Review Jolin Shanghai Restaurant - Auckland Central

Friendly service, lovely interior decor and lighting with ultra fast serving time, decent prices and portion sizes! Sizzling beef came out very prettily, strong pepper smell. Tender vegetables and chewy beef-not the softest but definitely not tough by all means. Just the right amount of flavor without needs for accompanying with rice. 7.5/10 Salted duck not too salty just right, tender meat. Pretty tasty and needn't accompany with rice. 8/10 Fried bread crisp upon bite but I find it a bit too thick and bread like for my taste. Had it with the sweet soy bean milk which was average, just your run-of-the-mill sweet Soy. 6/10 Beans had a very strong when brought over and smelt delicious. The mixture accompanying the beans were fabulous and chicken was good as it contained flavor and was not bland. 8/10 Meatball soup fresh watery soup flavor, the meatball was extremely tender and falls apart when spooned, taste was delightful, recommend! 8.5/10 Steamed buns juice was hot, the perfect blend of savory and sweet, the meat soft and succulent and the wrap in no way overpowers the taste of the bun. 8.5/10 Fried bun filled with similar soup to the steamed buns but less amount, pork filling was again succulent. This time the bun amount was more but that's a given for the type of bun it is. The bottom is crispy and topped with sesame and added a lovely crunch to the bun. 8/10

Well let's face it, we don't go to dumpling eateries for the service. I came here because it was on a 'must-try' list. We tried both the steamed and fried dumplings which I rated pretty equally at a 7/10. The deep fried shrimps were interesting.. in a good way. Pork noodles were great. I might go back to taste other dishes but with so many dumpling restaurants out there chances are slim. UPDATE. A couple of years later we're back. Spicy pork noodles had slight to no spice, and tasted pretty meh until we added some soy/chili sauce mix. We tend to try the same dishes if we like them so had the shrimps again. Not as good as the first time there was too much oil. For the first time in a long time I wasn't able to finish the dish because of it. We did arrive for a late dinner and it was packed. It was so noisy it was distracting. Nothing could be done but it makes me wonder why people insist on shouting in such a small room.

First time trying here. Coming from a Shanghai background, I am familiar with the Shanghai food taste. The wonton here are pretty good, meaty and the broth is a calm seaweed flavour. The xiao long bao I think is just ok, not soupy enough and not that big, but the flavour is not bad. The fried pork bao on other hand was more juicy and better than the xiao long bao. Overall pretty good, although I want to try their sweet and sour fried whole blue cod in a bigger group. Also would like to try a few of their cold dishes as well.

The best traditional Shanghai restaurant in New Zealand. I have been there every week since I moved to New Zealand. Even my mom agreed that! She is the best chef I have ever known.

One of the reasons we ended up here was because they have a carpark out back. You can then enter the restaurant from the backdoor, just look out for the sign. We ordered quite a few things to share and it was mostly quite nice. The fried pork buns were delicious. Crispy, juicy and full of flavour. The Shanghai fried noodles were also quite nice but it is slightly spicy. The flavour of the salted egg prawns weren't quite right but they were still delicious. Delicious, cheap food so not a bad choice if you're looking for some where to eat.

I was blown away by the dishes. All the ingredients were fresh and deliciously prepared. Service was friendly and fast too. This was a truly mouthwatering and memorable meal at a good price. Highly recommend it!

visit here for dinner on 5/13/2022 we ordered fried sheung joan bao and xiao long bao and also sour veg fishes soup., quality and taste are good ! will come again

Wonderful first time experience! Food here is absolutely delicious! The menu has a great range of Shanghainese dishes. The spicy chicken in particular was surprising as the tender cold chicken was laid on top of a layer of refreshing mung bean jelly. I've tried both types of xiaolongbao there with the one in the photo having crab roe in it although I couldn't really taste much difference between the two, both were delicious. The fried pork buns had a delicate sesame crunchy base and delightful soup upon first bite. I've also had the sweet and sour ribs (photo), Shanghai Sauce duck, and the cumin lamb with buns. The ribs and the duck lean more towards a sweet sauce with a bit of zest and the cumin lamb had a mild spice and heat to it (for an extra $3.00 you can add some small steamed buns to go with it). The shop is sparkling clean and interior is appealing. Staff service is fast and friendly with the waitress always looking after their customers and reminding you to be careful with the xiaolongbao as the hot soup when you bite in could burn you.

This is a pretty famous franchise in China, and the food was pretty authentic. We were allowed to BYO beer as well! Although, it was weird that they didn't have any ice for drinks. The staff was nice and overall it was a very pleasant dining experience!

As an original Nanjing-Shanghainese lol, love this spot!! Good place for casual dinner with friends and family or some Chinese people keen for authentic Jiannan 江南and Benbang本帮 cuisines:) Nice price as well:)

The Ao Zao noodles is great. It’s been 20 years since last time I had it in KunShan, the origin of the dish. My son also loves his wonton.

Food here is very delicious and service is fast and friendly. My son’s favourite is Sweet and Sour Pork Loin.

The food was incredibly delicious and truly authentic to Shanghai's local cuisine. Every dish was prepared with precision and care, and the flavors were rich and savory. From the dumplings to the sauce duck, every bite was a delight. The restaurant also had a great atmosphere and the service was exceptional. Highly recommended for anyone looking for authentic Shanghai-style cuisine.

Delicious food for good prices. Came here early and service was attentive. Got fried buns and xiao long Bao. Would go back again.

Staff were friendly and ambience was nice and peaceful. We ordered the most popular dishes - fried bao, xiao long bao, and the eggplant dish. We were very highly disappointed because the reviews said the dumplings were the best in Auckland but the filling was too salty and smelled like old meat, and the outer pastry was very thick, almost like bread. The eggplant dish was the worst - it was literally 1 cm deep in oil and just tastes like simple black bean sauce. Warning for all those coming because of the rave reviews.

Food was okay. The xiaolongbao was really good. I would NOT recommend the duck. Little meat and was reheated. The dumplings were okay. Quite expensive for what you got. I probably wouldn't go there again

Get the Xiao Long Bao!! So delicious and juicy here! They are basically dumplings which burst soup into your mouth when you bite into them! I will be back just for these babies!!

Closer to 3.5, not quite a 4 but close. Love their dumplings and xiao long bao. They have the most massive dumplingsI ever have.<br/>Taste 3.5/5<br/>Service 3.5/5<br/>Ambiance 3/5<br/>Value (price and portion size) 4/5

The best xaiolongbao Ever! - I legit ordered then watched the chief walk past my table and out of the restaurant to the grocery opposite, he came back with a plastic bag of ingredients to make my meal. 100% authentic

The food in this restaurant are served with large portion and reasonable price. The noodle is simple however I like it. The original steamed bun tasted average. The flour skin of the bun is a bit thick and I prefer light flour skin. The service is nice.

Xiao Long Bao’s skin is too thick, it’s not very authentic (I’m Shanghainese). Other dishes were tasty though. It’s okay but I’d rather go elsewhere if I’m craving Shanghainese food due to the Xiao Long Bao is letting it down.

Friendly service, lovely interior decor and lighting with ultra fast serving time, decent prices and portion sizes!<br/><br/>Sizzling beef came out very prettily, strong pepper smell. Tender vegetables and chewy beef-not the softest but definitely not tough by all means. Just the right amount of flavor without needs for accompanying with rice. <br/>7.5/10<br/><br/>Salted duck not too salty just right, tender meat. Pretty tasty and needn’t accompany with rice. <br/>8/10<br/><br/>Fries bread crisp upon bite but I find it a bit too thick and bread like for my taste. Had it with the sweet soy bean milk which was average, just your run-of-the-mill sweet soy. <br/>6/10<br/><br/>Beans had a very strong when brought over and smelt delicious. The mixture accompanying the beans were fabulous and chicken was good as it contained flavor and was not bland. <br/>8/10<br/><br/>Meatball soup fresh watery soup flavor, the meatball was extremely tender and falls apart when spooned, taste was delightful, recommend! <br/>8.5/10<br/><br/>Steamed buns juice was hot, the perfect blend of savory and sweet, the meat soft and succulent and the wrap in no way overpowers the taste of the bun. <br/>8.5/10<br/><br/>Fried bun filled with similar soup to the steamed buns but less amount, pork filling was again succulent. This time the bun amount was more but that’s a given for the type of bun it is. The bottom is crispy and topped with sesame and added a lovely crunch to the bun. <br/>8/10

Good foods, reasonable prices, fast & friendly service. Authentic Shanghainese cuisine, we have been coming here for years. Love their Braised Pork Chop, Fried Sheng Jian Pork Buns, Sweet & Sour Blue Cod.

Would come here again for the soup dumplings. We also ordered Kung pao chicken and Ma Po tofu as well. Ok, but pretty standard dishes as there was no distinct flavour - tasted similar.

The serving size is good. Food is tasty - we had the braised eggplant and spicy chicken wth mixed veg. Prepared quickly. Quite oily. Would try again..

We used to love this place and had been there for many takeaways. However my partner got food posioning one time in summer after eating their fried pork bun. We didn't go back very often afterwards. I tried a spicy sour fish lately and the fish tasted off... I am sorry but won't recommend people to go...

14/7/2018 Saturday night dinner.<br/>Is a rainy day. The staff is friendly, we take long time to decide want to eat. She is Patience。<br/>Finally, we decide to had a braised blue cod with tofu in soy sauce.<br/>While waiting we look the decoration is quite good. <br/>Tasted okay for us. Not salty like other Cantonese restaurants.<br/>Wish to come again try the xiao long pork buns.

Came in for the first time tonight to celebrate parent's anniversary. The soup dumplings tasted the best from what I tried. The wontons were also very nice and size was huge. Salted duck was actually extremely salty. Next time I would like to try the sweet version.

One of the reasons we ended up here was because they have a carpark out back. You can then enter the restaurant from the backdoor, just look out for the sign.<br/><br/>We ordered quite a few things to share and it was mostly quite nice. The fried pork buns were delicious. Crispy, juicy and full of flavour. The Shanghai fried noodles were also quite nice but it is slightly spicy. The flavour of the salted egg prawns weren't quite right but they were still delicious. <br/><br/>Delicious, cheap food so not a bad choice if you're looking for some where to eat.

Friendly staff, love the xiao long baos here! Must try if you’re craving some good quality shanghai food! We’ve had the fried baos too and they’re super soft and juicy! Would definitely come back :)

Been here awhile ago and back again last night, more of like a cafe style restsurant. Friendly service and very accommodating as well. Food wise are very tasty and good portion as well, will be back soon.

Usually portions are generous and taste consistently good. Xiao long bao and soup dumplings are delicious. Service and cleaness have room to improve. Overall good value for bucks.

The mrs was craving some dishes here so came in for a casual dinner. Service and ambience is standard. We had the sweet & sour pork chop, long beans, bamboo shoots & salty pork soup, xiao long bao and fried pork buns. The dishes just came out as they were ready which normal, all delicious and filling.

We started off the week by watching travel shows on Taiwan which set off our tastebuds. Came across Jolin and they served all the buns the show talked about. The buns and dumplings were extremely good and juicy. These were the pan fried buns with sesame seeds on the bottom, and the xiao long bao steamed dumplings.

I have been waiting to have some crab or crayfish for a month but for some reason it was not happening so today I made up my mind and ventured towards Belmont road which is the Chinese hub of the city to have some crabs and other Chinese dishes. Came across this little joint towards the end of the street. <br/>The staff had problem communicating or understanding English but still we makes to place our order after a lot of hand gestures and nodding. <br/>The food arrived pretty quickly and their quantity was pretty huge given the price on the menu which was pretty reasonable to begin with. <br/>The food was really tasty and delicious. <br/><br/><br/>Food - 4/5 <br/>Service - 3/5 <br/>Ambience - 3/5<br/>Value for money - 4/5

Perfect xiao long bao and pan-fried dumplings (can't remember the name but they have sesame seeds on the bottom).  We go several times a year. They have a great mix of Shanghai classics (braised pork belly, lion's head meatballs, etc.) and more familiar Chinese dishes from other provinces. If you specifically want Shanghai food it's a great option, but you can take an unadventurous friend there and there will be lots of dishes they will find familiar.

One of my favorite place to come for lunch! Not only their price are cheap but their food are so good! The xiao long bao is only $9 and it so flavorful! The same goes to the spicy pork noodle! A really great place when your pocket are low but wanting a nice food! 👍🏻<br/><br/>Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️<br/>Foods: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️<br/>Services: ⭐️⭐️

This place specializes in shanghai food - sweet & sour deep fried fish, soup buns and fried pork buns etc. They have great lunch options under $10 with huuge portion sizes! The fish soup noodles is particularly nice, has a really nice broth and they were generous with the amount of fish. For $10.80 you really can't go wrong. The soup buns on the other hand were just average, as the "soup" that oozes out when you take a bite was more like just greasy oil rather than soup. Have also tried their fried noodles on other occasions, but would NOT recommend those, as those were simply just drenched in oil and the oil also had a yellow hue and instantly put us off. Another dish that's really nice is the bamboo shoots and salty pork soup, that's also another famous shanghai dish. The stir fry cumin beef with bread is also flavourful. Not a bad place to visit if you crave eastern Chinese food.

Service is not the best as the waitress doesnt do much and doesnt look too happy, bowls and spoons arent all that clean, but the steamed xiao-long bao was awesome.

This place does special dumplings. I also love the Chinese burgers which come in beef or lamb and are great filled up with a bit of cucumber salad

Pan Fried Pork Buns, Soupy Pork Buns... great price and yum!<br/><br/>They are made to order and served piping hot. Each little parcels are full of juice, best to let them cook down before popping them in, letting the juice burst in your mouth.<br/><br/>I must confess, I haven't tried the other dishes on the menu because they are filling. I would like to try their golden fried prawns next, the table next to us ordered that and it looks good.<br/><br/>To improve: More waitstaff during lunch time at least to cover the floor<br/>

糖醋排骨真的超好吃 口感非常好有种入口即化的感觉 又有适当的嚼劲 味道酸甜 非常好吃 上海菜用糖做肉真是绝了 生煎包也不错 但还是觉得吴胖子生煎更好吃 咸豆浆一开始油条还脆的时候最好喝 软了之后就没那么好喝了 蟹黄蛋也好吃 但是有好几个朋友都吃不惯那个味道 总体来说吃过他家几个菜都不错 点心就是不差 但是比不过其他家的

I find with most eateries, it's not a helpful exercise to expect everything to be on point, instead celebrate each place for what they're great at. <br/><br/>Jolin is my personal favourite spot for xiaolingbao (Shanghai soup dumplings), and other surprisingly delicious treats such as the garlic, eggplant and pork mince mix-it-yourself platter and their small wonton soup. Check out the seasonal whiteboard menu for hidden gems too, like the silkgourd and egg stir fry.<br/><br/>A no fuss, no pretence place. Base your experience on food, check the other expectations at the door before entering. That way you'll always finish the night with a smile. Thanks for the Yums Jolin.

The food portion is very generous here and quite delicious for what you are paying, but the waitress was incredibly rude and the whole restaurant was understaffed.

Came here expecting authentic Shanghainese food but was quite disappointed. Ordered the stir fried rice cake and spicy roast pork noodles. Both of the dishes were extremely salty, obviously flavoured with msg and greasy as a whole. Would not eat here again!

Awesome chines food went there with my office colleagues for the lunch. Tried so many items and all the items are upto the mark. Definitely recommend place. Reasonably priced.

Gave this place a shot when passing though this way yesterday,,the must try xailong bao dish here was OK as was the spicy pork noodles dish as for our third dish it would rate as one of the worst dish"s IV had in a Chinese restaurant, reading. On the menu as sweet n sour pork chop on rice ,this dish didn't even come near to the menu discription,not a pork chop. But very dry diced pork pieces in a very over powering sweet sauce,..If any of the staff here could of under stood English?? ,, Would of sent this dish straight back to the kitchen!!¡

Great food and great service! I got the vegetable noodle soup and the flavour was delicious.. the portion sizes are huge for the price, I got two meals worth for $9.50. High praise for this place!

Size of food is relatively large, and the taste is good. Yet the customer service is terrible here!<br/><br/>If their customer service can be better, I'll suggest this to friends.

My first impression was that it is surprisingly clean and bright. <br/><br/>My friend said the dumplings here were good so I had to try it. We ordered the Xiao long bao (steamed soup dumplings) and the fried bao. However I thought the dough was quite thick so became a bit much after a while.<br/><br/>We also got their four season beans (spicy) and the stewed pork ribs which were yummy! <br/><br/>One major downside for me is that all the food we ordered came out just warm and not piping hot....

Very authentic Chinese Shanghai restaurant. I highly recommend you try the shanghai steamed pork buns as well as the beef tendons which are their signature dishes. The taste is authentic and affordable speaking from a family of 4 point of view. The service here is excellent and we didn't have to wait long for our meal to be served. We came back for the second time with 8 other people. The waiters/ waitresses were fast and efficient throughout serving us and everyone at our table thoroughly enjoyed their meal.<br/>

I've been here a few times now, and I keep going back for the pork soup dumplings. They're like a massive mouthful of deliciousness! The other food I've had has also been very tasty, I can also recommend the black pepper beef and the long beans. Service is efficient, and the food has come out quickly and piping hot. The only downside is the place is a little dirty - the walls and skirting boards need a good scrub. Don't let that put you off though, the food is well worth it!

I need to come back and dine here and try more on the menu but last night I ordered some of the classic pork Xiao Long bao dumplings and they were soooo GOOD!! Probably my favourite ones so far. I ordered them takeaway and was worried the soup would leak out as I ate them 1 hour later but when I got home they were still so juicy and bursting with flavour. There was a lot more soup inside too than other places and the dough perfectly encased the filling and juices so nothing leaked or dried out after some time. Highly recommend these dumplings to anyone.

Food :<br/>We tried<br/>Soup dumplings -  Delicious. The best dish of all<br/>Fried pork buns - Very soft but  lack of flavor.<br/>Pork Dumplings - A complete disappointment. Very bland.<br/><br/>Staff & Service: Very poor.

Ordered the Fried Pork Buns (Sheng Jian Bao) and the Stir Fried Rice Cake with chinese veges. The fried pork buns were so nice and juicy! I advise you all to not take a huge bite, just in case all the juice from the pork buns explodes everywhere. The pork from inside the fried bun was so good. The stir fried rice cake, however, was a little disappointing. The texture of the rice cake was soft and chewy, but it was the lack of flavours that let me down. Maybe the chef didn't add enough salt? I'm not sure. Maybe the chef didn't stir fry long enough? The rice cake just tasted bland. Next time, I will definitely try their soup dumplings (Xiao Long Bao).

Been here multiple times, the xiao long bao is amazing best I have found in Auckland. Have also tried their version of sweet and sour pork which is great. Worth a try if you love dumplings and authentic cuisine.

I always wanted to try xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) then I heard that this place does the best xiaolongbao in town so I went to check it out. The dumplings are amazing. They were delicious and filled with stock and juicy meats. They were so delicious that a week after my first visit, I had to go there again to eat the dumplings. I tried their braised pork pot on my second visit. It was really delicious too. Very soft and well seasoned!!

Finally! A chinese restaurant that sells a decent xiao long dumplings! We ordered the pork and crab xiao long, pork and vege wonton soup, and sticky rice shaomai. Both wonton and xiao long were amazing. Shaomai was a gamble and it was better than I initially expected. It has this savoury,slightly sweet flavour that gets stronger with every bites. However it is very filling. The service was okay, exactly what you would expect from a chinese restaurant. The table was a little dirty though (hence 4 stars). Highly recommend to all dumpling lovers

One of the best places to go to for a Pork or a Beef dish! I enjoyed going here so much! The staff were super helpful, gave us forks and also wiped our table again at our request. The service was super fast and quality of food was excellent! I'm so coming back here again!<br/><br/>Ordered the Sweet and Sour Pork Loins, Beef with Black Pepper and Chicken Fried Rice, check out the pics, order it for yourselves and let me know! <br/><br/>One down side to the night was the dirtiness of the floor, people's handkerchiefs, tissues, food and chopsticks on the ground not to mention the stickiness almot made us not want to sit in the restaurant anymore.

The qingdao beer sold there definitely worth a shot. The cuisine is sweet base. Not classic per se but taste can represent the style of Shanghai cuisine.i definitely recommend to dine there. Must try: steamed xiao-long pork, beef in spicy soup, steamed blue cod with diced chilies.

Came to this place with some mates on a Friday night. Pretty full but got a table easily. We had spicy beef soup, black pepper beef, gong pao chicken and some xiao long bao (soupy dumplings). Really awesome dumplings. Best soupy dumplings I've tasted here in Auckland. The rest of the food was pretty expensive for what it was. Not 100% sure about the rest.

Best soup dumpling I've had in Auckland. I've had some overseas and still this place have better one.Also come here for their braised pork chops, highly recommended.

I have been to this restaurant many times.  Just been back again.  I must admit that the taste of the food is always consistent. They are tasty.  This time I just ordered four simple dishes.  They were Shanghai sauce duck, braised pork chop, steamed xiao long pork buns and a vegetable dish.  We were all quite happy with their taste.<br/><br/>If you are keen on Shanghai food, try the food here.  I don't think you will be disappointed.

Awesome little restaurant down a quieter stretch of Dom road. the last time we went as a group of four. The staff are friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere is quiet cozy. It can get a bit squishy at peak times but is fine otherwise. We demolished two portions of the fried sheng-jiang pork buns, and my personal favourite are the xiao long bao. These have a lovely flavorful soup accompanying the filling in a chewy dumpling skin.  I was ecstatic to find them here as I had not found a place serving them after leaving Singapore some years back. We also had the spicy chicken with peanuts, which everyone enjoyed-but if you don't like chilli at all you might prefer a milder dish. The steamed Shao-mai sticky rice has an interesting texture that I find addictive. The pricing is extremely affordable, and the overall experience just hits the spot when I  want some comfort food!

Got tricked into coming here by mi madre, who had tried it in the afternoon and said it was soo good (can't trust her opinion again :P). But if you want to try authentic Xiao Long Baos then this is the place I would recommend (None of that fusion stuff). <br/><br/>I believe this place specialises in their Xiao Long Pork Buns and Sheng Jian Bao, which are both authentic Chinese dishes. We ordered 2 portions of the Xiao Long Pork Buns - one with the crab meat which was a bit weird but not terrible; the other was the original bun. I usually really like Sheng Jian Baos but were not a fan of these ones; they weren't crispy enough xD<br/><br/>The sweet and sour fish we ordered was really bland...couldn't taste the sweet and sourness at all :( The fish itself was coated in a crispy layer or crispy yummyness so even if there was no flavour, it was consumable for me. I wouldn't recommend this though. <br/><br/>Mum also ordered something with noodles in it but that tasted really weird to me so I didn't eat any. <br/><br/>Anyway, I would consider coming again for the Xiao Long Pork Buns but other than that, you shall never find me here XD<br/> <br/><br/>Update: This is the only place I've found that does super yummy Xiao Long Baos and I grew to really like the one with crab meat! (even more than the original).

Due to not trying many Shanghai Chinese restaurants we thought we'd give this place a go!<br/><br/>We ordered the spicy Ma-Po tofu and the Braised tofu with mixed vegetables. Both dishes were well portioned and reasonably priced. However we did notice some of the dishes on the menu were quite pricey. The braised tofu was our preference out of the two dishes. The service wasn't that great even though they were quiet (Sunday lunch) which was a bit of a let down. The restaurant is clean and simple and the complimentary green tea is a nice bonus. <br/><br/>When comparing to other restaurants in the area Jolin Shanghai seems pretty average.. But there is definitely room for improvement.

I was craving Shanghai dumplings and my friend actually recommended another place on Dominion Road which was closed unfortunately (I went at around 3pm) so we came here instead. We had xiao long bao, shengjian bao and Shanghai fried noodles - they were all pretty average, shengjian bao needs to be crispier.

Soup dumplings. Or Xiao long bao. Anthony Bourdain said it was religious experience. And it was so, so good during my trip in China. Unfortunately, the same experience is hard to find here in Auckland. Jolin Shanghai has been the best so far so it gets points for getting it right. The downside is the service, an aspect of hospitality that should be easy to get right yet falls short with many restaurants. The customer shouldn't have to approach the staff to make an order or ask for tea to be served at the table. It's a shame because the food is good, almost as good as the real deal which requires about 10.000km of travel to get.

Having found a place that serves pan fried dumplings, which I had been craving for ever since having these delicious babies in Shanghai, I just could not wait to sink my teeth into these ones.   Even though they looked pretty good, I was slightly disappointed in them.  They were more like a steam bun texture, which a slightly thicker dough that houses some pork mince with very little juice.<br/><br/>Check out my website for an indepth review.

Nice shanghai food. I like the egg plant dish very much. Good presentation. Four of our girls went there, ordered 5 dishes, the amount was just perfect for our 4. Average $20 pp.

I love their spicy pork noodle and steamed xiao long pork bun, It's very tasty. The food come fast, I never experienced long waiting time with this restaurant. The food is also in a reasonable price.

One of the stars of Dominion Road, in my opinion. I'm a die hard fan and connoisseur of Xiao Long Baos, and Jolin consistently ranks very high in my list. There was a restaurant in Newmarket that did the best in Auckland - but they've sadly closed, so the trophy returns to Jolin.The service is good, quick and no nonsense. Portions are big and you're sure to be treated to a variety of flavours and different techniques in the vast menu. Make sure you come with a group - the dishes are too good not to order a heap and taste as many as you can.

I have been meaning to try this restaurant for quite some time to try their xiao long bao and finally this weekend I managed to go... and I wasn't disappointed! I thought the xiao long bao were delicious even if thickly skinned as someone else complained. I have to admit that all the other times I had xiao long bao they were in a very thin skin, however, I thought they were really good also like this, very tasty and juicy. I will be back for more! I would also recommend the wonton soup: it's a very large portion, the stock is very aromatic, with a hint of seaweed, the wonton themselves (we got the pork and veggie ones) were delicious! We also got the fried beef and veggies with bread: it was spicy, tasty and balanced with sweet-ish little buns perfect to dip in the rich sauce. We'll definitely be back to try more dishes, the pork belly our neighbours were eating looked amazing!

Okay place for Shanghai flavour, but my friend from Shanghai never go there saying not their original taste. Personally, I think it's average, not bad, but not outstanding. Steamed bun and pan fried buns are good, while some soup and dishes are not really tasty. Price ok, services ok, hygiene below average.

Came here for the Xiao Long Bao (steamed pork bun). Not bad! Juicy, watch your tongue, they are hot!! Many people like the buns from Ding Tai Feng, they got the colourful buns with different tastes, but, seriously, not that nice... <br/>As for the deep fried pork buns, average! <br/>The eggplant dish was yum! Unexpected! A blow of rice would be the best pairing! (No rice for me at night time sigh >_

One of few places in Auckland serves authentic shanghainese cuisine. Of course not as good as the restaurants in Shanghai. Still give you a bit taste of Shanghai if you go there. I would recommend you go there for lunch rather than dinner. Xiao long bao and soybean curd are the best one in Auckland. If you've lived in Shanghai, you would know that's the taste back in Shanghai. Dinner wise, my family would like to go there, but it doesn't taste like typical Shanghainese dishes, more like northern China, guess they put too much salt at dinner dishes. However, this restaurant is still way better than other so called shanghainese restaurants.

I will preface this by saying that we went there for xiao long bao, after having read a few rave reviews about them having 'the best xiao long bao' in Auckland. If that is indeed true, restaurateurs should take note, because there is a HUGE unfilled niche here!<br/><br/>Their xiao long bao was immensely disappointing. They were thick-skinned, huge, very porky, and the pork mince was coarse. Not in any way comparable to Din Tai Fung's delicate, juicy morsels (which unfortunately has yet to open in Auckland).<br/><br/>Aside from that, we had deep fried buns and fried rice. The fried rice was average, and the deep fried buns were pretty good, but that wasn't what we'd come for. <br/><br/>Would not return. Their mains might possibly be worth a try, but not the xiao long bao.

Nice Shanghai restaurant, one of their great dishes is definitely the Shanghai dumpling and steam buns. However staff could be more friendly and responsive - seemed slow and understaffed.

We went for a meal there last month and taught we'd treat ourselves to a steamed blue cod dish. It was priced at $35 so we had high expectations.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, the fish was not fresh at all and had that 'gummy' taste. It was also very small-sized - definitely not worth our money. I was particularly disappointed with this dish, as we were really looking forward to a good freshly-steamed fish.<br/><br/>However, the marinated pork ribs were yum (pressure-cooked, I reckon) and fried chilli beans were good. <br/><br/>I went back again for 2 plates of their shanghai dumplings and they were good. However, I think their service could be improved. Despite having 2 servers at hand, they still seemed pretty slow and 'unresponsive'.<br/><br/>There is definitely room for improvement. I hope they read this review.

Went in around lunchtime on a Tuesday, was reasonably quiet, no problems with staff.<br/><br/>I definitely recommend going to Jolin Shanghai for their soup dumplings. They’re the best I’ve ever had in NZ, they’re made fresh and have great flavour. We also had the sauteed eggplant, which I found too sweet, and the wonton soup, which was so-so.. the broth was pretty tasteless. But definitely, if you’ve got a craving for soup dumplings, check out Jolin Shanghai.

The first thing that most people think of when Shanghainese food is mentioned is xiao long bao, otherwise known as soup dumplings. Jolin Shanghai serves two types of soup dumplings, the wrapped steamed dumpling variety (xiao long bao, $8) and the bun type, which are steamed and then fried (shengjian mantou, on the menu as deep-fried pork bun $9). The xiao long bao suffer the usual too-thick wrapper syndrome. The buns were a delight, soft buns, encasing savoury pork mince in soup (watch out, these are hot), with a crispy sesame seed base.<br/><br/>The fried rice cakes with pork and Chinese vegetables ($10) were quite plain, and a touch too oily. I usually cook these for longer in some water to soften them more. We shared a huge bowl of spicy pork in noodle soup ($8). The pork was not as spicy as I expected, and the soy-flavoured soup was delicious. The braised tofu dish was again lacking in depth of flavour, though you certainly cannot gripe about the serving size. It was massive. <br/><br/>To finish the meal, we indulged in deep-fried bun ($5), which are soft sweet buns deep-fried until the outside is golden and comes served with sweet condensed milk. I’ve had better versions, as you need fresh buns to make them addictive, and these had a somewhat stale texture, and an oily feel to them. <br/><br/>While the lunch menu at Jolin was a mixed lot, I would certainly come back to Jolin if only for those fantastic fried pork buns. The dinner menu is a lot more substantial (if you think the 50-odd items on the lunch menu is limiting), and shows a great deal of promise. <br/><br/>For more photos, see: http://easyfoodhacks.blogspot.co.nz/2014/04/jolin-shanghai-restaurant-mt-eden.html

Good Chinese restaurants with some semblance of ambience are hard to come by in this city, but Jolin breaks this mould. When you’re finally sick of normal dumplings and Spartan interiors, come here for their xiao long bao (pork and ginger soup dumplings) and spicy pork noodles. You’ll leave well fed and well-impressed. <br/>For a full review and dish recommendations go to http://cheapeats.co.nz/jolin-shanghai-restaurant/