Rush In Dumplings — Restaurant in Olympia

One of the most delightful eating experiences I've had in Olympia. I have been several times, but on my most recent visit (which inspired my review) I got the chicken dumplings and a bowl of borscht, as well as some frozen dumplings to go.

Olympia averages around a 15-45 minute wait for food. Rush-in in my experience tends to the shorter side, around 20 minutes. This is very dependent on the amount of customers as most of the prep seems to be the often single employee rushing around the kitchen to dish everything up. What I find outstanding about this wait, however, is that food arrives at your table at the perfect temperature to begin eating. As someone who loves a big first bite of their meal, this is a huge plus for my experience and makes any wait quickly forgotten. The choice of background music is also great.

Onto the food:

This was my first time eating Borscht and I fell absolutely in love with it. It was so much creamier and filling than I had expected, and they gave me a nice big bowl of it. The beef was so soft I almost believed it was a vegetable (though the rich flavor could only be beef). As for my dumplings, I adore their meat dumplings. The sour cream and caramelized onions combine to create a perfect bite each time, and the onions in particular taste so good that I'd often eat a spoonful of them alone.

The reason I was inspired to write this review, however, is that I did something on this visit that I've never done at a restaurant before: I bought a frozen take home item. Their $12 pound of frozen dumplings, particularly the chicken ones, have been on my radar ever since my first visit, but I was nervous that I would be unable to recreate the flavor without caramelizing my own onions and buying sour cream. All these fears have been proven unfounded in a spectacular way.

I love making ramen, especially when I can boil dumplings in the broth along with the noodles. When the dumplings I bought for this week's bowls proven incompatible with my broth, I risked a quarter of my Rush-in dumplings in the next bowl. What I have created is now my #1 recipe for a bowl of ramen. The Rush-in dumplings hold up perfectly in a bowl of soup and provide a perfect burst of flavor that complements my chicken/Chinese five spice broth perfectly. This has been a wonderful first experience with buying a premade item from a restaurant and I highly recommend...

Dec 2023 This is one of my sister's favorite places to eat, so she brought me here to try it out. And I have to say that I totally understand why she comes here a lot: the food is delicious and the service is excellent.

We came in Saturday morning after they opened. The place is dimly lit, cozy, and clean. When you walk in, the counter and kitchen are in front with a small bar on the left by the window (4 bar seats). The dining tables are upstairs in a loft overlooking the front entrance. There are seven 2-6 people tables. Right at the top of the stairs are free water with plastic cups, some puzzle books, and crayons. On each table are napkins, salt, pepper, some kind of curry spice, and soy sauce.

The staff deliver the food (and utensils) upstairs to you. You take care of your own plates though. By the stairs is a busing station: trash and recycling bins and a bin to put your used dishes and utensils. Also a single baby's high chair.

There is a single unisex bathroom on the ground floor, all the way in the back, through what looks like a sort of storage room, and in the right back corner. The bathroom is a bit small, but clean and dry. The toilet is a bit low and the sink is an old fashioned stand type.

The staff were friendly, polite, and efficient. I think there were only 3 or 4 staff when we came in, but they were quick with delivering our food.

All the food we got was very delicious, and I totally understand why my sister loves this place. I highly recommend any of the dumplings (I think even the plain dumplings would be tasty). The dumplings have 5 different stuffings: beef, chicken, beef/pork, potato/cheese, and potato/mushroom. The non-plain dumplings also come in either 12 or 18 count. The plain dumplings are 14 count. My sister also highly recommends the Borscht, and says it's her favorite beet soup she's ever had.

Overall, excellent food and great service. Would...

We've been here a few times and love the food. We always get dumplings and the different varieties and styles are always a tough choice. Sometimes, the dumplings come with rye bread and sometimes not. Supposedly, they always do, but I have only received it about half the time. There is always a long wait. Always. Once, we waited almost an hour and the group waiting before us got rude and demanded a refund just as their order was ready; so they were refunded and their food packed up to-go for free. Interesting, since no one else in the restaurant was offered free food for the long wait. There were only two guys and they were working the whole time, so I wasn't going to complain. Within 5 minutes of them leaving, the owner came in demanding to know why they were refunded. So, he's not available to help during a 5pm dinner rush, but if the register shows a refund, he's right there. Also interesting. Recently, we tried a delivery service and didn't receive one of the entrees or bread, and the ones we did get were half the usual size. So, either they skimp on the take-out orders, or someone ate half my dinner. Either way, not impressive. So, we can't go back again; that's too many strikes for me. It's for the best since I have to give up carbs anyway, but sad as the dumplings are good if you can actually get them. I think I'll come up with a keto recipe that tastes...