Chinatown East Broadway........ do I remember correctly?

[holldoll]

I used to frequent 2 excellent chinese restaurants that were next door to each other on East Broadway and can't recall the names of either. They atmosphere in both places was very nice and several cuts above most CT holes in the wall. Does anyone remember them and are either still good or there?
This goes back about 15 years now. Each restaurant had round tables both 8's and 12's which is what I a looking for but the food must be top notch. I don't even know where to begin it's been that long.

[jimmyjazz]

Pretty good hand pulled noodle soup. Hole in the wall sort of place just east of post office between Allen and Rutgers. Cheap and tasty

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Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle
144 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

[vinouspleasure]

you're thinking of hwa yuan. One of the first restaurants to introduce szechuan food to NYers. I've not had their equal of cold sesame noodles and dry sauteed string beans. if you google the restaurant you'll find lot's of articles.

I do agree that today there's a much broader and sophisticated set of choices around chinese food in NYC.

[swannee]

Overall the variety and quality of Chinese cuisines in NYC is better and better--especially non-Cantonese cuisines. But I definitely miss the Nice Restaurant--it was perfect for crowds of mixed culinary sophistication and adventurous spirit, had excellent Peking Duck and minced Squab in lettuce leaves, as well as one of the best versions of steamed pork cake with salt fish---in other words, both fancy and everyday. I haven't found a place to replace its particular attractions.

[Motosport]

Foo Joy?? But I think they closed over 20 years ago after the place was raided by the vice squad for back room gambling

[sgordon]

There's Golden Unicorn - an upper floor (it actually takes up three floors, IIRC) place that's good for large groups. The food is okay - decent enough but there's better in the neighborhood.

A block North on Division St, though, is Fuleen - which is among the best Cantonese seafood places in Chinatown right now. They have a few large tables - we recently went with a party of 8 (plus one toddler) and it was fine. Would make a reservation though.

If you want to go to the other side of Bowery in the more touristy part of Chinatown, I'd go with Oriental Garden for a real top notch feast. Ping's and South China Garden are also worth looking into. But if you want to stay East of Bowery - yeah, Fuleen's has no equal right now over there, IMHO.

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South China Garden
22 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

Fuleen
11 Division St, New York, NY 10002

Oriental Garden
14 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

Ping's
22 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Golden Unicorn
18 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002

[scoopG]

Today most, if not all the restaurants are on the NW side of East Broadway. But yes, there has been a complete turnover from 1996.

[Chandavkl]

Upstairs? Downstairs? Which side of the street? I'd say most of the places from 15 years ago are gone. Perhaps the standout at the time was Nice Restaurant, upstairs at 35 E. Broadway. It's been replaced at least a couple of times over.

[holldoll]

That's it! NICE restaurant. Sad they are all gone. Where do people who liked that go now?

[Chandavkl]

Don't be sad. Chinese food only gets better over time as new influences make their presence felt. In Chinatowns throughout North America, most of the best restaurants are those which have opened up in the past 15 years. However, don't go to the restaurant that currently occupies the space that Nice Restaurant used to occupy. It.s not particularly good.