Jiao Zi Bao
A tiny Dongbei kitchen in Temple City for handmade dumplings, bouncy beef noodles, and an exceptionally juicy lamb pie.
Go here if
- →You miss the juicy Chinese meat pies that made Beijing Pie House special.
- →You want bouncy noodles, thick tendon, and tender beef in a tomato-and-chili-leaning broth.
- →You appreciate handmade dumpling wrappers and a shrimp-forward yellow-chive filling.
Skip it if
- —You need a roomy dining room for a large group.
- —You want a deeply crisp, heavily fried meat pie rather than a softer, lightly pan-fried one.
- —You prefer a traditional beef-forward Taiwanese-style noodle broth without tomato or chili notes.
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The kind of place worth knowing about.
Jiao Zi Bao is a small Dongbei-style restaurant on Temple City Boulevard where the staff moves between serving the dining room and making dumplings by hand. The standout is the lamb pie: lightly pan-fried, soft rather than deeply crisp, and packed with tender, distinctly lamby meat and enough savory juice to demand a careful first bite. The house beef noodle soup takes a different path from a classic Taiwanese bowl, with a balanced tomato-and-chili broth, bouncy noodles, large tender beef chunks, and thick pieces of tendon. The boiled shrimp, egg, and yellow-chive dumplings round things out with thin homemade wrappers and a shrimp-forward, gently oniony filling. The room is compact, but the menu is broad and the meal feels generous for the price.
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What to order
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Eat in SGV StaffLamb Pie
Start with thisLightly pan-fried with a soft, thin exterior and a very juicy filling of tender lamb and green onion. The lamb flavor is more pronounced than most, and the savory broth inside is the best part. Move it to a plate and bite carefully so the soup stays with the pie.
Eat in SGV StaffHouse Special Beef Noodle Soup with Tendon
A balanced tomato-and-chili-leaning broth with a gentle kick, bouncy noodles, plenty of cilantro and vegetables, large tender beef chunks, and thick pieces of tendon that soak up the soup. Less traditionally beefy than a Taiwanese bowl, but distinctive and deeply comforting.
Eat in SGV StaffShrimp, Egg & Yellow Chive Dumplings
Boiled dumplings with thin homemade wrappers and a shrimp-heavy filling. Yellow chives add a subtle funky, oniony edge and plenty of umami; the egg stays in the background. Good on their own or with the restaurant's mild, peppery chili crisp and soy sauce.
What SGV locals order here
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"The lamb pie is the reason to come first: deeply savory, unmistakably lamby, and so full of broth that the safest move is to transfer it to a plate before biting in. Add the excellent bouncy beef noodles and handmade shrimp-and-chive dumplings, and Jiao Zi Bao becomes an easy new Temple City go-to."
— Eat in SGV Team
The basics
- Address
- 4819 Temple City Blvd, Temple City, CA 91780
- Price
- $$ · about $10–20 a head (Google)
- Cuisine
- Dongbei Chinese
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