A new dining option arrived at Fair Oaks Mall earlier this week.
Ugly Dumpling, which announced plans to join the mall’s slate of eateries last year, celebrated its grand opening at 11947U Fair Oaks Mall, Suite G-213, on Monday (July 14).
Located on the mall’s second level, the new restaurant took the place of On the Border, filling a nearly 6,700-square-foot-space across from Elevation Burger, Panda Express and Quickway Japanese Hibachi.
Specializing in Shanghai cuisine, Ugly Dumpling got its start in Edison, New Jersey, in August 2023. With the Fair Oaks opening, the business now has eight locations in New Jersey, Maryland and Texas and another 10 listed as “coming soon” on its website.
The Fair Oaks Mall location is the chain’s first full-service restaurant in Fairfax County after an “express” location opened in Springfield last summer.
“Ugly Dumpling Express has been met with tremendous enthusiasm since opening, which has been great,” Margaret Farrell, head of marketing for parent company Vertex Hospitality, told FFXnow in December. “People seem to love having something new and different in town.”
The Fair Oaks Mall location, however, offers a “very different experience” as a full-service restaurant.
Offerings at the new restaurant are led by the brand’s popular xiao long bao or soup dumplings. Diners can choose between six different protein fillings, all of them accompanied by a savory soup broth.
Other options on the menu include seven different dim sum dishes, various noodles and items “from the wok,” such as orange chicken, fried rice and more.
Explicit business hours for the restaurant were not immediately available online, though the mall is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ugly Dumpling is the latest addition to the mall, which stands to add a few other businesses in the future. Perhaps most notable is a Movement indoor climbing gym, which announced plans for a Fair Oaks location back in 2023 and is now aiming to open next year, according to its website.
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