Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe in Poway

Stopped by for lunch on the weekend and was able to get seated quickly. They give you menus, however you use your phone to access the app to order food. Most of our food came out quickly but had to wait a bit for the beef roll pancakes (which I was looking forward to the most). I enjoyed the beef rolls but felt I could skip the orange chicken. The spicy dumplings werent too spicy but there was extra chili oil available. After you are done ordering you can close out your order and pay at the cashier. Overall the food was decent and next time I am in the area Id want to try some of the other dumplings on the menu.I do want to mention that I realized later I had not completely closed the app and could see the order of the next people seated at the same table. I might have been able to add items, but didnt try it so something to be aware of.

Ju Feng Yuan, second date (C+)First date with Ju Feng Yuan was great. Unfortunately, 2nd date was very much downhill. Long wait and getting accused of not responding when called (not possible since I was famished and essentially pay close attention to the greeter’s every move), over 30 minutes wait for mediocre food, and the worst chairs ever, I don’t think there will be a 3rd date.Sauteed string beans (C+ ) : This was a highlight dish the first time we tried JFY. Given the long wait, I expected fresh from the wok, piping hot, savory yet sweet, crunchy string beans. First bite, a total disappointment. It was maybe a touch over lukewarm but not more. The seasoning was a little light, not too bad, but the string beans were quite overcooked. First date was hot, stiff and crunchy. Second date, cold, soft and limpy. A total let down.Pork spareribs w garlic (B+ ) : The highlight of the night. Freshly fried, steaming hot, savory and crunchy on the outside, juicy meat on the inside. My only complaint - the ribs were somewhat bony. But this was a very good dish, and brought hope to the meal.Beef chow fun (C+ ) : Okay on the seasoning, felt a little oily, but the biggest problem, beef chow fun served not hot enough is like serving nigiri, or beer that’s too warm. And the beef, again, well seasoned but the texture was a bit mushy, maybe too much baking soda and simply meat that’s not fresh enough.Combination fried rice (B- ) : First bite, super promising. Light, hot, and some nice fragrance from the egg. A few chews in, the rice wasn’t cooked properly, much too tough, with quite a few clumps, definitely a no-no for great fried rice. The use of spam was smart, giving little bursts of savoriness. The shrimp tasted light and springy. But the pork killed the good traits; tough, dry and the worst part, a frozen, non-fresh taste.

If you crave dim sum in the area, this is a good place, but it is not amazing (Ive had very good dim sum before). Service was very fast and efficient. I had to use the QR code on the table to see the menu and place my order.

Food: 5/5Service and Setting: 3.5/5Value: 3/5Ju Feng Yuan is a new restaurant that has opened where a Lao restaurant used to be. The interior has not changed much and there is not even a sign up yet. The restaurant itself is clean. They are very short staffed so while the service is very kind, they do tend to run behind. One of the chefs would come out and serve the food and share lots of information about the restaurant and how things are going in Mandarin, so if you want to practice this a great spot! The young lady helping me in the front told me that this restaurant is an extension of another small restaurant in LA. I was not expecting much, but the food here is exceptionally honest, authentic, fresh, and has a homey flavor. Please come out and support a new small business!Pork and Chive Dumpling: 5/5I really wanted to try their xiao long bao 小籠包 and their sheng jian bao 生煎包, the waitress told me that they just sold out. I got the pork and chive dumpling instead and it was very good. The skin was thick and chewy the way a boiled dumpling should be. The filling was lightly bouncy and had a good amount of soup inside. The ratio of meat to chive was perfect as well as well seasoned. I did not like the dipping sauce and would have preferred just some soy and black vinegar, but I did not want to add more to their work load. A stellar example of what a dumpling should be.Shrimp and Pork Wonton in Chili Oil: 5/5This wonton was also spectacular. I have always been disappointed with wontons from most restaurants as they tend to use the same filling as their dumplings. At Ju Feng Yuan, they do it the right way with a coarsely chopped meat and big chunks of shrimp. Again, a deliciously thick skin with a wonderfully springiness that soaks in the sauce. I am not a particularly big fan of their chili oil, but it is very complex and hits all of the flavor points, particularly sweet and sour and not so much spicy. To me, it tasted a lot like a sweet and sour version of sha cha jiang 沙茶酱.Beef Dumplings: 4.5/5I’m not an expert on Chinese food, but beef and onion dumplings are a Northern style that I do not have a lot of experience with. Always seeing people eat this online has made me crave it intensely and I’m glad I got to try it here. It is not common to serve and they do a good job. The flavor of the meat is strong, almost a bit gamey with some bits of gristle that I think help give it flavor. It was a bit tough, but “tough” isn’t the exact word I would use. Maybe sinew-y? The flavor was shockingly similar to beef kebabs, especially Pakistani renditions. Again, the dumpling skin was great and lots of soup inside with the filling.

Came in today to support this new business! They’re still on Soft opening so their menu was temporary and limited. We ordered:• Xaio Lang Bao - It was delicious, very simple yet flavorful. It was not on their temp menu but they have it available, yay!• Combination fried rice - It was pretty good and quite filling. It had shrimp and pork.•Popcorn chicken - This is an appetizer. Also very good! It’s Taiwanese style :)•Shrimp & chicken wonton in chili oil - I love this one! The chili oil was the game changer, it was so good!•Beef chow mein - I’m not a fan of chow mein but this one was so flavorful I ate more of this than the fried rice.Customer service was 10/10. The staff were friendly and knowledgable, our server knows what’s in the food, and was able to answer all our questions.

Newly opened and everything we ordered was good. Ordered the XLB, pork pot stickers and the bok choy with garlic . My favorite were the pot stickers and a must order . Everything was served fresh and hot. It was easy to find a table when we arrived a little after 12 noon. Service was quick and efficient. Hoping to visit again and try the other offerings.

AWESOME NEW DUMPLING / CHINESE CUISINE PLACE! We came during their soft opening yesterday — please keep this in mind as some of their tableware / menus aren’t super aesthetic as they are currently ramping up.But let’s get to the FOOD! Cause that’s the most important part, especially during a soft opening.Beef Pepper Fried Udon — DELICIOUS and delightfully slurpable. This one is a crowd pleaser; great flavor and the pepper comes through fragrantly. HUGE, sharable portion. Definitely getting this again.Pork and Shrimp Chive Dumplings — COMES HOT! Excellent bouncy texture, very fresh, and generously filled! Also great for sharing.Mapo Tofu — YUMMY! Slight ma la flavor but not overwhelming; the tofu holds its shape in the plate but still melts in your mouth. Great eye candy and delivers in taste too!For three people, this was plenty! We ended up taking a large portion of the mapo tofu home. Our meal was ~$50 before tip, so the pricing was very fair considering how huge the portions were. Overall, I am looking forward to the formal grand opening so I can try more of their menu items!

Soft Opening still in progress; ordered take out. Online ordering will open shortly after grand opening. Not many open tables place was packed which was nice to see. Great quality Chinese food with generous portions (please dont change portion size.Xiao Long Bao (pork soup Dumplings) flavorful broth and wrapping was tight and soft to hold filling.Garlic spare ribs were crisp and cooked nicely. Could easily have been overcooked but flavorful and cooked just rigjt. Chow mein generous portion and shrimp fried delicious. Will definitely return and try other main dishes but will always order Xiao Long Bao.Cant wait till their online ordering opens up. Youre better off ordering take out because not much seating and I can see this place getting popular for the area. Support local business.

We had a family celebration and ordered a lot of food. The ordering process was a little complicated as we were a larger group and the servers struggled with English. We ended up with more food than we could eat but everything was absolutely delicious! I recommend you download their App and study it a little bit so you know what you want. Definitely excellent food! The restaurant can get a little crowded but the staff is very accommodating.

Food is pretty good. Ordered the Combination Fried Rice, Beef Rolls, and Pan Fried Chicken pot stickers.