Dumpling Time

Wanted to have a nice outdoor lunch here again since we haven't been in a while. We noticed the menu was smaller new menu with photos. We ordered the garlicky green beans which we love, Tom Yum Goong dumplings which were yummy, Xi'an Dumplings vegetable were tasty, Pork Gyoza were very good and unique crispy toppings and shrimp garlic noodles were good but a little too creamy for K.

My family was all together and we decided to get dumplings. I made a reservation, but as we approached the host stand it was clear that we did not need a reservation. The man took us to a round booth, one where if had to go to the restroom, half the table has to get up as well. I sat uncomfortably looking around at the limited view this seating arrangement allowed. There is a logo on the back wall and as I looked more, you see food stains all up the entire wall, I wish I saw this prior to ordering.. The menus were my first inkling that something was off. Tiny pictures they were practically unrecognizable as food you would order. The menu is extremely small and with 5 of us, we tried many items. The cucumber salad was far from what is pictured and it was not very good compared to the dozens of other dumpling houses. XLB, presented in a small foil bowl, this came with a sauce, but the sauce was just vinegar? No other condiments? As I tried leaving the restaurant, wrestling my way back out of the booth, I noticed chili sauce and soy condiments were on other tables, but not ours. Chili pork dumplings were decent and came in their own sauce. Wagyu gyoza was not very good. The ‘Wagyu' was lost in this crappy meatball inside a dumpling. I think it's a way to charge more if you say Wagyu.I was disappointed with the food and the overall experience at the restaurant. Despite making a reservation, it became apparent that it was unnecessary as we approached the host stand. We were led to a round booth, which proved to be inconvenient as half the table had to get up if someone needed to use the restroom. I felt uncomfortable sitting there, with a limited view due to the seating arrangement. To make matters worse, I noticed food stains all over the back wall, which I wish I had seen before ordering. The menus were the first indication that something was off. The tiny pictures on the menu were practically unrecognizable as the food they were supposed to represent.

I'm sure the non-Chinese staff are fine cooks and servers, but for dim sum and dumplings, this place has zero authenticity or taste. It's nothing more than generic, Americanized Chinese food made by a Hispanic crew, and they probably source their dumplings elsewhere (I didn't see anyone making fresh dumplings). If you want cooks to just heat up your food, you can go here. If you want authentic and fresh dumplings, go to an authentic Chinese dumpling place. (Perhaps it's just me, but I don't go to a Chinese establishment to get tacos.)

We were able to get a relatively last minute reservation for 5 on a Saturday night which I appreciated. The service was excellent from the moment we stepped through the door. We ordered an assortment share across the entire table. The food was tasty and brought us pretty quickly. We will definitely be back!

I went with my husband here for the first time. The outside seating area was so lovely! I loved the lights and the decor. The service was great and attentive. The food was delicious and I loved my cocktail too. It's not cheap for dumplings but not too pricey compared to other Santana row restaurants. We'll definitely be back!

Nothing special about the dishes we ordered, the dumpling we ordered was the least favorite. We were told that because they had such few customers, that the kitchen was closing early, and it was last call (8 p.m.) A disappointing experience.

The dumplings were very good. The spring rolls were OK. But our server was also the bartender having to go back-and-forth and we barely saw him. It took a long time for any dishes to be cleared from our table so that was frustrating. The service could definitely be improved for the cost of the food. it would make a huge difference if you would clear off dishes and stop by and check in once in a while. There was plenty of staff around to manage this.

I made reservations on OpenTable and the restaurant was closing when I arrived. I should have not been able to make reservation. And when I informed the host why I was confused, he didn't care. My original reservation was made for when they would have actually been closed!?!? Something needs to get fixed. Ended up having amazing sushi across the way fortunately. As I had guests visiting from out of town meeting me.

Food average, and service subpar due to understaffed. Not much service when only 1 waiter managing 9 tables. The busperson doesn't take orders and didn't tell the waiter that our table would like to order more food. Ordered: - BBQ pork bao - steamed and pan seared, one of the best dishes we ordered; - pork XLB and TomYum XLB - not much flavor, trending toward sweet than savory, had better ones somewhere else; - shrimp toast - didn't see any shrimp paste or shrimp, only see the Chinese fried bread with spicy mayo; - lamb dumplings - has a strong lamb gaming taste; - cucumber salad - crispy and spicy, maybe one of the best dishes we ordered; and - southeast fried rice noodles - OK but nothing extraordinary about it. The ambience tries to trendy with a bar serving alcohol and few TV screens having sports and music program on.

Good place in a great location. Food came in fast. Service was efficient, we happened to go there on New Years Eve so they might have been short staffed, will give service 4 stars instead of 5 stars. Overall food was good, fried rice and tofu was amazing, dumplings 4 stars. The outdoor seating is spaced out and good for families w/ kids as well.

I made a reservation for 8pm on a Tuesday evening, so we could enjoy a belated holiday meal with some family. But this place apparently closes at 8pm, so we had to place our orders immediately upon arrival. We definitely enjoyed all the food, but felt a bit rushed since we were some of the last guests there, and it was obvious the workers wanted to shut the place down. It would've been nice to actually savor what we ordered, and have time to order more food plus dessert. Perhaps the restaurant shouldn't offer their last reservation seating at closing time, as it can make guests feel like they're being rushed to eat and/or not welcome to stay and enjoy the experience.

Places in the city are way better. This dumpling time was painful to be at. Restaurant was pretty dead but the servers just didn't care about anything but themselves. ordering at a counter would have been a better experience then trying to interact with the so called foh service staff here. Shrimp toast here wasn't as good as in sf. overall lackluster describes this experience.

Everything is just fine, in my opinion. The food is tasty, the price is a bit higher than other places (not a big deal), and the service is just ok (the back messed up my order, and the servers was panicking when they realized the mistake). I think I will give them another chance. Hopefully, everything will be better than this time.

We reached for our reservation and they said there kitchen was closed and they don know how we got the reservation and they told they close at 7:40 and I went with my little girls and wife and we had to figure another place for dinner

This place is my favorite for casual dumplings. It's also a great place to go with friends. My favorites are the soup dumplings and the bbq pork bao buns. They just came out with a new Hennessy Boba cocktail that is really nice and unique (as seen in the photo). They offer happy hour, too! I got the Tom yum soup dumplings today, and they are delicious as well. Definitely recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bao, Xiao Long Bao - Tom Yum