Hop Shing Restaurant

Very crowded communal dining during both lunch and dinner hours, I’m not too into that but if you don’t care it would be okay. My party of 4 shared Vegetable Rice Noodles, Roasted Pork Buns, Peking Pork Chop over rice, and Fish Fillet with vegetables over rice, and the soup of the day. Unfortunately, all of the food we received were quite bland and there was barely any difference in taste. The over rice dishes were also on the dry end… not what you’d expect with those dishes. Our server also did not know what the soup of the day was, we were just told that it is whatever it is.
Service was quick and efficient but I don’t think I’m a fan, especially since there are so many other choices in the area.

One of the tastiest and cheapest restaurants in. c-​town that’s worth it’s salt or MSG.
This place has stood the test of time in rise and fall of Chinatown. My dad use to come here in the 60’s as a trouble making teenager growing up in c-​town. Now this is my go to shop for fast and delicious dim sum as well as affordable yet satisfying rice plates (top picks: salt and pepper pork chop, char siu egg sauce, & mince beef and peas).
The servers are friendly but won’t treat you like their BFF so I suggest precision ordering and a timely exit (especially during the dim sum weekend rush).
Best time to come is during the weekday and grab a table for lunch or dinner and have some old school homestyle dishes and if you’re lucky grab a char siu bao that’s made fresh daily!

They offer baked dim sum items for takeout and have arguably the best baked pork buns in all of NYC (and therefore probably the entire western hemisphere).
Haven’t had a sit-​down meal here or really any other menu items so I’m resisting giving them 5 stars.
Food is best enjoyed with a Cantonese translator in tow.

I love this place. There is always a line for the amazing pork bun and their pineapple bun– tasty, doughy, glutinous– delicious. Their pork buns are the best in chinatown! This is totally an authentic place for awesome take out dim sum. can sit in as well– limited selection but has the basics– shu mai, shrimp and beef rice logs. They have old fashioned booths that are falling apart but that adds to the crazy authentic charm. I love sitting in the front on the swivel bar stools to eat my shu mai amongst old chinese men while drinking a cup of milk tea loaded with cream. If you do not have time to wait for a seat– just wait in line for take out– it’s worth it– that is what everybody is doing when you see people spilling out the front door.

The food is authentic, delicious and cheap. Service is bare. Know that ahead of the time and you will have no expectations.
If you are eating in, go seat yourself at a communal table if no one seats you. This is a busy place, so expect to wait. No it is not a four star michelin restaurant so don’t expect that kind of service. Take hipster, no gluten, diet specific attitude to Nom Wah please. Please please stay away.
If you are adventurous and looking for cheap good food, come! Generally, they will deliver pot of tea. You can ask for Green Tea, Chrysanthymum, Jasmine, Pu-​ehr, but if you don’t specify they will bring you tea and you are charged by the person.
Go for the Roast pork buns, slippery noodles (comes with beef, or shrimp), coconut bun, Lotus Leaf wrapped rice– enough for a huge meal for one, shareable for two; shrimp balls (har gowe), bean curd wrapped pork, steamed spareribs, fried taro balls (with meat filling) and my fav: shrimp paste stuffed Chinese mushroom. Their coffee is good and strong and served with half and half and a good deal. You can get a sparerib/​chicken/​beef over rice for $ 4 and save for lunch at breakfast take out;.Stick it on a radiator and it will keep warm. That is what the sewing factory workers to.
for lunch get curry beef– served with tendon and chewy but delicious, or lotus leaf rice (which they run out of before lunch sometimes).
If you are taking out, get in line (which starts at the cash register). Know what you want and don’t ask lots of questions. And call in your special order rather than make everyone wait wait wait!!! See that long line??? Cheap but good, and worth the wait. Leave attitude outside the door, please.

The dim sum at Hop Shing is among the best, not just locally but globally. My business travel has allowed to sample dim sum at top restaurants in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, London, San Francisco and LA. Hop Shing remains a favorite. It’s offerings are narrower than at other dim sum joints, but the quality of what they do offer is tops. These include their baked cha sui bao (bbq pork buns), shrimp cheung fun, ribs with black beans, and the lotus leaf wrapped stuffed rice.
The small restaurant is very basic in décor and not all that inviting, especially as you often have to work you way past the constant long lines of people buying dim sum to take out. And most often our party is the only non-​oriental element in the place. And it is always good advice to follow the natives in choosing a restaurant. Hop Shing also maintains the now seldom-​followed tradition of using dim sum carts. The very good food is accompanied by very reasonable prices, and that accounts for the huge demand (mostly take out) for their food. But I would eat there at twice the price.

the coconut bread they have is great! nice and warm mmmm. haven’t been here for dim sum or dinner but the store looks pretty packed. I waited around 10 mins to get my bread, as the line for the baked/​steamed goods was quite long as well. would recommend the coconut bread (ji Wei bao) and the egg tarts (Dan ta)

I’ve been back here several times and it’s never disappointed. Great dim sum and easily one of the more affordable options. I also highly, highly recommend their steamed pork buns, which you’ll have to ask your server for. They’re probably the best I’ve ever had.
When you first come in, make sure to directly signal to an employee that you want to be seated, otherwise you might never get seated. If you’re in a small group there’s a good chance you’ll have to share a table, but in my experience that adds to the fun.

This is one of my favorite places to go for dim sum. My parents used to take me here when I was a kid. If you are not Chinese and it is your first time, I highly recommend going with a local friend. The wait staff doesn’t speak English and you are not going to get the service that you are used to getting as a westerner.
Nevertheless, it’s simple and traditional dim sum. I particularly like the coconut buns (gai mei bao).

Hop Shing is quite the neighborhoody dim sum joint in Chinatown where you will find many frequent customers. The place gets a little intimidating for those not familiar with Cantonese restaurants, and many will likely even find the service terrible when compared against Western standards, especially when one doesn’t speak Cantonese, but you will definitely get an authentic Cantonese restaurant experience. The best way to get a great experience here is to order the food directly from the ladies passing by with the carts, and enjoy your food leisurely while awaiting for the next cart to come by. Don’t be tempted to rush it ordering a bunch of dishes, for that’s not the Cantonese way of enjoying dim sum. The 2 items you can’t miss are the «char siew sou» (i.e. roasted pork pastry) and the «gai mei bao» (i.e. cocktail bun). The cocktail bun is probably the best in New York.
Don’t bother with Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Come here.

Horrible service, if you can even call it that. Food was ok but definitely not worth sitting around for. Could have walked out without paying, is how much attention that paid us.
Go somewhere else in Chinatown there are so many amazing spots.

This place holds near and dear to my heart as I have been coming here since I was a child. The food here I would say is one of the best in Chinatown. The rice plates are delicious and cheap about $ 5-​$ 6. The dim sum is about $ 2/​dish. The dinner entrees about $ 12 – 25 depending if you get veggies, meat, or seafood.
Don’t come here for the ambience because you won’t find much except for an old school Chinese restaurant with dated décor and their regulars made up of the elderly, families, and the usual work crowd. If you can let the appearance get past you, you will be in for a treat!
Make sure to get the baked roast pork buns ($ 1) because that’s one of their most known items!

If you’re craving some dim sum, this place will definitely satisfy your cravings. At this no frills restaurant, you will sit at a large round table that you will share with other people. It helps immensely if you speak Mandarin or Cantonese because I think most of the servers don’t speak English, or speak very little English. They do push around carts with food so you can just point, but they don’t necessarily bring everything over by cart, so you can order what you want and they will bring it to you. I will try to write out the Mandarin (my pinyin is really bad), but it’s just so you can get the idea and so you are well equipped to order what your heart desires.
Favorite things to order in the order that I love :
Turnip cake — luo buo gao
Shrimp wrapped in thin rice cake — xia chong fun
Stuffed with meat buns — row bao
Chicken feet — ji jwa zi

Hop Shing is really cheap for dim sum and for entrees. Came on a Saturday for lunch so of course it was packed. We ended up sharing a table with a nice older Chinese couple who explained the unfamiliar dishes to us. They have carts, but they don’t go around serving people. You have to order the dim sum items you’d like instead.
The dim sum was a bit below average I think, but worth it’s significantly lower price point. Pork buns were really good, my parents later told me we used to get them here when I was a kid. We also ordered a combo special and a soup. Beef noodle soup was passable, but not great. The salt and pepper pork chops with rice special is probably one of the best lunches you can get for $ 5. I’d come back for their combo specials

I’ve been coming to this restaurant since I was a kid for both dim sum and dinner. The food here has been stellar throughout the years.
The fresh baos sell out quickly here. Love the big baos (it’s filled with pork, Chinese sausage, and egg). I get super happy whenever the waiters push a cart laden with these fresh from the steamers! The baked or steamed char sui baos and the coconut buns are delicious. The waiters bring out trays of these continuously.
Dim sum is good and relatively cheap. Beef balls, cheung fun, sui mei, har gai, chicken feet, fried shrimp balls, egg tarts are all delicious comparable to other restaurants.
Dinner items are good, taste just like home cooking. Dinner for 2 was about $ 30. Ordered the fried flounder and muscle pot.

I am back again and enjoying the buns. Chicken feet were some of the best I have ever had. This is my place in Chinatown. I am in debt to the old lady that showed me where to eat. Pork chop are good!
You will be happy.

Always crowded. The staffs always have an attitude about almost everything. Then again, given the amount of customer and the crowd in that restaurant, it is more than likely you’ll be ignored or some attitude will be thrown at you. It’s ALWAYS busy since the early mornings. It’s chaotic whenever I walk by the restaurant. When I’m inside, there’s barely any room to even stand. The line for the fast service dim sum always reaches towards the entrance of the door and beyond.
Their food is just about the same as any other dim sum place. It’s basic dim sum that you would find in any Chinese restaurants.

Hop Shing may not look like much from the outside (or from the inside for that matter), but it is hands down my favorites in NYC Chinatown tea house.
The restaurant is known for its baked roast pork buns, but the dim sum and their noodle dishes are also «the bomb». Everything I have had over the years has always fresh, piping hot and bursting with flavor. More so, it may very well be one of the best deals in the entire city. I went with my Mom for dim sum today and our bill was $ 8.40…for the both of us! How can you beat that?
The place mostly filled with a cast of local characters and with most of the dim sum dishes range in price from $.90-​$ 2.10. At these prices, how can you not come here everyday? If you are ever in Chinatown, stop by for breakfast or lunch. Just remember that before you leave, be sure you pick up at least a dozen buns and pastries. At $.90 a piece, how can you not?! Bonzai!

There is no shortage of dim sum places in Chinatown, but we keep coming back to this one! The food is delicious, the portions are huge. We consistently feed three people brunch for less than $ 20. Try the steamed buns here! Whatever your dim sum desires are, Hop Shing has the standard fare, and at a good price.
What this place is not good for: dates (it’s noisy, crowded, and not very romantic to say the least…), shy people (you really have to shout to get a server to come to you), dieters (Chinatown in general is a dangerzone). Also, come earlier for a greater variety of food! They can still get you mostly what you want by 1 — 2 PM, but you’ll have to wait a lot longer for it, and that makes for one hangry party.

My dad learned how to make dim sum here before opening up his own spot on Mott (he’s retired and the restaurant is no longer there). I grew up coming by here and eating the steamed/​baked roast pork buns and the dai bao (big bun) which has a piece of Chinese sausage, apiece of hard boiled egg, chicken and pork wrapped up in a fluffy steam bun.
Childhood memories aside, these buns are awesome. I don’t typically stick around for the other food though (no time). It’s not fancy, but it’s old school and simple. Don’t bring your hipster attitude here.