Double the Dumplings

Charlottesville’s downtown mall has been home to a delicious and well received dumpling restaurant, Marco and Luca’s, for many years now. Due to their success on the downtown mall, they have since opened a location on the UVA corner, for close proximity to hungry college students, opening up a whole new market for the company. However, as of this past January, Marco and Luca’s is facing competition for the dumpling lovers of Charlottesville from a new addition to the UVA corner, Got Dumplings.

Marco and Luca’s is a Charlottesville classic, offering a few simple Asian dishes such as dumplings, noodles, salads, and pork buns for very reasonable prices, (although a year or two back, they did have a price hike from $2.50 to $3.50 for an order of dumplings) and offers a unique sweet, sour, and slightly spicy sauce that comes with the dumplings, and is available per request with any of their other items. Each order of dumplings is only available with a pork filling, and it is sure to please the pickiest of eaters.

Most notably, Got Dumplings offers meal deals, which include either one or two sides to any order of dumplings for around $6.50 to $8.00. Compared to Marco and Luca’s the dumplings here are slightly larger, yet not nearly as crisp, and are served with a less complex sweet and sour sauce. Otherwise, the menus are fairly similar, with options of noodles, salads, and several other items.

In comparison, Marco and Luca’s takes the cake in almost every regard. From atmosphere, quality of dumplings, and overall vibe, it is a much better choice.