Dumpling Time - Reviews

My experience at this restaurant was amazing! The Beijing noodles were delicious, and the combo XLB was a definite win. For dessert, the chocolate XLB was 😽🤌. We will definitely be back and will bring reinforcements. We also plan to buy all your awesome shirts, which are $30-50 each. We ordered lots of dishes and dessert, left feeling full, and even got stickers. The price range was $30-50 per person.

Honestly, I was shocked by all the hype surrounding this place. I found them to be the most mid dumplings I’ve had in SF, and for so much more money. While I love good food and am happy to pay for it, I felt we overpaid for the quality we received. I was excited to try the innovative XLB, but the pork XLB was pretty standard. The pho XLB, kimchi jjigae XLB, and tom yum XLB all tasted exactly the same as the pork, lacking the distinctive flavors of their respective soups. It was disappointing that the accompaniments, like the mediocre grocery store kimchi, bean sprouts, and a sad wedge of lime, were also subpar. The wagyu XLB was just alright, lacking a strong beefy flavor. The broccolini was overcooked and lacked wok hei, losing its delightful crunch. The jellyfish salad had nice Sichuan spice but looked like it had been sitting out too long. The Beijing noodles were nice, with an interesting al dente twist. The service felt rushed and a little snarky. It's a shame, as San Francisco has so many world-class dumpling restaurants, and this is not one of them.

If you're looking to try soup dumplings, this is the place to go. As someone new to this cuisine, I found their offerings to be perfect. We sampled several dishes, and they were all amazing. The outdoor patio is a wonderful spot to spend quality time with friends and family.

My experience at this restaurant was disappointing due to what I perceived as a deceptive menu and issues with the food. I was surprised to find that both the beef noodle soup and pho, listed as beef, were made with wheat noodles. This is a significant issue for those with dietary restrictions or preferences. I also ordered pork dumplings, which were served with cilantro, a garnish not mentioned on the menu. For me, cilantro tastes like soap, and I believe a competent Asian chef would offer it on the side. The refusal to acknowledge this or offer a solution felt dishonest. I will not be back and dislike writing bad reviews, but this place deserves it. Fake pho is unacceptable for those in the know, and the menu is not honest.

My experience at this restaurant was underwhelming. While the seafood gyoza and shrimp toast were solid, the shrimp was a bit greasy. The BBQ pork bao was disappointing, comparable to a lower-quality offering, and the wagyu truffle XLB suffered from truffle overkill. The ambience was barebones, which meant the food really had no excuse to not be better. The dress code is casual, and the atmosphere is quiet, making conversation easy. Service received a good rating, and food was rated well overall, but the lack of atmosphere detracted from the experience. There are many better dim sum and dumpling options in San Francisco.

My experience at this restaurant was a mixed bag. The food was consistently solid, which is always a plus. However, the service was all over the place. It seemed like the servers weren't assigned to specific tables and were also doubling as runners and busboys. This led to an insane amount of time to place an order or get the bill. I wouldn't recommend coming here if you have somewhere to be afterwards.

My experience at this restaurant was fantastic! We had the best dumplings we've had in a while. I definitely recommend trying each bao. Finding parking wasn't difficult, as there was free street parking available. The restaurant is family friendly and they do have high chairs, though there are no changing tables in the bathroom. Overall, a great meal with excellent food and service.

My experience at the restaurant was quite unpleasant. Both the XLB and har gow had thick, doughy wrappers, which was very disappointing. Given the numerous better options available in the city, there's no reason to return here.

My experience at this restaurant was truly wonderful. After much discussion, we decided to try this place and were so glad we did. The outdoor sitting was just fab, and the service was on point. As for the food, I'm in love with it! Everything we ordered was top notch, and the lobster shu mai especially took my heart away.

My experience at the restaurant was a mix of hits and misses. The tom yum XLB was delicious, and the siu mai was pretty good. However, the truffle XLB was just okay, with a thick dumpling skin. Similarly, the har gow also had, in my opinion, a thicker skin. The wine corkage fee is $20.