Bushi Bushi in Dallas Is a Prime Dumpling Destination

While there’s a full dim sum menu at Bushi Bushi, the dumplings steal the show.

Courtney E. Smith

Two words: soup dumplings. If you love them, then get in your car, point it towards Bushi Bushi Dim Sum Place in North Dallas (so close to Addison that it hurts a little), and order a steamer full of them. The Duroc pork soup dumplings come in a set of five ($10.99), just enough so that if you go with two people, you’ll have to argue over who gets the last one, or if you go with three or more, you’ll need two orders. 

The broth inside is light and a little sweet, possibly because the aromatics like ginger and scallions aren’t added during cooking. Instead, your soup dumpling spoon comes with several thin slices of ginger to eat before or after each dumpling. The wrapper is delightfully thin, easy to rip into with your teeth and prone to splurting out—which is the mark of a good soup dumpling, and a poor soup dumpling eater. We tried adding soy sauce and chile oil from the table to each, only to find that these dumplings are best with no additional sauces. The kitchen got it right the first time. 

You might want to skip the rolls and focus on dumplings here.

Dim sum is in the restaurant’s name, so take the hint and accept that dim sum is what it does best by ordering heavily from that section of the menu. The shuimai (steamed dumplings) with pork and shrimp comes in a four-piece order ($7.50) that is a little glimpse into nirvana. There’s so much meat stuffed densely inside that it feels like a steal for the price, and these dip great into soy sauce for a little umami to cut the sweetness of the shrimp and pork. The doughy exterior clings tightly to the meat, puckering in places from the steam, but it remains thin and in no way overpowers the bite.

There is a reason the dumplings here are so wonderful, and that reason is Patrick Ru, a master dumpling maker and one of the owners. Before Ru came to North Texas, he was in Brooklyn, working at Mr. Bun, which is known for its Shanghai-style soup dumplings. Ru is also a partner and chef at Teddy Wong’s in Fort Worth. He’s known for the delicate wrappers he creates around dumplings, following careful ratios of filling, and for the intricate folds on his dumplings. 

Elsewhere on the menu, there are capable American Chinese dishes, heavy on double-fried dishes like sweet and sour chicken, orange chicken or beef, and the sesame chicken we ordered ($16), which was totally serviceable and perfectly nice, but not nearly as elevating an experience as the dumplings. We also ordered two vegetable spring rolls ($3), and the insides were a touch too mushy, while the outside was perfectly fried and crisp. The sweet-and-sour sauce served with it was a little dense, made with more vinegar than pineapple juice, and bright red from red food dye. 

Keep it cute, keep it juicy, stick to the dumplings for the majority of your meal.

Bushi Bushi Dim Sum 4930 Belt Line Road, Monday – Sunday 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.