best chinese in china town

[Abi]

Am visiting NYC in November and would love China town - although I get a little put off witht he lack of hygiene in some of them. Can anyone help with a good clean fun restaurant with great food?

Thanks

[haleyjen]

Shanghai Cafe is still really good...and clean.

[Peter Cherches]

I think it's as good as Green Bo, but it hasn't made the Chowhound hot list, it seems.

[haleyjen]

I know...I think their soup dumplings are miles above Joe's.

[Peter Cherches]

I've been finding in recently that Chinatown has gone way downhill in general. I'm more likely to eat Chinese in midtown these days.

Some dishes at Congee Village are excellent, but the place is uneven. NY Noodletown is good for seafood and vegetables, but it's not great if you're claustrophobic. Ping's used to be great, but it has disappointed on the last 2 visits. Green Bo is good, but I don't think it deserves its cult status--Shanghai Cafe on Mott above Canal is as good, I think.

Vietnamese in Chinatown seems to have gone downhill too.

The Ice Cream Factory may have the best food in Chinatown!

http://petercherches.blogspot.com

[Pan]

I maintain that Congee Village is just as good as it ever was. So the unevenness has to do with your not liking certain dishes as much as others. I also don't like some of their dishes as much as others, but there are a lot of dishes there that are really good, certainly enough for any banquet I've had there.

[Abi]

Well we went to Congee Village. It was good but the service was not good at all. When i ordered I had to get my American friends to translate (!) and then they lost our order. It arrived 90 minutes later. But the food was good and my friend said her husband (who is a chef) had wanted to go there for ages and wanted to know how a mere Brit had heard about it! Thanks everyone!

[Pan]

Shocking! I don't have big problems with service there. I'm sorry you had such awful service.

[nyufoodie]

I concur...I've noticed the downhill trend on a couple of my Chinatown staples/favorites. Namely, Nyonya, Nha Trang and Ping's. I'm actually getting better dimsum in Greenwich, CT.

[Peter Cherches]

We seem to have a similar Asian restaurant M.O. Those are 3 of the same ones I've seen sliding. Also Pho Viet Huong, but it hasn't slipped to the same degree as Nha Trang.

[nyufoodie]

I hope that it's just a chef issue. I really used to love these 3 places. I read your review of the Ghanaian place. By any chance would you know of a good Nigerian place close by? I have been craving for their grilled skewers called 'Suya'.

[Peter Cherches]

I don't know of any Nigerian places; you should start a thread.

[Peter Cuce]

That's a pretty sweeping statement based on a very small sample. There are at least two hundred restaurants in Chinatown and quite a few of them that I frequent are still turning out good food.

[Peter Cherches]

Peter, could you share some favorites you'd recommend without hesitation?

[aladdnzane]

I've always loved Wo Hop on Mott St. I think it's one of the best. But I do agree with Peking Duck at Oriental Garden on Elizabeth St for duck it's great.

[Pan]

"I've always loved Wo Hop on Mott St. I think it's one of the best."

Best what? What is it that you find they do better than most other Chinese restaurants?

[herbbette]

wohop is horrible!

[Steve R]

Best place to go to dredge up memories of the late '60s, early '70s when we needed a cheap place to go at 2am in an "altered" state of mind and didnt care if the food was greasy?

[cadireon]

Big Wong's on Mott's bet. Canal and Bayard ... landmark. Peking Duck House on Mott's further down past Bayard, follow the road curve. Also, little ctown alley across the street from Elizabeth Center or 5th Precinct on Elizabeth Street bet. canal and bayard has some great places. Chinatown Ice Cream Factory ... be adventurous, if there's lotsa ppl in there ... usu. it's pretty good. Also, for a quick and cheap lunch/snack ... try Hong Kong Station (there's one on Bayard and Bowery) for noodles. Fay Da for bread (try the mango moichi- it's the orangey colored ball with coconut flakes on top).

[Abi]

Brilliant! Thanks so much! I might not eat between now and then!

[pgallagher4]

>Peking Duck House on Mott's further down past Bayard, follow the >road curve.

I prefer the Peking Duck at Oriental Garden on Elizabeth St. Oriental Garden serves mainly the duck's skin, which was crispier than what I tried at Peking Duck House. And instead of Peking Duck House's almost tortilla-like pancakes, Oriental Garden serves white mantou buns.

[theannerska]

Second Big Wong's, Fay Da, and the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory...I'm Chinese and these are the only places I go. Good stuff.

[csw]

congee village on allen street by delancey