Delicious Dumplings, Unforgettable Moments

Alan Lam & Grace Li founded Luscious Dumpling in 2001. The latter of which was born & raised in Shenyang, a northern province known for their dumplings.

The word “luscious” is derived from the Chinese name of the store — 潤豐元 Run Feng Yuan, or more literally — Moist Abundant Garden. The Chinese name was chosen because it sounds pretty in Mandarin. But they decided, appropriately, that the word moist sounded weird in the context of the dumplings and opted for luscious instead.

Their daughter, Michelle Wu and her husband Ker Zhu opened the Monrovia outpost of Luscious in 2012. She was a nurse and he worked in fashion, but both dropped out of their respective careers for the world of dumplings and joined the family business. In many ways, the couple represented the new wave of Chinese restaurateurs in the San Gabriel Valley. The couple has been able to maintain their traditional family recipes passed down from previous generations. Each morning around 6am, Ker and his team pick up their daily produce and head to the butcher shop to watch meat grind down into dumpling-friendly form—ensuring the highest quality meat.. The staff mixes the fillings, kneads and rolls out the dough, and then hand folds hundreds of dumplings.

For 3 consecutive years, 2021-2023, Luscious Dumplings has been Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide for our concise menu, with half of the items dedicated to the eponymous specialty. The secret to our success? Discipline. While many spots make dumplings ahead of time and freeze them, this kitchen starts fresh every morning.

To this day, Luscious Dumplings continues to grow, with additional locations already open and operating in Colorado and Philadelphia. Now San Antonio being part of the brand's slow nationwide expansion — hoping to gain everyone’s recognition as a staple in noodle and dumpling cuisine.