Mei Mei

The best dumplings in town now have a new mother ship to call home. Inside Irene Li’s 4,000-square-foot cafe and factory—the latest addition to Southie’s Iron Works empire—diners can sit at one of the long communal tables and gaze right into the glass-walled kitchen to watch the dumpling assembly line in action. Along with dumpling varieties like Lemongrass Pork, Five Spice Tofu, and the aptly named Double Awesome (egg and scallion pancake sandwich), chase your spread with beer, wine, or cocktails. If you’re feeling inspired, you can also now take in-house cooking classes—public or private—to better your own home dumpling skills.