Mama's Dumpling & Coffee

SO GOOD! I’ve had so many eggplant dishes and dumplings and soup dumplings in my life and this has been THE BEST!! I’ve never felt so strongly about Asian food!!!

Found worn in rice, terrible service

Came here once last year and it was absolutely incredible. The hand pulled noodles were great but the dumplings were WAY more bland than I remembered. Probably won’t return.

It was a sunny day, and I walked in with genuine excitement, drawn by the online reviews praising their Shanghai-style pan-fried meat buns.
The restaurant was nearly empty, with only one table occupied. I seated myself and was eventually offered a glass of water. I didn’t mind paying $19 for eight small buns—if it had been an exceptional meal with warm service.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The dough was dense and lifeless, lacking the crispy, tender texture you'd expect from traditional Sheng Jian Bao. Instead of being pan-fried in the classic cast iron method, they seemed reheated in an electric oven. That said, the meat filling was fresh and juicy—a small saving grace.
What truly disappointed me, however, was the service—distant, indifferent, and completely lacking warmth. The experience left me feeling not only underwhelmed, but genuinely disheartened.
I had hoped to relive the comforting joy of authentic pan-fried buns, but sadly, once was enough.

Terrible service.
There was clearly a QR code inside the store and the online order had both “Dine In” and “Pay in Store” options, so I ordered that way. But when the food didn’t come out and I asked about it, the guy told me I had to order at the counter instead and insisted I need to pay first, basically he was very rude.

Lunch at Mama’s Dumplings & Coffee in Richmond. Can’t believe I’ve only found this place now 2 minute away from where I play pickleball. It’s hidden away in an industrial park in Ironwood District. It’s a casual place where you order at the till and they bring you your food. I ordered the Shanghai style Wonton Noodle Soup which was really good & flavourful. I also ordered their Xiao Long Bao (XLB) , Pan Fried Soup dumplings & Shanghai Fried Noodles which were amazing. Tip: Poke a hole in the Pan Fried Soup dumplings before biting into them or you will be wearing the soup home like I did. Service is minimalistic. The place is super safe and will unlikely to get robbed because it’s full of Police officers that come here on their lunch or coffee break. I even asked one of the officers who’s a regular here for his recommendations. Will definitely be coming there again. @thefoodiecarguy

Just like mama used to make. The Xiao Long Bao is the star of the show. But the other dumplings we tried are also delicious. Good spot in the industrial park, so you know the rest of the menu slaps.
Give it a try, and when you do, make sure you try the soup dumplings!

As soon as we got our food, I knew Mama's Dumpling was something special. We got the pork dumplings, shanghai-style fried noodles and wontons. All of the food was perfectly cooked and deliciously seasoned - not too salty or greasy. There were so many other things we wanted and we will definitely be back to try them. Everything was very affordable with many entrees being around $15.

The inside of the restaurant was also very clean and the service was excellent. It's a bit of a smaller place, but the staff was super nice and always checking up on our tables and providing water/taking away plates.

This is a great hidden gem with delicious food. Don’t come expecting fantastic service but the value/price of the food makes up for it. I would recommend any of the noodles and dumplings.

Good food, but can confirm the service could be better. Staff needs to be trained on customer service. Niceness goes a long way.

Food was ok but the owner? looked like she only served us because she was obligated to. Sounded friendly with the other customers but curt with us - she practically didn't look at us when talking and seemed in a hurry to clean our table when we weren't quite finished even though there was still plenty of time before closing. Maybe she was pissed we tipped 5% for practically no service, but she already sounded impatient while we were ordering, so I don't know what she expected.

The Xiaolongbao alone is worth the journey - broth of heaven.

While the food was good, the service was terrible. When I ordered the food at 5:45pm, she told me they will be closing early at 7pm which is plenty of time for me to eat in. I then sat down at a table. Restaurant had only 1 other customer. She proceeds to tell me to move after sitting down for 10 mins because it’s easier for her to serve food. Fine, so I moved. Not to mention the food took at least 20 mins to come out. Part way through my meal, she tells me to eat FASTER and this was at 6:15pm because there will be a party happening afterwards. Who tells their customer to eat faster???? Absolutely terrible customer service. Would NOT recommend going back. If you want good dumplings, I recommend another place in Richmond called Kung Fu dumplings.

My first time checking-out this place, my parents have been here before and said food was decent. Arrived at 6:45 pm and was told they had last-called already… posting review because I thought they closed at 8pm?? Please correct if I’m wrong but I did found it a little ridiculous.

Ordered takeout online. Ready on time and friendly staff. It was all amazing and is definitely worth the try