09/03/08

Real Chinese in Chinatown

by chitoryu12

When I first saw this place, I was hesitant to walk in. The restaurant had freshly-cooked pigs, geese, ducks, chickens, and all other animals hanging on racks by the window. Also, I'm 6'4. When I went in for breakfast, I started to worry if I would be able to fit. It's a very tiny, one-room dining area with a few chairs by the door. I couldn't even sit in the chairs to wait, lest I kick the cashier in the head with my long legs.

When I finally got the menu, I was confused. There was an endless variety of dishes, from standard beef and brocolli with rice to jellyfish and suckling pig. Except for the more unusual dishes, each category had over a dozen offers. One thing that caught my eye: the price. Everything was so cheap you wondered if there was anyone on Earth who couldn't afford this place.

The food was brought extraordinarily quickly and I dug in. It was real, authentic Chinese. Everything tasted absolutely perfect, and I knew that they didn't buy just cheap, low-quality ingredients. My mother and I had full meals, so big we had to box them both up, for just over $18. It's also open until 3:00 A.M., so if you ever make the mistake of wandering down Chinatown at three in the morning, pop in for a bite.

• Pros: Tasty, authentic Chinese, very cheap, ultra-fast service.
• Cons: Anyone over five feet tall will be cramped, no ambience whatsoever.

04/21/08

Chinatown Resident speaking out

by mengNYC

I really dont know why people come here. Although its location is prime for its owners, the food and (lack) of service is definately not in favor of the patrons.

Food: Its pretty good, but is it better or even slightly better than its one-block away counterparts? No. In fact, the only thing that ir rates number one in is the price. (thanks to its corner location)

Service: Ah, theres the rub. Never in my life I have seen such awful service, AWFUL in every way. The waiters were fine but as soon as you reach the cashier, they will literally dump and throw your change at you. There was this one lady, watch out for the heavier set lady...she even searched through $5 bills for change, keeping nice crisp ones for herself while giving me the old ones.

I know this is a popular place thanks to bribed newspaper and magazine articles but if you dont believe me, Be my guest and try it out and enjoy getting your change back.

• Pros: Average Food
• Cons: Service, AWEFUL despicable cashier

09/30/07

I wish there were a zero stars rating

by smallish

This place is mind blowingly disgusting. Two friends and I wandered in after a recommendation from a friend and then from a woman walking into the place who noticed we were lingering outside trying to make a decision. She told us we couldn't go wrong and that this was the greatest and cheapest meal to be had in NY. We were seated soon enough, however at a communal table with some people who really seemed to be mentally ill and or homeless. One middle aged white man across from us greedily dug into a plate of meat covered in milky yellow goop and watching him unknowingly get that yellow gel on his face while he ate made me lose my appetite before the food had even arrived. The wonton soup was good enough though not fantastic enough to warrant stepping into this place,. God only knows where they source the shrimp from. The lo mein was unbearably salty and disgusting. The soy sauce chicken on rice was cold, undercooked, and hideously pink and raw looking. We each ate a bit and then got out of the place as soon as we could. Thankfully the tab was only $18 for 3 people and drinks. We left feeling as though our senses has been assaulted and the MSG after effects that followed only made things worse. Our thirst later that night was insatiable and today, the day after our ill fated meal, my entire face is swollen. While my biggest problem is retaining about 3 gallons of water, one of my friends is actually suffering from a bad MSG reaction; her face, lips, and tongue have been tingling all day and I certainly am not feeling normal. Seriously, this is THE MOST DISGUSTING PLACE TO EAT and I'm not one to avoid grungy ethnic food joints. Sickening food, horrible staff, gross interior, weird patrons, MSG, etc. etc. etc. THE WORST. EWWWWWW. As we were walking out we caught sight of a couple by the door mounging on 'porridge' and I was truly overcome by the feeling of wanting to die.

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: food, patrons, decor, MSG

03/04/07

Great Cantonese, especially roast meat

by chetlemon

Outstanding Cantonese food. Don't be fooled by the name of the place, the noodles are defintiely not the highlight, the roast meat is. I've eaten here perhaps a dozen times; in my estimation, Roast Baby Pig seems to be the best thing they have ... great chunks of meat with crispy skin and a little bit of flavorful fat. The Roast Duck is great too, but I actually like it even better as part of a dish (i.e. served with flowering chives or pea shoots). "Salt-baked" soft-shell crab, shrimp or squid are all great though I think the title is a misnomer, it seemed like they were fried ... just get one of those three, don't bother with the scallops. Some previous posts praise the noodles and soups, and while they're pretty good, they just aren't at the same level as the baby pig, duck or salt-baked shrimp. Sometimes overly crowded, sometimes not, and as others have said, no ambience at all, just great food.

• Pros: Great, great food
• Cons: No ambience, but that's not why you go here

11/13/06

Best Late Nite Wonton Soup

by mxtarantino

This place closes at 4 in the morning. It has one of the best wonton soup in the city. The other dishes such as roasted pork, chicken, and duck rice dishes are awesome. Overall, this place has great food at a cheap price.

• Pros: food and prices
• Cons: crowded sometimes.

12/14/05

Cheap and good eats

by gastronomicon

This is not someplace you go for ambiance or romance--there isn't any. You come here for the great shrimp wonton (everywhere else adulterates their's with pork, this place doesn't) or sui gao. Or their Hong Kong-style roast meats, beef tendons, congee and shrimp fried rice. Staff can be curt but if you know what you want, you'll be okay. Knowing the language also helps. Another thing nice about this place are its opening hours: 9am to 3:30am. Great for late night munchies/cravings.

• Pros: Food, Cost
• Cons: Service, Ambiance

09/09/05

Only good for take outs

by delmonte

The Food is pretty good but the service is so bad it's just not worth the wait. I would only go there for take outs on a late night when everything else is closed. Even the cashier has an attitude problem.

• Pros: Cheap Food
• Cons: Service, Service, Service

07/21/05

Amazing

by righteousbabe003

The most amazing chinese food I have ever had!!! Great prices (about 5 or 6 bucks for a meal) !!!!! It is amazing food and would go back in a second!

• Pros: Food, Food, Food

07/08/05

i LOVE this place

by billypilgrim

"she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."

you can practically pick an item at random off of the menu and you'll really like it.

• Pros: food, food, uh,..the food
• Cons: harsh ambience

This bare-bones noodle shop is a Chinatown classic for Cantonese barbecue, especially late at night.

by Contributor

This bright corner spot continues to draw crowds all day and late into the night. The roast meats are popular, particularly the crisp-skinned baby pig, but the duck, soy sauce chicken, and char siu (roast pork) are also big winners. When summer comes, the salt-baked soft-shell crab is as much of a New York ritual as a trip to Coney Island. There are better spots in town for roast duck, baby pig, and char siu, but chefs still flock there at midnight for a Cantonese barbecue fix.