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A metal tray with four fried dumplings and two side portions of rice and veggies. — A tray of dumplings from Mei Mei.

Where to Eat Dumplings in and Around Boston

From mini juicy buns to gigantic soup dumplings, Boston’s got the goods

by Eater Staff Updated Feb 23, 2023, 5:43pm EST

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A tray of dumplings from Mei Mei.

| Mel Taing/Mei Mei

by Eater Staff Updated Feb 23, 2023, 5:43pm EST

Dumplings, in their myriad forms and styles, are among the planet’s most-loved foods. And Boston, port city that it has always been, is no mere welterweight in the global prizefight of places to partake in the dumpling splendor. Whether it be pop-ups in the game, like relatively new mainstay Mimi’s Chūka Diner, or tried-and-true dumpling favorites like Dumpling Daughter, dumplings abound in Boston. Try these 15 restaurants for must-try renditions at restaurants across the city.

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District Kitchen

Look, extra-large soup dumplings are never going to taste quite the same as the standard size — the ratios are off. But if you’re desperate to try one, head to District Kitchen in Malden, the only purveyor of ginormous soup dumplings in the area. The restaurant — revamped in late 2018 to focus on Sichuan cuisine — also serves a variety of other interesting (and attractive) dumplings, including cuttlefish, pork, and chive dumplings in a black cuttlefish ink wrapper and lobster, pork, and cucumber dumplings in a red wrapper. Try the giant dumpling for the novelty factor, but focus on the other dumplings.

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2 Florence St, Malden, MA 02148

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A single giant soup dumpling fills a bamboo steamer, and metal tongs rest along the edge of the steamer. — The extra-large soup dumpling at District Kitchen.

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Tasty Momo

These Nepalese dumplings are the pride of Magoun Square. Sophie Thakali began making momos for friends but soon found herself opening a restaurant. The spicy momos are a must, but be warned: They are not for the faint of heart.

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508 Medford St, Somerville, MA 02145

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Momo in a thick and fiery-looking red sauce, served on aluminum foil. — Chile momo at Tasty Momo.

Chalawan Asian Eatery

Chalawan serves an upscale mix of Southeast Asian cuisines. Dumplings aren’t a focus of the menu; in fact, there’s just one dumpling option, but it’s an absolute must. Aunty Wang’s steamed snapper dumplings, featuring a delicate seafood flavor, are served with chile and black vinegar sauce.

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1790 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

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Three steamed dumplings are nestled in a white plate, garnished with strips of ginger and some fresh cilantro. — Snapper dumplings at Chalawan.

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Zoe's Chinese Restaurant

Zoe’s — a popular Somerville spot that features hefty selections of both Sichuan and Hunan cuisine — offers a variety of dumplings. From steamed juicy pork buns to spicy Sichuan dumplings with peanuts, an eater can’t go wrong.

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296-298 Beacon St, Somerville, MA 02143

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Six soup dumplings with thick exteriors sit in a bamboo steamer basket. A white teacup with blue floral markings is visible in the background on the wooden table. — Soup dumplings at Zoe’s.

Dumpling House

The menu at Dumpling House is packed with around a dozen different kinds of dumplings, ranging from vegetarian spinach dumplings to pan-fried dumplings with pork and leek, but the star of the show is the pork soup dumpling.

950 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

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Mimi’s Chūka Diner at Artifact Cider Project

One of the Boston area’s best new-ish pop-ups, Mimi’s Chūka Diner — cofounded by B&G Oysters alums Ted Woo and Jon Awerman — is inspired by chūka ryori, a style of cuisine in which dishes with Chinese origins are cooked in a Japanese style. While a permanent restaurant may eventually be in the plans, Mimi’s is still residing at Artifact Cider’s Cambridge taproom, offering a rotating menu of dumplings and more. No order is complete without the pan-fried yasai chikara gyoza — a vegan powerhouse of a dumpling.

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438 Massachusetts Ave Unit A, Cambridge, MA 02139

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Dumpling Daughter

Now with three locations (Brookline and Weston in addition to this one in Cambridge’s Kendall Square), the Dumpling Daughter trio pays homage to founder Nadia Liu Spellman’s mother, Sally Ling, of the eponymous Sally Ling’s, an upscale Chinese restaurant on Boston’s waterfront from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Dumpling Daughter is casual, though, serving a variety of dumplings, buns, scallion pancake wraps, rice bowls, and more.

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73 Ames St, Cambridge, MA 02142

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Six pan-seared dumplings sit on a white plate. A plastic cup of a soy-based dipping sauce is next to them. — Pan-seared pork and napa cabbage dumplings at Dumpling Daughter in Cambridge.

Dumpling Kingdom

Got a Sunday night dumpling craving? No worries: Dumpling Kingdom in Allston is open late every night. The Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings are special, and the mini juicy buns with pork are also worth your dollar. This Allston shop is a sibling to Chinatown’s Dumpling Cafe (listed below).

137 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

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A plate of oblong Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings on a dark wooden table. — Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings at Dumpling Kingdom.

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Taiwan Cafe

Go to Taiwan Cafe for the ma po tofu; stay for the Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings. Chinatown is the city’s best food neighborhood, and these are among its best dumplings. The soup dumplings, too, are a must.

34 Oxford St, Boston, MA 02111

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Six soup dumplings in a bamboo steamer basket with large soup spoons tucked in next to the dumplings. Several other dishes of food are visible in the background. — Soup dumplings at Taiwan Cafe.

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Dumpling Cafe

There are many excellent pork soup dumplings in the city; Dumpling Cafe’s are the most excellent. Order them with Taiwan-style eggplant, string beans, and deep-fried pig intestines. The Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings are also extraordinary.

695 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111

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A wooden steamer holds half a dozen plump soup dumplings. The steamer sits on a round white plate on a wooden table. — Soup dumplings at Dumpling Cafe in Chinatown.

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Myers + Chang

It’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu at Myers + Chang. Get anything that’s wok-charred (but really, get anything), and get an order of the classic Mama Chang’s pork and chive dumplings.

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1145 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

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Mei Mei Dumplings

The lemongrass pork dumplings at Mei Mei are a non-negotiable order, as are the ones stuffed with cheddar, scallion, and potato. Survey the scene at Mei Mei’s new South Boston dumpling factory while you eat, and sign up for a dumpling-making class while you’re at it.

Open in Google Maps

58 Old Colony Ave, Boston, MA 02127

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A metal tray with a stack of golden fried dumplings and two sides of veggies and rice. — A tray of dumplings at Mei Mei.

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Blossom Bar

Head to Blossom Bar for an excellent cocktail, Chengdu-style dry hot chicken, dan dan noodles, and some irresistible pork dumplings in chile vinaigrette and tingling Sichuan peppercorn oil.

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295 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445

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Closeup on a bowl of steamed dumplings in a deep red oil with chopped scallions and sesame seeds — Pork dumplings in chile vinaigrette and Sichuan peppercorn oil at Blossom Bar.

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Bess’s Cafe

Bess’s Cafe in Brookline is perhaps best known for its scallion pancake wraps, but the dumplings are also worthy of this list. Try the chicken dumplings with Sichuan sauce or the pan-seared pork and chive dumplings.

224 Cypress St, Brookline, MA 02445

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Overhead view of a square white plate covered with steamed, pleated dumplings — Pan-seared pork and chive dumplings at Bess’s Cafe.

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Ming Seafood Restaurant

Dim sum spot Ming’s Seafood’s enormous dim sum selection is full of gems (don’t miss the crispy shrimp in red rice rolls), including several dumplings. Try the steamed shrimp dumplings in cuttlefish wrappers or the chow chow dumplings with the crunch of peanut waiting inside.

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477 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02171

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District Kitchen

2 Florence St, Malden, MA 02148

Look, extra-large soup dumplings are never going to taste quite the same as the standard size — the ratios are off. But if you’re desperate to try one, head to District Kitchen in Malden, the only purveyor of ginormous soup dumplings in the area. The restaurant — revamped in late 2018 to focus on Sichuan cuisine — also serves a variety of other interesting (and attractive) dumplings, including cuttlefish, pork, and chive dumplings in a black cuttlefish ink wrapper and lobster, pork, and cucumber dumplings in a red wrapper. Try the giant dumpling for the novelty factor, but focus on the other dumplings.

Open in Google Maps

2 Florence St, Malden, MA 02148

Visit Website

A single giant soup dumpling fills a bamboo steamer, and metal tongs rest along the edge of the steamer. — The extra-large soup dumpling at District Kitchen.

Tasty Momo

508 Medford St, Somerville, MA 02145

These Nepalese dumplings are the pride of Magoun Square. Sophie Thakali began making momos for friends but soon found herself opening a restaurant. The spicy momos are a must, but be warned: They are not for the faint of heart.

Open in Google Maps

508 Medford St, Somerville, MA 02145

Visit Website

Momo in a thick and fiery-looking red sauce, served on aluminum foil. — Chile momo at Tasty Momo.

Chalawan Asian Eatery

1790 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Chalawan serves an upscale mix of Southeast Asian cuisines. Dumplings aren’t a focus of the menu; in fact, there’s just one dumpling option, but it’s an absolute must. Aunty Wang’s steamed snapper dumplings, featuring a delicate seafood flavor, are served with chile and black vinegar sauce.

Open in Google Maps

1790 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140

Visit Website

Three steamed dumplings are nestled in a white plate, garnished with strips of ginger and some fresh cilantro. — Snapper dumplings at Chalawan.

Zoe's Chinese Restaurant

296-298 Beacon St, Somerville, MA 02143

Zoe’s — a popular Somerville spot that features hefty selections of both Sichuan and Hunan cuisine — offers a variety of dumplings. From steamed juicy pork buns to spicy Sichuan dumplings with peanuts, an eater can’t go wrong.

Open in Google Maps

296-298 Beacon St, Somerville, MA 02143

Visit Website

Six soup dumplings with thick exteriors sit in a bamboo steamer basket. A white teacup with blue floral markings is visible in the background on the wooden table. — Soup dumplings at Zoe’s.

Dumpling House

950 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

The menu at Dumpling House is packed with around a dozen different kinds of dumplings, ranging from vegetarian spinach dumplings to pan-fried dumplings with pork and leek, but the star of the show is the pork soup dumpling.

950 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

Mimi’s Chūka Diner at Artifact Cider Project

438 Massachusetts Ave Unit A, Cambridge, MA 02139

One of the Boston area’s best new-ish pop-ups, Mimi’s Chūka Diner — cofounded by B&G Oysters alums Ted Woo and Jon Awerman — is inspired by chūka ryori, a style of cuisine in which dishes with Chinese origins are cooked in a Japanese style. While a permanent restaurant may eventually be in the plans, Mimi’s is still residing at Artifact Cider’s Cambridge taproom, offering a rotating menu of dumplings and more. No order is complete without the pan-fried yasai chikara gyoza — a vegan powerhouse of a dumpling.

Open in Google Maps

438 Massachusetts Ave Unit A, Cambridge, MA 02139

Visit Website

Dumpling Daughter

73 Ames St, Cambridge, MA 02142

Now with three locations (Brookline and Weston in addition to this one in Cambridge’s Kendall Square), the Dumpling Daughter trio pays homage to founder Nadia Liu Spellman’s mother, Sally Ling, of the eponymous Sally Ling’s, an upscale Chinese restaurant on Boston’s waterfront from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Dumpling Daughter is casual, though, serving a variety of dumplings, buns, scallion pancake wraps, rice bowls, and more.

Open in Google Maps

73 Ames St, Cambridge, MA 02142

Visit Website

Six pan-seared dumplings sit on a white plate. A plastic cup of a soy-based dipping sauce is next to them. — Pan-seared pork and napa cabbage dumplings at Dumpling Daughter in Cambridge.

Dumpling Kingdom

137 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Got a Sunday night dumpling craving? No worries: Dumpling Kingdom in Allston is open late every night. The Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings are special, and the mini juicy buns with pork are also worth your dollar. This Allston shop is a sibling to Chinatown’s Dumpling Cafe (listed below).

137 Harvard Ave, Allston, MA 02134

Visit Website

A plate of oblong Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings on a dark wooden table. — Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings at Dumpling Kingdom.

Taiwan Cafe

34 Oxford St, Boston, MA 02111

Go to Taiwan Cafe for the ma po tofu; stay for the Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings. Chinatown is the city’s best food neighborhood, and these are among its best dumplings. The soup dumplings, too, are a must.

34 Oxford St, Boston, MA 02111

Visit Website

Six soup dumplings in a bamboo steamer basket with large soup spoons tucked in next to the dumplings. Several other dishes of food are visible in the background. — Soup dumplings at Taiwan Cafe.

Dumpling Cafe

695 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111

There are many excellent pork soup dumplings in the city; Dumpling Cafe’s are the most excellent. Order them with Taiwan-style eggplant, string beans, and deep-fried pig intestines. The Taiwan-style pan-fried dumplings are also extraordinary.

695 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111

Visit Website

A wooden steamer holds half a dozen plump soup dumplings. The steamer sits on a round white plate on a wooden table. — Soup dumplings at Dumpling Cafe in Chinatown.

Myers + Chang

1145 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

It’s hard to go wrong with anything on the menu at Myers + Chang. Get anything that’s wok-charred (but really, get anything), and get an order of the classic Mama Chang’s pork and chive dumplings.

Open in Google Maps

1145 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118

Visit Website

Mei Mei Dumplings

58 Old Colony Ave, Boston, MA 02127

The lemongrass pork dumplings at Mei Mei are a non-negotiable order, as are the ones stuffed with cheddar, scallion, and potato. Survey the scene at Mei Mei’s new South Boston dumpling factory while you eat, and sign up for a dumpling-making class while you’re at it.

Open in Google Maps

58 Old Colony Ave, Boston, MA 02127

Visit Website

A metal tray with a stack of golden fried dumplings and two sides of veggies and rice. — A tray of dumplings at Mei Mei.

Blossom Bar

295 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445

Head to Blossom Bar for an excellent cocktail, Chengdu-style dry hot chicken, dan dan noodles, and some irresistible pork dumplings in chile vinaigrette and tingling Sichuan peppercorn oil.

Open in Google Maps

295 Washington St, Brookline, MA 02445

Visit Website

Closeup on a bowl of steamed dumplings in a deep red oil with chopped scallions and sesame seeds — Pork dumplings in chile vinaigrette and Sichuan peppercorn oil at Blossom Bar.

Bess’s Cafe

224 Cypress St, Brookline, MA 02445

Bess’s Cafe in Brookline is perhaps best known for its scallion pancake wraps, but the dumplings are also worthy of this list. Try the chicken dumplings with Sichuan sauce or the pan-seared pork and chive dumplings.

224 Cypress St, Brookline, MA 02445

Visit Website

Overhead view of a square white plate covered with steamed, pleated dumplings — Pan-seared pork and chive dumplings at Bess’s Cafe.

Ming Seafood Restaurant

477 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02171

Dim sum spot Ming’s Seafood’s enormous dim sum selection is full of gems (don’t miss the crispy shrimp in red rice rolls), including several dumplings. Try the steamed shrimp dumplings in cuttlefish wrappers or the chow chow dumplings with the crunch of peanut waiting inside.

Open in Google Maps

477 Hancock St, Quincy, MA 02171

Visit Website

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