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Dumpling House | Order Online | 870 Walnut St, Newton, MA …
Dumpling House Newton
Dumpling House Reviews – 870 Walnut St, Newton, MA, 02461
Reviews
First dish: 7 min
Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
Taste & flavor: Lightly seasoned broth, clean and gentle, closer to Taiwanese style rather than the heavier Shanghai profile. Easy to enjoy without overwhelming richness.
Texture: Wrapper was thin and delicate. The filling was slightly firmer than expected, possibly from finely ground pork or a bit of overcooking.
Temperature: Not overly hot, which makes it approachable for everyone. Kids still need to break the skin and let the soup cool.
Portion & presentation: Standard basket, neatly pleated, visually appealing.
Beef with Long Horn Peppers
Taste & flavor: Fresh long horn peppers brought a medium to high heat with a bright vegetal bite. The beef paired well with the spice.
Balance: I wished for a touch more oyster sauce to deepen the savory base and round out the heat.
Texture: Beef was tender enough, peppers remained crisp and lively.
Salt and Pepper Calamari
Taste & flavor: Well seasoned, salty in a satisfying way.
Texture: Crunchy coating with a meaty bite inside.
Portion size: Generous and filling, great for sharing or for big appetites.
Ambience & Atmosphere
Casual Chinatown dining room. Lively but not overwhelming, comfortable for families and groups. Straightforward setup with focus on food rather than decor.
Service & Hospitality
Staff were friendly, attentive, and efficient. Food came out quickly, and the overall pacing felt relaxed despite dinner service.
Value for Money
Strong value. Portions are generous, prices feel fair for the quality and location, especially for shareable dishes like calamari and stir fries.
Standout Factor
A reliable soup dumpling option after the original Dumpling House closure, with a lighter, Taiwanese leaning flavor profile that makes it approachable for families.
Overall
A very good experience and a solid contender in the search for a new favorite soup dumpling spot. While it does not fully replace the original yet, most dishes were satisfying, service was warm, and I will continue exploring their menu.
We ordered vegetable lo mein, chili deep-fried soft tofu, and vegetable & mushroom bao buns. The lo mein was mediocre at best, and the tofu added to it felt oddly fried and thrown on top, completely out of place. The standalone chili tofu was decent, but unfortunately the bao buns were terrible — poor texture and flavor, and honestly hard to eat.
Shortly after the meal, I felt sick and ended up throwing up. I can’t say exactly what caused it, but the oil smelled strange and the overall food quality felt low and off-putting.
Service-wise, we also had an uncomfortable experience. We signed the receipt and wanted to leave extra cash as a tip, but were handed the receipt back and told we were supposed to stick to what was written on the bill. That was very awkward and not something I’ve experienced elsewhere.
We packed up the bao buns so as not to offend anyone, thinking we might salvage them with something else later, but ultimately left them behind because of how disappointed we were with both the food and service.
Overall, the vibe, food quality, and service all felt off. Despite the menu suggesting vegetarian-friendly options, this is not a place I’d recommend for vegetarians. We won’t be returning.
The vegetable lo mein was bland and poorly constructed, with oddly fried tofu added on top as if it didn’t belong in the dish at all. The chili soft tofu was tolerable, but the vegetable and mushroom bao buns were outright bad — heavy, unbalanced, and unpleasant to eat.
Shortly after the meal, my fiancée became sick and vomited. While we can’t say with certainty what caused it, the food — particularly the oil — had an off smell, and the overall quality raised serious concerns.
What truly crossed the line, however, was the service. After signing the receipt, we planned to leave additional cash as a tip. Instead, someone came back to tell us we were expected to stick to what was written. That kind of confrontation is unacceptable. After later seeing a similar review from another family describing the same behavior about a month ago, it’s clear this is a pattern, not a one-off misunderstanding.
We would have left quietly with what we had already written, but this interaction left a very bad impression. Between the questionable food quality and the inappropriate handling of tipping, we have no intention of returning. This is not a place we would recommend, especially for vegetarians.
All we had were dumplings and soup and they were so wholesome and flavorful! Personal favorite is the wonton in sichuan oil and the pork soup dumplings. Hangover cure? Definitely!!!!!
I go here every week, they have the best soup dumplings that melt in your mouth. It’s the right comfort food for New England winter.
Minced chicken corn soup, kung pao chicken, fried rice and the Taiwanese noodles are great too.
Small restaurant with 10 tables, you might have to wait a few minutes to get seated, during peak times. Wait staff is friendly and attentive.
There is a 10% cash discount when you spend more than $50.