Thumbling — Restaurant in West Covina

I want to preface by saying I went once for takeout. The experience wasn't great, but even if it had been, I don't think I would return.

TLDR: The food is meh. For better dumplings, go to Tian You Feng Dumpling House on Azusa by Tokyo Central in West Covina's South Hills Plaza.

Details of how my experience went and ways I think it could be improved: I have one experience there. I ordered ahead, found it to be normal prices for dumplings, liked that it was close to by. My husband went in to pay, and it didn't go through. I went inside and tried my card and it didn't go through. It wasn't until someone else tried to pay with card that they realized their machine wasn't working.

They then said cash only. One younger guy working there tried his best to give us some customer service. But, sorry to say, no one had problem solving skills. I understand it sucked for them to try and figure all this out but we were there for 15 minutes trying all credit cards. It wasn't our card, as they suggested. They realized everyone's cards were declining. Our food got cold. We weren't offered any discount and I didn't ask. I had $15 dollars and asked what I could take. They didn't like that idea. I finally suggested PayPal or venmo. They hesitated to accept that. At this point, we were hungry and had our hearts set on dumplings.

Finally, I PayPal'd the lady and left disappointed with how long all that took and how there was no customer service during it. It was like it my problem to fix. Other people seemed annoyed, too. We were all just calm and, to me, the vibe was that we all seemed to feel bad for the staff, but knew it's a new restaurant and nothing's perfect. Someone like an owner or operator should've been around to help their staff. They were just trying to figure this out on their own and it was a total bummer to see they had no support. We just wanted our food. The person who seemed to be in charge didn't go out on the floor to announce the card service was malfunctioning. A young man working there took the initiative to graciously let customers know and that they were working on it. Anyway, ...

We got home another 10 minutes later. I assume our food was ready at max for 5 minutes before we got there, so now my food has been sitting out for 25 minutes, let's say.

We tasted the food hoping it would have been worth the trouble. It was not.

The good: The crafting of the dumplings was beautiful. Same with the buns.

The taste: However, no flavors bursting. No flavor, at all, really. I added their sauce - a simple soy based sauce. It didn't help. They had some spicy sauces that were good.

We were left bummed out bc we had good hopes for this place but it definitely did not deliver. Thumbling just kinda sucks. I won't go again simply bc the food was lackluster. Not good, not bad, just nothing to go out of my way for.

Where you gotta go instead: Better dumplings can be found at Tian You Feng Dumpling House on Azusa and Francisquito in South Hills Plaza. Tian You Feng Dumpling House is so much better tasting, with nicer customer experience, and Dumpling House will just rock your world!

I recommend Tian You Feng Dumpling House just one mile west for more flavor and spices, with more diverse sauces, too.

I hope management reads this and finds ways to improve bc this restaurant has promise with a few improvements. The community wants a yummy dumpling place, and I hope...

Thumbling, located in the heart of West Covina, California, is a newly opened Chinese restaurant that has quickly become a local favorite. The restaurant specializes in delicious and authentic Chinese dumplings, made using unique skills and cooking recipes that have been perfected by Main Chef Mr. Feng.

The menu at Thumbling includes a variety of dumplings, including Xiao Long Bao, pan-fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, and wontons, all of which are freshly made by hand using only the freshest ingredients available. The skin of the xiao long bao is the closest thing to Din Tai Fung that you'll ever taste, and the fillings for all the dumplings are delicious and perfectly balanced, just like the ones you'll find at Din Tai Fung.

One standout dish at Thumbling is the spicy wonton with pork and shrimp, which is an authentic and delicious dish that is similar in taste to the ones served at Din Tai Fung. The only dumpling that needs a bit of work to have the Din Tai Fung taste is the vegetarian dumpling, as the skin is not as firm as it should be, but it's still a close second.

But it's not just the dumplings that make Thumbling special. Chef Mr. Feng is also skilled at cooking different Chinese cuisines, and the restaurant has been awarded for its authentic Chinese cuisine in the West Covina area.

The story behind Thumbling is a heartwarming one after hearing it from their waitresses. Chef Mr. Feng has always had a passion for making delicious authentic Chinese food, and after his family missed their hometown food, he created his own recipes. He would love to see his family and friends enjoying his delicious homemade food, and now he's able to share it with the community through his restaurant.

So if you're looking for an authentic Chinese dining experience in West Covina, look no further than Thumbling. With delicious dumplings and a warm and welcoming atmosphere, it's no wonder this restaurant has quickly become a local favorite. Don't forget to try their thumbs-up dumplings! And watch out Din Tai Fung, you have a real...

We visited this place given the recent social media hype. It was early on a weekday (around 4pm) so the wait wasn't terrible. We had been there before on a Friday evening, and the wait was an hour and a half, so we went elsewhere. I was excited to try it, and in all honesty, the food was truly delicious, BUUUUT..... it is incredibly overpriced. Yes, everything is pricey these days, but here's why I wouldn't be returning:

1. The check-in is somewhat chaotic. There's no one permanently assigned to the front, so you have to figure out that there's a clipboard somewhere and sign your name. Good luck grabbing someone's attention to tell you what the expected wait time is. Also, there's nowhere for you to sit and wait, so be ready to stand by register or make a line standing outside.
2. Once seated, we waited and waited for someone to take our order, until my husband grabbed someone and they told us to scan a QR and order online. This might be great, and maybe we're technologically challenged so that's on us, but good customer service would mean they told us that as they sat us, instead of having us wait around.
3. Ordering online is actually super practical and easy, but the food came out all out of order, including bringing our drinks (smoothies) at the very end of our meal 🤦‍♀️
4. The servings are priced for regular sized items, but served in sampler bite size...lol. I ordered scallion pancakes and they were more like a flour tortilla than a pancake... The bao were practically the size of a ping-pong ball, and also paper thin, so not thrilled about that. Overall, if you're curious about the place and budget isn't a concern, it's definitely worth trying. If you're budget conscious but still want to try, just make sure you...