Luckily for us, Victoria is abundant with locally owned businesses run by family, creating delicious meals that bring people together.
Over the past few years, those connections have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting the local restaurant owners ability to share their talents with us.
Thankfully, we are now seeing the world through a new lens, getting back to those intimate meals out with friends, exploring the best the city has to offer. We are also learning more about the people who run these restaurants, the amount of time, energy and passion they put into their businesses and the important stories behind their creation.
One of those restaurants is downtown’s Dumpling Drop, a Victoria favourite offering handmade, freshly fried dumplings in the restaurant, or frozen dumplings you can pick up to cook in the comfort of your home.
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Dumpling Drop creates their dumplings using traditional methods with a modern flair, and also offer catering services and frozen wholesale for various Vancouver Island grocers and stores.
Which means there are plenty of ways fans of the dumpling masters can get their hands on the product.
So, how did it all begin?
The idea for Dumpling Drop was born when owner Tarn’s mother lost her job due to Alzheimers. Every Friday, the two would spend quality time making lots of dumplings to keep busy and be in each other’s company.
Soon, following an overwhelming response to the dumplings, the business was born. Dumpling Drop began to sell the delicious dumplings through Instagram and eventually moved on to offer delivery. The people of Victoria loved the product, and business flourished.
At the peak of the pandemic, in July 2020, a space on Pandora Avenue was offered to Dumpling Drop, a location which is still open to this day.
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In the beginning, it was only the two of them, working hard to create the dumplings. Eventually, during the pandemic, Dumpling Drop was able to hire 10 of their friends and family to help run their Pandora location.
When the city was experiencing an influx of businesses closing due to the pandemic, Dumpling Drop began to grow. The people of Victoria were seeking homemade, high-quality comfort food and Dumpling Drop offered just that.
“Downtown gave me a great start and an opportunity to expand,” Tarn toldVictoria Buzz. “Foot traffic helped us expand our customers.”
And the business has grown in popularity ever since. Now, the team has expanded to twenty people, all working together to hand roll the dumplings. Dumpling Drop has also recently opened a second location at Driftwood Brewery with a dream of opening a food truck in the next few years.
Their Instagram account has also attracted quite a bit of attention, with their witty posts and pop culture references tying in humour about dumplings.
“I just want to thank everyone in Victoria for all the love and support,” said Tarn.
“Happy to see Downtown Victoria coming back alive after the past couple years that we have!”
Dumpling Drop
- Location: 556A Pandora Avenue
- Hours: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Wednesday, 12 p.m. to 9 pm., Thursday to Sunday
