Dumplings and Beyond — Restaurant in Washington

Although Dumplings & Beyond serves a wide variety of traditional Chinese dishes, they definitely know where their specialty lies: their giant, super-flavorful, and amazing dumplings. I've visited (pre-COVID) or ordered catering / delivery / take-out from this well-loved Glover Park favorite countless times, and Dumplings & Beyond never fails to impress me with its consistent quality. Their dumplings all come in orders of 10; while $12-$15 may seem like an average-to-expensive price for that number, it's honestly such a steal because of how huge (and delicious) they are! Each of their selections are fantastic -- before I became pescatarian, I was in love with their chicken and black mushroom dumplings, which was really surprising as chicken is a pretty non-traditional filling since it usually isn't quite as juicy and aromatic as pork or shrimp. Even so, these dumplings were wonderful little parcels of flavor, and I didn't miss the extra fattiness and juiciness that pork or shrimp would have offered them at all.

For those who don't eat land-eating animals (or meat at all), there are still plenty of delicious options! They have two seafood choices -- fish and cilantro and shrimp and chive, and both of them are absolutely phenomenal. This was my first time trying a purely fish dumpling, and I'm bewildered as to why I haven't made them in the past! The fish was delightfully tender and extremely juicy -- it's honestly a little hard to eat these dumplings elegantly because the dumplings are so large that it's impossible to eat them in one bite (or even two) and they're so filled with juice that they rival a soup dumpling. The filling was also amazingly aromatic from the cilantro and ginger, but these additions were still subtle enough to let the natural flavors of the fish shine. The shrimp and chive dumplings were similarly delightful, with the mildly sweet shrimp beautifully dancing off the earthy, herby bite of the chives. The shrimp had a slight bounce, which, paired with their expertly crafted dumpling skins, gave the entire parcel a wonderful QQ texture.

And their veggie dumplings...ah...how do I even start! These are genuinely some of the best vegetarian dumplings I've ever had in my life. Despite my and my parents' best efforts to one-up Dumplings & Beyond, these still hold the crown for the most flavorful veggie dumplings I've ever tried on this side of the Pacific. I couldn't even tell you which vegetables are inside of these parcels of goodness, but I'm thoroughly amazed by their blend -- it provides just the right level of mild sweetness, deep umami (thank you to their normal and wood ear mushrooms), and aromatic herbs. Whether you're vegetarian or not, these are a great addition to any order! They also somehow managed to get the texture of the dumplings just right, despite the addition of many dark leafy greens (which, at least in my own dumpling-making experience, have a tendency to get bunched up into a super tough-to-chew knot). If only Dumplings & Beyond could pass along their recipe and host a few dumpling-making classes...but, until then, I'll remain a loyal patron.

Of course, we can't entirely ignore the "& Beyond" part of this restaurant's name! If you aren't in the mood for dumplings, this shop also has an expansive menu with all of the traditional Chinese favorites (and Chinese-American favorites, if that's more your speed). I've personally really enjoyed their mapo tofu, super classic and homey tomato and egg with noodles, and hot garlic eggplant, but you really can't go wrong with the vast majority of their menu. Although these dishes are certainly tasty, I will admit that they pale in comparison to the quality of their dumplings.

Unfortunately, since the pandemic, they've closed their doors to all but take-out and delivery orders, but I'm honestly just so grateful that they're still open and providing DC with the most wonderful dumplings the city...

For those who love China Bistro in Rockville, Dumplings and Beyond will be your new BFF. This is the sister restaurant of China Bistro, opened by their owners and situated in the populous neighborhood of Glover Park. Even some of China Bistro's staff have migrated here.

Given the heavy price tag of this neighborhood, the prices of food here are a tad more expensive than at their mothership. Whereas the Mama Special at China Bistro is $9.50, the House Special (same thing) is $9.90. 40 cents more but 6 miles closer so it's all negligible.

We ordered the soup dumplings as an appetizer, plate of the pork and chives dumplings, and the Sichuan cold noodles. Also ordered some milk green tea bubble tea.

Boba was a little harder than preferred, but the milk green tea taste was prominent. A little too much ice which sort of waters down the taste.

Sichuan cold noodles were decent but it's not as spicy as the China Bistro location. Still, the flavor is there and if you're in the mood for some cold noodles, this dish really hits the spot.

Soup dumplings. Now, DC unfortunately has very few soup dumpling offerings. Dumplings and Beyond's soup dumplings are surprisingly not bad. Sure, they're not like Din Tai Fung on the West Coast or Joe's Shanghai and Nan Xiang in New York City, but for the DC area they are on the better side of the spectrum. I like them even more than the soup dumplings at Shanghai Lounge. The wrappers aren't too doughy but just chewy enough, there's sufficient soup, and the filling is delicious.

The dumplings are just like China Bistro's. Yum! Like I mentioned, it's a little pricier here but the taste is just as satisfying.

Service was a little slower than I anticipated, definitely not as great as China Bistro. We waited awhile to get our orders in and for our check, and I noticed that it took them for awhile to clean up tables. Hopefully as time goes on, they work out the kinks of a new establishment. All in all, this is a great alternative for those unable or unwilling to travel to Rockville for...

My wife and I lived in China for two years, which has made our lives in the US a never-ending search for good, authentic Chinese food. This place has it.

We've been four times now and it's been great each time. The pork and napa dumplings, as well as the house special (shrimp, pork, napa) have a really delicious flavor. The soup dumplings / xiaolongbao (listed as "pork buns" under appetizers, I think?) are not quite as good as Shanghai's but they are still great and a nice break from the standard options. In my opinion, though, the best are the standard shrimp dumplings, which are basically just filled with entire shrimp. If you time things right, you might even get to see the gentleman stuffing dumplings by hand if you walk back past the counter.

Other dishes are also great. Yuxiang eggplant, the cold cucumber salad, and the cumin lamb are all really good and made us feel like we were back in Beijing. Scallion pancake (congyoubing) and hot & sour soup weren't too special but certainly not bad either. They seem to have both Americanized and authentic Chinese stuff mixed in together on the menu, so choose wisely.

If you're used to service in China, this place will seem heavenly in comparison. By American standards a bit hands-off, which for some is a good thing. Friendly, efficient, and not much more, especially when they're busy.

Not exactly cheap but if you're looking for good Chinese, well worth it IMO - especially for the headline dumplings. Looking forward to coming...