Shanghai Gourmet
(212) 966-3988
100 Mott St
New York,
NY
10013
40.7159
-73.9985
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Chinatown
What People Are Saying About Shanghai Gourmet
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
Chinatown aficionados know this relative newcomer for its exceptionally juicy soup dumplings, and the restaurant is pleasantly upbeat with its bright, pleasant, cafe atmosphere and robust menu. Peach walls, metal mesh chairs, and rainbow neon ceiling tubes lend a perky '80s feel, and the roomy booths and plentiful seating help avoid table-sharing. The cuisine offers a refreshing change from New York's Cantonese-dominated Chinatown. Fried whole talapia arrives in a rich garlic-ginger brown gravy; cold, aromatic beef slices come marbled with succulent hints of fat; Jia Jiang noodles (served warm) are topped with a savory, not-too-salty black bean sauce, crunchy sprouts and cucumber slivers.
User Reviews
ccfoodie
June 10, 2009
Note this is now called Shanghai Cafe, not Shanghai Gourmet. Despite all the comments I've seen about unpleasant servers here, I decided to give it a try, as the food itself seemed quite compelling. I've found that if you approach the customer-restaurant relationship with the right attitude, people that might usually tend to crankiness will actually warm up and be relatively pleasant. If you are quiet and courteous, servers will respond in kind. I also recommend being ready to order when the server first comes, not ordering off menu, eating all or nearly all of the food, and waiting patiently when things are busy. Also, don't skimp on the tip because of perceived injustices. Anyway, I ordered the spicy stewed beef with noodles in soup ($4.95), the steamed tiny buns with crab meat and pork ($6.95), and a hot ginger tea ($2.25). The stewed beef and tea arrived within five minutes. The beef broth was delicious, spicy/salty/sweet, and the beef itself very flavorful. The noodles weren't that exciting, but they just seemed like an accompaniment anyway, so no big deal. The ginger tea arrived very hot and was a good level of gingery zinginess but not overwhelming. A few minutes later, the buns arrived. These "tiny" buns were actually pretty substantial--way too big to fit into my soup spoon--and there were 8 of them. The waitress thoughtfully reminded me that they were very juicy and that the juice was hot, so I should be careful. I was careful and avoided any juicy disasters. As for the filling, the flavor was quite good and the texture was exemplary. The meaty part avoided the hard ball you can often get, and instead was tender to the teeth but held together well so you didn't have to eat it all in one bite. Everything was good enough--and not overly heavy--to motivate me to eat all of the buns and 90% of the soup. The waitress brought me the check within a couple minutes of my finishing and she even smiled when she thanked me--admittedly a rarity there. Others thanked me as well when I left. Overall a very satisfying experience.
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californiagirl6641
March 17, 2009
The food was decent, but nothing to laud over. The service on the other hand was the worst I've ever had the misfortune to experience. When I asked them to take out eggs out of a vegan dish because one of my friend's had to fast for Lent, they threw a fit. They also decided that it was their moral duty to give all of us a lecture on ordering dishes afterward. Finally, the cherry on top of the icing came in the form for an avid demand for more tip, even though we gave them 12%, which was generous considering their treatment of us. NEVER AGAIN WILL I OR ANY OF MY FRIENDS GO TO THIS PLACE. IF YOU WISH TO BE ANGERED BEYOND ALL MEANS, THEN PLEASE VISIT THIS PLACE.
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goldbug
September 26, 2008
Carb lovers take note, this is your paradise. Shanghai cafe's soup dumplings are among the best I've ever had and they are constantly being made fresh. The restaurant's various noodle dishes are awesome and their wine chicken is a treat with a kick. Service is prompt and the decor is nice enough for a date or just hanging out with friends. For a reasonable price ($10-15 a head) you'll walk out stuffed silly.
read full reviewThe Details on Shanghai Gourmet
What to Drink:
Tsingtao beer and a staggering array of smoothie and milkshake flavors (boba pearls optional) add to the cafe feel; no hard liquor is served.
The Extras:
Unlike many Chinatown restaurants, tasty dessert choices abound like the warm, chewy moi-gee rice balls, generously dusted with peanut powder and oozing with molten sesame seed filling.
