Ugly Dumpling was built on a simple belief: the most unforgettable food comes from human hands, honest ingredients, and recipes that don't cut corners — no matter how they look on the plate.
Edison, NJ — 2022
Our founders grew up eating at dumpling stalls in China — places where grandmothers shaped dough by feel, not by recipe cards. That muscle memory, that intuition, that care — that's what we wanted to recreate.
We opened our first location in Edison, NJ with one obsession: make XLB as good as the ones we grew up eating. Not a perfect Instagram aesthetic. Real food. The kind where the wrapper is a little irregular, the pleat isn't perfectly uniform — but the broth inside is extraordinary.
We opened our doors and the lines started forming. Not because we were pretty. Because we were good.
To make authentic Chinese dumplings and wok cuisine accessible to every table — cooked with skill, served with warmth, and priced so you can come back tomorrow.
Every dumpling skin is made fresh. Every filling is mixed each morning. We don't use pre-made frozen wrappers or factory-formed dumplings. This is non-negotiable.
Our XLB broth is an 18-hour pork bone reduction. Our wok hei comes from cooking at temperatures most kitchens can't reach. Our chefs train for years before they touch the XLB station.
We prep daily. If it wasn't used today, it doesn't go on tomorrow's plate. Our proteins and produce come from regional suppliers whenever possible.
Dumpling culture is communal culture. Our restaurants are designed for sharing — first dates, family dinners, solo lunches. No reservations needed. Everyone welcome.
"Ugly" is a badge of honor. In traditional dumpling kitchens, a perfectly pinched dumpling takes years to master. The ones that look a little rough around the edges? Those are made by human hands — not machines. They're denser, juicier, and more honest.
We celebrate the imperfect. We celebrate the handmade. We celebrate the ugly — because that's where the flavor lives.