Try our favorite version of beef rendang. The tender beef is simmered low & slow in a fragrant mixture of clove, cinnamon, lemongrass & coconut milk. It’s one of our #100best dishes & drinks of 2011. Read more.
Try the baked buns- the fabled hot dog roll, the scallion roll, or a sesame roll. All these incorporate some sugar, so they are sweet and salty. They make a very nice cheap lunch or snack on the run!
Winner of Best Use of XO Sauce in the Village Voice 2011 Best Of issue! The turnip cakes are tossed in the chile and fish sauce.
Amazing authentic Chinese food. Get the house special chicken. -Eric Wolitzky, Top Chef Just Desserts
Most authentic Malaysian food in NYC. Their asam stingray and nasi lemak are so good!
baked Chicken Bun ($.90). sweetness of steamed and baked buns, but with a more coarse, sandy crumb, a slightly nutty pie crust flavor, and crisp edges - Serious Eats
This tart won for having an exceptional crust that was flaky, light, tender, and just a bit crisp around the edges. The filling has a silky smooth and creamy texture, but not too sweet. Read more.
Hole in the wall coffee shop you could easily skip except for the fragrant and ethereally light sponge cake, easily the best in Chinatown and a steal at 70 cents each.
If you go to Amazing 66, don't miss this specialty: short ribs stewed in a whole pumpkin.
Clean takes on Malaysian cooking in a bright, friendly cafe. Prices are higher than elsewhere in Chinatown, but portions are large and the setting is more upscale.
End a gluttonous Chinatown dinner with a fantastic assortment of freshly made ice cream – the flavors change, but we like the Blueberry Cheesecake or the Wasabi.
Try the gorgeous, fibrous, compulsively snackable slabs of sliced spicy pork jerky. It’s one of our #100best dishes and drinks of 2011. Read more.
Spicy Village tells it like it is with their Spicy Big Tray Chicken: an enormous platter of chicken with mouth numbing Sichuan peppercorns (share it if you want to spare some taste buds).
Venerated late night Chinatown spot. Roast pork (and skin-on roast pig), noodles, fried soft shell crabs, and stir fried garlic chives are smart orders here.
The congee is served bubbling hot in a terracotta casserole, steaming with the aroma of whatever's added on top. It's hearty, soothing, and everything you want in the late night hours.
#1 (extra big bowl of pho): they are not joking about the size. Even the takeout version is huge. Do not order it unless you intend to share or you don't plan on eating for the next 24 hours.
The dumplings aren't the best in Chinatown, but their crisp, doughnut-light sesame pancakes stuffed with meat and vegetables are great.
NYMag Food & Drink Issue 2014: "...There's exotica like fresh durian and dragon fruit, purple yams and fresh peanuts in the shell, and giant Chinese okra."
