Wo Hop Next Door

Amazing service! All the wait staff were attentive and very nice! They kept filling our water glasses and clearing the table. Beef brisket casserole: I was expecting it to be in a pot instead of a plate. But the beef was tender. The dish was not oily or heavy. I love the tofu sheets. The beef brisket casserole is tender enough that I think my Dad with dentures can eat it. And it's not too salty because we all have high blood pressure. Salt and pepper capelin: fried fish with roe. It's perfectly seasoned. Better than at Jing Fong. And the fish was a good size. It's pretty addictive. I ate the roe, the flesh and the head. I just removed the spine. They give you bowls to put your bones.Peapod leaves: young peapod leaves--nothing fibrous. Not too salty. Crispy garlic chicken: chicken was not dry. I like the crispy skin. Crab and fish maw soup: I found it a little too watery and a bit bland. But you can put the red vinegar or a little bit of white pepper to taste. Fried tofu: the tofu bricks were longer than other restaurants. Other restaurants are more square. Dip the brick in soy sauce. Seafood pan fried noodles: a mix of squid, scallops, 1-2 shrimp, fish cake, baby bok choy, mushrooms, and carrots. I like the noodles to be a bit more crispy but it was still delicious. I do like that the dishes were not too oily or salty. The place is usually crowded but we got lucky with a large table on a snowy night. Bathrooms are downstairs. Small stalls but very clean.

As someone who has lived in NYC forever it wasn't until recently that I learned there were 2 Wo Hop locations, the one downstairs with the crazy long lines which apparently serves American Chinese food, and the one upstairs which is the notably emptier "hidden gem" serving actual Cantonese Chinese food. The interior has a 90s Asian diner feel with booth tables, slightly rough around the edges and definitely not built for the modern day instagrammable aesthetics. But nonetheless, the food here blew me away (as a fellow Cantonese, you can maybe? trust my word for it).The standout dishes include the Cantonese style stir-fried lobster (market price) which came with generous toppings of ground pork and scrambled egg. This dish leans Toisanese than proper Cantonese, but it is excellent, has superior Wok Hay (iykyk) and lobster is fresh.The other favorite I've tried was the roasted squab ("siu yuu gap"), which is a small bird that is the size of a Cornish hen but the gaminess and dark meat texture of a duck. This dish exceeded all my expectations, crispy skin, perfectly seasoned all the way through, and tasted as good as they make it back in Asia.We also got some seafood stirfried noodles (not my fave, the noodles were too mushy), crispy salt roasted chicken (pretty good), and some squash with fried fish filet (unique and worth trying).I'd definitely come back here for the roasted squab alone. Last note: Cash Only. So you know it's the real deal.

Great portions, fast service in no frills placeThis is a tenth date type of placeOwned by the same family that owns wo hop which has a ridiculous lineEnjoyed salt and pepper pork chop, beef chow fun and eggplant garlicLocal recommended their beef with bitter melon and fish with melon- will try next time

Next door is more authentic chinese food. Came here with a group after service for dinner, it was a set menu that was ordered. They take cash only

Wo Hop is one of my favorite places in NYC. Tonight, I thought I would try the Wo Hop Next Door. I had an excellent meal, and I have nothing but nice things to say about everything. The menu seemed to be a little different, but not enough to matter... and, I'm sure everything is just as good as Wo Hop downstairs. Just because of the history, I like going to the downstairs one better. If you don't feel like waiting in line though, go to Wo Hop Next Door.

Yum. So nostalgic. Came here with a large group post-run club and we ate our hearts out. Everything on the menu is good and service is quick. If I had to choose a favorite dish it would be either the eggplant or duck.

Had a celebratory farewell dinner at Wo Hop Next Door with my European friends accompanied by their small dog. They had selected it, plus the downstairs original Wo Hop was recognized in '22 by James Beard Foundation as an "American Classic." (Because of our canine company, we needed street shed seating.) Keep in mind, during the last 50 or so years the range of Chinese cuisine available in the US has evolved, offering a wider selection of regional cuisines, more intense flavors including spicier, and broader ingredients. Wo Hop Next Door is what I'd classify as a reasonably priced, Cantonese restaurant with some specialties and a mid-Century Chinese American offering, without the Chop Suey, where the flavors are more muted than robust.We each ordered an entree, plus a Bok Choi side for the table. All came with different brown sauces. Recognizing there may be some difference between the original and Next Door's offering, the food was definitely a throwback to decades past, bringing to mind the Chinese food from my childhood when any Chinese food you could find was considered "exotic," so I can appreciate why James Beard categorized the original Wo Hop as a "classic." Diners may need to adjust their expectations because in comparing Wo Hop Next Door to Szechuan, Hunan, Anhui, Lanzhou, Xi'an or other contemporary restaurants they could be disappointed. That being said, it was a great meal together.To me, the best of the Wo Hop Next Door 3 mains was the Wor Shu Duck served on a normal plate vs plastic take out containers for everything else. The duck shined through its brown sauce. The Beef Young Sing Chow Fun had more vegetables and not as many noodles as I've had elsewhere with regular Beef Chow Fun. While I'm not a Lo Mein fan, my friend who ordered the beef one enjoyed it the best.Keeping the original Wo Hop in the basement on my bucket list, I'll eventually try it, where would opt for roast pork and maybe a fish or shrimp dish... definitely something more vibrant. Given exposure to what's available today, though, my (and my family's) tastebuds require more. That being said, there are so many options in Chinatown including new ones to explore and my other personal favorites that my return won't be any time soon, but I expect others may find Wo Hop Next Door more their cup of tea.FYI - Wo Hop Next Door is cash only.

Wo Hop has two locations, the original being the downstairs restaurant that serves American-style Chinese and Wo Hop Next Door which serves Cantonese style dishes. We tried going to the restaurant downstairs but they recommended us to go next door if we wanted more traditional Cantonese dishes.They have a menu in traditional Chinese and in English, with a few items missing in the English. You are able to get most(all?) of the dishes from downstairs, but we decided against that. Service was provided by traditional Chinese waiters who were knowledgeable and personable. We ordered some duck, beef with vegetables and a seafood tofu dish. All were excellent, but the duck was exceptionally crispy and the tofu had all the right flavors. Would definitely come back again!

Old school Cantonese in the heart of Chinatown. Go downstairs for American Chinese food, but if you want something more authentically Cantonese, "next door" is the choice. They also have the American Chinese menu served downstairs, so you can get the best of both worlds here. The servers were all very friendly and chatty. Food took quite a while to arrive but it's a Saturday night, and they were packed. Food's solid Cantonese fare. Are they the best in Chinatown? No, but with the long hours this is a great choice in the Chinatown area, with something for everyone.

Aside from being cash only this is a good location for Chinese. I'm hoping to find better in China town but currently this is the only option that I'd select so far. Fresh, flavorful, quantity is typically good even though my fried rice was half the size of the other plates that came out., If I were to try anything else, I'd probably not order the fried rice to try the pan fried noodles. Service has been great any time I go there.