4 stars wasabi fries 3 stars for the dumplings I usually love dumplings, but theirs were just average. Bought a kimchi one and also another type — one panfried and one steamed. Meh whatevs. However, the wasabi crinkle cut fries were awesome. They’re just extra crispy yet airy crinkle cut fries with this wasabi cream on top. Loved them.
Harry G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Winnetka, CA
Who doesn’t love pot stickers??? Very few people I’ve ever met. And to base a truck on them exclusively? The had better be very good. The good news here is, they are! I’ve tried several of their offerings both pan fried and steamed. Never tried one deep fried although it sounds awesome. Another good thing about this truck is that the prices are low and the portions are small. You can easily get an order of dumplings and something else off another truck if that’s your desire. It’s what I usually do! This truck does the one thing most good trucks do very well. They make just a couple of things and they do them well! Definitely Stalker Approved!
James B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, CA
I’m a huge fan of potstickers and dumplings and Dumpling Station doesn’t disappoint. Dumpling Station was one of the 20+ trucks in Chatsworth and they were the last truck I visited, so I couldn’t order much. My biggest regret of the night. haha I ordered 4 pan fried Pork & Veggie dumplings for $ 3.75. Even though I was full I wanted to order more, but I restrained myself. The pork and the veggies were ground up, so they had the soft texture I like in my dumplings. The skin was very soft and perfectly pan-fried.I didn’t even need to use soy sauce for dipping. The garlic fries were very delicious as well. $ 3.50 for a generous portion. Even though dumplings and fries is an odd combination, I had a great 4th dinner that night. Don’t judge. Note to self: Order more dumplings and try them fried and steamed.
Cesar R.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Hacienda Heights, CA
PORKIN A GYMSOCK! Stuff pork into pretty much ANYTHING… and you’re almost guaranteed my attention… add kimchi… now you have officially piqued my interest. PANFRIEDKIMCHIPORKDUMPLINGS($ 4) My sis and I got 4 dumplings with this order… and although the pork was decent… it was nothing special, and the kimchi failed to add that extra spicy kick …it was a mediocre appetizer, nothing more, nothing less. Now that you mention it… I may have been just as happy eating high quality pork out of a gym sock… I mean… Like…you know, a CLEAN gym sock… I’m not a filthy animal, people.
Vickie C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 South Pasadena, CA
On my way home, I spotted a food truck parked next to Garfield Park In South Pas. It was the Dumpling Station! I always get excited when I spot a food truck. I quickly park right behind it to grab some dumplings for dinner! Overall, they are quite pricey as in all other food trucks. The skins of the dumplings were a bit on the thicker/doughy side. Also, they use a lot of oil to pan-fry so the dumplings come out on the oilier side. They were good, but nothing special to write home about. I got the DS Combo for $ 9.75(drink included): 4KIMCHIPORKDUMPLINGS(pan fried): These were ok. There was a slight hint of spiciness. Besides that nothing special. 4PORKANDLEEKDUMPLINGS(pan fried): Your typical pork and leek dumplings. However, I didn’t taste any leeks at all. They grounded up the leeks and mixed it with the pork, so the flavor of the leek was very weak. 3NUTELLAANDBANANAWONTONS(they come deep fried): Its exactly what it sounds like… a glop of nutella and a piece of banana wrapped in a wonton wrapper then deep fried. They lightly dust it with some powdered sugar. Pretty good, but anything with nutella is always good! This is one of those places that you find yourself excited to try if you happened to see them around. Don’t go chasing them down! Its not THAT exciting.
James Y.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Santa Ana, CA
The Dumpling Station came by my office during lunch time. I ordered an order of pan fried dumplings. 4 kimchi pork and 4 pork and veggies. You can also opt to have your dumplings deep fried too. The kimchi ones were good! Full of flavor. The pork ones were good too but not as good as the kimchi ones. The dipping sauce that came with the dumplings were good too. I had to add some chili sauce to it since i like my food a little spicy. The service was good and fast. The staff was friendly and hopeful with questions about the menu items. That how i found out that i was able to choose two different dumplings for my order.
Ciara G.
Rating des Ortes: 5 The Heights, NJ
I have not came home and wrote a review in the same day after eating at a place in a loooooonnnnng time. I totally have to agree with The Obi Wan Food Truck Master Bill C. and say quoting him«This might be the best value Food Truck yet». For $ 8.25 I got 8 Pan Fried Dumplings and an order of Jalapeño Cream Cheese Wontons(3 per order for $ 2.50). Just like Bill C, I got change back from my $ 10 bill! I kept the 3 quarters and happily left the dollar in their tip jar. I went for the full order of dumplings so I could try a variety of their offerings. They are awesome to let you halfsies the order. Half order is 4 for $ 3.00 and full order is 8 for $ 5.50. I went for the Chicken and Pork with Vegetable. You have several ways for them to prepare your dumplings and I went with pan fried(steamed or deep fried are the other options). My order was up in less than 5 minutes and I found a ledge on the wall behind me and got to eating. I honestly couldn’t tell my dumpling choices apart(even after the friendly dumpling cashier showed me which one was which) but I didn’t care as both were crispy pockets filled with flavorful, juicy, delicious dumplingness. Up next was the Jalapeño Cream Cheese Wontons and O-M-F-G they were FANTASTIC! I’m not sure how I will eat another cream cheese filled wonton again. Well, I’ll be able to manage but the jalapenos inside were a home run and there was sure a party going on in my tummy. So yummy so yummy! So stoked they had to move spots today and ended up on Sawtelle bc I probably wouldn’t have tried them today otherwise. Dumpling Station gives you a full tummy for your bucks and I already can’t wait til I cross their path again.
Angela C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Irvine, CA
Came across this green truck with a cute little dumpling on it while shopping in Downtown Pasadena. My rule of thumb is to never turn down the opportunity to try a truck, even though we just finished eating a big lunch. Since it was mid-afternoon there was no wait. They have only about 5 different varieties of dumplings and a few other items on the menu. The wasabi fries sounded pretty good, but we stuck to the dumplings. I got the pork and leek dumplings, which were nothing special, but the outer skin tasted homemade. You can order them steamed, pan fried, or deep fried. It’s pretty pricey for dumplings that you can easily make at home($ 3 for 4 pieces), and you can’t mix and match your dumplings so you’d have to get 4 with the same filling. The dumplings here are not much better than the frozen ones you can buy at your local 99 Ranch. I did like the garlic, vinegar, and soy dipping sauce that came with the dumplings though.
Bill C.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Encino, CA
This might be the best value Food Truck yet. 8 Dumplings; a big order of Garlic Wasabi Fries and a Diet Coke; all for $ 8.00. I can’t remember the last time I felt so sated and got change back from a $ 10.00. I ordered the DS combo. They either give you 8 of the same dumpling or let you split it 4 + 4 so I went with the Pork & Leek and well as the Kimchi Beef. It was actually kind of neat as the Pan-fried Dumplings looked identical, and I couldn’t tell which was which before I bit into them. I think I liked the Pork & Leek a little bit better; maybe because I am not much of a leek eater, but I could live on the other dumplings too. The Dumplings come with two dipping sauces; a soy sauce and a Sriracha. they both worked nicely. The star of the meal was the Garlic Wasabi Fries. They started with a nice miix of short crispy, and long not-so-crispy fries(and yes Lucy Y, they were better than Frysmith) and put the right amount of Garlic and Wasabi on them. 4 hours, 3 pieces of Stride Spearmint and half a roll of Breath Savers later, I am still enjoying the flavor. Good thing I am staying home tonight. «Gourmet Food Truck #40 on my never-ending quest to try every truck in So Cal».
Cat B.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Raleigh, NC
Went there this afternoon. Saw inside the truck and on their counter, they had all their dumplings laid out and covered with plastic wrap… just hangin’ out on the counter. Umm. this is against health code. If it’s UNcooked, it shouldn’t be left at room temp, and if it IS cooked, again, it shouldn’t be left at room temp. So we ordered some steamed dumplings… I took 1 bite, the boyfriend ate about 4 of them… its a few hours later now, and we’re both 2 seconds away from throwing up in our tiny, studio apartment. How are we supposed to share 1 toilet to puke in? I guess I’ll use the kitchen sink… Hey Dumpling Station, read up on how to properly store food, ok?:
Pauline M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Hacienda Heights, CA
I come from a family that makes our own dumplings, wrappers included, so ordering dumplings is always blasphemy. Don’t tell my mom. The wrapper is pretty qqqq as my people say. Chewy, chewy, chewy. Definitely freshly made and kudos to the truck for making their own dough. The internals are ok. The kimchee one lacks the kimchee punch. You gotta use older kimchee than that for all the flavor. Anyway, I’d probably opt to get more dumplings from this truck if it were in my area or if I were in need of hangover food. Double points for being a lot healthier than some other trucks. Not doused in taco oil, that’s for sure.
Lisa M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Redondo Beach, CA
As a hopeless dumpling lover, I have been dying to try the Dumpling Station. I went to the Food Truck Fest in Marina Del Rey yesterday, and besides being pleased to find that it was not crowded at all, I was excited to see the DS truck! We only ordered 4 of the chicken and veggie dumplings, deep-fried, and figured if they were good then we’d order more. After about 5 minutes, our order came out. Now remember, I love dumplings, and I guess I was expecting something more than what I could buy frozen at the grocery store. Frankly, the dumplings were just average. Their wasabi garlic fries were pretty good though. Maybe we need to try their kimchi pork dumplings for something a little out of the ordinary next time.
Christine C.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Los Angeles, CA
The truck is meh all around, but I give them props for trying and going to places where it would be hard to find dumplings. Unfortunately however, I could probably make better frozen dumplings from Chinese supermarkets. Sorry, guys. Price is ok. It’s not expensive, but not cheap either, as eight go for $ 5.50. Dumplings don’t taste that fresh. Skins are thick. The whole thing tasted dry, as I expect dumplings to be moist with even the slightest bit of juice inside at least. I got the classic pork+leek and while it was ok-tasting and filling, it was not great at all. Along with steaming, you also have the option of getting them pan-fried. Which also isn’t that much better, as I feel they do not fry them nearly enough. With thick skins you should be frying them for longer, or else it doesn’t taste as good. They do give you decent dipping sauces, but because the dumplings are so dry it’ll make you really thirsty really fast. Unless they improve their recipe or cooking method, you should probably pass if you’ve had good dumplings before.
Randi B.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Anaheim Hills, CA
Food — 5 stars. People working — 1 star. This line was looong. I was really irritated at how long it was taking them to serve people. Once we were up there, we realized it was the cashier that was taking so much time, not the actual serving of the food. I asked for 2 chicken and 2 beef dumplings. He told me I couldn’t do that. Why not? He said, «you need to get 4.» «I am getting 4.» «No, you need to get 4 of each.» «So you are telling me that I cannot have 2 chicken and 2 beef?» «No, you can only have 4 chicken and 4 beef.» «Then just give me 4 chicken.» What a stupid rule, it makes NO sense to me. He asked my name and I told him«Randi.» He said«what??» «RANDI» «Brandy?» «No, Randi, like a boy» And then he laughed at me and rolled his eyes. Suck it Dumpling Boy. The dumplings were good though. We got them deep fried instead of pan fried. Really liked the sauces served with them.
Maggie C.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Los Angeles, CA
Wow this place is overrated IMO Went to Pasadena and was rushing to eat before my facial appointment at Burke. Dumpling Station food truck? Sure. why not Ordered: kimchi dumpling, pork and leek dumpling and banana chocolate banana wonton. You can order the dumpings either in 4 or 8… same price per piece if you do the math. So I was waiting for my dumplings and they called my name. Was it ready? NO… they forgot to ask if I wanted my dumplings steamed, fried or pan fried. The girl who took the order was very sweet but they should get her a calculator. She was trying to figure out the total for a while after I figured it out 15 seconds earlier and she got it wrong at first. Pork leek dumplings were average but it was better than the kimchi. I would say 2.5 stars for the dumplings, 2 stars for wasabi fries(regular tasteless fries with wasabi mayo on top and 2 stars for chocolate banana wonton. Friendly service though. 2 stars! Dumpling Station is not yummylicious!
Jenny B.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Pasadena, CA
Cute truck, but didn’t mean it had great dumplings. They were okay. Got myself an order of 4pcs of kimchi pork and pork&leek dumplings, total 8 pcs when they made a stop at Media Center in Olympic. Kimchi Pork(pan fried) for $ 2.75 — definitely not a fan of this at all. The kimchi was overpowering the taste of the pork and it felt like there’s no meat at all. The skin was also way too thick to enjoy eating it. This dish is definitely not for me. Pork & Leek(steamed) for $ 2.75 — this was not bad, but certainly not the best one out there. Also abit thick with the skin and made it unenjoyable when taking a bite. Taste wise was flavorful enough coming from a food truck, freshly steamed. I appreciated that they made them to order, but for a food truck, the waiting by far is quite long for such a simple food, 15−20mins when there was barely any line. Worth a try, but definitely won’t coming back for more.
Lissa G.
Rating des Ortes: 3 West Hills, CA
Another truck in the Valley? My words have been heard! Big thanks to all the trucks who come out here; just because we’re on this side of the hill doesn’t mean we don’t want to wait in line for food from mobile kitchens =) We just also want affordable housing; that’s why we live here! Hit up the truck in the front(not the back like the tweet said) of the Sherman Oaks Westfield Mall; no line, just a few people there. Jason K. and I made sure to get different types of dumplings so we could taste a variety. Here’s what we had: Pan Fried Pork and Leek: This one was my favorite I think. The combination of flavors was nice. Steamed Beef KimChi: Not a lot of flavor, unfortunately. There was a lot of ‘juice’ in the dumpling, but it lacked much in the taste department. Surprising for kimchi. Pan Fried Pork KimChi: Similar to the beef kimchi, but I think this one had more flavor. Sauces were soy sauce(a bit boring, how about some ponzu?) and sriracha, which i love!!! We also tried the Banana Nutella Wontons; these were the best of the bunch! The order comes with 3(difficult for sharing) and the warm nutella and warm banana combination is perfect! A tasty way to end the meal. Overall, the freshness was a positive note, but the lack of flavor was disappointing.
Carol L.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Los Angeles, CA
This was the last truck we(I) conquered(waited excruciatingly long for) at Street Eatz. I stood for 50 minutes in line, placed my order and then waited for 30 more minutes for my food to be ready. I know it’s silly to wait in line this long for food from a truck when I would barely tolerate this long of a wait for a sit-down restaurant. But I was determined to see it through and made my order worthwhile. I got: — A full order(8 dumplings) of Pork and Baby Leek — A full order(8 dumplings) of Chicken — A full order(8 dumplings) of Kimchi Beef — A half order(4 dumplings) of Veggie I also wanted the popcorn chicken, but they had run out. You can get their dumplings steamed, pan-fried or deep-fried. The guy taking my order said there isn’t a best method for any particular dumpling, so I got them all pan-fried. They all certainly looked good and the bottoms were all seared to a nice crisp. Each order came with two sauces — a soy sauce and a chili sauce. However, with the exception of the pork and leek, these dumplings tasted rather bland. The sauces helped a little, but where was the vinegar? With this being the longest wait, I was pretty disappointed.
Steven L.
Rating des Ortes: 3 River Forest, IL
GF showed up at my work today for an impromptu top down convertible picnic lunch. Treats were courtesy of the Dumpling Station. We sampled a variety of different dumplings including: –Kimchee Pork –Kimchee Beef –Pork and Leek –Chicken –and a dessert dumpling, Nutella & Banana I have to say that the overall quality of the dumplings was just OK. Nothing special or memorable. The Chicken dumplings had a very strong taste of anise. The kimchee dumplings had very little kimchee in them and were mostly bland. The pork and leek dumplings were good but again lacked panache. The sauce was also disappointing. To me it tasted like low quality soy sauce mixed with a bit of rice wine vinegar. Nothing I couldn’t have come up with myself at home. I thought the dessert dumplings, while slightly too sweet for my liking, were unique and creative so for me those get the highest marks. Not bad but overall nothing to write home about. The best part was enjoying the sunshine and the company.
Lucy Y.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Los Angeles, CA
I saw Dumpling Station parked on Sawtelle, so I snagged a parking spot and scored FIRSTINLINE, exciting! After a quick look at the menu, I ordered. The dude working the truck was super friendly and everything was up between 5 – 10 minutes later. After a quick text to bf to see if he was up for an impromptu lunch break, I raced over to meet him. 15 minutes later, we dug into everything. It was all fresh and still PIPING hot! The textures were SO great — chewy fresh dumpling wrappers, crispy pan fried dumpling bottoms, proper sized meat fillings. However I was meh about the taste. Without the sauce they were a little better. That sauce needs some serious improvement — the soy sauce base didn’t taste like the best quality, but at least if there was ginger or garlic or scallions or vinegar in it perhaps it would have tasted better. They gave us Sriracha, but even adding that to the sauce didn’t improve it. This is what we had: Full orders(8 pieces) of pan fried dumplings($ 5.50 each order): Kimchee pork — meaty but lacking kimchee flavor Kimchee beef — same note on the lack of kimchee flavor, but also meaty Chicken — tasted and looked like the frozen ones you can get in the markets, my least favorite Pork and Leek — meaty and chewy, my favorite overall Unfortunately these dumplings were not very tasty to me with the sauce, and without the sauce they were a little bland. If they had an improved dipping sauce, I’d give them another try. Oh, and dessert: Nutella and banana fried wontons(3 pieces for $ 2.50) — these little crispy fried pillows of melty nutella and ripe banana, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, were yummy but super sweet. So rich, we couldn’t eat more than one each! Maybe it’s because our last dumpling experience was awesome soup dumplings at Peter’s Place’s, but this dumpling experience fell short of what I would have liked it to be:(.