Review Mama Chinese Restaurant - Melbourne

ShanDong MaMa makes some of the best dumplings in Melbourne! Nested inside an arcade at the famous Chinatown quarter of Melbourne CBD, the unassuming shop front hides behind one of the best secrets when it comes to Chinese dumplings, simply superb! Try any of the pot stick fried dumpling, special mention to the Spanish mackerel ones.

The show stopper is their mackerel pot stickers. They are so good. Other items I have eaten are OK but not the same standard as the pot stickers. The waitress that seated and served us was great. Such a friendly demeanor.

Came here for the dumplings experience and have to say the boiled dumplings were far better than the pan fried ones. The dumplings skins are thin and silky. The flavour combinations of the fillings are quite unique too, like the pork and dill for instance. The chilli oil was quite different but didn't pack a punch. Looking forward to working through the menu.

Food tastes great and comes out quickly. Has a real family run old school vibe. Staff are super friendly and tables fill quickly.

This seem to be a pretty popular joint and other google reviewers have pretty generous portions in their photos. Rocked up today for some braised pork belly and was pretty surprised at how pathetic the portions were. Taste-wise it was pretty good, but it looked as though someone pinched half of the meat before serving. The photo attached is exactly how it was served to me… wouldn’t recommend.

This place has great dumplings, I wish I would say the same for their noodles. The won ton noodle was way too salty to eat.

The vegetarian pan-fried dumplings are simply delicious! They seems more juicy compared to the boiled ones, although they are both very nice. 🥟🥟🥟 I felt that the dumplings are a bit salty after you finished the whole plate. Overall I’m very satisfied with the dumplings! The steamed okra is so fresh and delicious, and highly recommended you give this a try too!

Great food and service was super good too! Busy place! Everything we ordered was great except the chajiang noodles which was super super salty so we didn’t even finish it and got away most of it :( will be back maybe to try more of their street food!

Insta: melbfoodie_mark<br/>YT: MelbFoodieMark<br/>-<br/>Hidden in a small alley plaza in Chinatown known to have the best dumplings in the city. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly meet my expectation - average overall. Prawn, Black Fungus & Chives Fried Dumpling & Mackerel Fish Fried Dumpling.<br/>One that caught my eyes was Mackerel Fish Fried Dumplings - their signature dish. It was fresh & juicy and had this distinctive flavour which I enjoyed. Service and cleanliness can definitely improve. Overall, nothing impressive but worth a visit

Very special squid ink dumping match with garlic sauce, crab roe tofu are great too. Dessert purple potato cake is amazing too, lovely mochi texture.

I could see why my cousin from Sydney would fly down to Melbourne to eat these dumplings. The food is superb but the service is utterly poor. <br/>Food: 4/5⠀<br/>Service: 1.5/5 ⠀<br/>Ambience: 2/5⠀

Hands down our favourite chinese restaurant in Melbourne!! Their zucchizucchi dumplings and eggplant w rice dishes are out of this world. Highly recommend, better food than any fancy restaurant for sure.

The booths could be in better condition with lots of sticky tape. The dumplings are still very good. The Melbourne dumplings are excellent and are my favourite!

Had the boiled spanish mackarel dumpling and pork & chinese cabbage potsticker.<br/>Saw the boiled spanish mackarel on one of those Melbourne must-eats list and had always wanted to try it.The spanish mackarel was said to taste like mousse and therefore make the dumplings feel like “pillows”. To me, it just tasted like bland soft dumplings and feels undercooked (due to the softness of boiled dumpling and the spanish mackarel filling).<br/>The potstickers on the other hand was good. Exactly what I expected from a Chinese dumpling restaurant. <br/><br/>Maybe the spanish mackarel will taste better in potstickers so the crispy skin can make a better contrast with the mousse-like filling?

Delicious dumplings but the rice and noodles were average. Will go back for the dumplings

I saw Shandong Mama in an article for best dumplings in Melbourne. With that, I had to try them. I got the named mackerel dumplings. They come both steamed and fried. I went with the steamed as that seemed to be most commonly recommended. They were lovely. There were just so many... For 1 person, I wish they had a steamed/fried combo. Or a smaller order so I could have tried more. For me, I'm betting that I will like the fried even better as I'm a sucker for a crunch texture. Definitely going back for those before we leave Melbourne!

This is a great place located within the mid-city arcade. They have ample seats and booths for larger groups. I came here with work colleagues and ordered a variety of boiled and pan fried dumplings. If you have a craving for dumplings then this is the place, really good, will definitely come again.

The Spanish mackerel boiled dumplings are absolutely delicious: light, pillowy clouds of seafood. Not your usual dumpling place - lots of regional specialties. Highly recommended.

We ordered three dishes, and the waitress came back 40MINUTES LATER just to let us know that she noted down only two dishes and confirmed what the other dish was!! It was about an hour for the two dishes to be served!! The food was just average at best. Not worth the wait. When paying the bill, the staff did not even say thank you or acknowledge us when we left. Terrible experience. Definitely not recommend. There are a lot of other restaurants out there with better customer service and better taste.

Located in the middle of the arcade, and they serve amazing fish dumplings which is quite different.<br/><br/>Would usually get the pork and mackarel dumplings as you can't really get fish dumplings anywhere else. Really enjoyed it and the fillings were nice.<br/><br/>It is quite a small eatery and it usually quite pack, the service is efficient and the staff is friendly here.

Chinese eatery specialising in Dumplings.<br/><br/>Located inside Midcity Arcade, the place is an okay size, can be a bit crampy though. It was full so we had to wait for a tad bit but service was quite nice and food came out after a reasonable wait, except for the fish ball soup which I thought they had forgotten.<br/><br/>The fish ball soup was just okay. I expected it to be tad bit denser but again that means more flour so yeah idk you decide what's good. It was also bit too peppery, salty and tad bit fishy. It was not bad though, was a nice warm hearty dish.<br/><br/>The prawn and chicken wonton was great, one of the best wontons I've had, however the noodle had a weird texture, sort of dry? The soup was again, too salty :( <br/><br/>The zuchinni dumplings were yummy, both the filling and the skin I loved, again one of the best I've had. The only problem was AGAIN as u might've guessed, too salty. <br/><br/>Lastly, the mapo tofu was probably the only one that isn't too salty, the tofu was silky and sauce was alright but again not the best I've had as it kinda lacked the spice.<br/><br/>( follow for more!✨)<br/><br/>ｘｘ，ｊｏｅｌｌｅ.

Always seems better in theory - I don't go to Shandong mama often... but when I do, I remember why I don't go. The dumplings always seem great in theory, but the actual taste doesn't quite sit right with me. Sometimes I wonder if it's the sauce's fault... everything just seems a tad too salty for my liking. I do enjoy the shape as it's different to the standard dumpling skin and it's not thick like some places where you're mostly chewing on dumpling skin. Overall, an above average experience but not my first port of call for dumplings.

Delicious dumplings. And the first casual/cheap/dirty asian restaurant I've encountered that uses reusable metal straws! Yay!

Loved the Mackeral Fish dumplings. It was juicy. Although the smell was fishy it tasted absolutely delicious. We also tried the dill-licious pork dumpling. It’s an acquired taste, not everyone would likes the tatsye or full. However, me and my boyfriend loved it. <br/>For appetiser we had the chicken giblets, perfect combination of chilli and Sichuan pepper. This has always been my fav place to go for dumpling cravings.

Had the mackerel dumplings, they were massive big fatty dumplings stuffed full of fish and chives. Felt that these ones would be better fried than boiled. Would be great if they offered a smaller portion size for less price as they are a bit on the expensive side for dumplings. Very basic fitout, squeaky door that needs fixing. No frills here.

9pm on a Tuesday, I'm sitting by my self there is only 5 others in this restaurant, and they forgot my order. The same girl who took my order came over to ask me if I ordered and apologises for her collague who must've forgot.... Face-palm

I have been here before as well. But again this time the staff are rushing , got wrong order and then I see they were speaking to each other about me since I asked for steam dumplings then she got pan fried and then made a face when I told her that had asked for steamed dumpling.<br/><br/>Ordered for kung pao chicken with rice- I could count 6 PCs of chicken it was more of onion and capsicum.<br/><br/>It’s expensive than the other places but I don’t care as long as it’s good and value for money, but I couldn’t really understand the staff laughing at a customer. <br/>I won’t come back again <br/>

If you are in a mood for Dumplings, Shandong Mama is the place to go. I generally go to their Centre Place outlet as its closer to my workplace, its cosy and way smaller than the Bourke Street outlet. Absolutely love eating their Barramundi dumplings and Eggplant stir fry with Yu-Shiang sauce. <br/><br/>It gets pretty packed during lunch hour but the wait is not that long. Quick service and generous portions.

Did a returned visit last week to the Bourke St venue for dumplings to takeaway. I noticed the quality is not as good as before. The dumpling wrapping is the same size but OMG the meat filling is 50% less now. Same cost but 50% food is a letdown. They no longer the best in town for dumplings and will look elsewhere.

Staff were friendly. Dumplings did not live up to expectation. Less than fresh taste from pork dumplings, didn’t manage to eat even half of them.<br/><br/>Chicken pot stickers were also a bit... meh.

Mid city arcade - if you were a tourist you probably wouldn&#039;t stumble across it but there are some gems in this arcade.&nbsp;<br/><br/>The place was chockas when we turned up but there was a table of two available and ready for us very quickly. Service was friendly and efficient.&nbsp;<br/><br/>We shared the dill-licious pork dumplings and the mackerel pan fried dumplings. Both were flavourful and well cooked.&nbsp; A bit pricey - but the quality is good and is worth paying a little bit more for quality dumps. I&#039;ll definitely be back.

3.5. Pork fried dumplings with fresh dill, spring onions, ginger, dried shrimp and sesame oil . One of the best places for unique dumplings. Flavourful and full of meat. There is no need for soy sauce or vinegar! <br/><br/>didn't give 5 stars because last time when I took my family there, somehow they only gave a plate of 3 dumplings first, and said the rest is coming. It looked like it's burnt and someone else's left overs. That was disappointing.

Another good dumpling place in the city. Great value. Been coming here for a while now. This time I tried the Claypots! The broth is tasty. Highly recommended to come here if you want to eat something tasty, quick with reasonably priced

Had the vegetarian noodles and dumplings. They were surprisingly really good. Super happy with the meal. Only wish they were licensed, would have loved a beer!

Order the Daryl noodle, order the Daryl noodle, order the Daryl noodle, all of the dumplings are really great but please order the Daryl noodle

What baited me to Shandong Mama was their unique fried dumpling wrapping shape. It isn't tapered in the ends like normal dumplings, rather it comes out oddly rectangular shaped. The filling still holds decently well, but it was a small novelty.<br/><br/>Ordered:<br/>🍜 Prawn, pork, wonton with egg noodles (6 pieces): $12.80<br/>🥟 Pork, prawn, and black fungus pot stickers (10 pieces): $16.80<br/>🥟 Melbourne Pot Sticker (10 pieces): $14.80<br/><br/>Review:<br/>Wonton noodles were plain - nothing amazing but it was a surprise to see actual egg in the egg noodles haha.<br/><br/>What was strange was that none of the food on the menu had extra details of what was in it. Getting the Melbourne Pot sticker was a little russian roulette moment. I still can't tell you what in it - but I can tell you it was a lot more peppery than the Pork, prawn and black fungus pot sticker haha. <br/><br/>Overall, Shandong Mama is a no frills restaurant that serves fast, decent tasting food. For the incredibly affordable price that you pay, you get a good amount of filled up without feeling bloated. Leather couch seats were a little torn,

Humble little place doing great food. This place does lots of dishes you will have seen elsewhere but it packs in the flavour. They also don’t pull any punches on the heat factor either.<br/><br/>Be warned, you may have to queue for a seat, this place is popular but well worth the wait.<br/>

Been here many times over the years & enjoyed the dumplings. Hadn't been for a while, ordered Kung Pao chicken & was served a dry fibrous fish flavored meat. Also I ordered steams buns they had on special. What was meant to be pork mixed with various fillings inside was the same fibrous fish flavored meat. Spoke to staff. Explained the "meat" situation, Staff were nice asked me if I wanted to cancel Kung Pao, I said yes. Then went to pay and was told I couldn't cancel and could only have 20% off. They spoke to chef and chef said it was chicken. I'm not one to be nasty in a restaurant as I've worked in hospitality many years and have a solid understanding of everyone's role. I write this first review of mine because I'm tired of the many bad food experiences I've had with new restaurants in Melbourne and didn't expect this from Shandong Mama at all. Have to let others know to please be wary of the chicken. I really don't know what the meat was.. A new meat experience for me! I'm staying away for a while..

The best pan fried dumplings in Melbourne! I love the pan fried chicken dumplings and I had never really had something like it before. Must try!

We were seeing the Harry Potter and The Cursed Child play at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, and wanted to dine somewhere close by for dinner. Thankfully Chinatown is close to that theatre and I saw it as an opportunity to check out some cheap dumplings. I’ve been to Din Tai Fung and Hu Tong, but had also read that Shandong Mama was great for dumplings so that’s where we headed.

not surprised this place is famous for their dumplings! the squid dumpling is really really delicious and the inside meat is so delicious. they’re all very unique dishes and the dumplings are so big! i really enjoyed them however slightly on the pricier side but still good would defs go again!

They serve their dumplings in a unique skin that is thinner than the usual dumplings in other place. Price is a bit more expensive but the fillings are fresh and packed.

I am not a huge dumpling fan but when a friend brought me here recently I had the most delicious dumplings I have tasted.<br/><br/>I loved the texture of the dumplings we ordered, my favourite were the pan friend pork and prawn dumplings. The black fungus with squid ink and king prawn with chives not far behind.  The fillings of all dumplings were generous and the dumplings tasted as good as they looked. <br/><br/>The restaurant was so busy so the service was lacking a little but it wasn't that terrible for me not to visit again. <br/><br/>A must try if you're in the city.

It's been a while since I visited Shandong Mama and this time I decided not to go for their dumplings which is what this restaurant is famous for! <br/><br/>🔆LOCATION🔆<br/>Tucked away in the Mid City Arcade which is in between Bourke Street and Little Bourke Street. A very quiet arcade but Shandong Mama is alway busy during peak lunch hours.<br/><br/>🔆SERVICE🔆<br/>Friendly wait staff and the service has changed since I visited last year.  Previously when you've ordered you had to go up and pay straight away and you get a table number.<br/>Now, you place order with wait staff, get given a printed order docket which you take up after you've had your meal and pay.  Very good! <br/><br/>🔆MENU/PRICE🔆<br/>I ordered the Pork Ribs in brown sauce with noodles which costed $12.80.<br/><br/>🔆VERDICT🔆<br/>Delicious bowl of pork ribs and noodles.  The serving size is very generous for the price, and decent amount of pork ribs which is tender and the soup broth is very tasty and not too salty. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a nice change from having dumplings. I will definitely be back! =)

Only tried the Mackrel Dumplings panfried but will happily go back next time I visit Melbourne. The specials on the blackboard sounded great.

We thought we would try Shandong Mama after seeing it has been so popular.<br/><br/>We ordered a lot and were so disappointed with the average taste of everything. The server offered us some dumplings that were 'off the menu'. My toddler was fussing and I agreed to order quickly. Service was disinterested at best. <br/>Our 'off menu' dumplings were a terrible mix of mackerel, lamb, beef, pork and vegetable. My children refused to eat them. <br/><br/>We left and bought some  xiao long bao elsewhere.

Great place if you dont want the same old dumplings flavours. We got mackerel potstickers, spinach and minced prawn ,pork prawn and fungus.all were pretty good. The the waitress suggested pork and eggplant bun which was probably one of the best buns i had. Garlic/tofu shoots good but zucchini pancake and seafood noodles were a little bland. overall i think this place is great for dumplings/potstickers/buns

Oh my - a fantastic experience at Shandong Mama. Tucked away in a tiny arcade - this dumpling experience is not to be missed. The mackerel dumplings were to die for and are huge. I recommend the cucumber salad that is the perfect combination

This place is known for their dumplings 🥟. Dumpling lovers surely know this restaurant which is hidden in one of Chinatown alley.<br/><br/>The place is not fancy at all. Like those Chinese restaurants you saw on Netflix that make you wondered why is the restaurant get featured. <br/><br/>However, their foods explain why they are famous without fancy interior, design, plating and top notch service. <br/><br/>They get packed easily during lunch and dinner. I always go for their dumpling for every visit with few more dishes. <br/><br/>Will I be back? Say hi to me next time!

I literally only liked the milk tea. I saw that it was packed full of people (not Chinese) I went in anyways cause surely it was pretty good. I ordered heaps of food cause I got excited. All the dumplings were too salty and the one with the dill was way too salty and had an overpowering dill flavour, really unpleasant. The workers are in their own heads. I was ready to order and they still don’t notice nothing. I tried calling them over many times and still no response from them. Only until I walk up to them they finally noticed I want to order. Apologising doesn’t fix bad service. Lesson learnt, don’t eat at a Chinese restaurant when there are no Chinese people in it. You can probably guess why they don’t eat there.

Great place for dumping lovers! Hand made northern China style dumplings with many different fillings to choose from. Other dishes are ok, not as authentic as their dumplings.

I used to really love Shandong Mama but the last couple of times I've been I've been disappointed. Tonight we ordered the zucchini boiled dumplings (good, but not amazing!) and pan fried chicken & Shephard's purse and pan fried dill & pork. The pan fried dumplings were so salty they were not enjoyable (and a lot greasier than they used to be). I'm still so thirsty writing this and we ate hours ago. My partner and I agree that we will go elsewhere for our dumplings fix from now on. I think Shandong Mama is riding on its reputation from 2+ years ago and is no longer amazing which is a shame.

There’s always some frozen homemade dumplings on hand at home, courtesy of my mum, and they’re hands down my favourite dumplings ever. This makes it especially rare for me to eat dumplings when I’m out. I was more than willing to make an exception for Shandong Mama though, given that the restaurant specialises in mackerel dumplings, a filling that I’m entirely unfamiliar with.

Really loved Shandong mama, their food is consistently although their service can be a bit patchy. <br/><br/>We ordered their fish dumpling which my MIL loved (so does kiddo) and the squid ink dumpling with octopus and fish roe which comes with raw garlic- soooo yummy but soooo not a date or work friendly dish, thank goodness the garlic was on the side and I don’t have a meeting after!<br/><br/>Had deep fried croker fish as well, which has quite a lot of bones. Normally if you deep fried it well enough you could probably eat the bones as well but on this occasion we had to pull out the bones. Yummy nonetheless.<br/><br/>Also had the chicken fried noodles which is delish.

Really nice and yummy dumplings and fried dumplings. My partner is vegetarian and we always come here to have their vegetarian dumplings which is the best in my opinion in Melbourne. Service is prompt and staff are pretty friendly.

Tried this place on Xmas day, my partner and I were hungry and was so glad to find this shop is open . We ordered the lamb dumpling, tofu with century , seafood noodles, Wasabi spinach, a milk tea ( total of $49 for 2). Taste wise: just ordinary, Pretty decent price and good portion portion. <br/><br/><br/>

Real rating 3.4 ⭐️ <br/><br/>We were hungry and stumbled across Shandong Mama in the mid city arcade area. Here’s what we had!<br/><br/>Noodles with braised beef brisket - simple looking but the braised beef with pretty tender and juicy however the soup base was a little bland. I was expecting a beefy flavor but that was not the case.<br/><br/>Noodles with shredded pork, egg and seasonal vegetables in sesame sauce! This was pretty strange when it first came out but don’t be fooled as it was actually quite delicious! The noodles were pretty soft and on point and had absorbed the yummy flavors of the sesame sauce! The sesame sauce was thick and eggy which made it very tasty! It was my fave for the day!<br/><br/>Mackerel fish fried dumplings - we did not know what to expect at first as we rarely see fish in dumplings! The dish was average and we could barely taste any fish which was disappointing.<br/><br/>Overall, we were a little disappointed with the experience but would visit again to try out other dishes.

Famous for their dumplings, Shandong Mama is located in Mid City arcade. The noodle was a bit bland, not the best one. The dumplings were a bit inconsistent in texture. The pork dumplings had a nice crispy exterior, but the mackerel was not too crispy. Definitely prefer the pork dumpling more.

Sorry but the quality of food here has dropped. Ive been here since it first started, the mackeral dumplings, mackeral fishball soup were always a hit.<br/>Today's fishball soup - the soup was diluted and the fishballs were tiny, flat and airy (used to be dense, yet soft and bouncy) Fillings in the mackeral dumplings also a bit lacking.<br/>Prices have gone up, food quality down :(<br/>Service is friendly enough. Although when i asked for the small stool at the corner to place my bags, the request was denied (note there were a few empty tables, so there was space).<br/>Dont think we are visiting again. Very disappointed :(

I know this place is known for the dumplings but oh boy the mackerel fish balls are amazing. I have tried to cook it at home but it can't compare to the ones here. Dumplings are great too. Small and cosy restaurant. I will come back time and time again

This was surprising good. Ordered the fish fried dumplings which is a signature dish. Was really good and not fishy at all. The fish was really fresh. Also had the claypot seafood. This was quite special as each piece of squid was stuffed with fish. Came with a bowl of rice which was perfect. Had the cold taufu which was done well but a little too much of garlic taste. Will go again to try other dishes. Bonus points that all the waitresses could speak english!

One of my all time favourite!<br/><br/>Been multiple times. Every time it hits the mark.<br/><br/>Consistent food quality.<br/><br/>Always busy but staff still look after you.

Went here for catch ups with my old friend Aki, we ummed and ahhed over where to go and I ended up picking this place since it had been on my go to list for Melbourne basically forever. We got their signature mackerel fish dumplings boiled, they were large, super light, fluffy dumplings with a mild ginger, coriander and chive flavour. Aki didn't like their texture too much but I didn't mind them. Very different from how Viets/Thais do fish cakes, even when in soup, these are so much lighter its hard to believe they're fish.Aki got their hot and sour beef soup. Pass, not spicy, or sour enough to be worth calling it that. The second time I've gotten this dish and I just don't like it. Maybe third time at another Chinese place will be the key?This was the new dish on their menu when we went, pan fried pork dumplings that were freaking huge, like the size of a person's palm with lots of really juicy pork pieces. I loved the crispy exterior of the pancake and this was actually my favourite dish.Hmm~ all in all, interesting. I probably wouldn't go back unless I had a bigger group of friends to go with me so we could try different things.

Wait for 30mins something for such a basket of dumplings, the dumplings are normal, but 12 dollars, and the 2 ramekins chilies, none of them is spicy. The restaurant is quite crowded, they charge surcharge when paying the bill less than 20 dollars (I remembered) by card, WHY?

Updated rating: 1 (lunch)<br/>Went in and ordered the boiled prawn, black fungus, chives dumplings again, the steamed pork dumplings, and the fishball soup. The prawn dumplings were still good even though the presentation looked a little off unlike last time I was here. However, steamed pork dumplings were a mess, greasy, fillings felt everywhere. They did say it's a soupy type of dumpling but what's the point when there're holes everywhere. Couldn't enjoy the soup anyway because it was too fatty. The fishball was the worst though. It was so fishy unlike last time I tried it. It didn't taste fresh at all. I felt deceived because it's like being served old stuff. My stomach felt uneasy straight away. Disgusting! <br/>Also one of the waitresses rudely threw serviette on the table when we asked for it. Didn't expect them to be super nice but gosh that's pathetic service. It's a shame because other staff weren't that bad overall. <br/><br/>Previous rating: 3.5 (dinner)<br/>Food: <br/>- Steamed prawn, black fungus, chives dumplings: juicy, light flavour, full of fillings. I enjoyed this the most. <br/>- Dill-icious pork fried dumplings: compared to the steamed ones, these are quite salty. Strong dill and pork flavour, also quite juicy. But the skin wasn't that crispy and as I reached the last few pieces, it get a little oily. <br/>- Noodle with seafood and veg gravy: rather ordinary for my taste, nothing special though it is recommended on the menu. Really soft and mushy noodles and the broth was a little too light.   <br/>- Homemade mackerel fishball soup: I tried the fishball on its own and it was just soft and so-so but then I tried it with the broth it came with and man it was good. The broth is everything guys, make sure you eat them together. <br/><br/>Price: reasonable for the food portion and quality. <br/><br/>Service: staff are not that friendly but quite attentive, prompt service<br/><br/>Ambience: small, casual restaurant, a little cramp and old looking deco

Located mid city inside the building . Customer service not bad , and the dumpling really surprising ^^ is tasty and juicy omg so yummy. Yeah is true , and others food is nice too , price is reasonable , cheers ^^

Have been siting there for 20 mins no one gave us menu. While all the other Caucasian customers have been served well and immediately once they sat down. Have been sitting there for ages and being ignored. Can’t imagine it’s a Chinese cuisine store but treated Chinese customer in this way.

Food was good but not amazing. Poor customer service, the waitress was not only acting rude to us but also other customers. Had to get water myself for the table. There is alot of better places to go, I wouldn't come back here.

The food was quite decent back then. And i find that the customer service went bad in my last visit. My friend and i waited for 20 minutes for the food but the table sit next to us came in later and got their food arrived in 5 minutes. Very disappointing!

Food was subpar, food was overly oily<br/>Service was slow and took 10 minutes just to get us spare bowls. <br/><br/>They said they accepted card and made us wait 10 minutes before we could even pay<br/><br/>Absolutely atrocious. Would not recommend at all.

Dumplings have changed a little with the proportion of ingredients since visiting first a year or so ago but they are still great. Their pan fried dumplings are open ended which somehow leaves them still juicy! Highly recommend pan fried black fungus and prawn, steamed/boiled fish and zucchini dumplings. Can get busy during peak lunch and dinner.

Really good dumplings. The mackeral , Melbourne, and steamed zucchini ones are delicious.I recommend fried over steamed for most of the dumplings though as the steamed don't hold together when you pick them up

One of the better dumpling places in Melbourne. Although I must admit the flavour is not for everyone. You either love it or you hate it... they don’t use traditional dumpling seasoning, it’s almost like a fusion one.

Shandong mama has heaps of different dumpling to choose from. Can be a little overwhelming when this is no picture and the descriptions don't explain the dishes well. They serve both traditional dumplings and unconventional ones. We tried the king prawn dumpling, pan fried pork dumplings and seafood noodle gravy. It was generally pretty good, nothing impressive though.

We came in to try the different varieties of dumplings they offer.. but was told only one type is left- the pork cabbage dumpling. So we ordered that, and what came out was a monstrosity. It looked like leftover ingredients were just piled into leftover dumpling skins. There was meant to be ten pieces but they served five huge ones instead without any sort of warning?! Strangest experience ever. It tasted nothing like pork and cabbage. We left vowing never to return.

Finally found a place that serves good fried dumplings!<br/><br/>We ordered sweet and sour fish filet rice and prawn fried dumplings, both are really nice! Really recommend you to try them! <br/><br/>And I personally love my dumpling with some vinegar and the chili oil provided. You can try them as well. <br/><br/>Only gave 4 stars because the service could have been better.

I recommend the panfried pork dumplings and the boiled fish dumplings. The food here is authentic, very reasonably priced and always delicious.

Merely ok. I came here with my folks for lunch and the food has a very home made quality to it. Nothing was bad, but none of it made me understand why this is one of the most "loved" chinese places around Melbourne.

There was a bit of hype around Shandong Mama recently, saying a lot of well-known chefs come here for their dumpling fix.<br/>So I do have a certain level of expectation now.<br/>A lot of choice of filling for the dumplings and they’re available steamed/boiled or fried.<br/>The dumplings are wrapped in a way such that they’re not entirely closed, so it’s not really juicy when pan fried.<br/>The skin is thin and slightly elastic with decent strength. <br/>Boiled dumplings were pretty standard, nothing to really write about. They’re wrapped the traditional way and tossed into boiling water. <br/>The dumplings are a little on the pricier side, being close to $15 per plate.<br/>The special fried rice was pretty oily. <br/>The kungpo chicken had cubes of dry chicken.<br/>My experience was slightly underwhelming.<br/>Came here twice and probably wouldn’t visit again when there are so many dumpling joints around.

Food : ⭐️⭐️ mackerel fish fried dumpling - No enough tasty / just the flavour of the sauce <br/>Price : ⭐️⭐️ In increase for this dish <br/>Service : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ quite fast / friendly staff <br/>Ambiance : ⭐️ not very attractive

Loved the experience! Dropped in on a whim during a random stroll... Super friendly service and amusing banter. Tried some dumplings and some seasame salad (?) dish. Yum! Ultimately bought and brought some of their awesome chili oil home with us.

Had the best vegan dumplings of my life! Also tried the fungi and mapo tofu which was divine. Food customer service and can't wait to return!

We had previously been to the Shandong Mama restaurant in Richmond and thought we should try out this one in the CBD. This restaurant is much nicer and was very busy. We tried a few different types of dumplings which were all very nice. Happy we gave this place a go :)

An unassuming shopfront nestled in Melbourne's lane ways provides some of our citys best dumplings.<br/><br/>This wonderfully restaurant that feels more like your aunt's warm home in a HuTong than one of Melbourne's most coveted dumpling making gems. The restaurant was cosy and had a great atmosphere of hungry patrons excited to get some dumplings that we have all heard so much about. The staff were very friendly and helpful sneaking us in before a reserved booking if we ate quickly and given how efficient the service was this was an easy feat.<br/>The dumpling flavors were wonderful and unique tasting, providing dumplings as good as you have ever had them. Delicious pouches of mouth watering makeral or chicken and pork dumplings make this a must try in Melbourne.

mackerel fish dumpling | pan fried | eight treasure tea | simple tea break | totally good for my parents who are so "cina", glad that my mom loves it

After getting this place as a tip from friends and went because it had a fairly good rating on zomato as well. We made a reservation for 6 people for Friday night on Thursday. There was a waiting list, but we got a table without any problems. There were a couple of dishes on a board written in Chinese, luckily we had someone with us who speaks Chinese and we ordered one of the hotpots that was on the board. One of the waitresses also didn't really speak English, so it was handy to have a Chinese speaker with us. We were surprised when another waitress came and had a full Ozzie accent.<br/>The food was different than any other Chinese restaurant I've been to, which makes it a nice experience. Flavours weren't brilliant, but nice enough. We had plenty to eat for about A$25 per person. Probably wouldn't go back, but definitely worth to go at least once. Making a reservation is probably a good idea.

Not good:( Today I ordered the prawn black fungi and chives dumplings and was told by the waitress that there is some pork in them just in case I didn’t eat meat. All good but what I ended up with were essentially pork dumplings with a teeny weeny piece of prawn not the full prawn promised and pictured on the menu I was so disappointed and couldn’t be bothered complaining. The dumplings were folded like tacos not crimped together. I will go back but will complain next time if they are not as described and pictured on the menu.

Shandong Mama was such a great find for our late lunchtime feed. Food was so good, dumplings are well made with tasty fillings and prices are great. I prefer the crispy pot stickers but the steamed dumplings were also good. Pork and chive were a winner! As you can see we had to order another plate even though there were only 2 of us. Staff are friendly. I could eat their dumplings all day long.

Went there for dinner with my friends. One thing made me really sad. When they served the small empty bowls for dishes. They give us the old ones which are mostly looks really dirty. but anyone else in the house are having the ceramic nice-looking one. Not because they run out the ceramic ones.

The food is delicious, there’s no doubt but don’t come here if you’re not prepared for the low quality service. It took 30 mins for my friend’s dumplings to come out... I asked multiple times for chilli sauce and ended up getting it myself from the kitchen haha

Ordered a fried fish takeaway, and waited for 25 mins. The waiter didn't let me know that they run out of fish and had to make another batch in the kitchen. very poor takeaway service.

Their signature dumplings is top notch!<br/>Awesome dish, the crunchiness from caramelization from one side and still soft on the other side.<br/>Filling is just right combo.<br/>Prawn, black fungus and chives fried dumpling...heaven!<br/>The mofu tofu dish also good, I prefer spicier!<br/>Service wise: standard... nothing to talk about.

You don’t come here for the atmosphere or service - just for the dumplings. The dill spiked pork boiled dumplings are the best, and a generous serve that’s hard to finish on your own. Be careful to eat the dumplings the right way so as not to spill its precious juices. Lip smacking.

It’s a family owned restaurant where “Mama” is actually representing the mother of the family. Really great place for dumpling!<br/><br/>My faves are the pan-fried prawn black fungus and the fish mackerel pan fried.<br/><br/>Love Love Love!

I love dumplings but not this one. The dumplings here are innovative but they did not have the familiar flavours I was expecting. The fried noodles were also not as flavourful compared to other dumpling places. The best dish of the day was the spinach salad but its not enough for me to give Shandong a higher rating. I guess I go to a dumpling restaurant expecting something cheap and cheerful. Unfortunately this was neither for me.

Had the pan-fried pork dumplings which came with a total of ten pieces; the filling consisted of minced pork with a dash of cooking wine and sesame oil, mixed with coriander, black fungus, cabbage and diced dry shrimp. The shape of the dumplings was quite interesting; the filling was elongated instead of being rolled into a ball shape. Also the dumpling wrappers were intentionally left opened on both ends while frying to allow the juices from the filling to flow out onto the frying pan to infuse the flavour onto the wrapper.<br/> <br/><br/>The meat was quite moist and juicy; wouldn’t say that the black fungus and cabbage were crunchy but it added a contrasting texture to the meat. It wasn’t overly porky and you could taste the herby coriander, though there wasn’t much of the salty dry shrimp flavour. One side of the wrapper was smooth but has a pleasant chew to it without being too soft; the other side which was pan-fried was slightly crisp but didn’t provide a satisfying crunch to the bite. Guess I wanted them crunchier but cooking them any longer may have dried up the filling. Like most dumplings, if not all, some soy and vinegar sauce as well as chilli oil will definitely enhance the flavour of the dumplings.<br/><br/>Overall it was a decent meal; the pan-fried dumplings were tasty but the contrasting texture of the dumpling wrapper did not excite me; one side was still too moist and the other side was not crunchy enough.

I love eating at this dumpling restaurant. It’s definitely not the fanciest decor or the cheapest dumpling but their veggie dumplings are great and unlike a lot of places they offer a couple of veg or seafood only options both steamed or fried! So there is plenty of variety. They also do some really decent main meal and side dishes on the main menu - I like the shredded potato, the eggplant and the classic spinach/greens fried with garlic sauce. The chilli oil, soy and vinegar are abundant and the service is efficient; I have always found the restaurant to be clean and it’s quiet enough that it’s very easy to talk. They have both larger and smaller tables. And now they’re available on uber eats! So happy :D

This place was highly recommended for dumplings. So we ordered the fish dumplings and melbourne boiled dumplings (which had prawn). And they were both very good. Probably the best dumplings we've ever had.

Freshly made dumplings that come right from the stove, I could not be more impressed. The dumplings are their signature dishes and the taste is impeccable - delicious flavours that aren't overpowering. The restaurant vibes are traditional yet simple, like a hidden gem in the city. The only down side is they don't take card, so hard cash is needed when dining out here.

the beef pan fried dumplings were good, crispy and nice flavoured. However the boiled dumplings did not reach my dumpling standard. The filling is okay ,but he skin was too soft and not chewy. Maybe they just accidentally boil it for too long I guess

Not bad for a dumpling place but a bit pricey for the signature mackerel dumplings. I must admit they are tasty though. Everything else is normal and what you would typically get at a low cost dumplings store.

The price is about $15-20 per plate of dumpling, which makes me have a lot more expectations than their $12 peers in Chinatown. The pan fried was so salty that we needed to dunk them in water to reduce the saltiness. The boiled dumpling was bland that it was confusing as to what we were eating in the filling.