Tasty Dumpling — Restaurant in New York

I love, love, LOVE Tasty Dumpling. Their dumplings are delicious and juicy, they're cheap, the fried ones are almost always perfectly fried, giving them a browned bottom edge with a slightly crispy part that's just delicious, and they're made fresh almost all day, from around 11AM till around 7PM.

I sing the praises of the place to everyone I meet; I've brought friends from Chicago here and they loved it, and taken their frozen dumplings as far as Texas, to high acclaim from my friends there.

Oh, and did I mention? They sell huge batches of frozen dumplings for super cheap! A batch of 50 pork and chive dumplings is only around 10 bucks, and believe me, they're just as good at home as in the store.

I do have to note, I've only tried the pork/chive and pork/cabbage varieties, both fried and steamed, and loved them. I've never really tried the rest of their menu. I have, though, tried their wonton soup (it's okay, but wonton soup isn't really my thing) and their scallion pancakes (they're good).

Now, you might be wondering, if I love them so much, why only 4 stars, rather than 5? Well, there's a couple small reasons. One is that, since I started going there in high school 7 years ago, the quality has dipped just a bit. The dumplings are still juicy, but not QUITE as juicy as they used to be (though maybe that's not so bad, since it used to be hard to bite into a dumpling without juice and oil kinda splattering out).

Also, since they're fried in large batches, it's hard to rip one dumpling from the other without just tearing a big hole in the side.

It's often very crowded inside, despite the upgrade they made several years ago where they moved down the block into a bigger space. At certain times of day it's almost impossible to find a space to sit inside, which can be agonizing in the height of the summer when all the benches under the shade in Columbus Park are packed, and the ones in the sunshine are approximately 200 degrees Celsius.

Lastly, they only have Diet Pepsi and I prefer Diet Coke. (Just kidding. 😋)

All in all though, I still highly recommend...

Probably the worst dumplings I've ever had in NYC. First, the restaurant itself is pretty nasty (which truthfully would've been fine if the food made up for it, but sadly, it didn't). The cashier lady was quite rude and impatient, and actually yelled/argued with multiple customers in the short 10 minute period we were inside. The entire ordering process was very rushed and I felt she was annoyed with me from the second I stepped up to the counter. I only ordered the steamed dumplings. It came out really fast (probably the only positive note I have for the place), so we sat at one of the tables to eat. I quickly realized that something from the ceiling was leaking on me/the surrounding area. I spotted a bucket filled with dirty water next to my chair and realized it was likely obviously an on-going problem. I scooted over for the duration of my meal since all the other tables were taken/even dirtier than ours and started eating. The dumpling meat itself was good, though the meat inside 2 of my dumplings tasted OFF and was a completely different color from the rest, so I spit them out and threw those away. Also, the exterior wrapper was SO thick. Usually steamed/boiled dumplings have a pretty thin exterior coating, but these were so thick it was more like a VERY thick pierogi. That threw me off entirely, but I tried to finish my food since the flavor of the meat was pretty alright - that is, until I got to the last 2 which something was obviously wrong with. There are so many better places in Chinatown to get dumplings from, with staff that are much nicer and less impatient, and I'd recommend visiting...

Overall Thoughts: The dumplings and wontons here are tastier than MANY other spots in Chinatown at an even lower price— we got a good amount of tasty food for 2 people for under $15. If you want to sit inside, make sure to come early or during off-peak hours. I avoided the line at 3pm on a Saturday and found a table, but at 4pm, a longer line started to form and it got a lot more crowded. The service is efficient and the line moves quickly.

Food I tried: Pork & Chive Pan-Fried Dumplings (4.3/5): These were good— the exterior was really crispy and the oil really brought out the flavor of the skin. The filling had good, salty flavor too.

Mushroom & Chicken Boiled Dumplings (4.4/5): I wish I got these in soup because it would’ve enhanced the flavor further, but these were already great even without soup. I really liked the flavor of the chicken and mushroom filling, and it being boiled allowed me to fully taste and appreciate the doughy chewiness of the dumpling skin.

Shrimp, Pork, Watercress Wonton Soup (4.5/5): These pork wontons were delicious— the skin is light and thin, and the filling flavor is delicious and salty. The soup is also delicious, flavorful, hydrating, and kept the wontons flavorful. The bokchoy’s light flavor served as a nice palate cleanser.

Price (relative to peers): 5/5 Food: 4.4/5 Ambience: 4.2/5 Service: 4.5/5 Overall...