I do recommend giving this place a go. Its in the heart of China town and if you blink then you might miss it.
The food was fantastic and the staff were very friendly and hospitable. The only negative I have about this place is that the bathroom needs to be significantly updated and cleaned a bit more. You walk into a lovely restaurant but I cringed a little when I had to use the bathroom.
Other than that, this place is very good and I rate it very highly!
We were walking past looking for somewhere for dinner. We come across this place which looked quite but authentic. We were just looking at the menu when invited in and seated. This dumpling soup for $10.50 really was perfect and filled tge both of us up for a light dinner
Cheap, cheerful and delicious. Hella cheap dumplings. The vegetarian ones are great - 20 pieces for ~$10 - which is pretty, pretty, pretty good. Delicious garlic vegetables. Spring onion pancake was a bit hard. Overall, it’s cheap and the service is super fast, even when it’s busy.
Not sure where everyone else is eating, this place isn’t just our favorite hole in the wall, it’s our favorite Resturant, hands down. Yes it’s dingy. But the food is amazing value for money and service is super fast. The quirky music adds character and the cross section of Melbourne that eats here must be proof of something.
I go here when I'm hungry and the food tastes good, not sure what is with the low ratings...seems like people are a little precious about what they expect when they show up to eat somewhere..they want immediate service when they walk in the door? I never have to wait around for long, depends what time you go. This place always cook up nice dumplings, you can dip them in 2 sauces and are delicious. They have tea on tap for free as well. Always hits the spot, no complaints whatsoever.
Sad to see that this venue has such low ratings cause it's one of my favourite cheap eats spots in the city. Their vegetarian sliced rice cakes and sweet pumpkin cakes are tops 👌. The space is definitely no frills and ambiance is hit or miss, but it's an interesting experience on every visit. Also, if you tell staff it's your birthday they will sing to you.
Staff: 3.5/5
Food: 4/5
Decor: 2/5
Price: 4/5
Will return? Always if in area!
Quick, cheap, tasty food! I always get the Shanghai veg noodles and they are YUMMY! Can’t comment on the dumplings as I hate dumplings but the garlic Chinese broccoli and my partners curry chicken were also extremely delicious! Can’t wait to return.
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This a great place for a large get together or a small group of hungry friends, there is always plenty of food with a large range and that's just for the all you can eat, I have eaten just of the main menu and was just as much satisfied with there pricing and quality, if your wanting high class this is NOT the place for you but if you want your moneys worth when it comes to a $15 menu this is Perfect. Although the staff can be Pushy or seem Ruse they are usually quiet rushed and trying to get customers in and out all the time. Your here for lots of cheap food not the service. they do however have a large range of vegetarian, nut free and gluten free options, depending on the timing they may even be able to make slight changes to some meals but this all depends on what and the timing for example asking for something without the sauce can usually be done but asking for a change in ingredients may be difficult or impossible. a few tips for visiting this venue is 1. its cheap 2. you will get cheap service 3. the quantity is large and 4. you are not paying for service
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The only review you'll need to read honestly.
I've been going here for 7 years, and let me tell you, though the place doesn't look the best, and the service is mostly curt, the food is tasty, and it's amazing if you're on a budget! My best friend and I always order the Shanghai Fried noodles with pork, fried pork dumplings, and the fried rice. The all you can eat menu for $15pp is great, especially if you're with a large group, and you get so much food let me tell you.
If you're looking for a reasonably priced place (with free hot tea also), I would recommend it. To be honest, you do get what you pay for. There is no finesse in plating, mostly just thrown on a plate, but $15 for a plate of noodles and under $10 for 15 dumplings is practically unheard of in Melbourne's CBD. I have had worse dumplings that I've paid double the price for, so I think that says something.
I do try to go in the late afternoon, or at night, on weekends especially, as I've found the food to taste better when it's busy. And when I say busy, I mean busy. The place is not the biggest, around 100 covers on the ground level at one time, but it will be packed, so if you don't like a busy place that's noisey, I wouldn't recommend going at night on the weekend at all (I've been super late and it was still busy!!). THIS IS NOT DATE FRIENDLY. A little messy depending on what you're eating too, so don't mistake it for a nice place to go for a quiet dinner.
Also be weary that they do close for a couple of hours after 3:30pm to get ready for dinner, and if I remember correctly, they open again between 5-6pm.
I mean realistically, do any of the staff speak good english? No. And I've read a lot of reviews about this place with that as one of the main complaints. But is it an issue? Absolutely not. It's a family run business, and I respect that. I've also seen a lot of complaints about food not coming out the way it should be, and honestly it has happened to me before. I had a plate of really oily fried dumplings once, and I let them know and they made another plate, hot and crispy, they way they should be, with no incident or up-roar, you just have to ask.
I've moved about 30 mins out of the CBD now so I can't go all the time unfortunately, but when I do, I'm never disappointed. I've honestly (as embarrassing as it seems) been going in for so many years the owners know me, and it kinda feels like I'm visiting an old friend when I do go back.
EXCELLENT !!
I have always rated their boiled pork dumplings in chilli oil soup as the best in Melb. albeit basic decor and sometimes curt service..
Add to this, last weekend my better half was stuck in the CBD while I was in meetings. After her meal at Shanghai Dumpling House they insisted she stay inside with them until I arrived to collect her (9pm and dark outside). Thank you so much for looking after my wife. A very caring attitude and great food on top of that. To top it off they gave her a set of chopsticks for me to eat my takeaway dumplings - nice touch!
Very impressed!
Good service! Reasonable price! Taro paste pancakes is very good!
Loved the Vegetarian Laksa here. Definitely one of the best I tried in Melbourne yet.
Has the most varied selection of vegetarian dumplings in the area. Democratic, family friendly and affordable. Had a blast dinner there.
Shanghai Dumpling House has an all you can eat offer for $19.90. For the cost of an entrée at some other restaurants, you can have all the fried rice, noodles, spring rolls, Chinese vegetables, buns and of course a variety of dumplings, you like. However, to take advantage of this offer you must be on a table of a minimum of 4 people. It’s great value for money and the food is good. The other bonus is that the corkage for wine is only $3 per bottle.
If you are looking for a quiet, up market, romantic restaurant, this this is not the place to come to. There are no table cloths, the crockery is cheap, wine glasses are plastic and the serviettes are a box of tissues. It can be a bit noisy, however if the group of 10 I was with are not there it should be substantially quieter.
Great place to come for an inexpensive meal. I recommend the custard buns for dessert or you can just try them all.
I feel the low ratings are a bit harsh - sure they have had some issues in the past, but these guys were the dumpling place to be for the longest time. Before it was 'cool' to have cheap dirty dumplings, Shanghai Dumpling House was the place to be. It was the first place I went to in Melbourne to have dumps back in 2004.
I went here last night with a friend, we just got some pan friend dumplings and some mushroom dumplings. They were decent. We got a glass of house white which was.... interesting but for $3.50 I'm not going to complain really - the whole bottle is $15, so that tells you what the wine probably costs retail. If you're here looking for customer service, go to some white person restaurant and pay white person prices. This is Chinatown, you are here for the cheap food, not to be treated like a king.
There are better dumplings out here but I do have sentimental feelings towards this place. It's part of Melbourne's history.
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