Chefs prepare dumplings at the new Ugly Dumpling location. (Photos courtesy Ugly Dumpling)
Richmond’s newest dumpling spot has officially opened its doors.
Ugly Dumpling, a small chain that opened its first location two years ago in New Jersey, opened Feb. 19 in the Willow Lawn shopping center.
The restaurant opened in a 6,500-square-foot space at 1601 Willow Lawn Drive, which has hosted a number of other restaurants over the past decade, including American Tap Room, Hattie Mae’s Southern Kitchen and Legends Grille. Ugly Dumpling was initially supposed to open in the space last year but was pushed back due to construction delays.
Trey Blankinship and Jamie Lanham of Segall Group represented Ugly Dumpling in lease negotiations at Willow Lawn.
The new restaurant is the first Ugly Dumpling location in Richmond and the second in Virginia alongside a Springfield location. The restaurant currently has six open locations in the U.S., including one in Linden, New Jersey, that also opened earlier this month.
The original Ugly Dumpling location opened in Edison, New Jersey, in 2023.
The Ugly Dumpling menu was inspired by Shanghai street food, such as steamed buns, dumplings and wontons, along with noodle and fried rice dishes.
Regional manager Tony Long said the menu’s crown jewel is its Xiao Long Bao. The dish features soup dumplings filled with chicken, pork, cucumber and crab.
Interior of the new Ugly Dumpling.
The restaurant’s dim sum dishes are priced from $5-$10 and soup dumplings are $9-$14. Prices are consistent throughout Ugly Dumpling locations.
“The corporate team wanted to make sure we came in with an accessible price tag that gave guests the opportunity to give us a try,” Long said. “We wanted to make it affordable.”
While guests dine at the new Ugly Dumpling, they can peer in at the restaurant’s display kitchen, where cooks prepare the Xiao Long Bao.
Long said he’s already seen plenty of locals turn out to take a look.
“It’s been a lot of buzz,” Long said. “I can’t tell you the number of people that have popped their head in wanting to see what it looked like.”
Ugly Dumpling is currently planning for four new locations, one of which will be in Northern Virginia in Fairfax, per the company’s website. There are plans for more locations across the U.S. in the future, Long said.
“The idea is always that we want to be a national brand, we want to build out. We want to be the premier polished casual Chinese restaurant in America,” Long said.
Ugly Dumpling was previously owned by New York-based Vertex Hospitality Group, whose other holdings include KPOT Hot Pot & Korean BBQ and Kinya Ramen. None of Vertex’s other brands have a Richmond-area presence.
Long told BizSense that Ugly Dumpling has split off from being owned by Vertex and is its own entity, but still has some overlap in leadership with the hospitality group.
Ugly Dumpling is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Chefs prepare dumplings at the new Ugly Dumpling location. (Photos courtesy Ugly Dumpling)
Richmond’s newest dumpling spot has officially opened its doors.
Ugly Dumpling, a small chain that opened its first location two years ago in New Jersey, opened Feb. 19 in the Willow Lawn shopping center.
The restaurant opened in a 6,500-square-foot space at 1601 Willow Lawn Drive, which has hosted a number of other restaurants over the past decade, including American Tap Room, Hattie Mae’s Southern Kitchen and Legends Grille. Ugly Dumpling was initially supposed to open in the space last year but was pushed back due to construction delays.
Trey Blankinship and Jamie Lanham of Segall Group represented Ugly Dumpling in lease negotiations at Willow Lawn.
The new restaurant is the first Ugly Dumpling location in Richmond and the second in Virginia alongside a Springfield location. The restaurant currently has six open locations in the U.S., including one in Linden, New Jersey, that also opened earlier this month.
The original Ugly Dumpling location opened in Edison, New Jersey, in 2023.
The Ugly Dumpling menu was inspired by Shanghai street food, such as steamed buns, dumplings and wontons, along with noodle and fried rice dishes.
Regional manager Tony Long said the menu’s crown jewel is its Xiao Long Bao. The dish features soup dumplings filled with chicken, pork, cucumber and crab.
Interior of the new Ugly Dumpling.
The restaurant’s dim sum dishes are priced from $5-$10 and soup dumplings are $9-$14. Prices are consistent throughout Ugly Dumpling locations.
“The corporate team wanted to make sure we came in with an accessible price tag that gave guests the opportunity to give us a try,” Long said. “We wanted to make it affordable.”
While guests dine at the new Ugly Dumpling, they can peer in at the restaurant’s display kitchen, where cooks prepare the Xiao Long Bao.
Long said he’s already seen plenty of locals turn out to take a look.
“It’s been a lot of buzz,” Long said. “I can’t tell you the number of people that have popped their head in wanting to see what it looked like.”
Ugly Dumpling is currently planning for four new locations, one of which will be in Northern Virginia in Fairfax, per the company’s website. There are plans for more locations across the U.S. in the future, Long said.
“The idea is always that we want to be a national brand, we want to build out. We want to be the premier polished casual Chinese restaurant in America,” Long said.
Ugly Dumpling was previously owned by New York-based Vertex Hospitality Group, whose other holdings include KPOT Hot Pot & Korean BBQ and Kinya Ramen. None of Vertex’s other brands have a Richmond-area presence.
Long told BizSense that Ugly Dumpling has split off from being owned by Vertex and is its own entity, but still has some overlap in leadership with the hospitality group.
Ugly Dumpling is open Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
This story is for our paid subscribers only. Please become one of the thousands of BizSense Pro readers today!
Your subscription has expired. Renew now by choosing a subscription below!
For more informaiton, head over to your profile.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
TERMS OF SERVICE:
ALL MEMBERSHIPS RENEW AUTOMATICALLY. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING SUPPORT@BUSINESSDEN.COM.
ALL CHARGES FOR MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NONREFUNDABLE.
EACH MEMBERSHIP WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON UP TO 3 MACHINES. ACCOUNTS ABUSING THAT LIMIT WILL BE DISCONTINUED.
FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL SUPPORT@BUSINESSDEN.COM
Already a Member? Sign in
Return to Homepage
Had lunch there on Sunday. The food was excellent. There was a long wait to get seated as the kitchen was understaffed so they were only using half of the available seats that day. I would totally go back!
“The Corporate Team”… Nope. Sounds like a financial institution and it is. Plenty of locals to support.