New York Dumpling Automat Opens in Austin With Mac and Cheese Dumplings

Five locations of a dumpling automat are coming soon to Austin thanks to New York-based franchise Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. The first location will be found at 1401 East 6th Street, Building 1, Suite 201 in the East Cesar Chavez neighborhood starting on Tuesday, September 12.

The Austin automat’s menu includes dumplings and potstickers with fillings traditional and new-school. Options include pork and vegetables; chicken teriyaki; mac and cheese, Philly cheesesteak; Korean barbecue; and chicken parmesan. People can also order bowls with filling options atop rice, lo mein, fries, or greens. Drinks-wise, there will be beer, wine, and then frosés in red velvet and lychee flavors. The physical space will have 20 food lockers and indoor dine-in areas.

Automats were a popular form of dining in the early 1900s, wherein diners would retrieve their order from cubbies and dine in a dining room, keeping the kitchen invisible. The owner of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Stratis Morfogen , applied a modern twist to the concept to make the restaurant contact-free. Guests order online or at a digital kiosk, and scan a bar code to retrieve their items from temperature-controlled lockers, before taking a seat in the dining room. (Actual humans are making the dumplings.)

The first Brooklyn Dumpling Shop opened in East Village in New York in May. Morfogen (who was very against New York City’s pandemic vaccine mandates) partnered with Fransmart (Five Guys, Halal Guys) to franchise the store, and Alex Liebert is the Texas franchisee. Brooklyn Dumpling shop is expanding nationwide, including Dallas.

Ashleigh Amoroso

Ashleigh Amoroso

Update, September 11, 2023.: This article, originally published on September 8, 2021, was updated to include Brooklyn Dumpling Shop’s first Austin address, menu, space details, and opening status.