CHINATOWN/ LITTLE ITALY (Houston to Brooklyn Bridge; E of Layfayette)
Nha Trang: Vietnamese. 87 Baxter @ Bayard-Canal; 22/7/$17; 233-5948; Mountains of food; Crowded; Dirt cheap. BBQ beef entrees; Pho Noodle soups- multiple to choose from; Huge menu to select from; Truly authentic & packed with locals. Beware – it is a hole in the wall and not a great place for a sit-down dinner. More for lunch. Never for a date unless you are 17 and poor. Il Cortile: Italian. 125 Mulberry @ Canal-Hester; 24/21/$50; 226-6060; Innovative Italian; Garden room; True Italian feel. Sizable portions served by a friendly, experienced waitstaff. Garden room or outdoor seating perfect for a date; Touristy, but locals love it too; They have a cocktail lounge; Any form of seafood served Marinara, Fra Diavolo, Garlic & Oil or Milanese. Massive menu.
Il Fornaio: Italian. 132A Mulberry @ Grand; 22/15/$32; 226-8306; Fun, friendly environment. Gem of a find on tourist-central Mulberry where red-sauce classics dazzle. Large, and I mean large menu & fair pricing seal the deal. Ideal for lunch or a casual dinner; Not the best date place due to average ambiance. Probably the best bang for the buck in area.
Pellegrino’s: Italian. 138 Mulberry @ Grand-Hester; 24/18/$43; 226-3177; Delicious fare; Touristy but still a delightful experience; Service is tops. Traditional Little Italy Classic; Possibly the best on this strip; Can sit outside; Treated like royalty. Fun to watch the tourists go by; Red sauce classics; Rigatoni in Vodka sauce. Bufala Mozz; Ideal for lunch or dinner or anytime while sightseeing.
Angelo’s of Mulberry:
Italian; 146 Mulberry @ Grand-Hester; 23/16/$46; 966-1277; Been around forever; Pasta and Garlic lovers gravitate here; One of the best in Little Italy. Red sauce classics; Lines out the door for a reason; Stereotypical, but tried and true. True Italian feel with a staff that is heavily Italian; Huge portions and long wine list; 20 appetizers ($10-$15), 20 pastas, 30+ meat & fish dishes ($20-$30).
Da Nico:
Italian. 164 Mulberry @ Broome-Grand; 22/18/$39; 343-1212; Absolutely nothing wrong with this fine Little Italy selection; Solid all round; Garden & back patio in summer; Large portions for moderate sums; Coal oven pizzas. Calamari Fra Diavolo is delish; Menu has about every classic Italian standard to choose from; Charming vibe.
Eight Mile Creek: Australian. 240 Mulberry @ Prince – Spring; 20/15/$37; 431-4635; Great energy; Kangaroo steak on menu; Garden, Pub & Formal dining area; Upscale Outback. Tasmanian oysters. Lively bar scene downstairs – perfect to start off evening. Spicy prawn dumplings; BBQ Artichoke; Limited menu but wholly authentic.
Pho Viet Huong: Vietnamese. 73 Mulberry @ Bayard-Canal; 21/10/$18; Excellent authentic Vietnamese; Exotic dishes. Cafeteria like setting; Most of the menu under $10; Pho – everything available; Get the “Extra Big Bowl of Beef Deluxe Noodle Soup” for $6.50! Yes, you can eat cheap and well in NYC; Massive menu; Banh Mi sandwiches excellent. Lunch level quality.
Shanghai Café: Chinese. 100 Mott @ Canal-Hester; 22/12/$19; 966-3988; Competes with Joe’s Shanghai for the best soup dumplings in the city; Endlessly long menu of anything you could possibly crave as well; No dim sum.
Nyonya: Malaysian. 194 Grand @ Mott-Mulberry; 22/13/$22; 334-3669; Dirt cheap tabs for a true Malaysian experience; Properly spiced; Great for lunch and to walk around Chinatown or Little Italy afterwards; The most popular dish, in this very popular spot, is the ROTI Canai – flatbread with a curry sauce. Gigantic menu and everything is dirt cheap. Lunch menu as well. Mandarin Court: Chinese. 61 Mott @ Bayard; 21/9/$21; Used to be some of the Best Dim Sum in city; Dirt cheap; Dinky place; Weekends is best! Pushcart authentic classics; Shrimp dumplings. Heavenly tidbits. Nothing fancy and often crowded on weekends; New ownership has resulted in below average reviews since then. I have not been since ownership change. Do not expect even average service.
Ping’s Seafood: Chinese. 22 Mott @ Pell; 22/11/$27; 602-9988; Known for Dim Sum and fish served whole; Weak service and dated décor but the weekend Dim Sum is magic (for NYC); The menu contains the usual huge number of selections including many seafood entrees and noodle dishes; Eat cheaply, though not as cheap as competitors in the genre.
Peking Duck House: Chinese. 28 Mott @ Mosco; 23/15/$36; 227-1810; Crispy Duck; Get the signature dish skillfully carved at your table; Has all the usual Chinese dishes as well; Select the 3-way duck- they make a soup & stir fry with leftovers. BYO with no fee; Great service for the genre; Large portions and reasonably priced to boot.
Joe Shanghai: Chinese. 9 Pell @ Bowery-Mott; 22/9/$25; 233-8888; Famous Soup Dumplings; Dim Sum like; Well-known; Large menu of all the other usual classics; Dirt cheap pricing. Most popular place in Chinatown; Have uptown location at 24 W 56th; Food is addictive; Go for the Soup Dumplings (crab or pork) and try another dish as well and you will be full… all for under $25.
Oriental Garden: Chinese. 14 Elizabeth @ Bayard-Canal; 24/12/$31; 619-0085; Seafood doesn’t get fresher; Way better than anything in area; Dim Sum is outstanding; Simple Chinatown-esque décor and very mixed service quality; Crab with ginger and scallion; Shrimp dishes. Chow fun and other noodle dishes amazing; Not the cheapest C-Town eatery but they have a huge following;
Jing Fong:
Chinese. 20 Elizabeth @ Bayard-Canal; 20/13/$20; 964-5256; Huge ballroom Dim Sum Palace; Famous and always packed on weekend; Dim Sum Cart central; Massive menu for other nights; Dirt cheap tabs; Best for the “Disneyland” of Dim Sum – go early; Great for parties; They even have Dim Sum M-F for $2.25 an order- no matter what type (of the 75 selections or so).
Great NY Noodle Town: Chinese. 28 Bowery @ Bayard; 21/14/$23; 349-0923; Massive menu of every variety of noodle dish; Multiple rice dishes to choose from and even standard Chinese fare; Even soft shell crab; Tons of soups- under $4 so prices can’t be beat; Open until 4am daily; Known for an amazing roast pork; Imagine what you want to eat Chinese wise – they have it.
Nice Green Bo: Chinese. 66 Bayard @ Elizabeth-Mott; 25/5/$16; 625-2359; Best Chinese in City; Flat out awesome Chinese in a dump; Authentic. Soup dumplings are the masterpiece here; Dim sum, noodle, & rice selections; Huge menu; Steamed crab & pork steamed dumplings; Service is fast but quarters are crampt;
Fuleen Seafood: Chinese-Seafood. 11 Division @ Bowery- E-BWay; 23/9/$29; 941-6888; Epic good seafood; Fish straight from the ocean; Prepared wonderfully; So cheap for seafood; Piss poor décor but worth it for crustaceans swimming into your mouth. Has non-seafood dishes galore; Best for lunch or mid-day weekend meal; Especially excellent are the crabs. Golden Unicorn: Chinese. 18 E B-Way @ Catherine; 22/13/$25; 941-0911; Dim Sum genius; Giant spot- 3 levels and a huge assortment of Dim Sum selections; Authentic food; Shrimp Dumplings; Probably the most established Chinese I’ve had in Chinatown; Not a ‘scene’ by any means; Go for Dim Sum or even dinner; True Chinatown experience.