Day 6 of eating at 100 Asian restaurants in the DMV, and this one came straight from a tip: @naleegrace put me on to Dumplings and Beyond, a little Chinese dumpling house up on the second floor at 2400 Wisconsin Ave NW in Glover Park. @minjesuh and I went in ready to share and ordered four different kinds.
If you’re anywhere near Northwest DC and you love dumplings, this Glover Park gem’s worth the climb up the stairs, and the one you NEED to get is the pan fried House Special Dumpling. It’s got a crisp caramelized base, a chewy wrapper, and a super juicy filling, and it was hands down our favorite of the whole spread.
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What Makes Dumplings and Beyond A Must Visit Spot
Here’s the thing about Dumplings and Beyond: it’s a no-frills, dumpling-first kind of place, and that focus is exactly why it works. The menu runs more than ten kinds of dumplings, steamed or pan fried, alongside a whole spread of Chinese comfort food (noodles, fried rice, hot and sour soup, scallion pancakes).
It’s the real deal, not Americanized takeout, and it’s been a Glover Park regular for years, with the dining room back open since 2023 after a stretch of takeout only. The pull’s simple. You come for genuinely good dumplings at fair prices, you get a table without a fuss, and you leave stuffed. They’re definitely the main event here, and you can get almost any of them either steamed or pan fried depending on your mood.
What to Order at Dumplings and Beyond
We got four kinds to share, so here’s everything we ordered and exactly what I’d get again. A heads up: most dumplings come steamed by default, and you can get almost any of them pan fried for an extra dollar.
House Special Dumpling ($13.95, +$1 pan fried)
This was the winner, and it wasn’t close. We got it pan fried and that extra dollar earns its keep, the sear gives ’em a crisp, caramelized base that plays so well against the chew of the wrapper. The wrapper-to-filling ratio was spot on (no sad doughy edges), and every bite was super juicy. If you order one thing here, make it this, pan fried, no notes. So yum!
Pork N Chives ($12.95)
Close second for us, and a genuinely easy recommend. We enjoyed it both steamed and pan fried, so my tip straight from the visit is to get one order each way and taste them side by side. It’s the kind of dumpling that works no matter how you cook it, and splitting it half and half means you don’t have to pick. You really can’t lose either way.
Xiao Long Bao ($10.95)
Now for my one honest miss. Xiao Long Bao are Shanghainese soup dumplings, thin-skinned parcels with a hot broth sealed inside that spills when you bite in. These just weren’t my favorite, so I probably wouldn’t order them again here. Not bad, just not the reason to come.
If soup dumplings are what you’re after, the move is Bob’s or Shanghai Taste in Rockville, where the XLB are juicy and slurpable and I go back and forth on which I like more. At Dumplings and Beyond, spend your appetite on the pan fried dumplings instead.
Chicken & Black Mushroom ($12.95)
This was the fourth kind we grabbed to round out the spread, a chicken and black mushroom combo for anyone who wants a change of pace from the pork-heavy orders. The House Special was our clear favorite of the four, but if you’re the type who likes to try a range in one sitting, this one’s an easy add. Report back and tell me what you think of it.
Beyond what we got, the menu goes deep if you want to build a bigger meal: pork and napa dumplings, shrimp and chive, a dedicated Vegie Dumpling for the vegetarians in the group, plus lo mein, cold sesame noodles, beef noodle soup, and scallion pancakes. Plenty of room to come back and work your way through it.
What Are Xiao Long Bao?
Xiao Long Bao (literally “small basket buns,” named for the bamboo steamers they’re cooked in) come from Shanghai, where cooks fold a collagen-rich broth jelly into the pork filling. When they steam, that jelly melts back into soup, so you get an actual mouthful of broth inside a delicate, pleated wrapper.
Din Tai Fung is the chain that made them famous worldwide. They’re a genuinely different animal from a regular pan fried dumpling, and they live and die on that thin skin and hot broth, which is why I hold them to a high bar. At Dumplings and Beyond, they’re fine, but the pan fried dumplings are where the kitchen shines.
The Vibe and Experience
It’s casual and unfussy, a second-floor neighborhood spot in Glover Park, not a scene. Walk-ins are welcome and it’s an easy weeknight table, great for a low-key dinner with a friend or a family dumpling run where everyone shares a pile of orders. You’re here for the food, not the decor, and that’s exactly the energy I want on a dumpling night!
Being tucked up above street level gives it a slightly hidden, in-the-know feel, the kind of place a friend puts you on to instead of one you stumble into. And it works just as well for takeout if you’d rather post up on the couch with a box of pan fried House Specials.
Good to Know
- Location: 📍 2400 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007 (Glover Park, on the second floor).
- Hours: 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM daily, per my visit. A couple of listings show later weekday closings, so if you’re cutting it close, call ahead to confirm.
- Price range: dumplings roughly $11 to $16 an order, about $20 to $30 a person if you go in on a few kinds.
- Payment: cards and mobile payments accepted.
- Parking: no lot of their own. There’s metered street parking right nearby, plus a couple of paid lots and a garage a short walk down Wisconsin Ave.
- Takeout and delivery: yes, order through their website or Grubhub.
- Dietary: there’s a dedicated Vegie Dumpling plus tofu and veggie dishes, so vegetarians have real options.
- Best order: the pan fried House Special Dumpling, no question. Get the Pork N Chives half steamed, half pan fried.
Is Dumplings and Beyond Worth It?
The pan fried House Special Dumpling and the Pork N Chives both lived up to the “one of the DMV’s best” billing for me, and at these prices it’s great bang for your buck! I’d skip the Xiao Long Bao and send you to Rockville for those, but for a casual, dumpling-forward dinner in Northwest DC, this is an easy yes. The pan fried dumplings alone earn the hype. If you’re in the mood for more DC dumplings, Chang Chang’s all-you-can-eat dim sum brunch near Dupont Circle is another one worth your time.
Have you guys been to this Glover Park gem yet?! Let me know what you order in the comments, Nomsters, and if you’ve got a hot take on the soup dumplings, I especially want to hear it. And if you’re the type who reads a menu like this and immediately starts planning a Chinese food crawl, save this one and send it to the dumpling lover in your life. For one more under-the-radar DC pick, Panda Gourmet’s Sichuan and Shaanxi cooking in NE DC is a spot worth adding to your list.