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"I discovered this dim sum oasis after seeking refuge from the nearby canal street. Service was very fast and friendly and the food...well,…" read more »
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As if this place needs another five star review, but it is what it is. Simply the best American Chinese food there is. I even bought their t-shirt.
The line is sometimes long, but it moves pretty quickly. I personally love coming here in the middle of the night after a bar or a club.
The menu is huge, I LOVE their chow fun noodles. Second favorite is the fried rice.
Don't make the mistake of going to the Wo Hop upstairs, it is not the same restaurant.
How can you not give Wo Hop five stars? I literally grew up here; I'm not joking. My parents ate here at 3:00 a.m. when they were newly married and couldn't afford anything else. My father has been eating here for more than 50 years. My mom ate so much Wo Hop when she was pregnant with me, it's no wonder I'm 100% addicted. Even my ex-boyfriend's parents had their first date here (but that was in the 1970s - I don't necessarily recommend it for a date now).
Yes it's crowded. Yes there are a lot of tourists. No, I don't care. This MY place. You just have to know what is good here, and you're fine.
The hot and sour soup is the best on earth (I've eaten hot and sour at probably 100+ places nationwide). The squid and eggplant in garlic sauce is to die for. Any kind of vegetables subgum (with gravy) is amazing. The chow fun is the best I've ever had, too.
Trust me on my evaluation of Chinese food: I'm Jewish and from New York. That's all you need to know!
Be wary and make sure you check your bill against the menu. I went here one night and ordered straight off the menu and when I saw my bill, everything had an arbitrary $2-$3 tacked on. I speak chinese and I ordered in chinese and even still they tried to trick me? I They hovered over us while we signed my check and the staff wasn't helpful or friendly.
We ordered a couple seafood dishes (walnut shrimp, flounder) neither of which were cleanly fried, but instead very oily, and the only good thing that was on our table was the order of garlic pea shoots which was the simplest dish.
I probably won't come here again. Hands down this was the worst dining experience I've had to date. Go somewhere else in Chinatown- there are so many good restaurants that are cheaper and tastier and actually value the customers that walk in.
OK, so as far as "authentic" Chinese food goes, this isn't the place to go. The food is as American-ized as you can get. And yes, the place is crowded, and be prepared to have a communal dining experience--even if you may not want to. And yeah, the waiter service is rudimentary at best--they're there to get you your food, not be chummy with you.
However. For American Chinese food, the kind you'll find at Wo Hop (the basement of 17 Mott, not 15 Mott) is arguably the best in New York. The dumplings and honey crispy chicken are to die for. The price is average for New York Chinese, but isn't that bad. There is a reason why people as far away as Dallas (hi, couple in front of me in line!) come here, as well as New York natives who have been eating here for over 40 years and are proud of that fact enough to get the t-shirts that they sell in the front.
I will come here again and again and again, even well after I manage to get a head shot that they can put on their wall of not-so-famous people.
Hey wha happaned?
For years my family and I have been coming here and I have never written a review for Wo Hop? The hell is wrong with me?
Again, this is a Filipino family institution. Though if you came here with my family, spending one hour with us would make someone want to be institutionalized. I'm not saying we're crazy but we all have our respective shrinks on speed dial.
I kid.
The thing I love about Wo Hop is that we can order anything and it will be on our table in less than five minutes. And not only that, it will taste delicious. My absolute favorite here is the pork fried rice. I don't know what they put in it, but I can order it and have enough left over for the next day. And it will taste even better the next day. If it's crack they're putting in it, then call me an addict because I'm hooked.
Another one of my favorites is the fried flounder. It's huge and it's totally delicious. Our family of five usually bought two because we would devour that mess.
Next time I come here I'm bringing my new Asian girlfriend. Problem is her accent is so deep I don't know if her name is Eileen or Irene.
CASH ONLY.
I don't know what the craze is about. My cousin raves about it and we went there tonight with other cousins. Anticipating a line up the stairs and around the corner (it is a basement restaurant), there was no wait and we were seated promptly.
Yet it is cramped inside (could barely move around) and when the people in the booth behind us sat up, it caused my seat to move as well. I was warned by my cousin that they might seat us with "other people." Sharing a table with a stranger? I guess it is more common than one would think. But that is not for me.
Cigarette smoke from the street travels down into the dining area as well, so this is something to keep in mind. I was afraid to breathe as I am asthmatic and severely allergic to cigarette smoke. The waiter was nice but had to be asked 3 times for chop-sticks and I think 2 times for a pitcher of water.
Oh and when we got there, they wanted to seat us quickly (good). But in doing so, asked a couple in the rear corner booth, if they would change seats - they only just got there too (nice for us, but if I had been seated, I would be annoyed to be uprooted.
I will admit this attracts a diverse population, from rocker-goth types, to rich fancy looking. There are photos across the walls from all sorts of people, some famous, some (not famous?) RAVING about how WO HOP is great.
My opinion:
Down to the food? I have had much, much, MUCH better. I found it (fried rice, chow fon, egg-drop soup) greasy and unappetizing. The best part of the meal aside from being out with my awesome family, was the ice- water.
There's no Chinese food like NYC Chinese, so I had to get some when I finally came back for a visit recently.
There was a bit of a wait, maybe 20 minutes, but I think it was worth it. The place is small and a bit cramped, but that's what you want, right? And I'm sure you've read about the "famous" people on the walls. My boyfriend and I had a great time seeing if there was anyone at all we recognized. Nope, none.
I had to get the shrimp with lobster sauce along with some wonton/egg drop mixed soup. Very fresh, though I've never seen an egg drop soup that white. My main course had a delicious sauce and fresh shrimp. Generous portion, too.
My boyfriend snubbed his usual fried rice, because he's from California and can't eat his the real way without veggies. So he got his second favorite, the mu shu pork, which he loved.
Service was about what you'd expect, and that's fine by me.
Check it out if you're in town; it's a classic.
One day my dad and I went to Chinatown, NY to visit my grandma. Since we arrived in the evening, we decided to buy some take out. Usually, we would go to Chatham Restaurant (Hop Sing) http://www.yelp.com/bi... but they were closed already at 9:30pm.
Searching for an alternative, my dad suggested we go to Wo Hop. Shrugging, I follow him down Mott Street. My dad told me Wo Hop has been around since he stepped foot in the United States. He practically grew up eating at this restaurant and it's open late nights.
As we walked down the street, we notice there are two Wo Hop restaurants: one at ground level and another one underground. Both are practically next to each other so which one should we go to? Checking the posted menu at the ground level restaurant seems limited so we went downstairs instead. Besides, my dad remembers the one downstairs.
Upon coming in, I notice the restaurant was full and space is very limited. There is no atmosphere since pipes on the ceiling were showing and the walls are bare. I can hear the sound of the wok sizzling from the kitchen past the register. My dad got down to business and ordered fermented black bean with ribs and rice while I ordered beef with broccoli, my standard choice. We then stood around and waited with no where to go.
A lot of non-Chinese tourists came in and out during this time. It surprises me that so many people want to try this place, but to me, it's so cramped that I don't think I would feel comfortable dining here.
We got our food and brought it back to my grandma's apartment. As I opened my container, it was still hot and fresh. Unfortunately, as I took a bite out of my broccoli, all I tasted was watered-down sauce. It was the same with the beef: bland.
I complained to my dad and I tried his food. Maybe it was just my order. I tried the ribs and was not impressed. Everything is watered down with no taste! My dad, on the other hand, thought it was fine. I ate my meal with a pang of disappointment. What happened to Chinatown? I noticed this with the Great N.Y. Noodletown too when I ordered Singapore Mai Fun http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Pros: Open late
Cons: watered-down food
Wo Happan!?
That was the exact (racist) shrill shriek of a sauced chica two tables away, who continued to drink two more beers in this "hallowed" place.
My most recent visit showed me that almost nothing has changed, except the prices have gone up a little.
Whoa, Wo? NO!
I have been dragged here multiple times by family hungry for a cheap dinner in the…
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I think this place is great. It's my favorite restaurant in Chinatown and always a crowdpleaser when guests are in town.
I have never been here without a long wait -- be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes and probably more.
Once you get in, the decor is minimalistic and uninteresting, but the food is excellent. I highly recommend the egg drop soup and beef chow fun. I've tried several other dishes here and haven't been disappointed.
I've been to Wo Hop upstairs plenty and I was very intrigued in trying downstairs since all my co-workers *RAVE* about it. I went for a Sunday afternoon lunch (around 2 pm). I kindly said, "Two, please" in Cantonese and then the next thing was most shocking...we were denied!!! We were told to go upstairs! My jaw totally dropped to the floor and I was absolutely speechless. I'm an asian that speaks Cantonese...but I got kicked out of a chinese restuarant....does anyone see anything wrong with this picture? Maybe next time, I'll say "Two, please" in English OR maybe, it was a blessing in disguise?
The last 2 times I went, it was OFF THE HOOK. I don't normally use urban sayings, but in this case, I will.
SNAILS! They were great!
I don't know about this "unkempt" business people are talking about. Wo Hop is pretty darn clean… Read more »
I have going to Wo Hops for at least 30 years. When I was younger, a great place to eat after concerts/clubs, etc... Now, I meet my long time friends every 6-8 weeks this is the place to be. Great wonton soup, pork ends, dumplings and the chow fun is the best (not a fan of the 3-D chow fun, too much stuff in it and not enough noodles). If you want a fancy place this is not the place for you. But if you want dynamite chinese food (americanized) it is worth the wait to go downstairs.
Decent atmosphere, decent service, good portions, high prices (NY in general has high prices), lack of taste. The food had no taste at all. A friend told me about this place and after reading the reviews, it sounded like something I was looking for. I wanted a great chinese restaurant to eat at in NYC, but this place failed me. I wouldnt go there again, nor would I recommend it.
Went here for lunch on Sunday. Not crowded at all and we were seated and served pretty efficiently. The food was just alright. We ordered the fried dumplings (which were VERY meaty, and good!) cantonese style chow mein, and a beef dish. The food was at a very reasonable price, but nothing really blew me away. 3.5
a little on the crammed side. Wasn't too crazy about the food, the chow min was a little bit blande. I think prices could be a little lower too. I always see a super long line here around dinner also, don't think it's worth waiting for.
Find yourself stumbling and wandering the streets after a full night of drinking? Hungry?
Head down to Chinatown for some 3am Wo Hop!!!
I am not a fan of Chinese food. However, Wo Hop seems to convince me otherwise each time. Well, maybe it's because I'm always there at 3am when I'm hungry and intoxicated. Their green beans are freakin' delicious. Amazing. Seriously.
The servers are always so cool to us. Always friendly, always willing to make sure that our food is good. Maybe they're laughing at us because we're always so drunk. The decor of this place is interesting... lots of photos of wannabe (and actual) actors and models. Lots of headshots and newspaper articles. It's pretty cool!
When its late and you're craving Chinese, Wo Hop won't let you down!
Officially the most amazingly awful, terribly, horrible Chinese food that I've ever encountered... in my life. I'm not sure how Jack talked us into this. I blame it on the three bottles of champagne that he cracked open for us at Apothéke just prior.
I suppose it's only fair to note that he did warn us that this joint served terrible food. Even still, I think we all walked in thinking that it'd be so bad that it'd be good. Nope. Just plain bad.
Here's the extremely strange thing. The servers here speak Mandarin. They rattled off recommended dishes back to me. The ingredients all seem to be of reasonably high quality. Somehow, the execution on each dish went awfully awry.
The egg drop soup was so corn starchy that it was almost gelatinous. Ew. The pan-fried seafood noodles (liang mian huang) used -thick- noodles. And it was only crispy/burnt on the edges - soggy in the middle. Trying to chip off the crunchy bits resulted in someone else getting a faceful of noodle shrapnel. They don't have salty fish fried rice, but their beef fried rice was edible, in an ultra-Americanized soy sauce sort of way.
Truly appalling. And yet I still kept eating and eating and eating. I blame it on the ridiculous amounts of alcohol we had earlier on in the evening.
Lesson learned: trust a kick-ass bartender on his drink choices, NOT on his after-hours food recommendations.
In America, we say sketchy.
In the UK they say dodgy.
In either geographical location's lingo, this is some seriously questionable shit. And after a shot, a mixed drink, some gin on the rocks, and a few glasses of champagne, it's amazing I could ever still recognize that this food was clearly the bottom of the barrel. And yet I ate it. A LOT of it.
And you know what, I was full, I did not get sick and the next morning I awoke sans hangover and thanked our dear friend Jack for bringing us to this basement level bordello of Chinese food. Had he brought me here in broad daylight, this would be an entirely different situation.
Greasy noodles, rubbery egg drop soup, mealy noodles...adjectives upon adjectives that paired with food-based nouns that you'd never think of pairing together before in your life. They work here.
Next time it's a tipsy late night, I'm holding out for something better. Any thing better.
This restaurant is usually crowded.
I went there on a Sunday night around 8pm and had to wait for 20-30 minutes.
Food is good, mostly tasty.
Their steamed flounder is really good.
Some of the waiters are not attentive, so be prepared...
I have been walking down the stairs to this basement hideaway since I was a kid, and it's still just as good as it used to be, and still very reasonably priced. Nothing fancy, just your typical greasy east coast Chinese food, but they never disappoint. If you order something that is supposed to be crispy, it always is. No matter how simple your dish is, it will always have plenty of flavor. Everything I've ever had here is fantastic, and the menu is huge so that says a lot. They have soups, meats, rice, noodles, curry, vegetarian dishes, you name it... then eat it... then crave it forever.
Sometimes there's a long wait but it depends what time of day. Lunch is typically busiest, then dinner time, but it's well worth the worth wait. I think it's cash only, and they have a clean bathroom, which is always a pleasant surprise in a basement, hole-in-the-wall, joint.
Wow! When you are minging drunk and your only thought is to feed before the alcohol strips your organs of their working function, this is where you must go.
The food at Wo Hop is not the best, it is the dodgy greasy kebab joint of the Chinese food world. You know what though, I liked it. My colleague warned me off the place and the food clearly wasn't cooked to perfection with some meals being both soggy and burnt crispy. Yet even so, the food remained fresh and reasonably tasty.
Would I go there sober? No!
Would it be my day time destination of choice? No!
BUT!
If I'm partied out, drunk and hungry, you know where I'll be? You got it, Wo Hop.
ever been out past 5am and hungry for some real food? You literally stumble into chinatown and into this place.
Its chinese food set up like an american diner with booths and everything. The menu is huge and the service is quick. The food is good and on point. Nothing necessarily difficult to mess up but they do it very well.
School your friends on some real chinese food. No chicken wings here children...
hmm..Its not the best Chinese food but I do like the concept of what they do - Chinese food that is recognizable in every borough, city, and state of America, only this time the tourists don't have to order it over the white counter.
This place excels in Americanized Chinese takeout style food. Stick to the basics because this is not the place to get adventurous. I know I'm going to get a lot of flack and lose points from my peoples, but they make the best beef chow fun- 2am in the morning that is.
4Stars because I like the nostalgia of Wo Hop.
As I stand in the hallway excited that we are next, the smell if pineapple duck fills the air. I guess that's just what we'll have to get
Positive: Best Chinese restaurant open at 3 AM (and probably only). Good spareribs. Good wanton egg drop soup (need to order the fried chips with it). Incredible character and atmosphere. If you are jonesing Chinese in the middle of the night and want a greasy fix...this is the place.
Negative: Besides the great spareribs and soups, the food is kinda nasty.
PS: Make sure you go to the Wo Hop downstairs. All others are impostors.
I don't get it.
It was late at night, I was drunk, it would not have been hard for me to stuff my face with delicious greasy MSG-laden foods. But my broccoli in garlic sauce was profoundly, deeply flavorless and even the white rice was sort of weird.
Two stars for atmosphere, keeping in mind that there is none. The funny pictures on the walls, the drunk wacky people, the intensely judgmental looks I got for asking for a box for my leftover broccoli (just to be polite... I dumped it as soon as we got outside).
I guess I just feel like there are so many other places in the area to binge on great, cheap food.
This place tastes better in the memory banks of an NYC visit when I was in my early 20's. Should have left it at that. What I thought was an amazing "secret spot" was in fact a blah blah dumpling house with a great atmosphere. Generic and honestly, on par with the chinese chain resto takeout fare.
Nice place to stumble upon at 3AM
Good times........
This place is good and cheap. I think if you there are 2 people eating here, you can probably split one dish. I ordered the Beef Lo Mein, which was only $5.50. I highly recommend this dish. I think they use a black bean sauce or thick soy sauce.
They use good chunks of meat, and they don't skimp on it. If you like spicy, the Szechuan dishes are not that spicy. If you order "extra spicy," they give you a side dish of mustard, or maybe that's what they serve with sesame chicken.
Food is always great. Price is right. Very local. Nothing fancy at all. It just feels right. Go check it out, you wont be disappointed.
I am going to keep this review short.
This is the worst restaurant I have eaten in, in my 1.5 years here, not the worst in Chinatown, but the worst in the entire New York City.
My supposition for its high user rating is Americans' (the restaurant's not main, but only, clientele. A restaurant in the middle of Chinatown with no Asians inside is not an indicator of quality) lack of appreciation of authentic Chinese cuisine, and of course its 24-hour business hours.
I had a plate of roast pork with tofu.
Ok. It is between hours (Not lunch nor late hours)... well I guess I can go for late hrs too. Going downstairs and this place small and always packed. you have to wait but.. quick to get a table. All those people - famous or not or not famous then got famous' pictures with autographs are all over. Mostly their composite photos, which is pretty funny. I usually get fried dumplings with hot mustard sauce they have on the table and sauted mustard green or similar vegis. Love them and better than any in China Town or haven't found those in other places. yum yum
Funny thing, waiters always ask people about their nationality. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I mean good friendly way but... I have been there a lot and I tell him "you ask me that last time too". LOL
The trick here is to only order the cheap stuff, like the duck chow fun or pork chow mei fun noodle dishes. Don't order the ritzy house specials. They suck. I have never found any place in the country that makes duck chow fun and chow mei fun as good as they do in this dive, or some other local NYC Chinatown noodle house dives, if any of them still exist, like the late great Hong Fat.
Love this place, definitely the best fried dumplings I've had.
I usually stick the basics: wonton soup, fried dumplings and wo hop lo mein. Super cheap and I always have a second meal left over.
I've taken many people here late at night and haven't heard any complaints so I'm surpised to see all the unhappy reviewers. It's awesome greasy Chinese food.
*Make sure you go to the basement. The place next door is a bunch of fakers.*
Once upon a time, Jeanne was very hungry after a night of drinking and dancing. Jeanne ate two slices of pizza at a SoHo pizza joint but that pizza, while good, just didn't cut it. Jeanne's friend, who has shocked and awed Jeanne with an appetite that may be bigger than Jeanne's, suggested that Jeanne & Co. go to Wo Hop. So Jeanne made her way to Mott Street in the wee hours of the morning, not by horse drawn coach but by the handlebars of hungry friend's bike, upon which Jeanne perched in terror with her eyes shut for the duration of the ride. Jeanne was so delighted that she got to Wo Hop in one piece that, upon reuniting with the rest of her friends at a table in the basement, she wasn't even put off by the lab coats that the waiters wore. Jeanne & Co. were delighted with their steaming hot, cheap American Chinese food. And so Jeanne went to bed with the full stomach that had long eluded her that night and lived happily ever after, never to forget that excellent meal at Wo Hop.
Another late night haunt.
This basement is suppose to serve Chinese style dishes while upstairs the Americanize dishes. But I didn't notice any difference. It's 69 without the dollars on the walls.
This was always a backup if 69 was too full.
I'd rather eat my socks
Best Chinese you've ever had? I'm sorry, Wo Hop does not live up to the hype. Granted, I ate here when I was 100% sober, so maybe I shouldn't be yelping, but this place is lame. I'm not very well versed on the multitude of Chinese cuisine available in NY yet, but even Empire Noodle in the Heights is better than this place.
I went to Wo Hop with a group of friends, 2 of which were seasoned Wo Hop veterans, and we shared a table full of dishes. Everything tasted about the same, like grease that is.
Despite the fact that the bill was only about $10 per person, I'll be hard-pressed to return.
I am a fan for only two dishes, which I always order, either together when with others, or alternating when comes alone. The pan fried flounder, a whole fish on a place. It's so good I can finish this by my self. The squid with green peppers, is the other dish, spicy in squid ink. Yum! I'm not even sure if those dish are on the regular menu, may be the fish. But I always order from the Indonesia (translated) menu, with selected dishes to match asean palate.
From the regular menu, I also often order Vegetable Soup and Fried Tofu.
I have gotten use to the attitude of service with no smile here. I purposely bring visitor from out of town to watch their reaction :)
I have been coming here for ages, mostly at first because they have the translated menu - to… Read more »
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