August Gatherings Restaurant

Food is amazing but they need to work on their customer service skills. The waiter we had was a bit rude and was in a rush to get our orders. We hadn’t even looked at both menus (lunch and regular) before he asked if we were ready. Gave us all attitude as if we were a problem. They brought out the food one dish at a time for different people in the group and they didn’t like that we asked for duck sauce and napkins. No water served and the «homemade lemonade» was a spoon of sugar in water with two small lemon slices, that’s not homemade lemonade that’s water with lemon and sugar. It wasn’t until they realized that I was on Unilocal about to review them that the entire wait staff began being overly nice. I give the food 4 stars and the service 1 star.

This place is one of those chinese restaurant catering to white people, specifically the tourists.
For seating, a table can be mix and match with other strangers, which I can fully accept and work with. Some people might not like that, but for me it was okay.
I went in for a quick lunch meal so I ordered the quick standard lunch dish with meat hanging from the storefront. I’ve ordered this dish from other places, and other places offer vegetables to balance the meal. The place doesn’t have as much to offer, in terms of meat and vegetables for a well balanced diet.
TL;DR: For the same price, you can find better alternatives than this tourist trap. Yes it is a tourist trap.

Got tomato with beef over rice. Their lunch container is divided so rice on one side and tomato&beef on the other. Well under the side where it suppose to be tomato and beef, there’s a lot of rice. It’s such a disappointment since I used to go there for years for breakfast and lunch a lot. Won’t go there again.

Wish there was an option for ZERO stars. Ordered a chicken lunch special and there was a strand of hair nestled between the chicken and vegetables. I brought this to the attention of a waiter and he claimed that it’s MY hair. The hair in my meal was black, and my hair is at least 3 shades lighter. When I told the waiter that it wasn’t my hair, he was argumentative and said it’s mine. My husband told the waiter that it isn’t my hair b/​c it’s a different color. Seriously?!! Things like these happen in restaurants, but I don’t want to be told that it’s my hair when it’s not!
The waiter removed the hair from my meal and then placed it back on the table. He said I won’t be charged for the plate and asked i wanted to order something else. I was quite astonished when he put the plate back on the table — gross. I asked for it to be taken away and did not order another meal.
What a terrible experience! Never going back here again.

This has become one of my favorite lunch spots when I work in the area… the waiters even know my face now.
Staff is friendly — if you speak English it’s fine, they all speak English too. If you try to mix in a little Chinese, that’s even better: P Ambiance is great too, it’s much nicer looking than your typical restaurant in the area. I kind of love watching the occasional cooking show on their tv on one of the walls, haha. The menus are pretty nice looking as well.
Food is great! I have not tried the American-​style dishes but those have plenty of reviews already. My favorite is bass fillet with vegetables and rice — not the deep fried one. SO delicious and fresh tasting, and so budget friendly. Very generous for 1 person, and good to share too if you come with a friend.
2 other favorite orders are roast pork over rice (tsa siew fan; also great w/​a friend egg!) and roast duck over rice… two Cantonese classics that they do pretty damn well.
Nice décor, friendly staff, good food, great prices… overall it’s become one of my favorites.

Authentic cantonese food and super delicious!!! The service was good and servers were very friendly! I would definitely recommend people try this place!

I had two different Orders,
Sesame chicken was good,
The duck was cold and not fully cooked.
The service was ok, when I asked for the check the guy gave it to me and did not want to give me my change because «It was his tip» he was very disrespectful, no manners which made me wanna get my change back. But either way he did not want to give it to me, I could of called the cops but I just left the restaurant. Won’t ever come back again. THEY FORCE YOU TO TIP THEM, THERE ARE MANY MORE OTHER RESTAURANTS WHICH ARE BETTER, food wise and customer service wise.

At the gate to Chinatown this restaurant stands out of its neighborhood not only by the highly professional La Marzocco espresso machine.
I only had starters on my (first) visit.
The shrimp dumplings were great. My order was a set of three — with different flavors added (wasabi, saffron, plain).
The quality of the dumpling both «outside» and filling was very good and the additional flavors not too intense. Great!
Remark: It was later in the evening when I visited first time. Therefore no coffee tasted — I have to return…

Pretty good change from the original Canal’s Best it used to be. They definitely spruced the place up under new management — looks a little more high end, albeit still a small place. Very clean and organized, a more attentive staff, friendlier service, new menus with plenty of pictures, and… smaller portions/​higher prices. But the food comes in nicer bowls!
However, I like the ambiance better, and the fact that the waiters look at you and talk to you without showing signs of annoyance or impatience. It’s easy to communicate with the waiters, because they all spoke English — some better than others, but you can definitely order without playing a game of charades. IF all else fails, repeat yourself, and point at the menu item and pictures! It’s the little things that make the difference — bring you a soda, they also bring a cup of ice and a straw. They don’t toss the can and run away, but the guy actually stayed there to open our cans and pour it for us.
They let us eat in peace, meaning they didn’t offer us a check when we were halfway through our meal… which has happened before at other establishments, even when NOT crowded.
Food quality was OK. here’s what we got: (I came on two separate occasions, and the service was the same, so I decided to just review all the food in one post).
Spring rolls — 2 for $ 3. Had no filling inside, and when I took a bite of one, the inside was almost completely hollow. But had a nice crunch, so if you want something deep fried to dip in a sweet sauce, this is the thing to get.
General Tso’s — Tender chicken, but fatty bits. Didn’t seem as crunchy or deep fried, which I liked. The sauce was plentiful at the bottom of the bowl with broccoli, but it was too spicy for my liking.
Pork Lo-​mein — Not oily or salty, which was a surprise for this kind of dish. Actually a bit dry.
Beef chow fun — Pretty standard, the dry sauce kind, not overly salty. Beef slices were tender.
Beef Pan fried noodles — crispy, delicious noodles, but the gravy sauce was so salty.
Mayonnaise shrimp/​walnuts and broccoli — Big shrimps, with plenty of mayo, but they added their own twist of using orange and it skewed the taste.
Whole crispy cod — OK, seriously, what a rip off! They deep fried the bones, so the presentation was nice and tossed on a bunch of veggies, but the actual fish itself wasn’t even on the bones. It was basically small pieces heavily deep fried in batter, to the point you didn’t taste anything but soggy, salty breading. That was definitely not a whole fish, or even half the fish. What a way for them to cut costs, at $ 29.00. They have a pricier version of that ridiculous fish dish, if we opted to have truffles on them.
Chilean Sea Bass — pan fried, over a bed of green Chinese veggies, and the pieces were two tiny, thin ones, that were a bit overcooked. A good amount of truffle shavings over the fish, but it didn’t make up for the sub par quality of the fish either.
Expensive — I would come again if I didn’t want to travel anywhere further for the same type of food/​quality (which I could get for ¹⁄₃ the price). I happened to be next door doing my taxes with a family friend, and it was too cold and late after a long work day to walk elsewhere. Definitely steep, given the area and type of food. First time I came, the lo mein, the spring rolls, General Tso’s chicken, and mayo/​walnut shrimp was around $ 60 after tip. The second time I came for dinner, it was around $ 85 before tip but that included two fish dishes. You could go elsewhere in Chinatown for the same exact dishes, and a larger portion that could yield leftovers.
3 stars for being able to eat in peace, nice waiters/​staff, a cleaner establishment compared to typical Chinese restaurants.

Reliable choice for lunch special in Chinatown. A notch above divier places in terms of décor, and definitely tourist-​oriented, but they do the basics well. Also a dollar or two more than comparable joints. On my jury duty list of go-​to Chinese lunch places. Can’t speak for the dim sum.

I was really hoping to find just ONE good dim sum place here in Manhattan. Alas, it was not to be found here at August Gatherings. They served typical greasy, intro-​to-​dimsum fare, wholly lacking in authenticity and creativity. It didn’t help that when we went there was a group of servers sitting at an adjacent table sorting through vegetables.
Oy.

Dislike
Not authentic
But still lots of people here for dim sum
Why?
Cuz they hate waiting for another hours with a hungry stomach

This place is great and super underrated.
I won’t digress too much but the xo fried rice here is very legit. We also ordered the truffle lobster which is out of the norm in a very good way. Truly enjoyed our dinner here, service was also top-​notched. Very happy to see more creative restaurant like this popping up at Chinatown.
You should also order the soup dumpling, you could really tell that the dumpling is homemade and definitely no msg taste to the soup broth. Well worth the price!
Will come back soon. Loved it!

Came in for a light dim sum and also I wanted to see how this place is after revamped and with new management. With this renewal, service has gotten better, meaning what you expect outside Chinatown, and my waiter was fluent in English. Quality and price seems to be higher. My waiter was overly nice that made me uncomfortable eating quick lunch by myself.
I ordered one small plate from Dim Sum, Har Gow. This Steamed clear dumplings were slightly bigger than what I’m used to and packed with shrimp. It was pretty good.
The space is dark as before but the front area that serving takeouts, and baked goods are still busy and bright as usual. I wanted to try their well received pork filled pineapple buns or Marco Polo to go but they only serve it after 2PM (?). I have to come back soon.

A really unique hybrid Cantonese restaurant (and an atypical name for a Chinese restaurant) with a bakery section up front selling things like macaroons and a traditional Cantonese restaurant in the back.
The interior is gorgeous and aptly decorated. We were seated immediately for lunch, but since we were just a party of two, we were seated at a large circular table with another small party of four. We didn’t mind being seated with strangers, but just know that this could happen.
Service was very direct and typical for a Chinese restaurant. The menu was extensive and there are also lunch special items.
I ordered the roast duck and my friend a sauteed pork dish, both of which came with mountains of steamed white rice. We also ordered fried calamari to share. The food was excellent!
Prices reasonable but wouldn’t call it inexpensive. Portions good. Above average atmosphere/​ambiance/​interior, but with average service.

One day in the summer, I was strolling along Canal street in Chinatown, and stumbled upon this fascinating restaurant. The interior décor captivated me and I was tempted to try my luck with the food there. It is for the most part empty — I guess because it’s nothing amazing. I realized that when I tasted the food there. Things are reasonably priced, which I always look for. However, the food was just… bland… for some reason. I ate here two more times after that, and my opinion hasn’t changed. Maybe their food is only good in August, since they’re called August Gatherings. Nevertheless, I may or may not come back again.

Underrated spot for dim sum but now my new favorite. They have the pineapple roasted pork buns!!! I’ve been searching for them everywhere since eating them in Hong Kong. They’re called Marco Polo buns here and are not to be missed.
All in all solid food. They actually have egg tarts unlike Nom Wah and Red Egg and their tofu rolls and shumai are especially fresh.
Service can be a little pushy but I won’t hold it against them. They also do takeout.

This is a nice mix of an American and Chinese restaurant. The front of the restaurant is a like a little coffee shop. They serve coffee, macaroons, donuts, and etc. The back of the restaurant is a dine in Chinese restaurant.
The atmosphere makes the restaurant feels very classy although it’s very causal. They had nice soft music playing in the background which you can hear, but does not interrupt with the conversations you are having.
The food were delicious. It was my grandfather’s birthday; therefore, we ordered around ten dishes family style. Every dishes were really great, I had no complaints. I do wish I took some pictures because each dishes were designed neatly and nicely. Great appearance. Sadly, we were all too hungry.
This place is worth a try considering it’s particularly always a full house every time we come for family dinner! :)

Situated on the busy streets of Chinatown, August Gatherings can be easily overlooked as you walk along Canal Street.
For Mother’s Day I wanted to take my mama out to a Cantonese style dinner but I wanted a place that had an elegant touch which is what drew me to August Gatherings.
The shrimp dishes were my favorite. The tri color dumplings were delightful each one was quite unique in flavors. If you like the shrimp dumplings served at dim sum places, I highly recommend it.
The wasabi glazed shrimp was sweet and savory. The wasabi flavor wasn’t too empowering. The wasabi mayo balances out the savoriness in this dish.
Pineapple pork buns were interesting, again sweet and savory combination. The pork inside is the BBQ pork that’s usually served over rice. It goes by the name of cha siew. I wish the meat was caramelized so the buns would be sweeter.
The steak was alright, it was a thick cut. The meat was a bit tough but not bad for a Cantonese restaurant.
I can’t speak much for the peasant snow pea shoots, I’m usually not a fan of vegetable casserole cantonese dishes but this wasn’t bad. It was very soupy and the sauce was kind of thick but it was a light dish with milder flavors compared to the other things I had.
If you’re looking for modern Cantonese inspired cuisine, look no further!

********************** REVIEW AS TAKE OUT *********************
— Used to be Canal Street Seafood Restaurant, but now is under new Management, all renovated (Cuisine). and Same Staff.
Back in the days (well last year 2014) I usually come here to get my $ 5.00 Breakfast which includes Shrimp or Beef Noodle ($ 2.50) (Cantonese for «Har Cheung» or «Ngau Cheung», Regular «BO Lo Bao» Pineapple Bun that cost ($ 1.00) and a Milk Tea «Lai Char» ($ 1.00). Sometimes Congee, Other inexpensive meal (Char siu, Fried Sesame ball, Lo Mein, etc).
Now… I still can get that but they also serve a bigger selection of Coffees (By La Colombe) and Teas, DOUGHNUTS by DOUGH, Macarons. And a fancier selection of entrees.
Now… I have found a really good and FRESH «DAN TAT» here! They make it Fresh, and hot…
I will come back here to try their Dinner Menu. Sorta Cantonese /​American /​Fusion Style with a reasonable price.
*********************Bring Cash, They don’t take CC*****************