The Cheapest ice coffee in town, can’t beat this bargain and yes it’s drinkable.

Don’t be scared off by the shabby storefront appearance. Inside all the pastry comes fresh out of the oven in the back room.  The regular ice coffee here is only $1.25, no joke. It’s comparable to a light McDonald ice coffee. Decent size too, 16 oz cup.

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The Cheapest “Hong Kong Mini Cakes” in Chinatown, $1 for 20 ping pong size cakes.  While other vendors sells theirs for $1 for 15 pieces, this cart never change their price after many years. You can find this cart on the corner of Grand and Bowery Street. A great cheap and lite snack on the go.

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Pronounced like you’re giving out a sneeze, “A Chau”, the only place in chinatown that just sells authentic Vietnamese sandwiches. A menu of 10 different sandwiches to choose from, each costing no more than $3.50, definitely a great place for a cheap tasty meal on the go. I typically prefer the classic Vietnamese Cold Cuts with Pate Sandwich which consist of Pâté(meat paste), Vietnamese ham, roasted ground pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and mayo on a toasted French baguette. The sandwich hit the spot and filled me up nicely.

A Chau Deli
82A Mulberry Street
(212) 766-3332
9am-7pm

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Big Wong

67 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Well this can be considered in Chinatown a staple restaurant serving good quality food, and good service. Through the years restaurants have successfully imitated their style of service and appearance, but many have failed. I would firmly believe that it’s the quality of their food, it is not like the taste is so different and better but it is basically home cooked ingredients with a restaurant touch.

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After Tai Hong Lao(sp?) closed down (health inspection, sigh, a constant barrier to amazing food) on Mott, I couldn’t think of any place to eat dim sum. I hated Jing Fong (terrible service, watery food, expensive); Go Go Dimsum (too polished, much too expensive for poor college student me); Delight 28 (found a rat underneath the table many years ago, I’m still scarred. Although, the waiter from Tai Hong Lao works here and still remembers me =). Thus, I resorted to Mandarin Court (the lady at the counter has always been kind to me even when I was a young girl): it was relatively cheaper than the rest of the restaurants, and they were quick with your orders. The service was never great, and I still have a personal dislike towards one of the waiters.

Thus, when Kawai mentioned 9 Chatham Square, I had to check it out:

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Tasty Dumpling
54 Mulberry Street

Perfectly crispy bottom, well cooked pork inside, steaming hot, and amazingly cheap 5 for $1.25(they recently raised their prices) fried dumplings aka potstickers at Tasty Dumpling. Their name says it all, they have a small menu of items from noodles, tofu salads, scallion pancakes all OK, but the star is the DUMPLINGS! Don’t expect service, seating are limited about 10 people max, but hey what do expect its Chinatown. Make sure you properly season your dumplings with the provided dumpling sauce and sriracha hot sauce on the table, to gives it that extra little kick. If the weather permits, take it to go and enjoy people watching at the park right across.

Above: Pork and chive dumpling, so fresh it melted the styrofoam package.

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(screen shot from the Andy Milonakis Show)

Yummy Noodles
48 Bowery, New York 10013
Btwn Bayard & Canal St
212-374-1327

Yummy Noodles are well known for their clay pot casseroles, roast ducks, and other Hong Kong style favorites on their menu. Cheap is the key, an average dish is around 4-6 dollars, but the menu might be a bit overwhelming for some. There are over a 100 items fit on to a single 8 1/2 x 11 size menu. My latest visit to that Yummy Noodles the service was really lacking.

Yummy’s logo and Rolex logo

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Recently renovated for a more contemporary feel, the Thailand Restaurant offers a great taste of traditional Thailand food with a modern touch. Having been to many crappy looking restaurants around Chinatown, it was nice to see the new upgrade. The all glass window side brings in ambient lighting which warm the look of the inside. It was especially nice the day I went when the sun was out.

The owners and people who work here consistently make excellent food. Every single dish is well done. The wait staff is friendly and attentive. The ambiance may be somewhat lacking but the place is very clean and not at all unattractive. Prices are reasonable. It’s all about the quality of the food and the cooking. This place is great if you’re looking for a Thai food experience!

Pongsri Thai Restaurant
106 Bayard St
(Cross Street: Baxter Street.)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 349-3132

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Nam Son offers authentic Vietnamese cuisine, with a full menu of the classics like Pho (Vermicelli in beef broth), spring rolls, pork chop with rice and crepes. Looking around you’ll notice this place is crowded even on a Thursday evening. The interior has a décor not unlike many of the other local Chinatown Vietnamese restaurants, however the food is what stands out.

A word of warning, walk carefully around the place, the floor is incredibly slippery. It feels like an oil slick.

The Food: “Pho”, Vermicelli (Bún in Vietnamese) rice noodle in beef broth is a big bowl of thin, almost transparent rice noodles in a hearty broth topped with thinly slice beef round, brisket, tendon and beef balls. The dish also comes with basil, bean sprouts, and a lime wedge. Be sure to add the veggies while the broth is hot so it gets nice and tender. Black Hoisin Sauce and sriracha added right in to the soup gives it an extra kick and another dimension that just isn’t the same without them.

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MOSCO PIZZA
105 MOSCO ST
11AM-10PM

After treating my family to lunch, Arson was telling me of a place in Chinatown that was actually a pizzeria. What? A pizzeria in Chinatown when Little Italy is merely on the other side of Canal? Would it actually taste like pizza? Well, Arson and I checked it out. It only opened three months ago. It’s right across the street from the other well-known dumpling place by Columbus Park. Rather small — it would be easy to miss it — with a quaint flag billowing in the wind with the words mosco pizza written on it.

Arson ordered the student special — $2.00 for a can of soda and a slice. The slice was fairly large and crunchy. The slice wasn’t truly anything special (it needed some more sauce), but it was edible. If you don’t want greasy, fried dumplings, then why not eat here? (It’s cheaper than Little Italy, I’ll tell you that much …) There’s a cute balcony with a view of, well, the side of the Transfiguration Church, but still, it’s nice decor. The place is small which makes it rather homely.

Considering that this is Chinatown, we say thumbs up for a pizzeria in Chinatown with a Chinese guy making this. If you feel like you just want a slice, and you can’t bring yourself to cross the wide dangerous street of Canal, then your best bet is here.

::edit::  5/08

i’ve been walking around there for the past few weeks, and it seems as though this pizzeria will be closed down indefinitely. Shame, no more pizza in Chinatown.

          -R.sin

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