Get your bite on at The Bund on Broadway!

The stretch of Broadway between 30th Street and Crescent has transformed significantly over the past year, with establishments like New York City Bagel & Coffee House, Osaka, Boteko, and The Strand coming and going (and, in the latter’s case, coming again) with near regularity. But when a bright-red storefront advertising a restaurant called The Bund went up a few months ago, it piqued my curiosity with its clear reference to the Shanghai waterfront neighborhood long-known for its delicious cuisine. If the restaurant delivered on the flavor promised by its name, I knew I’d be in for a treat.

The second location of a beloved Forest Hills Shanghainese joint, The Bund on Broadway features a relatively small dining room, with low light and a wood-paneled interior giving it a relaxed nighttime vibe even with daylight shining through the front window. When I went there, the owner was sitting at a back table, discussing business arrangements with an associate while customers slurped down noodles towards the front of the house.

The Bund serves a variety of dim sum dishes, but I made a beeline towards the dumplings for my first order. (Like any sensible millennial, I made the order on Seamless). I requested two batches—one order of soup dumplings and one of pork fried dumplings—and when I walked to the restaurant to pick them up, the hostess cheerfully waved me outside and asked me to take a picture of the restaurant’s phone number, promising lower prices if I called in my orders directly. (Their number, by the way, is 718-971-5465.)

The Bund’s fried pork dumplings, courtesy of Yelp user Ann L.

The dumplings were pleasant to the eye and filling to the stomach, though they were certainly priced for their market. Combined, the two orders served up eight dumplings in total and ran me about $12, roughly the same price as the gyo-za and shumai down the street at Tamashii Ramen. But I was pleased by the dumplings’ authentic Shanghainese flavor, and found the soup dumplings easy to eat, but still substantial enough to leave me satiated by the end of the meal. For the relatively dumpling-barren neighborhood of Astoria, these little bursts of umami are a welcome addition to the scene, and get my thumbs up despite their not-quite-cheap prices.

Drop by The Bund on Broadway at 25-08 Broadway to get a taste of what may very well be Astoria’s finest dumplings—but don’t forget to bring your wallet.

Where: 25-08 Broadway
Hours: Mon-Sun: 12:00PM-3:30PM; 4:30PM-10:00PM
Phone: 718-971-5465
Website: http://www.bundonbroadway.com/