JING FONG

We say:
On Sunday mornings in Atlanta, everyone goes to church. In New York, everyone goes to Jing Fong.

Jing Fong is the undisputed dim sum king of New York City, a bustling 900-seat banquet hall situated in the heart of Chinatown. The morning we went there with Downtown Boy’s parents, there were easily 80 people in line ahead of us. But not ten minutes later we were riding that famous two-story escalator up to dim sum paradise. It’s quite a rush to see such an ethnically diverse crowd happily chowing down, the thunderous din of a hundred simultaneous conversations bounding off the chandeliers and gold-painted dragon wall decorations.

This restaurant boasts an armada of tiny ladies who circle the floor in carts and offer the greatest selection of dim sum you’ll ever see. There are the usual suspects, like pork dumplings, shrimp balls, pot stickers, rice noodles with BBQ pork, sesame balls with black bean paste, and egg custards. And then there are the more unusual offerings, like crunchy taro balls that look like flash-fried electrons, durian pudding tarts shaped like green caterpillars, and chicken feet. Uptown Girl’s favorites were the shrimp and vegetable dumplings, both of which were extraordinarily fresh. Downtown Boy immediately went for the “triangle” pastries, barbecued snippets of pork in a golden, flaky crust. And the best part of all? It’s crazy cheap: you can stuff yourself silly and still pay less than a lunch at Chipotle.

Fast service, low prices, terrific selection, and best-of-breed dim sum … what more could you ask for?




Jing Fong
20 Elizabeth St., New York, NY 10013