Dumpling kitchen - Noe Valley — Restaurant in San Francisco

Sat Sept 28 2024. Ordered the Steamed Soup Pork Dumplings, Shanghai Style Pan-Fried Pork Buns, Signature Crab meat Claypot rice, and Chinese yam with Black Fungus. The Steamed Soup Pork Dumplings had good pork but the dumpling wrapper was quite thick and elastic which was different. I was not too sure about it but the inside was good. The Shanghai Style Pan-Fried Pork Buns were a decent introduction for someone who has not had this style pork bun before but it was very average of the pack for this bun. The Signature Crab meat Claypot rice did not have as much crab meat as anticipated however the flavors were very aromatic and pleasant. The claypot rice inside was nice and crispy too as we got to that part of the bowl. And finally, the Chinese yam with Black Fungus was a great idea for a plate of greens to add to your order. These yams were a good quality and the Black fungus was smooth and soft. I would definitely recommend this location for larger group sizes than just 2 in order to take advantage of the variety of dishes on offer and because the price to portion ratio feels slightly to be desired. I want to say this was an isolated experience but we were seated in the far corner of the back patio and it appeared the waitstaff was almost a two person show, one waitress and her manager. Our table was missing water glasses, water, napkins and saucers. It became a constant struggle to get the waitress and the manager’s attention to retrieve these items for us. This appeared to be a semi busy day with 60% table occupancy. My understanding was that this was a newly opened restaurant but it seems they need more staff to serve tables, especially for on a weekend. I hope improvements will be...

I was seriously blown away by this place! 😭 Came for lunch with coworkers — didn’t expect much from the look of it, but the Shengjian bao was hands down the best I’ve had in the U.S. — crispy bottom, juicy inside, thin wrapper, and perfectly seasoned. Don’t forget to poke a hole or you’ll get soup everywhere 😂

Also loved the green onion pancake (super crispy and fresh), celery pork dumplings (thin skin, juicy filling), and vegetarian potstickers (huge and flavorful). The basil beef was tender and fragrant, a bit salty but great with rice.

Friendly vibe, clean space, and apparently a favorite of SF big names. Perfect for group lunches or casual meetups....

I reluctantly write this review - out of pure selfishness and fear that it will be more difficult for me to easily eat here. Dumpling Kitchen is phenomenal and possibly the best kept secret in Noe Valley.

My partner and I ate lunch on the lovely patio, received impeccable service, and enjoyed every minute of our visit!

We started with the vegetarian dumplings, followed by the bok choy with garlic, as well as the Szechuan fish fillet with pickled cabbage in the house broth.

So. Delicious.

My only regret is that I didn’t take photos to share in my review. We’ll be back and ready to...