Dinesty Dumpling House

Loved Vancouver’s west end neighbourhood and enjoyed our dinner here! Packed house, but luckily not a long wait, said 20min actually about 10min. Appetisers included jellyfish and lotus root, both delicious and tasty. The jellyfish had a unique texture and taste, it was firmer than I though, but still a little squishy. The lotus root was glazed in a sweet sauce. We also ordered veggie dumplings, YUM! Poke holes and let the broth exit the piping hot dumpling, they mean it!
My entrée of hand-​made noodles and stir fry veggies was great! Perfect portion, not too much or too little, which left room for a tasty dessert. Red bean and chocolate dumplings were our sweet treat to end the meal. Steaming with chocolatey goodness inside. Six to share were just enough…

Awesome place! A little more modern than your average Chinese restaurant, but the prices are very much the same.
Service was great — Staff was quick and super attentive.
Restaurant was very clean. Easy to find parking — On street or at the Safeway lot. Just make sure you go to Safeway first or else they’ll ticket you.
They accept reservations. A+++
RICE CAKE WITH PORK ¹⁰⁄₁₀!!! so freaking bomb. i could swim in this stuff.
Fried rice ⁹⁄₁₀. nothing too special, but delicious nonetheless.
Pork Spare ribs ⁸⁄₁₀ — not too greasy and a little more meat than other spare rib dishes at other restaurants.
Duck ⁹⁄₁₀ — One of my favorite things here. Meat was very tender and not too fatty. this comes with about 8 buns that you can insert the duck meat into. So good.
Shumai with shrimp topping — ughhh so good. ¹⁰⁄₁₀. i could eat like 20 of these things
pork dumplings ¹⁰⁄₁₀ — these little things are filled with heavenly dumping juice. i pop it right on top of my soup spoon and channel my inner fatty. A+++
Overall a great restaurant. Will definitely be back! :)

We came for the dumplings but we were satisfied by every thing else (not that we didn’t love the dumplings). The servers were great. They helped us navigate the menu and steer us toward some great items. When we went to order a couple things, they actually pointed us in other directions to other dishes they thought we would prefer. Very happy they did so as everything we had we enjoyed. We ordered the pork soup dumplings, yum yum yum. Then we had the shredded pork dish with the pancakes and another pork dish in a garlic sauce with mushrooms and broccoli. Honestly, just ask the ladies at the place, they will make sure your food is super yummy. Extremely reasonably priced. Would definitely go back if I was a local… wish I was given how great this place was.

Rahul and I were super excited to try this place out after seeing the enormous lineup outside it last week. «What could possibly make this place worth waiting for an hour in the freezing cold?» asked Rahul, totally puzzled. Angela nodded confusedly in agreement. They agreed to make reservations for the following week and see what all the fuss was about.
We ordered the pork soup dumplings, chicken soup dumplings, marinated beef wrap, and stir fried rice noodles. Pork dumplings were packed with delicious juice – possibly up there with the soup dumplings at Shanghai River, which in my opinion are the best outside of China. Chicken soup dumplings were meh in comparison, lacking the flavour and texture of the pork ones. I loved the beef wraps – they taste like childhood to me – but Rahul labeled them as «interesting» and refused to comment further in a not-​so-​subtle way of telling me that he hated them. Boo Rahul. The beef is coated in a delicious sweet sauce that contrasts the sharp green onion and crunchy cucumber perfectly. I’m salivating thinking back on it. The noodles were good, but nothing special.
This place was good, but I still don’t really understand the hype. It was packed and too brightly lit, and even though there were many servers it still seemed understaffed with the huge crowds. The food was good, maybe even very good, but not worth lining up for an hour in the cold. If I were to go back, I would just order the pork soup dumplings and nothing else.

Truly a gem! Like DTF, but much better! The entrees were huge (fried rice cake and beef), kimchee soup dumplings were great! Green onion pancake nice and warm! The pan fried pork buns are fluffy and satisfying!

Food here was stellar! Our ‘fancy’ meal with dim sum, rice cake noodles, and fried pork ribs was amazing! The menu was expansive and the prices were very reasonable! We came in late, no line… but moments later there was a backup. Way better than Din Tai Feng. MORE DISHES… LOWER PRICES… LESS HIPSTERS… what’s not to love!

Dinesty seems heavily inspired by Din Tai Fung. I recognized many dishes from the DTF menu, and the presentation of many dishes was highly similar as well.
The pork xiao long bao ($ 5.95 for 6) here were probably the second best I’ve had, second of course to DTF. The xlb were the main standout dish here, and I would come back just to eat more. The wrappers were fairly thin, each dumpling had many folds on top, and the soup was rich and gelatinous. A couple of them burst when picked up.
Most things we tried were good but not as excellent as the regular xlb:
* XO pork xiao long bao ($ 6.95 for 6): Thicker wrappers than the regular. Not as soupy. Not as good.
* Shrimp + pork shaomai ($ 7.95)
* Pan fried pork dumplings ($ 3.95 for 3): Crispy bottoms and juicy filling.
* Cucumber + jellyfish head ($ 7.95): They serve «jellyfish head» (arms + mouth) here, which is thicker, harder, and crunchier than the more commonly seen jellyfish mantle.
* Spicy beef tendon ($ 7.95): Gelatinous globs of tendon served warm, as if scooped out of a bowl of beef noodle soup. I prefer tendon thinly sliced and served cold.
* Pan fried noodles with seafood ($ 9.50)
These two were misses:
* Chili wontons ($ 6.50): The sauce was too sweet.
* Sliced lotus root ($ 4.95): The marinade was way too sweet.
The kitchen seems a bit too generous with sugar.
The restaurant is constantly busy. Come here early, and be prepared to split up if you have a large group.

I personally like Din Tai Fung in Seattle better for dumplings, but overall every dish was well seasoned so I enjoyed my food.
The level of service was pleasant as well.
I am going to visit this place often from now on.

Never had dim sums before this and my only experience with Chinese food is Indian-​Chinese fusion food from the eastern states of India (heavenly stuff btw), and so my opinion may be called uninformed.
I loved the food here. Everything was fresh, simple and flavourful. I loved the Xiao Long Bao!

I really like the concept — fast, clean, and tasty authentic regional Chinese with a modern twist. All dumplings are handmade daily.
If in Vancouver and craving for Chinese in the Westend area, this is the place to bring you satisfaction for sure.
Traditional and crab soup dumplings are both juicy and delicious.

Although I am not a fan of Chinese food, I did find myself thoroughly enjoying my meal at Dinesty Dumpling House.
After several hours in the cold, my friend and I were looking for good comfort food. With thoughts of home, Chinese food seemed the most appropriate especially with the plethora of Chinese restaurants in Vancouver.
The minute we arrived, we were immediately faced with a packed front of the house which made sense for the weekend lunch hour. Fortunately, after we put down our name, about twenty minutes after we were able to get seated.
Here are some of the things I tried:
Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Dumplings): Although a little smaller and more soupier than what you would expect from Din Tai Fung, I still enjoyed these little envelopes of warmth. As mentioned earlier, I am not much of a fan of Chinese food including the famous soup dumplings. However, especially after a cold day walking around, the soup tasted flavorful and felt hearty with nice little pieces of pork in the middle. My only critique were that they were too small!
Shumai (Shrimp and Pork Dumplings): Probably one of the best versions of this dish I ever had! I just loved that you see that nice piece of shrimp that lay on top of the dumpling. It was slightly salted and cooked well. On the bottom, you get a pork dumpling that is almost souplike and similarly flavorful to the steamed pork dumplings. If there was anything that I would get again from here, it would be this!
Pan Fried Pork Buns: An enjoyable small bite to eat, but nothing special. I did enjoy the fried outer layer of the bun that gave it a nice crisp bite. With a bite, you get a small piece of pork that was well flavored. Again, it was good, but I think I would have looked at other food items perhaps without pork.
Soft Tofu with Spicy Meat Sauce: With a spicy kick that hits you after multiple bites, this is not for those who are not fans of spicy dishes. When I first digged into this dish, the sauce tasted slightly sweet and slightly salted with the pieces of pork mixed in. It was not until after the third, the overwhelming flavor was heat from the chilis. If it were not for the bowls of rice that had to be ordered, I don’t think I would have been able to finish it.
The service was surprisingly fast considering how many people were constantly in the restaurant. In terms of parking, there is basically just street parking available but it may require a bit of a walk.
Overall, Dinesty serves some nice dumplings that rivals the famous Din Tai Fung and so definitely worth checking out if you are in the Vancouver area.

Visiting Vancouver from Seattle.
One of the best Chinese restaurants I have been to in a long time. The wait was pretty long (as expected) but the food came out pretty fast (but not so fast that I felt rushed). If I was to visit again, I would definitely come back here. I tried so many things that you can’t go wrong if you ordered even just the basics.
Recommended this place to other friends and they can attest to my review that this place was really good!

Been to the Robson dinesty about 5 times now. Never disappointed ALTHOUGH it’s the only place I’ve tried soup dumplings. Doesn’t matter cuz they’re awesome.
Kitchen is glass-​walled so you know where your food is coming from. Plus you can give a thumbs up to the homies whipping up some badass Chinese food.
The first couple visits were dedicated to soup dumplings only… but then I tried their fried rice, Mongolian beef, and green beans with minced pork.
Besides the fact the food is really good, it’s fresh and no msg which means I don’t feel like a bag of sh*t afterwards!!! BONUS!
Well done Dinesty. See you soon.

Seattleites, rejoice. If you’re in Canada reading this, you have just found Din Tai Fung but for half the price and a third of the wait time.
Seriously, Dinesty is an amazing dumpling house for the price. The food is 100% as good as Din Tai Fung but you can get in and out for less than $ 20 per person. They also have multiple locations across Vancouver with a smaller population so you don’t have to get there at 3:30 in the afternoon to get in line for dinner.
One notable difference is that the portions are smaller, but I actually really liked that because it meant I could finish what I ordered. The friend I went with loved it because he got to try two different types of dumpling rather than a single order of one type which had so many that he couldn’t finish, and the price difference more than makes up for it.
Highly, highly recommend if you enjoy dumplings. This was the best meal I had in Vancouver.

The chicken soup dumpling is probably the best thing (well second best thing) I’ve ever put in my mouth. Amazing! We tried a few of the appetizers so we will have to come back soon for a full meal. The pork bun were sooo good too. Very good lunch. Can’t wait to return.

Stunned. A place that has Xiao Long Bao’s that compete with Din Tai Fung. Damn these dumplings were tasty! When you see a bad dumpling at other establishments, you know it. It’s put together sloppy. It’s too easy or too tough to poke a hole in etc. You can tell there is a professional, I know wtf I’m doing, cook making these. I dare say these may be tastier than DTF.
The green beans were also pretty good. They were spicy with what we decided was really tiny pieces of chicken? Maybe some nuts in there? I didn’t know and I didn’t care. It was devoured.
The rice was meh. They added a lot of cabbage to it. So it tasted like we ordered some cabbage with some rice in it.
While the vinegar ginger dipping sauce for the dumplings was good, it was very different. No soy sauce to be seen anywhere. I looked at all the tables, no one had it. No vinegar ether, so no refills. The hot sauce was different as well but I liked it. Wish it was just provided and didn’t have to ask.
Also, no one had water. Looking around I saw one guy with a beer and everyone else was drinking hot tea. Must be a tradition I’m not aware of but I haven’t been to VanCity in many years. Maybe there was a don’t serve water unless they ask rule?
Overall, the experince at DTF is better. But I would drive the 3 hours it takes to get here just so I can grub on those dumplings again. I will be thinking of them for a long time.

I discovered this place while taking a walk after dinner at Guu, which was across the street, when I saw a line out the door. If there’s a line out the door, the place must be decent. Then when we were shopping, one of the shop owners highly recommended this place and its smoked duck dish. Line out the door + recommendation from a local = must check it out!
Came here for lunch on a Sunday and the place was packed out the door again. We waited around 25 minutes for a table. Once we were brought to our table, the hostess then tells us that we have 1 hour and 15 minutes before we have to give them back the table. Not used to this timed eating, but we still managed.
Menu is extensive. So study it while waiting so you can order as soon as you sit down. The regular menu has pictures which would be more helpful. But if you’re afraid of being overwhelmed with too many pictures, the to go menu would be a better choice.
What we ordered:
SMOKED DUCK — This is definitely a must try! The smokiness was just perfect, and not overpowering. The duck was so juicy and tender. It comes with some buns on the side to eat with the duck, but I found that the buns to be a bit dry. If they gave some sauce, duck and bun would have been good together. So save room and just eat the duck and skip the bun!
SHREDDED CHICKEN AND CLEAR RICE NOODLE SALAD — This was a cold appetizer with shredded chicken and sheets of clear rice noodles mixed with cucumbers in a sesame sauce. I highly recommend this dish! It’s refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. And add a little chili oil to give it a good kick.
XIAO LONG BAO — Pretty good. If you’ve had DTF, then this place definitely doesn’t compare. The skin can be a bit thinner. But the meat was juicy and light, and the soup inside was delicious. They also have different varieties, such as crab, loofa, etc. Just stick with the classic.
MINCED PORK NOODLE — This was a soup noodle, but the soup was more like a gravy since it had a thicker consistency. It was slight spicy and slightly sweet, but the flavors seemed to somehow meld together really well. And I loved the noodles they used as it had a nice bouncy texture.
RED BEAN PANCAKE — They made us order dessert while we ordered all our food. So the pancake came out before we were even done with our meal. And by the time we got to eating it, it cooled down already. This is a dish that has to be eaten fresh and pipping hot. So the pancake was a bit thick and not very good to begin with, and add it with a cooled down version and you get a not so good dessert.
Service: It was not great, hence minus 1 star. The girl we took our order seemed to either not understand English or Chinese when we tried ordering with her, or just had a hearing problem. Either situation makes her not suitable to be the one in charge of taking orders. We ended up pointing to everything on the menu for her.
Parking: Street metered parking. Read parking signs carefully!

We went here for lunch on Saturday before the lunch crowd so we were seated immediately. We ordered Soup Filled Steam Pork Dumpling, the Potsticker Dumpling and the Black Pepper Beef Short Rib.
The highlight is the soup-​filled steam pork dumpling, which is the specialty of this restaurant in the first place. This dish is a 4 star for me. The potsticker dumpling is also good, crispy and has good enough filling. The disappointment is the black pepper beef short rib, which is way too salty and chewy.

I love Dinesty! Been here 5 times and it never fails. This place is known for their Xiao Long Bao (Baozi /​Soup Dumplings). I came here and I got my request fulfilled, eat decent Baozi. As far as I can recall, it was priced at CAD 5.95 for 6 pcs of the soup dumplings. You have different options but I always go with the pork soup dumplings.
I’ve also had the opportunity to try their shrimp fried rice which is really good, their ancient beef is so tender and delicious, as well as their Fried Chicken Nihon Style, which I have to say is my favorite. The Pan Fried Garlic Beef Steak was okay too, tender but lacks flavour. My least favorite would have to be their Stewed Pork Belly that comes with Chinese Buns. It could be because it didn’t fit my mood that day or i just didn’t like the taste.
Nonetheless, I’ll be coming back for sure!

As a visitor/​vacationer to Vancouver this place was recommended by a friend. Came on a Tuesday around 6 and it was packed. We got lucky & had to wait only 10 minutes for a table. Service is prompt to come and take your order. Food came quickly too. All the dumplings & skins are in house made. Score for freshness.
We ordered the «must have» soup dumplings — winner! Light flavour & just enough broth inside the dumpling;
Stir fried Choy sum in garlic was good;
Hoisen pork strips with Chinese pancakes (same ones you use for Peking duck) this dish was excellent. The pancakes were thin & slightly stretchy which was on point;
The pork chop fried rice was ok — the rice was good the pork ribs were dry (didn’t enjoy).
Dessert we had the panacotta — was good a bit thick and dense to what I’m used to but overall good.
I would go back to try more items when back in BC.