Joe’s ginger is a retro paradise! The atmosphere is unbeatable, eating here is like a portal to the 80’s. The service is fast & friendly and the food is ferociously superb! I ordered shrimp har gow and chicken noodle soup. The dumplings came out first, steaming and bouncy! Then the hot soup with beautiful portions of meat/veggies. And a super flavorful broth! With a savory aroma that made my mouth water! Apparently, it was so appetizing that the lady next to me ordered the same thing just based off my slurping! That’s not the first time that’s happened! The first time was at Vietnamese spot. You could definitely share it with another person, but I was starving! This is definitely a place where you can let your stomach go wild and let it order anything it wants! You’ll never leave with a frown! My one critique is, I would’ve loved to have been listening to an 80’s playlist or just something to kind of fill the empty sound gaps. Other than that, the place was bustling with conversations and nobody really seemed to mind. I love this place! Please don’t ever change the decor! She’s beautiful just the way she is! 🥟✨

We come here every time we come to New York. Their soup Dumplings are great. Prices are very reasonable. We opted to take out instead of eating in this time

We had lunch there, Peking duck, dumplings, everything was excellent. We travelled a lot throughout Asia and big fans of dim sum food and this is up there. We got this place recommended so didn't bother with the reviews. Understand the negative reviews came from poor service for the most part, frankly we had great service so maybe that person no longer works there. The quality of the food is excellent and an old lady was actually hand making the dumplings in the restaurant while we were eating there, so I don't understand the frozen comments either.

Great place to have lunch/dinner. They have wide selection of foods, staff is friendly and they have outside seating!!! Also they have frozen dumplings if you want to take them home. Things to improve: they brought only one napkin for two of us, they didn’t have Chinese mustard when we asked for it, also they run out of chicken when we came in around 3.30pm.

Anything in NY is new to me since I'm a tourist, and the prices here are definitely worth stopping for, not to mention how tasteful this was. A lil crowded space but it's expected as since it's NY. All these three entrees were <$20. Enough to say that was enough to feed 3 females. They do have a banner for "best soup dumplings" which if I may say, they were extraordinary. HIGHLY recommend this place if you're near the area.

*cash only* Our go to spot for authentic soup dumplings. We love the pork dumplings and crab dumplings. The broth is absolutely incredible 🥟 Tried the shrimp & pork shumai tonight which is now a new favorite!

I can't understand the bad reviews. The waiters do not speak the best English, but they are very attentive, fast and friendly. The duck and chicken were very good. I can also highly recommend the dim sum. Attention, here is no card payment possible.

Famous for soup dumplings, this restaurant is a must! I had a wonderful meal with my family. I came to the restaurant after hearing from friends. We had an order of the pork soup dumplings and also the crab meat soup dumplings, and both were delicious. They were perfectly steamed and had juicy soup, so you have to first pour the soup out into your spoon to drink it and then eat the dumplings. It was our first time there, and we will definitely come back. We also had vegetable dishes and noodle dishes that were great. This place is cash only, and there is often a line from what I hear, but we did not have to wait too long for a table, although it was very busy after we started eating there. Looking forward to coming back.

RH P

The food here is tops! This is our second favorite place in Chinatown. No one goes to Chinese restaurants for wonderful service or atmosphere, IMO, so I will keep going here for my fave soup dumplings and BBQ pork buns.

Amanda Moss

I’m not sure why everyone gives this place such a bad rating. The food is great. The soup dumplings are truly delicious. It is NOT expensive compared to other restaurants, but might be considered pricey for Chinatown. But I don’t think $5-$12 for a meal is pricey. I don’t find the service to be rude. It’s very distant, which is customary in most places outside of the states. They don’t coddle you, they just take your order and bring you food. Nothing wrong with that. There’s an ATM upstairs if you forget cash. Literally a delicious, must stop spot in Chinatown. This is my second visit and I’m just as satisfied.

Delicious food 👌🏽If you don’t order big main dishes like the Peking Duck, then for two people you can easily order a lot for less than 100. We ordered a lot more, I just didn’t take a photo.

CASH ONLY!! You'll see that sign everywhere in the restaurant. Now you know. 🙂 If you want solid soup dumplings and "Joe's Shanghai" is too busy, swing by its sister restaurant "Joe's Ginger". My friends and I ordered the soup dumplings, scallion pancakes, and pork buns. A solid meal which hit the spot. The service is fast and, well, the staff is right to the point. 🙂 You can't go wrong here with the food. I'll definitely return!

My group and I walked in, the place seems cozy but awkward. The space was a little tight and the bathroom was on the second floor for some reason. The waiters were a little...informal, like their attitude was like "Eh, whatever." They don't accept cards, so paying for our food was a little tight. I had gotten the beef and broccoli and thanks to my family having experience in operating Chinese carry-outs, I have knowledge about American-Chinese food. The beef was not bad, the broccoli tasted bland and a bit crunchy, the sauce was mediocre, and...the rice was not fresh, at least a day old. For some reason, I didn't hear any sort of cooking in the kitchen. In conclusion, I would probably come back to try the other items if I don't take interest in the other restaurants around.

I love Joe’s Ginger. Sure, the service isn’t great and it’s kinda rough around the edges, but Joe’s ginger is a fantastic hole-in-the-wall for delicious soup dumplings, mini pan fried pork buns, and more. Don’t want to wait 2 hours at the other Joe’s? this place does them just the same (the used to share a kitchen!). give it a shot for some fantastic cheap eats and don’t let the negative reviews scare you away!

Dumplings were good; The rice inside of the leaf was good too. Wish the tables were a bit more clean and non-sticky. Servers aren’t the best once you walk in here, but they’re quick and a bit nicer after a while…….also the table next to the entrance door wish it wasn’t there at all, it’s not in balance and the drinks might fall.

The food was good, the service was pretty much as everyone else described it. Cash only, which it clearly states on the door. It is very expensive, and portions vary depending on what you get. The regular dumplings are tiny. It is a very small place, at least that's what it looks like. They cram everyone downstairs, but they have an upstairs too. Not sure if I would go again, but it was ok for a one time thing.

A lesser know location of Joe's Shanghai, but much easier to get a table. Same amazing soup dumplings and authentic Shanghainese dishes. Quick service, low price. It's not an authentic chinese restaurant experience without a grandma prepping veggies or making dumpling on an unused table😁. Not sure how I feel about the street seating like the other restaurants on the block, might be ok during shoulder seasons, service not aa good.

The worst service I’ve ever met before, rude! Asked for another dish of ginger vinegar, was ignored. food compared to other Shanghainese/Chinese restaurant just ok, won’t come back.

Amanda Hahn

Went on a dumpling crawl and this place was second best. Soup dumplings couldn’t have been more perfect though! Super crowded spot

David Cunningham

The #2 soup dumplings were really good. I'm a newbie to this and didn't expect the soup to be inside the dumpling... I would go back for this dish because it was super delicious. Also had vegetable buns - this was great too. Unfortunately they do not have vegetarian soup dumplings. The service/staff was adequate, they serve food fast and roll their eyes when you take to long to make a decision. The restaurant was clean, but small.

Noel Echevarria

This place has good tasty food and it’s very quiet when there are not a lot of people inside. The restaurant eating are is clean and it smells like tasty food (I say this because other restaurants smell bad). I was satisfied with the food overall but the service was lacking. The waiter was very aggressive when taking orders like if he had somewhere to be. Then when he didn’t like something that we mentioned or said he said something in mandarine about us (my spouse speaks mandarin) she understood everything. He also had a attitude from sitting us down to taking the orders. When it came to pay they were all nice. Didn’t come here for service but you can come for the food. Overall score 3.5 stars.

Martina Ruseva

Randomly walked into this restaurant on a Friday night around 8:30pm and we were able to get seated right away. The vibe was casual and the prices are reasonable. My favorite dish were the pork soup dumplings. I highly recommend getting them. We also got the scallion pancakes and fried rice with shrimp and they were good, but I wouldn’t call them exceptional.

+2

The scallion pancake wasn’t my favorite, pretty bland and oily, not many scallions. But the soup dumplings were pretty good. I liked the ginger soy sauce more than the other sauce that was brought to the table. I didn’t have a bad experience with the staff.

The dumpling wrapping is a little thicker than average. The fried radish taste bland I would not recommend this restaurant if you are looking for tasty Shanghainese food. Service isn’t that great. They do not provide drinking water

The food was only OK, lacked flavor. The pork soup dumpling was a bit salty, and the beef pan-fried noodle was small for the price. The bean curd didn’t have much marinade taste either. It was a slow Saturday night, and the inside dining area was empty. They only accept cash, but there’s an ATM on their second floor.

Been here many times throughout the years. First time going after Covid. Seating was no different before the pandemic and there were a couple tables outside for outdoor dining which happened to be on a Sunny day. The soup dumplings were okay with the dumpling skin getting pretty thick. The seafood noodle was horrible and super salty with the portion size shrinking with the price going up.

+1

Food was decent, nothing out of this world. Maybe they are known for their soup dumplings. I tried the hand pulled noodles with beef, which didn’t looked or felt like the Real deal. Not happy with the portions, feels bit pricey for the amount of food served. I had to order another dish to feel comfortable. Second dish was the Jalapeño with squid and beef. The concept sounds amazing , but the beef is ground beef so that’s a let down. Should be real beef!!!! You hear that ownership!!! It felt short on portion and in flavor. But creativity gives it a star. I ordered the duck bbq spring roll and it did not bring any flavor or feelings to my tongue to explode into amazement. So go and perhaps try their soup dumplings but was not happy with their food. And it’s over price for what they charge and miniature potions.

Three-star ranking is well-deserved for this place. Considering the rudeness of the staff, attitude food portions, taste, and the overall atmosphere, they don’t deserve more. It’s cash only and leaving a generous tip is a “must”.

I was attracted by the Zagat’s rated announcement outside and did not check Google maps. After having eaten the stickiest shrimp dumpling of my life, i understand why is rated 3.5 in google maps, today 1st of March 2022

+4

The food was good, I tried fried noodles with pork, the noodles where exactly as I expected. Unfortunately the service was awful. They're not friendly, we received the bill while we were sill eating (nobody asked if we wanted a dessert, more drinks or something else) and also they complained about the tip, they said that must be at least the 10%. I'll not be back.

Overpriced, small portions. Not special. Everything feels defrosted and not super fresh. Their egg rolls are tiny and closer to cigars. Not the cleanest.

my go to chinatown spot for years. wait staff has always been extremely dismissive, sometimes even rude. but the food was always very good. however on my most recent trip, the food was awful. everything was completely bland. the chicken smelled like rotten fish. sadly i dont think i will be returning. cash only.

Cute eatery with indoor and outdoor seating. Food was pretty good. Excellent braised eggplant and some dumplings were good. Employees were incredibly rude. Came by to take our order 2 minutes after sitting down. Ordered drinks and an appetizer saying we need time to look at menus. Cane backe a minute later asking again. Told them still looking. A different employee came 2 minutes later demanding we order. Later, when we were about to leave, the moment we finished eating they snatched the dishes from us and told us to leave.

Horrible service, the staff was aggressive. Someone at a table nearby didn't tip high enough and took their drinks away. Our waiter was practically throwing the menus on our table. The manager was nicer and came by a few times to make sure we had everything. The food was fine though. I recommend the Pork Dumplings.

Positive: Dumping’s were good but be careful for the water the pours out. It’s nice to have the tea ready when you come in from the cold. Negative: The other entrees were not the best. Staff are very rude need to work on being nice to there customers. The women at the till just stares and looks annoyed. Our waiter just slammed down our plates and left quickly. Will not be coming back.... FYI cash only. Cash machine in hairdresser shop across the street. They didn’t explain this well. They just point outside when you ask.

Worst shao long bao. It came all busted with pinkisk meat juice(looking slimy) outside the dumplings. They laid some cabbage below to prevent the dumpling skin breaking, but in our case, every one of them was busted. Also, beef in the beef tendon noodles was very tough. It should've been boiled longer, until tender. Also, noticed the proprietor getting ready to prepare food from frozen block of diced pork, which made me wonder if the shao long bao meat had also been frozen. Trusted the Zagat sign outside. What a mistake.

My grandmother is from Shanghai and I’ve been eating Chinese food with my Chinese family for decades. I had a hankering for Shanghainese but this place left me disappointed. Can’t believe this place is as popular as it it. Soup dumplings are mediocre and the dough is too thick. Coarsely cut ginger and low grade vinegar is a disgrace. What they call tiny dumplings 生煎包 had virtually no meat and extra thick dough. Cash only. Service reached a new low. Worst I’ve experienced in a long time. Extra charge for tea. Seriously thought about not leaving a tip which would’ve been fair. Last time for me.

the dumplings were tasty. but the service was horrible. they literally shout at you. we felt very uncomfortable and got out as soon as possible.

Food really is subpar. I was trying to get into other restaurants nearby but this is the only one not busy. And now I know why, the soup dumplings is not good at all. Not only was it not good quality, it was steamed too long or sat around. It was dry and the skin was a bit hard. The filling inside didn’t have good flavor. Also ordered spicy Sichuan style beef noodles and it was really mediocre in quality and flavor. Not spicy and he soup was too bland. The prices were quite high and the food just didn’t stand up to it. The service was also not very good, sat down without any tea or water offered. The waiter pushed me to order bottle water instead for tap water.

The food here is not bad, it's a pleasant meal, unfortunately other then that it's all bad, the service is terrible the place is dirty and smelly, if you go to the bathroom you will be disgused and the prices are too high for the food quality and service, you will pay an average of 20$ per person here. You can easily find better really close to this restaurant I don't recommend coming here.

+2

I came here with my friend for lunch and they took a while to seat us and the service was kind of slow. I get it, many customers, so not the main point of my review. My friend and I ordered two dishes and it came out quickly. Regarding the soup dumplings: I’m not too much of a fan of Joe’s Shanghai, so I mainly chose this place on a whim to compare it with Shanghai. Anyway, Joe’s skin is too thick for me but at least the dumplings are intact, the service is nice, and the broth is flavorful, most flavorful in the city in my opinion. Not necessarily a good thing, but that’s another story. Anyway, Joe’s Ginger was like Joe’s Shanghai but without any of the redeeming qualities. When we received the soup dumplings, they were nicely plated on lettuce, but some were broken and although the skin was thinner than Joe’s Shanghai’s, it wasn’t delicate either. The service wasn’t great, too. I can excuse subpar food, maybe other people like it; but the service got me. When we finished, the bill came out to $40.15. My friend and I were a bit shocked since we only ordered two dishes but it’s mostly our fault, the prices were listed. We only had $40 and were scrambling in our bags for any other bills while the waiter was over our shoulder and when he handed us the bill, he also said, “$46”. What’s with the mandatory 15% gratuity?! Despite planning on going to an ATM and tipping 20% anyway, I protested, “isn’t it just $40??” The waiter responded with, “it’s $6 more for service, are you not from here?”. It was kind of inappropriate to question our nationality. Before all of this, we managed to get out $5 already so the waiter was doing all of that for just $1. He ended up excusing the $5 tip. I should’ve revoked the tip right then and there but before I had time to react, the waiter already took our bill and swiftly cleaned the table. I’m Asian American—Vietnamese to be specific, but Chinese passing and I can also speak some Chinese. 我是越南人、可以说有点儿汉语—so I’ve dined at a fair amount of authentic Chinese and Viet restaurants, so it’s not about being used to non-American service; I rarely experience bad service at East Asian restaurants, even those with waiters that speak little English, and never as bad as this place.

Jr

Such a good atmosphere ruined by the server (older Asian women) The food was great up until the final order. To top off the rude service we got served raw pork, which I found out it was raw after eating one. The service was very rushed and passive aggressive since the beginning. Regardless of everything we tipped, all though it was the minimum, I thought it was fair due to the service and raw food experience. We ordered egg rolls and they were laughable small, it was 99% roll dough. They had virtually no filling. The older server counted the money infront of us and decided to call us out infront of the establishment for the light tip. The audacity. I should have left nothing. So many better choices around. Skip it

Michael Donato

Oops, I walked into a tourist trap! I don’t mind bad service if I know the food is going to be good. Unfortunately both were severely lacking. Probably the worst Chinese meal in my life. I ordered chicken and sweet corn soup and fried pork and crab dumplings. Both were extremely bland. When I received my bill the waiter made a point of telling me that the tip was not included, which I thought was a bit rude and in bad taste. Wishing I had checked the online reviews before dining in.

Lauren Miller-Mazzant

The food was great, dumplings were amazing, however the service was terrible. The people working here were so rude to us, me in particular. I had given the exact amount to pay on the receipt, because I always leave the tip on the table. I’m from Ohio, so I’m not sure if that’s uncommon in NY or not. They refused to take the bill because I didn’t leave a tip yet. I had also questioned the bill three times because it didn’t seem accurate and each time was ignored. They refused to take the bill again when I got frustrated trying to get answers about the pricing because I still didn’t put a tip. In my opinion a tip wasn’t deserved because of the service. I left one to be nice anyway, but if I could do it all over again I would have left the money to pay the bill on the table and not have tipped at all.

Ana Martarello

A tourist trap.... there were quite some people sitting outside so we thought why not. Ordered some dumplings as they seem to be known for that, a mixed fried rice and fried crunchy seafood noodles. The dumplings were pretty good, but that was the only thing. Quite a disappointment. I can do a better fried rice at home and don't need to pay such absurd prices. The fried crunchy seafood noodles was a terrible choice, some were crunchy, some soggy and for such a high price, almost 20 $ for the dish! An order of dumplings was being brought around by the servers because they didn't know where it was supposed to go and when it came to our table it was not warm anymore. Then when we got to pay, total of 55 $ and the waiter said that we should give a minimum of 65$. Was a bit odd to ask for so much tip with mediocre food and a bad service.

Terrible food, old shrimp , old fry noodles. Burnt pancakes. The manager made herself the addition and took 20$ for herself. Get ready to get disappointed.

Terrible experience. Don’t waste your time. Had to rush out the restaurant with my family, they treated us so poorly I felt guilty being there. Food extremely disappointing for all the “rewards” glued to the wall, no seasoning, no taste, felt like frozen. Waitress had the worst attitude I’ve seen and I’m a server myself.

Food wasn’t fully cooked, the service was worse than awful. I asked the server to inquire for my food allergy and he wouldn’t. When we ordered just out of hunger, the food was undercooked and hard. Then the server had the audacity to insist on having a tip after we paid.

This place deserves a 0 star. Trust your fellow google reviewers and absolutely stay away! Horrible service, awful food, ridiculous portion.

The dining experience was deeply disappointing, beginning with the food itself—particularly the noodles, which were saturated in sake to the point of disintegration and entirely unpalatable. It’s evident that many patrons frequent this establishment more out of necessity than genuine desire, given the limited alternatives aside from House of Joy. The shrimp dish, for instance, was egregiously overpriced, offering a mere six pieces that were aggressively overseasoned and so desiccated they could rival the aridity of the Sahara. Service was equally disheartening; when my family and I politely requested a dish exchange, we were met not with professionalism, but with overt rudeness and refusal. To make matters worse, the hygiene standards were appalling. One spoon was visibly stained with yellow residue, and shockingly, I discovered what appeared to be a pubic hair on one of my plates. Such oversights are unacceptable in any dining establishment.

I don’t like to leave reviews, but this was the absolute worst foood in china town absolute trash, wouldn’t wish on anyone to come here service horrible, food dry and rushed, servers don’t give a care in the world for you. Do not go here there are so many places to go besides this place. It’s also extremely rip off expensive.

While Joe's meal was mediocre, the beef fried rice was excellent, with the ideal proportion of beef to rice. The server didn't even bring us a water glass, and the service was awful. However, he made sure to note that the tip wasn't included when he presented the bill. Joe's dumpling is not friendly; I'm not sure if they're racist, but they certainly treat customers differently.

Bad service and bad food! I could see the employees pulling the food out of plastic bags in the freezer to heat up and serve. Bathrooms were gross and dirty!

I went here and ordered spring rolls, fried rice, pork and crab soup dumplings and duck dumplings, the spring rolls were good but they were very tiny and had like one little piece of crab meat and they looked bigger on the menu. The duck dumplings were horrible the skin of the dumplings were very thick, they barley put any duck and it was cold, my soup dumplings tasted like they didn’t even give me the crab meat and pork one and that they only gave me pork, the rice was good though no complaints on that. While we were eating one of the waitresses went over my table to pass another table something than just going around which I did not like, I tipped her $2 and she made a big show about how I didn’t tip her enough the service was horrible and I would’ve tipped her better if I loved my experience here but I did not

This was the worst restaurant I have dined at in my life. The only things palatable were the soup dumplings and scallion pancake. Everything else we ordered was over salted. The pan fried noodles were totally not what I expected...it was like chewing into a rice cake (cardboard). The General Tso's chicken was meh. To make things worst, there was hardly any air-conditioning in the restaurant. We were on the second floor and were sweating through our dinner. To add insult to injury, the wait staff was completely rude, inattentive, and took their sweet time to answer you. I wanted a refill on my cold water and had to ask a million times...it really wasn't that busy. I am so disappointed with my experience here. You're better off going to another restaurant than eating here!

Service terrible as soon as we walk in. Ordered the soup dumplings, cold noodles, shu mai. They were all disgusting. If you love chinese food, go to flushing.

The moment I walked inside I knew something was wrong. The service was absolutely terrible. With all due respect the food was an absolute let down! Many reviews mentioned that the soup dumplings were good but the way I see it? Not so much or at least not anymore. This ain't the right representation for Chinese food at all! Chinese food's way better than this!!

Not great. Very slimey soup douplings with weird chunks and questionable doneness. Not welcoming atmosphere. Forced tip, cash only.

Just randomly found a restaurant to go into on the street… WORST decision EVER… probably the worst representation of a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown I’ve ever went to… been in the industry for years now and haven’t seen such rude service, small portion (like this scallion pancake is actually just one piece of store bought pancake),and forced tipping culture… AVOID at all cost… like I honestly dunno how this restaurant survived here (lol probably all their HIGH PROFIT MARGIN)… I would’ve gave 0 stars if I could

I wish I had seen the zillions of very accurate one star reviews before eating here. My stomach would have thanked me. This place is bad in every way.

As a Chinese I am so so so disappointed with the food and the service. We had the no.1 crab soup dumpling and I just can’t. Their food looks and tastes just terrible. And they also force you to tip or you won’t be able to get out. There are so many good Chinese food around and I really really don’t recommend this one at all. Think twice if you really want to get nice and serious Chinese food.

It is not what it used to be. The food is simply not good. The pan fried dumplings are not fresh and very dried.

Recently went here and this is probably the worst Chinese restaurant I’ve ever been to. The service could be better and was lackluster at best, but our waiter was something else. Incredibly rude and even accusing to one of the kids at our party that included jabbing at her for asking about a discarded boba cup that wasn’t even hers in a harsh way (touching her and her sibling out of the blue to ‘correct’ them), even rushing us to order despite there being no one else in the restaurant (we were also a rather large party). The food was small in portions and expensive and tasted mid. There are definitely better places to eat elsewhere rather than going here. They expect you to tip for their service fee while standing next to you.

I should have know when it was empty. Tiny portions. Spring rolls no duck whatsoever inside, let alone BBQ sauce. Soup dumplings gross and too pink for my liking. I would have let the rude service go if the food was amazing. It was not. Don’t trust the tik tok reviews. I wish I could give a zero.

The food is great—I’ll give them that. The soup dumplings are especially good. But the service? Absolutely terrible. It’s like they don’t want customers in the store. I placed a takeaway order, and since it was taking a while, I sat down to eat from the box once I got it. They practically kicked me out and told me I couldn’t eat there. Why? Still no idea. It was rude, unwelcoming, and completely unnecessary. Great food, but the service leaves a horrible taste.

Very disappointing coming back to this place that used to be really good, but got served undercooked dumplings. How can they mess up the food they are experts in.

I couldn't say any experience in here, terrible treatment. Servers should be retrained strongly. Service attitude can't follow the food. Nevertheless, Chinese dumping is good . P.S : You have to take care of servers with CASH

This is the WORST restaurant I had ever eating in NYC in 25 years living here. It is definitely a tourist trap. The food was disgusting, poor quality meat, rotten shrimp, soggy “crispy fried noddles” and besides this, they overcharged us. AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!!

This is my first time leaving a review lol. I went to this restaurant with my boyfriend and we ordered fish fillet that came out lookin like un-fried chicken nuggets and duck that tasted like chicken lol. The food was horrendous to say the least. Another customer got upset and asked for a refund. This place is cooked word on my mother. YURHHHHH and the old lady is so grumpy LMAO

The attitude was extremely rude and disrespectful, treating you like a fool. The portion sizes were ridiculously small — we ordered four dishes for two people and it was barely enough. Definitely won’t be coming back, absolutely not recommended

Do not come here. The service is so passive and rude, the food is overpriced and bland. We only came because our favorite spot had a crazy line and completely regret it. So many better options in Chinatown…

DONT EAT HERE!! The food is terrible, you could feel that was still frozen and not tasty at all. The place is dirty and bathrooms give you an idea of what the kitchen looks like. The service is the worse I’ve had in my entire life! The waitress is so rude that made all of us and the entire room feel so uncomfortable ruining our family lunch. They gave the check in Chinese so you don’t understand what you are paying for. There was plates missing that we ordered being charged and beers were warm. Only take cash as payment, so IRS is probably unaware of their business. Very surprised that they display so many Zagat rating at the front, probably fake. Sad to have such a terrible experience and have to leave the place with my entire family feeling humiliated.

Service was quite rude and inattentive, and they wouldn’t let me leave without tipping. The atmosphere is depressing and the food is mediocre and expensive for what it is. The XLB were incredibly unappetizing and had an off-putting pinkish color and had some coagulated fat or protein. The shu mai were tiny and dry. Avoid this place.

The waiter is very rude and unprofessional when I ask if the vegetarian platter is suitable for vegan, he didn’t know anything about that and didn’t care at all, so I had to go ask the boss in the front desk myself. the plating is super ugly, the way he served the food like throw a trash in front of you. This 8 little dumplings are called”vegetarian platter”, cost $12.5. we order 2 dim sum platters, a diet coke and a scallion pancake, cost $36, and its cash only. I don’t mind to pay this amount because it’s the normal price in NYC, however, the food is even below normal and the service is surprisingly insulting. I speak Chinese and the waiter couldn’t even smoothly communicate in Chinese instead of Cantonese. Not mention about English, the waiter didn’t even look at my American friend when he spoke.

Got this recommendation from friends who raved about the food. I can't say the food was bad, it was really tasty. The problem is the people who work there. One employee was sleeping next to the table we were sitting at, the other was dumping at the next table without gloves. The lady who served us was so rude that I haven't experienced such bad service in a long time - she took our order as if she was doing us a great favor that she would bring us something at all. I read people's opinions after this incident and I see that this problem is common and nobody is doing anything about it to improve the bad impression of employees. Too bad, I won't be going there again.

Shockingly bad soup dumplings. I got the pork XLB and it came with broken dumplings and tasted very strange. First time in my life I’ve ever left soup dumplings behind, and I have eaten many soup dumplings. Rude service, too, which wouldn’t really bother me if the food was good. However, the food was not good. I would recommend trying literally any other restaurant in Chinatown (besides Joe’s Shanghai) if you want soup dumplings.

Walked in on a Saturday afternoon, clearly a reason why the place was empty and we were seated right away. Nothing special at all about the food, small portions and very expensive. Would also like to point out cash only and similar to other reviews waiter waiting beside as you pay the bill saying gratuity not included. Avoid this restaurant at all costs! There are much better Chinese restaurants in NYC.

I’m still shock I went to this restaurant they told me to go upstairs there is a table. I wait the waiter was rude and say sorry I’m not taking order I thought he meant now so I was like don’t worry I can’t wait. I asked for the menu 5 min later he comes back (not for me) I told him I’m ready to order he said. No no sorry I don’t take order but you can’t stay. Without any explanation so I don’t know what’s the reason but you guys really should be ashamed

I don’t really do reviews but feel a responsibility. FOR YOUR SAFETY DO NOT GO HERE . A caveat: years ago this place was amazing and I still love the neon vibe of the interior decor. But ultimately we were served raw food (soup dumplings that weren’t cooked all the way through, doughy with the meat still pink and unsettling). The rest of the food was probably safe to eat but it just was either dry, or flavorless or just sort of pungent with sadness. I will say that they were not rude to us at all, just a normal amount of detached which I actually like. But the frustrating food quality made the bill sting and we ended up going to another place a few blocks away for a second dinner so we didn’t leave the night totally disappointed.

Went to this place on a whim when wandering around with family and didn't check the reviews. The food was pretty gross and bland. The service is fast enough but workers/owner are very rude. We left paying a decent amount for food that we did not enjoy except for the wonton soup, and we LOVE Asian cuisine. Server made sure to tell us tip was not included in the bill; he was lucky we left anything. Go anywhere else in the area and you will have a better experience. AVOID.

Amelia Hughes

Unfortunately we made the mistake of not looking at the reviews before coming here…. $15 soup dumplings, that were bland and nothing special. Rude service, paid in cash and asked for change but server refused to give change saying it was their tip.

Michelle Guerreo

I’ve visited this establishment before and enjoyed bringing friends here, but unfortunately, my recent experience was a major disappointment. The service was consistently unprofessional; our server was visibly impatient and dismissive, even becoming argumentative when a simple drink order mistake was pointed out. Most concerning, however, was the food quality. We were served a pork dish that was still frozen/raw in the center. When we decided to leave a modest tip reflecting the poor service and food safety issues, the server confronted us publicly at the table to demand more. As a New Yorker, I have a high bar for efficiency and don't mind a 'no-frills' attitude, but there is a line between being direct and being outright disrespectful.

Angela

The elderly owner of this restaurant clearly doesn’t care about the quality of the food that comes out of her kitchen. While the wait staff were polite and professional, she herself was an absolute nightmare to deal with. The food was truly disappointing. The oil used tasted old and rancid — I immediately had to spit it out. My toddler was hungry, but there was no way I could feed him that food. We ordered a Shanghai-style dish that should have included shrimp and mushrooms, but instead it was made with cheap meat and vegetables. The cutbacks were obvious, and the scallion pancakes tasted frozen and flavorless. When we politely gave feedback about the quality of the dish, the owner became defensive and tried to bully us, insisting that nothing was wrong. She claimed they “only use new oil” because they have “so many customers,” yet the restaurant was completely empty on a Saturday night — we only ended up here because our favorite Shanghai spot nearby had a 40-minute wait. She even demanded we pay for the dish despite our concerns. The experience was unpleasant from start to finish. I will never visit this place again, and it’s a shame to see such a poorly run restaurant misrepresenting the neighborhood’s dining scene.

Nicole Alaeva

We ordered the tiny pan fried pork buns and the pan friend dumplings. They came out way too doughy and just straight flavorless. In the end when we weren’t even finished with the dishes meaning the plates weren’t empty and we didn’t give any indication to imply that we were ready for the check, the waiter comes by, quickly says “all set?” and drops the check without us having even a chance to process what he said much less respond. The place didn’t seem welcoming at all and the lady at the desk kept staring. The prices are also unjust for the portion size they serve.

Lee

This place used to be a decent spot for food, but it’s really gone downhill over the past few years. I can confirm what other reviews have said about the food having an off smell. We sent our dish back, but the owner insisted nothing was wrong and still made us pay for it. It’s disappointing that management isn’t open to feedback. They should really re-evaluate the kitchen, as even basic dish (fried rice/fried noodles) should be simple to get right. I hope they take a hard look at what’s happening and make improvements—it’s unfortunate to see a business stuck in its old ways and in denial about its decline.

PC GMail

Service is okay. You have to pay for tea, very unique in Chinatown. No credit card, with an attitude. Best xiaolongbao, not traditional. Ordered beef noodle soup with jalapeno. Tasted STALE oil. Incredible, here in NYC Chinatown. Amazingly cheap owner, this is the same owner of Joe's Shanghai. Why so cheap! Not enough money! Maybe GoFundMe.

Sara Figueroa

Soup dumplings are good, I’ve been here 4 times, each time I come the service gets worse. This will be my last time, not worth it. So sad though, they use to be so different. Worst service in NY.

Tien F

Very frustrating as this place used to be great and now the food is super expensive and it doesn’t even taste good! I’d been okay if the food is decent but it’s not. The scallion pancake is dry and flakey. The soup dumplings have a weird taste. The dumplings are small and it’s not like the ones you’d seen at a proper dim sum restaurant. Portion is bad and the taste is off. I really don’t want to be critical to local business but this place needs a complete rethink of their model otherwise it’ll wash up on the shore of closed business Really hoping for this place to come back!

Eva

First time coming here and the whole experience was bad. Came for dinner with family. Food was below average, there's better food somewhere else. Service, don't even mention it, I didn't put any star on this category - bad bad service by the lady server. She seemed to be very impatient and not friendly at all. Lastly, it's a cash only restaurant. I wouldn't recommend coming here. This restaurant lacks everything.

+1

Noam Ran

Wish I could rate it 0 stars. Awful, rude, and violent service. The waitress should be fired. The worst service I’ve had in a long time and maybe ever. The food wasn’t better than the service. I will never come back and will never recommend this place, and so should you, unless you feel like getting the worst service on earth. Bathroom was disgusting just as much as the service and the food was. The soup tasted like they steamed the veggies and seafood and poured hot water on top. Flavorless and disgusting. Pan fried dim sum was disgusting- felt like they took frozen dim sup from the supermarket and steamed it frozen. Soup dumplings was really bad too. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else.

+1