Mei Lai Wah | Wonton Noodle Garden — Restaurant in New York

Having lived in Chinatown for over 50 years, I am well-acquainted with what constitutes good Chinese food in this area. Unfortunately, my recent visit to the newly relocated Won Ton Garden was disappointing.

The restaurant, now situated in a venue previously occupied by a roasted chicken restaurant that went out of business, has retained the old decor with minimal changes, merely adding booths. The establishment's cleanliness is questionable: the beams against the wall were visibly dusty, the floor appeared uncleaned, and the glasses above the bar seemed untouched since the restaurant’s opening, contributing to an overall feeling of dirtiness.

We were a party of two and ordered Amon Mei Fun, fried dumplings, and soup dumplings. The soup dumplings, filled with pork and shrimp, were overwhelmed by an excessive amount of MSG—highly unpalatable. The fried dumplings were overcooked, seemingly fried and re-fried, resulting in a poor texture. The Amon Mei Fun was mediocre at best; the roast pork lacked the distinctive red color found at Golden Noodletown on Bowery and Bayard, and the sour/pickled greens tasted as though they had been soaked in water, stripping away their pickled flavor and leaving a bland taste.

Overall, the dishes seemed to cater more to Americanized Chinese cuisine rather than offering an authentic Chinese dining experience.

The final indignity came with the bill, which included an 18% service charge automatically added, and an additional fee for using a credit card instead of cash. This practice is tacky, regardless of one's background, and especially egregious for a small party of two.

For those seeking authentic Chinese food, I strongly advise against dining at this...

Honestly speaking though, while these are iconic restaurants, I’ve probably been to Wonton Noodle Garden no more than 10x and Mei Lai Wah no more than 20x (and I’m being generous with those numbers. Growing up in ctown, we didn’t really eat out often and when it was take out, it weren’t from those places.. . Anyhow, I had a bit of high hopes going in, and boy was I disappointed. First off, they don’t sell the pork buns at the noodle bar, it’s on the menu but it’s not available. I mean, they are only like 2 blocks away… 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ . Wonton Noodle - $8.75. It had 5 wontons, normal size. The soup was piping hot. Started off well, visually at least.. I tasted the broth first, it had a strong alkaline taste to it, but to me, I’m ok with it. The wontons were a bit of a disappointment, it was kinda bland, the shrimp didn’t even look fresh but at least they had whole ones in the filling.. maybe I got a bad batch?? The noodles on the other hand, was very bouncy and elasticky. It was the best part of the dish… . Pan Fried Rice Rolls $7.00 - this was very good. It was fried very well, each roll was pan fried all around and the portion was a lot.. I would recommend this dish… it’s very heavy on the peanut sauce… . I don’t recall Wonton Noodle Garden having amazing wonton noodle soup or anything like that, but if I were to go again, the wontons will be better or maybe I won’t order the...

Update: Went back again in person and they charge 18% service fee (tip) automatically no matter the party size. Interesting new rule they enforced since the move. But you also get 4% off your meal if you pay cash, over card.

So while I don’t agree they should automatically charge 18% tip for you, I do understand why they do that as many workers don’t get paid enough already and many customers in Chinatown area don’t give enough tips.

Either way, the food was amazing again. Per usual, I ordered the wonton mein. My friend ordered beef stew noodle soup. We both loved it with the hot chili oil they offer.

Ordered Wonton Mein as take out for dinner. When I go here, it’s my usual as I feel they have the best wonton mein in the area and definitely satisfies my craving for it. I always ask for chili oil with my order as I love it and it’s unlike the ones you buy in a jar in stores. There’s a slight kick to it but it adds so much flavor to the noodles soup.

Been a fan of this place for over 5 years, even when it was originally on Mott St and has now moved to Pell St.

Staff are nice and friendly. They’re also quite efficient. From walking in the door to ordering and getting my food to go, I was back out the door in less...