Gourmet Dumpling House

Gourmet Dumpling House is a Chinese restaurant at 52 Beach Street in Boston's Chinatown, in Massachusetts, United States. It is best known for its soup dumplings, thin-skinned parcels filled with pork and hot broth, which are steamed in bamboo baskets and eaten with vinegar and ginger. Peking duck, a classic banquet dish, is the other emblematic item, and the large menu also covers noodles, stir-fried vegetables, seafood, rice dishes and Shanghai-style specialties. The dining room is a lively, no-frills space with large round and rectangular tables suited to groups, bright lighting and a high noise level. Dress is casual. Service is fast and functional rather than formal. Prices are moderate, with dumplings and noodle dishes commonly costing under fifteen dollars and larger shared dishes costing more, so groups can eat well without a high bill. The restaurant keeps late hours, closing around 1am, which makes it a popular stop after a night out and one of the few places in the area for late-night food. Reservations are generally not needed for small parties, and waits at peak times such as weekend evenings are usually manageable. Chinatown is a compact neighbourhood adjacent to Downtown Crossing and Boston Common, and Tufts Medical Center and Chinatown stations on the Orange Line are a short walk away. Visitors are advised to let the soup dumplings cool slightly and bite carefully to avoid the hot broth.