BY ANNA SPIVAK & MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
In Bay Ridge, dumplings aren’t just for dinner.
Third Avenue mainstay Kathy’s Dumplings draws crowds of locals—and their not-so-local friends—at all hours of the day.
Serving up a seemingly endless amount of dumpling dishes and variations on different Northern Chinese cuisines, Kathy’s menu has something for everyone.
“Myself, I lived in the neighborhood,” said co-owner Zhi Weng, who goes by the name of Nick, about what inspired him to start the restaurant in 2012. “I just found out there’s no place like this around.”
After sampling some of the eatery’s finest, it was clear that Weng and Kathy—the restaurant’s resident chef from Northern China, who has been perfecting her dumplings for over 45 years—were surely on to something.
First we sampled the Chinese Cabbage Salad ($4.95)—a refreshing plate boasting generous amounts of Chinese cabbage, parsley and green peppers that burst with flavor, combining spicy undertones with a tangy, sweet taste.
Kathy’s Special Pancakes ($4.95), not the pancake you would expect, came in a crispy, thin dough shell and encompassed a spectacular symphony of savory flavors with its Chinese chives, shrimp, bean, vermicelli and egg.
The restaurant’s classic, Juicy Meat with Steamed Bun ($2.45), was a traditional take on a Chinese soup dumpling, bursting with juicy pan-fried beef and lettuce. Each bite, tender and meaty, had us coming back for more—which is something Weng says happens often once customers indulge for the first time.
“A lot of customers, they send their friends and family members, even people from other neighborhoods, they send them after they try our food,” said Weng. “I don’t think there are any other places, even a dumpling house in China town, [where they have] choices like us. We make every order fresh.”
The restaurant’s boiled dumplings provide another take on the classic preparation. We tried the Chicken and Pork Dumplings with Carrot Juice ($5.95)—pork, chicken, carrot, and red and green peppers—and the Luffa Dumplings ($6.95), featuring Chinese silk squash and fresh shrimp. Both packing a powerful punch, these dumplings were juicy, tender, and filled with flavorful ingredients, all while remaining light enough to save room for some sweet bubble tea.
We split a tall glass of Kathy’s best-selling Bubble Milk Black Tea ($2.45)—a refreshing and mildly sweet treat complete with black tapioca balls at the bottom.
“This is a special place,” added Weng about what he wanted people to know about the restaurant. “[It is] different than other regular dumpling places and [people] like the food. That’s the most important.”
KATHY’S DUMPLINGS
7924 Third Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11209
718-833-7000
718-833-7001
www.kathysdumplings.m988.com
Monday-Thursday: 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Closed Sundays
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