Kingdom of Dumpling

This place is a great example of a «hole in the wall» lol. Service is ok but the food is awesome. We got a variety of dumplings for lunch and even tried that beef pancake which wasn’t bad at all. We got seated quick which I heard was rare because of all the people trying to eat there everyday.

There are so many things wrong with this hole on the wall place. And I like hole on the wall for its traditional home cook authentic foods. This is a great disappointment.
1) Bad ethics. You show up and write your name down on the board (wait list). Typical. It’s busy. I understand that. My friend called to make reservation and they accepted it (first time for us there). There was no reservation for us. We waited for our turn as others. There is no need to LIE.
2) Highway robbery. Garlic baby bok choy was about $ 7.95. It came with 3 – 4 stalks (split), about ¹⁄₃ lbs. The price at the market was $ 0.59/lb now, usually less than $ 0.99/lb. I can cook the same at home. They must use special garlic from the snow mountain to justify the cost.
I had Hong Kong styled pan fried noodles with 6 – 8 medium shrimps and with same amount of bok choy for $ 7.95 the next day in another hole on the wall. That’s a meal on its own.
3) Cheat. Or ignorance on our expense. We’ve got the check. And we are missing 2 orders of their famous Shanghai dumpling. I spotted it. OMG. Luckily they filled the orders within 10 – 15 min without challenging our honesty.
4) Food. Okay. Smaller dumplings and less meat than most hole on the wall restaurants. Not impressed with beef pancake and Shanghai dumplings. Bean noodles … o k a y!
In this case, you’ve get less than what you paid for, a lot less in garlic bok choy. Is it quality vs. quantify? In Asian hole on the wall? Hahaha… You decide.
So diners, many things have stayed true to hole in the wall concept but not this one. Enjoy!!!

Initially we set out to try Dumpling Kitchen down the street, but they were closed for their holiday. What started out as a bummer, turned into a fortuitous brunch venture. We arrived a little earlier than the opening time posted, but were aloud to seat ourselves while the restaurant staff prepped for service.
In scale, the Kingdom of Dumpling was not so majestic: the restaurant is actually tiny; the dining room seats about 20 customers. The service was friendly and efficient.
We ordered, two orders of XLB, pork and corn dumplings, garlic green beans, cucumber salad, sesame beef pancake. The XLB were juicy and delicious and did not disappoint. Bathed in vinegar and their house hot sauce, these small delicious bites are sure to please. The corn flavor I the pork and corn dumplings was well balanced also making them a sweet addition to our meal. If you arrive hungry, the cucumber salad comes out almost immediately to fend off your hunger, but it’s nothing to write home about. The garlic string beans are pretty standard but tasty and the beef pancake is the one item that we probably would not order again. It’s all about the dumplings!
Overall, we’re really glad a small misfortune pushed us to try this little gem. It didn’t hurt that the owner played an eager and warm host! We will definitely be back.

The plates and utensils are disgusting – there was still bits of food stuck on multiple plates and utensils. Can’t really tell you about the food because it never came. Waited for almost an hour for one of the noodle soups and just had to leave. Oh and if you do plan to eat here, don’t go to the bathroom, or you’ll lose your appetite.

I’ve been here once or twice but have strayed away for a while now. But, we came here today since Dumpling Kitchen wasn’t open (lesigh). And I’ve realized something: I’m not a fan.
BEIJING BEAN PASTE NOODLE ($ 5 – 6)
[-] soggy noodles
[-] the most watered down «bean paste» I’ve ever had for a bean paste noodle dish
[-] it’s bland. how can this be bland?
[+] interesting that there’s chopped up string beans and small pieces of fried tofu
BEEF PANCAKE ($ 5 – 6)
[+] crispy skin
[+] just enough sauce and flavor
PORK & CORN DUMPLINGS, comes in 12 pieces ($ 6 – 7)
I recently had pork & corn dumplings at a random spot in south SF (also rated 3.5 on Unilocal) and enjoyed the crunch of corn so I gave it a try here and…
[-] surprisingly not as crunchy as I’d hope
[+] subtle flavor of corn in the soup that’s still in the dumplings
FISH & CHIVES DUMPLINGS, comes in 12 pieces ($ 6 – 7)
[-] where’s the fish?
[-] seriously though, where’s the fish? there’s a lot of chives for a supposed FISH & chive dumpling
We almost ordered XLB too but I recently came back from the BEST place to get XLB (Shanghai) so I couldn’t do it.
Overall? Ehhhhh. I can get better bean paste noodle somewhere else. I can get better beef (roll) pancake somewhere else, though it’s not bad here. And I can get better dumplings elsewhere.
The space is tinnyyyy with small, small tables cramped very close together. Probably seats about 30 with how the tables are organized (read: stuffed).

Oh my deliciousness, this place is a must try! Tucked in in a little shop, you find amazing, petite sized little mouthfuls of yumminess in each dumpling! This restaurant is extremely small (imagine the size of a kitchen and a small dining room that holds less than 15 people). Extremely cozy and staff are kind. Sitting in close quarters, you can see the chef cook in the background as well– something that is so comforting especially in a small business restaurant.
I would have just bypassed this place if I was walking by but thank goodness my little sister found it! Each plate of dumplings has 10 pieces and the soup dumplings have 6. My little sister and I got a plate of shrimp and chives dumpling, a plate of chicken and Napa cabbage dumplings, an order of soup dumplings and an order of fried green beans.
The green beans were cooked perfectly with a nice sear to it and perfectly crisp. As she was cooking it, I noticed a flash of flames in the background behind me and I realized those were our green beans cooking, the chef does have some amazing cooking skills!
Our shrimp and chives were so flavorful– lots of chives and a penny sized piece of shrimp in each dumpling but oh so flavorful! The chicken and Napa cabbage dumpling tastes like a dumpling from trader joes but a lot fresher and you can tell the skins of the dumpling are made fresh to order.
What are soup dumplings you ask?! It is a steamed dumpling with a small amount of broth in every bite!!! At first, I cut it open on my plate and noticed a bit of soup coming out on my plate, then I realized I can put the dumpling on my spoon, bite off a piece of it and sip the soup on my spoon.
All in all, for sure I will be coming back to this restaurant!!! Small, quaint, and tucked in with fresh dumplings made to order. Everyone should give this restaurant a try, zagat awarded and prices are well priced!

EDIT (5÷18÷16): Begoni Bistro in Chinatown is xiao long bao king.
Kingdom of Dumpling, you have earned your name. Also, you apparently have a twin called King of Noodles in Inner Sunset, which I did not know served xiao long bao! I guess I took your names at face value.
This place is quite petite, but the waiter has the best sense of humor. We ordered dumplings and noodles, after which he commented that we didn’t have any vegetables. I replied, «Carbs only!» and he laughed and said, «But you’re so skinny!» A+++ for you, my friend.
The first dish that came out was the BEEF STEW SOUP NOODLE, $ 7.45, which you can customize to be spicy (they just throw in some of their homemade orange spicy sauce). My friend wanted it spicy, which, fortunately, is not that spicy for those weak-​of-​chile. The noodles, like King of Noodles, are homemade, doughy, and not that chewy. The broth is surprisingly light and unsalty in a good way. The meat is thinly-​cut beef shank, and some quarters of bok choy and black fungus mushrooms are thrown in for good measure. However, I personally prefer beef chuck cubes over beef shank, so I wasn’t in love with the dish.
The next dish was the CHICKEN DUMPLINGS WITH GREEN CHIVES, 12 pieces for $ 6.95. Hearty filling, delicious dumplings. I like it.
Third dish was the SHANGHAI SOUP DUMPLINGS (xiao long bao), 6 pieces for $ 4.95. The dumplings are shaped as thin peaks rather than wide blobs, which is a change of pace. The thickness of the wrapper is on par with that of Dumpling Kitchen, the soup is plentiful, but the amount of pork filling is somewhat lacking.
Same issue with quantity of meat applies to their SHANGHAI PAN FRIED SOUP DUMPLINGS (sheng jian bao), which, despite the English description, contain no soup. $ 4.95 for 4 pieces, which is kind of pricey… BUT. Even though their meat insides are quite minuscule, they do the best job with a light, fluffy breading, shaped into a cute bun, fried golden brown on the bottom and topped with sesame seeds and chopped green onions on top. This has been the least dense and least oily of the sheng jian baos I’ve tried in the city, which makes it my favafav.
Dumpling Kitchen for xiao long bao, Kingdom of Dumpling for sheng jian bao and an ego booster.

I have been coming here for a couple years of now and got to say that it has been slightly declining in terms of service and taste. Don’t get me wrong, their soup dumplings and beef tendon are still my fave dishes, BUT it just seems like the portions are smaller and the taste is not as glorious as it once has been.
Here is what is currently still good:
–Beef Tendon: OMG great subtle sauce and texture. A must get.
–Soup dumpling — smaller than before and less juice but still packs a punch especially combined with their spicy sauce and ginger infused soy sauce.
Hit or Miss:
–The shrimp/​chive dumpling doesn’t really have a lot of shrimp anymore, but it still is super filling and made perfectly.
–The chow mein is on the super salty side the past times I have come — still hits the spot, but warning on salt level.
–Chive pancake — a little expensive for a pancake and not as fat and large as before. Still tasty for a starter.
In terms of wait, the wait is semi long (30 min to an hour at times) especially after 5:30, but it is worth it if you really are craving some dim sum! The servers are super nice and sometimes don’t understand what you are trying to say, but they mean well and do their best. I would recommend coming here on a weekend afternoon or getting take out if you want to skip the wait :)

Always saw long lines in front of this place so one night my friends and I decided to see what the hype was all about.
This place gets a two star rating because of:
–Poor service: the waiters never went to our table except to order and deliver food. We had to ask constantly to have tea and water re-​filled.
–They got our order wrong. We ordered chicken chow mein and they gave us fried rice.
–Cups and utensils were slightly dirty. The restaurant itself is also a little unsanitary. We were put in the corner… a very dirty corner.
Overall this was a very unsatisfactory experience and I will NOT be coming back here any time soon.

Really surprised by the 3.5 star rating. I would expect this place to be a solid 4 stars. The dumplings are delicious and cheap. I love the soup dumplings as well as the pan fried. The dipping sauce is addictive. Also love the garlic green beans for some veggies!
There is usually a small group of people waiting for a table outside. Expect longer wait times of around 20 minutes during prime dinner hours on Fridays and Saturdays. This cozy small spot hits the spot on cold San Francisco nights!

Singapore dumpling heaven. This is not the run of your mill dim sum venue, Kingdom of Dumpling is a legitimate restaurant that will serve you 4, 6, or 12 of the same dumpling. That’s right: you have to be committed to what you ordered. So come to this mom n pop shop if you know what to order or are craving and be willing to share with your friends to try their vast menu. Otherwise, your experience could be overwhelming!
I popped in here just before closing and therefore did not have to wait for one of their 10 or so tables. I can easily see why there would be a wait otherwise, and the list that’s permanently outside is evidence of their popularity. Service was beyond great and the taste was authentic. The kitchen is within viewing ability too!
Try the Singapore dumplings, the lamb and veggie dumplings, and bok choy of course!

I love you like a love song, baby! They have some of the best xiao long bao here. I’m from Chicago, so when I come to SF, I have to get my xiao long bao fix. They come out so steamy and delicious, with some juicy soupy goodness. Serious love song status here.
We also got the garlic string beans (always great to pair it with some veggies) and the chicken wings. While the chicken wings were tasty, maybe we should have just stuck with all dumplings and just one side dish of veggies, since I could have used as much room in my stomach for those perfect little juicy dumplings. It IS what I came for… hehe. Oh well, next time I’ll just have to make sure to maximize the stomach space for all the XLB I can enjoy.
And I keep it on re-​pe-​pe-​pe-​peat.

FOOD:
The restaurant’s pretty small, but cozy! It’s like a hidden gem, pretty packed when I went, but the wait wasn’t that long! I’ve had a lot of XLB in my lifetime, and I was a little dissapointed in the ones I’ve had when I was there. Not sure if it was just that day but it wasn’t hitting the spot. However, I found the dumplings to be really really good! Well of course, that’s what they’re known for, the dumplings and not the XLB. I would definitely try the pork and corn dumpling, they were one of my favorites. Their beef pancakes were so good, the portion size was HUGE! Generous amount of beef in the pancake and the outside of the pancake was still so crispy which I loved! You musttttt get the green beans, they were so flavorful, maybe too flavorful. It pairs so perfect with the rest of our entrees.
SERVICE:
«Awesome!» «I like it!» «Yes that’s a good choice!» «Looks Yummy!» Those were the words of our server! Oh my! I loved him. His personality is so catchy, I can practically hear him say those words in my head right now.
PARKING:
Meter Parking only! Definitely not as difficult as other dumpling locations. It was pretty easy for me to find parking!

#35/​2016
I’m reserving the 5^th star until I can try the dumplings.* Based upon other excellent Unilocal reviews, we’re in for a treat.
Since I heard mixed things about Yummy Dumpling, especially from friend & Unilocaler (Crisy G.) who’s a great cook, I searched for another spot.
So back to Unilocal to find a place where could buy pre-​made dumplings; those little suckers not only require mad skills but also time.
Up popped «Asian American Food Co.» on 30^th & Taraval.
Reviews seemed great so despite the rain and a serious hike to the outer Sunset, I was all in.
But once I arrived, the Kingdom of Dumpling sign confused me. I went back to Unilocal and checked the address; yep that’s the spot.
I heard you should just pop open the freezers yourself (there are three of them). I pulled out bags of frozen gyoza, lamb and vegetable, shrimp and chive, pork with Chinese vegetables and of course — how could you not? –XLB (Shanghai soup dumplings.)
[Side note: If anyone’s interested in making XLB himself, there’s a recipe on the excellent site WoksOfLife — but I warn you, it’s daunting even for an experienced cook!]
Now equipped with bamboo steam baskets from Soko Hardware, we’ll be ready to cook some delicious dumplings at home this week.
I can’t wait!
* PS I upped them to 5 stars because their dumplings are sensational!

This is THE definition of hole in the wall. It fits about 6 – 7 tables and it get super crowded in that tight room. The menu has a large assortment of dumplings. I have brought a number of people to eat here from family, friends, my fiancé, and there were times where I came just to eat myself! It is that good.
My favorite is the Shanghai soup dumplings as it comes out piping hot with a good amount of «soup» that warms your belly (unlike other places that have minimal or no «soup») and enough meat to leave you tearing for the next one. I typically also order the pork and corn dumplings with the stir fry green beans. Those two are bomb dot com! I have had other dumplings like the pork and chives, pork and cabbage, but there was nothing special with the flavor.
DO NOT get the chicken fried rice. I made the mistake of getting it this last time and it was so salty I couldn’t eat more then a couple of bites before I felt my blood pressure go through the roof.
Overall, great place to go, just avoid peak hours because it gets crazy crowded and cramped. Also, make sure to order enough food the first time because you can ONLY order ONCE. :(

I’ve been here quite a few times and all the workers here are pretty nice, some of them speak very little English so try to be kind to them. There is very limited sitting here and they have constant traffic, we usually come in the afternoon, around 2 – 3 pm and there’s always sitting available.
Today we got the soup dumplings (only 5 bucks for 6), lamb dumplings, meat and carrot dumplings and the soup dumplings pan fried. The Shanghai Soup dumplings are great here, however in my opinion not as good as dumpling kitchen which is a few blocks down, but they’re still worth getting. The lamb dumplings were probably my favorite and I would say they’re close to the ones at king of noodles but in my opinion they’re better, the meat and carrot dumplings were ok, I think it was just an odd filling combo. As for the pan fried soup dumplings, it was my first time having them and they were different in a good way.
This place is great if you’re looking for above average dumplings at a great price.

This place sucks…3 stars is being super generous. I’ve wanted to try this place because it’s always packed. Served Luke warm diluted tea. Xlb have zero soup, I think you can’t call them xlb if they don’t have soup. They had green beans, salty, too salty, doused in soy sauce and oil. The beef chow fun was decent. Green onion pancakes were eh, not enough green onions. Pan fried Shanghai dumplings were mediocre. The best thing was the pork, shrimp and chive dumplings which taste and look exactly like the one at king of noodles on Irving. So many other places that are better, I feel like any other place would have been better.
I wouldn’t come here again. Forgot to use the $ 5 coupon if you spent $ 35…the owner or I think he was the owner was nice though.

Came here with my boyfriend and a friend on a Saturday night, around 8 pm, for dinner. There was no wait for us! Yes! But beware. Kingdom of Dumpling is the perfect definition of «hole-​in-​the-​wall.» This place is TINY. We had to put a chair on the side, making a two seat table to accommodate three people.
My first thought was, «Wow this place is tiny.» Then it became, «Wow, how am I supposed to pig out with such a tiny table!!!» It’s a real problem! What if I want to order the whole menu?!
Unfortunately, we didn’t have the stomach to order the whole menu. Instead, we went with two orders of their Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), one order of pork and chive dumplings, one XO beef chow fun, and one onion pancake. The food was ready very fast!
Their Xiao long bao were done really nicely. They weren’t sweet and the soup was yummy. However, there wasn’t enough soup in some of them. Some of them just looked like plain dumplings — all dried up on the inside! I also wished that they had more flavor as well. NEEDS MOAR MSG!!!
The pork and chive dumplings were juicy and really delicious! The skin of the dumplings was a little on the thick side but I love that! It gives it a little chew. And you know what else is great with these dumplings? THEIR HOT SAUCE. Their hot sauce is filled with minced garlic and peppers. It was spicy and delicious! It went wonderful with the dumplings! I think by the end of the night, I had about 4 – 5 spoonfuls of the deliciousauce!
The XO beef chow fun was pretty much beef chow fun. Why is it called XO? I don’t think there was a gram of XO sauce in that thing haha! It was pretty decent regardless. It had enough of that wok aroma! Gotta eat it when it’s still hot/​warm though!
The onion pancake? It was really oily but it was still very good. It did lack the stretchiness that I typically love. It was also a little bit more thick than what you would imagine it to be but that’s fine. It tastes good and my boyfriend gobbled pretty much the whole thing up!
If you need the restroom, you’ll have to venture past their tiny kitchen to get to it (but hey at least they got one right?!). Surprisingly, the bathroom is not as tiny as you would think it is. It’s actually quite roomy.
:) I would definitely come back for their dumplings and hot sauce. Everything was sooooo yummy!

This place used to be really good. The first time I came here years ago, I remembered that the Xiao Long Bao was amazing. Now, it’s just alright…
The best thing about the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) is that it’s packed with a good amount of soup. There’s very little meat inside the dumpling now compared before. And I don’t really like the skin that holds everything together because it’s so thick and chewy.
The garlic string beans and the green onion pancake on the other hand are really good still. I like dipping the pancake into the sauce that comes on the string beans. I love eating the farmer’s cucumbers too cause it’s refreshing. One thing I do crave about this place is the spicy sauce! They make their own concoction of peppers and spices that has the right amount of spiciness to it. My friends like to order the other dumplings with pork and green chives, but I think they’re just okay.
The service here is decent. The owner is really friendly and always recognizes returning customers. He switched out our soup dumplings once because he said they didn’t look good even after we ate almost half of it, which was nice.
Overall, I do like coming here because I crave their food sometimes. It’s also inexpensive to eat here which is a plus. I want to give this place four stars but I’m just a little sad it’s not as good as it used to be…

Décor: We were seated right away on a Saturday afternoon and tea was poured almost immediately. The interior is a little sanatorium-​esque with all white walls, and the specials are written on paper taped to the walls… in guess what color? :P White — no way! Tables are covered with checkered table cloths under glass top. The signs taped to the dirty window overlooking the street are crumply and stained. The signs taped to the walls are outdated, bragging of dishes that have been offered for years, purporting them as «new» (per my boyfriend, who has been there many times in the past).
Ordering experience: It was slightly difficult to order because of the language barrier with our server. He also pressured us into expanding our order with another dish, and by our own fault, we chose a dish that ended up being our least favorite by a large margin. We were not even that hungry to begin with and we shouldn’t have succumbed.
Food:
Jellyfish with cucumbers and carrots — BLAND ¹⁄₅
Tofu skin with cilantro — SALTY and terrible, also, the pieces of tofu that were stuck together were a little undercooked. ⁰⁄₅
In my opinion, both non dumpling dishes should be better flavored. Either work on the non-​dumpling items, or remove from the menu.
Pork and chive dumplings and soup dumplings were fine. The dumpling skin is thick and white in color, not the most appetizing looking. My boyfriend said it tasted better before, and it has gone slightly downhill at least in presentation. For example, they used to plate the soup dumplings on top of Napa cabbage. Now it is presented on top of wax paper. ⁴⁄₅
When asked how everything was, I told the waiter the tofu skin wasn’t my favorite and he said nothing. Wait staff was nice enough but did not do anything to ensure we had a good experience.
I wouldn’t mind the ambiance and look of the restaurant if it could back it up with spectacular food. This was just kind of a hole in the wall with average quality dumplings and below average other offerings. Disappointing.