Shanghai Dumpling King

Does it even matter that I leave a review anymore? After a few years, it's time to leave it the 5 star review it always deserved. Rest in peace to an Outer Richmond legend!

As I saw the Richmond rapidly change with the rest of the city, Shanghai Dumpling King became more and more important. I've been visiting the city since childhood and have had the privilege of living in this neighborhood for 4 years. Even within my short time here, the neighborhood's faces and businesses remarkably changed. The restaurant supposedly closed because the owner was tired of the volume of orders (!!), and I can't help but feel like a part of the "old" Richmond is gone.

There's a special warmth from this restaurant that perfectly complimented this foggy district. The service was exceptionally quick and simultaneously so cold (a cultural difference I'm not offended by - never cruel, just impersonal). Where else could you get cheap food AND bring your own beer? The XLB, regular dumplings, vegetarian dumplings, and green beans were perfect!!!

The price was just right, if not a steal.

Hopefully you'll be back someday!

People like to say that you can tell if a Chinese restaurant is good and authentic by the number of Chinese people in it - well let me tell ya, we knew we were in trouble as soon as we walked into a packed restaurant without one other Asian there haha.

I was so excited to try this place but I don't think the hype is worth it at all: the dough-to-filling ratio of dumplings and buns were generally all off (small fillings and thick skin), half of the Shanghai dumplings came out broken so the soup leaked out by the time it got to us, and the garlic eggplant dish was very basic.

I admit they have a great name, but I wouldn't recommend this place to others unless you're already in the area.

So this place is called shanghai dumpling king.
Shanghai dumplings are xiao long bao in Mandarin.
Xiao long bao is soup dumpling

...okay but why are you soup dumpling king but you don't have soup in your dumplings?? ): ):
This makes me very sad.

The day that I went, my dumplings were kind of dry, but the meat was good. I knew it was dry bc I HAD COMMITTED I TERRIBLE SIN!!! By accidentally breaking the skin .....and no soup came out.
We tried some other dumplings, like this new crab one they were promoting -- it was okay, not very memorable.

this place is definitely a hole in the wall and I know there are other locations... But expanding shouldnt distract from quality food.
This seems like a mom and pop joint so I would love them to flourish. I hope they have since it's been awhile since visited.

More often than not, Yelp delivers with some interesting, highly-rated restaurant prospects that indeed turn out to be wonderful experiences. Sometimes, though, you have to roll your eyes when you see folks (paid reviewers?) raving about "killer" Asian "fusion" places in the Marina for their "good asian food." Sure makes you want to seek out the real thing.

Indeed, Shanghai Dumpling King here in the Richmond is quite an authentic hole in the wall. Yet I was underwhelmed by my experience. The eponymous xiao long bao didn't have anywhere near the flavor, meat filling, or, most importantly, the *soup* you would see from proper steamed soup dumplings.

I was starving after a long commute, so I tried to balance things a bit with the Shanghai style seafood delight. Nothing exciting except for the fact that it was absolutely dripping with oil. At least the sugar egg puff (deep-fried puffed dumpling) wasn't bad.

It would have all been a 3-star review had I not received a take-out box with holes at the bottom (!) from the borderline surly and disinterested waiters. Nice try, dudes. Sadly, service like this is all too common at authentic Chinese eateries in the West Bay - regardless of whether or not you're of Chinese descent like I am.

To round things out, sometimes I can't blame Marina folks for hyping up the "good asian food" in their neighborhood. Even though it isn't authentic, at least they're getting an experience that's agreeable to them. Here, the experience isn't even agreeable to someone like me who's actually of Chinese descent.

Worst restaurant ever, so disappointed! Came here for XLB and shen jian bao (pan fried pork buns) and they were both very well below average. The pork quality was dreadful in both dishes. The meat was rough, had big blobs of fat, and unchewable bits of stuff. It was not seasoned well too. Such bad quality. Really fatty xiao long bao. The buns of the shen jian bao was really bad too, it was dry and just plain gross. The only okay dish was the garlic string beans, those were alright. The waiters were a little rude too, I know how Chinese waiters are but they were below average. I can't believe how bad the food is here. I can't believe they even serve this. None of the cooks are Shanghainese either. It's not authentic.

Please do yourself a favor and DON'T COME HERE.

XLB!!! Come to this restaurant whenever, I'm in the neighborhood. The price is right and parking is normally pretty good. I was a little disappointed the last time I was here because they changed the skin that was used, but it may just been a different skin that was used. I'm glad they went back to the skin they had used before, this is a much more superior skin that's used now.
The green beans are as good as always too. They are deep fried and then stir fried in the wok with minced garlic and little yellow onion.
There are other places I go for XLB, but I keep coming back here for their consistency.
A side note, they've got new tables to replace the old well worn ones they had before. It's still a hole in the wall, but I don't care how the place looks, as long as they keep putting out the great XLB's they are famous for!

Consistent. Chewy dough. Cheap prices in Sunset.

I always come back to SDK whenever I find myself in Sunset. Came by for lunch on a Friday and shared the green onion pancake with the sis and she had the dan dan mian while I had the veggie potstickers. We both loved our choices, and found food to be hot and delicious when it came out. The green onion pancake looked very different from the usual more golden colored Taiwanese pancake we are used to...but this greener flakier and doughier pancake still tasted very yummy. Just curious as to why it was so green! The portion of dan dan mian was huge with lots of rou zhao or minced pork. Veggie potstickers were delicious and filled with a more diverse combo of mushrooms and lettuce and carrot, unlike other places that don't give vegetarians exciting diversity. I've also had the dumplings before, but I like the crunch and chew of potstickers better.

They provide hot tea upon sitting down, and there are tons of spots for two-toppers. I wouldn't come here necessarily for large parties like a family gathering or anything. But there were two bigger tables that we saw that could possibly fit groups larger than 6...however it looked like it would be a hassle. We saw all people of different ages from obasans & ojisans to various cultures like white and Indian people eating here! Server dudes are very quick and get the job done, so tip them nicely :)

I hate the restroom though. There's only one and it's usually just...there. Kind of set up like Harry Potter's closet room, it's your typical Chinese restaurant single bathroom, complete with the bleach smells and everything. At least there is a restroom. Parking isn't bad if you get here before the crowd or in the middle of the day when there are spots in front (metered) or street parking. I'll be back since I always fall prey to the potsticker/dumpling perfection dough and their quick and cheap prices. Thanks SDK!

DEVASTATED that this place is permanently closed, but wanted to write a review anyway.

Shanghai Dumpling King was a cheap and delicious Chinese restaurant that specialized in Shanghai steamed dumplings and wontons. It also served soups, noodle entrees, and meat/vegetable dishes that were nicely portioned and cheap (especially for lunch!).

While the service was pretty standard for a Chinese restaurant, I really appreciate their prompt service. Most importantly, the juicy Shanghai dumplings were AMAZING. Other great food items are the Shanghai Stir Fried Noodles and the Spicy Chive and Pork Dumplings.

Will definitely check out the Monterey Blvd location!

RIP Balboa Shanghai Dumpling :(

Definitely depends on what experience you are looking for -- "No-frills Chinese" is how they describe themselves, and it's pretty spot on. Great local spot with excellent dumplings, dim sum, & more... also byob.

Priced well for the ambiance and service, and a great place to grab a quick and filling bite with some friends.

Arrived on a Saturday around 1:00pm with a group of five. There was a wait, but it wasn't too long - probably 20 minutes, and by the time we left (around 2:00pm), the line had died down.

Once we ordered, food started coming out within 5 minutes or so. We tried the scallion pancake, fried rice, chow fun, a couple types of soup dumplings, a couple types of pan fried dumplings, and tofu.

Things are on the greasy side, but they still tasted good (especially when hungry).

Was a bit bummed that a lot of our soup dumplings had punctured skins, but I liked the pan fried dumplings. They had thick skins, and the ones that had crispy bottoms were nice.

As others noted, it's cash only. For the location, this would probably count as a cheap place (though it came out to roughly 17$/person including tip and tax).