Ugly Dumpling is far from unpleasant or repulsive, especially in appearance. The authentic dumpling house serves up bold flavors that have rocked palettes across the East Coast; now it’s set to open its first location in Texas at 10000 Research Boulevard in Austin this Winter.
According to Eater, the Shanghai-inspired eatery was supposed to open its doors in the fall of 2024. Ugly Dumpling Director of Restaurant Operations, Jon Wantz, confirmed with What Now Austin that construction on the new Texas venture should wrap up in the coming weeks with a soft opening in November, followed by a grand opening after the New Year.
“We are just really, really excited to be coming to the Austin community,” Wantz said. “We think we can provide something that’s not really prevalent there, which is a traditional, about as authentic as you can get, dumpling house and something that’s affordable for everybody.”
Texas’ first Ugly Dumpling will live in The Arboretum, next to the likes of The Cheesecake Factory, Barnes & Noble, and Pottery Barn. The new dumpling spot is already listed as “coming soon” on the Ugly Dumpling website, along with a host of others.
“And we’re not stopping anytime soon,” Wantz said.
Wantz explained that there are currently ten Ugly Dumplings throughout the East Coast, including its flagship location in Edison, New Jersey. The restaurateur shared that there will be 16 Ugly Dumplings opened by the end of the year.
“The biggest thing for us is that we want to bring an affordable and approachable environment for everyone that is upscale, in looks, yet affordable to the pocket,” Wantz said.
Ugly Dumpling at The Arboretum will have the same menu as its brother and sister locations. Yes, that means their widely raved about soup dumplings will be on the menu in Austin, including a host of regular dumplings, spicy noodles, sesame noodles, and more.
“We have so many fantastic dishes,” Wantz said with a chuckle in his interview with What Now Austin.
“We really have a blend of things that everybody can enjoy.”
All of the dumplings are made in-house, taking the authenticity of this growing dumpling house brand up a notch.
“Our menu is really curated to be kind of our take on Shanghai street food,” Wantz said.
The opening of Ugly Dumpling at 10000 Research Boulevard is expected to be only the beginning of the eatery stamping its footprint on the Lone Star State.
“Hopefully the first of many to come,” Wantz said.
Find out what makes “Ugly So Good” when Ugly Dumpling opens doors at 10000 Research Boulevard in Austin’s Arboretum at the beginning of 2026.
