Lai Young

As referred by Friend, first time, super nice a polite owner, this is The best dumpling place in Hayward, highly recommended to all and I am going back to get more food, make sure to bring enough CASH ONLY place. Keep it up the best food. Can’t get enough

(D)a bomb diggity dumplings with chewy wrappers (better than King of Dumplings in Newark)!!
(U) need to bring cash though, but I promise it’s worth it.
(M)om and pop shop. You can taste the love in each dumpling (it’s that serious).
℗ork, Shrimp, and Chive dumplings are the key to success!
(L)ai Young is THE ONE!
(I)t’s hidden in a neighborhood next to Mt. Eden Park on Tennyson&Hesperian.
(N)o dine-​in tables, but that’s ok, take them home, boil, drain, dip in soy sauce/​hot sauce/​vinegar, & ENOY: P
(G)reat service, the owner is always so friendly and appreciative of your business.
(S)o what are you doing still reading this?! GO GO GO!!!

The owner is friendly. Dumpling are delicious. I will buy dumpling from them instead of Chinese supermarket!

I have been buying their dumplings for many years. One of the best I have tasted, my daughter and family friends love them.
Wish they have a store over on Mountain view side of bay but I know the rental fee here probably way to high.
Will make a point to order and bring them to friends!

I too read the reviews and was curious. Found the place. Really in an odd location with a tamale place next door (I’ll try that out later). Bought two bags. Brought them home, cooked a few up. DANG these dumplings are good. Boil them up and slather with any kind of dumpling sauce, cilantro and green onions. Perfection.

Love this little hole in the wall. If you’re looking for delicious FROZEN dumplings, green onion pancakes and baos, this needs to be your next go-​to spot. Their set up is very simple. Small space with freezers and a few counters for their prep so dont expect much as far as décor. I like to keep a few bags of dumpling in the freezer for breakfast when I’m craving dumplings but dont want to leave the house. They’re located in a pretty residential neighborhood next to a pupusa restaurant in a small shopping lot.

Read the good reviews on Unilocal and decided to come by on a weekday morning. This dumpling shop is tucked away in a residential neighborhood. Once I located it on Google Map, it wasn’t hard to find, but it can be easily missed since it’s so tiny and barely noticeable.
Once I entered the shop, there were three ladies making dumplings. I was greeting by one of them. I said that I was there to buy frozen dumplings. I got the pork&cabbage as well as pork&chives. She promptly took out two bags from the freezer. I asked to swipe my credit card and she said cash only. Good thing I had enough cash with me.
Came home and made these babies for lunch! Simply boil some water and drop them in. The skin was thin compared to store-​bought kinds. My family really enjoyed them and even asked for seconds! They commented about how flavorful the dumplings were. I’m not a big fan of dumplings, but they fit my taste just fine.
Overall, it’s worth trying! Remember, CASH ONLY!

Second visit, still feel hard to find this store. The location of this store is not easy to find, but worth it. I’ll come back more whenever I have a chance.
I love their home made dumplings. It is something let me feel life is so wonderful. Before I moved to the bay area, I had to make the food I missed by myself. Now, I feel so lucky to find a home made dumpling store which makes better dumplings than I did.
Highly recommended.

Don’t be offset by the appearance of this little hole-​in-​the-​wall shop. That’s exactly what it is – a shop – not a restaurant. There is a counter when you walk in with a paper «menu» in a sheet protector. I believe the ladies making the dumplings in the back primarily speak Chinese, but it’s easy enough to point at what you want on the menu and they will get you a bag of ‘em from one of their freezers.
I’ve gotten chicken dumplings, pork dumplings, and green onion pancakes. I’ve been wanting to try the leek pockets, but the time I asked for them, the owner said they had been unable to get leeks that week. But everything I’ve tried has been excellent. So flavorful, I don’t even use any kind of dipping sauce. Just boil the dumplings until they float to the top of the water; they’re perfect every time!

This is a place not to be missed for authentic home made hand crafted traditional Chinese dumplings of various flavors. As other reviewers pointed out they tend to run out of the more popular items such as the standard cabbage and ground pork dumpling.
My strategy is to call ahead and reserve items that I want and only go if they have my items.
I personally love the pork and chives dumpling the best.
This beats any of the store sold frozen bags of dumplings.

I stumped on this place when I went to lunch next door one day. For curiosity, I went in and pleasantly surprised that they were hand making all their products. I came back next Saturday and bought pork, shrimp and chive dumplings, and green onion pancake. They were delicious, and so much better than the ones from supermarkets. I also bought some for my friend and my family, and they all liked the dumplings and green onion pancakes as well. My only complaint is that they sold out of XLB all the time, 2 out of 3 times. I would have given them 5 stars if it weren’t for that.

Hand rolled/​made and home made fillings (not machine), frozen dumplings, onion pancakes, etc. So convenient and delicious. And such a pleasant and welcoming owner!
Will be back a million times over.

I drool when I hear Lai Young… Hands down the best dumplings ever! They deliver if you order in bulk :)

Best Dumpling Place in the Bay. Been eating this since I was a kid.

If you’re a dumpling freak and live in the EB then this is your spot for frozen dumplings. These dumplings are legit, I prefer the Napa cabbage with pork over the chive shrimp. Prices have gone up a bit, I think it’s around the $ 14 or $ 15 for a bag of 50 now. Still cheaper than eating it at a restaurant which usually runs $ 7 for 12. They have a few different kinds from memory I think they have:
Pork and nappa cabbage
Pork and shrimp
Chicken
Lamb
Can’t recall if they have beef
Other items:
Chive pockets, meh it’s only okay
XLB I wouldn’t go out of my way for this
Onion pancakes were good too
This is NOT a restaurant, but rather a frozen dumplings store where you buy the dumplings and cook it at home. Also it’s in a residential neighborhood. I stress the ‘hood’ part.
I’ve eaten a whole bag (50) in one sitting that’s how freaking good they are or either that I’m just a dumpling freak!
Oh yea, CASH only. They will take check as well, but only for repeat customers.

Some day, when I have dedicated staff in residence, I will have delicious dumplings made by hand and eat it every day.
Or, I might just move back in with my mom.
Until then, this is my go-​to spot for picking up 50-​count bags of frozen shui jiao dumplings that allow for quick, delicious meals in 10 minutes. Much tastier than anything you might pick up at 99 Ranch or, heavens forbid, Trader Joe’s.
I had originally heard about this place from my mom, in fact, maybe 8 – 10 years ago. She isn’t known for aimlessly driving through nondescript neighborhoods in search of papered-​over storefronts housing clandestine dumpling-​making operations; she had chatted up a restaurant owner who fessed up his dumpling source. Life hasn’t been the same since.
As the other reviews have suggested it’s located in an odd residential location, with a dicey-​looking storefront. Trust whatever car navigation tool you use. (As of 2007 there was a review by the owner’s nephew, and that appears to have been deleted. Which is too bad, because otherwise you’d be forgiven for thinking there was something evil going on in behind the well-​covered door and windows.) Once you open the door, you’re an arm’s length away from the worktable where a few ladies are relentlessly forming dumplings by hand.
$ 11 for a bag of 50 chicken dumplings, $ 14 for the pork-​shrimp-​chives combo, cash-​and-​carry. Boil for 10 minutes, drain, serve with favorite sauces (I’m partial to soy sauce + Yank Sing chili sauce) and be happy. Their xiao lung bao is good, and not spectacular, but since I’m neither able nor willing to make them myself, far be it for me to complain.
The owner is unfailingly nice and friendly, and seems genuinely happy that people drive out of the way to his business. A wonderful spot.

We heard about this place that makes handmade dumplings and other items from a relative who lives in the area. Indeed quite an odd location. At first, I thought I had turned on the wrong street because it does appear completely residential at first. But a very small strip mall emerges.
I don’t speak Chinese but my wife does so I can only describe what we get in basic terms: radish pancakes, turnovers filled with leek stuffing, and dumplings. All have been very good and tasty.
We can’t seem to find similar items in any Chinese grocery store (Lion, Ranch 99) and we don’t make these ourselves so give it 5 stars.

located next to a vietnamese restaurant, lai young is open 6 days with saturday being a short day.
the taiwanese owner at lai young learnt his trade from his family business in taiwan. all food products sold seem to be made on the premises. i saw a few ladies making siu gows when i was there.
i sampled the xiao lung bao and the sui gow. the xiao lung bao was priced a few dollars less than the $ 20, the price i paid at the shanghai restaurant in milpitas. lai young’s xlb was smaller in size.
the xlb was a disappointment… the skin broke everytime, preventing me from savoring the soup inside. maybe this was a bad batch.
the siu gow had a similar taste to the xlb. the siu gow skin did not break during the cooking process.
will return to sample again.

This is an odd location for a dumpling kitchen. It’s literally situated in a junky strip mall, smack dab in the middle of what we locals like to call the «Oliver Projects,» a collection of run down townhomes and condos, many of which are section 8. The Chinese population in the immediate population is very low, but I guess it all doesn’t really matter, since most people don’t actually go straight to the store, but rather have it shipped (mostly restaurants order from here).
Their offerings are pretty basic: potstickers, sui gao (water dumplings), siu lung bao (little dragon buns), stuffed buns, and… that’s about it. You order the first three in packs of 50 or 100, just like at Price Club or any of the Taiwanese/​Central Chinese restaurants. Prices are a bit on the high end, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Quite frankly, being that Lai Young is the major supplier of this type of fare in the Bay Area, don’t be surprised if the sack you purchase from your local restaurant originally had roots in this here unassuming little storefront on Oliver Drive.
The meat is not too tender, nor too hard, and is the perfect size, unlike the dumplings you get at some restaurants, which look like they have gone through the machine at Mondo Burger (fans of the movie, Good Burger, will know what I’m talking about). The skin is also very soft, yet not so supple that the meat inside will fall out the second it meets your chopsticks.
I personally prefer the sui gao myself because they are so easy to make, yet still healthy and scrumptious for a quick lunch. All you need to do is pre-​boil a pot of water, and dump those babies in there. A good baker’s dozen is usually enough to satisfy my cravings. Once they rise to the top, your meal is ready!
If you are a bit more of a seasoned chef, you might want to try the potstickers. They do require some work though, since they have to be pan fried. The big buns, I have not tried, since my mom is not a fan. I assume those are nothing but the finest as well.

Lai Young is THE place to go to get frozen dumplings! More expensive than anything at Ranch 99, but WAAAAY BETTER. Like the first reviewer said, they only sell dumplings and other stuff like buns and whatnot.
I, personally, am not a fan of man tou, but my mom says Lai Young’s are good (she’s Shandongren, so I assume her judgment is reliable).
Unfortunately they don’t actually cook or serve anything. Too bad, because I probably wouldn’t mind eating there food if it were a restaurant instead.