Hong’s Chinese Dumplings

To begin this review I’d like to only speak for the attitude of the woman working there. As I walked over there to order some dumplings she sighed and rolled her eyes. She looked very stressed out and angry. Let me just put this out there that it only happened not even a week ago. I wouldn’t recommended this place to anybody.

These dumplings taste like sex feels. Personal favorites are veggie or crab/​cream cheese.

Went to where the restaurant is supposed to be located. Could not find it. Used GPS and asked people on the street. Not there. Gave it one star because there are no negative stars.

Best dumplings in Vermont. All of her food is excellent and very fresh. I eat here every time I am downtown.

I tried 6 dumplings for $ 7 while on Church St this afternoon. Today there were pork, vegetable, crab & cream cheese and chicken on the menu, I tried all four varieties. I had high hopes for this food cart having earned the title of Best Food Cart in Burlington by Seven Days readers for several years including this year. I was underwhelmed with all the components. The dough for all the dumplings was thick and only two were sealed completely. The crab dumplings were undercooked and the filling did not have the asian flavors I was hoping for. I liked the hot chili sauce most which gave some flavor to these soggy pillows of disappointment. I will have to pass by this cart when I am on Church St. again.

Really enjoy these with hot oil and soy sauce — downside is too much dough and thus very high in carbs — I try to go a bit late for lunch — smaller lines.

After seeing all the reviews I had to try it out. The first time I saw her cart on church street there was a huge line and because I was in a rush there was no way. Unfortunately when I did have time, the cart wasn’t there. I know there is a way to track that but I was acting on impulse.
The line was of medium length when I finally got to try it. I was asking in others in line what they typically order. I love that you can choose one or more of each kind in your order.
The filling an dough are pre-​made but she forms the dumplings throughout the day. So to meet the demand of orders without getting overwhelmed, she quickly does a batch of dumplings for the pan (which takes about 5 minutes) and then plates your order with the finished dumplings on the side which are still very warm.
I think I put garlic sauce in most of them. It was pretty delicious. Not «gorgeous» but I don’t care… I’d rather have yummy food than pretty food any day.
The 6 dumplings were quite filling and worth the money. I have to use use all my strength to resist getting more every time the cart is around.

Awesome little dumpling stand! I was hanging around Church street early afternoon on a Friday when a noticed a line of about 20 people waiting in front of this cart. The was wayyy too long for me to wait, but I took note of it for future visits.
Then, around late afternoon, I found myself around Church St again, but this time – NO LINE! I looked at the menu and ended up getting the sesame noodle with 3 dumplies (veggie). It was her last serving of noodles! It was a huge portion! She then added some carrots and cucumbers, then topped it off with 3 piping hot fried dumplings. She has an assortment of sauces too you can add. She was such a nice lady, great customer service!
We walked to the lake and then enjoyed! She used spaghetti noodles and had a great peanut butter sauce flavor. The veggies went well with it. The dumplings were really great – although they were falling apart. Understandable though since every thing was premade and prepped at a tiny food cart.
Just one portion was plenty for 2 people. We were pretty stuffed for a few hours. Highly recommend coming here if you happen upon this cart!

I had the pleasure of trying these dumplings on church street after hearing about them from my daughter for months. Mom you have to try them… they are amazing. So here we were after a day of shopping on church street and we came upon this cart. I must say I was nervous at first. If you are expecting perfectly shaped dumplings and nice silverware and plates with sauces… walk away… quick! If you are you expecting delicious dumplings all hand rolled by this lovely woman and are willing to eat out of a cardboard box while standing then be prepared for a nice treat. We sampled several different types… all were good. I like the ones with the cream cheese in them because it adds some moisture. I liked the crab, vegetable, and chicken ones. Mostly, I enjoyed chatting with the owner. A wonderful woman, making a hard living by hand rolling all her creations in the heat, cold and whatever else the Vermont climate throws at her. Standing all day. Whatever I paid for them was not enough. Enjoy!
PS…I loved answering some of the questions below… I wanted to be a comedian with some of the responses but I was afraid the humor would be lost on serious food shoppers from out of town.

It is always a great thing to see the red Hong’s cart on church street. Fresh and extremely delicious dumplings made right in front of you. This can mean a line and a wait, but if your hungry and in the mood for these yummy dumplings definitely worth your time.

What a great food cart in the middle of Burlington! Homemade dumplings that made me go woowoowoo! The dough was super tasty and the dumplings are huge! 8 dumplings for $ 10 but she gave us 10 since she was wrapping up to go home. Highly recommend if you’re craving a light bite.

Amazing dumplings, amazing woman. If you are strong enough to wait in her impressive line, you will be greatly rewarded. I love the chili sauce on any of the dumplings. And sometimes she’ll slide you an extra dump! The cold noodles are yummy, too. Best street eats in Burlington.

i crave these. sometimes they are the first thing i think of when i wake up on the weekend. Hong is such a generous lady too, she’s the best and her handmade dumplings are the best in town.
i try to go as often as possible.

I give her a 5 for cuteness and a 3 for the food. The dumplings were okay. I appreciate that they were made right before my eyes but I have to agree with the others when I say they were a bit shoddy and falling part. I also ordered the special of the day that was a cold noodle dish. All in all it was pretty good but it was tossed in peanut butter. What give with the peanut butter and Asian food in Burlington? I am not talking a spicy peanut sauce here I’m talking PB. Any way she’s a cute little old lady so go and buy her dumplings.

Saw a dumpling cart on Church St — thought «awesome! why not?»
Got six (very large) chicken and pork dumplings. Hmm, this could be good. Sadly as I walked away I realized something was up. Out of the six dumplings I ate, only one had an intact skin — the others were all falling apart. To make matters worse, the skins were ridiculously thick and doughy. If your skins don’t seal or break constantly — making them thicker might help — but I just paid $ 5 to eat some lightly-​fried dumpling skins separately from the meat (I was actually expecting straight-​up boiled dumplings for some reason).
Filling was decent — was juicy and had decent texture with the standard leek/​chives/​jiucai but I couldn’t tell for sure. Standard toppings — chili oil, soy sauce, etc. Good to have, though missing my favorite — black vinegar
Maybe I’m spoiled by eating dumplings in LA/​San Gabriel Valley and SF — but these were definitely not up to par.
This might be the best dumpling in 200 miles, but I’ll pass and travel the 220 to Boston Chinatown

I honestly can’t speak for the rest of the food that Mrs. Hong has at her cart, because every time I go there, the dumplings have always been and likely will always be what I go for.
Five dumplings (which you might mean you get six if you order five) makes for an incredibly delicious meal. The chewy dough, with just a bit of crispiness on the outside, is sheer dumpling heaven. Adding a bit of sauce (like her cranberry sauce and a squirt of ginger soy) is a must: without it, they can indeed be a little bland, but some sauce rounds out the the flavor. And don’t get hung up on «authentic Chinese food.» You wouldn’t find these on the streets of Hong Kong, but rejoice: you’ll find them on the streets of Burlington.
Concentrate, instead, on just enjoying really good food. The dumplings are large, delicious, and some of the best-​textured food you’ll ever eat, and the price for that can’t be beat. I’ve started following her on Twitter so I know when she’ll be out on Church Street!

This is a street cart gone right!
The owner is always incredibly nice. The dumplings are what you would expect, delicious but not fancy. The long line shows off just how popular these little dumplings are.

Living in the Burlington area for the past year I’ve always passed by Hong’s, but never had any rush to try them. However, after Hong’s just recently won the Seven Days Daysies award for best Street Eats 2011, I decided to finally try them. Overall, I was not impressed and here is why:
1. Wait time — there was maybe four groups ahead of us which wasn’t a very long line. I have seen Hong’s line much longer before. My girlfriend and I probably spent 20+ minutes waiting in line before we got to order.
2. Price — $ 5 for 6 dumplings, $ 6 for 7 dumplings, etc or $ 1.50/ each is a bit ridiculous. Only in VT could she get away with these prices.
3. Dumplings — for paying so much, I pretty much expected Chinatown style dumplings. These dumplings were way too big. Part of this was b/​c the wrapper was so thick. Also, these dumplings did not seal.
Being Chinese and have eating dumplings all my life, I would categorize this as your typical Americanized Chinese fast food. While I get this is off of a cart, there is no reason it couldn’t have been more authentic.

Hong’s dumplings are amazing! She has 5 flavors, all of which are absolutely delicious. It’s amazing to watch her make them right there on the spot, and the sauces that she has are incredible!
If you’re lucky, you’ll only have to wait in line a few minutes.

For the past couple months, I have resorted to buying frozen Ling Ling potstickers from Costco to satiate my dumpling cravings. You can imagine my relief when I heard there was a cart that was selling dumplings on Church street. I finally got around to trying Hong’s dumplings this weekend while walking by on my way to lunch. I love street food and have had my fair share, but this cart was a bit different from any other that I’ve tried. I was pleasantly surprised by the relatively short line, but the lone woman staffing this cart makes everything by hand so the orders do take a while to cook up. At less than a dollar per dumpling, it was worth the 10 minute wait. Go for the six dumplings for $ 5 to score one of each combination plus an extra of your choosing. You could also mix and match any filling if you already have favorites.
I was pretty excited to try all the offerings so I took one of each plus an extra Vermont maple. The other choices are vegetarian, chicken & cheese, chicken & pork, and crab & cream cheese. The traditional chicken & pork was very good and was probably my second favorite one. The crab & cheese was an interesting combination of flavors for a dumpling, but I don’t think I can eat more than a couple. My favorite turned out to be the Vermont maple, which had maple sausage, egg, and cheese. It is comparable to a sweet breakfast burrito or a McGriddle for you fast food lovers. I never thought dumplings could be a fusion food, but it definitely worked for me. I love handmade dumpling skin, made freshly on-​site and pan-​fried to perfection. The woman said she’s been doing this for 15 years now and it shows that she knows what she is doing.
I wouldn’t say that these are the best dumplings I’ve ever had, but it’s definitely the most original idea of fusing local Vermont cuisine with traditional Chinese dumplings. FIve stars for reasonably priced, quick, and creative street food!