Mama Lu Dumpling House

We ordered dumpling to go, with three flavors: cabbage and pork, chive and pork, and chive and shrimp. We also ordered pan-fried pork buns.The wrappings of the dumplings felt like machine made instead of hand made, since they lacked the texture of hand-made wrappings and had an even thickness throughout. The fillings of the dumplings were good, especially the chive and shrimp one with the shrimp tasted very fresh. The pan-fried buns were not what we expected for 上海生煎包。The wrapping was too thick and raised too much, and the fillings were not juicy and lacked flavors.It was fast to get our to go order, but to eat in person at a Sunday evening will require waiting in line. I arrived at 6:45 and the line was like 15 min. I saw people compare this place to Din Tai Fung --- maybe that is why the line is getting long. Overall, the dumplings and buns were Ok, and I give this place four stars.

It's been a while since I came to this Ma Ma Lu, I remembered this place used to be crowed and delicious. Was craving for the Shanghai noodle, is pretty good still. Also ordered the beef wrap, it could use more sauce. Spicy Wonton - is ok, the spicy build up slowly. And a almost $6 Iced Lemon Tea. With 2/3+ cup of ice, and no refill. Just cuz of that, I will not come back again. This place is not the same anymore, Service is totally different. For a dumpling place in MP, but 98% are non Asian. Is just a bit odd.

From the Chinese forums and from reviews, this place has EXTREMELY high reviews, so of course I had high expectations. We ordered the honey garlic pork chop, sautéed garlic string beans, fried salt and pepper calamari, green onion pancake, xiao long bao, and some oolong tea (which is the only hot tea they had). Here's a review of everything: The honey garlic pork chop was not fried evenly. When it came out, I saw pieces that weren't even coated in the batter before being fried, so it was just squishy pork chop on top of a plate of honey sauce. Trust me, I've had this dish MANY times at other restaurants, and the way this sauce didn't even stick to the pork chop shows the poor quality of the dish. If one can't even evenly dip the pork in batter to fry, then the dish isn't going to have the right texture or taste. The sautéed string beans were actually the most fresh because they weren't stringy/tough (like beans that are old). The flavor was lacking in the garlic department (unfortunate) but this was probably the most flavorful dish out of all of them. The fried salt and pepper calamari was the biggest disappointment. The cuts were so large that it couldn't fit into my mouth. The first piece I ate was just fried batter... I only ate one piece of the calamari after before trying to ask them if they would take it back because I did not enjoy the dryness and the lack of flavor. Frankly, it was just oily with no real flavor, and had some ingredient that made my throat dry. Even a 5 minute request to have them take it off our bill wasn't successful. Bad customer service (more on that later). The green onion pancake had great texture but NO strong taste of green onion and an even lesser taste of salt. It was under seasoned. Trader Joe's frozen one tastes better...Lastly, the xiao long baos. The texture of the skin looked interestingly thick but was actually not bad. The issue is that the pork was either undercooked or the filling didn't contain enough pork because every single one I ate was squishy on the inside. Steamed pork should not be squishy. Even over-steamed pork is more firm, texture wise. The only other reason it could be squishy inside is if the filling consists of mostly NOT pork, which would explain the lack of pork taste that it had. Go to Din Tai Fung for better quality xiao long bao.The tea was sad. Not enough flavor. Everything lacked flavor so don't come here if you like good Chinese food. Also, customer service sucks. They wouldn't take the dish off our bill and also another table of four were forced to get up and move after being seated and ordering food and drinks because the staff had another group of people who could fit at the table they were at (clearly there's no organization whatsoever).

Definitely prefer the spacious dining area here compared to the other nearby Mama Lu. Pleasant service. Food is fresh and hot.

Wow. If you're craving some authentic dim sum this it!! The menu is extensive and packs great variety. We ordered the green beans and as someone who loves the ones at Din Tai Fung I must say these are BETTER!!! So much more flavor it's absolutely delicious. We also ordered the beef wrap and that was yummy as well. The shredded beef inside was nice and tender. As for dumplings we ordered the spicy wontons and again they are soooo much better than D.T.F; and we also ordered the shrimp, Napa and pork dumplings. Both orders were so juicy and warm and overall comforting. The service was ok. They were busy as it was a Friday but definitely lacked some attention to our table. Other than that it was great and can't wait to go back soon!

Came here on a Saturday afternoon and very surprised that it wasn't as busy as this place usually is. Service was very quick and attentive!Sautéed String Beans 5/5- Loved the flavor of how the e whole dish was put together. Also really liked the garlic and little shallot pieces all throughout that brings every bite tastefully. Very classic and huge portion.Xiao Long Bao 5/5- Holy crap the amount of soup that comes out of these dumplings is crazy. I really like that compared to other dumpling places which usually doesn't have that much. The soup is very rich in flavor as well.Thai Style Seafood Fried Rice 5/5- I really liked this style of fried rice. It comes with a large scoop of roe at the top of the dish. I think it adds another depth of flavor and profile to the overall taste. I also like how it's not heavily soy sauced which makes the dish less salty.Chili Oil Wonton 3/5- This was just okay. I liked the wontons themselves but it felt like the chili oil sauce didn't have anything else going for it. Tasted just like the chili oil that was on the table side. Wish it was a little different tasting instead of just simply oil.Overall I would really recommend this place to anyone that wants dumplings and anything authentically chinese. They also serve large portions for a very cheap price which is crazy!

This Mama Lu location can be a hit or miss. My most recent experiences were a miss. The pan fried veggie with meat buns and the beef wrap were all burnt. I'm appalled at the fact they still served those to me.Salt and pepper pork chops and golden fried shrimp were soggy... not enjoyable whatsoever.Juicy pork soup dumplings were lacking soup!Only dish that was at least ok was the beef chow fun. Even still, it felt drenched in oil.

Mama Lu's Dumpling House in Monterey Park is definitely a solid spot for a good meal, and my boyfriend and I had a great time overall! The atmosphere is lively; it's clear big groups love it here as well as small parties like us. We ordered the 腊味年糕 Preserved Meat Rice Cake, 金针菇豆腐块 Enoki Mushroom with Bean Curb Cube, and the 香煎全比目鱼 Deep Fried Whole Sole. The rice cakes were chewy with a nice smoky flavor from the toppings. I was surprised by the Enoki Mushroom and Bean Curb Cube dish for its tastiness and texture. The enoki mushrooms and tofu cubes soaked up the sauce so well, and while it tasted great, I do wish it was a little warmer. The fried sole fish was the real winner for us! It was served piping hot, crispy on the outside, perfectly tender fish on the inside - it was the best dish of the night. The restaurant is a fun place to grab a bite, but I do wish the lighting was a little brighter - it felt a little grayish and dim. All in all, it was a great experience and I'll definitely be back to try more dishes!

Solid Chinese spot. Less busy than the OG location down the street. A decently large space inside plenty of seating to handle small to medium sized groups. Came in for dinner with some friends. The spicy wontons are my fav. The fried rice and crispy noodles are great options for the whole table. Big menu so there's something for everyone. Service is ok. Staff is very efficient. There's parking behind the building or a small underground garage.

I was asked to join a couple of friends for dinner last night. It was a last minute ask, but it is always nice to go see friends and enjoy a good meal. They had decided on going to Mama Lu's in Monterey Park. It was well worth the trek, even though there is a closer one to me, but the be with friends is always the best.We ordered family style and for the three of us this was more than plenty. HahahaTo start this meal we had beef chow fun, salt and pepper shrimp, Mongolian beef, French style beef tenderloin, beef wrap, honey garlic pork ribs, and what I thought I was told were soup dumplings.The food arrived to our table very quickly and was very nice portions. I think for me the only let down was the dumplings. I don't think they were soup dumplings as each one that I had, didn't contain any soup, and they had holes in the bottom of the dumpling. Flavor was ok, but not to what I was expecting. So if these were the standard pork dumplings, they were ok, as I think the dipping sauce is what made the dish, versus them on their own.Overall, I would say it was a wonderful experience, and would go back for more. Enjoy!!!