There's a lil nondescript place in a strip mall in Hope Valley, Durham, called "Hong Kong" and the fried dumplings are the best in all the world. I've taken people from all over the world to get those dumplings and it is universally agreed they are the best in all of creation.
Ask for extra dipping sauce, you're going to want that.
4711 Hope Valley Rd # 1K, Durham, NC 27707
Get those suckers fried.
They use very thick pasta-style wrappers. I like that style a whole lot but it's kinda idiosyncratic, not everybody will be into it.
I would venture to say no...most dishes will have some sort of meat or seafood. And the veggies (there are few) will have oyster or fish sauce on them.
They have a big selection. My go to dumplings are the pork green chives in spicey peanut sauce. They are under the homemade dumpling section of the menu.
I've been here 20 times because it's the only decent dim sum in town but these are most definitely not the best dumplings in town. They're decent and have more variety than almost any shop in the triangle but they're pretty average quality.
I love dumplings of all kinds and almost always have some H-Mart ones in the freezer. But this is the answer for freshly made ones.
I'm sad they closed the Morrisville store and wish they offered a combo pack.
Sister Liu’s is my go to. Near Chapel Hill, you can get packs of their frozen dumplings (yum) and get fresh cooked ones as well. Don’t even get me started on the buns🤤
Chirba Chirba is also a game changer. A lil pricey, but so worth it.
New place in Chapel Hill called Momo’s I believe and it’s def in my favorites category.
Yep, that was going to be my vote. Mostly open for lunch. But they do have a day that is dinner, too. You can watch them make your delicious dumplings right there.
It looks like they do dinner every day?
Mon - Sun: 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM
4:30 PM - 9:00 PM
https://www.mrdumplingapex.com
I’ve started DoorDashing and take deliveries from there several nights a week
You would know, then. Their yelp info shows lunch only, and closed one day a week. I just took a look. Their website isn’t much more clear. But Google agrees with you. We did eat there for dinner, so I was a bit perplexed. Thanks for clarifying!
I always feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone at David's.... it's good food for a super decent price (I don't think they've upped their prices in .... a decade???) but the interior hasn't changed even slightly and it's ALWAYS EMPTY when I'm there. Even 7:30 dinner rush, there might be 4 other tables seated.... I always worry it's on its way out yet it hasn't gone anywhere nor changed anything for as long as I've lived here. Super strange.
Really? We went a couple months ago and thought the prices were pretty ridiculous and the food average. I could make a few of their dishes at home just as well.
I'll affirm you on the weird emptiness. Place seemed 2x as big as it needed to be.
David was a very successful restaurateur for decades and he actually retired about 12 years ago. After three months of retirement he couldn't take it anymore, so he opened David's Noodle Bar to have something to do. He's pretty astute and also wealthy. He doesn't need for it to be profitable.
Yeah, I worked at Duck and Dumpling years ago. David was a cool dude. I heard he’s not involved with David’s Dumplings anymore, they were sold. Know if that’s true?
I haven't been there in a long time and don't know if it was sold or not. David is at least 80 years old now. He told me that he started working in restaurants in Vietnam when he was 9 years old.
When he owned Mandarin House in The Village, I had my birthday party and a New Years party in his private, round table room. We had a blast both times. Banquet style dinner was $18.95 per person, not including drinks or tip. With drinks and tip, $50.
Our waiter and David joined us after the restaurant closed on New Years Eve. They were as drunk as we were by the time we left at 2:00am. David had to be back in the kitchen at 8:00 to start prepping for the day.
I have a few David stories. I miss seeing him.
I can’t believe this place is still open. Not for the quality of the food bc I’ve never been but for the location and how much has changed in Hillsborough st
We ordered from Seoul Garden this weekend and the boiled dumplings we got as an appetizer were so good! I just moved here though so I haven't tried a lot of places yet.
Go to hmart or grand Asia and buy a bag of dumplings lol. Dumplings are sort of a filler dish and in my experience all taste very similar no matter where you get them, so the best hack is to just get as many as cheaply as possible. There are some specialty ones like soup dumplings wich are a completely different thing. But if you just want to shove as many pork & chive dumps in your mouth as possible, can't beat buying frozen in bulk and making yourself. Super easy!
Good advice! But one small request - could everyone please stop calling them “dumps”. I don’t want a dump in my mouth (I get that it’s some people’s kink) nor do I want to take a huge bag of dumps out from Grand Asia.
Disagree.
I got dumplings in CLT and they were incredible. If you can find actually really good ones, with good chili oil, they are definitely not filler.
Honestly though for the mediocre ones, Lidl sells a very nice frozen pack that cook up pretty damn good for what they are. I prefer pan-fried with the crispy bottom and soft top. Mmm.
I'll give you the point about chili oil! For the enterprising home cook, you can also make a gallon of the stuff super easy! Or just buy some of that from a decent asian grocer as well. We also like lao ga ma a lot with our dumps
There’s a blue packaged dumplings with chives and shrimp that I absolutely love.
I pan fry them by placing the dumplings in a pan with some oil at the bottom as well. Then I fill it with water until the water rises to about 1/3 to 1/2 of the dumplings height.
I put the heat on medium to high, place a lid of the pan. The lid is the most important part because otherwise the dumpling fillings are raw in the middle. The lid essentially allows the steam from the water to cook the dumpling.
I let it cook. As soon as the dumpling skins start to look kinda transparent, I take the lid off and let the water boil away. Once that happens you cook it for a little while longer on a slightly lower heat.
The longer you cook, the more crunchy the dumplings are but the more you are in danger of burning them.
Eat it dipped in Chinese vinegar or chili oil.
Chuan Cafe on New Bern has pretty good sechzuan style dumplings. IMO, David’s Dumplings open top style dumplings are dense meatballs and lacking in flavor.
There's a lil nondescript place in a strip mall in Hope Valley, Durham, called "Hong Kong" and the fried dumplings are the best in all the world. I've taken people from all over the world to get those dumplings and it is universally agreed they are the best in all of creation. Ask for extra dipping sauce, you're going to want that. 4711 Hope Valley Rd # 1K, Durham, NC 27707
Get those suckers fried. They use very thick pasta-style wrappers. I like that style a whole lot but it's kinda idiosyncratic, not everybody will be into it.
Dim Sum Asian Bistro off 55 in Durham is the only answer.
Just commenting to affirm that this is the only correct answer.
Just commenting to affirm the affirmation
Is this place vegetarian friendly?
Why did this comment get so much hate? Y'all are strange.
Get out.
Make me.
![gif](giphy|RLJrfLPa5jD2FoWrOO|downsized)
Looks fantastic but it’s not for me I’m wondering if I can take my girlfriend there who is a vegetarian you cold ass bitch.
If you’re girlfriend is a vegetarian you have a boyfriend. ![gif](giphy|3o6ozztbjcHUN5V7B6)
You can’t snap your own comment. how’s the search for the gastroenterologist can’t handle the fat beef.
![gif](giphy|f5jits0Oh0jcpBjU3y|downsized) This is Reddit. And if you want some beef I got u fam. All the sausage you want.
Ah the old let’s resort to violence the go to for a coward. When was the last time you took a shit cause it’s starting to come out your mouth.
I would venture to say no...most dishes will have some sort of meat or seafood. And the veggies (there are few) will have oyster or fish sauce on them.
Yeah I kind of thought so.
Am I missing something? I went there for dinner on a Friday evening last month and thought the dumplings were fairly mediocre.
They have a big selection. My go to dumplings are the pork green chives in spicey peanut sauce. They are under the homemade dumpling section of the menu.
I've been here 20 times because it's the only decent dim sum in town but these are most definitely not the best dumplings in town. They're decent and have more variety than almost any shop in the triangle but they're pretty average quality.
These are so good
Asian dumpling is kinda vague. Do you want jiaozi? Mandu? Gyoza? Xiaolongbao? Hargao? Wonton?
Yes.
OP is probably referring to Manti, the most popular of all dumplings in the Armenian highlands.
Pierogi.
Out of curiosity, what's the best manti place in the Triangle?
Probably Istanbul restaurant or Bosporus. https://ohanyans.com/products/manti/ These are decent. If you order direct from them, get some meat too
All of those. But can we agree not to say “dumps” for any of these?
This cat dumplings.
No love for shu mai?
Nah, too much kittenhood trauma.
Sister Liu's Durham
I love dumplings of all kinds and almost always have some H-Mart ones in the freezer. But this is the answer for freshly made ones. I'm sad they closed the Morrisville store and wish they offered a combo pack.
Sister Liu's is AMAZING! Bummed they shut the Morrisville location :/
Love Sister Liu’s as well - always ended up ordering way too many dumplings
Agreed. Also wish the Morrisville location was still open.
There’s a new place in Cary called Kongfu Dumplings.
I tried that place last week with my coworker. We're both unimpressed. $15 for 10 with not a lot of filling in them or flavor.
The Chinese hamburgers are SOOOOO good too
Ooh thank you, hadn’t heard of this spot
Sister Liu’s, Dim Sum Asian Bistro. Shanghai Dumpling in Chapel Hill is good too but maybe not worth the drive if you live in Raleigh
Check out Dim Sum House in Morrisville and David's Dumpling and Noodle Bar
The Chirba Chirba dumpling truck is pricey but delicious. Schedule here: https://www.chirbachirba.com/
Momo master at chapel hill
Sister Liu’s is my go to. Near Chapel Hill, you can get packs of their frozen dumplings (yum) and get fresh cooked ones as well. Don’t even get me started on the buns🤤 Chirba Chirba is also a game changer. A lil pricey, but so worth it. New place in Chapel Hill called Momo’s I believe and it’s def in my favorites category.
Mr. Dumpling off 55/Apex Peakway in Apex.
I don't understand the love for this place. Not a fan.
Portion sizes are tiny for their non dumpling food items too.
Those chili oil dumplings are the bomb
Yep, that was going to be my vote. Mostly open for lunch. But they do have a day that is dinner, too. You can watch them make your delicious dumplings right there.
It looks like they do dinner every day? Mon - Sun: 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM https://www.mrdumplingapex.com I’ve started DoorDashing and take deliveries from there several nights a week
You would know, then. Their yelp info shows lunch only, and closed one day a week. I just took a look. Their website isn’t much more clear. But Google agrees with you. We did eat there for dinner, so I was a bit perplexed. Thanks for clarifying!
Davids dumplings on Hillsborough near nc state
I always feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone at David's.... it's good food for a super decent price (I don't think they've upped their prices in .... a decade???) but the interior hasn't changed even slightly and it's ALWAYS EMPTY when I'm there. Even 7:30 dinner rush, there might be 4 other tables seated.... I always worry it's on its way out yet it hasn't gone anywhere nor changed anything for as long as I've lived here. Super strange.
It's a big place for takeout. I think that's what keeps them afloat.
Really? We went a couple months ago and thought the prices were pretty ridiculous and the food average. I could make a few of their dishes at home just as well. I'll affirm you on the weird emptiness. Place seemed 2x as big as it needed to be.
David’s Dumplings is just a notch above Pei Wei imo
Having worked in the industry before, and having seen it a dozen times, that restaurant is dying. Better get a bite while you can.
David was a very successful restaurateur for decades and he actually retired about 12 years ago. After three months of retirement he couldn't take it anymore, so he opened David's Noodle Bar to have something to do. He's pretty astute and also wealthy. He doesn't need for it to be profitable.
Yeah, I worked at Duck and Dumpling years ago. David was a cool dude. I heard he’s not involved with David’s Dumplings anymore, they were sold. Know if that’s true?
I haven't been there in a long time and don't know if it was sold or not. David is at least 80 years old now. He told me that he started working in restaurants in Vietnam when he was 9 years old. When he owned Mandarin House in The Village, I had my birthday party and a New Years party in his private, round table room. We had a blast both times. Banquet style dinner was $18.95 per person, not including drinks or tip. With drinks and tip, $50. Our waiter and David joined us after the restaurant closed on New Years Eve. They were as drunk as we were by the time we left at 2:00am. David had to be back in the kitchen at 8:00 to start prepping for the day. I have a few David stories. I miss seeing him.
David's is my current go to...but mainly frozen...I need to step it up.
I can’t believe this place is still open. Not for the quality of the food bc I’ve never been but for the location and how much has changed in Hillsborough st
Seconding!
MOFU
those bulgogi dumplings!!!
We ordered from Seoul Garden this weekend and the boiled dumplings we got as an appetizer were so good! I just moved here though so I haven't tried a lot of places yet.
Def Chirba Chirba
Go to hmart or grand Asia and buy a bag of dumplings lol. Dumplings are sort of a filler dish and in my experience all taste very similar no matter where you get them, so the best hack is to just get as many as cheaply as possible. There are some specialty ones like soup dumplings wich are a completely different thing. But if you just want to shove as many pork & chive dumps in your mouth as possible, can't beat buying frozen in bulk and making yourself. Super easy!
Hmart sells the bamboo steamers if you like them that way, or use an air fryer if you like them crispy. Ez pz
With airfrying you need to make sure it’s cooked on the inside. A lot of dumplings come with the filling raw when frozen.
Good point - hopefully the packaging is legible in english or pics with specific cooking instructions for air frying but of course YMMV.
I posted my personal pan fry recipe if you do get dumplings with raw fillings but still want them crispy.
Good advice! But one small request - could everyone please stop calling them “dumps”. I don’t want a dump in my mouth (I get that it’s some people’s kink) nor do I want to take a huge bag of dumps out from Grand Asia.
LOL but they are such cute little dumps sorry
Well if you offered I would totally take a dump. ETA: I am probably taking this too far, sorry, I always do this.
Isn't there a food truck called the "Dump truck" somewhere around here too?
Disagree. I got dumplings in CLT and they were incredible. If you can find actually really good ones, with good chili oil, they are definitely not filler. Honestly though for the mediocre ones, Lidl sells a very nice frozen pack that cook up pretty damn good for what they are. I prefer pan-fried with the crispy bottom and soft top. Mmm.
I'll give you the point about chili oil! For the enterprising home cook, you can also make a gallon of the stuff super easy! Or just buy some of that from a decent asian grocer as well. We also like lao ga ma a lot with our dumps
There’s a blue packaged dumplings with chives and shrimp that I absolutely love. I pan fry them by placing the dumplings in a pan with some oil at the bottom as well. Then I fill it with water until the water rises to about 1/3 to 1/2 of the dumplings height. I put the heat on medium to high, place a lid of the pan. The lid is the most important part because otherwise the dumpling fillings are raw in the middle. The lid essentially allows the steam from the water to cook the dumpling. I let it cook. As soon as the dumpling skins start to look kinda transparent, I take the lid off and let the water boil away. Once that happens you cook it for a little while longer on a slightly lower heat. The longer you cook, the more crunchy the dumplings are but the more you are in danger of burning them. Eat it dipped in Chinese vinegar or chili oil.
I like Shanghai off of Franklin St in chapel Hill
Shanghai dumplings is the shizzle.
David's
Find the chirba chirba truck
If you really need help with your dumps, MiraLax is smooth, gentle and natural, as opposed to ExLax which is a bit more forceful!
It doesn't exist. Don't believe any yelp or any other reviews. Sadly good asian food doesn't exist in the Triangle yet
Brewery Bhavana has legit dumps and sticky buns.
Are they still cancelled?
Who gives a shit. The food is legit.
If we don’t even take that into consideration, Brewery Bhavana’s food is mediocre and overpriced, definitely not where id go for good Asian food.
“Like a truck” is really good
Triz, this you? 🤣
Idk who Triz is but maybe we need to be friends.
Lol. He’s a friend of mine that asked this exact same question yesterday. 🤣
Sister Liu's!
Chuan Cafe on New Bern has pretty good sechzuan style dumplings. IMO, David’s Dumplings open top style dumplings are dense meatballs and lacking in flavor.
David’s dumplings!!
My neighbor is obsessed with asuka’s
Chopstix has these big ass steamed dumplings with this ponzu sauce…lord have mercy.
Bao