19 standout options for dining on the best dumplings in Montreal

Montreal's second, impromptu Chinatown that's found near Concordia University's downtown campus has nabbed itself a winning tenant with the arrival of the Shanghai-style shengjian bao and open-faced buns sandwiches of Chef Lee. Named after its Shanghai chef and conceived by the same owners known for Qing Hua's jiaozi and Sammi & Soupe's broth-filled xiaolongbao, this place is taking a different tact than other recent Chinese restaurant openings: They're doing vegan dishes as well. Not impressed? Tell us how many spots in the city are doing that. We'll wait.

Often considered as the top spot in the city, Qing Hua has two sizeable locations—one in Chinatown, and the other close to Concordia University in Chinatown West. The latter has been around for years—well before the neighbourhood transformed into what it is today, namely the go-to area in Montreal to get Asian food of all types. With dozens of options on the menu, there’s guaranteed to be something for everyone, from strictly vegetarian options to more luxuriant choices like crab and asparagus or lamb and coriander. Our advice? Pay that little bit extra to mix and match.

With two outposts in the city—in Chinatown and in Downtown Montreal—Mai Xiang Yuan is one of the OGs of the dumpling game in Montreal. While they may not be as crowded as some of the other options across town, they have remained consistent over the years to offer a variety of dumplings that are made ready-to-order. Grab them fried, steamed or boiled here—it’s all good, no matter what you order.

Open since 1987, this Saint-Laurent Boulevard classic offers countless choices of dumplings on top of numerous rice and noodle dishes. Open weekdays for lunch service and daily for dinner, the menu is predominantly Chinese, often inspired by Thai and Vietnamese flavours. Whether it’s fried or steamed, menu items here run from classic Montreal-style peanut butter dumplings to pork-filled seaweed rolls and ground chicken and ginger wrapped in eggs.

Founded in the Quartier Latin, Beijing Dumpling opened in early 2019 on the Plateau’s lower end Saint-Denis, close to UQAM. Our visits to this restaurant have come up with solid results, and our full praise goes to both the quality of the food as well as the service. 

Located on the Saint-Hubert Plaza in Petite-Patrie, Mademoiselle Dumpling serves as a great option for those living a little further north or those shopping around in the area. Attracting passersby with the sight of elderly ladies making dumplings in the front window, you can be guaranteed that each one is made fresh upon order. If you want a taste of that action, be warned this place has a small seating capacity.

You don't go to Kim Fung just for their tasty dumplings. You go there for the full dim sum experience, served in the most traditional way with a spinning lazy susan. You enjoy the generosity of the platters, take what seems most appealing - from dumplings to pork dumplings - and don't leave until you've traveled all the way to China and back.

Located on the ground floor of a converted Milton Park home, The Dumpling Hut is a young outlet catering to the McGill crowd and anyone else working or living in the lower Plateau area. Their menu is limited, but varied, and serve dumplings either boiled or fried. There are a few vegetarian options and sides available, too. It’s best to go direct to get them fresh.

Harbin Dumpling offers multiple options to Mile End and Plateau residents too lazy to make the trek to Chinatown or Downtown Montreal. These northern Chinese dumplings were an instant hit in the Mile End since opening the first location in 2015. If you’re looking for a solid recommendation, the pork, coriander and shrimp platter makes for a solid choice. Both locations are popular, so expect to wait during peak hours.

With a fairly large seating capacity, their three locations are recognized as some of the best dumpling spots in Montreal for soup-filled xiao long bao. The steamed dumplings are the most popular, and while they’re delicious, this means you can sometimes wait a little longer for the food to arrive—it’s always worth the wait, however.

Over on the north end of Decarie Bolevard, Yi Pin Xiang serves dumplings from the Dalian region of China. We’ll normally tell you that size doesn’t matter when it comes to dumplings, but in this case? Each dumpling is shaped as a tube and stuffed with anything from beef, lamb, shrimp, pork or cabbage for a bigger and tastier bite. Their noodle and fried rice dishes are great side options, as well.

While dumplings might not be the first thing you think of when you think of a neighbourhood like Little Italy, this restaurant is tried and true when it comes to its available eats. Breaking down the menu into separate categories—pork, beef, lamb, chicken, shrimp or veggie—several combinations are available, at affordable prices. 

Cornering the dumpling market in NDG, Ai Dumplings serves all its platters in sets of 15 pieces that come in as many as 22 different combinations and variations. At a reasonable price point per portion, that leaves you with enough left over to pop open a couple Tsingtaos and make a night of it in this hole-in-the-wall until as late as 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Few dumpling spots in the city can hold a candle to those kinds of hours.

This Montreal West restaurant serves (you guess it) excellent dumplings alongside its Chinese-style pancakes. Open since 2017 on a small strip of other choice eats, this one stands out for the addictive quality of its food. If you need proof of its worth, we’ll remind you that within a few weeks of opening, people were flocking here in great numbers, and continue to do so. It’s high quality, consistency and friendly service all rolled into one.

This plant-filled bar above Duluth in the Plateau easily made a name for itself for its design (who doesn’t love a lot of natural light pouring in from a huge skylight?) and menu made of equal parts local beers and crafty cocktails, but the dumplings here are no joke. Figuring in as a bar snack to compliment your chic night out, the jiaozi-style options here include flavor pairings like rabbit and carrots, lobster and beef, and pumpkin and shiitake mushrooms for cheap.

While the menu at this restaurant caters to much more than just dumplings, they shouldn’t be overlooked when stopping in for a bite. This no-frills spot is a great option for anyone in the southwest area, keeping it cheap and delicious. It’s one of the more curious spots in town for its haphazard approach to décor—or lack thereof—but makes up for it in quality and price.

This dumpling house is located in Montreal's "second Chinatown" in the Shaughnessy Village by Concordia University on Maisonneuve Street West. Fu Chun specializes in xiao long bao, commonly known as "dumpling soup", which comes in many flavors, in addition to offering several Shanghainese noodle dishes.

Choosing to re-open in Downtown Montreal following a fire that destroyed its much-loved Côte-des-Neiges location in 2018, Aunt Dai offers far more than just dumplings—even if that’s the real reason you’re there. Grab an order of pork dumplings along with any of their braised pork or beef dishes and prepare to feast, but if you’re only on the hunt for dumplings, this is a solid bet when you’re in the area.

If you can't decide between steamed dumplings and fried dumplings—and you're in the Plateau—head to Yum Yum Soupe Dumpling. We love the variety of choices on the menu: spring rolls, wonton soup, stir-fried peanut chicken, fried rice, salt and pepper shrimp and much more. Don't forget to complement the tasting with a milk tea!