I visit the downstairs lunch buffet regularly. The vegetables (especially string beans) are delicious, with just the right amount of crunch. Some of the noodles are very good too, without being drowned in sauces. They have a huge selection, but I steer clear of the salty/sugary sauces, sushi and dumplings. (No one does everything well.) The price is right, with a discount (and no line) after 1:45pm and free soda for purchases over $6. The checkout process is very efficient; one woman weighs your food and bags it while another takes your money. It's a great no-frills lunch spot. read more

It's a Chinese fast food place so don't expect authentic cuisine. However it's great value lunch spot in FiDi. There two levels - basement for the buffet and upper level for set meals or noodles. The buffet tends to be most Americanized, greasy salty and deep fried as you might expect. Upstairs has better Chinese options. The set meals are 1 or 2 items with rice (white brown or fired rice for the same price). The most expensive item determines how much you pay. To understand their ration system, I have gotten shrimp+another meat on one occasion and shrimp+veg on another occasion. I paid the same price, but I counted two more shrimps with the veg, which I think is fair. The most authentic and also what I order the most in the winter is the soup noodles. Excellent portions and the egg noodle has great texture. If you show up before 12 o'clock it's an unbeatable $6.25. read more

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Cheap and fast Chinese food in FiDi. Go to place on Wednesdays for their "sweet chicken" days (only sold on this day). It's the chicken with carrots, very soft and flavorful. Always ask to get it to go since it seems you get more food. I've also had their dumplings which are good. They discount their food after 3pm in their downstairs buffet line. They have water on the first and second floors (and more seating on floor 2) so no need to spend money buying a bottle. Place is always immaculately clean for the amount of people that walk through all the time. read more

Yip's is the best thing to have during a blizzard. Inexpensive, good food and friendly staff. Will be back again.

3-1/2 stars. Now that I don't work in the Financial District any more, I really miss Yips. Where else can you get a small container of Singapore noodles, roast duck, roast pork and a couple of obligatory stir-fried green beans for about $3? Don't be deterred by the line at lunch time -- it moves really fast. Kudos to the counter ladies. I hadn't been here for about 9 months after my office relocated after Sandy. They remembered that I am eco-friendly and don't need a plastic bag. read more

Being that there are very little recent reviews on here, it turns out this location was not listed and the one in midtown had closed. Well, no worries yelpers, yips is back on Yelp.... Is this a good thing? Well, yes and no. Went here the other day for some lunch with a bunch of colleagues. We did the take out and eat in the office. Let's put this this way: for the price, it's worth it. Just don't expect the best Chinese food ever made. The line was quick moving and this place does get busy. I ordered the bbq chicken with rice and grilled veggies. And while it was good, I did get a headache and realized thanks to my lady later - the places uses msg. So if you can't do the msg thing, don't go here. If you can or don't care either way, for the price the food is good. So the verdict : 3 stars read more

Yip's - Bag from new address location - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

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Good chroma fast take out Chinese. This is is really 2 restaurants. A downstairs which is a buffer where you by by weight and the upstairs which has a la carte dishes. The place is popular and can seem crowded but the line moves fast. The food is good if you are in the mood for takeout. read more

My eight year reign of working in Battery Park is over. So I figure I should give a favorite spot a review. By far, I ate here the most frequently, I'd say about once or twice a month on average, which, shockingly, puts me somewhere around 100 visits. I'm not proud of it, but stating it for purposes of this review. There's two levels, which I'm sure you've read about. One buffet by weight section and one that, I've never seen before, has already cooked options where they slap it together in seconds for you. Their bread and butter is the lunch rush and they know it, get as many customers served as possible in that small window. Works great for everyone. I remember the first time I tried this place, I ordered over the phone, thinking it was like any other Chinese take out place. Call ahead and pick it up right? I go to pick it up and I was completely confused. So I told them what I ordered and they made it right there. That was a new experience for me. It certainly works for everyone that way: faster service and higher turnover, no call-aheads or missing orders. Go and get it, quickly. I do the buffet more often, probably 4:1. So I'll do that first. The buffet is bountiful before 1pm. Then they stop adding stuff and only add the bare necessities until the 1:45pm price drop, obviously to get rid of the stock. Makes sense. Price has gone up over time, but not by much, but the worst thing they did was get rid of the free drink if you hit a certain amount of weight! Real bummer, but I'm not going to take a star away for that. That's a business move, I get it. My favorite buffet configuration, and I'll add a pic sometime, has some lo mein, some rice. Scurry over to the Garlic Chicken (used to be in the front but now allllll the way in the back). Now, the Garlic Chicken in the buffet is dark meat, but upstairs it's white meat. So I take a little of the dark but what I really get a hold of is the salty garlic crunchies on the bottom and top the rice and lo mein with it. Banging. The string beans are perfectly cooked every single time, get them. The other half of the container is a wild card, reserved for when they have the sporadic items, like: chicken and zucchini in black bean sauce or the chicken with peanuts. Overall, I love it. It's great for what it is. I'm doing review based on the fact that this is a Chinese take out spot for lunch. I'm not going to compare it to Chinese restaurants, I feel there's a difference. You don't take your date here, but you definitely go with a co-worker during lunch. I don't know what to tell you if it's a lunch date? Maybe? If you do upstairs, stay away from the tall string bean, he's all rice and lo mein, and not a lot of what you really wanted. The two guys that have been there as long as I been going there are the two you want. One has glasses and usually mans the left side of the counter, he will do it right with proper amounts of what you order. The other OG rarely does food and seems to be managing a little more. Everything I ate here was good, I love and miss this place immensely. It's funny that when I go visit, of all the places to eat in NYC, that I'll pick this Chinese lunch spot. Lol. read more

Yips is a quick, easy, cheap way to get food. Its like a speeded buffet. You pay by the amount of food you take. For four bucks you can walk out with quite a lot of food and different types. Everything is usually fatty, but they do sell some steamed veggies, and the veggies can be either separated or mixed. They accept cash and credit card. It's mostly convenient when you are in a hurry and are on the go. I walk in and out with food quickly when I go to YIPS. I know a lot of people that go to this place and like it. It is Chinese food so if you don't like Chinese food, do not go to YIPS. The place itself, has a strong Chinese food smell. I personally like YIPS because as I mentioned before, it is decent in price it's quick and convenient. The staff never talk to you 1-on-1 but that is exactly what people want when they are in a hurry! Enjoy. read more

My go to Chinese spot in FiDi. Tasty food and good prices. Food is always fresh. The employees are also very nice and give you good portions. Very clean place. read more

Based solely on their $4.99/lb hot/cold bar happy hour (which gets a little cray, especially during school season...), A-OK. The food was fresher than I've found other such happy hours to be during their happy hour time. Good selection. Fast check out. Can't speak of their seating area, as I took mine to go. But will keep them bookmarked for future om nom noms. read more

Grotesque food both in appearance and taste. Never go here. Even at the cheapest happy hour price of $5 per pound it's not worth it. I wouldn't eat here again if it was free. The environment is depressingly dingy and dilapidated. Panda Express is gourmet compared to this place. read more

Found this convenient lunch spot and it's an absolute gem. I got the beef noodle stew bowl (Udon noodles) and it surpassed my expectations. The beef was short rib and it was fall-apart tender. The broth was delicious, and not too salty. I would definitely come back. The only reason I can't give five stars is because I want this place all to myself. read more

Solid choice. Great for lunch. Take out or dine in. Can get quick pre made or order to be made. Always a good choice because I'm always in a rush. Quick warm and good service. read more

Working a few blocks away, Yip's was my lunch go-to 1-4 times a week for 2 years. The upstairs daily specials, which must be chosen carefully, are tasty but nothing special. Their twice-weekly shrimp and lobster sauce over pork fried rice always had lots of large shrimp. The basement buffet never varied a whole lot, but the food was eatable and inexpensive. Overall, the food at Yip's is a half-notch above the "Chinese grunge" standard, tasty and cheap. read more

Yip"s specializes in cheap, mall food court Chinese, and that is fine by me. Think of it as a Miller High Life... a good honest beer at a good honest price. I like the taste of Miller High Life, and I like the taste of cheap Chinese food, but I wouldn't necessarily classify them as good, but man are they CHEAP!!!! If you spend more than 8 dollars here you are obviously doing something wrong or are entering an eating challenge. Yipp's is divided into two floors- upstairs is traditional, quick Chinese: steamers filled with chicken covered in delicious goo and your choice of veggies, noodles and rice. All for 5 bucks! Tack on a Pepsi and you are cooking with gas. There is plenty of seating and never really ever a line. The food was pretty standard, and there was indeed a lot of it. Downstairs they have a by the pound buffet, which apparently is better, but something I would personally avoid because of my inability to serve myself proper proportions. More than adequate and more than affordable. Dare we say Yip's is the Champagne of Chinese food? Probably not. read more

The buffet is a great option for lunches. $6.89 per pound now and reduced to $5.99 after 1:45pm. Credit card minimum of $8. Wide selection of veggies for salads, noodles, rice, and other Chinese cuisines. read more

aka cheap chinese....when I have $4 in my pocket for lunch this is one of the places I go to. It's greasy Chinese food, but if you order right you can get a good meal. I suggest you go there without a set dish in mind. The best thing to do is, go up and look and see what seems to be the freshest and healthiest, order it with the white rice or the lo mein. The white rice helps dilute some of the grease. Their soups aren't bad either but it usually is to much food for me so I just stick with the one dish. The people behind the counter are pretty friendly too. read more

Yips is awesome! I'm talking strictly about the buffet part since I've never tried the counter service. It's cheap, has a huge selection of food and a fresh salad bar. The menu seems to change quite frequently too so you're bound to find something you like. Some of the dishes may not be the healthiest, but don't have to take it. Unfortunately, I work in midtown now and only get to eat there when visiting friends at the old office. Comparable deli buffet food around here is 6.99/pound with much few selections and not nearly as good quality. I never realized how great of a lunch place Yips is until it's not longer an option. read more

Adding a star because the main ordering area appears to be newer/cleaner, credit cards are accepted and a variety of "authentic" cantonese style noodles soup are part of the menu... read more

Working 3 blocks away, this is an easy choice. While I don't disagree with others that this buffet is a veritable grease counter, it's also easy to eat v healthy. I get the sauteed spinach every time (sometimes when I'm feeling indulgent I'll throw in a dumpling), and after 3pm, it's $3.75/lb. The cash only is definitely annoying but it keeps the line moving and the portions small. read more

Love this place. Super cheap and they have so many options to choose from. And if you thought their food couldn't get any cheaper, from 2:45- 3:30 the pound of food is $3.00. Love love love this place. read more

Won't EVER eat from this place again after finding a maggot in my food from lunch. Also I didn't get an apology when I returned it and they argued with about my refund because I ate some before I found the maggot. Lucky after showing them my transaction via my banks app, I got a full refund. I have also reported this place to the department of health. read more

Good tasting food and very quick service. Surprised a restaurant in this area would be so affordable. The upstairs section is superior to the downstairs buffet section because of fresher food. If you are price conscious and want so quick and simple, this is a great place to go. read more

Very cheap and fair food.. Free soda if you buy more than one pound.. Me and my girlfriend ate well with $9.5.. I recommend

Place is dirty, small, smelly and the food completely sucks. I tried chicken and broccoli. The chicken was just awful. Inedible. I don't recommend this place to anyone read more

It's my regular lunch place. Big variety of mostly American-Chinese dishes. You can get anything from peppered steak to seafood salad with real octopus and shrimp in it to fruit to pork buns and mashed potatoes. What's best about it is the price...one of the cheapest options in the area, which honestly does not have that many options. read more

This place is cheap and has a semi-decent salad bar in their downstairs section. Their buffet lunch special is $5.99 and comes with a soda. It's not the cleanest place, in fact it's been shut down by the department of health a bunch of times. And the food is really greasy. If you want quick, cheap, chinese take out this place is for you. Otherwise, check out the chipotle around the corner, at least the food will be fresh. read more

I really love this place for last minute meals i usually get mushroom fish salad with avocado and my meal is 3 bucks

Dirt cheap Chinese food. I usually eat late lunches. They mark down their buffets at 2:45pm to 3:30pm. I get a full meal for less than 6 bux with drink. Recommend if you're on a budget. The food is decent. Go for the cold salad bar if you're health conscious. Get a diet soda or water if you're eating the hot food bar. read more

I can go for the spicy garlic shrimp or spare ribs at any time. The buffet downstairs is okay. Unlike Ho Yips a couple of blocks away after 2 p.m. there is usually no food at the buffet and they don't seem even care that everything is gone. I do like that if you purchase from the buffet you get a free soda or water. I recommend that they remain consistent with the flavor because sometimes the food can be either really greasy or bland. read more

**Update 11/2016** Removed the free drink, lost a star because it's no longer as great of a value.

Love this place. It's probably the best Chinese food I ever had. Lots of great choices, fresh food, great staff, under $9 for lunch

This place reminds me of the super greasy buffets I grew up with in Texas, but with the charm of a deep Brooklyn post office. It's nothing to look at, and you leave feeling like you just walked through a mist of butter. Indeed, I just visited Yip's downstairs buffet for lunch, and I'm counting the minutes until I can leave work and hop in the shower... Only 164 minutes to go! But you really can't beat the price. $6.50 got me a solid portion of Fried Rice, a hearty serving of four different items, and a free can of soda. The food itself wasn't bad, though it was admittedly hit-or-miss from item to item. "Spicy" garlic fried chicken -- pretty good... Marinated "beef" soaking in heated mop water -- not so much... Overall, it was slightly below par for New York Chinese take-out -- but mostly just due to the atmosphere and the food sitting out for God knows how long... Regardless, I ate every bite. And I'll probably be back. I clearly hate myself. read more

MSG in EVERYTHING, fruit and vegetables are NOT fresh. Me and my coworkers both got diarrhea after eating their salad. And that attitude of the cashiers, OMG, rude does not even begin to describe it. You know how thick their accent is, after handing over what I thought was the amount, I wasn't sure about how much I owed so I asked one of the cashiers to repeat it, and she just started yelling at me and said I still owed 2 cents. So I started to look for 2 cents in my wallet, and she yelled again and waved at me to go away, says she is "giving me a 'discount' on this one, but you owe me 2 cents". Like I couldn't afford those 2 cents. Don't know how to deal with these people, you cannot have a normal conversation with them. I'd give 0 star to this place if I could. I don't get why people still go to this place. You eat MSG and God knows what other chemicals, dirty fruits and unwashed vegetables, does the price really compensates for all that, plus being yelled at by uneducated Cantonese cashiers who can't even speak English? read more

You simply can't beat the price for the area. Go after 145pm and the buffet is all of a sudden 499/lb. The food, as others have noted is ho-hum, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Considering it's a low rent dingy spot, I find the food pretty satisfying. Also if you're looking for a bigger meal you do better going upstairs and getting one of the Six dollar combos they have. I don't know why people say it's poorly lot upstairs. I have eaten up there several times and had plenty of light and room to eat. However it is noisy and the two line thing is really inexplicable. It is never clear which line you should be in and there doesn't seem to be any logic to it. read more

Yip's has returned and if you like cheap lukewarm Chinese style food Yip's is just the place. Add in a rude cashier or two and you will be in heaven. Yip's was closed for a while because it's lease expired,, to bad it didn't stay closed. Will not be returning here, me sooo sorry.... read more

I was there with a group recently. The price was very reasonable considering we were dinning in. The service was also reasonably fast. I notice a line of customers waiting to order, but service staff at the counter was fast. Overall it was a good experience. I would go there again. read more

I have been a customer at Yips for a while and have always found the food decent for the price. However, yesterday I had a confrontation with the cashier at the downstairs buffet area that will cause me not to return. I was behind another gentleman who was paying for his meal when the cashier reached out to take the $20 bill I had in my hand. She put it on the cash register and then took some money from the first customer. After she got done with him, she proceeded to give me change for a $10 bill instead of the $20 that I had given her. When I told her I had given her a $20 bill - not a $10 bill - she became belligerent and refused to consider she had made a mistake. I am 100% positive that I gave her a $20 but she just kept on saying the same things over and over. I finally got fed up and walked away. Don't think it was intentional but you may want to be careful when dealing with the cashiers! read more

A treasure! For the price-conscious traveler looking for tasty, spicy Chinese, this is the place. The various stir-fry/fried chicken and shrimp items are wonderful ... if a bit oily (this ain't haute cuisine). And for NYC, the prices are unbeatable. read more