Dumpling Home in Hayes Valley is a vibrant gem serving up some of the city's best dumplings, including expertly crafted xiao long bao and crispy shengjianbao.
"When you need a place for a spontaneous meet-up with friends who are randomly in town or third date with someone you met on an app, all roads lead to Dumpling Home. It’s a Hayes Valley spot where you can sit inside or on their parklet and enjoy steamers full of xiao long bao, pan-fried pork buns, and vegetable dumplings. There’s usually a crowd outside, but the line moves quickly—and you can go window-shop for fancy soap and houseplants at the stores nearby while you wait. " - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez, lani conway
"Dumpling Home is a casual Hayes Valley spot that, to no one's surprise, serves dumplings. But not just any dumplings. The xiao long bao coming out of this place are best in class, and the shengjianbao have golden-brown bottoms and thick skin that’s always satisfyingly chewy. But don’t overlook the rest of the menu. Load up your table with refreshing cucumber salad and sweet-and-spicy dry-fried chicken wings." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez, patrick wong
"It’s easy to polish off multiple orders of this Hayes Valley restaurant’s scallion pancakes, which have yet to let us down. The glistening pancake wedges have golden-brown sear marks, little hunks of slippery green onions in each layer, and considerable squish. Round out the order with steamers of xiao long bao and their breath-ruining garlicky cucumber salad." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
"Your Order: Fresh Cucumber With Garlic Sauce Do you like your green things soaking in a bath of vinegar and garlic? The cucumber salad from Dumpling Home in Hayes Valley is the move. The crunch factor in this bowl is turned all the way up, so ordering it is the non-negotiable part of a night here. And since it's so refreshing, you’ll probably end up fighting with whoever you’re with over the last bite (another essential part of the experience). Better to just order two for the table. " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez
"Two words describe the chicken wings at this Chinese restaurant in Hayes Valley: perfectly balanced. The sticky goodness is a tad spicy but not in a "help, send milk now" sort of way. And the sauce is an ideal combination of salty and sweet. But the crackly skin on each wing is what keeps us ordering them every time we come here. " - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
