Jin Mei Dumpling House
“The sesame pancakes are delicious.”
“$3 for some delicious beef noodle soup and $1 for 5 dumplings is hard to beat.”
“However, it is a bit further south in Manhattan, and therefore provides less convenience than Prosperity.”
Jin Mei Dumpling House
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
For $1 you get five not very great dumplings. But it's for ONE dollar. So get 20?
"Are you closed yet?" I asked, in my rusty Chinese to the middle aged woman washing dishes being the counter. There was a bowl of jiaozi filling on the first table, no other customers and a general air of a business done for the day.
She waved me in, looking for one last sale before closing up. I ordered $2 worth dumplings, which arrived in two stuck together stacks of long, thin meat pockets.
They clearly had been fried quite some time ago and reheated. I could tell the inside filling was a solid mix, and there was definitely the right amount of char on the bottoms. Still these were a bit greasy, a food meant to be served hot and fresh marred but the time since they came off the wok.
While dipping the third dumpling, I thought I saw something scamper just outside the range of my glasses lenses. Thinking it was an aberration, I went back to dipping. But a minute and two dumplings later I got a better look at the tiny mouse scampering along the side wall.
Now our rodent friends aren't an immediate disqualifier for me. When I lived in Hong Kong, the first time we went to a cha chaan teng, we saw a giant rat wander out into the street. We kept going back once a week, only we now referred to the place as Rat Restaurant.
As the sign says, this place serves Beijing-style dumplings. There may be a mouse. They may be re-heated. They are, however, authentic.
This is one of Chinatown's many hole in the wall dumpling spots. It's not the cleanest of places, but it is very cheap. For $2 I got a pile of 10 pork and chive dumplings. They were probably good fresh, but it looks like they had been sitting in a pile on the griddle for quite awhile, their turnaround isn't as good as the other dumpling houses. They're passable dumplings otherwise, and pretty authentic. Not bad if you just want a quick bite.
If the name "Dumplings" becomes too ambiguous to reference a shop in Chinatown, then perhaps the actual name 津美锅贴 (Jin Mei Guo Tie) or "Jin Mei Fried Dumpling" might work as a better moniker. I understand the only English on the front says "Dumplings" but it serves merely as a description for what they do best. (#1)
For those keeping track, that is "Jin" as in the famous Chinese city, Tianjin (天津). These dumplings are of the Northern Chinese variety which includes a thicker skin, heartier fillings, and is thankfully just as cheap as the nearby competition at $1 for 5 guo tie pieces. The exterior of the pan fried dumplings isn't as charred as some might like, but just ask for a well done version if at all possible. And whatever you do, eat them in house and don't bother with the takeout as they get stale quickly.
The Mando speaking staff is pretty welcoming, though their English skills are pretty poor. Lots of pointing and picture showing might be key for our non-Chino speaking friends, but be open to explore all that they offer. There might only be a handful of tables available (3 or 4 at best), rest assured there is rarely ever a crowd in here to occupy them.
I used to frequent the place when they still sold bags of frozen dumplings at 50 for $7, the cheapest in Chinatown at the time. Now that they've raised it a full $3 to $10, they have to know on some level that their product is better than it seems. (Rising food costs may have a part in this as well) I'll still get a bag if I'm in the area.
And of course, don't sleep on the scallion pancake. There is something to appreciate in all of its thick doughiness and sesame seed exterior. The noodle soups are a bit sodium heavy, but then again, what kind of soup isn't in Chinatown?
________
(#1) If this seems confusing to you, it'd be the same as a pizza joint being referred to as "Pizza" instead of "Bella Roma Pizza" or something. At least it beats the original awning … which was simply "Chinese Food."
Not bad for the dirt-cheap prices (5 dumplings for $1). I got 10 potstickers and although they were quite small with not too much meat inside, what meat was in there was very tasty and the crispy crust was perfectly formed. The presentation is very basic, and there is not much room to sit down. But again, can't complain for the price.
$1 for 5 dumplings?! Am I back in China??
I'm one of those ABCs who can barely write my own name in Chinese, so I don't know what the Chinese characters on the sign says. It might or not might not saying Dumplings. Regardless of the name, Dumplings say it all.
Definitely a hole in the wall. Don't expect clean countertops and tables here. I believe they proudly show a grade of B by the health department, but that didn't stop me (or my friend who goes all the time).
The fried dumplings (seriously 5 for $1) were okay and hit the spot, but I prefer my dumplings with less doughy skin and more filling.
Compared to the other area joints sporting the $1-$1.50 price tags for 4-5 dumplings, the quality of the product is markedly low. Service is quick, and I was in and out at the snap of a finger. Ten dumplings for $2?! Can't really complain about the value.
The lone counter woman/dumpling cook took my order then quickly turned around and grabbed a white plastic bin. Apparently the dumplings are stored in one of these. Not covered or left near a heat source… they were just laying there. Maybe she just finished cooking them seconds before I walked in… or maybe they'd been there for an hour or longer; I wouldn't know. At any rate, I was becoming more and more tentative at the prospect of eating these.
I sat down with my Styrofoam box, opened it, and doused it with the watered down soy sauce/vinegar and hot sauce provided. I put an entire dumpling in my mouth. Not hot, but not cold… a little over lukewarm… serviceable at most. The dumplings were uneven in size and done-ness; some were crispy, some were soggy, some were huge, others were almost half the size of the biggest. Broken skins abound, burnt pieces of the stove top sticking to some, and a kind of mealy/mushy filling made for an overall mediocre experience.
How the hell do they get a three star review then?!? Well, again, $2 for 10 (inconsistently) large dumplings. When you can't get quality, get quantity. And when the skin actually managed to be crispy, you could taste the potential. This could easily be a four star joint if a little bit of more care went into the product. Alas, we'll just have to wait for whenever that happens.
Honestly, there isn't much to say about this hole-in-the wall dumpling shop except that it reminds me of what Chinatown should feel like (and not what it feels like now)…thankfully it is not on a dirty and congested street, which makes me appreciate this place even more.
I was feeling really hungry and needing a snack in the early evening before dinner so I decided to try this place out! I got the 5 pork and chive fried dumplings for a $1. The dumplings were surprisingly great! The filling was tasty, and it wasn't overly oily (which dumpling shops can be a hit or miss on). The tiny place was packed so I wouldn't suggest coming here and expecting a table to be open.