People cherish dumplings the world over in their many different forms. Locally, you can celebrate the universality of this bit of dough—wrapped around a dollop of filling and then fried, steamed or boiled—at World of Dumplings on October 12.
The debut food festival’s premise is that you can eat your way around the world with the different versions of this one flexible culinary element, all without leaving downtown.
World of Dumplings arrives in San Francisco thanks to nonprofit Asians Are Strong, which believes that “sharing a meal is the universal sign of generosity and hospitality.” There’ll be 14 restaurant vendors sharing Chinese wontons, Japanese gyoza, Nepalese momos, Turkish manti, Italian ravioli and Spanish empanadas (we’ve included the current list of vendors farther down in this story). You can hang out in a beer garden, watch a cooking demonstration, display prowess in an eating contest and win awesome things with a raffle. Of course, you can hear music and watch live performances, along with several family activities. Asians Are Strong was created in 2021 as a response to the attacks on Asian elders in the city, and has since sought to arm the community with self-defense classes and training for how to film bystander intervention videos.
The food festival happens at the Rincon Center from 11am to 5pm. Entry is free and the vendors will charge $6 to $8 per portion. “We designed the event for people to taste as many types of dumplings as possible,” says Asians Are Strong founder Hudson Liao. Get your ticket on Eventbrite here.
The restaurant vendors include:
Dumpling Time (Cal-Asian)
Ozumo (Japanese)
Korner Store (Korean)
Leleka (Ukrainian dumplings)
Javi’s Cooking (Argentine empanadas)
Cocomilk Cafe (Lao/Thai/Southeast Asian street food)
King Knish (Jewish comfort food)
Paina (Hawaiian)
Poesia Restaurant (Italian pasta)
Poesia Cafe (Italian pastries)
Sassy Foods (Vegan popup)
Sobo Foods (plant-based dumplings)
Yank Sing (Chinese)