Shandong Dumplings in Pasadena

Dumplings were good but the restaurant itself is very shabby and needs a complete update. Not a pleasant dining experience

THERE IS NO OTHER DUMPLING PLACE LIKE THIS.These dumplings are hands down the best on earth. Godly honestly. I have eaten a sickening number of dumplings from this place on countless number of occasions and i cant get enough. They sell dumplings in bulk. Check. They will sell you dumplings frozen. Check. Their sauces are perfect. CHECK. The only down side is there is only one shandong dumpling and it is in pasadena california. What i would give for some shandong in baltimore. Only thing i miss about LA!

1st time trying this place and it was soooo good! Will definitely be going back. Even got some dumplings for the ride home!

Its pleasantly surprising to find this truly authentic Chinese dumpling house right here in the middle of old Pasadena. Its as if they took the recipe and crew from Northern China and brought them here. This is not your westernized Panda Inn or PF Chang, this is REAL Chinese food made fresh to order, amazingly good.

Didn’t plan to come here just decided to try it out as I was passing by. Ordered the veggie dumplings. The filling was fresh and the dough wasn’t chewy. Definitely coming back again to try the other dumplings.

Best dumpling spot in Pasadena! You may find some better options in the San Gabriel Valley area, but these are homemade everyday and in fact you can see someone through the window making fresh dumplings constantly. The beef pancake is also excellent, and Ive tried several kinds of the dumplings and all of them had been balanced, flavorful, and juicy!

The chive and chicken dumplings were outstanding, as were the scallion pancakes. The chicken and noodles was tasty, but surprisingly also served cold, and wasnt spicy. If I had known the noodles would be served cold, I would have ordered something else. Perhaps I should have known.

I absolutely love this place. The fennel and lamb dumplings, or pork and leek dumplings are fantastic. The pan fried buns also have great filling and texture.I know its a small thing, but the vinegar, soy sauce, and chili are also great.I studied abroad in China and this place reminds me of time there.

Zero star for sure. I ordered the dried shrimp eggs and leek dumplings. However, there is hair on my food and the dumpling actually has pork instead of eggs. I placed the meatless order while repeating that I want the ones without meat. I dont eat pork！ This is rediculous.

Better than I expected, given the look of the place. Dumplings had good flavor. A touch too doughy, but still within a good range of density. Excellent spicy beef and noodle soup. Seems pretty authentic in terms of flavor and overall atmosphere. Service was a bit on the rough side, but that is also authentic.

LOOVVVEEE the vegetarian dumplings and rice cakes!! This place is definitely a mom and pops establishment with great food and great service. It does have a slight smell when you walk in, but if you can get over that, the food is great!

I was in Taiwan last November and it was a beautiful experience looking forward to returning again. the soup dumplings were amazing.

After visiting China and coming to Shandong Dumplings, I have decided it is the closest culinary experience I will find in Pasadena to being in China. The decorum, the people, and the flavors allow me to revisit my wonderful experience in China at my leisure. What a great place.

This is our go to restaurant for soup dumplings. Top three favorite dishes are spicy pork soup dumplings, wonton soup (very herby and flavorful), and the garlic cucumbers. My husband also loves the spicy beef soup. This place is a hidden gem. Highly recommend for authentic food that feels like youre in someones living room.

Great spot for dumplings. We had spicy pork soup dumplings along with some steamed and some pan fried. All three were great but the spicy juicy pork with soup was the best!

One of the best Northern Chinese dumpling shops Ive been to. Focus your attention here on the namesake items, specifically the pork & leek and pork & sour cabbage. If youre really in for some of the best Chinese flavor profiles, try the House Special chili beef soup, or their MaPo Tofu, which is absolutely fantastic.Perhaps one of the more authentic shops out here, absolutely worth checking out.

We ordered food for lunch via Postmates for 6 people and they didnt include our beef noodle. Their wonton soup only has wonton skin and no wonton...The best part is: when my friend called the restaurant, the customer service person is very rude and she (who speaks Cantonesesaid its because Postmates menu does not match their restaurant menu... so they cant do anything about it...Oh well. The taste of other food we ordered we not bad, so one star for that!

Small, casual but much character. Food selection is what you hoped for. Very tasty and fulfilling. This is a go-to destination dumplings, at an afforded price, and ample helpings

Really delicious dumplings and noodles at a nice mom and pop restaurant. Always calm and never a line or a wait. Service is super nice and quick!

Good food if you like dumpling and noodle but unfriendly waitress. She always looks mad, and I feel like she is mad at me every time I ask for something as simple as a fork. I go here because my kids like the spicy beef noodle with not so much beef. My kids said they will continue to eat here weekly until the lady smiles at us.

Very strange Chinese restaurant, even in Chinese point of view... Dumplings look like plastic, taste ok, but color look strangeThe worst part is need $25 or more to use card, I was always bring only $20 in cash, I asked, how about add tip to make more then $25, they still want cash... kind of tax thief

These dumplings are hands down 6:30 the best dumplings Ive had anywhere. And thats after trying many many Chinese restaurants around LA. Its well worth the wait (especially the lamb dumplings).

I know this place doesn’t have a good service, but the owner of this restaurant is a really kind and friendly person. She can’t hire more waitresses and waiters because the rent for this place is too expensive and she needs to spend more money on paying the rent and the cook. So please understand her situation. She’s been making dumplings and crepes for 20 years, she’s really passionate about making food. This is a traditional Chinese restaurant that really worth to go.

Wonderful Northern Chinese cuisine! Very special seasonings. Many vegetarian options. My new favorite restaurant. Close to Memorial Park Gold Line station.

Dont be fooled by the negative reviews. The food here, considering the location, is pretty decent. Dumplings are juicy and noodles are Q (if you know what that means!You could find better food if you drive to San Gabriel, but lets be honest thats another 20-40 minute drive round trip and sometimes you just dont want to waste your time on that commute. Best part? They have fresh garlic at the table that perfectly compliments the dumplings.

Service: great! It’s homey and the waiter helped us decide and made excellent recommendations!Food; delicious- not much to say here, it’s really good!I recommend E5 and A1!!

This is the only place in old towns has regit Chinese food.And those authentic traditional exotic restaurants tend to have lower reviews because Americans still prefer “orange chicken “kinda food.I strongly recommend this place. Food is amazing and so traditional. I understand may some of the waiters are not professional but it’s happening in any other exotic restaurant. People there are trying so hard to fit in to this country. Just give them a break and chill out!! I really hope this place can keep going! Really amazing food. Love it!

Amazing dumplings, really great! Actually everything here was really good and we tried pretty much everything, A+ highly recommend!

Ordered mapo tofu and pork and leek dumplings. The food was very good, the dumplings were well made and tasted great. Prices are also very reasonable. Main downside is restaurant atmosphere which is a little dingy and filled with random antique furniture.

Good food in area missing more Chinese food. Amazing beef noodle soup. Soup dumplings are average. Scallion pancake are average. Friend prok buns are awesome.

A cockroach flew down from the ceiling, landed near my wife and proceeded to run toward my wife. And thats not all - the lunch special said in huge print on the wall "including five fried dumplings". The waitress said it was "three . We asked if she might be mistaken - she took five minutes to consult with the chef and came back and said the giant sign on the wall was a mistake but he would make a exception in my case. So we ate the terrible noodles and soggy dumplings waiting for myfive fried dumplings until it became clear the strategy was to make me give up and leave without said dumplings. When the waitress realized we hadnt forgot our fried dumplings she went and argued with the chef and brought back five dumplings that had been fried on one side. I ate them while my wife kept watch for our friend the cockroach. If this is legit Chinese food I am deeply saddened.

It was my first time trying dumplings. I only liked the pork one. The lady here kinda forced my cousin to get a drink😂. We also had to pay $7 for tip, I dont get how we pay TIP but we just gave the place $2 and we dipped out of there. One advise, bring your own hot sauce. 😂

Pros:-legit Chinese food in old town-the dumplings taste delicious- maybe because I went at night when not a lot of people were there but service was fineCons:- I’m allergic to shellfish and saw there’s shellfish on the menu. I let the waitress know about the allergy and usually (because shellfish allergies usually aren’t anaphylactic and take an hour or few to kick in before you get insanely dizzy and throw up a tonthis is enough. I can go to mainly shellfish places and get the one thing that’s not shellfish, let the waiter know, and be fine because allergy protocol means use a different pan for that person’s meal. Well I guess the kitchen didn’t get the memo because I had an allergic reaction very badly :( the dumplings were great the first time but less so when they came back up. Shellfish allergies aren’t as worrying really as some other allergies but it is noteworthy when a restaurant doesn’t handle allergies well.- kind of hard to find.

Our waitress barely spoke English and was not able to describe what we were ordering, leading to soggy tasteless dumplings and an awkward goodbye. I most likely will not return but see for yourself?

Good dumplings, fresh and tasty. Nice selection of noodle and a variety of other good food. Only negative is service is really slow asked indifferent.

I was born in Shandong Province. This is the best and authentic Shandong dumpling I have ever eaten in USA for the over 10 years.Great portion and prices.My wife also praised it as the best dumpling.A hidden gem and must go.

Extravagant dumpling poppin experience!! Spicy juicy pork dumpling is da explosive bomb of deliciousness. And dont make the mistake of only ordering only one.....if you do, youll hate yourself.

Dumplings were super tasty, the traditional sweet sour soup was great and the noodles with bean paste were amazing! Plus, the chef was making the dumplings in front of the restaurant, for everyone to watch.

House special beef noodle soup is the bomb. Enough to share with someone. Dumplings are also good. I like the celery pork dumplings.

Started off reasonably priced and the dumplings are authentic. I felt at ease in the space thought the decor is a bit odd. Service is a mixed bag, but the dumplings are great! One day they just decided not to bring me the food I ordered. My company was done eating and I sat there with a blank stare on my face. Never going back. sorry.

if youre looking for dumplings around Pasadena, this is a great option ! lots of variety, and a good-sized menu. service is attentive and quick. great experience !

This is a truly GREAT place. My dumplings were exceptional. All restaurants can learn a lesson to put their efforts/love into the food. It seems like much is put into profits, ambience, presentation & performance nowadays.

Best lunch value in old pas...thus far. In the couple of months Ive been working here， this is the best bang for your buck place for lunch. For less than 10 bucks (before taxyou get a choice of noodles (of 4or fried rice， hot and sour soup， cold appetizers，and 5 pieces of pot stickers. As for the food itself， the noodles， soup and appetizers were all great! The pot stickers were mediocre which is surprising since this place is supposed to be a “dumpling house”. Perhaps their steamed/boiled ones are better. It seems they just fried the boiled ones to make pot stickers but that is， if you know your dumplings， a no no since their skins need to be of different thicknesses and filling of different flavors (boiled needs more flavor to accommodate the flavor loss due to boiling and skin thicker so filling wont fall out as easily from cooking， pot stickers need thinner skins so that theyre more crispy and less flavor intensity since its not getting boiled out). Server was nice but i could see service being slow if it was more crowded (usually quiet when ive been). Overall 4.5 stars but rounding to 5 for the sheer value. Place is also clean looking( for a Chinese restaurant).Edit: Went back again and was pleasantly surprised that the pot stickers are now thin skinned and crispier (as they should be). Full 5 stars

PARKING: Lots of 90-minute free structures in old town. Theres one on the other side of Raymond thats convenient walking distance to ShanDong.FOOD:-Pan fried pork dumplings: Love the texture of the wrapping on these dumplings. You can watch them make noodles and dumplings fresh in the corner of the restaurant. Filling is juicy and light.-Hot and sour soup: Big portion - would be best to order in a group of 4+. I always crave some sort of soup whenever we have this type of chinese food.-Side appetizers: Definitely order their cold dishes! Seaweed, dried tofu, cabbage- get in my belly!SERVICE: Prompt service. There was a slight miscommunication with my ordering, so maybe try to order with the numbers.Prices are slightly high, but theyre also centrally located in an expensive area. Great proximity to the bar scene!

I had high hopes... The staff were very nice and the restaurant quite clean.The pan-fried pork dumplings had a good flavor, but they left too much air inside, so the dumplings really poofed up around the filling. The inner morsel was sort of rattling around inside of the shell. Maybe thats what they were going for, but it made the dumplings impractical to eat in two bites, and too large to eat in one. The beef roll was lacking in both flavor and texture. More sauce and fewer undigestable bits would be my advice. It was pretty much just a whole lot of tough and chewy.The other irritation was that the hot chili oil was almost entirely lacking in flavor. It appeared to have been overcooked, so that the heat, and the flavor, were gone forever.Overall, good people, but not an oasis of joy outside of the SGV. It could get there, though.

Terrible. Overpriced, dumplings came all fallen apart and open, and we ordered Chive and pork dumplings and they brought us mixed dumplings. One of the employees is this little boy and he accidentally touched our dumplings with his finger when he brought the food. $3 for soda!!!!!!

Dont know what to say about the negative reviews I see here. I stopped by on a whim and the food was fantastic. Dumplings burst with flavor in your mouth. Amazing

Egg fried rice delicious! Vegetarian dumplings are good with soy sauce. Service overall pretty good. Only CC if its over 25 dollars or else CASH only.

The dumplings while well made were rather bland. Their fried dumplings were superior, and the juicy spicy pork was acceptable. Lamb and fennel was overpoweringly fennel-filled to the point of a tingling mouth. Terrible service, though thats common in small Asian restaurants. Overall just a ok experience.

ShanDong Dumplings offers authentic Chinese dumpling and noodle eats in the outskirts of Old Town Pasadena. Just a couple blocks north of Colorado, this location is much more convenient for Pasadena residents than having them drive out to San Gabriel Valley. Aside from flavors, their casual prices just as similar, which is surprising for a business established in Old Town. I had their Pork and Celery Boiled Dumplings and their House Special Spicy Sirloin Noodle Soup and found them both to be accurately delicious. As full disclosure, my visit was during their soft opening period, so there were limited menu choices, even though it didnt compromise my dining experience. Service was average, but had no complaints. Decor is a bit cheesy but at least comfortable, so it didnt feel like a hole in the wall.