Hot Dumpling replaced the former Good Time Cafe in Lake Forest. It's located in a small center at the corner of Bake Parkway and Trabuco Road, so parking can be hard to come by during peak hours. There is also an El Pollo Loco and an AYCE sushi restaurant located in this same plaza. We've had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant twice at the time of this review. I was not too impressed with the presentation of the Juicy Pork Dumpling and Wuhan Siu Mai, but the taste more than made up for the appearance. The pan-fried pork & chive dumplings were fabulous and I also tried their pan-fried pork buns on my follow-up visit, so I can say that their pan-fried dishes are def worth trying. The green onion pancakes, shrimp & pork wonton in chili oil, pan-fried pork dumplings and chongqing spicy chicken were also solid dishes. The biggest surprise for us was their Mapo Tofu dish which ranks up there with the best we've ever tasted. The only miss was the Spicy Beef Tendon appetizer. Service is friendly and attentive too, so I recommend a visit if you enjoy Chinese cuisine!

This place is so great! The food is delicious, the staff is super friendly. I ordered the juicy pork dumplings and beef noodle soup. I would absolutely recommend both. I’m looking forward to coming back and trying more!