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"I discovered this dim sum oasis after seeking refuge from the nearby canal street. Service was very fast and friendly and the food...well,…" read more »
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Ah, Hop Kee! It's a pilgrimage I take whenever I go to NYC. This place hasn't changed a bit since my first time more than 20 years ago (except for the prices). Our party of five ordered the snails, lo mein, pork chops, flounder,shrimp w/ lobster sauce, fried rice. I savored every bite. It's exactly how I remembered it to be all those years ago! If I wasn't so busy eating my food, I would've cried tears of happiness. Does anyone know if "Hop Kee" means "happiness" in Chinese?
Also, as a Filipino guy, I always notice whenever there are other Filipinos in the room. Damn! This place has so many Filipinos, I thought I was back in San Francisco (or Manila)! I'm already looking forward to my next NYC visit for a taste of happiness!
Ok, this place is very close to the type of Chinese(Cantonese) I grew up with in Chicago and its very good. Very fresh food and quick service. I've gone twice. The first time, I went and ordered Shrimp with Lobster sauce and they offered my favorite, the kind with the dark, soybean pork sauce, not the white, eggy sauce. It was extremely tasty and well executed, fresh shrimp and great sauce. I also ordered a side of shrimp fried rice and it was of good quality. The second visit, I ordered plain beef w/ Broccoli(on lunch break) and it was fresh and good as well. Its funny how so many restaurants screw up these simple dishes. Of course next time I go, I will order the off-menu truly authentic items.
2 cons, kinda pricey for eating solo and cash only. Fast service was nice too. I will definitely make this a regular as I REFUSE to eat at any local Chinese joint in Greenpoint.
this place is authentic chinese food. coming from canal st..walking into mott st. You feel as if you were just dropped in china its a wondeful feel.
the people hurry away doing stuff then you come up to the restaurant which has a opening that leads to a basement . the waiters all chinese wearing smocks or barber shirts im not sure ..but its interesting
the food chinese broccoli shrimp...everything was so delicious then the tea is good...its a perfect getaway...
One thing I found out that this is one of the last old china town places left....
My boyfriend has been telling me about this place forever. (He used to go as a kid). Then, I watched the Anthony Bourdain episode "disappearing NY". Heres the link: http://www.youtube.com...
So, of course, I had to check the place out. I will admit, I am a sucker for restaurants that have been on TV (Bourdain, man vs food, Andrew Zimmerman, The best thing i ever ate, etc.) Any restaurant that these people have been to, i'll be there!!!!! Naturally of course, Hop Kee was one of them. It's funny when you see all these pictures of famous people with their autographs saying 'The Best in Town!" "Great food!", posted all over the walls of the restaurant. Honest to God, I love the cheesy-ness of it.
Well, I'll have to say it. I ordered exactly what Bourdain ordered. Geez.. now i'm the cheesy one. But, in my defense, the stuff I ordered are the popular dishes that everyone HAS to order. Why? Because it really is THAT good. And i'm not talking about the wonton soup, sweet and sour pork, the egg roll, and spare ribs (just get take-out if you want to get this stuff). I'm talking about the Cantonese crabs, the snails in black bean sauce, and chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. This stuff is.. absolutely amazing. Your thoughts on chinese food will change after you try this..
Oh, and for you people who are nervous about trying the snails.. it's not REALLY snails. I mean, it's a part of the snail family, but its not like the thing crawling outside on a rainy day. It's really doesn't have a huge flavor to it, just a bit of texture. Just get your mind to get over the fact that it's a snail, and you'll really be in for a treat.
I'm really surprised at the bad reviews for this place, especially the one from the douche-bag that said it was a horrible American Chinese place where only non-asians are giving it more than one star. By the way, this guy has only 3 reviews and he gave 1 star to all of them, and like to use a lot of periods in his reviews. Note: an ellipsis only needs three periods. Any more than that and you sound like a retard. He sounds like he has some personal issues anyway... Moving on.
I'm Chinese-American and my family has been going to this restaurant since I was a little kid (ps I'm definitely older than a kid now). My parents (both Chinese) now live in NJ but whenever they make it into the city we almost always go back to Hop Kee for dinner. The food is fresh and service is super-fast, though maybe that's because most of the waiters remember my parents. The fried squid is the best I've ever had, and pretty much any dish they've served us is delicious.
I do, however, agree that just because something's featured on one of the million food shows out there, it doesn't necessarily mean it's worth it. I don't watch Bordain's show so I didn't know he went to Hop Kee. I do know he's kinda pompous, but he does know his food. I would suggest going to this place not because of him, but because Hop Kee is hands-down one of the best Chinese food in the city, and this coming from an Asian person (instant credibility!)
As a matter of fact, I think I'll call my parents up and have dinner at Hop Kee with them next week.
My rating would be different if price and food weren't combined. The downfall is the price is pretty high (for a hole in the wall chinatown joint) for the delicious food items not printed on the "americanized" general menu. On the flip side, the moderately priced items on the general menu are not anything special beyond other joints in the area.
The not-on-the-menu items i tried was:
Deep fried fish (flounder) in sauce - The fish was a little over cooked where some spots were a little burned, but on the whole it was good. The sauce is a liquid, not a gravy and is delicious when it's absorbed into the fish meat.
Pan-fried Ong-choy - This is sauteed chinese water spinach. Well executed and great taste. The branch part was not over cooked and a light crisp remained. It was not overly oily and the portion was big.
The general menu items included fried rice, roast duck, chow fun, and egg foo young. It was basic chinese food. Nothing jumped out at me that would make their food above any other chinese joint that i may pay less for.
It doesn't disappoint, but it's also not anything i feel out of towners MUST try.
The crab crab crab!!! Yes, it took some effort to get to the crab but it was all worth it. The place is very clean for a basement chinatown restaurant and the staff is very friendly.
I usually judge the restaurant based on its beef chow fun and this place gets an A+. Try the spicy beef chow fun... I am craving it as I write this...
Great find!
Horrible American Chinese place..................why all the hype?
as you can see, only the non-asian people giving it more than 1 star.
those w/ 4 stars........meaning they are not asian.
and those review mentioned about this place filled w/ people.....yeah, non-asian people..............that's why they fit in.
if you know chinese food, you'd know this place is disgusting.
it's cheap, i give you that......but you are in chinatown....eat real chinese food.
and anthony bourdain can suck my cock for praising this hole.
I don't want to seem like a tourists and all, but I was aware that anthony courdain reviewed this place on his show, plus I've heard good things about the food here anyways so I checked it out.
The food seemed really affordable #1, service was good, space was clean, and there was no wait to get in. The food, was really good. I can't find anything wrong with the place. I'll be back often seeing as it's a close walk from where I stay.
I'd go for the sweet and sour pork. Egg drop is tastey too. and I always order the cantonese style chow min. you can never go wrong with any these favorites.
Went here for an early dinner on a Sunday night. No wait at all, restaurant seemed pretty empty, but it did get quite busy around 7pm or so. Wait staff was very friendly and attentive and we ordered A LOT of food - and it was all yuuuuummmmy!
We had the moo goo gai pan which was had a good sauce and very crisp, fresh veggies. The cantonese style chow mein was delicious, the noodles were crisp and the veggies again were fresh and good. The beef and string beans had an amazing sauce, but i HIGHLY recomment the pork chop Peking style.....Amazing. A good amount of food and just right for the price. A must try!
4.5
As many of my friends know, I've been volunteering for my friend PJ Kim, who is running for City Council in Lower Manhattan (which includes Chinatown and my own neighborhood Battery Park City).
The volunteers and PJ had dinner here after his debate at a public school in Chinatown, and it was a scrumptious feast - Singapore noodles, Chinese vegetables, Scallops, Crabs.
It's also pretty hilarious, because Hop Kee actually has the signs of half the ballot up on their window (Alan Gerson, Margaret Chin and PJ Kim). So the restaurant is pretty open minded- supporting (and feeding) everyone.
You have to arrive here realizing that you won't get your typical "beef and broccoli" options. I had some great entrees that were well-seasoned, well-cooked, authentic Chinese food.
It's a casual restaurant and prices are a bit higher than you'd expect, but it is a really good place for savory food. Most of my Filipino and Chinese friends/family really come here for crab, snails and seafood specialties, but the regular meat/vegetable/rice dishes are just fine for me.
Amazing Chinese food!! Always busy filled with people. Everything here is great!! Parking can be a pain but what isn't. Love the Honey Walnut Shrimp!!
One word.
DISGUSTING!
It grows increasingly difficult to write fresh, insightful and witty posts every time I post something new. Being from the West Coast I have to rely on friends or tv to inform me of the places to go on the East Coast. Thank to Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations this was a place I felt like I had to try. Located within the outskirts of Chinatown this was a nice cozy place that felt like a mom and pops shop. I noticed a lot of families eating here and I felt right at home hearing all the Cantonese being spoken around me. Since I didn't know what to expect I decided just to order what I was familiar with since the place was quite packed already I just wanted to get done with the meal as soon as possible.
The presentation of the food was amazing. Having the fried flounder along with fried rice was pretty cool. Add Beef fried noodles and a heaping of Chinese broccoli and I had a pretty good meal. I can't compare this place to some other places I have been int he past, but I can tell you that this place is great. Nothing was ever too greasy and everything that came out was fresh ans amazing. This kind of place reminds of of the places I grew up with and I suggest that anyone that finds themselves around the neighborhood should try it out for sure!
I have been hearing about this place from my fiancee's family for the past couple of year's and they were right...
This place is GOOD!!!
We had fried flounder, shrimp fried rice, and Chinese broccoli. I'm not a fan of flounder, but this was so juicy and mild. Most of the time flounder can be prepared very dry, but not at Hop Kee. I'm coming back for more.
P.S. Be prepared to bring cash because they don't take cards.
So a couple years ago my family was in the city together and we were hanging around Manhattan waiting to cap a long day with a meal at Hop Kee.
After parking at the municipal parking at the police station (where our car's been broken into before, btw) and taking the all too familiar walk over to 21 Mott Street, we were cold, hungry and tired.
The place was CLOSED FOR A WEEK.
We settled for Shanghai Joe's.
This time, I called just to make sure.
I think people need to understand that the things that Hop Kee does well Hop Kee does REALLY well. The other stuff... pretty horrible. This includes some vegetarian dishes (for some stupid reason I met up with a vegetarian friend even more years ago who took the bus here from Penn and took her here. Her reaction was WTF.) I've grown up eating ONLY the dishes described in the first review.
Everything I ate there was delicious. One guy (the burger guy in the Peter Luger review) got some cashew chicken. Two other guys who are probably too Cantonese for their own good got some wonton and noodles. They were not impressed at all. I say it serves them right from diverging from the PLAN.
I had blinders on, eating only the flounder, snails, clams, and crab. Oh man the crab is amazing. One guy wasn't eating them cleanly enough (wasn't cracking them open, just getting what he could with one bite... -_-) and I wanted to smack him on the back of the head with my disgustingly sauced up hand.
I guess it's cuz I suffer from a childhood memory when Dad and I were at a wings place and he noticed some white guy eating wings just by taking one bite on each wing and tossing them aside (YOU know who you are). My dad said "you eat like that I'll kill you."
I love you, Dad.
Oh Hop Kee, how I miss you so.
I've been coming here for as long as I can remember. Whenever my…
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With about 45 minutes for lunch in Chinatown, I decided on Hop Kee. After ducking down the stairs and entering the dining room, I was a little disappointed that most of the patrons were whitebread like me.
Despite this fact, my hope in Hop Kee was redeemed after seeing an autograph by Anthony Bourdain on the wall. After some much-needed complimentary hot tea, I asked the waiter what he would recommend. As he probably assumed I wasn't into the crazy stuff, he recommended the Shanghai pork chops. Odd, I thought, as pork chops don't seem to fit on a typical Chinese menu, but I went for it. Turns out they were great!
The pork chops actually ended up being cut up pieces of pork and bone slathered in a sweet/sour glaze. It was way too much for one person to eat, and at just over $10, it was a great deal. Although I would have preferred something more exotic, the pork was well-cooked and the sauce was flavorful. I can imagine that the more exotic dishes such as conch or the other seafood on the menu would have been fantastic, but hey...I'm on a budget.
Great for Americanized "Chinese" food, if you're into that.
I on the other hand, am not.
Grotesque noodles, lo mein, if you will.
Wonton skins were stale. Don't be fooled by their names on the menu. Shrimp wontons do not have shrimp inside them. They're actually pork wontons with shrimp outside.
The beef skewers were greasy and oily but okay tasting, I suppose. So not worth 10 bucks though. Go to flushing and get them off the streets.
As I was leaving, some family was leaving at the same time. The guy behind me muttered, "Never coming back here again."
I hear ya, buddy.
My uncle and family took us here for our first meal in NY. Since Chinatown was a couple blocks from our hotel room (in the Tribeca district), we decided to walk here. I wasn't really planning on eating Chinese food during our stay here but the food was pretty good.
My uncle had ordered all the dishes so I wasn't sure what each one was called. We had fried rice (yum), some thin noodles (my fav), calamari (yum and spicy), whole crispy chicken (loved that it had lil lemon flavor to it), fried flounder (yum), chinese broccoli (good flavor), and I forgot what else but pretty much everything was good!
Hop Kee is like a C-town institution!
These are the top reasons why Hop Kee is king:
1.Good food
2.Cheap
3.Fast service
4.Good food
5.Cheap
6.Fast service
7.Leave satisfied =)
My best friend and I ate at Hop Kee because it was recommended by a friend as a late-night joint. We arrived via cab (as we got closer and closer, I realized that we might be royally screwed once the cab left, as the area gets pretty desolate at night), and we got there at the same time as a couple who'd come from New Jersey. We got there twenty minutes before closing time (which to me, is the time doors should close and the restaurant stop admitting customers, NOT when they start bum-rushing people out).
The host told all of us that it was too late and that we couldn't eat there. Well, shit, dude. You don't close for another twenty minutes, and I just paid for a cab from the Upper East side, so feed me! Actually, the couple that arrived when we did said, "But we came all the way from New Jersey!" Not one to be beat, I chimed in, "We came all the way from SAN DIEGO!" The guy relented and let us eat, if we promised to eat fast.
The egg drop/egg flower (can't remember which) wasn't bad, and it was hot. The shrimp fried rice and our chicken entree were ok, but honestly, I don't even think they were as good as Panda Express.
However, the mediocre food did get the job done and fill us up, and the prices were very reasonable.
The service was nice and polite, once they allowed us to eat.
We definitely had an "Uh-oh" moment when we left the restaurant. There we were, in the dark back alleys of Chinatown, without a soul or a cab in sight. We had to walk two streets over to get to a "main" street to hail a cab, so if you're going to be dining alone or late at night, this is something to consider. Keep your wits about you.
If I needed a late-night meal, I'd probably visit Hop Kee again, but during regular business hours, there are definitely better Chinese food restaurants out there.
Do you like eating in hospital cafeteria-esque ambiance?
Do you like being served by The Asian Barbershop quartet?*
Do you like clean bathrooms?
Do you like fried chicken in "Delicious" sauce?
Do you like shark fin soup for $75?**
Do you like Chinese food?
I don't really care for Chinese food, so I don't really understand why I am writing this review.
*Extremely attentive and very very nice service.
**You're going to straight to HELL if you answered yes.
My girlfriends and I got together this weekend for some girl time so naturally a food fest was in order. After a couple of cocktails at the hotel, our first stop was Hop Kee.
My friends love this place; their parents have been bringing them since grade school. This was probably my second time eating here, first time as an adult. I thought that this place was just about average compared to the other establisments in NYC Chinatown. This is a no-frills kind of place, good food, fast service and decent portions. Our waiter was very friendly.
I was the cantonese speaking person in the group and so by default designated food orderer in C-Town, ordered dishes which are their faves over the years:
- salt and pepper pork chop
- salt and pepper squid
- young chow fried rice
- cantonese style snails (waiter said crabs were not quite in season so not great that day)
- garlic sauteed chinese water spinach
We should have been seated at a larger table. At one point, there was some trouble fitting the dishes of food onto the table. We left with pot bellies.
Very nice service. Cleanest restrooms among restaurants in Chinatown.
But the food, is terrible!!!
The worst Wonton I have ever ever ate...I mean, how could you ever cook such bad wonton and charge me $7 for that ?
And the price is somehow higher than nearby chinese restaurants.
I won't come back again, sorry!
Excellent food at Hop Kee. The Salt & Pepper Pork Chops are really off the hook. Extreme flavor with no guilt. The prices are reasonable (in my opinion) and the servings are quite generous. 4 guys eating here and the bill is less than $40!?
The fried rice is GOOD. No way better than Chanoodle, but it comes really close. The dishes are not complicated at all and it's hard enough convincing people to eat Chinese food in Chinatown and assuring them that they won't eat anything "too wild."
Try it out.
a traditional Chinese restaurant.
Everyone was busy and waiters always watched me and my company.(and I don't like being watched for the entire time when I eat..)
Spoons and chopsticks were not so clean..
Just an OK place.
If I wanted yesterdays noodles piled in thick gooey brown sauce and dumplings stuffed with mystery meat, I could have gone to any number of Chinese take out places that dot the landscape and strip malls of suburbia.
The food is awful, just plain tasteless. The staff is rude - we asked about vegetable dumplings and were were shouted at "only meat dumplings, no vegetables....." I ordered a chicken dish - the chicken was brown and dry and the whole concoction was covered in the aforementioned goo.
Sorry guys, where I live (northern Westchester county) there are any number of places nearby where I can get any type of Asian dumplings - veggie or not. But apparently not in Chinatown.
Next time we'll stay local.
Ive been going here with my family since i was young and the food is still great. Whenever me and a couple friends are around the area, I try and bring them here and they love it as well. I always order the pork chop peking style and i also love the seafood pan-fried noodle and they have this filet mignon beef with chinese broccoli....its soooooo good and the meat is nice and soft, tender. Great place to go to, the portion size is good to share with the family. We try to go here everytime we're in Chinatown because it's guaranteed that the food is always good! And it is funny..but yes, like ppl have said before Hop Kee is a major destination for filipinos cuz filipino families have stopped me on the street asking me for directions on where hop kee is and I am more than happy to walk them over there =)
My review needs a disclaimer because I haven't tried most or if any of the Americanized items on their menu, my 5 stars are only for the delicious plates I've had off their Korean one.
With that being said, I love Hop Kee! I've eaten here since I was a child with my family and I still go now as an adult whenever I'm back in NY. The Peking style pork chop, Cantonese crab, and snails are pure bliss! I can't help to order the same things every time I go because they are just that good. The Peking style pork chop is THE best I've ever had. It has many other variations found in your typical Chinese-Korean restaurants, called Tang Soo Yook, but they don't compare to Hop Kee's version, granted it is different but oh so good. The food here is consistent, inexpensive, and served family style. I would recommend anyone to take a small journey to find this hole in the wall joint and give it a try.
This is just a simple Chinese restaurant but I love the food here because it is a chlidhood favorite.
I come with my family a lot and we always get the same 3 items on the menu:
- Crab Chinese style
- Beef LoMein
- Porkchops (dry)
The food is simple and delicious and always hits the spot. The sauce that comes with the crab is really good with rice and the portions are very generous. The lomein is really good here and not as greasy as Chinese takeout restaurants. The porkchops go great with the rice as they are a little too salty to eat by themselves. The bonus is the hot peppers that are included in the dish as it adds a nice kick to the pork.
The only downside is that the place is a little bit dirty and you hesitate to touch the food-splattered walls. Other than that, this is a nice restaurant to come with a big group. The place is hidden underground and gets pretty packed during dinner time and will sometimes have to wait 10-30 minutes to get a table. The wait is completely worth it, though. It's not a fancy restaurant or anything, but perfect to come with a big group of friends or family.
The waitstaff is very attentive and caters to your needs.
This has been one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Chinatown but I'm just getting around to reviewing it now...shame on me. The food is simple, but very delicious.
First off, this is the typical looking Chinese restaurant. It's a basement level restaurant, down a very steep and usually slippery set of stairs. All of the the staff is Chinese, including the kitchen staff, so that is a nod to it's "authenticity."
One of my favorite dishes here is the Cantonese style snails. Now, for those of you who have not had chinese snails, these are not like your average french escargot swimming in garlic butter. These are small snails, about the diameter of a nickel or quarter (at the large end). This means that the flavor of the meat is relatively mild, unlike their earthy and sometimes fishy european cousins. The meat is tender, with just enough chewiness to let you know you are eating a mollusk. These are stir-fried in a typical cantonese brown sauce with some jalepenos for just a little hint of heat. Delicious for the mildly adventurous. Also, bring some friends as the portions are huge!
If you are not in the mood for something that exotic, their standard fair is great as well. I also recommend trying the blue crabs which are prepared in a similar fashion. A little more expensive, but a lot more work in my opinion. Maybe the larger the "bug," the less objectionable it is? Example, lobsters, which are pretty much the largest bug that we eat (usually) go for $20+ a pound in some places!
If you haven't had a chance to go there, you should give this one a try. They are open 'til 3am, so no excuses!
i highly agree with Em I's review.
Everything is soo tasty and fresh! My boyfriend and I had snails, pan fried flounder, pork chops, salted squid with hot peppers and the cantonese style crab. Everything was soo good. When you go there try something different!!!
Hop Kee... how have I never reviewed you before??
My first experience with this hole in the ground restaurant was when I was a shy little girl of five, in the country for about a week, and being taken out to dinner with the family by my grandmother's friend. There was a loud rambunctious crowd of about 10 of us Koreans, and when we got there, we had to wait outside for a good while. When we finally were sat in this florescent lit dining area with dingy tables, our waiter came up to us... and started speaking Korean to us! It was like finding a little piece of comfort and home here in the states.
And twenty years later, that SAME waiter is still kicking around, greeting us in Korean and flourishing the Korean menus at us (uh huh - they have menus written out in Korean, whaaat).
DEFINITELY get the pork chop peking style (I think it's number 7 on the Korean menu) - it's lightly breaded pork chops that's fried and doused in a sweet and savory sauce. Watch out for the little fragments of bones, but so good!
The beef chow fun has thin slices of tender beef tossed with giant noodles. Throw some hot sauce on that and go to town!
We usually get the "geh bokum", the crab (number 17 off the Korean menu - yes, we STILL go off the Korean menu since that's what we've known for the past 20 years...). My brother and I just go that AWESOME sauce - spread spoonfuls of that on top of piles of white rice and scarf it up. YUMMY. The crab is usually eaten as an after thought. Oh, my mama used to get P-Oed at us for that! :)
We rounded off our meal with an order of sauteed watercress with garlic. And we looked over at the other Korean family sitting in the next table, and they had the EXACT same orders as we did! Although they had more people (6 in their party, 3 in ours), so they had the snails (YUM!), shrimp lo mein, and extra platters of rice.
I absolutely love eating family style, and this place will always be an extension of my family's dining room. We love it here!
This is a good place to eat with a group. Service is pretty quick, the food is pretty good.
Their Sea bass was tasty and crisp, their sweet and sour meats are the best ones I ate, duck is juicy, and it was satisfying.
Price is moderate up to 6-15 bones
its not fun going alone but with a group its good
My dad's family is obsessed with this place so I have come here many times. They may not sell cool shirts like Wo Hop next door, but its still just as good. Always people waiting to be seated in the basement joint.
It's a family style place. The crab dishes are always amazing. Spicy stuff is very spicy. Chicken dishes are always satisfying. Not the best fried rice, but edible. They have beer.
I feel like the place is a little dirty feeling but in NY, the dirtier the place, the better tasting the food, is a general rule of thumb. I hate admitting it but its true.
One of the best chinese food restaurants. VERY fast service and fair prices. Peking style pork chops are better than I"ve had in China. Snails are good, the cantonese style crabs are AMAZING, and their beef in black been sauce is to die for. This place is a must try.
Delicious and original. This is not your standard Chinatown restaurant, this is arguably one of the best. My mother has been going here since she was a teenager, and she has been having her birthday parties here forever. The food is great, the ambiance is pleasant, and not too raucous but lively.
Friend flounder is exquisite, a little expensive, but totally worth it. Cooking fish is an art, and it's very, very easy to overdo it. This is not a problem at Hop Kee. Ask for some bowls of rice, and have the fish with its sauce and scallions with it. The bones you have to be careful with, as with all fish, but there are some that are fried so well, they can be crunched up and eaten. Also love the stir-fried snails in oyster sauce, which are a bit of an effort to eat - toothpick is necessary for one's first time - but so delicious. Food is great, and always consistent.
The staff are the same guys in there all the time - they never age - and because of this, there is not the kind of transience you get with other restaurants people assume Hop Kee is like. The family dinner the staff eat is delicious-looking and generous, and the men have a real camaraderie between them. They've only been working together since forever...
Short story: go to Hop Kee and see for yourself how great it is.
Thank you, Allan C., for picking up your phone when I got out of the subway in Chinatown asking, "What's that restaurant you love called again?"
"Hop Kee. 21 Mott Street." Without missing a beat. Impressive, Allan. Very impressive.
So off we went with our starving party of nine, ages and mobilities ranging from 22 to 61 years old. I was prepared for a dingy place with white trash bags as tablecloths (like many Chicago Chinatown joints), but didn't find them here. I didn't really find any ambiance here, either, but who cares? We were here for food.
And food we had! Fried wontons, barbecued spare ribs and steamed dumplings as appetizers (spare ribs were the best of the group); beef lo min, Singapore chow mie fun, chicken with Chinese broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, fried Hop Kee chicken, chicken fried rice and some shrimp dish... lotsa chicken lovers at our table, I guess.
I was really excited for my Singapore chow mie fun with it's little "spicy" indication on the menu, but I think I was pegged as a Midwesterner with a wussy spice palate because the dish I received had very little seasoning (let alone spice or heat!) at all. It still tasted good, but I was disappointed. The lo min beef was tender and buttery, the Chinese broccoli was delicious as always, but the star of this meal was the Hop Kee chicken with its flavorful sauce, crisp chicken and vegetables.
Bellies full, we waddled out of Hop Kee happy and satisfied... and ready for some ice cream like typical Americans on vacation.
Another hole in wall gem, with the best Clams with black bean sauce you have ever had. Just a few buildings over from Wo Hop.. so you
go to either place and stuff yourself reasonably with a feast for
two will run maybe 20 to 25 bucks. Great food, and they are open
late and always open... :)
Peking Duck Lunch Special
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Best Lunch specials in town!
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Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
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Neighborhood: Chinatown
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