This story is part of our November 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.

Sacramento has long been a dumpling town, but lately there’s been a bumper crop. In the downtown-Midtown grid alone, there are five restaurants with “dumpling” in the name, and several of these — including Hidden Dumpling House, Dumpling House, Journey to the Dumpling and Hao Bao Dumplings — have multiple locations around the Capital Region. At least half a dozen dumpling spots have opened in the city in the past three years. 

The city also has its share of respectable dim sum spots (two, Yue Huang and Ming Dynasty, have been listed in the Michelin Guide to California), but these restaurants serve a different style of Chinese dumplings, in larger portions designed for sharing. While dim sum is a Cantonese specialty, Sacramento’s dumpling spots span a range of Chinese regional cuisines. Shanghainese xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and sheng jian bao (pan-fried soup buns) are especially popular; so are the homier Northern guo tie (potstickers) and shui jiao (boiled dumplings). 

What’s behind the rise of these homegrown chains, and is Sacramento approaching its xiao long bao saturation point? We made a round of the dumpling route, focusing on spots that opened branches in the last three years, to find out.

Journey to the Dumpling

Server and manager John Sin asserts that the secret to the business’s success is the best-selling xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. High-quality soup dumplings are made with long-simmered, collagen-rich broth that solidifies when cold. The dumpling is stuffed with the solid broth, which liquifies upon steaming.

“Journey are the front runners as far as soup dumplings,” says Sin. “They are made to order and are the freshest. They have to be steamed for exactly 6 1/2 minutes. It has to be exact. If you overcook it, the dumpling shrinks, and there will be less broth. Whoever is wrapping it and rolling it out, it’s important to keep the same consistency so it doesn’t tear.”

Sin also raves about the house-made chili oil, which is a bit salty and has a tang to it that he says is due to a “secret recipe.” 

Tasty Dumpling

When he taped an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” at Tasty Dumpling, host Guy Fieri proclaimed of these pork buns: “That’s in the hall of fame for dumplings in my book.” Eater beware: The sturdier bottom on these buns means that the soup inside can be extra-pressurized, and too big of a first bite can cause it to squirt across the table. 

Chou opened the original Tasty Dumpling in Crocker Village in 2021, and a second branch on Fair Oaks Boulevard in January 2025. When asked about the plethora of dumpling restaurants, Chou says, “Ninety percent are copycats. … Some just open a restaurant to make a living. … My life is devoted to the dumpling because of my passion.”

Hidden Dumpling House

Danni Kan opened Hidden Dumpling House in Elk Grove in 2022, followed by a Midtown location in 2023. Her newest branch, in Land Park, opened in May 2026. The small Midtown location does quite well, but she was turning down requests for large party reservations, so she decided to find a larger space in Land Park. That space, formerly occupied by the Hong Kong-style Yummy Cafe, is airy and modern, with globe lights and grey and green tile. Two ceramic corgis stand like sentinels by the front door. There is also a patio space with umbrellas.

Kan learned to cook from her grandparents in the Chinese city of Anshan when she was 10 and then spent many years in both the front and back of the house in the restaurant industry. She says that Hidden Dumpling offers a northeastern flair that sets it apart from other Sacramento dumpling restaurants. She points to the crystal shrimp dumplings, not to be confused with similar-looking Cantonese har gow. She explains that har gow has a thinner skin than her crystal shrimp dumplings, which also contain chives. “In my hometown, we love chives a lot.” 

She is also careful to emphasize that her offering of gluten-free dumplings adds to Hidden’s appeal. “Recently, out of 10 tables, three were gluten-free customers. I have three dumplings that are gluten-free and large plates I can make gluten-free.”

Responding to the interest of Chinese customers (perhaps missing the longstanding Yummy Cafe), the Land Park location has a “secret menu,” which includes a daily seasonal vegetable and dishes such as garlic pork ribs.

Dumpling House and Dumpling and Tea House

This chain is now five locations strong, although only two are in Sacramento; and, somewhat confusingly, the Sacramento locations are named Dumpling House (Midtown) and Dumpling and Tea House (Land Park, directly across the street from the new Hidden Dumpling location). The other three locations are in Davis, Lodi and Fairfield. 

The original Dumpling House location is much beloved in Davis, and its 2010 opening date makes it the oldest restaurant on this list. It’s a quirky establishment in a red-shingled building downtown, and the owners persevered through a 2018 fire and renovation to reopen in 2022. Having taken over a spot called London Fish N’ Chips, they also serve that dish in addition to Chinese food.

Jackie Lao, who manages the Midtown location, says that he thinks dumplings are so popular now because making them is economical for the restaurateur, and because they are a good representation of Chinese culture. He also says Dumpling House is popular because of the value. Its xiao long bao are indeed cheaper than those at any other spot on this list, though they have the characteristic uniformity of industrial versions. 

The steamed and pan-fried dumplings, though, have a thoroughly homemade feeling — to be expected since employees are often seen folding and stuffing them on tables in the back of the restaurant. 

Dumpling Yo!

Meanwhile, Dumpling Yo! in the Pocket neighborhood advertises itself as a “soup dumpling shop.” “I feel like my soup dumpling is one of the best because of the recipe,” says owner James Xie. “I grew up eating this. … I have the authority to say what’s good and not good.” He goes on to elaborate that, being Shanghainese, he ate soup dumplings for breakfast.

He also gives a surprising endorsement of a competitor: “For my taste, I really think Tasty Dumpling has the best soup dumpling.”

He touts that everything is handmade and fresh, and although there’s a closed kitchen, there is a Plexiglas dumpling window at which a visored worker is forming dozens of pork buns. 

Xie is from the Bay Area, where he was a trader and hit a bad patch. “Basically, I lost all my money, and this is what I have to open a restaurant,” he says. 

The Sacramento Dumpling Yo! was his first shop, but he now has locations in Stockton and Fresno, with a new one opening soon in Clovis. He says that the Sacramento one is his least busy, but he keeps it open to serve the neighborhood patrons — and the landlord is entreating him to stay.

“It was always my dream to open a restaurant for the community,” he says. 

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