Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The neighborhood has temporarily lost two reasonably priced quick-serve Chinese restaurants this year — A&C Kitchen on Avenue C after a fire in the courtyard and Asian Taste on Third and B due to a gas shutoff in the building.
In addition, New Double Dragon closed on First Avenue with the pending demolition of a three-building parcel.
Previously, we saw the closure of New Chinatown Restaurant on Avenue D and China Town Restaurant on Houston.
So it seems like there aren’t as many options for pork fried rice, sesame chicken and beef with broccoli these days.
So, we decided to take inventory. I recruited local Chinese food enthusiast Josh Davis (an EVG contributor under the name jdx) to help me visit the remaining old-school East Village options.
Here's our list. (Have we left any out? And note: We stayed between Houston and 16th Street, Avenue D to Third Avenue.)
• Chen's Express Kitchen: 223 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue
(Menu here)
• Baji Baji: 145 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street
• China Wok: 63 Avenue D between Fifth Street and Sixth Street
While we miss some mid-2000s casualties like Bamboo House and Jade Mountain, a decent variety of restaurants remain. 
(Instagram account here)
(Website here)
• Mee Noodle: 223 First Ave, between 13th Street and 14th Street
(Yelp info here)
• No 1 Kitchen: 265 First Ave. between 15th Street and 16th Street
Let us know in the comments if you have a favorite from this list...
Don’t forget Mee on First Avenue, my personal favorite.
ReplyDeleteI am still waiting for the Chinese take out spot on Ave C and 9th to reopen. Both the COVID lockdown and the fire have set them back indefinitely. The owner and his wife are lovely. The food was delicious and inexpensive. I hope they return. Any word EV Grieve about their status?
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. This was our favorite place for Christmas and the people truly are a pleasure. We hope things work out for them.
Delete@ 6:45
ReplyDeleteMee is on the list. And I like them too.
Happy Wok is between 10th and 11th on C. We live in the building but have never eaten there. Fei Ma is likely our favorite for the basics like sesame chicken etc.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Mee was on the corner of 13th street, where Starbucks is now.
ReplyDeleteMee too!!😉
DeleteNot old school, but cheap: our new Panda Express!
ReplyDeletemee noodle and red house oiiiii!!!! :P
ReplyDeleteMee for the win! I am a big fan of their egg drop soup and pork fried rice!
ReplyDeleteReally love Fei Ma — such a nice staff and the food is excellent
ReplyDeleteAre there any diners left in the neighborhood? There's that one uptown on First and 20th but that might as well be in Arizona.
ReplyDeletemy favorite diner is Remedy on houston btwn A & B - still 24 hours! prices have gotten a little high but the food is always excellent and there’s never a super long wait. love it there.
DeleteIHOP / Veselka are basically diners too.
Delete@10:47
ReplyDeleteLittle Poland at 200 Second Ave.
I also like going to the Famous Cozy Soup 'n' Burger on Broadway at Astor.
I LOVE ROAST DUCK, like they have hanging in Chinatown storefronts/restaurants. SO WISH at least one place in the EV had my Quack Quack. If anyone knows of such 'bird sightings' please share?
ReplyDeleteAside from pizza, nothing tastes better after having numerous drinks from the bar than Chinese take out before going home. It is the best. And our neighborhood has a plethora of wonderful places.
ReplyDeleteMan, I miss Bamboo House
ReplyDeleteEven though it's not in the street/ave range mentioned... There was, about 10+ years ago, one on the east side of 4th ave b/w 13th & 14th.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme here is chinese takeout, not necessarily a chinese restaurant. Like a dine in service with more than three for tables. Like the difference between a bodega and a deli. I assume thats why dumpling man, hunan bistro and han dynasty didn’t fall into the category.
ReplyDeleteMee too.
ReplyDeleteLove Fen Mai! It's a treat for me to order from there.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for putting this together it’s a great resource
ReplyDeleteMee all the way. Wonton noodle soup!
ReplyDeleteWho's ordered from the 14th street places? Which do you like?
ReplyDeletegreat roundup!
ReplyDeleteSuch a service you have provided! Thank you !
ReplyDeleteJust calling Mee makes me happy- hello, mee, reply, hello, you. They have a great sense of humor, and my favorite Chinese food in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteIt's a few blocks south of Delancey, but Golden Forest at 353 Grand Street definitely has that old-school flavor at a reasonable price.
ReplyDeleteWe're a Fei ma family.
ReplyDeleteIs the China Wok on Ave C related to the one that used to be on the NW corner of 3rd and B? That one has been renamed Asian Taste in the past few years.
ReplyDeleteLong gone, but I still pine for Yummy House. They were a cut above. Great dining room too.
ReplyDeleteOn 14th street between 1st and A, there was Shing Lung. They sold chicharrones de pollo which was so good. I came back from summer vacation one day and they were gone. I still mourn their absence.
ReplyDeleteI just saw the A&C owners installing new equipment. They will reopen in 3-4 months due to city paperwork. A and C Kitchen: back in 2024!
ReplyDelete