My 8 Favorite Spots To Eat At in Chinatown

My love for Chinatown stems from my father. He always said that Chinatown reminds him of Brighton Beach, except everyone was Chinese. When my parents needed a break from the Brighton Beach bullshit, they would pack my grandmother, brother, and I into the car and head over to Chinatown. We would spend the day walking from store to store looking for the cheapest fish and meat. Then from restaurant menu to restaurant menu looking for the weirdest and cheapest food my father could find. 

As I got older I kept finding myself in Chinatown. On a random summer days, my friend and I would skip the beach and go roam the streets of Manhattan. The first stop was always Chinatown. We would stop off for pork buns and sticky rice buns, then hit up Soho Down Under - a graffiti shop located on West Broadway for five-finger caps, and the possibility of catching ups in another graffiti writers blackbook. 

My love for Chinatown is deep, my love for the food in Chinatown is deeper. Here are 8 spots, old and new that I love eating at. 

Lam Zhou: A hand pulled noodle and dumpling place located on the outskirts of Chinatown. My friend Jeff, an OG resident of Chinatown had put me on to the place. When I asked Jeff what makes Lam Zhou dumplings better than anyone else, he said "just straight up love," and that's exactly what these dumplings were. For $2 you can get an order of 8. Don't forget to grab some to-go, 50 frozen dumplings are $8. The hand pulled noodles are dense, chewy, stretched and pounded right in front of you, and served in a broth filled with sliced brisket, the best $5.50 you'll ever spend 

144 East Broadway

Nom Wah Tea Parlor: The oldest dim sum parlor in Chinatown has serving up dim sum since the early 1920's. I love Nom Wah because they serve dim sum all day, everyday, 7 days a week. It's a great spot to get your dim sum fix on a rainy Wednesday night. Go with the shrimp with rice noodles, the sticky rice with Chinese sausage and the OG egg roll is a must! 

13 Doyer Street

69 Bayard: While all the food amateurs roll over to Wo Hop after a late night of drinking, make your way over to 69 Bayard. Open til 4am, you can get whiteboy dishes like Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and General Tso's Chicken, if you want something a little more authentic order the Snails in Black Bean Sauce. By the way, if you don't order their Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings, you will have lived an empty life. I am forever eternal 

69 Bayard Street 

M Star Cafe: Another spot my friend Jeff put me on to.  One of the most flavorful congees I've tasted in a while, with a perfect century egg at the bottom. The Pan Fried Rice Noodles topped with peanut sauce and hoisin will add 10 more years to your life. 

19 Division Street 

Great NY Noodletown: You aren't really a New Yorker unless you eat here regularly. Serving up a full menu of great dishes, go for their Chinatown style soups. I get mine with the shrimp dumplings & roast pork.

28 Bowery

Canal Best Restaurant:  When I was younger this was always our first stop to grab some pork, and sticky rice buns.  I've been grabbing dim sum from the counter at this place since the mid 90's but never sat down to actually have a meal here. To be continued...

266 Canal Street 

Xi'an Famous Foods: I can't begin to tell you how happy I was to hear that I would no longer have to trek to Flushing to grab some spicy stewed pork noodles and spicy cucumber salad. With a small cramped location expect long lines. Order anything off the menu, you won't go wrong. 

67 Bayard

Young Xinjiang BBQ Cart: The skewer lady a.k.a my boo. A roach coach located under the Manhattan bridge. I tend to stop at this cart mostly in the summer, as it located right off the bike lane exit off the Manhattan bridge. After riding my bicycle from Coney Island, I need some quick "energy." Varying from Chicken Skewers to fish ball Skewers, this will be the cheapest quick snack you'll ever come across in Manhattan. 

Forsyth Street - Under the Manhattan Bridge