Where to get Korean, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese dumplings
Did somebody say dumpling road trip? Tasty Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese dumplings can be found all over the region.
Buckle up, hop on your bike, grab a friend or two and get eating. We recommend the following:
Soju (Korean)
Chef/owner Simon Chough’s mandu are an exquisite expression of his Korean American heritage. He tends to offer the from scratch dumplings at his Garfield restaurant once or twice a week, so be sure to jump on them if they’re on the menu when you visit (and check Soju’s social media to see when he’s serving).
His dumplings have a silky skin filled with a dynamic blend of ingredients and toppings. An April iteration included a mixture of foraged ramps and morel mushrooms, pork, beef, kimchi and tofu perfumed with aromatics and garnished with scallion oil, chili oil, green onions and sesame seeds. 4923 Penn Ave., Garfield; simonchough.wixsite.com/sojupgh
Umami Izakaya (Japanese)
The preparation time for the gyoza at Umami is a little longer than at other Japanese restaurants in Pittsburgh, as the dumplings are cooked to order in a single pan in the post-World War II style. The wait at this third-floor Lower Lawrenceville izakaya pays off with a plate filled with wrappers that are both shatteringly crunchy and pillowy, and are stuffed with a juicy, garlicky pork filling. The accompanying rayu shoyu dipping sauce and chili threads add an extra oomph of umami and soft heat to each bite.
202 38th St., 3rd floor, Lower Lawrenceville; umamipgh.com
Took Took 98 (Thai)
Nathanan “Natalie” Manjeen offers a lens into Thai street food at her charming Squirrel Hill restaurant. Go for gu chai, a Thai favorite that’s hard to find in Pittsburgh. The crispy, chewy wrapper is prepared with glutinous rice, wheat and tapioca flours. It’s filled with pungent
Chinese chives, crimped in a style similar to xiao long bao, and then pressed to form a patty.
The steamed and pan-fried dumplings are a study of texture and flavor, given an additional boost with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Listed as “dumplings,” they are Manjeen’s spin on siu mai but with a folded top like an envelope to enclose the family recipe blend of pork, egg, scallions, onions and chestnuts.
2018 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill; tooktook98.com
Bae Bae’s Kitchen (Korean)
Handmade every step of the way is the key to the gorgeous mandu served at Bae Bae’s Kitchen. The Downtown restaurant offers chicken and pork dumplings, both mixed with cabbage and green onions. You can get them pan-fried, which adds a nice crispness, but experiencing the supple texture of the steamed version is a real treat.
A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds added as a finishing flourish heightens the depth of flavor of these edible memories of coowner Edward Lai’s childhood. 951 Liberty Ave., Downtown; baebaes.kitchen
Tan Lac Vien (Vietnamese)
Minh Luong, chef and owner of Tan Lac Vien, offers a Vietnamese spin on Chinese dumplings at his Squirrel Hill and Strip District establishments. The Saigon native, who grew up in Orange County, California, spent months working on a recipe that would pay homage to his roots and multifaceted culinary training.
His cushiony dumpling skins turn breathtakingly tender when he steams them. Those wrappers envelop a finely chopped chicken stuffing; the combination translates to sublime texture and fragrance in each juicy bite.
2114 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill (Tan Lac Vien Bistro)
1931 Smallman St., Strip District
(Tan Lac Vien 2 at Novo Asian Food Hall) tanlacvienpgh.com
Korea Garden 2 (Korean)
As of press time, Seok Kun Han’s gorgeous dumplings are only available on weekends at his Korea Garden 2 restaurant in Novo Asian Food Hall. They’re so tasty it’s even worth making a trip to the Strip, even though it’s hectic down there on weekends, to crush an order or two of the blend of ground beef, tofu, vermicelli noodles, zucchini, onions, garlic, green onions — and a touch of sugar to balance them — stuffed inside handmade wrappers that are steamed and then pan-fried to a gorgeous golden brown.
1931 Smallman St.,
Strip District