Little Tong permanently closes East Village location

[Photo from May 2019]

After three years on the southwest corner of First Avenue and 11th Street, Little Tong shut its doors last night following dinner service.

In an Instagram post, Simone Tong, the chef and owner, cited the coronavirus outbreak as the driving force behind the closure.

The unfortunate reality is that the current public health climate has hit small businesses like ours to the extent that we cannot sustain the restaurant beyond this week. We are honored to have had the privilege to host so many of you in the East Village — and hope that we’ll have the opportunity to continue to do so at our other locations in the future.

The restaurant, which opened in March 2017, debuted to positive notices (the grandma chicken mixian was a standout dish), including two stars from Pete Wells at the Times.

The place was a big enough hit to open a second outpost in Midtown East. That location will remain open.

With a new menu, Little Tong dropping the Noodle Shop on 1st Avenue

[Photo Monday by Steven]

After a little more than two years on First Avenue at 11th Street, the well-regarded Little Tong Noodle Shop is undergoing a concept shift highlighted by a new menu and name, now officially going as Little Tong.

For the past two years, chef-owner Simone Tong specialized in mixian — a long, round rice noodle from China's Yunnan province.

And now, via the EVG inbox...

With the new menu (as of May 9) and concept, Chef Tong hopes to bring together traditional flavors with modern techniques and local ingredients to create dishes that continue to usher in the new era of regional Chinese cuisine in New York City ...

The new menu [has] a greater emphasis on shared plates and composed dishes showcasing market ingredients. Highlights from the first iteration of the menu include:

• Stir-Fried Fiddlehead Ferns and Guoba with pickled ramps, dan dan pork and crispy rice

• Macao Night Market Clams with Canto sausage, enoki, zucchini, and mala douban (fermented chili-bean sauce)

• Tieban Miyazaki A5 Wagyu with Yunnan salsa verde, alderwood sabayon and crispy herbs

• Tea-Smoked Duck Breast with XO fried rice, salted duck yolk and apricot sauce

As part of this evolution, the restaurant will drop "Noodle Shop" from its name (the Midtown East outpost, which opened last summer, will remain known as Little Tong Noodle Shop), but a handful of fan-favorite mixian dishes – including the Grandma Chicken and Chef’s Beef Shank versions – will remain on the menu.

Tong will also open Silver Apricot, an upscale Chinese-inspired restaurant in the West Village, later this summer.

Previously on EVG:
Little Tong Noodle Shop taking the former Schnitz space on 1st Avenue

Monday's parting shot

Today Libby Schoettle (aka @phoebenewyork) created this Girl Power installation (via the LISA Project NYC) on the 11th Street side of the Little Tong Noodle Shop at First Avenue...

Thanks to Lola Sáenz for the photo.

Little Tong Noodle Shop taking an end-of-summer break

Since opening in late March on First Avenue at 11th Street, Little Tong Noodle Shop has racked up some pretty solid reviews. (Like from Pete Wells at The New York Times.)

Now chef-owner Simone Tong and her team are taking a break. The restaurant closed after service last night... and will reopen after Labor Day on Sept. 5.

Per Facebook: "Coming back fresh and rested for more exciting mmmmiiiiixxxxxiiaaaannnnnn on Sept. 5th!"

Little Tong Noodle Shop opens Wednesday

Little Tong Noodle Shop hosted a friends-family preview this past weekend... a rep told us that the restaurant from chef Simone Tong opens to the public on Wednesday.

They will initially be open for dinner daily from 5-11 p.m.

Little Tong will offer traditional rice noodle dishes from China's Yunnan province.

CBS 2 included Little Tong in a recent roundup of new NYC restaurants. From that report:

[The Yunnan province] is known for mixian, a non-glutinous rice noodle dish that is the main element of the dish. Chef Tong cooks the rice noodles in a copper pots and serves them in broth. Other dishes include wontons, marinated ghost chicken and cucumber salad.

Previously on EVG:
Little Tong Noodle Shop taking the former Schnitz space on 1st Avenue

Little Tong Noodle Shop looks ready to open

[Photo from Saturday]

Signage for Little Tong Noodle Shop arrived back on Thursday ... as the restaurant from chef Simone Tong, who worked for Wylie Dufresne’s now-closed wd~50 on Clinton Street, prepares to open soon. March 23 is the expected opening date. Updated: A rep said that they are targeting March 25 or 26.

Meanwhile, you can find some of the restaurant's dishes at their Instagram account...

A post shared by Little Tong Noodle Shop (@littletongnyc) on Mar 7, 2017 at 2:31pm PST

Previously on EVG:
Little Tong Noodle Shop taking the former Schnitz space on 1st Avenue

Progress at Little Tong Noodle Shop, coming soon to 1st Avenue

[Photos by Steven]

A worker has been painting the exterior of the former Schnitz space this past week on First Avenue at 11th Street...



As we first noted in late December, a self-described "fast causal" restaurant called Little Tong Noodle Shop is set to take over the corner spot.

The applicants were OK'd for a beer-wine license last month. (This item was not heard during the committee meeting on Jan. 9.) According to the questionnaire (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website, the restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m to midnight. The owners also plan on operating a four-table sidewalk cafe with 12 seats from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Simone Tong, who worked for Wylie Dufresne’s now-closed wd~50 on Clinton Street, is the chef. While work continues on the First Avenue space, Tong is hosting several preview dinners this month at Jimmy's No. 43 on Seventh Street, as Bedford + Bowery reported.

Meanwhile, here's a look at how the interior is shaping up via the restaurant's Instagram account...

Day 14. Aka- let's hide the WC. #noodles #chineserestaurant #chinesefood #yunnan #ricenoodles #eastvillage #nycfoodie #nycfood #nycrestaurants #eeeeeats #newyork #newyorkcity

A photo posted by Little Tong Noodle Shop (@littletongnyc) on Feb 1, 2017 at 2:04pm PST

No word yet on an opening date.

Schnitz, which served old-fashioned schnitzel sandwiches with unconventional toppings, was in operation from March 2014 to August 2016. Something Sweet, the family-owned bakery, was here until July 2012.

Previously on EVG:
Little Tong Noodle Shop taking the former Schnitz space on 1st Avenue

Little Tong Noodle Shop taking the former Schnitz space on 1st Avenue

A self-described "fast causal" restaurant called Little Tong Noodle Shop is set to take over the former Schnitz space on First Avenue at 11th Street.

The applicants are on the January CB3 docket for a beer-wine license. (This item will not be heard during the committee meeting on Jan. 9. This was also a sale of assets.)

According to the questionnaire (PDF!) on file at the CB3 website, the restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m to midnight. The owners also plan on operating a four-table sidewalk cafe with 12 seats from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The application doesn't include a sample menu. Perhaps Little Tong Noodle Shop will be able to pick up a few of the customers waiting three storefronts away for Momofuku Noodle Bar.

Schnitz, which served old-fashioned schnitzel sandwiches with unconventional toppings, was in operation from March 2014 to August 2016.

Something Sweet, the family-owned bakery, was here until July 2012.