Eim Khao Mun Kai — Restaurant in New York

I like the nostalgic set-up with the stall. It's reminiscent of the Night Markets in Southeast Asia, without the foot traffic, noise, and other street hawkers.

The menu can't be simpler. But to say there are just 3 menu choices is an overstatement because no matter which one you choose, you get just one same dish, the Hainan Chicken. Menu 1 is for one person, 2 is for two people, and 3 is for three. Duh! The only difference is the price. If I do the math correctly, menu 2 give you the best bang for the buck.

So they serve just one dish - their specialty. Anyone can thus safely assume they execute it very well. I am no expert on Hainan chicken, so I can only judge using my subjective taste buds alone. Unfortunately, I've concluded I am not a fan of Hainan Chicken. I've dreaded the "white boiled" chicken since childhood, and this isn't far from it. The pale color is not enticing, and the taste is too bland. The serving you get will come with gizzard. Again, not a fan. I am just glad it doesn't come with a chicken head as well lol. I do like ginger however, and it's everywhere - in the sauce, in the broth, and of course, in the ginger rice! Ironically, I pretty much like everything except the chicken.

Another thing quite unique about this place is that for takeouts they wrap everything (except soup and sauces of course) in wax paper. It's no big deal to wrap cut-up chicken in paper; but rice as well?! Hmm... to me I thought it was odd and fun at the same time because I've never eaten rice out of paper in my life. But it's a different story for my mother-in-law. She simply felt it's "low" to eat food out of paper, so she had eat after we returned home after all the errands.

Oh, one other comment. I told my wife the 3 chickens hung next to the stall were so nice and plump. Then much later after seeing the same 3 chickens being featured all over Yelp photos -- right, I realized they were mock chickens and they had me fooled! Gullible me!!!

Bottom-line: If you know and like Hainan Chicken, you should like this. If you never tried Hainan Chicken, you should come and try once. For me, I've checked off this place from my bookmarks and...

A review I have been wanting to write for a long time; I have gone here since they opened and continued to eat here for a while but after yesterday I will no longer be returning. I have many many reasons why and I only continued to eat here in hopes of seeing them improve and to support a local restaurant in the neighborhood but they continue to get worse.

-The price has gone up exponentially and their serving size has gotten nothing but smaller and smaller. -They charge for extra sauces if you go take out and don’t put cilantro if you do take out. -One time I ordered online and when I went to pick it up they said they didn’t receive the order and had me walk back and forth between the two locations (this was when they tried to have two locations on the same block) to find my order. -One of the times I did take out there was a hair in my radish soup. -When I dined in they didn’t even serve me water but still insisted I tip. -Speaking of portion sizes they amount of rice, chicken and gizzard has gotten so little what used to be enough for two people is now only enough for one person.

The absolute last straw for me was when I paid with a $20 after they told me it was $13.07. After asking if I had any coins I said I didn’t and they said they had no coins so they will have to give me back only $6. I was appalled and I just took my change and my food and left. This is not the only time this has happened, my family and friends who have eaten here constantly note that they never have the change and will keep close to a dollar over the costs every time. For a cash only establishment I refuse to believe they don’t have enough change, especially because the person at the counter was counting singles and change when I placed the order.

This place was nice when they opened but for their price and service I find it hard to continue to support them. Especially after I noticed that multiple food social media accounts have filmed an promoted them, they feel inclined to raise their prices to such an extent and get away with their bad service. I hope they make note of this and go back to how...

I first came here back in 2015 with two friends, and we were all blown away by how delicious and pure the food tasted and how cheap the price was (I think we paid less than $10 before tax and tip then!!). This was now my third visit with my husband and toddler, and the food was just as delicious as the very first time. This time, we got the plate for two people which came with two portions of delicious and fragrant chicken rice, a generous portion of both white and dark chicken meat with some gizzard and liver, some slices of cucumber and cilantro, and endless amounts of the addictive ginger scallion sauce, hot sauce, and a soybean paste (I think?). We both agreed that we could probably drink the ginger scallion sauce because it was just lip-smacking good and well seasoned. We did not refrain from putting massive doses of the sauce on our chicken. We also enjoyed the hot sauce that went well with the ginger scallion sauce and the chicken. The chicken is just perfect; there’s no other place I’ve had khao mun gai in NYC that compares to how perfect this spot is - super juicy and moist, tight skin, delicious and addictive condiments (plus low price!!).

While the prices have gone up, it’s 100% understandable given inflation and the fact ingredients just cost more. Plus, if you had the same quality and quantity meal in Manhattan, it would easily cost at least 50% more.

The service is quick and friendly. There is very limited seating and the space is small, so I would not go here if I had more than two or three people with me. The tables are small and the seats are only stools, but honestly, I think it makes the place more charming and like what it would be like if you were in Thailand or somewhere somewhere else in Southeast Asia. No restroom unfortunately, either, so make it quick and snappy!

Even though we don’t live in the area, we still make it out here because the food is that good. Elmhurst overall is quite underrated for food, as there are so many delicious and eclectic options nearby, but this is definitely one of the...