Manhattan Chinatown Food Guide 2023

By Phyllis Lam

Table of Contents

Author’s Notes

Chinatown Restaurant Map

Chinatown Restaurant Timeline

Made for Sharing

Modern Favourites

River Rendezvous

Cha Chaan Teng

Old-School Staples

Morning Munchies

Curry Couplings

Best of Bakeries

Chinatown Cheap Eats

New Chicken Rice in Town

Battle of the Sponge Cakes

Author’s Notes

The following content is based on my personal adventures eating through Manhattan’s Chinatown from January to April 2023. All opinions and reviews are subjective. The restaurants selected to be a part of this food guide are places I tried the food at. There were some places I visited once, and others I visited many times.

There are 3 parameters to each restaurant rating - taste and cost are fixed, and the third parameter usually relates to unique experiences at the particular establishment.

The taste parameter is pretty subjective and based on my own opinion and memory of the food. This does not consider cost or any other factors, and purely my enjoyment of the food itself. For reference, a 3-star rating would mean it was okay, but I wouldn’t have it again, while a 5-star rating would mean that I loved it and would have it again.

The cost parameter for this food guide may be a bit different than typical price ranges for restaurants, as Chinatown has plenty of cheap eats. The cheaper the item, the higher the star rating. For smaller items like snacks and bakery items, anything less than $4 would result in a 5-star rating. For meals and entrees, anything less than $10 would result in a 5-star rating.

The remainder of the parameters vary, but common ones like service and portion size are representative of specific things that stood out during my experiences. If service was particularly good, it would warrant a 5-star rating. If the portion size was particularly large compared to the price or typical portions, it would warrant a 5-star rating.

Funny BBQ 98

Double Crispy Bakery

Fong On

Soft Swerve Ice Cream

Carol's Bun

Jin Mei Dumpling

Kong Sihk Tong

M Star Cafe

43 Bayard

Big Wong

Taiwan Pork Chop House

HK Wonton Garden

Sun Hing Lung

S Wan Cafe

Curry House

West New Malaysia

Mei Lai Wah

White Swan

Fay Da Bakery

Tasty Dumpling

Wah Fung

Gai Kitchen

HK Noodle and Rice

Spongies Cafe

Kam Hing Coffee Shop

Chinatown Restaurant Timeline

Fong On 1933

Fay Da Bakery 1991

Mei Lai Wah

Cafe

Double Crispy Bakery 2007

Mott Street Eatery 2021

Made for Sharing

While some food adventures were tackled alone, these were a group endeavour

30 Mixed Skewers from Funny BBQ 98

Nothing like a Friday night! Some of my friends and I were looking for a fun activity on a lovely Friday in April and we stumbled across this spot famous for their Chinese-style skewers. We weren’t particularily hungry, so we got one of their smaller sets of 30 skewers, and let me tell you - that was enough to have all of us unable to stand up after eating!

They had a variety of different options that we could choose in our selection, including classics like beef and lamb, but more unique offerings like bacon-wrapped fried dough. The food was delicious and it was a great experience being able to share these skewers with friends!

Taste Cost Portion Size

eggplant

beef tongue

prawn

chicken

aluminum tray

Portuguese Tarts from Double Crispy Bakery

One of my coworkers spoke highly of the pastries from Double Crispy Bakery so I had to give it a try. This evening, I was heading over to a friend’s house for dinner so I thought that these would be the perfect treats to bring to share!

These Portuguese-style egg tarts had a buttery and flakey shell and a creamy, custardy filling that was torched to perfection! The service was great and the prices were super reasonable for the quality of the pastries at only $2 each. Definitely a community favourite and a place I would highly recommend!

Taste Cost Flakey Factor

paper box

flakey crust

toasted top

egg custard

Modern Favourites

While some restaurants serve up age-old classics, others serve up innovative creations...

dried shrimp

silken tofu pudding

pickled vegetables

green onions

paper container

I had watched a short documentary on YouTube about Fong On, which was the oldest tofu shop to be established in New York. After an uncertain future due to generations retiring, one of the sons decided to step up and take over this shop, reviving it with a modern twist!

While they serve up classic favourites like tofu pudding and blocks of tofu to take home, they’ve also introduced various toppings to add a modern take to the traditional version. This savoury tofu pudding had green onions, dried shrimp, pickled greens, crispy shallots, and was topped with a savoury sauce that tied the whole dish together. It was nice having a meal that was not reliant on lots of carbs!

Savoury Tofu Pudding from Fong On Taste

Ube Soft Serve from Soft Swerve

As the weather got warmer, I had an intense craving on a daily basis for soft serve ice cream. This local spot had fun soft serve creations and a bunch of asian-inspired flavours! I walked over during lunch one day to give their creamy soft serve a try.

Their ube soft serve had a creamy and smooth texture, and the ube flavour was perfectly balanced - not too sweet and not too earthy! The location is small but cute, and the staff is really friendly. While it was good for satisfying the craving, the cost was a bit on the higher side so it was just a one-time treat for me!

River Rendezvouz

salt and pepper

chicken

Spots by the east river where a quick bite can be grabbed to be enjoyed overlooking the two iconic bridges in lower Manhattan

sweet and sour pork

plastic container

Lunch Special from Carol’s Bun

When I first saw the words “Carol’s Bun” pop up on Google Maps when I was looking for restaurants nearby, I ignored it because I thought it was a bakery. Then, I passed by, just to see that it was actually a spot for takeout lunches, and they happened to have a lot of my favourite childhood dishes!

This local takeout spot in Chinatown serves up plenty of Cantonesestyle dishes, and their lunch special gave me the opportunity to try some of the best of the cuisine! For lunch, their special is $8.50 And Igot to pick 3 dishes over a generous portion of rice. This time, i got the salt and pepper chicken, sweet and sour pork, and the most delicious stir-fried eggplant I have ever had! The portions were always aplenty and service was consistently great, and it left me with a full stomach each time as I ate by the river!

white rice

eggplant

plastic container

chili oil and vinegar

pork buns

Pan Fried Pork Buns from Jin Mei Dumpling

I was scrolling through Instagram one day when I came across someone sharing a spot in Chinatown that has juicy pan fried pork buns for only $5! After checking the address, I was surprised to find out that this hidden gem was only one block away from my office.

This spot only does takeout, but $5 will get you 10 pan fried pork buns stuffed with pork and chives. I would buy this set when I was hungry and on a budget, as it would allow me to either carry it back to the office to eat on busy days, or I could sit by the river and enjoy the view during the lunch hour! Usually after devouring 7 of the 10 buns I would be full, so I would save the extras as an afternoon snack. The lady working at the shop was always super kind! My only critique is that the bun-to-meat ratio was a bit off, as there was a lot of dough around these buns! Taste Cost Juiciness

Cha Chaan Teng

bean sprouts

A fusion between east and west, cha chaan tengs serve up unique diner food that is iconic both in Hong Kong and abroad

sliced red onions

flat rice noodles

ceramic plate

green onions

Beef Chow Fun from Kong Sihk Tong

My coworker recommended this lively spot for Hong Kong diner cuisine. I checked it out during lunch on a weekday and was super surprised by the amount of people who were all lining up outside the door. The wait time ended up being around 30 minutes, which was quite long compared to the other spots.

When we finally got seated, we were welcomed by an extensive menu of delicious favourites. I had hoped to try the baked rice dishes, but the server informed me that those would have another 30 minute wait time, so I ordered the beef chow fun instead. The noodles were fried to perfection and filled with slices of beef and veggies. We also ordered some of their yuzu honey chicken wings to share, which were quite tasty. This restaurant was also very tech-forward, as they offered venmo as a payment option in addition to cash.

fried egg

foil container

chicken

tomato sauce

fried rice

M Star Cafe was located a short walk away from my workplace and is one of the older cha chaan tengs in the area. The interior was covered in faded murals of celebrities from Hong Kong. I ordered the baked tomato chicken rice. The food was filled to the brim and I saved the leftovers from this huge meal for dinner.

sliced onions

black pepper sauce

white rice

paper plate

chicken

This spot serves up classics in a small restaurant which mainly does takeout orders. I ordered their black pepper chicken rice, which had a nice kick of spice, but it wasn’t anything special. It was okay, but not the best. I think I should’ve tried some of their more popular dishes, as they seem to have a good number of regulars from the community!

Baked Tomato Chicken Rice from M Star Cafe

Black Pepper Chicken Rice from 43 Bayard

Old-School Staples

sliced ginger

Visits to some of chinatown’s oldest and most established restaurants - are they worth the hype?

minced beef congee

green onions

plastic bowl

Minced Beef Congee from Big Wong

Big Wong has been a staple in Chinatown, established in 1978, has been feeding people on Mott Street for decades. This spot is located in the heart of Chinatown, and its cash-only, no-frills service will definitely take you aback.

My friend and I had been attending the annual Chinatown New Years parade when we decided to grab something to eat here - I got the classic minced beef congee for $6, which was nice and creamy but lacked flavour. The staff were blunt and seemed like they didn’t want us to be there, even making us pay when we hadn’t properly looked at the bill yet. While the service was subpar, I would say the food was definitely decent and tasted like my childhood! The prices were also good, as I had a nice filling meal with leftovers for a good price.

Taste Cost Service

plastic container

white rice

pickled cabbage

Pork Chop On Rice from Taiwan Pork Chop House

This spot is located on the iconic Doyers Street, and serves up authentic Taiwanese cuisine. I came in for lunch and was served this massive plate of crispy pork chop over rice, paired with cabbage pickles for around $15. The interior had folding wooden chairs and tables, and I was served complimentary soup in a paper cup.

green onions

wontons

pork chop noodles

clear broth

plastic bowl

Wonton Noodle Soup from HK Wonton Garden

A small shop with a cult following, HK Wonton Garden is known for what they are named for - wontons! I came in for their wonton noodle soup which had big wontons over a serving of thin noodles. The taste was nothing particularly breathtaking, but the interior was decorated with banknotes from tourists around the world which was really cool.

Morning Munchies

For when i want a filling and warm breakfast on those cold winter days

sesame and soy sauce topping clear plastic container

pork rice rolls

Pork Rice Rolls from Sun Hing Lung

On early mornings before work, I would drop by this window which was tucked on a quiet street south of East Broadway. This shop specializes in rice rolls and soy milk, classic breakfast foods that are commonly found in Chinese culture.

The pork rice rolls were only $2.50, And the speed and precision at which the shop’s owner makes the rice rolls always left me in awe. She would pour a mixture of rice flour and water onto a hot stainless steel plate, which was put into a steamer for just a few seconds. She then pulled the tray out, scraped the rice rolls off of the plate, and transferred it into a small plastic container. Right outside the window was a sauce station with soy sauce, sesame sauce, and chili oil, where crowds hover on busy mornings adding fixings to their rice rolls. This spot also had fresh soy milk, which the shop owner scoops from a large pot straight into a small plastic container for you to enjoy.

Taste Cost Speed

green onion

fluffy white bread

paper bag

chicken broth

scrambled eggs

plastic container

spam

macaroni

Often, when I woke up early, I would stroll around the neighbourhood observing the restaurants, cafes, and markets come to life. I wouldn’t have discovered this hidden gem without this exploration, and S Wan Cafe is truly a neighbourhood favourite.

Located in a basement unit off of Eldridge Street, this small cafe is open only for breakfast and lunch and they serve up Hong Kong-style classics. Their breakfast combo comes with ham or spam macaroni in soup, along with a fluffy egg sandwich and a coffee or tea. The macaroni, cooked al dente, is submerged in a chicken-based soup and topped with a thick slab of spam. Paired with that is creamy scrambled eggs sandwiched between fluffy, soft bread, and a hot coffee, done Hong Kong-style. All for only $5.50!

Taste Cost Street Visibility

Breakfast Combo from S Wan Cafe

Curry Couplings

hainanese chicken

As Chinatown diversifies, so does its cuisine - Malaysian curry is all the hype!

fried egg

white rice

House Combination from Curry House

One day my coworker suggested we go out for lunch, and she wanted to try out a relatively new spot in Chinatown. This spot on Pell Street serves up lots of Malaysian classics and some modern dishes that had both Southeast Asian andChinese influences.

I went with the house combination, which came with curry beef brisket, hainanese chicken, and a fried egg on rice. The plate was loaded, and as a big eater, I almost couldn’t finish this meal. The curry was super flavourful and had such tender pieces of brisket, which paired really well with the soft rice! The hainanese chicken rice was not my favourite, but honestly I may be a bit biased since I’m used to the super tender and juicy hainanese chicken that my mom makes. I would say this spot was pretty good for lunch but since it was a sitdown restaurant, the price of the meal was a bit higher at around $15.

Taste Cost Portion Size

curry beef brisket

plastic plate

pickled cucumber

white rice

curry chicken curry beef brisket

ceramic plate

fresh cucumber

Chicken And Brisket Combo from West New Malaysia

After our previous curry lunch, my coworker and I decided to go to another Malaysian restaurant in the neighbourhood. I had seen West New Malaysia on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list, and I was excited to try out this spot!

I got the chicken and brisket curry on rice, which seemed to be one of their most popular dishes. The curry had a nice kick of spice, and the beef brisket was delicious. The chicken pieces were a bit big though, and a bit more difficult to bite into. All things considered, it was a good lunch, but as another dine-in restaurant, it was not a particularly cheap option and the service was a bit lacking.

Taste Cost Service

Best of Bakeries

A filling breakfast, small lunch, or an after-work treat - the bakeries of Chinatown always serve up the best pastries

browned top

Mei Lai Wah is an Instagram-famous spot that serves up lots of steamed and baked goods. The bakery’s layout is different from a typical Chinese bakery, in the way that the bread is not self-serve. There were often lines in the mornings, and lots of people would buy dozens of buns, which the workers would grab straight from the steamer.

My favourite item at the bakery was the BBQ pork bun, which was less than $2 and filled with juicy, saucy BBQ pork. The bun had a slight sweetness to it, and a brown top from being baked in the oven. When the bun was torn open, the steam would rush out, and the saucy interior was evident. I loved grabbing one on the way to work, but the long wait times from all the regulars often left me a bit late to work. This spot was one of my favourites and I miss it dearly!

Baked BBQ Pork Bun from Mei Lai Wah

paper wrapper

saucy pork filling

soft bread

crackly sugary topping

soft bread

White Swan Bakery was located right by my workplace, and they had lots of classic Hong Kong-style pastries. This pineapple bun was okay for a quick breakfast, but the texture of the bun was much too chewy. The bakery also did not appear to be the cleanest place, so I only went once.

parsley garnish

tuna salad filling

Taste Cost

Cleanliness

flakey layered pastry

Taste

Cost Service

paper bag

Fay Da was one of my favourite bakeries in Chinatown, as I found that they had excellent pastries and service. They had lots of unique offerings and everything always tasted amazing, but the cost of the pastries typically cost more than the other local bakeries.

Pineapple Bun from White Swan

Tuna Pastry from Fay Da Bakery

Chinatown Cheap Eats

juicy filling

New York City is known for being expensive, but some of my favourite meals for lunch were purchased with spare change...

crispy brown edges

paper plate

Pork & Chive Dumplings from Tasty Dumpling

After a few weeks in New York looking for lunch spots, one of my friends who previously did a co-op in the city recommended this local spot for dumplings which only costs $2! Their pork & chive dumplings are juicy and flavourful, and they were the perfect snack or lunch treat. Paired with some of their other menu items, like their hot & sour soup, which was only $3, this was a filling and delicious lunch option!

Each day I went there, the same lady would take my order at the counter. No matter what day I went, it was always her and she was always quick, efficient, and super kind! My order was always perfect and it was really nice being able to communicate with her in Cantonese, as it felt like I was connecting with my own culture through food!

dark red roasted pork

white rice

boiled cabbage

BBQ Pork on Rice from Wah Fung

This Instagram-famous spot is one I had wanted to try before even arriving in New York. Seeing their juicy BBQ pork all over my explore page was making me hungry before I even landed. The lines at this spot were always quite long though, so often my hour-long lunch break would be consumed by the 30-minute wait. However, the quality and portion size of the BBQ pork over rice was excellent for only $5.50.

While the lines were long, the food was absolutely worth waiting for. The meat was perfectly roasted, with the perfect amount of lean and fat pork. The sweet and salty sauce poured over fluffy white rice made it the perfect lunch.

small foil container

New Chicken Rice in Town

cilantro

At Mott Street Eatery, Gai Kitchen had been the only chicken rice spot... Until a new stall entered the food court

plastic container

roasted chicken

vinegar sauce

ginger rice

Gai Kitchen serves up Thai-style chicken over rice inside of Mott Street Eatery, which is a food court filled with plenty of stalls serving a variety of food, this spot is super popular as they serve up their roasted Thai chicken on rice for only $6, which is an excellent deal for a high-quality lunch meal, albeit a bit small.

The chicken has a nice soy sauce glaze which is then roasted to create a slight crispiness. Paired with their delicious vinegary sauce on top of their fluffy ginger rice, it made for an amazing lunch. The food court was a wonderful place to eat without breaking the bank, and the plastic chairs and tables were a place of comfort on cold, windy days. The communal seating was a great place to meet new people and talk to members of the community who were also on their lunch break!

Roasted Thai Chicken on Rice from Gai Kitchen

cucumber

poached chicken

One day, while strolling through Mott Street Eatery, I noticed a new stall right across from Gai Kitchen. There was no sign on the stall yet, and there was only one item on the menu - hainanese chicken rice. For $6, I decided to give it a try, and was pleasantly surprised by the large portion size and amazing taste! I spoke to one of the owners and they said they had just opened 2 days prior, and he offered me a free drink as well!

However, each time I went back in the coming weeks, it seemed like the portions started to get smaller, and the price increased by $1 each week. It seemed like their $6 price tag was an opening promotion, but it was quite upsetting to get there and see a different price each time.

Hainanese Chicken Rice from HK Noodle & Rice Taste

gai lan

ginger scallion sauce

lemongrass rice

Battle of the Sponge Cakes

round top with fluffy inside

Sponge cakes are a classic in Hong Kong-style bakeries around the world. But which of the two most popular bakeries in Chinatown wins the battle?

slightly sweet and custardy flavour

Spongies was my go-to spot before work at least twice a week. Since I was commuting from Brooklyn, I would rarely have enough time to prepare breakfast before heading out the door. After seeing this spot on Instagram, I wanted to try it out. I would drop by in the mornings after exiting from the Canal St station to grab some of their super fluffy sponge cakes. The shape of these cakes are like an oversized muffin, but texturally it was soft like a pillow. The original flavour was only $1, which made it an affordable breakfast or snack. They also had plenty of other rotating flavours, which were only a quarter more. My favourites were the purple yam and coconut pandan spongies!

Overall the service and taste were always excellent and the business is one that I loved supporting. They take part in lots of community initiatives and made me feel welcomed to New York!

Sponge Cake from Spongies Cafe

parchment paper wrapper

crispy top oval shape

sweet and dense

One of my co-workers suggested I try Kam Hing, which is right across from Spongies. They claim to have the best sponge cakes in Chinatown, so I had high hopes for the place. Their sponge cakes were baked in an oval-shaped tin, and the cake was sweet and dense. It paired perfectly with their coffee, giving a nice balance between sweet and bitter. They also had lots of fun flavours, including butterscotch, which was a favourite of mine. Their original sponge cakes were $1, just like Spongies.

While I really liked the flavour of the sponge cakes, the denser texture and sweetness weren’t really for me. In addition, Kam Hing has been at the forefront of controversy after a group of previous employees accused the owner of Kam Hing for committing wage theft at one of his previous business ventures. Due to this accusation, I didn’t feel good supporting the business and stopped going after reading an article about this.

parchment paper wrapper

Sponge Cake from Kam Hing

Ingredients Appendix

Common ingredients found at many establishments

Green Onion

Found in 6 dishes

Rice

Found in 9 dishes

Pork

Found in 6 dishes

Egg

Found in 9 dishes

Chicken

Found in 8 dishes

References

Chan, Christina, Rebecca Shi, Alexandra Dalisan, Caroline Crisostomo, Anna Huang, Catherine Wang, Chloe Chan, Isabelle Ng, and Liane Ma. “NYC Chinatown Small Business Directory.” Mott Street Girls, May 31, 2023. https://www.mottstreetgirls.com/ chinatown.

New York Times Cooking. “NYC’s Oldest Family-Owned Tofu Shop.” YouTube, March 17, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=RcoWBNvpq4E.

Suematsu, Dyske. “Food for thought: Chinatown’s gang of four.” July 24, 2022. https://dyske.com/paper/2297.