Simple Chinese cafe specializing in soups & noodles with a view of workers making dumplings by hand.
Tram
When we walked in, there was a long line, but it moved quickly. I only waited about 5–7 minutes to order. They have signs on the wall saying you should know your order before stepping up and clean up after yourself, but I noticed a lot of people don’t really pay attention to that — so just be prepared.
What I ordered:
Wheat Noodles with Peanut Sauce (#5) – It was good, but I wish the sauce was thicker and more buttery so it would coat the noodles better. It was a bit watery, so the sauce kept sliding off when I picked up the noodles. Adding the chili oil from the table definitely helped improve the flavor.
Small Pork-Filled Fish Ball Soup (#11) – Pretty good overall. The broth was clean and hot (though it cooled down quickly). The fish balls tasted like real fish paste, not the powdery hotpot-style.
Overall, it was a good experience — two dishes for under $10 is hard to beat. Service was quick and efficient as long as you’re ready to order without hesitation. Also, it’s cash only.
… moreTravel Shan
We got our food to go, but would have sat inside if we didn’t need to be someplace shortly after our stop in. We got the wheat noodles with peanut butter sauce and the pork and chive dumplings and with tip it was $10 for two people for lunch! What a bargain. The noodles were delightful and we added the leftover dumpling sauce, had we ate there I would have added Sriracha to it and it would have been perfect. The dumplings were crisp and steaming hot and delicious, though they did short us one so we only got seven instead of the eight we ordered. Make sure you count before you leave! We will be back and dine in to enhance our experience.
… moreKate Rimolo
We tried to go here a couple of weeks ago, but the line was long and we were very hungry, so we left. Good news was that today the line was short, but ended up pretty long by the time we left. It seemed to move quickly though. They also have plenty of tables, so by the time you order one is usually available before your food is ready. Given the lines, I was expecting the food to be better. We got a #1a and a #11. The noodles and meat in 1a were ok, but not great. The broth wasn’t super flavorful. I’m not sure if it’s what we ordered, but this was probably the first place from the infatuation best noodles in nyc place where we said we don’t need to come back. Note, I love spicy food. Like really, really spicy. They didn’t really have anything spicy, minus the chili oil, which isn’t even spicy. It also was one of the most unappetizing things I have seen in a while. I am not sure how long it was been there, but I think it has more nastiness in it than bob Marley’s hair. I am not sure what the red sauce is, but it isn’t sriracha.
… moreMegan Clark
Absolutely delicious food and quick service. BRING CASH! It’s very busy inside but it’s common for you to ask to sit at a table with other people if seats are open. I got the wheat noodles with peanut butter sauce and vegetable dumplings for $8.25! Wow such a steal. I’m vegetarian and with my two dishes I left full and satisfied. My friend recommended the wheat noodles vs the thick rice noodles because she thinks they soak up the sauce more and I was happy with them! I’m sure personal preference factors into preferred noodle type. No frills place, but can’t beat the price or the flavor here. I think it’s worth the hype
… moreJessica
I came here for lunch with a few friends who have never tried Fuzhounese food before. We ordered fried dumplings, steamed dumplings, peanut butter noodles, wonton soup, and fish ball soup. We all enjoyed the food and left super full. The prices are very affordable, we only spent $35 for a total of 4 people. There are a good amount of tables and also a bathroom for customers. I definitely will be coming back here soon!
… moreJ J
I don’t know where else you can find $5 dumplings plate that tasted good and served on the spot !
The chives and shrimp ones are yummy. We ordered 3 different types. The fried ones tasted the best. The chicken ones are so so. All good value. It was a mistake trying the beef tribe noodles – couldn’t eat it. The minced beef in the noodles soup also not to my liking. I’m a big fan of fish balls but fuzhou fishball has a gluey texture that I do not like. I also don’t care for the filling or flavor.
The lines are long (between 6-8pm). It’s like the happening place for pre party and college kids, tourists etc it’s cheap. Portions are surprisingly decent. Cash only. ATM machine right there if you need cash.
… moreSamara Luong
Cash only!
I tried the peanut butter noodles and fried pork dumplings with only $8.25 —both were great deals and super satisfying. The noodles were springy with a light, savory peanut sauce, simple but filling. The dumplings stole the show: crispy bottoms, juicy pork inside, and perfect with vinegar soy sauce. No-frills, hearty flavors, and unbeatable prices make this spot a go-to for quick, comforting eats.
Me Asian approved!
… morejkus eats
PEAK cheap NYC chinatown dumplings and noodles. Simple, quick, DELICIOUS, and most importantly, CHEAP compared to everything in NYC. Love their steamed and fried dumplings, great texture, tasty fillings. The soup is boiling hot that I had to wait 10 minutes to air it out. Service would be what you’d expect from a Chinatown place that they’d serve cheap food, appreciate it!
… moreW L
Tasty and cheap but the flavors were a bit off my personal preference.
Ordered the fried pork and chive dumplings and a hot and sour soup for $8.50. It would be more accurate to describe it as a chive and little bit of pork dumpling. Too much chive to pork ratio. I get it, you get what you pay for, and for that price it makes sense. You can see from the picture that it’s mostly green. Other stores with more pork in them charge closer to $8. I just prefer a meatier dumpling.
The hot and sour soup had decent flavor but wasn’t sour, hot or salty enough so I added some of the readily available vinegar, soy sauce and chili paste.
Not too busy at 10:30am but when I left at 10:45 it there was about a 6 person line.
… moreShad Berry
Good cheap dumplings. But the noodle soups were straight up ~meh~ the broth was so flavorless I had to add multiple spoonfuls of chili oil and it still wasn’t good. The noodles were way too soft. The beef pieces and tripe really saved this dish. Go for the dumplings. Pork and chive were good. Super juicy.
The place was packed on a Sunday afternoon at 2:45 pm. Nowhere to sit. Insane line. Luckily we sat across from two nice people which made it worthwhile. So many other less crowded and more delicious places to go in Chinatown. This isn’t a place that you need to visit. Skip it!
… more