Popular soup dumpling chain opens 1st Long Island location
The pork soup dumplings at Nan Xiang in Westbury are some of the best on Long Island. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Move over Din Tai Fung. ... When you're talking soup dumplings in New York, you're talking about Nan Xiang, the critically acclaimed Chinese restaurant known for its supple dumplings with a generous amount of soup.
The xiao long bao purveyor has been one of the popular restaurants in downtown Flushing, Queens, since it opened in 2006. Michael Ma and a small group of partners took it over in 2019, and began to expand during the pandemic.
The chain currently has locations across the tristate area and more are coming soon to Delaware and Maryland. One of the first deals the chain inked was for a restaurant at the newly rebranded Samanea Mall in Westbury. And after a several year delay, the restaurant finally opened this month in what was previously a part of the Fortunoff department store.
The Samanea Mall is becoming a destination for Chinese dumplings, with the recently opened Royal Dim Sum just a few doors down, as well as the phenomenal Shanghai You Garden kiosk in the 99 Ranch around the corner. (Other concepts coming to the mall include Bonchon Korean fried chicken, Tous Les Jours, YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea and Ichiddo Ramen.)
Despite all this competition, Nan Xiang was buzzing during a recent lunch on opening week. The high-ceilinged dining room has the sophisticated look of the original location, which also bears many similarities to the Taiwanese sensation Din Tai Fung. Like its predecessor, Nan Xiang features an open kitchen with a row of ladies in white aprons and hats crafting dumplings behind a window. Part of the joy of these restaurants is watching the skill it takes to craft xiao long bao, filling them with meat and crimping and twisting the fresh dough.
"It’s a skill that takes years to get down and perfect," Ma said. "One of the challenges of expanding is finding enough ladies and men also with the skill to wrap these dumplings in the fashion that’s acceptable to soup dumpling lovers."
There's also a picture menu of Shanghainese delights, like multiple varieties of dumplings, Chinese breakfast items like a salty sticky rice roll, lion's head meatballs (made from pork), and plenty of housemade noodle soups.
It's hard to compete with Shanghai You Garden around the corner, which has superior sheng jian bao fluffy pork buns. But the highlight of the meal at Nan Xiang was definitely the xiao long bao, which are some of the best soup dumplings on Long Island.
Nan Xiang offers 10 varieties of soup dumplings, dyed different colors depending on their fillings. In addition to the basic pork ($10.50), you'll also find fillings of crabmeat, gourd luffa, sea cucumber and abalone. A few minutes after we ordered, a server brought over a wooden steamer basket filled with six pork xiao long bao.
The dumplings lay a little flat compared to other, heartier versions, because there was quite a lot of soup in them. The dough was thick yet supple, with a pleasing, chewy quality to it. We pierced the dumplings with our chopsticks and tucked in a little black vinegar. The broth itself might have been the best part, as it was crystal clear and warming. We'd put it up against Din Tai Fung any day.
Nan Xiang, 1500 Old Country Rd., Westbury, nanxiangxiaolongbao.com. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Hours may be subject to change.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
