Sal Tang's — Restaurant in New York

walking into Sal Tang's felt like instantly time lapsing to something of a mix between 1600's China and a classic American diner. the linoleum floors, yellow-topped tables with the ridged metal edges, root beer-colored plastic water glasses, along with the hanging red lanterns and dragons, timely wall paper and hand fans tacked to the walls all provided a very unique vibe. i sat at the bar, and enjoyed a sunset spritz while waiting for a friend. for the winter, and for anyone who carries a bag -- yes, there are coat hooks beneath the bar! (honestly these should be a requirement for all bars.) and the large round wooden stools were stable and sturdy.

upon doing very light digging (this is all on their website), i discovered that one of the two co-owners hails from Nom Wah, the other from Cafe Spaghetti and Swoonys, Nom Wah being the only one i've been to, to date. personally, i think the menu layout and typeface, along with the website aesthetics, all lend themselves very fittingly to the whole "vibe" of the place -- something they describe on their site as, a "cozy, family-oriented experience", and to which i'd add something slightly other-worldly (although i also have to say that hearing Gettin Jiggy Wit It play through the speakers brought me back to reality). the wall behind the bar lined with TsingTao reminded me of afternoons spent sitting at a yang rou chuar spot just north of the 2nd ring road in Beijing drinking beer when i studied abroad there in 2004.

as i sat waiting for my friend, i made a list of 12 menu items i was dying to try; we made it to about 7 of them.

pork dumplings -- i often judge dumplings more heavily by the sauce they're served with, than all the rest. dipping sauce is top priority, next being the texture of the dough, and lastly, the meat on the inside. (shrug emoji) i don't know, that's just how i see the importance of things when it comes to dumplings. having made them more times than i can count (the first time being with my host grandmother in Beijing), i can say i know the basics. for Sal Tangs, i'd say they were perfectly good. the sauce was a bit spicier than i'd probably like for a baseline, and not quite vinegar-y enough (in Beijing, dumplings are exclusively eaten with black vinegar and soy sauce is sometimes not even available, or that was the case 20 years ago anyway), but they were quite delicious nonetheless.

egg roll -- huge. loved that about it. slightly too shrimpy for me, but the size was impressive and exciting. already cut in half and ready to be shared.

sal tang's sesame chicken cutlet -- sauce was very sweet and the crisp was good and crunchy. topped with a medley of saucey broccoli and thin carrot rounds.

chicken and broccoli -- i love a cooked, sauced-up broccoli. they need to be flavorful enough, and just the right amount of cooked but still snappy when bitten into. this was that. despite what another reviewer here mentioned about it, they did not at all remind me of stringy chicken nuggets. not to set that as the bar, because that's way too low, but overall, it was a fine dish. sure, i might not order it next time, but glad i tried it.

lo mein -- probably our favorite dish. didn't add any meat (had plenty of that already), and the size of every chopped vegetable mixed in was the perfect size.

fried rice -- second favorite maybe? the rice had a really nice crunch that i find pleasing in a fried rice dish, that adds a fun texture to each bite.

as for the service, they did indeed live up to their claim of "warmth, comfort, kindness, and accommodating personality." the bartender was friendly and conversational, and the rest of the floor staff certainly catered to our needs with a smile.

last three things i noticed and actively thought about. 1) i love that they only offer 1 thing for dessert, orange sorbet. 2) their FAQ page is kinda bland and could definitely be spiced up with some more interesting info. 3) a beckoning cat sat high up on the bar (maneki-neko), which, previously unknown to me, is actually a...

Finally a Chinese sit-down restaurant in the neighborhood of Cobble Hill. I came on their grand opening day to an elevated Chinese-American restaurant. There was no wait at 6pm when I stopped by, but when I came back at 7pm, we had to wait 45 minutes until we got seated. They do have a small waiting area where you can have some drinks.

I ended up trying all three cocktails on the menu: Lychee Martini ($16), Sunset Spritz ($14), and Golden Vesper ($15) while the fiance had the Black Duck Porter ($10). The lychee was absolutely delicious that I could've easily had so many of these; it's sweet, refreshing, and got me a good buzz. I found the golden vesper came with a bitter aftertaste, but decent. I'd pass for the sunset spritz, but I'm not a spritz girly.

For food, we started off with a Hot & Sour Soup ($6) and Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings ($13). Both of these were delicious and flavorful. Nothing is more comforting than a hot and sour soup while the wings were crispy and flavorful --extra delicious considering I usually prefer a saucy wing to dry-rub. I would order both of these again. For the main entrees, we got the Sweet & Sour Pork ($20) and General Tso's Sesame Chicken ($22) with a side of White Rice ($2). Both of these dishes were saucy, which made them taste quite similar. The portions are pretty small, especially for the price. I was underwhelmed by the repeating flavor though and wished I ordered a different item. Unfortunately, these items were recommended by our waiter since our party had a shellfish allergy, so we were a bit more limited. Sadly, these two dishes fell a bit short for me.

At the end of the meal, we were given a classic fortune cookie. Overall, the meal was decent but I found everything too pricey. I grew up eating Chinese food, so this felt catered to the non-Asians in the neighborhood. I appreciate the welcome to Cantonese food in the neighborhood, but hope to see more variety in the future with...

I used to come to this spot back when it was called Veksler's, and I’m really enjoying the newly redesigned vibe and format of Sal Tang's. The space feels refreshed but still welcoming, and the food definitely impressed.

We started with the crab rangoon, which was a standout—easily the best I’ve had, especially since it was made with real crab. The egg roll was another favorite: generously packed with meat rather than being mostly cabbage like most places. The shrimp dumplings were top 3 material—flavorful, perfectly cooked, and beautifully plated. The short rib pancakes were dense, rich, and delicious.

The sesame chicken cutlet with General Tso’s sauce was solid, though it didn’t quite stand out as much as the other dishes. We also got the pea shoots which were good but nothing surprising.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? The drink menu fell short. The beer and wine selection was underwhelming, and the cocktails leaned way too sweet for my taste. Next time I’ll probably stick with a classic martini or Manhattan.

That said, the service was great. Even though the kitchen got backed up and there was a ~45-minute gap between apps and mains, the staff was attentive and friendly the whole time.

Overall, a delicious experience and I’ll definitely be back. Highly recommend checking it out—just maybe temper your expectations...