Jiaozi! dumpling house is part of the next generation of Chinese restaurants—literally. It opened in February, replacing an older Cantonese kitchen whose food was once described, in a 2007 review, as “just a shade better than a Hong Kong prison.” The exterior, wedged between two massage parlors on Eighth Avenue South, doesn’t immediately appeal, but the cozy hideaway inside more than compensates with cheerful walls, hungry crowds, and authentic recipes from grandma’s kitchen.
“Dumplings, or jiaozi, are a common dish with a long history,” says owner Elaine Song, describing a national favorite almost as old as China itself. According to legend, dumplings date back more than 1,800 years, when a Han dynasty–era herbal doctor concocted a medicinal broth to warm the masses during China’s freezing winter months. Bobbing inside were parcels of meat-stuffed dough, which initially came to be known as “jiao er,” or “tender ears,” for their crescent shape and storied ability to stave off frostbite.