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Dumplings at Sang by Mabasa
Photograph: Cassandra Hannagan

The best dumplings in Melbourne

Steamed, boiled or fried – when it comes to dumplings, we don't discriminate.

Lauren Dinse
Written by
Emily Morrison
Contributor
Lauren Dinse
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Whoever coined the phrase "the best things come in small packages" had definitely just eaten a plate of dumplings. No other food compares when it comes to versatility – fried, steamed or boiled, they're all magic in your mouth. And with a myriad of variations and ingredients, they can happily feed vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Now, a favourite dumplings joint can be a contentious topic. So to help you decide – or make a list to try them all – we've composed a list of Melbourne's most popular Chinese offerings so you can get your fix of these parcels of joy.

While we're on the topic... Check out our top picks for Melbourne's best Chinese restaurants.

Get your dumplings here

ShanDong MaMa
  • Restaurants
  • Melbourne
  • price 1 of 4

Here it is all about the fish dumplings – they might not be the most beautiful dumplings you've ever eaten, but they have some serious Chinese pedigree behind them. These little, tasty parcels are all handmade, and the filling features plenty of fragrant ginger and coriander root.

 

Golden Dragon Palace
  • Restaurants
  • Templestowe Lower

The fight for parking is worse than Chadstone Shopping Centre on Christmas Eve, and hordes of multi-generational families can be seen streaming through the door of this popular yum cha joint. Join them for ha gow (prawn dumplings) and siu mai (pork dumplings) with spicy XO sauce. Just eat up quick on the weekends as seatings only run for 50 mintues long.

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Shanghai Taste offers a spacious dining room that's more lavish than its hole-in-the-wall counterparts. We suggest whetting your appetite with some of the cold entrees on offer – the garlic black fungus or drunken chicken are perfect to prime you for the main event. Shepherd purse and pork wontons, pork potstickers and the prawn wontons with chili oil are our pick, but honestly, you can't go wrong. Due to location, prices are slightly higher than most Chinatown dumpling houses – but worth it.

  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Melbourne
  • price 2 of 4

The fastest and slickest yum cha operation is definitely at Secret Kitchen. The staple yum cha is grounded in its roots, not messing with traditional flavours. But for the more adventurous, mushroom buns get an addition of truffle, some siu mai varieties are mixed with a house XO sauce, and rolled rice noodles also come stuffed with a fried prawn mixture. Just don't forget to book.

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Shanghai Street
  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Melbourne

Shanghai Street is the fifth branch of the group and it is bigger and fancier than all its predecessors. Don't expect a slap-dash serving of grease-filled dumplings and thick skins; the classic xiao long bao is expertly made with high-quality ingredients and is a must-order here. Even better are the fluffy shen jian bao, which are like the XLB's hotter, crispier, more put together cousin. 

  • Restaurants
  • Melbourne
  • price 1 of 4

Expect Din Tai Fung's signature crowd-pleasers: the glass-enclosed dumpling kitchen, xiao long bao, rainbow-bright Dumpling Gems in seven flavours, and chefs who operate with a Heston-like fanaticism for detail.

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Melbourne
  • price 3 of 4

The unwavering attention to detail at Flower Drum is a carefully choreographed dance, which some of its staff have been perfecting for 20-plus years. The seafood soup dumpling here is an exercise in luxury – one large dumpling loosely encasing a mixture of mud crab, scallop, prawn, woodear mushrooms and chopped bamboo suspended in a rich, superior chicken broth is likely to change your perception of what a dumpling is.

New Shanghai
  • Restaurants
  • Melbourne

After all the Baz Luhrmann opening night hooplah died down, Emporium has proven to be a shopping centre, no more and no less. Save in one important respect: the schmick food court. Take a break from shopping and stop in for a plate of plump, sweet and nutty prawn wontons smothered in chilli oil. It might just give you enough energy to tackle Uniqlo.

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  • Restaurants
  • Melbourne
  • price 1 of 4

Soupy xiaolongbao are the forte here, but don't sleep on their boiled spinach dumplings or the wantons in numbing chili oil. Start with a plate or seven of dumplings, then move on to the comprehensive Shanghainese offerings. Just note - service is fast-paced and at times abrupt, but you’re not here to make friends.

David's
  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Prahran

David Zhou’s formal Chinese restaurant has had a make-under. Gone are the plush banquettes and novelty lamps, replaced with distressed school chairs, share tables, and a pristine white-wash paint-job. Your placemat is the menu, and the restaurant is spruiking regional-style share dishes.

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  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Fitzroy
  • price 1 of 4

Until Tora Dumplings arrived on Brunswick Street, we didn’t realise that Fitzroy had been missing a dedicated dumpling house for years.  The menu at Tora is short by dumpling house standards, but those in the know head straight for the house specialities, signified by the tiger logo next to the menu item. Do yourself a favour and order the pork-and-prawn wonton dumplings with a peanut-and-sesame sauce. The sauce is more like a smooth, slightly spicy satay than tahini, and it coats the boiled wonton skins in a velvety nutty drizzle. 

Tao Dumplings
  • Restaurants
  • Chinese
  • Northcote
  • price 1 of 4

Locations: South Yarra, Hawthorn, Camberwell, Northcote, Mentone

Beloved by locals who are lucky enough to have one in their area, Tao Dumplings do their namesake dish justice. More modern in their design, they still subscribe to the excellent value dumpling houses are known for. Their pan-fried dumplings often come with feather-light crispy lacing and their steamed veggie dumplings are some of the best in the biz.

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Oriental Teahouse
  • Restaurants
  • South Yarra

At OTH it’s all about the cha (tea). The food selection is moderate, and except on weekends it’s tray service, but the ha gow are sweet, the Peking duck is on the money, and the tea offering is the second to none. Try the rich duck dumplings countered by a fat-busting Irn Buddha oolong brew.

This humble writer's favourite location on this list, their juicy pan-fried pork dumplings are a moreish, flavoursome, well-stuffed delight. They also have a vegetarian xiaolongbao – a nice effort to include our vegetable-inclined friends in the soupy fun. Be prepared to queue when you visit, however, you can watch the aunties and uncles working hard in the window preparing all that dumpling goodness.

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  • Restaurants
  • Melbourne
  • price 1 of 4

If you're heading to Tim Ho Wan, go the traditional route. The old-school dumplings come in the form of the arrestingly translucent casings containing a wealth of garlicky spinach and some shyly hiding shrimp meat (we say nix the prawn and give it to the vegetarians). The star of the show is the signature baked barbecue pork buns. You can thank us later.

Frequented by broke uni students and BYO enthusiasts alike, Shanghai Village is truly a beloved Melbourne establishment. There's a spirited energy to this venue, with large tables of animated diners and fast-paced service delivering steaming plates of dumplings within seconds of ordering. Most tables will be covered in brown paper bag bottles from the bottle shop down the road, making this joint the perfect first stop on a night out.

More of Melbourne's best meals

  • Restaurants

Unless you have the metabolism of a nine-year-old and the finances of a Kardashian, you never stand a chance against Melbourne's ferocious dining machine. The openings just don't stop and ain't nobody got time to keep on top of what's what. Except us, that is. So behold, our eat-and-destroy list – a guide to Melbourne's 50 best restaurants.

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