Shanghai Saloon

Dumpling Inn - Shanghai Saloon (the official name of this restaurant) is a San Diego staple and a restaurant that we try to visit anytime a guest comes into town.Shanghai Saloon is themed around 1920s Shanghai, giving it a unique vibe you can't find anywhere else. The decor is a blend of historic Shanghai elements mixed with the vibe of an old-fashioned saloon. Along with the cool vibes, you're hit with the aroma of classic Chinese dishes as soon as you open the double doors.The Vibes are nice, but people come here for the food, especially the dumplings. Outside of the soup dumplings, the Wonton Noodle Soup and Black Pepper Steak are highlights of the menu.Taking center stage (or slightly off center in the restaurant layout) is the bar. This bar is packed with over 100 different types of whiskey and rye whiskey and 30 + types of tequila including Califino which is a lesser-known delight.The service is quick, friendly and great. The food comes out in less than 10 minutes from ordering which is always a shock. They bring it out as it's ready so if you order a lot, they may serve you over 3 or 4 visits.The Pricing- The pricing is fair including the soup dumplings which you get 12 for less than $13. Most entrees are around $15 and we've never left without boxes and boxes of leftovers due to the large portion sizes.The one issue to 龇牙咧嘴 (zī yá liě zuǐ): "to grit your teeth in pain" about is the parking. It's pay to park which is not a big issue if you're coming from downtown but for us suburbanites, it's a bit of a shock. There's usually plenty of parking but it's always congested so you must allow an extra 15 minutes to find a spot, pay and then head to the entrance.

Been here 3x now and can solidly give this a 3.5, maybe a four star spot. Service is quick and efficient. Each time I've come here it has been busy and from the time you order, you can have your meals within 10 minutes. We always order family style when we go here and share the plates which are a pretty decent size. The biggest reason why this place doesn't get a 4 star in its ranking although it's super close to it, is that one of my food each time I've been here, has arrived to my table cold. So each time is like Russian roulette on which one it will be. I also ordered a Thai ice tea this last time and it tasted like a regular ole IPA rather than anything special. The duck is my personal favorite and I ordered it the last two times. The tofu with special meat sauce was new to me and I was so impressed I almost wanted to order some to take home! We were a table of five so I wished they gave us more than two cups of rice. Ambiance and seating is pretty standard and service has gotten better each time. Fairly happy with this place and will continue to come back a few times a year.

We ordered orange chicken, chicken fried rice, pepper steak, and the pork chive dumplings. Everything we had was yummy, but by far my favorite items were the pepper steak and the dumplings. We also ordered cocktails- I got the emperors margarita (rushing to pick something) and my husband got the Shanghai sling. I wish I had noticed there was a sweet sake (white peach) on the menu, otherwise I would've gotten that. Our waitress was attentive and very responsive, though was minimal when it came to pleasantries. The space was far larger than I anticipated it to be and was nice inside. We definitely will be back!

1st time here and we enjoyed our dinner here Found it on Yelp and thought we try it Food was delicious tasty and all made to order Service was fast friendly and efficient shout out to our server VAL Ambiance is nice clean and organized Def coming back again

Dumpling Inn Shanghai Saloon has the best dumplings that I've ever eaten in San Diego. The atmosphere is fun, the drinks are good, and the food is very good!I ordered a Founders Fashion and the Pork and Chive dumplings The drink was great and the dumplings were perfect. I enjoyed the oil tray they brought out for the dumplings as well. I'll be coming back!

My only wish is to open a location out here in Rancho, San Diego. The only downside is their location and parking, but it's worth the effort. We walked in around 2:30, and they closed at 3:00 to get ready for dinner service. This is one of the few restaurants where, regardless of the time you walk in, you feel welcome. This place is a twofer in having the restaurant and the saloon. Don't get me started on the saloon; I'll leave that for another review, but if you like Bourbon ( Makers ), this is the place to visit! Take it for me, a Makers Ambassador. Our server was spot on, and the food cameout so fast it was surprising. We also ordered food to go. This might be the best Asian food in SD!

Really enjoyed Shanghai Saloon. Yes, the parking is a bit difficult but we did find a spot without having to use the alternative parking garage so I'm not sure how much additional parking was there.Arrived at 5pm on a Saturday and there was a wait quoted of 30 minutes and we were seated within 20. They seemed to have a really good system of quoting time and there was seating available outside for those waiting.The ambiance was great. Really festive, clean and felt spacious even though it was packed. We ordered Kung Pao Seafood, Kung Pao Chicken, Honey Glazed Shrimp, Broccoli Beef and Deluxe Fried Rice. Because I mean...what's better than leftovers? The Kung Pao dishes were both very tasty...seafood was cooked perfect except for calamari which was very chewy. Honey glazed shrimp had huge shrimp that tasted fresh and were nicely breaded. Sauce didn't have enough kick for me but they do bring you extra chili. The Broccoli Beef was probably my least favorite... it didn't do anything for me and I'm not sure why except I do like spice and this was a sweeter dish. Stir fried rice had a nice mix but it was a quick stir fry...would have liked a little more toast to the rice.All in all very good food, huge portion sizes, and reasonably priced. We've been looking for a go to for Chinese food and looks like we found it!

Great place to try all different kinds of Chinese entrees and dumplings. We liked the chicken and shrimp dumplings and honey glazed shrimp. There was no wait on a pretty busy Friday night and service was quick. The waitress gave great recommendations and those in our party who hadn't previously tried dumplings found something to enjoy!

The ambiance was very charming and as we entered the kind staff sat us immediately. We ordered jasmine tea and perused the menu which was clearly understandable. The waitstaff came back with the tea and we ordered. Oh my gosh, the soup dumplings, were so good. The homemade noodles in the deluxe lomein is something we will go back for again soon. Black pepper beef and garlic fish fillets were perfect. Our party of 4 ordered to share and we walked away fully satisfied.

Shanghai Saloon is always a 10/10. All of their food is family-style so be prepared to share.Their hot and sour soup absolutely hits the spot. The soup has mushrooms, pork, and bamboo shoots all cooked to perfection. The pork and chive dumplings were flavorful and refreshing. The vegetable dumplings also have a lot of flavor and a nutty aftertaste.The service here is impeccable and the waiters check on you regularly. There's little to no wait time even at peak hours for a group of two. The restaurant is dimly lit and a bit more casual and lively.