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Canal Street (J, M, Z, N, Q, R, W, 6)
Grand St (B, D)
"I discovered this dim sum oasis after seeking refuge from the nearby canal street. Service was very fast and friendly and the food...well,…" read more »
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I was taken here once a couple years ago, and loved it. It was the only clean vegetarian-friendly, and authentic Chinatown chinese restaurant I'd been to. Unfortunately, I completely forgot where it was and could never find it in the sea of restaurants in the area.
So last week, my cousin was in town and I thought I'd take her to Joe's Shanghai. The line was too long for our empty tummies, so I called my bf to look up alternatives on Yelp. He told me to go to Shangahi cafe- you can imagine my excitement when I walked in and recognized the interior- this was IT!
The 2 of us didn't know any better, so we ordered one dish each, smoothies, and a dumpling app. This was enough to feed 4, at least. My fried vegetable noodle dish came in a casserole dish- this was enough to feed two alone (I should gotten the hint from our neighbors- the 2 of them were sharing the exact same dish for their meal). This cost $7. The vegetable dumplings were delicious (though they took forever to come out)- $5 for 8 big dumplings! My smoothie was also huge. All in all, the meal was delicious and we left stuffed to the brim. The tab for everything: $30 including tip, insane.
The service is a bit gruff, but it's all part of the experience. And don't come here if you're on a diet- the food is really oily.
I frequent here because I refuse to go to Joe's Shanghai (which is a tourist trap). Food is good, but if you're Asian....the service is going to be horrid. For some reason, they are a lot nicer to non-Asians. I'm a loyal costumer and I've noticed that through the years. I'm desensitized by the bad service so I don't really hold it against them anymore. Food is fast, tasty and affordable. Decor is TACKY. They have neon lights along one of the side walls. They are seizure inducing and I always cringe when they try to sit me near them.
Bottom line: If you are craving Shanghai food and xiao long bao....this place will do the trick. It's fast, cheap and good. Oh..and don't forget to bring your sunglasses.
I stopped by for lunch one weekend while doing some shopping downtown. Steamed pork dumplings (regular pork, no crab), Shanghai rice cakes with shredded bok choy and pork, a can diet coke for $18. It was actually $13 but I left a $5 tip. When food is this cheap, I can afford to be a high roller. Lol.
Did I mention the food and service was great?
When I leave food at the table, you know the portions are large. Rather than waste the food, I actually shared some dumplings with an elderly lady that was dining at the next table.
Joe's Shanghai may have slightly better dumplings but you'll be waiting on line forever to get a table and for your food. This is clearly the better option if you are pressed for time.
The tables are a bit small but the place is perfectly fine for a nice casual date.
Cheers!
N.
I have been here so many times but I still manage to forget to write about it. I guess that says it all... LOL
Back to the topic: Great steamed dumplings, great shanghainese stir-fried rice cakes. Average and uninspiring Chinese dishes (non-Shanghainese ones).
In a nutshell, come here when you crave steamed dumplings and don't want to spend a lot!
Even if the food hadn't been great our experience with the service was hilarious.
The host sat us in one of the crammed seats against the wall when the restaurant was half empty, but the waitress told us to move to the 4 seat table. (Eventually they took part of the table away) I asked for, "Sliced Beef and Broccolli" and she responded "We no have Spicy Beef and Broccoli". We when got it sorted out, she got a bigger kick out of it than we did. She was very chill for a Chinatown waitress.
Food was great, soup dumplings were awesome, and the beef and broccoli and fried rice were delicious and cheap.
I came here with three friends for dinner last night after reading the high reviews. To put it simply, we all left happy for $11 each.
We tried the xiao long bao, the scallion pancakes (cong you bing), house style tofu (jia chang doufu), and the Shanghai style lo mian. The xiao long bao were excellent as expected and the cong you bing were the best I've tried in a long time -- they had that chewy texture on the inside with a crunchy outside. The jia chang doufu was pretty good too, although I'm not generally a big tofu eater.
The only disappointing dish in my opinion was the Shanghai style lo mian. The noodles were unexpectedly thick (they reminded me of udon noodles) and the sauce was greasy and kind of bland. I definitely prefer the Cantonese-style lo mian.
Overall, I had an excellent meal here. For me, it's a very close competitor to Joe's Shanghai without the wait.
soup dumplings - check.
noodles with spicy meat sauce - check
tofu szechuan style - check
scallion pancakes - check
two people filled to the brim with spice and delicious for $20 bucks.
check check check.
Oh soup dumplings (aka tiny buns)! How you captured my heart and left me in a drunken souper. This place is a true gem! Very cheap prices, extensive menu, huge portions, and soup dumplings that have earned a spot on my tastiest things I've ever had list. They are the sort of food that after you take a bite you have to stop, think about what has just happened, and then try to figure out how something so incredible can be made first of all, and then cost less than five dollars. Truly ridiculous. Seriously, get up, grab ten dollars, walk out your door, take a train, plane, car, helicopter, hovercraft, or just walk, and get your a** down to Shanghai Cafe!
As a poor NYU student with a grandma that lives in NYC, I am quite reluctant to go to Chinese restaurants. The usual scenario is that I find myself eating something my grandma could have prepared better, and without a fee. But Shanghai Cafe was a surprise.
I highly recommend the scallion pancakes and soup dumplings. By far the best foods of the night. Unfortunately, the dishes were quite average. The only reason to come here is for the appetizers.
For one, GOOD scallion pancakes are hard to come by. While hundreds of shops sell them, they come in many different tastes, shapes, and varieties. But those at Shanghai Cafe were definitely on par with those I've eaten in Taiwan. And if you read my reviews, you will know I'm quite critical of soup dumplings, but even I could find no faults with those at Shanghai Cafe.
Much food consumed for two people. Spicy, sloppy & well worth it. A plus plus, would stuff my face here again.
Recipe for Nicole's Life:
4 cups of Family and Friends
3 cups of Love
2 cups of Laughter
8,000 Shanghai Cafe Soup Dumplings
Blend together. Sprinkle abundantly with Awkward Moments of Squirting Soup Dumplings Across Your Date's Face.
Serve with generous helpings.
Vastly preferable to Joe's Shanghai, allow me to count the ways:
- flaky, non-greasy scallion pancake
- cleaner, more pleasant interior
- friendly, on it staff (esp. if you have a Mandarin speaker with you)
- better than average xiao long bao (soup dumplings)
This place has xiaolong bao which was pretty good. I went there once with my friend just for the bao but then I went again to get other food when my friend was visiting. Basically its a cheap chinese food place where you can try a lot of different foods and not pay that much. Nothing was super special about it...we got the xiao long bao, fried dumplings, scallion pancake, sticky rice in tea leaves, and a lo mein. It all came to about $20.
Based on the strength of so many 4 and 5 star reviews I suggested dinner at Shanghai Cafe for a party of four on a Wednesday night. We were quickly seated and had to take a few minutes to make logical choices (are we sharing everything / how many appetizers / etc.). This seemed to perturb our server who wanted us to order immediately. Once we got our drinks we ordered some steamed dumplings and some soup dumplings as appetizers and then 4 main courses. Everything is fine up to now.
5-7 minutes later our entrees start appearing, one by one, with a different server bringin' the goods. The guy who took our order then comes by a few minutes later and says "where your dumplings?" Good question.
So he then brings the dumplings which we dig into as our entrees go from hot to lukewarm. Really threw off the meal for us. It's too bad because the quality/price-point equation is a straight A. You can't beat the prices, the serving size is huge and (for example) my salt and pepper pork chops were delicious.
We were the victims of disorganized service that was not a reflection of language barrier or being pain-in-the-ass patrons. It should have gone down better but the price was so low that I'll chalk it up to bad luck and not for being one of the few round-eyes in the place.
This was the best sit-down meal I can remember having in (Manhattan) Chinatown.
I just couldn't help myself: I ate a revolting amount of soup dumplings, fried rice, lo mein, spring rolls, greens, scallion pancakes, hot and sour soup, and tofu. I was full to the point of bursting.
And then the spicy beef came out. And the whole fish. And since everyone else at the table of 10 was done, I made the sacrifice and ate them both. Because letting this food go to waste would be a crime.
Some people help out at soup kitchens, others help old women cross the street; I gorge myself for the betterment of mankind. We all have to do our part.
Love their crab dumplings! Give a good tip...good service on your future visits depend on it!
If you're craving cheap asian food, this is the place to be. Me and my girlfriends always order 2 orders of the soup dumplings plus sticky rice with pork and it all adds up to less then $20.
I have to warn you though, the customer service SUCKS. There have been 2 incidents (my girlfriend's experience) where the waitress caused a scene because tip wasn't enough and another time when the noodles were the wrong order. They are the typical rude ass asian waiters/waitress' that make you feel like there's a time limit to enjoying your meal. Even though, I still go back for the soup dumplings.
You have to try it, just don't mind the staff.
Really good chinese at a great price! Arriving around 4:30pm on a Saturday the restaurant was about half full. We were just looking for a snack so decided to order the soup dumplings and spicy tendon noodle soup. The food came out in no time at all. The spicy tendon soup was presented like I've never seen before. They give you a separate plate of tendon and a bowl of broth and noodles. Put the tendon in and it softens up and forms a gorgeous broth with a great spicy kick. Really quite good! And the noodles were cooked perfectly and very fresh tasting. The dumplings were good but I was a little disappointed in their size. They were kind flat and dainty, but at least there was a good number of them.
In a sea of chinese, Shanghai Cafe is a great option. I really would love to come back to try more than just two of their offerings. Hopefully the other dishes are as good as that tendon soup!
Those soup dumplings are unreal. I think I had a tongue-gasm. I would eat here every day of my life if it were an option. The place is perfect for a cheap bite when you tire of haggling with Canal St vendors.
I want to preface this review by admitting my lack of experience with xiao long bao. I'm not going to get into a debate as to whether the experience here, at Joe's, or at any other soup dumpling eatery is the best.
I can comment on the xiao long bao experience at Shanghai Cafe. The delicate dumplings arrived piping hot on a bed of cabbage leaves. They are served with a strong vinegar, but I found the experience more enjoyable without it. To properly avoid burning oneself, it is advisable to take a tiny bite from the side of the dumpling to allow the steam to escape. The inside of your dumpling is filled with a liquid infused with the flavors of the pork. The result is an extraordinarily interesting take on the traditional dumpling.
Other offerings at Shanghai Cafe are also interesting. I enjoyed their shredded beef soup and the sticky slivers of rice cake. Yet, I wasn't enamored with their version of scallion pancake. It would be advisable to order a few items other than the xiao long bao, but remember they are mere accompaniments to the star of the show.
I was thankful to finally try soup dumplings. While I have no measuring stick to determine where these particular ones rank amongst other NYC soup dumpling spots, I can recommend them as tasty, quick (you get table service immediately), and cheap treats for diners looking for a filling snack or a cheap meal.
Horrible, horrible service!!!
No matter how good the food is, it does not give you the right to treat customers disrespectfully. And yes, I do understand what you are saying! Not that you were trying to hide the fact that you were talking about us but you probably just thought we didn't understand you.
It was a typical Sunday afternoon and the restaurant was busy. We waited quite some time for a table but figured it was worth it considering how good the food is supposedly. You tell us that we are in the way, to get out of the way, you seat us, then someone else tells us we are at the wrong table, we wait again, you seat us again, hurry us to order, forget one of our dishes, all the while treating us like you didn't want us there.
I have to say that we didn't do anything to receive this type of service. Also, we were not the only ones treated this way. It just seems that everyone puts up with this crap because the food is so good. (We actually had a warning about the service before coming here, but thought we'd check it out anyway.) I agree that the food is good, but not good enough to deal with rude bitches.
I have to be honest, Shanghai was not our original target while wandering thru Chinatown in pursuit of dinner. We were in fact headed to one of our hidden gems with the world's most amazing Roast Pork. Only one problem, upon entering said "gem" we were told there was no more pork. Instantly, varying degrees of shock and horror fell over our crew. Some angry, some just confused but all of us incredibly disappointed that we wouldn't be feasting on the succulent pork that had been so desperately long for. Being the savvy New Yorkers that we are, we resorted to plan B- go to the OTHER Roast Pork restaurant...went there- no pork! At this point we were all convinced it was either some big conspiracy or a pork shortage epidemic. There was only on thing to do from here- plan C. Enter Shanghai Cafe.
The interior is laden with neon lights with an ultra modern and clear acrylic table tops. A friend of ours who had eaten here before was kind enough to order for the table. (A good thing too because many of the items are in Chinese and even the ones in English I'm not sure I understood). We started with the scallion pancakes. Robust in flavor, crisp on the outside and delicate on the inside. Nice starter.
Next we had a crispy noodle dish topped with a brown sauce, chicken, shrimp and veggies. Very tasty and pleasing texture. The noodles were soft in the places where they were covered with sauce yet crisp around the edges. Following that a crispy fried dumpling stuffed with pork and veggies.
The next served didn't come on a dish at all but instead in stack of bamboo steamers. The "juicy buns" as they are called for us anglos, are steamed dumplings filled with a pork stuffing accompanied by a little juicy surprise. SOUP! That's right- like magic, there is soup inside the dumpling. You bit off a little corner of the soft and supple steamed dough and viola! There is soup inside. The soup is a pork consume- perfectly salty and rich. This dish was by far my favorite of the entire meal as I think we made evident after ordering a total of 3 full baskets of them. They were delicious and just heaven sent on a cool fall night. Both meaty and light they are the perfect answer to a quick bite on a Fall night in Chinatown.
I feel it only fair to warn you all that these little juicy buns are highly addictive. Since eating them on Friday night they are all I think about. I think its a safe bet that I will be back in the Chinatown at some point this week to devour them again!
http://www.justchowbel...
Shh, the Vegetable Dumpling is coming......
Ohh my, they do make delicious crab dumplings, but boy do they make vegetable dumplings, they should call it seaweed dumplings, its the VIP of dumplings, mad flavor, ultra deliciousness, mouth melting yummy seaweed, Wow.
They make delicious food, period. The only thing i found them in the low is scallion pancakes, its easy math, great, clean and roomy dining room, yummy food, dedicated service, smells normal and cheap versus the other brother from Shanghai, Joe.
Xiao Long Baos is all the rage...these soup dumps take the prize in NYC. I came here and ordered the soup dumps just as a snack...didn't even hit the minimum order so had to order some smoothies for the road.
The soup dumps were ample with soup. Nice light thin wrap, tons of flavor, hit the spot. This is the place to go!
I have been around the block and far trying dumplings. You know what I am talking about - Soup Dumplings. And the final note to self, Shanghai Cafe soup dumplings are the best in town to me. Maybe this was the first place I was dragged by friends and introduced to soup dumplings but, I think I am gonna stick with and award this place for soup dumpling categrory.
First of all, there is no much of numbering wait there even though it is packed mostly. This place is clean and service is fast. the soup dumpling is hot as it is supposed to be. So be careful and learn how to break the soup packed dumpling before you bite into. ;) Price is very reasonable here. Food here seems and tastes fresh. I really like their shrimp fried rice. It is super fresh and moist.
Highly recommended, it is good for casual cheap dinner.
Around 8:30 this evening, my boyfriend and I were ravenous and, since we had been gorging on Chinese food all weekend long, we figured we'd might as well continue the tradition. I had heard good things about Shanghai Cafe, so we trekked down to Chinatown to see what the fuss was about.
Shanghai Cafe has a pretty nice interior for a Chinatown restaurant with neon everywhere and clean tables and chairs. We started out with the scallion pancakes ($2.75) and fried pork dumplings ($4.25) which were both delightful. The scallion pancake was by far my favorite. It was flaky and greasy, but just so. For an entree, I got the beef lo mein ($5.25) which was a huge portion. My boyfriend wanted General Tso's Chicken ($9.95), but they didn't have exactly that on the menu (General Chicken?), but they made it for him anyways. Also a large portion.
The service here is very minimal, yet all of the waitresses are very friendly and we had water refilled multiple times throughout the meal. When I went to pay the check at the register, the cashier smiled at me which was very nice. You don't usually get that kind of cheerfulness in a Chinatown restaurant.
We left stuffed and satisfied, and we hope to return to try the soup dumplings that everyone seemed to have on their tables besides us.
The xiao long bao was good, better than good. And their rice cake dish w/ pork was good too.
But the sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves had the cheap pork smell and flavor that good kitchens learn to prevent.
Service was bad - they event old us we could only choose between cold or hot water b/c they didn't have cups. Alas, what can you except from a chinatown restaurant!
In any case, $6 per person including tip and tax is still quite the bargain.
Sometimes, being able to speak broken Mandarin (and probably being a relatively tall, not butt-ugly boy) works in my favor at these kinds of joints.
For all appearances, Shanghai Café doesn't appear to be any different from most of the other little local restaurants dotted around Chinatown. But don't be fooled. They know how to serve up some serious Chinese food here. Of the not-Americanized variety.
Somehow, roughly fifteen minutes into being seated, I was holding full conversations, negotiating dishes that I can't begin to name because they were described to me in Mandarin in their most basic forms: ingredients, methods of preparation, levels of spiciness, etc.
Not a dish could be faulted.
Yes, the xiao long bao here are solid. Quite likely better than those at Joe's Shanghai in Queens. But in the future, I don't know that I'd waste my appetite on them. That's how good the other dishes are.
Per usual, I simply requested whatever fresh greens they had in house for the day, and they delivered on some "empty stem plants" (which I know as kong xing cai) and some baby Chinese broccoli (a.k.a. jie lan).
The other dish that I was supremely impressed with was a fried whole fish doused in some sort of gooey sweet and sour sauce. Yeah - I know. Sweet and sour fish? Ew, right? But the presentation, the flavor, and the flaky freshness of the fish were simply superb. Seriously. If you can figure out what that dish was, be sure to order it. It's well worth the cost -- and the extra wait.
I walked in a stranger. I left (and by "left" I mean "rolled myself out") having been quasi-adopted by the serving staff. And it wasn't even someone that I'd have to refer to as "lao ban niang" in the future! Ahhhh, these are moments where I revel in my yellowness...
The soup dumplings are pretty good (I seriously think Joe's Shanghai is overhyped). They also have a great selection of authentic Shanghainese food. Just like my mom's cooking! (Ok, maybe she's a bit better). This place is where the locals go. Don't expect much for service - typical Chinese service if you know what I mean. Don't let the neon pink lighting fool you.
good cheap food. the service is fast paced, no bs china town service. My brother hates the service and thinks the waitress have constant pms. But my hubby and besty love the food here so much that some of the ladies know us, so they're actually nice. The juicy buns dough is thick than the thin skins at joe shanghais...which i like. Also awesome is there spicy beef stew, over rice for me because the entree size is too big even for me. The beef is tender, saucy and mildly spicy.
A meal for three can cost you 12 bucks, awesome in itself no?
So this is a Shanghai resturant off of Mott that serves a variety of shanghai foods. The main being the famous siu lung bow or tiny steam buns (translation: small dragon bun). The food is relatively cheap. For two ppl we had two orders of the the steam buns (16 pieces) and a scallion pancake for 15$ including tip. If you include a main rice or a noodle dish it comes to around 20-22$ so i think its worth the price
This is the main star of the show. Pork filled siu lung bow. The special part about these are the pouch like shapes that contains a soupy part of this delicacy. Its a literal explosion when you bite into these guys but you have to becareful becuase the soup is HOT! and you can burn your mouth easily. So take caution let it cool or eat it slowly.
They also have different varietys of the steam pouches filled with crab. It cost 2$ more than the normal but well worth it with a totaly different taste. Hotness still applies tho..
Scallion PANCAKKES!! are flaky flour, wheat based stable with oil and scallions for taste. It comes with a soy viniger ginger dipping sauce that may or may not suit your taste but the cakes are fine by themselves. Usually pan fried, these are fried alittle longer as many people have different ways of making these. Very good and very filling.
Overall the food is very good and cheap for me at least. The place is clean especially compared to other places. The service however is ...um .... relative. LEt me explain. The food is fast and the servers are "chinese". They might be considered rude by people and normal by others. If you are eating in chinatown never expect courtesy, good manners or great service, you are here for the food, thats it!!. Im not being racist ( im chinese myself) but you have to understand the difference between upper chinese immigrants and abc( american born chinese ) courtesy and manners are not in there habits but the food is awsome.
Food:good
Price:good
location:good ( not far from subway or other attractions)
service: AAL( angry asian lady) speaks engrish tho
For more reviews on other places to eat in Chinatown, check out my blog; http://chinatowneats.net
shanghai yi mien
soup dumplings
vegetarian chicken appetizer dish
scallion pancake
don't bother with the stikcy buns or the desserts.
Oh dirty, shady Chinatown of the great borough of Manhattan, I always question your suspect alleyways, that funny smell and my constant inability to find anything in a prudent and judicious manner. But I will never, ever question your numerous look-alike hole-in-the-wall joints like Shanghai Cafe.
Piping hot dumplings, slightly spiced greens, super-spiced beef and a tofu dish that even had the strictest of meat-and-potatoes guys going "mmmmm." Great for folks who have no qualms about diving into other dishes with fellow diners, though vegetarian and vegan customers beware of the many dishes that come in oyster or fish sauce masquerading as meat free. Be sure to clarify to your server!
The highlight of the evening was the whole fish evidenced but the bare skeleton left behind after we picked it clean. Crispy, spicy and juicy, the flavor and texture are well worth the hassle of chewing slowly and carefully to avoid swallowing a bone.
Good, semi-clean, delicious food-sharing fun at reasonable prices!
Best soup dumplings in NYC. Yes, better than Joe's Shanghai (don't even get me started). Perfect blend of filling and soup with thick/thin enough skin (delicate but won't break!). The dipping sauce is a delicious fermented vinegar with shredded fresh ginger (don't hate, just trust me). Order one pork (regular) and one crab.
What else to order? What's the point? You're there for the soup dumplings, other dishes will distract - keep eyes on the prize!!
Service is brisk as with all chinese restaurants. I've ordered both in mandarin and english - they'll understand. Word of caution if you haven't had soup dumplings before: put one in your soup spoon and bite carefully! Otherwise you will probably get scalded by the hot delicious soup.
Also, it's cheap.
I ate a fish here and it was BIGGER than my face! I love reviews that start with the fact that the food I ate was bigger than a body part.
the food here was really great, I have to say that I'm not a huge Chinese food fan as it can be a little bit greasy but this was lovely. A great atmosphere, helpful staff and a nice Chinatown experience!
I think this place is a pretty safe bet for tasty food in the area!
After being half stalked/stared by a weird guy in the Dekalb Ave. subway station, I finally arrived Canal St. via Q train.
We were (well.. more "I was"... because I was the one who had cereal for lunch and was craving fried pork chop over rice after researching it on Yelp) heading to May Wah Fast Food for the some of that but after realizing that they had almost no seating and the weather was too warm to stay inside without a/c and fan we headed off to plan b: Shanghai Cafe.
Don't worry May Wah I saw your awesome fryer for the breaded pork chop, I will be back another day in shorts and sleeveless.
Venue: Nightclub slash very eighties neon lights to highlight some furnish. Funny. They have booths on one side of the wall and those did not match at all w/ rest of the decor. But in a Chinese restaurant, you don't care about this... you just want to know how damn good the food is gonna taste like for a good value. We got seated next to the shelf were they place the happy Buddha and fortune-prosperity deity statues. I hope they didn't get offended from us not offering to share our food w/ them.
Food: Wasn't in a mood for soup dumplings but bf was in for it after reading reviews on his blackberry ( what and when don't we google nowadays?). I ordered cold appetizer of sea weed salad and we shared pork chop over rice (4.50). I asked the waitress for fresh veggies that were available to stir fry, she gave me 4 options but then told me that it was $12 a dish and that it was huge. So I took that order back, no way I was going to chow down a small mountain of Chinese watercress on my own since my man is more on the carnivore's side.
The (pork) soup dumplings came within 1 min. after we ordered it. Pretty good. Not mind blowing (as stated by bf), but were good. (They should have more ginger in the soy-vinegar dipping), sea weed salad was nice and very good amount for the price. Pork chop over rice was forgettable.
Service: Our waitress was very nice and we saw nobody being rushed at all. We were surprised on how other people reviewed badly their service and we observed none of it in our experience. Oh well, I guess their quality fluctuates from time to time.
The bill came $15 and a few more cents. And the tip apparently made our waitress very happy. :)
Will go back to try other dishes, a la family style. Not noodle or rice dishes though (however, they are cheapass!).
I actually prefer Shanghai Cafe to Joe's Shanghai. Both have soup dumplings with a slightly thicker skin than you would find at more traditional Taiwanese places like Din Tai Fung- maybe that's the Shanghai style? I haven't been able to find true thin-skinned soup dumplings (the kind where it's ALMOST transparent but not quite as thick or gummy as the hargow you get at dim sum) in NYC yet.
The food at both places is very similar, but to me, Shanghai Cafe seems slightly roomier, brighter, cleaner, and cheaper than Joe's. Good for dates and even better for group dinners (so cheap!). The only drawback is that in typical Chinatown fashion, it's cash only :(
Reviewed on 5/26/2007
Pluses: Good service, excellent prices, good value, great tasting dim sum and appetizer items.
Minuses: Some of the plates were smaller in portion size but can't ask for much at $3.50 a rice plate. Cash only.
After catching a game at Yankee Stadium, my friend wanted to have two dinners to knock off two birds with one stone (2 restaurants in Chinatown on one trip).
The first one is Shanghai Cafe at 100 Mott St. They are known to have one of the best xia long boas in Chinatown. After complaining in an earlier post about not being able to find the cheap places, we struck gold. The restaurant is a decent size, clean, semi fancy, not a hole in the wall. Service is good as someone is always around to attend to your needs. Water is quickly refilled before they run low.
We were so surprised by the prices. Rice plates are $3.50 each, noodles start at $3.50 and go up to max of $5.50, the dim sum items are at most $4.25 and desserts float around $2.50 or less. We order three trays of pork Xia Long Boas, as they come 8 dumplings per tray. We order two plates of Scallion pancakes at $1.75 each, a friend orders a tofu & beef rice plate for $3.50 and I order a dessert Pan Fried Red Bean Cake (2 for $2.50). One of my friend gets a can of soda ($1) and my other friend and myself order their smoothies. Excellent place for smoothies on a hot humid day like today.
Our dishes arrive within 8 to 10 minutes after we order. Usually Xia Long Boa's take 10 plus minutes but food here was delivered extremely fast at Shanghai Cafe. Eight steaming hot dumplings per tray on cabbage leafs. These dumplings were huge, which is the reason why there are so much soup within these dumplings. The size of the dumplings allow for a lot of soup within the pockets of the dumplings. Imagine 8 pork dumplings for $4.25, arrive steaming hot on cabbage leafs (like it should), and contain a lot of soup within the pockets. The skin on the dumplings were perfect as it wasn't too thin and wasn't too thick. These are a must try! Their crab and pork version is $6.25 for 8 dumplings. In the bay area eight dumplings usually cost more than $7 per tray and no where near good as Shanghai Cafe.
The scallion Pancakes is perfect, the way it should be made but of course a little more on the greasy side. Two super thin flakey crust with scallions in between. Excellent and hard to imitate within the bay area, other than SF. Tofu and beef plate was huge and looked super yummy. Comparable to the good ones found in the bay area for 5.50 or more. At $3.50, how can you even beat that? Make the dish on your own?
Pan friend red bean cake was excellent as well but had to take it to go if I wanted to hit up the second restaurant. Shanghai Café is cash only but it's so cheap. 9.5/10 If I lived in NYC this is the place I'd come every week.
Food was so good and cheap at Shanghai Cafe last night that we deicded to hit it up for dinner again tonight and even take some to go.
Crab meat and pork sho long bao (6.25 for 8): The soup is a little bit more oily but excellent crab mixed in with the pork meat. (9.5/10)
Pork sho long bao (4.25 for 8): Great again. (9/10)
Shanghai wonton soup (8 wontons with thick chewy noodles for $4.25): Excellent wonton and soup but did not like the thick chewy noodles. (8/10)
Rice ball with pork in soup (4 large ones for 3.95): It's rare to find the meat version of this dish as most of the time it's a dessert item with seasame paste in the middle. (8.5/10)
Sticky Rice in Bamboo trunk (pork) ($2.95 each): A bit pricey as usually you can buy these for 1.50 each frozen in the bay area. Large size but excellent rice flavor with tender peices of pork in the middle. (8/10)
Fried tiny buns with pork: Pan fried pork buns at 4.25 for 8. Excellent as the buns was only a thin layer and the pork inside still had plenty of soup. Better than the ones I've had in the bay area (8.5/10)
Chicken fried rice ($4.25): Great stuff but too much soy sauce for my taste. (8/10)
Pork chop over rice ($3.50): This is not the deep fried breaded pork chop but it's steamed, with vegies and some sort of pork bean sauce. We were too stuffed to try this out for dinner, maybe later for a late night snack or tomorrow. Can't beat it for 3.50.
We ordered out two more dishes, seafood pan fried crispy noodles (7.95) and beef and tofu over rice (3.50). The cirspy noodles are placed in a seperate container than the gravy and seafood for to go items.
What to order: Anything on the dim sum and appetizer sections. Their rice plates are good values but wont taste that good if you take it to go. The seafood pan fried crispy noodles were a disappointment. We didn't try any of the Shanghai main entrees as they costed much more than the appetizers and dim sum items. Most of the patrons ordered the shanghai dumplings and the cheaper items.
Smoothies: I tried the lychee, red bean, and green bean. All were good. All were ordered without the boba.
What a great place this is. Sure we had super CM Kevin Lee to schmooze the lady staff, by talking Mandarin which meant every dish we had was quickly served and ever so tasty. From Dim Sum to noodles and full fish dishes to tofu, full marks must go to the chefs.
There is something authentic about Shanghai Cafe that makes the place so endearing. The hustle and bustle of this busy restaurant adds to the experience and the staff are quick and efficient in a way I have come to expect from Asian eateries.
Great place, fantastic food, and if you can get the spin top table, perfect for a group willing to share dishes.
Dumplings, juicy buns and bubble tea - oh my! If you ask me, the juicy bun alone are worth the trip through the crowded streets of Chinatown. They take a little talent to eat and the best way I've managed is to bite the top off while on the spoon and sucking or pouring out the juice first. Enjoy!
Peking Duck Lunch Special
Neighborhood: Midtown East
NYC Restaurant Week All…
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
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