Cali Dumpling

Starting this summer, neighbors can go on an around-the-world culinary adventure without leaving Orange at the newly opened Cali Dumpling.  The fast-casual eatery, which officially opened in early July, began in 2021 as a local and online delivery venture.  It grew into a thriving e-commerce business, supplying restaurants and grocery chains, and now has its first brick-and-mortar location in the Plaza.

Founder Allan Tea and his team had extensive culinary experience, but they wanted to open a restaurant that felt completely new in their industry.

“When I looked at the dumpling space, I saw a lot of restaurants serving traditional dumpling menus,” he says.  “There’s definitely a demand for the classic taste, but we wanted to do something extremely unique.”

Cali Dumpling delivers on that promise.  Its menu has 10 sauces, each inspired by California’s diverse cultural landscape.  Diners can choose from any homemade sauce, such as a tangy Tikka Masala, a Spicy Korean gochujang-based topping or a barbecue sauce.

“Areas like Little Saigon, Chinatown and Olvera Street have these great cultural backgrounds, and I wanted to represent them,” says Allan.  “All of our sauces draw inspiration from different cuisines and are paired with our delicious crispy pork, chicken or vegetable potstickers.”

One standout combination has been pairing the organic chicken potsticker with the “Holy Mole,” Cali Dumpling’s Mexican-inspired homemade mole sauce with chilis, corn, chocolate and pico de gallo, topped with crispy onions and cilantro.

“We’ve been sampling our dumplings at the Orange Home Grown Farmers & Artisans Market (OHG) recently, and I can’t even tell you how many people have told us they don’t typically like mole but love it on our dumplings,” says Allan.  “That blew our expectations away.”

The Cali Dumpling team has been selling their dumplings at OHG for almost three years, and they’re eager to engage with more Orange residents.

“With our first location, we hope that we can make a positive impact within the community with our delicious food and great service to build some meaningful connections,” says Director of Corporate Strategy and Business Development Kelly Tea, who is Allan’s niece.  “I’m excited to meet the rest of the community and hear what everyone thinks about our new concept.”

Beyond introducing Orange to new dumpling combinations, Allan hopes to expand the snack food category in general to include dumplings.  “The usual party food suspects are chicken wings, tacos, pizza and hamburgers, but dumplings should be on that list,” he says.  “There are surprisingly many people who have never tried dumplings, so I encourage everyone to sample our menu.  I guarantee you’ll love it.”

Cali Dumpling
149 North Glassell St., Old Towne Orange, CA 92866  /  714-790-4060