Essential Food Guide: Chinatown Manhattan NYC! Where to go + What to order - Steven Chu's Tips!
Welcome to the very first installment of Chuubie Essentials! Food guide of where to go and what to order at my favorite spots in Chinatown. My criteria evaluate: food value (price vs quantity vs quality), ambience, crowd, service, and it’s own separate delicious score.
Food Value: ~$6 entree, $3 appetizers / large portions / great appetizer quality, varies decent to very nice entree quality. Avg bill: $10-12 per person incl. tip.
Ambience: SUPER CUTE. Hong Kong nostalgia. Three flat screen TVs side by side are styled as windows as if you were looking out onto a Hong Kong street scene. Very cute booth cove with balusters/vertical beams made out of stacked tea cups and a soda pop chandelier.
Crowd: YOUTHFUL. Mainly cantonese speaking college aged young adults. Definitely the most youthful and vibrant crowd in Chinatown. This breath of fresh air is exactly why this restaurant has been so successful. It is the only authentic generation-now Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. Also, european tourists who are in their 20’s.
Service: Quick, attentive, easy going. Chinese guys n gals in their early 20’s. No pretense, no attitude. Note that in Chinese restaurants waiters do not check up on you. You must SIGNAL/WAVE/CALL THEM OVER on your own for anything you want.
Noodle soup entrees are mediocre.
Not recommended to order overly-americanized fare such as spaghetti or fried chicken and french fries.. unless you really want.
If you are looking for: Formal mid-upscale lunch or dinner (open until 9:30 weekdays, 10pm weekends), more northern Chinese fare, Shanghai soup dumplings.
Food Value: ~$12 entree, $6 appetizers / moderate filling portions / great appetizer quality, solid entree quality. Avg bill: $17-20 per person incl. tip.
Ambience: CALM, inviting restaurant. I avoid going to the competitor (shanghai cafe) because their waitresses are on an agenda to get you in n out ASAP, giving you bill before you even finish eating. Here at Shanghai Asian Manor, you can sit and talk without pressure.
Crowd: 20’s-50’s all ages people who want a nice dining experience. Mainly mandarin speaking crowd and european tourists in their 30’s.
Service: Very friendly and attentive service, wait staff will come by to fill your hot tea and check on your dishes. Good introduction to a Chinese restaurant for someone unfamiliar with the culture. Won’t be shocked by inattentive service (cultural).
If you are looking for: Filling, dirt cheap (max 3 course meal: $4.50), authentic Chinese fast-food. You are on the go, you want a quick bite with a friend (NOT a place for romantic dates). You don’t mind standing in a crowd. You want an amazing clash of downtown New York art kids + local Chinese.
Food Value: $1 for 4 dumplings, $2.50 for Peking Duck Sandwich / large portions / slightly greasy but hearty and filling. Avg bill: $2-5.
Ambience: ALWAYS BUSTLING. Plan your order in advance and be abrupt when ordering. There is always a 20 person line. Tables are small and get snatched up. It is loud, not good if you are claustrophobic or crowd adversive. You must like adventure.
Crowd: DOWNTOWN ART SCENE + CHINESE LOCALS. This is the place to go to run into fellow art kids, artists in Lower East Side, Chinatown, East Village, see tourists from around the world, mixed with local New York Chinese.
Service: Rapid-fire. Once you order, you have a receipt and can stand anywhere in the venue including sitting at a table. The women will shout your receipt number when your order is ready. Extremely busy, all women run. Support women run businesses! Do not expect any pampering here. There is no service. Be direct about what you want.
Optionally you can order: any of the other dumplings involving MEAT, Fried Pork Bun, Chive and Egg Pancake.
Note: Bring your own drinks.
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