What to Order

As the name of our quest says, we were looking for dumplings, so here is our crawl: 

Stop 1 — Great Taste Dumpling ⭐ 4.2 | 4317 8th Ave
The warmup. This cash-only spot serves 8 enormous handmade dumplings for around $3 — some of the best value in all of New York City. Order the boiled pork dumplings and the vegetable version. More than enough for the 3 of us to get started

Stop 2 — Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House ⭐ 4.5 | 4801 8th Ave
The crowd favorite. Over 1,000 reviews and the pan-fried pork & chive dumplings are the reason why. Crispy, golden bottoms with a juicy filling. Fast counter service, tiny space.

Stop 3 — Din’s Kitchen ⭐ 4.7 | 5210 7th Ave
The highest-rated stop and the most exciting. This is where you get your soup dumplings and the Shanghai pan-fried buns. The handmade chive dumplings are also a must. Slightly more modern vibe than the others — a good place to sit down and breathe.

Good to know before you go

• Hours:
  • Great Taste Dumpling: Open 7 days a week, 7:30am-10pm
  • Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House: Open 7 days a week, 7:30am-8pm
  • Din’s Kitchen: Open 7 days a week, 11am-11pm

• The Wait: For lunch, none of the 3 were busy to leave a wait. All had other customers but the sheer number of restaurants in the area seemed to negate any wait. I’ve been to Din’s once before at dinnertime and again, the restaurant had customers, but not enough to have a wait.

These places are all basic, family-run and make everything by hand. Terrific for the whole family, though some are a bit rough on vegetarians. Kai Feng had the most vegetarian dishes, with their scallion pancakes and veggie dumpling options.