Came here for dinner and got shrimp with tofu, Kung pao chicken, and an eggplant dish. The chicken and eggplants were delicious. We got a free order of soup dumplings since they had a promo for it and they were meaty and soupy. Also got the butter pecan ice cream and I'm not sure if it's homemade or something but the texture was quite unique. Minus points because I was saddened by the amount of shrimp that came with the shrimp and tofu dish. It was more of a tofu dish with a sprinkle of shrimp. Also rice has to be ordered on the side and doesn't come with the entree. Service was attentive and efficient. It is clean and cute inside. Restroom was cozy. Price is reasonable especially for the area it's in. read more

The most vegetarian and vegan friendly Shanghainese restaurant close to the NYU campus you'll ever find! Lots of options including seitan, buns, soy sheets, and veggie soup dumplings! Great for a quick lunch with friends! They gave us dessert on the house too which was delicious. Can't wait to come back. read more

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Get the stir fried dishes. We liked the veggie loofah with gluten balls, the garlic pork and peppers with pancake skins, and the fried chili pepper chicken (I botched the names of all those but see the photos). The soup dumplings and fried dumplings weren't bad, but we were disappointed in the chili wontons (too much vinegar) and Dan Dan noodles. Also wish they had some steamed fish options. The prices were reasonable. We ordered a ton of food for two people and it was all under $100 (it helped that you get free soup dumplings with any order over $30). Over all, it was somewhere between 3 and 4 stars but I rounded up. There are definitely better Chinese places but this was not bad esp given the price. read more

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what we ordered: Soup dumpling $6.95 Wonton in hot chili sauce $8.95 Shanghai crispy duck $34.95 Zou yo ro $23.95 Scallion oil noodles $5.95 Dumplings seared $7.95 Tangyuan $4.95 White chocolate raspberry cheese cake $7.95 . great spot serving authentic shanghainese dishes as well as other asian cuisines! some of our favorites were the soup dumplings, wontons, seared dumplings, and scallion noodles. they even have a dessert menu the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake surprised me the most!! i usually don't like cheesecakes but this one really hit the spot- great texture and flavor. overall, everything tasted amazing and i will definitely be back to try their other dishes!! the owner was very kind too and we got to learn about the culture behind the food as well! read more

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Delicious food, quick service, clean restaurant in the west village. Not bougie or overly expensive either! read more

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From the great reviews I was expecting authentic chinese food and while the interior and food presentation were passable, I was quite disappointed in the taste of the mapo tofu. The only flavor I could taste was bean paste - it was missing any kind of spice or aromatics and was topped with black pepper rather than the usual szechuan pepper. There were only a few tiny bits of ground pork. It was also difficult to pick up the tofu with the spoon given the dish for some reason being served in a plate instead of bowl - possibly to make the portion size look bigger. Scallion oil noodles could also be finished in 3 mouthfuls. read more

Shanghai Villa - mapo tofu and scallion oil noodles - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

What I really appreciate about this restaurant is that they have some really great customer service. Upon our arrival, the host greeted us and we were then greeted by a waiter right away who seated us immediately. This was on a Sunday evening. Once seated, our orders were taken, and our food came out quickly. As for the food, we had the orange chicken, general tso's chicken, and chicken fried rice, in addition to spring rolls for appetizers and free dumplings that came with our meal based on our orders. It was more food than we realized but we did enjoy it when it first came out because it was well seasoned and heated well. Eventually the food became too cool for our liking so we weren't able to finish. Plus, we were pretty full. Overall, I'd say the food was good as was the ginger ale and lemonade we ordered. The restaurant was nice, small, quaint and clean, and seems like a neighborhood gem. Really, really good service they have. read more

Shanghai Villa - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

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Great Shanghainese/Cantonese essence foods here I enjoyed very much. Very good soup dumplings and we get second set because our total exceeded some amount. Menus with many photos should help not only westerners but even for Chinese familiers. Some of the dishes different from photos but I don't complain and helped anyway. Food they serve I fell Shanghainese and Cantonese and whichever we got was tasty. Staffs are friendly and prices are just fair. read more

I skipped this place soooooo many times because the Google description suggests that it's vegan food! I wonder how many other people have done the same. In actuality, it's a nice neighborhood Shanghainese spot. Had a really good lunch here. They have a deal where if you spend $30 you get free soup dumplings. read more

The BBQ seitan and sweet and sour pork were really good! The Xiao long Bao came free because we ordered over $30 of food and they were really good as well! And my friend who ordered the fried rice enjoyed it. The service was great, and the place was really cute inside. read more

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Special Ordered for an item which should be on the menu, but is not. Asked them to create an orange beef with broccoli and it was Excellent and highly recommended . read more

Believe it or not, it's actually not easy to find such healthy, fresh, delicious, and authentic Shanghai-style food in the midst of spicy, heavy-flavored Chinese restaurants or carb-laden noodles / dim sum places in the neighborhood of Washington Square Park / NYU. Lots of vegetarian choices: buns & dumplings filled with mustard greens and shiitake mushrooms which are very tasty. The famous soup-dumplings are perfectly made with lean meat and flavorful au-jus. Service is top-notch. Place is clean and cutely decorated. So glad we found this place on our recent trip to NYC. Would highly recommend! read more

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THE BEST SOUP DUMPLINGS IN TOWN !! If you are looking for something nostalgic but also yummy, you are at the right place. I've had Ding Tai Fung before but this is really up to the level. This place also has so many traditional dishes, like the tomato egg and mapo tofu! The environment is super cozy and is also perfect for gathering with friends. Service is also really sweet and considerate. Definitely recommend !! read more

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We stopped by for a bubble tea after a fun Yelp Elite event. We've been disappointed with several bubble teas and when we tasted Shanghai Villa's Taro tea, we were incredibly surprised. It had a creamier consistency than others. 5 stars for excellent bubble tea which is challenging to find once you've had really good bubble teas. Next time I come there's many items on the menu that we'd like to try like the pan fried sweet pumpkin cake. You get 3 of them for only $4.95 and in the menu it says you get free order of soup dumplings with a $30 dine in order. If I wasn't full with the Yelp Elite we just attended I would be ordering here! read more

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Super good food, quick service, clean restaurant. Food was super affordable and beer was good. Server was super helpful

Been a fan of this place for years and am happy to say I'm still a fan even after the re-branding! The vegan soup dumplings and plum wine are my go-to! (If you spend $30 dining in, the soup dumplings are free). This is a wonderful dietary inclusive spot as half their menu is vegan! I always have an amazing dining experience every time I visit. The ambience is intimate and welcoming and the service is fast and accommodating. If you're in the area, I highly recommend stopping by! read more

The service was really great and the food was good. The place itself is pretty spacious. read more

Shanghai Villa - R7. BBQ Seitan and Yakisoba Noodles- - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

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Really good Shanghainese food, definitely best in the area. All their dumplings they do really well. Soup dumplings, pan fried dumplings with the crispy skirt, seared pork buns... all delicious. Their scallion oil noodles are also really good. Usually other places end up being bland but these are super flavorful and lots of scallion flavor. Very sweet service too, all shanghainese staff/chefs so you know it's authentic. read more

Came for dinner and was seated right away. The menu had a lot of options and had pictures for each item! I ordered a couple different dumplings and everything tasted so good! read more

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I'm a long-time fan of Shanghainese cuisine. I had high hopes for Shanghai Villa based upon the Yelp reviews I read. I was really disappointed based upon the two take out items I ordered. (Maybe dine in is better?) Hot and Sour soup was 95% broth, 5% veggies. No lily buds. No wood ear mushrooms. Tofu in tiny and tinier strips that were barely present. Broth was somewhat flavorful, but no sense of white pepper. Dan Dan noodles' emphasis was on the noodles. Also very little in the way of other ingredients. Pitiful amount of ground pork or flavor. I felt cheated. read more

Amazing service and delicious food!! The portions were good and all dishes were affordable. 10/10 would definitely recommend!! My favorite dish were the wontons in chili oil read more

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Delicious! Wish they had more vegan offerings, but the ones I've tried that they have are fantastic. I had the BBQ seitan appetizer, the shao mai, the fried pumpkin cakes, the scallion oil noodles, and the sesame seitan entree. Everything tasted great. I recommend getting a side of white rice for the sesame seitan. I'm looking forward to coming back and trying even more things, especially since the service was so attentive and friendly, and the environment was so relaxing. Honestly, everything I had here tasted like what I wish Spicy Moon tasted like, but doesn't. I hope this place does well! read more

We ordered chicken dumplings, soup dumplings, orange chicken with side of brown rice, Singapore rice noodles, rice cake with shredded pork. These are simple dishes , and they are all cooked with care: not oily or salty. I was interested in the rice cake and pork chop. The waiter kindly reminds me it's all deep fried to gauge my expectation. Now I think about it, I might try it next time. They also have a lot of non-meat version of popular Chinese dishes. So it would be good for a group with diverse tastes. read more

Super homey Chinese food! We go the soup dumplings, beef and broccoli, cumin beef, Dan Dan noodles, mapo tofu, and peppercorn chicken. Friendly and fast service too! read more

A hidden GEM in the village! Incredibly authentic tasting shanghainese dishes at affordable prices. You can't miss out on the stir fry rice cakes with shredded pork and veggies - so tasty and full of flavor. All the meat dishes hit the spot and remind me of home. The portions are just right and I'd encourage you to order multiple dishes to try everything (like tapas style!). What's even better than the food is the service. The owner is very kind, has great energy, and always welcoming. Will definitely be back soon! read more

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The dishes are really authentic and tasty. They can be flexible in your ordering, eg they'll give you 4 buns if you're party of 4 while the dish typically comes with 3 buns. The place is low key and relaxing. Great waiters and the chef is awesome. read more

So sad to see my go to Asian vegan restaurant, Go Zen closed last month. Luckily, I spoke with the business and because the chef is Shanghainese, they are just updating the menu to become more inclusive to the neighborhood. Who doesn't love XLB? Given the locales, they will definitely attract more customers to their venue. Luckily, they are keeping some of the OG vegan dishes and even 'veganize' some traditionally meaty Shanghainese dishes, like orange 'beef' or a vegetarian XLB. Please support this local business as they work through some growing pains. read more

The food here on the whole was excellent. The BBQ seitan, wontons in sesame peanut sauce, sweet pumpkin cake, and fried BBQ pork buns were all outstanding. The shao mai was good but a little dry. On a $30+ dine-in order they give you free xiao long bao (soup dumplings), which were also quite good. Not very busy on a Saturday night -- the quality of the food here merits much more patronage! read more

What a hidden gem! Literally everything we ordered was a hit. I particularly liked the pan seared dumplings, which were the traditional version of potstickers (fried so the bottom is stuck together). The big pork bone broth was also amazingly flavorful! Everything was very fairly priced, but note that the portions are not that large (compared to other Chinese restaurants at this price point). Because the food is so delicious, you'll eat more than you think, so I recommend ordering more ;) read more

The food was awesome here! Very quick service and the music was very relaxing. We got the orange chicken, beef and yakisoba noodles, steamed happy dumplings, and the pumpkin cake! Absolutely loved it. read more

Shanghai Villa is a continuation of Go Zen. Many of the Go Zen vegan dishes are still on the menu, but continuing purely vegan was not financially feasible anymore for the business. We had an outstanding, mostly vegan lunch (with one chicken dish). My personal favorites were the rainbow rolls and the BBQ seitan noodles. Our five-year old loved the vegetarian soup dumplings and placed a second order! The owner and the server were super helpful and patient, even when our kids misbehaved (e.g. said five-year old walking over the long wall bench). We'll definitely be back. read more

Such mediocre food. I had a stir fry that was supposed to be in a spicy garlic sauce and it tasted only of sugar, definitely not a garlic sauce. The staff is nice. read more

Highlights were the scallion oil noodles, pork buns and wontons in a sesame peanut sauce! The pork buns had an amazing crispy bottom but still soft all around. Scallion oil noodles were super simple but so satisfying! Very casual spot but everything was very yum! read more

We were there for lunch and the place was empty. We ordered 2 noodle dishes and an appetizer, and they have a promo for free soup dumplings if spending $30 dining in the restaurant. The service was fine, the food was delicious. But the portions were very small. There are better options in the area. read more

Will definitely be coming back to Shanghai Villa! I lived in Shanghai 6 years ago and this place is on point. I got the Dan Dan Mien and the Wantons in Sesame Peanut Sauce. I'll definitely try one of the spicy dishes when I come back. It's been a long time since k had a White Rabbit candy as well, which they bring with the check :) read more

Today was my first time eating at Shanghai Villa and it has to be some of the best Chinese food in the area. Every dish tasted authentic and looked appealing. Service was also very good, each dish came out quickly. Would definitely recommend coming read more

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Hidden gem. I eat here frequently and it is delicious and filling every time and super affordable. The scallion oil noodles are a must try!!!! love this place, could not recommend it more. Staff is patient and accommodating as well. read more

Terrific restaurant! We needed to change our reservation and they were accommodating. Food was fresh, beautiful, and super tasty. So nice to have hot and sour soup again (as most of the time is is not vegetarian friendly). Excellent vegetarian/vegan options with free pumpkin cakes or soup dumplings (if you spend $30 or more). Reasonable prices for portions and attentive servers. Highly recommend. read more

Exceptional service and great food. The flying fish and hot&sour xiao long bao are unique and taste delicious. Highly recommend! read more

Shanghai Villa - Shanghainese Near Me - New York, New York

This is such a nice and cozy establishment, run by super nice people. The owner and service workers were super attentive and kind. That's rare to find nowadays in NYC. We got two appetizers (the spicy wonton was great) and a noodle. Because we ordered $30 worth of food, they gave us soup dumplings for free and they tasted pretty good! Even the little sweet treat they serve as you get the check (the brand is White Rabbit) tasted very good. I'd definitely recommend coming here for a nice and hearty dinner without breaking the bank. I think you could even come with a rather larger group (6-8 ppl) since the owners are very accomodating. read more