In a city with abundant food options, picking one spot can get overwhelming fast. Don’t choose only one! Below is your guide to a Downtown Alhambra dumpling tour. It’s recommended that you bring along at least a group of four, to split the orders at each restaurant. From soup-filled xiao long bao to crispy-bottomed sheng jian bao and Cantonese dim sum, there is plenty of variety for a full several-hour food tour outing with friends. Fill up your belly without fueling your car. No driving required!
Stop 1: Bao Master
Order: Kurobuta Pork & Crab Soup Dumplings
Start at Bao Master, where you’ll order the kurobuta pork and crab soup xiao long bao. The restaurant serves six dumplings per order and, true to its name, offers several other delicious dumpling and bun options. While you wait for your fresh dumplings, grab a bowl of the complimentary congee offered to guests. Pro tip: when your xiao long bao arrives, cut a small hole in the top to let the steam escape.
Stop 2: Auntie Qiu Kitchen
Order: Pan-Fried Pork Buns
Head across the street to Auntie Qiu Kitchen, which specializes in Shanghai-style cooking. Their pan-fried pork buns are filled with savory pork and hot soup, though you’ll notice a slightly different taste than your last spot if you’re coming from Bao Master.
Stop 3: Lunasia Dim Sum House
Order: Shrimp Har Gow
Now it’s time to switch things up. Walk down Main St to Lunasia, a Cantonese dim sum restaurant. Try the translucent shrimp har gao, a classic at dim sum restaurants. Although you’ll want to save some food for the next spot, Lunasia’s menu also includes xiao long bao and other specialty dumplings, including spinach shrimp dumplings, if your group wants to keep exploring.
Stop 4: Sichuan Impression
Order: Wontons in Chili Oil
Continue down Main Street to Sichuan Impression for a change of pace. The wontons in chili oil bring Sichuan’s signature heat to the tour, with tender dumpling wrappers coated in a fragrant, spicy chili oil sauce. They offer a different experience from the soup dumplings and pan-fried buns you’ve tried so far, adding a new spicy flavor before the final stop.
Stop 5: Min Min Pie House
Order: Pork and Celery Fried Dumplings
For the final stop, head in a different direction with Northern Chinese-style specialties at Min Min Pie House, just a bit further down Main Street. The pork and celery fried dumplings bring a heartier, savory flavor to the tour, finished with a crisp, golden exterior from the pan.
Bonus Stop: Mama Lu’s Dumpling House
Order: Fish Dumplings
If you’re still hungry, head to Mama Lu’s Dumpling House for a dumpling you won’t find elsewhere on the tour. The restaurant offers fish dumplings alongside its more traditional pork and pork-and-seafood options, giving the group a chance to try a lighter filling before calling it a day. If fish isn’t your preference, Mama Lu’s also offers steamed vegetarian dumplings.
These dumpling spots are all within walking distance, but if you’re willing to explore, Alhambra offers many more dumpling options and cuisines throughout the city. Be adventurous, gather a group, and try somewhere you’ve never been before!
