I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

April 12, 2006 8:12 PM

OK, NYC MeFi'ers, let's hear it- where's your dim sum place? I've been faithful to Ping's for the last few years, but have dumpling wanderlust. I'm also curious about some good vegetarian dim sum.
posted by mkultra to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Where's Ping's? I have yet to have good dim sum in NYC-- I've tried Golden Unicorn and Golden Bridge and found them both pretty mediocre (by snobby west coast standards, anyway). I hear all the good stuff is in Queens...
posted by ch1x0r at 8:15 PM on April 12, 2006

I love the food at Excellent Dumpling House (Lafayette and Canal) in general, and I've heard that it's the best in Manhattan. For what that's worth.
posted by anjamu at 8:40 PM on April 12, 2006

Response by poster: Pings is at 22 Mott. Very good, mind you. I've been to Golden Unicorn and found it a bit disappointing as well. I used to go to Triple 8 on East Broadway, but I don't think it's as good as it used to be.
posted by mkultra at 9:29 PM on April 12, 2006

For the vegatarian dim sum, go straight to the Vegetarian Dim Sum House (24 Pell Street). I recommend the mock shrimp dumplings, and the spinach dumplings. Pretty cheap, too. Stick to the dim sum though, entrees are iffy. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
posted by piratebowling at 10:00 PM on April 12, 2006

Oriental Garden. It's south of Canal, but I forget the street name.
posted by I Love Tacos at 11:08 PM on April 12, 2006

The place I originally discovered Dim Sum, before it became popular, was on Doyers St, which is an L-shaped street, connectiong Pell to Bowery. The place was in the corner of the 'L'. Haven't been there in years, can't vouch for quality, but it sure was cheap, and popular with the Chinese. The name escapes me.
posted by Goofyy at 11:51 PM on April 12, 2006

Goofyy - I think I know exactly where you're talking about, and if that's the case, it's a Vietnamese restaurant, not a dim sum joint (Doyers St. Vietnamese now, used to be called Vietnam). Our favorite dim sum joint is right near there - HSF Group, on 46 Bowery. Yummy.
posted by cajo at 5:08 AM on April 13, 2006

For something off the beaten path, try Ocean Port Seafood Restaurant in bensonhurst brooklyn. Its the best dim sum i've had in nyc (but definitely quite as good as some places in the bay area where I used to live).
posted by alkupe at 5:25 AM on April 13, 2006

Response by poster: Is HSF open again? I know they were closed for quite a bit for renovation.
posted by mkultra at 7:01 AM on April 13, 2006

I'll second the Vegetarian Dim Sum House on Pell St, and suggest that while everything I've had there (from the dim sum menu) is delicious, the fried items are best. I was disappointed in the one item, mock duck, that I ordered from the regular menu.
posted by hsoltz at 7:42 AM on April 13, 2006

Go where there's a lot of Chinese people eating. I like Jing Fong on Elizabeth south of Canal.
posted by hhc5 at 11:16 AM on April 13, 2006

I second anjamu's recommendation of Excellent Dumpling House. However, I don't really think of that as a traditional dim sum place. Do they even do dim sum with the cart and everything?
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:50 PM on April 13, 2006

Just went to Excellent Dumpling House this afternoon, and I heartily agree with their name; their dumplings are, indeed, excellent. I wouldn't consider it a dim sum place, but tasty regardless.
posted by PaperDragon at 2:38 PM on April 15, 2006

Unfortunately, I'm not the original poster or I'd give anjamu best answer. And Artifice_Eternity is right too - Excellent doesn't have the carts and giant old theatre environment, but it does have great food.

Excellent Dumpling House at 111 Lafayette Street, next to the Subway, sells, well, excellent dumplings. The chicken fried dumplings and pork steamed dumplings were phenomenal. I could have eaten at least two bowls of the sesame cold noodles without help. The Chicken with Garlic Sauce was only okay, but maybe that's because it came after the three other delicious dishes.

The service is really fast and efficient - it must be one hell of a factory they have in the back. (We went at 3pm on the Saturday of Easter weekend, and the place was packed/overfilled the whole time we were there. It must've said something about their popularity.)
posted by whatzit at 2:43 PM on April 15, 2006

My Chinese friends and family all seem quite happy with Jing Fong on Elizabeth.
posted by anildash at 12:37 AM on April 16, 2006