Mama Lu's Dumpling House

I had the best time at Mama Lu's in Pasadena with my friends! We usually hang out at the Chinatown spot, but we decided to switch things up and give this one a shot - and wow, what a treat it was! We dug into all our favorites like the beef wrap, spicy wontons, and crab and fried scallop fried rice, and they were absolutely sensational. The House Special Fish Filet is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and just bursting with flavor. The Egg Tofu with mushrooms - it was so saucy and savory, with the tofu melting in my mouth like butter. We popped in on a Monday night thinking it would be quiet, but the place was buzzing with good vibes and great food. The casual yet classy vibe, the quick and friendly service, and the steamy hot, delicious dishes made Mama Lu's feel like a home away from home. The servers were super sweet and made us feel so welcomed. I can't wait to go back and try more of their menu. Mama Lu's is the kind of place where you can kick back, enjoy some amazing food, and make memories with your loved ones.

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Mama Lu’s is one of my favorite dumpling house restaurants. Normally I would frequent the Monterey Park location but stumbled onto the Pasadena location while out shopping. About an hour before closing, the restaurant was fully packed, and somehow they were able to get us seated for two very quickly. The service is phenomenal here, all the staff is very attentive. The Mongolian beef plate and stir fry veggie noodles were out of this world packed with flavor. And can never go wrong with their spicy wontons drenched in chili oil. Beer selection could be better as they only offer two kinds, but nevertheless the food is the star of the show. Have not had a bad dish so far. Highly recommend.

Wonderful experience at Mana Lu's in Pasadena! The soup dumplings were a little disappointing - thick skin and no crab taste. Everything else was excellent (good wok hei) - Shanghai rice cakes (fresh ingredients), salted fish, chicken, tofu (very balanced) and stir fried string beans.

This is a great location, conveniently located across the street from a parking structure that is super reasonable. I believe it was a dollar for the 1st hour or two hours and then two dollars for the following hour. Once I was seated, I was immediately greeted and set up with a complementary hot tea and peanuts that are lightly fried and perfectly seasoned balance of a salty sweet. This makes it feel like a very traditional dining experience. I also ordered an oolong milk tea! Everything is served family style, what we ordered to share with the honey, garlic, pork, chop, juicy pork, dumpling beef, frappe, and spicy wontons with pork and shrimp. These dumplings are delicious and juicy. There’s not one thing I did not enjoy! The tables are set up nicely and everything was clean. They were hosting several large parties during this holiday season. It was a busy Friday evening so I was happy to get seated right away, but shortly after there was a waitlist, so come with the patients.

+6

Mama Lu's has also opened in Pasadena! The weather is lovely, so I came to have a meal with friends! The menu is extensive, and we pondered for a while, not sure what to order. Fortunately, the waiter was very patient, answering our questions and leaving us with a great impression! We tried the XLB, the hot soup inside the small dumplings was delightful. It's truly hard to imagine how such small dumplings can hold so much soup! The inventor of beef patties is undoubtedly a genius! much better than beef hot pot! I'll definitely come back for another meal with friends next time!

Surprisingly, not a long wait here. I've been to the Mama Lu's in San Gabriel a couple times. The food here is just as amazing as the other chain. Big portions. Decent prices. Absolutely amazing taste. I'm so glad they made a location right in the center of Old Town. Pasadena. I'm going to guess that's going to be long lines soon. Also forgot to add amazing service. Quick food turn around. And right next to the parking lot.

Classic Chinese comfort food at @mamalusdumplinghouse 🤤🤤🥟🥟 the food here is so solid and there’s such a large variety of menu items to choose from. From dumplings to fried rice to fish fillets there’s something for everyone!! 🍽️ Ordered: 1. Spicy wontons 2. Pork Xiao long bao 3. Honey pork chops 3. Seaweed fish fillet 4. Fish fillet w/ black bean 5. Chicken fried rice 6. String beans 7. Pan fried dumplings 8. Green onion pancake 9. Rice cakes Pretty much every dish pictured is a go to dish for me, everything tasted so fresh and homemade!!! I loved the variety here & def recommend coming with friends so everything can be shared family style 🥰✨✨

I was here for the fisrt time after having heard of it from a lot of friends. The food was delicious. We had a lot of Chinese dishes but my favorites are yang chow fried rice, stirred fried eggplant and mapo tofu. Dumplings are great too, especially XLB and spicy wonton. I don’t eat spicy but it’s not too spicy here. Service was very quick. All the food were out in very short time!

Very authentic Chinese food, no matter the food, environment and service staff, they are all perfect. I have been to many Chinese restaurants, and this one has the highest overall score. I recommend it. The dishes are very delicious, affordable, and the quantity is large.

The food was amazing! We ordered the steamed vegetarian dumplings and vegetarian chow mein, both of which had great flavor. The place was really busy, so we opted for takeout. Reservations are highly recommended!

I'm thrilled that Pasadena has a new restaurant! Finally, I can enjoy good Chinese food within 5min drive!! Fried rice is my fav! I'm not a fan of noodles, I prefer rice, and fried rice is the best! My second fav is definitely the rice cake, so chewy and well flavoured!

Ordered 7 dishes and food was all around delicious! Service was very fast and every staff member was very kind. The restaurant was spacious enough to accommodate our party.

There aren’t very many Chinese places located in Downtown Pasadena but luckily this location happens to serve the area well. Mama Lu’s can be seen at various places across the San Gabriel Valley but it never disappoints with its delicious chinese food especially Xiaolongbao which is their specialty. However the other menu options are just as amazing. Price is excellent compared to the portion size with some of the noodle or rice dishes easily able to fill 3 meals for the price of one. I highly recommend this restaurant for someone looking for authentic chinese cuisine at a reasonable price!

I was excited to see that they had a Pasadena location. We used to take trips to Monterey park for the location there. Was curious if it would be a similar experience and it definitely did not disappoint. We ordered a lot this day but I did not document all of it. Everything was delicious and we had a lot of leftovers. Can’t wait to go back!

This is such a classic staple in the SGV area. Still one of the best traditional chinese restaurants we have here. I've had many of these dishes shown here in these pictures before but my new favorites will have to be the FISH WITH SEAWEED, MAPO TOFU, and their FRIED MAN TOU (fried buns) with condensed milk. Of course you always need to order their JUICY PORK XIAO LONG BAOS! The workers and service here was phenomenal. Lots of parking structures close by.

I’m glad that Mama Lu finally opened another branch in Pasadena!! Their Xiao Long Bao aka Juicy Pork Dumplings was always delicious and definitely my all time favorite. This location is conveniently located in the heart of old town pasadena next to a paid parking structure for convenient access. I came here with a group of friends so we decided to order family style/shareable dishes like Deep Fried Prawn, Fish with Seaweed, Garlic Pea Sprout, Mapo Tofu, Fried Pork Bun, etc. Everything was cooked to perfection and it tasted just as good as their original location in Monterey Park. The price was also very affordable for the large portion that we got. I also noticed there were alot of families and elderly people came and enjoyed their food so it was definitely authentic :)

food was super good and felt super at home :) scallion pancakes were a little greasy but so crispy and I love the beef wraps so much!! staff were normal and nice and it was a cute restaurant super lively!

I recently tried Mama Lu’s Dumplings in LA and it’s quickly become a top spot for me. The xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) here are a must-try; they’re perfectly steamed with a rich, savory broth inside that’s absolutely delicious. The yudofu (silken tofu) is another standout, served hot and comforting with a delicate flavor that’s just right. It’s great to have such authentic Chinese dishes so well-prepared close to home. If you love genuine Chinese food, you’ll enjoy Mama Lu’s!

I love this spot, they don't take reservations and there's always a line but since I dine alone I always get the little corner table for one - lol. The food is family style so I always have leftovers. The prices are amazing especially for LA and the food is soo good from the dumplings to the green beans to the entrees.

Much appreciated how hard the staff was working on Xmas day! The food was great, and well seasoned. Service was speedy. Definitely standing out among dumpling restaurants. (Also as tourists we were miffed by some reviews for this restaurant where reviewers raved about the food and service but found one small detail to take one star off)

Update: January 2026 NEW LOCATION!!!! They have MOVED just down the block, on the north west corner of Green and Fair Oaks. If you go to their former location on Fair Oaks and Colorado, there is no signage they have moved!!! I just stumbled across the new location. Thank goodness! Anyways, the new location is nice but doesn't have the historical architecture of the former, but the restrooms are on the same floor! Hahaha! Food wise, on this occasion was just okay, 2 stars, but this has nothing to do with the chef. The fire alarm kept going off every few minutes so I am guessing the kitchen had some ventilation issues. Our chicken fried rice was definitely not fried( see photo) , and very bland. However the garlic Green Beans came out first, hot and delicious, the Beef and noodles were good too. We never got our juicy dumplings and was told the kitchen or equipment was not working. Nevertheless, I am giving them 4 stars for effort as I know today's experience was due to the fire alarm going off the entire time we were sitting there. We quickly ate and took the rest home. The staff should of comped the fried rice, but... I hope the fire alarm and kitchen ventilation issue is resolved soon. Parking is easy! Park on the city structure on Fair Oaks, just south of Colorado. The first 90 mins are $1. Update: October 2025 Casual Chinese tasty food at a reasonable price! Every time I arrive with friends, we only waited a few minutes to be seated. Service is just okay. We usually had to look for staff and flag them down, but they all work hard and were prompt, once we asked for something. A pot of jasmine hot tea with salted peanuts arrived promptly as we were seated, complimentary. We shared the crab and pork soup dumplings which was super tasty! I will order these again. The garlic green beans were stir fried perfectly, with a crunch. The beef chow fun was really good! Finally we shared the Green Onion pancake. It was crispy and good, but a bit greasy for my taste. We ate until we were full and there were leftovers for us to take home!

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I recently visited Mama Lu's Dumplings after seeing it recommended on TikTok. Having just moved from the Bay Area, I'm on the lookout for new favorite spots, and I was excited to give this place a try. The experience overall was solid. We got seated quickly, and the food arrived in a reasonable time. Most of the dishes we ordered were good, and you can tell they take pride in their dumplings. However, I was a little taken aback by the green onion pancakes. They arrived very oily and lacked the savory flavor I’m used to—more like a piece of fried batter. It’s usually one of my favorite appetizers, so I was a bit disappointed. Aside from that, I enjoyed the meal, and I’d still recommend giving Mama Lu's a try, especially if you're craving dumplings. Just maybe skip the green onion pancakes if you’re looking for something with more flavor.

Do you think this place is just another hole in the wall until you look up and see the fabulous art Deco chandeliers, an art deco design of the roof. It's absolutely stunning. The juicy pork dumplings stole the show they were the best thing there and every table seemed to have an order. We also have the pork fried dumplings and the Kung Pao chicken both of which were good. Drinks aren't refillable.

New location just off of Green Street and fair Oaks. The juicy pork dumpling was outstanding and of course, you must be careful not to break the skin while you’re eating it to preserve the juices! Service was typical and attentive. I had no problem. It is definitely roomier than their old location off Colorado Boulevard.

First time coming to Mama Lu's and it was great. I got the pork and chives dumplings and they were simple but packed with flavor. The shrimp, pork and chives dumplings were also really good. We also ordered some chicken chow mein noodles and they were ok. I tried the chili oil and it was more flavorful than spicy which I appreciated. The dumplings are the selling point here tbh and they are at a very reasonable price! The dumplings had lots of flavor and were very filling! Definitely recommend this spot for a quick, affordable place to eat!

My daughter wanted to eat at this restaurant. First of all, the waiter didn't check on us after we ordered. I mean not....at....all. I was surprised. And we ordered a lot of food. It was pretty good. I liked the tiny pieces of cabbage that were in the chicken fried rice. I didn't like that the tofu would be smooshy in my mouth. I prefer the tofu to be at least crunchy or fried up a little bit. The beef dish that had sliced onions and peppers was really good. The potstickers hardly had any meat, and it's all mush together. You can see for my picture that I opened it up and you can see what it looks like. The veggies were okay.The mushrooms tasted you like they were from a can instead of it being fresh, which I think is cheap. I don't think I'll be back. I enjoyed trying this restaurant, but if I were to order one thing, I would only order the beef dish.

Nestled in the heart of Old Town Pasadena, Mama Lu gracefully preserves the elegant ambiance of the former Chef Tony restaurant while introducing a delightful fusion of Monterey Park's favorite comfort food to the area. The transition from Chef Tony's to Mama Lu has retained the establishment's classy vibe, with only menu alterations hinting at the exciting changes within. Our culinary journey commenced with a flavorful exploration of the pork chop in Mandarin sauce—a definite highlight, boasting a tantalizing taste that left a favorable impression. However, while the onion pancake and potstickers made an appearance, their execution seemed to falter slightly. Unlike the authentic oil-fried potstickers and green onion pancake known for their rich flavors, these renditions erred on the side of being overly oily and failed to capture the expected essence. Further, the chow fen experience left us wanting. The noodles, unfortunately, lacked the desired texture and fell short on taste, tending towards a disappointing soggy state instead of delivering the anticipated chewiness synonymous with well-executed fried noodles. On a brighter note, the service was notably amiable, and the efficiency in serving the dishes was commendable, contributing positively to the overall dining experience. Mama Lu's venture into Pasadena's culinary landscape adds an intriguing blend of Chinese comfort food to the predominantly Western dining scene of Old Town. While some dishes may require fine-tuning to meet the expectations set by their traditional counterparts, the restaurant shows promise in offering an engaging amalgamation of flavors. If seeking a balance between elegance and comfort, Mama Lu holds the potential to become a standout destination with a bit of refinement in their culinary execution.

Finally got the chance to try this locations in Pasadena. I love the chandeliers they have here! Definitely more of a classy vibe compared to their other locations but still with yummy dishes. I'm a sucker for corn chicken soup and it did not disappoint here! Also really enjoyed the fried pork dish and tofu veggie plate. I was a little sad that this location doesn't have all the same dishes as the other location as I love my spicy cucumbers. Other than that staff was really friendly and I love the location in the heart of old town Pasadena!

I have came here twice and had good experiences both times. I will definitely be coming back :) I think they share tip so service is not that good but food is amazing!!!! And the servers are nice just really busy. I think they need to assign sections to servers. When we first got there the servers were too busy so we couldn’t get seated or acknowledged. I really recommend the waiters not sharing tips but the food is sooo good and the portions are really big :)

Food was delicious. We had the vegetable egg rolls, which were nice and crunchy, and the pork, Napa, and shrimp dumplings. Service was a bit slow. They don’t have unsweetened iced tea but, they did take it off the bill. I would definitely go back and try other menu offerings.

I've been to all the other Mama Lus and had to check out the latest location. The pricing, portion, and service were great! The Xiao Long Bao was juicy, beef roll had a good portion of meat, and waitress honored our request for less oil in the rice cakes. I have to ding off a star for biting into eggshells in the rice cakes (forgot to take photo), but that wouldn't deter me from thinking of coming back.

Lunch with my mom and uncle and wanted a little dumplings. We got seated right away and service was fast. I like the dumplings and it’s not salty. They’re quite busy. Good to try this place .

Another day craving for Chinese food and here I go! Highlights of the menu: 1. Hot and sour soup 2. Stir-fried seafood udon with XO sauce 3. Shanghai rice cake 4. Kung pao chicken with peanuts 5. Yang Chow fried rice 6. Salt & pepper fried pork chops 7. French style beef tenderloin with mushrooms 8. Fish filet with soy sauce

Generous portions! When I entered and passed the other tables, I could not help being shocked by what was placed in front for one or two diners who have ordered just two dishes... Perhaps we were extremely hungry, or greedy, for our party of three, we ordered five dishes lol. Xioa long bao aka soup dumplings were delicious with good amount of broth inside a slightly thicker, than I would have liked,wrap. Nonetheless, that is a must order dish, and for a slightly different dumpling, the spicy wanton is worth a try if you have not had it before. Beef wraps were chunky and probably would appeal to many. Fried salt and pepper chicken wings were good, but could be crispier.

The food at these locations wasn't what I was expecting.. the fried rice tasted so plain n the chow fun wasn't even the right noodles.. we just couldn't finished our food cause the AC doesn't work or just wasn't turn on n it was 90 degrees outside so we just eat some n pack it up n left, it just too HOT for us

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Located across Cheesecake Factory the interior is two different areas (one modern, one keeping the aesthetic of the previous restaurant). The XLBs had no juice and the pan fried buns were soggy inside. I think this location is better for dishes rather than dumplings.

We had lunch today. The dim sums were good but 😱 the fried rice was horrible, it was dried, the shrimps were not sauted nor the rice Basically the white rice was mixed with peas, carrots and boiled shrimps and little bit of egg! No sesame oil , nor a bit of soy sauce . Very blend!

Tourist trap. Had dirty dishes and the food was so greasy and salty (but not in the good way) our fried rice had 3 shrimps in it and it tasted like they dipped it in oil and forgot to fry it.

Kung pao chicken and chicken broccoli had random bites of chicken with bones in it. Not safe especially for the elders in my party. Chow fun had almost no flavor. Dumplings were okay, chive pancake was okay, green beans were okay. Service was minimal which would have been fine if the food was good. Atmosphere was comfortable enough.

Food overall was amazing although I would skip out on the fried rice as it is very mediocre. Service wasn’t the best. Simple requests that were made resulted in attitude from the service lady’s. The bust-boys are really nice and kind but the lady’s that actually take your order and greet you need to work on their people skills. If you are planning to go with a big party I would suggest going somewhere else as they have room but do not use the other half of the building causing everyone to be crowded in a small space of the restaurant.

Went last week before Christmas and the dinning experience was kind of a mess. We had 6 people and they shoved us into a small round table packing in the chairs. When there was so much seating left that they could have just put 2 tables together. Also took us over 30mins to have someone come and take our order. Then throughout the night until very end we had to physically walk up to the register to order more food, drinks, get takeout boxes, and ask for the check. The wait and service is not worth it for the quality of the food, we definitely could have gone somewhere else. The food was basic with very limited options when it came to the dumplings because almost everything contained pork. This is my second time eating here and overall definitely a pass. Not to mention parking can be difficult as it's Pasadena.