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Where to Find Excellent Dumplings in the Twin Cities

Because nothing says comfort like dough and filling

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The best dumplings transcend dough and filling; whether fried, steamed, boiled, or crimped in myriad ways, they are infinitely diverse in flavors, fillings, and preparation. This map, featuring restaurants across Minneapolis and Saint Louis Park, addresses the dumpling as culturally agnostic, so the varieties covered are vast: potstickers, gyoza, gnocchi, empanadas, momos and pierogis, and more.

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Gorkha Palace

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Momos, a type of steamed dumpling shaped like half-moons, are one of several highlights in Gorkha’s expansive menu, which spans Nepal, India, and Tibet. Co-owner Rashmi Bhattachan sold these Nepalese delicacies at the Mill City Farmers Market long before founding Gorkha — and more lately her newest outpost, Momo Dosa — so naturally, her tenure comes through in each momo’s meticulously pleated skin wrapped around juicy patties of turkey, veggie, or bison, all sourced from local farms. Served with a bright tomato chutney, they’re enough to make a meal.

Dumplings on a white ceramic plate with a duo of sauces Gorkha Palace

Bar La Grassa

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Gnocchi’s can — and often do — veer into gummy territory. Not in the capable hands of Isaac Becker, one of the Twin Cities’ reliable treasures. His gnocchi holds a pillowy chew and is a terrific vehicle for a floral (orange) and nutty (cauliflower) sauce that’s redolent of a sticky marmalade. Rich yet somehow weightless. And hauntingly flavorful.

Gnocchi plated in a ceramic bowl Bar La Grassa

JUN Szechuan Kitchen & Bar

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Like at Jessie “Jun” Wong’s Szechuan, in Roseville, the noodles, dumplings, and buns are all made from scratch, in-house, so gossamer and pliant skin is expected from the three options (all $12) currently on her menu at Jun, her trendier outpost. But what sets these Szechuan dumplings apart is that slick chili broth — with a subtle heat that crawls over your tongue then across your lips — weightless yet somehow deeply aromatic. Best to consume on-premise.

Dumplings topped with delicate chives and a slick chili broth JUN Szechuan

Kramarczuk Sausage Company

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With 37 varieties of sausage on offer, Pierogis, or Varenyky, may be seen as an afterthought. Hardly. Kramarczuk’s dumplings are handmade and filled from scratch every day with unleavened wheat, yielding a dough that’s thick but addictively springy. Each pierogi is stuffed like an oversized cushion — either with potato and cheese or sauerkraut — and hasn’t changed much from when it debut over 50 years ago.

Pierogi being folded and set on a baking tray Kramarczuk’s

Sanjusan

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Gyoza is a humbler offering among the envelope-pushing, Japanese-Italian fare at Kado No Mise’ sister eatery. And folding foie-gras into a dumpling certainly isn’t novel — due credit should be given to Anita Lo, who famously incorporated the prized liver in soup dumplings, a dish that remained on her restaurant’s menu for 17 years before it shuttered — but it’s a welcome delight. And like the best gyozas we’ve had, Sanjusan’s are encased in a skin that’s crisply burnished on the bottom and softly pleated on top.

Crisped chicken liver gyoza topped with chives in a stone-colored bowl. Sanjusan | Wing Ta

Yangtze

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What to make of an old-school dim sum parlor that also casually offers Hunan, Sichuan, and Thai staples? No matter. Yangtze’s traditional Cantonese small plates remain a stronghold, and its har gow, or crystal shrimp dumplings, are nearly textbook. Said otherwise: whole chunks shrimp bound by glossy and delicate (yet chewy) wrappers, sized conservatively. Offered only offered during lunch, on weekends.

Devotees of Martina’s vaunted empanadas rejoiced when its progenitor, Facundo DeFraia, left to set up his own shop. His “Puerro,” a variety featuring creamed leeks and gorgonzola, remains on Martina’s menu and is on Boludo’s, too; it’s one of six Empanadas currently on offer at each of his two outposts in Minneapolis. And it’s as good as we remember: pastry is swollen and flaky while the filling is generous and satisfying. Plus, it’s a fraction of the cost — $14 at Martina versus $3.95 here. Multiple locations.

Flaky, heat-pocked empanadas in a row with sauce Boludo

Dumpling

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There’s plenty on offer at Dumpling for good reason; its namesake staples are sturdy and well-constructed, so you won’t go wrong with almost anything on the menu. A must-order is the Falafel Dumplings, which are filled with chickpeas, onions, jalapeño, parsley, cilantro, and cumin and accompanied by a coolly refreshing tahini mint sauce. Not strictly traditional, but harmonious and comforting.

Falafel dumplings in a dish with tahini mint sauce Dumpling | Jake Durham

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Gorkha Palace

Momos, a type of steamed dumpling shaped like half-moons, are one of several highlights in Gorkha’s expansive menu, which spans Nepal, India, and Tibet. Co-owner Rashmi Bhattachan sold these Nepalese delicacies at the Mill City Farmers Market long before founding Gorkha — and more lately her newest outpost, Momo Dosa — so naturally, her tenure comes through in each momo’s meticulously pleated skin wrapped around juicy patties of turkey, veggie, or bison, all sourced from local farms. Served with a bright tomato chutney, they’re enough to make a meal.

Dumplings on a white ceramic plate with a duo of sauces Gorkha Palace

Bar La Grassa

Gnocchi’s can — and often do — veer into gummy territory. Not in the capable hands of Isaac Becker, one of the Twin Cities’ reliable treasures. His gnocchi holds a pillowy chew and is a terrific vehicle for a floral (orange) and nutty (cauliflower) sauce that’s redolent of a sticky marmalade. Rich yet somehow weightless. And hauntingly flavorful.

Gnocchi plated in a ceramic bowl Bar La Grassa

JUN Szechuan Kitchen & Bar

Like at Jessie “Jun” Wong’s Szechuan, in Roseville, the noodles, dumplings, and buns are all made from scratch, in-house, so gossamer and pliant skin is expected from the three options (all $12) currently on her menu at Jun, her trendier outpost. But what sets these Szechuan dumplings apart is that slick chili broth — with a subtle heat that crawls over your tongue then across your lips — weightless yet somehow deeply aromatic. Best to consume on-premise.

Dumplings topped with delicate chives and a slick chili broth JUN Szechuan

Kramarczuk Sausage Company

With 37 varieties of sausage on offer, Pierogis, or Varenyky, may be seen as an afterthought. Hardly. Kramarczuk’s dumplings are handmade and filled from scratch every day with unleavened wheat, yielding a dough that’s thick but addictively springy. Each pierogi is stuffed like an oversized cushion — either with potato and cheese or sauerkraut — and hasn’t changed much from when it debut over 50 years ago.

Pierogi being folded and set on a baking tray Kramarczuk’s

Sanjusan

Gyoza is a humbler offering among the envelope-pushing, Japanese-Italian fare at Kado No Mise’ sister eatery. And folding foie-gras into a dumpling certainly isn’t novel — due credit should be given to Anita Lo, who famously incorporated the prized liver in soup dumplings, a dish that remained on her restaurant’s menu for 17 years before it shuttered — but it’s a welcome delight. And like the best gyozas we’ve had, Sanjusan’s are encased in a skin that’s crisply burnished on the bottom and softly pleated on top.

Crisped chicken liver gyoza topped with chives in a stone-colored bowl. Sanjusan | Wing Ta

Yangtze

What to make of an old-school dim sum parlor that also casually offers Hunan, Sichuan, and Thai staples? No matter. Yangtze’s traditional Cantonese small plates remain a stronghold, and its har gow, or crystal shrimp dumplings, are nearly textbook. Said otherwise: whole chunks shrimp bound by glossy and delicate (yet chewy) wrappers, sized conservatively. Offered only offered during lunch, on weekends.

Boludo

Devotees of Martina’s vaunted empanadas rejoiced when its progenitor, Facundo DeFraia, left to set up his own shop. His “Puerro,” a variety featuring creamed leeks and gorgonzola, remains on Martina’s menu and is on Boludo’s, too; it’s one of six Empanadas currently on offer at each of his two outposts in Minneapolis. And it’s as good as we remember: pastry is swollen and flaky while the filling is generous and satisfying. Plus, it’s a fraction of the cost — $14 at Martina versus $3.95 here. Multiple locations.

Flaky, heat-pocked empanadas in a row with sauce Boludo

Dumpling

There’s plenty on offer at Dumpling for good reason; its namesake staples are sturdy and well-constructed, so you won’t go wrong with almost anything on the menu. A must-order is the Falafel Dumplings, which are filled with chickpeas, onions, jalapeño, parsley, cilantro, and cumin and accompanied by a coolly refreshing tahini mint sauce. Not strictly traditional, but harmonious and comforting.

Falafel dumplings in a dish with tahini mint sauce Dumpling | Jake Durham

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