Auntie Guan’s Kitchen
“mapo tofu – I'm really picky with this dish, they use a firmer tofu than I prefer
TL;DR: Yummy, cheap, fast delivery, good rice.”
“The malatang is perfect for a cold day, and just like you would have at home in a hotpot.”
“We ordered the braised beef noodle soup, sliced beef and ox tongue, and crispy lamb with chili pepper.”
Auntie Guan’s Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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My first two visits were good. The 3rd time, I entered the restaurant when it was empty, ordered a noodle soup. 20 minutes later, 3 parties who arrived much later than me received their food while I was still waiting. Then my noodle soup was served lukewarm and different than the menu or picture described. Noodles tasted flat, not chewy at all.
Online order was also bad. Many items are not available online. They delivered my dish with the wrong choice of protein, and completely ignored my instruction.
Bottom line, some food are okay, but don't expect any service standard from this place.
Auntie Guan's has made it into my list of one of the best cheap and delicious Chinese places not in Chinatown.
Their braised beef soup is on point in terms of soup flavor and they give you fresh wood's ear mushroom with it (although unfortunately they just give you beef slices, instead of the giant chunks you expect with niu rou mian), and their fried string beans are perfectly ma la and salty without being overpowering (get them. They are probably one of the best balanced renditions of salty, sauced pork and beans with fiery numbness without overwhelming your mouth with burn that I've ever tasted).
Their wonton soup has delicate wontons floating in real broth, not just the overly clumpy balls sinking in an msg salt bath, and the red chili oil option is just as good (though pretty standard), and their dumplings are delicious.
If you like weird, vinegary flavors, the three types of noodle dish will probably be up your alley (it was not up mine, but that was my bad), their braised pork sauce noodle tastes like zhajiangmian should and is super salty so you can extend its goodness by cooking more noodles and adding the leftovers to it, and the malatang is legit also.
Bonus points for having super affordable lunch specials ($8) with eggdrop soup and tasty spring rolls and a giant fridge of a good assortment of Chinese supermarket drinks. Seating's pretty limited – only like 3 tables of 4, and it's pretty much a hole in the wall, but hey, their seamless delivery is pretty good, so… just eat it at home. Although the noodles are definitely better in store.
One of the best things about my job moving back to Manhattan is that I get to explore new lunch spots in the area. Auntie Guan's Kitchen is one of the first and I'm quite pleased so far.
I know it's been 90 degrees all week but I wanted malatang. I ordered it mild with fish fillet as my protein. My soup was prepared in about 10 minutes and cost a little under $10. Perfect. That's the goal. In this neighborhood anyway.
This soup was awesome. It's packed separately when you do a take out order. Anyways, it was loaded to the brim with all sorts of delicious veggies and goodies. Let's see..bok choy, bean sprouts, cabbage, wood ear, bean curd, lotus root, seaweed and a few others. There was a ton of fish, rice cake and cellophane noodles as well. It was a bottomless tupperware! The soup, even at mild, packed a nice kick and was quite flavorful. This dish was an absolute hit.
I'm glad I found a solid spot and I will definitely be back.
There are two ways to know a Chinese restaurant is authentic:
1) Amount of English you hear while inside.
2) Amount of salt content in the food.
This is an authentic Chinese restaurant.
A few points:
1) It's small (4 tables — 2 2 person, 1 6 person and 1 4 person)
2) It's quick
3) It's cheap
I had the crispy lamb dish. It included a small bowl of egg drop soup and some steamed rice.
Very good.
You know this is a legit Chinese restaurant when you hear all of the patrons speaking Chinese with a Mainland accent.
We ordered the braised beef noodle soup, sliced beef and ox tongue, and crispy lamb with chili pepper. They gave us two bowls of egg drop soup as well, which was appreciated in the cold weather. 🙂 I mostly ate the beef noodle soup which was soooo delicious! I wish the noodles weren't so overcooked, but otherwise, everything was great! There was plenty of braised beef, bok choy, and even dried black fungus! The star anise was a great addition to the stock, which was delicious and reminded me so much of my mom's cooking I got a little homesick…
Our entire meal (2 entrees and an appetizer) cost less than $27 without tip and the portions were super generous. I only finished half the bowl of noodle soup and picked a few pieces off of the other two dishes, and even with my friend's help we only completely finished the bowl of noodle soup…which left plenty of food remaining to take home. 🙂
The storefront is reallllyyyy tiny (a total of two 2-person tables and two 4-person tables), so it might be a better place to order delivery or takeout from. If you are lucky enough to get a spot though, it's worth dining in for a hole-in-the-wall experience! 🙂
3.5-4 stars. Ordered delivery via DoorDash. I tried the fish malatang and shredded potatoes (cold appetizer). I was really impressed with the packaging: the hot sauce came in one container and the contents came in another. There was no spillage whatsoever.
I really enjoyed the malatang! The best thing about it was that it wasn't super greasy but definitely packed enough heat and savoriness. It wasn't really "ma" per se but I thought everything tasted really fresh. Especially enjoyed the tofu skins! The potato appetizer was another story unfortunately. It was way too sour (vinegar overload).
Would love to try more items on the menu, especially because everything is so reasonably priced! Delivery was also very prompt.
I rarely give five stars to Chinese restaurant in the U.S. The ones have received it must cook better dishes than I do. Auntie Guan's has my recommendation for whoever wants to taste western Chinese cuisine. People live in that area predominantly use wheat flours, and the food tended to be spicy, salty and vinegary.
Today, for the first time, I used the Yelp online takeout system. It is pretty easy. You can even watch the clock ticking on the website. 45 minutes after I submit my order, my lunch arrived to my work place. My pork pancake and three style noodle are in separate containers. I tasted the noodle first. I was impressed by its taste that is very similar to what I had when I was a child. It contains three types of noodles although the third one is not a real noodle. The thin one, made from wheat flour, is tough/chewy as it should be and the second one made from rice flour is tender. The third is a spongy kind of flour product enriched with protein. The noodle is cover with sliced cucumber. The dressing is mainly soy sauce, vinegar, hot chili oil, sesame paste, and sugar. When I was young, I always had the same thing on my way home from school. It is the first time any food in NY that can bring back my childhood memory. The roasted soy bean in this noodle dish is a new item for me.
The pork pancake came with two, cut into four pieces like you see on the website photo. The meat dominates the pie and is well seasoned with ginger and green onion. Outside crust is very crunchy. I do not recommend it for left over or taking home. You have to eat the freshly cooked.
Once again, highly recommend.
Authentic Chinese food in a small crowded hole in the wall off of 3rd Ave. I ordered the mala tang with beef medium spice. It came with a good amount of food but not enough flavor (I don't think I ordered it with enough spice). Something about their noodle dishes just tastes too formulaic – the ingredients too piled on. I wasn't wild about it but am willing to give this place another try. May update my review after a few more visits.