Shanghai Street

Mar 2022. Visited HuTong at the recommendation of friends. Bookings are always required as this venue is extremely popular. The manager was quite stressed downstairs, not helped by rude clients pushing for a table even though they'd been told twice already that the restaurant was fully booked. We were on the second floor and served by the wonderful Dee. Dee was super friendly and talked us through the Menu items suggesting complimentary dishes. The meal was one of the best dumpling experiences in Melbourne of all time. The beans and pork mince were THE best. Such a simple dish, done superbly! If you're in town, definitely give HuTong a try.

Everyone has their favourite dumpling place in Melbourne, so it's contentious to say a place is the best. While maybe not the best, this is one of my favourites and I love the chili wontons - a must try dish! The atmosphere is cozy, the staff are really lovely, nice and service is very fast. Enjoy the aromas from multiple dishes while you dine, and be sure to have a peek in the kitchen window in the ground floor to watch the master dumpling makers at work. Price is great given the food portions. Add this one to your list when you want something a step up from your "dirty dumpling" joint.

[3.5] We came to this place as it was highly recommended for its authentic dumplings. We booked a table as we weren't sure how crowded the place would be on a weekend. To our surprise, it wasn't. We were taken by very friendly staff to our table and assisted us with the menu. We ordered the following: Shao-long Bao (8 Pieces) - $12.80 Wantons with Hot Chilli Sauce (8 Pieces) - $10.80 Szechuan Bean Curd with Minced Pork - $15.80 Fish Fillet in Hot Chilli Oil - $28.80 The dumplings were amazing and were served at the right temperature, so you can tuck into them without worrying that you will burn your tongue. The tofu was amazing and was probably the star of the dishes we ordered. The disappointment was when we got the fish filet. Not only did it take a long time to get, but the portion was HUGE, and it was honestly tasteless! They could see that we were only two people, and could have advised us about the size of the dish since the picture gave us the impression that it was a decent size portion good for two. The fish had zero taste and seemed like it was swimming in a chilli sauce without picking up any of the flavours. Despite our experience with this dish (which I will never recommend to anyone unless you are used to this kind of food), we loved the rest of the food and the friendly service. They were very attentive and made sure that our Jasmine teacups were never empty. We will come back again for more dumplings, and the Jasmine Tea.

The OG dumpling house, a trip to Melbourne isn’t complete without stopping in here for a xiao long bao, chilli dumplings and chilli fried chicken. Great staff, the gentleman on the door has been working there for years and is always friendly and hospitable. Make sure you book so you’re not disappointed! They have some walk in spots for singles and couples but don’t count on it.

Hutong has a really good menu and range of food choices for all. They had a lot of different dishes for vegetarians. We ordered the spinach dumplings and the silky bean curd spring rolls. The Chinese tea choices are great too! We enjoyed all the different flavours and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I would recommend giving their food a go if you're craving dumplings and happen to be in the city.