300 Handmade Dumplings A Day: Inside Edison's Ugly Dumpling

EDISON, NJ — Ugly Dumpling doesn't take its name too seriously — and that's exactly the point.

"It's just a tagline," said Ashley Vazquez, assistant general manager of the Edison restaurant. "There's times where we get guests asking, 'Are your dumplings really ugly?' And it's just like, no. It just gets it going, gets it flowing."

What is serious, however, is the food. The restaurant is a Shanghai street food inspired concept with a culinary palette that balances old-world and modern-day practices in the art of dumpling making.

They produce between 200 and 300 handmade dumplings daily, with kitchen staff cross-trained across stations — steaming, wok frying, rice and noodles — to ensure consistent quality throughout every shift.

"All our products here are made fresh by hand every single day," Vazquez said. "That's the best quality we're able to give."

The restaurant is best known for its soup dumplings, listed on the menu, which come in several varieties including chicken, pork, spinach, truffle and a spicier option. Fried rice dishes are also among the top sellers, Vazquez said.

The Mongolian beef is tender and rich in flavor as is the garlic string beans.

The kitchen staff's experience shows in the numbers. Since Thanksgiving, Vazquez said, business has stayed consistently strong seven days a week — whether for dine-in, takeout or third-party delivery.

"We're just always selling, selling, selling, selling," she said.

Cold and rainy weather has been particularly good for business, driving a noticeable spike in takeout orders. "We do notice our takeout hits a very big high point — we're just getting orders after orders after orders," Vazquez said. "It keeps us all moving around here."

The restaurant is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., though Vazquez said the staff is flexible when guests arrive close to closing time.

"Our guests are very important to us," she said. "We always like to see the same faces — sometimes new faces."

Looking ahead, Ugly Dumpling is eyeing an opportunity tied to the FIFA World Cup, which will include matches in the New York-New Jersey metro area this summer. Edison Mayor Sam Joshi recently highlighted the township's restaurant scene as part of a dining passport promotion ahead of the tournament.

Vazquez said she has already spoken with the mayor's office about the anticipated surge in foot traffic and is in early discussions with ownership about potential promotions for the event.

"I didn't even know FIFA was being held over here this year, so I was just like, OK, that's a great opportunity for all the restaurants in the area to push out their food," she said.

The restaurant has been testing limited-time offerings, including a Valentine's Day promotion pairing an appetizer, entrée and dessert at a bundled price. Vazquez said seasonal menu recommendations will rotate throughout the year.

Recipes, she added, stay true to their original form across all locations to ensure a consistent experience no matter where a customer orders.

"If you come here today and then next week you're traveling and you're in the Richmond area, it's the same," Vazquez said. "We make sure things are up to par with everything."

Ugly Dumpling is located at 561, US 1, Edison. They are open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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