A new Chinese food restaurant, called Ugly Dumpling, recently opened at the site of the former TGI Fridays. I went on September 19th and figured it would be great to write a review. I didn’t review any of the pork dishes due to religious reasons. 

My mom and I arrived at around 5 p.m. We were seated very promptly, and it wasn’t super crowded. The environment was nice: there were a lot of plants, the lights had bamboo steamer baskets attached to them, and the music they played was pleasant. Our server walked us through the menu, recommending sauces and their proportions: soy sauce, black vinegar, and chili oil. There are a lot of vegan and non-pork options, like vegan dumplings, spicy vegan wontons, and vegan wonton soup, and some of the noodle dishes were plant-based as well. I ordered the string beans with garlic, the noodles with diced beef and Szechuan peppers, the chicken wontons, chicken dumplings, the Kung Pao shrimp, and the chicken soup dumplings.

Our food came very promptly, with the green beans arriving after only five minutes. They were very good, well-seasoned yet not overly garlicky or oily. The portion size was large, and they still retained a crisp texture.

The noodles, chicken dumplings, and Kung Pao shrimp arrived next. The noodles with diced beef and Szechuan peppers were really umami and deeply savory. There was a solid amount of beef, and the ratio of beef to noodles was on point. It was also quite spicy. I am South Asian and have a pretty good spice tolerance, and my nose was running after eating these. This was my favorite dish. The shrimp was a very generous portion, with plenty of zucchini and bell peppers. The sauce was super flavorful, and the peanuts added a nice texture. There were six chicken dumplings, which were about average in taste. They were cooked nicely and paired well with the sauce.

The wontons came out next. There were eight wontons sitting in a sour and spicy sauce. The chicken inside was super flavorful by itself, but with the sauce, it was amazing. The wontons were my mom’s favorite.

The chicken soup dumplings were the last thing to come out, and there were six dumplings. They were a pink color, which was very novel. Our server demonstrated how to eat them. They were really delicious and super flavorful. The broth inside tasted really good. I had never had soup dumplings before, and now I am eager to have them again.

Throughout the time we were there, our server filled our water frequently, and we were checked on the perfect amount of times, not so much as to be overbearing, but enough to ensure we were well attended. They also had very reasonable prices; for six dishes, the total came out to around $80.

I really enjoyed eating at Ugly Dumpling, and I would wholeheartedly recommend a visit there.