New York City New York City Chinatown Food

Every possible variety of East and Southeast Asian cuisine can be found in Chinatown's tangle of streets. The old Cantonese standbys compete with newer arrivals from other regions of China—Shanghai chief among them, though Szechuan, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese are also readily available. The restaurants can be bewilderingly repetitive—the same spare decor, the same dishes, even the same garish menus—but those willing to explore and experiment will quickly discover the neighborhood's remarkable diversity. Best of all, a lot can still be had for very little, a modern-day Manhattan miracle.

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, 65 Bayard St. (chinatownicecreamfactory.com), This 30-year-old and ever popular Chinatown institution is a welcome reprieve from the glut of repetitive restaurants that surround it. “Exotic flavors” like lychee (Chinese fruit), wasabi, and black sesame are served up alongside “regular flavors,” sorbets, sundaes, and milkshakes. Get here early in the day to avoid lines. 1 scoop $3.75, 2 $5.75, 3 $7. Open daily 10am-10pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Joe's Shanghai, 9 Pell St. (joeshanghairestaurants.com), Though Joe's got its start in Flushing in 1995, the Chinatown branch has become legendary in its own right, attracting massive crowds—a line is essentially a permanent part of its storefront. Crowds come for a 150-item menu filled with noodle soups, meat dishes, and seafood. Mostly, though, people come for the famous xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. You'll be asked if you want some when first seated; say yes. Nibble a hole in the dumpling, suck the soup out, eat the rest, and ascend into heaven. 1 order of dumplings $6; entrees $11-20. Open daily 11am-11:15pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Pho Nha Trang, 87 Baxter St. Chinatown is no stranger to Vietnamese restaurants, which have staked their claim in the neighborhood over the past 20 years. Pho Nha Trang is one of the most highly regarded, serving up genuine pho (rice noodle soup, Vietnam's national soup), fried frog legs, and barbeque pork paste for dirt-cheap prices. The decor isn't much (those wall-to-wall mirrors get distracting)--but who was asking for much anyway? There's another branch at 148 Centre St. Dishes $5-14. Open daily 10am-11pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Excellent Dumpling House, 111 Lafayette St. Hilarious name aside, this small, plain eatery on Chinatown's eastern edge is a great find for modest helpings—from the dumplings to the dim sum to the noodle soup. A celebration of the small, the very cheap, and the unique, right down to a hand-painted sign proudly announcing that amazing name. It's fun just to recommend this place. 6 dumplings $5, dim sum $2-5, noodle soup $4.75-6. Open daily 11am-9pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Chanoodle Express, 79 Mulberry St., between Canal and Bayard St. Just south of Little Italy on Mulberry St., popular Chanoodle celebrates a different kind of pasta. Its noodle dishes ($6-9) are extensive and cheap, and you can also try the crispy quail legs ($5) on the side. Despite the exotic dishes, though, Chanoodle does what it can to attract Little Italy's tourists—forks and knives are more common than chopsticks, and the decor is a bit more elaborate than its plainer neighbors to the south. Entrees $5-12. Open M-Th 11am-10pm, F-Sa 11am-11pm, Su 11am-10pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Pho Viet Huong, 73 Mulberry St. The huge menu at this Vietnamese restaurant is a marvel—over 200 items, including vegetarian options like black mushrooms and sauteed watercress. Tons of cheap rice dishes are also up for grabs. Added bonus: the bamboo hut roofs and plastic palm trees adorning the back and side walls doing their best to make you forget you're downtown. Entrees $5.50-17.50. Open daily 10:30am-10:30pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Fried Dumpling, 106 Mosco St., between Mott and Mulberry St. Oh, yes. Presenting the cheapest of the cheap: a small, absolutely no-fuss hole-in-the-wall just a few steps from Columbus Park and the Federal Plaza. You'll probably see officials in suits and jury duty members on breaks mingling with the locals here, all of them giving hurried orders to the frenetic two-person staff behind the counter. The dumplings are nothing to drool over, but they're tasty enough and so beautifully cheap. 5 dumplings $1, 5 pork fried buns $1, 30 frozen dumplings $5. Open daily 10am-10pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Xo Kitchen, 148 Hester St. An enormously varied menu raise XO's two locations (the XO Cafe and Grill is located on 96 Walker St.) above the crowded pack. Hong-Kong style lo mein can easily complement a start with Japanese appetizers or dim sum treats. Throw in some commonly ambitious decorations and you have delicious cosmopolitanism, Chinatown-style. Entrees $5-13. Open M-Th 8am-11pm, F-Sa 8am-11:30pm, Su 8am-11pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Buddha Bodai, 5 Mott St. (buddhabodai.net), No, we didn't stutter. Buddha Bodai is a certified kosher, vegetarian Chinese restaurant that attracts tourists and locals alike and is particularly popular among the Jewish community. The cheap lunch special draws a crowd, while more expensive entrees like Chinese water spinach or tofu in ceder sauce keep things interesting. As if they weren't already interesting enough. Lunch special M-F 11am-4pm $7, entrees $7-18. Open daily 10am-10pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Nice Green Bo Restaurant, 66 Bayard St. Joe's Shanghai gets the attention, but Nice Green Bo (until recently New Green Bo) is another recognized favorite among Shanghai-style restaurants in the area. Its following can be chalked up to its soup dumplings and to a varied menu that encompass seafood, Shanghai lo mein, and casserole dishes, without breaking a sweat. Dumplings $5-7. Entrees $7.25-17. Open daily 11am-11pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Grand Sichuan, 125 Canal St., by Manhattan Bridge Szechuan food from China's inland Sichuan province is not readily found in Chinatown; tiny Grand Sichuan by the Manhattan Bridge is an ideal, simple corrective. They threw the frills out of here years ago, but kept the traditional spiciness, and let luxurious regional standards like kung pao chicken and double-cooked pork. Or go with the Chairman and order one of Mao's 22 favorite dishes on offer here. Lunch special M-F 11:30am-4pm $5. Entrees $8-20. Open daily 11:30am-11pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Jaya, 90 Baxter St. There are a few Malaysian restaurants scattered throughout the neighborhood, but Jaya's menu is one of the largest. It's dizzyingly varied, too; Malay dishes share space with Indian, Thai, and Indian offerings. Start with the Indian pancakes, move on to the Chinese drunken chicken, and end with Malaysian curry chicken. Or you can, you know, make the trip several times, one for each regional cuisine on display. Entrees $10-15. Open M 11am-10:30pm, Tu-Th 11am-11pm, F-Sa 11am-midnight, Su 11am-11pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has outdoor seating.
Ping's Seafood, 22 Mott St. Ping is a very well known Hong Kong chef who made his start here, spent a few years developing his craft in Flushing, and has triumphantly returned with this multi-storied and elaborate restaurant. It's one of the fanciest—and most popular—restaurants around, but if you're too much of a timid cheapskate to dish out the $75 shark fin soup you may find some consolation in the always-reliable dim sum menu. Dim sum $4-5. Entrees $12-75. Open daily 10:30am-midnight. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access. Serves alcohol.
Jing Fong Restaurant, 20 Elizabeth St. Jing Fong's huge banquet hall, known by the huge Chinese characters on its exterior, is the site of massive crowds all scrambling to signal a waiter over for a tray. Jing Fong will confuse and overwhelm—but practiced dim sum lovers will be in paradise. Dim sum $6-20. Open daily 9:30am-10pm. Takes credit cards. No wheelchair access.
Pho Bang, 157 Mott St. Another Vietnamese establishment named after the national soup, Pho Bang prides itself on its authenticity. No faux pho here; and if you're not in a soup mood (though one bowl is enough for a meal), cheap rice dishes offer a reprieve. Entrees $4.50-19.50. Open daily 10am-10pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Lunch Box Buffet, 195 Center St. at Hester St. Lunch Box Buffet is as simple and unimaginative as its name. Come in, line up, be directed through a cafeteria-style line of offerings (the staff will help you out and, unfortunately, regulate your portions), and pay at the end. A simple stop for those unwilling or unable to wait; the so-so quality is redeemed by the added convenience. 4 choices with soup and rice or 5 choices with soup $4.50. Open daily 10am-9pm. Does not take credit cards. Wheelchair access.