Wong Kee Restaurant
“My fav dishes are Green Peas and beef over rice, Beef Chow Mein, Beef Chow Fun, and they definitely have the best congee.”
“For lunch, we had roast duck over white rice, seafood fried rice, roasted duck and wontons with noodles, and chicken with noodles.”
“Good food, great prices, and decent portions
The atmosphere is that typical of a Chinatown restaurant where the real locals eat.”
Wong Kee Restaurant
Take-out: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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I hesitate to rate restaurants in Chinatown over 3 stars not because of the quality or quantity of the food, but because of the slave like dining experience- being seated with strangers, servers' martinet attitudes, bill being placed on the table with the food and not after you're finished eating. You know what I'm talking about. It's been my experience many times and I've been conditioned to expect the worst and expected the worst when I came here, but my experience was quite the opposite. It was a delightful one.
When we entered, we were immediately seated and hot tea was served. The menu at first looked overwhelming with hundreds of items to choose from, but my friend who comes here often recommended the noodle soups. So I ordered the Duck with Wonton noodle soup.
When the dish came out in less than 5 minutes, my first reaction was, "this is a kid's size bowl!" How mistaken was I to judge a meal by its cover. As I digged in tearing apart the duck and wontons and working my way to the noodles (which are firm the way I like it), the noodles remarkably expanded and doubled in quantity (like the 5 loaves and 2 fish). The noodles were packed densely in this small bowl. The broth which is smooth and full of flavor, complemented the noodles well however it could have been warmer and the dish filled with more. I finished the broth well before the noodles. Perhaps the dish could have been served in a larger bowl to accommodate more broth. The service was excellent and I will definitely go again and order the roast pork noodle soup which my friend also recommends!
Wong Kee is an old-school Chinatown eating experience right down to table sharing, those ubiquitous double-sided stainless steel napkin dispensers, and restaurant staff eating their lunch alongside regular customers.
I had the Buddha's Delight which is a vegetarian dish comprised of sauteed vegetables (carrots, corn, snow peas, several mushroom varieties, water chestnuts, etc.) and bean curd skins all in a soy based sauce…FYI: you can do a internet search and see other common ingredients in this dish.
It was delicious with all the vegetables being fresh, and it was quite filling too considering the generous portion, as this dish is usually meant to be eaten family style.
Mom had the congee and it was no frills with nice chunks of sliced flank steak and fresh veggies.
Sister enjoyed a noodle broth with BBQ chinese pork and veggies, and again a no frills filling dish with a sweet broth, fresh bite-through noodles, fresh veggies, and slightly fatty roast pork.
You come here to grab a quick, inexpensive, and filling honest meal, so don't expect ambiance or white napkin service and you'll be satisfied.
Unfortunately the name is a reference to the address, not the number of noodles in each portion. This would be a much more interesting place if there was an exacting cook in the back, feverishly counting portions and separately individual strands of noodles.
Instead it's a pretty standard Cantonese café, which the steam table of organs, hanging meats and dry vegetables in the front, and a waitstaff that wonders around the rest.
I went with a good benchmark dish for this sort of establishment – an order of wonton noodle soup and a side of roast pork. The noodles were nicely cooked, but the broth was too salty and the char siu far too dry. The dry char siu I find to be far more negative than the broth.
The place had a fair amount of food traffic – mostly Chinese-Americans but also a couple of white faces. To diners past and present, I encourage you to vote with your feet and wallets and go somewhere else. Dry pork cannot be tolerated – even if it comes paired with a reasonable bowl of soup.
(A word of warning for visitors decided on whether to indulge a second or third of tea – the bathroom here has that special kind of rot that can only come from decades of water damage and lack of proper maintenance. Your subconscious will be better off without these few images uploaded inside.)
Apparently there's two related restaurants, Big Wong and Wong Kee. I've never been to Wong Kee before so today I stopped by to get an order of roast duck and wonton noodle soup to go. ($7.25)
They don't give much soup in the to-go container, but the soup I had was pretty tasty. The egg noodles were good, nicely chewly and not overly yellow (didn't taste sulfuric). I usually dislike egg noodles but forgot to request flat white noodles. The wontons were pretty good, as were pieces of roast duck.
Overall, tasty soup, I would get it again.
The interior of the restaurant is nondescript and 'holey', not a place for ambiance.
Big Wing Wong a/k/a whatever legal entity this restaurant is named now has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. Yes, it shares an owner with Big Wong King down the road.
Congee with pork along with thousand year old egg and duck are my favorite items here. Two people can have a seated brunch with two bowls of congee, an "ox-tongue pastry" and a fried cruller dough for $12. The roast pork vermicelli roll and baby shrimp vermicelli roll are great, too! Although Big Wong King makes slightly better food, in my opinion, this is a place where being seated is almost never a problem! While the crowds swarm Big Wong King, Big Wing Wong can be a great option if you're famished.
Cantonese fast food at its best is extremely efficient. Within 45 seconds of ordering, you should receive your order. Amazing!
With food inflation hitting every restaurant, including McDonald's, I am so glad that the rate of inflation has been slower at this establishment. I hope to come back more often!
The restaurant is relatively small but management uses the space effectively; every table and seat is used; you're almost always going to share a table, and that's okay. Be communal!
Good, authentic Cantonese food with standard Chinese-restaurant service and ambience. It's becoming a bit touristy, but that doesn't deter me. You might have to share a table with another party and it's a bit cramped in there. The food makes up for it though: it comes quickly and is very fresh.
Food: 3.5/5.0
Service: 2.5/5.0
Value: 4.0/5.0
Decor: 2.0/5.0
Overall: 3.5/5.0
Good food and great value, just like almost any other decent Cantonese BBQ joint in city. The core BBQ offering is good but the rest of the menu is worth trying as well. In most other cities this spot would stand out, but this is New York. Cash only.
Best cha siu (roasted pork) in China Town. Attracts not only Chinese locals, I was surprised how many people of other races were in the restaurant. A caucasian guy in the restaurant brought his own wine to go along with pork ribs. Fancy!
So don't be shy, definitely try some roasted pork! I certified this place to be an authentic Chinese BBQ.