Dumpling Time is breaking up the monotony of all the high-end home furnishing stores on Berkeley’s Fourth Street. The buzzy East Bay outpost of the San Francisco-based dumpling empire (which now has five locations) is serving a menu of dim sum hits in a cozy, sun-lit place. Zero in on the fluffy char siu bao, meaty pork dumplings doused in chili sauce, and a gingery pork belly-filled xiao long bao with bright beet wrappers. If you’re planning a trip to this area to shop for fancy lamps and bedsheets, Dumpling Time will satisfy even the faintest yearning for meat wrapped in dough. If you aren’t, you should still get here—and make sure the shrimp toast and seafood gyoza with spinach skins are on your table.

photo credit: Joseph Weaver