Dumpling Time Santana Row San Jose CA [Review]

Dumpling Time is a local Bay Area restaurant brand serving dumplings and casual Asian fare. We visited the Santana Row location in San Jose and here is our experience.

On their menu are Quick Bites (like sesame jellyfish salad and crispy vegetable spring rolls); bao buns (like BBQ pork); dim sum (like har gow and siu mai); Xi’an dumplings (like lamb, vegetable and chili pork); gyoza (like pork, chicken, and so forth); soup dumplings (like pork and tom yum goong); noodles & rice (like Beijing noodles and vegan fried rice); and more.

We went for dinner at Dumpling Time Santana Row location in San Jose and here is what we tried:

Xiao Long Bao

Pork belly, savoury soup, shao hsing wine

Pork Gyoza

Pork, Green Onion, Ginger, Cilantro

Sesame Jellyfish Salad

Beijing Noodles

Pork green onion, garlic, ginger, soybean paste

Lamb Dumplings with Chinese 5 Spice, Cabbage and Garlic

Garlicky Green Beans

I thought the food was generally good for the quality and prices. Their food is a bit more oily and heavy than Din Tai Fung but also seems a bit less expensive than them.

Their xiao long bao are cooked in small aluminum tin trays which is not very authentic. They are usually prepared in Chinese steamers. The problem with the trays was that some of the dumping bottoms were stuck. I had to break the dumpling apart to get it out and the soupy broth would leak out.

The pork gyoza had a nice crispy “skirt.” The lamb dumplings were tender and flavorful. The jellyfish was spicier than I expected. The green beans and Beijing noodles were good.

The service was excellent and attentive. I enjoyed their outdoor seating but if you want a more fancy (or even more romantic) atmosphere, they have some nice booths on the inside.

All in all, a solid experience at Dumpling Time and I would return to one of their locations in the future.

Dumpling Time is located at SERRANO Building, 378 Santana Row #1035, San Jose, CA.