Six Toronto dumpling spots worth seeking out across the city's best dim sum neighbourhoods

The best dumplings in Toronto are plump, diminutive bundles as impressive for their fillings as they are for their expertly crafted pleats. Whether boiled, steamed, or pan-fried, they answer the need for a snack, starter, or entire meal—and often nicely within budget.

In Chinatown, a spare go-to draws a steady crowd for signature dumplings available throughout the day: pork and chives, beef and celery, chicken and mushroom, and other flavourful combinations. Watch the team prep, fill, and pleat before settling in to eat at another Chinatown fixture, where rounds of savoury snacks burst with shrimp and pork, seasoned chicken, lamb and more. The lacy, golden skirt of their pan-fried dumplings is what you're really after. A third Chinatown address serves made-to-order dumplings piping hot—a variety fattened with beef, shrimp, mutton, and chicken seasoned with dill, chives, carrots, and other potent aromatics.

At Yonge & Dundas, a recently renovated and refreshed destination serves dumplings influenced by Cantonese traditions, from chichi lobster har gow to scallop and prawn dumplings bearing a startling resemblance to koi. In Markham, a family-friendly restaurant serves Shanghai-style dumplings and noodles, tumbling through an entire meal of doughy delights from xiao long bao to steamed siu mai, with sesame dumplings as a mandatory sweet finale. Across the city's north end, a local chain with locations in Yonge & Bloor and North York serves collagen-rich soup buns packed with seasoned meat and gelatinized broth, their house-made wrappers fried on one side then steamed—crisp, supple, savoury, and habit-forming whether ordered with pork, curry beef, shrimp, or crab.