Vanessa’s Dumpling House: A Budget Gourmet’s Delight
Not long ago, when I was poor and living in Queens, I learned a very important lesson: the quality of food is not always proportionate to the price. I have such fond memories of ordering a $1 vat of my favorite wonton soup through a bulletproof glass window at my neighborhood Chinese joint on Ditmars Boulevard. I have since left Queens but luckily Manhattan’s Chinatown is equally a budget gourmet’s delight, in stark contrast to the Village’s $62 Kobe beef burgers and $40 lobster rolls.
Vanessa’s Dumpling House (nee Dumpling House) is a Chinatown favorite for good reason: 39 food items on the menu that are $3 or less and nothing on the 45-item menu is over $6.
So far, I have tried the Chive & Pork Fried Dumplings (4 for $1), the Basil & Chicken Boiled Dumplings in soup ($4.25), and the Pork Fried Bun (3 for $1) and everything has been delicious. Ten varieties of dumplings, thirteen types of buns and stuffed pancakes, and sixteen soups, as well as cold dishes like Kimchi ($2), round out the menu.
The restaurant recently moved into a larger space, next door to its original space. On my last visit, there was no sign, no address posed. Just look for the floor-to-ceiling windows, or the line snaking out the front door.
Location: Vanessa’s Dumpling House, 118 Eldridge Street (between Grand and Broome Street), map 212-625-8008
Subway: B, D to Grand Street; F, Z to Essex-Delancey Street; J, M to Bowery
Hours: Daily, 7:30am-10:30pm
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