chinatown recommendations please

[zjpolo]

I am sick and tired of my usual Chinatown restaurant, and would like recommendations for some new ones to try. Nothing touristy, I prefer the type where the food is authentic and I am one of the only non-Asian in the place. I also don't care about the decor...hole in the wall is fine and from my experience, that is where the food is usually better.
Thanks!

[Jel212]

I popped into a place that was new to me this past weekend for Dim Sum - a great find! One of the classic hole-in-the-walls, dirt cheap - dumplings $1.70 and buns $0.70. Good, too!! Chatham Restaurant on Bowery, across from Chatham Sq. Enjoy!!

[bigjeff]

curious, zjpolo, what were, or are, your usual joints?

[inmandarin]

try cantonese on 66 mott, Amazing 66. order the fried butter fish with salt/pepper. i found their braised duck cuts (bone-out) to be satisfactory, but not the best i've tasted.

[Produce Addict]

Their pork belly casserole is also delicious!

[Lau]

yeah their pork belly casserole is excellent

[bigjeff]

heh, be aware that their pork belly in XO sauce is actually pork stomach, cured and scored cross-hatch to look like squid, but actually belly, as in, belly. a bit rubbery, but quite tasty, not at all the pork belly I was expecting which was bacon-y.

[Chandavkl]

I'll get the ball rolling with various categories:

Traditional Cantonese--Cantoon Garden, 22 Elizabeth St.
Dumplings - Prosperity Dumpling, 46 Eldridge St.
Noodles - Wing Huang, 111 Lafayette St.; Roasted Delights, 5 Catherine St.
Hong Kong Seafood - East Ocean, 53 Bayard St.

[Lau]

i'm a regular at Super Taste on eldridge right below canal (eat there once a week). It's run by fujian people serving lanzhou hand pulled noodles...aside from some random chowhound types you see there its basically all chinese (fujian mainly).

Here's what i get (highly recommend):
- spicy beef noodle soup (la de niu rou la mian) - dont forget to put some pickled vegetables they provide you on the table
- fish balls (yu wan) - good, but much better with chili oil

generally you should be fine with english b/c the owner and the shorter tan guy speak english and they usually take your order. If you get any of the others waiters you'll need to speak chinese (nothing on the wall is written in english, if you get one of the paper menus on the counter they have english). I get the same thing everytime although i the pork bone noodle is good as well.

[bigjeff]

they have nice dumplings there too, I think its 20 for $3 maybe? boiled ones, nice side to the noodle soup. also nice is sheng wang across the street, same stuff although I haven't had their dumplings.

[Lau]

totally agree with you on wing huang, that place is a hidden gem, solid congee, bbq and soup noodles...i regularly go there

I generally like east corner wonton too, right by the bridge on east broadway

[Lau]

oh one more...i generally like moon house for their shanghainese appetizers (my friend's best friends with the family and the owner makes all the appetizers from scratch herself)
- fried tiny buns (sheng jian bao)
- scallion pancakes (cong you bing)
- cold noodles in sesame sauce with tofu

[zjpolo]

thank you both for those interesting suggestions...i'll try one tomorrow!! Thanks!

[tsiblis]

The New Big Wang on Bayard & Elizabeth is great - lobsters, noodles, meat on rice, etc.

[lilnugget]

your rec's sound wonderful! can't wait to try wing huang, moon house, and super taste. how does super taste compare to eastern noodles?

[Lau]

same style of noodles, but i like super taste better than eastern although i think eastern is pretty good. Plus, eastern doesnt have spicy soup, which i like the best

[lilnugget]

yum, i LOVE spicy soup too. i'm going to try it tonight. will probably pass out from heat exhaustion..

[lilnugget]

the spicy noodle soup was fantastic. its exactly what i crave, all the time.. very funny - there were about 5 other people in the place, no one was talking, all you could hear were slurping noises. thanks for the great rec.