Ugly Dumpling

Chinese·
££££
·
Bronze Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Ugly Dumpling

Bronze Award

This tiny, two-floor site is now home to a dumpling den, after a busy recent history in which it’s played host to Pitt Cue Co and Rockadolla hotdogs. Not the place to come if you want to discuss something secret (diners practically sit on each other’s laps), Ugly Dumpling is a buzzy space with simple interiors. The concise menu is split between ‘street food classics’ and ‘new favourites’; the dumplings come in portions of three pieces or you can opt to try all five varieties on each menu for £6, as we did. From the classics, we loved the fragrantly sweet duck dumpling and the sticky-glazed pork option, while stand-outs from the newer selection include an earthy mushroom and truffle combo. Don’t skip the fun sides either, which see crispy tempura aubergine drizzled in sweet honey dressing and topped with peanuts for extra crunch. Dumplings even appear for dessert; we preferred the sweet-as-can-be matcha tea and white chocolate take, while the blueberry variety came smothered in crème fraiche that was a little too thick. Chatty staff and run-of-the-mill cocktails complete the casual picture.  

 

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - Under £30
Cuisines
Chinese
Food Hygiene Rating

Location

1 Newburgh Street, Soho, London, W1F 7RB

020 7287 6336 020 7287 6336

Website

Opening Times

Mon-Fri 11.30am-10pm (Fri -10.30pm) Sat 11am-10.30pm Sun 12N-5pm

Reviews

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3 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Anon

16 February 2022  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4.5
Value 4.5
An absolute gem

I was speaking to a friend about Ugly Dumpling the evening of our booking and they described the restaurant as "consistently marvellous" and I couldn't agree more. 

This is a great venue if you've got dietary restrictions but don't want to hinder the rest of your party with a vegetarian/vegan only option -- platters for all are available, portions are small enough that you need multiple rounds of things anyway, and the noodle side is fantastic. I've been a few times and will always go back. 

Making a booking is crucial, though! I was unfortunately sat next to the door on a cold evening so that was the only let down. 

Jenna L

17 December 2017  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 5
Value 5
Great experience
Stumbled upon this gem of a dumpling place while out shopping in Carnaby, really enjoyed both the meaty and the vegetarian options! My favourite was goat's cheese and beetroot dumpling! Their sides are all to die for, especially the miso courgette. The eggplant tempura was incredible as well. Good selection of drinks as well and lovely staff complete the picture.

Piglet

11 August 2017  
Food & Drink 4
Service 4
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Great for a quick, tasty bite
A small restaurant with a relatively small menu (mostly dumplings but a few salad side dishes too), I think there were around 8 different dumpling fillings to choose from, and they come in threes. I was very disappointed that the pork belly dumplings weren't available but this was all forgiven as we ordered the "special of the day" beef rendang (so good we ordered another plate), the duck and the satay chicken, all were delicious alongside a pickled watermelon and avocado salad. The only gripe is that a few of the dumplings had gone quite hard (maybe not cooked through quite enough?) by the time we had finished. Service is swift and friendly, decent bottle of wine and the bill was £43, we would definitely pop in again, I think it gets pretty busy on Friday and Saturday evenings, we we were there on a Monday night at 7pm (and it was half full). We sat upstairs as it's a good people watching spot, but there are more seats downstairs too.
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020 7287 6336 020 7287 6336

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