Nom Wah Tea Parlor

I remember going to Nom Wah Tea Parlor as a kid. My family would go there in the afternoon as part of an adventure in the big city. They have redone the restaurant since then and one of their family members became the owner of the restaurant, but it still has the same charm. I decided to venture back there for a dinner out with Ryan to relive some childhood memories.

Nom Wah Tea Parlor has been around since 1920 and you can tell that once you walk in. It is also the first dim sum restaurant in New York City. When we used to go they would have the carts that you pick what you would like off of. Today we are ordering off the menu, which makes it slightly harder to decide. You can’t see everything before you order it, which I kind of like. The menu has lots of larger dishes, but I would stick with the dim sum. We had many different kinds of dumplings: meat, shrimp, and vegetable. We both enjoyed the sticky rice with Chinese sausage, which is one of my favorites. We also tried the shrimp shu mai and the shrimp rice roll. It was an abundance of food, yet still being light and delicious. They also have beer, wine and tea to complement the food.

The prices are definitely right. Most dim sum dishes range from $2-6. The two of us ate a lot of food for about $30. The service is quick and appropriate. You can have a full meal in under an hour, which sometimes is a major plus. I would recommend Nom Wah Tea Parlor for some cheap, tasty food. Drop by when you are in Chinatown and have some free time.

*Nom Wah Tea Parlor – 13 Doyers Street, New York, NY