SEAGuide
The Best Dumplings In Seattle
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
Dumplings are like gifts, except you can enjoy them while they’re still wrapped. And whether you’re in the mood for momos, pelmeni, or just feel like popping seven or more soup dumplings into your mouth, this guide has you covered. It has 17 spots you should try right now—or, at least, add to your Seattle dumpling checklist.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Nate Watters
Dough Zone is a household name in dumplings, with a stacked menu of steamed, pan-fried, and boiled ones to choose from. The q-bao are their greatest contribution to the world, but you also can’t go wrong with their pork xiao long bao, chicken wontons in hot and sour sauce, or anything seared.
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
All of the momos at this outstanding Indian restaurant are unmatched, and yet we have to give an edge to the tandoori version: the greatest momos in Seattle. You have a moist, shallot-y chicken filling, a tangy yogurt-marinated wrapper, fire engine red kashmiri tint, and charred bitsies from the tandoor oven, which amp things up in a way regular old steam simply can’t. We’d swing by Indian-Nepali Ktichen just for three to four orders of these suckers.
photo credit: Nate Watters
This Greenwood spot is one of our all-time takeout favorites, and that’s in large part thanks to their wontons in chili oil that we lie awake thinking about in the middle of the night. They have a white pepper kick, burst of sweetness, just enough spice, and juicy pork that fuses to each dumpling wrapper. Sure, it’s almost impossible not to slightly mangle their structural integrity with one tap of a chopstick, but that doesn’t matter. Order them anyway.
photo credit: Chona Kasinger
Fighting over the last gyoza at Maneki is a favorite Seattleite pastime of ours, up there with drinking espresso and convincing out-of-towners that the rain really isn’t that bad. These plump potstickers at the oldest Japanese restaurant in Seattle are complete with a pan-seared crust, flavorful pork, homemade dipping sauce, and a sweet cabbage salad. Plus, the filling is so moist that getting tasty drippings in the sauce mid-dunk might just be the best part.
photo credit: Nate Watters
Speaking of oversized gyoza, the ones at Ooink, a ramen shop on Capitol Hill, are also excellent. They’re crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, with chives adding a bright oniony flavor and some diced celery for crunch. You could eat these on their own, or slide them right into your bowl of ramen.
photo credit: Chiho Bistro
Chiho Bistro is a solid Chinese spot we like for a last-minute meal in Belltown, but you’re there for their excellent lineup of xiao long bao. There’s more variety than any other soup dumpling place in town—you’ve got traditional pork, truffle pork, spring onion chicken, szechuan peppercorn pork, and a vegan soup dumpling stuffed with a plant-based pork substitute. On a particularly crummy day, few reasons exist not to grab a combo basket involving all six types.
photo credit: Nate Watters
This South Lake Union Sichuan spot specializes in noodles, but it's impossible to forget about the dumplings here. There's only one type, and they rule—complete with ground pork and chives, firm dough, and creases meant to catch stray herbs and swirls of hot and sour broth. Said broth pooled at the bottom is so tangy and delicious that we save it as a dip for the noodles.
photo credit: Nate Watters
This natural wine bar serves pork and potato pelmeni, and while both options are exemplary, we’re here to wax poetic about the potato version. The middle is fluffy, the wrapper is firm and chewy, and when tossed in spicy walnut butter, these spud pockets have heat, a little sweetness, and taste perfect with a can of spritzy piquette.
photo credit: Nate Watters
You're in great hands with any of the dim sum options at Jade Garden, but the pork-stuffed potstickers are our favorites. These dough pouches at this ID institution are huge, have a blistered sear on the top, and require at least three bites to finish. But don't ignore the jumbo prawn dumplings, with their chewy rice wrapper and tender shrimp. Either way, douse them all in some vinegar and Jade Garden's homemade chili sauce.
The Japanese buta dumplings at Tamari Bar are small yet mighty. There’s not a ton of pork filling, but it’s quite tasty, and the delicate wrapper ends are the best vehicles for pickled mustard greens, chili threads, and the earthy black garlic oil drizzled on top.
photo credit: Aimee Rizzo
Chengdu Taste is a Sichuan staple from Los Angeles that made its way to the PNW, and while you might come here looking to numb your entire body by way of stewed fish, don't miss the wontons in chili oil. They're pleasantly slick, gritty with garlic and crushed peppercorns, and act as a not-as-spicy cooldown for the more serious Sichuan plates.
photo credit: Din Tai Fung
Nothing at Din Tai Fung will ever be as phenomenal as the dry-fried garlic green beans, but their many different types of wontons, potstickers, and xiao long bao come close. Din Tai Fung is a no-brainer if you want to order a big spread for a big group, especially when getting delivery.
This former Lake City bar is now in Wallingford after changing locations, and a big bowl of their boiled pork dumplings covered in sour cream and a few drops of housemade hot sauce is one of the most comforting dishes you can eat. If you are still mourning the 2015 closing of Vostok Dumpling House, know that these pelmeni are even better. Especially chased with something involving beet-infused vodka.
photo credit: Nate Watters
Sure, Lotus Pond's BBQ pork soup is a massive bowl of broth, chewy egg noodles, and tender hunks of meat. But we're really in it for the shrimp and pork wontons that are also submerged inside. The filling is generously seasoned, and when the wrapper edges get plump with schmaltzy broth, it's a beautiful thing. We also can't get enough of the tapioca dumplings, with their extremely chewy exterior, tasty shrimp and pork on the inside, and fish sauce for dipping, which pairs well with the sticky texture.
photo credit: Nate Watters
There’s a large variety of fillings at this Shoreline spot, from eggs and scallop to pork and fennel—not to mention you can order any of them in potsticker form, complete with a brittle and crunchy cornstarch crust that carpets the entire plate. We’re fans of the pork and chive, as well as anything that comes in a pan-seared bun.
This Lake City spot offers many different types of dumplings, from chicken xiao long bao to pork and eggplant buns, and everything we’ve had here has been a winner—particularly the wontons in chili oil and soup dumplings that we could eat on repeat for weeks. But if you stop by for nothing else, make sure the beef potstickers make their way into your order. The beef’s richness makes it the best dish on the menu.
photo credit: Nate Watters
Annapurna’s stellar peanut chutney and Tibetan momos are a perfect combo—there's something about the creamy, peanutty sauce doused on tasty ground chicken that does it for us. And while everything served out of this glorious basement on Broadway is amazing, our table (or takeout bag) is never complete without these round, meat- or spinach-stuffed momos.
