Nom Wah Tea Parlor

“We visited just before noon on a Monday in June. There were plenty of tables available, but the restaurant did start to fill up after we arrived. My daughter and I ordered the egg rolls, turnip cake, pan fried dumplings, and shrimp dumplings. It was all delicious, filling, and very affordable for NYC. I would definitely visit again.”

“I had such a special experience at Nom Wah Tea Parlor. This historic restaurant, dating back to 1920, truly preserves its tradition and authentic flavors, which makes it incredibly unique. I felt so happy to be there, it’s not just a meal, but a memorable experience. Everything was delicious, but I absolutely loved the egg roll. It’s incredibly soft, made with a real egg wrapper, and simply exquisite. Everything was divine. A truly one-of-a-kind and delicious experience that I would highly recommend.”

“A super authentic Chinese restaurant, that doesn't necessarily justifies its amazing recommendations & Google Maps score, in my opinion. We came here for a light dinner on a weekday, the place was quite busy although it wasn't even 19:00pm, which I considered to be a good sign. Service was very fast but very rude, all of the waiters wear masks and if you're lucky enough to hear what they're saying, it's very hard to just understand. From the non-dumplings sections we had the Chinese broccoli (it was great, but kind of pricy) & the scallion pancake (super oily, I couldn't have more than just one bite, and it didn't have any flavor other than frying oil). From the dumplings section we ordered the steamed shrimp dumplings (these were probably the best part of our meal), the pan-fried pork dumplings (like the scallion pancake, these were super oily, but still pretty good after I tried absorbing most of the oil), the open chicken dumplings (they had a somewhat weird taste, didn't like these) and the pork soup dumplings (these were actually very good). The vibe was a bit weird at the restaurant, it was dark and steaming hot which also made it hard enjoying the food, and the restroom were just not clean and even a bit disgusting. Another important point is that they only accept cash (but to their credit, the waiter did mention that before he got us seated at a table). To conclude, if you're looking for a true Chinese experience from end to end, and don't care about the environment or service but just come for the food, I guess you can enjoy eating here, but personally I wouldn't come back.”

“I like the atmosphere here, as it’s something really gives you a sense of feeling to travel back into 60s’ Hong Kong, which is no longer existed in Hong Kong anymore. However, the food is a bit upset to me, given those dim sum are not very authentic and too oily. I did went to their Shenzhen branch, which surprisingly is better than the NY original store. In a way, it’s just not too worth to queue up for 30+ mins especially during winter.”

“The dim sum here is, unfortunately, aggressively mid. This place has been in Chinatown since I was a kid, and somehow that history is doing all the heavy lifting now. The line is usually out the door and packed with non locals. I never felt compelled to wait for food I can get literally anywhere else in Chinatown, so it was always a place I walked past without a second thought. I finally came in after watching a YouTuber promise great food and big portions.. they are average normal size btw. There was no line that day, thank god, because I would not voluntarily wait for this. The food is fine, not bad enough to send back, not good enough to remember, and absolutely not worth standing around for. There are plenty of nearby spots that are just as good, if not better, and cheaper, with no lines. Nom Wah feels like a textbook tourist trap for young out of towners checking Chinatown off a list. And the ha gow (shrimp dumplings) my favorite basic dim sum item was abysmal. The skin was too chewy and hard. I've had better frozen ones from the supermarket. The only thing I enjoyed was that it wasn't as noisy as a typical dim sum restaurant. But I guess this place will once again be exactly what it always was for me, somewhere I walk past and never step into.”