One Dragon Restaurant

The tiny Shanghainese restaurant One Dragon, shunted into the corner of a Chinatown strip center, is barely identifiable from the outside, apart from the small crowd of people waiting around for a table. One Dragon has less than a dozen tables usually only attended by one server scrambling around, lifting steamy lids from silver dumpling tins. Xiao long bao is the star here. Made-to-order and steaming hot, each soup dumpling is thin and silky, filled with light, savory broth and tender minced pork dumplings. These things are surprisingly easy to put away, so order as many as possible. Add on plates of handmade crispy-bottom bao, hand pulled noodles with spicy beef broth, or braised pork belly drenched in sweet sauce. Then sop up any remaining broth or sauce with a scallion pancake. Go here for a casual weeknight dinner, or with a small group of friends–just be prepared to wait.

photo credit: Richard Casteel