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"One word: AMAZING We had a wonderful evening last night and it all started with our early dinner at La Sirene. A friend of ours raved…" read more »
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When you enter a dimsum restaurant in Chinatown and more than 65% of it's patrons are non-Chinese, the (authenticity of the) food is probably not so good. I haven't been here in awhile, 2 years to be exact, and it was not as my memory served.
Typically after a post-alcohol-night-after meal I feel stuffed to the brim with har gow, cha-sew baos, and pai-goo to name a few that's scared down in the first minute... but Pings definitely left me still hungry 30minutes after.
And with 4 people $13/pp (w/ tax/tip), that's a lot for (mediocre) dimsum.
FAIL.
Flushing dimsum is better.
I am actually giving 3 and a half!
I always had this dream of doing a true blue dim sum brunch. I went today with my boyfriend as we live almost in Chinatown - we live in Chinabeca.
The place was crowded but we did not have to wait, we shared a round table with a German man and his son as well as a sweet Asian couple. It was fine. Really.
There are no carts. Waiters and waitresses walk around with trays of plates, you pick, you take, they mark it on your ticket. I liked the food a lot. I did not love it. I loved that we paid thirty bucks and walked out full (including two beers).
Ping's is clean (much cleaner than Joe Shanghai), the staff is efficient, food good. I am very glad I went. I will most likely go back again...
I will, however, explore some other spots for dim sum brunch in Chinatown just to compare notes.
Ping's has enjoyable traditional Dim Sum - no big surprises here if you've been to any Dim Sum establishment in Chinatown or Flushing. I wouldn't go out of my way to go here, but the food was tasty and if I was hungry and there was no wait to eat (I'd be surprised if there was ever much of a wait - the place is large), you might as well give it a try.
I usual try to go to Dim Sum with a Chinese speaker, but they have a well laid out menu with (surprisingly accurate) pictures.
p.s. There are limited vegetarian dumplings
p.p.s. sometimes they don't have certain things on the menu, but just ask!
p.p.p.s. they don't serve coffee
p.p.p.p.s. i know what you're thinking, "enough already!"... :-)
Ping is safe. The Dim Sum here is good and there's variety. Best of all - they have a menu for you to choose from for immediate gratification. They're also quick.
The only negatives are that Ping doesn't have the typical Dim Sum busy feel. Also - they whizzing of the carts is missed and unfortunately the waitresses understand me.
All round though, I very much enjoyed Ping. But I am also partial to Dim Sum - doesn't take much to make me happy.
This is our usual go-to place for Dim Sum in Chinatown.
Typical cart service, with the usual suspects:
Shrimp Shui Mai - Good flavor if you get them fresh
Lor Mai Gai - One of their best items (sticky rice dumpling)
Cheung Fun - various types beef/shrimp/veg
The service is fast and "cantonese friendly".
I wouldn't say it is fantastic food, but at least it is consistent.
If you are going on the weekends you have a choice:
- arrive 10:00am - 10:30am - No line you can get a table right away
- arrive 11:00am + and you will wait in line to get in, but there is a greater variety of food being served and the higher turnover keeps the steamers fresh.
Still it makes me miss Joy Luck in San Mateo and Luk Yue in HK. I wish NYC had some really great Dim Sum with nice variety and great food. Until then, we'll keep going back to Ping's.
My last review was written a long time ago. Since then Ping's dim sum has become an institution for me. They know me. They know my family. They even probably know my ex girlfriend and ex step kids. Last time I was there the manager wrote something in Chinese on my check and it turned out to be way less than I thought it would. He knows me by name and I am embarrassed to say I can't remember his. I don't care what anybody thinks about the authenticity or service or price... when you are a regular here, this is the true meaning of New York's Chinatown. There is no place on earth I would rather eat.
I am surprised that all the reviews here on this place are focused on the dim sum and most hardly… Read more »
While the black-bean chicken feet is tasty, the service here has gotten even worse than before.
Fish down below are pretty much dying... sad. And they splashed kitchen water all over our table when we were trying to eat dimsum, sullying the tea cups and more, so we had to move. They didn't seem to understand the idea of "customer service" - at least the guy wait staff. The lady was kind enough to serve with a much better attitude.
Went here for dimsum with a couple of friends. The dimsum isn't bad, and you order at your table,… Read more »
For more reviews of Chinatown visit http://chinatowneats.net
One of the best traditions is family style dinner. Several dishes are ordered, depending on the number of people you have, and is shared amongst each other. We usually pick a different restaurant for each occasion, like birthday's, gatherings, new years, or celebrations. Most of the restaurants in Chinatown, like Ping's, have great entrees to choose from.
Entrees ordered (not the exact title on menu):
Jellyfish: served with sesame, white carrot (tastes sweet and sour), and carrots. Smooth texture and great bounce!
Ping's famous fried rice: has slices of beans, egg, bits of crunchies that add great taste to it.
Clams with black bean sauce: came to the table sizzling
Veggies "dow miew": one of the more pricey veggies in the market, stir-fried with broth and
garlic
Deep fried pork: breading is very tasty, however, a lot of the pieces were fatty
Roasted Chicken: skin was crispy and not too fatty, dark meat was tender, white meat was
tender but a little too bland
Each dish ranges from $12-18.
Desert is free. Usually it is red bean soup and oranges. Ping's red bean soup also have little clear tapioca balls in it, which is distinct to other restaurants. It wasn't too sweet, just the right amount.
Paying: Chinese tradition is to fight for the bill. This usually goes on for about 5 minutes. Usually the men gets up and say, "I'll pay." "No, I'll pay." "No, seriously, I get this one." One of them would have to fake it and lose the bill. Whoever wins the bill wins some face and dashes to pay. He would come back with a smile and everyone would thank him. "O, you are too kind."
This would usually happen with family.
Younger generation: Split the damn bill, because it is too pricey for one person, or take turns paying.
Tip: Do not pay with debit/credit card. Some, not all, Chinese restaurants will overtax you on the check. Pay with cash!
Positives: entrees and red bean soup were great
Negatives: Staff wasn't too enthusiastic, pathway to kitchen can be seen
October 3rd 2009 was the date of this years Autumn Festival in the Chinese Calender. To celebrate my family and I went to Ping's for dinner. I came here with no expectations or prejudgments and left feeling absolutely sated and completely amazed.
Lobster Salad with Fried Crab Claws - As an appetizer we started with this. A spring mix salad sprinkled with raisins and a sweet vinegary dressing, topped off with lobster meat and served with a fried crab claw. At first I thought found this to be an atrocious insult to traditional Catonese style cuisine because Chinese people hardly eat salad let alone spring mix salads with a fruity vinaigrette! Once I ate it though, I sang a different tale. Interesting fusion, it was a prelude to what was to be expected. 8/10
Lamb Chops and Curried Conch - Individually cut and prepared lamb chops seasoned with black pepper and rosemary with a thick and midly sweet soy sauce. Curried Conch with vegetables stuffed and baked in the shell. First though: what an abomination!! Who does lamb chops individually! Its surely to be overcooked! And who curries conch, with it sweet natural flavors!! Then I ate it, and it was good. Though i still contend that the lamb chops were overcooked (apparently Chinese people prefer them not as rare), the taste was well done. The Curried Conch was more of a textural novelty than a dish that would highlight the flavors of the mollusk. 7/10
4 Ingredient soup - This was the dish was definitely the turning point. Absolutely perfect. I don't remember the four ingredients, but 2 of them were chicken and abalone. The flavor was subtle and lined the soup with such warmth, it was like each sip was a hug. Very homely, and the definition of Chinese comfort food. 10/10
Calamari 2 ways - Stir fried and fried then braised in a sauce. Served with snow peas. Delicious. I did enjoy the braised calamari instead, but it must have been because of the light crust from frying that sucked up that wonderful sauce it was braised in. The snow peas were sweet, crisp and its naturals flavors were allowed to shine. I ate 2 servings of this! 9/10
Seabass 2 ways - More sacrilegious dishes from Ping's! In traditional Chinese cooking, fish is steamed, served with hardy handfuls of ginger and scallions, then drenched in soy sauce. This was served deep fried and stir fried! Sadly, this has become a common trend in Chinese restaurants, but I divulge. Even though it was cooked in a way I disagree with, I have to say the deep fried fish had a wonderful crunch, and the stir fry wasn't oily and keep the texture of the fish in excellent condition. 8/10
Chicken 2 ways - Roasted Garlic Chicken and Steamed "white" Chicken. The first thing the waiter mentioned when serving this dish is that the chicken is a free range chicken. As any Chinese immigrant, and they will tell you poultry in China taste more like chicken than the poultry we have here. The closest thing that comes close to chicken-ier chicken is the taste of free range chicken. This was a good dish. It deserves no awards, but it was done well. The roast chicken had a good garlic punch (yay!) and the white chicken was soft and cooked perfectly. 8/10
Braised Duck Feet Casserole - Served in a casserole pot, this dish contained Chinese mushrooms, sea cucumbers, duck feet, and baby bakchoy. Varying textures, from the bounciness to the sea cucumbers, the mild crunch of the baby bakchoy, and even the "work for it" flesh of the duck feet, this dish came out to be another delicious Chinese comfort food dish. 9/10
Green Vegetables with Seafood sauce - Probably my least favorite dish of the night. Sorry as to be so vague with what type of vegetable it is, but i just dont know the name in English! Dao Mui, the Chinese name of the vegetable, was hastily stir fried and covered with what I can only describe as a lobster sauce on steroids. The quick flash cooking technique of stir frying allowed the vegetable to retain its crunch and juices, so the vegetables were very good. The sauce is a mystery, even though it is a extremely decedent mix of crab meat, and dried scallops. 6/10
Ginger Fried Rice - Garnished with a healthy amounts of cilantro, this is definitely for more mature palettes. It is also served in a casserole dish, and when it comes out, the heat from the rice hits the cilantro and releases its scent into the air like a song. When mixed into the rice, it serves as a counterweight to the strong punch of the ginger infused into every grain of rice. Very good stuff, but definitely a dish I would not order for children and the unadventurous. 9/10
Mushroom E-Mein - I love this dish. Anywhere. So my word here means little. This is like pizza to me; even when its bad, its not that bad. The one they made here at Ping's is not astounding... but it still didn't stop me from eating a ton of it. 8/10
Mango Pudding with Fruits - A sweet ending to a great dinner. 7/10
Factoring in price ($60/person) this place is four stars.
Dear Ping,
The entrance to your casa is interesting indeed. I was greeted by 17 frames of you, in your chef attire, posing with people I can only assume are either family members or Chinese celebrities. If it was the former, I've got to say, that aunt of yours seemed particularly fond of you. You could tell she was really proud.
I also noticed a thick tube filled with bubbling water. I'm guessing that was supposed to be an aquarium of fish and other marine life which are about to be eaten? Nice idea, but just want to point out that there was, in fact, nothing in the aquarium except a dead lobster. Unfortunately, I had to scratch lobster off my possible dining choices.
Apart from walking through the unappetizing entrance (with all due respect, especially to your aunt), my experience at your casa was quite decent, I must say. The lamb chop was lathered in a heavenly sauce, even if it was a little too rare for my liking. Next time, I'll make sure to remind the waiter that I like it medium-well, but I'd love it if he/she asked. The dumplings, on the other hand, were flawless! They had a thin wrap and flavorful mushroom and cabbage fillers, just the way I like it, and were steamed to perfection. Two years ago, my office had rented out your private room for all-you-can-eat dim sum for $22/person. That was a steal and I remember the dumplings being equally exquisite.
On a final nitpicky note, I noticed that you do not keep a handle of soy sauce on each table and when I asked for soy sauce the waiter carefully poured a measly three drops in my mixer palate. At first I was a little confused, almost offended, as I consider myself a seasoned soy sauce consumer. However, once I tasted it, I realized why. That was the saltiest shit I've tasted in my life and it kind of spoiled the "dumpling experience" for me. I'd like to point you towards a tastier and health conscious option called LOW SODIUM soy sauce.
Regards,
Rahul
Nice place to have seafood. You have to know what to order. Don't stick to fish or shrimp. Go for the exotic stuff. The more exotic the tastier. Large portions, so definitely lunch for next day.
Favorites: sea cucumber stone pot, crab friend rice in pineapple, ground meat with pinenuts wrapped in lettuce (eaten Beijing duck style).
Cool people, I didn't know it had dim sum !
Delicious mod-upscale Chinese seafood. Hopefully you're in the mood for something fried, salty and with chives. I never really saw the point of $75 shark/turtle/abalone soup, but if that's what you want you can find it here. Probably a better deal than Shun lee.
After the recommendation from my friend, my cousin and I went here today for dim sum. It was close to 2 PM by the time we arrive at Ping's. The place was crowded, but we were promptly seated (shared a table with other patrons). Since the place was a tad cramped, there are no dim sum push carts going around. However, there are plenty of servers going around offering and carrying various dim sum delicacies. My cousin and I thoroughly enjoyed our first time here and we will probably come here again. Oh, I saw Matt Dillon on my way out of Ping's!
When in Chinatown, you have get dim sum.
My sister suggested Ping's b/c it's a bit off the main street so it doesn't get as crazy as the other dim sum restaurants. However, the place is very small so they don't do push cart service, just waitress carrying little steam baskets on a tray with whatever is fresh out of the kitchen.
The food at Ping's is mediocre.
I really wanted the Chinese broccoli but they sauteed instead of steamed. My sister really wanted the turnip cake and when it finally arrived to the table, it was too sticky and the outside wasn't crispy enough.
I'm sorry, but I can't give this place more than 2 stars, especially coming from San Jose, CA.
FOOD
My girlfriend and I ordered several types of dishes wanting. Dim sum was mediocre at best, and their lunch specials was below that. Egg drop soup was a terrible mixture (you know it's bad when Big Korean doesn't eat more than 2 spoons), their shrimp dishes are easily forgettable, siu mai was not memorable, har kau was okay, and the list goes on. Maybe I'm spoiled because my area has really good dim sum and lots of compeition, or maybe this place really isn't that great?
SERVICE
Service was fast, efficient, but not friendly. I wasn't really expecting much so no points deducted in this area.
DECOR
Decor was all right, seems clean, and overall have a nice buzz of customers coming in.
OVERALL
I would say do some research and try a different place. This one is not memorable.
I like this place:
-they take reservations for Sun brunchtime dim sum (when we went)
-the service is great/exceptionally tidy (I hate empty dishes lying around)
-the place is clean/comfortable/busy (but not screaming-loud, as one can actually have conversations w/out yelling)
-the food is tasty (only ordered dim sum):
there are small, shareable portions (of dim sum) where one doesn't feel the need to gorge; food quality is good (indeed, esp the seafood ones); there is an actual picture/words menu you can order from if you don't see what you need coming around or if you like your food piping hot out of the kitchen (this is where I suspect others go wrong since the selection is actually HUGE, and the rotation is pretty vast. Was there for about 2 hrs, and new food kept coming out! Plus, we ordered some things off the menu when I finally noticed it halfway through).
I think the prices are completely fine for the quality, selection, and general ambiance, not that it's "expensive" by any means. If you're looking for inexpensive, lower-grade food in huge quantities, there are probably other dim sum places you'd be happier in.
I'm content and happy! Thanks, Ping's! :)
In short: Find better Dim Sum
Maybe I came on a bad day, but after reading some of the other reviews for Ping's, I can't believe that this is the best NYC has to offer for Dim Sum.
Ping's was OKAY in every sense of the word. Dim sum selection was average (not many carts going around), the dishes themselves were hit and miss with nothing standout, and the price was a little higher than I would have liked (ended up being $15/person).
It wasn't a bad choice for the day, but I'm definitely going to be seeking out better options in the future.
There are just so many mediocre dim sum places in NYC that I do not recall well which one impresses me. I accidently discovered Ping's on a stormy day when I was desperate to stay away from the rain. The food is a bit beyond fine, but you get traditional dim sum carts, so that is a plus. I would recommend trying their unconventional dim sum dishes (mainly, fried stuff for the white folks). Do remember that ordering vegetables will cost you two or three times as much as one dim sum dish, since they are not part of the dim sum course
Went here again today for dim sum. Ordered lots of food, and the bill came out to a reasonable price of around $40 for 3 people.
Why the one- star drop? The food seems a bit oily and might have msg (uncomfirmed), but I found myself super thirsty after eating here today.
This place has some kickin' dim sum!
I came today with my boyfriend to get some quality dim sum, and…
Read more »
2.50 stars. I find it incomprehensible that this almost completely mediocre experience has been named the best dim sum by multiple trusted sources. I generally judge dim sum by the diversity of product, the frequency of cart appearances, the quality of the chili oil, and the satisfaction gleaned from the tea. As one can expect, I heavily weigh the experience in favor of the first two elements.
The diversity of product here was stunningly mediocre. We got an assortment of shumai and dumplings, fried bacon wrapped shrimp (don't worry, I was adequately called out by my dining companion concerning the non-authenticity of that particular order) stuffed eggplant, wide noodle pork, wide noodle vegetable (best item I had here - that should tell you something), pork spareribs, fried rice, and egg custard (which I did not sample). The ground shrimp has a fine texture; I would recommend that if you are at Ping's that you stick with seafood items. The pork spareribs were overly chewy and quite difficult to pick. The stuffed eggplant was an embarrassment - this fried disaster might be the worst item I have ever ordered at dim sum (and I've enjoyed a number of preparations of eggplant at dim sum). That's not to say that dim sum here was bad. It was just stunningly average. The carts came by every now and then. The offerings were nothing spectacular. The chili oil was very good, but even there we had to ask multiple times to get more than a tiny thimble for our table. The tea was soothing and did a great job of calming my stomach after the meal. The price was slightly higher than what I am used to paying for dim sum.
Overall, the Ping's experience is one I would probably skip on my next visit to Chinatown. Surely, there are other places with magnificent dim sum in the area. I'll just have to dig deeper to find them.
I don't love dim sum at all. But will oblige occasionally upon request. My friend and I came by Sat morning. We only had a few dishes as they were pretty filling. In the middle of the meal the neighbor decided to start drilling pretty loudly - in fact it sounded like the other side of the part of the wall I was sitting next to. The waiter joked that they would probably stop when we leave. It only lasted a few min, but still! There weren't enough traditional dim sum dishes circulating. In fact, shrimp dumplings never made an appearance. It does seem like a lot of the servers know a decent amount of English. 5 dishes for $21 including tax. No complaints there.
Tantalizing dim sum served up Hong Kong style in racy carts. Favorites are the Har Gow (Shrimp Bonnet) and Shark Fin Gow (place with real shark fin).
$$
Fresh seafood, great service, great for large groups - what more could you ask for? I came here for dinner with a group of 10 and we got some fabulous food! Granted - I can order in Cantonese - so I got the scoop on some special dishes.
Overall, it was a great experience. We had a great meal and prices are very reasonable. I would definitely go back again.
When I think of dimsum, I will forever think of this place. Ping's is hands down THE BEST dimsum I've ever had, seriously.
Now that I'm no longer east coast based, I have made it my primary objective to find an appropriate west coast replacement, but I'll be honest when i say the stakes are incredibly high.
Everything that came out was fresh and looked AMAZING. Even non dimsum dishes looked spectacular and mouth watering. The ambiance was nice and clean and not too big like a Ji Fong or Golden Bridge, which I'm not a huge fan of. There is no chasing down the waitstaff to ask for your favorite dish because she'll be coming round the mountain in good time.
Word to the wise, the weekend lunch periods are busy busy busy so expect 20-40 minute wait during peak time. Show up too late and you may be out of luck on the decent selection.
For any dimsum lover visiting and/or living in and around the city, you would be silly and insane not to check out Ping's if you haven't already.
Oh yeah, and I once saw Matt Dillon dining here with an overdone twenty something Asian young lady during late Sunday lunch...for those of you into that sort of thing.
Lol.
I came for dim sum only so I pretty much can only comment on that.
If you're feeling adventurous, you should go here. Unfortunately, I'm not that adventurous when I'm going for dim sum and much prefer traditional dishes done really well instead of lots of weird mediocre dishes.
There were no carts nor was there a sheet to fill out what dishes we wanted. Instead there were waiters swarming the place, bringing by platters of food, and asking each individual table what they wanted. This got irritating because my conversations with friends kept getting interrupted, and I also felt bad having to say no to everyone (whereas with carts, it's OK to kind of ignore the carts you don't want).
The traditional stuff never came. We kept asking for shrimp dumplings - probably the most common item - and they kept saying "it's coming out" but we didn't even end up eating it, it took so long. The shumai was a bit small and tasted OK, not the best I've ever had. The short ribs were really sinewy and tough, but the veggies and pork wrapped in tofu skin tasted really good, as were the roast pork wrapped in thick rice noodle.
As for the specials - we had some fried peppers with shrimp, which looked odd but tasted really surprisingly amazing, and its texture was crispy but not too fat. They also had these chicken wings with a cucumber sauce which I really didn't like - a little overcooked, or maybe I'm biased because I don't like chicken.
Overall, it was OK. I might come back if other places are busy, but we came at 11am on a Sunday and got a spot pretty easily. By the time we left at noon, the crowd waiting was so huge that I couldn't even squeeze out of the restaurant.
CLAUSTROPHOBIA
This place is a massive clusterfu*k of people squeezing past each other to navigate crowded shared tables, waiters carrying plates of dim sum and pots of scalding hot tea, and patrons waiting to be seated perched on every step of the staircase. If you're claustrophobic or feel like the walls are closing in on you when you're around huge crowds of people, I suggest you stay away.
The food: Reliably good as far as dim sum goes, but a little greasy.
The selection isn't bad, but it takes a long time for the waiters to come around for really standard items like har gao and siu mai which is unacceptable. We also had a few dishes that arrived less than hot which was a big turn off.
All in all, I couldn't wait to get the fu*k out of here.
We've been trying a lot of the well-reviewed dim sum restaurants lately and Ping's definitely does not measure up to most of the others we have tried.
Service on a weekday at 1pm was incredibly slow. This was probably because we were seated way in the back, partly obscured, so I think we were forgotten back there. By the time a server would get to us, half the stuff she was carrying would be gone already. They kept pushing custard on us throughout the meal, though. Sometimes the server would turn around before she even got to us, while we sat with no food on our table for up to 15 minutes. Eventually, we gave up and asked for the check, even though we easily could have eaten several more dishes.
We had read that Ping's specialty is seafood, so we expected some different sorts of seafood dim sum, but we didn't see anything we don't see everywhere else.
Decor is nothing special.
For Dim Sum: there are not many carts floating around and the food is not that fresh. They have limited Dim Sum dishes which is not authentic to the Chinese culture.
For Dinner: the wait staff saw our large party of 17 and still squeezed an adult elephant to a small table. They did not have the courtesy of moving us to another table. In addition, the wait staff nearly starved our large party by being the very last of the entire restaurant to be served with our meal (we were not the last table to place our order). Sea food is this restaurant's specialty although they have many other non-sea food dishes.
Ping's is another solid choice for dim sum in Manhattan's Chinatown. I wanted an alternative to Golden Bridge so I'm glad Kevin L. recommended this place. We were seated downstairs and had to split a table. It's common practice in Hong Kong but I'm still surprised when it happens in the states. The downstairs doesn't use carts - they bring around trays with the bamboo steamers or you can request specific dishes from the waitstaff. A few disappointments but the food was very good.
The shrimp in the cheong fun were the largest I've seen at any dim sum so that was a major plus. My litmus test for good dim sum is based on the deliciousness of the shrimp cheong fun, siu mai and paai gwat (spare ribs) and Ping's passed.
What about Ping's that sets it apart from other seafood/dim sum places in Chinatown? I've eaten here enough, I could name a few.
A little pricier. Their specialty being seafood, I can see why. But the price doesn't just go into the food, as their dim sum dishes can taste pretty generic. It's also where you eat...
Atmosphere. Waiters in shiny vests, carpeted dining areas, two levels. This place is quite decked out relative to Chinatown. Why? Perhaps it's the fame of the head chef, whose pictures line the entrance of the restaurant. Plus, this place is too small for dim sum carts, so the dishes are not made and delivered en masse.
Seafood. I'm a sucker for seafood, especially Chinese made. It shouldn't be surprising that Ping's higher prices come from what it has to maintain in the kitchen, but I believe the selection is actually substantial.
Worth it? Yeah. I was a little miffed when they chose to seat us at the same table as another group, but what can you do. If you're avoiding the labor abuses of other Chinatown dim sum factories, remember this as a reliable destination. It may not feel like dim sum, but it's definitely good food. Let me know when you find a better dim sum establishment that is *not* Jing Fung.
This is my favoriate Dim Sum place.
The restaurant is clean and service is decent. But the dim sun is definitely the B E S T.
The dim sum here generall cost a bit more, but it is definitely worth the price.
They can be extremely crowded during weekends. You may have to share tables with strangers. Ask them if you can avoid table sharing if you sit in the basement section.
I really only ever go here for Dim Sum. For Manhattan, it's a great place. Everything is well prepared and plentiful. It's only place in Manhattan I go to for Dim Sum.
Now, Queens and Brooklyn, that's a different story...
Tired of trying to get a reservation for a birthday dinner or group gathering for 6+ or more and paying way too much for them to set up the tables in addition to ridiculous cake cutting fees???
Try something different and head to Ping's for banquet style dishes and share family style! I planned my sister's birthday one year and reserved a table for 10-12. I called the day before (even though you don't need a reservation) and basically ordered 10-12 dishes (shark fin soup, whole crispy skin chicken, whole peking duck, fried shrimp with mayo and walnuts, fried pork chops, seafood fried rice, etc.) Let's just say that we all had a great times spinning the dolly and sharing everything to eat. We brought our own cake that they served--no hassle, no fuss, no muss! They also serve their own complimentary dessert of fruit and a warm redbean/tapioca soup with orange zest. Service was attentive and friendly, especially since I mentioned that it was my sister's birthday. We left with our bellies full, great energy and mood for the after dinner fun--and I did all of this for about $250!!!
Best bang for your buck--hassle free and enjoyed by all.
I love dim sum, so a trip to Chinatown is always a welcome excursion. Ping's had been on my radar screen for a while, but I'd never been in. I have to admit, it was only good and not the type of transcendent dim sum experience that puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
Nothing was bad at Ping's, but nothing we had was the best I'd ever had either. We had predominantly dim sum staples (shu mai, har gow, other standard dumpling varieties) and all were fresh and tasty, but the heat level varied and none of them had particularly great flavor (their fried "potsticker" dumplings were very flavorful, but were slightly burned, thus missing perfection).
All in all, a good experience, but the next time I go down for Dim Sum I'll be trying yet another new place rather than returning to Ping's.
I love dim sum on weekends and I've been having dim sum most weekends while growing up. This place isn't shabby or anything, it's just very unauthentic? I've been to many dim sum restaurants and I'm used to the dim sum cart ladies yelling out the little delicacies in their carts, kids running around, and loud people who seems to be having a competition of who can be the loudest wins or something. However at Ping's there's none of that. Their dim sum selection isn't as great as other dim sum places. There were like 2 carts and they don't yell out what's in their cart, but I guess because the restaurant is pretty small. The dim sum was just ok because I've had better. On another note the dim sum here are overpriced and overrated compared to other places. I feel this place is great for tourists who never had dim sum and just want to try it, but for people who grew up eating dim sum on the weekends is not a place we would prefer. Besides in Chinatown there's plenty of places for great dim sum!
Went here for dinner with some friends and the food was NG! I've been eating Chinese seafood for a while now, (I am Chinese, after all), and this place gives seafood a bad name. Everything was oversalted, full of MSG and masked the deliciousness of the seafood. The seafood was fresh, but if you can't eat it, you can't enjoy it! All I could taste was the MSG.
The Peking duck was ok, but they did not have enough of the accompaniments to dilute the saltiness of the dish. The seafood dishes are authentic cuisine and if not for a sleight of hand in MSG/oyster sauce would have even been great. Nice touch with the fruit and the sweet red bean soup/dessert at the end. Given the quality and price, I will not be returning. However, the service here was good (especially for Chinatown) so they do get points for that.
Chinese Restaurant / Dim Sum
A good place to have dimsum. The food here is very good. Everyone goes dimsum on weekends, but I prefer weekdays when it is not so packed. A good selection of dimsum which is very tasty and not really that oily (usually everyone complains that dimsum is a bit oily). This is one of the very few place in Chinatown where I like to have dimsum, because there aren't that many good places there anymore.
Ping's is a good New York dim sum fix - although it's no match for my regular dim sum joint, the Empress Pavilion, in Los Angeles. Most of the items are served on handheld trays instead of carts and are thus rarely hot. That said, they do have a few different dishes that I've never tried before - like the mushu soaked, rice noodle covered, fried bread.
The atmosphere leaves a little to be desired, but the service is surprisingly friendly for dim sum. Overall, I'd recommend it and I'll probably end up back there before my 10 weeks in NYC are up.
Awesome dim sum!
I have been to Ping's a few times - I decided to take my mom here this past weekend. Without fail, it was a great experience and will hopefully give her something to talk about when she goes home.
We entered Ping's as two and they wanted to sit us with a larger group that we didn't know. I am all for meeting people, but seeing how communal dim sum can be (I like to try a little everything) I didn't want to share with strangers. We had to wait about ten mins before a table was ready (around 11AM on Saturday morning) for us - it would have been worth a longer wait.
My past dim sum experiences have always been with Chinese friends, making ordering a cinch. Not as easy this time. I was able to get most everything I wanted by just looking at what was passing. I had trouble when I couldn't recall that 'pork buns' (a personal fav) were not pork dumplings. The waiter worked with me to figure it out, but gave up - ha - I probably looked and sounded like a retard. Just before we closed out the tab I saw them pass on one of the carts - everything worked out!
I judge all dim sum places by the quality of the chickens feet - Ping's makes my favorite. If dim sum doesn't include chicken's feet - plain and simple - its not dim sum. I always feel like a get a little cred being the white guy that likes them.
You will not be disappointed with Ping's.
More like 3.5 stars. Very heavy on seafood dim sum which is fine with me since I love shellfish and there seemed to be a lot of shrimp. My boyfriend and I tried everything and enjoyed some hot tea for $30 including tax and tip. You can't beat that!
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Elmhurst
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
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