Mother’s Dumplings

Terrible! Don’t waste your money and time.
The service was extremely slow even though there were only 3 occupied tables. The remainder tables were dirty… One was not cleaned up the whole time we were there.
The steamed rice came after we ate our meal… The meal was nothing special… There are way better places nearby that are also way cheaper.

This is the best Chinese food on the Danforth even though quite dumpling oriented as the name says. Their boiled, steamed and pan fried dumpling varieties are all awesome, and they are made right on the spot.
They have dishes of Chinese food, for those who want something saucy and more substantial — like the Kung Pao Chicken. I haven’t tried the noodle dishes, but they seem pretty substantial for the price. Actually, the main ‘problem’ with the dishes is that they are too big! If you go by yourself, there are very few dishes with less than 10 – 12 dumplings.
The service can be a bit slow, and the ambiance/​cleanliness could go up too, but overall — the best Chinese food place on the Danforth :)

These were so-​so. The juicy dumplings were not as juicy as other soup dumplings I’ve had.

Really really really good dumplings! Steamed, pan fried, whatever your preference… Pan fried were cooked to perfection.
Not somewhere you take a date to impress but defiantly a spot I would recommend.
Come with friends so you can try more!

Okay dumplings. I am still searching for the ‘best’ soup dumplings in Toronto… Markham has a few good spots, though. I digress…
Ordered:
Pan fried pork and chives (ok…nothing special)
Juicy buns (I am always fooled by juicy buns (hahaha) because it’s supposed to be similar to soup dumplings but soup is either leaked out or never evident)
Green onion pancakes (not too greasy, pretty tasty)
Steamed beef and chives (not a favorite at the table)
I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here again… there is a better dumpling spot down on Gerrard. Total cost came to 30 bucks with 10 dumplings for each order except for the juicy buns which were 8 pcs. Service was good and I appreciate a spot that gives a jug of cold water to each table… I drink A LOT of water.

Pretty good dumplings, a bit greasy but that’s to be expected. Tried the boiled, pan fried and steamed… all delicious. Surprisingly good General Tao chicken.

Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat and we decided to sample a bunch of items off the menu. Everything we had was delicious and tasted exactly the same as the other location in Chinatown. The only negative is they didn’t have everything on the menu available.
This location isn’t as popular as the Chinatown location so it is much easier to get a seat, but it only makes sense if you’re in the east end.

A place to go with at least 3 friends and order 2 types of dumplings each and mix and match. Great add to the Danforth and food is good as it’s Chinatown based original location

This location is lacking something from the original location that I can’t put my finger on.
The menu seems smaller than what is offered in the original location as well but all the classics were there. There wasn’t much of a crowd when we visited during the weekday so when our orders came through, it was fast and furious.
For a group of 4, we ordered a combination of boiled dumplings (pork & dill), steamed dumplings (pork & chives, lamb shui mai, xiao long bao), panfried dumplings (pork & bak choi), and a beef and onion pancake.
The only disappointment of the bunch was the xiao long bao. There was literally no soup within the dumpling skin and I have yet to come across a resto in Toronto that does this well. All the other dishes were satisfactory in taste and presentation.
All-​in-​all, I am glad they have decided to add another location and within the very diverse Greektown neighbourhood as well.

Awesome experience. We went as a party of four, ordered 3 sets of dumplings, 2 plates of veggies and 1 desert dumpling (worked out to $ 60 after tax & tip). All very authentic, delicious and fresh. I like how the wrapping was thin. The décor was a throwback to the old style Chinese restaurant but still chic. Best of it the place is baby friendly. They didn’t have a microwave (that’s how fresh it is) so they steamed my baby’s food for me. Will definitely be back.

Service was great, as was the food. We had Shrimp, egg & chives, Chives and eggs filled pancakes and Chicken and mushroom.
Yummy

Some pretty good vegan and vegetarian options available. The food was yummy and service prompt. My biggest complaint is that it was hot inside and no A/​C (or it wasn’t turned on) and the front windows open. Far too warm to not have A/​C on which made the end of the meal very unpleasant.
I’ll definitely be back but only in cooler weather or if there is A/​C.
Note: Entrance is barrier-​free but washrooms in basement.

Good dumplings, but you have to eat them hot and fresh. Beef and celery is my dumpling of choice. Their beef soup has overcooked pieces of meat not to my liking. The BBQ pork buns were just OK. I’ve found the quality here uneven.

i hate to dump on mother, but this meal was gross! i first asked if they had the soup dumpling (long stare) nope they don’t have those? so i spelled xiao long bao on napkin, yep they had them. You would think the dumpling your most famous for would resonate with the server.
ok got those and chicken chive dumpling and a seafood noodle soup.
took 45 minutes, we were the only ones there? the dumplings were mushy and the seafood soup had no seafood and very bland.
The vinegar on table was «off» it wasn’t that lovely red kind, it was a dark one. Didn’t go well with any of the mushy dumplings.
the food, service and the cleanliness of the space was soooo much to be desired.
$ 30 tax and tip in. felt like i was raped. those frozen ones you do at home from T & T taste better.

We ordered a variety of dishes from their menu. We had the hot and sour soup, it really lacked flavour and it seemed watered down. The onion pancake was good, but not great.
We tried the juicy pork buns and pork with bok choy dumplings. They both seemed soggy, the dough itself was not that great.
Mother Dumplings in one word, mediocre.

Dumplings are my go-​to food when I need be coddled by my mother who, even though she lives a relatively shortish driving distance in Richmond Hill, is always too busy at her Madmen-​themed cocktail parties in her retirement community to fry up a pierogi cluster for me when I am sad and lonely. You notice how every culture has some sort of dumpling? My Polish mama has pierogis and your Italian mama has gnocchi and whoever is the proprietor of this restaurant has a Chinese mother who makes dumplings and we are all together.
It’s hard when you are sad and lonely to go to a Chinese dumpling restaurant because they come in sets of 12 and if you want a variety, you have to order some to go. SIGH.
I decided on the noodle bowl and chose the seafood with rice noodles. I am a low taster, having discovered that in Grade 10 high school biology class licking on some litmus paper, I have like, no tastebuds whatsoever. Which means food is all about texture and spice that will make you feel alive until the next day.
The noodle bowl arrived (and by the way, awesome lunch time service) and looked fresh and photogenic (sorry, I only use my phone for real porn). Remember I said I ordered the seafood bowl? Well there were several chunks of fried tofu on top. I know, right? By the way, I read an article about how tofu isn’t all that and basically soy is garbage unless it is fermented and so if you eat tofu, you might as well eat Velveeta chunks… maybe I’m making that up, but true story about soy products being over-​rated. I twirled my spoon around and found some seafood alright, but it was’t chunks of fish and shrimps and delightful scallops but it was those tiny little marine weirdlings that are shaped like minuscule octopus and teeny weeny vaginas (clams?) that come in a bag that are in the frozen section that you wonder who buys this? Well I had that for lunch today.
Also being a low taster, there was not a lot of flavour to the broth. I was unexpectantly amused by the texture of the tofu because let us not kid ourselves, tofu is gross. I was disappointed by the Lilliputian micro-​sea nuggets, BUT! I was happy with the rice noodles and the fresh greenery, because who isn’t missing vegetable nutrients? But I think in the end, it was all boiled with just water, even after adding soy sauce and hot sauce, there was that something missing like maybe that awesome fish sauce that is actually pure anchovy juice that smells excitingly funky like the ladies locker room after a spin class. I think my mother would have liked this soup though, she likes things bland, being Polish and all. I have faith, though, that other things on the menu will be better and I will come back. Maybe it’s me, my lack of taste buds and my loneliness. Maybe I don’t need a boyfriend, maybe I need a girlfriend? Huh.
I took home some dumplings, the steamed shrimp ones, but they never made it home, I sucked them back one by one in the car in less than a minute after I pulled over at the liquor store on Danforth and Greenwood. Then I got some vodka.

I’ve been exposed to a dumpling-​load of praise for the original Mother’s Dumplings location at Chinatown. So when a second location popped up on my side of the Don River, I took it upon myself to find out what the buzz’s worth.
Maybe or maybe not that was a good idea because one gets exposed to potential opening week jitters (maybe that’s what it really was).
There are some items you can feed yourself a couple for cheap (like their rather watery $ 1.50 congee), but the dumplings themselves weren’t exactly steaming with packed flavour as I’d had hoped. Yes, they’re made fresh to order – and they’re quick about it. At between $ 6 and 9 for a plate of 10 dumplings, they’re not as dirt cheap as a bowl of congee, but not very pricey either. I suppose you could get away with a filling meal under $ 10 if you play your cards right and am not entirely hungry.
The interior is respectably clean and orderly and simple, with a mix of tables and booth seating. You can expect the same kind of attentive service as you would with most other Chinese eateries.
{TTC: Mother’s is smacked in the middle between Pape and Donlands station on the Danforth. If you find yourself on the 83 bus, just get off at Danforth and head west to Woodycrest.}

I really wanted to like this place. The pork buns and dumplings were flavourless, the avocado shake was disgusting, the fried pancake was average. Such a shame that food comma went to waste.

VIBE
So these guys just opened a week and a half ago, so I’m not going to be too harsh. But on a Friday night at around 7pm, these guys got SLAMMED. And they HUSTLED (and to the obnoxious group who sat before the table was even cleaned, have some manners). It’s not the fanciest place but I like the set up — there’s some booths that they don’t have at the Spadina location and yes, I don’t have to go on the TTC for a half hour for my dumpling fix anymore (could be dangerous though!)
I’d try to go on a weekday when it’s not going to be as busy. The staff was hustling hard so be kind!
And let’s remember: there’s a Mother’s Dumplings on the Danforth! Squee.
I ATE
Pork and green onion dumplings. Yum.
Beef buns (E1 or 11). Okay. Really doughy. I know it’s the thing with the buns — but for $ 4 they’re quite hefty. Not a lot of meat in them though. I wouldn’t order it again.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
Sometimes you need cheap and cheerful (though I don’t know the hierarchy of pricing in dumpling joints in Toronto. There’s just some things I’m really not going to excel at in life).

2 and half stars But 3 because service was not bad.
For those that eat dim sum regularly uptown in Scarborough or Markham. This place is considered very pricey. 4.19 for one piece of green onion pancake. Even Asian legend or ding tai fung is cheaper.
For the same price I can go to several uptown places and get 2 orders for the price of one. Dumplings were on the pricey side as well. But The food also took a long time to come out. But given they are new and the place was quite full. I don’t blame them.
Dumplings tasted good. Da Lu noodles not so much. Very bland I thought.
I find in dumpling places hot sauce is very important. They offer a chilli oil (not spicy and no real flavour). And siracha hot sauce as well.