Never judge a book by its cover, right? This place is located in the largely deserted and certainly dilapidated East Broadway Mall. Go downstairs and find what are, in my opinion at least, some of the very best dumplings I've ever had. I got one order of boiled and one fried. I really liked the consistency of the wrapper on the former -- this is the main way that dumplings go wrong, I find. Good filling. Friendly service. And cheap. (Ambiance though? Um yikes.)

A friend raved about this spot, so I finally made the trek to try it out. First of all, note that it is located inside an abandoned mall in the basement level. If you're looking for a hole in the wall spot, this is it. To get inside, enter through the glass doors on Forsyth St instead of Broadway, which is locked. Once you go downstairs, make a U-turn off the stairs to your right and you'll see the sign for this spot in a big red sign. We ordered the Small Steamed Buns (6pcs) ($5) and Fried Dumplings (8pcs) ($5). Since we were making many more stops, we got this for take out. But I do wish to try dining here to enjoy it from the steamer and because there's actually dining tables here. This is a hard find in Chinatown. The dumplings are delicious with lots of meat and thick cuts of shives inside. The buns are good with nice flavored meat inside, but I did find the bao to be a bit too thick. Make sure you enjoy the buns with the vinegar sauce to bring out the flavor though. Note: cash only as most places in Chinatown are.

To be fair I hit several spots(4) for pork & chive dumplings in Chinatown in one afternoon & these were my 2nd favorite. But so out of the way & not the most amazing. So I'm just not sure I'm going to return unless I'm bringing friends from out of town.

Really good pork buns! This place is located in a rather sketchy abandoned mall, but oh my god is it worth going to eat at this little gem! Just go into the mall, go down the stairs and you will see this little restaurant. We got the steamed buns which were $5 for 6, which is so cheap for what you get! The buns came out fresh and were filled with a well seasoned, flavorful pork filling that was so juicy it almost tasted like eating a soup dumpling. The bun itself was so soft and fluffy. Truly one of the best steamed buns I have ever tasted, and for the price it can't be beat!

A true hole-in-the-wall restaurant, visiting this place in the underground shopping mall felt like I was putting my life at risk. Do not be fooled. These are some of the best dumplings in all of Chinatown. No-frills, just a simple menu featured a handful of items. All the dumpling and wonton skins are handmade in-house and they even do bulk orders of these skins and/or frozen dumplings. I got both the steamed and fried dumplings and have a hard time deciding between which was better. The skin of the steamed dumplings felt so "al-dente", almost like fresh handmade pasta. They had that good good chewiness that top-tier dumplings have. The fried dumplings were sizzled on the outside and had a nice crunchy/chewy texture to them. It's a tie. I've had the steamed pork buns too; I got them the last time I came. They're good, but I find them to be too rich. I can eat only 1 or 2, and then the richness and fat content overwhelm me. Really good prices and spectacular food. Not much to say about service since it's a simple cash-only place but once you order and have a seat they bring your food to your table once it's ready. I've shown this place to many of my friends and will continue to keep coming back.

This spot was a little harder to find. It's in the basement of the East Broadway Mall. It definitely feels a little sketchy inside. Service was extremely quick. I liked how you can see the employees making dumplings and their signature steamed pork buns. I ordered 6 pieces for $5 to go. It was piping hot when I got it but I only tried it hours later. I'm sure it would've been even better warm. The buns are so fluffy and the filling inside is good, not too salty. Only thing I would say I would prefer a little more filling. I especially liked the vinegar that came with the buns. I like to dip the buns into the vinegar, great flavor! Overall: I enjoyed the buns! Great price and portion size.

Being that I spend so much time in Chinatown, my social media feeds are often pumped full of cheap eats and hidden gems etc etc. when I saw the video for this literal hidden gem underground "looks hella sketchy" dumpling spot - I said to a coworker we must go I bet we walk past all the time - and we walked up to the glass doors and fully hesitated because yes it is THAT SKETCH - I said we are going and opened the doors went down the stairs and the other stairs and ordered the dumplings (the man at the window spoke English) and OMG seriously the best I've had and I will 100% return for more and to try other menu items. CASH ONLY There's other stores in this defunct mall. Jewelry and perfume ? Knockoffs? Not sure.

Heard about this hidden gem for a while. It sits at the bottom of an almost abandoned mall, with most stores closed. The fact that this place stands is a testament perhaps to its success? PORK BUNS $5 wins you 6 large, fluffy, chewy, doughy buns with juicy, oily pork inside that has a rich savoriness that kind of surprised me. I was expecting less of these, but they brought me back to my childhood when my mom would buy these for similar buns rom a trip out in Chinatown or Flushing. A hearty meal and for five bucks you will be satisfied. I will say that the appearance leaves more to be desired, and as far as holes in the wall go, this is the holiest-in-the-walliest place I've ever been (coming from someone who loves them). I hope this place/the building gets traction and funding so that they might have the money to spruce up the place and make it more approachable to the general public. For people who grew up with holes in the walls for me, even I was a little uncertain. Cash only! Fridge of drinks to the left of the ordering counter. The man at the counter spoke English and Chinese. Good luck FZWZWJXFW!

Found this hidden gem on instagram! I wanted to give it a try and honestly it was super yummy. I ordered the "small steamed buns" but honestly got full cause I think they are actually big in size haha. Definitely a good meal for your buck. I can't really comment on service since it is kinda a "in and out"type of place but you can sit if there is a table available. The place is always accompanied with FJ locals and the food is good so don't miss this spot :)