(212) 965-5028

98 Bowery (nr. Grand St.)
New York, NY 10013 40.7177 -73.9954

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Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Downtown, Bowery

CONGEEINC98.COM

Hours:

Daily, 10:30am-midnight

Last updated 10.17.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

ambiance
55.56000232696533% positive
  1. This place has the best noodle in the city -i recommend the chow fun (wide flat noodles)- and the best value with their lunch specials.
  2. One last thing, the decor is depressing, run down, and unless you really enjoy staring at bootleg hello kitty mobiles (also dirty), this place is a "must avoid at all costs" establishment.
  3. The ambience is great.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. Bring a cake and when they serve it they will play the Happy Birthday song over the loud speaker and take a polaroid of you blowing out your candle.
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. Typically inattentive and dismissive service (no water, forgot to bring sugar for tea even after they were asked, etc.) was excused in hope of a good meal.
food quality
81.66999816894531% positive
  1. Yes, the service is terrible and your food might come out with weird timing but it's a GREAT place for a large group and the food is so good, it hasn't ever deterred me.
  2. The scallion pancake was also dry, greasy and tasteless.
  3. This place has the best noodle in the city -i recommend the chow fun (wide flat noodles)- and the best value with their lunch specials.
  4. The food was very tasty and fresh, and worth a trip away from my usual Chinatown eateries.
  5. All the food from this restaurant is overall very good.
  6. Basically they deep fry the whole chicken so that the moisture gets sealed in and only the skin is crispy while the inside is tender and juicy.
  7. We have had dinner and did not try any of the more adventurous menu items (we'll wait till Guys Night Out) but the crab, fried chicken, and vegetables were as good as any in Chinatown - not Queens, of course.
  8. Congee is a favorite of my friends and I. Our favorite dish is the Deep Fried Chicken, its more healthy than it sounds.
  9. However, my favorite dish is the shredded pork chow mein.
  10. Typically inattentive and dismissive service (no water, forgot to bring sugar for tea even after they were asked, etc.) was excused in hope of a good meal.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. We have had dinner and did not try any of the more adventurous menu items (we'll wait till Guys Night Out) but the crab, fried chicken, and vegetables were as good as any in Chinatown - not Queens, of course.
  2. everything on the menu is good!
overall
100.0% positive
  1. This is a great restaurant!
  2. This nice little place serves all the congee you could ever think of and want.
service
68.75% positive
  1. Yes, the service is terrible and your food might come out with weird timing but it's a GREAT place for a large group and the food is so good, it hasn't ever deterred me.
  2. Because they speak Cantonese, we received excellent service.
  3. The waiters/ waitresses were extremely rude.
  4. First of all, the service we experienced was friendly, warm, and helpful.
  5. Not being Asian, we wondered in and were delighted by the friendly staff.
  6. Typically inattentive and dismissive service (no water, forgot to bring sugar for tea even after they were asked, etc.) was excused in hope of a good meal.
  7. The service is terrible.
  8. Despite being ridiculously busy, they were able to accomodate us on a Saturday night and give good service as well.
value
91.66999816894531% positive
  1. And of course, great value for money.
  2. The food was very tasty and fresh, and worth a trip away from my usual Chinatown eateries.
  3. am a cheap asian and i love lunch specials.
  4. This place has the best noodle in the city -i recommend the chow fun (wide flat noodles)- and the best value with their lunch specials.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/17/09

I love this place

by kharamia77

Someone introduced me to this restaurant 4 years ago. It quickly became a favorite. I threw my 30th bday party in the bottom room for 21 ppl. We were allowed to bring wine and everyone was drinking beer, eating a ton of family style food. We left stuffed, a bit drunk, and only $40 pp (with tip). I take all my out of town guests here and no one has ever left without being impressed. Yes, the service is terrible and your food might come out with weird timing but it's a GREAT place for a large group and the food is so good, it hasn't ever deterred me. The congee is incredible, a must have when you're there. I also recommend the lotus root pork cakes. Regarding the post about being sick, would think that 15 minutes after leaving would mean that the food she ate earlier was the culprit, not dinner. And dim sum - yes skip if you want dim sum. Chinatown isn't synonymouswith Dim Sum

  • Pros: great food, huge portions, cheap
  • Cons: service is BAD- you'll have to make friends with that
1 Star Rating: Poor

06/05/09

Complementary trip to the ER

by bwaltersnyc

I write this bitter review at 3:40 AM on a Thursday, with my girlfriend still paralyzed in the bathroom with unspeakably painful stomach cramps. I went to this restaurant with my girlfriend and her parents, both of whom are Chinese-American. Because they speak Cantonese, we received excellent service. Unfortunately, less than 15 minutes after walking out of the restaurant my girlfriend became violently ill. Somehow, she still manages to be sick despite the fact that she has done so every 2 minutes for approximately the past 7 hours. You would think she would be dry heaving by now, but no. Rather remarkable when you think about it. The ER doctors can't do anything for her at this point other than recommend Gatorade. NYC's 311 suggested to wait until she begins to hemorrhage from one orifice or another before seeking further emergency care. The only person in existence I would recommend this restaurant to is former Vice President Cheney.

  • Pros: Tasteful decor
  • Cons: Hours of violent illness
1 Star Rating: Poor

08/19/08

Wow! We found the worst dim sum house in Chinatown!

by DoctorDoctor

This Chinese restaurant was recommended to us by our tour bus driver as "one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city". Considering such a bold statement from someone who should know, we decided to check it out. Typically inattentive and dismissive service (no water, forgot to bring sugar for tea even after they were asked, etc.) was excused in hope of a good meal. Wow! The slimy under cooked mess being passed off as dim sum was HORRIBLE! I mean the truly tasteless and badly rolled mess served on a chipped dirty plate was totally inedible. The scallion pancake was also dry, greasy and tasteless. Amazingly, even the sauce for the basic, if a bit greasy spring roll was bland and sub par. How does someone mess up cornstarch, vinegar, and sugar? As if this wasn't bad enough, the environment was really, really dirty. I mean, the walls by our table alone looked like a Jackson Pollock painting of old

Chinese sauces. Pretty nasty. One last thing, the decor is depressing, run down, and unless you really enjoy staring at bootleg hello kitty mobiles (also dirty), this place is a "must avoid at all costs" establishment. FYI, we went to one of the other citysearch recommended dim sum houses and were blown away by the difference.

  • Pros: The prices are average forChinatown
  • Cons: Everything else is really nasty.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/22/06

Very Nice Place with Good Food

by tamio888

First of all, the service we experienced was friendly, warm, and helpful. We have had dinner and did not try any of the more adventurous menu items (we'll wait till Guys Night Out) but the crab, fried chicken, and vegetables were as good as any in Chinatown - not Queens, of course. Feel free to bring your own wine. They will happily cork it for you. A winner!

  • Pros: Fun, funky, friendly
  • Cons: Service is almost too fast
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/20/06

I dare you to finish a lunch special.

by jinquisition

I am a cheap asian and i love lunch specials. This place has the best noodle in the city -i recommend the chow fun (wide flat noodles)- and the best value with their lunch specials. Their chow fun is amazingly tastey with bits of brown beans to add extra flavour. Busy but the in/out traffic is always flowing so you wont have to wait long for a seat.

  • Pros: not long wait, good portion, tastetastic
  • Cons: no reservation, loud

The Details on Congee

Place Categories:

  • very tasty food
  • recommend chinese restaurant
  • love little place
  • terrible service
  • greasy scallion pancake
  • helpful first
  • incredible congee
  • great value
  • flat noodle
  • hate place
  • favorite dish
  • recommend gatorade
  • happy birthday song
  • depressing decor
  • good meal
  • good crab
  • friendly staff
  • weird timing
  • extremely rude waitresses
  • recommended dim sum houses
  • good fried chicken
  • nasty pretty
  • crispy skin
  • fantastic chow mein
  • dirty plate
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