Mother’s Dumplings in Toronto, ON

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Telephone:	+1 416-217-2008
Website:	www.mothersdumplings.com
Address:	421 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2A8 Chinatown, Downtown Core
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:	510 ftCollege Street 600 ftNassau Street 0.2 miBeverley Street
Categories:	Chinese

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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations	Yes
Delivery	No
Take-out	Yes
Accepted Cards	None
Good For	Lunch
Parking	Street
Bike Parking	Yes
Wheelchair Accessible	Yes
Good for Kids	Yes
Good for Groups	Yes

Attire	Casual
Ambience	Casual
Noise Level	Average
Alcohol	Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating	No
Wi-Fi	No
Has TV	No
Dogs Allowed	No
Waiter Service	Yes
Caters	No

Today

Today	11:30 am – 10:30 pm Closed now
Local time (Toronto)	7:35 AM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday	11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday	11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Wednesday	11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday	11:30 am – 10:00 pm
Friday	11:30 am – 10:30 pm
Saturday	11:30 am – 10:30 pm
Sunday	11:30 am – 10:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Welcome to Mother’s Dumplings, a cozy, welcoming café in the heart of Chinatown! Born in Shenyang, our owner and cook, Zhen, cooks up delicious Northern Chinese style comfort food based on family recipes passed down from generation to generation.

Since opening our doors in June of 2005, Mother’s Dumplings has received praise from numerous publications. We are proud to have been voted Best Chinese Restaurant in Toronto three years in a row! NOW Magazine calls Mother’s Dumplings the «Toronto’s Best $ 5 Lunch,» saying «this spotless, subterranean, Chinese café specializes in delicious, house-made Chinese dumplings and noodles dishes that are as much a treat for the pocketbook as for the taste buds!»

We invite you to visit our website for full menus, then stop by our convenient Mother’s Dumplings location on Spadina Avenue today to see what everyone in Toronto is talking about!

History

Established in 2005.

Mother’s Dumplings has been a favorite in the Toronto community since 2005. We have been featured on CBC radio’s Metro Morning by Catherine Jheon, in the Globe and Mail, in Dose Magazine, as well as Toronto Life who says that we have «the city’s finest boiled and steamed dumplings.» Additionally, Mother’s Dumplings was reviewed with five other Asian eateries: Kubo Radio, Golden Regency Restaurant, Furama House, Cha Liu, and Lai Wah Heen. Not bad company to be in!

Meet the Business Owner

Catherine F.

Business Owner

Owner Catherine has years of experience and a true passion for the restaurant industry. In addition to top quality dumplings made from the heart, Catherine also strives for an excellent customer service experience for every guest of Mother’s Dumplings. If you ever have any questions or comments for us, please don’t hesitate to let Catherine know! We value customer feedback and hope to hear from you soon.

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21 reviews of Mother’s Dumplings

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Michelle L.

Place rating: 2
Ottawa, Canada

We’re in Toronto for a conference and we saw that this was rated highly so we went last night. It was good, if a tad salty, but the thing that lowered the rating was the fact that we sat by the women making the dumplings and the cook who was making the pan fried ones went to the sink to wash her hands and then blow her nose next to the sink. Without any tissue, napkin, paper towel, nothing. Then rinsed her hands after. No soap. THEN one of the dumpling making ladies did the same. Gross!

Liz P.

Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY

Came here twice because I couldn’t get enough of their pan seared dumplings and kimchi fried rice!!! Omggggg!!! Lord have mercy. It was so delicious, I devoured it in 5 minutes. You can eat your brains out for under $ 30 bones for two people easily. I think I’m gonna go again and eat more. Let’s get fat together!!! Nom Nom Nom!!!
The hardest part is making sure you and your party eat equal amounts of dumplings. You always think when you sit down «okay, I’m gonna make sure this time, I eat just as much, or more» and remind yourself you’re gonna split it own the middle but once the dumplings hits your table, the gun goes off and your brain gets short circuited and you basically lose all train of thought and you become an animal.
I don’t know what else to say. Somethin about the vinegary soy sauce gets me all the time. I even tried ordering double the amount of dumplings so we can eat like fat pigs and it always amazes me how much more I can keep shoving into my big mouth! HAHAHAHAHA

Danny F.

Place rating: 4
Toronto, Canada

One of my favorite dumplings in the city. You can never go wrong with having dumplings here. I’ve been here several times and always look forward to ordering here. This time I ordered the boiled Shrimp, pork, egg & chives dumplings, fried Pork and bak choi and fried Pork, shrimp and melon. In addition we ordered some side dishes such as the Green Onion Pancake and Potato salad. The order came up relatively quickly in about 20 minutes. It was delicious as always and they are nicely made. You will not be disappointed. The dumplings on the menu are also readily cheap so it makes for a nice filling cheap meal. Overall, great food and friendly staff. Will definitely recommend to others and will always be a long time customer!

Keri B.

Place rating: 5
Toronto, Canada

Must try: chive noodle boiled dumplings. Service isn’t the best but the dumplings are worth it.

Lauren N.

Place rating: 3
Asheville, NC

The food was good, but not mindblowing. Service was disorganized and they forgot one of my items.

Ambica U.

Place rating: 3
Toronto, Canada

This place used to be my fav, but off late the service has declined and the quality of food is not the same. They opened up another branch at danforth and perhaps that could be one of the reasons?

Erica D.

Place rating: 1
Toronto, Canada

Watching the staff here handmake the dumplings right in the middle of the restaurant got me pretty exciting about Mother’s Dumplings. However, both times I went here my table was forgotten about and we either got our food after waiting over an hour and asking about our order multiple times, or we just paid for the one item that came to us and left before we got to eat the rest of our order because they had clearly forgotten about us and our order (forcing us to go eat somewhere else, because needless to say, we were still hungry).
So disappointing. I guess this handmade dim sum is just not in the cards for me.

Ayushman S.

Place rating: 2
Calgary, Canada

Do you want to see waiters being treated like slaves? Come to Mothers Dumpling. Two poor girls running around insanely, serving, cleaning all the tables. You have to dance to get her attention and I do not blame her. The food is decent and hence the two stars.

Nazish S.

Place rating: 5
Mississauga, Canada

Best dumplings hands down in Toronto. Also love ordering the side order of kimchi for a spicy kick.

Leon F.

Place rating: 3
Toronto, Canada

I’ve only been once but everything was reasonable. The chopsticks are a bit slippery but everything else was fine.
Also, the menu is reasonably straight forward with not too many options and combinations of dumplings.
So overall, it was good, we had the pan fried and some boiled dumplings. The onion pancakes were pretty meh — needed more oil or were too thick.

S R.

Place rating: 3
Toronto, Canada

Been here many times, food is good, nothing to complain about the service and ambience is ok.
Do they serve the best dumplings in the city… given my limited exposure to dumplings, will leave it up to you to decide :)
Repeat: Yes.

Nha V.

Place rating: 2
Warren, MI

Came here for dumplings & was not impressed. It was average, idk what everyone is raving about. The dumplings didnt have much flavors by themselves but have to dip in a sayce of up choice, the basics. It was OK. Soup dumplings weren’t very soupy & average. Kinda disappointed going here

Jonathan S.

Place rating: 4
Orange County, CA

Soup dumplings were better than the steamed pork and chive, but enjoyed both. Dumpling house down the street seems superior. This place is a little depressing inside but I know people don’t come for the ambience. Cash only.

Sarah S.

Place rating: 3
Vaughan, Canada

I decided to pay Mother’s Dumplings a visit just to see what the hype was all about. My overall take on MD? Meh. It wasn’t as amazing as everyone said it was.
You definitely get that welcoming ambiance from the restaurant — the red walls, the fairy lights and framed pictures definitely made patrons feel «at home» at MD.
Service was really slow. I had to wait for about 10 minutes to get seated and my waiter took ages to come back to check on me after I ordered my food. I will give the restaurant some slack here though — since all the dumplings and baos — from the skin to the filling was homemade, it makes sense that it took a while to get our food. I just wish that the servers themselves were a little more attentive to the patrons — at the very least, they could have let us know how long the food is going to take to arrive at our tables. Overall, in terms of service, the staff were friendly albeit a bit inattentive.
I ordered the soup dumplings, Northern style wonton soup and vegetarian buns. I was hoping that the food would live up to their prices… not exactly the case here. The food was average at best. I was underwhelmed by the quality of the soup dumplings. The pork filling could have been juicier. The skin could have been thinner. There was barely any soup in the soup dumplings. The Northern style wonton soup was slightly better in comparison to the soup dumplings. The broth wasn’t as greasy as most broths that are served in Northern Chinese restaurants, which was a plus. I also enjoyed the gingery flavour of the broth. The vegetarian buns were good but they weren’t anything special.
Overall, some of their food items were better than others. There are definitely better Northern Chinese restaurants out there.

Kiet H.

Place rating: 3
Miami, FL

+5 stars for delicious dumplings. Definitely order the juicy pork dumplings and chicken and mushroom dumplings.
–2 stars for over charging customers paying in U.S. dollars. When I received the bill, I said I’m paying in U.S. dollars and they said the bill will be reduced by 10%. Considering the current U.S.-Canada exchange rate, the reduction should actually be 25%. Also, we ordered the sesame balls and they came out undercooked.

Yawen Z.

Place rating: 3
Toronto, Canada

I want to have some Chinese dumplings and noodles recently, so my friend recommended it to me. We visited there around 12:30 pm, it was not very busy. The restaurant was very clean and nice, all the dumplings were handmade freshly inside everyday. We ordered steamed pork and sour cabbage dumplings made in whole wheat flour (six pieces for $ 5.75), Dan-dan noodles with pork soy-bean paste, and small size dish of pickled vegetables. Honestly, the food there was very authentic and delicious but the price was a little expensive. It served us with hot black tea which made me very comfortable. It should be suitable for groups people to share because larger portion order would be much cheaper.

Athena P.

Place rating: 3
Toronto, Canada

I wonder what happened to their dumplings. They were so good when I first came here which was five months ago
The skin was super thick this time

Thao H.

Place rating: 4
Mississauga, Canada

Bumbaaaa! I rolled the dice and got 13 dumplings for the price of 12, score. Came here because in all honesty, I didn’t feel like spending an arm and leg for dinner again, and cheaped out on Chinese. Started off with the hot and sour, bowl came out cold, would not recommend even after getting waiter to heat up. Not hot or sour, just cold and bland. Unexpectedly, loved their shrimp fried rice, it was perfectly seasoned, not too oily, but just enough to keep you wanting more. Dumplings stole the light of the night. As expected by the name of the restaurant, dumplings made my «momma» and her crew were delicious. Though a little drier then I am used to, but paired with soya sauce and chili oil it tasted satisfying. Dumplings and Creemore Springs ftw!

George H.

Place rating: 4
Edmonton, Canada

Mothers dumplings is a tradition for me and my family around Christmas time. They have great dumplings both meaty and vegetarian that are handmade in store while you watch. They are quick, affordable but mostly tasty. The chive, pork, and shrimp dumplings are great but the beef and green onion is even better! But one of their best dishes isn’t even a dumpling… Its the sauteed eggplant stir fry. A definite must try. We also had some noodle soup and plain congee (add your favorite seasoning!). There is also a salad that is somewhat Korean in flavor and design: smashed cucumber salad. It provides a fresh bite to clean your palate.
We had three kids with us and one of their highchairs was not acceptable. Loose legs that felt like they might fall out at any moment and a broken strap that is very necessary for safety didn’t make us feel very comfortable but they are kid friendly.
The food is relatively quick because its usually steamed. The back area past the noodle making stations/employees is quiet but also slightly drafty from the back door and can be occasionally ignored or forgotten.
For 5 adults and 3 young kids it was $ 76+tax&tip.

Shakira H.

Place rating: 3
Toronto, Canada

Dumplings are a great way to get a group of people together to enjoy some yummers.
Due to dietary restrictions I can’t eat pork which narrowed my choices quite a bit. I went on a weekday lunch and the place was quite packed, but we didn’t have to wait long. Mini-sheets were provided to place orders and service was prompt. We were seated next to the station where dumplings were prepped. I was genuinely impressed in the labor required and was assured of the fresh quality.
I want to state that if you’re not gaga over dumplings, like myself, then I suggest you get the fried ones, though there is an exception to this rule.
Steamed lamb shui mai was by far my favourite! Even though it was steamed, I absolutely loved it. I recommend this to all, because it pleased everyone. We asked them to make us mushroom and chicken fried dumplings but the combo was slimy! Beef and celery fried dumplings was a good combo but might be a hit or miss for certain people. If you want to take a break from the dumplings, try the green onion pancake. It’s simple, but so tasty.
It was a cheap meal. We paid $ 11/each person including tip amongst 4 of us AND we were all stuffed.

Marc C.

Place rating: 3
Toronto, Canada

J’ai besoin de faire le tour du menu avant de mieux évaluer. À la première impression, c’est pas mal du tout dans le style boulette chinoises.