Chang Lai — Restaurant in New York

On my way to the subway station and stopped by here, only to realize I was visiting a location I had saved in my “Want to Go” list It was a quiet day and I got to have a conversation with the owners. They used to operate a food cart down by Grand Street and after moving to this new permanent location, they’ve noticed former older-aged customers of theirs returning after their relatives saw videos referring to this permanent storefront. Super kind couple operating the place, would love to find and support more restaurants like this.

I got the A2, oyster sauce fish balls with rice noodles with the peanut sauce. It brought back flavors from my childhood - super comforting. There are a couple other menu items that I definitely want to come back and try, and I would definitely recommend visiting for...

One of the best cheap eats in Chinatown! The couple used to own a food cart in the area that always had long lines because of how great the food is. They have now moved into a store! The owners are incredibly kind and recognize their regulars. They can speak in English, so you will have no trouble ordering if you can’t speak Chinese. I always get the A1 with all the sauces, and a small is enough to get me full, for $6! Their curry fish balls are the best I’ve had in NYC. There are a few seats in the store or you can go to a nearby park to eat. Besides rice rolls, their menu includes other small eats like buns, dumplings, congee, and drinks like boba milk tea. Highly recommend if you are looking for a cheap eat, hole in the wall, or trying to support wonderful local...

Excellent food, incredible value, and friendly owners / staff. They recently moved into a storefront after many years of operating a food cart, and having visited the food cart a number of times over the years, I’d say the food quality has only gotten better with the move. The menu has expanded significantly, and I look forward to trying more items on it, though it’ll be hard for me not to order my go-to A1.

Don’t decide what to order? Get the A1 curry fish balls rice noodles; the small is ample for a light meal / heavy snack. When they ask what sauces you’d like, I just say “all of them, please”, and the result always hits.

This is the kind of small, locally-owned business that deserves love and attention for serving up top-rate food at an...