I was searching for someplace to eat in Chinatown after touring a few museums in Brooklyn. It was cold that night and I was in the mood for soup and dumplings. The place I wanted to go to was closed and as I walked around Division Street, I came across a restaurant that was having their grand opening (I would find out later it had opened in the summer).
The owner waved me in on a very cold and welcomed me inside to a warm restaurant where homemade dumplings are made right in front of you. The best part is that there is a lot to order under $10.00. There were so many choices from the menu with dumplings, pancakes and soups and everything was so reasonable.
The Chive Pancake
I started my meal with the Chive Pancakes. These were being made by the women working the counter behind the register. These golden cakes were rather large and were panned fried. With a little soy sauce, what a way to start the meal.
The Chive Pancakes
The were filled with rice noodles, eggs and chives
Then I needed to warm myself up and had the Wonton Noodle Soup with bok choy. The long noodles and the dumplings are made fresh right in front of you. The dumplings go right from the counter where the women just folded them into the soup or into the pan for an order of ten.
The Wonton Noodle Soup with Dumplings
The food and the service were wonderful and the owner could not have been nicer and more welcoming. She pulled me off a cold street and welcomed me into the restaurant. In a time of rising prices and small portions, North Dumpling is that wonderful exception with reasonable prices and excellent food.
What I found out from the manager after dinner was this is the sister restaurant to China North Dumpling, a tiny restaurant on Essex Street which literally has no seating and this is her new, bigger version of that very successful restaurant.
My reviews on China North Dumpling at 23 Essex Street:
The amazing Chinese New Year Dinner I had at Lan Zhou, the Tiny Pork Buns, the Pork and Chive Dumplings and the Longevity Noodles with Chicken. Everything was delicious.
The “Tiny” Pork Buns and Longevity Noodles with Chicken
The New Kamboat Bakery & Cafe (or just Kamboat Bakery) is one of the liveliest bakeries in Chinatown. I started visiting the bakery after seeing videos on YouTube mentioning it for a great place to have a snack.
Since then, I have been visiting often after class for their Roast Pork and Cream filled buns, Curried and Pepper Chicken Puffs, Egg Tarts and other bakery delights that I enjoy for lunch and for snacks.
The bakery section at Kamboat Bakery
The selection of baked goods and entrees is extensive and there are all sorts of puffs, tarts and twists filled with sweet and savory fillings including roast pork, hot dogs and even breakfast sandwiches.
Kamboat Bakery also has a selection of rice rolls and entrees over…
I just started Spring Term at both of my colleges and classes are in full swing. Most everything I am able to handle but my Finance class is giving me a little concern. I still have to work on the formulas a bit more. Outside that, it is not the pressure cooker it was last semester. I still don’t know how I pulled off taking four classes, teaching three classes, three major projects in each and then the holidays and working on my blogs. Read “Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Six-Christmas Again” and you will think the same thing:
I never realized how close that Chinatown was to the New York University campus and now that I know, I will be sneaking down there a lot more before and after classes. I need my dumpling fix. Things are getting back to normal in New York City. It is still not the same as 2019 but it has gotten busier. Chinatown has gotten back to its ‘new normal’ with less restaurants and stores.
I have never seen so many ‘For Rent’ signs on buildings and buildings for sale. The outskirts of Chinatown are either being knocked down or gentrified and being replaced by art galleries, fusion restaurants, boutiques and businesses that have nothing to do with Chinatown. It is as if the East Village, SoHo and the Lower East Side are configuring on every corner of Chinatown. It is changing fast.
Chinese New Year is big in Manhattan’s Chinatown and where everyone comes to celebrate. It was too bad that this year the parade was on SuperBowl Sunday. The parade started at one and by three as the parade winded down, people were already leaving to watch the game. As the last of the parade ended with a parade of cars, the lines of people around the barriers were thinning. Even after the parade was over, a lot of restaurants on the fringes of Chinatown were emptying out or empty. I was really surprised by that.
The view of Chinatown before the parade is really spectacular
It was still a nice parade and very lively. I stood further down on the edge of Mott Street and East Broadway where I knew that the crowds would be thinner. We really did not have that big of a crowd by us as it was in the core of Mott Street by Bayard Street. I could see the parade with no problems.
Mott Street in Chinatown about an hour and a half before the parade started
I was starved by the time I got to Chinatown. I was thinking that there would be mobs and crowds so I left early and when I got downtown, it was just an average amount of people running around Chinatown. So I stopped off at Kamboat Bakery at 111 Bowery again on the Bowery for some buns. Now they were busy.
New Kamboat bakery at 111 Bowery (Closed March 2024)
I bought myself a Roast Pork bun, a Cream filled bun and Croissant with a fried egg and sausage (I have been watching too many of those Fung Brothers videos. When I saw it I had to try it). Everything was so good just like the last time I was there.
The Roast pork buns are delicious
The filling is amazing
The food was so reasonable and delicious and the ladies that run the operation are really nice and get you in and out of there. I took my second breakfast to the park with me. The pork bun didn’t even make it there as I ate it along the way.
The Egg and Sausage on a bun at Kamboat Bakery in Chinatown
They doused it with mayo and tucked a little lettuce inside. The perfect breakfast sandwich
The Cream filled Bun was excellent and loaded with sweet cream
While I relaxed and at my second breakfast in Sara Delano Roosevelt Park, I just people watched. Families looked like they were getting ready to watch the parade as the younger generations looked antsy about watching the SuperBowl and the Hipsters were lining up at Wah Fung #1 for their roast meat fixes. I swear the line at the restaurant on Chrystie Street never goes down until they close. I bet the owners can’t figure out why the lines are so long to get in.
After my snack and a quick trip to the restrooms, it was off to watch the parade. Since I know the drill in Chinatown, I saw the parade route online and decided to go to the bend closer to the East Broadway turn where I would be able to see more and there are usually less crowds. Right on both accounts this year. The parade was well attended but not like in previous years. There would be plenty of room to maneuver around.
Mott Street when I got there before the parade started
What has shocked me are the number of businesses that have closed along Mott Street. Even at the end of Mott Street the old Hunan Gardens spot which had turned into a grocery store after it closed years later closed during COVID and now the location and the two businesses near it are now all closed. This was not just on Mott Street but on a lot of sides streets as well. So many grocery stores are gone and have been replaced by art galleries. It will be interesting to see where the future of this parade will go as the neighborhood changes.
The parade was a lot of fun. The NYPD started the parade with the Mounted Police, the NYPD Band and then followed by the Jade Society and the Auxiliary. There has been an increase in New York Police of Asian descendancy and it showed with the amount of officers marching in the parade this year. It was much smaller back in 2019.
The NYPD Mounted Police opened the parade
The parade passes by
The NYPD Band
The NYPD Band
The Jade Society-Organization of Police of Chinese descendancy
A big opening to the parade as the police passed by
The beginning of the Lion Dances
The beginnings of the parade
After the police band and officers passed by State Senator Chuck Schumer walked in the parade greeting the crowd. I swear the man would not stand still for a picture.
Senator Chuck Schumer looking down after addressing the crowd
We were then greeted by the contestants and the winner of the “Miss Chinatown” contest. All the ladies were so nicely dressed and everyone applauded them. They all looked a little cold to me as it was not the sunniest morning. They were all smiles and waves.
“Miss Chinatown” court
“Miss Chinatown” and the First Runner Up
The ladies were all smiles and waves and all the little kids were getting a kick out of it. I never saw so many people getting pictures of beauty queens. They were having fun.
The FDNY marched right behind them
The FDNY got the biggest applause from the crowd. The bagpipers were followed by the members of the Phoenix Society, a organization of fire fighters of Asian descent. Their group was smaller than the police but seemed more popular with the crowd especially to the little kids.
The Honor Guard
The local company of “Dragon Warriors” drove in the parade
The Lion Dancers and Dragons were my favorite part of the parade. The music and the spirit of the dance really got the crowd going. They were all over the place bobbing up and down. The dancers did a really good job of engaging the crowd.
The Lion Dancers
The Lion Dance
The Lion Dance up close
The Lion Dancers were in full force in this part of the parade almost vying for bragging rights of who could do it better. It really energized and engaged the crowds who were really getting into it. The music and the dancing were really fun. The music and drumming was fantastic.
The different clubs were performing their best
Have you come face to face with a Lion?
As the parade progressed, we were treated all all sorts of puppets, floats and dancers that bowed and waved to the music of the many bands in the parade. Everyone was setting off poppers so there were streamers everywhere. The sun was trying to peek out and at least it did not rain.
The procession of cars followed by the fan dancers
The Fan Dancers
The Bands lead the way for most of the floats
The School Associations marched in the parade
The bands really livened up the crowds
The floats were very lively that day
Dancers that day were very active that morning
The Dragon dancers were all over the crowds, waving up and down and engaging the crowds. It was a lively dance and people were popping off streamers.
The dragon was all over Mott Street
The Dancers had the Dragon chasing the ball
The next Dragon was leading the next wave of dancers
The next Dragon was so colorful and beautiful
The Families with Children from China was nice to see
The parade ended with a series of cars in a procession
The parade was a lot of fun and I noticed the crowds were a lot bigger in the center of Chinatown. The cars made a lot of noise and by the time they drove through at the end of the parade the crowds started to thin. People were off to the restaurants and snack shops. The Superbowl was in a couple of hours and I would watch the neighborhood empty out.
For dinner that evening, I went back to E Noodle which I had tried several months earlier for dinner. I was pretty shocked that I was the only one in the restaurant. People left Chinatown and went home to watch the game. This is considering that E Noodle is right off East Broadway where the parade passes by I thought I would be fighting the crowds. All the scaffolding is down from the building now and you can finally see the outside of the restaurant.
After the two other tables left for the afternoon, I was the only one eating there for about a half hour but still the service was wonderful and the gentleman working there could not have been nicer to me. The food was excellent. I had the Pork Soup Dumplings and the Flat Noodles with Chicken. Everything was made there and the Soup Dumplings tasted as if they were made just for me then.
The Soup Dumplings were excellent
The Flat Noodles with Chicken were freshly made at the restaurant
Everything for dinner was delicious. I believe that both the Soup Dumplings and the Flat Noodles were made by the women at the restaurant. They brought the food to my table with such price and everything was excellent. I really enjoyed my meal (See my review on TripAdvisor).
The Fung Brothers video on YouTube on E Noodle and Kamboat Bakery
After dinner was over, it started getting dark and I just walked around the neighborhood one more time before I left the City. It got so quiet in Chinatown. If it had not been the night of the Superbowl I am sure it would have been much busier around the neighborhood. Still some of the restaurants in the core of Chinatown were busy and the drink and pastry shops had their crowds. The side streets were rather quiet. Still it was a wonderful afternoon in Chinatown and it is nice to see people back.
Happy New Year!
When I returned the to the parade route in 2024, I moved to the corner of East Broadway for a better view of the parade but the only problem was it was 39 degrees and I was in the shade. God was it cold but the parade was more crowded this year than the previous year.
My location on East Broadway at the beginning of the parade.
It was really the best place to take pictures and the red tent in the background is where the commentators for the parade hosted the parade.
The beginning of the parade.
The NYPD Band performing at the parade.
There were a lot of the organizations that I saw the previous years and because 2024 was an election year, a lot of the politicians were out in full force. They make their speeches and you can see everyone smiling and nodding.
Senator Chuck Schumer at the Parade
The Guardian Angels in the parade.
The Guardian Angels with founder Curtis Sliwa
The Jade Society of Chinese-American Police Officers
Jade Society Police Officers
The FDNY members of the Phoenix Society
The biggest applause came to Miss Chinatown who came with her court on various floats. She gave her speech in both Chinese and English to an ecstatic crowd of well wishers.
Miss Chinatown
Miss Chinatown
Being the Year of the Dragon, there were plenty of dragons dotting the parade route. The parade rocked with Dragon Dancers, floats and plenty of great music. This really got the very cold crowd engaged.
The Orange Dragon
The Gold Dragon
The Pink Dragon
The Floats
The Dancers from all the clubs
The Blue Dragon
The Black Dragon
The Chinese performers
By 3:30pm, the parade was over and I could see that the crowds were beginning to thin almost an hour earlier. People were really getting cold. As the participants headed up East Broadway the crowds thinned and made their way to the restaurants in the neighborhood. Every restaurant, bakery and dumpling place were packed even blocks away. I even travelled to the obscure ones and they were busy as well.
The end of the parade in 2024.
I finally found the one dumpling house that was not as busy as the other was Fried Dumpling at 106 Moscoe Street and had thirteen Fried Pork and Chive Dumplings for $5.00, still one of the best deals in Chinatown. On a cold day, there is nothing like them. They were perfectly cooked and spiced and juicy. The perfect way to end of the evening.
I have been coming to this little “hole in the wall” in Chinatown for years. It is one of the first places that came in with the concept of five dumplings for $1.00. Now they are $5.00 for thirteen (inflation has hit everyone) but they have not changed in taste. They are still some of the best in Chinatown.
Their sign.
The restaurant has only counter area and you can take the order down the street to the park if there is no room. You will be eating with small paper plates and plastic cutlery.
The inside of Fried Dumpling during Chinese New Year.
The dumplings are large and full of freshly ground pork, chives and spices and are fried perfectly. They are juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside.
The Fried Dumplings are amazing!
After my snack, I walked around Chinatown and watched the initial crowds of the first wave of restaurant goers give way to the second wave as Chinatown was busy until 5:00pm. I stopped at Happy Star Bakery on 160 East Broadway for some dessert but they were pretty much depleted of everything as well. I ended up with Hot Dog Bun and that was just as good.
The ladies that work there are very friendly and seem to get a kick out of me coming in and trying to make up my mind on what to buy since there is so much to choose from.
The Hot Dog Buns are like a ‘Pig in the Blanket’
You can never go wrong with baked goods here. During the 2024 Chinese New Year Parade, this bakery was packed and the this Hot Dog Bun is one of the things that was was left on the shelves. They were sold out of almost everything. I had never seen such an empty bakery during a parade day.
I just walked around the neighborhood on the way back to the subway. It was another great parade and great day in the City. The days are getting longer but twilight came and it was time to go home. It was a great parade.
The view from Chinatown at night of lower Manhattan is pretty amazing
Chinese New Year 2025:
Chinese New Year in 2025 was a tough one. It would not raining the day of all the events. So most of my involvement in the holiday was done inside. The day of the Firecracker Festival it poured outside and the day of the parade it rained all day long.
I had to go to a Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association meeting and serving as President and it being the first meeting of the year, I had to (and wanted to go. It would have been no fun anyway standing in the rain.
In lieu of the parade and sitting out in the cold, I went to several indoor events. The first was a Chinese New Year lecture of the plants of Chinese New Year at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. In January of 2025, I attended a talk about the plants associated with the Lunar New Year by member Sabrina Lee. Ms. Lee who is a docent at the Gardens pointed out all the plants that were part of the Chinese New Year tradition.
Docent Sabrina Lee giving the talk on Chinese New Year at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Bamboo plants which are part of the celebration
What I learned from the talk was the symbolism that comes from these plants and why they were they were so important to the holiday.
Then she gave us about forty-five minutes to travel to through the various exhibits in the Steinway Conservatory and visit the various plants associated with the New Year which were marked with special red Snake signs.
The Chinese Rain Bell plant
The Banana Tree
The Aloe plant for healing
The Banana tree
The Papaya tree
The Golden Shrimp Lollipop plan
The Starfruit plant
As we walked through the various halls of the Conservatory with the warm tropical halls, we got to see other plants in bloom and growing in the temperature controlled climate.
The Cactus display
The beautiful tropical flowers
The lushness of the Tropical exhibition
Ms. Lee even gave a beautiful calligraphy page with the symbols of the New Year After the Tour was over, I walked around the gardens which were still covered with snow from the recent storm. It made all more beautiful.
The beauty of the Japanese Garden in the Winter
The Japanese Garden during the Lunar New Year
The pond at the Japanese Garden
Then I visited the gift shop at the Gardens that was decked out for the Spring.
The new ‘Terrarium’ gift shop
Even the gift shop was in full bloom that day
I am always amazed by these Gardens. Even in the dead of Winter there is always something. A week and a half later, I attended the Chinese New Year Celebrations at the Newark Museum in Newark, NJ. All of the museums seemed to be going all out for the Chinese New Year Celebrations.
The Newark Museum had a wonderful family celebration for Chinese New Year. The museum had all sorts of games and crafts for the kids and tours for the families.
A Chinese musical group started the festivities for Chinese New Year at the Newark Museum. This was the folk band from JTL Band. They sang traditional songs in Chinese.
The group entertained the crowd with a wide applause
After the performance, we were treated to a Ribbon Dance. Dancer Lina Liu
The traditional Ribbon Dance by the Lina Liu Artist Group
The beauty of the dance
The end of the performance
The museum did a wonderful job with all the entertainment. The Planetarium also had a interesting show in the Moon and the phases that show in the evening sky. It was a very interesting show. Even though it was geared towards children, they made it so easy to understand in fun and engaging way. The museum did a nice job for the Lunar holidays.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art at 1000 Fifth Avenue
The last museum that I visited the week before the main parade in Chinatown was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. They had a full day of activities mostly geared towards children but here and there there were activities for adults and all family members. Unfortunately the museum was so packed, the lines were so long you could not get inside of them especially the auditorium events.
The main lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art decorated for Chinese New Year
The Main Lobby of The Met decorated with Cherry Blossoms for Chinese New Year
The Main Lobby decorating for Chinese New Year 2025
The Asian Galleries on the second floor of the museum were very crowded that day
The Scrolls exhibit in the Asian Galleries
After my visit to the Asian Galleries, I went to see the Ribbon Dancers in the theater. The line was so long that it stretched into the Egyptian Galleries. I saw on the agenda that the Peter Lin Band was performing in the American Galleries and went there to enjoy the concert. This was more fun than being packed into an auditorium.
The Peter Lin Band was the only event that I could enjoy because it was in the lobby of the American Wing
The Peter Lin Band performing that afternoon at The Met
The Peter Lin Band playing their last song a Shanghai jazz song
The band performing at The Met in 2023 for the Year of Rabbit
The American Wing was packed that afternoon. Everyone was enjoying the jazz combo playing a lot of contemporary and traditional jazz hits. Everyone enjoyed that concert that afternoon. By the concert was over, all the activities were winding down for the afternoon and I left The Met by 5:00pm.
Even tough I did not go to the parade, there was enough in the museums during Chinese New Year to keep me busy inside. I ended the evening with a trip down to Chinatown. The weather was cold and brisk but it was still a nice evening. I just had a snack from one of the vendors and walked around admiring the lights. Being so cold, it was not as busy as I thought it would be but I enjoyed myself and walked all over the neighborhood.
Mott Street at night during the Lunar New Year
Chinatown during Chinese New Year on East Broadway
Happy New Year Everyone!
I did find this video on YouTube by NY Amazing the day of the parade along East Broadway. It was cold, wet and very rainy. I am glad that I went to the BCFHA Meeting!
There are a lot of standout bakeries in Chinatown Manhattan that offer a nice selection of baked goods and hot foods at a very reasonable price and Happy Star bakery is one of them. Not only do they have a nice selection of breakfast foods in the morning catering to the large crowd that works around here but an excellent selection of Chinese pastries, buns and twists that are available all day. What is also nice is that the nothing is over $5.00 and you can have a nice meal for under $10.00.
What is also nice about the bakery is that it is right across the street from Seward Park so that after you get your order, you can walk across the park and eat…
I have been visiting Yue Lai Bakery for many years but recently I have been exploring the outskirts of Chinatown for my blog, ‘MywalkinManhattan.com’ and started to revisit it again. I know that Chinatown is loaded with little bakeries all over the place, but Yue Lai Bakery really stands out for selection, quality and display of their products. Their pastries are always so nicely displayed.
The pork buns are wonderful
What I enjoy is the quality and the selection of their baked goods. There are always a lot of interesting buns and twists to order here. I used to come in for their Baked Pork Buns ($1.50) but the last three times I was in they were sold out. So, I ordered…
There are times you find those little ‘hole in the wall’ restaurants that just standout because of the quality of their food and their prices that make them affordable to everyone. King Dumpling at 74 Hester Street is one of them. Everything that I have tried there has been excellent and the portion sizes are very fair.
I had watched one of the “Cheap Chinatown Eats” videos from the Fung Brothers and they had mentioned the restaurant as a great place to get dumplings (one of my favorite things) and that they were only $3.00 for ten. I had to try it and have to say that it lives up to its reputation.
mywalkinmanhattan 