It’s finally here: South End Charlotte location of Dumpling Lady opens
Thirteen months after announcing plans to expand to South End, The Dumpling Lady opened its doors Wednesday, Sept. 27 at its newest Charlotte location.
The owners announced on Instagram, “We’ve been working on our South End location for over a year and now we’re FINALLY set to open later this week” at 327 W. Tremont Ave., which was formerly occupied by Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit.
The 1,200 square-foot site is the second — and largest — brick and mortar location for the restaurant that started in 2017 as a food truck and opened at Optimist Hall in 2019. The food truck shut down services earlier this year as the restaurant prepares to also expand to uptown Charlotte’s The Alley at Latta Arcade next spring, said John Nisbet, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Qian Zhang, the “Dumpling Lady.”
The South End site, which has the same red colors, decor and style as Optimist Hall, has seating for about 30 people inside, with several spots to dine outside in the courtyard, as well. Nisbet and team expect most people will grab takeout.
The menu will remain similar to Optimist Hall, but will also include pan-fried dumplings, new wide noodles and other traditional Sichuan cuisine. The new space is larger and gives the Dumpling team more room to spread out and create more Sichuan dishes that typically take more time to prepare, such as hui guo rou (twice cooked pork belly with leeks and peppers).
“We’ve been looking to expand for a couple of years and have always had our eye on South End,” Nisbet told CharlotteFive last year. “We just love our new spot. The area has grown so fast, and we recognize lots of opportunity with the new demographic in South End.”
The restaurant was initially set to open last winter after a complete overhaul. Nisbet said they ended up having to gut the entire building, which took longer than expected with supply issues and technical challenges. The family also welcomed a baby girl in April and put plans on hold to enjoy their newborn.
“That gave us time to get our team together and get our processes down so that we could be better prepared,” Nisbet said. “We’re excited to expand on what people like, add some new food, keep on growing and keep providing things people want to eat from around the world.”
The South End site will initially be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Plans are also in the works for a late-night walk-up window in the future.
The Dumpling Lady
Location: 327 W. Tremont Ave., Charlotte, NC 28203 (opening soon)
Instagram: @thedumplingladyclt
This story was originally published September 25, 2023 at 1:58 PM.
