“Dumpling” is a very generic term that’s loosely used by everyone. They actually go by many names and come in different sizes.
To name a few, Chinese dim sum staples include dumplings like the popular and well-known har gow, siu mai, xiao long bao, and many more.
Whether they are pan-fried, boiled, or steamed you’ll be wanting more with each bite.
How they are enjoyed is also entirely up to you – should you eat them just the way they are prepared, with chili oil or sriracha sauce, or is it with their special in-house sauce?
Whatever it may be, the choice is yours to make but we believe dipping them in your favorite sauce is the best option as it could elevate your eating experience.
And it doesn’t stop here.
Other variations of Asian dumplings include the Korean mandu and Japanese gyoza, however, we’re not going to get into the nitty-gritty details here. All we care about is exploring the best dumpling restaurants in town.
Despite the variations and cultural differences, we can agree they all share the same commonalities: dumplings are stuffed with savoury ingredients and wrapped with thin dough for you to enjoy.
1. Chinese Dumpling House
Source: Yelp
Address: 3636 Steeles Ave E, Markham, ON L3R 1K9
Phone: 905-947-9880
Located in the Metro Square Plaza, this Chinese dumpling restaurant is popular to many.
What makes this place great is you can see them making the dumplings near the front of the entrance. So, you can rest assured they are being made fresh on a daily basis.
Their dumplings are big in size and give plenty of flavour with every bite.
The Pan-Fried Pork and Chives Dumplings and Steam Pork and Leek Dumplings are the top picks here, but their other dumplings are still enjoyable. Aside from their dumplings, you may also want to order their fried green onion pancake – it’s deliciously good!
The restaurant is small so expect some wait time during busy hours. However, the wait shouldn’t be too long as this restaurant is not a place where people order their food and converse for a few hours before they leave.
The general rule here is you order your food, eat, rest for a couple of minutes, get your bill and leave so the next group can be served.
2. Ding Tai Fung
Source: Yelp
Address: 175 Commander Blvd UNIT 1, Scarborough, ON M1S 3M7
Phone: 416-291-0123
They have multiple locations but the one we went to was located in Scarborough.
Spacious restaurant for large gatherings, Ding Tai Fung, is known for their popular xiao long bao (soup-filled dumplings).
The food is made to order so it’s fresh and steaming hot. Once you place your order, it takes roughly 8 to 10 minutes to have the food prepared and served to you.
In addition to the xiao long bao, they also offer pan-fried versions of their dumplings as well.
The Steamed Soup Dumplings with Pork Filling Xiao Long Bao and the Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings are the must-try here – it’s really juicy and packed with plenty of flavour.
We want to mention the soup and liquid filled inside the dumpling is quite hot, especially when it’s freshly served. So, be careful not to burn yourself when you pop the xiao long bao in your mouth!
If you’re looking for something other than dumplings, then another must-try item here is the Stewed Beef Pancake Wrap. The combination of the beef and chewy dough makes it so satisfying with every bite.
For those that can handle spicy, we recommend you dip the food in chili oil – it definitely adds to the taste.
Ding Tai Fung is also a popular gathering place for morning dim sum as well. Be sure to check out our top dim sum places throughout Toronto to indulge your taste buds.
3. Mother’s Dumplings
Source: Yelp
Address: 421 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2G6
Phone: 416-217-2008
A lovely dumpling restaurant located in downtown Toronto.
The place may look small on the outside but there’s ample space inside to accommodate a large group.
Their dumplings are also deliciously tasty. So tasty that you may not want to share with your group of friends.
Being downtown has its perks. Once you finish eating here you can visit some of the popular places around this area – Kensington Market or Chinatown which is a block or two away.
Can’t get enough of their dumplings? Well, you can also purchase them frozen from select Sobeys and Foodland locations across Ontario.
There are also many other dim sum restaurants and wholesalers that sell many different types of frozen dim sum and dumplings – including har gow (shirmp dumpling), siu mai (pork, mushroom, and veggie dumpling), and xiao long bao (soup-based pork dumpling) – and they taste almost as good as freshly made dumplings.
Now you can enjoy them anytime and anywhere you want!
4. Jim Chai Kee
Address: 270 W Beaver Creek Road Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z1
Phone: 905-881-8778
Wonton is a special type of shrimp dumpling that is a timeless staple in Hong Kong.
Jim Chai Kee Wonton Noodles is one restaurant that’s really famous for their shrimp wonton dumplings – this is the perfect place to hit up if you want to satisfy your wonton cravings!
Their wontons are also big and juicy just like their competitors.
They also offer the option of getting the wontons by itself or together with egg noodles, rice noodles, or vermicelli – which is an added bonus as it allows flexibility to customize your order.
If seafood is not your cup of tea, then there are other options to choose from that are equally awesome. The beef noodle is also a good choice as the beef is so tender it melts in your mouth.
The staff here are super friendly and food comes fairly quickly once the order has been placed. Do be careful not to burn yourself as the soup comes served hot.
5. Ikkousha Ramen
Source: Yelp
Address: 249 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z4
Phone: 416-901-2249
Ikkousha Ramen is known as one of the best ramen shops in the GTA, but don’t overlook their homemade gyozas!
Despite coming here for their signature noodles, don’t be surprised that you’ll end up falling in love with their gyozas. It might be the reason why you’ll want to come back here again and again.
The pork-filled gyozas are pan-fried to a golden colour to bring out the crispy and juicy flavour when eaten. For extra flavour you can dip them in their house special gyoza sauce.
For a complete experience, we recommend ordering a bowl of their tonkotsu ramen, as they go perfectly together.
Also, this small and cozy restaurant can get busy during peak hours, so you may want to plan ahead.
6. Goobok
Source: Yelp
Address: 7181 Yonge St Unit 245, Markham, ON L3T 0C7
Phone: 647-876-2800
Who would have thought that some of the best mandu could be found in a food court!
This lesser-known place serves handmade dumplings which are made with all-natural ingredients.
If you’re looking for a quick dumpling fix, then this is your place. Not only are their dumplings flavourful, but they are also super fresh and tender.
Now, don’t overlook the other items on their menu, although it’s limited, everything on their menu was worth ordering.
7. Juicy Dumpling
Source: Yelp
Address: 280 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 0A1
Phone: 647-352-5678
Also located downtown, Juicy Dumpling offers a great selection of dumplings to enjoy at home – due to the current COVID-19 pandemic only takeout or delivery options are available
Compared to other dumpling restaurants, their price is fairly cheap – it starts as low as $3 for 6 pieces of steamed pork mini soup dumpling to $7 for 6 pieces of pan-fried crab+pork mini soup dumplings.
The price is so attractive that you could have a full meal of just dumplings for cheap.
Their Shanghainese dumplings are so good it’ll leave you wanting for more.
8. Big Trio Wonton
Address: 4400 Sheppard Ave E, Scarborough, ON M1S 1T8
Phone: 416-335-6326
For those unfamiliar, Big Trio Wonton used to go by the name Wonton Chai Noodle.
Although they have gone through a name change, the quality of their wonton dumplings is still the same and one of the best around.
We have yet to find a restaurant that could dethrone Big Trio Wonton for their big and juicy wontons!
Packed with only shrimps, each wonton is about 2 inches wide. They also have a nice bouncy texture when chewed – which leaves a satisfying feeling in your mouth.
Oh! And their broth is refreshing as well. Everything served in the bowl goes so well together as they are made fresh on a daily basis.
You can order just the wontons with soup, which will give you 6 wontons; however, if ordered with egg noodles, you’ll get 4.
If you ask us, both options are equally good. And, if you are a big eater or extra hungry that day then we recommend getting one of each. Yes, their wontons are just that good!
They also make their own chili oil. You should add it to the wontons if you can take the extra heat.
In addition to their tasty food, their service is also excellent. After being there a couple of times, on our subsequent visits, their servers remembered what we normally order and got us our food – this saved us the trouble of placing our order each time.
They have a few locations throughout the GTA, but our frequent location is the one located in Scarborough. Go check out our review of Big Trio Wonton and how we rate this place.
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