The Ugly Dumpling opens in Lake Grove, Levittown

Are soup dumplings the new loaded potato skins? Back in the aughts, our chain restaurant landscape was dominated by American bar and grills like Red Robin, Applebee's and TGI Fridays, but now many of these sites have become Asian concepts. (For example, the former Red Robin by the Roosevelt Field mall turned into a Korean barbecue spot, Won KBBQ, and the Ruby Tuesday in Hicksville is a Kinya Ramen.) 

Now a Flushing-based franchise chain is coming for TGI Fridays. Ugly Dumpling recently opened the first of three planned Long Island stores, at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove. In the same space where people used to enjoy TGI Fridays' Big Ribs, now they can delight in pork belly bao buns and braised beef noodle soup. Employees perform elaborate dumpling crimping art behind an open window that dominates the main dining room. 

The entire concept seems heavily inspired by the Taiwanese mega chain Din Tai Fung and its local counterpart, Nan Xiang, which recently rebranded many of its locations from Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao to Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings. The menu at Ugly Dumpling has many Taiwanese and Shanghainese hits that Din Tai Fung popularized, like pork chop fried rice ($16) and soup dumplings with pork and crab ($14). A sign on the table invokes a fictional character called Bao-Bae, and implores you to order one of their favorite dishes, which include brown sugar boba, orange chicken and a chocolate chip lava cookie. 

The Ugly Dumpling Sampler ($16) is the way to go here, because you can try all six varieties of soup dumplings which come in various food dye colors. These xiaolongbao are solid specimens, perhaps not quite as delicate as those at Din Tai Fung but definitely better than your average Chinese restaurant soup dumplings. Although the dumpling platter at Mito Asian Fusion, also in the mall, is pretty decent, too. 

Ugly Dumpling opened its first franchise store in Edison, New Jersey, in 2023, and now sports 15 locations in the tristate area, Maryland, Virginia and Texas. The chain is expecting to open two more Long Island stores this fall.

A rep from its PR company, Trevelino Keller, confirmed they plan to open in New Hyde Park, at 1532 Union Tpke., early next month. But next up is a store in Levittown, at 3535 Hempstead Tpke., set to open Wednesday in a former TGI Fridays. 

Ugly Dumpling, 328 Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove, 631-866-0280, uglydumpling.us. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.