Coming from former Aviary chef Jasper Shen and Linh Tran,​ this Williams counter-service spot is named for its signature dish — xiao long bao, aka soup dumplings. Still, its entire menu is pure Chinese comfort food; the Shanghai noodles come tangled with tender pieces of shrimp and crumbles of rendered pork. The ambience mixes Portland industrial with playful Chinese style, with vintage lanterns and animals from the Chinese zodiac stenciled on the walls.

This food cart specializes in jianbing, or Chinese savory crepes, which are filled with things like black bean paste, veggies, and crispy-fried crackers. Pros know to lean on Bing Mi’s several upgrade options — double the egg and crackers, or add proteins like duck, smoked sausage, and tofu. Bing Mi also runs a handmade dumpling and noodle bar on Northwest Vaughn, for those seeking a spot to sit and relax.

Chin’s Kitchen closed briefly during the pandemic, but the city’s top spot for Dongbei Chinese food is back open. That’s some seriously good news, because any Portland rainy season calls for Cindy Li’s Chinese sauerkraut and pork, served on a nest of potato starch noodles — it’s straight-up comfort food. Any order should also include dumplings and la pi, that colorful julienned vegetable salad with sheets of translucent noodles.

The family behind this Cantonese restaurant moved from the farming town of Independence to open this Montavilla banquet hall, replete with lazy Susans. Skip the Chinese American standards here and focus on the dishes the family does best: Start with a plate of jellyfish, served with plenty of sesame seeds and a gently spicy sauce; from there, delicacies from the deep like abalone and sea cucumber beckon. However, the true move at Happy Dragon is its Peking duck, a two-course service with a choice of follow-up — the lettuce cup service with minced duck meat is the correct move. The first course is served with bao as opposed to pancakes, so guests can make little duck sandwiches.

After transitioning from a cart downtown to a brick-and-mortar east of the Burnside bridge, Bao Bao continues to serve its outstandingly fluffy bao to the masses. Diners can choose from a mix of different savory or sweet fillings, from curry chicken to red bean, plus occasional specials like purple yam. While the bao are the main attraction, the juicy pan-fried dumplings and comforting congee make great companions; the restaurant has also amped up its soup lineup, with options like suan la fen, a tangy chicken soup with potato starch noodles.

A few blocks from Pioneer Place, servers at this downtown Portland Chinese restaurant drop plates of dry-pot frog’s legs and white fish in deep red broth at tables, while diners open steamer baskets of dumplings or pry the tender meat of clams from their shells, still slick with chiles and oil from a stir fry. A particular standout here is the fish in green peppercorn broth, tingling with spice and topped with a handful of bright cilantro.

It’s always a delight to watch chef and owner Xuemei Simard working away on her hand-pulled noodles inside the cart she owns with her husband, Duane. It’s even more satisfying to eat them, swirling in an invigorating Sichuan beef broth fragrant with five spice. If the cart is selling her shrimp dumplings, tails sticking out the side of the wrapper like a little handle, get them. Of course, like many food carts, takeout is a given; walk up to place an order.

Typically, dim sum is a tough style of dining for vegans — countless dishes involve pork, shrimp, or some combination of the two. However, chef Cyrus Ichiza replicates countless dim sum standards with remarkable success at a sleek Southeast Portland cocktail bar and distillery. Shu mai arrive filled with vegan pork and shiitake tapioca roe, while Ichiza’s version of lo mai gai fills lotus leaves with savory and tender vegan chicken, lobster mushroom, and rice. Orders should include a few orders of chili oil wontons and the ultra-cute, super springy bawan bunny dumplings.

Located next to the Portland State University campus, Jong Can serves student budget-friendly Cantonese dishes in sizable portions. The restaurant’s name is Cantonese for “lunch,” or literally, “middle meal.” The menu offers a variety of fried rice and noodle dishes, which have good “wok hei” — the phrase translates to “breath of the wok” and describes the essence imparted to food during stir frying. Order the pork chop fried rice, which features a deep-fried pork cutlet, or one of the cheesy baked rice options, which blankets melty cheese over fried rice with proteins like curry chicken or salmon for the ultimate Chinese comfort food.

For carefully crafted Sichuan-style dishes in a sports-bar-like atmosphere, Duck House delivers, with football on the mounted televisions and lipstick-red chile oil on the dumplings. No dine-in visit is complete without the restaurant’s juicy and delicate xiao long bao, as well as the wontons in chile oil and dan dan noodles; for takeout, however, the restaurant’s cumin lamb, dry-cooked green beans, and Sichuan hotpot are all stunners. Ironically, the one dish that isn’t on the menu here is duck.

The name of this dim sum spot on Southeast Division gets the point across: Excellent Cuisine’s handmade, piping hot dumplings and buns are exactly as described. In the former home of Portland dim sum legend Wong’s King, Excellent Cuisine wraps shrimp in sheets of red rice noodle, delivers steamer baskets of knobby, juicy shu mai, and fills lotus leaves with intensely flavorful sticky rice. Beyond its dim sum, Excellent Cuisine’s larger menu is full of gems, including its roast duck and braised fish head in a clay pot.

A classic Portland Chinese restaurant, Powell’s has only gotten better over the years. The menu here has something for everyone, with items like General Tso’s chicken, salt-and-pepper squid, Peking duck, and a seafood combination pot. But really, Powell’s is one of Portland’s best spots for those looking to eat fresh seafood from a tank, which can be cooked to preference. Powell’s also has a large dining room capable of seating groups, and is open everyday for lunch and dinner.

For a while, everyone was arguing between Wong’s King and Ocean City over who has the best dim sum, while H.K. had been quietly killing it. Visiting for dim sum is well worth it, especially with dishes like fresh shrimp cheung fun (wide rice noodle), chashu bao (barbecue pork buns), and jan dui (sesame balls with red bean paste).

This casual spot just blocks from the river in the heart of downtown is known for its dumplings, namely the tender xiao long bao. Owner and chef Leon Liu is from Shenyang in Northern China, which is known for its dough-based dishes. At Xing Ding he prepares pan-fried buns, Szechuan beef noodle soup, and wontons in chili sauce. The best part may be that on Friday and Saturday nights, the restaurant is open until 2 a.m. — ideal for Portland’s night owls.

This cart in the North Park Blocks serves up generously filled plates of Chinese American takeout classics like vegetable lo mein, slickly glazed orange chicken, crispy spring rolls, and kung pao chicken. Each plate is served with a side of steamed rice, making it a satisfying and affordable option right next to Old Town.