Shanghai 21 Reviews

I walked in and ordered to go. I waited about 15 minutes and got my food. Luckily I opened the bag and checked my order because I specifically asked for a lot of duck sauce and there was none at all. After getting duck sauce I drove home. I took the food out the bag and the shrimp fried rice and vegetable lo mein were the worst I ever had. The rice was pale yellow boiled rice with straight out of the bag frozen peas and carrots. The vegetable lo mein was like pasty gooey thick spaghetti with soy sauce. Overall the food was trash. Perhaps they thought I was a tourist. I’m from the city and I’ve eaten there before. Now I will never go back.

We have been here now 3 times in a week . 1 x lunch and 2 x dinner . Every time was a great food experience . We tried every time different dishes to get a bit of an overview. Ok , we always ordered too much and had to take some leftovers home ( every time we had 4 main courses ) , otherwise you can not have an overview when you are only 2 person . And as a chef I know on what I have to focus , quality of products and how they were prepared , and price for value not to forget . Ok this Restaurant is not the cheap Chinese from next door , but I prefer to pay a little bit more, just a little bit more but get great dishes for my money with very fresh products from good quality . No , they didn’t pay me to write this 😂😂😂 , I just think good work should be honored . Just one little negative point on the end , ok for me it is not negative it is more positive . You have to except a bit of waiting time , 20 to 45 min during very busy weekends, and no reservation over the phone , only with stopping by . So go there , put your name on the waiting list and walk around in China town after , not the other way around and then be angry that you have to wait . For me it is a positive sign when I have to wait for a table , so they are busy and this has a reason .

Ok, so we are going to have a late dinner (around 8PM) so walking around Mott Street my son and I decided to have a quick pre-dinner snack at around 5PM and selected Shanghai 21. Wo Hop was a few doors down but to much of a line so Shanghai it was. So very happy we went to Shanghai. Small but certainly bigger that Wo Hop so more comfortable. We ordered soup dumplings, pan fried pork dumplings and an order or scallion pancakes. Each one was so good and the pancakes maybe the best I have ever had. The soup dumplings had a very flavorful broth and the pan fried pork dumplings just the right texture and amount of pork. BUT the pancakes, crisp and so amazing. Wanted to order an other round but knowing our dinner was going to be a large order (Pig and Khao) we played it smart and stopped. Service was good and the food came out quickly. Of note they only take American Express cards (with a $20 min) and cash. So my three items came out to only $17 but they did allow me to charge the meal. Yes, not only so good but cheap!! This will have to be a return visit the next time I come to NYC!

Visited after reading decent reviews with the family (kids 10 and 13). Nothing to fault. The soup dumplings were absolutly delisious, we ordered a second lot! Also had fried buns which were great. Chicken and sweetcorn soup was lovely. We thought slightly expensive, but upon arrival the bowl was huge it fed 4 of us with seconds! Highly recommend

Local in the center of China Town. Clean, excellent service, variety six dishes important. NO ALCOHOL IS NEEDED. Very good noodles. Beware those marked "pan fried" are fried, I do not recommend them. I count as average. You can't book it.

We really loved the food. Great portion size and great flavour. Staff were friendly! Go before you are hungry as we has to wait an hour for a table. I’d love to see some more chicken appetisers on the menu.

We waited for about an hour to be seated. Very busy restaurant. The food was worth the wait. Try the dumplings. Food was authentic and delicious. Staff was friendly and service was good. Located in the heart of China Town. This restaurant has the feel of a mom and pop restaurant. Restrooms are very small. I would definitely eat here again.

Just about the best Chinese food I have ever had! We will always be eating here on future NYC visits.

A line-up spilling onto the street is always a good sign, so it was worth the short wait (we and the group behind us were told 30 minutes but ended up seated in about 15). Service and atmosphere were decent but nothing special. However, food is the star here and definitely makes it worth a visit!

I wanted to find a great Chinese restaurant while in Chinatown with my son. Based on the raving reviews we went here. To me it was good Chinese food but I’m guessing there are many in that area. Prices seems high for entrees but the again, it’s New York. If I did it all over again, I would have tried one of the small places as there are MANY to choose from. No need to make a special trip here or wait on line.

Friendly helpful wait staff, friendly management, and clean restrooms you are welcome to use! There are some restaurants that can learn from them in courtesy, friendliness, and customer service! To them the spoils of first time customers who like learning the hard way but for me, if a place disses me or I don't feel treated like a paying customer with decency and gratitude there are plenty of other businesses for me to take my money to and tell others about. You are fortunate if you are reading this for this is one place I recommend for Chinese food during Covid. the prices are decent, portions are fair or ample depending on the dish. We had Shrimp and Chicken in Hoisen Sauce (I enjoyed it and had lots of mushrooms - not quite my fav); and Beef pan fried noodles (very crispy and mixed chinese vegetables. Slightly bland but okay for those on low sodium diet). Thai Iced tea was good. They do not serve cups of water. You must purchase their bottled water or bring your own. Service is on thick cardboard paper plates and brought to you in take out containers instead of on plates. Chop sticks are wrapped in pairs in sealed plastic, and forks and spoons are standard cheap plastic. Not an image for a first date you seek to impress but what would you expect in NYC during covid and in a community that is hyper cautious in preventing spread and contagion. Round grilled picnic tables. Composite clean raised flooring so you are not on the street nor have to look at or think about it. Bordered on street with wall of live bushes in raised planters (bottom is wooden wall). Each seating area separated by plexiglass divider to prevent spread from other table section. Handicap accessible. Bon Appetite, Carson

We called here for dinner after walking and exploring Chinatown in New York, prior to a walking tour. Doesn’t look anything from the outside but the reviews are great and certainly accurate. The food we had was excellent, very tasty and one of the best sweet and sour chicken dishes I have ever had. The service was great, helpful, and friendly but at the same time didn’t intrude or seem to rush us at all despite the restaurant being very busy. A great meal out, enjoyed by all our party, highly recommend.

Nice authentic Chinese food. Shrimp dumplings we definitely recommend. Great quality and not too expensive. Fast and correct operation.

In the center of Chinatown, even though it was a Tuesday evening we had to wait about 20 minutes, so I imagine it is much busier on weekends or during tourist periods. I personally got the pork dumplings (D4 if I'm not mistaken) and the shrimp and pork noodles (T8). Either way they were good. Advised

I used to love this place, and I always support restaurants I like and small businesses, but raising prices 14 to 16 percent on dumplings and other dishes is out of control. I follow food costs and they have been rising a ton, but it's crazy to raise dumplings 16% (in the last several weeks) along with every other dish. Best of luck to you. The other restaurants I order from have made fair price increases. Wholesale prices have not increased 10+ percent. Nowhere near.

Nothing special. Good pork ravioli in soup. Spring rolls a little oily. The beef fried rice however was disappointing. The rice was not crunchy and the beef was soggy. Very generous portion but not exciting.

My son and I went to Chinatown and specifically went here because of the trip advisor ratings. We were a little surprised and disappointed by our experience. We felt very rushed and did not feel welcomed. Although the food was very very good, we noticed that it had a “B” rating on the window as we left. Eeek. Definitely wouldn’t have eaten there if we had seen that going in.

Our daughter wanted dumplings on our trip to New York. We narrowed it down to Joe’s or here. Made the decision mostly on getting our own table vs shared. Love our choice. Great selection of options. It’s not family style, but the menu works well for sharing. We enjoyed the options we can’t get at home. Very authentic. Fun, authentic atmosphere too. Many local Asians eating here, not just tourists.

Tasty food at a reasonable price. Service was quick even though very busy. Had to wait 10 minutes for a table but this was clearly a good sign. A lot of the other restaurants were empty.

Very good Asian restaurant with fresh produce. Very well cooked and fresh vegetables. Special mention for the dim sum with soup and beef We all had a great time Be careful, there are few places so either arrive early and be prepared to wait

Busy lunchtime cafe style Chinese restaurant. Only waited five minutes for a table. Loads of locals calling in for carry out. Food was plentiful, well flavoured and good quality. Seafood noodles, pepper steak plus salt and pepper squid with prawns was too much for two of us.

We stopped here on our last night in NYC. Three of us arrived around 6:30pm on a Thursday night, and only had to wait about 10 minutes for a table. The staff, although not overly friendly, were attentive and helpful. We came for the food which did not disappoint. The spring rolls and dumplings for appetizers were very tasty and the sweet and sour chicken and crispy beef for our entrees were delicious. Portion sizes however were a bit small however considering all the possible choices for dinner there in Chinatown, we made a good choice.

It took us 45 minutes to get there and they decided to close and hour early. The hours are wrong!!!! Everyone inside eating and we were not let in!

I ordered "General Tso's Chicken over Rice" to $10.50, while on another side of the menu was "General Tso's Chicken" to $18.50. I don't know the difference, but my portion was big enough and tasty, and I was full and very satisfied after the meal. The dish was "hot and spicy" as promised, with some lovely fresh broccoli. It is recommended! My son had som fried rice, and it was thumbs up from him.

Stopped by another place nearby and was underwhelmed with the food. Still slightly hungry so we stopped by here for some dumplings. Ordered the truffle soups dumplings and boy they were really good! You could probably find many other dishes in other places in Chinatown, but the truffle soup dumplings appear to be pretty unique to Shanghai 21

Delish food with kind servers. We loved the pork fried rice (lightest and most tender pork) and shrimp in a Szechuan sauce that could be as spicy or hot as you like. Fried wontons and eggrolls were delish too. I will absolutely return to this restaurant when I am back in NYC!

Very good food with good service and a reasonable price. :-) Very good food with good service and a reasonable price. :-)

An authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of Chinatown with everything very delicious. The best Kung Po chicken I've ever had. Spectacular!

Craving authentic Chinese during the reopening, we decided to go to the source. Our first visit failed as they refused to seat before 9 pm though the website said open till 10. We persisted the next day, arriving early to give ourselves time. We ordered a bunch of stuff to try a variety. It turned out to be too much because of the enormous portions. Prawn dumplings, hot & sour soup, szechuan chicken, steamed fish, all standard fare; tasty but not remarkable. The salt & pepper prawns were the one disappointment. They were more sweet and bread fried than the standard offering we were expecting. Still, fast efficient service, very fair prices and a tasty meal.

The food is so delicious here! Well worth the wait. Dim sum was excellent, main courses were large. Everything we tried (a group of ten) was amazing!

Food was delicious! We ordered pork buns, steamed and fried dumplings, and beef lo mein. They tokd us it would be an hour wait for a party of 2 but we were seated in 15 minutes. Easy to find in China Town. Will be returning.

Read the reviews and tried it out. Short 10 minute wait on a Thurs At 4p. Ordered a variety of appetizers (4 total): soups, dumplings, egg rolls. They were average at best. Same ole can be found at any restaurant. The best thing was it was cheap for NYC standards. $30. No alcohol is available. They do take credit cards on a $20 minimum.

Arrived on a busy Sun evening after St Pats Day celebrations, there was a bit of a queue so were told there would be a 30min wait so wandered round and came back and were seated right away. We ordered a couple of starters, crispy bao buns were really tasty and some dumplings 👍followed by a fried rice dish and some spicy prawns, both really good. Note the restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol. Bill came to around 70 dollars, good value and nice food.

Very good and cheap restaurant, simple but clean room, very good typical food and very nice staff, I will definitely return.

I do not understand how this restaurant could have won TripAdvisor's Travellers Choice Awards 2024. The food is average, even poor. It is, if you like, Americanised Chinese food and would be considered good only by those who have not had real Chinese food and hence don't know any better. If this restaurant were to open in any of the Asian hubs (eg, Hong Kong, Singapore) it would be laughed out of town. Or rather, it would go out of business and close very quickly. Service was also average. In fact, one of the male waiters quite rudely said the wait would be more than 1 hour (it turned out to be about 30 minutes). It doesn't hurt to be polite and smile. Note that the restaurant has a "system" whereby you "sign in" for a place in the line. The waitress who was in charge of this was not around when we arrived and in fact, the line in front was unattended for more than 20 minutes. I suppose when business is good, customer service goes to the dogs. I would not recommend a visit to this restaurant.

This is a small restaurant with no major bell and whistles. But but… don’t let all that fool you. The food is just awesome. We ordered many different types of dim sums, fried rice, king pao chicken, salt and pepper squid - each dish was just superbly done. We thought we had over ordered but we were able to finish it all. It was that good. Very highly recommended. It’s definitely popular as we had to wait for 20 plus minutes to get seated around 1.15PM

The food at Shanghai 21 was very good! It took us awhile to order because everything on the menu looked so good. The portion sizes are huge and could be shareable. There were 6 of us and we got 4 dishes to share and we were all stuffed! Our favorite dish was the Dry Sauteed Beef Szeuchuan style. Order it and thank me later! We saw someone else have it on their table and ordered it and I’m so glad we did! It had an amazing taste, slight crunch, and a little spice. We ordered a small side of rice to go with it. The next time I’m in NYC I will be eating here again.

Stopped in for a quick light bit for lunch while wandering the streets. They had a decent hot & sour soup, the small size was plenty for two people to split. We also tried some dumplings. The pork pot stickers were pretty standard. The Sezchuan style pot stickers were new to us, pretty good, they come in a mildly spicy sauce, tasty. The mini fried buns were pretty much standard steam buns, just smaller, then pan fried to warm them up so the bottom is a bit crunchy. Overall good stuff. Busy place, lots of people eating here. Good service. Good Value.

Really wanted to visit Chinatown and take some pics here and there and had my eyes on a couple of popular Chinese restaurants. Quite surprised when I was told only cash or AmEx! Say what? Good thing we found this place. Gotta say the food was awesome and we got there before the lunch crowd. That line was long even at 12:15!

What's with the negative comments about the food? We went here for dinner..had to wait in line, that is fine. Clientele was a mix of tourists and locals, I think. Ordered soup dumplings. SOOO good. Almost as good as what I remember from another local restaurant that has since gone downhill. Son ordered the duck, which came in some sort of plum sauce. This was delicious and VERY RICH, so it would have been hard for me to have as an entree. Husband and I chose the Shanghai style low mein. DELICIOUS. I was pretty nosy and kept looking at the other dishes going out of the kitchen. Everything looked amazing (and I appreciated the fact that there was plenty of shrimp in the low mein; it wasn't just weighed down with vegetables). Only glitch was that we had to ask another server for our check because our server disappeared and we sat with empty plates waiting to be cleared for over 20 minutes. I'd still come back.

The portions are super plentiful! We are Italian and we are not used to these quantities in Chinese restaurants in our area, so if you have children or teenagers prefer a dish "to share" at least at the start..... however I recommend it for speed Service and kindness of the staff

Shanghai 21 absolutely earns its Chinatown legend status. The General Tso’s chicken was crispy, saucy, and dangerously easy to finish, and the soup dumplings were elite. Full of flavor, perfectly slurpable, no notes. Now the plot twist. The pork bun was dry. Like, why am I chewing this much dry. I would skip it and emotionally move on. Also, bring cash. They are cash only, like most places in Chinatown, and yes, you will feel silly if you forget. Order smart and this place does not miss.

Great place serving authentic Chinese cuisine. The options were endless. It looked like many patrons were paying with cash, and I regret not finding out if we could’ve saved some money by paying cash instead of credit card. But either way, great food, I’ll come back again.

The Lo mien is good above average but the pork meat ball (named pork head something) the spices too strong we can't enjoy it.

Rarely would I stand outside a restaurant waiting for a table. In fact as my age has approached eight decades I would normally have walked after being told the wait would be an hour. But we did wait. Arriving at 8pm on a Friday night and being the last seated table at 9pm. In December! Trepidation followed. Would we receive a good meal. YES! We ordered soup, appetizers and main courses. All arrived freshly prepared and delicious. The only issue…since the kitchen was preparing to close nothin came in any kind of order. So fried rice, was followed by sweet and sour chicken then wonton soup etc etc. Hot fresh and delicious. We ate it all in no (slowly since all was hot) particular order. We were and remain surprised at this small restaurant in the heart of Chinatown . And to top it off the prices were reasonable. Go expecting to wait for a table!

Delicious. I had the sesame chicken. Food and service were prompt. Reasonable price. They have an extensive menu. I will visit again the next time I'm in Manhattan.

Within ChinaTown, the street does not look like much and the storefront is not very inviting. The setting is basic canteen type. But Chinese cuisine is excellent. Great choice of dishes. Very hearty cuisine. Don't hesitate to share. Shanghai cuisine. Many local specialties. The dim sum dumplings with broth (soup) are worth trying. Strongly recommended.

Excellent restaurant. Service spot on. Well worth a visit. We will be back in New York next week and will be going again

It was very busy at 6:45 PM on a Thursday night, so we were seated with 2 other couples. The table was big enough so it didn’t feel like I was sitting with anyone else. Tea was poured and already in the table when we sat. More tea was brought along with water upon request. Order slowly, as they bring what you order relatively fast. We ordered the soup dumplings with pork, which were outstanding! The Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce and Stringbeans with Minced Pork were very good! Everything was flavorful and reasonable!

Had such a good experience here. We’d been looking for somewhere to eat in Chinatown and I happened to find this place on Tripadvisor so we thought we’d give it a try. It was lunch time and we walked in off the street and were surprised to see such a buzzing restaurant! Had dim sum (great) and a chow mein and a fried rice dish. We should have got thinner noodles for our taste but I can’t fault the restaurant! Food was great as was the service and as I said, great atmosphere about! Definitely give this restaurant a try if your looking for somewhere in the area- very reasonably priced also.

Excellent food! We ordered multiple items - all vegetarian and all were very tasty. Service was prompt and courteous - highly recommend!!

A fantastic Chinese lunch in the heart of Chinatown. Truly exceptional. The place is clean and the service perfect. Super recommended!

My partner and I tried this because of the great reviews. It was super busy (always a good sign) but the service was great and the food absolutely amazing! Fresh and tasty, definitely one to visit.

Excellent! Everything was fresh and came piping hot. I would recommend the Shanghai hot and sour soup. Made to order, it was filled with lots of fresh vegetables. The staff was professional and friendly and very accommodating. They let you linger until you were ready to leave.

Four of us came here for some lunch after a recommendation from a tour guide. There were plenty of vegetarian options for my daughter. The fried pork dumplings and the Szechuan wonton were definite highlights. The prices are good and I would happily return if I were aver in NYC again

There is no doubt they serve very good food. Ours wasn’t perfect, but overall it was very good; Shanghai won ton soup served ‘warm’ with average stock but nice homemade? Won tons; Soup dumplings just perfect; Shanghai noodles with chicken were very nice. BUT, I’m not sure it was worth the 1 1/2 hour wait on the list ? Many, many, people would disagree with us, as they were still on the list after we had eaten. Perhaps the justification is also partly their consistency when other nearby options are hit n miss. We’d return, but only if there was no more than 2 or 3 on the wait list.

Fairly easy to find (it's not the downstairs one nextdoor which is also labelled '21'). There was a long wait on Saturday night, we were told it was a 45 minute wait so put out name down and came back. Service was ok, not the most attentive / quickest due to how busy the restaurant was. However, the staff were kind and gave us a new spoon when we dropped one. Food was good, similar to your average chinese in the UK, which was what we were after. Portion sizes were very generous - see pictures attached. Overall would recommend but would encourage people to book in advance or avoid peak times as you could end up on a table with someone queuing up right next to you.

We tried for lunch and the wait was very short and the service and food was just as great. Truly a gem amongst a ton of average Chinese.

The wait can be 30-45 minutes on the weekend. They accept only cash (no debit). Various dishes with meet, seafood or vegetarian. The dumplings were excellent and so where the muddles and fried rice.

After walking past many restaurants, this was the only one with a queue - we did get a table for 2 very quickly though. Place was clean and servers good. Food was nice, hot & arrived quick too. We had sweet & sour chicken, chicken & broccoli, dick, egg rice and broccoli. All good, duck a little fatty and nothing with it (like pancake), chicken nice but not perfect on the sweet n sour dish good portions but not silly! Note: they didn’t take MasterCard or visa - only Amex or cash.

Great kitchen. Fast service, clean and very tasty. A large selection of dishes on the menu. Definitely recommend further. 👍

Love this place! Order the spicy hot wontons!! And lo mein of course. I love this place. Wish they delivered to Midtown. Great soup dumplings!!! Love them!

The customer service was average, but the food was terrific. It was authentic. We really enjoyed it, but we didn’t have enough cash, as they only accept cash and no card.

The best Chinese food ever tasted. Worth the wait and would highly recommend. Atmosphere was great and in the middle of China town.

Some of the best dim sum in Chinatown. If you're looking for an authentic experience, this is it. The restaurant was clean, the staff were attentive and fast, and the food was amazing. I highly recommend the pork buns. They also served a perfectly steeped pot of tea. There is usually a bit of a wait, and prices are not cheap, but the dining experience is well worth both factors.

Go! Get the soup dumplings and mini bao. Large portions so order something and then add on. Excellent food, quick service.

We came here for a late lunch while we were in the area, and really enjoyed our meal! The restaurant looks incongruously unassuming, but don't let that fool you; the food is super good and the staff are really nice and welcoming. We shared the steamed vegetable dumplings, chicken with cashew, scallion pancakes, and the tangerine beef, and everything was so incredibly delicious that we took home our leftovers to enjoy later. The portions are pretty big (which we didn't know beforehand), so you'll definitely have food leftover.

We waited half an hour in line but it was worth it, it was 10/10 Quality and good price They served us very well and the deli food, I will return on my next visit to NY.

Delicious food, busy and bustling. Fast and great experience! We were looking for a true Chinese experience in Chinatown and found it here.

This was our first trip to NY and Chinatown. We googled Shangai 21 and decided to eat there. The wait time was 45 minutes. We decided to wait but got in sooner than the 45 minutes. Food was worth the wait. This was the best Sweet and sour chicken We have ever eaten.

The Chinese restaurant with the worst food I have eaten in my life. The restaurant's rating on TripAdvisor is unclear. Too bad for investing time, look elsewhere.

Through all these years that passed since my first review we've visited this place many many times. And after each meal we leave with the strong conformation from taste to service to value that this is THE BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT we know in Chinatown Manhattan, PERIOD! NONE of the multiple dishes we've tried, NONE of the servers (who are very efficient, nice and hard working people) ever disappointed us, like it happens more often then not in numerous other places we've tried around the area. With the name change recently we've got a bit worry about the same excellent quality, would it be still there? But our worries were for nothing, because except of the name nothing has changed : ). Thanks to the whole team for making us very happy and satisfied with our experiences.

Simple but excellent Chinese restaurant. We have lived in Asia and her we found similar taste than what we used to appreciate there. Xiao long bao are excellent, not far from one well known reference Din Tai Fung. The pork shops sichuan style were gorgeous.

We had read the reviews on Tripadvisor and decided to give it a go - we weren't disappointed. We got there about 5pm and queued for about 10 minutes (note: the queue only got longer as the evening wore on) before being seated. Very efficient and friendly service. No alcohol, just soft drinks and chinese tea which wasn't an issue at all. Soup dumplings to die for; har gau - great; sui mai - perfect; cold noodles with satay sauce - excellent; kung po chicken - lovely. Value for money excellent. Couldn't fault it!

Visiting NYC for the first time. my son was craving dumplings, so we did a search on TripAdvisor. This was one of the recommendations. The reviews were spot on. these were the best dumplings we've ever had!

There were mainly Chinese customers in this restaurant. I find that a sign of good, authentic Chinese food. The place itself doesn’t look very cosy and again, I find that a good thing: their effort goes into making delicious food. The menu has pictures of the dishes. That helps, but don’t be fooled because they look smaller then they actually are. We ordered way too much because of that. But every dish was delicious!

The food was reslly bad, would definitely not recommend. Went before of the high reviews on trip advisor. Will never be back.

This place is popular for good reason. We had to wait (just enough time to study the menu and make our choices). Partly we waited because people were carefully spaced, no sharing a table for four with a single diner, as would usually be normal in a Chinese restaurant. We had soup dumplings, Szechuan wontons, pork and leek dumplings, and lo mien noodles with shrimp, pork, and vegetables. All the wrappers were wonderfully thin with fresh tasting fillings. Three sauces could be added; all were good. The lo mien had an abundance of ingredients, although neither of us liked the chewy slipperiness of fat noodles (just our particular taste, of course). The service was particularly friendly and helpful. They were also careful to follow covid rules, writing down our vaccination info, using disposable tableware, spacing customers, and dispensing hand sanitizers.

Fantastic food at an excellent price. Does not look fancy from the outside but the food is great. It is simple and delicious. I would highly recommend it. Best sweet and sour chicken I have had.

Was visiting NYC and was looking for an authentic meal, not like the take out restaurants on Long Island and we found it here! Food was excellent, reasonably priced and friendly service. Wish we lived closer, would no doubt be regulars if we did! Looking forward to our next visit!

Recommended by a New York group member, Shanghai 21 did not disappoint. A no frills, great food, authentic chinese cuisine. Would highly recommend for any none New Yorkers lost in Chinatown.

This small unassuming Chinese restaurant is excellent in all respects. It is not fancy but the food is fabulous. The service is attentive and prompt. There is simply nothing bad about this restaurant. If you need a great dumpling alternative this place is for you.

Great Soup dumplings, pan fried dumplings and fried buns for a very good price. Chill restaurant and a good way to try Dim Sum if you haven’t already

Just had a great meal at Shanghai 21 ,everything tasted delicious ,good service, friendly staff and good atmosphere.If your looking for somewhere to eat in Chinatown you won't be disappointed.

My husband and I visited Shanghai 21 for lunch while wondering through Chinatown. Upon being seated we were immediately brought out complimentary Chinese tea and also some chicken and sweetcorn soup. We ordered the pork soup dumplings, steamed pork buns, orange chicken, special noodles and shredded pork and bean curd with shanghai greens (the mains were served with complimentary rice bowls). All of the dishes were absolutely delicious but the highlight was the pork soup dumplings. The total bill (including tax) was 37 dollars which was really good value. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are visiting Chinatown.

On the lookout for a good Chinese restaurant, followed advice on trip advisor. You will not be disappointed, quick friendly service, staff explain what you’re getting, quality and portion of food was excellent, served straight away. You may have a short wait for a table, but there’s a reason it’s busy. My advice, wait that bit longer, the food was awesome.

Went with my grandkids for lunch. Their first time in New York City. There was a worm on the crispy noodle dish, and the waiter said it a shrimp.

We visited here on a Monday night, only a short wait for a table. Got quite a few different dishes and enjoyed all of them! Food came out quite quickly, they asked if we wanted our entrees first or to get everything together which was appreciated. Total cost was very reasonable too. Definitely recommended if you’re in Chinatown

Has good reviews and pictures, but the food is not made there, they use an outside kitchen, and the food doesn’t come with any vegetables. Is a tourist trap.

You always know if a restaurant is good by the number of people standing waiting for a table, we had about a 15 minute wait and it was well worth it. There was still a queue by the time we left. We ordered the scallion pancakes (so good!), two dumpling dishes, and a fried rice, all to share between two of us. The food was amazing and we couldn't finish it as the portions were huge. This feels like a really authentic restaurant and there were a lot of Chinese families eating there too. It's a lively, bright area with a great atmosphere. The total bill with drinks came to around £20, so a very good deal in the middle of New York. It is cash only though so make sure you have enough to pay for the meal and tips before you go. Well worth a walk through Chinatown!

Awesome food and service, friendly helpful staff, many happy oriental guest, everyone at our table are happy and full

You have to be patient and ignore the color of the walls but the food is very good and the service is fast. The establishment is very successful so there is a bit of a wait.

Came in for the dumplings!!! Try the Szechuan Style Wonton and the soup dumplings! The sauce in the Szechuan Style Wonton was delectable! Super flavorful. I would put that sauce on anything. The soup dumplings were really tasty as well.

Don’t expect great service here. First time we came by the restaurant wasn’t packed and there was no one waiting but were told there was a wait of half an hour. Seriously??!! We left and decided a different day would be better. On the return we only waited 10 minutes with actual other people in the queue. We were clearly told each day that their credit card reader was not working so they could only accept cash. Not sure if that is their standard line so keep this in mind if you come here. We got seated in the front so we’ll away from the crowds. We already knew what we wanted so ordering was quick and delivery the same. Szechuan spicy wontons was just so so in a mixture of soy, oil and green onions. Needed a lot more of a kick to live up to its name. XLBs were larger than the soup spoons so a lot harder to eat. Juicy inside but flavors did not pop. They also could’ve been more generous with their sliced ginger. The shrimp noodles were had a good smoky taste from the wok and just the right amount of oil. The pan fried pork dumplings were unanimously the best dish that we ate. Juicy and a little crunchy. Had so much higher expectations than what we actually experienced.

The Shrimp with PeaPod dumplingsDimSum were outstanding and even the dishes that are normally bland at other Chinese restaurants were extremely tasty.

Extensive menu. Generous portions good for sharing. Delicious food well-prepared. Inattentive service.

An absolutely terrible experience at this restaurant. The owner or lady running the place was incredibly rude. We asked for a table and my wife asked to use the toilet. We were told no, not until we'd ordered food. We sat at the table and asked for the menu, which was fairly limited but the other diners seem to be enjoying their food, so proceeded to check what was available. We ordered drinks, but they don't take food orders at the table as you have to use an app on your phone to order via the internet which they didn't provide a code for, even after being sat there for 15 minutes and asking for one. It was impossible to order, as the app kept crashing and kept confirming our order despite the fact we hadn't placed an order. We are both technically savvy so it was not a mistake on our part. There was an option to call a server which we requested, but after a further 20 minutes of no one turning up we decided it was time to leave. We had two bottles of Budweiser that was ordered as we walked through the door and a glass of tap water. When the rude member of staff came to us, we explained we wanted the bill as it was impossible to order and we'd requested help for at least 20 minutes with no response. She got extremely agitated and eventually brought us our bill. We paid it but declined to leave a tip, at which point she walked across the center of the restaurant and told another server that we'd declined, who incredibly loudly exclaimed how rude we were. We regularly tip in restaurants but would refuse to pay for service we didn't receive. It was totally unacceptable for a $20 bill and a 35 minute wait overall. I cannot comment on the food but the systems they operate and the service to provide is abysmal.

Me and my partner visited NY for my birthday and after looking at reviews we decided to visit Shanghai 21. staff were friendly, great tasting food and great portion sizes. Would visit here again

This place was recommended to us by a Manhattan friend who further recommended what to order. He was right on both counts. We had the soup dumplings with pork, pan fried pork dumplings and the Szechuan style wontons. Perfect for two people and inexpensive. Caution: they only accept cash or Amex and serve only tea or water ( Was dying for a beer!). A definite repeat.

We always return here for the pork soup dumplings. They’re absolutely delicious. Served in the steamer. Best way is to place one on your spoon. Take a small bite and drink the soup, then eat the rest of the dumpling The wrapping is not doughy. They also make chicken and vegetable soup dumplings. There are 6 tia. order. We always get our own. We also got a Shanghai noodle dish and a dish with garlic sauce. Everything looks good!

The food was ok. the dumplings as a starter were great. The waiter was very nice and honest about the quantity of the food we should order.

Dumplings and chow mien were both delicious! The soup dumplings were amazing…the flavor of the soup was fantastic! The shrimp, chicken and pork chow mien was very good. Large portions and delicious flavors!

Great Chinese restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. Very good dimsum and fried rice Nice Service Attention "Cash only" 😁 Will be back

Great food with generous portions. Visiting NYC on business and I've eaten here three times. 1 in the restaurant and two Uber eats orders. Restaurant: went early in the week. No wait. Staff friendly enough. Had the crab and pork soup dumplings and General Tso's chicken. Uber eats delivery: Food packaged well with all needed utensils and sauce. No spills. Favorite food items: Crab and pork soup dumplins, Sichuan Style Wonton and Sesame Chicken. All of these are delicious. I ordered the dumplings on all visits. Food is reasonably priced. Dumplings are $10.75 is belieive you get 6. Least favorite items: sesame chicken over rice. We also had the shrimp lo main which I amnot a fan of lo main in general,but it had good flavor and is a popular item. This place is worth a visit or two.

A nice Chinese restaurant in China town. Very respectful and welcoming staff. Food was good we were full they are very generous in quantity!

We waited an hour for a table on a busy Saturday, but came from Florida for the soup dumplings. We were not disappointed. The dumplings, and the rest of the food we ordered, were excellent. Great flavors, quality ingredients. Service was a little slow, but overall we had a great experience, and will definitely return.

We were touring NY and wanted to have lunch in Chinatown. It's a few blocks off the "big bus" drop off point, but reviews were good. We agree, food was excellent and the restaurant was very clean. We arrived at the right time (1:ish) and were seated right away. However, after we were seated looks like there was a 10/15 minute wait at the door for the next hour. We started with the egg drop soup and fried dumplings - both were excellent. We also enjoyed the pork fried rice (a meal in itself) and the tangerine beef. The tangerine beef had amazing flavor although wish it was more crisp instead of breaded, but still excellent. Located in the middle of Chinatown and a great spot to eat off the tourist path.

Excellent food and service. We were a party of 5 and ordered almost one of everything on the menu and everything was above par! The owner greeted us at he door and made us feel very welcomed. I loved it, honestly. Would definitely go back and most definitely recommend!

Stopped by here for lunch based on reviews. It was good and quick. They did give alot of food, the restaurant was busy with people during lunch time.

The dumplings are fantastic. The shrimp dumplings were like little puffy clouds soo good lo mein sooo yummy. We did have crispy duck which we weren’t crazy about

By chance we came to this site after receiving a recommendation. It is actually very good with a mix of oriental flavors. I recommend it

An okay option for Chinatown, but there are other better ones. This one just happened to take cards, while many of the hole in the wall places you want to try will require cash, so come prepared! I had tangerine beef, which was sweet and heavily breaded. I'd probably just order differently next time.

Hot and sour soup was very delicious.The Sweet and sour chicken was very crispy.The flavour of Sechouan style beef was very good.I visited this restaurant two times and I will come back.

We ate great Chinese dishes just like when I lived here in the USA. Casual venue. Fantasy New York price for a Chinese restaurant, but not excessive.

Food was poor do not recommend. One of the few restaurants that look ok from the outside but not a good choice. Full of tourists and service staff were unfriendly

We went based on other reviews on our first night in NYC. We arrived around 6:30 on a Friday and were told the wait was about 35-45 minutes for our party of 6. We were seated around 7. There were lots of options on the menu. We ordered dim sum and entrees and all of the portions were generous. The food was great. The only disappointment was the fried rice. My kids raved about the soup dumplings and the Shanghai style Lo main. The only thing keeping this from a 5 star was the service. It was very busy but even accounting for that the service was disengaged and apathetic at best but mostly absent and hard to find. While we would go back, I’d probably stick to take out and avoid the dining room if I could.

As we were in Chinatown and feeling quite hungry we had a look for a reasonable place to eat and this one seemed ok. Well, it was more than ok. We suspected by the queue that it might be good and when we eventually got a table (not too long) we realised the place was packed and that a lot of the diners were Asian which to us meant that the food must be good. It was and there was lots of it. We especially enjoyed the shrimp fried rice which was one of the best I have ever had. All of the food was delicious and we were amazed at how cheap the whole meal was. Definitely worth a visit.

Best dumplings and very very fresh. Worst part is now our children at Chinese today and only want Shanghai 21. Too bad we live in FL and won’t be able to go back again soon. Excellent!!

Restaurant with oriental cuisine located in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan. Given the positive reviews we decided to try it and we did well. It is very clean, which is important if you decide to eat in Chinatown. One of the few restaurants in Chinatown that accepts electronic payments. Very importantly, it is advisable to book. We waited 1 hour to be seated. Good food. Correct prices.

My 18-year-old daughter and I hiked and subwayed through NYC to Chinatown to find this place. It was quite possibly the very best Chinese food we have ever had. We ordered dim sum and tried 4 dishes: fried pork dumplings, pork soup buns, spicy fried wontons and egg drop soup. All were fantastic! The only drawback was they don't serve alcohol and a beer would have been perfect with the wontons. We may go there again tomorrow before we leave town. Yum!

We has to wait 45min on a Saturday evening but it was worth it. Staff were very friendly and the food was delicious! We had cold sesame noodles, crispy whole fish, General Tso's chicken and the dried szechuan beef. All were excellent!

💯 💯 amazing and authentic The soup dumpling were great. The Lo Mein was fresh and awesome. Garlic Beef the best I have ever had

We found the restaurant on Trip Adviser. We had a great lunch! Our party ordered a selection of items and thought everything tasted very good. The food was fresh. Also, the staff was great. We arrived for an early lunch … by the time we finished a line was starting to form outside. I posted several pics of our meal.

Late night eats, food crawls it’s all fun here. The soup dumplings were so good but was was too funny were the “tiny” dumplings that were the size of my fist!!!! I do recommend a visit here. Staff were also super nice. Sorry about the colour of the photos but the place had neon! Please follow @joannasable on instagram for more food and travel fun.

5 stars. Food, Staff and Service were great and they were so welcoming. Our group had the special ground chicken wraps, dim sum 2 ways and fried pork dumplings. Everything was so good for the value this is a must to try.

Visited here based on all the positive reviews but sorry to say we didn’t like it . Food arrives randomly not served together. Crispy duck poor - no sauce no accompaniments just served dry very strange. Starters ok not great. Restaurant busy usually a good sign - we queued to get in - just not sure what people see in this place I’m afraid . I think it’s fair to say if you like the finer things in life don’t come !

Absolutely delicious food. We were only in New York for 5 days but visited twice. Had to wait 15 mins for table both times but was worth it. Really good.

Very busy Memorial Day lunchtime. Lots of people waiting so killed some time with an Ice Cream Factory treat in the park. Once seated our selection arrived promptly. Enjoyed hot and sour soup, three delicious dumpling choices and decent Shanghai style fried noodles. Friendly service and outstanding value. Worth a top ranking in the moderately priced category.

Local simple and clean enough. Huge plates ... are not comparable to European portions. Good quality and kindness. Possibility to have the doggy bag. To try

This is real terrific food served in a very unassuming low key Chinatown restaurant. The Szechuan Style Wontons were just great and perfectly spiced! As was the General Tzo’s chicken (of course not a real Chinese dish), Kung Po chicken and shredded pork with garlic sauce (a surprise table pleaser). The sauteed dry string beans with minced pork was excellently prepared with nice thick fresh beans. Skip the cold Szechuan noodles (a bit hard and not much flavor) and the Shanghai style fried rice (not enough pork, shrimp or other goodies). Other tables enjoyed the soup dumplings which we skipped. Total cost less than $100. Great friendly service and super fast hot food delivered when cooked. No beer or alcohol. People arrived at the full restaurant and seemed not to have a very long wait. Worth the trip downtown if you want real Chinese food!

We visit Shanghai 21 every time we visit NYC or our families in NJ. Our first visit was about six years ago when a friend recommended this amazing restaurant. On our second visit, about a year later, the server remembered us, where we sat, where we are from, and what we ate. Lun has to be the best server in the world. All these years later, all we have to do is ask for "the regular" and he knows what we like. On our visit yesterday, he made an additional suggestion for our meal - and we were thrilled with the addition. You need to get there early at times because we have experienced waits of up to an hour ---- but it is more than worth it.

Mott Street is full of Asian restaurants but on the reviews here we chose Shanghai 21. It was very busy but the hostess took our name and promised a table in 10 minutes. When we returned the friendly staff showed us in. We weren’t too adventurous, opting for vegetable spring rolls and sesame rice balls for starters and then beef lo mein and sweet and sour chicken. Everything was delicious, service was prompt and professional, but be warned portions are huge. Prices very reasonable so great vealer for money. Strongly recommended.

We love coming here for the soup dumplings. We always get our own order and a dish to share. Yummy. We enjoy the tea. Service isn’t the best, but the food is worth it. Note: We always order a dish at a time so things don’t come out all at once.

Delicious Chinese specialties in the heart of Chinatown. Be careful of the portions which are very large :-)

Great food friendly service. The best General Tso’s chicken I have had. Dumplings was a great appetizer. We had to wait 15 min to be seated and it is cash only.

Great Chinese cuisine, nice and friendly local, courteous staff. The portions are hearty, as soon as you sit down you serve a great hot tea, which with the cold of these days was super appreciated.

We wanted to try a place in Chinatown and the choice is wide and difficult. We therefore opted for the one with the queue at the entrance, this is usually a good indication. In fact we were not disappointed, the choice is wide, we opted for rice and noodles, both excellent and with generous portions, not exaggerated, but enough for a single dish dinner. Too bad they don't sell alcohol, a cold beer would have been more appropriate than courtesy water.

A very nice restaurant in China Town. We orderd Soup dumpling and was very tasty. I like the hot tea ☕️

Shanghai 21 is our go-to spot for dim sum, and it never disappoints! The food is consistently delicious and offers a truly authentic experience. Each dish is filling and flavorful, leaving you wishing you had room for more. From the moment you sit down, you’re greeted with a tempting array of options, all prepared to perfection. The vibrant atmosphere adds to the enjoyment, making it a great place to share a meal with friends or family. Overall, if you’re looking for excellent dim sum in a welcoming setting, Shanghai 21 is a must-visit!

When we arrived at the restaurant there was a queue and we thought about find another restaurant. Luckily the couple after us recommended to stay as they told us was the best restaurant in Chinatown. We were not disappointed at all. Lovely food, very efficient service and reasonable price.

Myself and a colleague were sightseeing in Manhattan on a Sunday and ended up in Chinatown early afternoon and decided to have a spot of late lunch. Checking Trip advisor I found Shanghai 21 nearby. Initially we were put off by the large queue outside the place as we thought it would take some time to get seated but changed our mind on the basis that if there was a queue the food must be good. We put our names down with the waiting staff and waited outside we were told that it would be about a 30min wait for a table but were seated in about 10min. We ordered 3 dishes chicken noodles, crispy beef and salt & chili squid and asked the waiting staff if that would be sufficient for the 2 of us and was told that it would be. When they arrived the dishes were more than enough fresh and all tasted delicious. Another point of note is that the toilets were in good condition and clean which isn't always the case in this area. I will definitely be returning to this restaurant again.

Food was amazing. Little upsetting that they only took American Express cards. Luckily we had cash. If you plan in eating there take cash.

USED to be a good restaurant. Now, much smaller portions, oily food. I ordered eggplant with chicken in brown sauce. Hard to find the chicken. No brown rice. They charge extra for white rice. Almost double price since covid. Will never return.

Found this restaurant using Trip Advisor, my always go to app for last minute real honest reviews on restaurants wherever I am at, and once again reviews did not disappoint. Best pork dumplings I’ve ever had, probably my favorite Chinese food item and the rest of the meal was also very delicious. I was at sight, a bit disheartened by the appearance of the fried rice as it was pale and very fluffy as compared to what I am used to seeing, but upon trying it my thoughts went to, may be I have had it wrong all along. Very tasty, light rice. Very pleased with the food and the staff, which allowed us to change tables as the first one was very drafty it being by the front door. Amazing considering they let us do that on a busy night.

Yummiest soup did molding if you like black truffle! Also recommend the scallion pancakes and the Szechuan dumplings.

We only had a 20 min wait to be offered back in to sit down so that was good. My mum and I had chicken and black bean plate with rice. It was fantastic. All full of flavour and no chilli which we don't like, so yeah, very good flavour. The chicken, rice and peppers were so good. Best one I've had to be honest. My wife had a large plate of vegatables with noodles, but what took her by surprise was the fact that half of the noodles were in fact crispy and she didn't like those, when she prefers soft noodles. Disappointing as the menu didn't state this either so the crispy noodles were wasted. Overall my mum and I loved it and my wife would try something else and we'd come back here for sure. Very nice food and good people.

It was the place of choice to eat when we were visiting China town as they had glorious reviews. We were asked to wait for an hour and we did wait. And when I asked about the vegetarian options the chef was rude and kind of told me they have nothing to offer. I felt they did not want us there. But since we had waited so long we decided to try the food. Food was fine but the way we were treated in start did not leave a good taste. Not for us to go back to Shanghai 21 again. We tried pan fried noodles and some other vegetarian dishes avaialble. Even they served us one dish less from what we had ordered.

We visited New York for 4 days and came across this restaurant while wandering through Chinatown. Popped in and it was busy but after a 5 minute wait we were seated. Staff friendly and happy to answer questions about the menu. We ordered sweet and sour chicken, chicken fried noodles and General Tso's Chicken which was the best Chinese dish I’ve eaten. Fresh, hot, tasty and reasonably priced, this place is definitely somewhere you should visit. I just wish I’d asked for the recipe.

Some of the best dumplings I've ever had! Stopped by with some friends and we munched on a bunch of em. We had 2 orders of the black truffle, crabmeat XLB's, pan fried pork dumplings, Cantonese hot and sour soup, Szechuan wonton dumplings. Flavors here are on point and definitely authentic. These dumplings are perfect in size and are delicious. The black truffle was amazing and has some rich flavor. The hot and sour soup is super spicy. The wonton dumplings look super hot, but they definitely were on the mild side. I'll mark this place down as a must visit from now on as the quality of dumplings here are at another level. The restaurant itself is kept pretty clean despite it being in Chinatown. Highly recommend this place if you're craving XLB's or some authentic Shanghainese dishes.

Probably the best Value Award in New York. Excellent food and fast service. It's a pleasure to find such a restaurant in a city where everything's overpriced. Award-winning.

Wonderful Chinese Food that was absolutely well prepared and tasty. Local Chinese highly recommended this restaurant and it was clear - they have a devoted following. Waiting for our table to accommodate 8 was well worth it. Highly recommend!

This restaurant received high reviews on Trip Advisor. We had lunch and the food was mediocre and they use paper plates and utensils. Not worth the money

We visited Shanghai 21 for lunch during a recent visit to NYC with our 14 year old granddaughter. The restaurant sits in the middle of Chinatown and, as one might expect, is fairly plain inside. Service was a bit brusque, but professional. We had various dim sum (ordered from the menu, rather than passed) to begin; they were delivered hot and tasty. We went on with General Tsao's chicken (we asked for it not too spicy, and they hit that standard very accurately), scallion pancakes and beef on pan-fried noodles. Each was excellent. All dishes were generously sized; finding we'd probably ordered too much we finished the leftovers for dinner a day or two later, when they were still very good. All three of us were very happy with Shanghai 21.

Average Chinese restaurant. Does not accept credit cards :) not sure what all the fuss. Food was ok.

I only had wonton soup- a large bowl of broth with 8 dumplings. It was good, but not great. This was just a light lunch. My daughter had beef lo mein, which I tasted. The sauce and noodles were good, but the beef was obviously marinated for way too long, giving it a very spongy, overly-tender texture which was nothing like beef should be.

We had three dishes on a weekday evening that was uneven at best. The eggplant and garlic sauce was the star of the 3 dishes. The eggplant was tender and sweet. The garlic sauce was well balanced and not over powering. The rice was cold and not cooked through. The pan fried pork dumplings were tasty but don't think you are in Shanghai, you are not. Forget about the noodles. All in all, good value for the cash.

excellent chinese found by chance walking simple and authentic tastes! recommended! excellent shrimp dumplin! fair price

Had read the reviews on this restaurant and it surpassed expectations. Ample choice to please all on the menu and food was fresh and tasted great. Ordered a few starters- chicken & corn soup, pork soup dumplings and spring rolls and all were great. Main courses were equally good. We were there as a family of 4 on a Saturday evening and had a wait of 20 mins so be prepared to wait a bit; no sure if they take reservations. Also, on the reviews it says it's a cash only restaurant but they do also take Amex. Parking on Mott street has improved as most of it is metered parking. If you don't want Chinese food, Little Italy is across the road!

Authentic and tasty, they serve really delicious soup buns, I also opted for the noodles with pork but that was not as good. They have a lot of options though so I'll need to sample more next time

I don't have a lot to compare to other than Din Tai Fung, but the pork dumplings at Shanghai 21 were the clear winner! Delicious!

We had a great lunch at Shanghai 21. Every dish was very well prepared. Had to wait a while for a table, but it was worth the wait. Will definitely come back. Highly recommended

Nice little restaurant in Chinatown. We almost didn’t go in, since we were running a bit low on cash and they only take cash or Amex. But we’re sooo glad we did. Everything was delicious! And it was very reasonably priced. We were early, before 6pm, so lucky to be seated almost straight away - there were queues not much later. We had the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), watercress and prawn dumplings, and Shanghai Lo Mein (noodles with shrimp, pork and veggies). The flavours were amazing and we’ll definitely be back. Service was understated and just right. Thanks!

Great place, quite cheap and the food is great, particularly recommend the pork soup dumplings and the crispy Szechuan beef! It’s busy so be prepared to wait!

We got there around 1 o’clock for lunch on a Wednesday, there was no waiting. The waiter was very efficient to get our drink, then take our order. The sour and sweet whole fish was good, especially the presentation. We haven’t had whole fish for years, we think we won’t order a whole fish again because you will have to be careful to take out all the fish bones. The shrimp and walnut was just the same as we had in other restaurants. The pork hock was good which I didn’t find in other Chinese restaurant I have been to. I am glad I tried something new.

We stumbled upon this place after a visit to Pace University. My wife looked this place up on Tripadvisor, so off we went to check it out. It was about a 15-minute walk to Chinatown. The place seemed to be a bit more on the modern side as far as decor. The wait staff seems to be in no hurry to wait on you or even follow back up to see if there is anything else you need or want. When our food came out it came one at a time, first my wifes, second my daughters, then my other daughter and mine came out about when they were all half way done with their meals....all I ordered was roast pork fried rice nothing difficult but it took them forever to make. Portions were okay but small for the area, in my opinion. If you go a few doors down, you can get double the portions at a fraction of the cost. This place was a bit pricey for the portions you received. $12 for roast pork fried rice. The dumplings were delicious, but like I said, you can find a much better bargin for your buck if you walk down a little further and go to one of the smaller no frills Chinese restaurants on the block. The service was okay but very, very slow. Overall, I won't be back. I will try another spot down the block from this place and see what happens. Try not to get caught up in the hype. Chinatown is a big area, so be adventurous and explore a little. Good eating, everyone.