Wah Fung No.1 Fast Food — Restaurant in New York

I wanted to give this review a 1 star to get have more views when sorting for “lowest” but I did want to be fair to the food. It was mediocre, at best, and it didn’t give me any food poisoning. The portion was a lot. That it for the pros. As for the cons, let me tell you about the original wah fung. It had the rice noodles and street cart food (like curry fish balls) in the back area. The previous owner was this man with mustache who used to sell rice rolls at the corner of Hester and Bowery in a vendor street cart. I’ve stood on line for that street cart since 1995… the mustache man (aka bald guy) always gave us kids a lot of food stuffed to the max for $1. He moved into the wah fung location in the early 2000s. Fast forward to 2025, this is the first time for me getting wah fung roasted meat post-pandemic. The previous owner is no longer running the place. Maybe he retired or sold the shop? Stood on line for 1 hour, and got 3 rice combos. I got all combos of duck, roasted pork (with crispy skin), and roasted bbq pork (aka cha siu). The duck was all dried meat and this pieces of uber oily fatty skin with a lot of white fat stuck underneath… the crispy pork skin was not crispy… and the roasted bbq pork was not juicy enough. The roasted bbq pork was also burnt… maybe I got the bad leftover part of the meat. Idk. I did notice that I was the only Chinese on line (the 10 people standing in front and in back of me were non-asians). I feel like wah fung has become a tourist trap now. I don’t think I will be back. Not worth the wait, there are plenty of good Chinese...

I'm sure the pandemic has taken a toll on Wah Fung in some way, but it's lost 2 stars from me on this visit. Last Sunday I got in line just as it opened the door at 9 am. I was the fifth in line. I noticed it was a lady instead of 2 men as I remembered manning the cutting board. And for 15 whole minutes she did not serve one single person, just keep cutting and moving meats. The line was like 12 people by now and everyone was really annoyed; me especially because my wife was waiting in the car which was in a "temporary" spot. When the line finally started moving, it was still much slower than I had remembered because it was now a one-man operation. I ended up spending 30 minutes waiting before I finally get to order my duck lunchboxes. In retrospect, I figured the man must have been late and the lady was just buying time help getting thing ready.

In exchange for the long wait was not fruition but even more disappointments. The large size boxes that I ordered were now more like 90 part white rice, 5 part cabbage, and 5 part duck. And aside from the drum piece, the duck was essentially fat and bones, and it was not flavorful nor savory to go with any rice. In the end I'm left with a gross amount of rice with nothing to go with it. OK, the price may have only gone up by $1.25 but the quality and value had gone down the drain.

If I do come back at all, the only thing I'll get would be the BBQ pork. At least it's boneless and it would go with rice much better than the pathetic duck they served me...

The Famous Wah Fung in Chinatown, New York will immediately meet you with a long line of people anxiously waiting to taste their famous roasted duck, chicken, and pig. By all standards, Wah Fung is a humble establishment but its fame, the long lines, and the delicious smell of roasted meat will beckon any foodie to its doors.

Upon entering the small storefront, the sound of cleavers chopping meat, the smell of succulent roasted meat, and the sight of the hanging ducks in the window will greet you. The fast moving workers will ask for your order and I suggest that you know exactly what you want before you step into the establishment. Luckily, there are only a combination three options to choose from: roasted duck, pork, and chicken over a bed white rice and cabbage. You can order any combination of these three meats with the price ranging from $5.00-$7.00 depending on the size of your portion.

The food, by any standard is excellent but because of its extremely affordable price, the value is truly unbeatable, especially in the heart of Manhattan. Now, lets talk about the taste. Each meat is uniquely delicous (my favorite being the cha siu), and the the slightly sour cabbage that drapes over the rice cuts the fatty flavor perfectly. The massive bed of rice, the the base of the dish, soaks up the excess juices wonderfully. This old-school chinatown joint is a must visit for anybody visiting New York City that I highly...