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Cafe Evergreen
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
68th St (6)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
19 reviews for Cafe Evergreen
This is Mrs. NewYorkfoodie. My husband and I have not been to Evergreen in a while, so this is based on our last visit.
First I would not go out of my way to go here except for the dim-sum.
I am only giving it 3 stars because any dim-sum place would not warrant any higher. But I love it for dim-sum.
I do prefer it for dim-sum over anything in Chinatown. This is Hong Kong style, not traditional.
It is also cleaner than anyplace I have ever been to in any of the Chinatown restaurants.
But the main reason I like it is because as a Caucasion married to a Chinese man we don't get the usual "Lo Fan" treatment we usually get in Chinatown. At Evergreen there are always racially mixed couples we feel comfortable.
As far as the food goes the standard weekday menu is nothing special, but the dim-sum is my favorite and very good. First of all they have more vegetables incorporated into the dishes so it isn't the meat-laden fare you usually find in China town.
Secondly the many times we have been there all of the servers speak English so they answer all of my questions. This is an important point for me since I am deathly allergic to shellfish and other dim-sum places that do not understand English have put me in danger by serving something with shrimp in it after I asked them not to.
If you want Authentic Kong Kong style dim-sum in a more upscale atmosphere than China town. Go here.
The food is great at Cafe Evergreen, the service is also good, fast and attentive, not exceptional tho. There is enough space to accommodate large groups and is probably some of the best Chinese food in the UES; I came here with my colleagues for lunch during a weekday... Wide menu in particular the Dumplings and Buns part of the Dim Sum which was our meal election. The variety offered is amazing. We were a 15 people group so we ordered a good representation of the Dim Sum menu, and I can not complain. Everything was perfectly cooked, in consistency and flavor, and the texture. It was delicious. The Roast Pork Buns were unforgettable Same with the Shrimp and scallops dumplings.
But seriously I'm shocked with the prices here.Quality food, good service, huge variety of dishes, yes, but being that is regular food, I mean, nothing creative or fusion or that Chef kind cuisine that makes it memorable, I'm wondering what makes the UES location worth such a bill. I haven't come back yet after several months and just 5 min walking from work... guess why.
This place is bigger than it looks from the outside. They have dimsum on weekends, though, albeit at a much more expensive price than in Chinatown.
They have many of the standard dumplings and buns, tofu wrapping beef, shrimp rice noodle, etc. but no ginger tripe. Chicken feet were good - slight hint of spiciness, but not enough black bean sauce there. Otherwise, service was fast and relatively easy to get what you want. Hot tea, was actually pretty hot.
They have a great dessert pastry of red beans in a flaky pastry, though. Lighter than I expected.
The downsides - mostly just the price. More than $40 just for two of us meant twice the cost of a Chinatown dimsum. Upsides are clean, fast, and hot food.
Chinese food is a little greasy, but overall quite edible. We ordered via Seamless (taking advantage of the 20% off first order) and was pleasantly surprised by the results - especially since my brother had previously deemed the dim sum "horrible."
We ordered the filet mignon in black pepper sauce and the Chinese broccoli with black mushrooms. Both of the dishes were tasty though a bit on the slick & oily side. The beef was very tender though.
There are probably better options in Chinatown, but Evergreen is not that bad. I would probably order from here again if I wanted Chinese delivery.
Best dim sum in the City. Much better than Chinatown, although I can't say that the regular menu is as good as what comes on the steam carts.
Chinese or cantonese food is not habitually not my cup of tea, but invited for a professional dinner I dared to show up for dinner, just for the experience of trying somewhere new.
And....I really enjoy it! It favorably surprise me.
Everything was nice and properly tasty, quickly served, and looking good. It was mind changing experience.
Fast service, and heavenly pork buns make up the bulk of my happiness with Cafe Evergreen.
Sadly, their prices are a little on the higher side of what I like to pay, considering that they are rather ungenerous with their portions. If I pay $5.50 for some dumplings, I expect more than four.
That said, their food is filling and doesn't play havoc on the stomach, so I'd recommend them if you're strapped. That, and Seamlessweb seems to have them at a 20% discount.
Not to be confused with the "other" Evergreen on 3rd Avenue - this one is almost the same menu. Similar prices - just drastically different decor.
Not bad - but not mind-blowing. Standard chinese fare and decentysteamed dumplings. Nice hot & sour soup.
If I had had my daughter back then, I'd take her here for dumplings.
This is the kind of place where a review should really take into context a few things. First, it's not in Chinatown, it's in the UES. Way in the UES. Second, it's pretty traditional, but it's not standard, i.e., just take out. Third, it's Cantonese, which means that dim sum is available, and not only that, you bring it back to the first point, which is that it has dim sum AND not in Chinatown. It's pricey compared to the joints in Chinatown, and your typical take out, but it's a place where you should really take advantage of the menu and skip the "lo mein".
The food here is really on par with excellent but basic fare associated with Chinese food. It's not really fantastical so I think people may get the wrong impression, but the food they cook is solid and flavorful and their dishes are well done and simple (they love their corn starch as usual). Everything was surprisingly fresh and nothing says awesome like getting some tofu soup with seafood. Cantonese cooking really takes the cake sometimes, and you really can't beat them when it comes to lobster. At all.
The restaurant actually is fairly large and stretches back into a large second room. Restrooms are downstairs, slightly treacherous, possibly, maybe. Coat check in the front, elderly couple who have been running it for years and greet everyone with a warm smile, I feel like a lot of people here are regulars, and that's a great sign. If I'm ever in the UES, I'll want to go here.
Located UES, so it's a pretty good place to get your Dim Sum fix w/o having to trek to Chinatown. Spaceous, so it's convenient for large groups--a huge plus for those who've waited 30-40 min for Chinatown dim sum. We had 7 ppl and were seated in 5.
Yes, the dim sum is transported via cart so no waiting required. Less stress in ordering here vs pace of Chinatown--"what do you want?! take this! take that! bam bam bam...pay your check!"
We ordered all the staples: sticky rice in lotus, shrimp shu mai, chicken feet but served buffalo wing style (i passed), pork wrapped in tofu skin, fried dikon cakes...etc.
$22 per person including tax/tip. We left stuffed.
- Zero ambience of course and the basement like lighting was mildly depressing.
- Minus 1 for the racist wasp lady and her obnoxious rugrats seated next to us. ug.
- Minus 2 for the MSG headaches 3 of us got immediately after lunch. Scared to ask what they put in there...don't ask, don't tell.
I had to raise the to five stars because for past year the dim sum here has been great. This is a small place with quick service. One of my favorites is the duck roll ---bean curd skin with duck slices, celery and thin rice noodles...yum!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
2/14/2008
This is the best place for dim sum outside of China Town. In fact, it beats some of them! It is a… Read more »
Who would have thought UES has DIM SUM?
Well I sure didn't until my doctor told me they serve dim sum here.
I always pass by this restaurant and was always curious to know if this place is any good.
I usually go to Chinatown to eat Dim Sum but since my doctor doesn't venture out of UES - we went here after my appointment.
It was really busy for a Sunday afternoon - we had to wait to get a table. As we sat down - the waiter immediately brought us our tray of sauces. (Hot mustard, sweet and sour, soy sauce, and my favorite HOT CHILI SAUCE!)
The waiters didn't speak with broken English and he was very helpful. He didn't let me over order like most waitstaff wants you to do. He told me that was good enough for both of us. I secretly whispered to him when the bill comes, do not accept my doctor's money. I would like to pay for the meal.
I ended up ordering the Har Gow - which is my favorite dish to order for Dim Sum. They are crystallized shrimp dumplings! They were good but they were MICRO!
*sigh*
Not the typical size but oh well - still good!
Stuffed Crab Claw - I've been looking for these since my regular spot in Chinatown doesn't serve these anymore
Pate stuffed Eggplant - didn't eat it but the doctor sure loved it
Turnip Cake - one of my other favorites! Who knew turnips can taste this good!
Sharkfin Dumpling - Good but would prefer to have more Sharkfin. (Hence noticed the last meal on Earth section in my profile! Sorry PETA but at least I am against wearing FUR! But not rabbits, since they multiply like crazy!)
Beef Noodle Wrap - another typical order for me for dim sum except I usually get the shrimp version but me loves the beef too.
Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf - hmmm missing the lotus but thank god the rice was still there! YUMMY!
We loved everything and I gave my card to another waiter and my doctor jumped up and was like NO! Try to grab the check out of the waiter's hand but my waiter came over and grab it from the other waiter and told my doctor that I already told him that I was going to pay.
So my waiter did good - he had my back! Hello it was my doctor's birthday! Me and my doctor are like BFF's now!
P.S The other customers that were there - were like boring and I had some girl throwing up in the restroom! Ummm can you say Bulimic?
If I am ever in the mood for Dim Sum or Stuffed Crab Claws in UES - I know where to go now!
This is the best place for dim sum on the UES. It's clean, and the service is pretty good. The food is not gonna make you orgasm in your seat but it is good. It's definitely cleaner and nicer than any place in Chinatown, and it's a place where non-Asians can go and feel comfortable.
pretty expensive for bland chinese food. standard menu and and even for the UES, the food wasn't seasoned at all and was just greasy. i was pretty disappointed, since i had heard great things. maybe the second time is the charm? maybe, especially since my delivery took over 45 minutes.
Super fast UES take-out/delivery - food is fresh, bountiful vegetables, yet somewhat uninspired, the dumplings, however, are great.
As a matter of fact, Cafe Evergreen has the best Har Kow in NYC - maybe the world!!!
The appetizer dumplings I had were excellent but the entree (lo mein) was a bit dry and scamp on the meat. It was definitely too pricey for what I got. Maybe I'm just bitter about that, but this was definitely a two-star experience.
Quite simply the best Chinese food I've had in New York, possibly anywhere. It was kind of an odd experience because the place has been there 11 years and yet when I went last night (Sat. night) there were virtually no people there but the food was fantastic as was the service and I would recommend this place to anyone. Granted, its a little pricier than some of the options nearby but if its twice as expensive as China Fun, I would also say its 10 times better. Its well worth it. In particular, their roast pork buns and soups are great.
I seriously believe that the dim sum here is so much better than the greasy plates in Chinatown. Service is great given that it's a Chinese restaurant too.
Decent Dim Sum. Even on Saturday, brought via cart. No wait for a table. Good service. Would definitely go again.
