Review Hu Tong Dumpling Bar - Prahran

Great ambiance, but food isn’t of that quality. There was no chicken items available when we dined in. Dumplings are good though.

Great tasting food fantastic service. Food came out in timely manner. Two thumbs up

Very good food and service. The atmosphere was nice. Would definitely come back.

Used to be great, now it’s awful. Food not fresh, service so bad it’s borderline hostile. Dumplings are not fresh, per photo there are piles of pre made dumplings piled up waiting to steam.

Good dumplings however the city venue is superior and has significantly faster service.

Food was great. Service a bit slow but it was Valentines Day and they were run off their feet. I had to wait 40 minutes for a drink. Nice touch with the red rose on each table for everyone to take home. Food was fantastic.

I have been a customer at this place for the last ten years. Their customer service has gone down the drain. They are more interested in getting out their uber orders than looking after a seated repeat customer. Unbelievable how you can run a good standing customer base to the ground. Will never come back.

We stumbled upon Hu Tong when trying to find SOMEwhere open in Prahran on a Monday night! It was, in the end, a regular Chinese restaurant, but MORE delicious at every step. I now know that there are degrees of delicious; this restaurant is superlative. eg, there were prawn crackers, like at many Chinese restaurants, but these were somehow superior to regular prawn crackers (who knew such a thing existed as an even more delicious prawn cracker!). eg, there were dim sums, like at many Chinese restaurants, but these were DELICIOUS! We didn't have a huge variety of food as there were only 2 of us so I can't compare much. The staff were prompt, attentive and efficient, the restaurant was pleasantly outfitted, the price was slightly higher than the Chinese restaurants I'm familiar with, but the quality of food was higher than the the price charged for it. Even as the restaurant filled up we did not feel cramped or too close to any other diners which is relevant in 2022-Covid-times. Thanks for a great dinner in a pleasant setting! Highly recommend.

Went there for dinner last night and they were very understaffed. We had to wait despite having a reservation. Once we finally got our table, they took a long time to take our food order. A lot of dishes on the menu were sold out. Our mains took 1 hour to arrive, and the steamed rice came last and was undercooked. The scallops in the claypot dish were still freezing cold and undercooked despite the other veggies being hot. I would not recommend.

We six selected the luncheon banquet A an we didn’t leave hungry. Most elements were delicious, and my suggestion would be a few less dumplings and more varied offerings. The service was excellent.

What a great place located just off the heart of Prahran! The service was quick and the staff were very attentive. <br/><br/>What we ordered: <br/>Pork Dumplings <br/>Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Chicken<br/>Chicken Thick Fried Noodles<br/><br/>The food was such good quality especially for how fast the dishes came out! The Pork Dumplings where chrisp on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. It was to the point we cut the last dumpling in half so we could get more. The noodle dishes were both delicious in their own ways. The Stir Fried Noodles were booming with flavour and had a sticky texture while the Chicken Thick Noodles were filled with veggies and tasted just fabulous. <br/><br/>We recommend!!

This is by far the best and consistent dumplings in Melbourne, I have eaten here and the cbd one at least 100 times in the past two years, this is indicative of the great dumplings here. I don’t even need to look at the menu, Xiao Long Bao and Chilli Wontons (not hot btw) are the standouts and also the bench mark I rate dumpling places with and Hutong delivers every time

Visited here for lunch with some friends and it will be the LAST time I go back. After today I recall why I stopped coming to this establishment. Indifferent staff bordering on rude and a manager who has absolutely NO social skills and treats customers with disdain . And if that was not bad enough the food was only salvageable by copious amounts of chilli. The food was cold and tasteless, some items had been microwaved. Only saw a number of trolleys with much the same on each visit. BY PASS this place it is not worth the less than average experience.....considering it was half empty on a Sunday lunch; it would appear the 'word has got around'. !!! “ yours M Rosenberg

Obviously the Xiao Long Bao and Chilli Wontons are consistently delicious but you can get into a little bit of trouble if you dive too deep into the menu . Stick with the dumplings and a few of the simpler dishes and you should be fine.

We walked in without a booking on a Saturday morning and there was no line at all. I remember going to the Russell St outlet, having to wait for nearly an hour to get a table at 5PM and being a lot more satisfied with the dumplings. I think the Prahran outlet aims for a slightly different market, with fancier decor and better English speaking staff. Sadly, the compromise is in the authenticity of the taste.

Tried many dumplings place in Melbourne, but HuTong still have the best in town, today i tried Yum cha option with some different dumplings you can not find in the menu, standing ovations , was excellent! <br/>

Fast service but a lot lacking<br/><br/>1. Over price food<br/>2. Quality was below par . Supermarket dumpling taste better .<br/>3. Staff lack Traning (tried to help but only got less than half correct) <br/>4. No atmosphere <br/><br/>Tried Yam Cha and was extremely disappointed with the quality of food and expensive.

Had a super quick bite to eat, post markets shopping. Eice noodle rolls where a bit cold and disappointing, enjoyed the garlic chive prawn dumpling but the star of the show was the fried tofu stuffed with prawn on a bed on beancurd skin. The flavours where delicate and delicious the beancurd skins soaking in that flavour. The tofu was very fresh and tasty and may have been house fried? Not too sure but the texture was amazing.

This place has great classic Chinese cuisine with hallmark dishes including dumplings, stir fried beans, tea smoked duck and fried rice. The tofu and century egg was refreshingly tasty. While it may not be as good as Din Tai Fung, it still serves pretty good Chinese tucker. And it all comes with polite service, which these days, is becoming more of a novelty.

Located within the Cullen Arts Hotel, HuTong dumpling bar is a well known institution. <br/><br/>Service was typical Asian. Curt, busy, impersonal. Menus were left on the table and you’re on your own. No explanation nor offer to help. Of course, not unexpected either. <br/><br/>Dumplings were fine. Each morsel of the Shanghainese dumplings filled with a rich, oily pork broth. The skin somewhat thicker than usual but helps keep her everything in. Not cheap fair though. <br/><br/>The hot and sour soup wasn’t anything special. And over spiced on the hot side. Whilst some might like it that way, I don’t. And didn’t finish it. <br/><br/>A quick meal in. And out. <br/><br/>This is an place that tries to be upmarket, charging the prices to match and unfortunately falls short.

Great food, service was lacking. <br/><br/>We booked a private room and despite this we seemed to have been forgotten about most of the time. We had to continually ask for more water and then we asked for our wine to just remain on the table as they weren’t topping up our glasses fast enough.<br/><br/>To top it off, we were told we had to leave as they were closing....at 10:30pm on a Saturday! This seems ridiculously early and after we spent hundreds of dollars for a family reunion it would have been nice to stay until we wanted to.

Don’t order deep fried sweet sour barramundi. Such a disappointing experience. You can hardly see fish as it was covered with very very thick batter. I wouldn’t go back this restaurant again.

This HuTong is not BYO which was a major let down as it’s partner restaurant in the city is. Not as good of an atmosphere as the city HuTong. Always very good food though.

Overpriced Chinese place. Staff were a bit rude and in a rush to usher us through our meal. The dumplings were not better than at any other cheap dumpling restaurant in Melbourne. Just charging twice the price for food that doesn’t taste twice as good but to be served in nice dishes. Also, they are not BYO and their wine list is cheap and generic bad wines. Not worth it.

Before the likes of Din Tai Fung, New Shanghai and Shanghai Red arrived on the scene in Melbourne, Hutong was one of the only places where you could get authentic Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao). Sure, there were other places in Chinatown that served them, but they were either the small versions that were bought frozen (the same ones you can buy in Asian groceries), or they would have pretty thick dumpling skins which wasn't authentic.<br/><br/>Now that several places exist for authentic Shanghai dumplings, though, Hutong seems to have lost its niche. At New Shanghai, for example, you can get 8 dumplings for under $10, while 6 dumplings cost $10.90 at Hutong (that's 50% more expensive if you do the math by the way). For someone who can eat these dumplings on their own as a meal, that's kind of a big deal.<br/><br/>The standard of food here is good - the question is whether you get more bang for your buck elsewhere. And I think you do. The majority of customers at this branch are caucasians; that's a telling sign for a Chinese restaurant, but I'm sure it's also partly to do with the demographic of Prahran. Nevertheless, the staff are able to communicate well in English, so communication is not an issue. When we do return dine here nowadays, it's usually for the Peking duck, which is pretty nice (and just as expensive everywhere). Although the menu says half a duck comes with only 8 pancakes, we always receive 10 with ours. We also like the red bean pancake dessert with ice cream - the pancake is well fried and crispy.<br/><br/>In summary, I gave this place 4 stars because the quality of the food is still pretty good, but really there are other places that are better value for money.

Was craving for Chinese food, specifically Peking duck and went all out on food to celebrate a special event. We ordered various dumplings which were juicy and flavoursome, wagyu san choi bao which was a bit salty and the Peking duck pancakes accompanied with the Peking duck soup. While the pancakes were generous, some of the duck meat was dry, but still satisfied our cravings. The soup was really peppery and missed out on any proper flavour; I liked this the least. Overall, would definitely come back to try other things on their menu.

We were lucky to win the National Dumpling Day prize via instagram. We received a banquet for 2 which consisted of many small dishes and dumplings and a glass of wine. Our favourite was the peking duck which had crispy duck covered in peking duck sauce and wrapped in the thin cake. We found all the dishes satisfying, however the beef was fairly salty and the fried rice was quite bland. <br/><br/>This restaurant has a great atmosphere with a spacious restaurant and a great wine selection.

Quite disappointed with the dinner, especially Peking duck, which wasn’t cooked properly, could still see the bloody liquid under the meat. Will not recommend this place for people looking for authentic Chinese dishes.

Restaurant prices are jacked up for a Prahran/Chapel St pricing area so when you compare it to its Asian restaurant counterparts, the food is expensive for the quality and serving sizes you get. That being said, the staff have always gone out of their way to look after guests and will try and accomodate however possible. The restaurant offers private dining booths with Chinese decor which is perfect for largest groups dining and offers a unique Chinese experience.

Ordered a few of their signature dim sum and Peking Duck for a quick lunch, succulent and well balanced. As the other venue in CBD, HuTong always delivers quality food, this venue also plays relaxing background music. I really enjoyed this quick but quality lunch experience.

So I’ve been here three times, almost a sociological experiment, to give HuTong the benefit of the doubt. The food is amazing, fantastic dumplings and xiao long bao not to mention very good yumcha. But it turns out that if you are Asian you will receive poor service. Went once with my husband who is European, lovely service, sir this, sir that. Went with a girlfriend, all ladies this ladies that. Went by myself, clearly Asian, no greeting, just a pointing at where to sit, wordlessly had my order taken and had the bill slammed on the table. And this was by no means because I caught the staff on a bad day, as I was seated next to a table of two Caucasian men who received the Sir treatment and plenty of smiles. Seeing as you charge more than your Market Lane counterpart, service should be included in the price. Very disappointing, as I rather enjoyed my meal.<br/> <br/><br/>EDIT- Have dropped the rating to one star as I have been here four times now and the last two times the XLB had burst before they even made it to the table. Each time rude service but not for the Caucasian patrons and today when I came here for lunch I stood there waiting while three staff stood there and pretended they didn't see me. The manager came over and stuck his finger in my face and told me to "wait, wait!" even though I was just standing there waiting and being ignored. He came over to herd me into a table by SWATTING ME WITH A MENU, like a goddamn sheep. Extremely unprofessional. Will never return.

I really love the place and Peking duck!! And also like the way to cook fish. Actually I am not a fish person but this one is really tasty. Love the Crispy duck all the time!!

Terrible food quality and taste, ridiculous price. Typical fancy design restaurant attract a lot of customers who know very little about Asian food.

Dumplings are pretty great, would not order other dishes which are pretty standard and expensive for what they are. Xiao long bao is a winner, a good size with a nice amount of soup. Other dumplings also worth a try. Good for a fancy-ish dinner

Enjoyed a meal at Hutong tonight. Wonton in chili oil and salt pepper tofu were the stand out dishes for me. Different from similar dishes at other restaurants and so delicious! Main dishes are quite pricey for a dumplings restaurant but the portion size is quite generous. My suggestion would be to order the chef recommended items with the Hutong stamp on the menu. The two dishes we ordered that didnt come recommended was quite ordinary. <br/>(Note: a number of these pics were taken after we started eating so original portion size was larger than the picture)

Good. Solid. Fair. Great but not fantastic. This is the best way to sum up my meal at Hutong in Prahran tonight. The fish was ok. The san Choi bow was quite delicate and the steam dumplings were delicious. My friends had fried dumplings, chicken and beef. The food all in all was Good.

Went for dinner with a group of friends! Food was good... we had dumplings and few mains! The only thing is that compared to the other one in the cbd there is less choice and is more expensive! Over 30 dollars for main is shocking! Nice place and good service<br/>

Hu Tong’s Prahran restaurant has a cozy atmosphere with traditional Chinese décor and food. Each menu item indicates the region of China from which the dish originates and you are given a choice of banquets, appetisers, mains, and desserts. Most items are relatively pricey compared to other Chinese restaurants in Melbourne (approx. $22 for a vegetarian main or $30 for meat, on average), and there were very few vegetarian dishes on offer. However, you can offset your costs by scoring a free wine or beer if you post a photo of your food to social media!<br/><br/>The service was efficient enough, but below the average standard in my experience. The lower score reflects the wait times (even with a booking) and that some people’s food orders were missed. The food did come out quite quickly though and the staff were polite and patient with our mispronunciations and the occasional spilled sauce. Ethics rates low due to the distinct lack of cruelty-free food options and the use of plastic and disposable hand towelettes; but perhaps this should (unfortunately) be expected for a traditional Chinese dining experience.<br/><br/>See photos and read more on the blog post through the link on our profile.

A group of us came here on a Saturday evening for dinner. We ordered a number of dishes to share. I enjoyed the chilli dumplings and xiao loong baos. The dumplings were well made and the skin was thin and silky. The other dishes were pretty mediocre. We also ordered a whole peking duck but it was a let down. The skin wasn't crispy and the the peking duck was more like roasted duck wrapped in pancakes. The stir fried beef dishes were coated in too much hoi sin sauce which made it too sweet. Service was efficient though.

Really nice atmosphere, it was a cold and windy night but there were no cold draughts. The tables were well spaced from each other. Very attentive wait staff with great customer service skills. We ordered the xiao long bao, they were amazing, the wrappers thick enough that they didn’t break from the weight of the dumpling and the soup, the soup was well balanced with flavour and the pork was fresh and seasoned well with ginger. Served with black vinegar. We had the 1/2 duck with pancakes, the pancakes themselves were obviously handmade, they were so fresh and cooked perfectly, they were slightly browned in places yet still soft. The only complaint I have is that the spring onion that came with the duck was quite dry, but the hoisin sauce was very tasty. We really enjoyed making our own pancakes from a plate of duck, not so keen when places make them for you, building and wrapping your duck pancake is part of the dining experience. Next we had a yangshou fried rice with garlic chicken ribs. Not the best rice I’ve ever had, but no real complaints. The chicken ribs lots of flavour, seasoned really well with shallots and garlic, not too greasy either. <br/>Will definitely be back again, a few tables around us ordered lots of different food that all looked good especially the noodles and the beef on broccoli.

I had been to the one in the CBD (Chinatown) and went here for a work farewell. <br/>Nicely decorated, clean and spacious - good for business lunches or parties. <br/><br/>You can pre-order which helps as the food comes out as soon as you sit down. <br/><br/>good selection of drinks (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). However, in a market that is competitive with the likes of Din Tai Fung and New Shanghai and Dumplings plus, it is hard for Hutong to compete!<br/><br/>I had the veggie spring rolls, spring onion pancake, prawn dumplings, spinach and prawn dumplings, salt and pepper squid, singapore noodles, fried green beans with fried mince pork, stir fry chinese broccoli, and fried rice. <br/><br/>I enjoyed the salt and pepper squid (how can you not as it's fried) and the fried mince pork that came with the green beans. The rest of the food was average.

Went there for office lunch, very nice portion and delicious food. The dumplings are a bit salty but still ok. The services may need some improvement.

HuTong served delicious succulent Peking duck (with crispy skin!) and fresh juicy dim sums. Another favourite was their flavourful salty Shao Long Bao. Service was friendly and prompt. Highly recommended.

You simply can’t go wrong with HuTongs. It’s the same efficient service teamed with the delicious dumplings and wontongs. This place is my go to for a flavoursome, no frills dinner.

I had a mixed experience at Hutong. Having booked for a friend's birthday event through the Good Food Guide website, I was led to believe the restaurant was BYO. Well, it isn't, which was a bit annoying to discover upon arrival (loaded up with already bought bottles of wine!). That was a little disappointing. We then decided to go with the $35 per head unlimited beverage package, which seemed like a great idea... But were then told that we could only do it if all 12 people at the table wanted to partake. Problematic because 3 of us were driving. We then waited for the waiter to return and take our drink order. After about 5 minutes I realised the only service we'd get is that which we asked for, so I had to call him over. The food itself was excellent, some of the tastiest dumplings I've ever had! Unfortunately, that was the only good thing going for this place. Won't be going back.

Went here for the first time. This is the most expensive yum cha we’ve come across. You’re paying for the service. The food is good but doesn’t justify the price for similar tasting restaurants we’ve had in the past. It’s a lovely venue for those wanting to spend extra.

best chinese restaurant in melbourne for sure... this is our favourite... for their xiao long bao....and a la carte menu... we've come here a few times and all the food was well cooked, with plenty of flavour and pretty sure they always use fresh ingredients when they can... a little bit on the pricey side but you get more than what you pay for here at hu tong :)

Love this Chinese Restaurant in Prahran. Super cool with The Peking Duck pancake. The staff are fun and really welcoming.<br/><br/>My family ordered the dumpling which is soup inside, hot chilli wontons, pan fried dumpling and the duck pancake. Every  one of these dishes were really delicious! I still ordered the Hutong cocktails and the espresso martini had a great coffee kick.<br/><br/>I loved everything from the staff with their smiles, delicious food, nice and cool drinks. I can't fault this place and we will definitely be lining up and back again.

Unfortunately this restaurant has gone down hill, the price is not reflective of the size nor quality of the food, extremely unhappy and will probably not come back~

Grossly overpriced for what you get. Food quality was good but having my main course served and eaten before my partner’s entree was served was very amateurish. The wait staff even removed my partner’s plate before she’d finished eating. <br/>Overall feel was they wanted to get us in, take our money, and get us out. Not a pleasant dining experience that the $40 Per main course would normally suggest. And the wine was short poured as well. Won’t be returning.

Great venue & lovely service. Nice & big & u can see the chef make the dumplings from scratch. Not cheap. $50 each inc. a wine each. The dumplings are beautiful though. Thin skinned & plump. The pork soup dumplings were perfect, & it was one of the best BBQ pork buns I've ever had - great filling! The eggplant & the string beans together with the rice was a great combination. Dying to come back & try the Peking duck dumplings.

Great Chinese fare in the area. Good options with the multi course set menu. Even though the first few dishes came out like lightning and dishes couldn’t be cleared fast enough, overall great attentive service. Delicious flavours. Yummy dumplings. Would definitely come back to try other dishes.

The chilli wontons here are incredible! If you are craving dumplings, HuTong is the place to go. The restaurant has a clean, modern atmosphere, which for me just enhances the whole dining experience. Give it a go.

the service is really really really bad !!!!! two of us spend $100 something and get stinky face from staffs !! and really can‘t understand one old man ENG !! can you guys get some one friendly and profession to work there ?? don‘t think will recommend to friends or family

Will not go again!  Was embarrassed to actually have brought guests there to eat!!<br/>Supposed to be 'all you can eat yum cha' for $30pp (excluding tea and special orders) but the senior staffs were constantly checking and counting how much we were having.<br/>We could see the boss/manager telling the girls to not come and serve us afterwards (even after we did not have that much) and one of the girls got told off after she came by (even if we had not taken anything from her trolley).<br/>Also a lot of the yum cha favourites were not available or they said they had ran out and the session was only 1 hour (1:30pm to 2:30pm).<br/>There was also no thank you or talking nor a smile when paying, just threw the bill at us and gave me back my card.<br/>Food was average but the staff and customer service is not worth it - go somewhere else!

This is one of my absolute favourite restaurants in Melbourne. I love the atmosphere at the Prahran branch of Hutong. Though a bit on the pricey side of Chinese food it is well worth it with an explosion of traditional flavours that I could not fault at all.<br/><br/>My must trys are:<br/>Xiao Long Bao<br/>Chilli Dumplings<br/>Shanghai Fried Noodles<br/><br/>ENJOY! You won't be disappointed.

Decided to try this place after we couldnt get a booking at the sister restaurant in the cbd. We were so glad we did，as the food was just as good，except with better decor and more roomy seating (not packed like sardines as per the cbd) and the service was so friendly. Go for the shao long bao and eggplant dishes - delicious.

My partner and I wanted a quick bite and thought dumplings were the way to go. We went when there was a yum cha service so we decided to try some of the dumplings from the trolley. Some dumplings were nicer than others but the reason for my low score is the price. In my opinion not value for money at all. We ended up leaving not satisfied and regretted our decision to eat there - oh I hate when that happens :(

One of my favourite places to eat, so delicious! Chilli dumplings are amazing. A little warning though, do not book a table through zomato. Twice now I have done this and arrived only to find the restaurant know nothing about the booking, have been lucky enough to still get a table both times though :)

Get my surprise birthday lunch for my Mom.. I try the hot Chili dumpling.. love the hot Chili sauce that They used for the dumpling.. also They have salted egg yolk spring roll for the dessert.. unique and Creative.. love it

Hutong never disappoints, staff are knowledgeable friendly and work well together, we are seated quickly and drinks arrive in no time at all, dumplings are hot and tasty - good drink promo - it was a pleasure eating here

Old traditional style. Good food, well presented, good service. Pleasant establishment atmosphere. Plenty to like. Pricy, but OK .... Could push a 4.5 Geoff

Wow, Some of the best dumplings you will ever have! Defiantly is far superior to those dumpling places where after you eat leave that grwasy/oily taste in your mouth. These are a current above the rest.

Really nice service - very polite and hospitable staff <br/>We were a group of 4<br/><br/>Started off with the Wonton with hot chilly sauce  - which was amazing<br/>then Shao-Long Bao - Also Amazing<br/>Pan Friend Pork Dumpings ok as u also get 8 pieces <br/>I enjoyed the Prawn Dumplings... But u only get 4 of them <br/>Salt and Pepper Squid were amazing <br/><br/>We also tried the Peaking Duck Dumplings which were disappointing - didn't enjoy them very much - should have gotten the peaking duck proper pancakes instead <br/><br/>also had shredded beef with BBQ sauce and special fried rice which was nice<br/><br/>All dumpwing are good - next time would try the wonton soup or peaking duck instead of the BBQ Beef and special fried rice - Dumplings are good value for money - but they other main dishes seem to be quite expensive for what you get - i was left feeling not quite full at the end - the bowl of rice you get is very small <br/><br/>Didn't seem that busy on a Thurs night - was only 3-4 other tables<br/>So didn't have great ambience <br/>Perhaps their main dishes are too expensive and portions too small <br/>but they were good quality dumplings<br/> <br/>Cost $210 for 4 people and bottle of white wine

The best yum cha in melbourne hand down. The chicken chili wontons are standouts and something you won't find in China. Service is good, atmosphere is majestic. The real deal. Just bring your wallet.

The dumplings were delicious as you would expect from a dumpling bar, and we were lucky enough to be looked after by the restaurant manager, who was quick on her feet and very attentive. Their spring onion pancake was old school and fluffy, the way they should be, which is rare these days. The venue is cosy and comfortable, however you are paying a slight premium for the service and ambience, so don't expect yum cha prices!

Chinese at its best! Probably one of the higher end Chinese restaurants in Melbourne, HuTong impresses with an elegant interior, friendly service and an open kitchen for everyone who likes to watch the craft of chefs. A favourite in our office, I usually come with colleagues and we indulge on the banquet menu which is simply fantastic. Today had the chicken fried rice and chili dumplings. The sauce of the dumplings is full of flavour and not as spicy as you'd expect. The dumpling dough is just thin enough to soak up the sauce while still being intact and chewy. The fried rice is simple but that's exactly what I was after, not too oily, enough meat, tasty rice. Only the prices are a bit steep for simple Chinese food. Highly recommended! Seb

The dumplings here are amazing! Love them! The other dishes were good as well. The peking duck was satisfying. Kudos to the staff, who were very attentive all throughout dinner. I would highly recommend hutong for a night out.

Absolutely loved it. Food and atmosphere were impeccable. The food was delicious. So much flavour. I would highly recommend visiting. I can't wait to come back. Thank you to Annie and her staff.

Went here for lunch, place was half full - but was ignored for 5 minutes as people just walked past. Against my gut - I flagged someone down & asked for a table for 2.<br/>We were sat down & then the service person rushed off, no offer of water or drinks. I then had to flag down the woman who seemed to be in charge & asked for some tea. She just nodded & as she re-arranged our table (i have no idea why she was doing this) she knockee the soy sauce all over the table & over my friends jacket & bag. No apology!! I understand accidents happen, but atleast apologise.<br/>When the food came around it didn't get any better.<br/>Selected 2 lots of steamed dim sims & sesame seed ball desert of some kind. Food was very average & left a greasy taste in my mouth. And I was hungry a couple of hours later so I'm thinking MSG.<br/>We never got our tea.<br/>Went to pay & 4 very average yum cha dishes came to $45.... And they asked if I wanted to add a tip?!<br/>Would not recommend, I've had better food with much better service.

Had dinner at my favourite restaurant. Hutong Prahan again. They are getting so popular. Full house tonight.<br/>I had chilli wonton matched with a glass of French Guwertrammer. The light aroma of lychee, well balance and structure. Perfect match with spicy food🖒<br/>The juicy Shao long bao are voted the best dumpling in town.<br/>Mum loved the prawn dumpling and their spinach vegetarian dumpling are yummy too. Peking duck DIY are fun. Cucumber salad are fresh and crunch with chilli and garlic. I find out their eggplant with prawn are treasure. Very satisfy. Highly recommended.

I'm a huge fan of dumplings was disappointed coming out of HuTong. The dumplings here are actually the worst and overpriced dumplings I've ever had. The dumpling skins are incredibly thick and hard to chew compared to traditional Chinese dumplings. I expected more from this place and paid over $80 for two at this restaurant. We had 4 sets of dumplings and some noodles. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Overpriced and disappointing. There are better and cheaper dumpling places around Prahran.

Melbourne Explorer was invited along by the team at HuTong Peking Duck and Dumpling Bar in Prahran to try out their all-you-can-eat weekend Yum Cha.<br/><br/>They've got all the Yum Cha favourites, including pork and prawn dumplings, egg custard tarts, BBQ pork puffs and Peking duck dumplings. The trolleys are very frequent, so no worry about going hungry.<br/><br/>The team are very attentive, quick at clearing plates and very friendly and helpful.<br/><br/>The all you can eat Yum Cha is on weekends for $29.90 per person. It includes the Yum Cha trolleys (there are plenty of options), and you can order additional items at additional cost. We recommend the Xiao Long Bao if you want something extra.<br/><br/>Well worth a visit.

Loved this place!! Great decor and service. The spinach dumplings and vegetarian San cho bo were to die for 😍. Will definitely go back. Loved the fact there were vegan options.... yay!!

Tried banquet B for lunch and enjoyed very nice meal. On paper, it looked like this set has way too much food, but apparently the portion was just right for a meal. Well thought set menu.

We used to be regulars at HuTong serving fantastic dumplings and well priced. The only negative being the dining hall has always been way to noisy. <br/>Can't say the same any more! Prices of all dumplings have gone up to $11.90 or more which is a tad too expensive in light of mains being at $30 +. Xio long bao isn't the same either. Thin wrapper is not so delicate anymore and you will eat way more pastry than there should be on a good bao. The place still very fish market loud and this ruins ones dinner. <br/>I will give kudos to the wait staff that have improved their game over the years, being moderately friendly now. <br/>Guys, pick up your game, get a carpet, bring prices down and serve the food we look forward from You.

Xiao long bao skin was too thick but filling tasted good, can do with a bit more soup in the dumpling. Peking duck was a little bland. Crepes were too thick. Duck fried rice was bland, serving was too small. Service was slow and we struggled to get any attention. Ordered 3 desserts but only 2 were served and they still charged us for 3. Fish was left on the counter for a long time before being served to the table. Food was so so, service was poor and food was expensive. Will not go back again and do not recommend.

We booked for a group of 4 on New Years Eve at 11:30am, for the All-You-Can-Eat Yum Cha for $29.90 pp exclusive to the Prahran location. The special only runs between 11:30am to 2:30pm, and is limited to what is served on the trolley. Special order items such as rice paper roll or xiao long bao are not included.

Ordered xiao long bao, pan-fried pork dumplings and roast peking duck. The peking duck is my favorite, the rest tasted so-so. Service is very attentive and the place is cleaner than most of dumpling places here.

Just across the road from the Prahran Market makes HuTong  an easy destination for a quick snack of Shao Long Bao and whatever else may take your fancy! Service is quick and friendly and the food tasty.

Came here with 8 friends to celebrate a birthday last week. Had originally booked the CBD Hutong but changed to this location as it was more convenient for everyone to get to. The food here was ok but not as great in comparison to the CBD Hutong. The only thing I really enjoyed were the green beans and xiao long bao, everything else was just edible. <br/><br/>Was heaps disappointed in the chilli wontons here, as it lacked chilli and garlic. My mojito didn't taste great either, it was way too strong and lacked the lime and mint flavour. <br/><br/>Service was decent and friendly however I'm left still craving a proper fix of the chilli wontons.

Went there for Shao long bao, it is alright but not the best I've tried so far. Environment is too noisy, not a good place to enjoy your dinner. The food there are pricey doesn't not worth the price.

Poor food over priced don't recommend to try . Lots more in area that are much nicer to try . Average main price is 37 dollars for a small serve that's very bland

Had a late lunch with half hour to go before kitchen close! But thankful we made it! Highlight was the chilli dumplings they were delicious! Make your own pecking duck was quite yum too! Staff were very friendly! Just yum...we will be back!!<br/>

Went in a group of five. They had allocated a table for four to us but fortunately were able to join another table. Food was average considering it is quite expensive. The red bean pancake and banana fritters were too oily and ice cream ordinary. Service friendly but inconsistent and disorganised but they were very busy.

Visited Melbourne, wanted to try Hu Tong due to numerous write ups and Instagram. Big mistake. Service was rude and rushed... the tall thin male manager of sorts had absolutely no people skills, and we asked over and over again whether we wanted the very same dishes from the trolley that we had previously refused numerous times before. We felt that they didn't want us there as they were more intent on rushing us through to clear the table for the next group. We were there less than 45 minutes, and found the food rather ordinary and definitely did not enjoy the experience for the premium cost. Like another reviewer mentioned, we should have go to the simple dumpling place a few doors away. We would have probably saved a bundle and felt less rushed with apparently better food.

This place is Beautiful. Service is very attentive and the food is incredible. <br/>Huge selection on the menu and is cooked to perfection. <br/>The food is on the more expensive side, but it's a classy restaurant and you get what you pay for. <br/><br/>

Went there for Shao long bao but disappointing. Tasted alright but no burst of hot soup as you'd expect. Pastry skin was a tad bit chewy as well. Crispy duck was dry and hard. I liked the sweet sour pork ribs though, they were crisp on the outside and juicy inside, paired with sticky sauce- perfect! More pricey than city branch.

New management. No longer good. This place used to ne the bomb. But now it serves subpar dumplings. Its such a disappointment as an obvious money grab

One line summary - good food, crap service. <br/><br/>With family visiting from interstate, I figured this would be perfect for an upper market local Friday night experience. Arriving just before the second table setting of 8pm, standing at the desk with no acknowledgement from any staff. It's really awkward standing there with staff flying by and no one even makes eye contact or even a hello. More people arrive and nothing. And then finally (after 5 mins) someone comes and starts seating everyone else who came in after me. But not my party. Not a good start. <br/><br/>We are seated and given the menus. Order drinks and our waiter disappears for 10mins. We had to flag down a waiter from the other section to place an order. Unfortunately, the whole night was like this. 5 people would come with dishes and a flurry of activity to drop food off, only to disappear into the woodwork and leave you to frantically wave to try and get someone to serve you more alcohol/water/tea. <br/><br/>We had the chefs banquet and it was actually really great. Great dumplings, balance of flavours and we did walk out stuffed. But we are all disappointed in the lack of the whole experience. If we were paying just for great food, China Family Dumplings down the road would have been fine. But for $100 a head, I expect a bit more attention as a diner.

The best dumpling and Peking duck in this side of town. We have been going here for the last 5 years and have received great consistent food and service over the years.

I'm a HuTong's fan from way back, and was in the area so made a beeline for the Prahran venue for lunch.<br/><br/>Upon entering at 1:59pm, and after a short wait for someone to greet us we were told we could eat as long as we ordered 2:30pm and were out by 3:00pm - fair enough.<br/><br/>We sat down and ordered drinks straight away, and within a few minutes of being presented with the menus I ordered our lunch.<br/><br/>The chili wontons came out first, and I was surprised that they were lukewarm and not very hot. The taste and the amount of chili though was spot on. I love getting the wontons first because I fill my bowl up with the chili oil! <br/><br/>The shao-Lon-bao bad boys were next and were delicious. Hot, juicy, beautiful filling and my favorite course of the day. <br/><br/>The Peking duck was good. Not OMG amazing, and not bad, just good. <br/><br/>It's was 2:20pm, and for some strange reason we had to wait 25 minutes for our last two courses. This seemed quite strange considering how the first thing we were told when we came in was that we had to be done by 3? In 25 minutes not one staff member came over to check on us, while the clearly affluent ladies on the table next to us received the front-of-house staff member's attention every two minutes. Weird.<br/><br/>The last two courses was the pan fried dumplings which were very nice and the Cantonese prawn dumplings, which were ok.<br/><br/>Good food, poor to average service, and therefore average rating.

Supposingly the more upmarket version of its CBD sibling with a more refined environment, and higher prices.<br/><br/>The dumplings are decent, as is the crispy duck. Seems to be easier to grab a reservation here than the CBD outlet, so might be something to consider!

Too easy. Hutong Prahran is not as good as its city cousin but it's still mighty good. So say five of us that had lunch here today. I love most things here and would happily return. Go dumplings, go often.

Very average, and uncomfortable!!  They have these weird little stools you can't get comfortable on.  I realize that this is an "eat & go" place & they want to turn the tables over, but we felt rushed. The food was average, the service even more so. I've had better & we won't be back.

HuTong presents an intriguing case, because the original is exceptional, and because the art of imitation seems more difficult in relation to dumplings than other less exacting dishes. The bonus for the Prahran branch of HuTong is not needing to drive into the city, relatively easy (and free) parking along Commercial Road, and a larger restaurant meaning there’s no need to wait for a table.<br/><br/>Casting my eye around the ground floor Cullen Hotel lodgings of HuTong Prahran it appears this venue is at least twice as large as the one on Market Lane in the City. There is a large range of dishes available, and specific inclusion of “Peking Duck” in the name, but we are here to compare the dumplings.<br/><br/>We order some of the usual suspects such as shao long bao (soup dumplings), pan fried pork dumplings, the prawn/scallop/pork dumplings, and in addition we try the Peking duck dumplings.

Food ok, but ate there with a group, about $130 per couple and all left hungry. Service terrible and with 6 couples wouldn't split the bill at all! They threatened to call the police when offered more than one credit card... Enough said!

The food was really good and so was the service, the lady that served us was so lovely, and all the dumplings we had were so good. I really enjoyed all the food. The only let down would be prices, they are a little steep. But I would definitely come back.

Food ok-ish. Service less than ok. Rushed and not attentive. Maybe it is a language barrier but it is bordering rude. TGF food is the saving grace. Not as good as the outlet downtown but still reasonable.

Saturday afternoons are usually our lazy days when it comes to meals, so on our way out to the footy, we decided to make a quite stop at HuTong Dumpling Bar in South Yarra, which has been on my list for far too long. We did have a late breakfast that morning, so weren’t after anything over the top, which was perfect to get our feet wet with a few dishes.

We had Yum Cha here today. Overall, food was average, staff were good. The shock came when we got the bill. $32 for ONE teapot of tea!!!! Are they serious??? We walked out with a horrible taste in our mouths.

As you open the imposing door to Hutong you immediately notice the asia inspired stone setup and comfortable dining atmosphere. <br/><br/>We ordered some tea and soon after the first yum cha cart arrived. ...then the same cart came around again and again and again. 5 times with the same limited selection. After asking the waiter if there were any other cart selections coming around and recieving a prompt but honest "no" answer, we ordered ala carte. <br/><br/>Admittedly we arrived at 2pm. However.. one cart with limited selections is pretty piss poor. <br/><br/>Overall food quality and taste was very good. The xiao long bao was delicious and piping hot, peaking duck pancakes were crispy, and the limited selection of yum cha was good.

Been there few time ,food was good and service was good too at pass, recommend my friend book a banquet on Saturday night , large group sit on back side ,we Oder dumpling banquet was good but service was worse ! Our waiter one old man with one young man they don't know how to service large group ! Slowly and disorderly and just like beg! I remember last time we went 10 peoples there one waiter with short hair and have confidence service us are so top ,but didn't see this waiter on that day , after that I aware of may try your luck , if you're lucky on that day you may get awesome waiter and service , will try again wish I where lucky next time I'm in !

I used to frequent this place as an easier-to-park alternative to its city sibling. But a string of bad experiences with the service, the manager in particular, resulted in me boycotting this place since 2012.<br/><br/>I decided to give this place another chance last night, with my new partner. We made a special trip out there.<br/><br/>It was Sunday night. Their own window states open til 2230. We arrived at 2114. The manager (a different one to the previous rude one that resulted in our boycott) looked at us and asked "Yes?" with an expression as if querying our intentions upon entering a restaurant. We said table for two, and were promptly told that they are shut at, 2115.<br/><br/>If this is indeed their opening hours, they need to update their own window and website to not mislead customers.<br/><br/>If they were just trying to shut early because business wasn't good, then clearly that's unethical advertising and constitutes a non-customer centric approach - making them deserve the bad business.<br/><br/>Whatever the case, it seems they still need to train their managers better.<br/><br/>My boycott is now permanent.

Our regular dumpling spot.  Always excellent in particular the shao-long bao and the chilli wontons.  Even the vegetarian dumplings are good!  Service is quick and attentive.  However, the mains are quite expensive ($30-40).  The consistently excellent quality of the food brings us back though.

Enjoyed the food and place looks fancy although I felt as if I was at a fast food chain, staff constantly roaming around our table and wanting to clear our plates, to the point where I literally picked up my last dumpling and someone was standing there ready to go. Felt obligated to eat quickly and leave. I was in and out of the restaurant in 20 minutes. But if your down for a quick fix, then your in the right place.