Dangela's Dumplings — Restaurant in Libertyville

I saw an instagram ad for this place recently so I saved it since my husband loves dumplings especially Asian dumplings, we went to check it out, the first thing I noticed was the personal signage of autographs on the wall wishing the owner Dangela positive thoughts and prayers for her business and endeavors on her dumpling dreams and that made me feel an extra responsibility to think of this person who I never met and who never met me in high regards when it comes to tasting her dumplings as this must have been her dream to start a restaurant where she could finally serve her most beloved recipe. I wish it told a story somewhere, where did she learn her dumpling recipe from? Is this a family tradition? Did she bring this with her from her original country? Did she invent this as a spin on a traditional recipie I wanted to know more.

The ordering process is a 3 step method you first choose if you want boiled or pan-seared (fried) dumplings, then you pick the fillings, then you pick your sides.

You can be entertained while waiting by watching the cooks in the kitchen and you can see Dangela herself making your dumplings which is such a joy and a lovely treat.

Finally your dumplings are ready, I immediately regretted ordering the pan seared when I saw the table next to us who ordered the boiled ones it just looked more healthier and juicer. The pan-seared were delicious but I thought they were a tad drier. My husband however loved them.

We will definitely come back and I will try to steamed...

I was welcomed by one of the owners, Angela. She explained the menu and offered suggestions based on my food preferences. She was friendly and her eyes twinkled over her mask. I bought frozen dumplings for lunch tomorrow, a jasmine Boba tea, a Citron tea, ice cream mochi and the pork & celery dumpling combo, pan-seared.

Oh my goodness-- everything was soo good!! The crispy bits hanging off the pan-seared dumplings were a bonus. The dumplings were soft enough to squish slightly to dip into sauce cups but had crunch and substance at the same time. The filling didn't really need the soy or vinegar sauce to taste great, but the sauces gave a nice extra flavor. The tea boiled egg was beautiful and delicious, with enough flavor that there is no need to add salt like we do with regular hard-boiled eggs all the time. The shredded potatoes were unique and a nice surprise.

The Boba tea was flavorful. The Citron tea will be my new comfort tea whenever I can get it, with a strong but not overpowering lemon flavor. And my mochi dessert was sweet without being cloying-- just the right amount of sweetness and flavor. The green tea mochi was my favorite.

Packaged with love and care--I will most definitely be coming back to this great family restaurant. Sorry, no photos. I ate it...

A friend and I decided to try something different so we decided to check this place out. The first thing I noticed walking in was the clean and modern decor. It was very nice. The second, and more important thing, was the older Chinese (assuming here due to the nature of the food served) couple that were hand making each and every dumpling (her) and cooking them (him). These dumplings are NOT frozen ahead of time. Each one is hand made that day.

So the dumpling choices came as either pan fried or boiled. We got the pan fried. There were 15 dumplings to an order. While they were delicious, I found myself seriously struggling after number 12. You definitely get a full meal.

As for the dumplings themselves, they were delicious. My friend has more experience with Chinese dumpling restaurants and he was disappointed they were not "soup dumplings" though. They were very much in line with potstickers. Fantastic potstickers. Personally I was NOT disappointed. They were just so good.

I don't know about the boiled option and how they compare. I'll find that out when I go back. I am definitely going back before I leave town.

Finally, there is also an option to purchase a frozen 18-pack of dumplings to take home. I highly...