Ugly Dumpling Express - Holmdel, NJ

Service is good food is really tasty

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was fresh and delicious, nice portion sizes, and very filling. Joy is professional, polite, and pleasant. The ambience is calming - it's a nice atmosphere. Will be back!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I used to order from the edison location thought it was the same thing it is not this is like a knockoff of that brand...the food is no good. very cheaply made...the string beans tasted like chemicals, the fried chicken was soggy and fatty not crunchy like displayed in the picture. Won't be ordering again.

Food: 1

The staff is always very friendly here at UDX. Amanda is so pleasant and greets everyone with a smile. The food selection is really good. There’s a variety of drinks, quick snacks, and meals.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Really cool, hip take on classic Chinese/Taiwanese foods! It's not a made-from-scratch-in-the-back-room, super-fresh dumpling place like you might find in Edison, but that's not what it's trying to be either. For a quick, efficient counter-service take-out place, Ugly Dumpling Express hits the spot when you're craving a consistent soup dumpling or comfort rice/noodle dish on the go. The prices are reasonable, and the taste is surprisingly authentic for an "express" shop.

I've gotten it to-go as well as dine-in. The soup dumplings do indeed have soup, which is better appreciated when dining in. The food comes out piping hot and well-steamed in the classic bamboo steaming baskets. The popcorn (salt & pepper) chicken is a must-order for us. It's well-seasoned, crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. We also had the beef noodle soup and were very pleasantly surprised by the fullness of the broth's flavor. The beef was quite tender; it did have a bit more tendon than I like, but this was to my wife's taste. The cucumber salad is cut in large chunks, but well-marinated, and the cold side dish complemented the hot dishes well.

We also ordered the sesame noodles to-go. They do a great job at packaging the sauce and noodles separately so the noodles don't get soggy or oversaturated. These dishes (saucy noodles, dumplings, etc.) aren't traditionally great when not immediately consumed, so I do appreciate that they take extra measures to preserve the texture and flavor for a take-out option.

All in all, we're very happy to have a local dumpling spot in Holmdel. It's at least 80% as good as the authentic hole-in-the-walls in Edison or Chinatown, but 100% worth it to avoid the crowd, traffic, and wait times trekking out there! Would definitely recommend - and give dining-in a chance for best results!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

What a great little place. The food is delicious.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amanda and Joyce were awesome

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Was very delicios

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious lunch. I had cucumber salad. I would have liked the cucumber to be cut up a little thinner. It was a little thick for my preference. I would like it to be spicier too. The pork soup dumplings and orange chicken were good. We will definitely return and try other foods on the menu.

Parking: Free parking

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

The orange chicken is very good. Nice portion size. The chicken dumplings have a nice thin wrapper, and the sauce isn't heavy on salt. Give this place a try. My wife and I shared both and will have a little leftover for only $18.
The next day, I ordered the chicken fried rice. This is not your typical FRIED rice. It's steamed rice, lacks chicken, and flavor.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 4

The cashier was kind enough to get the mgr when i mentioned my allergy to mushrooms. She immediately checked everything and found out there is a small amount in the spring roll. Saved me a hellish night.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 5

Very fresh and good. Large portion sizes. Very friendly staff

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Shrimp Stir Fried Noodles

Give 4 stars because overwhelming msg, dying of thirst afterwards.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Love the place! Food is tasty and the service is great :

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Spring Rolls 3

Food was good soup dumplings flavorful but that sauce came with a roach in it smh secret ingredient or something idk

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 1