So many great reviews that I think my expectations were a bit high. The crispy tofu could have had more flavor, seaweed fries were solid, the fried rice was good but could have used a stronger kick or flavor. The tangyuan dessert was delicious. And I tried one of their NA drinks which was very well balanced. But yeah! Not sure I'd come back to be honest (can't speak for the BDSM chicken or other meat dishes as I walk the pescatarian line). read more

Keep your eye out for reservations because they come and go quickly! I was lucky enough to score a 5pm reservation on a weeknight and showed up 10 minutes before opening to be the very first human on line. Why? Because I wanted to be one of the 5 people that got to try their BDSM chicken. Was the chicken worth it? Absolutely. Their cocktails and other drinks were pretty good and held us over until our food arrived. Aside from the BDSM chicken, we also ordered their lo ba beng (braised pork over rice), sesame cold noodles, pork belly & cuttle fish, and ended our meal with their fried tan yuan. The fan favorites were the BDSM chicken, pork belly with cuttlefish, and their fried tangyuan. We felt like their lo ba beng and sesame cold noodles were just standard - nothing to write home about. Will I be back? Maybe. But if you do decide to go, try to score the 5pm res and get there early to be one of the lucky 5 people to get the BDSM chicken! Solid 3.5 star experience. Check out my foodsta @chiuventure for a closer look and more details of my dining experience here as well as other establishments in NYC and around the world! read more

See all

By accident I had dinner at this Rest. I got the impression it's a place to visit with a company of 1 more people because in the menu you could find a few dishes for 2. I was on my own and ordered Lo Ba Beng. It was a delicious dish!! I only observation I could do it's that it was very, very small portion for an "Entree". It looked like an appetizer. The disd had pork belly and you did not taste it the meat at all. It will be interesting to see how the other dishes might be. read more

As a Taiwanese - I here by verify this place is authentic as fk . (Dinner menu is better than brunch) - must have the Taiwanese beer! I was just very confused with what the toast thing is - it was super sweet (for brunch dessert, they said it's Taiwanese but I've never had it in my life) read more

See all

I made the reservation when they release the dates! You can reserve up to 2 weeks in advance. The restaurant was very busy when I was there on a Thursday night (around 7pm). We ordered lobabeng (braised pork over rice), beef noodle soup, popcorn chicken, and water spinach. Personally I like 886's lobabeng more. 886 is their sister brand in east village. Maybe both labobengs are the same but the one we had at wenwen was salty :( Beef noodle soup was really good. Popcorn chicken was juicy and flavourful. Water spinach is a common veggie dish in Taiwan and when I saw this at Wenwen I just had to order it. Gotta eat your veggies. Overall I'd recommend Wenwen if you are in the area! read more

Wenwen - Beef noodle, lobabeng, popcorn chicken - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Wenever you need a friend, Wenwen is there-- is a hook I made up for their hypothetical jingle for their hypothetical commercial. It would play to the tune of a song by Fong fei-fei, a Taiwanese singer/movie star who was famous in the 1970's. A framed photo of her hangs in this restaurant's bathroom while a disco ball splashes reflective light across the bathroom from above, her voice crooning from a speaker. "She's the rowdier Teresa Teng" is what the owner, Eric, told me, referring to Taiwan's sweetheart, whose music played in any Mandarin speaking household through the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond. In keeping with this 70's theme, the aesthetic here feels pulled out of an Asian architectural digest of the time, replete with a shelf directly outside the bathroom holding an old fashioned lamp, green light sconces on the walls, and paraphernalia representing Taiwan in that era. Everything else about the restaurant is decidedly modern, from a flaming mezcal drink for 4 priced at $69 to their star dish, the BDSM fried chicken, a whole, deboned soy milk-battered yellow-fat chicken that has sold out by 5:40 pm on both the two nights since they opened this week. This generation of chefs paying homage to their culinary and cultural traditions while creating their own, playful interpretations of classic dishes makes me feel lucky to be alive at the same time this renaissance is happening. What's more, everything I ate at Wenwen was genuinely delicious. Flavor explosions abound here, like with the very wine forward Huadiao shrimp, which uses an extra-aged shaoxing wine in the sauce, alongside other umami bombs like fermented soybeans, ketchup, sugar, aromatics, and lard. The sauce was so potent I wished there were more than just the 4 pieces of mantou to soak it all up, though a side of rice was offered to us to go with the similarly potent and delicious water spinach with shrimp paste. Also packing a serious flavor punch was the 886 noodle dish with chickpea puree, miso, lard, ground meat, and beef shank on top. These dishes were quite heavy on the soy sauce/salt in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed but definitely called for extra sides of rice and many glasses of water. Mostly I washed down the food with their wonderfully mixed cocktails, including the Boiling Point and Kavalan Old Fashioned. The only dish I ordered that didn't have explosive flavor were the seaweed fries, which were okay but not as memorable as the other dishes. I was feeling so heady from the food and the strong cocktails that I forgot to order what I came in most excited for-- the lone dessert on the menu, made with with fried black sesame tangyuan, ice cream, peanuts, and cilantro! For now, I can only dream about another whirlwind dining experience at Wenwen, where old meets new, and where utopia is just a flaming mezcal drink away. read more

See all

I discovered WenWen through a YouTube video called "Day In The Life of A Taiwanese Master Chef" it was created by Alvin Zhou who used to work at Buzzfeed. I was fascinated by Wenwen's team and how they handled their first day of business and of course the food looked f**king amazing so I knew I had to try it. I made a reservation online a week before I was in NYC and I have to say it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. My best friend and I ordered the 886 Noodle, Numbing Celtics Salad, Lily Fleming Fried Rice with Pork Jowl Paige and the Shrimp Floss Lettuce Bowl. My personal favorite was the 886 Noodle, the sauce and flavor is insane I wish I could relive the moment I took my first bite. It's so savory and addicting and the chickpeas were such a nice touch to it. Kinda reminds me of dan dan noodles, I will say that the sauce can be a bit on the saltier side so definitely try to eat all the sauce with the noodles. The Numbing Celtics Salad was very addicting, it was a refreshing dish to have in between all of the heavy dishes we ordered. The Lily Flemming Fried Rice is so fire you can taste right away that it was cooked in a wok and the pork paigu- so juicy and crispy...I can't even properly describe it. The Shrimp Floss Lettuce Cup was definitely an interesting dish with lots of flavors, I've never had fried youtiao like that but it grew on me. It almost reminded me of a Thai dish. I ordered a mocktail that was really good and sour. Overall, WenWen is a must try when visiting the NYC area. The interior decor is so aesthetic and will give hints of nostalgia to anyone who grew up with Taiwanese culture. Also you have to go to the bathroom - it's so unexpected but hilarious. 10/10 experience for me, and will definitely be back in the future! read more

See all

Went again! Also got the dessert again! Great flavors. Went on a Sunday night. Make sure to get there early if you go because it does fill up! read more

Wenwen - Ambiance - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Taiwanese restaurant that serves lots of authentic food and upscales it as well! Loved the alley seating area, really feels authentic and fantastic attention to detail. Loved everything we tried and definitely happy to come back. Bacon You Fan w/ Uni - the bacon is an interesting touch but I liked the you fan and the uni Numbing Celtuce - delightfully numbing Sacha Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken - juicy and crispy batter with white pepper. Such delicious food. Water Spinach w/ Shrimp Paste - hard to find and definitely one of my favorite veggie dishes growing up. Shrimp Floss Lettuce Cup - amazing, so clean. Well done. 886 Noodle - chickpeas were an interesting touch. Braised Porkly Belly & Cuttlefish - fatty and delicious Fried Tangyuan for dessert - absolutely amazing. Never had this type of dessert before but I need more of it. The fried tangyuan have sesame paste on the inside and pairs so well with the ice cream. read more

See all

We came here for brunch with a reservation made a couple of weeks back. I heard it's harder to get one for dinner but honestly the brunch selection was pretty big and worth it! First of all, portions were FAT for a reasonable price. My friend and I ordered three dishes family style, and didn't even finish the fried rice because the BDSM chicken sandwich and pea shoots were super filling. While I can't speak for whether the sandwich compares to their dinner menu "BDSM Chicken", the chicken sandwich was unlike you're standard fried chicken sandwich you could get anywhere. The only downside was they packed the sandwich with a huge piece of chicken so it was a little hard to handle and eat . Service was great and also s/o to the head chef, Kathy for giving our group a free shot! read more

Wenwen - BDSM Chicken Sandwich - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Consensus: Wenwen is an amazing spot for brunch in the Greenpoint area and provided a very satisfying meal with fantastic flavors! ______________________________________ Food: I got the tater tot dan bing and it was amazing! The crunch from the tater tots with the nice slightly runny egg was absolutely perfect! Also, the sauce that it comes with is a great savory and salty compliment to the dish and really elevates it as a whole! I also tried the BDSM chicken sandwich which can be seen in my picture and it was also great! I wish it was a bit crispier but, if you dipped it in the dan bing sauce, it was also just as amazing! I would definitely recommend getting a side like the cucumber salad cause both dishes were quite heavy and could use a bit of veggies on the side. ______________________________________ Service: Service was great, we got our food pretty quick and I don't have anything to complain about otherwise! ______________________________________ Ambience: The restaurant has some great lighting from the massive glass windows at the front and is definitely a very good spot for a weekend brunch! I'd recommend coming with smaller parties to fit in to the restaurant better, but it could be a great date spot or quick catch up over brunch! ______________________________________ read more

Wenwen - tater tot dan bing - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Went back! To be completely honest I thought the BDSM chicken was overhyped... it tastes like any regular fried chicken. Unsure why it is worth $50+ except for the fact that they only have 5 available a day. I recommend getting the fish over the chicken. Having dined here twice within a week, I also have to call out that the food is really inconsistent. Last time I had the celtuce salad it was overly sweet and a bit mushy. Today it was more sour and crunchy. read more

See all

Service was good. Sat at bar and bartender was very attentive with water, drinks etc. Thats the only reason why they got the 2 stars. If service was ehh, it would be 1 star. Popcorn chicken was ok. Had a good fry on it but was bland at points and sauce was all at the bottom which tasted like store bought sweet chili sauce. Rice dish that was ordered with the ground meat, pickled vegetables, pork floss and egg was bland. The worst part was the rice was so mushy that after mixing everything together it had the texture of oatmeal. Asked for a hot sauce and was provided chili oil. Was hoping it would provide some flavor but it didn't. Just tasted like bland oil. So now we have mushy rice with oil. The worst was the Savory Soy Bean. Having had this at tons of Taiwanese spots you expect a hot bowl of SAVORY soy bean milk with bits of pork floss, bits of picked radish and the crunch of the fried crueller mixed with a good amount of spicy chili oil. What I got was a lukewarm bowl of SWEET soy milk with a strange texture, tasteless chili oil and no flavor. I mean dear god the item is labeled SAVORY on the check and it comes out sweet? Is no one tasting what the chefs are serving? I thought maybe it was me and I read it wrong on the menu but I didn't. Along with the Brooklyn tax on overcharging the poor locals on top of a bad food experience one would be wondering WenWen I will ever return to this place. I won't be and you shouldn't go at all. Go to Queens and to a real Taiwanese place for better food for half the price. Had a stomach ache for a few hours after eating here as well. So be warned. read more

Unexpectedly very delicious spot with great cocktails! We went for a fri dinner with no reservations so we had a bit of a wait but thankfully they let you loiter inside so we got some cocktails - the old fashioned & the boiling point - which were fun and alcohol forward. For food: - popcorn chicken 8/10: i didnt love the sweet glaze, and otherwise while good, nothing remarkable - celtuce salad 9/10: delicious!! Not too sour - pork belly & cuttlefish 9/10: the pork belly is verrrrry tender, cuttlefish not quite so. The sauce is so flavorful and addicting - 886 noodle 10/10: my fave dish of the night, it does indeed take a while although im not quite sure why (maybe bc of the beef?) the chickpeas make for an interesting experience and the noodles are bouncy and delightful (even good reheated!) Would have been a 5star but alas they charge you ($3!!!) for rice which is a big disappointment in my book. The "mains" are also quite on the pricey side as well. read more

See all

The Taiwanese popcorn chicken is the dish that I would choose any day of the week and may be the best Taiwanese popcorn chicken that I've ever had and is the sole reason this review got a 3. That being said, the other 4 out of 5 dishes that we ordered were unique to try, but nothing that was a home run and would warrant another visit. Those other 4 dishes included the celtuce, the 886 noodles, the huadiao shrimp, and the cold sesame noodles. Everything was also very salted and the waiters were great about refilling the table's water pitcher. Given the month long wait to try this place, I'd try it just to expand your taste buds and try the Taiwanese popcorn chicken, but it definitely feels overhyped at the moment. This place is good, but not wait a month long good. By the way, the reviews are true about the BDSM chicken. We had a reservation for 6pm on a Sunday no less and it was the first thing that we asked about when we were seated and they had already ran out of the limited quantities of BDSM chicken. PS - if you're into cocktails with cool ice shapes, this place has it all. Chinese characters in a large clear ice cube, a long rectangular ice cube that fits perfectly in a high ball glass, you got it! read more

Okay, it's true, Wen Wen is worth the hype. I was lucky enough to snag a reservation about a month ago and wow, I see why it's so popular. We started with the celtuce salad, which was lip-tingly, garlicky, and unassumingly incredible. Next came the hot honey popcorn chicken, which might just have been my favorite dish with the right amount of sweet and spicy. We shared two entrees, the three-cup chicken, which was... perfect, and the cold sesame noodles (skip these, they're fine but lack any standout flavor). The black sesame mochi dessert was mindblowing, with a completely unique combination of flavors. I'm also super appreciative to our lovely server, who gave us shots and guava juice for the road. Moral of the story - Wenwen can't be missed! read more

Wenwen - Old fashioned - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

First time here. Like the environment 5/5 service 5/5 Food Lo Rou Beng 3/5 Sesame noodle 4/5 Beef noodle 4/5 Popcorn chicken 5/5 Fried Tofu 5/5 read more

You know its lit if the owner (eric sze) reviews his own restaurant on yelp Compared to the sister restaurant 886 in st marks, its giving homey family vibes rather than order as many long island ice teas before they stop you. The decor definitely also gives streets of taiwan vibes. Iykyk #taiwannumbaone They have a lot of similar dishes, like the beef noodle soup and popcorn chicken, but also lots of other more family-style shareable plates. My fave was definitely the fried tangyuan. Who wouldve that deep frying these would be an absolute BANGERR Note: sounds like everyone on that BDSM chicken train cuz it sells out in the first 15 min, early bird gets the BDSM chicken read more

See all

The hype is real! We got there about 10 mins before our reservation and there was already a line. Those are the dedicated people who got the bdsm chicken that I heard sold out in 4 mins that day. We ate in the dining room and the decor is very cute and modern. There's also "alley" seating that is still indoors but mimics the alley of Taiwan. Everyone working there was so nice and everything we ate was mouth watering delicious! We got the: - Sacha hot honey popcorn chicken (had a bit of kick to it ) - Lily Fleming fried rice with pork jowl paigu (reminds me of the one at din tai fung) - 886 noodles (also has a kick to it ) - shrimp floss lettuce cups which are lettuce wraps with pieces of youtiao (I felt like this one was dry and needed some sauce) I really wanted to get the dessert but was sadly way too full! Next time. One con is that there are some flys buzzing around and bothering people while eating. It was annoying to have to constantly shoo them away. read more

See all

I came here with three of my friends after somehow securing earlier in the day a prime time table for four at 7pm on a Saturday. The restaurant had a nondescript storefront on Manhattan Ave, but you could tell that it was Wenwen by a number of people lingering out front on the sidewalk, and an entry doorway that was jam-packed with guests waiting to be seated. We checked-in with the host, were told that the table was being prepped, and were seated in the back room about five minutes later. We were a little sad to miss out on the atmosphere in the handsome main dining room, but found the downstairs backroom - which only had a handful of tables - perfect for carrying on conversation over dinner. We came hungry, so ordered a total of seven items between the four of us: pickled cucumber salad (4/5), Sacha Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken (5/5), Peashoots w/ Tofu Skin (3/5), Shrimp Floss Lettuce Cup (5/5), Lo Ba Beng (5/5), Beef Noodle Soup (4/5), and Fried Tangyuan with Ice Cream (5/5). We could have gone without the Peashoots, which were old and tough, and the Sacha Hot Honey Chicken would have benefited from a heavier helping of sacha in the recipe - but was deliciously prepared nonetheless. The dessert was a first for me, and uniquely crazy - only something the guys who created 886 could come up with. Service was also fantastic; friendly, prompt, but not overbearing - you could tell our server was hustling to make sure every table had a good time. Would highly recommend Wenwen if you are in the neighborhood, and even making a trip out here if you are not. read more

See all

Food: I didn't get to try6 the bdsm chicken, so I can't comment on that. The other dishes that I did order did not agree with me. I have no plans to return. Service: Friendly Ambiance: Okay. But the bar was uncomfortable. read more

Love 886 so it was a no brainer to visit this sister restaurant of theirs. The vibe here is a little different from the street food vibes of 886, cute interior and great spot for a date night. Our group of 6 ordered so. many. dishes. For appetizers we ordered the seaweed fries, hot honey chicken (must get!) and fried tofu with pickled veggies. For the entrees we got 1. Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste - has a great kick to it 2. Huadiao Shrimp with Mantou 3. Lao Ba Beng - classic, delicious pork belly with rice 4. 886 noodles 5. Whole Striped Bass with Fish Paste - must get!! The sauce will make you want to eat bowls of rice. 6. Pork Belly with Cuttlefish - great flavor but pork belly chunks were a little too big for my liking 7. You Fan with Uni - classic sticky rice dish with an interesting twist of uni, it did not really do anything for the dish tho I must say because the uni flavor is so mild. But I love uni so I enjoyed this dish For dessert, which has got to be the highlight of the night and topped all the savory dishes - the Fried Black Sesame Tangyuan with ice cream!! We ordered this twice because we loved it so much. Each ball was oozing of black sesame, yum. Overall, great service, delicious food - come with a group to try various dishes, it does get pricey! (Also, ask for a (few) baijiou shot(s) for an even better night) read more

See all

Amazing. We really loved this. We love 886 as well and I thought this might be even better. We came with a group of four and got the pickled cucumber salad, fried tofu, popcorn chicken, seaweed fries, you fan (+ uni), pork jowl fried rice, pork belly + cuttlefish, and the 886 noodle. It was a lot of food but we were hungry and crushed all of it. We loved all of it, but if I had to pick, our absolute favorite was the you fan (the uni is very expensive but it definitely does add a lot to it). As for the rest, I'd re-order all of it, but I could probably live without the cucumbers, and there is a decent amount of overlap with, for example, the fried rice, the you fan, and the pork belly and cuttlefish. I also think there are other places that we can get really great beef noodles. So next time, when hopefully we come early enough to get the BDSM chicken, those would be some candidates to skip, even though they were all so amazing. I'd have a tougher time with the starters -- the fried chicken was incredible and a must if the BDSM chicken isn't in play, and while I thought the fries would be a waste, they were really amazing. All in all, a really amazing dinner and we will definitely be back. read more

See all

After having an amazing experience in Taiwan, I thought I would like Wenwen a lot as they tout themselves as "the" modern Taiwanese restaurant to visit. I was really disappointed as it paled in comparison to my visit. They use a lot of Taiwanese flavors and dish names, but somehow fail to hit the mark on what makes a Taiwanese meal. There was a lot of odd fusions that didn't make sense in regards to the flavor profile, like adding peanuts to food that generally does not need it, making the attempt to "Taiwan-ness" the flavor forced. I didn't rate this under 3 stars despite my harsh review above because they do hit the mark in some dishes and the cooking techniques were done well. read more

I've been here for both dinner and brunch and both are great! Although I do admit to liking brunch a tiiiiiiny bit more. The food is all a very fun take on Taiwanese, and it's all spectacularly delicious. The dish that stands out strongest in my mind, was the Taiwan toast we had at brunch. My husband and I can't stop talking about it weeks later. So don't skip on this dessert! The whole vibe of the place is so fun, and modern. It doesn't take itself seriously and everyone in the place is happy and excited to eat all the wonderfully unique food. A must visit in Greenpoint! read more

Wenwen - Taiwan toast - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

If you're in the area, you *must* make a stop at Wenwen, which I'm going to argue is EVEN BETTER than 886. We started the night with the celtuce salad, which is a delightfully flavorful and slightly tongue tingly dish, that truly sparks the appetite. It's a little crunchy but also refreshing on a hot day. We ordered the popcorn chicken which comes with a honey sauce. Since the honey sauce contains shellfish, I requested it on the side (allergies) and the restaurant was very accommodating. Even without the sauce, the chicken was crispy and well marinated. For our main course, I ordered the 886 noodles which is actually a wenwen exclusive! It comes with super tender beef, garlic crisps, and cucumbers, all with complement the rich, thick chickpea sauce extremely well. I loved the chewy, textured noodles which absorbed the sauce. Every slurp was a perfect masterpiece of flavors. But I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. The fried tangyuan. A genius creation that reminded me of fried sesame balls at dim sum restaurants but with ice cream and cilantro. While some may think cilantro belongs strictly on pasta, the herb actually provides a refreshing complement to the creaminess of the ice cream and the crunchy, fried tangyuan. If you come, you MUST save room for dessert!! Your stomach will thank you for making a reservation here as soon as possible. I know I'm already counting down until the day I can return. read more

See all

Oftentimes, we are quick to leave a bad review for negative experiences, but we don't leave enough wonderful reviews for the great experiences we have. So, I'm starting to change that right now! The food was so good--and believe me, I'm from the city of Chicago, where it's hard for me to find great food outside of that city--so if I'm leaving a positive review about food, it's definitely valid! The customer service, charm, energy, ambiance, and food are simply magnificent and a must-try! Highly recommended! read more

WENWEN is one of the best restaurants in BK/Queens. We went during soft opening and EVERY DISH we ordered impressed me and my friends. They even made us an off-menu dumpling dish in which they perfected, probably the best in the area. The Yu Fan Onlyfan dish was my favorite (you HAVE TO get it with uni as it elevates the dish to a whole new level). I wish they would sell that thick bacon for extra on the side. Both shrimp dishes were delicious and their fish dish was so good that we devoured it before taking any pictures. Get extra steam buns on the side so you can dip them in the shrimp and fish sauce. Their cocktails were also very tasty. I had a chance to meet the owners Eric and Andy and hearing the back story of Wenwen made me like this restaurant even more. 10/10 would recommend. Get your seats now! read more

See all

Make sure to book your reservation in advance! They release 2 weeks ahead. From the outside, it's a bit easy to miss - not very well marked or bright colors and once you go inside it's on the smaller side; tiny but cozy. The kitchen seems to be downstairs and the seating is right next to the bar area. The bathrooms are fun though, it's like disco themed. I opted to skip the BDSM chicken (if you want to try it make sure to come at 5pm since they only make 5 for the day) and instead tried their braised fish stuffed with fish cake. That was the best thing in my opinion; I also tried the you fan with bacon, pea shoots with tofu skin, and 886 noodle. They were all good but pretty salty. The tables are also kind of tightly packed next to one another. I would say worth a try if you're around the area, but maybe not if it's a far trek. read more

Wenwen - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

My friend and I got to WenWen at 4 to wait for the BDSM chicken and we can 100% say that it was worth it. We couldn't snag a reservation, so we decided to get to the restaurant an hour before opening to wait it out. We were the first in line and luckily, they reserved a few seats for walk ins. People didn't start arriving until 4:20ish on a Sunday. We ordered the BDSM chicken, 2 bowls of rice, cucumber salad, and the fried tang yuan. I feel like the amount we ordered was enough for 3 people and we were definitely stuffed afterwards. Cucumber salad - very refreshing and balanced the fried chicken out BDSM chicken - soooo amazing. I really appreciated the texture of the fried skin. It was the perfect amount of crispiness and contrasted nicely with the juicy chicken. I also loved how the batter was seasoned. Top 5 chicken dish I've ever had!! Fried tang yuan - I enjoyed this but the cilantro was a little confusing lol. The ice cream was very creamy but tasted very light at the same time. It was a confusing but yummy dish read more

See all

Stopped by here with no reservations but our group wanted to try out this place due to the hype. We got here at 4:30 pm, half an hour before they open and was able to get seated as walk-ins. We were seated downstairs and the AC was very strong as there were max 5 tables in that small area. We ordered the BDSM chicken as soon as we sat down as we heard that they only make 5 a day. WHAT WE ORDERED: - THE BOILING POINT $14 (Gin, lychee, Thai basil, soda apple cider vinegar) I thought I was going to like this based on the ingredients lychee and Thai basil but this drink was heavy on the gin/alcohol. I could barely taste the lychee and the Thai basil was there as an accent piece and no actually flavor was released in the drink. I didn't really like this drink. (2 STAR) If you like gin/strong alcohol, this is the drink for you. - CRISPY FRIED TOFU w. Garlic soy paste $13 (Sze daddy, Taiwan dust aka msg, pickled cabbage) (1 STAR) Tofu itself had no flavor. I didn't like the garlic soy paste. It had some Mala or tongue numbing spice in the garlic soy paste which I did not like. Huge pass on this dish. Not worth $13 - SEAWEED FRIES (nori, kewpie mayo, garlic) $10. This was delicious although the top pieces were a bit on the salty side. (4.5 STARS) Definitely recommend this to share. - WHOLE BDSM CHICKEN $52 (yellow fat chicken, furu, soy milk, green and yellow chive slaw) chicken was boneless, crispy, and full of flavor especially on the skin. Crunch in each bite. Also, l like the veggie slaw. It goes well with the chicken. This was definitely the highlight of our meal but way too salty. You need some white rice to go with this. We thought the "you fan" rice dish would help but that dish itself was too salty as well. (4.5 STARS) - YOU FAN $33 (neuske bacon, dried shiitake, dried scallop, dried shrimp) I didn't like this dish. It had a smokey flavor that I didn't like. I only ordered it because the ingredients sounded good and what I would like. The bacon was probably the only thing I liked from this dish. This dish was way too salty and smokey. (2 STAR) Overall, I will come back for their BDSM chicken and seaweed fries and maybe try something else on their menu. read more

Three friends and I got here ~4:40pm on a Saturday ahead of the 5pm opening, without a reservation, were the first ones in line, and got seated in the downstairs area. We also were able to order the BDSM chicken that they only have a limited quantity of per night - this was actually just OK; it didn't stand out to us in either flavor or texture, and was $62! It was a big portion though, so we did have leftovers after 3 people ate some. We did really like the fried tangyuan though! It was soo aesthetically pleasing, and a very interesting mix of flavors and textures that we really appreciated, especially the addition of the cilantro and peanuts with the black sesame. Overall, glad to have been able to try this place, but was not wow'd, nor do we feel the need to come back. It was also on the pricier side for what the food was, but I think we were paying for the inventiveness, presentation and expert spin. Also! The bathrooms were a fun experience, with the strobe lights and music. read more

Wenwen - Fried tangyuan was very aesthetic. - Taiwanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Had a great dinner with a friend here and I didn't realize how popular their chicken dish was that they only made a limited amount like 5 a day and so we didn't get a chance to try it but we tried a lot of other wonderful dishes. I particularly liked their popcorn chicken (I'm a big fan of Taiwanese fried chicken) and their nori fries SO GOOD!! Their fried rice hits home for me but the pork on top wasn't my favorite so I think I'll forgo it next time. We also really enjoyed their pickled cucumbers too. read more

See all

Super cute vibes inside! The menu and atmosphere was really well curated with Cantonese/ mandarin ballads playing everywhere, even in the bathroom! Our reservation was for 5 pm so we could get the bdsm chicken! we got there 15 min before 5 and people were already out in front waiting. As a group of four girls, we may have over ordered a bit and could barely finish (we didn't want to hold leftovers): seaweed fries crispy fried tofu lo ba beng (not pictured) cold sesame noodles bdsm chicken and drinks seaweed fries - 10/10 I loveee because it reminds me of Hong Kong's McDonald's when they had seaweed fries! Soo good I always miss it. They add a lot of garlic which went really well with the fries! The kewpie Mayo was really good with, just wished they gave a bit more because the fries were quite salty so it balanced well with the Mayo. But I really enjoyed them so I def recc! Crispy fried tofu with garlic soy paste - 9/10 Wasn't expecting much a first because it's just crispy fried tofu but omg it was fried really well! Super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I really enjoyed the sauce, it was like a tangy sauce but my other friend didn't like the sauce haha Lo ba beng - 8/10 Like I had high expectations for this one because I've been missing this dish since I last had it in Taiwan but it lacked flavor almost(?) like it had sauce but it wasn't strong enough? The rice texture was good tho and the egg was yummy but idk it just didn't hit like I hoped it would (Not pictured) Sesame noodles - 8.5/10 I had this at 886 and it's pretty much the same. It's good! The sauce is yummy and the eggs are good with it. BDSM chicken! - 10/10 Def the highlight of the night ! like spicy popcorn chicken powder on the whole thing! Fried really well and the condiments on top paired really well with the chicken! The drinks: guava juice and the spicy drink (idk which one) but the drink was def spicy Go for the BDSM Chicken! Also the bathroom is super cute !! read more

See all

NYC has essentially every type of cuisine in the world. Taiwanese food, however, is surprisingly lacking here. Wenwen fills that gap. I will add a caveat that the food definitely seems a bit altered for the American palate (i.e., it's sweeter than normal). But everything was still very delicious. read more

See all

As a Taiwanese, I rate this place 10/10! Everything is tasty! I wouldn't say it's 100% authentic (still a bit of fusion), but it's already 80% close. My favorite dish is their pork belly. I'd like to know where they got this pork belly. The portion of the fat and lean parts is PERFECT! Such a "beautiful" pork belly. If you are a fan of fat, you'd defiantly love it! I also love their fried rice, which contains "wok hay" (鑊氣). Wok hay is such a technique that even in Taiwan, it's a rare thing to get. Very impressive! read more

See all

4 stars for the food but two and a half or three for the ambiance. It's a crowded little place, and we were seated in the far back - an area that was likely an outdoor space previously and felt like it (we kept our coats on as it was super cold). The food came super speedily; there was no space between the apps and the entrees. The fried tofu was very tasty, as was the celltuce salad. Less successful were the 886 noodles. The flavor resembled sesame noodles and had a strong peanuty flavor and viscous texture. They were also super oily. We preferred the beef noodle soup but, overall, felt that the apps were more successful flavor-wise. read more

See all

Tasty, fun, reinventions of Taiwanese classics. The best dish in my opinion is actually the water spinach - super spicy, savory and aromatic with an addictive crunch. I haven't had the chance to try the BDSM chicken yet but it'll be on my radar for next time. Friendly staff, good vibes, and cool location - will be coming back for sure. read more

Service was great! Numbing celtuce salad - Favorite of the meal. It's a refreshing cold dish, with many complementing flavors (vinegar, sesame seeds, sichuan pepper). It also helps to round out more intense flavors in other dishes. 886 Noodle - second favorite dish. The tender beef shank was mild in flavor and mixed perfectly with the noodles coated with a curry-like sauce. Sacha Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken - The first 2 bites were great, but the honey's sweetness became too much after that. However, I was lucky to get a perfect bite from this dish, where the chicken was perfectly crunchy, and the outer edge had many different angles (ridges, dips), which made for a satisfying chew. Huadiao Shrimp - Wish the shrimp weren't skin-and-tail-on, but the mantou dipped in sauce and topped with the shrimp was still pretty good. read more

See all

EVERYONE COME HERE. Showed up for a 5PM reservation, right when they opened. There was already a line to get in and i'm pretty sure all of these people had reservations. We were pregaming for a friend from out of town, running the NYC Half. I guess they call this carbo-loading. We ordered pretty much everything. Three cup chicken, crispy fried tofu, fly's head, lo ba beng, lily fleming fried rice, whole striped bass, and youfan with uni. After our amazing meal, we HAD to give our best to Eric and Andy. They were super nice guys and stuck around to chat for a bit. I need to get out to 886 in EV and come back to Wenwen for another unforgettable meal. read more

See all