DOOZO

Cristóbal’s Rating: THUMBS DOWN 

• Lots of people line up for lunch on the weekdays–I don’t know why, but I suspect it has a lot do with the terrible options in downtown and at the Shops at Houston Center
• Dumplings are huge, thinly disguised, thick-skinned tennis balls–and you get a full box of them.
• The dumplings also tended not to be very moist
• Comes with a box of rice or soup
• Convenient location in the Food Court of the Shops at Houston Center next to Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks

I waited in line for this once in my life to see what the fuss was all about.  I was met with literally the largest dumplings ever, wrapped in dough so thick that when you dip it in the small container of soy sauce, the dumpling actually displaces most of the sauce everywhere–but you better not waste it because you’d have a hard time choking down the rest of the dumplings otherwise.  The price was average for downtown (can’t recall specifically since I haven’t been in so long), but it’s certainly not worth the wait or the food.  To be fair, Americans and even some Asians to a certain extent seem to enjoy it, so if thick-skinned dumpling balls are your thing then by all means go for it–otherwise, if you’d much prefer dainty soft normal dumplings, then I suggest finding your way elsewhere.