Nan Xiang Dumpling House

Food: 4.0÷5.0
Service: 2.0÷5.0
Value: 3.0÷5.0
Décor: 2.5÷5.0
Overall: 3.5÷5.0
Nan Xiang probably has the best soup dumplings in the city. Unfortunately, the service is fairly terrible, and the cost of tasty XLB is a long wait (think up to 30 minutes on a weekend mid-​afternoon for a restaurant in Flushing). The rest of the menu is fairly basic.

Made famous by Eddie Huang (VICE is my jam), this place lived up to its’ hype. The couple times i’ve come here, it hasn’t taken me longer than 5 minutes to be seated. The space, especially in the area right when you walk in to the restaurant is a bit cramped, but it is bearable.
The atmosphere is quiet, service is average, but the food is amazing. If you’re like me and you enjoy being able to hear your friends speak over dinner, this is a great spot to come chill and enjoy some bomb XLBs.
I’ve had the crab and pork XLBs (Soup dumplings), the scallion pancake (w/​and w/​o beef), and a noodle soup. This is usually my go-​to spot just for soup dumplings so my review may be a bit narrow in variety. But these XLBs are delicious. The soup packs a punch, not too greasy, and full of flavor. The crab in my opinion is not really worth the extra buck because the flavor is so masked by the black vinegar (please stop poking holes into your XLBs). On its’ own, its alright. The scallion pancakes with beef are good as well, but may I recommend this…
Get the scallion pancakes. Put sugar on them. Then immediately access Unilocal,come back to this review, and thank me for making your life wonderful again.
Overall, it’s quiet, dimly lit, and delicious. And theres a snowdays next door so you can cooldown with some dessert after!

As a child of Shanghainese parents, I think it is safe to say I know a thing or so about soup dumplings aka xiao long baos.
The dumplings are average, nice, meaty and juicy. However it was missing that flavor that makes a person go «mmmmmmm». One item on the menu that stood out to me was the sesame pancake. It definitely made me go «mmmmm» let me order another.
I won’t not suggest ordering the pan fried dumplings. They were extremely subpar.
The service, however was excellent. Attentive and the food came quick.

I came for the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and I was not disappointed. For $ 5.50 you get 6 juicy, soft, flavorful soup dumplings. The dumpling skin is just thick enough to keep all the delicious broth from leaking out when you pick it up with chopsticks. Best xiaolongbao I’ve ever tried!
We also ordered sheng jian bao (pan fried pork buns) and scallion pancakes. These were not as memorable as the soup dumplings but they were still tasty. The pork buns could’ve used more meat in the center but the filling was savory and the bottom was perfectly crispy. The scallion pancakes were a bit too salty and greasy, so I don’t think I will be ordering them again.
Our server seemed a bit cold and didn’t really check up on us after we placed our order. We had to walk up to the hostess to ask for a check. However, the food was great so I will be coming back for sure.

Dropped by late night on Valentine’s Day. We were seated quickly and given our tea. The table has the ginger and vinegar for the soup dumplings (xiao long bao) by default, so it seems to be assumed that you’ll be ordering them.
I did order them. Very good soup dumplings. They were very hot, the soup within was flavorful, and the skins did not break when lifting them. Also picked up the scallion pancakes, fried pork buns, and a bowl of braised beef noodle soup. Scallion pancakes were especially crispy, and the fried pork buns were cooked perfectly. The braised beef noodle soup had good beef, but was mediocre at best. At a place with Dumpling House in it’s name, make sure to stick to their dumplings/​buns.

I came here specifically for their soup dumpling and was not disappointed at all.
It took about 15 minutes from the time i placed the order to the time the dumpling came out. The filling for the dumpling was very flavorful!
Beside the dumpling, i also order the recommended Scallion Pancakes. I got the one with the sliced beef. The texture to the scallion pancakes were light and crispy… and a somewhat oily, but it’s still really good!

I have been coming here for years. The food was fantastic. Ever since they’ve expanded, it’s gone downhill especially with the service. The past three times that I’ve been here is the reason why I’m giving it 1 star. I have given this place three chances with the last one being a total disappointment.
After putting our name down for a party of 3 on a busy Saturday afternoon, the hostess tells us to wait outside so that we’re not blocking the entrance. We waited outside BY THE DOOR for about 45 min and started to realize that ppl who came AFTER us were getting seated. So my mom went in and asked the hostess. She tells my mom that she already called our number from inside and that we should’ve paid attention. Umm excuse me? We waited outside like we were told and now it’s our fault for not being able to hear our number from inside. The hostess carried on with her attitude and eventually got us seated with no apologies.
Once seated, the waiters would take orders from tables all around us first. It took about 15 min for them to finally take our orders. We had to ask for tea multiple times because they would just walk right past you even though you’ve made eye contact. The typical black vinegar with ginger sauce wasn’t even on our table from the beginning and asking them would’ve taken another 15 min. We waited about an hour for our food. We watched people who came after us, finish their food while we were still waiting. At this point, I was about to get up and just leave. It seemed like they catered to all the non-​Asians first before coming to us. Well guess what? They’re not the only ones writing Unilocal reviews!
As for the food, the soup buns were good but there are other places comparable.
This was by far the worst experience I’ve ever had. I would never come back to this establishment again.

There is a good selection of authentic Chinese food here. As other reviewers have mentioned, the soup dumplings are the main attraction here. The scallion pancakes are also quite good: not too greasy but also not too chewy as some other places’.
We went late at night and were seated instantly. Have not been here during peak hours but I hear there is always a long wait.
Be warned that this establishment, like many others in the area, is cash only.

I went with a couple of fellow Unilocalers after a Unilocal elite event. In the event they only feed us some yummy dessert, so we all were in a mood for dumplings. There was not wait in the restaurant with is great always.
We all share some orders; Scallion Pancake with Sliced Beef, Steamed Crab Meat & Pork Buns, Pan Fried Pork Dumplings and some jelly fish.
Scallion Pancake: the scallion pancake was very crispy and was wrapped around the sliced beef and that delicious sauce, a good option while is warm (don’t taste if is cold), I will say that the taste was perfect.
Steamed Crab Meat & Pork Buns: this is not my first time having this plate, I remember that the first time I burn my tongue eating this, so this time I was prepared to eat it. It had a good amount of meat inside, a flavorful broth, and a tasty dumpling wrapper that held up to the transfer from the steamer to my spoon, I just add a little touch of sauce to give it an extra taste.
Pan Fried Pork Dumplings: the dumpling was very juicy on the inside and crispy seared outside! great taste.
I also try the Rice Cake, I wish order this plate; the Rice Cakes were very addictive.
The server was good and food was excellent.

Always a solid choice for soup dumplings, and nowadays is also a popular spot for foodies — so you might end up waiting a while for a seat, be warned! Now keep in mind this place has relatively similar prices to Joe’s (and better service too…), so it’s a no-​brainer which one is the better choice.
Ah, the food! You can’t go wrong with the cold & spicy beef and tripe dish here, or the aforementioned beef and scallion pancakes. If you are here for breakfast/​brunch, get the Chinese doughnuts (they’re basically long, fried, doughy sticks of goodness) and dip them in soy milk (cold/​hot/​salted). All good eats here amigos!

I’ve been going here for a few years now, ever since I came to NY for school. Hands down, they make the BEST soup dumplings. I like both the crab and pork soup dumplings — you can’t really go wrong w/​either one. Their noodles are also suuuuuper delicious, albeit too oily (but hey, that’s Chinese food for ya). One of my favorite dishes is the beef w/​hot pepper noodles (dry). It’s better than the other pan fried noodles in my opinion. I also prefer it over the noodle dish w/​soup. You should also try the scallion pancake — sooo good!
Extremely affordable + super yummy. Definitely one of my favorite places (and one that I find myself craving pretty often!)

My go-​to spot for great soup dumplings. I always get both the pork and the pork/​crab meat dumplings and man are they the bomb. The dough is soft and chewy and the fillings are so tasty and savory.
Other really notable dishes:
— Beef scallion pan cake: Tender beef wrapped in a crispy scallion pancake.
— Rice cake with pork.
— Shanghai Pan-​fried Udon
— Chicken with wine sauce
They have a good breakfast selection as well with their hot/​cold soy bean milk and congee. There’s a lot of seating here but the down side is that they only accept cash. Food comes out very quickly and they’re opened late so give this place a try! I highly recommend it.

Delicious cheap eats in Flushing (CASH ONLY)! You can spot this place from afar from the long lines. So it is highly recommended to go a little before «peak hours».
I actually don’t come here for the soup dumplings however they are quite good here. much better than Joe Shanghai for sure! If you are a first timer to this establishment then yes GET the soup dumplings. Don’t expect much regarding décor. It’s flushing its very bare minimal.
What I come here for and recommend;
— Rice cakes with shredded pork and mustard plant (So good!)
— Scallion Pancake with sliced beef
— Beef and chilli pepper noodle soup
— Beef noodle soup

I’ve been ordering takeout for a while from here and only recently got to experience their service. To be honest, just from the general vibe I got from some of the staff staff workers here, I figured the service wouldn’t be great and it lived up to my expectations for better or worse… My friend and I got an appetizer to go with our orders and the food took about as long as I expected it to. However, we figured that our appetizer was going to be lost considering how long we were waiting and we were right. The damn thing never showed up and to add insult to injury they still had the nerve to leave it on the check. Cleared that up without any fuss though.
Still, some of the kitchen staff were on lunch break and they even had the appetizer we ordered at their table…
«I guess we know where that went.»

Have been wanting to try out this place since forever and who better to come here with than my bro! We got here at 12 for lunch and were able to snag seats right away. It’s a really popular restaurant and there are a lot of diners but it isn’t too bad for a weekday lunch. The décor is pretty much your typical Flushing fare but it wasn’t dirty, which is a plus. Service was not bad either. We got:
Beef scallion pancakes– One of the most highly raved appetizers and I did think it was pretty good. I like how the pancake was very flaky but I would’ve liked it to be a little bit crispier since it was a little on the greasy side. The beef was very tasty though and the hoisin sauce complimented the beef slice and the pancake very well.
Pork soup dumplings– These are definitely high quality soup dumplings and you can tell because the skin is not too thick. Be careful when biting a hole on top to pour the vinegar in because they are freshly made and the soup inside is very hot!
Pork with crab meat soup dumplings– Honestly, I did not taste the difference between these and the regular pork soup dumplings so I would suggest just getting the regular ones and saving yourself a dollar.
This is the most reviewed restaurant in Flushing and it understandably deserves this title. The place is clean, the service is pretty good, and the food is great. Definitely give this place a try!

Todo muy bueno, muy rápido y de buena calidad.
Platos generosos y baratos.
Ya es la segunda vez que vengo y eso que no me gusta la comida asiática.
Si eres de dumpling te va a cantar, y sino, pide algo parecido a lasaña, te va a encantar también.

I have been craving everything we ate since I came here.
I don’t ever order Chinese as I don’t ever crave it… until now. Omg
The soup dumplings were the best I’ve ever had. Best scallion pancake I’ve ever had!
Love love loveeeeeed it!

After watching Eddie Huang’s video about this place, I knew I had to go and never return to Joe’s Shanghai.
Met up a friend in Flushing and we went here around 3:45pm for a late lunch/​early dinner. There was no wait but an hour later there were lines forming. They give out hot tea during the winter so that’s a plus! We ordered pork soup dumplings, Shanghai pan fried udon noodles, and scallion pancake with sliced beef. The soup dumplings are waaaay better here than at Joe’s hands down. The flavor is more prevalent. The pan fried udon noodles were okay, I could easily pass up on it next time. But their scallion pancake with sliced beef was super delicious. The beef inside was flavorful and tender. Went so well with the crispy pancake.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would go again! Also, CASH ONLY!

My ultimate favorite XLB (xiao long bao) place — this place is literally my first stop when I’m back home!
FOOD:
I always order 2 pork soup dumplings and the beef scallion pancakes and this is enough for 2 people!
— The soup dumplings have a nice skin that isn’t too thick and theyre always served freaking fresh! So let it cool a little or just go ahead and slurp the burning soup at your own risk.
— The beef scallion pancakes have a strong taste and theyre on the greasy, savory/​sweet side so if youre going with a Korean mom/​picky eater stick to the simple scallion pancakes!
SERVICE:
— Service is average — the lady at reception can be quite rude at times, especially during busy hours but Ive learned to just sort of ignore it haha. it seems less rude when you know in advance. Regarding the waiters, theyre def. better but none really stand out. They also need to be called at to get any service.
AMBIENCE:
— Not really a romantic spot but not as loud as some other restaurants. no music playing obnoxiously or drunk people (even though they do serve alcohol! I usually come here to catch up with friends/​feed my addiction to their xlb, haha.
TLDR — COME HERE, service/​ambience isnt so great but the food is ¹⁰⁄₁₀ — order pork soup dumplings + beef scallion pancakes
(+) = cheap (less than 10), delicious, good for small/​medium groups
(-) = avg. service, cash-​only, 10 – 15 min. wait during busy hours

Having a bit of time before a Unilocal Elite Event (Snowdays a few doors down — highly recommend for dessert after) I decide to finally try this place on my own to see what all the hype is about.
I enter the cash-​only establishment early on a Monday (5pm) to find many tables open and surprised at how large the space is — three attached rooms of tables. The hostess asks how many I say just myself she directs me to the room next door. I am given tea and a menu which has two sides — pictures of items on one side are very helpful.
The service is very friendly and I go with the ever popular pork and crab soup dumplings. Shortly thereafter another server brings a small dish of julienned ginger and tells me that black vinegar is on the table. I didn’t realize at the time that most people make a dipping sauce of ginger and the vinegar to compliment the flavor of the dumplings. Silly me, I ate pieces of ginger like a palette cleanser — haha, my bad! I must say this was some strong, flavorful ginger pieces — I liked that. I did try the vinegar by drizzling a bit on the dumplings so I got the affect after all.
Another popular dish is the scallion pancake with beef so after I finish my dumplings I get an order of this. I liked them very much — quite flavorful with hoisin sauce added to the beef to add some sweetness to the dish. Great flavor, but I could only finish one of the three pieces.
Nan Xiang is a great choice and is open pretty late on weekends (1am) so it is good to go with a group to order a few different items and share. The décor is very basic so it is all very casual. I can see the appeal of why so many love the top notch food in the low key surroundings. My kind of place!

I’ve been going to this place for awhile and it’s definitely become one of my go to places to take my out of town friends to. I mainly go for the soup dumplings as this place is known for it and I remember seeing this restaurant on the Chinese channel one time. Service for soup dumplings is quick. Only downfall about this place is they often run out of the red bean puffs which is one of my favorite appetizers. The past 4 times I’ve eaten here they’ve ran out of it.
Service is okay. I often have to call the waiter and asks for refills of water/​tea or to even place an order. Aside from all that, if you’re looking for a unique authentic soup dumpling place, this is the go to spot.

The price is good and the food is great! I’ve been to Joe’s Shanghai so many times and to be honest, I like this place a little more!
The Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) is a must get. It was really good and juicy. The crab xlb. I can’t taste the crab as much but its still really good!
I recommend you order everything all at once because they took forever to give me my scallion beef pancake. Oh but let me tell you… IT WAS SOOOO GOOD! Worth the wait! I want to come back and try other things but I’m from California. When I come back to visit… I’ll be going here instead of Joe’s.

CASH ONLY
You know the Chinese restaurant is good when there’s a line forming outside. You know it’s a really good Chinese restaurant when even white people are waiting outside for it. I would say to definitely get the soup dumplings (pork is good, don’t think you need to pay an extra dollar for the crab and pork mix), I got one order just for myself. My friends and I also got spicy tripe (they only make a limited amount of it in the morning and sell until it sells out, which can happen in a short amount of time) and the scallion beef pancakes and the scallion rice cake dish. All are really good, the amount of beef in the pancakes is very little though so don’t think you need to pay extra for it, just get the scallion pancakes.
We also got an order of soy milk, and all of it, with tax and tip, came out to be $ 50.

One of the better Chinese restaurants around the Flushing area! We wanted to try another restaurant. We found this one.
And what a wonderful discovery it turned out to be!
When we first arrived at Nan Xiang, we waited about 10 minutes. The wait staff quickly prepared the tables and sat us quickly.
We ordered the scallion pancakes. They tasted perfect — like the way they ought to be. We put some spicy condiments on them. It made the pancakes taste even better.
For the entrée, I ordered the seafood crispy noodle. Since I grew up eating this in Chinatown, I had high expectations. Once I tasted this dish I loved it! We did not need to wait long for our orders.
We got refills for our teas. They gave us ginger to put in our teas.
When around Flushing, stop over this place. Convenient to the Skyview Mall, you can go shopping after you eat at this place. You will not be disappointed.

One of the better places to get soup dumplings.
I’ve eaten here for both takeout and dine in. Both times, I think I came during off hours, because there wasn’t really much of a wait for a table or takeout.
I definately think that dining in is better, mostly because the sauces for the dumplings are readily available on the table. It was a bit of a pain to season the dumplings in my takeout container.
I’ve tried quite a few dishes here. The pork soup dumplings are where its at. Seems like that’s their specialty and that’s what they’re known for. The soup from the dumplings is (temperature) hot, so you have to let it cool down a bit, before you inhale it. You get six of them. The skin is nice and soft and is very tasty. The soup is very tasty as well. I can definately see why this place gets so many good reviews. Only knock on this place, are that the soup dumplings are a bit expensive at around $ 6.
If your in flushing and you’re a soup dumpling fan, definately give this place a try.

I’ve heard good things about Nan Xiang Dumpling House along with the fact that there’s always a bit of a wait here especially during the dinner rush.
I came here early on a Saturday evening with my boyfriend around 6 – 6:30PM and it was about a 10 – 15 minute wait, not so bad because it gave us a chance to think about what we wanted to order. Not much décor at Nan Xiang Dumpling House, but atmosphere here is like your typical Shanghainese and Chinese restaurant — busy and etc. The restaurant is actually quite big and split into two dining areas.
So we ordered the following:
Steamed Pork Buns — I really enjoyed the steamed pork buns, freshly made and hot! The soup inside the bun was just right and savory. One complaint is that they only give six soup dumplings, when some places are nice enough and give you eight.
Steamed Crab meat & Pork buns — I don’t recall if I’ve ever tried this in previous Shanghainese restaurants before, but I did give this a shot and frankly, I wasn’t very happy with it because the taste was a little weird and not as enjoyable to eat.
Scallion Pancake with Sliced Beef — This sounded really good and I saw a lot of pictures on Unilocal.The scallion pancake with sliced beef was quite mediocre. It was very bland and I’m not sure if it’s suppose to have any sauce with it or not, but it just wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Rice cake with Shredded Pork & Preserved Mustard — This is always a must-​have for me when I venture to a Shanghainese restaurant! I love this dish! This was probably the best thing I ate here. It was seasoned just right and everything was up to par! I was sure full after eating half the plate.
I am glad we got the chance to try Nan Xiang Dumpling House. It’s been on my list like forever. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and the food up to a certain point. It was a very starchy dinner, so I was full quick and easily.
I definitely want to return to Nan Xiang Dumpling House since I didn’t get to try everything I wanted to the first time.