Funny thing is, the original XLB Dumpling Bar is right down the street from me, and I pass by it daily, but I have never eaten there. We were stopping by to grab a few drinks from Starbucks when we noticed XLB Dumpling Bar had opened another location. When we stopped by on a Thursday afternoon, there were no customers there. We ordered a Pork XLB (8) with Ginger Vinegar and Soy Sauce. After we placed the other, we stopped at our original destination, Starbucks, and ordered our drinks. With Starbucks' speed, by the time we returned to XLB, our order was not ready yet.Pork XLB (8) with Ginger Vinegar and Soy Sauce $10Freshly Made, Hand-Wrapped, Marinated Pork with pieces of our Ginger Pork Broth that melts into a bite-size of soup inside each dumpling.The XLB were not only small, but the pork was also super dry. There was no soup in the dumplings at all. Might as well call it a steamed wonton. With no other customers besides us, they either reheated these XLB for us, or they steamed them for too long - which I doubt for the latter since we were only at Starbucks for less than 5 minutes. If there is no soup in a XLB, that is an issue especially when the restaurant is called XLB Dumpling Bar. The vinegar used is also a white vinegar, which varies from most other traditional XLB establishments. There was also NO fresh ginger pieces in the dipping sauce as well, which is a must! Blame it on the fusion? I could not believe that I paid $10+tax for this. This parking lot can be a bit difficult to find parking at times, especially since there are so many storefronts, but during an off-time, it is not bad. The interior was very simplistic, and can tell that they hammered in nails to hang up each layer of bamboo steamers and etc. Some of the holes on the wall are remnants that an item used to hang there, and have since fallen or been removed. The only saving grace was the service, but the Pork XLB is a hard pass.
Lisa H.
What a neat concept with special flavors for traditional XLB! We got the original and also the pizza flavor and a few other ones, and all were very tasty. The original XLB is definitely not as soupy and juicy as we had hoped, but it was still delicious. I would suggest trying the special flavors as you can't get those elsewhere.
Jason W.
I ordered the dan dan mian. It was served promptly on a weekday night. Flavor was good and had just enough spice to it. I would return here and it seems comparable to the Walnut location.
Harold Collins
After doing a little shopping at the Brea mall (which looked great by the way). We checked out this little dumplings spot. It's located near the DSW and Mother's market on Imperial and Associated. We ordered the mushrooms pork dumplings, the Al pastor (yes), the pulled pork bao, bock choy and green beans with the sauce on the side. Everything was very flavorful. So good. My favorite the Al pastor dumplings. The brothers who own the biz were so sweet and really accommodating. We will be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tovan T.
Fast-casual shop with traditional and interesting options.Grabbed a few items to go. Traditional items like pork & shrimp, pork XLB, and spicy sesame vegetables were pretty tasty. The fusion items of pizza dumplings and cheeseburger bao were also good...a little odd, but fun to eat.The staff here is very nice.While the shop might not seem open, walk up and try it. The display prep kitchen upfront isn't used anymore since they moved their prep to another location.
Judy D.
Decently good dumplings and xlb but for some reason I love their Dan Dan noodles. It has good texture and good sauce. They do have different dumpling flavors. Service always fast and good.
Luke Brandenburg
This is great food with great prices! We have been looking for a place like this and are so glad we found it. Great service as well. Will definitely be going back soon!
Cassandra Lomen
Everytime I come here it does not disappoint! Delicious food for a good price. They are always so friendly and fast! Great for those nights when I don't want to cook after work
Rainbow C.
Great little dumpling... bar! Food: - soup dumplings: consistently soupy, generous filling, and kid favorite!- shrimp and pork dumplings (pink wrapper): another old faithful. Juicy filling with a nice sized shrimp inside. - braised noodle or rice: well marinated and seasoned with some side toppings. This alone would make a tasty lunch/dinner! - bok choy/green beans: non spicy tossed with a delicious sesame sauce Ambiance:Bright, nicely decorated, with large glass to see inside their (clean) kitchenService: Friendly and helpfulBottom line:This place has made it to our list of regular establishments! Kids ask for this place themselves and eat a ton. Win-win!
Lesley G.
Meh. Food isn't great, but it's not bad either. Save a few bucks and drive to diamond bar or Rowland instead. Sesame noodles: was recommended by the staff. It's just noodles with bean sprouts and kewpie sesame dressing from Costco. It could use some shredded carrots/cucumbers/chickenSoup dumplings: good, not great, but for the price, it was good. Bean sprout salad: this was probably the best thing we ordered. I would recommend it on a hot daySauces: Mala and soysauce/vinegar were good. But they didn't have chili oilOverall, if you're in brea and looking for convenient chinese food, I guess this place will do. Other notes, they have a changing table in the bathroom, and the staff wear pajama pants
Delicious food Great customer service can't wait to come back and try more of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Soup Dumpling, Pork
Brock Lewis
Had lunch today at XLB Dumpling Bar and was pleased with the food and service. The true test of any dumpling place is the Xiaolongbao soup dumplings. Their soup dumplings are solid and are a good pick in the area since we are pretty far from Din Tai Fung. I also ordered the braised chicken noodles which was a heaping and generous portion. It was a little bland but overall tasty. The food here is also very affordable, seemed like most dishes were $10 or under.
Food: 4
Service: 5
Joe L.
Really chill kind of place, very clean inside and the food is good.Tried the chicken XLB for the first time, thought it was decent. The mala sauce is where it's at thou, it's got just the right amount of spicy for me
Edwin Laverde
Johnny and friend were great! Mom's recipes were taken to another level. It was delicious ? Highly recommended.
What we have here is solid quality food, but a lack of service. When you enter the establishment, you’ll notice a lack of patrons. But don’t let that turn you away. From baos to dumplings, you can’t go wrong with most of the menu items. If you wish to have an enjoyable experience, you should probably make the drive to their Walnut location. Their Walnut location crafts a much more welcoming atmosphere and is actually filled with patrons.
Funny thing is, the original XLB Dumpling Bar is right down the street from me, and I pass by it daily, but I have never eaten there. We were stopping by to grab a few drinks from Starbucks when we noticed XLB Dumpling Bar had opened another location. When we stopped by on a Thursday afternoon, there were no customers there. We ordered a Pork XLB (8) with Ginger Vinegar and Soy Sauce. After we placed the other, we stopped at our original destination, Starbucks, and ordered our drinks. With Starbucks' speed, by the time we returned to XLB, our order was not ready yet.Pork XLB (8) with Ginger Vinegar and Soy Sauce $10Freshly Made, Hand-Wrapped, Marinated Pork with pieces of our Ginger Pork Broth that melts into a bite-size of soup inside each dumpling.The XLB were not only small, but the pork was also super dry. There was no soup in the dumplings at all. Might as well call it a steamed wonton. With no other customers besides us, they either reheated these XLB for us, or they steamed them for too long - which I doubt for the latter since we were only at Starbucks for less than 5 minutes. If there is no soup in a XLB, that is an issue especially when the restaurant is called XLB Dumpling Bar. The vinegar used is also a white vinegar, which varies from most other traditional XLB establishments. There was also NO fresh ginger pieces in the dipping sauce as well, which is a must! Blame it on the fusion? I could not believe that I paid $10+tax for this. This parking lot can be a bit difficult to find parking at times, especially since there are so many storefronts, but during an off-time, it is not bad. The interior was very simplistic, and can tell that they hammered in nails to hang up each layer of bamboo steamers and etc. Some of the holes on the wall are remnants that an item used to hang there, and have since fallen or been removed. The only saving grace was the service, but the Pork XLB is a hard pass.
What a neat concept with special flavors for traditional XLB! We got the original and also the pizza flavor and a few other ones, and all were very tasty. The original XLB is definitely not as soupy and juicy as we had hoped, but it was still delicious. I would suggest trying the special flavors as you can't get those elsewhere.
I ordered the dan dan mian. It was served promptly on a weekday night. Flavor was good and had just enough spice to it. I would return here and it seems comparable to the Walnut location.
After doing a little shopping at the Brea mall (which looked great by the way). We checked out this little dumplings spot. It's located near the DSW and Mother's market on Imperial and Associated. We ordered the mushrooms pork dumplings, the Al pastor (yes), the pulled pork bao, bock choy and green beans with the sauce on the side. Everything was very flavorful. So good. My favorite the Al pastor dumplings. The brothers who own the biz were so sweet and really accommodating. We will be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fast-casual shop with traditional and interesting options.Grabbed a few items to go. Traditional items like pork & shrimp, pork XLB, and spicy sesame vegetables were pretty tasty. The fusion items of pizza dumplings and cheeseburger bao were also good...a little odd, but fun to eat.The staff here is very nice.While the shop might not seem open, walk up and try it. The display prep kitchen upfront isn't used anymore since they moved their prep to another location.
Decently good dumplings and xlb but for some reason I love their Dan Dan noodles. It has good texture and good sauce. They do have different dumpling flavors. Service always fast and good.
This is great food with great prices! We have been looking for a place like this and are so glad we found it. Great service as well. Will definitely be going back soon!
Everytime I come here it does not disappoint! Delicious food for a good price. They are always so friendly and fast! Great for those nights when I don't want to cook after work
Great little dumpling... bar! Food: - soup dumplings: consistently soupy, generous filling, and kid favorite!- shrimp and pork dumplings (pink wrapper): another old faithful. Juicy filling with a nice sized shrimp inside. - braised noodle or rice: well marinated and seasoned with some side toppings. This alone would make a tasty lunch/dinner! - bok choy/green beans: non spicy tossed with a delicious sesame sauce Ambiance:Bright, nicely decorated, with large glass to see inside their (clean) kitchenService: Friendly and helpfulBottom line:This place has made it to our list of regular establishments! Kids ask for this place themselves and eat a ton. Win-win!
Meh. Food isn't great, but it's not bad either. Save a few bucks and drive to diamond bar or Rowland instead. Sesame noodles: was recommended by the staff. It's just noodles with bean sprouts and kewpie sesame dressing from Costco. It could use some shredded carrots/cucumbers/chickenSoup dumplings: good, not great, but for the price, it was good. Bean sprout salad: this was probably the best thing we ordered. I would recommend it on a hot daySauces: Mala and soysauce/vinegar were good. But they didn't have chili oilOverall, if you're in brea and looking for convenient chinese food, I guess this place will do. Other notes, they have a changing table in the bathroom, and the staff wear pajama pants
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious food Great customer service can't wait to come back and try more of the menu.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pork Soup Dumpling, Pork
Had lunch today at XLB Dumpling Bar and was pleased with the food and service. The true test of any dumpling place is the Xiaolongbao soup dumplings. Their soup dumplings are solid and are a good pick in the area since we are pretty far from Din Tai Fung. I also ordered the braised chicken noodles which was a heaping and generous portion. It was a little bland but overall tasty. The food here is also very affordable, seemed like most dishes were $10 or under.
Food: 4
Service: 5
Really chill kind of place, very clean inside and the food is good.Tried the chicken XLB for the first time, thought it was decent. The mala sauce is where it's at thou, it's got just the right amount of spicy for me
Johnny and friend were great! Mom's recipes were taken to another level. It was delicious ? Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Braised Chicken Rice, Galaxy Yogurt Tea
What we have here is solid quality food, but a lack of service. When you enter the establishment, you’ll notice a lack of patrons. But don’t let that turn you away. From baos to dumplings, you can’t go wrong with most of the menu items. If you wish to have an enjoyable experience, you should probably make the drive to their Walnut location. Their Walnut location crafts a much more welcoming atmosphere and is actually filled with patrons.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Pulled Pork Bao, Pizza Dumplings