Hop Kee

Place is great!!! Always super packed! Long lines but SO worth the wait!!! Need to try!

very friendly staff, its like a higher class of chinese fast food. the style of food they make is fast food for tourists. the price is more like a spanish place because the plates are large. i just had appetizers there because it was 1am when i went. i got chicken wings and soup. the wings were large and great to have with ketchup. its in the basement if you guys are looking for this place.

Great restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. Place is underground. Food was greatly seasoned and fresh. Had the crabs, clams, fried flounder, pork chop, chinese greens, spicy squid and the snails. Staff was friendly and attentive. Food was prepared fast as our group was hungry. Place has history and has had many stars come and eat. I always go here when Im in chinatown. You must go too!

Cheap, BYOB, and really really tasty. Obsessed with the crab, any of their greens, and the chow fun. The waiters aren’t overly attentive or friendly but that’s really not why you go to a place like this. Would regularly go here if I lived a little closer!

I wasn’t very impressed the first time I went. My dad said this place was around when he was working in the city some 20 years ago and wanted to compare how much it changed. I was much more happy this time with the food we ordered. Probably because we ordered from the all Chinese menu and my parents had a better idea of what to order than the random ABC’s I went with last time.
We were served complimentary soup made with pork ribs and filled with this vegetable I’ve never had before. My parents had no idea either. The soup was delicious though. I saw at all the other tables who were non-​Chinese were served those crispy noodle things instead. They taste so good, but so unhealthy. Ask for the soup instead.
We ordered four dishes from the all Chinese menu. I’m not sure what they are listed as on the English menu, but here is a translation.
Fried Oysters (酥炸生蠔) (21.95) — Fried oysters in America are huge! These come with lemon and a white pepper/​salt mixture to dip the oysters in. The breading was very crispy and not too thick either. I ate 4 of these huge oysters. If you’re not watching your cholesterol level, definitely order this dish. ($ 21.95)
Black Bean Pepper Tripe (豉椒牛百葉) — The tripe was stir-​fried with a lot of peppers in a black bean sauce. It seemed like there were a lot more peppers and onions than tripe, but there was actually a decent amount hidden in the peppers. The sauce is slightly spicy. ($ 14.95)
Salted Fish Steamed Pork Patty (鹹魚肉餅) — One of my dad’s favorite dishes to order and one of my not as favorite dishes. It turned out to be my favorite dish too. The meat is steamed in this delicious broth and filled with water chestnuts. I loved the crunchy texture. This dish is on the saltier end, especially with the salted fish, but I loved this dish. ($ 17.95)
Shrimp, mushrooms, and mixed vegetables (鮮菇蝦球) — Not a particularly special dish, but the shrimps were large and tasty. They used a lot of canned straw mushrooms, canned bamboo, snow peas, and carrots. Very safe dish to order. ($ 23.50)
To get the better dishes, order family style off the all Chinese menu. Those dishes are more expensive, but tastier in my opinion. They also have a cheaper soup, dumpling, noodles, and rice menu. I’m glad after 20 years, my dad was pretty satisfied with the meal here. I guess I’ll no longer be avoiding this place and come back once in a while.

Their fried duck is so delicious. Many said Joe’s Shanghai is the best Chinese restaurant in Mott St but I prefer Hop Kee more.

I have been coming here since I was a child. I like just about everything on the menu. My parents routinely order a crab with black bean sauce. Beyond the food, I still come here for the ambiance and the staff. This is a REAL NYC Chinatown staple. I have a great photo with one of the old time waiters, Patrick that I am quite certain will never end up on the celebrity wall. I like eating here and then going for a walk in Colombus Park, around the corner. I will always and forever eat at Hop Kee.

Great place when you’re hungry and want chinese food. Food comes fast, portions are fairly sized esp. when coming with a big party

Really, really, really pedestrian Chinese Food. Do not expect to be blown away by the menu as it is not very inspired. My wife and I go to Chinatown to experience anything other than, «Normal Chinese Food.» We did not do our research here and were pretty miserable.
The Egg Rolls were fresh, I think. My wife had the Moo-​Shu-​Pork which was quite good but my duck was absolutely disgusting. Fatty, salty. Ugh. Thank god my wife is generous and shared her plate with me.
I would not go back nor do I recommend. Go to the place upstairs, end of story.
N.B. — The tea sucks and the fortune cookies were stale.

When I lived in Bergen County, my family would come here any time we were in the city. And now, whenever I visit my relatives, we still make it a point to visit Mott St: 1) to visit that Japanese candy store a few blocks away and 2) to visit the hole-​in-​the-​wall Hop Kee.
The only dishes we have ever ordered and still ever order are: Chow Fun and Cantonese-​Style Crab. You have to specifically ask for the Cantonese-​Style ones. They’re a huge pain to eat, but the flavor is fantastic. My family will literally order these two dishes times 3 or 4 depending on how many people are eating.
The fact that Anthony Bourdain has been a repeat customer makes this place less special; the quality of the food has definitely gone down now that half (if not more) of the customers are tourists. From what I remember about 5 – 7 years ago, the portions have noticeably decreased, the prices have understandably gone up, and I believe they now charge you for rice – of which no longer comes in a gigantic family-​style bowl. What a shame, that a family tradition for many people I am sure, has now been affected by media and word-​of-​mouth. While I am happy that they have received greater fame, I am disappointed that their quality has dramatically decreased. Still, I am generously giving them 4 stars, because every time I eat here, I am reminded of so many memories of the last 18 years+ that my family and I have been customers.

Great food, fast service, open late. My go to spot after a night out in the city. Love the Peking style porkchops and seafood pan fried noodles. The waiters are prompt, funny, and liven the mood. You might miss it because it is downstairs in the steep stairs.

My family and I have been eating here for years. My husband started coming here 45 years ago. We have never been disappointed! The food is most excellent & we love the staff! This is the main place we eat when we’re in the city!

Not the best Chinese restaurant but the dishes bring me back to when I was a kid and had Sunday meals with the family.
Hop Kee is located downstairs. The décor (well there really isn’t any) is straight out of 60’s if not earlier. The cups and dinnerware haven’t been updated since Nixon was in office and I’m sure some of the waiters also were around during the Nixon presidency!
Been here at various times and I can say it’s the busiest on Friday/​Saturday mornings at 1:00 or 2:00 when people are coming out of the clubs.
I like to go with the salt & pepper pork chop, crab Cantonese style, snails in black bean sauce, salty fish & chicken fried rice, snow pea shoot. And can’t forget the Tsing Tao to wash everything down!

Hop Kee: It’s basic, Americanized Chinese/​Taiwanese food. It’s cheap, and the food is definitely good to great. It comes out QUICK, and the restaurant is as no-​frills as it can get. So why 5 stars?
Hop Kee is a staple for lower Manhattan; there are a select few of it’s kind nearby (Wo Hop is very similar) of traditional NYC Chinatown eateries, where it looks like you could be sitting in 1980, 1990, 2000 or 2016, all the same; not to say it looks old or is rundown as that is very much not the case. The servers are perpetually dressed up for the occasion in white shirts, the tea is plentiful and the menu is VAST; you know all the classics. Lo-​mein, chicken and broccoli, sesame whatevers, you name it. There’s no point rehashing the menu. There are some more rarely seem items on the menu. Will it ever be phenomenal 5 star cuisine? No, probably not. Is it still worth loving as an unhealthy, guilt-​filled comfort food outing? Yes! Yes! Yes!
The bonus of it being open super late is if you’re out and can drop by for a bite, the place becomes a scene of it’s own.

Maybe it’s the comfort that comes with familiarity but it’s also the somewhat secrecy that comes with being an underground food oasis that is Hop Kee. For over 25 years, my family has come to patronize this restaurant, specializing in Cantonese style seafood.
The restaurant, hasn’t changed much since I started to come here as a kid. It’s got two dining rooms outfitted with faux-​wood paneling and mirrored walls, with both booth and table seating and serves standard-​issue Chinese dishes, such as fresh-​vegetable-​filled lo mein and crispy skinned chicken, in family-​style portions.
My personal favorites include any of their greens, usually a spinach or watercress, fried rice, Peking pork chops, salt and pepper pork chop, pan fried flounder… basically, pretty much everything!
They also serve snails, crabs, and lobsters, and there seems to be an understanding amongst diners there are just certain dishes you have to order because looking around on the recent visit and through pictures on Unilocal,people order similar combinations.
As for service, if you’re an Asian family, they will usually present you with soup before the meal, and they used to serve a sweet syrupy dessert and/​or oranges after. I think recently, we just got the soup. For non-​Asian, they will give you crispy noodles, which for years my sister and I objected to because we like the crispy noodles to start too.
The waiters wear vests that remind me of people working at pharmacies, and the service is quick and usually no nonsense. My dad tried to ask for recommendations, and the waiter said everything is good, which is true, but it doesn’t help with the decision making.
Anyway, come and enjoy! I have been for decades and will continue to do so as long as I can.

If you want a throwback to the early days of Chinese food Hop Kee is nostalgic yet puts out quality food. I’ll be honest that I’ve never had Chop Suey, Lomein or Egg Foo Young for the curious. Strangely it is also known for serving Filipino food like the oddly crab in a egg sauce. Why would you do that to a crab I’ll never know but each their own I guess.
We decided to stick with the Cantonese dishes offered on the menu and to try the Chop Suey reminiscent of 1860’s Chinese American invention. The portions are generous and food comes out quickly. The staff friendly by Chinese restaurant standards. To end the experience. Of course the mainstay a fortune cookie.

Basically: sometimes you just want some hot greasy Chinese takeout but you still want to maintain some kind of Chinatown street cred — the subterranean Hop Kee (ouch, watch your head) is where it’s at.
Longer version: Despite my terrible attempts at Canto, I was still able to score three excellent dishes (though it seems that everything on the menu is generally awesome): the steamed dumplings; half order of roasted duck; and beef with Chinese broccoli. But to be on the safe side, I would bring a Cantonese-​speaking friend along, even though the waiters are generally on the friendlier side of Chinatown establishments. When we asked him whether he’d recommend the roast duck or the crispy duck under the Specials section, he suggested the half, and even cracked a smile at our question of how delicious it would be.
He wasn’t kidding: that roast duck was absolutely bomb. Cut into thick slivers and topped with crispy skin and a chunk of delicious fat right underneath, the duck gave all the duck I ate in Beijing (clearly the gold standard for duck) a run for their money.
The Chinese broccoli was my next favorite, though if you’re averse to garlic, probably don’t order this, as the whole dish came studded with little bits of garlic.
Dumplings were definitely much bigger and doughier than your average takeout dumplings, but they didn’t need the brown oyster sauce drizzled on top. A soy sauce/​hot chili combo would have worked much better. Also, the crunchiness that another reviewer decried is simply chopped up water chestnuts (which, by the way, I’ve never seen tucked inside a dumpling).
All in all, two dishes and one appetizer were around $ 45. Hop Kee was massively crowded on a Saturday night, but the line moves very fast — the place has a bigger second room inside.
NEXT TIME: the Peking pork chops; shrimp fried rice; beef chow fun

We were very excited to try Hop Kee after hearing that Anthony Bourdain approves of the restaurant. We passed it a couple of times and decided to try it. The restaurant is below street level which threw us off a little bit.
When we entered, the restaurant was relatively empty and we were immediately seated. The service was very attentive but not very helpful — we had a couple of questions about the menu which they seemed unable to answer. We asked our server what his favorite dish was and he brushed us off; kind of a red flag. The restaurant is a dive-​y, no-​frills sort of place.
We were given tea and white rice, and we ordered three items to share. All of the food came out of the kitchen quickly. First, we ordered the dumplings, which were disappointing. They were served with this thick brown sauce on them, which looked delicious but was very pungent/​bitter/​sour. The inside was weirdly crunchy.
Secondly, we got duck mei fun, which was very good. The portion was huge and I ate it for lunch for the following two days. The only issue that I had was that most of the duck in the mei fun was actually just pieces of duck skin instead of the meat.
Lastly, we ordered one of the «special dishes», the Fried Hop Kee chicken. We were again disappointed, as the chicken was good but the sauce had virtually no flavor. The veggies seemed fresh, though.
All in all, especially for the price, you can find better food in Chinatown. Our bill came to just over $ 40 for the three items, which is pricey for the area. I personally would not go back.

Food is excellent!
NO CREDIT CARDS! Cash only.
Service is fast. This restaurant is below grade if the street. So open your eyes and walk down so you do not miss it.

Like a moth to a flame… my love for you Hop Kee is blind and burned by desire…
I’ve been coming here for what seems like forever and a day. Eons ago, when this street was still dangerous after dark, I stumbled here white gurl wasted at 3am and it’s been nothing but love since.
I’m not sure if it is even real Chinese food. I’ve never read a review for this joint and never will, because sometimes, you just want to live in the Matrix. Everything I’ve ever had here has been good and I have no desire to know facts behind it, Felecia. From the pork chops, to the snails, to the mussels, the chow fun, to the steamed this and fried that… it’s ALL good. Drunk, high or sober… 11am, 4pm or 4am, she has never let me down, your mom, and neither has Hop Kee.
For this Flip, the best thing is they give you a big ass bowl of white rice for the table, not that small bowl like every Asian joint anywhere in the world. Filipinos don’t use chopsticks. We eat with our hands or with a fork and spoon and we desire A LOT of rice. If you see an Asian (or an Asian who looks Mexican) with a plate that’s 90% rice and 10% not rice, that’s mofo is a Flip and that might be the start of why we are drawn here, because we can’t resist a big ass bowl of the white stuff: cocaine… and rice.
Don’t trip, I’m not saying this joint is the best Chinese food in NYC. That said, they greet me with a «kumusta pare» every time and that shate goes a long way. Just the fact that they aren’t the typical angry Chinese waiter (Hi, Noodle Town) is enough to get me back a few times a month, because… that’s the way love goes.