Dumpling Palace

I’m giving Dumpling Palace 4 stars for consistently good food and service we received there, but unfortunately, they have CLOSED.
There’s another Chinese restaurant ready to open in the same space — I hope they also offer authentic Chinese cuisine. Sad to see them go.

I was looking for a place with good reviews for take-​out. If this restaurant still exists, I was not able to try it because I called four times, and they didn’t answer the phone. I kept searching for a different phone number and kept coming up with the same number. It rang many times and then there was a recording where I could leave a message, but did not. Gave up and tried Yang Ming in Salem NH, which was good!

Very pleased with the Dumpling Palace. My family and I have been searching for a go to place in the Derry area. We are hooked on the Spicy Eggplant hot pot and Beef with string beans (made spicy)… All the dumplings are excellent.

Food is pretty good, the staff, including manager lack all semblance of customer service and understanding of cultural norms… I think they would benefit form a customer service class or 2…:.they told the table next to me that that’s just the way they made the dish, sorry, but you ordered it now eat it… found a hair in my food, they said ok and walked away… I just picked it out… but most Chinese in the area is not so great so… lesser of 2 evils?

Good, but not what I was really hoping for.
Somehow or another, two unusual things simultaneously took place: 1.) I was craving dumplings, and 2.) I was in Londonderry, NH.
So after a quick google search, I discovered this little spot. I like that they have Mai Tai specials on Mondays and Tuesdays, $ 5 baby. So that was definitely ordered.
Then came our dumplings. Now what I was hoping for (and maybe my expectations were a bit too high) were actual steam dumplings. The kind that are light, fluffy, and filled with sweet pork belly. Instead, I got the «ravioli» type dumplings. Never the less, not to take any credit away from these guys, very good food.

We tried this place again and it was so much better, The kinks have been worked out since the opening. The scallion pancakes were freshly made and the chicken and veggie and pork and chive dumplings were outstanding and hand made.
There was a new paint job and fresh linens covering the old Ginger Garden tables, as well as all the Christmas lights and chintzy decorations removed that they had there before. It no longer seemed dingy and gross. It’s good to have a quality Chinese place around since the Derry area is completely devoid of one and the other options besides the Americanized Chinese make it a great place to try. Great job on the turnaround.

Wanted to give 5 stars but just did not feel it. After reading their website saying how important their customers are and how they treat you so well, wife and I had a district meh. Waiter was dismissive, looking over his shoulder when asking it for was ok. Owner never came around to ask how it was or welcome us in any way. Dumplings and buns were excellent. Udon and pad Thai were great. Shanghai greens were actually baby bok Choy, anyone who has been to shanghai would know these are not the same thing. So, food is really good, atmosphere and staff is not so good. You decide.

I had high hopes for this place. It’s really hard to find good food in this area. I guess living in Somerville has spoiled me. We had the crab Rangoon which was decent– light and flaky crust and very tasty, a few too many scallions for me, but that’s personal preference. We also had the Singapore rice noodles and the pad Thai. Both looked amazing but lacked flavor. They almost tasted watered down, and neither was spicy as advertised. The beef and vegetable dumplings were ok, but very doughy. We also had a hot and sour soup. This was a generous portion, very spicy, but again lacked flavor. It seemed like it was mostly heat. Very disappointing I doubt we will return.

We came here for dinner on Easter after reading the reviews and were glad that we did! We ordered Xiao Lung Bao, garlic eggplant casserole, braised tofu with fish filet and braised pork with spinach. The XLB was really good, especially for the area. Garlic eggplant casserole was our favorite. The braised tofu and braised pork were both good. Service was quick and friendly. A nice authentic Chinese place in NH. Will definitely return when in the area!

Take out Review —
Loved the food. Having been to China just a few years ago I got to eat real Chinese food. I know this might be more Taiwanese than the mainland. But it was the closest I’ve had in a long time to what I got in China. The food was so different from almost all the other Chinese places in the area. All the other places in the area you get the same frozen egg rolls, greasy chicken fingers, flavorless Beef and Broccoli. Here the food, from what I could tell, was all fresh and made there.
Nice job putting the noodles separate from the Peking Sauce and letting us mix it at home. Everywhere else would have just slapped it together and tossed it in a box. Also the Dumplings were real and authentic. I saw one review complain about the Dumplings being «full of water/​Soggy inside». Well don’t go to China, that is the way they make truly good dumplings, with the broth inside that adds the flavor to the pork and other ingredients inside the dumpling. Not like the New England version, full of pasty goo in a dry shell. We’ve had the dumplings 2 times from here and they have been good and brothy both times.
I see the disappointing reviews don’t like the «cleanliness» of the shop. We had take out so it was not an issue for us.
For true Chinese food, it’s a hit. But for those who want the frozen yucky New England version of Chinese — Super Wok, Nan King will love your business. Or just go to the frozen food section at Hannafords or Market Basket. You can get it there and make that type of goo at home yourself. Nothing like home cooking :)

Had a not so good experience, maybe we will give it a second chance. Why not?

The food is so bad, I came here mistakenly for the name Dumpling Palace, only 9 differently types, 1 a bun and 8 dumpling, had barely any flavor, very sweaty and full of water, the filling barely any taste but the umami was STRONG! The crispy chicken with basil leafs were covered in nasty batter and taste was terrible. Man I got all kinds of regrets, I drove 40 minutes to come here. disappointing, do not recommend!

Great authentic food. I came for lunch and found a great selection on the menu. The dumpling appetizers are fantastic! Great to have another option in the area that has such high-​quality food.
I would come back anytime and get appetizers to go when in a hurry.

Went here for lunch and surprising finding something special on the menu. Instead of the usual America Chinese food, we spotted some authentic Chinese dishes. Immediately we order the pork dumpling to start which takes about 15 min. Salt n peppered wings, which I would say is just ok, because l personally don’t like my wings breaded. We then ordered their lunch specials, 3 dishes for 23.95 that include soup and rice. They are all so darn good, we box up every bit of the left over.
The reason why I gave it a 4 star is because I thought they would do a little better job with the interior. Everything is the same just like before, the clear plastic table top is all scratched up which looks like it’s stained and dirty. I’m sure it’s clean but it’s just a feeling that it’s dirty because of its appearance. Service was absolutely superb, very attentive servers and super friendly. A must come back since my wife’s favorite restaurant is much further. This can be her new favorite now.

The juicy pork dumplings were awesome! Now I don’t have to go into Chinatown to get them! The beef ribs were very good, very garlicky. Overall we enjoyed our experience here and will be back for sure!

I’m super excited that a «Real Chinese» restaurant is open so close to us in Londonderry! I went with some reservations about it’s authenticity, but after one slice of scallion pancake, my trepidation was replaced with anticipation.
Since I’ve been raised on authentic Chinese food from many regions of China, I think this place is great. I stayed away from the Americanized stuff like PuPu platter and chicken & broccoli. Instead we feasted on:
*scallion pancakes, which were flaky and flavorful, loaded with fresh scallions
*juicy dumplings that were indeed juicy and served in a steamer
*chive and pork pan fried dumplings – the skins were thin and the filling to skin ratio was good, not like other places where the skin is so thick and chewy
*Shanghai pan fried buns that were fluffy and tasty
*dry sauteed Szechuan chili beef that was very flavorful and not too spicy, though my husband and I would like it a bit spicier
*beef chow fun – which again was very flavorful, well cooked with little nuggets of browned garlic, scallions, bean sprouts and seasoned beef
Everything was very good including the service. Our waitress was very attentive.
My family and I look forward to going back again, and if this quality of food and service is the norm, then we’ll be regulars.

My husband and I went here on a whim. We avoided this place when it was Ginger Garden as we usually ended up with a sick belly. Based on the name we expected it to be more of a Dim Sum place, we were a bit disappointed that it was not. Our disappointment did not last long, however, after trying some of their menu items.
They have traditional American-​style Chinese dishes, along with some traditional Chinese. They do have some Dim Sum (dumplings) but not a big selection. They also have hot pots and soups on their menu. We decided to try the pork and scallion dumplings, the soft shelled crab appetizer and the seafood soup in a clay pot. I cannot say enough good things about the flavor and freshness of the food we received. The dumplings were prepared fresh to order and tasted like it.
Very flavorful and the dipping sauce was great.
The crab was amazingly crispy and not greasy at all.
Then came the soup. They told us it would serve at least two people. They fibbed… it would feed at least 4 people ! The broth was extraordinary and there was so much fish !! There was scallops and shrimp and clams and calamari… and lots of them ! We ended up taking enough home that the two of us had it for dinner the following evening. The broth was still just as wonderful and there was still plenty of fish left for both of us to enjoy it. The cost was also amazing, $ 19.95 and we got 2 full dinners from it.
We did go back a second time and ordered dumplings again and the crab. Then we ordered the lamb soup in a clay pot. No complaints there either! It is spicier than the seafood soup and we were able to choose, mild, medium or really hot… we went with medium and that was perfect. I personally prefer the seafood as it was more soothing in this cold weather and snow. The lamb soup though is perfect if you have a head cold as it will clear you right out ! lol…
This new place is just wonderful and I think we may just have to go back again and try their signature soup of 2 cups chicken… and a few new appetizers to boot.
The staff is very attentive, though a bit of a language barrier exists. With a bit of smiling and back and forth conversation, understanding come very quickly. The owners and waitstaff are the nicest people and are very patient with all my questions regarding ingredients.
Give Dumpling Palace a try. but keep and open mind as it is a bit different than your average Chinese restaurant… and far better!

Being a big dumpling fan, I was looking forward to trying this restaurant.(I find it really hard to find good dumplings in NH).
They offer a wide selection of fresh made dumplings. we enjoyed the shang dong pan fried.
The wonton soup was nice and light.
The Singapore rice noodles were very good
Watch out for the spice in the salt & pepper wings, hot & tasty!
The chicken with Szechuan sauce was hot.
Huge portions! Friendly service.
The menu could be improved to include description of the dishes.

Hubs and I decided that we needed to try something more resembling dinner, so we braved the cold on a recent Saturday night to see if our previous experience was true to form.
We started with pork and vegetable dumplings — AMAZING! The filling was juicy, tender, and seasoning lightly with sesame oil and garlic. They were gone in an instant. And we were counting ourselves lucky.
Dinner arrived. Hubs ordered black mushrooms with Shanghai vegetables. What came out was almost too pretty to eat. Lightly steamed baby bok choi was arranged in a circle crowned by a heaping pile of garlic and ginger seasoned mushrooms. Absolutely wonderful!
My order of crunchy basil chicken was seasoned with ginger and garlic and topped by Crunchy Thai basil leaves. They made a nice accompaniment to the bok choi, and before we knew it, we had finished both plates.
We congratulated ourselves as we drove home that we had found authentic Chinese food outside of Boston! In the words of a popular tv ad, «we broke into our happy dance!» Thank you, Dumpling Palace! We will be back!

We were loyal patrons of Ginger Garden and usually Chinese food in America is all the same fried suspects but this was different! When they say the food is spicy, it is spicy! I had the fish with Szechuan sauce; it was an enormous portion and very tasty. My husband had the Shrimp Pad Thai which was also a very large portion and not too sweet as many restaurants do but not much in the way of shrimp. On the other hand, it was a deal at 7.50. We ordered the vegetable dumplings which were mild and complex but a bit too doughy. I would try another type next time. They had Kendall Jackson at only $ 7 per glass and the pour was very generous. The manager came over to speak to us and one of our waiters gave us a complimentary appetizer. It was a true Chinese dish so a bit different than what I am used to so I can’t evaluate how well it was done as my taste would be too subjective. We will be back next week!
ps. I wish they would turn down the lighting in that place to make it a tiny bit cozy! If the atmosphere were better I probably would have given 5 Stars.

Dumpling Palace opened recently in the Londonderry Commons, inside the former Ginger Garden space. Their other restaurant is Szechuan’s Dumpling in Arlington, MA.
This casual full service restaurant serves up a good variety of Chinese & Taiwanese dishes including plenty of seafood, chicken, pork, beef & vegetable dishes, hot pots, stir fry noodles, fried rice, noodle soups, appetizers, dumplings (steamed or fried) and 45 Daily Lunch Specials ($ 8.25 each) are served (until 3PM) with house daily soup and white rice.
I stopped here for lunch recently and was promptly seated in a booth. Like before, the place has ample table and booth seating (plate glass dining surface over table) in the dining areas. There are also a couple of flatscreen TVs in the dining area too. The buffet stations from the former Ginger Garden can be seen in the back.
The waiter arrived promptly and took my drink order (a pot of complementary hot tea). For a starter, I went with the Steamed Pork & Vegetables Dumplings ($ 7.25 for 10), which were very small dumplings served with a soy dipping sauce. The dumplings were alright, which consisted of soft dough filled with ground pork balls, lukewarm though.
For lunch, the L15 Sweet and Sour Flounder ($ 8.25) served with white rice and a bowl of seaweed soup (came out first). The seaweed soup was served hot, very simple light chicken broth with strands of seaweed. The main dish had a mix of soft breaded fish filets mixed with broccoli, carrots, celery, baby corn, straw mushrooms in a thick very sweet and sticky sauce. The check total for lunch was $ 16.90 with tax and before tip.
Overall, the food was okay and the service was prompt on this recent dine-​in visit.

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