Mian noodles and dumplings — Restaurant in San Antonio

I should state that I am a happy person and I love trying new "culture' spots and neighborhood gems, I'm also fair. However, you would be better off trying Lucky Noodle or Kung Fu Noodle in San Antonio, which are closer to 1604/i-10 (central) town and imo more authentic. I was (at first) drawn to Mian noodles & dumplings because I read stellar reviews about the food--authenticity, good/friendly service, good food. I have been to Northern China twice, and I love Chinese food/people, but this place was not what it claimed to be. Perhaps they had an off day? Why? I was very disappointed by my experience, and I noticed a couple of strange things: 1) The dumplings are VERY over-steamed and wet/soggy, they fall apart with simple chopsticks and the hardened pork meat has a strong ginger/gamy meat taste that overpowers the soggy dumpling dough. I was able to eat a few dumplings whole, but the rest were a hodge hodge of ground pork or soggy dumpling skins. The scallion pancakes (although flavor) were on the greasy side and WAY TOO hot--burn your mouth hot if not careful. 2) The biggest disappointment was definitely the service. My order was taken immediately, but after nearly waiting 50 minutes for my food, I asked the waitress what happened--they forgot or misplaced my order, and apologized but then I had to wait an additional 15-20 minutes to eat since they were making my food from scratch. All they offered was a 20% discount on my meal, while was a nice gesture but inadequate. Not once was I checked on to see if I liked the food, and the service was cold, lackluster, and impersonal. I personally witnessed a single black lady (I'm white) ignored for over 30 minutes who was waiting for her food, and after they apologized to her she ordered and after waiting an additional 20 minutes--she also left. I NEVER complain about service, but I thought the atmosphere was bizarre and the food was not as terrific as reviews suggest. 3) Perhaps I arrived at an odd hour, but the atmosphere was also strange--the diners were either way over 65 or way under 25, but no one was in their late 20s or early 30s like myself. Not a big deal, but a strange observation--the music was also a strange mashup of current hits and there was little explanation on the table of soy sauce/vinegar/Chile paste, so one had to experiment and figure it out themselves. All in all, it was an inexpensive meal that turned out to be a big disappointment. I left hungry, and no one said goodbye and apologies were...

You know the place is gonna be good when there are old Asian people eating there. I ordered the wonton noodle soup, the braised beef noodle soup, the pork and scallion baos, and the multi-spiced beef with cilantro, all to-go. The beef with cilantro is phenomenal. It's very well seasoned and the texture of the beef was tender and chewy from the tendon-y parts. The baos had soft and fluffy bread and the meat inside was very flavorful. They also look homemade, based on the color of the bun. I would say though, I didn't see or taste any scallions in the meat part, sadly. The wonton noodle soup had very juicy wontons and the thin noodles were very chewy. The broth is very clean and with the added fresh scallions, makes the broth very bright. The braised beef noodle soup's broth is absolutely packed with flavor with unexpectedly large chunks of very tender beef. There was so much food in each noodle dish. Even though I ordered all of this to-go, the place was very clean and cozy, very homey vibes and the staff was very polite. What's super cool about the to-go noodles is that the noodles are separated above the soup which means that the noodles don't go soggy sitting in the soup but also provides a compact lunch container. Genuinely 10/10 would come here again just for the container. All joking aside,...

First time trying this restaurant with high hopes being Asian myself but greatly disappointed :(

Ordered the Lanzhou noodles with chicken, pork and scallion dumplings, and scallion pancake.

The Lanzhou noodles were underwhelming at best, nothing special, and the chicken meat was so tough/hard that it was not pleasing to eat at all.

I could not stomach eating all of the pork and scallion dumplings at all because the pork itself gave off a raw meat taste that I was turned off by.

I would say the scallion pancakes were probably the only positive food experience.. it was crispy and quite appetizing.

Service was pretty much non-existent, unfortunately.

Honestly guys, Kung Fu Noodle in San Antonio is so much better!! If y’all want superbly delicious and juicy dumplings and their noodles are also fresh and handmade! Plus super affordable and never fails on flavor, very consistent all the time.

Sadly, I would not return. This will be my first and...