Mother's Dumplings — Restaurant in Toronto

Forewarning, this review is purely based on the service level of this restaurant during a Sunday evening at about 6:30PM. All comments are not directed towards the quality of food as we were unable to try it on this visit. By all means, I fully believe people should still try the restaurant purely off the reviews of the quality of food.

Unfortunately, this is the first time I've had to rate a restaurant a 1-Star on Google due to the service being extremely poor.

A few friends and I decided to visit Mother's Dumplings a couple days ago after hearing about how great the food is. We were extremely excited, but upon getting to the restaurant, we noticed a family of 5 was lined up ahead of us and they weren't ever acknowledged by ANY of the staff. They were ushered to their seat after about 5-10 min of them being in line, with no acknowledgement of their arrival. We thought it was strange, but oh well, we brushed it off.

My friends and I were behind them as we arrived at the same time. Also waiting to be seated- not a single acknowledgement of our existence, or of the people who walked in behind us. In order to even find out if we were getting a table, my partner had to call a server over to let them know we wanted a table for 4. To which the server nodded and walked away, never to be seen again (this is elaborated on at the end).

We decided to wait another 5-10 minutes, wanting to give them a chance (us having been servers too, we were willing to be patient.) After we were walked past MULTIPLE times by wait staff, I approached a server to ask for an estimated time of seating.

I'm not sure what our industry standard is anymore, but simply acknowledging your clients walking through and letting them know there's a small wait, is quite standard in hospitality. Which, many restaurants are busy, but hosts or any staff will take a second to say, "Hi! Sorry, I'll be right back to assist you." A simple greeting would have completely changed our view of the lack of service and would have even urged us to wait even longer. But not looking at your clients (yep- none of the servers even looked at us unless we flagged their attention.) no acknowledgement.

The funniest part- one of the staff came up to the host stand (where the line is) to give a client his takeout order (who was in line with us), then proceeded to walk away, never acknowledging ANY of the guests in line as if we were all invisible. My partner flagged her down to let her know we were there (we were standing in front of her) and needed a table.

Would've loved to try the food, but the service was a complete turn off. Will edit comment and rating if I ever try the food via...

Michelin award winning Mother's Dumplings was disappointingly just okay. We had the whole wheat beef dumplings, which honestly tasted as boring as the name implies; chewy with grainy flavors that, in my opinion, probably doesn't belong in dumplings. If I wanted whole wheat I would have stayed home and made myself a sandwich. That being said, I understand if this is to some people's tastes, but it is simply not mine. Pan fried dumplings were good but not great.

Pork and chives steamed dumplings and xiaolongbao (juicy dumplings as was written in the menu) were the only dishes that were good, but I wouldn't come back just for two dishes I can make at home. My biggest gripe is with whoever was possessed enough to think "juicy dumplings" is a more appealing name than the original, cultural name of "xiaolongbao". I understand the need for translation (of which this translation is lacking) but perhaps don't rebrand a cultural food without its original name just because some people are too lazy to pronounce things properly (ss-yow loo-ng bow [bow pronounced as in bow down]).

The atmosphere was lively. Quite a busy restaurant and it even feels like they expanded a bit since last time I came last year. All appropriate sauces like vinegar and soy sauce were present at the table. Everyone (staff and patrons) appeared to be in good spirits and the energy was infectious to engage in good-natured conversation.

The service we received was good even considering how busy the restaurant was. We never felt ignored or out of place, and everything arrived promptly.

Anyway, I gave this a 3-star because at least they tried and the food is okay. The xiaolongbao and steamed pork and chives dumplings were good enough to pull up the average of the other more disappointing dishes of which I wasn't able to take good pictures of. I would probably come back if I'm in the mood for a quick lunch and only for...

The overall quality of the food was respectable—though not all respectable food qualifies as great. That said, when it comes to dumplings, Din Tai Fung still holds the top spot for me. However, this establishment delivered an impressive experience that deserves recognition.

I sampled several of their specialty dumplings, including the shumai. Every piece was well-crafted, with no major flaws. The textures were consistent, and the filling was flavorful—especially the meat, which was tender and well-seasoned. My only critique lies in the balance of aromatics: ingredients like chives and celery, while fresh, occasionally overpowered the core flavors of the protein. A more restrained hand with these supporting elements would allow the main ingredients to shine more clearly.

In my own culinary philosophy, supporting flavors should elevate—not dominate—the hero of the dish. Here, the meat had great potential, and with slight adjustments to the vegetable proportions, the overall profile would be more harmonious.

What stood out most to me was the precision in technique. I watched the team in the kitchen work seamlessly, rolling and folding the dumpling wrappers with remarkable consistency. Each dumpling was nearly identical in shape and size—a testament to skill and discipline. Too often I see inconsistency and careless execution, but not here. The wrappers were delicate, not overly thick, and the filling was generous—an attention to detail many establishments overlook.

My father, who is generally a discerning eater, finished his portion entirely—an unspoken endorsement that holds weight. All credit goes to the chefs for their craftsmanship. While I didn’t explore the broader menu, I came for the dumplings, and they delivered on their promise. This is the kind of honest, well-executed homemade...