What’s better than a steamer basket full of fresh soup dumplings? A steamer basket filled with one giant, marvelous soup dumpling, that you’ll need a straw to eat (or drink) properly!
That’s exactly what Drunken Dumpling in the East Village unveiled pretty quickly after it opened in 2016, and it’s been sought after by in-the-know soup dumpling lovers around NYC and beyond ever since.
They cleverly call it the “XL XLB” (XLB is the abbreviation many people use for the original Chinese name for the dish, xiao long bao).
See also: The 10 Best Spots For Mouthwatering Soup Dumplings In NYC
It is owned by chef Yuan Li who wanted to bring “farm-to-soup” dumplings to the East Village with high quality ingredients. The giant dumpling is made to order and will take about an extra 20 minutes. Once it’s served to you, staff will make sure you know how to eat without burning yourself, opening and letting the steam out and then sipping the broth with a straw.
They only make 25 a day, so make sure to get there early. It’s filled with pork, seafood and vegetables and costs $13.25.
The only thing left to decide? If you should share it or not!
Where: 137 1st Avenue
Hours: 12-10pm Sunday-Thursday, 12pm-12am Friday-Saturday
featured image source: Instagram / @drunkendumpling