Dim Sum
It is my favorite Chinese dining experience. If you have not tried it, servers come around in carts with small baskets or small plates of food for you to see and pick. My personal favorite dishes are beef wrapped in rice noodles, fried dough wrapped in rice noodles, spare ribs (beef or pork), taro cake, and lotus leaf rice. I also love the chicken feet but hesitant to recommend it unless you are either Chinese or adventurous. There a lot of places for Dim Sum in Chinatown. It is more about the experience than the restaurant. However, I did go to a place where prices are marked up. As a result, here are a couple of restaurants I go to for Dim Sum that are very good and cheap. They are right across the street from each other. Dim Sum is usually brunch (10Am-2PM). However, there are some places that have Dim Sum all day but these two operate under the brunch hours.
1) Royal Seafood Restaurant (103 Mott St New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 3 Stars
Website: http://www.royalseafoodchinese.com/
This restaurant is relatively new. I was there with my family right after it opened. It was very good my first time as restaurants usually give their best efforts when they start. We went back for Christmas and it was still very good.
2) Grand Harmony (94 Mott St New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 2 ½ Stars (4 stars on Trip Advisor and 3 ½ stars on Urbanspoon)
I have been going here for a long time and the Dim Sum is very good. Most of the gripes I saw on the review sites are that it gets chaotic since it is busy. I do not disagree. It is a very popular spot so you may have to wait and/ or share a table with others. However, I have seen the same thing at other popular Dim Sum restaurants in Manhattan, Queens, or Brooklyn. It does not bother me. Perhaps, it is because it seems natural since it has been the part of the experience for my entire life.
UPDATE: Location now closed because it did not pay its rent.
Cheap Eats
In general, Chinese food is reasonably priced and cheap compared to the rest of Manhattan. Nevertheless, you can stuff yourself for approximately $5 or less at the following places.
1) Banh Mi Saigon (198 Grand St, New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 4 Stars
Website: http://www.banhmisaigonnyc.com/
If you have never tried a Vietnamese sandwich, or banh mi; I highly recommend trying one at Banh mi Saigon. You can get a sandwich with pork, chicken, beef, or vegetarian. It includes mayo, pickled carrots, daikon, cucumbers, and cilantro. I love the roast pork sandwich. The pork is diced up and tastes amazing. It is at the top of my list for the most delicious pork I have ever eaten. The sandwich is big and will fill you up for $4.50.
2) Tasty Dumpling (54 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars
Website: http://www2.beyondmenu.com/28409/new-york/tasty-dumpling-new-york-10013.aspx
Dumplings are at the top of my list of favorite Chinese food. While you can find a lot of small dumping spots in Chinatown, Tasty Dumpling is my favorite. Its name perfectly describes its specialty. You can either get 5 pan fried dumplings for $1.25 or 10 boiled dumplings for $3.25. It is a great deal for delicious food. It used to be a hole in the wall but it has just moved into a bigger, newer, and better looking spot right by its original location.
3. Excellent Pork Chop House (3 Doyers St New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 4 Stars
Website: http://excellentporkchophouse.com/
Its name describes it perfectly. It is known for its pork chop over rice and its chicken leg over rice. Both entrees are $5.25. The restaurant itself is small. I have only eaten there before it gets busy. Nevertheless, their dishes are definitely great for takeout so there is no reason to wait to sit.
Sit Down Dinner Spot
1. Amazing 66 (66 Mott St New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars
Website: http://www.amazing66restaurant.com/
I have been here multiple times for family dinners whether it is for a birthday or special occasion such as Chinese New Year. It is great for a large group since you can get a lot of good food at a very reasonable price. One of its specialties, that my family always orders, is the spare ribs in pumpkin. Other entrees I really enjoy and recommend are pork chop Peking style and roast chicken with fresh garlic sauce. They also have very good fish, soup, and Peking duck. Their Americanized dishes, such as sweet and sour chicken, are good too.
Specialty Spots
Soup Dumplings
Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (38-12 Prince St, Flushing 11354)
Yelp Rating: 4 Stars
Website: http://www.nanxiangusa.com/
Joe’s Shanghai is the chain that is popular. However, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao in Flushing is the best place for soup dumplings I have tried. When I crave soup dumplings, I think about this restaurant. You will burn your tongue if you bite straight into a dumpling. My technique is to bite a small hole in the dumpling and slowly drink the soup before eating the rest of it. The fried bun is also great if you want to avoid the hot soup. Moreover, the scallion pancake and noodle dishes are excellent. Although it is a trek from Manhattan, it is walking distance from the last stop on the 7 train.
Korean BBQ
BBQ Village (157-26 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354)
Yelp Rating: 4 Stars
Website: http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/bbq-village/menu
My favorite Asian BBQ spot is actually Gyu Kaku, Japanese BBQ, in Manhattan. However, Japanese BBQ and Korean BBQ restaurants can get very pricey. As a result, I recommend BBQ village. It is an all you can eat buffet for $30. While it may not be as good as the top Korean BBQ restaurants, the food is excellent and you have a fixed cost. This restaurant is also in Flushing so it is a far unless you live around there.
Vietnamese
Pho Viet Huong Restaurant (73 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 3 Stars
Website: http://www.phoviethuong.com/
I have not tried too many Vietnamese sit down restaurants. However, I thought this one was very good. I had the pork chop. Of course, you need to try the Vietnamese spring rolls if you eat at a Vietnamese restaurant.
Peking Duck
Peking Duck House (28 Mott St New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 4 Stars
Website: www.pekingduckhousenyc.com
As you can guess from its name, it features Peking Duck. The Peking Duck is excellent and it is my favorite restaurant for it. However, the rest of the food is forgettable. The last time I went to this place, I actually ordered a couple of ducks for my friends then we went somewhere else for the rest of our meal.
Hole in the Wall/ Lunch Spots
When it comes to ethnic food, the best spots are often hole in the walls. These places are the restaurants I like to go to when I am eating alone or with a smaller group.
1. Big Wing Wong (102 Mott St, New York, NY 10013)
Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars
Website: http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/big-wing-wong-restaurant/menu
I love congee, which is rice soup. Big Wing Wong is my favorite place to get pork with thousand year egg congee. You can also order a fried cruller, or fried dough, to pull apart and put in the congee. Appetizers I recommend on their menu are minced beef rice crepes and the fried cruller rice crepes. These dishes are the beef/ fried dough wrapped in rice noodles I mentioned for Dim Sum. Entrée dishes I enjoy here are chicken pan fried noodle, beef chow fun, beef with green peas over rice, and chicken/ vegetable mei fun. If you like lobster, they also have a great deal for 2 lobsters with scallions and ginger over noodles for $20. Overall, their prices are very reasonable. I have been stuffed eating 3 different things for less than $10.
They changed their name to 102 Noodles Town and might have changed it again but the address is the same.
2. 83 Kien Tuong Restaurant (83 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002)
Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars
Website: http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/kien-tuong/
This restaurant is very similar to Big Wing Wong. I recommend the congee and the same entrees. The roast pork is phenomenal here.
Bubble Tea
1. Kung Fu Tea (Multiple Locations)
Yelp Rating: 4 Stars
Website: http://kfteausa.com/
Kung Fu Tea is my favorite bubble tea spot. I have a sweet tooth and it has a high sugar level. It may be too strong if you do not like it very, very sweet. My favorites here are the Honey Green Tea and the Milk Green Tea. I also love the lychee jelly. However, not all locations have it.
2. Quickly (Multiple Locations)
Yelp Rating: 3 ½ Stars
Website: http://www.quicklyusa.com/
Before Kung Fu Tea came along, Quickly was my favorite. It is not as sweet as Kung Fu Tea so it is an alternative if you do not like it super sweet. Moreover, they have different flavors and specialty drinks than Kung Fu Tea.