Dough Zone Dumpling House

I feel like I’m not hard to please. I’m in college. I’m well adapted to shitty food and strange concoctions. Once my roommate made tofu marinated with Ketchup, pickle juice, and soy sauce and I happily ate it. I didn’t think it was that bad. I’m also extremely lenient when it comes to service because I’ve been a server before and I know how hard and thankless the job can be.
But Dough Zone… Oh dearest Dough Zone…
Let’s just get to the food.
My wonton soup… I’m fairly sure the broth was boiled sock water. It was so flavorless I almost took a bite of chili paste just to be sure that I could still taste. Yikes.
My red bean bun tasted like a chewy pile of mass. There was no flavor. There was no hope. There was no happiness.
Panfried pork dumplings. Literally tasted like when I buy dumplings at the grocery story and fry them in a pan… so I guess technically not bad but I could do this myself for a hell of a lot cheaper AND eat them in my pajamas while binge watching the Simpsons.
My green onion pancake… Actually had taste and was pretty inexpensive. Light, crispy, fried. Impossible to mess up. If I had the knowledge I had before I probably just would have ordered 10 of these.
Our waiter avoided us like the plague. As SOON as a plate was placed on the table he was gone, before we even had a chance to open our mouth holes and ask what we had just received. On top of this him and his assistant almost spilled plates on us multiple times, in an effort to see who could win the race away from our table.
Trying to split our check was an absolute nightmare. If you’re going to try to split it between more than 2 people be sure to ask for individual ordering papers otherwise there will be no hope for you.
Looking at the other reviews I feel like getting the steamed dumplings or buns are a better choice and are probably a lot tastier… However I don’t know if it would be worth another trip for me.
Oh also they have these little melon candies when you leave, so naturally I grabbed a huge handful. They taste like chemicals. As a fun DIY project spray some melon with a bottle of windex and you can have the same experience right in your very own home.

The location is a work in progress. Food tastes great and the place was clean. The layout seemed more sane, but this meant removing tables for large groups. For a larger group I will still prefer the Overlake location. Amazing how fast this «now-​chain» has grown — 3 locations vs DTF’s 2 (soon to be 3). It’s a fun race to watch.
I’m a little worried about quality as my XLB’s looked shrivelled, like raisins — the only pleats should be the knot at the top but that wasn’t the case this time. Hopefully they will work on that otherwise I’ll have to stick with the older two locations. So… in summary, consistency please!

I was SO happy to see that this restaurant had opened up in Redmond, as I’d been to their Bellevue (Overlake) site a few times (by the Chuck-​E-​Cheese) and I really liked their food. This location is way more convenient for me and my family.
Came here tonight at 7:15pm. Hadn’t expected the parking lot to be so small and un-​accommodating, even at this later hour mid-​week. Once inside, we were promptly seated (at the only available table, too! I was glad to see this place was so popular). The restaurant interior is open and clean, if not somewhat plain. There is open visual access to the rear prepping and cooking area and, although some might like seeing all the bins and stuff, I would have liked to have had that whole rear area out of sight.
Our hostess and server were super prompt and pleasant. The actual menu is quite impressive: a hard-​backed (like Lucite) square with glossy, thick pages of photos within. Very nice. The prices of dishes are listed on a paper that you make your selections on with a pencil provided. There is a large variety of dishes, too. I’m not super familiar with the nuances of Asian cuisines, and I don’t know the names of all the dishes, but suffice it to say, there are a lot of different types of dumplings available (steamed, boiled or pan-​fried), various pancakes and soups and noodle dishes, a handful of other meat entrees and vegetable side dishes, and a smattering of desserts.
We ordered three different types of dumplings and I gotta say, all were delicious. The dough was fresh and moist, the meat interiors were so tasty and also moist and perfectly cooked.
We were totally stuffed, and I thought the prices were very reasonable.
We found a new favorite place in Redmond! We will definitely return.

5 stars for the food. They offer a variety like Jian Bun, beef wrap rolls ups, XLB, and something different, cucumber with sweet and sour sauce. And all at a great price. 2 stars for parking availability and service. We went at 6PM on Sunday, restaurant was not full, but still took 10 minutes to get the menu, took too long to take our order and to give us our bill. The kitchen seemed efficient because it didn’t take took long to get our food. On the positive, you get 5% off if you pay with cash.

AWESOME. This is one of the places you go and start an obsession with a food group. Dumplings were really tasty. I regret not going here more often and getting more.

I’m normally not a 包 (bao) person but I love the steamed pork bao here. The filling is flavorful and the skin is just the right thickness and has the right amount of chew.
My kids enjoyed the beef stew noodle (with small noodle). Someone *ahem* stole all my potstickers — great flavor and perfectly browned. I also like the hot and sour noodle (glass noodle /​mung bean starch noodle /​potato starch noodle /​cellophane noodle) and the cucumber small dish.
The only thing that was not a big hit at the table was the wonton soup. The wontons were tiny and mostly skin and flavor is on the lighter side — I don’t mind the light flavor but not a fan of itty bitty wontons.
Last but not least, CLEANEST RESTROOM EVER!

My first visit to this place.
vegetarian dumplings are almost as good as DTF. Pot stickers are not great. FYI not everything they say «vegetarian» is «vegetarian», most of their dishes contain the secret «oyster sauce». Make sure to verify with the waiter if you think sea food is NOT vegetarian like I do.
Great taste, very affordable price minus the insane wait time of 3 hrs makes this place a better choice over DTF.
Dough Zone, you will see me more often.

I love this place. Fast service, great food, fair prices. Comparable to din tai fung. I think I go here too much.

It was hard trying to find parking for one car let alone two cars. Very little parking so I would recommend parking somewhere else then come here. We put our name on the wait list and grabbed a menu. It’s a small little place but very modern and clean. We check out the menu and wrote on the sheet what we want to order. Onion pancakes, Dan Dan noodles, Jian buns, shrimp dumplings and the zucchini and shrimp Xiao Long Bao. Nothing special about anything we ordered. The Xiao Long Bao was ok. Not bad but not great. I think the onion pancake came out of a package. It was dry and boring. I couldn’t even taste the onions even though I see them. The Dan Dan noodles had a funky taste. It wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t spicy. My friends loved the Jian bun. I think that was nice. The bun was soft and the meat was moist on the inside.
Also side note, what’s with the little pinch of ginger? I usually get at least a tablespoon of ginger from other places but this place it was just a taste. Maybe I’m the only one that loves ginger with my dumplings.
The food was just ok. I don’t think it’s a place I will be craving to come back to. I’m use to Xiao Long Bao from Asia or even California. This is no where near. Perhaps ok for my Caucasian friends as I’m way too picky about my food.

Went to Dough Zone at 12pm. Yes it’s risky, since most places are really busy with their lunch rush, but to my surprise it was probably ¾ empty. Maybe, it’s because it’s Redmond, or i’m missing the memo on lunch time.
I’ve been to the Dough Zone in both of the Bellevue locations and i’m satisfied with what they bring. Is it Din Tai Fung? Nah, it’s not. It doesn’t give you Michelin Star worthy service and food, but the food is satisfying. The Xiao Long Bao is actually a little smaller than the one in Din Tai Fung, but it was good. (9.5 for 10, is still a bit much). The Spicy Wontons are good, not as spicy (6 wontons). The Pork Bun was good, but for me the flavor was just «okay». It was missing something, but I can’t pin point it (5 buns). The Wonton Soup was «okay», since the broth was a legit clear broth and didn’t have very much taste to it. I don’t recommend getting it if you’re getting the Xiao Long Bao, you’ll be disappointed since it’d bland.
The service was fine. The employees were nice, however usually as a server, you don’t really tell your customer to take the dish. I would assume you move the dishes around and then place the new dish on the table. Also, another small thing is that the customer receipt should go on the bottom of the restaurant receipt.
Overall, okay location, the parking lot is small, but I like having a dumpling house close to work.

Another great option to eat in Redmond. Need a dumpling fix? This is the place to go if you’re in the area. With multiple locations you can choose the one closest to you. The place is clean and the service is friendly. Limited parking and it fills up quickly so keep that in mind when you go.

I wish I could give this a 3.5 because I don’t think it deserved 4 stars, but also not quite 3.
The only other place i had dim sum was Din Tai Fung, so I had a certain level of expectations. It was a weekday dinner and I didn’t feel like shelling out 60+ dollars on a dinner for 2 at DTF, but was craving dim sum, so I decided to give this place a try.
Food review:
–Dough was a bit thick, yet all the contents kept spilling out every time i would pick up a dumpling with my chopsticks.
–The meat inside was pretty good quality, but was a little plain and nothing dazzling. It needed more flavor and possibly a sauce.
–The wonton soup was HORRIBLE. The broth tasted like watered down, plain, and undersalted beef broth and the wontons were flavorless. Never again.
Interior and staff review:
–Pretty small space and simple décor
–The staff isn’t particularly friendly, but not rude either. They serve you your food in a timely manner and leave.
–The hostess is literally clueless and extremely shy. Probably shouldn’t be a hostess if she’s like that.
Summary:
This is nowhere near as good as DTF and all the dumplings are meh. If you are craving dim sum, but don’t want to pay DTF prices this place is an alternative.
I usually pay $ 60+ for two at DTF and at Dough Zone we paid about $ 40 ish for 5 plates of food and one milk tea.

Dim sum heaven! Expect long lines. Very friendly service. Lots of veggie options. We were lucky to be seated after a 10 min wait around 7:30 pm. We got the green onion pancake, veggie potstickers, marinated tofu, Dan Dan noodles, millet congee and a mango pancake. Everything was delicious and they just kept coming one after the other. Party in my mouth! We were done eating in 30 mins. Our new favorite joint!

Decent prices, decent dumplings, and quicker than trying to get a table at Din Tai Fung (DTF). They still aren’t cheap as dumplings by nature are very labor intensive so it’s understandable. I like that they have other dishes like the spicy beef green onion wrap/​pancake that DTF doesn’t have. The sauces aren’t quite as good, and their dumpling wrappers are a little thicker, but overall still a great place to come and grab a quick bite. Also 5% off your bill if you pay with cash. They also say that the maximum number of cards per table is 2, so make sure you coordinate with your friends if you’re trying to split the bill.

Impressed with the food and cleanliness of this new restaurant, and those two things alone will put this place on my favorites list. Much cleaner than Bellevue location, and fans of Din Tai Fung will enjoy this alternative. Dumplings were great, I liked the won tons in hot and sour sauce, along with the traditional pork soup dumplings. Everything was steaming hot and service was good also.
Milk tea a little too sweet for me, no option to customize.
I’ll be back!

Cannot accommodate big groups. My wife and I tried it because it’s new. They made us wait 1 hour. Would have been half an hour but they waitress skipped our name. Sigh… Very disappointed for overpriced dumplings with small quantities.

I tried this place yesterday for lunch. Service was great. Lots of different dumpling selections. Very fresh. You can see the workers making everything in back. Food was great. I will be back.

This place is fabulous. Decided to try it after seeing a friend comment on it on Facebook. We tried one of every category and loved it all. The soup buns were the best. The service is fast and friendly. I will be coming back to this place and likely never going back to DTF because here I did not have to wait 2 hours for a table. Food is fair priced and delicious I am already planning my next visit. Restaurant is clean and well decorated. The green candies by the exit are delicious and a nice change from the traditional mint offering.

You may wonder why am I giving a four star rating when all other reviews for the Redmond Dough Zone are five stars?
I was talked into going because my daughter said it was as good as «Din Tai Fung (DTF)», so I was expecting that experience. Dough Zone was good, but it wasn’t as great as DTF. Dumplings were a little doughier and the fillings not as memorable. So if you are going thinking it will be DTF, you will be disappointed.
What I did like:
1. Service was awesome! They were prompt, professional and ready to answer any questions.
2. Extensive menu! Featuring my usual favorite dumplings plus a lot more interesting dishes!
3. Super clean!
What my group liked: My husband raved about his noodle dish. The Jian pork buns were awesome.

This is a great place to eat. We came on Saturday at 5:30 pm and there was only a 10 minute wait. The food was really good. The wait staff was friendly and efficient. If I could I would give them 4.5 stars. I marked them down a half star because our table was a little dirty. Considering they opened less than 2 weeks ago they are doing great. My 4 year old said, «The shrimp is yummy. 5 stars!» We will definitely be back.

This is an great place to eat! There was a short (20min) wait, but it was totally worth it!
They really did exceed all my expectations… I will definitely be coming back!
The staff was friendly, it took a bit to figure out how the order sheet worked (as it was my first time eating there)… but the food was prepared quickly and very delicious!