This story is part of our November 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.
Sacramento has long been a dumpling town, but lately there’s been
a bumper crop. In the downtown-Midtown grid alone, there are five
restaurants with “dumpling” in the name, and several of these —
including Hidden Dumpling House, Dumpling House, Journey to the
Dumpling and Hao Bao Dumplings — have multiple locations around
the Capital Region. At least half a dozen dumpling spots have
opened in the city in the past three years.
The city also has its share of respectable dim sum spots (two,
Yue Huang and Ming Dynasty, have been listed in the Michelin
Guide to California), but these restaurants serve a different
style of Chinese dumplings, in larger portions designed for
sharing. While dim sum is a Cantonese specialty, Sacramento’s
dumpling spots span a range of Chinese regional cuisines.
Shanghainese xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and sheng jian bao
(pan-fried soup buns) are especially popular; so are the homier
Northern guo tie (potstickers) and shui jiao (boiled
dumplings).
What’s behind the rise of these homegrown chains, and is
Sacramento approaching its xiao long bao saturation point? We
made a round of the dumpling route, focusing on spots that opened
branches in the last three years, to find out.
Journey to the Dumpling
Journey to the Dumpling’s xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, are
steamed for exactly 6 1/2 minutes. (Photo by Gabriel Teague)
Journey to the Dumpling set the tone for the
current generation of buzzy dumpling spots after it opened its
first location in Elk Grove in 2016. Its Midtown location opened
in November 2023. It sets itself apart with attractive,
neon-accented decor and a selection of wine, sake and beer.
Server and manager John Sin asserts that the secret to the
business’s success is the best-selling xiao long bao, or soup
dumplings. High-quality soup dumplings are made with
long-simmered, collagen-rich broth that solidifies when cold. The
dumpling is stuffed with the solid broth, which liquifies upon
steaming.
“Journey are the front runners as far as soup dumplings,” says
Sin. “They are made to order and are the freshest. They have to
be steamed for exactly 6 1/2 minutes. It has to be exact. If you
overcook it, the dumpling shrinks, and there will be less broth.
Whoever is wrapping it and rolling it out, it’s important to keep
the same consistency so it doesn’t tear.”
Sin also raves about the house-made chili oil, which is a bit
salty and has a tang to it that he says is due to a “secret
recipe.”
Tasty Dumpling
Tasty Dumpling owner Mark Zhou holds a plate of shen jiang bao,
pan-fried soup buns. (Photo by Gabriel Teague)
Tasty Dumpling owner Mark Chou would
agree that soup dumplings must be made with the utmost skill; he
insists his employees train for at least three months before they
can make them for customers. They train about six weeks for the
other dumplings, including the pan-fried juicy pork buns: sturdy,
soup-filled dumplings in a yeasted bun with a fried bottom half
that give them a toasty flavor.
When he taped an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” at
Tasty Dumpling, host Guy Fieri proclaimed of these pork buns:
“That’s in the hall of fame for dumplings in my book.” Eater
beware: The sturdier bottom on these buns means that the soup
inside can be extra-pressurized, and too big of a first bite can
cause it to squirt across the table.
Chou opened the original Tasty Dumpling in Crocker Village in
2021, and a second branch on Fair Oaks Boulevard in January 2025.
When asked about the plethora of dumpling restaurants, Chou says,
“Ninety percent are copycats. … Some just open a restaurant to
make a living. … My life is devoted to the dumpling because of my
passion.”
Hidden Dumpling House
Danni Kan opened Hidden Dumpling House in Elk Grove in
2022, followed by a Midtown location in 2023. Her newest branch,
in Land Park, opened in May 2026. The small Midtown location does
quite well, but she was turning down requests for large party
reservations, so she decided to find a larger space in Land Park.
That space, formerly occupied by the Hong Kong-style Yummy Cafe,
is airy and modern, with globe lights and grey and green tile.
Two ceramic corgis stand like sentinels by the front door. There
is also a patio space with umbrellas.
Kan learned to cook from her grandparents in the Chinese city of
Anshan when she was 10 and then spent many years in both the
front and back of the house in the restaurant industry. She says
that Hidden Dumpling offers a northeastern flair that sets it
apart from other Sacramento dumpling restaurants. She points to
the crystal shrimp dumplings, not to be confused with
similar-looking Cantonese har gow. She explains that har gow has
a thinner skin than her crystal shrimp dumplings, which also
contain chives. “In my hometown, we love chives a lot.”
She is also careful to emphasize that her offering of gluten-free
dumplings adds to Hidden’s appeal. “Recently, out of 10 tables,
three were gluten-free customers. I have three dumplings that are
gluten-free and large plates I can make gluten-free.”
Responding to the interest of Chinese customers (perhaps missing
the longstanding Yummy Cafe), the Land Park location has a
“secret menu,” which includes a daily seasonal vegetable and
dishes such as garlic pork ribs.
Dumpling House and Dumpling and Tea House
This chain is now five locations strong, although only
two are in Sacramento; and, somewhat confusingly, the Sacramento
locations are named Dumpling House (Midtown) and Dumpling and Tea
House (Land Park, directly across the street from the new Hidden
Dumpling location). The other three locations are in Davis, Lodi
and Fairfield.
The original Dumpling House location is much beloved in Davis,
and its 2010 opening date makes it the oldest restaurant on this
list. It’s a quirky establishment in a red-shingled building
downtown, and the owners persevered through a 2018 fire and
renovation to reopen in 2022. Having taken over a spot called
London Fish N’ Chips, they also serve that dish in addition to
Chinese food.
Jackie Lao, who manages the Midtown location, says that he thinks
dumplings are so popular now because making them is economical
for the restaurateur, and because they are a good representation
of Chinese culture. He also says Dumpling House is popular
because of the value. Its xiao long bao are indeed cheaper than
those at any other spot on this list, though they have the
characteristic uniformity of industrial versions.
The steamed and pan-fried dumplings, though, have a thoroughly
homemade feeling — to be expected since employees are often seen
folding and stuffing them on tables in the back of the
restaurant.
Dumpling Yo!
Meanwhile, Dumpling Yo! in the Pocket neighborhood
advertises itself as a “soup dumpling shop.” “I feel like my soup
dumpling is one of the best because of the recipe,” says owner
James Xie. “I grew up eating this. … I have the authority to say
what’s good and not good.” He goes on to elaborate that, being
Shanghainese, he ate soup dumplings for breakfast.
He also gives a surprising endorsement of a competitor: “For my
taste, I really think Tasty Dumpling has the best soup dumpling.”
He touts that everything is handmade and fresh, and although
there’s a closed kitchen, there is a Plexiglas dumpling window at
which a visored worker is forming dozens of pork buns.
Xie is from the Bay Area, where he was a trader and hit a bad
patch. “Basically, I lost all my money, and this is what I have
to open a restaurant,” he says.
The Sacramento Dumpling Yo! was his first shop, but he now has
locations in Stockton and Fresno, with a new one opening soon in
Clovis. He says that the Sacramento one is his least busy, but he
keeps it open to serve the neighborhood patrons — and the
landlord is entreating him to stay.
“It was always my dream to open a restaurant for the community,”
he says.
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