Few foods kill hunger quite like a solid batch of dumplings, be they boiled or fried, filled with vegetables, meat, shrimp, or a combination of sorts. And though there's nothing wrong with reserving dumplings for a late-night or hungover feast (hi, Vanessa's!) this city is full of delicious high and lowbrow dumplings just waiting to fill you up with dough, pork and chives. Here are our favorites; as always, leave yours in the comments.
PROSPERITY DUMPLING: This Chinatown storefront may look dingy, but inside it harbors some of the cheapest, most delicious dumplings on Earth. Prosperity's menu isn't extensive, but the chive and pork dumplings are not to be missed, regardless of whether you prefer them boiled ($2 for 8) or fried ($1 for 4). The tiny dough pockets envelop steaming, delectable insides that will sate even the most staunch dumpling non-believers. You can also opt for pork and veggie dumplings or standalone boiled vegetable offerings, but seriously, try the chive unless there's absolutely no way you can stomach meat.
Prosperity Dumpling is located at 46 Eldridge Street between Canal and Hester Streets in Chinatown (212-343-0683, prosperitydumpling.com).
SHANGHAI CUISINE 33: Xiao long bao—commonly known as soup dumplings—are some of the best dumplings out there, provided they are not too thin-skinned, don't break and don't burn your tongue at first bite. Shanghai Cuisine 33's xiao long bao all live up to these specifications; the wrappers are thin but supple, the crab/pork soup is super flavorful and the price—$6.95 for six dumplings in a bamboo basket—is on the nose. If you prefer pork-only dumplings, they run $4.95 per six, but, frankly, missing out on the crab is like going to Rome and refusing to order anything other than plain spaghetti.
Shanghai Cuisine 33 is located at 57-33 Main Street in Flushing, Queens (718- 353-5791, shanghaiasiancuisine.com).
WHITE BEAR: Spice fiends flock to this teensy Flushing spot, whose spicy wontons doused with chili pepper are famed for burning up mouth after mouth. $5 gets you a Styrofoam plate packed with 12 of these delicately-wrapped little guys, which come piping hot and stuffed with pork and chive. Best of all, the whole shebang comes topped with hot chili oil guaranteed to set your stomach aflame. Skip the hot sauce and eat fast, before a shop employee starts haranguing you to make space for the other masochistic customers.
White Bear is located at 135-02 Roosevelt Ave in Flushing, Queens (718-961-2322).
LAM ZHOU HANDMADE NOODLE: Find the shark-bitten sandwich board on East Broadway. Duck in and place an order of fried dumplings with your vegetable hand-pulled noodle soup. Grab yourself a Coke from the cooler. Cringe less each time the SMACK of the hand pulled NOODLE man jars your WORDS with his MAGIC. Squint through the steam of the giant plate of piping hot dumplings. Pour soy and vinegar and sriracha and pepper oil like you're Pollack. Feel each toothsome, savory bite remind you why you love Chinatown so much you could cry. Pay your $3.50 plus tip. Get a beer at 169 Bar. (Chris Robbins)
Lam Zhou is located at 144 East Broadway between Pike Street and East Broadway in Chinatown (212-566-6933).
PACIFICANA: This Sunset Park eatery is known for its dim sum, and while we're big fans of their bean curds, noodles and unique seafood dishes, the dumplings here are the best of the bunch. Like Shanghai Cuisine 33, Pacificana serves a stellar soup dumpling ($12.95), piping hot and packed with crab flavor—if that price turns you off, note that it includes a 12 inch bamboo plate FILLED with these bad boys, so you can make a meal of them or share them 'round if you so choose. Beyond the xiao long bao, the restaurant serves everything from pan fried pork dumplings ($3.50) to fried wontons ($6.95).
Pacificana is located at 813 55th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn (718- 871-2880).
KAI FENG FU DUMPLING HOUSE: Another Sunset Park stronghold, Kei Feng Fu's fried dumplings are worth a trip to pre-hip Brooklyn. This storefront deals in the cheap stuff, with crispy fried pork-and-leek dumplings running $1 for 4. Other offerings include pork and celery, pork and shrimp, vegetable, and chicken & mushroom. Fried dumplings are thick, hot and crunchy, just like they should be; steamed counterparts are flavorful, appropriately doughy and made fresh, never frozen.
Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House is located at 4801 8th Ave between 48th and 49th Streets in Sunset Park, Brooklyn (718-437-3542).
TASTY DUMPLING: Another fried dumpling standby, this Chinatown shop stays true to its name, whipping up tasty, crispy little creations for a pittance. Thick-skinned dumplings run the gamut from basic fried pork and chive ($1.25 for five) to mushroom and chicken ($3 for 8) to boiled shrimp and chives ($3 for eight). All dumplings are handmade on the premises, and though the restaurant's interior is nothing to look at, despite a recent renovation, you can pull up a chair at one of their few tables or grab a serving to go.
Tasty Dumpling is located at 42 Mulberry Street between Mosco and Bayard Streets in Chinatown (212-349-0070, tastydumplingnyc.com).
XI'AN FAMOUS FOODS: Xi'an Famous Foods has made a name for itself in this city, rapidly expanding from a small bubble tea shop in Flushing to a fully-fledged local chain, with eateries in three boroughs. And though they're known for a number of their delectable dishes—their hand-pulled noodles, for instance—few foods in the city hold a candle to their spicy & sour lamb dumplings, available at select locations. These lamb meat-stuffed, boiled darlings are fat and fiery, smothered in hot and sour sauce and sprinkled with parsley.
Xi'an Famous Foods has four restaurants in Manhattan, two in Queens and one in Brooklyn, but the lamb dumplings are not availabe in Flushing or in Midtown. Visit their website for details.
