August Gatherings

Terrific Chinese Food. This place gets crowded, but in a good way - it's active and bustling.Staff are not overly friendly, but they move fast and are efficient.

Best Chinese food I've had in NY. It was hard to choose a favorite dish because everything was so good. The duck dumplings were less exceptional because there wasn't much duck, but the skin was still really elastic and smooth. The braised pork was both our number one with its perfect ratio of meat to fat and it was so well braised. The mushroom rice was the number two pick just due to the fragrance, presentation, and flavor. The short rib was really good as well, but I wish the crispy bits were spread more evenly on all the slices. The restaurant looks sketchy on the outside, but is surprisingly clean inside. The wait staff is very attentive and my friend was a little uncomfortable with how they kept looking at our table, but the restaurant was pretty empty.

Good, if pricey, sit-down spot for Cantonese food in Chinatown! Restaurant has a nice, comfortable interior and can sit big groups. There is also a very large menu that you can order from, with a diverse selection of proteins and seafood. I especially enjoyed the braised beef, which had a divine and flavorful sauce and melted in my mouth. I was surprised it didn't come with rice, though. Can't go wrong with the Peking duck, and would recommend the Durian pastry and Ginger Tofu for dessert. The service was spectacular, if almost overwhelmingly attentive. The final bill was definitely steep mostly because of our pre-ordered dish (which was asked a long time to cook), but I also really enjoyed the meal!

Steamed Chicken is great; soup is also tasty; steak is very special ; service is nice; plenty of tables

I'm a big proponent of the frozen Cantonese culture that is still prevalent in much of Chinatown. I often receive misguided questions asking for where the best XLB can be found in Chinatown or if there are good Xi'an style restaurants, but there are better locales in the city for these options.That being said, I much prefer the workforce Cantonese eateries along Mott Street like Big Wong over the slightly upgraded takes at August Gatherings. The mushrooms in both our hotpot with rice and our yuzi tofu didn't taste especially fresh. And I was certainly surprised when they told us chili oil would cost an extra $2.The vibe is also a bit stuffy and stale compared to the other more popular options in the neighborhood.

(Overall: B) - Overall, I felt like August Gathering has an authentic set of Chinese dishes that are quite pleasant. They are very traditional and fairly priced with lots of variety which tastes good overall. Their staff are also incredibly considerate. There were some areas which I felt like could have executed with more depth of flavor or presentation expanding beyond home cooking, but otherwise content.(Salt and Pepper Prawn: A) - This is a very simple dish that has been executed exceptionally well. I was pleasantly surprised by the the softness of the shell where you can easily eat through it without discomfort, including the entire head! The salt and pepper taste both come through well, and overall it was a great dish!(Baby Lettuce: B) - This baby lettuce is quite pleasant and yummy compared to the traditional romaine and I liked the infusion of spices into the sweet soy. The presentation could be elevated at this price point, but is otherwise quite good.(Lamb Heart: C) - The lamb is well prepared to not have that unpleasant gaminess; however, this stew has a very classic homestyle stew flavor that would taste better with some more forwardness of different spices.(Beef Stew Soup: A) - Their beef stew soup, on the other hand, demonstrates some interesting flavor development with some immediate spiciness that hits the palette followed by some lingering sweet savoryness coming from the backhround. This clearer version of the soup is quite refreshing comparing to the dim sum classic. (Mushroom and Tofu: C) - This is a very simple and classic fish that is cooked to standard. I would've liked to see something interesting to go beyond the monotonous flavor as the tofu and mushroom are similar in flavor; the same could be said about the color which is just different shades of brown at this price point.(Beijing Duck: B) - Their peking duck is very meaty with lots to share around like some other petite ones. They opt for a more traditional bean sauce instead of hoisin, which works fine. I think what is lacking for an $80 duck here is some elevated presentation of skillful diagonal slicing of the duck meat to give more surface area to elevate those flavors when they hit the palette.(Three Meat Takeout: B) - Their takeout is cash only and much better priced than their dine in; however, the food does not taste particularly great in any dimension -- the cabbage tastes boiled, the chicken is dry, and the cha siu is too lean. The dish does contains lots of rice and protein though so it is a good, filling option.(Claypot Rice: B) - The presentation of this dish was actually quite nice, but unfortunately it was not adequately captured in the photo. I like how the umami flavor infused nicely into the rice; however, the critical component that is missing from this claypot rice is the crispy rice exterior that forms as you eat it and the rice was rather on the wet side, which likely contributed to this issue.--Food: +1Presentation: EPrice: EAtmosphere: EService: +1Menu: +1Overall: +3 BInsta/Beli: @amei_eats

great service, great food, first day in NY, the staff was very friendly, they introduce their signature dish to us, worth to try it

A Cantonese restaurant that's a bit more upscale. The menu features Cantonese classics with a bit of modern flare and, overall, I'd say the food is pretty good. I do have a couple complaints here: the food verges on a bit over seasoned and the spare ribs we ordered verged on being undercooked. I think there's a good chance that the oil they were frying in was old as well.

The food was definitely very good but portions were a little small.We also made a reservation one month in advance for a table of 10 they didn't keep, luckily we arrived early and still got a table.

Horrible ripoff place. Don't eat here unless you want to pay for overpriced average Chinese food in Chinatown. We came for lunch and were shocked the pot of tea was $10 'tea fee' for 2 people. This is Chinatown. They are trying too hard to be upscale with above normal prices.