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This place was just okay.
I admit, the soup dumplings were really good here. But that's about it. Come here for only soup dumplings. Everything else was not worth a second visit.We ordered the sesame chicken, wondering what made it a popular item on yelps list... Panda Express does it better!!! The sesame chicken seemed like it was fried last night. And then microwaved...The Peking duck was a disappointment. I saw pictures of it being a Beijing style Peking duck experience. The duck was fine, but they served it with taco sized, mission tortillas!! For the value and wait, I was hoping for something better. I was hoping for thin "pancakes" of half the size to make bite sized wraps..The other foods were okay, but not stuff we would order again.
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We came by on a Wednesday evening and ordered takeout.
We ordered crab and pork dumplings and double cooked pork. The food was good however the service is not so much. The girl placing the grubhub orders on a table will elbow you snd push you out of the way, personally not how I would treat customers, it's a cash only place, wait they take grub hub orders how can you be cash only then but they say they are. If you ask for extra sauce packets or hot sauce packets you start getting dirty looks.
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Excellent authentic Shanghainese food! Crab meat
Excellent authentic Shanghainese food! Crab meat Xiaolongbao is a must have! Also, top notch service, cash only
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This place is quite good.
We got the dumplings and the service was pretty good. Super fast and nice wait time. We really only ordered dumplings and noodles. But it's kinda pricey for what u get. But the dumplings were huge but epic soup dumpling. Honestly when I come to New York again I prolly won't go here just to try the other options.
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When in NYC, stop by and eat here! LOVED the soup
When in NYC, stop by and eat here! LOVED the soup dumplings! They're the BEST and so delicious
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Soup dumplings were great (definitely better than average)
Soup dumplings were great (definitely better than average) but the fried rice and house chicken (basically sweet and sour chicken) were both super average.Cash only!!!
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Decided to check out Joe's because it had thousands of
Decided to check out Joe's because it had thousands of reviews! For a Monday night, they sure were busy and there was a line for dinner. But we were seated within 20 minutes. Not bad!! Service was fast too! Very friendly people. We came for the soup dumplings. Yeah! They babies were good. There is an art on how to eat them. You pick one up with chopsticks and you hold the soup spoon under it, that way when you take a bite, the soup doesn't end up on your plate. Good thing we each had 2 because the first one was the trial dumpling. Haha!We also ordered the Crispy Shredded Beef which is like a better version of Orange Chicken. It was perfectly crispy and not overly sauced. Well done!It complemented the Shanghai Sautéed Flat Noodles well. That was recommended by the waiter and it was very good!I love the orange slices at the end of our meal. Thank you!
Really enjoyed them - one of the best in town. Solid choice but bring cash (no payment cards accepted)
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Best Dumplings Ive ever had and Ive had some really good
Best Dumplings Ive ever had and Ive had some really good ones!Im from California
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The crab dumplings are amazing.
5/5 by
Ty H. on 04/03/2022
Weird to see this place in a new Setting. No more communal tables. But the bathrooms are huge improvement and the service was really a step up.
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The food that was being brought to other tables looked
The food that was being brought to other tables looked delicious. Customer service, and prices were all great. Everything was excellent and satisfactory. Highly recommend trying this place!
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I won't lie, I only eat the soup dumplings here.
Not because they're the only good thing, but rather they're soooooo good that I don't need anything else. Every time I visit NYC (which is quite often these days) I make it a case to go there and usually get a double portion. Seriously, if you never had them, just give them a try. It's a very unique own kind of food style, that's a must have when you visit NYC.
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Best food in Chinatown hands down!!Long wait, but WELL
Best food in Chinatown hands down!!Long wait, but WELL worth it! Must try's... Pork Soup Dumplings!
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This place gets busyyyyyy.
Makes sense since their green bean dish and white fish dish were both deliciously flavorful. Their soup dumplings were meh, but their customer service made sure my water cup was always full and my finished dishes were picked up and out of the way almost immediately. I'd recommend putting a name down early on because the wait can go from 0-100 in a matter of minutes, and they don't text/call you when your table is ready; therefore you're waiting in front of the place for a bit.
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Go inside to put your name down - it looked like there was
Go inside to put your name down - it looked like there was a long line outside but we didn't realize at first that everyone had already put their names down and were just waiting to be called. If you have a small party (2) you might get lucky and seated pretty quickly! Right when we sat down, the waiter asked us if we wanted to go ahead and put in an order of the soup dumplings since they know most people come for that! I've tried both the pork and crab soup dumplings, and prefer just the pork ones. They are pretty large and filled with a lot of delicious soup! Loved how much soup is in these. Skin is a bit thicker than at some other places, but I liked the texture. They gave us just 1 sauce dish of vinegar and ginger to share between two people, and it wasn't a lot of ginger so we asked for more. Boyfriend thinks it's the best soup dumplings he's ever had in a restaurant - better than Din Tai Fung and other places in LA. Had the sliced braised beef noodle soup and it was okay. Liked the texture of the noodles and the soup was simple - light and comforting. The beef tasted a little bit sweet, which I didn't really care for - I think I was tasting five spice? Tried the stir fried Shanghai noodles on a previous visit and they were pretty solid.
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I won't boast too much about this spot because it seems
I won't boast too much about this spot because it seems like everyone was already put on game.The best Chinese food I've had to this day!!! I mean, it's tough to beat like corner Chinese stores in the hood but this was such an amazing experience. I'm usually not this impressed with Chinese food.We went for lunch and was seated immediately (it was a Monday tho). The service was prompt and convenient since we were hungover & starving lol.We got the chicken corn soup, veggie dumplings, and the sesame chicken. Everything tasted as expected but super fresh and flavorful. Can't wait to return.
Visited with my wife. Food was good but experience was let down by rude, impatient and unhelpful staff and lack of atmosphere.
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Perfect Chinatown restaurant with friendly staff and quick,
Perfect Chinatown restaurant with friendly staff and quick, attentive service. All the food was on point, hot and delicious. Facility was very clean. 4 stars for being cash only, otherwise a 5!
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I've been going to Joe's for decades.
It's become so touristy that it's lost it's appeal. We waited 1.5 hours (after being told 40 minutes). The service was below par and the food was pretty average. Very disappointing since it used to be so good.
A NY staple, Joe’s is the best place for soup dumplings in the city. Always crowded and there is usually a line, but it is worth the wait. The scallion pancakes and the crispy beef are wonderful choices too.
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Didn't take too many photos because we were so hungry.
Was a long wait to get in but didn't mind because that usually means it worth the wait. We got the sesame chicken and veggie fried rice which was delicious. The pork soup dumplings were AMAZING. Def must try.
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Came here on a weekday for dinner, we were told there would
Came here on a weekday for dinner, we were told there would be a 15 min wait, ended up being a little more than that. They don't take reservations. We were asked about soup dumplings right away which is their specialty and got pork ones to start. I don't eat pork but everyone else at the table loved them. We also ordered a scallion pancake to start and got about 8 pieces which was great to split. One of my favorite dishes was the General Tso's chicken, it wasn't too sweet and had a nice flavor. We also got the chicken pan fried noodles which I needed to add some of the chili sauce too and chicken fried rice. I think the fried rice was my least favorite because it didn't have too much flavor. For veggies we went with bak choy and cabbage w/ mushroom hearts and it was all delicious. Overall I'll def come back here to try some more items!
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This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in NYC.
Over the years we have gone to many restaurants in Chinatown and had good food. That being said Joe's Shanghai has the best soup dumplings I have ever had. Don't get me wrong all their food is good but the soup dumplings are a must. And I like the new location. It's brighter, cleaner and easier to get to as opposed to the old location on 9 Pell Street. This trip we got there just as they open at 11 am. By the time we left there was a line to get in. There's always a line and for good reason.
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Came here on a weekday afternoon and there was no wait time.
My brother and I split an order of the famous XLB and their salt toasted fish. The XLB came out piping hot and was perfectly soupy on the inside. The salt toasted fish was fried to a perfect crisp, loved the bits. We couldn't eat too much this visit because we had dinner reservations later on that evening. The food that was being brought to other tables looked delicious. Service was quick as well.*cash only
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I'm always looking for good xiaolongbao whenever I visit
I'm always looking for good xiaolongbao whenever I visit cities, and Joe's Shanghai definitely did not disappoint! We ordered the crab and pork xiaolongbao and a spicy fish dish. The business only takes cash, but service was quick, the prices were reasonable, and the food was authentic. Would definitely return in the future - it's a great place to go to with family or friends.
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This place is a tourist trap.
The Shanghai food from another block over with the same dishes cost half the price and tastes a lot better. Can't believe we spent over $100 only for four items. We order the pork soup dumplings of course. This was the only decent item on the menu. Then we ordered a cold dish (tofu appetizer), this was really small and can't believe it was $15, totally not worth it for the lack of tofu. Then we ordered a noodle soup with five spiced beef, the beef was r really fresh and tasty but the noodles and the soup was so bland and lack flavor. The amount of noodle was so little it wasn't even enough for a small child to be full. Finally we order the sesame chicken, this was so dry , heavy in sauce but very dry chicken on inside. This was $20 and probably Panda Express would've taste better than this. The only dish that was decent was the soup dumplings and the Rick cakes. But even rice cakes was very greasy like fast food. For the sesame chicken- They probably cooked it overnight and reheated the chicken in the morning. It was pretty disappointing experience because we waited over 30 mins because we saw so many people waiting outside thinking this would be good but boy was I wrong. Never again.
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TL;DR: Not worth the hype.
Less than average soup dumplings and food. Make sure you bring cash, and expect at least a little bit of a waitI have had soup dumplings several times, but every time, I was just following my group of friends/meeting at a place that other people picked. I never had a strong opinion until I had really good soup dumplings last time I was in NYC. So decided to give Joe's Shanghai a try, since it's so well known for soup dumplings/dim sum. Husband and I came here around 2PM on a Friday, and there was a decent amount of people waiting outside. They will give you a ticket and put your name down and come out and call when your table is ready. FOOD:~Scallion Pancake (3/5): Had decent flavor and texture, but was incredibly oily and doughy. Not enough scallion spread throughout the pancake~Hong Kong Style Hot and Sour Soup (2.5/5): More sour than hot, and very sour. Couldn't really taste anything else other than acidic flavor~Pork Soup Dumplings (2/5): They are a decent size. At first I thought the soup was flavorful, but realized it was just incredibly salty. There is a decent amount of meat filling in it. The dumpling dough had a stale quality to it. Overall, the entire experience was very disappointing.
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Really soupy soup dumplings! On the larger side and plump.
3 flavors, pork, chicken, and crab. Delicious!Warning: mapo tofu is REALLY spicy!!! Sadly so spicy we couldn't eat it
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I was so shocked the first bite, honestly.
I'm too used to hyped restaurants being underwhelming!No wait for dinner at around 5 pm, we got the scallion pancakes and an order of the pork soup dumplings and pork + crab soup dumplings. The scallion pancake was a little too crispy with hardly any scallions. It was a good thing for soaking up the soup that escaped my spoon.The pork and pork/crab kinda tasted the same to me. So good. So much flavor, what the heck! I recommend eating the dumplings as soon as you can just cause there isn't as much an effect when it's not about to burn your mouth. Plus, cold soup isn't that nice...Make sure you have your technique optimized to enjoy the dumplings. They really are worth trying!
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Easy to miss from the outside, but you definitely don't
Easy to miss from the outside, but you definitely don't want to miss this place. The milieu is welcoming to families and the staff is fast paced. Food came out within minutes of ordering and blew us away. The sesame chicken is a must, and is served with the fluffiest rice you can imagine. It dances on your tongue ever so delicately and is no doubt the soulmate to the sesame chicken. The broccoli is average. Also would avoid the crunchy chicken noodles.
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Our nephew lives in NY and recommended this place it was
Our nephew lives in NY and recommended this place it was sooo good! From their famous pork dumplings and their sesame chicken and their rice it's all great! I would highly recommend it!
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I've been going to Joe's for nearly a decade now.
The new location has completely lost all charm that the old one had, but it certainly felt cleaner. I feel as if the food's quality isn't a good as it used to be (minus the dumplings.) I also found it sad they didn't give free tea anymore. However there is no better soup dumpling spot in the entire country compared to Joe's! They nail it every time.
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After doing some extensive research, as an out of towner
After doing some extensive research, as an out of towner does, we settled on Joes for our soup dumplings. We were so underwhelmed. While the soup was pretty okay, the wrapper was too thick and gummy. The Shanghai noodles were the saving grace but they weren't enough to save this place from a 2 star review. TLDR? Go elsewhere if you have a soup dumpling craving.
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Please change your business hours.
It says 11pm but I arrived at 9:50pm and was turned away
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Food was good but I wouldn't say is worth the hype, the
Food was good but I wouldn't say is worth the hype, the xiaolongbao was definitely the best thing. If you're doing weekend lunch make sure to come before noon or you'll be waiting for a while
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Joe's Shanghai is a stop I try to make every time I'm in
Joe's Shanghai is a stop I try to make every time I'm in New York because their food is consistently flavorful and far better than what I can get back home. When we visited last night, we ordered scallion pancakes, pork soup dumplings (which is what Joe's is known for), sesame chicken, beef rice cakes, and chicken fried rice. Everything was great and the service was decent. The only reason I'm giving them 4 stars is because I think they could improve their seating system (we were told we had a 25 min wait and it ended up being more like an hour and a half - that's fine, but be honest) and CLEANLINESS. The old location was much smaller and made patrons feel rushed and cramped, but now with this bigger, newer restaurant, you'd expect the bathrooms, floors, and walls to be clean ... Not so much.
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Their waiting Service is very bad.
The worst I have ever seen. You wait in a queue depends on how many people in your group. Which means if you have four people coming in instead of 2 ppl, even though you wait in queue earlier than four people group. They will let four ppl group go first. Because they have more four ppl tables than 2.
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We have been coming to Joe's since the 90s when they were
We have been coming to Joe's since the 90s when they were originally located on Pell Street in Chinatown. There is one in Midtown and one in Flushing, New York (Queens). This current one is located at 46 Bowery. The last time we were here was in 2018 and the location on Pell Street was still open.This is our "go to" spot in Chinatown for when we visit. We went with the crab and pork soup dumplings, Shanghai flat noodles and the roasted pork with vegetables. All were good dishes and the quality and taste were the same. The food here is consistently good and the service was quick. The new spot has a different layout and is brighter and cleaner than the last place. Gone mostly are the large round tables. They had a few in the rear of the dining room. The last place had them as the primary seating for patrons. The complementary tea is also not offered any longer. Overall Joe's is a nice spot in Chinatown. It is a tourist trap of sorts and the prices have definitely gone up! It's cash only and there is an ATM in front by the door.
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The pork dumpling soup tasted.
..out of the world! didn't like the pancake though my husband liked both!
5/5 by
kim m on 02/22/2022
I've been coming here 20 years and it NEVER disappoints. The soup dumplings ARE as good as they say. I'm happy they moved to a bigger location. My only issues were the service (the wait system is archaic) and the cash only policy (ATM machines in the front are pricey as hell), but other that the 1 hour wait was worth it and something I expected because it's a solid product that I'm always pleased with. Crispy beef, lo mein and dumplings are a must try.
PROS
Position, price is awesome and quantity of food is great. Awesome starters, it has to be underlined.
CONS
Service might improve - at entrance especially (40+ mins to get in), food so-so and “cash only” place (ATM inside with 4$ commission OR get there with money, uncommon in 2022 @NYC)
We had great expectations and they have been missed
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Best soup dumplings we have ever had.
We go there for the best soup dumplings around. Fortunately we got there just as they opened and didn’t have a wait for a table. Service was quick and attentive. No problems there. We also ordered a dish of vegetable lo mein that was fine but didn’t quite measure up to the soup dumplings. The good news is that their new location on Bowery is a shorter walk than their old location on Pell Street. In fact it seems bigger and nicer. Please note that they automatically add an 18 percent service charge to your bill. So check your bill before adding tip. Oh, by the time we left there was a line outside waiting to get in. A very popular place indeed.
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Wonderful Chinese low scale restaurant
The restaurant (located in Bowery) was recommended to us by a Chinese friend, and oh boy, did it not disappoint! We arrived late, 8:30pm on a Friday, and waited 30 min. It was pretty full. Make sure you get a ticket with the hostess, and hang around, they announce your number with a megaphone. The food selection is large and has mostly options for the “western” taste. We ordered the soup dumplings with crab and pork (hard to eat but yummy), the scallion pancakes and shared a lo mein main course. Enough for 2 people to eat. It was a really tasty meal! The orange slices they give you when you pay are a nice touch. I would definitely go back. They serve sake!
4 stars because it is cash only.
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Rude. Terrible service . auto 18% service fee
Traveled from cleveland , waited an hour assuming people were waiting because it was good. Wrong terrible food , and staff was even more rude rushed us and then determined their tip should be 18% . Terrible way better food in Cleveland. Overrated.