The Best Chinese Fast Food You've Never Had From Wah Mei

You can smell it from down the block, in fact you can smell it from Broadway when you are coming out of the Subway. It's the most unique smell in all of Chinatown where all kinds of smells abound, from Fresh Seafood to disgusting heaps of garbage, nothing will make your nostrils rise with anticipation like Wah Mei.

Just off of Mulberry Street where all the touristy Italian restaurants reside, Wah Mei sits under it's tiny red awning that you are sure to miss...but I bet you'll say 'where on Earth is that wonderful smell coming from?' Honestly for people not in the know it might be a bit intimidating since the place is as tiny as a closet and has only Chinese speaking people inside. Not a problem I say but I had an in. My wife introduced me to the place many years ago and now I am a regular customer, however the staff there still gives me a funny stare whenever I order. Who cares? It's cheap, it's delicious and damn filling! Let me tell you that it's an exquisite taste that matches the aroma. Now I won't tell you to jump right in and order the Hard Boiled Egg at first, I'd say let you taste buds get used to the initial flavors. I myself wasn't a fan of the Egg at first, it grew on me however. They marinate the Eggs in Soy Sauce which gives it it's brown appearance, but once you get the urge to try it, it truly accentuates the dish and after that you can't imagine ever eating it without one. It's that good.

The hard part for me is eating just one. Usually I'm sent there to pick up a couple for the family, often the Chicken, but sometimes I get the Pork Chop just for a little variety. My suggestion is to eat them why they are still warm since all the sauce and flavors mix together better that way. If for some reason you have left overs, or even crazier you didn't eat all of them in one sitting, you can certainly put them in the fridge to be saved for later. Of course it's not the same but left over Wah Mei is better than no Wah Mei.

Wah Mei is located at 190 Hester Street between Mulberry and Mott.

Go. Run there now. Don't think, go.