Min’s Dumpling opened at 211 Avenida Del Mar on December 2, 2024. James Zhu, owner, named his restaurant after his father, Min, who brought him into the restaurant business in Chino in 2014. The menu items are 90% recipes from Min, especially the dumplings.

When entering this charming restaurant, one is greeted with bright red and white walls 

displaying the words “Taste the love at Min’s Dumpling, feeding people is our love language…,” and customers will definitely taste the love in the Chinese cuisine at Min’s.  

When asked who his customer is, Zhu is pleased to say that the locals have been a great support for his restaurant. He has one customer who comes in every day. “She says she wants to try everything on the menu,” he shared. Favorite orders include chicken soup dumplings, pork pot stickers, honey walnut shrimp, scallion pancakes, chicken fried rice, steamed sweet piggy buns, and orange chicken. 

Graduating from UC San Diego in 2012 with a major in Management Science, James worked in banking for two years, then joined his father in 2014. “Working for my dad changed my life,” he remarked.

At one time, Zhu owned six restaurants. Two were in Corona and one each in Rancho Cucamonga, Anaheim, Chino, and San Gabriel. Covid closed them all in 2020, so James took some time off to spend with family. He now owns Min’s in Yorba Linda, Mission Viejo, and San Clemente.

Originally from China, he and his family moved to California when he was 15. He is grateful that he learned English and to navigate the culture at his high school in Arcadia. As a teen, he was into the Japanese anime called Slam Dunk. The main theme is like San Clemente’s pier bowl area with the train and the ocean and the pier. He remembers when he first came to San Clemente and the good feeling he had when he saw the pier area, which reminded him of family.

Zhu and his wife, Teresa, who he met in elementary school, have two children, Vivian, age seven, and Victor, age six. Their kids were born in California but are currently living in China to study the language and culture for two years. After one year, both children can speak, write, and read fluent Chinese.

Dumplings and potstickers are the stars at Min’s, but take it from this writer, the Mongolian beef dish is a winner. Min’s offers a true experience for either lunch or dinner. Be sure and ask about the grand opening specials; 20% off on all orders. Hours: 11am-9pm, 7 days.