"If, according to the Jewish calendar, the year is 5770, and, according to the Chinese calendar, the year is 5730, what did the Jews eat for forty years?" - Anonymous
There has always been an affinity for Chinese Food if you're jewish. I only know because almost every Sunday night that's what I ate growing up and realized my extended "mishpucha" all did the same. Such Americanized Chinese food classics like Lo Mein, Chow Fun, Sesame Chicken, Spare Ribs, Wonton Soup - this is the fabric of.... my Jewish Sunday night culture. Personally, I prefer Cantonese or Szechuan.
Growing up it was usually King Yum in Hillcrest (Queens). Most of you hopefully know what King Yum is/was - a tiki-themed Chinese restaurant which was memorably amazing and humongous (especially with the Friday Night Karoake that still exists). This is my favorite chinese food in the world, but not where I plan to choose as my "NYFF" favorite since you have to take a train to Forest Hills then the Q46 that runs on Union Tpke. just to get to it (roughly an hour if you're lucky).
Instead the scene, the quality of the food, the rude manner in which I'm served, the ability to try and make 5-6 people eat in less than 20 minutes for a sit-down dinner, the lack of cleanliness and the looks you get from people who are waiting to sit the moment you seem finished eating is why Wo Hop is simply the best Chinese food I've had in the city. Yes, it's in Chinatown. Yes, it's in EVERY New York-centric tourist book. Yes, it's utterly phenomenal.
Let's assume you say to yourself "Jordan has the best recommendations ever, let's try Wo Hop" (let's just *say* you said this). You turn down Mott Street from Canal and head all the way down, passed the dirty garbage and stupid little kids throwing poppers at your feet. You finally see a weird line heading downward into a stairwell. Downstairs is where it's at (yo). You wait for about 20 minutes and finally sit in a cramped table. You get a menu but in 12 milliseconds you're already asked what you want to drink and eat. The assumption is this isn't your first rodeo at a chinese restaurant so pick what the hell you want. He expects you to say "please give us a minute". I recommend getting the sliced chicken with garlic sauce if you're going to choose anything since it's usually the first dish to be empty on the table. The Lo Mein/Chow Fon is delectably habit-forming and the shrimp is of good size. It's important to note that restaurants like this that consistently have a lot of turnaround will put out fresher food (instead of food sitting for a few days in a meat locker until somebody orders the dish that requires it's preparation). Most dishes don't go above $9-10.
Some side notes about Wo Hop:
- No Reservations - 1C1S
- There's no good time to go, expect to wait
- Don't go with parties larger than 4 since it's hard to accommodate. If possible, sit in a booth so you can see the pictures on the walls.
- When eating, don't look at the people who are waiting in the stairwell. They will make you feel bad that you're eating and they're not.
- Hop Kee is next door and looks like Wo Hop, it's good but not *as* good so do the right thing and wait if you can.
There has always been an affinity for Chinese Food if you're jewish. I only know because almost every Sunday night that's what I ate growing up and realized my extended "mishpucha" all did the same. Such Americanized Chinese food classics like Lo Mein, Chow Fun, Sesame Chicken, Spare Ribs, Wonton Soup - this is the fabric of.... my Jewish Sunday night culture. Personally, I prefer Cantonese or Szechuan.
Growing up it was usually King Yum in Hillcrest (Queens). Most of you hopefully know what King Yum is/was - a tiki-themed Chinese restaurant which was memorably amazing and humongous (especially with the Friday Night Karoake that still exists). This is my favorite chinese food in the world, but not where I plan to choose as my "NYFF" favorite since you have to take a train to Forest Hills then the Q46 that runs on Union Tpke. just to get to it (roughly an hour if you're lucky).
Instead the scene, the quality of the food, the rude manner in which I'm served, the ability to try and make 5-6 people eat in less than 20 minutes for a sit-down dinner, the lack of cleanliness and the looks you get from people who are waiting to sit the moment you seem finished eating is why Wo Hop is simply the best Chinese food I've had in the city. Yes, it's in Chinatown. Yes, it's in EVERY New York-centric tourist book. Yes, it's utterly phenomenal.
Let's assume you say to yourself "Jordan has the best recommendations ever, let's try Wo Hop" (let's just *say* you said this). You turn down Mott Street from Canal and head all the way down, passed the dirty garbage and stupid little kids throwing poppers at your feet. You finally see a weird line heading downward into a stairwell. Downstairs is where it's at (yo). You wait for about 20 minutes and finally sit in a cramped table. You get a menu but in 12 milliseconds you're already asked what you want to drink and eat. The assumption is this isn't your first rodeo at a chinese restaurant so pick what the hell you want. He expects you to say "please give us a minute". I recommend getting the sliced chicken with garlic sauce if you're going to choose anything since it's usually the first dish to be empty on the table. The Lo Mein/Chow Fon is delectably habit-forming and the shrimp is of good size. It's important to note that restaurants like this that consistently have a lot of turnaround will put out fresher food (instead of food sitting for a few days in a meat locker until somebody orders the dish that requires it's preparation). Most dishes don't go above $9-10.
Some side notes about Wo Hop:
- No Reservations - 1C1S
- There's no good time to go, expect to wait
- Don't go with parties larger than 4 since it's hard to accommodate. If possible, sit in a booth so you can see the pictures on the walls.
- When eating, don't look at the people who are waiting in the stairwell. They will make you feel bad that you're eating and they're not.
- Hop Kee is next door and looks like Wo Hop, it's good but not *as* good so do the right thing and wait if you can.
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| The Front of Wo Hop |
Wo Hop, My Favorite Chinese Food in the city of New York:
Wo Hop
17 Mott Street (corner of Mosco St.)
New York, NY 10002
212-962-8617
(No Website)
I'm eager to hear your recommendations. It can be modern and bourgeois. It can be the take-out place across the street. Just make sure it's your favorite and it's in the city.
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