Three of my lady friends were coming up to Boston for a crazy friday night on the town. We stopped here first to grab a quick bite before the festivities.
Atmosphere
This place had the feeling of a pre-school classroom. The place is tiny and the dining area was packed with tables. There was barely room to move, and my arm was constantly being bumped by the wait staff as they walked by. It was too bright and hand cut, neon yellow and pink, construction paper specials were taped to the full length wall mirrors on the left hand side. (Brought me back to the days when I couldn't cut a straight line to save my little five year old life, even though I was sporting a mullet that could have rivaled Steve Seagal's) Also, Asian lanterns hung from the ceiling, finally giving the place a Chinatown look.
Drinks
The drink offerings were slim. They did not offer the stereotypical Asian restaurant specials, like scorpion bowls or sake bombs, that we have come to love. (and hate the next day) They had a handful of bottled beer brands and nothing else of the alcoholic variety.
Menu Category: Family Style Chinese
This is the reason you come to the Gourmet Dumpling House. Everything you order comes out on a large plate that is meant to be shared amongst the whole table. The menu didn't sport the usual Chinese items and, instead, sported choices that included intestines and pig's tongue. However, the overwhelming menu did contain enough conservative dishes to satisfy even the pickiest customer. Everything our table ordered was delicious and flavorful, and as the name suggests, the dumplings were phenomenal.
Service: Low
This was probably the weakest point of our visit to the Dumpling House. Since the place is small, the wait staff rushes you through dinner in order to free up more space for additional customers. Also, organization of the wait staff is poor, and it was ten minutes until we were able to get a waiter to acknowledge our table. We then had to wait another ten minutes before the person assigned to our table actually took a drink order. Once the orders were in, however, the food was on the table in no time.
Personality: Mixed
There wasn't a specific type of person that showed up to this place. Each table had a different mix of ages and personality.
Cash Monies: Low
Probably one of the cheapest places you can eat at. Most entrees were under ten dollars, and each dish had enough food for the whole table.
Chick Talent: Low
Come here for the food, not the women
Chick Friendliness: Low
See above
Group Friendliness: Low
Unfortunately, without the sake bombs allowing for tables to coordinate toasts, there was no interaction between tables.
Would I bring a date here?: No
There is nothing impressive about this place that would make it worthy of a date. All of the tables are so close that you can't help but eavesdrop, which means that the entire place will be able to hear your corny jokes. Also, the staff likes to rush you out after the meal is over, making it difficult to fit in a lot of post dinner talking.
Would I hang out here with my guy friends?: Yes
Perfect place to grab a quick meal before hitting the town. As long as you and the bros don't mind sharing food, then use this as a stepping stone to keep that BAC down after shots at the next bar.
Would I hang out here with my lady friends?: Yes
Same as above. I went here with three girls and they loved the place. Although not terribly classy, it does have some charm to it.
BLUF
This isn't the place to impress your crew with fine dining and quality drinks. But if you are looking for cheap, good food in downtown Boston this is the perfect place. It's about a two minute walk from the t, and another 5 minutes from the bars on Boylston, making it a perfect start to a long, inebriated night.
Did I have fun?: Yes
Chinatown
52 Beach St
Boston, MA 02111
Boston, MA 02111
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