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27 Sunshine
Category: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Dim Sum [Edit]
46 Bowery(between Bayard St & Canal St)
New York, NY 10013
Neighborhood: Chinatown
(212) 374-1319
- Nearest Transit:
-
Canal St (J, N, Q, Z)
Grand St (B, D)
Canal St (4, 6, 6X)
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
116 reviews for 27 Sunshine
Review Highlights
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"It is one of the best desserts I've ever had in Chinatown." In 24 reviews -
"Reco - egg custard dessert (sweet." In 5 reviews -
"Pork Buns, fried taro dumplings among other delicacies." In 7 reviews
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116 reviews in English
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Review from Vicki S.
Manhattan, NY
5/21/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Packed even on a rainy Monday afternoon: that should tell you a lot about this place.
The egg tarts were delicious and really stood out. Although I prefer the steamed tripe at Jing Fong, the cheung fun and har gow were comparable. Anything baked was delicious, including the char siu chaan bao. All in all, the bill came to something like $13 for the two of us. Service is efficient and polite, and very organized despite the shared tables. If there is a particular dim sum you're looking for, be sure to ask the hostesses because only the more popular dishes are on the pushcarts. You might be able to get what you want directly from the kitchens.
I noticed something that the regulars did - they put the cash tip under the lid of their tea pot. Strange, but effective I suppose! I tried to do the same but I don't think putting quarters in the tea went over very well with the staff. I'll try to have singles next time.
Sunshine, I'll be back! -
Review from Natalie S.
Chicago, IL
5/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
No trip to NY is complete without a trip to Chinatown for dim sum. We were lead to 27 Sunshine by Jacob Y., our Chinese speaking hero. Without him, it would have been much more difficult to get the good stuff.
On the weekend, be prepared to push and shove a little and then wait. We arrived around 11am and it was PACKED. I was pushed around by a bunch of old Chinese ladies before I finally decided to wait outside.
The wait is worth it. Definitely try the bacon wrapped, deep fried dumping. All of the food was fresh and hot. Some of the best dim sum I've ever had!
The 4 of us ate like pigs and our bill was *$26*. Amazeballs. -
Review from Patricia C.
Flushing, NY
5/7/2012
The Dim Sums are not bad, actually pretty decent. However, there are not much variety; In fact, most of their dim sums are quite common and are found almost everywhere. The whole restaurant is very crowded in the weekends but the wait is not long. NOTE: You have to share a big table with others if you go by yourself or in groups less than 6. A bit disorganized with the whole cart situation if you ask me. It is very loud so you often have to scream for your dim sums. I guess you just have to be aggressive in these types of Chinese restaurants.
NOTE: If you want take-out dim sum, you have to go to the middle of the restaurant where these ladies will take your order and pack the requested dim sums for you, hand you a ticket, and then you pay for the order at the front counter of the restaurant. Very interesting procedure and trusting customers. Imagine someone walks out of the restaurant without paying. I bet no one will even know. -
Review from Josh K.
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Why is the place full of Chinese people? Because it's cheap. But it ain't good. Rice skins were lukewarm and too starchy. Meat quality was bad. Tea is OK though.
Sure, you can gorge yourself for $6 or $7 a person. But why would you want to get full on this stuff. I had to go to Mei Li Wah bakery for a real pork bun to end my meal on a positive note.
Oh well. You gotta have the bad, to appreciate the good... -
Review from Terry B.
White Plains, NY
4/27/2012
I would take first-time Dim-Sum-ers to Jing Fong because they look more attractive and serviceable there but for those who already know Dim Sum, I take them here.
Greatest value for the money ever (probably $6,$7 for one person eating Dim Sum until CRAZY full) and it really tastes awesome. Cha Siu Bao, Chang Fen, Chicken Feet, taro cakes, egg tarts, shu mais, ... before you know it, your Heavenly Dim Sum time is over because you've been eating too fast.
It does get crazy busy and gets difficult to ask for service. But as usual, they are efficient, get the job done and as long as you know what to ask for, you shouldn't have a problem.
By the way, one tip if you are having a hard time getting the right food, just ask one of the waiters or waitresses in white for the specific things you want, and they will bring it to you out of the kitchen. Then you won't have to wait forever until the cart ladies show up around your table -
Review from K C.
Manhattan, NY
4/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
Went there on a Saturday with friends. It was crowded, but that's to be expected. The food was typical dim sum, and the service was decent.
The watch out is that they have a few tables that are not in the path of the carts. Take your card and go chance the ladies down! -
Review from Donovan C.
Lancaster, SC
4/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great spot for Dim Sum. The wife and I were wandering around Chinatown and came across this jewel. They push the carts around and had most of our favorites. Get there early because the Dan-Tats (Egg Custard Tarts) go fast.
We ate the usual, Chickens feet, Shrimp Crepes, Pork Buns, Sticky Rice. The twist here was that the Chickens feet were spicy! YAY!
We had to split a table with a grandfather and his grandaughter. But hey it's all about the atmosphere. The push cart ladies were real pushy.. but my wife informed them that we were not interested in Scallops. Several times... In Cantonese! This is definitely a place to assert yourself. If you want the shrimp crepes. Then hold out for some. Don't let them serve you something that you don't want. The couple dining at the other end of the table kept trying to get the shrimp crepes but the push cart ladies kept offering them Har-gow instead. Telling them its the same thing. Great food but typical Chinese business practices. The bathroom is very third world.
ddc -
Review from Sally W.
3/24/2012 6 Check-ins Here
The pushcart ladies are MEAN, MEAN, MEAN!
Don't ask them what is under the lid. She is going to snap at you, DO YOU WANT IT OR NOT!.
I was so close to yelling at her. WTF, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT THE HELL I AM ASKING FOR IF YOU ARE COVERING IT, BIOTCH!
Then I said....oh that is not worth fighting over. It is mad loud, crowded and same food over and over.
And the end we got frustrated and got the check....HOLY DIM SUM, BATMAN! IT IS MAAAAAD CHEAP!
...made it worth the trouble......kinda......I'll be back to fight some more with the ladies!Listed in: Dim Sum, Where to get some??
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Review from Boui K.
Burke, VA
3/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
came here on a sunday and met up with some of my friend's friend. its was your typical sunday dim sum rush where you would wait for hours.
After about an hour and half we got our table for 6 ppl but notice that we were seated with two other ppl, which was strange because I've never eaten with strangers on the same table. what also sucked was that we were seated right in the middle which was uncomfortable when ppl are going in and out and when the carts come around.
The food was your typical dim sum fare, we grab the har, sui mai, beef and shrimp rice crepe and chicken feet. the deep fried shrimp balls were my favorite, they were so plump that they had a nice bounce and chew to them.
Overall great meal, service lacking a bit I could understand with the packed housed tho. I would go back but not a sunday. -
Review from Paul H.
Decor: 3/5
-Restrooms are located downstairs and cramped
-Seating capacity is approximately 200.
Service: 2.5/5
-Service was fast and decent with a large party of approximately 80 people.
-The server only filled water for half the table and left. Odd.
-Cleaning the table was fast yet loud and messy
Food: 3/5
-This place serves the best Honey Walnut Shrimp. The shrimp is truly jumbo size, the batter is light and the flavor is taste bud rewarding.
-The other dishes were standard like Crispy Duck Skin on a bun, roast chicken, spare ribs with ketchup (meh), bacon fried rice, bland noodles, sea cucumber with mushrooms (bland also). The only dish I was impressed with was the Honey Walnut Shrimp.
Would I come here again? Yes, but only for the Honey Walnut Shrimp. -
Review from Alex G.
REGO PARK, NY
3/4/2012
Great place for a cheap meal.
Be adventurous and try the duck feet! -
Review from Olga G.
PECK SLIP, NY
4/14/2012
It was my second time here and the following happened to us. We had the bill of $15 and something, plus tax -17$. We gave $20 to a waiter meaning that the remaining $3 were tip. On our way out we were approached by another waiter/employee demanding $3 of tip from us. He just didnt want to understand that we had already paid the tip to his colleague. Just to avoid further dispute and to be able to leave this place quickly and safely, we gave him $5 as we didnt have one-dollar bills. So we ended up paying $8 tip on $15,4. More than 50%.
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Review from Thomas M.
2/1/2012
Came here for dinner with the family for a Chinese New Years celebration. We had 2 tables overall. Service here is prompt and polite, the spacing is very good and overall the place wasn't too too loud except a table of fukonese men drinking next to us. But they're loud no matter what, so I don't hold that against the establishment. At least they weren't smoking indoors though.
The highlights of the night : steamed shrimp and the Westlake Beef soup. Steamed shrimp is hard to screw up, you steam fresh shrimp and bring it out. Can't really describe this any other way, but the shrimp was fresh.
Westlake Beef Soup was made very well, about as good as I've ever had it. A nice gloppy texture with good parts of tender beef.
We got the fried tofu dish which is a tofu block breaded and fried, it was poorly executed. The tofu fell apart as you picked it up and once you broke the skin, water poured out. I don't think the chef knows how to properly make this one. It just looked like it was rushed, the technique wasn't good.
Mayo shrimp is mayo shrimp, nothing to report there. We did get Seafood+Moss in brown sauce... 3 dishes of it. Why? I don't know, ask my uncle. We had the sea urchin/slug, the scallop and also the mussels. All of it just tasted a little weird. Overall not what I expected from 3 obvious delicacies... I can't say they didn't taste rotten but I can't say they tasted fresh either.
Average dinner spot in Chinatown. Fried rice was mediocre as well, didn't have enough toppings. -
Review from Barbie L.
1/10/2012 2 photos
Really chaotic seating culture here...but that's Chinatown for you I guess. This is definitely not one of the easy-going Chinatown joints.
The food is pretty good! Sadly the cart variety was very low when I was there...the mysterious hard-to-grasp thing is that if you *ask* for certain dishes the waiters or cart ladies will magically show up with them within 90 seconds. So the trick is, you have to remember what dishes you want...not as easy as if you see them on the cart, but none the less the stuff is fresh and delicious!
RECOMMENDED DISHES:
-Haa1 gaau2 (translucent rice wrapper shrimp "dumplings")
-Daan6 Taat3*1 (mini egg tarts)
BOTTOMLINE:
You'll have a great time as long as you keep your sense of humor and prepared to share your table with one to 2 other groups! -
Review from Yvonne M.
1/4/2012
Definitely a great dim sum restaurant with cheap prices. My bf and I had like 7 dishes and it all total up to $14 for both of us! Plus, we only waited like 5 minutes to get a table on a busy day.
simply awesome. -
Review from Karen Y.
College Point, Queens, NY
3/13/2012
I usually go with my grandma, a Chinatown local, to dim sum, the Chinese equivalent to lunch. My grandma picked Sunshine Seafood Restaurant on Bowery Street across from the Manhattan Bridge entrance not far from Canal Street around the corner.
This place is typically run in the Chinese style where we have to retrieve a number written on a note and wait until we are called. A couple things to note if you are not used to Chinese dim sum procedures:
1) Do not expect to be greeted or be noticed by the host. You have to do the work to find him to get a guest number reservation.
2) Many people often do not know who the host is. The best thing to do is to look for a person, usually a man even if they switch shifts, carrying a clipboard of some sort. This man is usually surround by impatient Chinese customers who ask every two minutes if it is their turn yet so it's best to see who the crowd is revolving around.
3) Unless you are a large group, expect to share with other groups in one table. It is the Chinese's most efficient way to serve the influx of customers who expect to dine here. Your inconvenience is not their inconvenience. This practice is even worse in Hong Kong where at some restaurants, customers actually stand over you while you eat to secure a table.
4) When ordering food, make sure you give the cart pushers (usually a female) your check card provided by the restaurant so she can stamp which price level it belongs in. All these stamps are used for calculating the total bill in the end so don't lose this card. They don't have time nor advance computer systems to see in real-time what you ordered to calculate the total check.
5) If your tea kettle is empty, just leave the top lopsided or opened and the waiters automatically know to get a refill by taking your tea kettle and bringing back a new one.
6) Don't expect anyone to see how you're doing. Ask for anything you want.
7) Dim sum is only during typical lunch time hours.
It is very crowded in the waiting area. Do not expect a chair to sit in while you wait. It's best to pass these chairs to the senior citizens who have a hard time standing for long periods of time. Expect to be almost arm to arm with strangers while you wait. A/C in the summer is certainly not cool enough in this restaurant. Bring a fan or any other way to keep cool while you wait. When a table is secured, the A/C is a little better, but not by that much. People in groups of two-three have the highest chance of getting a table faster than any other group number. It is easy to seat small groups where there is an open chair than to seat a whole table of people at once. If you're one of those pesky annoying customers who constantly ask the host every couple minutes if he's ready for you yet, then the host will simply not reply and ignore you totally. The only response you will get is that he will call you when it's time.
Spaciousness is definitely an issue here. People dine chair to chair, back-to-back toward each other. They have extra chairs stacked up in the corner, but because the waiters cannot navigate through the tables, it is easier for them to just take the chairs that people were sitting in while they wait. Again, this practice is bad for senior citizens who need those chairs. Dim Sum carts have little room to travel so be careful not to hit one of them.
When I finally do secure a table, if I'm sharing with another group, then the tablecloths are folded up in a way that separates us on the table. Waiters do everything possible to squeeze everyone into every seat.
The first question the waiter will ask us is what type of tea we would like. My grandma always replies, "Po Lei" or how Cantonese people pronounce it as "Bow (as in 'bow and arrow') Lei." The tea is free. When a cart pusher comes by and announces what's in her cart, we tell her if we want anything. Dim sum I usually order (in my Cantonese pronunciations- for more correct spellings- google it): ngow yok(?) (meat balls that are beef), steamed Cha Siu Bao (pork bun), Cherng fun (shrimp or beef rice noodle rolls), Don Tot (Egg Custard Tart), Ha Gow (wheat starch translucent shrimp dumplings), Lo Bak Goh, and dow fu fa (tofu soup with syrup). For more, just google dim sum.
On top of eating dim sum, we can order regular meals too. I get my usual (Sing Zhou Chow Mai - Singapore Mai Fun and Gawn Chow Ngao Haw - Beef Chow Fun)
If you really want to know, the bathroom is what my husband describes as "nasty."
When we're done eating, we drop a tip on the table, bring the restaurant card check up to the cash register and leave through the crowds of people waiting. Honestly, with business coming in like this, who cares about customer service?
PROS: Dim Sum
CONS: crazy crowds, squishy, and minimum customer service, typical of Chinese businesses. -
Review from Linda N.
Orange County, CA
3/26/2012
2 Stars based on the atmosphere.
This place is quite small and crowded. We had a group of 6 and was seated WAYYY in the back at a big round table....with ANOTHER party! It was like having a formal breakfast with our grandparents' friends, very awkward. No one here spoke a word of english which was a bit irritating because we had a difficulty time ordering. My boyfriend literally had to walk up to the cart, have the lady open all of the lids so we could get what we wanted. We had to walk through a dark hallway and down a flight of stairs to get to the restroom...creeeepy.
WELL BESIDES THAT, the food was great! The dumplings, buns, chicken feet (i don't eat this but was told it was very good), and chinese broccoli were all good. I'm used to authentic dim sum from Little Saigon, CA, and this place was definitely comparable. My favorite was the steamed shrimp rice rolls with sweet soy sauce.
Although, the food was great, I was very turned off by the service and atmosphere.
I would not recommend this place to others.
Visited Feb. 17, 2012 -
Review from Donald E.
Brooklyn, NY
3/15/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Close to my in-laws' residence, 27 Sunshine became their go to restaurant. Every time they want dim sum or plan a family dinner, 27 Sunshine is automatically chosen, much to my chagrin. The service, food, decor; all are mediocre and merely acceptable. There really aren't any "special" dishes here, unlike some other dim sum places that I have been to. But that isn't a 'make-or-break'. The food just isn't that great. Good in pinch and decent but not really a place I'd go to on my own accord.
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Review from Andrew L.
Manhattan, NY
3/24/2012
Decidedly average. The pushcart ladies really won't tell you what's under the lids unless you ask (but even Mandarin is useful - 3 other people joined us at the table and they definitely spoke no Chinese of any kind and proceeded to get less than half the food we did while eyeing our side of the table pretty greedily).
The food was ok, but nothing exceptional. Cheap enough though. -
Review from E H.
Manhattan, NY
1/13/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Dont let the C grade on the window turn you away lol. This is the spot where all the locals go for dimsum. It usually packed after 10am even on weekdays. This is my mom's go-to spot for breakfast.
I came with 4 other people, ate until we were super full and with tip and tax, it came out to $6 each.
Be prepared to share a large table with another group. Its a common dimsum thing.
and don't be afraid to try new things :)
happy eating! -
Review from d'N'L m.
Brooklyn, NY
10/10/2011
this place suuuuuuucks, at what is more annoying is how expensive it all was.. 30 something dollars was the bill... we had 5 items which, were all bad.. A plate of chinese broccoli, they charged 15 dollars for it.. Well that was actually not bad.. Though, the hoisin sauce they served was pretty bad.. No black vinegar, only a super thing red vinegar. Wowza..All the items were generic and not exciting..
This was prime time Sunday for crying out loud, they should have more than 5 options to choose from.. The shrimp dumplings were gummy..
No thanks.. You guys suck. -
Review from Geeky c.
Boca Raton, FL
Updated - 4/23/2012
Decent dim sum. Decent service. Really enjoyed the beef short ribs, beef tendon, and egg tarts.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/28/2011
Having dim sum here with the family. It's much better than some of the places ive been to in NYC.… Read more »
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Review from Laura S.
Manhattan, NY
12/26/2011
This is my go to place for dim sum. Like many others wrote, it can get very crowded here. However, on a good note, the host who gives you your number for your table is excellent. He is always so polite an helpful, especially to the non-chinese speakers. He will make note that you don't speak english, and will call your number in english as well. I've seen a number of white groups that come here to get real dim sum. Also, as most of you would know, real chinese restaurants/dim sum are not always friendly to non-chinese speakers.
They have pretty much everything here. However, the best is definitely the fong zhao, chicken feet.
If you don't like sharing tables, then don't go here. The overall price is pretty good/cheap. We had about 10 dishes and it was around $30. Beware of the lady at the registrar, on more than one occasion she's given me the incorrect amt of change (too little) so be careful..she won't own up to her mistake either -
Review from Lesie H.
9/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
You know your family is getting lazy when you guys go out to eat for every family occasion (What happened to cooking?). My mom picked this place for the night of the Autumn Festival.
- Seafood soup - good. Needed more red vinegar for flavor.
- Jumbo shrimp with walnuts - they aced this dish. Loved it. Creamy and sweet.
- Ginger scallion lobster - Good flavoring. The lobster was small but fresh.
- T-Bone steak - Asian style. Seared for a crispy edge. Tasted okay.
- Garlic snow pea sprouts - my favorite veggies.
- Crispy chicken - too dry. Some parts are okay, some are too salty, not blended well.
In the end, it was your average Cantonese flavors. I think what irked me the most was the bathroom. Though renovated, it was nasty. Pee splattered everywhere and the sink clogged with toilet paper (?!). I'm scared to see the kitchen. -
Review from Dora L.
New York, NY
12/15/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Dim Sum here is cheapppp! With all the rising costs in food, this place only charges $2 for all items, whether its considered a small, medium or large item. Besides from being cheap, food is relatively good too.
I LOVE shrimp dumplings and the shrimp dumplings at this place is yumm! The shrimp is crunchy and the skin is thin.
Aside from the regular dim sum items everywhere, they have some special items:
1. "gum sa tong yuen" which I loveeeee!... hmm.. translated to gold puree rice ball dessert? its basically
2. A twist to the regular shrimp dumpling, they have one that's covered with sticky rice
3. Sesame rice cake, different from the sesame roll that's everywhere.
Service here needs to improve tremendously. Workers are rude and seem like they don't want to work. They lose a star here.
Traditional dim sum place.. You'll more than likely need to share a table with another party or two, unless you come with a group.
You're really coming for the cheap and tasty food, not the service or atmosphere. -
Review from Judy C.
New York, NY
11/14/2011
Came here for dim sum a few times on Sunday mornings. It's a pretty chaotic scene and always packed. If you have a few people, the wait is normally 25 minutes and you will usually share a table of 10 with other people. If you have a bigger party, the wait is longer since they have to clear a whole table for you. I came here recently with a party of 4 visiting NYC and we were lucky enough to get our own table.
We also sat in the isle and so we were very close to the carts and getting the waiter's attention was not an issue. We ordered about 15 different plates - various shrimp dumplings, beef wrapped in rice noodles, shiu mai, seafood balls, sticky rice in bamboo leaves, etc - and a big dish of Singapore fried noodles. Everything was sooooo good. They didn't have the best dessert carts (my favorite is the coconut jelly) so I got up, went to the kitchen counter and they were able to give it to me. No dim sum is ever complete if my craving for coconut jelly is unsatiated.
The waiters were attentive and quick once you flag them down. We had our tea kettle and water glasses filled with no problem. The best thing of all is how cheap everything is by NYC standards. It's a great experience to show friends that are visiting NYC for the first time. -
Review from Greenbean O.
Boston, MA
2/19/2012
We have gone here for a couple of years-their braised ribs are the business. I am proud to admit that we had three dishes of this and it was awesome. Yes you have to seat with strangers, but hey that is the beauty of dim sum. Also, the price is right. I also like the atmosphere-all that frenziness of the customers and servers among all that deliciousness.
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Review from Sammy C.
New York, NY
8/13/2011
Dump
Divey
I just got back from the Doctor's office and thought we would try something new. Our regular dim sum place is Golden Unicorn Restaurant. This place was a Little dirty. The mirror which was dirty was covered with a yard of fabric. one layer on top of another as you walk in.
The dim dishes was so so and didn't give me the "WOW" factor. We had to ask for Tea (as a opener ) That was getting old. Finally it Came. We came across another worker from the Golden Unicorn who was having lunch with her friends.
I order the Sticky rice. This was nasty. It look like cooked rice that was stored in the freezer and thawed out for us. You know what I talking about if your household refrigerated rice that was already cooked. It is like Chrushy cheese when you tried to flack it off. It was like eating Sheetrock or something. no flavor on the parts of the sticky rice that was stuck together.
I later met up with the worker at Golden Unicorn and she said . never eat sticky rice from that place. it not done well or they use left over rice.
Sad isn't it ? They got a "B" Rating , I would give them a "C" for the tacky deco and chunky sticky rice.
First and LAST time. These so call tourist who rate this place 3 or more star. don't really know jack what Dim Sum should take like or look like. -
Review from Ajay T.
9/20/2011
This is a great dim sum place. I've been to 4 or 5 dim sum places around Chinatown, and this is by far the best I have been to.
The food is good and the service is fast. Like many dim sum places, you have to wait for the right cart to pass your table. Because this place isn't that big (unlike Jing Fong), you usually have to wait just a few minutes for that delicious dish to pass.
Their customer service was ehh. The waiters pass by, rushing to fill the next order. And apparently my waiter thought I spoke cantonese, even though I am obviously not chinese. Weird. But, anyways, the food makes up for the somewhat crappy service.
The place is also ridiculously cheap, but similarly priced compared to most dim sum places in the area. Oh, and if you are going during peak dim sum hours, you may want to reconsider. The wait for this place can be long and somewhat chaotic. -
Review from Tina C.
Updated - 7/21/2011 3 photos
Recent visits in 2011 outside from all my social networks and outside of good friends or acquaintances has, with great disappoint, declined in the quality of food. Service is always a huge eternal wait on weekdays particularly weekends which I do not mind as good food is worth the wait, but the ailing economy has greatly affected to diminish morale and quality of chefs and cooks at 27 Sunshine. Albeit service is still welcoming with a smile. Price is no longer set at a stable moderate but has increased for messy and sloppy prepared Chicken Feet, and the mini rice wrapped in lotus leaf lack substance for its filling. Bye, bye sunshine in my mood and momentum of good dinning.
The stairway that leads to the restrooms are filled with rubbish where garbage are the main obstacles to blockage patrons access. One occasion I personally eyewitness a FIRE ignited yet had I not informed the staff in Cantonese the entire restaurant would be engulfed.
The sunshine has long vanquished to be an immense raging storm!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/26/2009
One of the newer restaurants in Chinatown which opened in early 2009. It is located on Bowery… Read more »
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Review from Ashley L.
7/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
GREAT for dim sum.
- good variety of dim sum dishes
- each dish was tasty
- carts come often (a huge plus)
- wait staff was efficient and provided everything I asked for
- CHEAP*
Only negative is that it's crowded like any other dim sum place in the area. If you have a bigger party, the wait will be slightly longer but not unbearable. If you have a party of 4 or less, they will seat with with another small party at the same table. This is the norm. Make sure you grab a number from the man with the clipboard. He'll put your number down along with the number of guests you have and call you when a table is ready.
For a party of 7 (mostly guys), we each paid $8 for a good amount of food. Yes $8 including tip (and I tip 18%-20%)!
WIN.Listed in: Dim Sum (Manhattan)
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Review from Chi N.
Updated - 1/1/2012
so easy how chinese restaurants can change in ratings from one experience to the next.
here's why they have a C rating
1) dead fish still in tanks with live fish
2) floors are disgusting if u drop something... do not use five second rule here on table or floor
3) they ushered us to the back of the restaurant where we waited for another good 10 minutes before they cleaned the table and as a result we were in their way and yelled at even though they put us there
4) their beef ribs came out and was raw and the waiter refused to take it back at first and when they did they actually put it back on the serving carts to go out to another table!!!
so we treated them as they treated us... no tip and walked out... dim sum chinatown sucks!!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/21/2010
ok i think i may have found my go to place for dim sum in chinatown!
ordered a few dishes here at 1pm… Read more »
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Review from John W.
7/21/2011
I LOVE this place. My in-laws (old-school Chinese) REALLY love this place. The food is great. The service is great. The wait sucks (waiting always sucks). And you will get run over by a little Asian woman. With that said, look around you when you are in there. A good measure of an Asian restaurant is IF there are Asian people eating there (and yes, there are LOTS here). My personal favorite is the Shrimp and Walnuts. Damn that stuff is good! The shrimps are the size of a small lobster!
Would I come back? Yah, I would.. it seemed (when I was still living in NYC) that I was coming here at least once a week... NOTE: speaking Chinese helps but I don't speak Chinese and I can order anything from the menu! and I just point at what I want on the dim sum carts... That's what you are supposed to do! -
Review from Peng L.
Rego Park, NY
6/30/2011 8 photos
Written by CS on http://www.chinatownea...
Waiters: patient and welcoming.
We had to wait for my brother to park his car, so we took a long time to order and decide what to eat, and we weren't rushed.
Food was excellent. We had to ask the waiter for recommendations, and he was happy to describe the dishes. A little fact: Traditional Chinese like to order 6 or 8 dishes, not 7 when ordering family style. Why? for luck.
Dishes:
Fried tofu with sliced conch and green vegetables: Dip the conch either in shrimp paste or soy sauce (shrimp paste is a little more salty). Dip tofu in sauce. Conch was the perfect texture, not overcooked. Tofu could have been a little more golden/crispy.
Sunshine Restaurant famous fried rice: It was pretty tasty. Many bits of foods in here, or shall I say leftover scrap. I usually don't like to order fried rice because someone who worked in the kitchen said, its just soy sauce and leftover scrap meat and rice. The little crunchies, however, did make the rice tasty, but definitely not worth $13.
Dou Miao (Snow pea shoots): Waiter will ask if you want to stir fry with garlic or boiled with flavored soup. We usually do the soup.
Deep fried spare ribs: Tasty, crunchy. Too salty, and too much fat.
Ja Jee Gai: Crispy fried chicken filled with garlic and soy sauce flavor. Skin is paper thin. DELICIOUS! This dish can go wrong if the meat is too hard, but it was tender!
Deep fried Sea bass: As you can tell, we love unhealthy fried food. I normally don't like to order fish because it is expensive, by the pound, and a fish can end up to be $45. However, our parents love fish. The outside crunch is nothing but delicious saltiness. The bones are very long, so sucking the meat in between the bones is the best part because it tastes like fat. I'm sure there's some healthy omega-3 there.
And there you have it. The oranges were Americanized because they skinned it and sliced it and laid out with pretty toothpicks, so that you won't have to use our hands. Either way works for me. -
Review from Jacob Y.
I woke up on Sunday. I had a craving for Dim Sum. When that happens, there ain't no stopping to it. First order of business...text my friend Thea R. to see if there are any followers (and no typically she's not a follower, but who cares...I had a CRAVING for dim sum!).
After confirmation from her that she was going (yes, we were both just rolling out of bed at 10:00 am), we decided to meet up at noon time. Done! My only hesitation...the crowds that wait for table for dim sum on a Sunday morning...but as mentioned before, we were at the point of no return here!
So promptly at noon, we met up by the Canal Street subway station and ventured up the road to Bowery. Upon arrival, we were met with chaos. Big crowds of hungry dim summers waiting for their post it numbers to be called for the next seating. Sigh!
Considering I was on a dim sum mission, we waited. And waited. And waited an hour. To the point where Thea was reminding me to be resilient and keep my mind on the prize, as I was faintingly playing Angry Birds on my phone. All this and being pushed and shoved as carts of delicious dumplins were rolling right underneath my nose. Thea even took a picture of a smiling server dishing up a delicious bowl of chicken feet (Classic moment, brought to you by Thea Productions!)
Finally, I heard in Chinese "Look Sap Sam" which means 63 in Chinese. I leapt up so fast as if I was already revived from the near starvation I was experiencing, considering that was our number. NICE. And Thea and I parted all those in front of us like Moses parting the sea.
Got a table. Got Tea. Started grabbing every imaginable dumpling dish from carts on my sight. Round 1. Ding Ding Ding. We ate like Champions. Everything from Bunny looking Shrimp Dumplings, to Siu Mai, Chiu Cho Dumplings and sticky rice tamales. All great.
We looked at each other. Ooook...Round 2. Pork Buns, fried taro dumplings among other delicacies. And yes, we almost ate it all. We were sooooo close. We were soooo satisfied. And I quote Thea, like others that were leaving as we were waiting for a table, "We felt we hit the jackpot for the lottery!".
How was it? DELICIOUS. Yes, long wait. But it was all great going down, to the point where we were both in a dim sum coma. So much of a coma that Thea took the bus downtown instead of uptown. OH GREAT Dim Sum Times!2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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12/22/2010
This was my second time today at this restaurant and I came back for one reason and one reason… Read more »
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Review from Young C.
Jersey City, NJ
9/11/2011
Came here today for some dim sum with 6 friends in efforts to redeem myself from my last dim sum choice. We were seated after 25 minutes ( noon is pretty much rush hour for dim-sum-goers at this place). They were in a rush to seat us and seated us at a table without a tablecloth while the other half the table was still there finishing up and waiting for their bill. We sat down and the waiter came by and put out a new tablecloth for us while we were sitting. Another waitress came by and literally threw down teacups, plates, and chopsticks. Soon afterwards, the carts came by and we picked up some ha-gao, shu mai, and chicken feet. One of my friends got splattered by the hot oil as she threw down the chicken feet. She was annoyed but after she tried a ha-gao (shrimp dumpling), she was like...i can already tell i like this place!
We ordered, ordered and ordered so many rounds of dim sum. It was all very hot (one of my pet peeves is cold dim sum) and all pretty tasty. In the end, our bill came out to ~$10-11/person. So cheap and so good. Will be back here soon. -
Review from Scott R.
Nyack, NY
10/26/2011
Great Dim Sum place. Great service, always packed, always loud, and always GOOD!!!
Don't miss it. -
Review from Casey W.
4/4/2011
- overall rating: 2.5
- moderate/long wait even on weekdays
- not as clean as some of the other establishments in the area
- came here looking for a (slightly) cheaper alternative to my regular place
- dim sum was mostly cold and bland, I will say however that the har gow was above par -
Review from Angel C.
3/2/2012
first time was a success, second time was less so. The crown jewel of NYC Chinatown Dim Sum is through an alleyway from 27S and after waiting 40 minutes and multiple attempts to bypass the girls at the podium, the man at the base of the elevator, and then the host at the top of the elevator, I grabbed my friend to go in search of faster options. 27S seated us within 15 minutes and we had yummy dim sum in front of us within another 5. We definitely got lucky because there were plenty of hungry faces here too. It was cheaper than the other venue and more intimate compared to the banquet hall style fare of others. My second visit was direct - however my luck had run out on quicky seating and we waited over 40 minutes to only order about 8 dishes, half of which were boring and the balance the same because the variety was just not there. I guess this is just dim sum for ya - luck of the draw, both on availability and quality.
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Review from Jin C.
New York, NY
4/22/2011
I'm pretty sure I would have gotten way more variety if I came before 1:30 pm but unfortunately by that time on a Friday afternoon, all there was left was cheong funs and the usual steamed siew mai/har gao/char siew bao stuff.
I kept asking the servers if any new desserts would be coming out (I was really hankering for some egg tarts and ma lai gao) but they repeatedly told me to wait. I left at 3:30 pm but didn't see any of those.
One plus is that every dim sum dish is $2. So, I'd probably have gotten the things I wanted if I came before noon.
Can't comment on taste because half my mouth was numb from having gone to the dentist prior. Hur.
