Hutong Dumpling Bar

I really enjoyed the food and service… the shao long Bao and chill sauce dumplings were AMAZING. Highly recommend trying it out

Don’t be fooled by the name. Hutong dumpling bar is not a tiny establishment but a large restaurant spanning three levels with dim moodighting for fancy dates, exquisite cutlery, fancy dressed waiters, central air conditioning, white cotton tablecloths, and clean large bone china tea pots with fragrant jasmine tea (3 dollars only and free refills).
Make sure you have a booking and if not when you get there book a table and expect to wait an hour at least but you’ll definitely get a table after that hour is over. Then expect to be escorted to your table with the utmost military like executed efficiency where the guy downstairs walkie talkies the guy on the second floor who then hand signals you to go further up. On the third and Last floor, the waiter has been alerted to your arrival via 80s technology and says table for two to confirm. He seats you immediately on a table laid out with exquisite cutlery, menus and a drinks menu.
There are small square tables for couples or groups of three/​four. There are also circular tables with lazy Susan for large groups with a partial divider for some privacy.
There is an expansive drinks menu with beer, wine, cider, spirits, tea and soft drinks.
My mate and I opted for the jasmine tea.
The food menu is also expansive with some photos and lots of dumplings, fried meat and seafood dishes, vegetarian dishes, rice and dessert.
We ordered the chilli wonton, fried pork wontons, special fried rice and fried green beans with pork.
Food arrived quickly. The chilli wonton was not spicy at all and was quite disappointing. The fried pork dumplings were not really fried as they lacked crispiness and were quite floury tasting. The special fried rice had a little bit of egg and those tiny fake prawns (not fresh at all). Didn’t taste fresh and was quite bland.
The fried green beans were nice but there was barely any pork.
The service is great. The place is clean. But the food I believe is prepared for unseasoned Chinese food eaters.
As such I have given this restaurant 3 stars. I’ve had better tasting Chinese food in china town and the little Asian restaurant around the corner.
So Maybe a good place for large groups or for a date but not if you’re looking for spicy or delicious Chinese food.

Too oily and over price. They charge you $ 3 just for tea per person! And the waiters is not very welcoming too

Damn these soup dumplings (Xia Long Bao’s) are the best! we were lucky to get a seat as we didn’t have a reservation. Seriously good food and fast. Also you get the experience of walking down an ally way off any ally way. which is a very Melbourne experience.
I still like China Red for easy of ordering (with iPads) and they can handle my kids easier (more room), but when I’m out sans kids, this is where I’m heading.
Only problem I have is now that I’m written this review, and relived the dumplings. I want another serve. The struggle is real.

Woefully overrated.
The food was bland and clearly was prepared before we even ordered (perhaps this is the price you pay for ordering the most popular items). Everything was room temperature, so the oils and animal fats were congealing and the wonton wrappers were drying out. I can’t help but think this place takes no pride in their food. Avoid!

Sometimes it’ll be cold and rainy and dreary in Melbourne. Sometimes you’ll have a little bit too much fun at Ponyfish or Little Creatures or the Everleigh. On those occasions, the perfect remedy is a delicious steamed plate of soup dumplings, and Hutong is your pharmacy.
It’s slightly out of the way, but worth the little stroll. We scored the nice little table by the window, and stuffed our face with pan-​fried dumplings and xiao long bao, all of which were delicious.
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Value: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅

This is an old favourite now. The food is always good and the service snappy. Love the soup filled dumplings. Love the scallops and vegetables dish. Actually, love it all. And they also let you bring your own wine. What a place. Cannot wait to return again.

Our tour guide recommended this place and so did others say that this had the best dumplings in Melbourne. Ahh I don’t think so. To me, they could have been the ones you find in the frozen food aisle at a supermarket and I probably couldn’t tell.
I liked that they had a huge selection of dumplings and the place was two stories, but this place has nothing on Din Tai Fung and I’m not even a big fan of Din Tai Fung. The dumplings were pretty standard. The shao long bao was the best in my opinion. Easy to eat and tasty. The crab meat one and the pork dumplings were a little bland without soy sauce. I didn’t like the texture of the wrapping around the crab meat dumpling very much. Super chewy. I was expecting more for the «best dumplings in Melbourne,» something really special, but I got normal and blah.

They accommodated us on a Saturday night, even though they were full and we didn’t have reservations. We told them that we had heard they had the BEST dumplings in the world (true story, we were told that). They took our phone number… we went down the block to Section 8 and by the time we finished our first beer, they called us and told us they had a table.
I couldn’t begin to name off all the things we tried. We had a group of 4 and basically ordered everything that interested us and shared it all. The menu is overwhelming, so we decided to at least restrict ourselves to items with the «favorite» stamp. My favorite thing was the #1 item, soup-​filled dumplings. Omg I have been having dreams about them! Please order them.
A couple of other stand-​outs included the green beans and the spicy noodle soup we tried. We are going to try to pop back into this restaurant before leaving Melbourne. Maybe next time we will hit up Ding Dong Lounge afterward. Well done, indeed!

Outstanding dumps.
Service, unlike many other dumpling places around town, is actually present, even if it borders on hovering at times with the clear decree on wait-​staff to try and keep the tables turned over as quickly as possible.
That said, I would still come here even if the wait-​staff were jerks, because the dumplings are so good. For me it was the Xiao Long Bao that really sung. For my S.O. it was the Wontons with Spicy Sauce. We both enjoyed the Pan Fried Dumplings, even if they seemed a little dull by comparison to the other dump dishes.
Wasn’t sure what a turnip pastry was going to be like, but it was a very pleasant surprise, especially the quality of the pastry. The spring onion pancake looked a little different than expected but still was okay. Might hold off on them next time though to make room for more Xiao Long Baos!

So tasty! The dumplings were so good. Place is busy and that’s always a good sign ;) the green onion pancakes were delicious.

By far my favorite dumpling place. Wontons in chili oil are essential, as are the pork xiao long bao. No need to byo wine as it’s cheap enough as is. I’ve been at two times, right as they open with a line already formed 20 minutes before it opens and late at night. It’s always packed but essential for any dumpling lover!

Hutong Dumpling Bar. This was the 2^nd stop I made on my first day in Melbourne and I went right over I had Grossi Florentino. It’s literally a hole in the wall and down an alley. It’s right before Chinatown.
It’s a small restaurant with seating on the first floor and second floor. The dumplings are made right behind the cashier. I felt at home cause the wait staff were rude as f*ck. Why? Cause they’re Chinese like Hong Kong Chinese aka Cantonese aka the ghetto Chinese.
Anyway, I ordered 3 dishes and it was all amazing:
1) Wontons w/​Spicy Sauce — This had a good kick to it and perfectly cooked. It melted in my mouth after two bites. The pork was juicy, the wrap ripped teared apart perfectly and the sauce was on point like the original Red and Black Jordans 1. I was so happy when my cousin told me he can’t eat spicy food.
2) Crab Dumpings — This was plump and fat like me after my Oz trip. The crab meat was juicy and I could taste the garlic in it. The portion was huge and not your typical size dumplings we see in the US. It melted in my mouth like a spoonful of Mayo.
3) Xiao Long Bao — Ok. Din Tai Fung is what everyone knows as the epitome of the soup dumpling. Why? Cause they never had these bad boys. This was way better than Din Tai Fung and I’m not even over-​exaggerating. The soup was boiling, the pork was soft and full of flavor, and it evaporated in my mouth after one bite. It was perfection like my future trophy wife.
Everything melted in my mouth. I usually stop eating after I get full but I couldn’t help to stuff myself even more. I didn’t even feel guilty when my cousin and his wife said they couldn’t eat anymore. Sh*t! More for me, suckaaahs!
Overall, hands down the best dumpling house I ever had to date. Din Tai Fung? Who?

Sitting on the triangular mini wooden stools on the ground floor dining area was a appropriate reminder of the popularity of this venue. Book ahead to ensure a seat upstairs, even when it’s on a week day/​nigh or even when you are convinced most people will still be on holidays.
As uncomfortable as the ground floor tables are the food is definitely worth a the little discomfort we suffered… the dumplings here have never disappointed and the service is extremely efficient!

While this is my first Unilocal review here it by no means my first visit. Hutong is an old favourite. At one point I was a weekly lunch visitor. Why? If you like dumpling but have not yet been here then I simple say come try it. The quality is head and shoulders above all other dumpling restaurant in Melbourne.
Shao-​long Bao is their signature dish. Basically steamed pork dumpling with soup inside. DON’T drain the soup it’s part of the experience. Wontons in hot chilli sauce. Make sure you try this dish last as the heat in it will destroy the taste of other things. These two plus Shredded Turnip Pastries are a must. There are lots and lots of other menu items but these are always part of my order.
Tips: make a booking this place is popular!
If your after a cheaper, easy to get into at short notice alternative try China Red, which is Hutongs sister /​training? Restaurant. Quality is not as good but you’ll find a lot of the same main event menu items.

This was recommend to me as a good dinner and BYO place. Hutong are obviously known for their dumplings, so when you go here just order the dumplings (i almost made the mistake of ordering other things, but a friend corrected me) and Dumplings on dumplings with a side of dumplings it was.
We have chill wonton dumplings (these are too die for, my favirote), Pork fried dumplins, Crab steamed, and Prawn steamed. They were all really delicious.
The place is very cosy and nice, it was really busy and we managed to sneak into a table, but with a group you would have to make a booking. Very well priced with so much to offer.

Recommended by a fellow Unilocaler for good dumplings with BYO option & really can’t go wrong with dumplings & wine actually I’m not even sure it gets much better. Very busy place with a lot of hussle & bussle, we didn’t make a booking & got there around 6pm & it was a bit of a push for a table the man could seat as but only if we left by 8, no problem at all but possibly book if you want a long session.
We had chilli wontong dumplings, pan fried pork dumplings, steamed crab dumplings & steamed prawn dumplings. Simply delish. I was not sold on the wontong option as I don’t do spice but best dish we had, so good we ordered another.
Staff were friendly, effient & definitely knew how to work a busy place. Go there & get your dumpling on.

Fantastic dumplings. Had the pork in chilli sauce. Simply delicious.
Definitely recommended.

Two words: soup dumpling. The chilli dumplings also rock.
But if you feel like you need to order more they do other things I guess. Like they can cook greens (in the standard Chinese greens way) and the prawn dumplings are pretty delicious. The vegetarian dumplings are also good although for ‘pork dumpling purists’ I don’t think they are going to make them go back for a second (but i like them because veg is ok).
If you feel like going a bit crazy they deep fry chicken wings and plate them up with a sheet load of garlic, chilli and peanuts. They also do a massive bowl of chilli chicken which can bring a small tear to the eye for those whom are lacking in chilli fitness.
BYO tick. And they have a pretty good wine list in terms of dumpling restaurant standards. Service generally pretty good. Book or you will be walking disappointedly down the road (maybe try china red if this happens…).

Oh! There’s plenty of dumplings places to choose from in the CBD, but after visiting Hutong for the first time last night, I’m definitely keen to go back.
It’s nice because it’s good delicious dumplings AND a lovely atmosphere, unlike Shanghai and the other classic spots that are just a little tacky (but still perfect for BYO and big groups)
Anyway. There’s a pretty extensive array of main meals to choose from, but we stuck to the dumplings! Devoured our way through the Shao-​Long Bao (delicious soupy dumplings which you eat with ginger. SO GOOD), the Wantons with Chili sauce (which they happily put less chili on for wussy me) and the boiled pork dumplings. Would have to say the Wantons were the winner for me!
Had an endless supply of tea, and finished up with the banana fritter which was delicious albeit ridiculously phallic. (heh)
Lovely, friendly service. Will be back fo sho!