This cozy spot in Sunset serves up hearty noodles, dumplings, and rice plates that are both tasty and wallet-friendly—perfect for a quick bite or takeout.
"Dumpling Specialist is among the restaurants on Taraval Avenue serving jiaozi, or Northern-style Chinese dumplings, in an area SFGATE dubbed “Dumpling Row.” Here, you’ll see father-daughter team Paul and Rebecca Yu as they fold and serve seriously budget-conscious dishes along with the star of the show: dumplings. Don’t skip the pan-fried pork bun, the Shanghai dumplings, or the steamed pork and cabbage dumplings — although if you’re determined and hungry enough, the entire dumpling section is worth a try." - Lauren Saria
"Dumpling Specialist in Parkside is a small dumpling shop that serves impressive potstickers, pork buns, wontons in chili oil, and steamed dumplings with pork and cabbage. But it’s one of our favorite xiao long bao spots thanks to the well-seasoned pork filling. There are a few tables inside, but there’s no shame if you want to have private time at home with your dumplings—theirs hold up pretty well." - julia chen 1, lani conway, patrick wong
"Compared to some of the other Chinese restaurants around town, Dumpling Specialist has a relatively concise menu of dishes — all available for takeout — but every item falls squarely in the comfort food category: dumplings (soup-filled or not), pan-fried buns, soupy noodles, and Northern Chinese breakfast specialties like the restaurant’s excellent xian dou jiang (salty soy milk). Call in to order." - Luke Tsai
"Run by Paul Yu, the chef who used to operate Dumpling Kitchen a few blocks down on Taraval, this pint-sized restaurant has a tight menu focused on an array of very classic boiled dumplings and xiao long bao — all tasty, affordable, and conveniently portioned out for one person, which makes it easy to sample a couple of different items. Dumpling Specialist’s most popular dish is the juicy, pan-fried sheng jian bao, which are technically buns rather than dumplings — but a must-order nonetheless." - Dianne de Guzman, Lauren Saria, Luke Tsai
"Dumpling Specialist is one of the only Chinese restaurants in the city that routinely serves Northern Chinese breakfast specialties like sticky rice rolls (fan tuan) and salty soy milk (xian dou jiang), served warm and studded with you tiao (savory fried doughnuts) and salt-pickled vegetables. This cash-only spot is tiny, so show up early or be prepared to wait." - Luke Tsai, Caleb Pershan, Eve Batey
