ShanDong Dumplings

Dumplings are really good and handmade. Almost as good as grandma’s. Fried rice was mediocre could have done without.

I cannot wait to try everything on their menu. The first time I went, I was hankering for some spicy noodle soup. Their B1 «House Special» spicy sirloin beef with hand-​pulled noodles and baby bok choi is better than anything Tatsunoya Ramen is going to give you, believe me.
The broth is rich and beefy, with a layer of spicy chili oil throughout. The egg noodles have such bite and chewiness to it that it doesn’t matter how scaldingly hot the soup is, they’re not going to become a mushy mess by the end of your meal. The chunks of meat are savory and each bite is a balance between fatty and lean. What’s remarkable is that halfway through my devouring this dish, I noticed that my tongue was feeling slightly numb. They use Sichuan peppercorns but not to the extent where it’s overwhelming and uncomfortable (which can sometimes happen with ma po tofu); it’s actually the perfect balance of spiciness — with both chili and peppercorn.
I was completely happy with the service, too. The waitstaff was quick to get your order and serve you. And they don’t bother you too much after that. When I found out I was short on cash for their cash only policy, the waiter waived it off and let me pay with credit card. The atmosphere is quiet and casual and the place is really really clean. I love the added bonus of being able to watch them folding the soup dumplings in the window.
I will definitely be back here to try those said dumplings and anything else on the menu.

Awesome and authentic food, but the place has a bit of a weird vibe.
I tried this place one night on a whim and we were the only diners there, even though it was around 630 (granted it was a weekday). This left me a little apprehensive, but the food turned out to be delicious.
We had the beef roll, pork and cabbage dumplings, pork shrimp and leek dumplings, soup dumplings, and pan fried pork and leek dumplings. The steamed dumplings were quite good, but you can’t really taste a major difference between them. The pan fried pork and leek dumplings were by far my favorite and would definitely recommend.
Halfway through our meal, another guy walked in and ordered about 40 dumplings just for himself. Shows you how good this place is!
Overall, place is a little awkward but give it a shot and it will surprise you.

We tried this several weeks ago and it was decent but, not any better than anything we had in MP. What ruined it for us is the totally disorganized service. Took forever to get our check and I can see almost everyone else turning around in looking for the waiter. We won’t be coming back.

Shandong is the Shanbomb. Great service. Great food. I recommend the cold appetizer trio. All the haters out there can’t handle the juice.

I enjoyed watching dumplings being handmade through the storefront window — somewhat mesmerizing.
We ordered the wintermelon tea, panfried pork dumplings, juicy pork steamed dumplings, beef roll, and beef noodle soup. I enjoyed the panfried pork dumplings the most. I’ll be ordering those when I return! The beef roll was tasty as well, especially with the sesame sauce and chili oil (condiments on each table).
I would rate this 3.5 stars (I gave 4 stars because 3 seemed too low). In comparison to other dumpling shops I’ve been to, the menu is priced slightly high. However, the dumplings were pretty good and tasted authentic. It wasn’t too busy and the food came out pretty quick (we were starving) on a Wednesday evening, so I’ll probably return again in the middle of the week when I’m craving dumplings.

Fantastic addition to OTP!
PARKING: Lots of 90-​minute free structures in old town. There’s one on the other side of Raymond that’s convenient walking distance to ShanDong.
FOOD:
–Pan fried pork dumplings: Love the texture of the wrapping on these dumplings. You can watch them make noodles and dumplings fresh in the corner of the restaurant. Filling is juicy and light.
–Hot and sour soup: Big portion — would be best to order in a group of 4+. I always crave some sort of soup whenever we have this type of chinese food.
–Side appetizers: Definitely order their cold dishes! Seaweed, dried tofu, cabbage– get in my belly!
SERVICE: Prompt service. There was a slight miscommunication with my ordering, so maybe try to order with the numbers.
Prices are slightly high, but they’re also centrally located in an expensive area. Great proximity to the bar scene!

I came here hoping to find a SGV-​style Chinese restaurant in Pasadena, but one thing I realized is that Pasadena-​prices with SGV-​style just doesn’t make for a happy customer.
PRO:
*Conveniently located in Old Town Pasadena.
CONS:
*I got an order of fried pork dumplings. With tax and tip, I paid $ 11, cash. The dumplings tasted okay, but they were small and had very little filling. I could’ve got a better price and better food in SGV.
*The Mediterrean mural on the wall is obviously left over from the restaurant before, and the old furniture is cute but dilapidated. The floor is kind of dingy-​looking too. This type of I-don’t-care atmosphere works in SGV when your food is $ 5 – 6, but when the price is higher, they should try harder with the atmosphere.
*The service was slow, even though the restaurant barely had anyone in it.
*They wouldn’t accept a credit card for my meal, which was under $ 10.
OVERALL:
This is a new spot, but I don’t know if it will last.

Décor is a weird crossbreed or tacky and hip. The front window where the dumplings are made= cool. Murals on the wall= tacky but in a cool way. Taped menus on wall and other junk= budget eatery.
Overall i like the vibe though, the low key thing is part of the reason why ill be coming back.
Table was slightly sticky.
Server was nice, and chill.
The Boiled vegetarian dumplings were quite nice, much preferred to the Vege ones at Din Tai Fung.
The Stir Fried Mustard Greens with Rice Cakes were nice– garlicky with a clean, almost citrus taste.
The Scallion Pancakes were crap, buying frozen ones from a market and heating them in the pan would net the same results. I ate these many times in Shanghai a few months ago, so trust me.
We also had the sugar cane drink which was sweet but still refreshing, and the sour plum drink which is pretty bizarre, has a smoky flavor.
We went for dinner. I feel the prices could be a little cheaper, or instead the décor and meal presentation taken up a few notches help to justify the prices. Shitty paper napkins and plastic cups don’t cut it when your prices are on the same level as that of Din Tai Fung. Or perhaps Im just spoilt by how cheap DTF is. Rent on Fair Oaks can’t be cheap.
Anyways, i really do like this place and will be back next time Im up for a downtempo dumpling session.

I came for the noodles and the dumplings. The lunch specials were pretty enticing because it comes with so much food. For $ 10, you get 5 pan fried dumplings, a mug of hot and sour soup, your individual plate of 3 cold appetizers, and an entrée.
The pan fried dumplings were the first to arrive and they were lukewarm, obviously mass-​prepared well in advance. Our appetizers that day were a seaweed salad, garlickly cucumbers, and a baked tofu. They were pretty good and plentiful, but oh so garlickly. Then came the mug of hot and sour soup, which was pretty nice.
For the entrée, you can pick from 4 noodles or 1 fried rice. I ordered the pork with bean sauce, that I think is jajiang mian, and my friend ordered beef with chili spice. Neither of us were that impressed with the noodles. We ordered her beef with chili spice with light spice so there was almost no sauce and it was bland! Mine, on the other hand, had noodles, topped with the jajiang sauce, and julienned garlic cucumbers, and underneath (surprise!) a huge moat of chili oil. Whereas her dish was bland, mine was spicy and overloaded with spice and flavor. It was too hot and oily and an onslaught to my taste buds. The leftovers were even worse.
I plan on coming back to try the boiled dumplings and their beef noodle soup. The lunch special noodles are not for me.

New business in old town. I visited it during their soft opening. The dumplings were actually pretty good. The fried pork ones were the best. Service was a little disjointed and slow but I’m sure they will improve over time.

This place is ok. But, I looove dumplings and I tend to be picky with them. My husband and I chose the wrong night to stop by. It was Beyonce night and parking was hard to find (all meters or paid lots).
The interior decorations are… interesting. Real quirky.
Food:
— Pork & leek dumplings: good but not amazing
— Steamed pork bun: pretty good
— Shrimp fried rice: skip, pricey and not good
I wouldn’t return since I would rather buy frozen dumplings from 99 Ranch to cook up at home. This place is pricey for what it is and the flavors aren’t awesome. Service wasn’t as terrible as the other reviews said.

Soooo good! First, I like the Shandong region. Second, this is the second branch of the dumpling restaurant in San Gabriel Valley. Third, the food was delicious, place was clean, and people were friendly. This seems to be a family run restaurant, so please come out and support it!!! I’m so grateful for an authentic dumpling place in Pasadena. The beef rolls was tasty. The leek, pork dumpling had great flavor and texture. The dry shrimp egg dumpling was also plump and bursting with warm flavors, the meat all tasted extremely fresh. I highly recommend this restaurant and would love to see it thriving in the next few years!!!

Cash only! The nearest ATM is at the Marriott a block away.
The fried pork buns had the perfect balance of crunch and chewiness. The flavor was good — made better by mixing the hot oil and garlic/​ginger with vinegar for dipping.
Soup dumplings (Xiao long bao /​juicy pork dumplings) were pretty solid. Not the best I’ve had but I’d get them again.
Friendly staff and you can watch them make the dumplings in the big front window. If I’m in the area and need a quick dumpling fix, this is a solid choice.

This place is completely authentically fobby, right down to the health code violation that I spied and loud-​ass waitress who was yelling during my meal. Waiter speaks very little English, and the décor isn’t fancy. If you grew up in the SGV, you’ll feel right at home and appreciate that there’s a spot like this in the middle of Old Town Pasadena.
Spicy beef noodle soup was delicious! Sirloin steak was tender and juicy, broth was flavorful, and noodles were freshly pulled.
Juicy pork dumplings weren’t my favorite (like Din Tai Fung) but definitely tasted authentic — kinda heavy and a hint of sweet with a thicker skin — like my relatives in China used to make.
Will definitely be back to try more and will update!

Food was SUPER DELICIOUS! We came here because a coworker noticed the ladies in the window making the dumplings while walking around, and had been talking about this restaurant ever since. The menu was kind of funny — only the items with check marks next to them were available, which actually did leave out some options that we had wanted to try. I suspect that my team may have been slightly disappointed at the lack of alcohol, but we stayed anyway.
Our team ordered a whole bunch of food for a family style meal. We ate chicken fried rice, beef with chili oil noodles, the pan-​fried pork dumplings, and the spicy juicy pork steam dumplings. For three people, this was a good amount of food. All of it was great! If I got the cravings for dumplings I would definitely go back.

Tried this Old Town Pasadena eatery and at first became hesitant as we were the only ones here at 6 PM on Friday. While not expensive, prices were a little more than other dumpling cafes in the SGV.
And our server spoke English.
We only ordered pan fried dumplings, steamed pork and cabbage dumplings and fried scallion pancakes. It was all tasty and filling and I’d return if I craved dumplings in Pasadena and didn’t want to drive all the way out to the SGV.

Pretty much the same experience as most of the reviews.
food: thumbs up
service and atmosphere: thumbs down
And please turn on the A/​C !

Cliffnotes: Yes! go for a great food experience. NOT a place for a date or ambience. Cash only. Probably best suited for REAL FOODIES who are into authentic food experiences.
Go here for great dumplings and amazing Chinese noodle soup. I found this place by accident one day and decided to eat here. I am so happy I did. This is not a place to visit if you are looking for atmosphere and ambiance. It is all about the food.
The food: The first thing you will see as you approach the restaurant is a lady in the front window making dumpling by hand. Awesome! I felt like I was back on Mott Street in NYC. Of course I ordered dumplings and they delivered great flavor.
I also order the B1 house noodle special with sirloin. THIS WAS GREAT. I have been back many times just to order this.
The décor is very amusing. It feels like they took a former day care center and added the décor from Pier One Imports… Hahah. I was seriously scratching my head the whole time trying to understand the look they were going for.

Small dumpling restaurant in Pasadena– came during their soft opening when they still don’t have their full menu.
Was able to try their shrimp, pork, leek dumplings which was good. Also tried their beef and radish dumplings as well. Their insides tasted pretty good, but their dumpling covering and it’s freshness stood out. My favorite was their Beef Scallion pancake– super flavorful and delicious. We added their sesame seed sauce and chili paste to it, which made it perfect.
This place only takes cash, so make sure you have some handy.