8 places to get soup dumplings in New Orleans
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Soup dumplings at Shang Kitchen in New Orleans. Photo: Carlie Kollath Wells/Axios
Soup dumplings are easier than ever to find around New Orleans.
Why it matters: It's Souptember, even if we are still running the A/C in Southeast Louisiana.
The big picture: Xiaolongbao — the Mandarin name for soup dumplings — are believed to date back to at least the 1870s on the outskirts of Shanghai, according to the South China Morning Post.
- The thin-skinned meat dumplings are filled with aspic, which becomes broth when cooked.
- They are difficult to make and tricky to eat.
- You can burn your mouth if you pop the dumpling in whole. One way is to poke or bite a hole in the side, sip the broth then eat the rest.
Where to find them:
🐲 Miss Shirley's: Look for the steamed dragon dumplings filled with pork soup.
🎋 Bamboo House: This restaurant in Miss Shirley's former spot in Metairie has soup dumplings.
🤩 Shang Kitchen: Get the sampler at this new Magazine Street restaurant, where you can watch the dumplings being made by hand.
🌹 China Rose: Ask for the Chinese menu at this Metairie mainstay.
🥟 Dian Xin: Pork soup dumplings are a specialty at this Chinese restaurant in the Quarter.
🥢 Yummy House: They're called soup buns at this casual dim sum spot in Kenner.
🥣 Sun Chong: The popular gumbo dumplings at this Korean-Cajun fusion restaurant are inspired by soup dumplings.
🤭 I Love Noods: The cheekily named spot in the Quarter serves them alongside ramen and pho.
DIY option: Sam's, Trader Joe's, Aldi and Target sell frozen options to cook at home. MiLà is a solid brand.
What we're watching: The founders of Dian Xin plan to open Tsang's Dim Sum & Bar next to Whole Foods on Magazine this fall, writes Ian McNulty with The Times-Picayune.
- It also will have soup dumplings.
