Chin Chin’s Founder Returns to Chinese Food With Sit-Down Dumpling Spot

West Third Street’s former Gusto space is being put to good use thanks to one very famous restaurant name, reopening later this year as an upscale casual spot called My Little Dumpling.

My Little Dumpling is the work of Robert and Anthony Mandler, a father-son duo with plenty of experience in the restaurant business. The former founded the mega-popular upscale Chinese restaurant chain Chin Chin way back in 1983, envisioning the place as a see-and-be-seen spot for classic New York City-style Chinese food. Now the pair is keen to replicate the model in new ways, offering dumplings and a few other staples as well as beer and wine. This will be a full-service restaurant, with decor and ambiance provided by son Anthony Mandler.

The restaurant is still a ways from opening — construction is only set to start this week — but the Mandlers hope to be up and running in the space by late summer or early fall. He’ll have competition when My Little Dumpling does arrive, thanks to places like Northern Cafe, ROC, and Tasty Noodle House nearby.

Meanwhile West Third Street continues to chug along with a slew of new restaurants of late, including the celebrity-backed No. 10 nearby and, soon to come, barbecue option Slab. Even Gusto itself is still alive, having moved east to take over the closed Pistola space.

My Little Dumpling
8432 W. Third St.
Los Angeles, CA

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