Review Tao Dumplings - Camberwell

Really tasty food with the dumplings being the star of the show. Freshly made, cooked to perfection and really good value - what more could you ask for? It’s quickly become a staple restaurant that I’ll definitely keep visiting in the future.

Best dumplings in the town. Best indifferent serving staff in the town too. Specifically the girl who paid no attention whatsoever either for taking our order or to respond to our queries or while serving to us. If this restaurant improves on service then I have no doubt it will have people queuing outside. Maybe that's something that the owners do not want. Who knows! Food: - sizzling chicken was delicious. The sound of the sizzle and the blue flame underneath the serving container adds to the flavour. - pork ribs were simply gorgeous. I can still feel their taste. Not because I haven't brushed or showered in days, but because they were absolutely delicious. Although, the sprinkled salt was a bit overdone. - veg dumplings don't need an expression for their goodness. These guys make them fresh and you taste that freshness. - crispy chicken was good. No complaints. There is plenty of parking in the vicinity.

What a find in the heart of Camberwell. Googled best dumplings in Camberwell and this was the top pick and Google was right. We went on a Saturday night and it was busy infact packed. Menu took a few minutes to arrive but service after that was great. Good was delicious, we had four dishes between 2 and a beer each bill was like $77. Food was very fresh and tasted amazing. Just go there.

Ordered $130 take away for 4 people. No problem with that. Food was not good. Problem with that. Eg, 2 fried rice dishes, one sticky but tasty, the other one had a powdery texture and was full of grit, my guess it was egg shells, but who knows. Tasted off. Lemon sauce was putrid, chicken dry, pork spare ribs were off, beef tasted weird. Garlic prawns and pork dumplings were ok, so I guess they’ve earned their one star. On multiple occasions the food has been entry level at best! But tonight was a whole lot worse than ever. Completely different to their early days. Never again will I spend a cent here. My advice to all, stay away!

We were there on a Sunday lunch. The food was a little blend, as if the ingredients weren't prepared properly before cooking. The service wasn't great either as the waitress just dumped the plate by my side and not in the middle of the table. They were trying to squeeze all 3 dishes on one small table and didn't offer any solutions. Maybe they were happy with giving less service as we are Asian. Not likely to go back.

I love the pan fried dumplings there and the fried rice is always delicious as well. The attention is terrible though, pretty rude in the way to answer. Would be nice if they show up more friendly

Found this delicious dumplings place by accident after watching a movie at Rivoli. Been there twice since. Dumplings are freshly made. Went there on a Tuesday lunchtime and it is busy. No photos as we were hungry and finished them before we thought of taking them. Reasonable prices. Also have other dishes like fried noodles and rices dishes.

Sub-par food with even worst service. We ordered yang zhou fried rice and its one of the worst fried rice We have eaten. Rice was too moist and has big clumps of white rice. Do not order that. Their fried dumpling was not bad. Pork spare ribs with spicy salt was not nice in my opinion. One larger piece of the pork was not cooked Thoroughly.

Wontons is the wonton soup were terrible. Doughy and not properly cooked. The fries rice was bland and boring. Buns were tasty

Never order the takeaway again

Tried our first home delivery from here tonight. Great service, really nice food and arrived hot. Great effort guys!

Dumplings are one of m favourite foods. This place didn't disappoint.<br/><br/>The beef and lamb steamed dumplings were the highlight. Very tasty, exploding in juices. The vegetable dumpling were also very nice.<br/>The pan fried pork dumpling were ok, I'd had better though.<br/>Didn't get to try there other dishes but they looked amazing.

3.5 Good<br/><br/>We came here after our movie session and were promptly shown our seats, on the tables were some prawn crackers! Unfortunately they were pretty bad, a bit hard and at times stale. Ohh dear, is this a sign of things to come?<br/><br/>We start off with some of their pan-fried pork dumplings which were cooked as a crispy array and were bursting with juice, literally. You’d have to be cautious when biting into them as they might squirt onto your dining companions. Really enjoyed them, the usual sauces on the side of soy, vinegar and chilli oil.<br/><br/>To have with rice we got some green beans with minced pork, a textbook stir fried dish with lovely char on the beans and a nice amount of chillies. The stir fried pork with sweet chilli sauce was however light in flavour and the pork wasn’t as soft as I’d like.<br/><br/>We also got a fried flounder salt and pepper style, fortunately they weren’t too shy with the garnishings which really makes it. I found the bottom of the fish to be battered and fried, never seen that before.<br/><br/>Meal overall was decent, some core Chinese dishes were missing and they didn’t have a roast meat section. Some of the dishes aren’t typically what I’d usually order and my friends were either picky or stuck for ideas, hence we ended up with that selection of dishes. They do however need to do a quality check on those prawn crackers!

I ordered this dish because the picture showed that it was packed with mushrooms. When the dish came out I asked what the dish was to the waiter, they pointed to the caption at the bottom of the photo saying very confidently “oh yes, well that is just a picture, they are not the same”. I’m guessing this has happened to quite a number of people...don’t order this dish it isn’t great...

We had a reservation for 5 people and the 5th chair was next to a pillar upstairs giving that person no room whatsoever. Our waiter was rude and unsure to begin with, however warmed up as the night went on. We ordered entrees while stills deciding on our mains and he was not into that at all! The first dish to come was Mongolian beef, the temperature of which felt like a cold meal had been popped in the microwave for 30 seconds. We sent it back and it came back piping hot which was better.<br/>The shredded beef we ordered, in the past has been crispy and nicely coated with sauce, however last night was a massive clump of the meat which was soggy and sitting in a pool of oil.<br/>Disappointing as we booked this for a nice family celebration however it feels as though they're too busy for their own good and just can't keep up.

Great variety of dumplings. Not a vegetarian myself but I especially enjoyed the vegetarian dumplings. One of the best I’ve ever had! Other dishes are decent too.

Beautiful decor. Absolutely brilliant value. Chili dumplings are delicious. Pan fried dumplings are done well. Highly recommend the eggplant hot pot. A very busy joint - even on a Tuesday night.

had dinner on Sunday night at this lovely gem celebrating a family members birthday!<br/><br/>we ordered a few dishes to try and share and everything was delicious. My favourite dish would of had to be the steamed prawn dumplings! i was extra excited because they were gluten free and i haven’t really tried steamed dumplings before.<br/><br/>food came out quickly and service was friendly

The place is pleasant and clean. But I&#039;ve had better Dumplings..... much much better dumplings. A little disappointed as it was recommended by a friend that the Dumpling here is good.

This is a regular go to local place for dumplings. Highly recommend the steamed Chicken and Prawn. The Yang chow Fried rice is also excellent; accompanied with some garlic prawns, Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce and a Tsing Tao or a Starborough Sauvignon Blanc which you can pick up down the road at Divino Cellars.

Unfortunately this was the first time I tried Tao dumplings, and I didn't even get that far! I live locally and ordered take away, the polite lady who took my order quoted everything back to me correctly and advised me it would be ready in 25 minutes....fine! When my partner arrived to pick it up she was told that the order was not in the system and would have to wait another 20 minutes if she wished to re order. I understand this can happen on a busy night. She was also busy and couldn't wait. When I called to let them know what happened I was made to feel like it was my fault, the guy who answered was very rude and only when I threatened to write a review he became friendly! I am not a person who uses social media but in such situations I'm glad it exists. I will not recommend Tao dumplings go anyone and nor will I ever purchase anything from there, unfortunately this will probably not make a difference!

The least favourite Tao ...<br/><br/>Out of the three restaurants, they operate; South Yarra, Northcote and Camberwell/Hawthorn East, this place is my least favourite Tao ... 7/10 in general ... having said that, we've been here a few times, we are inclusive and don't discriminate :-)<br/><br/>But, I feel that the revolving doors of restaurants will stop here ... Tao Dumplings is good, although adjustment is needed ...<br/><br/>Dumplings 8/10, yes, they are good, but not as good as South Yarra and Northcote (in that order)<br/><br/>Other dishes 6/10, this needs upgrading, badly, long beans with minced pork, dried and salty, salt & pepper calamari, bland, seafood noodles too ... <br/><br/>Value for Money 9/10, for what it is, definitely value for money ... undisputed.<br/><br/>We've been here a couple of times, and if I'm in the area and craving for some dumplings, I would not hesitate to stop by. JT-April 2019

Went here for dinner recently and lucky we got there early (5.30) because we were just able to get a spot. However we had to leave in an hour. The seating is quite close to each other, not much room to move around in & if you were quiet you would definitely be able to hear the table next to you conversation. <br/><br/>The service though was impeccable. The gave us enough time to look at the menu & order without making us feel rushed. Plus the food came out pretty fast as well. Considering how busy they were it was great.<br/><br/>We ordered pan fried pork dumplings, steamed Shanghai Shao-long- bao, spring rolls & steamed bbq pork buns.<br/><br/>My favourite was the Shanghai shao long bao. It was just so flavoursome. I don’t know how to describe it but it made us feel warm & cozy inside. Next was the spring rolls. Boy or boy I haven’t had spring rolls like this. It looked like it had mince meat in it with vegetables & the taste blew my mind. You can’t go wrong with steamed bbq pork buns. The buns were really fluffy, had a lot of contents inside & were filled with flavour. Probably up there in my top 5 bbq pork buns. Last but not least was the pan fried pork dumplings. They were nice, had a look of flavour but they didn’t stand out like the other dishes did. It was pretty generic dumplings.<br/><br/>But definitely would love to come back again & this time make a booking! Also the prices were really cheap as well. In the end we spent $44 between 2 people. Pretty cheap I think! Considering the quality of the food & the area.

The spicy vegetarian dumplings are the best 😋 it’s hard to find good vegetarian dumplings so definitely go to this place if you want some! <br/><br/>Wait staff is polite although the restaurant is super busy. <br/><br/>Also tried the vegetarian fried rice, seafood laksa and calamari - all are really good! I keep coming here and never get bored 😊

The pan fried pork dumplings are awesome, as is the hot and sour soup. Friendly service and a clean modern dining space, yet at very reasonable prices. Not your average dumpling restaurant.

Authentic, healthy, clean. These are not three adjectives you were usually use for a cuisine that is nick-named dirty and associated with BYO cheap wine. Tao Dumplings has several locations (South Yarra, Northcote, Camberwell) and the latter has recently become a favourite. The dumplings are handmade – yes you can watch. The food is prepared quickly, and fresh.

Rate this place highly. Chicken and Prawn dumplings are amazing. Have had a variety of Beef and chicken dishes, all are fresh and doesn't taste mass-produced...Wait staff are friendly....can get a tad busy and then they get a bit disorganised, but nothing you can't handle.

<br/>Been here a few times for a casual bite to eat. The food is usually good quality and tasty. This place is usually busy especially during peak hour and turnover is generally fast but we never felt the pressure having to leave straight after we gobbled down the last dumpling.<br/> <br/>Half serves of dumplings are available to order so you can try different kinds.<br/> <br/>All dumpling skins are handmade here and you can see the WIP through the large window into the kitchen.

This place was great! The restaurant wasn’t too cramped or loud like other restaurants. Service was attentive without being over the top. <br/><br/>Food came out quickly (except for one main, which came out quite a long time after the others 🙁), was hot upon arrival and everything was delicious! Lemon chicken wasn’t too oily, pan fried dumplings were flavourful and crispy on the bottom. Best of all the prices are super reasonable here!<br/><br/>This is a good place to share different plates across the table (but they don’t split bills eek.. however they do offer a discount if you pay cash, at least they did when we were there tonight!)

Solid consistent efficient delicious and cheap are what comes to mind about this place, if you have a group that is even better as a lot of their dishes are meant to be shared so you can try lots more different things, cant wait to go back soon!

Came here for dinner with friends and were seated upstairs promptly even though it was very busy. They have a large variety of items on the menu. We ordered the steamed veggie dumplings with szechuan chilli oil sauce. They were super tasty and one of the best veggie dumplings we've ever had! For the price and the quality, Tao's is a great choice.

We came here during the week for lunch and the service was pretty good and the food came out efficiently. We ordered wonton soup, Peking duck pancakes, spring rolls and xiao long bao. Everything we ordered tasted great and all for under $50.

Absolutely amazing place. Some great prices and good food! Good to go in a group as it’s so cheap for everything together. Lovely staff as well!

These are the best dumplings in Hawthorn/surrounding suburbs. The fried pork dumplings were perfectly crunchy, with delicious filling and not oily (a common problem with fried dumplings). Sides were also great quality, with the broccoli and beef fried noodles plentiful, tasty and well priced. Tao is a little let down by its service. Staff can be a aloof and almost impossible to get their attention at times. But it's not a deal breaker. Tao is a great local to have when you're craving dumplings!

I give this a 10/10 for food quality - it was amazing. Service however was a bit off: they brought 2 of our entrees and 1 main at the same time but forgot the other entree completely and got a bit confused when we tried to explain that we wanted the entrees first. Language seemed to be a slight problem - English obviously not 100% so communication was not the best. We eventually got our spring rolls after everything else was served, but only 4 not the 8 we had originally ordered. Service was also a bit slow and they were absolutely flat out busy/full, so perhaps more staff would be useful. Plus it is a very noisy place as so busy. Having said that the food was superb, really delicious and a good menu with lots of choices.

The place has a sophisticated feel and great ambience but the food was pretty average in my opinion.<br/><br/>We ordered xiao long bao, dumplings in chilli oil, hot and sour soup, chicken and corn soup, pork mince and bean stirfry, cold noodles in bean paste, scallion pancakes and Peking duck pancakes.<br/><br/>I didn't like: The dumplings tasted stale and tough in sweetish chilli oil. I ate only two. Hot and sour soup lacked both elements. Scallion pancakes not great.<br/><br/>I enjoyed: The xiao long bao were very nice, plump and juicy. The pork mince and bean stirfry had a great flavour.<br/><br/>Expensive for the quality of food, even for the area. Unlikely to try again.

What better food to eat after Watching crazy rich Asians. Can’t compete with the abundance of riches in the movie so we ordered crazy amount of dumplings 🥟 instead. We knew we were at a good spot when there’s still a queue at 8pm. We watched some dumpling making while waiting which definitely made the waiting easier. Highlights: the calamari - perfectly cooked. Pan fried dumplings - fab! Lowlights: the place was a little understaffed for the total number of customers.

This is our new destination for dumpling! We ordered the steamed Shao Long Bao, pan fried BBQ pork buns and steamed wonton in chilli sauce. Shao Long Bao and BBQ pork buns made us totally satisfied. The wonton in chilli sauce were not really soft inside, i think because they weren't hot enough, but the taste was just amazingly perfect! Definitely come back.

Been here many times , the food is delicious! All of it.. the soup dumplings, beans, prawn with chilli and garlic are my favourites. <br/>It’s so popular now we avoid busy times as service seems overwhelmed and it can get very noisy. <br/>I guess this can happen when the food is so good...

Love their dumplings especially the pan fried ones made fresh and so much fillings in the vegetarian option. Fried noodles were tasty and environment is lovely for price on the menu.

TAO’s dumplings - camberwell <br/>I rarely drive this far to eat good food but this restaurant was amazing we tried pan fried pork dumplings, prawns dumplings x2, xiao long bao x2, steamed pork dumplings, seafood fried noodles. the ambience here is so nice! A clean Chinese restaurant (kind of like fusion vibes) but the food was authentic! They have an upstairs level where we shared a table of 10 between 5 people... lol <br/>The food is sooooo clean like and fresh goddamn those were the JUICIEST pan fried dumplings EVER like just so so crispy aswell. I can’t judge on consistency because I’ve only been here once but my mum says that those dumplings are always the best ones. <br/>The prawn dumplings are also uber fresh, no weird seafood smell and dumpling is springy and yum. <br/>Xiao long bao was good but lacking behind Shanghai street (not enough soup)<br/>Steamed was as juicy as pan fried but something about the pan fried was soooo good <br/>The noodles had a very distinct charcoal taste, but kinda average (but then again the place is called Tao’s dumplings) overall good good experience 8.5/10

Went there for lunch and it was very busy, but didn't have to wait for a table.  The décor is subdued but clearly Asian ambience. There is a mezzanine seating area as well.  There is an extensive menu which covers much more than dumplings.  There is a lunch specials menu which has smaller servings of dishes from the main menu, and provides good value.  Service is prompt and delivery of orders was  pleasingly quick, which accommodates a limited lunch break.  The food was delicious and well cooked.  A large plate of dumplings and a couple of dishes from the lunch specials menu with Chinese tea was under $20 per head.  There is a 5% discount for cash for bills over $40.  Will definitely return and recommend it for a quick tasty modestly priced lunch

We have been here twice so far, really like the new set up, very good service considering how busy it was, excellent dishes that do not cost a fortune, Will do it again for sure.

We came here for the dumpling and, while not amazing, they do the job. I’ve been here twice so far and my favourite has been the chicken and prawn pan fried dumpling. Their spring roll was also nicely done. <br/><br/>Their xiao long bao are fine, but not the best in Melbourne. Their spring onion pancake was ridiculously oily and over fried (we sent the first serve back cos it was too burnt, but the 2nd serve was also overdone) - won’t be ordering that again. Have also had the beef fried noodles from their lunch specials and, while tasty, was way too oily. <br/><br/>Service is a bit hit or miss. It’s good enough for the price that we will be back.

Had dinner here quite late after a movie at the Rivoli. We had made a booking and the staff were ready for us, welcoming us in with prawn crackers already on the table. <br/><br/>The menu is huge, so there is lots and lots of choice. Between 4 of us we got vegetable pan-fried dumplings, fried calamari with chilli salt, pork wonton with chilli sauce, lemon duck and mongolian beef. It was all great, and very reasonably priced! Would absolutely return.

Had a quick dinner with a friend on a Saturday night in camberwell, we had a number of dishes but the chili wontons were the standout. Delicious and juicy too.

Walk in to Tao with a very nice ambience & decor. Ample seating available and plenty of parking spaces nearby. I specially love the classical wooden furniture being used to give this restaurant a really rich & classy feel. Tao have an Open kitchen so you can admire making of hand made dumplings while you wait for your order. <br/><br/>Wide varieties of dumplings choices to choose from & they are really good. Food in general is good, however I went on a busy Thursday lunch with a large group of friends and ordered Chicken Rice and wasn’t too impressed with it. When the food arrived at my table both chicken & rice was cold, telling me that it was prepared a while back and was not delivered to my table on time by staff. <br/><br/>I have been thrice to this place and has found that staff could be a bit rude & cold. Also they are not really attentive to what you need. I would have rated this place with a 5, if staff behavior was a better.

Great food, the comfiest chairs going around, and a great ambience. The service could do with improvement (basic things like checking if all is fine, ensuring that you have condiments at your table, providing water, were neglected). Despite this I would go back as the food (especially the dumplings) was awesome!

Took way too long for takeaway order - called up and was advised it would take 15mins and 30mins later it's still not ready and I'm still waiting :(

Hubby was working nearby so we decided to swing by for a late dinner at 8.30ish on a friday night. When we entered there was only 2 other diners but after we ordered the restaurant was nearly full! Everyone was having a late night too and we all decided to try out this newly opened restaurant! <br/><br/>Menu had many variety of dumplings. Undortunately we were only able to try a few.. <br/><br/>Fried prawn dumpling - never had fried ha gow before and it was interesting. Not as juicy as just the steam dumpling.<br/><br/>Steam wonton w chilli oil - this was delicious. Slightly dry but once you dip it in the flavoursome chilli oil, it waa delicious!<br/><br/>Pan fried dumpling - cant go wrong w pan fried dumpling. Juicy inside and crunchy on the outside.<br/><br/>Shanghai bun - my fav! It was so juicy and the skin literally melts in your mouth. Took a bit longer to come out but least i know it eas freshly steamed!!<br/><br/>Overall good meal. Chair was uncomfortable. New clean fitout. Staff was on and off with their attentiveness.

Delicious, easy and priced well. Great for a casual dinner when you don’t feel like cooking. Will be visiting again. Recommend to everyone plenty of vegetarian options as well.

Really enjoyed Tao Dumplings. Went for a last min dinner with a friend Saturday and they had some seating avail downstairs. Service was very friendly. 6 dollar white wine-thank YOU. ordered the Chilli Oil wontons, Xiaolongbao and Sizzling Mongolian Beef. Everything was great. Only thing was the chilli oil wontons were lukewarm unfortunately but it didnt bother me too much. Xiaolongbao were good-not a massive amount of soup in them though. And the beef had a great flavour. Cost about $50 for two of us. Really good! Will go back and try some other dishes for sure!

A great combination of tasty food at very reasonable prices. The place is nicely decorated and very pleasant to eat in. Very large variety, great for the whole family, and friendly service. The high mark is due to the successful combination of the standard of food with the price and the pleasant atmosphere. We'll definitely be back.

Pleasantly surprised. Nice atmosphere inside, staff very friendly and attentive. Service was quick and didn’t have to wait too long for food considering how busy it was. <br/><br/>Dumplings are very tasty and you want more. <br/>Chicken stir fry with curry sauce had a lot of flavour and all the ingredients were very fresh<br/>Pork belly melted in your mouth. <br/><br/>Great prices for great food<br/>Will definitely go back