Fresh tofu! Fried tofu puffs! And the fresh fried crullers + soy milk you need for a proper Taiwanese dou jiang you tiao breakfast from 9 a.m. on! I love this narrow, old school, and yes, slightly dingy, little shop on Grand Street for all of the above reasons -- but also because staff are sincerely kind and friendly to customers of all backgrounds. (I overheard one in the middle of a smile-filled language exchange with a Spanish-speaking co-worker.) Unlike some places, there aren't covert second looks for African American friends I've brought by. There are a number of places selling similar products as Kong Kee. (There's another soy bean product specialist a block away, w/ a side trade in cheung fun, as well, like Kong Kee -- but the staff there are dour even to regulars.) Given that Kong Kee is of even quality with, or of higher quality than, other soy product specialists I know of in Chinatown, the lovely staff at Kong Kee easily tip the scales. Kong Kee has become our go-to. Two products to try here if you're not familiar: - Soy Milk / Dou Jiang -- It's completely different from what brands like Silk market as soy milk at Whole Foods. Dou jiang has a nuttier, more complex scent. My 10-year old likes Kong Kee's dou jiang the best since it's mild in scent and flavor, and not overly thick. (I know this is a stylistic preference. Some Buddhist temples are famous for selling very, very thick and concentrated dou jiang.) You can purchase it plain, or with sugar or salt added. - Douhua / tofu custard -- Think silken tofu. Then think double the silkiness. Think freshly made nutty aroma, still warm in winter (or chilled in summer). I think most folks eat it as a dessert with sugar syrup poured over and it is delightful that way. But I prefer to take mine home and drizzle it chilled with soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, chives, and cilantro. It's the most perfect summer dish I know. read more

Spiced Pressed and/or Pressed Smoked Tofu? If you know of any better, send me a message. I think Kong Kee's is tops. Oh yeah, maybe I'm irresistibly charming, but even as a first time customer, I was treated like a VIP. read more

the meat platter (pork, chicken) with rice is a large portion for only $12. the chicken with scallion oil is my favorite. definitely will come back for such a great value. read more

Stopped by as I was walking on grand street (Chinatown) and found a homemade soy bean shop. It is a small shop nestled in between restaurants on busy Grand street. I got the soy bean curd, it was still warm when I got home, where I got to put fresh Vermont maple syrup on top! This is what my childhood dreams are made of! This absolutely reminds me of my younger days! The service was quick, would absolutely return! read more

This review is just for the soy milk. It was so good! It tasted super fresh and adding a little bit of sugar brought out it's natural scent. We bought a 32 oz tub and the whole family shared it and thought it was delicious! We also bought You Tiao, or fried chinese doughnut, but by the time it got home it was so cold. It wasn't that good any more. Next time if I see it hot, I'll try it again, but cold, I would pass on that. If you do get a really hot one, dip it in your sweetened soymilk and enjoy one tasty breakfast! read more

Kong Kee - You tiao and soy milk - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

A few weeks ago, I bought tofu and soymilk from this store. I debated a while on what rating to give, and concluded 2/5 stars is the best I can give. Service: In small shops like this, I never expect good service. But I expect either great food or regular mom-and-pop-shop attitude. I simply asked, "Excuse me, how much is the tofu in this fridge?" One woman replied, "What? Can't you read? It's written on the sign." She continued to complain when I told her, " I do not know Chinese." (The signs were all in Chinese). She was not happy with my answer, and continued to mumble something before explaining the pricing. Her explanation was confusing, but since it wasn't expensive, I figure I'll just buy it. As I perused items in another fridge, I asked if everything was made in house. The same woman raised her voice and said, "Everything is made in house! Of course it is! Why would we have products from other places? ..." so on and so forth. I must have been desperate for some tofu and soymilk, because even after all that I still purchased from that shop. The woman gave me ONE bag and told me to CARRY the other products. She told me that the hot and cold products can't be mixed, and she will not provide me a second bag UNLESS I PAID AN ADDITIONAL 25 cents. I honestly stared at her in disbelief. I bought the items and left without the second bag. Food: If the tofu was amazing, I would have let go of the bad service. It was regular quality, and TBH, other shops in Chinatown had better quality. Price: Similar pricing around Chinatown, and you can buy this product in supermarkets. So if you really want to try, just go a large supermarket. Needless, don't go to this shop. It's not worth your headache. You're probably wondering why I even give it 2 stars. It's because the tofu tastes fine, and at least the other shopkeeper had a smile on the face. I assume she knew how the other woman was and didn't dare to speak. Essentially, guilted into putting 2 stars because 1 star seems unfair to the that one shopkeeper. read more

Looks like a usual canto/toisan bakery with the usual old school snacks and food item, but one taste of their home made soybean milk and one can tell the difference in this stuff versus the added sugar in other factory made soybean milk. Old school heaven. Can't wait to try the many other soy products! read more

Kong Kee - Soybean milk - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

The place I usually get doufu fa closed and I ended getting it here Omg with some tofu. Their syrup had a hint of ginger and the doufu fa was silky smooth. I enjoyed it! read more

This is my favorite shop in Chinatown for tofu pudding and herbal jelly. It's super convenient to grab from their fridge and the shop even provides you with little packets of packaged syrup for your tofu pudding herbal jelly. The days of leaked syrup in sauce containers are over! Remember to bring a bag, as they don't provide you with one. read more

Great spot to pick up fresh chern fun to eat for breakfast. My father-in-law picks up a bag for us whenever he's in the area! My go-to place growing up was Fong On on mott street but they closed down. Luckily, Kong Kee is still open. read more

Kong Kee - a bag of sliced vegetables - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

The best soy milk I ever had (both hot and cold). This is a mom and pop shop that is reminiscent of old style Chinatown that has definitely survived the thick and thin of NYC and is still toughening it out even till this day! My girlfriend told me that the soy milk tastes like what she had in China so you know it's good. I have never tried the other foods but I will sure come back for more! read more

*this review is for youtiao only* Kong Kee has the best youtiao in NYC (a stick of fried dough commonly eaten as breakfast along with warm soybean milk in China). Come here around 7:30am (right when they open) for a warm stick of youtiao. It is perfect- not too oily, not too doughy- just the right amount of chew and flavor. read more

Kong Kee - You Tiao - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

I come here all the time to buy fried spongy tofu (not sure what it's called in English but in canto it's yeurng dou fu), hor fun, soy milk, doufu hua, and youtiao. Coming here is like visiting a bunch of aunties, the ladies are so friendly and kind, and I highly recommend their products. Especially love the doufu hua -- there's a small and large size and it's always very fresh, even my mother in law visiting from Asia thought it was very good! They also have white sugar cakes (bak tong gou) and other snacks on the side by the window. read more

My first visit post covid. Changes that I notice: The cashiers/ladies are now behind a heavy clear tarp The door is permanently open for air circulation, despite the chilly winter air The cashiers/ ladies yell at you if they think the store is too crowded and you should wait outside Food is now all prewrapped ( ie the rice told) The only cooked food is youtiao (fried cullers) Bring your own bag Support them! read more

This place is a secret gem because I've purchased their soybean milk in CT, NJ, and upstate NY without ever realizing it! That little double K symbol is their brand. Come here for fresh dofu hua (tofu pudding) and fresh wide rice noodles - perfect for a soup dish or stir fry. read more

See all

I got tofu pudding from this place And it was too runny. Their soy milk also didn't taste nice it tasted like cardboard read more

This is probably one of only a few places in manhattan chinatown where you can get a simple hot soybean milk (fresh made and delicious) and fried dough (you tiao) for breakfast. So simple but it's taken me forever to find a place in manhattan - you'll find more places in flushing for traditional chinese (not dim sum) for breakfast. It's your definition of a hole in the wall - so don't be scared - walk through those doors and place your order with one of the ladies at the counter. I'm not going to lie - if you don't speak canto/or mandarin it might be a bit difficult to communicate. Just point and they'll figure it out. What you want to get is the hot soy bean milk (dou jiang) - it's made fresh in house and so good. Silky and no gritty after taste - plus it's only $1 for a cup. Everything here is so cheap $1 for fried dough, $1 for sweet dough, 50cents for taro/ daikon/ turnip cakes. The fried dough wasn't great - a bit stale when I got it but perhaps you need to go earlier for a fresh batch. The sweet fried dough disc was delicious but might give you a heart attack if you eat the whole thing - very oily. They also serve fresh made porridge - probably $1 as well - my whole breakfast order only came to $6.50 and I got a ton of stuff. The daikon/radish cakes were delicious much better than the taro cakes. They have a variety of other items like fresh made flat noodles and other tofu products. The store ladies here were friendly and helpful in explaining the various items on the counter. There's also a 2 counters and a few stools in the back for seating. Great local place to grab a quick bite and take home some tofu/ soy products. read more

See all

Whenever I'm in the mood for delicious flat shrimp noodles or yummy soy milk, I would always go here to get my fix. Their noodles ($1.25/lb) are freshly made on a daily basis and it's always soft to the touch and al dente to the taste bud. As a kid, I use to come here with my mom whenever she was in the mood to make a noodle dish for dinner. She would use it to make soup, or she would sauté it with shrimp and assorted vegetable or we would just cut it up and eat with an assortment of dipping sauce and as always, it was yummy and satisfying. Their soy milk are also very refreshing. The soy bean flavor is smooth and refreshing especially during the summer when the city is super hot and humid. KK may look a bit sketchy, but please do not be intimidated and just go for it, especially if you're looking to whip out (hai yaaaa!!!) a delicious meal for the evening!! :) ___________________________________________ How To Make Pork Chow Fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OU2rJjZOYo How To Make Pho (Instead of using rice noodles, you can use the flat noodles instead) : This video is hilarious! I don't think it's as authentic as this guy claim it to be but it's close enough and completely worth watching! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab2jRged9eo&feature=related read more

I bought a package of Kong Kee rice noodle ribbon from supermarket and used steam to heat it up the traditional way. The ribbons turned into a big bowl of rice goo..ended up throwing it out. I also bought turnip cakes and the taste is awful. no turnip, sausage , or cured pork bits. read more

Kong Kee - rice roll goo - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Went here for tofu fa instead of Tung Woo, since it looked a little sketchy behind that roll up door. It was very cold outside, but the tofu fa stayed hot all the way to my destination! Smooth and creamy, not at all grainy like some places. read more

I love Kong Kee! They have all sorts of soy bean products such as soybean drink, tofu, bean curd, tofu skin, etc. Anything you want related to tofu, you can probably find it here at a very good price. The people who work here are not too friendly but for the sake of price and quality, I just overlook their service. read more

This is the type of place that white bloggers/Yelpers call 'truly gritty'...I ate in the charming back area, skipping the fried dough and opting instead for the warm soy milk ($1.50 for a small) and 2 for 1 rice cakes palm sugar and white sugar (palm much better). PS different name on storefront awning read more

Kong Kee - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

I went there for lunch. 3 dishes with white rice and a soup for $5.50, and that's affordable! Although the place needs to be cleaned, I would buy and leave, instead of staying to eat. read more

Kong Kee - Hot food counter prices. - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Really good tofu - they are my favorite from supermarkets. I also like their tofu pudding but I have one big complaint: up your game on syrup because two tiny containers for a big quart of pudding is cruel and not family friendly (as in my husband and I were using it in drops and yelling at each other for using too much drops, you get the idea). read more

KK is almost a must visit destination for great tasting soya drinks in Chinatown. The fact that Chinese bakeries in midtown Manhattan also carrythe Kong Kee brand in their beverage refridgerators is a testament to that. My personal favorite is the unsweetened soymilk and the prunella tea. The unsweetened soymilk maintains the same classic taste of the original, but better served as a lighter, more refreshing option without the sweetness. Their brown pudding cake (put chai ko) is also a tasty, sweet dessert brings back a wonderful sense of nostalgia for awesome snacks and treats many years ago. I can be wrong, but only one or two place in Chinatown seem to carry this nowdays. As much as I like the Donut Plant and bubble-tea-cafe-style snacks, there is no replacement for these no-frills, specialty-type food stores that were once staples of Chinatown. read more

4 STARS FOR HAVING THE BEST AND CONSISTENT SOY MILK IN CHINATOWN I ONLY DRINK THEIR SOY MILK - IT DOES CONTAIN ALOT OF SUGAR BUT IT'S NEVER OVERSWEET OR UNDERSWEET LIKE OTHER PLACES GOOD TOFU - good quality tofu, but don't get the ones exposed to air, get the sealed ones. THEY SELL $1 FOOD - but I would avoid it - doesn't look too good or CLEAN. But alot of LOCALS eat it. But get your soy milk here! read more

Kong Kee - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Great hole in the wall been coming for 20 years since Bowery days. Great lunch speical, great noodles and tofu, and the end of day noodles for $1 or 2$ can't be beaten. read more

Although this little shop looks very old, gritty, dirty and small on the interior/exterior, the food here is pretty delicious. A wide variety of tofu/noodles can be purchase here as well as soy milk, grass jelly, herb jelly and herbal drinks. Prices are affordable!! Definitely get the lunch style "buffet". Just one thing that irks me.... Flies are abundant..... but food is delicious. They also have warm soybean curd!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm excited because I do not usually find them around the area for such a good price. read more

Kong Kee - Easy Ma-Po tofu at home! - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

2.5, rounded up. $1 for a small soy milk, $1 for a single order of fried dough. Others seem to be citing different prices, but this is what I paid when I visited in December. First timers have to be careful, because Kong Kee doesn't actually say "Kong Kee" on the front, but rather, has Chinese characters. As a result, you might want to be careful, since there are several shops right next to it you might accidentally walk into. Also, this is a take out place. No dining here, this is not a restaurant. Prices are fine and the fried dough isn't bad, but it was cold when I ate it; and doesn't seem to be made freshly, rather, made in large batches during the morning, then laid out for the rest of the day, slowly getting cold. The location is also a little out of the way, not super conveniently next to Canal street or anything. I will try to come again in the morning to see if it's any better. read more

I used to love this place for tofu, noodles, and and cheap Chinese dishes, but began to notice that both the fresh noodles you buy from them and prepared foods here have an odor of gutter/sewage. You'll notice it on the hot foods as soon as it cools, and noodles... immediately. This concerns me what type of oil they're using to make the rice noodles and dishes with, and has been very consistent - just that I didn't notice for a while since most of the time I'm here for tofu, and once in a while I'd pick up some hot foods or noodles. Given my own health and safety concerns, I've read enough about the carcinogens in the reuse of oil to ever get these items at this place again (can't believe I've been coming here and not thought about it for so many years). On the bright side, no more bad service at Kong Kee for me, and there's a fresh tofu place where noodles don't smell like sewage and service doesn't suck just one street away. Hungry Kat does not approve. read more

Nominally, Kong Kee is a store that specializes in tofu and other soybean products. But I come here for wide rice noodles (hor fun / kway teow) which are $1/lb as you can't actually get them in the supposedly Cantonese store Hong Kong Supermarket. The lady is always chilling outside hawking the bags of fresh noodles and will try to upsell you constantly. At $1 per packet, it's hard not to load up, and it's an even better deal knowing that it's kind of a hot commodity since you can't just find these in any store. If you buy these, note that if you don't go home straightaway and use them, you need to at least separate them and toss them in a loose bag, like a plastic shopping bag, so they don't stick together again. If you refrigerate them (as I often make the mistake of doing when I'm in a hurry), they will be next to impossible to separate later. If you fall in this trap, you can salvage it by soaking the noodles in hot water. In Cali you can find these made by the Vietnamese shipped fresh to all the Chinese supermarkets every day. But so far, as far as I know, Kong Kee is the place to go in Manhattan if you don't have contacts with commercial restaurant suppliers. :) read more

Okay, this is really 3.5 stars. The tofu/ soy milk/ dofu fa/ rice noodles/ wong tong gao are delicious. But it's cleanliness... well, I've never gotten sick, but they're not overly concerned with, eh hem, food safety. Still if you are adventurous there's nothing like a hot bowl of dofu fa or a cold bottle of soy milk. I'd go there anyday. read more

This is a soy haven - you will find all sizes, textures, shapes & types of tofu. Their soy milk is amazingly rich, far from the watered down version in restaurants. In fact, you don't need sugar to make it taste great. All the prices are extremely reasonable. They are very fair & accessible. Yes please support this place as a fair priced and great quality producer. read more

This is my first time here since they moved. A lot smaller than their old shop on Grand & Bowery Street. Nice, little shop that sells an enormous amount of soy/tofu foods, rice noodles, drinks, grass jelly, and etc. They also have a small section where they sell hot food, but I wouldn't recommend ordering their hot food as it does not look appealing. I wouldn't recommend coming here either. The people who work here aren't the friendliest and don't speak a whole lot of English either. read more

my go-to joint in Chinatown that has most of my Cantonese carb-needs. Flat noodles, Taro Pancake (buy by the slice for eat-on-demand or by the pound for home cooking), rice noodles (pre-fried, please) and so forth this place makes being an ABC easy-- I dont know how to make my ethnic food, but at least the grannies here do! and they sure do it for DIRT cheap. Then wash those oily carbs down with a bottle of soy milk-- sugar please. Oh what? You only have two dollars and are ravenous? then come here! uh, only bring your girlfriend if you two have been dating for 2+ years and are no longer expecting anything fancy from each other. try the place on Mott street if you want more cooking at home supplies like wet flour, new year flour mix and so forth. read more

This place has everything tofu, soy, and rice noodle-related. You can get shredded tofu, fried tofu, rice cake, and noodles for chow fun (the reason I went). They also have a small hot foods counter with rice noodle stir fries and rice noodle rolls. A lady outside sells assorted products, but they also have the same products inside the store. The ladies may not be the most overly friendly, and you may have to point at things if you don't speak their language, but this place certainly gets the job done. Hong Kong Supermarket around the corner does in fact sell some of Kong Kee's noodles, but why buy there if you can just go straight to the source? The noodles, tofu, etc. are ridiculously inexpensive, as many have already said. It's good to know this place exists and thrives in the middle of what can often be Tourist Hell. read more

Meh. Not that great. One star for the food, five stars for the cat. -Fried Egg Tofu: this is pretty good and something worth trying if you're into eggs. $3.00 for 8 pieces. -Tofu Pudding (aka Dau Fu Faa, aka Douhua): this came already pre-packaged in a plastic container and was only okay. I get that it's tofu, but it tasted a little bland. $2.50 for a large container. -Congee (aka Jook aka Rice Porridge): disgusting. It tasted sour and spoiled. I put a spoonful into my mouth and immediately spit it out. The rest went into the trash. The lady said the congee was pork with thousand year old egg (aka century egg, aka pei daan), but the small container I ordered, literally had a pinky size piece of thousand year old egg and two small slivers of meat. Besides it being rotten tasting, what a total rip off in terms of quantity. I don't remember the exact cost, but I want to say this small container was $2.00 or $2.50. -Hot Soy Milk drink: this was mildly sweet and only okay. Drinkable. It's Chinatown, so I'm usually not too bothered by how things are set up. But this place did look slightly dingy and dumpier than other places in the area. Maybe because they use brighter lights so things are more obvious? The cooked foods area looked like the food had been sitting out for a while (we came in around 2:30pm or 3:00pm). And it was disappointing to see the tofu pudding already pre-packaged and sitting on the counter. Other tofu places in the area pack it fresh when you order. Also, the syrup they give you comes pre-packed (like soy sauce packs). Oh, and the lady working the counter was not very friendly. The one plus to this place, which is most likely a negative for most (as I'm sure it has to be a health code violation, and is probably used to catch rats), is they have a cute little black and white cat living/roaming there. We saw it in the back corner seating area, popping in and out of an old brown box. It was super fun to see the cat actually start walking around on the small dining/counter area. I'm not sure if the customer dining there at the moment had the same appreciation (as it was snooping around her food), but we loved it. My little one was sad to say goodbye to the cat. The place is small, but it's definitely possible to get a stroller and/or wheelchair in. They have a cat that roams the business, so for sure kid friendly. Cash only. LPT: if you're into tofu pudding (aka dau fu faa aka douhua), I recommend either Fong Inn Too on Mott Street (silky smooth, served with ginger syrup, and $2.75 for a large container) or Tung Woo Co (aka Tofu Guy) on Grand Street (thicker consistency, but great flavor, uses a clear simple sugar syrup, and only $2.00 for a large container). Another LPT: for great tasting congee, try Big Wong King on Mott Street. The actual congee has a thick consistency, and they are incredibly generous with the pork and thousand year old eggs. I think an order cost $4.50 (so it is a bit pricier), but good portions and tastes delicious. You will not regret ordering the jook from here. I like to order it with a Chinese cruller/doughnut (aka youtiao). read more

I like coming here to pick up a whole load of fresh rice noodle (with chives and shrimp filling), which I dare say is more delicious that rice noodles served in carts / restaurant dim sum spots! And $1.50/lb is a bargain too. I'd buy this, add some hoisin sauce and chili and voila, the best rice noodle you can get without leaving your apartment for the next few days. I also like picking up the wide flat noodles (the kind you make hor fun with) here. Unfortunately, I don't make hor fun so I seldom get this. Then, there's the freshly made silken tofu which I stock up at home too :) When I'm here, I'd head inside the store and pick up some fried carrot/ turnip cake. Even though I could probably buy this make it home myself, I tend not to like using a whole load of oil when I cook so I am almost positive the end result would be sorely unappetizing. Therefore I choose to get it cooked and because they serve it in pieces of 3, I usually end up keeping the unfinished pieces in the fridge and then heat them up when I want them. The last time I was here though, the fried results weren't fantastic so I ended up doing the unthinkable and purchased the whole slab of uncooked turnip cake home. Let's see how that goes... At my last visit, I was really tempted to try their hot soy milk. Only prob was they serve it in a plastic container and not a cup. I would have preferred a cup to walk around with and sip as I walk. Maybe next time I'll remember to bring my own mug so I can order this and finally taste it. I've also been meaning to try out some of their cooked food. Looks really cheap - like you can have a meal for less than $2! Not sure if I will since the characters dining here seem really off and plus nothing seems to really excite me (in terms of the offering). Anyway I love it that I discovered this spot some years ago while walking on Grand. I've been back often to get the above items and totally love this treasure find! Hopefully you will too :) PS: Just read that the chef of Kuma Inn - King Phojanakong also gets his noodles for his restaurant here. Definite affirmation about the stuff here. read more

I usually buy rice roll and tofu when I pass this place on the way back to the D Grand St. Station. The old lady with a table outside the store. I don' t speak the language she speaks, so usually transaction will be Grab and Paid. It is even easier, they already put in the individual bag Yesterday, for the first time, I enter the store, there is no table set outside. There is a mid age lady behind the counter. I asked for the rice roll, looks like a big rope, for 4 pcs. She replied with unfriendly gesture. " 1 LB" I don't need to buy 1 LB because I am gonna eat alone. I asked, can I buy 4 only?. She responsed with an angry loud tone. " No, 1 LB!" Her face seems not happy with my question. I left. I don' t think I will come back. I just wait to buy from them when the table set outside I know the store is good, alot of variety and cheap. But I think if you can stand the attitude, you should stick with this shop. read more

Hot Spicy Tofu. Enough said. Two packages for $4 and change, can't be beat. If you like tofu, want to experiment with it I highly suggest you go here and scope this place out. I saw Kong Kee Food on Toni on NY and I'm so happy I did. Chinatown is amazing ... you could eat for days down there and only spend. I'd like to see what else KK has to offer but for now this is where I'm getting my tofu fix. read more