Shu Jiao Fu Zhou — Restaurant in New York

This storied cheap eats spot in Chinatown was suggested to me at least a hundred times before I was able to make the trek down and try them out. I had visited other spots in the area before like Wo Hop, Wah Fung, and some others…so I had high expectations when many people said this spot was just as good if not better.

We decided to get the dish most suggested to us (the wheat peanut butter noodles) and then also added one we really wanted to try (the pork and chive dumplings). The woman at the counter was very friendly and spoke good English (which in some spots is surpringly an issue). For the two dishes and two cans of soda it was only $9!

The peanut butter noodles were unlike anything I’ve had before. They did not have a Thai peanut taste really (which is what I was expecting) but they didn’t exactly just taste like peanut butter either. I enjoyed the sauce a great deal. The noodles also were a great texture. They were similar to a thin egg noodle but they had longer length similar to any long style pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine. I would absolutely order these again, and trust when I say that my next trip to Chinatown will have these included.

The steamed pork and chive dumplings were also a huge hit. The filling had excellent flavor, a nice texture to the outer skin, and after you added a little chili oil there were was a lot of dimensions of flavor. I enjoyed these a lot and I think I’d enjoy them just as much if they were pan fried so half had a crust to them. We had dumplings at other spots on this day and these were my favorite of them all.

Trust that we will be back here for sure and will try out some soup and other items as well as get these again. Shu Jiao Fu Zhou -...

I had an absolutely humiliating experience here. I came in to try their dumplings since they went viral, and despite not knowing Mandarin, I did my best to navigate ordering. I got one order of cooked dumplings and an order of 50 frozen dumplings, paid, and received a receipt with my order number.

When they called my number, I went up to get my food, but they only handed me the cooked dumplings. I tried to show them my receipt to prove I also ordered frozen dumplings, but the worker immediately threw my receipt in the garbage, erasing my proof. I was shocked but assumed they still had my order on record. After waiting a minute, I realized frozen dumplings take two seconds to grab from the freezer, so I went back to clarify.

What followed was an incredibly frustrating experience due to the language barrier. The only employee who spoke some English—the cashier who took my order—tried to explain to them that I had ordered frozen dumplings. But instead of believing her (or me), the other workers insisted I never ordered them and demanded my receipt. You know, the one they literally just threw away.

So they actually went through the garbage and floor to find my receipt before finally, begrudgingly, handing me what I had already paid for. The entire ordeal made me feel so disrespected and humiliated. Why did you believe the trash over your own cashier? Why was I treated like I was trying to scam you for dumplings I had already bought?

The food was good, but the way I was treated was awful. I walked out of there feeling like garbage myself, and I will...

I had visited this restaurant 3 times. Even now I'm still confounded by its cryptic English name. Well, Fu Zhou is the easy part. It's a city in the Fujian province and the restaurant serves the cuisine from that area. But Shu Jiao?! Vegetarian dumplings素餃? Tree sap樹膠? Maybe it's a dialect? I mean, it doesn't correspond to anything on its Chinese signage for sure. PS. Called and the owner said it's his mother's name, e.g. 淑嬌. Mystery solved!

I've had the following:

Noodle with peanut butter sauce $3. I can make better version of this at home, I mean, minimally need lots of garlic in the sauce, and sesame sauce would make an upgraded version of this dish! But every time I'm here I couldn't resist its lure! Pork filled fish ball soup $3 (6#). This goes perfectly with the dry noodles. Clear broth with tantalizing crunchy texture and mouth watering taste of the fish balls. Pork and chive dumplings $4.50 (10#). I rarely eat dumplings outside because come on , frozen dumplings you get from the supermarkets are just as good. But if you're too lazy, then they can't get any cheaper than this. I tried this once just to validate my bias.

The order for the above is ready within 3 minutes if not instantaneously. For other more involved dishes, your name will be called when they are ready. Tables are small yet they are communal. Don't be shy. Cash only of course for such cheap eats.

5 stars for excellent cheap eats; 1 star off for me getting a cramp after my last visit. Maybe you want to stay away from some of the wet condiments...