Yuen Yuen

So sad they closed on Dec 31^st. It was a mad house the last week of business with lines out the door. There was an article in the Chinese newspaper about their closing. The names been around for 46 years! But they’ve owned it for 30 something years.
Ate some last classic homestyle dishes that I never noticed they served. Wish they weren’t retiring & moving to a new location instead. A staple neighborhood restaurant that will be sorely missed. :(
All the good home-​style mom & pop stores are slowly disappearing one by one in Chinatown.

I was very sad because I did not know about this place sooner. I was there the day before they closed. Food was so good and the price was cheaper then most of the restaurants around the area.
Farewell…

Farewell Yuen Yuen, I will miss you.
I have eaten basic Cantonese dishes here for decades.
Such fondest memories of almond soybean milk with tasty rice dishes.
Good bye, good bye…

There was something very comfortable about this place. Even though the service was not the friendliest but this was a local chinatown joint where you can find some good food for cheap. This was also the only place I know that served sweet ball soups and almond drink… sigh… what to do now… so sad.

«Jai Jen», Yuen Yuen. Thanks for all the good eats and fine memories. Although your foods would never be considered ‘5 stars’ cuisine, your ambience, homecooked flavors and approachable service would forever live in my memories. I got a hold of your last quart of red sweet tong sui since you weren’t serving rice dishes anymore today as today’s your last day of service. It’s depressing that people take you for granted — only visiting you after learning that you’re closing. Glad I came to you before I learned the news last week. I wish you good health and happiness. See you around Chinatown…

Though the restaurant offers a variety of food, its speciality is dessert (sweet soup). The sesame paste is particularly good. Honestly, I don’t really like the other non-​dessert dishes.

They’re known for the having the BEST black sesame tong sui in Chinatown so I had to go and check them out one day when the only thing that would satisfy is black sesame tong sui. Very smooth and perfect consistency (not too thick nor too runny) and goes down so nice, warming all of your internals. Even more awesome? Less than $ 4 for a giant quart!
Yuen Yuen isn’t very large in size and they are not spotless, but they’re definitely good eats at amazing prices. If you’re someone who puts heavy emphasis on the physical environment being part of your total dining experience, then you should really take the food to go and enjoy it elsewhere.
I also examined their menu while I was waiting for my tong sui and they have a lot of food choices as well. Will be sure to return and check those out soon.

I finished an event at the NYSE yesterday and was able to get out of work early. Not satisfied with the cold sanwich buffet at the NYSE’s dining room, I took a stroll over to Chinatown and Yuen Yuen for a ‘bo jai fahn’. Yuen Yuen has a selection of rice dishes whose toppings are cooked on top of the rice in a covered claypot. Your meal is served in the claypot.
Yuen Yuen has some 50 odd dishes but one thing I noticed was a very animated Mandarin speaking couple chatting with the owner about what to eat. They were basically debating what type of meat could they stir fry with what available vegetable the kitchen had on hand. They finally agreed on stir fried frog with bitter melon. Essentially if you don’t see something on the menu and are looking for something typically homey Chinese like how a Chinese mom or grandma would make (a two ingredient stir fry consisting of one meat and vegetable + ginger and scallion) the owner will take care of.
It really is like sitting in your grandmother’s kitchen and her asking you what you want to eat. Its all leisurely and without drama. The owner will bring you your food and say something that people used to say to me when I was a kid ‘mahn mahn’ which means slowly, or take it leisurely while you eat.
I just love the place. The owner was having his lunch as well or the staff lunch as I scanned the menu hard to look for what he was having. At first I thought it was a Peking pork chop with onion in that orangey General Tsao’s sauce you know. But when I looked closer I discovered he was eating chitterlings (intestines) that were roasted somehow until they were crunchy and brown. He was eating it with Chinese broccoli asking someone if he has ever had it before. He then said that its really tasty so long as you know how to cook it right. He finished it off with drinking some $ 60 a bottle Remy Martin cognac out of a plastic pint soup container, lmao. Love it. Just like how my dad used to do. Kinda ghetto but I think it adds to the charm of the place.
Oh I got the minced pork with salt fish by the way. I usually get the duck confit rice casserole but today went for the saltfish.

I solely come here for the Tomato and Beef over Rice because they do it differently than other restaurants. I’ve had this specific rice dish made with heavy tomato/​ketchup flavor before and I’m not a fan at all. Yuen Yuen makes this rice dish with a brown gravy sauce and uses black bean also to incorporate into the brown gravy. Not only is there tomato and beef but you also get some onions and scallions which is a great touch.
The sweet lady that manages the front is really nice. I’ve sat and ate here once and the service was quick and on point, although the rice dishes seems smaller when dining in than taking out.
Also, do try out their Almond Drink because you’ll definitely get addicted to it. Taste like fresh grind almonds instead of the powdery stuff.

Hmm… yet another hole in a wall. well. it’s not too bad to enjoy… just… not as good as other «hole in a wall» that I have tried… We ordered the house special friend noodles. it’s cantonese style crispy noodles… Not too bad. just the meat with it. tasted just ok. not really good to enjoy. I guess this is probably my favorite dish. We also ordered the stingray rice… Is not as good as I expected. Forgive me. I grew up in Malaysia. we usually eat grill stingray… The stingray rice was not as nice as we thought… :(
We also ordered the «tang yuen». Chinese glutinous ball with black sesame. Hmm… the sugar water with ginger was not too bad. but the glutinous ball. doesn’t contain much black sesame in it. I felt that I was just eating flour…
Maybe I ordered wrong dishes??? hmmm. overall. it’s still pretty cheap to grab a meal. :)

Recently, discovered a wonderful hole-​in-​the-​wall traditional /​authentic, body-​healing Cantonese herbal soup place in Chinatown on Bayard Street (was recommended by my dad’s childhood friend and is apparently one of the last of these specialty shops still around… and the couple that runs it will be retiring soon — so go and be a patron!!). It’s called Yuen Yuen Restaurant (apparently, translation of its name in Chinese characters: Person-​Person Shaved Ice Shop. Ironic that it actually specializes in these really niche hot soups, then).
It’s not a looker from the outside and is spare in decorations inside. But, as we sat there drinking healing soups out of genuine clay pots, we were pleasantly surprised to take in the small-​town feel of customers coming in who all knew one another. Most of these customers (and the waiter) spoke an ancient version of Cantonese called «lao» (aka «old») Cantonese. Certainly made the big city feel just a little bit more intimate! It was more than worth it — in price, service, and quality of food. I’m definitely going there to replenish body and soul with good, really special soup.
Things I liked here: soups in clay pots (featuring things like ginseng and black chicken, other herbs, etc.), lo mein, vegetable dishes (HUGE portions), black sesame rice ball dessert in ginger/​brownsugar soup. Portions are pretty generous!

What a hidden Gem in Chinatown!
I’ve lived in Chinatown for years and I just never noticed this place. Thanks to Unilocal and all the positive reviews, I game ‘em a shot. I am very pleasantly surprised and look forward to more meals here.
Fellow Unilocalers claim the Fresh squeezed OJ is delicious and they’re right. A small cup is $ 2.50, which seems a tad pricey, but it’s tasty, sweet, and slightly frothy.
On a rainy day, I’m usually in the mood for some classic comfort food and wonton noodles were swirling around in my mind. I ordered the Wonton Beef Strew with Chow Fun Noodle Soup. Huge portion, low cost and a great homemade taste. Yuen Yuen deserves to be here forever.
Next time, I’ll order some of the almost drinks and glutinous balls with peanuts.

Love coming here late at night for their delicious Chinese desserts, such as the Cold Almond Soy Bean Jello and Sweet Glutinous Sesame Ball Soup! Are you DROOLING for something sweet? Because I already am.
#BESTChineseDessertSPOT!
NOTE: Their rice dishes are very authentic and inexpensive!

I walked in last night and I was immediately transported to when I was a little girl. When I was the Little Godmother of Chinatown. hehee. All of a sudden I really miss my mom and grandma. I remember the freshly squeezed OJ. they have the same machine in the front of the tiny little establishment. I remember the Ice drinks by mom and grandma used to get me. I was so shaken up by the memories that I didnt speak.
My mom used to get me the Sam Bow Fan (Three Treasure Rice). Which I love.
Yuen Yuen still looks exactly the same as when I was little… but it seems smaller now… maybe cuz I am not as little. Nostalgia.
I had the fish with corn sauce on rice. It’s good here. Most places dont make it right. I think only Yuen Yuen and 69 Restaurant can make it taste good.
Looking forward to trying more things in Yuen Yuen. Sorry I ignored you for all these years… but I’m back now.

I’m only writing the review for the deserts and not the entrees. We came here looking for some dessert after eating a less than stellar lunch. They had the specialty drinks we were looking for and we wanted something to fill the void.
I ordered the lichee iced drink. It had four pieces of lychee and was very good for the price. We also orderd the red bean iced drink, black sesame soup, and guilango gelatin. I tried a little bit of the red bean drink and it was not bad.
Overall this was a nice hole in the wall place that the locals go to. Solid place and it hit the spot!

For a long time, I’ve been asking everyone and their moms (and grandmas) whether there’s a place in Chinatown that sells Chinese style desserts? When I thought all hope was lost and I would have to either save a trip to Asia or make my own desserts, a fellow Unilocaler told me about this place. Thank god for Unilocalers!
This place is a no-​frills dine in and get out type of restaurant. But hey, that’s totally ok with me! This place doesn’t specialize in desserts only, they do have a wide menu of other cheap things.
I tried 3 things here: 1) Chinese sausage fried rice, 2) almond milk drink, and 3) peanut «tong yuan» which is, :breathes in: glutinous rice ball filled with peanut filling over ginger and rock sugar syrup.:breathes out:
One star definitely for the prices. As I scanned their extensive menu, the prices are beyond reasonable!
I’m a sucker for Chinese sausage «lap cherng», so their fried rice enticed me. It was a simple dish; generous portion of Chinese sausage fried rice with lettuce and onions. What I love about their fried rice though, is that it is done very «Hong Kong» style. The rice is actually white and not brown, coated with soy sauce. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still really flavored (can be a bit on the salty side though-​they might want to ease it on the MSG lol). The portions are also big for the price paid (less than $ 5).
I read that their almond milk drink was one of their specialties. It was smooth and strong; I can taste the distinct flavors of the almond and it didn’t feel watered down. Kudos to that.
I originally wanted to try the black sesame dessert but they ran out. Instead, I tried their sweet glutinous rice ball, which the lady warned will take an additional 15 minutes. The rock sugar ginger syrup base was well done, with a generous amount of ginger to compliment the sweetness. However, their glutinous rice ball was a little inconsistent; some of them were rolled too big and some were rolled too small. Too big and it became doughy and too small, the peanut crushing fell out. But for some of the rice balls that were well done, the crushed peanuts fit nicely inside.
Overall, I would say this place is good. I will come back and try a few other desserts to give it another round.

This place is one possible reason why the Chinese food in New York is so much better than the Chinese food in Boston. My friend and I decided to head to this place for lunch. The restaurant is really small, probably has less than 9 tables. The not so spacious interior reminded me of those simple small restaurants in the streets of Hong Kong.
The first thing we got was Gon Chao Ngau Ho, which is the Beef Chow Fun, a staple Cantonese dish that consists of flat rice noodles, bean sprouts, scallions and strips of beef. The noodles were pretty good, the bean sprouts and scallions were fairly fresh, and the beef was tasty and flavorful. It was also inexpensive, under $ 6, and the portions were excellent, enough to feed a really hungry stomach. While it may not be as good compared to getting it at a street restaurant in Hong Kong, it was a pretty tasty dish.
Another dish we got was the Suk Mai Ban Nam Fan, this is the Fish Cube with Corn Sauce on Rice. This is a somewhat simple dish, that consists of fried fish fillets, doused with corn and egg sauce over rice. It was even cheaper, and just under $ 5. The portions were also excellent. This was probably the best dish out of the two we ordered. The fish was so soft and tender, the corn and egg sauce just made the fish tastier, and the rice was so soft. Not only was the dish so delicious, it had a very homemade taste to it that I had not experienced compared to any Chinese restaurant I have been to in the USA. It almost tasted like my aunt’s or my grandmother’s version of the dish when they made this dish for me. Even the rice tasted like the rice that my grandmother made for me. It tasted just right and it was so soft. This is probably the only place in New York I found so far that could make a good Suk Mai Ban Nam Fan that could compete with a Suk Mai Ban Nam Fan in Hong Kong.
Overall, my friend and I really liked eating at this small restaurant. It brought back some memories of traveling to Hong Kong and my grandmother’s cooking, and I thought I had some of the tastiest and most inexpensive rice and noodle dishes in New York so far.
I love Hong Kong.
I love New York.
I really liked eating at this place.

Tiny, ghetto, and full of main-​landers, this place MUST BE AMAZING!
And of course it did not disappoint: D
Here’s the scoop.
*They’re known for their almond milk drink. Extremely rich and creamy, not watery like other places.
*Most of their dishes are plated with a helpful serving of your order over a bed of rice. I tried the eggplant with chicken ($ 5ish)and it was authentic and savory, although when I saw a neighboring table receive their (chicken?) corn-​and-​egg dish, I nearly drooled. I hope my guest didn’t notice :)
*One entrée will likely fill you up and you’ll likely have left-​overs to take home. BUT…
*Save room for dessert! They hand-​make their sesame balls, which is heavenly! One order has 6 balls (methinks) and is served in a sweet ginger soup. (highly recommended!!)
Portions are generous and the price is right, need I say more?
This joint is the epitome of hole-​in-​the-​wall greatness! Go check it out yourself!
*CAUTION* It would be extremely helpful to bring a Chinese interpreter to speak on your behalf or to be a very confident pointer (as another Unilocaler stated), but ENJOY the great home cooked food. :)

This place is AWESOME, seriously, and with the price you pay for the dishes, bravo.
I love love love this place when it comes to their home cooked like hong kong style dishes. I especially love their steam pork with veggies (i don’t know what it’s called but it’s this white crunchy plant). Lots of taste to their places. Many flavors to their other dishes such as their beef and potato + carrot dish and their fish + corn and egg cream dish. I would really recommend trying their steam dishes.
This is def a local place where you wont find many tourists. Even though it’s not a fancy pansy restaurant, the food is very authentic and is worth a try!

I have been going to Chinatown almost every weekend for the past year and half but I have never even thought about walking into Yuen Yuen, (). The reasons are mainly three-​fold. First of all, the Chinese name itself indicates the restaurant is an ice dessert place. Secondly, the menu they posted outside says not only regular Chinese ice desserts but also snake soup. Finally, it just doesn’t seem too happening in there.
Nevertheless, after reading an article from Not For Tourist NY, I realized this must be done. Yes, I have to go there to eat it myself! So my boyfriend and I paid our first visit on a muggy and humid Sunday afternoon.
We walked in and it was pretty much deserted. I hesitated for a second there and thought about turning around and leave. But I must give NFT a chance and try it for myself. So we sat down and looked over their menu. Wow everything there is almost all under $ 5 and I could see a lot of Cantonese/​Toisanese dishes on there as well as a pretty complete menu of Chinese desserts. Oh and of course there is a long menu of the Chinese herbal cuisine with ingredients such as snakes, pigeon, ox tail and turtle.
We ordered the standard beef chow fun, spare ribs stir-​fried with black bean over fun, cold almond milk and watermelon ice. The ordering process was kind of difficult because the lady doesn’t even speak Mandarin! I had to use my broken Cantonese and some Chinese to order as well as pointing around.
The result surprisingly was very rewarding. The cold almond milk was sweet and rich. My watermelon ice is merely $ 2 with tons of chopped watermelon cubes inside a milky drink. My boyfriend’s Beef chow fun comes on a huge tin plate and the flavor is absolutely great. My dish, spare ribs over fun was equally delicious. Both of our dishes are just a little over $ 5. When we pay the bill, there is even more surprise! They don’t charge you tax!
Our virgin trip to Yuen Yuen is a huge success. I can’t wait to try more items on their menu despite the difficulty to communicate with the staff here. Maybe some of those herbal snake soup?