Oriental Express

My go-​to place for lunch in the Financial District. I only hesitate to say this because while I want to give these people more business, I don’t want to wait in any longer of a line before ordering my General Tso’s chicken over white rice.
But seriously, the food is almost always fresh and the staff is friendly. The price cannot be beat (depending on what item you get, a small bowl with one entrée and a side of rice is only $ 4.50) and the food itself tastes great.
Try everything they have! I’ve only recently become a regular when the member of the staff finally recognized me. It feels great to finally have a place where I can say «I’ll have the usual.»

I could the perfect amount of food for me for a light lunch here, for just about $ 4. I love buffet per pound as long as you don’t overdo it on the food in your plate. I was careful, and got to try a little bit of everything, and was full… and not overly sleepy. Great quality and great prices.

This is the closest to good Chinese food your gonna get around this area. If you come here for lunchtime, this is the best food around and the prices are very cheap. You have a choice of eating from a buffet style setup with fresh food made daily or you can order with the guy behind the counter who serves your from food that’s even fresher. Staff here are very friendly too.

My favorite place to get Chinese in FiDi. Buffet option for pay by the pound is the best I’ve found in the whole city (thus far). Buffet carries the generic items every day but also changes up some of the other choices to provide a little variety, which I really appreciate.
The food is all made fairly well. I try to get different items each time I go and have only had two dishes i wasn’t a huge fan of, which may speak more to my taste in food than it not being prepared well.
For around $ 10 I get a good sampling of items and I have yet to feel like I needed more after finishing up.

OMG! OMG! OMG! The best Chinese food I had in a very very long time. My friend Gilbert suggested this joint. We needed take out to take in our truck route. We eat big and had 2 orders each for lunch. All of our dishes were full of flavor and depth that we were both amazed. These guys really know how to do food.
By the way, the portions are nicely generous that we had leftovers for dinner.
Thanx guys.

I used to intern in financial district and my boss took me here so many times. Many options. food taste good and cheap

I had the tomato and beef over rice dish. It was very bland and a bit too watery. It looks like the cook couldn’t control the water content of the dish. Also the beef was tasteless and didn’t have the sear marks you would expect from wok cooking. This dish is in serious need of the dragons breath…

Excellent lunch spot in the FDI. Tasty and not greasy — with a buffet option for those craving variety. Special orders are gladly accomodated. Reasonable prices: an attractive alternative to the pricier spots on Maiden Lane and Pearl Street. I eat here several times a week.

Just south of chase plaza. From the (mushroom) statue down steps on to Cedar st. it’s on right side. Small downstairs entrance. buffet table. A pick n choose table. & Specials on the board All DELICIOUS.

After hearing coworkers rave about the «cheap basement Chinese spot», I finally caved and tried it out. Normally, I am not a Chinese food fan — however this is one of few places that I have found that I really enjoy. I’ve only ever ordered my food cooked to order, so I cannot comment on the buffet, but each and every time I’ve gone the food is fresh, hot and delicious. They are not afraid to spice things up! A side of fried rice, white rice, or lo-​mein is usually included with whatever you order. Even if you order something from the menu, its usually ready in no time — which to me is a better option than getting food from the buffet which would not be as fresh. They seem pretty accommodating if you want to change things up slightly or go off menu (at least in my experience). The staff is friendly and seem to enjoy interacting with customers.
The prices are amazing for downtown — and best of all is that they offer small portions which are perfect for lunch. I don’t think that they advertise the small size — but they definitely will do it. I usually get my meal with lo mein and a can of soda for $ 5.50-$ 6.00. The value is great — as long as you don’t mind the cafeteria type atmosphere of the place and the fact that it’s in a windowless basement. Finally, it’s cash only, so make sure you hit the ATM first.

The food is just like Ho Yip’s. Very authentic Chinese. If that isn’t your thing they also have pay by the pound American Chinese Food. This restaurant is family run and they are very friendly and accommodating. I’m lucky to have it closeby as I eat here almost everyday.

Totally acceptable quick Chinese lunch buffet. It’s certainly no frills, but there’s usually some seating even at peak lunch hour. My favorite here is the «grilled» chicken — actually fried and glazed in a sweet, tangy sauce.

My go-​to Chinese quick-​lunch spot.
Friendly staff, quick and a bargain. Though I no longer work nearby, I try to make a trek here at least once a month.

One of my lunch spots for chinese buffet. Compared to Ho Yip this place is abit more pricer and does not have as many selection, however i find their food to be more flavorful. This place would be good for you if you are not picky about the type of meat you eat.
The selection of food have some things that are usually the same daily such as rice, noodle, tso chicken, veggie delight, dumpling and grill chicken. Other selections such as porkchop, fish etc changes every day.
Tips:
1. I notice their buffet tend to be very saucy. Just remember this is buffet by pound and sauce is very heavy
2. Get the grill chicken, this is their most popular buffet dish
3. Cash only

Pro’s — it’s cheap. Con’s — just about everything else. The food isn’t very good. The place doesn’t look or smell clean, not by a longshot. There’s a dirty fan that circulates air sitting here in the dining area that looks like it’s been encrusted with grease and dirt. Yeah, it’s not winning any kind of awards for cleanliness.
If not for the low cost of the food and the sad dearth of fast food Chinese places in FiDi, this place wouldn’t be able to stay in business. But, like I said — it’s cheap.

Was coming here for lunch almost a decade ago and this place is still here when I finally revisited this year! I decided to see if this restaurant was still here during one of my of lunchtime strolls and to my surprise this underground establishment hasn’t changed a bit!
This restaurant is located on a rather unassuming street with not much happening. Once you reach the entrance, there’s a small staircase to take down to the actual restaurant. It’s not a big restaurant with probably 8 tables at the back at the very most. There’s your typical buffet on the right and the kitchen to the left. I usually get the kitchen food with white rice.
They allow people to make 2 choices at the kitchen to go along with the rice. The kitchen food is not spectacular, but it does the job when satisfying appetites. There’s the usual General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, chicken with black bean sauce, chicken with cashews, etc. If that is what you order then it usually comes out to about $ 5.85, which is not pricey compared to all of downtown Manhattan, but a little bit pricier than the other Chinese restaurants. It’s not my favorite Chinese restaurant downtown, but it’s definitely in my top 3 behind Ho Yip’s and Yips.

5-​star because this is the closest place around the FiDi (Wall Street specifically) that sells cheap Chinese food.
Place is a bit weird because it’s on a small street that is usually not frequent unless you know of it. Food is decent, but for $ 7, the portion size is big and there are many options available.
You can pick and choose from the already-​made options (usually the popular items like sesame chicken, chicken & broccoli, general tso chicken) or order your custom-​made combination.

My boss religiously eats here ³⁄₅ days of the week. I was always a little skeptical about it because of it’s sketchy basement like placement in FiDi; but I was totally wrong! This place is pretty awesome! They are ridiculously cheap for the area and the owner/​employees are SO nice. I’ve tried a few things on the menu. the beef + broccoli is delicious. The chicken + broccoli is tasty as well. The wonton soup is HEAVEN! I am EXTREMELY picky about wonton soup and its texture, Oriental Express definitely passed the test!
This isn’t a place to bring your entire office for a lunch meeting. It’s purpose is definitely for take-​out. There is very limited seating and there is little to no ambiance.

If you don’t have a stick up your ass and aren’t looking for a nice sit down place, then keep reading. The rest of you, gtfo before whining about the ambience, take this back to your desk and eat it there like the rest of us excel monkeys.
This is my go to place in FiDi for some good and fast Chinese takeout. I always do the buffet line, there are enough choices to keep you entertained and it’s pretty tasty. The quality of food is also good for takeout. Oh and it’s cheap, if you’re not a hoarder. Definitely worth a try.

Literally, a hole in the wall place.
A place that speaks Cantonese wins anytime for me. They have food buffet style or you can order it up at the counter. They give a decent amount of food, you will definitely be full afterward. Not to mention, the speed of the service is quick. Plus, the food is delicious — then again what isn’t when it’s dipped into oil and sauce YUM
On cold days, give their noodle soup a try. It’s the only place in the lower Financial District that serves this great of a Chinese Food.