited for someone to come to take my order. NOTHING for about 20 minutes. When I finally did order, I got 4 items. 2 items came in about 20 minutes. It took another 15 minutes for item number 3. And item 4 never came so we had them take it off the bill. Item number 1 - they gave me COLD, RAW "chicken" dumplings. Item number 2 - pork belly sliders. Flavoring was great, but they were just warm. Item number 3 - salt and pepper prawns were great and fresh from the stover. No complaints on that. There were so many people getting up and leaving before they even ordered because the waiter/waitress was really neglectful. They were definitely understaffed. Nobody checked on me. They simply didn't care. And for all of these reasons, I will NOT be back ! I don't recommend this place to anyone who wants to eat ! read more

Qi Dumpling Lounge - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN ALERT. All of the items are made with oyster sauce, even the vegetarian/vegan ones, including the Green Dumplings, even though in the past he has represented that they - and the veggie pot stickers (with egg) - are vegetarian. I enjoyed them when I didn't have accurate information; now I will not eat them. Upon request, the gentleman (who I presume is the owner) will omit the oyster sauce from preparation of the entrees, but the flavors lack. Recently there were new additions to the menu ("Limited Time Specials"), suggesting that this policy may have changed. One such item that piqued my interest is the "Veggie 'n Tofu Crispy Noodles" that is described as being made with a "vegetarian mushroom sauce." So, I called to ask: is this so-called vegetarian item made with oyster sauce, too? He responded that they, indeed, were: "All items are made with oyster sauce and hoisin sauce." Hoisin sauce is a fermented soybean paste, typically vegan in my experience. It begs a question why would they even bother to use a "vegetarian mushroom sauce" if they inflict this with dish oyster sauce. Then, the owner philosophized, "Maybe the oyster sauce is vegetarian? No one has complained about it." This is a first: shifting the burden of proof regarding the contents of his kitchen, that he buys, and which only he has knowledge and control to an unsuspecting, trusting, and loyal patron. Then, when I requested that he confirm - could he please check the bottle and read the ingredients to confirm? - he refused. Another first. I have never had a kitchen refuse to confirm the ingredients. So, either he doesn't care about his customers or he was lying. Neither is a flattering look. It's all the more ironic because I am trying to support his business during the pandemic. Apparently, he couldn't have cared less. In my experience, no one falls ass-backwards into using vegan oyster sauce. Any such choices are deliberate. Asian cuisines typically use oyster sauce, and Thai/Lao/Vietnamese also use fish sauce. Many times, Asian restaurants claim that they can make "anything" vegetarian, by substituting tofu for an animal protein. When pressed about these seafood-based ingredients, in virtually all cases, it is revealed that the recipes are prepared with those same non-veg sauces. It is imperative to press the restaurant and the servers because the pro forma answer is always, "We can make anything vegetarian." I always ask for the server to inquire with the chef about the sauces and the ingredients, and in almost every case, it turns into a teachable moment for the serving staff. Interestingly, many of my vegan friends don't ask these questions and take the word of the establishment to their own peril. In this particular case, Qi Dumpling Lounge does what many other Asian restaurants do: give the appearance of being vegetarian/vegan-friendly without actually doing anything to adapt its recipes. In this instance, however, the owner went the extra mile by opining that maybe all the recipes use vegetarian oyster sauce without knowing and refusing to confirm. It is nearly impossible that veg oyster sauce is the default without it being a conscious choice. Holy Basil Pho is a Vietnamese Restaurant on College Avenue that has a sizeable vegan menu, has vegan meat options, and buys vegan fish sauce to prepare its recipes for its vegetarian and vegan patrons. Holy Basil Pho knows. This is what vegetarian adaptation looks like: it's conscious, it's knowing, it's upfront. To be clear, I do not fault Qi Dumping Lounge for not being vegetarian-friendly. I do object, however, to its opaque, vegetarian-apparent representations, the owner's attempts to further obfuscate by suggesting that his restaurant only uses vegetarian oyster sauce, and his abject refusal to confirm the ingredients when asked. read more

I love dumplings. Nobody wants a great Chinese place more than me. Sadly, this is not it. The meal and service were pretty disappointing. Grabbing a snack, I ordered wonton soup and shrimp dumplings 45 minutes before my movie. The place was empty except for 1 or 2 tables who looked like friends. The dumplings came out fairly quickly but were not what I ordered. No biggie, it's their first week after all. The dumplings were bland with an occasional burst of lemongrass or chives. Ok, the spicy jalapeno dipping sauce made up for that. Then came the wait. I was brought lukewarm tea. They were kind enough to switch it for hot. More waiting. No soup although other food has come out of the kitchen. Finally with ten minutes to spare I asked for the check and to get the soup boxed. I watched the server get the wontons from the kitchen and fill the container with soup. How come that didn't happen earlier. The soup was so bland and the filling was exactly the same as the dumplings. I may try their pork noodles which people raved about but Im not excited for it. read more

We came here for lunch last Friday. My party of four got three types of dumplings, the pork belly "sliders" (served with the buns you use for Peking duck sometimes), green onion pancakes, and the garlic noodles. Every dish was delicious. The owner or manager came out several times to see if we were satisfied with our meal and even gave us an extra helping of pork belly because he felt the pieces we got were on the small side, even though we insisted it was ok because they were plenty big enough. I really appreciated that he wants to make sure he's getting feedback from his customers especially while his restaurant is in its infancy. I can't wait to come back and try the rest of the dumplings! They were juicy and flavorful. The jalapeño soy sauce was right up my alley. I'm pretty sure my kids are going to love the Hawaiian fried rice on the menu. read more

Qi Dumpling Lounge - Menu - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

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Food was good. Customer service was great. Overall good experience all around. The food tasted fresh and just chefs kiss. Definitely recommend. read more

We ordered from this place tonight because there was an hour wait for delivery from Shan Dong and the Yelp estimate for this place was 30 minutes. It ended up taking an hour and a half for our food to arrive. We ordered the green dumplings, dry braised green beans, longevity noodles with chicken and fresh basil saute with chicken. The dumplings were great, the noodles were fine, the other two were awful. The sauce on the basil saute was so sweet it was inedible and the green beans were basically flavorless other than some heat that came from the jalapenos it had in abundance. Personally I don't think jalepenos even belong in Chinese food, but I suppose this last complaint is a matter of preference. read more

Solid! We order delivery from Qi with regularity. We love the sesame chicken and beef dishes. It's cool that you start with a sauce and just add the meal! read more

The Wor Wonton soup was delicious with a nice, healing bone broth and fresh wontons, chicken, and shrimp. The dragon dumplings were excellent as well. I am not really a soup person, but I would definitely come back for the wor wonton soup alone. read more

I'm so glad we have this place in the neighborhood. Parking is great and don't have to travel farther to Alameda or Oakland Chinatown for some decent soup. My favorite is their wonton soup. It hits the spot. I do plan on trying out more of the items on their menu. read more

As noted in a separate review, my friend and I periodically undertake progressive meals in various neighborhoods to our respective cities and this walking tour always includes and surely commences with an adult beverage. This evening's tour was dubbed the whiskey and pork fest. We specifically added Qi Dumpling Lounge due to their pork belly dishes. The pork belly and green bean dish liberally spiced with red chilis was delightful. We slightly veered off the pork objective of this tour by ordering salt & pepper chicken wings that were very tasty but could have been just a wee bit more crispy. The owner and, or manager was gracious, accommodating and added greatly to our experience. Food, staff all good. read more

We couldn't get into Shandong so we decided to give this place a try. We got the coconut shrimp, a variety of dumplings, port noodles, and green onion pancakes. Everything was...average. Except the green onion pancakes (which were excellent), everything was either slightly dull or a flavor that wasn't exactly enticing. Nothing was bad, but nothing was good. It's also pretty expensive. There are better places for dim sum in Oakland (and SF) for less $$$. I'd say move on Service was great, everyone was friendly. read more

Love coming here for food and atmosphere. Issac is awesome Boss man. Jessica took great care of us. Highly recommended for dumplings. But everything is good read more

Qi Dumpling Lounge - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

We discovered Qi Dumpling a little bit before cover hit. And loved it right away. Since Covid it's been our go to take out/celebratory place. The noodles and dumplings are amazing, especially if you've never had proper hand made noodles and wrappers. I saw one reviewer say they had a bad experience ordering online. We always call and it's always a quick, easy experience. We've never had a mistake on our order, which somehow we have almost every other place we get take out.The people were great when we had in person dining and they are super in lockdown times. They take precautions seriously, and are always friendly. Aside from the awesome dumplings-we love the pork belly sliders, the coconut shrimp, and the all the noodle dishes. The onion pancakes are wonderful. . .Okay I better stop or this review will be too long. If I have any quibble at all, it's that I have like no spice tolerance, and they are so many wonderful dishes that the spice loving member of the family adores. If you have no spice tolerance like I do stick to the non-spicy dishes. Don't order them mild. read more

Very good! Can here with my wife (who was getting hangry) and had delicious dumplings, braised green beans, Mongolian beef and sake. Great folks running the restaurant too! read more

I made a reservation for Friday night but it turned out that I didn't even need to, when I showed up - still plenty of room for seating! On a related note, parking is a nightmare in the Grand Ave area, just a friendly notice/reminder. Positives: tried a couple appetizers and a couple entrees - I think I had the lemon chicken dish and it was very good; service was attentive and prompt, clean setting, date friendly, romantic mood lighting, overall a surprisingly charming atmosphere, plenty of tables and chairs. Negatives: slightly pricey for the portions served, tea and rice are not included (charged per order unlike a few other Chinese eateries I've been to), and they had a secret menu on the wall that was not noticeable until after we ordered - add that secret menu to the main menu for your customers! read more

Ordered take-out from Qi the other night and it won't be the last time! We had the garlic noodles, salt and pepper shrimp (so so so good), prawn fried rice, and the dragon dumplings. Staff was super friendly when I picked up my food. Will definitely be back to support this business! read more

The sliders are a fresh take on char sou bao. So happy to find this spot tucked in the same block as Grand Lake theater. So much easier to stop in and get assortment of fresh to order dumplings than in Chinatown. Easy parking in lot next door. Friendly service and hip decor. I will definitely be back. read more

Deliciously seasoned food is of obvious excellent quality. A terrific find! We enjoy seafood and it is such a pleasure to taste seafood that tastes like it has just been fetched from the sea. read more

Tried 3 kinds of dumplings and even asked for recommendations. Soup dumplings were ok but can do so much better, especially for the price. The rest were bland, especially the vegis. Stacking a bunch of dumplings on each $10 plate can't make up for a lack of quality. read more

Disgusting food. I ate one bite of each item I ordered (prawn fried rice, on fire chicken, dragon and phoenix, cilantro mushroom chicken sui mai) & now I feel so grossed out and sick to my stomach. Ordered on door dash but thankfully I was able to get my money back. I couldn't eat a single dish. Prawn fried rice was bland and the shrimp tasted old. The chicken dishes I got also were tasteless, expect for the old chicken flavor. Did they pay people to give good reviews? Look elsewhere for good Asian food. read more

I first heard of Qi Dumpling Lounge from a friend after explaining how much i love dumplings and bao's, he quickly recommended this place for just that! I mean, it does have dumpling lounge in the name so, I had to come here to get some dumpling fixin'. This review will be mostly on the dumpling portion of their menu as i didn't order any other dishes. The rating reflects majority on the dumplings. The Qi (chi) part of the name is fitting. As you walk in to the restaurant you will notice the smell of incense that's soothing but, not overpowering. The interior is well decorated and placement of seating is well organized. The service is okay and on par on many asian restaurants. The food comes out fast and hot. The server zips through all the tables. When we ask if we can get more dipping sauce he tells us, " hold on!" and after a few minutes he drops us our sauce. he doesn't bother you when you're eating which is a good thing. The food: For a restaurant that is called a dumpling lounge, there sure aren't a lot of dumplings to order. This is more of a chinese-american cuisine restaurant and the name is a bit misleading in my opinion. We ordered 3/7 dumpling options; pot stickers, dragon dumplings, green onion cakes, and yin yang dumplings. The dumplings as a whole were a bit underwhelming where the different sauces that came with each dumplings stood out the most than the actual food. Each sauces were light, flavorful, and well executed that gave life back into these unexcitingly-bland dumplings. The Pot Stickers were by the far the favorite we had but, you can get large, cheaper, and juicier versions in Chinatown. The dragon dumplings filling was really mushy as if you went to trader's joe's and reheated their frozen dumplings in the microwave mushy. The yin yang dumplings were bland to taste and the sauce it came with saved these dumpling for sure. We also ordered the green onion cakes, they reminded me of a Middle Eastern or a Burmese style pancake but, a little bland and not enough green onion; the texture was lovely though. Most of the dishes run for $9/ea dish and each plate consisted of 7 pieces of dumplings, where dimsum places will serve around 4 pieces of dumplings for ~$4-6 to compare but, the quality ad selection are greater at other asian/dim sum restaurants. End food review If you decide to come here, the other items on their menu seems to be very popular. For dumplings... not at this dumpling lounge. You can probably find cheaper and better executed dishes at another place. read more

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Gross! The fried rice was bland and unseasoned. There were only two shrimp! The dumplings were okay but lacked spice. The goddess salad had no lettuce! WTH read more

This is one of the best dumpling spots I've found. My favorite is the dragon dumpling because the taste and texture is delicate but the flavors meld together really nicely. I also really liked their veggie fried rice and veggie dumplings. read more

We love the food here. The Szechwan fish soup is especially tasty and the numbing effect of the peppercorns is quite fun. All the dumplings are great. Very good for Covid take out!! read more

My first time here and I must say everything was very good. I had an order of the pork and shrimp dumplings and the $10 lunch combo with sweet and sour chicken, beef broccoli, pot stickers and jasmine rice. Enjoyed a $5 Pilsner in a FROSTY glass! That's how it should be! Definitely bookmarked and will be a regular here. read more

Qi Dumpling Lounge - Lunch combo with pork and shrimp dumplings - Chinese Near Me - Oakland, California

Just terrible services. Waited nearly almost 3 hours and never received my order. Called twice and finally cancelled my order.

Very good food & great service! Reasonable price for the quality of the food and the amount you get. Will definitely going back here!!

Local place that has excellent noodles and dumplings. Nothing else is that great. Perhaps they're trying to consolidate due to Covid but "crunchy asian salad with chicken " didn't have hand shredded chicken as a description said. It was the same chicken in the very bland chicken and shrimp stir fry. Better to take things off the menu temporarily if they can't be done right. Paid $70 was disappointed with all but dumplings. Also if it says spicy it's definitely not. read more

This place has the most disorganized take-out operation I've seen yet. We paid through Yelp and then arrived 20 minutes later to get our food. Even though there was only 1 other person in line, we had to wait 10 minutes for someone to check on us, and then she told us they'd apparently given our order to someone else. No apology. They blamed us, even though I'm not sure how it could have been our fault. And now we're waiting another half hour (with screaming kids in the car) for them to re-make our order. I'd try somewhere else. Anywhere else. read more

Recently got delivery through Caviar. The whole family agreed that this is our new favorite Chinese food place, especially for dumplings. We ordered the pot stickers, shu mai, veggie tempura, Chinese sausage fried rice, and the lamb. All of it was phenomenal. Perfectly seasoned. And much to my toddler's delight, everything came with at least one dipping sauce. We definitely plan to try it out in person soon. read more

Every single dumpling has incredible quality, especially to the dough. My favorite is the crispy pork dumplings which are so crispy and doughy! I would also say any variation of the noodles is can't miss - perfect amount of garlic on the garlic noodles specifically. Most importantly - The service is impeccable. I accidentally ordered takeout when I meant to order delivery and couldn't leave the house at the time to pick it up before they closed. I called and explained my situation and the gentleman working at the time told me "no Problem!" and then waited for me to come an hour after closing time!! Love this spot. read more

Love love love this place for takeout. The lemongrass in the garlic noodles are bomb.com. we always crave the seaweed and cashew fried rice (what a combo!) Recommend for delivery but want to try the spot for dine in after the SIP is over. read more

I'm surprised by the negative reviews, because this place was terrific yesterday. Perhaps people are looking for something less innovative, more traditional? I found the fusion inspiration to be inviting and ideal for Grand Avenue, especially right near the movie theater. A new friend and I stopped in for a teatime lunch, because he'd had a nice meal here last week. Although we had the place to ourselves given the odd hour, we had a lovely time. The decor is sleek but soothing, the service attentive but unobtrusive, and the food was great. Prices are extremely fair. There's a lot of detailed attention given to running this place: lemon slices in the water, innovative menu choices, soignee decor...for a $10 average dumpling and entree price with lots of vegetarian choices. I appreciate how many vegetarian dishes they have, especially if you use their efficient formula-style section of the menu (you pick the garnish, the sauce and the protein). However, instead of the formula, we ordered 3 of their specialties: the dry braised eggplant, the Yin Yang dumplings, and the Green Dumplings. The Yin Yang dumplings had a fun texture, kind of wrinkly, and the wrappers were tender but sturdy and the filling had sufficient flavor. A dipping sauce of jalapeno-spiced soy and some spices was a good foil. I loved the Green Dumplings, which are spinach-mushroom shu mai with kernals of corn for texture and interest. They are very soft, with a delicate flavor, and very comforting on a chilly afternoon. The Yin Yang dipping sauce could have been a little spicier, though that is such a subjective taste. I eat eggplant everywhere I find it on the menu, especially at Chinese restaurants. I've had everything from gloppy Szechuan style eggplant swimming in what tastes like salty pancake syrup to refined treatments such as what you'd find at Hong Kong Flower Lounge in SF 30 years ago, when it was just about perfect. Qi's eggplant is among my favorites, ever! It's a dark, dry braise, with a balanced amount of tangy, garlicky sauce. The eggplant was cooked to just the right degree of doneness - if it's underdone, I find it bitter and headache-inducing; if overdone, you get baba ghanoush. This eggplant was wonderfully tender with just a hint of bite. Service was cheerful, hospitable and unintrusive. Although we didn't order rice, they didn't push us on this, or any other extras. Dishes were whisked out to us the moment they were ready, piping hot. It was the perfect place for a tete a tete with good company on a quiet afternoon. Tea was a decent quality oolong. We'll definitely be back! read more

The dumpling were just Okay here. I have ordered 5 different kinds dumplings last night for dinner. I just wanted to try which one is the best. Nothing is the best. I hated to say all of them were only Okay to eat. The price is higher than other dumplings place. I guess is the location. I won't come back here because I was looking for the very good dumplings. Not just so so dumplings. This place are for people who never had very good dumplings. Not for me, because I have had much better one. I really think they should change the name of their place. read more

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Bought my wife and visiting son to this place for the first time. Dumplings (pan fried and steamed) are good according to them. My son loves dumplings so he knows what he is talking about. The sesame chicken is much better I thought: you are eating mostly chicken and not flour or fillers. There were that many people so feeling safe for Covid. I believe you need to make reservations. We did not know but they let us in after checking our vaccination cards and picture IDs. read more

Coming on Saturday night with a friend, the restaurant seem pretty busy. The wait is not that long. Got seated within 5 minutes. Great atmosphere, it's clean and sleekly decorative. Service is great. I was told they change the menu every few months. The selections is pretty wide. Got a few recommendations from the waitress. We got the yin yang dumplings. Taste home made. Love the jalapenos soy dipping sauce. They don't make it till you order it. The honey glaze wings are nice and crispy. Just the right amount of garlic and sweetness combination. Hawaiian fried rice with pineapple and soy glaze spam was my friend's favorite . He finish the whole plate. Garlic noodles with shrimp, that was my favorite. juicy shrimp and fat chewy noodles toss with roasted garlic and hint of lemon grass. Yum... read more

Had both the honey shrimp and coconut shrimp. Both were pretty tasty. The Asian chicken salad was decent though the dressing could be less watery. But the crab wontons? So bland and so tasteless that it doesn't feel worth the calories to eat and I am usually obsessed with these things when they are on menus. I would give it 4 stars but the wontons were so bad... read more

This is a solid GOOD. Pros: crispy thin potstickers. Best with accompanying dipping sauce. My kid LOVED the tofu mushu, great spinach n garlic, and the pork sliders are a must have! I'd love to see more dumplings on the menu, actually given that the name is "dumpling lounge". Cons: while attentive, the waitstaff moved too fast and crowded our table with so many dishes, one knocked over my tea and didn't notice. The floor looked clean but my sneakers kept sticking. The double tv screens were distracting to the kids and we couldn't get their attention. Not the restaurant's fault but they are unnecessary. Glad we could try a new local place and get warm food on a cold night. read more

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Garlic noodles are delicious but everything else is a bit overpriced for dumplings that were okay.