Little Dumpling King — Restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent

Sorry to say that although we had been recommended this by many people, the food, service and atmosphere were not great. When we arrived, we were given menus and directed to the drinks wall, all alcoholic only options except for a 0% beer. A few minutes later the waiter came back to take drinks orders and once again pushed the alcoholic options, we asked what soft drinks they had and the choice was incredibly minimal, a few different types of fizzy cans or tap water. No hot drink options. After taking our drinks orders I asked if there was a way to turn the music down a little so we could talk, it was 5.15pm and we were the only guests in the restaurant, the answer was "no we can't because of the venue". Made no sense to me, but I accepted it. We ordered the only three types of dumplings on the menu, the fried chicken, 2 of the chicken rice bowl, a croquette bao, and the pork bao. As it was 2 for 1 on dumplings, we ordered 2 of all the dumplings and were excited for what was to come. The presentation was good, but the flavours were disappointing. Whilst they had accommodated for a couple of changes to one of our party not being able to eat too much spice, every dish was seasoned identically with their "gnarly seasoning" aka salt, pepper, chilli powder and chives. I wish I had taken pictures of each plate as the seasoning was identical on all except the croquette bao and the one rice bowl we had requested to be plain. The chicken wings were good, but everything else just lacked any depth of flavours because there was no marinading, just the same gnarly seasoning thrown on top to finish. We were not asked at any point how our meal was and left quite disappointed after hearing so many positive reviews and recommendations. Having looked at the website I see that loud music is advertised, but they also advertise changing daily specials, which there certainly was none of on offer. Happy to hear others have had such positive experiences, I just wish we were...

It’s the kind of spot I wish existed in London. Great food, great service, and no eye-watering price tag.

We booked in advance after finding it on Google, not really knowing what to expect, but left completely satisfied. The menu is a mix of smaller and larger plates, which makes it really flexible whether you want to share or just order your own dishes. We were starving so went for seven plates between the two of us, which turned out to be just right.

The food was brilliant. The pork dumplings especially stood out, really well balanced and packed with flavour. As did the milk bread - I could’ve easily ate a whole plate of it! We had some orange wine to go with everything and it was perfect. For dessert, we were recommended a wine to pair with the Basque cheesecake (which I don’t normally go for), but the pairing was spot on and the cheesecake itself was genuinely great.

The vibe of the place is cool and eclectic, with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Ideal for a dinner with friends. What really made the experience though was the staff. They were super friendly, welcoming, and helpful with the menu. Service was attentive without being over the top, and we never had to wait or try to get anyone’s attention.

All round a brilliant spot. Can’t believe this level of quality and service came at such a...

Returned on Saturday after a looooong Hiatus (Sorry about that!) It was great to be back I do genuinely love this place, it's exactly the kind of place that Hanley needs. Simple clean cooking, that's new, vibrant and exciting!

The service is great, I came down bang on 12 this last Saturday (eager beaver) 3 courses and done in 30 mins. I could've easily lingered over a few more Tokyo Mules but had to dash. Very friendly, welcoming and funny! Top marks!

The food I had.... Well edited menu that changes frequently you can view on the Insta or FB. All 3 dishes I had were bangin'! I started with the Beef and Spring onion dumplings which were tender, and really well balanced, sometimes I've had dumplings that can be stodgy these were anything but.

Then there was the Haggis Bao special... Crazy idea but my god it works! The soft beautiful haggis set off with a spicy dressing, and light soft bao... perfect!

Finally some Salt n Pepper Hash browns to finish off...start of the show, perfect crispy hash brown, with a crispy punchy salt n pepper seasoning... incredible.

Bar menu is great as well...go for the Tokyo Mules if you're drunk, twist on a classic...loved it.

It was a beautiful sunny day so I got a table outside, It seems a shame it wasn't busier!

Come on Hanley get down and support this...