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food-drink · Tuesday 30 June 2026 · 19:00 
Dumpling Night
At Lucky Tortoise Temple Bar · Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Co. Dublin
At Lucky Tortoise Temple Bar · Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Co. Dublin
Every Tuesday evening, Lucky Tortoise Temple Bar runs a two-hour session that is part cooking class, part social experiment. Phones go into a basket at the door, and for the next two hours you are folding dumplings, talking to whoever is sitting beside you, and eating what you make. It suits anyone who is up for something hands-on and a bit different - solo visitors, couples, and small groups all turn up and tend to end the night having had better conversation than they would have managed over cocktails.
The evening opens with a welcome drink, then a chef walks the table through four different Asian dumpling styles - Korean mandu, siu mai, and two Chinese varieties. No cooking experience is needed; the folding technique is taught from scratch and most people get the hang of it within the first round. Once the dumplings are made they go straight into the steamer, and you eat them alongside an Asian spread that typically includes scallion pancakes and kimchi. The no-phone rule is strict - everyone’s device goes into a communal basket on arrival - but it is also the point of the whole thing. The result is a table of strangers who actually talk to each other.
Lucky Tortoise itself opened in Temple Bar in 2021 and built a reputation for modern dim sum and sharing plates. The dumpling classes grew out of what the kitchen was already doing every day.
The venue is at 17b Temple Bar, Dublin 2, a short walk from the city centre. Dublin Bus routes serve the area from all directions, and the stop on Dame Street is two minutes on foot. If you are coming by DART, Tara Street station is about a ten-minute walk across the river. Luas Red Line passengers can use Jervis and walk south over the Ha’penny Bridge. Parking in Temple Bar itself is limited and expensive on a Tuesday evening; the Q-Park on Drury Street is a reliable option a few streets away.
Temple Bar is small enough to walk end to end in fifteen minutes, and the cobbled streets are packed with independent places to eat and drink before or after the session. There is more to see in Dublin and across Co. Dublin.
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