Don’t Judge a Restaurant by Its Sign
As the title suggests, Luscious Dumplings is a prime example of why you should never judge a restaurant by its exterior, name, or sign. Beyond the old, crusty sign outside of Luscious Dumplings is an amazing home style Chinese restaurant that serves amazing beef noodle soup and dumplings.
The restaurant is tiny. 8 tables total, and if you’re planning on coming here for lunch during the weekend, be prepared to wait. Inside, it feels like you’re entering a family member’s shop. The space is humble, unpretentious and warm. Not trying to be anything it isn’t. The servers are very friendly and the menu is small. The first indication that they are masters of their craft.
You get hot tea and water served in styrofoam cups. On the table are your basic dumpling accoutrements: chili oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. We like it all.
One of our favorite things, and probably one of the more popular things to order, that Luscious Dumplings does is a combo meal. For only $8.50, you get a medium sized bowl of noodles of your choice and 5 dumplings of your choice. We always go for the first item on the menu: beef noodle soup and boiled chive, pork, egg and shrimp dumpling. This is probably one of the most delicious and comforting meals we’ve ever had outside of our mamas’ kitchens.
The noodle soup is perfection. The broth is so flavorful and the noodles are cooked perfectly with a nice springiness. There are no extra ingredients in there to take away from the simple, yet complex flavors of just a handful of ingredients in the bowl. You get two pieces of bok choy, stewed beef, and noodles. That’s it. And that’s all you need. The meat is obviously marinated for a long ass time because it is SO flavorful and SO tender. Every bite is to be savored. It really is one of the simplest, yet most delicious noodle soups ever. If you want an extra kick and color, add some chili oil to your broth.
After you are served the noodles, you get your dumplings. The dumplings are all hand made and if you get there too late, you’re SOL, because they do run out Luscious Dumplings makes a limited number of dumplings every day, and once they sell out, they stop serving them. The wrappers are so deliciously soft and doughy. The filling is also incredibly fresh and flavorful. So yummy, and just like the soup, you savor every bite of each dumpling. We have yet to try their pan fried pork dumplings, but that’ll be definitely make it to our order next time we find ourselves here.
Luscious Dumplings
704 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776
