Nom Wah Tea Parlor – Great dining in New York City’s Chinatown

The Chinatown section of New York City is a densely populated neighborhood packed with authentic Chinese and Southeast Asian dining experiences. Not sure you would have a bad experience anywhere that you go, but I am so glad Nom Wah Tea Parlor was recommended to us. We never would have found it otherwise and it was the find of a lifetime.

Life itself cannot give you joy, unless you really will it. Life just gives you time and space … it’s up to you to fill it.

Chinese Proverb

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, opened in 1920 and is the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant in New York City. They are located at 13 Doyers Street on an adorable little side street. You almost want to call it an alley but it is prettier than that with all the beautiful lanterns hanging overhead.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor has other locations: Nom Wah Nolita is fast-casual restaurant in the the Nolita neighborhood (North of Little Italy), Nom Wah at the Market Line and Nom Wah Philadelphia which is a more modern version of the original in appearance but the food is the same quality that you expect

I have never tried Dim Sum before but it was on my bucket list and oldest daughter did not disappoint by bring us here. She knew Nom Wah Tea Parlor was the place to go and that I would love it. She made sure that we made time to go there on our most recent trip to New York City. We had beautiful weather so we walked from the lower east side and it was very enjoyable. Lots to see!

They open at 11 am and we got there a little before. There was a short line already waiting for them to open. I believe there is usually a line so be prepared for that. But it moves quickly and is so worth it. This is not a fancy restaurant, they have been open and operating since 1920 and the line is out the door so you know it is going to be great. This is not a tourist trap and you can tell immediately. Nom Wah Tea Parlor is very reasonably priced. We had five people and it was only about $100 before tip. For New York City that is a steal. But please note and prepare:

THEY ARE CASH ONLY!

My daughter and her boyfriend were given the task of ordering because they were more familiar than us and I am glad we left it to them. Some of the items we ordered I never would have tried and I would have missed out. We just said “surprise us.

The final decision was: House special roast pork buns, Chicken soup dumplings, Turnip cake with XO sauce, Pan fried noodles in superior soy sauce, pan fried pork dumplings, Chinese greens in oyster sauce (It was bok choy) and hot tea (not sure which one we got, I believe it was Oolong).

First off the Chinese greens in oyster sauce.. this was so good. I could have eaten just this and been happy. I never would have ordered it in a million years. How did I go my whole life not knowing about this? I need to figure out how to make it at home. In addition, the turnip cake with XO sauce is another item I knew nothing about and I will be getting that again. It was all so amazing and I just learned you can order some of their food and have it shipped nationwide at Good Belly. I will be trying that out also. They have gluten-free dumplings available for delivery!

I always appreciate restaurants that are allergy friendly and I like to support them on the restaurant review section of my blog, so check them out here at Sunday Chefs.

Tompkins Square bagels

Tompkins Square Bagels NYC – A must see!

Our daughter lives in New York City and we are having the best time visiting her and letting her show us the New York City that we have never seen. I have done all the touristy stuff, now I want to go to the street fairs and parks that I never knew existed. But the best part is finding all the little restaurants she has found. On our most recent trip to New York City, we checked out the highly recommended “Best bagels in New York City”, Tompkins Square Bagels. Now there are two Tompkins Square Bagels locations. One is located on 184 2nd Avenue (between 11th and 12th street) and another is located at 165 Avenue A (near Tompkins Square Park. We visited the the 165 Avenue A location.

I think my soulmate might be carbs

-Unknown

Beau

Our daughter had been talking about this place forever and we were very excited to check it out. Despite the hangovers from our previous nights dining and cocktail adventure (We are not as young as we used to be, so it was painful), we woke up and took a nice walk through the beautiful Tompkins Square Park to the 165 Avenue A location. I never knew this park existed, what a beautiful space. The dog parks were amazing. They had two sections: one for big dogs and one for little dogs. I so wished I had brought our Beau with us, he would have loved it.

The line was long and I was a bit intimidated thinking we were going to be there forever. However, the employees are so organized and the lines move very quickly. But you just have to know looking at that line that these were going to be fantastic bagels. I can see why my daughter says these are the best bagels in New York City if the people in the line are any indication.

The employees at Tompkins Square Bagels know what they are doing, it’s very impressive. If the line gets out the door, an employee will come out and take your order so I would recommend looking at the menu on you r phone ahead of time if you are not sure what you are going to get. I heard they had gluten free bagels after I visited, which was too bad. But it was my mistake, I just assumed they did not. I lean towards gluten free but I do not have an allergy. I love going to allergy friendly establishments. They go above and beyond for their customers and I always like to applaud that. Next time I will try out the gluten free bagel for you all and let you know how they are.

Tompkins Square Bagels is a must see on your next visit. I have been dreaming of their everything bagel with scallion cream cheese ever since. But the choices are endless and they even have gluten free bagels! Very allergy friendly.

The employees are quick and organized and you get to watch them in action making the bagels, which I found fascinating. There are so many choices… bagels, cream cheese’s, lox, dairy free, gluten free? I was in heaven. I finally decided on an everything bagel with chive cream cheese. The others got lox, tomatoes, capers and onions….they were so happy and ate them so fast I could not get pictures!

I cannot recommend Tompkins Square Bagels anymore than I have (unsolicited recommendation). As far as I am concerned these are the best bagels in New York City. They are fantastic and a must see on your next New York Adventure! I love nothing more than letting people know about the restaurants I love in my blog Sunday Chefs and I put them all on my page Sunday Chefs Restaurant Reviews.