Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle

I live around the corner and go here probably 3 times a week. As many people have noted, you’ve gotta get the boiled dumplings. The fried ones are great too. These may be the best dolla dumps in the city.
On the soup side, my go-​to is #2, the brisket noodle soup. Initially I loved it because I was too lazy to deal with the bones in the #1 or the duck noodle soup, but it’s pretty great in its own right. The pork chop noodle soup is really good too if you want to fatten this baby up– it’s a fried pork cutlet served on the side with a bowl of noodle soup.
Make sure you use the chili oil instead of Sriracha, and if you get soup, add some pickled mustard greens too. Enjoy!

This place is awesome!
It honestly feels like you’re sitting in the kitchen of a restaurant, so keep that in mind. There is a literal fridge blocking part of one of the tables and no décor. Everything is stained and everything is covered in sauce, definitely come prepared to get a little messy. However, the flavor from literally any of the dishes will make you completely forget about the not-​so-​great space.
I got the dry noodles, which was a huge bowl that came with noodles, minced meat and a lot of bok choy. The flavor was amazing and the meat was so soft and tasty. I added a lot of the ginger sauce that they had, which made it a little soupy. Portion was really big.
We got an order of the fried dumplings which were also UNREAL. Added the ginger sauce to them too. The portion was huge (came with I think 12?) but I could not stop eating.
Cash only, so keep that in mind! Also consider ordering it as takeout as there isn’t a ton of room to sit and seating is communal!

The 10 fried dumplings for $ 3 were perhaps the best dumplings I’ve ever had, sorry Prosperity and Vanessa’s. The perfect ratio of dough to filling and it tasted quality without being too greasy. The broth for the fried pork noodles was also delicious. This a a true gem, and for the price, I’ll be sure to go back.

A hole in the wall if there ever was one. The one and only reason I go is the boiled dumplings. I’m yet to have better dumplings in the city (or anywhere else for that matter). For a place with «Handmade Noodle» in the title, I expected better handmade noodles. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good, but I just have come to expect a little more. If all you want is handpulled noodles, I suggest you go to Xian’s.
Also, ordering is a bit confusing and to this day, I don’t think I’ve mastered it. It always works out in the end, it just usually takes about 15 – 30 seconds of awkwardly standing around.
If you want amazing, authentic-​tasting dumplings, look no further.

A hole in the wall restaurant means it’s legit.
I came here because they have really good ratings, have a high number of reviews, and are recommended by bloggers and possibly buzzfeed. The place is great. You can literally see the workers in the kitchen making dumplings. Ordering was so informal here like all I had to do was get someone’s attention in the kitchen, and basically tell them aloud my order. It’s not ordering in the traditional sense, but I’m not offended, and the restaurant itself really isn’t big enough for workers to go around checking up on people. Also they speak mainly Mandarin because when I responded a bit in Cantonese, they didn’t quite pick up on my dialect.
I ordered the beef-​brisket noodle soup.
Okay so maybe it’s because I’m Asian, and I’ve grown accustomed to certain types of Asian dishes, but I just thought this was alright. They have beef brisket noodle soups in tons of Chinese restaurants. It’s nothing to go out of your way for, but the food is tasty nonetheless. I probably should’ve have tried some of their dumplings since it seems a lot of people get those too, but I wasn’t feeling too hungry then. If you want water, just grab a bottle from their fridge but it’ll cost you $ 1 per bottle.

My favorite dumpling and noodle place in Manhattan. You really cannot beat these hand pulled noodles — they are fresh, super springy and the texture is unbelievable. All of the broths are very flavorful, making these noodles perfect for a cold day. The dumplings are also fantastic, as the meat is super flavorful without being overly salty. I prefer the boiled dumplings here, although I generally prefer fried dumplings. The boiled dumplings allow the filling be the star, without the distraction of fried shell goodness.
It’s a hole in the wall, you’re likely to be sharing tables with strangers, but it doesn’t matter when you’re eating some serious grub.
Oh and everything is super cheap — $ 3 for 10 boiled dumplings and most noodle soups are $ 6.

I have never been one to let a little thing like total skeeviness get in the way between me and good eats. But even I have my limits. When that happens, my inner voice kicks in, repeating «Don’t even think about what is going on in that kitchen,» over and over again like a protective mantra. That is pretty much what happened the first time I set foot in Lam Zhou. But I worked through it and am so glad I did:
Because Boiled Dumplings. These doughy bundles of porky, juicy goodness have replaced the ones from now-​shuttered Prosperity on Eldridge in its heyday in my heart – or is it stomach? I recently brought a Taiwanese Mama friend here as part of a Chinatown food crawl, and she paid these dumplings the ultimate compliment, «These are better than my Mom’s. The wrappers are so thin!» Indeed.
Disclaimer: I have not tried anything else here. But the Boiled Dumplings deserve five stars and then some!

This place… makes me drool so hard. Not only for the price but for the quality itself.
It’s very Chinese and very authentic. So you shouldn’t be picky about who you’re sharing the table with or if the table was cleaned before you got seated. All these people only focus on serving customer the best food they can make.
Enjoy a a very great place in the heart of Chinatown.
NEGATIVES:
Cash only
No A/​C

My friends and I visited New York about a month ago and I’m still missing and dreaming about these noodles and dumplings.
We all got the fried dumplings and they gave 10 for only $ 3. It was so perfectly fried and their homemade sauce and chili oil just made it 10x better.
Then came the main dish, the beef noodle soup. Honestly I thought din tai fung’s beef noodle soup was pretty good but after having Lam Zhou, din tai fung can’t even compare. The noodles were amazing and the broth just so good. It was a nice beef broth but I like my soups a bit more salty so I added their homemade sauce for the dumplings and it was so good. I wish they sold their noodles frozen I would’ve brought some home and tried to make a broth just like theirs. The bowl was only about $ 6. So the total was under $ 10 cash only of course but I would pay more for this any day. So good!

Lam Zhou is a hole in a wall that provides dining options for $ 6.50 and below. No tipping is required. There’s about 20 seats available but the seats open up quickly.
We shared the beef tendon and brisket noodle soup. It’s not on the menu but I requested to have a combo instead of having one choice of meat, it’s a dollar extra to do so. The noodle soup looks really homemade. The broth was light and MSG free. There’s a fair amount of meat and the noodles were pretty thick.
The fried dumplings were pretty good. It’s comparable to Vanessa’s but still different enough to be unique.
Overall, the food is 3.5 but I’m rounding it up to 4 stars because where can you get lunch for under $ 10 anymore?!

A second hole in the wall my cousin took me. Menu is simple. Seating is shared. Place is tiny. Hey, its New York!
Dumplings was great. I like how they came out all messed up. The sweet chili garlic soy sauce is a great topping and everyone should drench the dumplings in them. For the price of $ 3 – 5, you get a whole plate of dumplings!
The beef noodle soup was authentic. Small bowl but I prefer the dumplings. My cousin loves the fried pork chop noodle soup.
If you are in the area, stop by.

Fried dumplings: So delicious
Boiled dumplings: So delicious
I don’t know what they put in their dumplings, but they are damn flavorful, even without the sauce.
Their beef noodle soup, on the other hand, was more «eh» for me. The noodle quality was decent, but the noodles and broth lacked some flavor for me.
Next time: all dumplings, only dumplings.

For some reason, despite living in the neighborhood for years, I never tried the noodles here, only came for the best homemade dumplings! Even the wrap itself is delicate and tasty, the filling is also super generous and boy, the sauce… The best dumpling sauce I’ve ever had in Chinatown.
Wish Lam Zhou were open til later because it would definitely be my second home after late hangouts :)

The BEST beef noodle soup I’ve had so far (better than Tasty Handpulled Noodle). Not in the central part of Chinatown though, but worth the trek in my opinion. Their dumplings are also BAWMB and hella cheap.
Definition of a hole in the wall though. Feels like China, and hey, ain’t a bad thing to me as long as they serve good food.

i dont know, this place is good, but it also give me a stomachache later that night. i love that it’s so cheap — 6 dumplings for 2 dollars and the service is fast. but i question the A rating displayed in the front of the store.
i tried the fried dumplings and the regular dumplings and both were good, but definitely preferred the fried dumplings more.

Good handmade noodles, but their soups are mostly noodles not enough soup!
Got a bunch of their boiled dumplings but their pan-​fried dumplings were still cold since they were cooked frozen.
Quick and easy place to go for late night cravings.

The menu is simple and the food is awesome and cheap, what more can you ask for?! If you love noodles and dumplings, Lam Zhou will do more than its part in satisfying your taste buds. There’s nothing shiny or impressive looking about Lam Zhou as it’s pretty much a no frills small hole in the wall restaurant that has been satisfying customers for a long time in Chinatown … or so I heard for many years.
I FINALLY made my way to Lam Zhou after having it on my food bucket list for a very long time and, not to make any excuses, but NYC and Chinatown have a helluva lot of good restaurants to eat at so it ain’t easy making the rounds. With that said, my girlfriend and I dropped by on a random Sunday afternoon for lunch and we sat ourselves down at one of their few tables inside. You have 2 options when it comes to dining in, either sit at 1 of the 2 shared tables or seat yourself on the stools facing the wall. You’re not going to find any seats with great views here, unless you love staring at walls when you eat.
After we sat down, the Mandarin-​speaking waitress came out and took our order asap. From our observations while dining here, for the Cantonese speakers, they’ll understand your Cantonese, but fully expect a response back in Mandarin. For English speakers, the employees don’t speak a whole lot of English, but tell them what you want and they’ll take care of it. Anyhow, within a few minutes, our 2 orders of noodle soup and dumplings had already arrived! Talk about fast food!
We shared an order of 10 Fried Dumplings and I had the Beef Tripe Noodle Soup while my girlfriend had the Beef Tendon Noodle Soup. First, the dumplings were served in a simple silver dish and absolutely delish! Perfectly fried and extremely flavorful! They are an absolute must-​get on ANY visit. The noodle soups were also excellent as well. The hand pulled noodles were more of the lo mein type and the broth they sat in was soooo good! The beef tripe and tendons were perfectly cooked.
In addition to the food that we ordered, there was a plethora of condiments readily available on the table, including vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, chili garlic sauce and pickled mustard greens. This was the most condiments I’d ever had at my disposal on a table and we put almost every single one to use! In conclusion, I hope a restaurant like Lam Zhou will never change because everything about it, from the amazingly simple cheap food to the no frills décor, screams authenticity … and I love it!

My brother Pedro recently turned me onto this place via a recent YouTube video. Have I told you how much I love you lately my brother?
This amazing dumpling and noodle place is located on East Broadway in Chinatown, New York. The place may not look like the finest restaurant in the world… but that didn’t scare me from venturing inside, and they also had an A health rating posted so that was cool. My wife and I stopped here on our way to her parents’ place which is only a few short blocks away from here.
Not only is this place very small… but it was PACKED as it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. And that’s also because everyone knows how amazing the food there is! I ordered the pork chop noodle soup and an order of steamed dumplings, and for my wife I got another order of the pork chop noodle soup and fried dumplings instead of boiled. Because the place was so crowded I ordered it to go… but I do plan on returning there soon to sit in there and get the full «dining in Chinatown» experience on my next visit. And oh yes… there will DEFINITELY be a next visit.
The dumplings were AMAZING!!! And the pork chop noodle soup was awesome! My wife practically inhaled her dumplings and raved about the taste and the tenderness of the fried pork chop… and when my wife raves about something then you KNOW that it must be incredible! I also loved the soup broth. The flavor just on it’s own was amazing… But when I added a mixture of dumpling sauce and hot chili oil… it was taste bud nirvana! It was also cool to see the dumplings and noodles being made by hand.
The only picture I took was a picture of the menu and the crowded interior. The food did not stick around long enough to be immortalized in digital photos… Let me stress again that not only was the food amazing, but I only spent $ 19 for everything. An order of noodle soup only cost $ 6.50 each, and an order of either steamed or fried dumplings will run you $ 3 for 10 amazingly delicious dumplings!!!
As much as I love the dumplings at Lao Bei Fang in Elmhurst (another great noodle and dumpling house that you should check out…), Lan Zhou Handmade Noodle is now our #1 Go To spot for amazing flavor at an amazing value. And what to try on our next visit? Duck noodle soup? Lamb noodle soup? Pig foot or pig bone soup? Beef Brisket or beef tripe soup? Be sure to tune in for the very next culinary adventure! And if my wife has anything to say about it that’s going to be later on today.

One of the best cheap and quick chinese eats in the city. A bit dingy looking. Rickety chairs, sticky sauce containers but I still usually go in on the pepper flakes and chili oil anyway. Random tangent, can’t stand room temperature siracha, kinda runny, use to refrigerated siracha now.
Noodles are made on site. Great texture and chewy-​ness. Soup stock taste the same for all soup dishes. So expect consistency throughout the menu. Favorites include beef brisket, beef tripe and beef tendon. Of those the beef tripe is probably the best. Keep in mind meat is fairly average. It’s the noodle and soup that shine. Lamb noodle is also good if you like the gamey taste. Not overwhelming, how i like it, but you’ll definitely notice it.
Dumplings are even better. Great filling, not just a flavorless mass of meat. Nice ratio of meat to veggies. Skin is not super thick yet retains the nice chewy texture. Drench the order with chili oil. Also stock up on their bag of 50 frozen dumplings. Quality does not deteriorate at all after preparing at home. So worth it.

3.5 Star
Warning: If you’re trying to find a place that looks clean or sanitary place, PLEASE JUST NO, you are in the heart of Chinatown that is not going to happen. However if you are looking for new flavors of Chinese cuisine other than Cantonese, then please come and visit. The taste of the dumplings have more of a punch of flavor compare to the cheap dumplings that cost one dollar for 5 pieces… The hand-​pulled noodle soup is not that bad. A friend told me that the father makes better noodles, guess I have to come back again. It was very fresh and the texture hit my mouth quite nicely. However, the broth and beef briskets was drowning by the a ton of MSGs in the soup, but this is to be expected for a place that sells food this cheap.

Hands down best fried dumplings I’ve ever had. Make sure to add the sweet vinegar and chili sauce! Also beef brisket noodles were amazing — I wasn’t dying of thirst so I’m assuming there wasn’t too much MSG! Meat/​broth/​noodle ratio was on point :)
Came in around 1:30 on a Saturday and managed to find a seat!
2 beef brisket soups + 1 fried dumplings = $ 16

Are you hungry? Do you have $ 3? Do you like dumplings? If you answered «yes» to all of these questions, then this is the place for you.
Lam Zhou has become one of my favorite spots to grab a bite in Chinatown. This short review is just for the dumplings, which I get every time here. The 10 for $ 3 fried dumplings are a steal and can be summed up as delicious juicy greatness. Great for a quick snack or for a full meal. Seating may be difficult for larger groups due to limited space.
Get the $ 10 bag for 50 frozen dumplings to make yourself at home!

Cheap, awesome, authentic Chinese food!
A bowl of beef noodles will only set you back 6 dollars here, which is an incredible price, even for Chinatown standards.
You just sit right down at an open table, and eventually one of the workers there should notice you and take your order. The food comes out very quickly, but its not because it’s done without care!
The broth was very rich and the beef was still nice and tender; the noodles themselves were average, but perhaps that’s because I’ve been spoiled by my Chinese parents.
I like how they actually make the noodles nearby in the kitchen; though the slapping sound may catch you off-​guard at first, you learn to appreciate how they go through the authentic method of making these noodles.
Overall, great value for great food!

THE BEST. I long for real chinese food. and this is it.

This is a small local noodle place in Chinatown. It’s mostly communal tables so sit wherever you like.
The fried dumplings had lots of meat! Yes!
I got the beef brisket noodle soup. Lots of meat! Delicious noodles! Flavorful broth!
Cheap! Quick! and Delicious! a good place to go, especially on a very cold winter day.
Cash only!

Again another solid place in the lower east side. I got in and took a seat. I ordered fried dumplings and a beef noodle soup. It was really good. The noodle was soft and soup was flavorful. The fried dumpling was not too doughy and had a nice crunch to it. Total was $ 9.50 but there was so much food I could barely finish it all. I also really like the spicy sauce that is on the table. This is definitely a no frills place and you don’t come here for the service. You sit you eat and you leave. Sometimes you can even catch them making the noodles in the back. I would definitely be back next time. Cash only!

I lived in LanZhou and their beef noodles are hard to come by. I didn’t think these beef noodles were that similar to northwestern Chinese noodles.
That being said, I love the dry minced pork sauce over noodles, #11. Delicious. It’s my standard.

Their beef noodles are SO fresh. This is a 20-​person hole-​in-​the-​wall space that can fill up quickly, which would normally be minus a star, but their service is so fast that tables turn over in minutes. I’ve generally gotten my noodles in under 2mins, dumplings in 5. This really hits the spot when you’re having beef noodle cravings, and for only $ 6/​bowl (cash only).
Tip: Try to sit in the middle of the restaurant in the wintertime. You’ll face blasts of cold air too close to the door, but the kitchen gets loud when they slam the dough around.

Cheap and delicious! Best noodles place ever.
Ever since this place became popular, it’s gotten more crowded than usual and isn’t just popular among the asians anymore. Usually when that happens, the quality of the restaurant becomes subpar, but Lam Zhou is still delicious as ever.

One of the best dumplings in Manhattan. Thin skin, plump filling, and no weird googlies make for a great dumpling! I always get mine boiled for the true dumpling texture experience but fried is also good. You can also bring home huge bags of 50 frozen dumplings for $ 10 as well. WHAT!
Also on the menu are huge bowls of handpulled noodles in broth or with sauce. At $ 6 a bowl, you can’t have a cheaper, more satisfying meal.
Service is what you would expect from a Chinese hole-​in-​the-​wall place. You tell them what you want by yelling out the menu number, they drop the bowl in front of you, you pay, you leave. There is no friendly banter, no suggestions, nothing extra.
The space is skinny and small and full of stools. Share a table with the hipster or Chinese grandma next to you.

The thing about growing up in NYC is that you don’t go to all the touristy food spots that everyone raves about. Well, I’m trying to fix that, and Lam Zhou was a good choice to start.
I hope you’re not easily startled, because a few minutes into sitting down, you’ll hear the pounding of noodle dough against a steel table. It’s loud.
There’s not a lot that hasn’t already been said about the place — it’s a hole in the wall, cash-​only, and not exactly fine dining. But the food is good. And cheap too. Grab a bowl of the brisket or tripe noodle soup at a very cool $ 6, and maybe an order of dumplings too. Don’t come here specifically for the fried dumplings though, because they’re not as good as other places in Chinatown. The hand pulled noodles, however, are amazing and hit just the right spot on a cold day. Or I guess a drunk day. Or any day, really.
Great savory broth and a lot of chunks of meat. The noodles have a great texture and the right amount of bounce. Not too chewy and not falling apart either. I’ve been to far too many noodle places where these are common problems. Maybe I have a noodle problem.
Most of the staff speaks limited English, but there are some younger guys who do. They’re not the most polite, but they’re at least somewhat considerate. One of the guys asked a lady (quite rudely in Chinese… as if there’s any other way) to move so she wouldn’t take up all the seats at the counter so me and my friends could sit. But hey, everyone here seemed to be having a good time.
Tick this one off the bucket list.

I’m a tourist just looking for a good snack.
Great tasting fried dumplings and very affordable! 10 dumplings $ 3. I think they sell in 6 too. That’s all I tried but people also recommended the #2 beef soup. A little hard to find, big yellow tarp. Unilocal has a good image of the front so you can confirm you’re at the right place. Walk in, get yourself something to drink and have a seat if you want to wait to be talked to or just tell them what you want and they’ll bring it to you. Highly recommended if around for some lunch

I’ve never feared hole in the walls. But this place takes it to a whole new level. Tables so sticky that they look like they weren’t wiped clean all day, a lady pounding hand made dough and making dumplings on our shared table. What about the kitchen? I remember a dog sitting by me too– someone getting take out brought their pet in. The floor felt so dirty, I was scared at what I was going to see running by me next. I’ve never been grossed out by a hole in the wall, but this place did it.
Didn’t stop me from eating though. Fried dumplings were the one good dish (added tasty sauce that was on the table with soy sauce, not the vinegar — later used this sauce to dip the tasteless noodles into)
Dry noodle with minced pork — pork was flavorful, noodles were overcooked and no better than any average noodle. Beef noodle soup — broth was terrible, beef was okay, noodles again were overcooked. And the service? Just point to the numbers when you order, don’t bother speaking here, and good luck flagging someone down!

These dumplings remind me of the ones my dad made for me growing up. At $ 10 a bag of frozen dumplings, it’s such a steal.
The prices are great — cash only though.
I wish I lived closer!

Cheap homemade dumplings, noodles, and soup! First of all, the prices are amazing. $ 3 for 10 dumplings and ~$ 6.50 for a bowl of noodles. The place is cash only, which makes it a bit less convenient for people like me that really only use credit card and have cash as a last resort.
The place is relatively crowded and in a small space. You will likely be sharing a table with other people. We didn’t mind, as there was adequate room for everyone’s food.
The texture and chewiness of the hand-​pulled noodles was spot on. The pork bone broth that I got came with bones that had a bit of meat on them, which was amazing to gnaw off.
And of course as other reviewers have noted, there is the occasional loud banging sound as the person flops the noodles in prep against the table. Makes for a fun atmosphere!

Dumpling are still ⁵⁄₅ and conditions are better.
They reorganized the prep area and the way they serve.
Do expect a communication challenges, greasy dirty tables, and sharing of tables.

FYI, there are a lot of Lanzhou handmade noodle places in Chinatown in general (lots of handpulled noodle variants as well), so make sure you actually go to the right one. For example, there is a lanzhou handmade noodle on Eldridge street as well.
The ambiance in this restaurant is not very good in my opinion, and it is slightly worse than the other discount noodle places you can go to. However, you do have the very cool option of being able to watch the guy in the back do his super cool show ‘hand pulling’ the noodles– it’s quite a spectacle.
As for the food itself, the noodles are decent here but nothing special for chinatown NYC. The dumplings are a very good deal, and are in my opinion better than the noodles themselves. You can probably get about 10 dumplings for around $ 4, and the noodles for not much more. A pretty good bargain.

Cheap and good hand pulled noodle shop. Place is very small. You can see the employees making noodles and fresh dumplings in the next room.
Sit down for a quick bite for $ 5 or less that satisfies your stomach. They have a small cooler for soft drinks.
The restroom is holy tiny and disgusting. It seems like a poop bomb went off in there but it’s also Chinatown… can’t say much.
Eat and leave that’s all you need to do.

hand pulled noodles are incredible. I’ve been coming here for some time and when you sit down and begin to relax «WHAM» the guy gets to making the noodles. always catches you by surprise. they take cash only so don’t come with plastic you hipsters. bring the old fashioned green stuff!
try any dish, they are all good. haven’t had one bad bowl of noodles or dumplings yet.

This review will be as tiny as Lam Zhou’s interior.
— 10 dumplings for $ 3
— Hand pulled noodles for $ 6
— CASH
— Doesn’t get any better.

Wow! Hole in the wall mom and pop place that serves some of the best Chinese dumplings and noddle soups!
Best soup was the Pork Bone. The broth was silky like a great Ramen but full of flavor. It comes with 4 huge bones that still have the fatty goodness on them.
The Beef Tendon was also great with tons of tendon pieces.
The Pork Pot Stickers and the Pork Steamed Dumpling were just freaking awesome both in texture of the skin and in the flavor of the inside.
Very inexpensive and cash only. Bowls of soups is around $ 6, dumplings of 10 pcs around $ 5, and a can of soda is $ 1.
Just be prepared for the loud body slamming noises coming from the kitchen. I was unprepared and it scared the hell out of me. Reason for the loud noise is because they stretch all their noddles by hand. So the noddle guy twists and slams the raw dough on to a marble table until the dough is at the right texture. Then, with his fingers, he cuts and stretches the noddles to order.

Si no fuera porque tenía muchas reseñas positivas no hubiera entrado. El lugar es feo… la comida INCREÍBLE…vale la pena.

I’m a huge NOODLE person — the broth and the toppings are just accoutrements. You see, the noodles are what power a noodle dish, the chewy, toothsome generator that provides so much mouthfeel and happiness. Hence my personal mission to try every dingy, hole-​in-​the-​wall, yellow-​awning Chinatown noodle shop, beginning with Lam Zhou.
Don’t bother looking for the sign, keep your head up for that «144.» The place doesn’t seat more than 15 at the most, the utensils are plastic spoons and wooden chopsticks, and right next to the dining area is a man loudly smacking a pre-​noodle ball of dough as the dining soundtrack. You can eat a good hearty meal here for two for under $ 20, and even have leftovers.
Order like so: grab a seat, then go all the way to the back and announce your order to no one in particular. It helps if you can speak Chinese or if, like a barnacle, you’ve attached yourself to a Chinese speaker for the very purpose of eating noodles, but even if you don’t, they know the numbers on the menu. Eventually someone will come to you if you decide to just sit there and look around plaintively, but then you’ll waste precious noodle-​munching minutes.
NOODLES: Five stars! Gold stars! A+! This must be what it feels like to eat a fish three minutes after it’s been killed.
BROTH: I skipped most of it but still had to chug water once I got home.
DUMPLINGS: Almost as good as the noodles (heck, maybe even better). The skins are thinner than I’m used to. Grab some of the garlic dipping sauce, a little chili oil, and have yourself a fantastic $ 3 meal.
NEXT TIME: the sweet rice dumplings with crunchy peanut innards (tang yuan) — sounds like hot heaven to me!

Mary had a little Lam a little Lam a Little Lam Zhou… okay maybe Mary had a lamb or not, but if she stopped by Lam Zhou… she’d definitely eat a boatload of dumplings!
BRING CASH!
gritty hole in the wall dumpling and noodles joint. not dirty. no clean either. focus on the food. not the surrounding. tiny joint with a several small seating options. this is not a place to linger at. order eat get out. or order grab your food get out. place seats ~15 – maybe less. oh and it’s summer so be prepared to sweat while eating in there.
my go-​to is the panfried dumplings. mix the vinegar. soy, and hot sauce. dip appropriately. inhale dumplings. repeat. several times. comfortably uncomfortable fullness will be your destiny
these dumplings are perfectly thin skinned and absolutely delicious. crisp a lil crunch. savory. plump with filling. throw in the vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce and you are definitely on a flavor vacation. the boiled/​steamed dumplings are fine, but i’ll have mine fried.
the noodle soups here are perfect for the price and great on a cool or cold day. noodle soups come out hot, so don;t burn yourself. my preference? i enjoy the dry noodle a lot. this will always hit the spot of savory, carb-​y, and rounded with variety of spices. yummm.
the prices? rock bottom. it’s a steal!
the staff. quick. to the point. and friendly enough. even if they weren’t those dumplings will have you coming back for more. the staff here works hard. the dude in the back of this joint is smashing those hand-​pulled noodles like no one’s business!
as many have typed before me… you can buy a bag of 50 frozen dumplings for next to nothing.
drops mic because i am hauling three bags of frozen dumplings home!
i out.
zzz