Chinatown native Cynthia of Wonton in a Million has taken our community by storm with her adorable and punny dim sum cards. Whether you were raised in Chinatown, visited often, or come back once in a while to see family and for nostalgic purposes, these cards will take you on a trip down memory lane. We were able to chat with this local artist/visionary about her story.
Read moreDim Sum At Oriental Garden
My friend Thea from Hamilton Madison House loves dimsum. The only problem is that she doesn't eat meat! I'm totally carnivorous!
It actually hasn't been as much of a challenge to find dim sum items without meat. We dimsumed at Oriental Garden. This wood paneled restaurant tends to be among my favorites. It's more calm than the bigger banquet halls. The quality tends to also be higher. It's slightly more expensive but when I say that, it means maybe 50cents to a dollar more.
We at a plate of choy sum, vegetable spring rolls, and vegetable dumplings. They also have a menu around that is bilingual with pictures. They carry more than what they offer on the small dimsum carts they are pushing around.
Who knew eating food without meat could be so tasty. Dimsum without meat can still be yummy!
ORIENTAL GARDEN
14 ELIZABETH STREET
212) 619-0085
Eating Vegetarian In Chinatown
I'm not a vegetarian but lots of people nowadays are. A common question that I've been getting is "What's a good vegetarian restaurant in Chinatown?" This question has kinda got me stumped the last few times; especially since Vegetarian Paradise went out of business.
I know that the new popular vegetarian hotspot is on Pell Street (cross streets Bayard & Bowery). I haven't personally tried it but it's called Vegetarian Dim Sum House.
Quite frankly, I think that you can eat excellent vegetarian dishes at any Chinese restaurant. Chinese people actually eat a lot of veggies. Some excellent recommendations for vegetarians out there is the bok choi or the Chinese snow peas. Vegetables dumplings are readily available at most Shanghainese restaurants such as Moonhouse and New Green Bo.
I also know that the owner of Fuleen Seafood Restaurant (11 Division Street) is a Buddhist vegetarian. I'm sure that if you asked him, he would be able to recommend a lot on his menu that is veggie friendly.
Dim Sum In New York Chinatown
Besides Asia, I would say that the dim sum in NYC's Chinatown is the best out there. It's a tradition for many families and/or friends to go out to the restaurants and leisurely pick out these small delicacies from the ladies with the pushcarts.
Some places that I would recommend are listed below:
At Jing Fong Restaurant (on Elizabeth St., btw Canal and Bayard) you venture up an escalator, while looking at all the ornate chandeliers and intricate woodwork that they have. If it's your first time at dim sum, it really is impressive.
Golden Unicorn (on East Broadway) is a favorite for many tourists and locals.
DimSum GoGo (Chatham Square) is very tourist friendly. Here is the only place where they don't actually bring the dimsum out on the carts very often. After being seated, you get a sheet of paper which list the dim sum choices in English (which is a plus for people who don't speak Chinese) and you get to tally off how many of each item you want.
Golden Bridge Restaurant- (Bowery St, btw Bayard and Canal) is also want of the more ornate banquet halls in Chinatown. I find that here the portions are much bigger than usual.
Ping's Restaurant is also a favorite for many locals. It is located on Mott Street, in the heart of Chinatown. The decor isn't as elaborate as Jing Fong and Golden Bridge, but the food is still good.
