ATLGuide

The Best Dumplings In Atlanta

We gassed up the whip and charged up our Peach Pass to find the tastiest dumplings in all of metro Atlanta.
The Best Dumplings In Atlanta image

photo credit: Tabia S. Lisenbee-Parker

Who doesn’t like dumplings? We’ll wait. Unless you’re just opposed to life’s little happy moments, then you’re rightly all over these tasty, tender dough pockets of meat- or veggie-filled joy. Whether for dim sum or takeout, momos or wontons, enclosed with purple wrappers or filled with soupy middles, these are the best dumpling dishes in the entire metro.

Chinese

Midtown

$$$$Perfect For:Dim SumSerious Take-Out Operation
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Pork Dumplings

The menu at this second location is pretty similar to the original Duluth restaurant—and not watered down for Midtown taste buds. While Xi’an is better known for their spicy cumin lamb noodle, don’t overlook the pork dumplings. They come in a hefty order of a dozen or so, and you can either get them “dry” (boiled and served with a side of dipping sauce) or in a spicy/sour noodle soup, which will clear your sinuses in a second. The dining area is small, so most people come here for takeout orders (you can get validated one-hour parking in The Mark garage). Look for the validation code on the menu board, then look for us, stuffing our faces. 

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

Szechuan Steam Wontons

Like the Buford Highway location, West Midtown's Food Terminal has a catalog-style menu so large it can be overwhelming. Just start off with the shareable Szechuan Steam Wonton (in the small plates section of the menu). And make sure you find your way to the page with the milky drinks since you may need something to soothe your tongue. These spicy dumplings aren’t playing around here—they come topped with cilantro and scallions, which hide the gratuitous layer of chili crisp coating. Even if we find it on the verge of being numbingly hot, it’s still so deliciously addictive we can't stop eating them.

Wok Chi Pork Dumplings & Wok Chi Vegan Dumplings

If you're a fan of American Chinese classics like sesame chicken and beef with broccoli, don't just stop there on Wok Chi's menu. Look closer, and you'll see that the chef makes many of the dumplings in-house—and proudly says so in each description. The pan-fried Wok Chi pork dumplings and vegan dumplings are expertly folded, which might be why they'll come out after the entrees. Good things take time. Located near the Tech campus, Wok Chi is open late (and until 2am on weekends), so you’ll see groups of students in the spacious dining area, carbing up after bar runs.

Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Pork-Fennel Dumplings & Lamb-Zucchini Dumplings

If you haven’t been to Northern China Eatery in Chamblee, get here now—either right when they open for lunch or before the dinner rush. They have an extensive dumpling offering—you'll see a chef churning out hundreds of them at a table by the register—and everything is worthy of a bite. But since we’re picking favorites, get the extremely flavorful Shanghai soup dumplings, pork and fennel dumplings, or lamb and zucchini dumplings. Order the latter two boiled, they burst open with juicy deliciousness when biting into them. And they sell frozen dumplings in bulk if you need to stock up for an at-home fix.

Potstickers, Har Gow & Siu Mai

Don’t let the restaurant name steer you off course. In addition to selling siu laap like Cantonese roasted duck and pork, Best BBQ offers a large, delicious dim sum selection. Since this Doraville restaurant does not have traditional dim sum carts, most dumplings are made to order and come steaming hot. Get our go-to orders—the potstickers, steamed har gow stuffed with shrimp, and the open-faced pork and shrimp siu mai—which are all housemade and incredibly massive. A mere one or two orders should fill up one hungry human. Just order at the counter, which has helpful photos of each menu item, before finding a seat at one of the dozen or so tables. Since Best BBQ is located inside City Farmer’s Market, it gets busy on weekends.

Crab Meat Pork Soup Dumplings, Pan Fried Pork Dumplings

Handmade soup dumplings are a rarity in the area, but luckily for people in Duluth, they only have to trek to the Jusgo Supermarket food court for fresh ones at Lao Wei Dao. We prefer the crab meat pork soup dumplings over the standard pork soup versions since the broth has more layers of flavor. But also try their pan fried pork dumplings, which are some of the best we’ve had. Let them cool before taking a bite though since they are almost as juicy as the soup dumplings. Lao Wei Dao gets busy on the weekends, and since the dumplings are made from scratch, it could take awhile to fulfill your order. But the staff are unbelievably kind so you’ll feel welcomed during the wait.

Purple Potato Juice Dumplings & Zhong Style Dumplings

Even with an unremarkable dining room, Masterpiece in Duluth is where we’d take out-of-town guests to wow them with tasty entrees that are just as impressive as their stellar dumplings. The purple potato juice dumplings are vegetarian (filled with egg, tofu, bean thread noodle, and mushroom) and can hold their own against any meat-filled dumpling. The color of the wrapper is from purple potatoes, which is both visually appealing and adds a slightly earthy taste. The Zhong dumplings are pork- and veggie-filled, served swimming in a bowl of a rich soy and chili oil dumpling sauce that is spicy, sweet, and vinegary—a lot of flavor going on, andt it all works. Save the sauce after you finish the dumplings, and drizzle it onto your rice.

photo credit: Tabia S. Lisenbee-Parker

$$$$Perfect For:Lunch

Pork Dumplings (Mandoo)

Yes, we’re suckers for Sambong Naengmyun’s oxtail flavor-rich seolleongtang, but please do yourself a favor and order the pork mandoo, too. Before taking a bite, adjust your dumpling expectations. These steamed Korean dumplings aren’t just massive, they are surprisingly light and balanced with lots of veggies—it’s a refreshing change if you’re used to thicker wrappers and meat-dense variations. After you order at the front of this Duluth restaurant, grab a table and sip on the complimentary warm broth while you wait for your order number to pop up at the pickup counter.

photo credit: Tabia S. Lisenbee-Parker

$$$$Perfect For:Big Groups

King Dumplings

The Duluth restaurant has a big dining area, which makes it perfect for groups. In fact the first time we ordered these King Dumplings, it was to share while we waited for the rest of our food to arrive. After one bite, we wished we’d gone alone—sorry, friends. These are filled with meat, veggies, tofu, kimchi, and bursting with flavor. They come with a dipping sauce you don’t need, and we assume they’re called King Dumplings for the size since they are larger than the traditional mandoo.  They make a great accompaniment to the various tofu stews that Jang Su Jang offers. It gets busy on Saturday nights, so go at lunch or before the dinner rush so you don’t have to wait for a table.

Fried Potsticker Dumplings

Kids love Lanzhou Ramen (this Kennesaw location and another on Buford Highway) because the food is great and there’s a glass window to the kitchen that lets them watch the chef pull handmade noodles. Adults are fans because they can order like a kid in a candy store—with multiple bowls of noodle soups, buns, and dumplings. Their soup dumplings are just as good as Northern China Eatery, and the fried potstickers are a delicious must-have. They come upside-down on the plate to prevent the dumpling skirt from getting soggy, and the pork filling is flavorful enough you don’t need the dumpling sauce they serve with it. The dining room at Lanzhou is large and never fills up, so we’re always able to get a table.

Pork Dumplings

Fire Stone opened in Kennesaw back in 2018, and was the only Sichuan Chinese restaurant within a 5 mile radius at the time. Every dish is beautifully presented here, and the dining room has many tables for large groups. The pork dumplings are offered boiled or pan-fried, but we recommend the latter. Just like 3+3 Lanzhou, they come out with a crispy, golden dumpling skirt. When bringing a group, order the potstickers to share before the larger entrees hit the table. Fire Stone is located in a strip mall in Kennesaw, and gets busy especially at night, so we like to hit them for an early dinner or weekday lunch.

Butter Curry Momos

We happened upon Himalayan Kitchen, located in Smyrna on one random exploration. Don't let the unassuming strip mall location fool you, the colorful restaurant with Tibetan decor usually packs every seat in the house and offers some of the best momos in the area. Our favorite item here is the butter curry chicken momos. These Tibetan dumplings are heftier than other dumplings, and one order is pretty filling, but it’s hard to stop at one. The sauce is rich and comforting with just a touch of spice. But if you’re a spice fiend, try the Tibetan spicy momo, and get a refreshing mango lassi to cut the heat. The extremely friendly owners take pride in their homemade momos, and it shows. 

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