Vanessa's Dumpling House
118A Eldridge St, Lower East Side
Taste: Good
Value: Good
Booze: Nah
Remarks
From my understanding this place is an NYC staple, and there's like five locations throughout the city. Very much in the tradition of wheat-forward cheap Chinese places with dumplings, noodles and buns. I got the fried wontons with spicy sauce which was really good, filled with spinach and mushrooms. Next time I'd get them boiled I think.
I went back another time and got their vegan beef dumplings which were pricy compared to everything else at $10 but quite tasty. It doesn't seem they're prepared fresh with everything else, more of a reheat sort of deal but absolutely covered with very tasty chilli oil and herbs, and very filling.
I also got the dan dan noodles with vegan sauce. The noodles are very hearty but it was mostly a vinegar and chilli sauce which kinda overpowered everything else. Not that it's bad but not amazing. I'll need to check if it's vegan, but next time I'd get the sesame sauce noodles, and check out some of the other options like the veggie dumplings, pancake sandwich, cucumber salad, and soups. It does really seem like there's a lot of vegan options here but make sure you check.
Everything is pretty affordable. Each dish is like $7-8 with some much cheaper ones like the buns and pancake sandwiches. This was too much food for me.
Last sampled 15th March 2022.
Complaints, compliments, suggestions or want to hang out and get some food?