Is there any better food than a dumpling? Almost every cuisine has wrapped meats, herbs, and vegetables in dough and steamed it. Food historians generally agree that dumplings originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), but as with any good food everyone wants to claim, it gets complicated very quickly.
Dumplings are versatile and delicious, and we’re lucky to have a diverse range of takes on the dish here in Boise. And like most foods outside non-European and American cuisines, you’ll find the most variety outside of downtown.
Yen Ching
Tried and true Yen Ching is controversial among those who’ve been fortunate enough to eat Eastern Chinese food in other cities and in China, but it’s stood the test of time for a reason. Their dim sum has shrimp steamed dumplings that hit the spot when you have a craving for a classic Chinese dumpling.
Also try: Their bao, to learn why they’re not considered dumplings (the difference is in the dough). Also the chilled lychee for dessert.
Ginza’s dumpling soup will match any rainy day. This is also a great place for sake! (Blake Hunter / City Cast Boise)
Ginza Sushi Grill & Ramen
One downtown restaurant serving exemplary dumplings is Ginza, which opened this summer on 10th Street. They have shumai (a steamed shrimp version), a yasai gyoza (featuring miso and veggies), a kids box, and the above dumpling soup. The dumpling soup is very simple, with a flavor profile akin to matzo ball soup or a clear-broth chicken noodle soup.
Also try: Ginza’s sushi is all creatively plated, and their sashimi is terrific.
Dumplings didn’t make their way to Japan until the 1800s, where gyoza formed into the primary Japanese take on the Chinese dish. However, they only became widespread on the island nation after World War II.
Everest Momo's mixed plate of two chicken, two yak, and two veggie momos are a great appetizer for two. (Blake Hunter / City Cast Boise)
Mount Everest Momo Cafe
In Nepal, Tibet, and North India, the dumpling gets a little more complicated. These cultures originated their own kind of dumpling called the momo, which always has a filling. Dumplings, on the other hand, do not — for example, Italian gnocchi are technically dumplings!
Mount Everest Momo Cafe brings momos to Boise, and is one of the best restaurants on Broadway Avenue. Momos are most traditionally filled with yak, a bovine well adapted to the high elevation of the region, but have evolved to include chicken as well as vegetable versions thanks to its influences by vegetarian-heavy Indian cuisines.
Also try: I’ll never be done singing Everest Momo’s praises, especially for their chana masala.
Alyonka Russian Cuisine
Chinese and Siberian cuisines have blended for millenia, and it’s the passes of the Ural Mountains that Eastern Europe has to thank for its dumplings. Boise’s best European dumplings are the Russian pelmeni at Alyonka, served with sour cream and savory in a different way than most Asian versions. The vereniki (a variety of pelmeni with a potato and mushroom filling), are incredible.
Also try: Anything and everything, but don’t sleep on the pastry case. Alyonka is a top notch bakery, a fact that’s unfortunately overshadowed by their dinner menu.
Sunshine Spice Cafe
While dumplings became popular for their ease both to make and to eat, in Afghanistan they evolved into more of a delicacy with aushak and mantu. Sunshine Spice Cafe serves an incredible mantu (it’s the only one I’ve had, but I’m sure it measures up), which is a dumpling filled with beef and onion and covered with a sour cream and garlic sauce and a tomato sauce. Aushak are covered with a meat sauce and filled with an Asian variety of leek that’s hard to get in the U.S.
Also try: The cardamom latte perfectly straddles summer and fall.
And a Few More
I hope to try every dumpling in town at some point, but Hey Boise readers sent in too many recommendations to try them all. It’s a good problem to have! Here are a few more:
- The steamed dumplings at Rice Contemporary Asian Cuisine in Eagle. Elisa D. loves the Bangkok shrimp version.
- Seoul Street Cafe’s fried dumplings are reportedly delicious!
- Nara Ramen’s gyoza are highly recommended.
- Wei Cantonese through Crave Delivery.
A final note: It seems that despite the dumplings’ origin in East China, that's the geographic area that might be most lacking in Boise's dumpling scene. Many folks seem to rely on the frozen section from Capital Asian Market which, as reader Mandy wrote in, “is not something to complain about because they’re yummy and convenient.”
Happy dumpling eating! 🥟
