damnlines.comdamnlines.comFlushing's benchmark soup-dumpling house since 2006, Michelin-recommended nine years running for its nine styles of xiao long bao.
The line here is a weekend fixture. A Yelp Q&A asking whether the weekend wait is really that long drew a yes from every direction: owner Danny L. estimated roughly 30-45 minutes, regular Nick C. wrote it had been "about an hour wait lately on the weekends," and Eddie B. clocked a 45-minute wait for two on a Saturday at lunch. The Infatuation, in its Flushing review, warns to "not be surprised by a modest line if you show up on the weekend."
How the wait works: the Flushing location is walk-in only, with no dinner reservations. Reviewers describe adding yourself to the list via a QR-code check-in on arrival, then waiting for a table in the newly-updated Fulton Square dining room Time Out describes. The crowd is a mix of Flushing regulars and out-of-borough visitors, drawn by a reputation as "the city's best soup dumplings" and a nine-year run of Michelin recommendations.
The reported way around it is to go off-peak. Regulars on the Yelp thread (Katherine A.) recommend weekdays and lunch. A Gourmand Syndrome writeup reports peak-dinner waits around 45 minutes but notes that after about 11pm, with the kitchen open late, there is usually no wait; lunch reservations, where available, reportedly skip the line entirely. damnlines does not have a camera inside Nan Xiang, so these are reported ranges, not a live count.
No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:
The Halal Guys · 153 min walkclosedLucinda's · 165 min walkclosedCaffè Panna · 165 min walkclosedOn a Yelp Q&A about weekends, the owner estimated roughly 30-45 minutes and diners reported anywhere from 45 minutes to "about an hour," including one 45-minute wait for two at Saturday lunch. We don't have a camera here, so treat these as reported ranges, not a live count.
The Flushing location is walk-in only, and reviewers describe adding yourself via a QR-code waitlist on arrival. Some coverage notes lunch reservations may be available and reportedly skip the line, so call ahead to confirm.
Regulars on Yelp recommend weekdays and lunch. A Gourmand Syndrome writeup adds that after about 11pm, with the kitchen open late, there is usually no wait.
It's been called "the city's best soup dumplings" and holds a nine-year run of Michelin recommendations, and The Infatuation lists it among its favorite all-around Flushing spots. Whether the line is worth it is your call; the reported consensus is that weekends mean a wait.
It opened in Flushing in 2006 and built a reputation as the city's benchmark for Shanghainese soup dumplings, drawing both Flushing regulars and out-of-borough visitors. The Infatuation warns to expect "a modest line" on weekends.