Everybody knows that you get the best dumplings in Shanghai.But where in Shanghai? Believe it or not, I found a place that actually has them. These guys know what they’re doing even though they work out of a hole-in-the-wall that looks rather dirty.

Don’t let the looks scare you away however, it is what’s on the inside that matters and quite literary in this case since they sell dumplings. Find the place using the map below but be advised it is not the restaurant in the bubble. Use the photos below for visual direction, it is the place with the A/C on the outside. It is located on the right hand side of the street right where the bubble pointer is.

How the Best Dumplings in Shanghai are Made

What’s great about these little dumplings is how they are made. There is a giant mound of ground pork sitting on the counter next to another mound of dough. The pork has been spiced up with what I want to believe is a secret recipe. Every 20 minutes the chef takes a handful of the pork and makes a fresh dumpling with the dough. The dumplings are then tossed into a fiery hot skillet of oil and are then fried under a bamboo lid for a while.

Spring onions are added while the dumplings are being cooked and they are also sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds. The result is THE best dumplings in Shanghai. The bottom is crispy and slightly fried. The dumpling wall on the is soft, tender and silky smooth thanks to being steamed by the heat (and never touching the oil). Once you nibble a hole in the dumpling there is a savory pork soup inside. The pork ball has been simmered in the soup and tastes absolutely amazingly good! You get a side of vinegar and fresh-cut ginger here too which you dip the dumplings in once the soup has been sucked out.

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A bite of these dumplings and you will be hooked – these are the best dumplings in Shanghai after all. You get 8 dumplings for a meager $1.25 and they keep you full for a good 3 hours. But because they are so savory and good you might just double that order and try the round ones and the gyoza-looking ones. Both are fantastic and I could return to Shanghai just to eat here again.

Bon appetit!