Dumplings’ Legend

Okay so I love dumplings and i love dim sum and i love sitting and eating and sharing plates and i did a bunch of research as to where i should go for dumplings and this was the best result so i hauled my ass to chinatown to investigate further.
the only problem that i encountered was that i didnt go with enough people — which meant i couldnt order one of everything like i had planned. i got a selection of dumplings and dim sum and squid and lil bits n bobs and it was allllllll soo good i sat there sweating but i didnt stop until it was all gone.
i want to return with someone who can do a lil translation/​can tell me what is gr8 and what i need to try because i want to eat it allllllllllllllll.
also heres a tip ~get a jasmine tea. that shit will break down your food so fast you can eat for hours and hopefully never get up.
i’m tempted to go back right now. dammmit. (there were these little fried prawn dumplings that i got that were so good i need them noooooooowwwww)
but yes if youre looking at reviews and dont know where to go GO HERE. if you think its not good fight me.

Wir waren hier für einen späten Snack und die Dumplings sind wirklich nicht zu verachten. Preislich auch alles im Rahmen. Service ist schnell, wenn man nichts mehr bestellt, auch sehr schnell mit der Rechnung. :) hier kann man definitiv wenig falsch machen.

Kind of mixed on this place. One of the less externally scary looking places in London’s small Chinatown for those of you that may not appreciate hole-​in-​the-​wall ethnic foodie dining experiences. Inside it is clean, modern, bright and even a little hip with some artsy images on the wall and music playing with a vibrant beat. The staff speak passable English (and while this is really not a great sign for an authentic Chinese dining experience, it is, after all, located in the heart of London so it is necessary), the menu has a fair amount of interesting dishes including a list of about 120 dim sum items and noodle soups. I had prawn and chive dumplings and a clay pot rice with minced pork and salted fish. The food is tasty but a bit more expensive than some of the other dim sum places in the area and the real reason I am not as enthusiastic about this place as I should be is that they did not have steamed tripe on their dim sum list. I love that dish and use it as a baseline to measure dim sum joints around the world. It is a very basic, readily available «famine food» (offal made delicious so poor people would eat it during tough times) dim sum dish and this is he only dim sum spot I have ever been to where it is not available. If they start offering tripe, this place goes to 4 stars.

Nice selections, with a large menu. A very busy place. The soup was great. The duck was also done perfectly. Fresh food, served quickly. We had the fixed menu for 2 and it was small portions for the money.

Siu Loong Bau was good, had the pork and the vegetarian. Stick with these if there, the cantonese related options we had were not good at all, fukushima sized har gau were terrible. the Ja Jiang Mien was mediocre at best, veggies were overcooked, come on, veggies? Huge disappointment given we liked Leong’s Legand in the past, beyond their horrid attitude and service.

This is by far my favourite place in Chinatown, because this is where you can get the freshest hand-​made dumplings ever.
It is quite a large restaurant and it is probably always busy so you might have to wait a bit. While waiting you can already check out the small dumpling-​kitchen where thousands of dumplings must be made daily.
The menu is a bit confusing and not completely consistent with the DIY order list but if you don’t know what or how to order just ask the staff. If you want something special and you know the name but you cannot find it on the menu just ask and probable they will just bring it. It would actually help if you know a bit what you want or otherwise just try to be seated next to some (Chinese) locals and copy ;-)
I was graving for dumplings so only had a nice variety of the fresh dumplings but I will definitely come back soon to try the dumpling soups and the steamed filled buns which looked amazing at our neighbours tables.

After a recent visit to a Dim Sum chain I looked up the best dim sum in London and this was list as one of the Top 5 according to Time Out. So I thought I’d come and test it out.
Renowned for the soup filled dumplings as you walk into the restaurant you can see the staff freshly preparing them behind a glass window; reminds me a lot of being back in China. We were shown to a table near the window and given a menu and a dim sum check sheet, there were some specials on the table too.
The dumplings were well presented and tasty and the soup dumplings were filled with broth, but there is a definite technique to eat them or you will lose your soup! I recommend scooping them out with a spoon then attacking them with chopsticks, unless you are really good with chopsticks — which I am not. We also ordered one of the specials prawn toast, this has to be the best prawn toast I’ve ever had! It had full prawns with tails layerd on top of toast with sesame seeds. If you see this one on the menu definitely ordering.
Looking forward to completing my Dim Sum list, but this is definitely a place to go.

Dim sum platter was average. Service was absolutely horrific seeing that they charged us over 10% service charge. The waiter was extremely dis interested and laughed when we tried to order side sauce, I asked for water that never came. Our meat dish came cold that had to be reheated. Extremely disappointed and will not be coming back here again.
If you’re looking for good dim sum, go a few doors down to Beijing dumplings. It’s amazing!

Highly recommend the spicy soup dumplings. Really good sit with fast service. Would come back again.

When you have a craving for dim sum on a Friday night — on the cusp of Saturday — and you roam around Chinatown trying to find somewhere decent that’s still open… Then you see Dumplings’ Lengend. Never actually noticed this place before in the day, its stark white exterior and interior with white table cloth dining is out of the ordinary in colourful chinatown. Midnight dumplings it is! They had a (very well dressed) bouncer at the door, which was kind of funny. Service was good, there were surprising quite a few people there for late night dumplings. The food was great (yes, I was sober) ordered the crispy spicy squid, mixed dumplings and the prawn dumplings. All tasty. Would def come again.

Dumplings Legend is a Chinese restaurant in China Town serving a mixture of Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine, it positioned itself as a specialist in Siu Loung Bao, a steamed dumpling with pork and hot broth. However the quality is extremely questionable, as the dumpling pastry is thick and rubbery which is totally opposite to what a good plate of Siu Loung Bao should be, other dim sums are also very average as far as China Town standard goes. You can get far better value elsewhere nearby.

This restaurant does not necessarily scream Chinese with its décor like a lot of other ones in the area do, but fans of dim sum and dumplings will have a decent variety of fillings to choose from.
We tried several of them (too hungry to take photos at that point) and they were all quite good. I particularly liked the prawn dumplings. If you, like myself, like to eat a lot, I would suggest getting a couple of the mains to share with your group as well.
The only drawbacks were that they did forget to bring one of the dishes and we eventually canceled it and also that the music was on repeat (there’s only so many times I can listen to Let it Go in one sitting). I do not think it is a place I will choose to go again myself but if friends want to go I am not going to mind terribly.

Love love love this place.
It’s dumplings, with white table clothes, but it’s not too ex-​y. You can watch the chef make the dumplings through a window as you walk in. It’s hands down the cleanest bathroom in a chinese restaurant, especially of that price point, that I have ever visited.
The prawn dumplings are great. The soup dumplings (xiao long bao) are ok. Not the best I have ever had but they are still pretty satisfying. All of the pork pastries are perfect hangover cures. The cheung fun is moreish. Etc etc. The chilli sauce is also good. This is important.
The only thing I had ordered so far that has been ‘challenging’ was the duck balls found under ‘dumplings’. For the adventurist eater only (I was a fan). I really don’t think you can go wrong though.
They have all sorts of lunch special ‘2−4 – 1’s with dumpling dishes and drinks. They also have an extensive large dish menu but I have only ever dumplinged here.

Service was good, but the food was not. Also very pricey compare to what we are used to.

Pretty good xiao long bao! Not as good as Din Tai Fung, but still good.
I tried the pork one and the pork and crab meat. Both are equally good and recommended.
For the second course, we had roast duck and pak choy vegetables with garlic. Classic Chinese dishes and they were excellent. Duck was a bit oily and vey bony. I think the duck at Four Seasons down the street is better.
All up, was about £30 a person, which isn’t cheap, but not bad. Meanwhile, I’ll keep searching for the city’s best xiao long bao.

Sometimes you want dim sum at night though it’s a bit unconventional. A few places along Chinatown’s main strip will do them past 5, and Dumpling’s Legend is one of them. They’ll do the traditional soup dumplings which were ok, though you’d be best to steer clear of the vegetarian ones… I know, you might be thinking why bother with them, but if you’re with a veggie that wants to see what the fuss is about, this won’t really demonstrate anything other than a mild disappointment. The spicy pork wontons were good, not Szechuan or Taiwanese hot, but kind of British hot.
It’s alright but I’d be hard-​pressed to say it’s my favourite around.

Totally fine.
By London standards; this is my fave dim sum to date.
By dim sum Alex S has consumed over her lifetime standards; this is just fine.
Dumplings’ Legend is best known for its soup dumplings, of which they have several varieties. Go for the standard pork which — despite a too-​thick skin — is still delicious and, well, «porky». It bugs that we don’t get our own containers of vinegar to douse each dumpling ourselves (just a tiny little ginger-​and-​vinegar dish given to each diner ordering dumplings) but, well… they bore through my requests for more with a smile, so points there.
I know it’s unfair to compare and yet, well… I do. Compared to San Francisco, New York, Toronto: all far superior dumpling cultures, and Dumplings’ Legend falls flat in that ranking. And for the price, these are not cheap dumplings. And they’re not stellar. So… womp. Craving for soup dumplings fulfilled, yes, but with a little side of «ugh».
I mean, sure, I’ll likely be back, but I’m totally on board with Leighton S who summarized so well: (paraphrasing) dumplings tasty, service friendly, not a bad option, no rush to return.
Unilocal note: really lovely clean and multi-​stall bathrooms which, well, deserve a special call-​out. Hey-​oh!

A decent spot. Not cheap eats, though.
The dumplings were tasty. The Peking spare ribs were tasty, but the sauce on them was massively sugary and syrupy.
The service is friendly and efficient.
Not a bad option, but I’m in no rush to return.

I confess, in the past I would have given 4-​star review to this place, but the last time I’ve tried to have a decent dinner here on a Sunday night I was surprised by how the quality of the dumplings have decreased, and that the service is even more confusing.
When we arrived it was a little early, the restaurant was far from being full. We were three people and they sat us in a table for five, which was fine for us. A little after we ordered the food and received our drinks they asked us to move tables, but to a table that could barely fit two people.
In our previous table they sat a group of six kids, and from their look I can assure they were not happy, it was obviously too small.
The dumplings were OK, I have had better dumplings there in the past so I was not very impressed.
Location wise, the place is great, right in the middle of Chinatown and only a few blocks from Leicester Square station.

This is my favourite place to eat in China Town! I have no idea what all these less than stellar reviews are going on about. I have been here several times and have always been super impressed with the food.
The food is beyond excellent. This place is famous for their dim sum and dumplings, which are very good. I usually get the crystal prawn, and their broth infused dumplings in the spicy pork. Beware though! When eating the broth infused ones you have to gobble it down in one bite otherwise you will get it all over yourself! I also like to get the crispy duck and pancakes, and I’ll admit that this dish isn’t the best you’ll find in Chinatown but its still lovely. The chinese broccoli is also a top dish for me, as well as the pumpkin and prawn dish which is totally different from anything you would find at other places.
The venue is so clean its virtually spotless. Everything is white and clean and the glass partition where the dim sum makers work is wiped down several times a day and is always looking great. This is such a nice change from the other places in Chinatown, which seem a bit moldy with old sticky carpet floors. This place is also huge and I’ve never had to wait more than 2 minutes to be seated.
The service could be better, but its not any worse than the other places in Chinatown which aren’t exactly known for their exceptional service. You do have to hail down your waitor, and be very clear when you order otherwise you will get the wrong thing. But all in all this is totally worth it as the dim sum, dumplings, and everything else there is incredible.
Tip: Order the fresh squeezed apple juice, they literally squash an entire apple into the cup and it comes out all foamy and fresh.

Thye main tourist drag of Gerrard Street is never going to prove the most likely place to find a star restaurant. When you have a steady stream of willing tourist victims, oops I mean customers, the urgency for top class cuisine and value for money isn’t the highest
To be fair, they do live up to their restaurant name. Perhaps to call their dumplings legendary is stretching it a bit but they were definitely the best part of our meal. The xiao loong bao had thin skin encasing the soup, which was flavoursome
Sadly, this was the highlight of our meal. The Peking duck promised much as it was carved tableside in the traditional way. The skin was served with pancakes, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce. The meat was fried up but there was only a tiny amount to share between us
The main dishes were forgettable but the real kick came when the bill arrived. £45 for Peking duck and the extortionate amount we were charged for rice means this tourist trap only scores 2 stars