On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Category: Chinese
Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Lower East SideGrand St (B, D)
East Broadway (F)
Bowery (J, M)
Loading...
Prosperty Dumpling FOREVER!!!
The things I would do to get their hot and sour soup in my mouth...the feats I would accomplish to own some of those tasty pork and scallion fried dumplings...how many puppies would I give dirty looks at to get a vegetable sesame pancake bun thingy thing....and everything with a squirt of soy sauce and Sriracha!
You get the idea. Go there, take $5, eat on the one of the benches around the corner on Allen. Then when you pass out in a delicious delicious pork food coma, it won't be that weird.
Quite possibly the cheapest food that can be found in the confines of the 5 boroughs of New York City. My lunch of 10 pork and chive dumplings and a sesame pancake came to a total of $2.75. And the food was actually decent. I still have no idea how they can afford to pay rent at these prices which are noticeably lower than the street vendors.
Seating is limited to two especially narrow counters. I can't imagine more than 4 people eating in this place at the same time. The assumption with any order is that it is to-go unless you state otherwise. Be careful though. With the dumplings for example, they are kind of starchy; so when they are locked into a styrofoam container while hot, they will adhere to each other and form one giant coagulated dumpling by the time you get to wherever you are going. The flavors are largely preserved though, so not much is lost. The sesame pancake was fine, but otherwise not noteworthy.
Highly recommend for the budget conscious, or those wanting to stop for a quick bite. It is one of the gems of Chinatown, so you will eventually make your way there at some point. Enjoy.
Prosperity Dumpling is so awesome that once in a while I'll make the trip during my lunch hour at work. And since I work in the fashion district, this means taking a subway trip and using up a good part of an hour, so it's definitely some effort.
The only regret I have is that I don't have enough time to get off at 23rd street so I can parade in front of Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. I imagine I'd do this by juggling five dumplings and catching them mid-air in my mouth one by one.
Speaking of Rickshaw, and I'm not sure if I'm picking on them or using them to propel Prosperity, but cost per pork chive dumpling is $.91 vs. $.20. Is it fair to compare the two quality wise? Questionable. But is the quality 4.5x better? Emphatically, no.
Also, I've cut out pork, but the vegetarian dumplings and sesame pancakes still garners my lunch trips. Being a dive-y Chinese place though, I wouldn't be 100% that they have rigorous standards of keeping the vegetarian business completely seperated.
After the dumpling festival failure, my buddy and I were on a mission for dumplings and so we navigated our way to Prosperity Dumpling for what turned out to be the best deal in town.
Gladly, the line wasn't that long, maybe 15 people deep. That gave me time to compose my order. 5 chive and pork fried dumplings ($1), 10 chive and pork boiled dumplings ($2), 1 sesame pancake (75 cents), and a Snapple iced tea ($1.25 if I recall correctly).
Finally getting to the front of the line and encountering the guy who takes the orders. He looks like he's about to have a nervous breakdown. He doesn't write down your order but stores it in his noggin and tries to keep your order along with anyone elses uncompleted orders in check. I'm afraid he's going to go bonkers and storm out of the place at any moment. So I wait for a new batch of dumplings to cook, each time I'm disappointed when a styrofoam container comes and it doesn't belong to me. After 15 minutes, I get my order and get out of there in a hurry. My buddy had already engulfed most of his dumplings in the light rain.
Everything was wonderful and so filling. I should have added the sauces to the dumplings but didn't want to maneuver my way through the crowd to get back in. Sesame pancake was OK. Probably should have got it with meat instead. The value you get is tremendous and if I lived in NYC, this would be my go-to place for a snack, lunch, and/or dinner.
You've got to give at least 4 stars to any place that serves hot fresh tasty food for as low as $1.
You can get a complete meal here for anywhere between $2-5. Five fried pork dumplings will set you back $1 ($2 for 10 steamed vege dumplings) while a huge slice of a puffy sesame pancake is .75 cents. The place is tiny, other than the kitchen there are only 5 stools crammed in a 6x6' (or so) space. The menu is also pretty small but you're probably not coming here for a full Chinese sit down meal but rather a bunch of dumplings in a styrofoam container. I wasn't a big fan of the wonton soup, the wontons were loose and so thin that chewing wasn't necessary (other than meaty center). This may be authentic for all I know, I just know I like them a little thicker and more cohesive. I did like that you can get a bag of 50 frozen dumplings for $8, something to consider for cooking and bringing to a party.
The place is frequented by all kinds but mostly fellow residents of the Chinatown area. It's kind of a dirty place on a dirty street but that's exactly what I was expecting and that's what I wanted this eating experience to be. For $2 you can't beat 10 fried pork and chive dumplings at Prosperity Dumpling.
Yummy. Everything is soooo inexpensive it is unbelievable. For individual orders, almost everything is less than 2 dollars. The dumplings are good for the price. We also ordered the sesame panckake with beef, that sesame pancake is delicious. You can get the pancake on it's own which I should have done. They also have fresh soy milk unsweetened. This was very different from the canned kind, I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either.
As we sat and ate in the small entryway, tons of kids from across the street got out of school, and all you can hear is " hot and sour soup, won ton soup, fried dumplings" being ordered over and over. Then the talk turned to who could beat pokemon...to cute. Wish we had a spot like this in sj...even if the counter person looks confused while you tell him your order.
The place is TINY so don't expect to eat inside. Also there is definitely no bathroom. I ordered:
5 dumplings
1 sesame pancake (huge)
1 small Hot & Sour soup (huuuuge)
1 bottle of water
Total price: $3.50!! Holy cow. I had to wonder exactly how much MSG needed to go into a product to make it taste so good yet cost so little, but figured I was better off not calculating that. We sat across the street on the curb by the playground and I felt like a Chinese construction worker on my lunch break. The food was extremely fresh and really hit the spot. The ladies working there were surprisingly nice considering how crammed the place gets. The line usually goes out the door. Totally worth it. In fact they could charge double and I'd still come here. Make sure you ask for Sriracha too. I am looking forward to the soup in the wintertime when it gets cold. If dumplings were healthier I'd eat here every other day but am going to at least try to get there every two weeks.
I love this place. To be honest, I've never actually gone in (my dad usually buys the food while I sit in the car and wait like the lazy sack that I am), and I just saw the exterior of the restaurant for the first time today. It sure looks dingy, but don't let the appearance fool you. Their dumplings are amazing. They're pretty big, the flavor's good, and they're not as oily as dumplings tend to be in many other dumpling places. Best dumplings in Chinatown (yeah, I said it), and therefore, Manhattan.
Since I'm in a raving kind of mood, I'd also like to mention that their hot and sour soup is one of the best to be found in Chinatown. It has the perfect amount of spiciness, and they put a lot of different things in there so it's not 90% soup and 10% miscellaneous crap floating around. Sure, you laugh now, but there are many places that serve hot and sour soup like that.
Again, since I've never gone into the restaurant myself I don't really know how much the food costs, but the fact that 'cheap' is a keyword for more than 50 reviews here really speaks volumes.
The thing that is so astonishing about this place is the cost and value. Seriously, i was gawking at the menu and it's crazy low prices. I felt like I was living in the 70s or something. How can it be so cheap? Everything on the menu is under $3!!!!!
I had the chives n pork fried and boiled dumplings. I liked the boiled more but both were very satisfying. If someone could help me out here, these dumplings had that specific chinese-y taste. I can't figure out what it is, it's this distinct chinese flavor that can ONLY be found in chinese food. These dumplings has that taste! Someone please school me..
Stuffed sesame pancake was a little dry, but it's still good being only a dollar. Just try it, but I wish there was some sort of sauce that came with it. I just used hot sauce but I think hoisin would be excellent. I'm taking some with me the next time I go.
My sister bought the 50 frozen pack ($8) to bring home. We didn't have a steamer so we simply just boiled them, which tasted awesome! And fried them too; tastes exactly the same- and even better for a midnight snack. Or when you have the crazy munchies.. heee..hee..
I love their dumplings and the skin is much thinner than the ones at Vanessa's. Don't shoot me, but I like the filling at Vanessa's more. I wish I could combine the two... or that I felt like going to Flushing where I can get my favorite cheapo dumplings anytime.
The sauce here trumps the one at Vanessa's hands down.
You know what? I'mma go here tonight and try them again along with the sesame pancake and update this review.
You don't just go to Prosperity Dumpling when you feel like a quick lunch or tasty snack, digest and go back to your regular life...You must LIVE Prosperity Dumpling and tell everyone you know that Heaven on Earth exists in the form of the busiest Chinese Man standing in 80 Square Feet of tenement space serving up Chinese Dumplings at prices cheaper than the cost of a two bit Honduran hooker with cholera.
I am not sure what rent is like East of Bowery, but it's either dirt cheap or Prosperity Dumpling is suffering from monthly delinquency.
Let me explain you what $5.50 buys you:
-5 Pork & Chive Dumplings ($1)
-Small Corn and Chicken Egg Drop Soup ($1)
-Pint of Dumpling & Bok Choy Soup ($2)
-Sesame Pancake ($0.75)
-Bottled Water ($1)
Don't live piously about your food.
The best things in life come because someone out there is willing make no frills dumplings 365 days a year amidst screaming school children whether rain or shine.
I'd like to bake the staff of Prosperity Dumpling a cake...but I need some help, anyone down?
I discovered this gem earlier year since it was across the street from my Jr. High School. I tried and it was mad good for $1. Unbelievable value.
Anyways, amazing value and delicious crispy skin dumplings. Every time I am in Chinatown to visit my mom, I try to stop by this place. It's sooo good and cheap. Long live Prosperity Dumpling!
Walked in on a weekday night at about 6:30 PM, and there were about 3 other people awaiting their order, and one sitting at the counter eating...Which made it a bit crowded. Yes, it's a tiny little place. Asked for a bowl of hot and sour soup and ten boiled pork and chive dumplings, and told them it was "for here".
I handed the man 3 dollars.
The man poured my soup into a plastic container and handed it to me. I turned to the right and plopped down on the stool not four inches from my feet. Yes, it's a tiny little place. The soup was better than most hot and sour soups I've had, but not as good as some. Coulda been a little hotter, both in temperature and spice. But that could have been remedied easily-enough with a quick zap in the microwave and a couple of shakes of chili oil, I suppose. It definitely had decent tang, which so few really do.
The lady fished out ten dumplings from the big pot of boiling water, put them on a styrofoam plate, turned to her left, and handed me my dinner through the doorway. I met her arm halfway from my perch on the stool. Yes, it's a tiny little place.
I grabbed the bottle of soy sauce to my right, spashed a puddle onto and around a few of the dumplings, and stuck a fork in one...No chopsticks at the table, though I'm sure they had them if I had asked for them. Raised it to my lips and parted them. Chewed and swallowed. Slurped more soup. Somewhat-randomly repeated this pattern for the next 10 minutes or so.
The simplicity, the informality, the price, and most of all, the FLAVORS of this meal were exactly on par with any number of hole-in-the-wall restaurants I've eaten at in China, both in the north and the south. Right down to the fact that I was still tasting those effing dumplings and their vague dusting of five spice powder for HOURS afterwards. Hint: This condition readily responds to introduction of moderate (or more substantial, if desired) amounts of Hennessey cognac.
I don't live in New York. I was just visiting. I live in Los Angeles, and so I'm thankfully blessed with a never-ending supply of excellent hole-in-the-wall eats. But if this place was in MY town, I'd be there once every couple of weeks easily.
You have absolutely no excuse not to eat here.
It's fast. Your meal will cost less than the subway fare it took to get there. And it's so, so, so good. Delicious juicy porky tasty exploding with flavor and crispy on the outside and just good lord praise Jesus and have mercy and pass me the napkins.
And they give you a side of sauce.
And they have the crispy salty chewy warm lovely deliciousness that is the sesame pancake. If you're not familiar with it, just get it. Try it. You have nothing to lose but a mere 75 cents. And an entire world of luscious calories to gain and savor and mmmm.
Pork dumplings. Do it. Get them pan-fried. Boiled is okay. But you know pan-fried is better. Get it. Eat it. Love it. Worship it.
Been there twice. Still haven't been able to try the pork fried bun. 4 for a dollar. Can you beat that? And still make it taste good? I can't even get four quarters to make a dollar anymore. Be warned though: they only serve it after 10:30 in the morning, so don't go too early.
It is a hole in the wall. No more than 4 people can stand in the shop at one time. And you will savor your wait. Meaty, juicy, porky, fresh, tasty, fricken awesome and the memory is making me weep. Why, Boston? Why...
Do it.
Eat.
Now.
Stop reading.
And go.
A hole-in-the-wall joint that's about the size of a small walk-in closet, Prosperity Dumpling does it right. I have zero complaints about cheap + good food.
$1 gets you 5 fried pot stickers with chives and pork.
$2 gets you 10 chives and pork boiled dumplings, or 8 vegetarian dumplings, or 10 Chinese vegetable and pork dumplings.
You can complete your meal with a side of sesame pancake (75 cents), a piping hot cup of sweet soymilk (75 cents), or a variety of other kinds of soups and side dishes, ranging in price from 75 cents to $3. In fact, I think the most expensive item on the menu is $3.
I got an order of 10 chives and pork boiled dumplings, and my friend got vegetarian dumplings with sesame pancake and soymilk. The dumplings were boiled fresh and piping hot. This is probably always the case since they seem to have quick turnover of foods because of the place's popularity - the place was crowded even on a random weekday night.
Both kinds of dumplings were solid, and although a few of the dumplings' skins broke (I don't like when this happens because it means the dough was kind of thin/flimsy), it still tasted wonderful. There was a substantial amount of filling, and it was all flavorful. The soymilk was thick and good too, the way it should be.
Total cost of a hearty dinner for two: $5.50
You really can't beat that price ANYWHERE. And this stuff is actually GOOD. And FRESH. Tastes like home. I'll take this over anything on fast food 99-cent value menus!
Wow, it looks like it IS possible to eat cheap and eat well in NYC!
Let me just cut to the chase. Prosperity's fried dumplings are very very good, perhaps even the best in Manhattan... but the ones from Lao Bei Fang's in Queens are better.
The pork and chive interiors are exceptionally flavorful and very juicy. But they pack just a little too much chives for my liking. I am no stranger when it comes to eating chives but they can definitely be a little overwhelming, even in small quantities.
Chinese people have a saying called "shang huo" which literally translates to "up fire." It's a medical term and you can pretty much guess what it means. For some reason, I feel a little of that after finishing up my dumplings. They are fried just a little too much for my liking.
On the plus side, their vegetarian steam dumplings are also very well made. The bad ones are usually very dull and without much taste. Not the ones at Prosperity because they certainly pack a punch! And they have a very distinctive flavor that I don't usually associate with dumplings. I may even like them better than their fried siblings.
Where can you get a good, huge $2.75 meal in New York City? Prosperity Dumpling. Ten dumplings plus a sesame pancake. The dumplings are freshly fried, and the sesame pancake is really flavorful. There's kind of no beating this place for value... possibly anywhere in America.
Rather than just 'wow that was cheap' or it was decent... you notice how GOOD the dumplings taste here. I have visited this place once and Vanessa's twice. I would say, based on that, prosperity's dumpling taste better. They are flavorful and juicy ! There is barely room to turn around sometimes, but I'm coming back.
So this place does not look inviting at all. If i didn't read all the yelp reviews, I would not have trekked over to this end of NY's Chinatown to look for a dumpling shop. But I did read the reviews and headed out to Chinatown to find this little treasure. Yelpers did not lie. 5 fresh, fried dumplings for $1. BF and I quickly got our order to go (took less than 2 minutes) after surveying the "Eat-in" area (which is 2 small counters on the side with bar stools - very cramped). The dumplings were good but not THAT great but maybe I just got too hyped up from reading the reviews or maybe my batch of dumplings just weren't fried to perfection. But seriously, its 5 dumplings for a dollar! Go try it if you're in the mood for dumplings (to go) and don't want to pay a dollar per dumpling.
AMAZING! How can they sell such delicious food for so cheap? I think these are the best pork and chive dumplings in Manhattan, especially at 5 for $1. But even better than the dumplings is the SESAME PANCAKE!! One of the best foods ever, and only $0.75. I'm not sure they do it, but it is a hot, doughy, flaky slice of pancake (resembling a huge slice of pizza) full of scallions and sesame seeds. Simply fantastic. I could eat one every day. I could eat two every day! It is not flat and greasy like most sesame pancakes in the world. I want one right now!
In my opinion, the sesame pancake is well worth the trip to NYC from DC. I don't care where you live, get there as soon as possible!!
I guess my only complaint is that there are about 6 chairs and there are usually about 30 people! But the food is so good and so cheap, who cares?
Really cheap and delicious. If I lived in New York, this would be a frequently visited spot. Great for people watching while you eat yummy dumplings for a buck.
Awesome pork dumplings at 5 for a buck. If all you want are cheap awesome pork dumplings then there is no need to head over to the other well known dumpling house nearby with the much longer wait.
This place is tiny and only about 4-5 people fit in there at once though i rarely have to wait long. Don't expect to eat in comfortably but do expect to take out awesome dumplings for less than your train fare.
Prices are 5 for $1.25 for the dumplings. $9 for a bag of 50 frozen dumplings.
It's very popular with the local school kids, I have seen kids drop by after school , throw $1 on the counter and run away with a wonton soup or sweet and sour soup.
I was just there this afternoon, and saw Ming Tsai from "Simply Ming" getting his picture take with a takeaway box of dumplings, proclaiming "It's so GOOD!"
How can one resist jumping in here when walking past? The sauce in the squeeze bottles, the middle aged chinese men slurping and sloshing their dumplings and soup, sizzling potstickers and steaming dumplings, a group of people in the back frantically stuffing filling into dumpling skins, and an sort-of-old man who keeps asking you whether you've paid even though you've told him 12 times you haven't... it's all so charming and reminiscent of, well, China
I was running some errands in the UWS and decided, hey, why not go all the way down to Ctown and grab some dumplings? I didn't actually know where the place was (knew it was on Eldridge) so I got off the 1 at Canal St and walked through touristy Ctown to Eldridge and turned left (It really is a fresh breath of air when you get out of the crazy much of tourists and street hawkers)
Walked into the shop and ordered 10 steamed for $2 and 4 sheng jian bao (what's the english? pan fried pork buns maybe?) for another whopping $1. I was in heaven.
The skin on the steamed/boiled in a wok dumplings is wonderfully thick and chewy, which is way too rare these days. The filling was deliciously well seasoned and it was so much fun squeezing sauces onto the dumplings (it had to be more than just soy sauce and hot sauce mixed in there). The steamy hot goodness made me so happy that I downed the plate of 10 dumplings in a record 10 minutes (for me at least) and went onto the pork buns.
Pan fried in the same pan as the pot stickers but differing from them in that they are wrapped in a thin, doughy, bun-style skin, the mostly meat interior was oozing with flavor while the seared parts were crispy and oily and the skin was delightfully flavorful for a bun (probably from the oil). Sure, it's a little oily, but that's what you get and what you expect from street-food style chinese food!
5 stars for the grungy atmosphere and wonderful dumplings
Revisit? After I finish my frozen bag of 50 for $8!!
Fried pork dumplings = greasy, tasty, cheap, DELICIOUS!
I look forward to going back and trying a few other things off the menu. Also, i don't know about anyone else, but when i took a bite using the fork they provided it ripped up the dumpling so i had 1 mouthful and 1 shred of skin clinging to the fork with a big porky chunk sitting in the bottom of the box. Using my fingers was much easier, and the dripping juices and grease kept my cuticles moisturized for the next couple of hours.
The best you'll find in Manhattan -- and believe me, I've looked. Bonus points for there being a small playground/park nearby. The garbage can is filled with Prosperity containers, so apparently this was not our idea.
Can't beat this price! For 10 pork and chive dumplings, a sesame pancake, soy bean milk and a diet coke: $4.25!!!!! Wthell??? I love this place!
Ate here twice.. So good!
Keep in mind that it's tiny though and can't fit more than 4 or 5 people inside to eat.. But I say fck it and go anyways, the prices and dumplings are that damn good..
$1 for 5 Dumplings. This itself deserves a 5 star in this ECONOMY! But of course, the flavor itself is amazing too. Skin is thin and the stuffing tastes great. It comes hot and steaming.
We also got the sesame pancake with beef and it costs merely $1.5 and is good for 2 people.
$3.5 for two people's lunch is just such a bargain. The only down side is there are only like 6 seatings so come prepared to eat standing up!
Love it!
DO NOT be fooled by the hole in the wall appearance of this place...the dumplings here are awsome! I actually prefer them over Vanessa's dumplings because their dumplings are a lot thinner and juicier. Also, you get 5 dumplings for a $1 here whereas you only get 4 dumplings for that price at Vanessa's. So far, I've only been to Prosperity Dumpling House twice and both times, the dumplings were adequately warm, succulent, and tasty. The only downside to this place is that it's basically a take out joint so it's very small and there's not much room to sit anywhere inside. So be prepared to get the dumplings to go or to just stand outside eating them.
While I have no complaints about the prices at this dumpling place I feel compelled to offer an objective view of the food.
The appeal of freshly prepared dumplings is to have hand-rolled skins that are not too thick and overly chewy, and this place certainly delivers in that regard.
The meat filling, while acceptable for the price, does little to differentiate itself from the processed taste I've come to expect from frozen dumplings and cheap midtown takeout joints.
The pork options are indeed juicy, but the taste is greasy and overly flavored with sesame oil and sugar. The cost savings really show up in the quality of the meat which at times contains those rubbery pellets of gristle/cartilage.
The vegetable dumplings taste a bit dry because the filling is largely made up of chopped carrots and short on mushrooms and glass noodles. The seasoning is also very generous with the white pepper, too much so in my opinion.
A great place for an inexpensive bite but don't expect any surprises especially if you've had real homemade dumplings before.
I made a stop here yesterday. The dumplings are still the best. 5 for a buck, how can you beat that. Also had the Hot and Sour Soup and absolutely loved it.
I love this place. I have actually been craving it again for like a week or so. I got the 5 pan… Read more »
Best dumplings ever, don't be surprised if there's no place to sit there. But anyways, put some soy sauce and hot sauce on the dumplings and you'll have the best cheapest lunch ever!!!
In short: Yeah, just go get some dumplings right now.
The dumplings are fresh, delicious, and super cheap. That's right, you can eat on a dollar or two. Now where can else can you do that in NYC?
They have other stuff too (that's also super cheap), but why bother when you can just get two orders of dumpling and then pick a bag of frozen ones for later. Just go now and try it out.
P.S. There's basically no seating so just plan on grabbing them to go or eating at the cramped counter they have.
The long lines and lack of a clean seating areas is a drag, but their dumplings are delicious, moist, and packed with flavor. Their prices rival Fried Dumpling's and quite frankly, I prefer Prosperity.
Not bad, not bad. I liked the meat inside, it was very very flavorful. The only thing that would make em even better is if the regular dumplings had thicker skin. All in all, fairly decent. Would come back again to satisfy future dumpling cravings.
$4.25 for 15 dumplings and a vegetable sesame pancake = amazement. As I stared at the menu for a few minutes, I came across the boiled vs. fried dumplings issue, so we went ahead and got them both to compare. Let's begin by saying that the fried dumplings are pan fried and not deep fried. We managed to get there right in time when a new batch had just finished so they were hot hot hot, crispy, and wonderful. Needless to say that the fried dumplings won in my book. Make sure you don't forget the bottle of soy sauce and hot sauce.
Apparently the boiled dumplings are made to order, so they took a bit longer to make. They were also hot hot hot and pretty good, but not as good as the fried ones. The dumpling skin was too thick and overpowered the actual flavors of the pork interior.
We can't forget about my favorite part of the meal. The sesame pancake with vegetables. It was savory but sweet, and overall just delicious. It's basically bread stuffed with various vegetables such as carrots and cilantro with a sesame crust. I cannot stress enough how great it was. Perfect amount of crispy texture, savory and sweet sauce, and "herbiness" from the cilantro.
There are about 6 seats in the place so get in, chow down, and get out. There is no air conditioning, so it gets pretty painful in the summer, but the food and the prices are well worth it. I must come back in the winter for the dumpling soups!
OMG FTW HD.
(with HD standing for hot dumpling)
amazing amazing. i felt like such a fat kid bc we got 26 dumplings for brunch for... 6$. come on now, you can't get that elsewhere. i'm NEVER making dumplings myself again. you know how miserable it is to chop carrots?!
not sure what's inside the veggie dumplings. i only counted celery, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles before i gave up and scarfed them down indiscriminately. ahhh bliss. if you can eat pork, the pork fried dumplings are way better.
also, watch the hot sauce. it's def. watered down so it tends to.. squirt.
Prosperity is the definition of a good hole in the wall. Cheap, fast, and excellent execution of a limited menu. Cramped quarters, disposable containers, sticky countertops, and language barriers are also de riguer as they were here at Properity. However, we found the quality of the food and value unbeatable. The pork & chive dumplings had thin skins and were filled with delicately seasoned, tender, rather lean meat. I don't like finding bits and nibs of gristle and fat in my dumplings, and I did not encounter that here. The veggie dumplings also had the same thin skins and were filled with a nice balance of diced leeks, scallions, greens, and carrots. Our freshly pan-fried sesame pancake sections arrived piping hot, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I've never had anything like it. One of the pancake orders was stuffed with veggies (pickled carrots, cilantro, and cucumber) and could have been a meal in itself with some hot soy milk. Speaking of which, the hot soy milk was also being made fresh in the back of the kitchen, so we decided to order it and were very pleased that we did.
Prosperity only has 6 stools and very limited (somewhat sticky) counter space, and we saw a few people eating out of their disposable containers right outside on the street. I wouldn't recommend eating onsite with more than 2 people, unless you're ok standing outside and eating - it's more of a grab and go, quick-bite operation. Vanessa's Dumplings, just up a few blocks on Eldridge, is better for an eat-in experience with people that might be intimidated by the, how should I put it, "authenticity" of Properity. However, the line at Prosperity is faster/shorter and seems like a better bang for your buck.
$1 for 5 dumplings which you receive five seconds after you order them. If you happen to be in front of me on line please have a dollar bill because there's nothing I hate more than waiting for dumplings while you get back $19 in singles.
The man behind the counter might seem mean as hell at first (and I wouldn't blame him, serving amazing dumplings at what cannot possibly be any sort of profit margin), but under that grizzled exterior is a heart of gold. You will get random discounts, bonus items will appear in your takeout bag (don't think this is an error - they know exactly what they're doing here), and your favorite type of dumpling will be remembered even if you show up semiannually and get a haircut.
If anybody has had the courage to try the 'bean water', let me know
Peking Duck Lunch Special
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Best Lunch specials in town!
Neighborhood: Kips Bay
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Two Bridges
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Forget $40 a day, these are places to get filled…
These are my spots, I like to go and mostly…
After dropping serious dough at the newer upscale…
These are places that I think offer a unique…
When times are rough, here are some places to eat…
What I loved and hated food wise and shopping…
Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese,…
