I order hot & sour soup when I'm close to home; when I go to Chinatown (here and in Philadelphia)…read moreit's wonton. The wontons are always lighter and infinitely better, and when they add greens, I'm one happy person. Wonton soup at East Season passed muster and the portion is big enough for another bowl or so at home. I remembered reading that East Season does a stellar job with duck and pork. Roast pork, which we noticed at a neighboring table, looked lean and delicious. So we ordered it and yes (it's lean) and yes (it's delicious.) We also got kung pao shrimp. "It's hot," the server warned. "That's okay," we responded, thinking 'how hot could it be?' It's hot. Not numbing, but hotter than what I'm used to. East Season is not fancy. Service is fine. Rather than water, you're given a pot of tea. Between lunch and dinner there were empty tables. We weren't rushed. We left full and happy. BTW, unlike many other Chinatown restaurants, they do take credit cards. Not however, Amex.

I got a take out order from this unassuming, but excellent, and very busy, Cantonese restaurant in…read moreChinatown. I ordered Shrimp Dumplings, Chicken with Eggplant, Kung Pao Shrimp and Pea Sprouts. Every dish was outstanding, ...spiced and cooked perfectly. Packing was decent. I will certainly be back. I am looking forward to eating a Peking Duck from here. They have a brisk business in chopped meats from those hanging in front of the window. My highest recommendation.

Have been passing this place all the time and finally get to try it…read more Lamb dry hand pull noodle - pretty good flavor but not a huge fan of peanut. Lamb is tender. Beef tendon hand pull noodle soup - soup is OK and tendon very chewy. Both noodles are pretty good. Scallion pancake - your standard scallion pancake, can't go wrong. Beef pancake - delicous...tastes like my childhood, something about the cucumbers inside and the oyster sauce. The vinegar sauce has a bit of sweetness, not what I am used to, may be acquired taste. Server is nice and quick on her feet.

Very good hand pulled noodles. The sesame chicken was very crispy which I personally don't love but…read moreoverall it was clean, tasty and the hospitality was pleasant.

Hands down not only one of my favorite restaurants in the city, but places in general. My friends…read moreand I have been coming for years and love the staff, food, and atmosphere so much we've hosted multiple events here with almost 100 people (and each time, everyone has loved the experience). The staff, which included John, Ivy, and Chef Li are the kindest and warmest people. I love that they make you feel like you're at their house once they get to know you. This spot is also one of the only places in lower Manhattan that are open late for a hearty, satisfying meal. The entire menu is great -- our favorites are the Chongqing Spicy Dry Fried Chicken, the Sichuan sliced white fish, the cumin beef, twice fried pork, dan dan noodles, and beef chow mein. They're great at cooking most popular Chinese dishes and their Sichuan dishes are fantastic. Please stop by whenever you're in the area looking for a meal! We love supporting neighborhood spots like this. :)

Food was good, but still scratching my head as to why I was charged $16 per lunch special when the…read moremenu clearly stated the price as $13.95. I should have said something before we left but I did not feel like arguing at the moment. Air conditioning was not working on a hot, humid day.

One of my fav places to eat in Chinatown! Love all their food and wonderful service! We love…read morecelebrating birthdays and holidays here too. My family & I love eating here because my kids loved the baked cheese and ham with pepper and onion over spaghetti, shrimp with rice rolls, lamb chops with teriyaki sauce and juicy pork dumplings. Always one of our favorite comfort food places, XO Taste deserves my Yummylicious Stamp of Approval & two thumbs up !

I've only had their congee which is pretty good, but I found a new favorite congee spot so I…read morehaven't been going here. But recently, they just started a special morning set menu that's from 8:30-11am (not sure how long they will have this for). One entree plus one hot drink for $9 (make it a cold drink for $1 extra). They have a lot of options which can also pass for lunch entrees. I got the baked chicken chop over spaghetti and it was a large portion. There is sauce and cheese on top, but underneath is just spaghetti and I felt there wasn't enough sauce to complement the amount of spaghetti. Chicken was tender. A decent lunch option for the price. Soy milk was sweetened but wasn't overly sweet, it was good.

very good value. soup dumplings r def a must order. very yummy & big for a reasonable price (so…read moremany places will charge more than $10 for like 6 soup dumplings but these were 8.75 for 8!!!) lunch special is also great value a lot of food for only $8-9. the dishes were def a bit oily but that's just how it is. service is meh and vibes r meh but again that's just how it is in these kind of restaurants.

I wish I could talk about the cuisine but we left before we could even order…read more A colleague of mine and I were looking for a place to have lunch and she mentioned 456-I wonder if they named their restaurant after the 4,5,6 trains...lol. She said that she ate there once and her supervisor eats there at least twice a week. When we arrived, the host said that we could sit at a communal table (holds about 8 people) which were four two seater tables pushed together. This wasn't a big deal except that the communal table is near the door so every time the door opens, we would feel a draft. We asked to move to a table in the back and I could tell that they didn't want to move us. A party of three came in right after so they got the table. I could understand that but then there was a party of one and a party of two that came in afterwards. The server wanted to take our order but we wanted to be moved. We finally decided to place our orders--my colleague ordered the chicken and broccoli and I wanted to order shrimp with garlic sauce. I didn't see it on the lunch menu. I was going to get the shrimp with chili sauce but decided to ask if they could use garlic sauce instead. The server said that it's just onions. That's not what I asked. At that point, I looked at my colleague and without saying anything, we knew that we were not staying. I'm big on service and I don't entertain nonsense. This is Chinatown-there are plenty of restaurants to choose from. We ended up going to a restaurant that I went to before. My colleague and I devoured our wonton noodle soup.

We had to come back the next day to China Town because we were not able to try other restaurants or…read moredo some shopping on our first visit. China Town can get very overwhelming as to what type of Chinese food to eat or which restaurant to try because there are so many in the area. We landed here at Mei Lai Wah by chance, because there are so first one we went to is right next door, but when we went in there were no people in the restaurant, the guy was sitting the three of us in a very small table and when we asked for a bigger table the guy said, no, this table is for three and then he shows us on the menu that they are cash only. I only had enough cash to use for the street vendors and most of them only take cash, so we left because of their rudeness and unwelcoming hospitality. So at Mei Lai Wah, we go inside and they were packed, but the guy sat as at a large four top which was perfect. The entrees are reasonably priced and many to choose from. We got our order in and within 10-15 minutes, our orders came out. The food was delicious and nothing like we have here in SoCal unless of course you visit China Town in DTLA. China Town New York gets very busy and crowded so be safe and be vigilant.

Sat at the bar and received quick service. I got:…read more - Shrimp and Pork Wonton Noodle Soup - (A Tier) - deep rich broth with plump and juicy wontons. Noodles mixed with broth and Mei Lai Wah XO Chili Oil elevate this experience by delivering that extra spicy heat from the la flavor profile. My only critique is that I wish they gave some extra vegetables as well (like blanched bok choy). Nestled in the center of Pell St. Mei Lai Wah is a noodle shop you'd want to go to if you need that cheap and hearty bowl of soup to get you through your day. Always busy with a rowdy staff that speaks in Canto, this restaurant delivers in an authentic experience.

Ambiance: they have lots of seating despite it being busy…read more Service: pretty good. Food $$: they have dim sum style and good options for family style Audience: Solo Trip [X] Family Friendly [ X] Friends [X] Date Spot [X] Recommendations/tips: good spot

Looks like this place went through a rebrand…read more Soup dumplings are still solid. 4.5/5 House fried rice was blah. 2.5/5 Shredded pork with udon stir fry was also blah 2.5/5 Salted pepper pork chop was no salt and no pepper. They don't know how to make it here. 1/5

Almost every time I visit NYC, I pay a visit to this Chinatown classic for some HK breakfast…read morestaples that aren't easily found in Texas - my go-to order is a bowl of congee filled with various organ meats (intestine, liver, and kidney are some of the goodies you'll discover) coupled with a sweet, crispy ox-tongue pastry (like a Chinese beignet, sweeter and springier than the typical fried dough stick). Less often, I'll go for lunch and enjoy one of the numerous fried noodle dishes or BBQ rice plates on the extensive menu. And although the prices have gone up and the store finally acquired a credit card machine that sometimes works, the brusque but efficient service and piping hot foods remain unerringly consistent. Sure, there may be better competition out in Flushing nowadays, but perhaps I'm more susceptible to the nostalgia of old Canal Street than most. You're not here for trendy foods or stylish decor; you're here for a consistent bite in a place that has stubbornly refused to change its ways for decades. You bet I'll be back time and time again - just make sure you bring cash when the card machine inevitably fails. ;)

I found myself at Big Wong with some of my friends for dinner. One of them grew up the area, and…read moreafter considering a few options, she ultimately chose here. Chinatown is not my stomping grounds, so I trusted her guidance and was looking forward to checking this place out. There is nothing fancy or showy about Big Wong; my friend told me it's mainly a locals spot, but by the time we left I did see several tables of tourists. The aesthetics are very no frills - the kitchen it towards the front upon entry and there's a decently sized dining room in the back. This is really one step above hole-in-the-wall. The menu is mostly Cantonese cuisine - there's a lot to choose from but we let our friend order so that we can share everything. We started off with the roast duck and roast pork with crispy skin. Both of these were good - I especially enjoyed the pork as the skin was super crispy and it came with a tasty sauce for dipping. We also ordered the seafood with noodles and the lobster with ginger scallion. Both of these were good as well - lots of flavor and all the components really married together nicely. The former was the bigger standout for me - there was an abundance of seafood, and the noodles were crispy which is something I never had before. Service was fast - the food came out quickly but we never felt rushed. Overall, I enjoyed my meal at Big Wong - though I didn't find the food to be amazing. It wasn't bad, but my experience didn't warrant 4 stars. That being said, I really have no perspective when it comes to this type of food, so I'm grateful to my friend for guiding me. I would return for another meal, but not before trying other restaurants in the area first.