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Have you ever been to a restaurant with dumplings on the menu and NOT ordered a plate or two for the table? Kind of impossible, right? Some are better than others, of course, so here's a look at some of the tastiest Chinese dumplings we ate recently, whether soupy, steamed, boiled, or fried, at places both new and classic, semi-fancy and decidedly not. There are a ton of dumplings out there that will fill you with nothing but regret, but these are not them.
As we head into the coldest part of winter, and with all of the sudden uncertainty about whether it might be safer to take another break from indoor dining, ordering a meal delivered to your home via Grubhub is not only a cozier option than sitting out at a sidewalk table, it also won't cause any Covid anxiety. Plus, it's a great way to support your favorite local spot, or try somewhere new, during what appears to be yet another difficult season for restaurants.
Public Village on the Lower East Side
Although the pandemic hasn't allowed Jia Song and chef Kiyomi Wang to fully realize their dream of making Public Village on Essex Street into a place to eat, drink, gossip, and linger all night, that doesn't mean there's not a whole lot of excellent food coming out the kitchen here. First opened three days before the lockdown in March of 2020, Public Village delivers a full menu of terrific Sichuan dishes, including a bunch of different noodles, some meaty or vegetable-based snacks and sides, and, of course, a beautiful bowl of Chili Oil Dumplings, all plump with pork and fiery as hell. Get a big delivery of everything and create a friendly community gathering (aka, sit around and hang out with your friends) in your home!
Public Village is located at 23 Essex Street -- Order Now
Super Taste in Chinatown
This stretch of lower Eldridge Street is packed with old-school Chinatown noodle shops and tucked away gems, but the best one is Super Taste, which introduced NYC to Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles back in 2005 and feels like it's been here a lot longer than its 16 years. The Steamed Pork and Chive Dumplings from here are great, especially after you spoon on the crisp chili oil (a necessary home condiment, in our opinion), but if you ever spot the Super Taste Boiled Beef Dumplings on the menu, order with abandon. They are the best in town.
Super Taste is located at 26 Eldridge Street -- Order Now
Mimi Cheng's in the East Village, Nolita, and Upper West Side
The Cheng sisters Hannah and Marian pay tribute to their mom, Mimi, every day at this trio of semi-trendy, rock-solid dumpling shops. Everything at Mimi Cheng's is made from scratch, using longtime family recipes and high quality, thoughtfully-sourced ingredients, and it's all delicious. We get the pan-fried version of whatever dumpling suits our mood—they do those crispy bottoms as well as anyone around—which often winds up being the monthly special, a collaboration between the Chengs and another local chef, like the Peking Duck Melt Dumplings pictured above, or the Emmy Burger, the Chicken Satay, or the Buffalo Chicken. Add some Taiwanese Street-Cart Greens to your order and you suddenly have a balanced dumpling dinner in your home.
Mimi Cheng's has locations in the East Village, Nolita, and on the UWS -- Order Now
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou in Chinatown
The prices are so low at this no-frills spot that newcomers tend to chuckle a little and whisper to each other when they're deciding what to order, like they're getting away with something. And this is after they raised all the prices a little while ago! Anyway, Shu Jiao Fu Zhou moved from their longtime corner spot on Eldridge Street to some slightly bigger digs down on Grand, but everything is decent here and usually quite a bit better than that, like this tenner of wrinkly lovelies, fat with pork and easy to devour. They're served without chili oil, in Fujianese style, but when you order in with Grubhub you can always add whatever you want in your home.
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou is located at 295 Grand Street -- Order Now
Real Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen in Hell's Kitchen
Real Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen almost certainly wins the Hell's Kitchen Longest Restaurant Name trophy, but, thankfully, this no-frills spot on Eighth Avenue also makes a whole bunch of supremely satisfying food. The namesake Steamed Buns, or Xiao Long Bao, (or soup dumplings), are terrific, as are all the other dumplings, whether pan-fried and filled with pork or steamed and stuffed with fish. The ramen is also a good move here, though I prefer their nice-and-greasy stir-fry rendition to the more common, brothy noodle bowls. Get some Bubble Tea to add to the at-home fun. Note that there's also a ghost kitchen outpost in Midtown East, expanding the delivery area.
RKFLSBR is located at 811 Eighth Ave -- Order Now
The Bao in East Village
There's a long list of Chinese-food greatest hits on the menu of this popular, seven-year-old restaurant in prime St. Marks party zone, and, whether you're eating here or getting delivery to your home via Grubhub, most everything will be as good as you need it to be when wolfed down alongside a few beers. But what makes The Bao a NYC dumpling star is the Kung Fu Xiao Long Bao, or soup dumplings, which are both a model of fine construction—they sag precariously when you pick them from the basket, but they do not break—and exceptionally tasty. The soup inside is really the key here, a slightly tangy broth that's worth savoring. And remember, the privacy of your home is a great place to practice your soup-dumpling eating technique.
The Bao is located at 13 St. Marks Place -- Order Now
Spicy Moon in the East Village and Greenwich Village
The East Village has one of the greatest concentrations of first-rate Chinese food restaurants in town, specializing in nearly every imaginable regional cuisine, but the only 100% vegan Sichuan spot that we know of is the great Spicy Moon on East 6th Street, which opened about three years ago and keeps delivering all sorts of fantastic, and often quite fiery, dishes from their psychedelic shop. And they're over on the west side now, too! Order with confidence all over the menu--the potent Dan Dan Noodles, the Mapo Tofu, the Kung Pao Mixed Vegetables, the Salt and Pepper Eggplant are all winners--but no matter what, you should start your meal with these zingy Steamed Vegetable Dumplings, which pack a lot of flavor and textural intrigue into their plump packages.
Spicy Moon has locations in East Village and Greenwich Village -- Order Now
Shanghai Asian in Chinatown
For decades now, this narrow Elizabeth Street restaurant has been a gathering space for locals, who come for the warm, familiar surroundings, the expansive menu of homemade-style Shanghai classics, and, to our point here, what have been called the best soupy dumplings in town. These fancy-sounding Black Truffle Soup Dumplings are exactly like Shanghai Asian's regular porky delights, but with just the right amount of fungi on top to give it a funky kick. Order those, then go to town with the rest of the menu for an at-home Shanghai feast without having to cozy up to strangers.
Shanghai Asian is located at 14A Elizabeth Street -- Order Now
Milu in Nomad
Chef Connie Chung and her Milu co-founders Vincent Chao and Milan Sekulio ditched their careers in the fine-dining world (Eleven Madison Park, etc.) to open this decidedly unfussy and definitely delicious counter-service spot in Gramercy. The menu at Milu is anchored by Chung's rice bowls, topped with things like Mandarin Duck, a fiery Yunnan Brisket, and Sichuan Spiced Cauliflower, but don't sleep on the outstanding Wonton here, stuffed with either Pork and Fennel or Broccoli and Mushroom and generously splattered with a chili and ginger sauce.
And for dessert, make sure you also get a couple of Milu's sweet, tart, and juicy Pineapple Buns, which explode with vanilla custard from the first bite.
Milu is located at 333 Park Avenue South -- Order Now
Noodle Village in Chinatown
Huge menu, generic decor, slightly chaotic atmosphere, tourists and locals in about equal measure... the decade-old Noodle Village is a bit of a Chinatown cliche, which, of course, is not a bad thing at all. The regular dumplings here, either boiled or fried, are good, but the Wonton Soup is excellent, as are these Steam Crab Soup Dumplings, which hold a ton of seafood flavor in their small, tidy packages. A solid go-to spot on Mott Street, especially handy if you're in charge of a pack of out-of-towners... and these days, even better when ordered for delivery via Grubhub, for a cozy soup-dumpling night at home.
Noodle Village is located at 13 Mott Street -- Order Now
New Yorkers can keep supporting these institutions by exploring new spots or ordering their favorite meals with Grubhub. And with the Grubhub Guarantee, New Yorkers get their food delivered on-time and at the lowest prices - guaranteed or Grubhub will make it right. If your delivery arrives late, you’ll receive $5 off your next order and if you find a lower price with a competitor, Grubhub will match the difference, plus you’ll get $5 off your next order. Consider supporting a neighborhood business and treat yourself to some delicious food delivered right to your door!
