New Chinese Restaurant Replaces Ming’s Place On Avenue U

A new Chinese restaurant made its debut on Avenue U Wednesday — and the owners have big shoes to fill.

Dumpling King opened at 2017 Avenue U, near the intersection with East 21st Street, in the storefront formerly occupied by Ming’s Place — the Mom & Pop Chinese shop that attracted a loyal following with its delicious and affordable meals.

Tang Li, the co-owner of Dumpling King, promised to improve on the legacy of Ming’s Place.

“I encourage the old customers to come and try us. You won’t be disappointed, I promise,” he said.

Li said Ming’s Place closed about a month ago. He explained the restaurant changed hands repeatedly during the many years it operated on Avenue U.  Some of the patrons commented on Yelp that the restaurant seemed to have taken a downturn since the last owners took over. They said the food quality was inconstant — a meal could be a huge disappointment from how it compared the previous week.

Li said the new restaurant will focus on traditional Chinese food, and also include staples of Americanized cuisine like General Tso’s and Sesame Chicken. There’s still a few adjustments needed, he explained, and some of the expected menu items won’t be available for another month — such as the Shanghai-style dumplings, the source of the restaurant’s namesake, which will be prepared with pork, shrimp, or veggies. Li also said the restaurant will soon be offering a few American menu items like chicken sandwiches, fries, and wings.

Dumpling King has moved into a fiercely competitive area that has many Chinese restaurants dotted around Avenue U. Though much of the competition — Golden Z, Wing Hing, Good Family Bakery — is concentrated on the other side of the subway station at East 16th Street.

But Li claimed he is up to the challenge. The 28-year-old said he comes from a family of restauranteurs in China and managed many of his own eateries since moving to the United States 12 years ago.

Dumpling King, 2017 Avenue U, between East 21st Street and Ocean Avenue, 718-648-1839. Open Sunday – Thursday, 10:30am – 10:30pm, Friday and Saturday, 10:30am – 11pm.