Kingdom of Dumplings

(Outer Sunset)
1713 Taraval St.  
415-566-6143 Map it

$
Chinese
cheap eats, family style, kid-friendly, lunch, open 7 days, take-out

SCENE: This small restaurant looks a bit like the waiting room of a doctor’s office, except every table is covered with bamboo steamers filled with dumplings—before long, the lone picture window is fogged up, obscuring your view of Taraval Street. The warm welcome from the owner makes even first-timers feel like regulars.

EATS: As the name suggests, dumplings are the thing to order here: Shanghai soup dumplings, chicken-and-corn dumplings and lamb-and-Chinese-vegetable dumplings are just some of the 30-odd options, all made by hand. Start with the boiled peanuts and the tofu-noodle salad (spaghetti-like noodles made from soy, slicked with sesame oil and tossed with cilantro), and supplement your selection of dumplings with one of the specials listed on the whiteboard, such as garlic eggplant with shrimp. Note: You can also pick up bags of frozen dumplings to take home.