South of the Clouds

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Overview:

Casual Village eatery whose chef-owner Lihen Geng hails from the family behind Brooklyn’s Yun Nan Flavour Garden. Yunnan-style mixian rice noodles are the focus here, some served in a four-hour chicken broth, and others plated with minced pork and vegetables. There are a few excellent appetizers including ghost chicken, cucumber salad, and pigs on a stick with pork, cilantro, cumin, chili flakes. The main attraction is the signature crossing the bridge noodle served with 4-hour chicken broth, silkie chicken, beef, pork, fish, bok choy, bean sprouts, tofu skin, scallion, and cilantro. 

Information:

Address: 16 W 8th St, New York, NY 10011

Phone:  (212) 888-9653

Neighborhood: Greenwich Village

Price: $$-$$$

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Tang Hotpot

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Overview:

Tang Hotpot is a new Sichuan destination from Yu Li, owner of the casual East Village noodle spot, The Tang. The decor is rather striking, with elegant 2-story high ceilings and a long narrow dining area with banquette seating and inset burners.  The space is devoted to group-friendly hot pots holding different types of broths with accompanying meats and vegetables for dipping. The menu is extremely affordable considering the massive spread that befalls you. Broths range in flavor and spice level. Opt for one of the platters like the Tang Deluxe with prime rib eye, goat leg, sea bass, quail egg, rice cakes, and much more. Cooking your own dinner here is a great interactive dining experience for a date or group event. 

Information:

Address:  135 Bowery, New York, NY 10002

Phone:  (917) 421-9330

Neighborhood: Chinatown

Price: $$$

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Málà Project

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Overview:

Málà Project is a cozy, casual East Village spot where even the most jaded New Yorkers can come try food they have never experienced. The restaurant specializes in Sichuan dry pot which is a dish that became popular in the provincial capital of Chengdu during the ’80s. To build your dry pot there are roughly 70, yes 70, ingredients to choose from ranging from traditional (glass noodles, oyster mushrooms, prawns) to absolutely wild (beef artery, duck tongue, chicken gizzard). Ingredients are then tossed in a big bamboo bowl with plenty of cilantro and chili peppers. To round out your meal there are plenty of non-dry-pot specialties, like crispy-thin scallion pancakes, excellent dan dan noodles, and pan-fried pork dumplings. This is a really fun place to come with a group and try an interesting cuisine for a very low price. 

Information:

Address:  122 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10009

Phone:  (212) 353-8880

Neighborhood: East Village

Price: $$

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Little Alley

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Overview:

Little Alley is a traditional Shanghainese restaurant in Murray Hill. The space feels modern and sleek with brick lined walls and a women in the dining room hand rolling dumplings (which you must love, obviously). The menu has a long list of traditional meat & seafood entrees plus rice & noodles which are all much better than your average Chinese food restaurant. The dim sum selection has all the soup dumplings, pork buns and potstickers your heart could desire. Overall this is a casual neighborhood spot great for a relaxing dine-in experience or take out, at a very low price.

Information:

Address: 550 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016

Phone: (646) 998-3976

Neighborhood: Murray Hill

https://www.littlealley.nyc/

Price: $$

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Carma East

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Overview:

Carma East is an East Village neighborhood spot which recently had it's first birthday. The atmosphere is modern and cozy; casual enough to frequent. The contemporary Chinese/Taiwanese menu mainly focuses on dim sum. You'll find the usual players- tons of dumplings, shu mai, crispy chicken and pork bao. The taiwanese style beef noodle soup is rich and loaded with chunks of meat. Dishes like general tso's chicken and crispy pork with cucumbers round out the menu. Full bar available. 

Information:

Address: : 507 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009

Phone: (212) 228-9688

Neighborhood: East Village

Price: $$

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Little Tong Noodle Shop

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Overview: 

Little Tong is a compact, corner eatery from a chef who cut her teeth cooking at WD-50,  Simone Tong. The narrow, wood lined space is casual with some seating outside that is perfect for people watching in the East Village. Chinese mixian rice noodles are the focus here and are accompanied by small plates such as ghost pepper chicken, beef tartare with scallion pancake and pork wontons. Mixian is a style of fermented rice noodle which comes from the Chinese province of Yunnan. There are 4 distinctive options with interesting toppings like the Mala Dan Dan Mixian topped with ground pork, ya cai, pickled celery and mustard seeds, chili oil & peanuts. Dishes are all under $15 and they serve beer & wine as well. 

Information:

Address: 177 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Phone: (929) 367-8664

Neighborhood: East Village

Price: $$-$$$

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Jing Fong

photo: Jing Fong Restaurant

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Overview:

Not all Chinese food is created equal. Some, like Jing Fong, are better. The expansive Chinatown dim sum palace can serve up to 3k people per day, with 100's of menu items being pushes around on dim sum carts. They recently opened a second, smaller location in the Upper West Side that commands a crows as well. They offer every type of steamed, fried, baked and broiled options that your heart could ever desire. Their dumplings, turnip cakes and shrimp noodles are beyond excellent. Both locations are a fun place to take a big group and eat massive amounts of food extremely inexpensively. 

Information:

Address: 20 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

380 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

Phone:    (212) 964-5256

Neighborhood: Chinatown, Upper West Side

Price: $$

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The Tang

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Overview:

I really love Asian stuff and I really love The Tang. This hole in the wall East Village restaurant is great for a quick meal or delivery. The noodle bar serves noodles, wraps, and appetizers from various regions in China. Small plates include garlic pork dumplings, fried turnip cakes, chilled beef shanks and Sesame Tofu with salted mustard. The noodles are where it's at though - super chewy, huge portions, and in a slew of varieties. There are 8 variations including drunk noodles, dan dan, and sizzling noodles topped with a variety of proteins. 

Information:

Address: 120 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10009

Phone:  (646) 678-3092

Neighborhood: East Village

Price: $$

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Tim Ho Wan

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Overview

The cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world has touched down in New York City. Want to understand how popular this place is? People wait in line for 3 hours at the original Hong Kong location just to eat here. Yes, in a place where you can get dim sum every 10 feet, people wait 3 hours. There are no frills there, or at their new Union Square location. Sit down, check off what you want with a pencil on the menu, and the food starts flying at you. Everything is excellent and there is a ton of variety. You'll find the usual dim sum suspects- rice rolls, steamed buns, dumplings & congee. The pan fried turnip cakes and pork shumai are particularly amazing. Is it worth the 2-3 hour wait? I don't know that I'd wait that long for anything (except sex and free money). However, the menu is cheap, delicious, and there is no shortage of bars in the area to tide you over in the mean time. 

Information

Address:  

85 4th Ave, New York, NY 10003

Phone:  (212) 228-2800

Neighborhood: Union Square

Website: https://timhowanusa.com/

Price: $

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Pinch Chinese

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Overview

In case you were wondering, no, not all Chinese food was created equal. Like people, some Chinese food is better than others. Pinch is in that category. This is a new-ish Soho spot helmed by former executive chef for Din Tai Fung, Charlie Chen. The Taiwan-founded chain is Michelin starred, so the man knows a thing or two. True to Soho, the interior is sleek & dark. Dumplings are a focal point with many excellent versions being served - pork, chicken and seafood. After that the menu is a laundry list of deliciousness including dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, cumin ribs, and pork belly. The dumplings are excellent but the noodle & vegetable dishes are what would keep me coming back. 

Information

Address:  177 Prince St, New York, NY 10012

Phone:   (212) 328-7880

Neighborhood: Soho

Website: https://www.pinchchinese.com/

Price: $$

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Nom Wah Nolita

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Overview 

The original Nom Wah Tea Parlor is arguably one of the best Chinese restaurants in Manhattan. However, I wish you luck getting in because you will encounter a massive line. They have opened an outpost in Nolita and it is the same phenomenal food, in a much less crowded setting (hallelujah!). This location is smaller and lends itself to quick counter service. I am obsessed with the food - every Asian-y bite. The menu is dim sum style with ample dumplings, rice dishes, and "side kicks" like turnip cakes & kohlrabi salad. This location offers a great fast-casual alternative to a restaurant that commands massive lines of people. 

Information:

Address:  10 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012

Phone: (646) 478-8242

Neighborhood: Nolita  

Website:  https://nomwah.com/nolita/

Price: $$

Good for: dim sum, grab-n-go

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Drunken Dumplings

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Overview:

Information:

Address: 137 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10003

Phone:  (212) 982-8882

Neighborhood: East Village

Price: $$

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Kings County Imperial

There seems to be a lack of good Chinese food in Brooklyn. It seems odd, because there isn’t a lack of people in Brooklyn looking for this cuisine type. The owners of Kings County Imperial solved that problem for me. The place was opened not by Chinese immigrants but by NYC restaurant vets Josh Grinker and Tracy Jane Young, of Park Slope’s Stone Park Café. 

The interior is modern with two dining rooms and a picturesque patio in the backyard for seating when weather permits. The décor reads more hip than your average Chinese food restaurant. The food is traditional but elevated slightly and modernized. You’ll get your fix of noodles, dumplings, stir fry and rolls. There is no shortage of Szechuan peppers in the food. The chef has created excellent takes on dan dan noodles, shrimp shumai, and ginger congee with poached egg. On weekends they have one hell of a dim sum brunch to soak up your hangover and set you straight. They know what they are doing. Here’s what we had:

Ginger Congee with Poached Egg

Pork & Shrimp Shumai w/ hot water mustard

Szechuan Cucumber Salad

Chicken Dumplings w/ cinnamon red oil

Wok Seared Long Dumpling - Berkshire pork, garlic stems & black vinegar

Chicken Bun w/ orange hoisin

Spinach

Bok Choy Potsticker w/ bean thread noodle, mushroom, water chestnut & carrot

Hot Copper Well Street Noodle w/ shrimp & poached egg

Cold Sesame Noodle garden cucumber, peanuts, chili oil

Address: 20 Skillman Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Phone: (718) 610-2000

kingscoimperial.com