Located on Convoy Street in the Kearny Mesa area of San Diego, the Dumpling Inn & Shangai Saloon is just one of many Asian restaurants along this stretch, but only one of a few true Chinese restaurants in all of San Diego.  

We found it challenging to find a good Chinese restaurant in San Diego that checks all the boxes, until we discovered the Dumpling Inn and Shanghai Saloon on Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa.  Convoy Street is unique in the number of diverse businesses owned and representative of different Asian cultures such as Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai eating establishments. There are so many excellent restaurants along this stretch, but the Dumpling Inn is the only Chinese restaurant that has us coming back for more time and time again.  And if you don't believe me, it is consistently named one of the best Chinese restaurants in San Diego Magazine year after year.   

Of course they are known for their Dumplings because after all - they are the Dumpling Inn.  The Beef Curry Dumplings are quite unique and very tasty.  You get six deep fried dumplings with your order that makes a good appetizer for two or three people.   We also love the Pork Pot Stickers and the Pork Dumplings which are boiled.  You get 8 fried pot stickers or 10 boiled dumplings.  We have often said, next time we'll just order dumplings and skip the entrees.  For our main dishes we usually try to get some vegetables with our protein.  They have an excellent Black Pepper Steak that is served with red and green peppers and onions in a hot and spicy sauce.  It's really not that spicy.  We also usually get Chicken with Vegetables, which I don't think is really on the menu.  But they seem very accommodating and all the servers are very familiar with this request.  So we obviously aren't the only ones who get this.  It comes with chicken, broccoli, snow peas, carrots, onions and bok choy.   

One of the reasons we haven't found another Chinese restaurant we like as much as the Dumpling Inn and Shanghai Saloon is because most don't have a full bar.  I like to have a Mai Tai with my Chinese food.  However, I have to say that I've never been impressed with the Mai Tai here.  It's not listed on the cocktail menu, and seems to only have one rum - not a light and dark rum like I am used to having.  So last time, we decided to stick with what was on the cocktail menu and we enjoyed our drinks much more.  I ordered the Saloon Old Fashioned made with Classic Makers 46, bitters and sugar with an orange garnish and Luxardo cherry.  That drink is only $9!  Nick had the Lady of the House with  Gentleman Jack Lemon, and Lavender.  While writing this article, I just read that in May 2018 they created their first barrel of Makers Mark Private Select and named it the Founder's Barrel.  It was expertly crafted with oak staves and aged in a Limestone Kentucky cellar.  It's supposed to have a bolder finish on the front of the palate.  I think I know what I'm going to try on my next visit!