A bit of a messy one this: east side of Broadway is the western boundary. Top boundary is Canal Street heading east, and then make a right into Pike Street down to the river.The bottom boundary is roughly where Brooklyn Bridge crashes to earth, and the turn around the top of City Hall Park until you hit Broadway again. Trust me, it fits into the jigsaw.

Ugly, but I don't think there's going to be much right on the boundary.

Well, Winnie's is the best bar in Chinatown, if you beware the post-9pm college karaoke crowd.

I'm pretty sure you meant to say that Broadway is the Western boundary.

Edited to add a substantive entry:

Best ginger cider: this little grocery on Pell Street a few storefronts west of Joe's Shanghai that also sells a variety of meats with rice wrapped in banana leaves. The ginger cider has a nice pungent ginger bite. It's great for colds.

Best roast pork - Big Wong

Best roast duck - Big Wong

Best scallion pancakes - New Green Bo

Best ice cream: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory

I have a soft spot for Dim Sum GoGO. Not everything is good, but some of their salads of all things and their garlic smothered chicken are very good. I like the look of the place too--modern with a sci-fi looking fish tank, if I recall correctly. I don't usually like the look of tanks especially when they look cloudy (yech), but this one is Carribbean blue-green....I think.

[Thanks Seth, I amended the geography}

They should also get a mention for their pork "burgers".

My disgrace is my inability to remember names of places I like. What's the big place on the east side of Elizabeth which does good seafood: hairy crabs, giant oysters and similar? Orient Garden or something?

I would also note the $3 roast duck sandwiches available from official and unofficial vendors under the Manhattan Bridge.

Bayard Meat Market for various fowl (partridge, black silky chickens, quail), a full range of cooked and raw offal (including pig anus - or "bung"), Chinese sausages and wind-dried meats, plus general butchery and prepared dishes to take away.

Best duck blood dishes: The Malaysia Restaurant.

Best kung bao frog: well, I can't remember the name again - I need to do some legwork.

Of course, DSGG's burgers. How could I forget? (Er, going to Temple for several martini's beforehand, no doubt.)

Best duck noodle soup: New Chao Chow (ask them to throw in some wontons, too). Their other soups are delicious as well -- terrific broth. (111 Mott b/w Canal & Hester)

(Often) best cheapo pork dumplings (5/$1): Fried Dumpling. Qualified b/c sometimes they're much better than other times. (106 Mosco)

Best honeydew smoothies: Kong Wah Cake Company aka KW Cafe (242 Canal, by 6 train entrance)

Best bakery: Fay Da (83 Mott b/w Canal & Bayard)

Best soup dumplings? I've only had them at New Green Bo. Of course, they could exist outside of Chinatown.

Best soup dumplings I've ever had...China 46 in NJ.

Anyone want to add to this thread? I am starting to go through the Best Mouthfuls threads, and this one's a bit thin.

Some of these might not fall in the Wilfrid C-Town parameters. Point 'em out...

Best coffee shop: Mei Lai Wah, as ancient as the old men who frequent the joint. I go for roast pork buns and the best coffee in Chinatown. Also for dai bao, which is packed with everything but the kitchen sink: chicken, pork, sausage...

Congee Village for their pork belly casserole, jellyfish, sliced lotus root and fried bread dessert. I was obsessed with the fried bread a couple of summers ago.

New York Noodletown for softshells, baby roast pig and shrimp won ton soup.

Ginger milk tea and snacks at Tea and Tea.

Boiled chicken at New Wing Wong or really any of the BBQ joints. It sounds so plain but what makes it special is the ginger/scallion/cilantro/oil intense condiment that comes with. Usually only comes with a dab but I always ask for extra.

Funky Broome for their stir fried norwegian fish filet with minced pork & shredded snow peas.

Yummy Noodle for Anything Pork.

Deluxe Food Market for anything from roasted meat, fish, marinated meat, dumplings, bakery items, fishball soup, etc etc.

New York Noodletown for almost any noodle soup, especially seaweed, and especially with the addition of wonton. And vegetables. And oysters-with-pork sand pot casserole.

Hong Kong Supermarket and the supermarket under the Manhattan Bridge for packaged sauces; HK also for its variety of fresh meat (albeit plastic wrapped).

Ah, Wing Shing has passed away. ANd I think Congee Village, mentioned above, it above Canal.

This list does not include destination (reservation-needed) restaurants. Otherwise, additions and especially corrections welcome.

Sitting down mouthfuls

Best roast pork and duck - Big Wong. Best scallion pancakes and soup dumplings - New Green Bo. Best duck noodle soup: New Chao Chow (ask for won tons with it). Best cheap pork dumplings: Fried Dumpling (but consistency variable).

Yeah Shanghai for cold diced bean curd skin with steamed, diced "leafy green vegetable" (listed as "Aster Indicus" on the menu). Dim Sum GoGo for beef with preserved ginger and the pork "burgers". The Malaysia restaurant for duck blood dishes and good Hunan chicken. Yummy noodle for anything pork. New York Noodletown for softshells, baby roast pig and shrimp won ton soup, oyster and pork casserole and noodle soups.

Sweet mouthfuls

Best ice cream: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Best bakery: Fay Da.

Standing up mouthfuls

Very cheap roast duck in a bun from various street vendors under Manhattan Bridge.

Thirsty mouthfuls

Best dive: Winnie's (beware late evening college crowd karaoke). Best ginger cider: a grocery on Pell Street a few storefronts west of Joe's Shanghai - great for colds.

Best honeydew smoothies: Kong Wah Cake Company aka KW Café. Best coffee shop: Mei Lai Wah (also for roast pork buns)


Shopping mouthfuls

Deluxe Food market or Hong Kong supermarket for general food shopping. Bayard Meat Market for partridge, black silky chickens, quail, offal, Chinese sausages and wind-dried meats.

Anything else?

You can buy good, inexpensive fish and especially shellfish in several locations, but I bet we can't remember the names of the stores.

Stand by. I am willing to go out on a limb and bump Cantoon Garden up to best Cantonese sit down restaurant in Chinatown.

Cantoonese, surely, surely?

har har har

And there's a place right next to Tan My with an encyclopedic selection of meat, including every conceivable part of the pig.

The one on the northwest corner? That meat market is so good. I think that's the one across the street actually...?

It's where I saw those huge beef tongues this weekend, not to mention "chicken intestines." And the guys behind the counter are nice and helpful too. I'll have to check out the one on the south side too.

thank you all for this list- I used it yesterday.

In an effort to beat the mothers day crowds and flowers, I headed to chinatown. started the day with steamed and baked pork buns and sweet rolls at Mei Lai Wah. Then to NY Noodletown for soft shell crabs and noodles. Afterwards there was coconut ice cream at the ice cream factory and egg custards from both Fay Da and a place a block west (for purposes of comparison- the other place had better egg custards but I don't remember the name).

heated baked pork buns for breakfast this morning!

Since Yeah Shanghai is surfacing again in the jury duty thread, I feel I should add my disappointing experience. We went there recently to have the honey braised pork shoulder that I adore. Ugh. Two solid inches of un-rendered fat surrounding very dry meat, and a clumsy, achingly sweet glaze. What a waste of pork! Most likely cooked too quickly for too little time. Shame, that. Gorgeously braised baby bok choy, though.

Here's the current listing for a 2006 update. I think we've discussed some Malaysian food recently which might need to be added.

CHINATOWN

East side of Broadway is the western boundary. Top boundary is Canal Street heading east, and then make a right into Pike Street down to the river.The bottom boundary is roughly where Brooklyn Bridge crashes to earth, and the turn around the top of City Hall Park until you hit Broadway again.

Sitting down mouthfuls

Best all-round Cantonese may be Cantoon Garden. Best roast pork and duck: Big Wong. Best scallion pancakes and soup dumplings: New Green Bo. Best duck noodle soup: New Chao Chow (ask for won tons with it). Best cheap pork dumplings: Fried Dumpling on Mosco St (but consistency variable).

Yeah Shanghai for cold diced bean curd skin with steamed, diced "leafy green vegetable" (listed as "Aster Indicus" on the menu). Dim Sum GoGo for beef with preserved ginger and the pork "burgers". The Malaysia restaurant for duck blood dishes and good Hunan chicken. Yummy Noodle for anything pork. New York Noodletown for softshells, baby roast pig and shrimp won ton soup, oyster and pork casserole and noodle soups.

Standing up mouthfuls

Very cheap roast duck in a bun from various street vendors under Manhattan Bridge.

Sweet mouthfuls

Best ice cream: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. Best bakery: Fay Da.

Thirsty mouthfuls

Best dive: Winnie's (beware late evening college crowd karaoke). Best ginger cider: a grocery on Pell Street a few storefronts west of Joe's Shanghai - great for colds.

Best honeydew smoothies: Kong Wah Cake Company aka KW Café. Best coffee shop: Mei Lai Wah (also for roast pork buns)

Shopping mouthfuls

Deluxe Food market or Hong Kong supermarket for general food shopping. Bayard Meat Market for partridge, black silky chickens, quail, offal, Chinese sausages and wind-dried meats. For fish: Tan My My Fish Market - SW corner of Grand and Chrystie; and there are good meat markets nearby.

Lunch in Chinatown today. The beef with preserved ginger at Dim Sum Go Go is as good as ever. Also worth trying are their duck dumplings.

Shouldn't the northern boundary be boosted up a couple blocks? Broome rather than Canal? Otherwise, you need to knock off your fish market...


Edit: Which means adding in notable Korean Li Hua (here or under Little Italy). Lunch special is a particular bargain.


Edit: If we're getting into dimsum, my vote goes to Golden Bridge.

Can I ask for a rating for my sister? Apparently there aren't any Buddhists or vegetarians here, but what about our pale brethren? A rating of best vege in a meat-friendly and a strict place would be great.

Of the stricts, my mind recalls Vegetarian Dim Sum and Vegetarian Paradise #...but I can't remember if it was 2, 3, what. And it was a while ago I looked, both have probably closed, reopened, and changed ownership.

Other than Winnie's and Double Happiness (which is actually in Little Italy), any recommendations for cocktails or more humble alcoholic beverages in Chinatown? Thanks.

The cringingly named Yello Bar, just around the corner from Winnie's, looks like a karaoke singles bar.

Good World Bar and Grill??

New York Noodletown's softshells are as good as ever.

But I have a new soup locale: Hong Kong Station. Okay, so I only ate there one time, and the Hester Street location is out of the specified district. But it was really, really good, and they seem to have another location on Bayard Street (not eaten at).

Did a food Blitzkrieg of the Chinatown and Soho area after taking one look at the B'way Panhandler sale line and saying, to heck with that!

-- Found a new stand/stall called Deli Manjoo on the corner of Layfayette and Canal. Korean. Makes little sponge cakes filled with a lemony custard. They make it in front of you with some waffle-y iron thingies into the shape of little corn cobs (though there's no corn in it!). Then each little cake is wrapped in plastic and put in a box. 12 for 3 bucks. They're tasty, though they are best right out of the machine when the outside is still crisp. They were giving out free samples, so it's worth walking by if you need a snack.

The box has a little blurb -- "Hot cream filling inside!" Couldn't resist.

-- Stopped for lunch at LiHua. Cheap lunch special -- $8 for a big lunch box and banchan. No one else there, though the food is decent. This place has to be put on Deathwatch if I'm the only customer for the afternoon. Too bad: it's a nice place that is reasonably priced. Followed by a green tea cone from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory.

-- Di Palo. Empty for a Sat afternoon. Ditto for Despana. The natives have vanished for the long weekend, but Canal was PACKED with tourists.

-- Spicy pork bahn mi to go from Saigon Bahn mi. Dinner tonight.

You said it. The walk from the 6 stop on Canal to Golden Bridge on Bowery this morning was insane. I came close to losing it a couple times. Good lunch of spare ribs, dumplings, and the usual suspects. $23 all in for two.

A lengthy Chinatown rundown on Chowhound. The comments about places I know seem fair. Any views?

I need to try Pho Tu Do, which I've never heard of before. Other than that, a good list, although I'm not sure what all the fuss is about wrt Saigon Banh Mi - a seriously annoying food purchasing experience and the sandwich I got there was no better than at Banh Mi So 1.

Is New Green Bo still the place for soup dumplings. I seem to remember that fantasty did some research earlier this year but damn if I can remember the findings.

If you go, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. I haven't had soup dumplings there in ages. I still think they dish up the best scallion pancake.

Just went and they're still great.

Ok, that's on the short list. Did you have the soup dumplings at Taiwan Cafe in Boston, Abby? They are not the sine qua non of XLB (like according to that recent Salon article) but I love them. Crab and pork-- scoilingly hot soup that almost kills you every time. So worth the danger.

Though it wasn't exhaustive research (N=6), based on the sample I concluded that I'm partial to the soup dumplings at Shanghai Cafe. They're at 100 Mott.