{"id":519363,"date":"2026-11-05T11:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T11:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/519363\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T11:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T11:14:22","slug":"is-sacramento-reaching-peak-dumpling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/519363\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Sacramento Reaching Peak Dumpling?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

This story is part of our November 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n


\n
\n <\/p>\n

\n Sacramento has long been a dumpling town, but lately there\u2019s been
\n a bumper crop. In the downtown-Midtown grid alone, there are five
\n restaurants with \u201cdumpling\u201d in the name, and several of these \u2014
\n including Hidden Dumpling House, Dumpling House, Journey to the
\n Dumpling and Hao Bao Dumplings \u2014 have multiple locations around
\n the Capital Region. At least half a dozen dumpling spots have
\n opened in the city in the past three years.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n The city also has its share of respectable dim sum spots (two,
\n Yue Huang and Ming Dynasty, have been listed in the Michelin
\n Guide to California), but these restaurants serve a different
\n style of Chinese dumplings, in larger portions designed for
\n sharing. While dim sum is a Cantonese specialty, Sacramento\u2019s
\n dumpling spots span a range of Chinese regional cuisines.
\n Shanghainese xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and sheng jian bao
\n (pan-fried soup buns) are especially popular; so are the homier
\n Northern guo tie (potstickers) and shui jiao (boiled
\n dumplings).\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n What\u2019s behind the rise of these homegrown chains, and is
\n Sacramento approaching its xiao long bao saturation point? We
\n made a round of the dumpling route, focusing on spots that opened
\n branches in the last three years, to find out.\n<\/p>\n

Journey to the Dumpling<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Journey to the Dumpling\u2019s xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, are
\n steamed for exactly 6 1\/2 minutes. (Photo by Gabriel Teague)\n<\/p>\n

Journey to the Dumpling set the tone for the
\n current generation of buzzy dumpling spots after it opened its
\n first location in Elk Grove in 2016. Its Midtown location opened
\n in November 2023. It sets itself apart with attractive,
\n neon-accented decor and a selection of wine, sake and beer.\n<\/p>\n

\n Server and manager John Sin asserts that the secret to the
\n business\u2019s success is the best-selling xiao long bao, or soup
\n dumplings. High-quality soup dumplings are made with
\n long-simmered, collagen-rich broth that solidifies when cold. The
\n dumpling is stuffed with the solid broth, which liquifies upon
\n steaming.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cJourney are the front runners as far as soup dumplings,\u201d says
\n Sin. \u201cThey are made to order and are the freshest. They have to
\n be steamed for exactly 6 1\/2 minutes. It has to be exact. If you
\n overcook it, the dumpling shrinks, and there will be less broth.
\n Whoever is wrapping it and rolling it out, it\u2019s important to keep
\n the same consistency so it doesn\u2019t tear.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Sin also raves about the house-made chili oil, which is a bit
\n salty and has a tang to it that he says is due to a \u201csecret
\n recipe.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Tasty Dumpling<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Tasty Dumpling owner Mark Zhou holds a plate of shen jiang bao,
\n pan-fried soup buns. (Photo by Gabriel Teague)\n<\/p>\n

Tasty Dumpling owner Mark Chou would
\n agree that soup dumplings must be made with the utmost skill; he
\n insists his employees train for at least three months before they
\n can make them for customers. They train about six weeks for the
\n other dumplings, including the pan-fried juicy pork buns: sturdy,
\n soup-filled dumplings in a yeasted bun with a fried bottom half
\n that give them a toasty flavor.\n<\/p>\n

\n When he taped an episode of \u201cDiners, Drive-Ins and Dives\u201d at
\n Tasty Dumpling, host Guy Fieri proclaimed of these pork buns:
\n \u201cThat\u2019s in the hall of fame for dumplings in my book.\u201d Eater
\n beware: The sturdier bottom on these buns means that the soup
\n inside can be extra-pressurized, and too big of a first bite can
\n cause it to squirt across the table.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n Chou opened the original Tasty Dumpling in Crocker Village in
\n 2021, and a second branch on Fair Oaks Boulevard in January 2025.
\n When asked about the plethora of dumpling restaurants, Chou says,
\n \u201cNinety percent are copycats. \u2026 Some just open a restaurant to
\n make a living. \u2026 My life is devoted to the dumpling because of my
\n passion.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Hidden Dumpling House<\/p>\n

\n Danni Kan opened Hidden Dumpling House in Elk Grove in
\n 2022, followed by a Midtown location in 2023. Her newest branch,
\n in Land Park, opened in May 2026. The small Midtown location does
\n quite well, but she was turning down requests for large party
\n reservations, so she decided to find a larger space in Land Park.
\n That space, formerly occupied by the Hong Kong-style Yummy Cafe,
\n is airy and modern, with globe lights and grey and green tile.
\n Two ceramic corgis stand like sentinels by the front door. There
\n is also a patio space with umbrellas.\n<\/p>\n

\n Kan learned to cook from her grandparents in the Chinese city of
\n Anshan when she was 10 and then spent many years in both the
\n front and back of the house in the restaurant industry. She says
\n that Hidden Dumpling offers a northeastern flair that sets it
\n apart from other Sacramento dumpling restaurants. She points to
\n the crystal shrimp dumplings, not to be confused with
\n similar-looking Cantonese har gow. She explains that har gow has
\n a thinner skin than her crystal shrimp dumplings, which also
\n contain chives. \u201cIn my hometown, we love chives a lot.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n She is also careful to emphasize that her offering of gluten-free
\n dumplings adds to Hidden\u2019s appeal. \u201cRecently, out of 10 tables,
\n three were gluten-free customers. I have three dumplings that are
\n gluten-free and large plates I can make gluten-free.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Responding to the interest of Chinese customers (perhaps missing
\n the longstanding Yummy Cafe), the Land Park location has a
\n \u201csecret menu,\u201d which includes a daily seasonal vegetable and
\n dishes such as garlic pork ribs.\n<\/p>\n

Dumpling House and Dumpling and Tea House<\/p>\n

\n This chain is now five locations strong, although only
\n two are in Sacramento; and, somewhat confusingly, the Sacramento
\n locations are named Dumpling House (Midtown) and Dumpling and Tea
\n House (Land Park, directly across the street from the new Hidden
\n Dumpling location). The other three locations are in Davis, Lodi
\n and Fairfield.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n The original Dumpling House location is much beloved in Davis,
\n and its 2010 opening date makes it the oldest restaurant on this
\n list. It\u2019s a quirky establishment in a red-shingled building
\n downtown, and the owners persevered through a 2018 fire and
\n renovation to reopen in 2022. Having taken over a spot called
\n London Fish N\u2019 Chips, they also serve that dish in addition to
\n Chinese food.\n<\/p>\n

\n Jackie Lao, who manages the Midtown location, says that he thinks
\n dumplings are so popular now because making them is economical
\n for the restaurateur, and because they are a good representation
\n of Chinese culture. He also says Dumpling House is popular
\n because of the value. Its xiao long bao are indeed cheaper than
\n those at any other spot on this list, though they have the
\n characteristic uniformity of industrial versions.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n The steamed and pan-fried dumplings, though, have a thoroughly
\n homemade feeling \u2014 to be expected since employees are often seen
\n folding and stuffing them on tables in the back of the
\n restaurant.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Dumpling Yo!<\/p>\n

\n Meanwhile, Dumpling Yo! in the Pocket neighborhood
\n advertises itself as a \u201csoup dumpling shop.\u201d \u201cI feel like my soup
\n dumpling is one of the best because of the recipe,\u201d says owner
\n James Xie. \u201cI grew up eating this. \u2026 I have the authority to say
\n what\u2019s good and not good.\u201d He goes on to elaborate that, being
\n Shanghainese, he ate soup dumplings for breakfast.\n<\/p>\n

\n He also gives a surprising endorsement of a competitor: \u201cFor my
\n taste, I really think Tasty Dumpling has the best soup dumpling.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n He touts that everything is handmade and fresh, and although
\n there\u2019s a closed kitchen, there is a Plexiglas dumpling window at
\n which a visored worker is forming dozens of pork buns.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n Xie is from the Bay Area, where he was a trader and hit a bad
\n patch. \u201cBasically, I lost all my money, and this is what I have
\n to open a restaurant,\u201d he says.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n The Sacramento Dumpling Yo! was his first shop, but he now has
\n locations in Stockton and Fresno, with a new one opening soon in
\n Clovis. He says that the Sacramento one is his least busy, but he
\n keeps it open to serve the neighborhood patrons \u2014 and the
\n landlord is entreating him to stay.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt was always my dream to open a restaurant for the community,\u201d
\n he says.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u2013\n<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date on business in the Capital Region:
\n Subscribe to the Comstock\u2019s newsletter
\n today.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story is part of our November 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here. …\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":519364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-519363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/519364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}