Trust me, I love ramen as much as the next person, but soup dumplings and arctic temps make a pretty magical combo, too. Luckily we live in a city where there is no shortage of these delicious steamed buns. Here are five of my favorite options, perfect for any occasion:

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1. Joe’s Shanghai: If you’re new to the soup dumpling trend, or if you’ve only had them once, chances are it was at Joe’s Shanghai. Their infamous pork & crab dumplings are the most iconic in NYC, so do get these babies off your hit list. Though these dumplings are great, there a bunch of other, less tourist-y soup dumpling destinations.
2. Red Egg: Red Egg is your loyal dim sum delivery option, and they happen to make an excellent “juicy bun.” Located on the edge of Little Italy, Red Egg is a reasonable glacial-temp destination for those who reside on the LES, but for everyone else, Seamless is the way to go.
3. Nom Wah Tea Parlor: Nom Wah Tea Parlor makes a solid Shanghainese Soup Dumpling and is consistently good across all dim-sum charts. Not only is the food great, but you can eat a feast here for $20. Into trying a Bean Curd Skin Roll? Go for it. All dim sum is under $5. Side note: Make sure you have at least 2 orders of Shrimp Rice Rolls on your table.
4. The Bao: My expectations for The Bao were set pretty low before my first visit, primarily because it’s located in St. Marks place, but I was extremely pleased with their soup dumplings (and everything else). The Bao’s steamed buns are expertly crafted; the dumpling was thin, yet sturdy enough to hold a sufficient amount of soup. Well done.
5. Red Farm: We can thank Chef Joe Ng for creating arguably the fanciest soup dumpling this city has ever seen: a black truffle chicken soup dumpling. Apart from this truffle-y, soupy goodness, all of Red Farm’s soup dumplings are beautifully crafted, pleasantly sized and piping hot.