Spicy Village Reviews

Had the big tray chicken, lamb huimei, and soup dumplings. All were very flavorful and satisfying. Service was efficient and you can BYOB with a $25 purchase. Fun place for a cheap dinner.

A friend directed us here and the hand pulled noodle dishes were great. I don't even like spicy food but was able to order the tomato and egg noodles and loved every bite. Note: bring your own beer, they only served tea and soft drinks.

Sooo delicious, soo authentic!! Great! We had seafood soup, spicy beef and chicken. Warning: cash only! But there was an ATM machine around the corner... so lunch was saved 😀

I had been meaning to visit Spicy Village for a while so I was so glad when my friend suggested we go the other day. The restaurant is hidden next to a park and very small and narrow inside. We visited around 6pm on a Saturday, and as predicted, there were about 5 people waiting for a table. For a group of four of us, it was about a 20 minute wait, and by the time we sat down, about 10 people were waiting. While we waited however – and I’m not sure if this is because my friends speak Chinese – we were able to place our order so that by the time we sat, it was about 30 seconds before our food arrived (we were starving). Of course, we had the Big Spicy Chicken (actually did live up to the hype – very moist and flavorful, lightly spiced, on the oilier side, even tasted like lamb at times). We also had delicious pork scallion pancakes, which were crispy and very tasty. All in all, it was the perfect Chinatown restaurant – no nonsense “décor” and service, very solid food, and so affordable. ENVIRONMENT: 3/5 FOOD: 4/5 SERVICE: 4/5 VALUE: 4.5/5 OVERALL: 4/5

This tiny restaurant packs huge flavor. When you get there, be prepared to wait for a table, but don't be deterred, it's worth it. The food is fantastic. There's. It big fancy about this spot. If you are looking for fine dining, don't come here. However, if you're looking for delicious, authentic food that won't break the bank...this is your spot. You may have to order by pointing at pictures, but you'll walk away full and happy. CASH ONLY...so be prepared.

This neat hole-in-the-wall place is authentic and is now pretty famous on youtube and has been reviewed by a number of high-profile bloggers, mainy for their 'Big Tray Chicken' dish which is a trough of noddles, chicken parts, potatoes in a cumin infused sauce. In my latest visit to NYC, I visited on a cold and wet weekday afternoon. The place is very small and compact and probably seats around 200 people across 5 or 6 tables. The place was full and this place has long queues during peak periods - the chances are, you are likely to have to share a table as the turnover of customers if full. I came for the 'Big Tray Chicken' but quickly realised (after seeing the neighbouring table have this served) that there was no way I would finish this. Instead I chose 2 x main dishes - a rice dish and a hand pulled noodles dish. Both came to $13 in total (which is still less than the Big Tray Chicken) which was cheap. Far too much food and I instantly regretted the decision when I saw 2 huge bowls arrive. The Noodles were excellent - fresh, authentic with great flavour. The sweet and spicy chicken dish was pretty average - chicken coated in batter with a stick sweet and spicy sauce served over rice. I visited again on another night and had the pulled noodles again. Definitely stick to the noodles if you come here - that is their speciality........anything else is like going to Mcdonalds and ordering salad!

I’m not into noodles of any kind and I still love this place. It is tiny and cozy; it feels as if you were at an authentic street food place in China. The service is friendly and attentive. Seriously, everything looks amazing. I had soup dumplings, lamb veggie soup, and spicy chicken platter. All very delicious and well priced. Next time I want to try the hand made noodles. A perfect place for a cold winter day in NYC.

Spicy Village is a tiny place with limited seating. Be prepared to share a table. The waitress are always nice, and the food comes out quickly. Bring a drink with you, or get one from the fridge yourself. We ordered the Big Tray Chicken with noodles as suggested. It was just okay, and definitely on the greasy side. Maybe I was expecting too much after reading the reviews. I love the egg and tomato hui mei. Tomatoes with scrambled eggs over hand pulled noodles. It's on the sweet side, just the way my mom makes it. We also ordered the pork and vegetable dumpling with lamb broth. It was mostly pork and the skin is too thick. The lamb broth is a big gamey, which I liked, but may not suit everyone. My kids loved the pork pancakes.

In Chinatown, NYC, there are lots of Chinese restaurants... ok, this is not a very good introduction, I know... 😂 Yet this is true. And finding the best option in all this offer is kind of mission impossible... Google is here to help, though, but does it really help? Well, somehow, it told me that, in the Lower East side, slightly outside of Chinatown, there is a small and affordable restaurant called Spicy Village that has good reviews. But I failed to see that the restaurant is always packed and that I would have to wait outside for... 45 minutes, maybe?.. because the venue is so small you can't barely move from the door to a table. The waitress initially told us there was no room and then she told us to wait... or so we thought, because we couldn't really understand what she told us and I'm pretty sure she didn't understand us either. Anyway, we managed to get inside and get a small table for the 3 of us (my wife, my son and I). And we started ordering. The tricky part was that my son does eat spicy food at all... but we basically ordered everything else. And it was way too much. It would have been nice if they had told us to stop before. But for the price, ordering too much wasn't really a big deal: we paid $50 for the 3 of us (no desserts... but none needed) and ate a lot. This is very cheap for NYC. And we ate good and unusual dishes. Honestly, next time, I'll probably get there at the opening time, but I will definitely go back. Just keep in mind that they don't accept credit cards... Quality & taste: 9/10 Quantities: 10/10 Atmosphere: 3/10 Originality: 9/10 Ratio price / quality: 10/10 Service: 2/10 How I felt afterwards: 9/10

I had read about Spicy Village being the #2 restaurant in Chinatown, and although I don't know if that's true, it was definitely excellent. I got the lamb noodles without soup, and the lamb wasn't that good at all, but the noodles were amazing. I think I'd recommend the noodles with soup, since the dry noodles tend to have pretty dry meat. A definite recommendation from me if you're in Chinatown.

Inexpensive, but interesting, Chinese food. Big tray chicken dish had a lot going on in it. No liquor license, but you can buy beer at a store down the street. The spicy dishes weren't tongue numbing. Service was efficient.

Spicy Village is the quintessential Chinatown Hole in the wall. This place is the opposite of frills, unless you call the adorable plastic chili peppers hanging around the restaurant "frills." The furniture is basic, the table cloths are plastic, and the lighting is fluorescent. All of the effort that didn't go into atmosphere went into the food. The dumplings, noodles, vegetables, and soups are just excellent. Everything is, as advertised, spicy, but without making you want to die. Spicy Village actually presents a logistical challenge in that everything is worth getting, but portion sizes are quite large. Fortunately they help with this by making it dirt cheap. A giant bowl of hui mei noodles with veggies will run you about $6 cash. At that price, you can't afford not to come back until you've given everything a try. The showstopper is the Spicy Big Tray Chicken, which is somehow exactly what it sounds like, and not what you are expecting. This is a Chinatown treasure and is not to be missed.

We found Spicy Village through a Bittman review. The tiny restaurant didn't disappoint. If you love spicy food and handmade noodles in a lively, friendly atmosphere this place will work. Be prepared to share a table with people from the neighborhood, but that just added to the fun and atmosphere. There is nothing fancy here, just spicy deliciousness! Check it out if you enjoy off-the-beaten-path eateries.

We visited Spicy Village after finding the directions to cheap, tasty authentic food online on a guide and we were not disappointed. The food was delicious, the portions huge and the prices were great, it's incredible to find such as value for money place in a city such as New York. We would thoroughly suggest anyone who likes authentic Chinese food to visit here and we plan on returning when in the city again.

Food was tasty, soup dumplings, pork dumplings, and scallion pancake. The restaurant only seats 20 people, but staff takes your order while you wait and it’s ready minutes after you sit. Would love to try some of the other items on next visit.

Following rather tasteless soup dumplings, we had the spicy chicken with an order of the hand pulled noodles. Yes it was spicy, but was one dimensional in flavor and the noodles undercooked and gooey. Overall very disappointing!

I have been to this restaurant twice and love it. I can't not order the pancake with pork. I like spicy food so I always pile on their homemade chili oil with some black vinegar. It's incredibly good. My husband has the Spicy Chicken Huimei. It's made with pulled noodles and is great too. This restaurant is known for its Spicy Big Tray Chicken and we will have it before we leave NYC. As lots of people order it, we've seen it and it's huge!

We stopped by after looking at Google to find a good Asian restaurant. We were not disappointed. The server was very friendly and helpful. We tried a variety of menu items from Pho to dumplings. We also tried some of the drinks, which the waitress told us were only available in Chinatown. Everything was very good and the price was reasonable. I highly recommend a visit and we will certainly be back !!!

People love to complain sometimes on these reviews as if they were experts on Chinese food. Having grown up in the LES and having very strong ties with Chinese cuisine, I would say Spicy village does a great job of serving delicious food inexpensively. If you are looking for a fine dining experience then go to a 4 star restaurants it's honey, mom/pop eatery and every time I've gone over the years the spicy chicken and the noodles have been cooked to perfection. If it's not spicy enough, here's a tip, put more of the spicy pepper oil on it or tell them you want it to spicy it will burn your tongue. From a native LES person who has seen the success of this tiny place, I'm happy for it and hope it doesn't lose it small hole in the wall magic.

A "hole in the wall" tiny restaurant, but good quality food, often rather spicy as the name indicates! I don't know which region of China is represented but there is heavy use of red peppers and star anis. The signature dish is the Spicy chicken - a platter that can feed at least 3 people! Also wonderful hand-pulled noodle soups (huemei) and "pancakes" that resemble fresh bread. Service is no-nonsense but still gracious!

I went here with high hopes expecting a decent meal. The staffs were very nice and accommodating. My overall impression is that this place is too expensive for what is on offer. The food is very average and nothing special, portions are small. On the upside the green vegetables are in plenty of supply. More like a tapas style. I would not recommend this place and I would not return.

It was a delicious lunch! We decided to get to know by the reviews and it was really nice to go to this small, typical and friendly restaurant. The menu has photos, which helps a lot those who are not familiar with the dishes to decide. Our choices were very nice, excellent prices for a city like NY. The environment is simple, I would say half tight, but it is part of the experience.

Open 10 30 am to 11 pm every day xc Sunday. wide noodles are good. Small setting, maybe 18 seats. Many dishes $5.50

Don't judge the ambience of the restaurant, but the food and services are amazing. I had it's famous spicy big tray chicken (yes, it's big. Serving for 2-3 people) and pancake with beef. Ask to add the hand pulled noodles just make it more awesome. I would come back again and try other dishes.

Real chinese food with cheap price! in NY You should book the table in advance. if not, you might wait an hour for dinner!!

Although it is a small place, it did not take for me and my friends (a party of three) to be seated. Food was also served fast. I had the dish number 26. It was great: I would recommend it, especially for the value.

Expect a hole in the wall with lots of locals. You have to ask for water if you want it, but they sell cold drinks - just get it from the fridge. Funny, no noodle dishes with pork! The beef was good, but I probably will get the veggies next time.

We came here the first night after flying for 40 hours ... we wanted something hot, and yummy and quick. There was a line queueing for a table here, and we thought this must be the spot. It was great. We have Chinese greens and black pepper beef. The flavours were amazing, and the meal was HUGE. Great value and great food. Loved it here! Just be prepared to queue for a table, there are only about 10 tables in the restaurant but the line does move quick!

This restaurant was a recommendation by a friend who lived in China based upon his friends recs. The price was crazy inexpensive and the food was amazing! Had the highly recommended pancakes, noodles with egg and tomato, cucumbers and spicy chicken. All were excellent. True to other reviews we waited on a table about 30 min at 7 on Thursday night but it was worth it.

We came here after reading the recent article in the NYTimes and of course ordered the big tray chicken. I did not see any of the magic combination of the ingredients working together. The only thing i agree with the NYTimes, watch out for chicken bone splinters. We also had some dumplings, in which the filling was good but the dough was way too thick.. The ambiance is as descibed in the Times, so i had no expecttations. The price was right.

We walked quite a ways to find this small place and waited almost an hour to get in. It's tight in there, but seems clean. The young lady who took reservations was highly capable and managed the crowd waiting outside. Now while this cozy place features authentic mid Chinese cooking, I did not fancy it. The lamb soup was not my thing. Pretty Gamey, The big chicken, their signature dish had strong strong spices that blew me away. Like eating a bay leaf type of power. So I would not go back. that being said, if you like authentic, then maybe this is your place. It was fun talking to other people waiting outside who were locals and fancied it.

True Chinatown experience. Service is typical for a whole in the wall. The steamed dumplings were great and the soup dumplings were fine but not as good. There were tables for about 10. Tables were messy but again was no surprise.

We loved it. My sister and I love to try new authentic food and we came to the right place. We wanted to try everything on the menu but it was so much food. We order the Spicy big tray of chicken w/noodles, the pork dumplings, and pork pancakes. Everything was so good. The spicy tray chicken w/noodles reminded me the spices in a hot pot I had when I was in China. The noodles were all hand made and was so tasty. It a very small place and it could get pretty busy. But we came at the right time so there wasn't a wait. If you really want some authentic chinese food, come and try this place. There's tons of food to try, but if you want eggrolls, this isn't the place for you.

My son recommended this place for lunch after some research. It took us more than 20 minutes to walk from WTC to this place. It was a nice walk through the Chinatown area. We nearly missed it as the outlet frontage was rather small. It was a small food outlet with sitting capacity of about 20. The interior was just basic, probably catering for the locals. But it seemed to attract some tourists. We ordered quite a fair bit of dishes for 4 from dumplings to noodles, pancakes, vegetables and their signature spicy chicken. The only dish that stood out was the spicy chicken. The dumplings, noodles, vegetables & pancakes were just OK. I have eaten enough of such dishes in China, Taiwan & Hong Kong to differentiate it. There was nothing magical about the food here except for the spicy chicken! However, to be fair to this outlet, this was not a fine dining place for Hunan food. It would be good for those who had not experience such food before. Don't get me the wrong, the food was OK but not exceptional. Besides, the menu prices were cheap by NYC standard. Our whole meal with the table full of dishes came out less than $50! We gave the owner a good tip and you can tell from her expression that she appreciated it. In my mind, I thanked them for working hard to provide a honest and affordable meals. Verdict : Cheap & Good Hunan Taste!

I came here for some tasty affordable food and I wasn't disappointed. I had 12 streamed dumplings for only $5. The nice owner of Off the Bridge Coffee down the street recommended this place (he fixes bicycles and sells Java).