Dumpling Generation - Lake Forest Park

I am so shocked to see these negative reviews- I got take out from here after a visit to the bookstore and the folks working there were super kind at explaining things and I really liked the food! We got egg and chive dumplings, pork belly bowl- all super delicious. I love the dumpling skin- nice and chewy. I am pretty picky about dumplings- can't be too thin, has to be chewy enough but not too doughy. Their dumplings were definitely a perfect thickness and proportion with the filling. I am definitely coming back for more dumplings next time.

I very much wish that I could give this place an extra pity star. There are plenty of subpar places I'm willing to tolerate if they offer some little glimmer of promise, pride, joy, or desire to provide a good customer experience. Unfortunately, this is not one of those places. We've been to the location in Edmonds a few times, and I would rate it a solid 3. Decent food that comes up quickly and efficient staff are it's high points. My family loves all things dumplings and boba tea, so when Dumpling Generation took over the space in Third Place we were stoked. But it's been consistently disappointing. Not only is the food not good, the service is terrible. It doesn't seem to matter who is behind the counter. I've been barked at by grumpy older men, ignored by high schoolers, and flat out ignored by older women. Our last visit will definitely be our last. Two older women sat behind the counter, riche near the order window, eating food. They didn't make eye contact with my or my son, and instead ate and chatted with one another while we just stood there, obviously waiting to order. Finally, one of the women stands up with a huff, and just stands in front of us - no greeting, no "may I take your order," and still, no eye contact. I should have walked away, but my son really wanted one of there drinks, so I placed an order anyways. She she didn't tell us what the total was, just flipped a screen around for me to enter my card and sign. No further instructions, no "it will be about 10 ten minutes", no anything. When our drinks arrive, she doesn't call to us to let us know, just plops them down at the pick up area and then sits down again to resume eating. We take our drinks and say "thank you." No acknowledgment was returned. We sit down at a table to enjoy them, and my son takes his first sip. His face freezes. He stops drinking, looks at his drink, and then looks at me. "What's wrong?" I ask. "This doesn't taste right." Keep in mind, this is a kid who dumps sour gummy worms into his buttered popcorn, dips pickle spears on mustard, and uses A1 Sauce for salad dressing. He pushes towards me, and even though I'm not big on the sweet drinks I try it. How can I describe the taste? A disgusting amalgamation of powdered plastic, sugar, and something medicinal with a hint of... soap? I taste mine, and it tastes like - nothing. It's opaque, so I know there's something in there, but it lacks any flavor whatsoever. Maybe my taste buds sustained damage when I tried my sons drink, but that's seemed improbable. We didn't even ask to have them fixed. Why bother? In the bin they went. We are at Third Place Books a lot, and oftentimes someone in our group is hungry, so we've given this place plenty of opportunities to redeem itself. I'm not even sure how this place stays in business. Maybe a steady supply of customers who are none the wiser? It's a mystery. Hopefully this review will save you from having a bad experience. The adjacent gyro place is delicious, and Honey Bear is pretty solid too, so you do have options.

We've tried this place twice now, and NEVER AGAIN! Awful Service. Just Awful. 20+ minutes for a simple order of dumplings. Dumplings that are frozen and reheated to mediocre quality. All this and ridiculous prices. Seriously you will do better with frozen dumplings from Trader Joes.

Barely edible and overpriced. Had the beef bowl, the beef was cheap fatty chuck that was either too chewy or too hard to chew. The rest of the bowl was 2" deep of mushy rice And for this they charge $18! I will never be a return customer.

A good for takeout place in a food mall settings by a bookstore. It has decent steamed dumplings. Not too memorable or unmemorable.Got the chicken and pork+chive dumplingIt does feel like the dumplings have been frozen for long time and then steamed to order.As far as taste go they were fine. Not too juicy but i suspect its the freezing that causes the little dryness. They were steamed well, not raw or anything.It is not a dine in place. Think of a food mall.Parking is not an issue since there is a lot of it around.I doubt that i would drive here for dumplings when there are better options close by.But still worth a shot if u r close by and in mood for dumplings

Meh. The dumplings, while somehwhat flavorful, didn't travel 15 minutes home very well, not that I had high hopes. If in the area again, I'd order and eat them there to give an honest review. The chili and sauce for the dumplings were good, and the chilled spicy noodles were okay. Kids loved their mango and watermelon boba tea, but my black sugar milk tea for $5 was lacking a sufficient amount of black sugar and, well, tea. It was like very slightly flavored milk. I though that maybe I had to mix it up better, but no, thoroughly mixed it was still just milk. I wouldn't seek this out again, but wouldn't completely reject it if I was hungry after buying books.

Ordered the chicken cabbage dumplings (6 of them) for $10 (+tax). They are made fresh, so expect about a 15 min wait if you order them. The restaurant even has a sign up that if you want to order dumplings expect 15 mins and for buns expect 20 min wait. The dumplings are very filling and we're hot temperature wise. There is a lot of filling compared to dumpling skin thickness. However, the flavor was a little bland, so used the soy sauce that was provided. I would be interested in trying other items on the menu; I probably wouldn't order the dumplings again.

How I heard of this place: We were visiting Third Place Books and ran into a friend who was enjoying her meal from Dumpling Generation. She gave my daughter a sample and we were sold; she had to have her own.Type of cuisine: Chinese, with dumplings, noodles, and rice bowls. A selection of bubble tea is also available.Ambiance: A "strip mall" like setting, Dumpling Generation is one of three or four eateries inside the building that hosts Third Place Books, and sits directly across the way from the stage and cafeteria seating area. The fluorescent lights above and linoleum floors below, while somewhat vanilla, still give a warm welcome, as the space is bustling with friends and happy faces.What I ordered: We ordered the Tomato & Egg Mixed Noodles ($16) - their signature homemade noodles with a tomato and egg sauce, plus edamame and cucumber atop. What I loved: My daughter devoured the noodles with eggs and tomato as well as the cucumber. I loved it, too, especially considering the coldness of the edamame and cucumber. Tasty and worked surprisingly well together.Why I loved it: The place seems happening with so many to-go dumpling orders. We stuck with the one item recommended to us, but would love to go back and try what they are known for. Cost: Average to high

We Lucy! I was with a friend, and we got bubble tea. I accidentally spilled it, and not only did lucy (an employee) clean up the mess, she also got me a new drink! Great customer service! The bubble tea is top notch! I recommend!

Their milk tea boba is terrible. 90% ice, I complained and they basically said "that's how we make it". Avoid order here imo