Excellent Dumpling House is unlike the many Asian American restaurants I’ve reviewed, evident immediately upon walking into the calm environment, clear of loud tourists and confused families. After completing internship work and studying for our last exams, my friend Brady spent an evening after our last class of the spring semester at the classy, clean establishment. Just around the corner from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Excellent Dumpling House serves a variety of beautiful and delicious delicacies made in-house everyday.
The establishment once was situated on Canal Street, but later relocated circa 2015–though their recipes and exceptional customer service have remained the same. Brady and I selected the freshly made, steaming scallion pancakes to start.
“The small, woven basket of scallion pancakes looked so delicious,” Brady began. “I loved the amount of chopped scallion, and the texture is super crunchy but consistent. I really tasted the perfect combination of smooth and crunchy.”
It was impossible to visit Excellent Dumpling House without sampling several of their savory dumplings. We found it difficult to select an option from their comprehensive menu. After a brief period of waiting, the shrimp dumplings and soup pork dumplings arrived, which Brady raved over during the entire duration of the night.
“Actually, shrimp isn’t my favorite food, but I really enjoyed this dish. There was a heavy, but good and seasoned flavor with the shrimp,” Brady reviewed. “But I have to say, the soup pork dumplings were so delicious. The gingery, oily soup was perfect, while the pork was incredibly tender and melted in my mouth. The dumplings were well put together, considering it was filled with soup and it didn’t fall apart.”
My personal favorite were the seven pan-fried pork dumplings, each with golden brown bottoms and chewy, juicy centers. Brady appeared to favor the sizzling ginger beef platter and bowl of spicy wontons.
“The pan-fried pork dumplings were also delicious. The coloring of the dumpling is such a nice golden brown and had a really nice consistency,” he stated after finishing the plate. “The sizzling beef also had a beautiful presentation of the juicy meats, as the waiter poured the food onto the hot plate. Again, super tender food and the vegetables were delicious.”
The pork and shrimp wontons had a prominent peanut flavoring and had slight notes of spice. The sesame chicken had a sweet contrast to the previous dish, served among a full dish of sliced onions and steamed broccoli.
“The consistency of the pork and shrimp dumplings was just great. I can’t emphasize how the pork is so juicy and goes so well with the bits of shrimp. The peanut flavor is strong from these! The nutty element and spice were perfectly balanced and combined,” my friend noted.
Our evening left us completely stuffed and we walked away with several takeaway boxes. I happily ate my leftovers the following day, which were nearly just as good compared to when they were fresh. I thoroughly enjoyed each item from our experience at this tried-and-true eatery.
“Walking into Excellent Dumpling House was a really nice environment,” Brady reflected. “All the staff were very kind and helpful, and each dish brought more savory goodness and a pure comfort food experience. With lots of different options and flavors you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.”
For students hoping to try a range of dumplings in a casual setting, Excellent Dumpling House has partnered with the Campus Clipper to provide a discount when they present our coupon with their valid student ID.
