Bonnie's

Ignoring the negative Nancies of Yelp, I dined here with 4 friends and sat at the bar. It was a Wednesday night, and the place was packed. Everyone loves to mention race, so know that we were 5 of the maybe 12 white people in the establishment. This is not just for white, Brooklyn hipsters. I would know, because I am not one lmao. Anyway, Bonnie's truly has been on my mind since I dined in, and not just because the food is incredible, but because the kindness and hospitality I experienced is not common in trendy nyc restaurants. Our bartender, (excuse my spelling it incorrect) Kwami, was such a rockstar. Intuitive, welcoming, and menu knowledgeable. The majority of our group was vegan, and those options did not disappoint. The cocktails were bangin, food came out at intended temperature and timely. We were never without water, and the waitstaff who brought our food was professional and warm. The ambiance is comfortable and charming, and even with the 10 degree weather, the restaurant was cozy. I will be back for the long beans. I will never forget the chrysanthemum salad or the congee. Bravo Bonnie's!

Bonnie's was good, but not great. The food was solid--flavors were there, and everything was well-executed--but for the price, I expected something more exciting. It felt like elevated Chinese food without the wow factor to justify the cost.The vibe was fun, and service was great, but I left feeling like I'd had better meals for less elsewhere. Glad I tried it, but probably wouldn't rush back.

I was at this interesting Chinese-American restaurant a while back with a group. The food was overall solid though I would say some of the dishes were a little bit too salty. Most dishes cost a buck more (using the old prices for my review) from when I went with one dish having completely different ingredients. I don't remember having a drink even though they do have a cocktail menu so I presume I wasn't in the mood and the service was pretty friendly.The first dish to arrive was the Chrysanthemum Green Salad with chrysanthemum leaves, greens, creamy soy sesame, and crispy shallots for $16. The salad had a good crunch from said leaves with some light nuttiness from the sesame. It was pretty tasty and the portion size was good.The Hup To Ha with shrimp, candied walnuts, apple, and honey kewpie mayo for $19 was tasty. It came with the obligatory broccoli like other versions of this dish with the most notable things here being the extra fruit and the sauce which had a bit more sweetness compared to normal. I personally loved the shrimp which had a perfect texture but the dish was borderline a bit too sweet and a more traditional sauce would have worked better. The last small plate was the Jiew Yeem Yao Yu or wok salt & pepper crispy squid with Chinese ranch for $19. As I'm severely allergic to cephalopods, I of course didn't have this but others enjoyed saying it was perhaps a bit salty but liking the texture of the squid. My favorite of the main dishes was probably the X.O. Cheung Fun or seared rolled rice noodles with dried scallop-shrimp x.o. sauce, cured pork, bean sprouts, and chives for $27. The rice noodle rolls/cheung fun had a wonderful bouncy texture with some slightly burnt parts contributing to a very good wok hei. The XO made the dish with the greens adding a nice crunch. There wasn't that much pork and it was slightly salty but I would still recommend this dish heavily to share at least.Finally there was the Cha Siu McRib with cha siu glaze, steamed ribs, Chinese hot mustard, B&B pickles, and a milk bun for $27 with one half of our table adding the shoestring fries with sweet 'n spicy ketchup for an additional $6. The steamed ribs were very tender and there was a bit of sweetness from the glaze. The bit of mustard and hot pickles balanced it out with the milk bun itself having a touch of sweetness as well. The shoestring fries were alright while there was a fun spin on the ketchup which definitely had a little kick to it. This was tasty.There was also the Naw Mai Fan which is very different from how it was served before. Prior when we had it, it had shiitake, king trumpet, shimeji mushroom, and conserva crispy sticky rice and was $19 and now it has kabocha, delicata squash, fermented black soybean, and pepitas for $23. The crispy rice had a great texture and it had some good earthiness from the mushrooms. This was definitely one of the over-salted dishes though and I hope they haven't added any more of the fermented soybean/douchi.We decided to get dessert afterwards consisting of the Chow Nai Sundae with malted fried milk, Ovaltine hot fudge, vanilla ice cream, and buttered peanuts for $12 though you can also add pork floss for an extra $3. The sundae was fine with it being a fun spin on the usual fried milk dessert and I think the pork floss would have added an extra texture and flavor so it might have been more worth it that way.The food here was good. A bit salty for most things but some interesting flavors. Mid/low 3.

This place has been on my "must try list" and finally had time to take my wife. This was a treat, the food was very flavor forward. We loved almost everything.We ordered the mussels, the Italian fried rice, the X.O. noodles and char siu pork sandwich. Woah a lot of food for 2 people but still had to try these dishes. The mussels in that butter were so good. Salty and buttery, with a lot of herbs, some garlic. I wanted to dip everything into the left over mussels butter sauce. The X O noodles were so good. You have to try them yourself, it is a flawless dish. The Italian fried rice, great texture and flavor. Super unique, definitely unhealthy. It reminded me of something you'd order late night after smoking a ton of weed with your boys. It had the white sauce from halal taste, chips, fried Italian meats. Super greasy but so on point you keep going back. I think after the fried rice the pork sandwich was overkill. I was stuffed and at that point. I had a few bites of the pork sandwich and wanted a special sauce or maybe I should've asked for a side of hotsauce. I really wish I had that mussel sauce/butter to dip that sandwich in. The food was amazing, I will come back to try some of the other items on the menu. Most definitely getting the x o noodles and the mussels again. Service was great, our waiter was cool. Glad he forgot to put the order of fries in cause your boy was about to explode at the end of this meal. Smoked a joint in the car ride home, that was the cherry on top.

2 friends and I got a reservation for a Tuesday night. We had been wanting to try this spot for a while now and it's always hard to get a table!We ordered the clam chowder jook, naw mak fan, and jiew yeem yao yu with rice to split. While all of the flavors were amazing and the food was prepared perfectly, we left feeling hungry and noted that normally congee is such a filling dish but was not here. Our server was very nice and the inside is a cute vibe. The takes on Chinese food are fun to try but I don't know if I would come back.

There are few restaurants I'd travel 2 hours each way for, but Bonnie's is certainly one of them. Chef Calvin and his team are incredible at curating not only a brilliant culinary experience, but great vibes. I've been here 3-4 times now and the staff is always warm and inviting and the music is always bumping!My favorite dishes in order of my perceived deliciousness:- cha siu bk rib sandwich (an elevated take on a McRib - OG fans know!)- probably one of my top 5 sandwiches of NYC. Beautifully cooked, artfully seasoned sandwich that is reasonably priced at $28 (tbh I'd pay $38 happily)- hup tu ha (candied shrimp) the sweet and salty deliciousness of your favorite Chinese takeout with an elevated freshness to it. I especially like the fresh mandarin paired with the truly jumbo shrimp! I could eat 2 of these as my main and be in heaven. -dao gok (Chinese long beans with garlic) DIN TAI FUNG WHOOOOO?? These paired with the garlic croutons are bursting with flavor and freshness. -jiew yeem yao yu (Salt & pepper squid) This dish is like if calamari wrapped you in a warm hug. Paired with Chinese ranch and fried veggies, this squid is crispy and delicious. -x.o. Cheung fun - (rice noodles) This dish reminded me a lot of Thai pad see ew. The rice noodles were perfectly charred and chewy and the sauce perfectly balanced the flavor without being overpowering. The house shots are also incredible and there is a great selection of unique cocktails. If you haven't tried Bonnie's, it is well worth the wait and the hard-to-get reservation. Enjoy! And order an extra side of shrimp for me

I dined here as a party of 5 on a Friday summer night.Things I liked:- Food was overall tasty.- Enough options for people who have dietary restrictions- Staff didn't rush us out once we were done eating (yeah, my bar is low, but I've had bad experiences in NYC restos so I'm factoring that in my reviews now lol)- I didn't leave stuffedThings I disliked:- Everything felt overpriced. ESPECIALLY the fried rice of $20 that was composed of very basic ingredients of lettuce... tomato... and a few bits of bacon. As someone who is Chinese, I was disappointed in that dish. - They brought out dishes one at a time. There was max 2 dishes on our table at once, so it felt like we were eating one course at a time, which doesnt seem right. We don't get a balance of different flavors with other dishes, and eating with a group like us, everyone is just portioning out of one small bowl.- My table of 5 were the only Asian diners... Interesting. - I didn't leave stuffedHere's a summary of the dishes and my personal takes: dao gok ($17) - these were the chinese long beans with yauh ja gwai aka youtiao. They were very good! 5/5 jiew yeem yao yu ($20) - the salt and pepper crispy squid. This was Bonnie's version of fried calamari. The flavors were amazing and I couldn't stop eating it, so 5/5cheng hao ($23) - Mussels and fries - did not partake in this one because I'm not a mussels fan... so no comment. blt fried rice ($19) - Don't recommend ordering... see my comment above 1/5x.o cheung fun ($28) - These were the seared rolled rice noodles. They look great, but I was disappointed. The sauce wasn't even; Some noodles didn't have much sauce and you saw the white color of the noodle. I liked the seared/charred taste as well as the crispy texture of the noodles, but to price this ~$30 feels like robbery to me. There are a lot of bean sprouts and chives. If there were more meat in the dish, it could have (maybe) justified the price. 3/5yeung yu sang choi bao (whole fish) ($53) - This was interesting and had good flavor. The green mustard sauce was a nice compliment. If you're wondering what the heck is "stuffed rainbow trout fish cake mousse", I'll give you the tldr. It tastes like an elevated fish ball that's held within the fish skin. You're meant to eat the fish cake pieces within lettuce and add some greens and the sauce. The greens didn't add anything. Given the fish cake was a little salty, eating it with the lettuce helps. We actually shared this dish amongst 5 people, and so we all got at least one piece. I wouldn't actually say it's AS overpriced as the noodles and rice dishes because the quality is higher and you can tell they work hard on presentation (but I wouldn't say it ISN'T overpriced either).Now that I've given my two cents, I've resolved to not give a rating based on price fairness. So given the service and the tastiness of the food, I'll give it a 4/5. But heed my warnings!

This review is for a dinner reservation. I'm actually pretty shocked by how many 3 star reviews there are. I enjoyed the food and would come back.Vibe / Service: casual ambiance. Feels like a diner, but it's vibey and feels hipstery. Service was phenomenal. Food: in reference to some of the negative reviews, don't come thinking you're going to pay prices that are comparable to what you'd find in Chinatown - you are at a vibey hipster restaurant in Williamsburg. Yes you can get salt & pepper squid for much cheaper in Chinatown, but this isn't Chinatown. I recommend family style. Portions aren't that big - perfect for 2-3 people. I ordered the below for 2 people and it was too much food:-Chrysanthemum Salad: enjoyed. Light and fresh which was a good balance to the other dishes. -Dao Gok (long beans): flavorful. I really enjoyed and would order again. -Jiew Yeem Yao Yu (salt & pepper squid): pretty standard salt & pepper squid - it was super flavorful. Has some kick to it from the peppers. I would order again. -Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein: VERY peppery. This is good, but definitely just tastes like cacio e pepe. I liked it, but would probably not order again since it was the least interesting dish. -X.O. Cheung Fun: flavorful, would order again. -Cha Siu Bkrib Sandwich: good to split. Love the concept, but it needed more sauce. The meat is super thick and needed extra sauce, but overall this is good.

I'm trying to think of a better meal I've had in 2024 and not coming up with anything. This place is fabulous. We opted for several small dishes to share. The chrysanthemum salad was crunchy and delicious, with crispy shallots that gave it flavour and texture. The cold tofu starter was equally delicious, very with lots a different flavours combining perfectly. The long beans were cooked with just enough snap and the slightly pungent fermented sauce was amazing (I'm running out of adjectives). The shrimp were wonderful, delicious and perfectly cooked. We finished with a congee that was perfect for an early autumn evening. Cocktails were creative and delicious. The service was spot-on. Fast, helpful, and extremely friendly. Dishes came out quickly but we never felt slightly rushed. This is a challenging reservation, so we opted to dine on the patio, which was great for an early autumn evening. The decor in the restaurant is sleek and modern, with just a little kitsch. The restroom made us want to dance. Have you gotten the impression that I liked this place? I can't wait to go back.

Me and my girlfriend came in today for a last minute nice dinner. We sat at the bar and were served by Kwami.The food was perfect we had exactly enough to eat and the service was amazing. Kwami was very personable and took great care of us without being overbearing. Will be coming back!