Best Dumplings in Manhattan
The 10 best dumplings in Manhattan — Chinatown soup dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, Shanghai xiao long bao, and the new openings driving the 2026 dumpling surge.
- 01
Joe's Shanghai
Chinatown · 46 BoweryA Bowery Chinatown institution opened in 1995 and credited as the spot that introduced Manhattan to the Shanghai-style soup dumpling — communal tables, brusque service, and a soup-dumpling order written on every checked-off ticket.
Because Joe's Shanghai is the Manhattan soup dumpling default — the broth inside the wrapper is rich without being greasy, the pork-and-crab variant is still one of the best XLB upgrades in the borough, and the price has barely moved.
Order Crab and pork soup dumplings (eight per order), plus scallion pancake.
Order the crab-and-pork XLB rather than the plain pork — the crab roe lifts the broth in a way that the standard pork version does not, and the supplement is only a few dollars per order.
- 02
Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao
East Village · 15 St Marks PlThe Manhattan branch of the legendary Flushing soup-dumpling specialist — opened on East Broadway and immediately shifted the Manhattan XLB conversation toward higher-pleat-count, lighter-broth dumplings made to order.
Because Nan Xiang's pleat count (eighteen versus the Joe's standard twelve) makes a measurable difference — the wrapper is thinner at the top, the broth volume per dumpling is larger, and the ginger-vinegar dip ratio is calibrated to that lighter style.
Order The classic pork XLB plus the seasonal truffle variant if available.
Order the truffle-and-pork XLB if it is on the seasonal board — Nan Xiang runs limited-edition flavors that sell out by the early dinner shift on weekends.
- 03