Dillon’s Dumpling House is serving up authentic, hand-crafted dumplings out of the former Shoyu Sushi space in Aurora’s Tower Pavilion retail center.
The restaurant marks Vincent Liu’s debut as an owner, but with over 20 years of experience in Thai, Chinese and Japanese eateries, he’s far from a newcomer to the industry.
“I’ve worked in a bunch of different positions at restaurants – in kitchens, as a server, a delivery driver – but owning your own spot is totally different. I’m in the restaurant seven days a week and always thinking about what needs to be done next,” shared Liu. “It’s a rewarding challenge.”
Ming Chen prepares dough for dumpling wrappers at Dillon’s Dumpling House in Aurora on Nov. 12, 2024. (Sara Rosenthal, Special to The Denver Post)
Liu, originally from Guangzhou, China, moved to Colorado in 2002 and has been a resident of Aurora since 2008. He likes that the location of Dillon’s — which he operates with his wife, Ming Chen, and sister Siu Lan (who are both also from Guangzhou) — is close to his home. It’s a true family-run restaurant, with Liu manning the front of the house while Chen and Lan helm the kitchen, making dumplings and dim sum by hand, from the wrapper to the filling.
“My mom always cooked dumplings for us when I was a kid, and we’d help her make them. It was the most delicious thing, so I wanted to open up a place where other people could enjoy these dishes,” Liu expressed.
The restaurant’s namesake also reflects its family roots, inspired by Liu’s son Dillon, who he hopes will one day carry on the business. He also has two other children: a daughter pursuing her PhD and a younger son in high school.
Vincent Liu is owner of Dillon’s Dumpling House in Aurora. (Provided by Dillon’s Dumpling House)
The unassuming eatery seats around 40 people and still has Shoyu’s old sushi bar displays, which Liu said he may end up utilizing in the future. As it stands, the menu is quite large, featuring a number of starters including salads, egg rolls and soups; stir fry classics like Mongolian chicken, beef and broccoli, and kung pao chicken; curry dishes; a plethora of fried rice and noodle options; ramen; and Peking duck (which comes in a half serving for $28 or a whole serving for $48).
The stars of the show, though, are the dumplings. Chen’s personal favorites are the pan-fried dumplings stuffed with pork and cabbage.
Liu, on the other hand, suggested trying Dillon’s Xiao Long Bao, which comes with all eight of the eatery’s soup dumpling options. “We make each xiao long bao a different color so customers can tell the difference between the flavors; but I also want people to eat colorful dumplings so they can have a colorful life.”
Soup dumpling flavors include pork, lobster and shrimp, crab, Szechuan, kim chi, curry, cheese and pork, and garlic. There is also a vegan option made with soybean, scallions and veggie broth.
“The soup dumplings have a pork broth base, which we make by simmering the pork bone and meat together in a pot for five hours,” Liu said. “All the dumplings are made in-house, so it’s truly a labor of love.”
Currently, the restaurant offers non-alcoholic beverages like soft drinks and teas, but expects to gain approval on its liquor license soon and will start selling beer and wine.
Since opening in June, Dillon’s Dumpling House has garnered a loyal customer base that continues to grow, largely through word of mouth, according to Liu: “More people come, they bring their families, tell friends, so business keeps growing.”
Dillon’s Dumpling House, 3571 S. Tower Road, Aurora, 303-862-5728. Open Wednesday-Monday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; closed Tuesday. dillonsdumplinghouse.com
Sara Rosenthal is a Denver-based freelance writer.