Joe's Shanghai
13621 37th Ave
Flushing, NY 11354 (718) 539-3838
- Nearest Transit:
Main St (7)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
51 Reviews for Joe's Shanghai
mouthwatering xiaolong tang bao's. I miss it so much. I will definitely come back when I am back in NYC.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Dumplings! This is usually a good venue to go after a Mets game. =) Their food is good, they do a good job with the eggplant. Usually crowded, waitstaff tends to look hassled and stressed, but whatever.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
My wife and I went to Joe's Shanghai on one of our NYC trips. I heard about this many time before from firends as they are famous for their Shanghai specialty "Xie Fen Tang Bao" (crab meat bun with soup inside, or like others are calling the soup dumplings).
We went there on a Sunday morning, it has a long waiting line. But the food is worth the wait, we tried both the regular and the ones with crab meat. Very nice. Service are fast too.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
When you are craving xiao long bao (soup dumplings), Joe's Shanghai in Flushing is the place to go! A new place opened up one avenue away with the same look/menu/Shanghainese food, but (although I have never gone), Joe's Shanghai is the better place to go, honest (Okay, I'll be fair, I'll check out the other place soon and let you know all about it).
The menu is standard and not too adventurous. We always order a noodle dish and a vegetable (the spinach is soooo good) and always always always at least two or three trays of pork or crab soup dumplings! Order these succulent babies as soon as you get seated--they'll take a good 20 minutes or more to arrive on your table, and you can find them listed in the appetizers section. For $4.95 you get 8 lovely little pouches of juicy meat, fatty delicious broth, and tender skin! It's wonderful, and a challege to pick up these suckers without breaking the delicate outside but I, after a few years, am an absolute master! Come with friends if you'd like to eat well and cheaply-- the one in Chinatown is a bit pricier, I think, and don't even think about heading to the one in midtown.
To be honest, I come to Joe's Shanghai for a meal of xiao long bao and never really the other entrees-- when it's a real multi-course Chinese meal I want, I had to Tung Yi Fung or Jade Asian or something more traditional.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
Joe's Shanghai is good only for their soup dumplings and scallion pancakes. i tried others stuff such as pan fried noodles and it tasted like styrofoam. And waiters are a little english-deficient and perverts. They love to stare at anything with boobs! haha its true!!!!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
It's ALL about the soup dumplings here. I don't know if everything else is as tasty for the non-Shanghainese palate, but the soup dumplings were fresh, hot, and very delicious.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I love their steamed buns (soup dumplings). I wonder if they have changed their chefs.
Recently, we went to Joe's Shanghai for lunch. We had Crispy Fried Duck, Pork meat steamed buns, crab meat with pork meat steamed buns, young chow fried rice and bacon with preserved vegetables. All the dishes tasted salty. I was disappointed.
Decent Shanghainese food. Get both kinds of Xiaolongbao (the steamed soup buns): the regular pork and with crab meat. Also, the Lion's head (braised meatballs) were good. The stir fried rice cakes (nian gao) were good, but a bit chewier. The green onion pancakes also were good.
The non-Shanghai Chinese dishes are hit and miss.
Beat the huge crowds, and go here for lunch on a week day. And cash only. Parking is painful even with a public parking structure across the street.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Love the soup dumplings. Always the crab meat. One of my preferred meals after a night of drinking. Dumplings to get some food in my stomach and copious amounts of hot tea to clean it all out. I'm always wary about ordering new dishes though because I end up getting something really "weird" so if I want to try something new I just look at what's on everyone else's table and point. Jellyfish is a yummy appetizer to order.
WARNING: Parking is a mad arduous ordeal.
TIP: On the corner of the other side of Hong Kong Supermarket across the street from this place, there's a parking lot. "Free" parking with a minimum purchase of $10 at Hong Kong Supermarket. So that's what I do. Park there; eat; get something at the supermarket. That's better than circling the godforsaken municipal parking lot.
This restaurant will always have a place in my heart. I started going here for soup dumplings when I was about 7 and developed a huge crush on a waiter who later became manager and consistently gave my family free meals, Chinese New Year gifts, and birthday presents. When most kids were having their pottery making birthday parties, I brought my chopstick ignorant friends here. The soup dumplings are unparalleled. But you will burn your mouth on them.
Know how to eat them properly (as the hot waiter taught me: put one on your spoon, bite a little hole, let it cool a bit, slurp the soup, eat the thing) or you will look dumb.
The pan fried noodles are also stellar. Although simple, they prepare bok choy very well.
Oh and once I grew up, the manager asked for my phone number... I stopped crushing so hard.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
MUCH better than the insane Chinatown establishment, less crowded and better service!
All I have to say is:
-Crab soup dumplings are the *tastiests* (MOST FANTASTIC FOOD IN NYC)
-Bean curd with vegetable
-Vegetable or Chicken fried Rice
Ok who's coming with me :3
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
I come here only for the soup buns (xiaolongbao). Everything else is mediocre. Oh, maybe you can order a soup to go with the buns, but that's about it. I silently laugh at the tourists who order things like kung pao chicken (are you INSANE?!)
I personally prefer the ones with crab - some people can't eat seafood/shellfish and it's a darn shame because I think it has such a wonderful flavor. But if you are one of those unlucky few, definitely order the original pork xiaolongbaos - they're also very good.
They do not take reservations and on weekends and dinnertime on weeknights, it is excruciating. Not only do you have to fight the crowds for parking in horrendously overpacked Flushing, but you will have to wait upwards of an hour to get seated at Joe's. We always try to miss the crowds, by either going when it's in between mealtimes, or slipping in during a weekday lunchtime.
Make sure you learn how to eat these buns, as you don't want to burn your taste buds and not be able to finish the rest of your meal.
we went for the soup dumplings. they were sick.
we also got szechuan spicy sliced beef and shanghai fried flat noodle. the beef dish was sick--it has szechuan peppercorns, my favorite!! mad spicy
the fried flat noodles were ok.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (3)
Call it a kitchen pass for the fellas or just a guys night out. We were going to be talking about the Yankees, the Mets, about our cars, who won The Ultimate Fighter finale last Saturday and other stuff.... guy stuff.
The women were still at work, at home catching up on their own stuff, or just too tired to go out so tonight it was just a few fellas getting together over some good food.
We ended up at Joe Shanghai's a little past 9PM on a Thursday night and despite the fact that summer has started, it was pretty crowded considering we were eating dinner that late.
It's been a while since we had soup dumplings aka 'steamed buns' aka 'shiao lem bao'. Usually it's much more enjoyable in the winter time as we put our lips carefully to the soup spoons so as not to burn our skin off, but in our eagerness to taste the heavenly morsels of pork or crab flavored soup dumplings, without fail, there is always one sometimes even two of us that get so zealous and impatient that we'll end up putting one in our mouth only to have to spit it back out due to how hot it actually was. I'm not sure if it's the fact that we want to prove that we are men or how blinded we get by the wonderful taste of the soup rolling in our mouths but for some unexplicable reason, only a few seconds later, we seem to believe that the very dumpling that burned our lips and tongues only seconds ago will have exponentially cooled down in two short seconds - literally. Never mind - the weight of me enjoying the soup swirling around my mouth and the taste of the perfectly steamed dumpling melting on my palate far outweighs the noticibly painful sensation that the volcanic like hot soup dumpling has created in my mouth - besides everyone's watching and I'll be dayamed if I'm going to spit it out again like a little school girl.
Willie, Jack, Mario, Eddie, Buddha, and I decided to meet up for some Soup in the City - dumplings that is and fine, not many consider Flushing the city, but technically it is. We also ordered a few other dishes to share like Scallion pancakes which is always done pretty well, a seafood casserole which they misunderstood as seafood soup to our dismay (only to be pleasantly surprised later when we actually decided to try it), some chicken pan fried noodles which was a bit disappointing, and some salt and pepper squid that was really undercooked and poorly prepared. Normally I would have made a big deal about them not getting our orders correct or that the noodles and salt and pepper squid was just really not that good but I guess I was still dazed from the euphorean feeling that the soup dumplings left in my body - almost as if the soup dumplings were laced with ingredients that generated a happy glow around us and made all our troubles go away - even if it was just for the next hour. Nevertheless, I to everyone's content - didn't say or complain about our food. Plus, to be honest, I'm not sure my Chinese is good enough to get the message across anyway and I really didn't want to risk them telling us we were banned from ever getting soup dumplings again.
I rated this experience only a three but if I could rate the soup dumplings only, it would almost consistently always receive 4 stars or higher. In fact I'm not sure of that many places that can compare to Joe Shanghai's rendition of the soup dumpling. People who have gone to Joe Shanghai's will always know to go there for the soup dumplings and if you don't, now you know. Between the 6 of us, we ordered 3 orders of the pork dumplings and 1 of the crab, each order consisting of 8 pieces so there was plenty to go around. Go ahead, order an extra dish or two but your main course when you go to Joe Shanghai's should always be made to order soup dumplings. If you go there without having some - please just go somewhere else because you're just taking up table space away from people who are really there for the right reason - what we should all learn to treat as an endangered species of dishes, a food that we must learn to cherish and value as if we will only get to see once in a life time - dare I even call it the Haley's Comet of soup dumplings - the well respected and loved Joe Shanghai soup dumpling.
A few other things before I end this review. It's kind of tough getting a table, but it's worth the 15 - 20 minutes as long as you're getting the soup dumplings. They only take cash and if you're going to take some to go, make sure either you, or whomever you are taking them out for, eats them within 15 - 20 minutes of you walking out of the door or else its really just not worth it. And lastly, remember - they may be hot the first time you stick the soup dumplings in your mouth, but suck it up and push the little guy through - you'll thank me later.
Enjoy folks and be careful, they may be cute and so delicious, but those suckers are squirters so make sure you poke a little hole in them before you take your first bite.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Two words. Soup Dumplings. =) Or Soup Balls. My friends and I do get a hankering once in a while for the hot, juicy balls.....
....people, we're talking about soup dumplings here. Sheesh! =)
Seriously, it is worth the 45 minute wait for a table for dinner just to bite into a couple orders of these. Worth a 5 star review in and of itself. But seriously, this place has been reviewed again and again. Almost everyone has heard of this place. Parking is a bit of a hassle, my suggestion is just parking in the garage diagonally across the street and paying the muni-meter.'
Oh yeah, that reminds me. BRING CASH! This place does not take credit cards.
And if for some reason, dumplings are not your thing (in which case you must be crazy), definitely sample the shanghai noodles, they are lightly fried flat and delicious. Shredded beef, as well as the chicken dishes are also excellent.
But seriously,
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
I come here for XLB every time we visit my brother. We settled into line for our table-for-four.
The girl from the couple ahead of us turned down their table-for-two right by the door to wait for an extra 20 minutes for a better table. I was thinking "are they nuts?". Turned out, her Joe-Shanghai-fu was much stronger than my visiting-from-San-Francisco poseur-Joe-Shanghai-fu.
After our delicious XLB dinner (Shanghai pan-fried noodles are also good), we noted that the by-now-long-line had spilled inside the restaurant (getting dark and windy outside), and once of the guys sitting at the rejected table had to eat with some standing-in-line lady's butt in his face the whole time (not a good-looking lady, and not a good-looking butt). Not how I'd want to enjoy my XLB. He did not look happy.
Heed the fable of this narrative and avoid the seat by the entrance.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Soup dumplings are awesome, and worth the wait! Especially when it's cold out.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
If you like to eat dumplings, you must go to Joe's Shanghai for their Xiao Leung Bao (Little Dragon Buns). There are two varieties, the regular pork or with the crab meat, I think it is $3.95 vs. $4.95. I prefer the taste of the regular pork, and I also save the extra dollar or so. If I order 3-4 of the regular ones with friends, we can order one additional one with the money we save. When you bite into these little guys, they are filled with juice (yummmy). Just watch out! Don't burn your lips/tongue. They are sooooo delicious. Throw a little soy ginger sauce and you can also ask for the hot chili sauce to add a nice kick (beware, this hot chili sauce is SPICY!!). Definitely make sure to order these if you've never tried them, they are what Joe's Shanghai are known for. One side note, also make sure to order it ahead of time, because they are made to order, meaning they are fresh and take about 10 minutes to cook.
Other delicious eats are the wine chicken (cold tender chicken soaked in salty wine juice), rice cakes with beef and vegetables, jellyfish, and jia-jia min (pronounced jee-ah jee-ah meen in Cantonese) which are Joe's Shanghai's homemade noodles (size of udon noodles) with a spicy tofu sauce poured on on top.
When you go here, make sure to bring cash only! The restaurant opens at 11:00 am on weekends so make sure you get here early if you want some early eats, otherwise you'll have to wait 15-30 minutes (depending on time of day). It also helps that the municipal parking ($0.25 for 15 minutes) located a block away from the restaurant is not too packed yet at this time. By 12pm, the municipal parking lot is packed and you'll be fighting with tons of other cars.
I had a subpar experience at the midtown location back in January and had pretty much written off the Joe's Shanghai chain. I had my heart set on xiao long bao, specifically from Shanghai Cafe in NYC's Chinatown. My partner in crime, Karman L., had plans to meet up with her mom in Flushing and said she knew of a really good xiao long bao restaurant. Lo and behold, we arrive in front of Joe's Shanghai and I'm like "Crap, I didn't really like the one in midtown, this is gonna suck". There is no comparison between the Joe's here in Flushing and the one in Midtown - like night and day. The midtown location caters to americans with the decor and the increased prices with upcharges of 30-50% more. The Joe's in Flushing has the look and feel of an authentic Chinese restaurant and supreme quality.
Like your typical Chinese family dinner, there are over a dozen dishes of food. Karman L.'s mom ordered so I have no clue what was what but here are some highlights:
The xiao long bao was MUCH better than the ones I had in midtown. I recall it was more expensive and there were only 6 in the steamer. In Flushing, the xiao long bao comes 8 per steamer and they were excellent. Perfectly seasoned, steaming hot and juicy.
The hot and sour soup was incredible. The severity of spiciness that I enjoy and am capable of enduring has increased exponentially through the years. Most hot and sour soups have a bit of a kick but it's never spicy enough for me to rave about. The hot and sour soup here is rave-worthy. I could see hot red pepper flakes throughout and when I saw hot pepper seeds, I knew this was the real deal. The first bite packs such a punch, I had to just savor it. My body temperature was rising, my nose was starting to run and I could feel my pores preparing to sweat.
I love man tou which is a steamed bread and staple of Chinese breakfast. It's a good sized spongy roll which is usually eaten plain since it's slightly sweet. Karman L. introduced me to a fried version which I didn't even know existed. It is actually on the menu as an appetizer #8 Roll (Steam or Fried). This fried man tou is crispy, flaky and sweet. It comes with a condensed milk dip. Although it is listed as an app, I recommend saving it for last as a dessert.
This is some of the best Chinese food I've had ever. I'm counting the days until I can return.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
Joe's is one of the perennial Flushing powerhouses. Try getting a table here on the weekends around noon....never gonna happen. Forget a table....try getting parking anywhere in Flushing on the weekend....but I digress.
I'm not an expert on Shanghainese cuisine as a whole but I know one thing.......I love Shao Long Bao's (soup dumplings)! I usually get one order per person when I go....sounds like alot but I just get less of the dishes. The soup dumplings come regular or with crab. These are the best I've had so far outside of Asia. A must if you want to come here!
I'm not too into rice cakes (another Shanghainese staple) so I don't usually get these unless my friends want em. I'll usually get a veggie dish and the beef with fried tofu (spicy) and call it a day.
For those you with good appetites and like Chinese food, go to Joe's, start with 2 orders of soup dumplings......1 reg / 1 crab.
Go for the juicy dumplings and don't bother ordering too many other dishes. This way, you won't be disappointed.
Shanghainese soup dumplings! Can never go wrong with them at Joe's. Yea, just stick to the dumplings! Everything else is alright...never order the hot and sour soup. For some reason, there's always some kind of gross after-taste to it.
My girlfriend and I went to this place so that I could try the famous soup dumplings. Seeing as how they are the only soup dumplings I've ever tried, I can honestly say that they are the best soup dumplings I've ever had. I don't really see what the big deal is. They are ok, but I wouldn't deal with trying to find a parking space or take a bus here just to have them. We tried the crab, but there are only two varieties.
I love to try cold meats/cold cuts at Chinese restaurants and so I tried the wine chicken. This dish was very tart but refreshing, definitely an acquired taste. The crispy beef was decent at best, nothing to write home about. The scallion pancakes were good but extremely greasy.
The main redeeming factor for this restaurant is that they have pictures of Russell Wong on the wall with the owner. Look up imdb if you have no idea who I'm talking about.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
We came on a weekend around near or after lunch hour. The place was packed. Every seat was taken and yet some how we were seated quickly.
We came for the soup dumplings and yes they were very good. Hot, steamed soupy dumplings. Tasty crab meat filled dumplings. We also had a shrimp dish and lo mien. Stick with the dumplings.
Fast service.
Kids: yup
Space: nope
I'd go again
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
i love the original and the crab soup dumplings. they come 8 to an order and i think the original is $4 and the crab ones are $4.95, they are a bit different than the ones i've had before...the skin is a bit thicker and they serve it with a soysauce/vinegar mixture. i've only had it with the red vinegar and ginger, but it was still just as good. i also like the dumpling a bit less doughy, but it totally makes up by being the juiciest soup dumpling ever!!
we also ordered the cold sesame noodles. my brother and his friend loved them, but i didn't care for them. i thought the flavors were somewhat flat. other than that, i can't wait to go back.
tip for eating soup dumplings: set the dumpling on top of the soup spoon. i then vent the top of the dumpling, tilt the spoon sideways and carefully slurp (for lack of a better word) up the broth. lastly, garnish with a bit of the ginger and soysauce/vinegar dip.
and as for the service,i thought it was adequeate. tea and menus were brought to our table as soon as we sat down. the order was brought out in a resonable amount of time considering it was lunch time and the restaurant was completely packed. would be interested to check out some other other menu items. btw, parking is free on sundays and after ten in the parking structure across the street.
A friend and I came here for late lunch (3PM) on a Friday, and it place was only half packed. As soon as we sat down the waiter asks us how many orders of soup dumplings we would like. They were too greasy for my taste, but my friend liked them, although he's never had the amazing ones at Koi Palace in SF... anyway, the portions were alright, and so were the prices, but the food wasn't spectacular and the waiter literally *watched* us eat... I appreciate the service but this went a little overboard.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Go for the xiao long bao (soupy dumplings) like every other Yelper has raved about! This is what this place is known for, and rightly so. Almost the moment that our butts hit our seats, one of the waiters asked us if and how many orders of xiao long bao (8 come in a steamer tray) we wanted... don't even try to resist!
Their other food is decent, but nothing to write home about. I checked with a waiter on what fresh greens they had, and the options were pretty limited to bok choi, "empty-stem vegetable" (I don't actually know what the English translation is), and some kind of spinach. We went for the "empty-stem vegetable" and weren't let down; if this stuff isn't fresh, you can tell because it's all stringy and tough - our order was a heaping plate of greens lightly sauted with garlic and vegetable oil, and it was crispy and tender, the way it should be.
Knowing that the boy likes his spicy food, I asked if they had any good spicy meat dishes, and we ended up with the szechuan pork, which came in goopy sauce and various vegetables (cabbage, water chestnuts, etc.) It was definitely spicy enough to make me sweat a little, but not so much that I couldn't make out the savory flavor of the dish.
This place is always busy whenever I come here or walk past. Expect a little wait, especially during the dinner peak times (regardless of the day). Worth it if you're only ordering bao or if you're getting a meal along with your bao. Just don't forget the bao!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (2)
Let me just start out by saying that it is possible to leave your office in Union Square at 6pm, head to Shanghai in Flushing, eat too many soupl dumplings, and make it to your pilates class in Astoria by 8:30.
It is not possible to do this well though. Too many soup dumplings + pilates = stomach ache for the next three days.
My girlfriend desired - nay needed - soup dumplings so we headed to this spot after work one day. Joe's is right across the street from the Hong Kong Supermarket so if you've got some time to kill and you need jello in strange forms and flavors, you should head here after dinner. Joe's doesn't accept credit cards so my girlfriend and I were on a budget. I met her at the restaurant and she had already ordered 3 orders of dumplings. That's 24 dumplings. I ordered a scallion pancake which isn't as good as na'an but it fills my stomach with joy and in a world where Calvin and Hobbes is no longer being produce, I'll take any joy that I can find. *sniff*
The dumplings arrived. I ate 3. The crab ones are the best while the pork come second. My girlfriend told me to eat more. I looked at her and told her a secret.
I really don't like dumplings.
She looked at me in disbelief for a second. I looked at the remaining 16. Luckily Joe's allows takeout. We paid our low bill and high tailed it out of there.
But, yeah, don't eat dumplings and then do hundreds or crutches and whatever else they call those pilate moves. Ouch ouch ouch.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
I took my food to go, but for a weeknight, it was quite busy. My wait was adequate for what I had ordered -- the soup dumplings and an order of beef crispy noodles. I don't know what the big fuss is over the dumplings. They're tasty, yes...though a tad salty for my taste. A big plus is that I should've just stopped at the soup dumplings because they are a meal on their own! The beef crispy noodles were not much different from what I could've gotten from a fast food Chinese restaurant from Anytown, USA. Now those were super-salty, and just the mere 2-block walk in the cold to my hotel made the sauce coalesce into this big chunk of fat gel. The menu could stand to have more things on it as well. Minus points for being cash only.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
OMG seriously the best Hot & Sour Soup EVER. I love H&S and I'm extremely picky, but this IS the best (and it's HOT). Also, you can make an entire meal out of the soup dumplings (you'll be bloated for hours, but hey...it's worth it).
Also worth mentioning: Scallion Pancake, Szechuan String Beans (with Pork), Cold Sesame Noodle (get extra sauce).
Service is a bit no frills, and they're cash only - that's where they lose the star. I would eat this everyday though if it weren't for waistline and location reasons.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
We came here in the middle of the US Open - they were showing tennis on TV, and a bunch of customers were wearing US Open staff uniforms. Fun! (but crowded).
Joe's is known for their dumplings, but unfortunately they had no vegetarian versions :( So I went for the cold sesame noodles, which were ok. The noodles were fresh and all, but I prefer my noodles thinner. Surprisingly, they also had a vegetarian mock duck that was pretty good - slightly crispy tofu skin with soft layers of mushrooms inside.
My husband said he liked his wonton soup -- the filling was good, though he prefers the wonton skin thinner.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (3)
I went on a Friday nite at about 10:30, expecting a crowd of people, but was surprised when I found about 4 tables occupied.
There was a mad rush of waiters who stood around waiting for someone to need something. The "soup dumplings" are pushed on your before you can even sit down. We were approached by 3 different waiters asking us if we needed them. I guess they are habit-forming.
Their Xio Long Bao (a/k/a "Soup Dumpling" is excellent, especially if you like the crab meat variation), after much influence, my date and I ordered one (much to the waiter's shock). He brought over some tea, and anxiously awaited our dumplings. To drink we ordered Tsingtao Beer (very refreshing). Our dumpling order was up and we dug in. Wow. Crack City. These dumplings were very tasty and quite filling (I believe 8 are given in one order). The hurried waitier took our order of Chicken and Shrimp in Plum Sauce and an order of fried rice.
It was delicious. I have not had any dessert there, but I know I will be back.
While I did not know what to expect when I arrived, I know that during the day these guys mean business. They are very fast and we did not take long at all.
I did not give them 5 stars b/'c of the simple decor and the hurried waitiers. All in all a great experience nonetheless.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
joe shanghai known for soup dumplings pretty good...
service is bad for the amount or workers and waiters there
and its packed all the time with no reservations
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
It is so packed, and it's small. We were also seated with strangers.
There are so many waiters, so the service is great because they're always looking for something to do -- a glass to fill, a teapot to replenish, etc.
Everyone goes for the soup dumplings, which are the soupiest of all the soup dumplings I've ever had. I also had their hot & sour soup, which was very spicy, but I'm a total wuss when it comes to spicy food, so I shouldn't say much. I do like their additions of pig ears + shrimp though -- which I rarely ever see in hot & sour soup.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Joe Shanghai's soup dumplings are probably the single best dish in Flushing. They're always packed for dinner. The soup dumplings alone warrant a five star rating. I don't know how these other reviewers can give anything less than five stars to Joe Shanghai.
Note: The soup dumplings are meant to be eaten hot right out of the bamboo steamer. Don't bother taking it to go, the skin of the dumpling will dry and the soup inside the dumpling looses flavor when it gets cold.
mmmm.... I love their pork soup "buns", though I call them dumplings because they look like dumplings, my chinese friends get angry when I call them that. Add some soysauce/vinegar/ginger on top, take a bite, slurp all the meat juices aka soup out first.. but beware because it's HOT, and then eat the rest. I order one full tray (has 8) all to myself. 8 big buns for under $5.00. SWEET.
Service is messy. Too many people working there so it's kind of uncoordinated.
Any other dishes there are only mediocre. Same same as typical chinese food places.
Just get the soup dumplings. Just.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (3)
Great xiao long bao. Go for the bao, not the fried rice. Out of the 3 Joe's Shanghai, (Chinatown, Midtown and Flushing) this one has the best quality. Chinatown is not quite as good and Midtown is abhorrent.
Expect a wait at rush hours. Also expect Chinese restaurant etiquette, which might include people staring at you or your food while waiting for a table, being seating at a community table, severs not wanting you to linger so that new parties can be seated, and a general lack of babying that you might find elsewhere. I'm not at all perturbed by this, but some people not familiar with the etiquette might be turned off, so just a warning.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
I only come here for the buns/dumplings. I am not sure what they are even called but I will describe them for you.
Imagine a little sac made of dough twisted to a close at the top. Inside you'll find this little ball of meat which I can only hope that it's pork and veggies. This little mystery ball of meat is sitting in the most delicious fatty juice that I have ever tasted.
Eat these babies while their sitting in a spoon so that the juice will remain on the spoon and you can slurp it all up after you finish.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
soup buns are great! The soup inside is hot so remember to poke a hole and let the soup out and drink it, dont' throw the whole thing in your mouth now, they even have instructions for you non soup buns eating people. The soup buns the main reason anyone goes there. they are savory and tastey. not too salty not too oily or greasy. the shirmp, chicken and plum sauce has mushrooms and bamboo and is something to definatly order. the pork chop with pepper salt is another dish to order. the noodles soups are good and worth a try. the waiters are nice and friendly and as you when u sit down if you want any soup busn because they do take a while to make, so you should say yes! pork or crab. I can't tell the difference so i usually get the pork cause it's 5 bucks. hee hee. it's cleaner than the one in chinatown...
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
This place has the best "soup dumplings" anywhere. I have tried ones from Shanghai (where the style originated), Taiwan, Hong Kong, and I have yet to find one that I liked better. The secret of the soup in the dumpling is in the mixture of pork skin extract which has a high concentration of gelatinous material that melts out of the stuffing during steaming. This place apparently uses plenty, and that is what made their dumplings so great.
Some may find it greasy, but that's what the vinegar and ginger are for. The addition of these two key ingredients does wonders in achieving the fabulous balance and brining out the best of the flavors without the penalty of a greasy aftertaste.
The dumplings are reasonably priced. The extensive menu, however, doesn't really have anything else notable. Most of them are mediocre at best. There is one dish with roasted pork thigh that's really nice though. For me, the soup dumplings alone are enough to make a trip to this place. They have other branches in Manhattan, but the Flushing branch apparently has the best buns. However, I may have just hit the other stores on a bad day.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)