Vegan
Fast food
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
British
Fusion
Breakfast
Café offering dumplings with regular special flavours, chips, hash browns, and other specials. Open Mon-Fri 10:30-18:00, Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 11:00-17:00.
40 Reviews
First Review by adventureaardvark
OwenP
Points +48
Superb street food - Edit
This is a real gem of a place on the top floor of Afflecks Palace.
Read moreA big selection of fried dumplings and other food and sides.
I went for the random dumpling selection (recommend this to try different ones) and wasn’t disappointed. They were genuinely all delicious.
It’s also a really cool spot and the owner super nice.
Pros: Lovely food, Lots of choice, Really nice staff
Guest
joe3000
Points +61
Awesome dumplings! - Edit
Super tasty dumplings, loads of different flavours and fillings, and comes with crispy kale. Super friendly owner. I will be back because I want them again, and they have loaded fries, and desserts to try aswell
Read morePros: All the flavours , Fully vegan , Great service
Guest
BrianHatherley
Points +150
Lunchtime snack - Edit
Popped in for a snack after reading other reviews.
Read moreWe both had 3 dumplings. I had mine fried and the wife had hers steamed.
Delicious 😋
Guest
ayoung15
Points +1239
I liked it a lot - Edit
Really tasty dumplings and the best salt and pepper chips were.
Read moreOnly bad thing is that when ordering different dumpling flavours it’s difficult to tell which one is which, but they are all flavourful!
Guest
cat_lover_41
Points +316
great dumplings, good vibe - Edit
got six that came to one of each kind on the menu. all of them are great, the breakfast one is particularly good.
Read moredoesn't offer beer but the place is a good enough vibe that it doesn't matter. real hole-in-the-wall spot deep into the third-floor shops.
Pros: creative dumpling recipes , good aesthetic , fun staff
Cons: no alcohol I guess?
Guest
AM9
Points +92
Awesome - Edit
Amazing place and vibe and delicious food!
Read moreGuest
Rosie19
Points +74
Amazing food and service - Edit
Everything is vegan. The staff were lovely. Food was absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced. We had 6 dumplings, salt and pepper hash browns with dips, drinks, and cookie dough dumplings for dessert and it was only £25. 10/10 recommend.
Read moreGuest
Charlie.Smith97
Points +59
Vegan dumpling place - Edit
Cool location at the top floor, and well priced, would recommend giving it a go!
Read moreGuest
JILES
Points +326
Lovely dumplings - Edit
Great tasting deep fried dumplings. There's not much more to say besides give them a go!
Read moreI especially liked the mock duck and cheezburger
Guest
harveyrj
Points +719
Desert not Dessert - Edit
Nestled in the quirky Afflecks Independent Shopping Emporium, Desert Island Dumplings is a delightful culinary find. We sampled a mix of salt and pepper chicken, hoisin duck, and cheeseburger dumplings, and each one was a flavor-packed delight. The salt and pepper chicken dumplings had a perfect balance of spice and crunch, the hoisin duck was rich and savory, and the cheeseburger dumplings were a fun and tasty twist.
Read moreThe venue itself adds to the experience, with its unique and eclectic atmosphere that fits right in with the vibrant Afflecks.
Pros: Fully vegan, Plenty of options for a mix of dumplings
Guest
MEC70
Points +142
Excellent hidden gem at the top of Afleck’s palace - Edit
Brilliant restaurant and take away. I had the selection of 3 savoury dumplings with a side order of small salt and pepper chips, unusually with roasted red pepper instead of the usual chilli pepper, which was lovely. The dumplings were yummy and they gave me a free one as one of the options I chose was not available. The portion of chips was plenty of one, I could not manage them all. The mug of tea was good too. The place was very busy, obviously very well known. Dumplings were freshly made, so it takes a while, but is worth the wait. Great place to people watch as they wander around Afleck’s.
Read morePros: Delicious dumplings, Vegan, Nice chips
Cons: I did not realise you could order dips
Guest
Seanroy
Points +320
Love the Dumplings - Edit
Awesome food, loved the cheeseburger dumplings
Read moreGuest
deadpledge
Points +13257
Lil' parcels of paradise - Edit
After climbing 3 flights of stairs, we finally reached the promised land of Desert Island Dumplings, where we indulged in some Lil' parcels of paradise.
Read moreWe got the 6 for £9 offer, sharing a mix of ramen, salt & pepper chikn and shawarma kebab dumplings, which were superb.
We also ordered some salt & pepper hashbrowns and chips, which were delicious too. Chocolate oat milk was nice too.
Staff are super friendly and the food is great value for money. Only con is accessibility.
Pros: Great food, Inexpensive , Staff
Cons: Accessibility
VictoriaBarr
There's a lift, if you just go in the back/side door and ask they will point you to it.... don't walk so far ...it's totally accessible once youre uo the front steps which they will put a ramp on for you if you ask...😊
Read moredeadpledge
Well I never! Got to burn off some calories 😂
Read moreGuest
JohnGroot
Points +863
Dumpkings! - Edit
Super lekker gegeten hier. We hadden een combinatie van dumplings. Allemaal super smaakvol!
Read moreGuest
guardianoftheplanet
Points +180
Yummy! - Edit
Really delicious food with a fun take on dumplings. You can tell a lot of effort has gone into every flavour. As a side I’d really recommend the kale!
Read morePros: Delicious, Great value for money, Lovely staff
Guest
aheeley01
Points +484
Already want to go back! - Edit
We ordered the sharer box between two( 8 dumplings, 2 sides and assorted dips).
Read moreHonestly the food was so good, I already want to return!
Put this on your list of places to visit.
Pros: Fully vegan , Friendly staff
Guest
Losori
Points +67
Really good food - Edit
I had the hoisin duck dumplings with salt and pepper chips, and it was all delicious. Even the kale which came with the dumplings were excellent! Perfect salty hot goodness for a rainy manchester day.
Read morePros: All vegan, Nut free, Good vibes
Guest
jennyc32
Points +4058
Really fun dumplings - Edit
This is a really fun and friendly little place with some exciting dumpling fillings. I can't get anything like this where I live, so it had a real novelty to it. We got a plate of nine fried dumplings with three different fillings: cheeseburger, salt and pepper chicken, and cauliflower cheese. The chicken was really well seasoned and had a good texture. The cheeseburger had a lot of flavour and was really enjoyable. The cauliflower cheese (one of the weekly specials) maybe could have done with a bit more sauce and flavour, but it was still pleasant. We also shared some cheesy garlic chips, which did not skimp on either cheese or garlic, so I was very happy!
Read moreService was excellent, the owner was really friendly and helpful.
Note that it's on the third floor, so accessibility may be an issue.
Guest
MaggieSychta
Points +219
Dangerously addictive dumplings. - Edit
I popped in to Desert Island Dumplings for a quick post-haircut snack. I've been hearing a lot of great stuff about this place, and let me tell you: all of it is true. I had three dumplings (salt & pepper chickn, cheezburger and shawarma), but I could have easily devoured thirty, they were simply AMAZING. Had a lovely chat with the person working there, too - they were super friendly. From now on, I'll be looking for every possible excuse to swing by and treat myself to some little parcels of deliciousness at Desert Island Dumplings 😍🤤
Read morePros: Delicious food, Friendly service, Reasonable prices
Guest
Jastilus
Points +363
Desert Island Dumplings - Edit
Taste great, and good value too. I love how they have specials, so there's something new every time. Plus 100% vegan!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-03-12
Pros: All vegan, Diverse menu
Guest
SlickVik
Points +379
Dumpling roulette - Edit
A selection of 8 dumplings for £10 - we had half steamed and half fried. Flavours were cheeseburger, hoisin duck, schwarma kebab and chicken (either Kiev or salt and pepper, not sure). All were very tasty, the duck and kebab were my favourite, and fried over steamed but they were all good. Friendly service in an interesting setting
Read moreGuest
ChesterLeBone
Points +455
Tasty bites - Edit
Opted for a pot luck of 8 dumplings, a mix of fried and steamed. All were tasty.
Read moreMenu includes noodles and sweet dumplings too.
The space is tucked away on the 3rd floor of Aflecks but worth climbing the stairs.
Pros: Good food, No fuss
Guest
lh0p98
Points +500
Yummy!! - Edit
The fillings are so good and the dumplings are filled full. Get a mix of steamed and fried. dumplings. Noodles are great too if you can get them
Read moreGuest
LezTravelVegan
Points +480
Drunken udon - Edit
Went for steam dumplings but the steamer wasn't working
Read morePros: Decor, Crispy kale
Cons: Steamer not working , Bit more expensive for going solo
Guest
bonbonbiscuits
Points +16
Banging!! - Edit
Incredible range of flavours, fun decor and friendly staff - what more could you ask for?
Read moreYes, it's fried food. No, it's no more oily than you'd expect from a deep fat frier.
Their Xmas menu is unrivalled. Salt and pepper brussels sprouts are enough to turn the biggest sprout hater 😁
Guest
Happy_Bart
Points +3408
Great dumplings however... - Edit
I really liked the flavour of all of the fillings , but made a mistake of going for the fried version instead of the steamed one which made it really oily & super heavy. Plus we had some deep fried kale which was also too oily to the point of being inedible - I think a roasted version would have been a lot better.
Read moreAlso the sweet dumplings were delicious but again go for the steamed version if you can. I think there should be a defibrillator on site just in case 😅
Lady who runs the piece (Lucy) super friendly and welcoming.
Guest
LawrenceArnold
Points +104
THIRD FLOOR! - Edit
Wasn't sure where it was but go up up up and you're there. Worth the climb
Read moreGuest
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