Probably too late to help, but I agree with all the above recommendations. I would also add: Joe's Shanghai - a bit of a tourist trap now that guide books write about them. But the soupy dumplings are still amazing. If you can't get in (often the case for dinner) go down the block to Joe's Ginger. Same owners, same menu and most importantly, same dumplings. Less crowded. Try the pork shank if you are OK with a heavier, fattier meal. I also go for the chicken and shrimp with plum sauce dish. Golden Unicorn - a tad out of the way, its on corner of Catherine and East Broadway. You have to go up the elevator to get there. More expensive than most places in Chinatown, but the dim sum (breakfast/brunch meal of small usually steamed dishes) is great and so is everything on the dinner menu (I have been there many times for banquets, parties, etc.) Family Noodle Restaurant - one block down on Catherine, this place is a hole in the way...err... corner. But EVERY chinese family in the neighborhood gets their takeout from here. The congee is OK (I'd go to Great NY Noodletown for that, but I find congee is very subjective... one person's favorite is is average to others), but the cha siu (roast pork) is great and so is the roast duck. As is the pan fried noodles, chow fun and fried rice (it won't be brown or yellow, like at the "fake" chinese restaurants). Hop Shing on Chatham Square, around the corner from Mott - re-opened few years ago, they have the best baked cha sui bao (roast pork bun) in the world. I have tried them from every city I have visited including Hong Kong, Tai Pei, Singapore, and maybe a dozen chinatowns around the world including SF, LA, Houston, Boston, Buenos Aires, London, Rome, Amsterdam, ... Trust me, Hop Shing makes the best ones. The filling is saucy, with bits of onion, the bread is decadently soft and sweet... People drive in from around the tri state area and buy them by the box. The coconut buns (long sweet buns with peanut/coconut filling) are delicious too. The dim sum is also very good, among the best in Chinatown. Warning: if you just want to buy a bun on a weekend morning... be prepared to deal with tiny, surprisingly strong asian ladies who will push and shove you away from the to-go counter. Just be patient and eventually you will be rewarded. Great NY Noodletown - I do love their congee. But my mother in law will loudly dispute that (course, she prefers her own... lol.) Everything else, I find, is overhyped. The duck looks great but lacks flavor for some reason. Same for the roast pork and other barbequed meats. The food is only average for Chinatown if you ask me, but there is always a line out the door soothers would disagree. OK, now I am starving. Who wants to go meet up in Chinatown?
