So many things to try. I had roast pork, friend had pork liver. We shared rice noodles. Very clean…read moreand inexpensive. Cash only.

I remembered when this spot first opened up after COVID became unserious and there would be a…read moremassive wait outside the store. Well I waited several years so that when it came time for me to try this spot out, I could just walk in and be seated right away. And tada! The place was still cash only, keeping it real in Chinatown. We got an order of the Marinated Pork & Shrimp w Chives Rice Noodle Roll ($8), which tasted great. The way they made steamed rice roll was different from what I'm used to as this came out as one fat steamed rice roll instead of three smaller rolls. The rice batter is thicker than the one's I'm used to at dim sum restaurants, which is a good thing for holding all of the ingredients in. It was one flavorful bite. We also got an order of the Shredded Pork & Preserved Egg Congee ($8). You have to love preserved egg to want to order this. If seeing black eggs freak you out, probably not for you. I love this $hit. I found that dumping pepper and mixing it in with the congee tremendously makes the congee taste much better. Other tips, don't get HK Milk Tea cold, even if it's a hot summer day. It's just not the same. Also their Fresh Made Soy Bean Drink (which is okay to be ordered cold), was fire.

Survive was great and the food was just so good I could come back with my family for dinner the…read moregeneral tso's chicken was the best in the world.

A Cantonese restaurant recommended by a friend in Manhattan's Chinatown. The traditional dim sum…read moretrolley experience was a big plus. Steamed Pork Spareribs w. Black Bean Sauce豉汁蒸排骨: An auntie pushed her cart in while I was looking at the menu, and seeing spare ribs, I ordered a basket. It turned out to be the best dish of the meal. The spare ribs were all small, tender pieces, the meat falling off the bone with a gentle touch, and you could taste the savory aroma of the black beans and the original fragrance of the pork. The wood ear mushrooms added a touch of delicate umami, which was a pleasant surprise. Steamed Shrimp Dumplings水晶鮮蝦餃: Although you could tell they were made with frozen shrimp, each dumpling contained two shrimp, and the texture was quite firm, so it was acceptable. However, the dumpling skin was too soft and mushy; two even broke. As a dim sum place, this har gow was a bit of a letdown. Crispy- Fried Pork Dumplings酥脆鹹水角: My parents thought they were just average, but I really liked them. The skin was fried to a crispy exterior and a soft, chewy interior, and the filling was salty, savory, and aromatic enough. Chao Chiu Style Dumplings潮州素粉果: Similar to the har gow, the filling was savory, but the dumpling skin was too soft and mushy. Steamed Special Soy Rice Noodle豉油淨腸粉: I didn't want to order this, but my dad wanted it, and unsurprisingly, it was a complete disaster. The rice noodle rolls were soggy and had no texture whatsoever. Beef Chow Fun乾炒牛河: A huge plate, literally shocking the whole family. Don't order this unless you're really hungry. The beef was tender, the rice noodles were fragrant, and the wok hei (wok aroma) was mostly there, but the seasoning was a bit bland. Adding some soy sauce would instantly elevate it. In short, this restaurant seems to do very well anything unrelated to steamed rice noodle sheets, but not so well with anything related to them. The ingredients are of high quality, but perhaps the pastry-making skills are lacking. If you keep this in mind, you'll have a great experience. The prices are very reasonable, and you get a 10% discount if you pay in cash. The environment is a bit cramped and old, but Cantonese will never mind.

I came here on a Thursday night around 7pm A lot of the…read moresmaller tables were already filled We ordered and the food came very quickly. We ordered the shrimp with walnut broccoli, beef chow fun, cold jellyfish and giant steamed oysters, The oysters were the size of my hand and very good! Cold jellyfish has a little hint of spiciness but very mild. The beef chow fun and shrimp are staples and cooked well and delicious. I will definitely be back

I haven't been to Congee Village in years. Honestly, I thought they fell off the radar and no one…read moregoes anymore, so I was surprised that we walked in to dinner and they were packed. We had to wait for about 10 minutes and got our table for two upstairs. My wife was craving the lobster sticky rice so that's what we came for. We added the rice roll casserole and the mushroom with pea shoot leaves. The food took a few minutes to get to us but was overall ok. Nothing mind blowing but it scratched the itch. The service, however, sucked. They gave us another table's congee which we informed them we didn't order. And after our food arrived, we never saw the waitstaff again, until our check. I couldn't even get a refill on my water. And when the manager gave me my check she pressured me to give them the tips in cash and not charge it. I said fine but truthfully I tipped them more than they deserved.

Four of us had dinner here on Labor Day evening. When we arrived, we were told to expect a fifteen…read moreminute wait for seating, and it was pretty much on the dot. A carafe of water was promptly brought to the table. We took a long time with the menu because it is extensive, and wonderful. We finally agreed on Crab & Pork Soup Dumplings, Kau Fu, Dry Sautéed Green Beans with Meat, Salt & Pepper Squid, and Shanghainese Style Rice Cakes. The Kau Fu arrived first, and was truly exceptional, with large, firm, and juicy chunks of seitan, and a good sprinkling of large, not rubbery tree ears. My friend who said she didn't like seitan tried it, and liked it a lot. Kai Fu has a slight licorish flavor, and is a little sweet. We finished every bite. Moving on to the soup dumplings, the broth was delicate and the skins were thin and tender, altogether the best I've had in a long time. The green beans were perfect, seared and crispy, as they should be, with ground pork and a little pickled veg. The rice cakes were appropriately chewy, and we enjoyed the baby bok choy, mushrooms, and shrimp in the mild sauce. The squid was the only dish that wasn't perfect, being a little bland and a tiny bit too chewy for the size of the pieces. The service was attentive without being too much. We were offered hot tea, and a second carafe of water, without having to ask. The noise level from the other diners was a bit high for me, but I put my hearing aids on the noisy/party setting, and I could hear my friends, which was the important thing. We all agreed that we needed to come back again (and again) to try other dishes. I especially want to have the Hong Kong style Hot & Sour soup, which you can't get at most Chinese restaurants.

Every time we come to NY this is definitely a must go to place. The food is amazing the service is…read moregreat as well. It can be a bit crowded but that expected from a place this good. We travel from California to New York as a family multiple times out the year and we always make it here before we head on back home. I love the Asian style ambiance that this place has. I would definitely recommend this place to any one traveling and has a thing for Asian cuisine

Excellent top to bottom. Ordered roast pork and roast duck noodle soup, added 6 house wonton…read more They were shrimp and ground pork handmade wonton, handmade noodles, excellent, perfectly cooked Huge chunks of chinese bbq roast pork, roast duck, and fresh delicious pork bone broth Im in heaven

We had to come back the next day to China Town because we were not able to try other restaurants or…read moredo some shopping on our first visit. China Town can get very overwhelming as to what type of Chinese food to eat or which restaurant to try because there are so many in the area. We landed here at Mei Lai Wah by chance, because there are so first one we went to is right next door, but when we went in there were no people in the restaurant, the guy was sitting the three of us in a very small table and when we asked for a bigger table the guy said, no, this table is for three and then he shows us on the menu that they are cash only. I only had enough cash to use for the street vendors and most of them only take cash, so we left because of their rudeness and unwelcoming hospitality. So at Mei Lai Wah, we go inside and they were packed, but the guy sat as at a large four top which was perfect. The entrees are reasonably priced and many to choose from. We got our order in and within 10-15 minutes, our orders came out. The food was delicious and nothing like we have here in SoCal unless of course you visit China Town in DTLA. China Town New York gets very busy and crowded so be safe and be vigilant.

The service was amazing!!! A server came up to our table immediately after sitting down and our…read morefood started coming out around 5 minutes after ordering. The dumplings and chicken mei fun we ordered were AMAZING!!! The environment was very cozy and welcoming. Would 100% recommend if you're in China Town!

Vibe/ambiance: quick eats Service: very fast; cash/venmo…read moreonly Reservation: walk in only Items ordered: Scallion pancake: 9/10 Pan fried dumplings: 8.7/10 Boy choy: 8/10 Kaofu: 8/10

I ordered the General Tso's chicken which was highlighted as a favorite on their menu for good…read morereason. It was absolutely delish. The sauce was spicy & you could enjoy the sweetness as well. The chicken always tender and juicy. The broccoli was steamed fresh. The spring rolls we a little over cooked for my liking but had a great flavor. The restaurant is themed but I a very taste way with paper lanterns hanging from the ceilings The staff was responsive and kind. Definitely would come here again.

I'm a big fan of Cantonese cuisine, so I was excited to try Uncle Lou's! I went on a weekend…read moreevening, and they were PACKED. There was a wait list, tons of reservations, and the whole place was hustling and bustling. The food smelled amazing, and the ambiance was lively and fun overall. We were excited to eat! We were walk-ins, so I appreciated that they were able to get us in. The hostess was running a very tight ship - very "no BS"/no nonsense ... and hey, I get it, it was crazy, but at times it erred a bit unnecessarily rude? It just left me feeling a bit off, but not the end of the world. Food-wise, we tried a lot of different things. The highlight was honestly the scallion pancakes. They were DELISH! Not too doughy, not too dry, and the vinegar dipping sauce was amazing (I know it's just the standard vinegar but dang it's so good). It was a classic really well executed. The steamed pork dumplings were also quite yummy. For our mains, we got the garlic baby bok choy, beef chow fun, and kung pao chicken. The beef chow fun looked amazing and we had heard really good things about it, but unfortunately it was a little dry and lacked flavor... just sort of bland? We ended up pouring some of the vinegar sauce over it, which helped, but I was a little disappointed because it looked so good. The baby bok choy was really loaded it up with garlic chunks and was also yummy and a good portion. It was juicy and had a great texture, but my only note was that it felt like it needed just a little more seasoning or salt? Overall, though, it was good. The kung pao chicken was INTENSE. I knew it'd be spicy, but truthfully it was my first time ever trying it and it was a tad difficult to eat without rice. The chicken thighs had a texture that felt a little gummy to me? I wished the chicken had been a bit more browned too. The peanuts and veggies rocked, but the sauce and chicken were huge misses for us. I typically would never send anything back, but my friend insisted as it was tough to enjoy. They did take our dish from the table... but then a manager brought it back and was a bit condescending towards us saying they didn't do that and everyone knows it's a spicy dish... which, I'm trying to be fair about because he didn't know it was my first time, but it just again felt unnecessarily rude. I hate wasting food, so we kept it and took it home rather than let it go to waste. I just thought the whole interaction was a little strange. Truly - I wasn't really looking to get something for free. We just didn't enjoy the dish and were trying to figure out what our options were and it basically felt like he just came over to make us feel small instead of problem solving together. Weird. I'm always one for second chances so I'm hoping to try it again, but I would highly recommend making a reservation to ensure a calmer experience.

Came to Chinatown for dinner with no particular place in mind. After some grocery shopping on…read moreBayard, we saw Joys' Cafe right across the street. For the idea of convenience, leveled entrance (we had a stroller), and that it was somewhat newly opened, we decided to go in. Restaurant is spacious and I really like their dining chairs. At 5pm, we made it for their afternoon snack and tea menu. Thinking about my order, I probably should've only ordered the Portuguese egg tart since we were about to have dinner after. For dinner, we started with the black roast pork, garlic choy sum, baked spaghetti chicken with meat sauce. The dishes were super tasty but amongst 3 adults, we needed one more dish to make us full. We later added on the Thai style beef chow fun, and as someone else mentioned, it had great wok hei. Overall quick service and good food.

I was actually on my way to another restaurant that I've eaten at numerous times when I stumbled…read moreupon this place. I figured, why not switch things up and give it a try? I came on a Sunday around 11:45 AM. The restaurant was already packed, but luckily, we somehow managed to snag a table immediately. Our waiter came over quickly, took our order, and was friendly throughout. We ordered the scallion pancake, tomato and beef over rice, and Japanese-style fried rice with eel. Not exactly your typical Hong Kong breakfast lineup, but we were feeling adventurous. The food came out quickly and, more importantly, hot. The tomato and beef over rice immediately gave me that comforting, home-cooked feeling. The beef was tender, the tomatoes were juicy, and the sauce was flavorful without being overwhelming. The portion was generous as well. It's one of those classic dishes that's hard to mess up when done right. The real surprise, though, was the Japanese-style fried rice with eel. Diced eel tossed with rice, peppers, and scallions, topped with another piece of eel? Yes, please. The best part was the wok hay--you could actually taste that smoky, savory flavor in every bite. It wasn't overly salty, and they definitely weren't shy with the eel. Lots of flavor without turning the dish into a sodium experiment. The scallion pancake was solid too. Nothing crazy, but a perfectly respectable supporting dish. Overall, I had a really good experience here. I've seen some of the other reviews mentioning slow service, and while I didn't personally experience that, I can understand where they're coming from. The restaurant was packed. Honestly, I feel like if my party had walked in literally one minute later, we might still be standing outside waiting for a table. It seemed like the number of tables and available staff weren't quite balanced during the rush. That said, our experience was positive, the food came out quickly, and everything we ordered hit the mark. I'll definitely be back to try some of the other dishes. Looks like accidentally changing restaurants worked out pretty well this time LOL.