Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
We were craving Chinese food and decided to stop by Chinatown for lunch on a Saturday. Our original target was full with a long wait, so we finally ended up at Joe’s Ginger on Pell Street. The restaurant was a bit busy so I thought that, probably, that little known secret about this place was out: this is the sister restaurant of Joe’s Shanghai, a popular place in tourist guides, made famous by its "Xiao Long Bao", these soup dumplings served either with pork, or with pork and crab meat. So, while people line up at Joe’s Shanghai, you have a better chance to find a spot at Joe’s Ginger. I admit that I hesitated a bit about ordering these soup dumplings, but, Jodi being vegetarian, it would have been all for myself and, although I do not mind that, I wanted to try other things. So we started with classic dumplings like the steamed shrimp Har Gow or crystal shrimp dumplings that I always get when ordering dim sum, the mix mushroom dumplings, and the vegetable dumplings. Perfectly made, these dumplings were quite good, except the mix mushroom one that had a weird taste.
Mix mushroom dumplings at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
Vegetable dumplings at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
Crystal shrimp dumplings at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
Crystal shrimp dumplings at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
Another classic we got was their scallion pancake that was smaller than what I remember. It came straight from the kitchen and was really hot, delightfully greasy and crispy. Delicious!
Scallion pancakes at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
Scallion pancakes at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
One of the dishes I like there is their chicken pan fried noodles, but this time, I decided to try their General Tso’s chicken as it has been a while since I had that dish and was wondering if it was good at Joe’s Ginger. I was not disappointed: this dish was very good, the chicken being slightly crispy and the sauce deliciously sweet and spicy.
General Tso’s chicken at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
General Tso’s chicken at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
With my meal, I got a Tsing Tao beer, light and refreshing on a hot day.
Tsing Tao beer at Joe's Ginger in Chinatown, NYC
So, overall, I was quite glad we went to Joe’s Ginger, even if it was not our first choice. The food there is great and comes very quickly. This is a great spot to know in Chinatown and, if you decide to go, make sure you have cash as this is a cash only restaurant.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Joe’s Ginger - 25 Pell St, New York, NY 10013
