Marco & Luca Dumplings — Restaurant in Charlottesville

Oh, yes, yes, yes!!! This place is a hidden treasure experience, wish they had one near me!! Limited menu, but so worth it to try everything on the menu. They serve these scrumptious fried dumplings made with minced pork and green onion and seasonings all wrapped up in a crispy fried dough. They also serve steamed pork buns, hot and sour soup, and a combo meal. We had the combo meal, all five of us had the combo. The combo meal includes rice, curry, five dumplings and a steamed pork bun. My advice, go for the combo meal. The curry was what we grew up knowing as curry. Not the blow the back of your head off hot kind everyone seems to prefer these days. A very pleasantly spiced sauce with extremely tender chunks of pork, with onions. Excellent, exceptional, delicious, we are hooked kind of curry!! Love, love, love it! The steamed pork bun - the very best I have ever had- perfectly cooked! Fluffy bread around that comforting barbecued pork you remember from your dim sum eating past. Really fluffy, and completely cooked bread, sigh. I had enough to bring home half for dinner. Oh, except for the dumplings, I ate all of them... should have...

Let me first start off by saying that I have been coming to this location getting the same dish and have always been treated pleasantly by the slimmer individual working here. Today when I came in things were a little different. When I entered the location no one was at the front for about 2 mins after I entered. The gentleman who took my order wasn’t as friendly but that was ok, I placed my order for “fried veggie dumplings” he took the order did a few things up front and went to the back. At that moment I went and sat in my vehicle until the food was ready. I come back in retrieve the order, once I open I notice it wasn’t what I ordered. I explained to the gentleman that I wanted fried veggie dumplings and this wasn’t that. He tells me, “your ordered fried dumplings” I tell him I apologize if that’s what he heard but I don’t eat pork. He proceeds to tell me, “you said fried dumplings and I’ll do it for you this this time but next time I won’t” He was extremely rude, and embarrassing. The other customers in the establishment begin to look. This was totally unacceptable and the worst...

The specific location leaves a little something to be done desired (little to no outside seating, and it's not terribly easy to find the first time you hunt for it), but the interior is massive when compared to the Downtown Mall location, and the decor is fantastic.

However, one doesn't necessarily go the Marco y Luca's for the venue, the buns, a sampler of the non-dumpling plates, or one of the wonderful and delectable variety of noodle mountains. (especially the sesame noodles with peanut sauce!)

No, one goes to a place which is locally known only as "the Dumpling shop / place / store / etc..." for the DUMPLINGS! And yes, if you haven't visited in a long time, the dumplings are STILL the very same crispy-on-the-outside, satisfyingly-savory-on-the-inside, one-of-a-kind, world-class experience you remember, lovingly draped in a mantle of mouth-watering, home-made hot sauce; all of which pairs wonderfully with an ice-cold can of Mr. Pibb that provides a perfect sweet to the sauce's spicy, and paves the way for the signature "Dumpling...