Congee Village

Most of the food we tried was very good. This is among the better Cantonese restaurants in Manhattan. Especially good plates were the salty/spicy crabs and the clams with black bean sauce -- both for about $10! The fresh flounder was very good as well. Alcoholic drinks are very inexpensive. With its ""woodland village"" theme, the decor balances a fine line between interesting and cheesy. The place gets unbelievably crowded on weekend nights, though (good food for cheap tabs -- why not?) and this is point at which someone expecting a good dining experience might want to consider another place. Kids everywhere, indifferent-to-rude service and a general sense of impending chaos can ruin the appetite of those not used to it (unfortunately, it's par for the course at most crowded Chinatown establishments). Our experience on a busy night wasn't too bad, but I can easily see how it could turn into a nightmare for others. The preferential treatment given to regulars (we witnessed a ""Dr. Hong"" and his family being seated immediately and with a ""house special"" soup waiting for them at their table) might rub those among the waiting masses the wrong way. more

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in NYC, bar none. I've eaten at two locations, and both are wonderful. One small quibble: sometimes, if you're white, they will give you ""the white version"" of a meal, i.e., regular Western broccoli will replace the Chinese broccoli I crave. You have to be sure they bring you the good stuff (the confusion only happened once, but others have told me that the staff think they're doing non-Chinese a favor). Love it, love it, love it! Pros: Great food, reasonable prices, awesome decor. Cons: None really. more

Decor is kind of interesting and so is the layout. Food was made with fresh ingredients. Stick to the traditional Cantonese dishes, which were excellent, can't rave about them enough. Soup, Congee, noodles, bamboo steamed rice, seafood, and fresh vegetable...superb Pros: Group seating, Fresh ingredient Cons: Platform for Group seating is difficult to get in and out more

I heard great things about this place, but was pretty disappointed in the results. The plates were dirty with old food stuck to them, there were kids running up and down screaming the whole time with no one stopping them - maybe they are the owners' - there was no service, and one of the chicken dishes ordered was sickly sweet, greasy, and stringy. Not one of Chinatown's better establishments. Pros: Cheap Chinatown prices Cons: Food is sub-par, bad service, noisy kids more

I went here with a group of 10 on a Friday night. We were able to get a reservation on short notice, and they did seat us pretty quickly. The rest of the dinner was so bad, it turned out to be hilarious. Food was terrible, drinks were terrible, service was terrible. The decor was nasty-- I couldn't look around without loosing my appetite. The seating was completely uncomfortable. There were kids EVERYWHERE, yelling, running around. Just when we didn't think the experience could get any worse, something completely unappetizing would happen. It was so ridiculous, we were almost crying, we were laughing so hard. Thank goodness we only had to pay $20 per person, or we would have rioted. Please, PLEASE trust me: this place is a nightmare. Pros: room for big groups, cheap Cons: completely awful and unappetizing more

After hearing great things about this place, I planned a dinner here with 8 of my friends on a Saturday night. I made a reservation and didn't have to wait long to be seated. I have to say this was one of the best group dinner experiences I've had in NY. Our waitress didn't speak much english so ordering was a bit confusing, but not impossible and it actually added to the charm. The low prices led to us ordering way too much food which we all enjoyed. The drinks are very cheap which is a nice treat. At the end of the meal you get watermelon - a nice surprise and change from the oranges you usually get at other restaurants. We had a great time, ate until we were stuffed and our total bill came out to $20/person with tip. We'll definitely be going back and trying out one of their karaoke rooms. Pros: Cheap tasty food/drinks Cons: Some waiters don't speak much English (but not that big an issue). more

We went this past Saturday and it was a bad experience. The wait staff was terrible. The mushroom and chicken congee were watered down and tasteless. White rice were very sticky and too moist. We asked the waiter to change the unacceptable ones but he muttered and said that he's going to change them and after he does, don't ask to change it again. We had a flounder fish that was fillet into balls but there were fish bones. Kitchen staff was not careful enough. Walnut shrimp was not worth the money. Few pieces of shrimp, unthoroughly cooked. Clam with black bean sauce was bland. As if they just slap on some soy sauce. Fruit or sweet dessert soup were missing. We did not get either one. But we did get a waitress who stood behind me and looked over my shoulder when I was reviewing the bill. Cons: very noisy, hard to find parking more

We stumbled upon this place and new CitySearch highly recommended it, plus the wait was 30 mins and the place was packed! DON'T BE FOOLED! There is little to no service, and when you get service they are rude. The food took forever and when I got mine it was cold! Save your time and money, don't go here. more

For tasty selections, value & a fun atmoshphere, one can not go wrong coming here. A little cheaper than in c-town but parking is terrible. Sat in village type room seating 8 of us. The selections quite varied, the beef chow fun, vegetable dishes & their ""jook"" (congee/porridge) were all very good. My kids picky as they are actually ate a lot & behaved also which made dinner more pleasant. Cocktails were ok, not so good with chinese food so hot tea was fine for us. I personally have come back for pick up, saving 50 cents or a dollar is no big deal but when you get tasty food, then saving money is a bonus. Pros: tasty dishes, village setting, family value Cons: parking, noisy more

Congee village is a great place for some super yummy Chinese food with a large group of friends... everything is served family style. The prices are incredibly cheap. When I went with a group of 6 people we stuffed ourselves and still only ended up paying $15 each. There are alot of different dishes...I recommend the seafood rice dish served in a bamboo ""bowl"" and, of course, try any of the congee dishes...they are warm and delicious. The decorations in this restaurant make you feel like you're in a jungle...not spectacular, but a fun, busy place to eat with friends. The only real downside is that we had to wait an hour for our table. It might be better to come alittle earlier than dinner time if you want to get a table quickly. Still, you can get drinks at the bar while you're waiting. Happy eating~! more

We often eat in Chinatown and this place has horrible staff. Despite reservations, we ended up waiting for 1hr+. No one came to take our order for another 20 min. We wrote the order down ourselves, using menu numbers. They rejected our written order and forced us to read the order out without the numbers. Then we asked if we could refridgerate my birthday cake. The waitress pointed at a shelf and told us to put it there. My friend said that that was not a fridge. The staffer barked for us to put it there. Whenever we asked for anything (soya), they ignored us. Later, the waitress tore the cake boxes apart (making it impossible to take the leftover cake home). It was a terrible experience and I will never return to Congee Village. The food was below average. Many many competitors offer a superior product and service. Cons: service, wait, food more

This is a place where you can go and eat. The food was quite excellent, very tasty, and light on the stomach. The service was excellent. The waiting time was excellent. You can't go wrong with this restaurant. The decor of the restaurant makes you feel like you are in China. If you look under the big round tables there is light and in the center of it are rocks and blue and green shiny pebbles or some kind of decor. It is quite elegant. more

The food is spectacular and cheap, and the atmosphere is wonderfully weird. The service is totally brusque and intrusive, but it doesn't matter at all. This place send me into a hazy dream state of total deliciousness. Get the (cheap as hell) drinks and be prepared for greatness. Best dishes: squid with salt pepper, vegetable congee, chinese salted pancake. more

My boyfriend and I were new to NewYork and we just came across this restaurant. Their congee was fantastic. We ordered tons to food that we were familiar with. One bite and we looked at each other in utter shock. It was totally homemade food. Not like other restaurants food. I highly recommened their congee and fish dish Pros: good food Cons: unfriendly waitress more

awesome place, cheap good food, cheaper drinks, really fast service.. get there before 8ish pm if you want fast seating, it gets really packed around 830 fri and sat nights.. kinda cheesy decor but you're absorbed in the food so ambience doesnt matter.. waiters seem to be patient with non-cantonese speakers but it might be better to go with someone who does speak it.. overall worth it Pros: fast service, cheap, tasty Cons: cheesy decor more

I went here on a Sunday night with 2 friends. We waited about 10 minutes for a table and enjoyed peanuts and cocktails at the bar (drinks are $3.50!). For dinner we sampled appetizers, pork buns, meat and vegetable dishes, as well as two congees. All the food was fresh and flavorful, especially the country style crab and greens with garlic. The food is real Cantonese, and for those who might find frog and intestine intimidating, there are plenty of familiar Chinese dishes available. The service was not overly friendly, but the waitstaff was very attentive and more than satisfactory. The restaurant is large with lots of bamboo and Chinese decorative touches, but is not tacky. There were many families there and they have large tables to accommodate groups and family-style meals. We enjoyed it so much we're planning a party there next month in one of their private rooms. Pros: Quality food, Low prices, Good for groups Cons: Location more

I went there for dinner. The food was good and had a lot of flavor. I really enjoyed Pan Fried Flounder - the fish was so fresh, outside was crispy, inside juicy. I also like the ambience, as it has an interesting structure and design that make this place feel/look like a non-Chinese restaurant. Service was ok, though. Although we made an appointment, we didn't find out our name when we got there(though we were seated promptly). And when we tried to order some additional food, they said they don't really want to do it because it would take 15 minutes to prepare - obviously they wanted us to leave because there were people waiting outside. So if you go, make sure to order enough and go early. more

We made a reservation for 5:30pm (20 people) and people were still arriving at 5:45 (over half the group was there) when the manager came over and literally yelled at us for not being on time saying it was a busy time for him, when in fact there were several empty tables throughout the restaurant. It was incredibly rude and unprofessional of him. And then the service was just bad throughout the night - temperamental waiters, they said they ran out of Congee which we found hard to believe since that's what they're known for. There were 2 who throughout the night were very nice and tried to make up for the rude behavior of the manager/owner but the impression had already been ruined by that point. Pros: Seated promptly Cons: Rude Manager, Rude waiters, Average food more

Love this place. Live around the corner and go there as often as possible. The bar's terrific, staff awesome and the biggest menu for the best deal. An efficient and pleasant pillar of the local restaurant community. Cool decor too. Pros: staff, food, cost more

Although not the best decor, congee is very good - especially the salted chicken congee! The best dish, by far, is the house special chicken. It's deep-fried, juicy and smothered with garlic... Probably the best chicken I've ever tasted! Somewhat agree with the previous reviews about service and the long wait but once seated, the food is well worth it. Pros: Good value more