Joe’s Ginger

We’ve been here a couple times but today my mom, brother and I came in after awhile of not eating here and I have to say that this place is horrible now. The food is mediocre but the service is horrible! We walked in and while picking from the menu, we were rushed, the waiter didn’t look like he was very welcoming and everything gave us a bad vibe. We were very rushed and our waiter gave us our bill when only my mom was done eating while we still had other food on the table. Also when we were paying the lady at the front had horrible manners. Didn’t even look at my mom while she was asking her a question about her bill! Horrible service but if you don’t care and just want mediocre food then it should be fine. The service was so bad that I created a Unilocal account just to give them a horrible rating lol

Came here for my birthday last week and have been meaning to write a review ever since. I didn’t like it. Me and my 3 friends ordered 5 – 6 dishes in total. Compared to every other Chinese restaurant which I’ve been to in my life (which is A LOT), the portions here are so small. The prices for these dishes are also ridiculous compared to what the same dish (with bigger portions) would cost at most other restaurants in Chinatown.
The dishes themselves didn’t taste like anything special either, so I don’t believe I will be returning. The orange shrimp tasted like something I could get at a take-​out place, the stir-​fried rice cakes were average, the soup I got tasted like everything in it came out of a can (canned corns, cheap ham, the tiniest pieces of winter melon, etc.). The soft shelled crab was pretty good, though yet again I don’t believe it’s worth the price. There are better restaurants in Chinatown which can offer the same, if not better, flavors for a lower price.
And the soup dumplings? Average. If you’ve never had them before, they’ll probably be a great, novel experience. But for me, having had them at many other places before, all I can say is that I have had better. Ours were also lukewarm by the time they arrived at our table. There’s a place in Flushing that makes delicious ones which are miles better than the ones at this place.
Service-​wise, it was average. Our waiter wasn’t the most helpful when we tried asking questions about the dish (keep in mind we were ordering in Chinese, so there was no language barrier preventing proper communication). Also, when we came into the restaurant there wasn’t a table prepared yet, so we watched them clean our table before we sat down. They did a quick wipe down and that was it. There were still stains and dirt on the glass from the guests before us, and it was gross. They set our plates down on the table while it was still dirty. We had to ask them to wipe it down again for us after we were seated.

I went to Joe’s Ginger with other 3 friends for a typical Chinese dinner but unfortunately it wasn’t the dinner I was expecting in terms of food and service.
Food: good if you are trying the dumplings (crab and meat ones are a must, try also the dumpling soup which is quite good), nice green tea to start but my bamboo and mushroom dish was okay-​ish, nothing special.
Service: Sorry to say that but most of the times when you are going to a Chinese restaurant you don’t expect to have the best customer care of the world… and we didn’t have a nice staff to talk to as well.
The waiter was not friendly, he forgot that we asked for a doggy bag at the end of our meal and he seemed upset or annoyed when taking the orders. He also dropped the food on one of my friend when he was cleaning the table.
Price: not cheap for what you get. 60 $ in 4 but only ordering dumplings and bamboo with mushroom. ah and don’t forget: CASH ONLY!

Decent food. Caters more to people who enjoy Americanized Chinese food. Authentic Chinese restaurants wouldn’t include small packets of duck sauce. Again very Americanized dishes.
Also this place as well as Joe’s Shanghai only accepts cash which is absurd in this day and age…

This place was not at all crowded when my friend and I came (around 6:30pm on a Tuesday night). The service was great and fast, and we got the pork and crab xiao long bao, which were excellent, broccoli in garlic sauce, which was yum, chicken dumplings, which were not bad (can’t go wrong with chicken) but also not overwhelmingly fantastic, and some rice, which was, well, rice. Perfect amount of food for two. The space is clean and has good vibes; I’d definitely come back if the mood struck.

I would have gave them four stars but the service lost them one star. What does that mean? Their food is better than their service, plain and simple.
Great for good food but don’t bring someone if you’re trying to make an impression or need to be attended for water, utensils or anything else you may need to call upon a waiter for.
We had a shrimp and scallop dish. very good.
Also was a chicken dish, pretty good but not out of the park.
The space was rated «A» for health rating and there was plenty of seating as it was a late afternoon service.
Bathroom and another dining area is upstairs.
Pricing was average to high in comparison to other Chinatown restaurants of same size.
Space was clean, and was moderately small but roomy enough to get around if it is not packed with tourists.
Others. this is part of a several restaurants so other locations may receive different reviews. This location is on Pell Street (known for its abundance of hair salons) between Mott Street and Doyers Street (famous from Chinese gangster movies).
Why did we go here? The original restaurant we wanted to go to was closed for a private party, this was someplace we came upon and looked decent from the outside in.
Groups: only if you secure upstairs, the downstairs is a no go for groups.
Bön Appetite!

Awesome soup dumplings as usual! My friends and I really love catching up over dumplings.
It’s a tiny place but always less crowded then Joe’s Shanghai. Save yourself some time and come here to the sister restaurant.

The food was great and our very fluent in English speaking waiter was very helpful as we modified some of the dishes. Why wait for who knows how long at Joe’s Shanghai down the block when you can have the same food at Joe’s Ginger?
The buns are as wonderful as ever. Tonight we shared several other great dishes; Lion’s Head Meatballs, Romeo & Juliet, Crispy Beef, General Tso’s Chicken, and Tofu with Pork in a spicy sauce. I loved them all. I also tried the Shredded Pork with Pickled Cabbage Soup but it was nothing special until I added the ginger and soy from the buns on my own. I wouldn’t order this one again – not much taste and very little pork and cabbage.
On the downside, we were in agreement that the portion size has been reduced.
For those celebrity watchers I have seen Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, and Matt Dillon all here.

Little secret, you can get Joe Shanghai’s infamous soup dumplings here as well, they are owned by the same owner. Delicious soup dumpling (XLB) fix can be had here. These soup dumplings are not as good as the ones I have had at Din Tai Fung, but they are good for the East Coast and satisfy XLB cravings. Everything else on the menu was decent.

This is a decent option when Joe’s Shanghai two doors down has a two hour wait. This place did not when I was here. However, it was still reasonably full. The décor is a bit tacky, but that is to be expected in Manhattan’s popular locales in Chinatown.
The menu is large but manageable. Service is fast and pretty friendly.
1. Cold noodles with sesame: This was just OK. A little different than what I’m used to, it’s a little plain. There is some peanut butter in there to add some taste. Otherwise, not much to this dish.
2. Soup dumplings: Wasn’t a huge fan. There is soup in the dumpling, but the top of it is too thick so to bite off the top, you get a mouthful of dough.
3. String beans with pork bits: Couldn’t see or taste the pork bits, but the beans themselves were crispy. Not bad at all.

I’m pretty sure that Joe’s Ginger and Joe’s Shanghai are owned by the same people, so I wonder why this one never has a wait.
Go here for the soup dumplings and the double-​sauteed pork. Bring cash since it’s cash-​only.

Soup dumplings are quite good here. This place is a good alternate /​safety net for joe’s shanghai where the wait can get horrendously long. Especially on days when I get really hungry I find myself ducking in here more often than not for the quieter, cleaner atmosphere and comparable soup dumpling quality.

Strange as it may be but it seems in New Jersey Chinese food is the bane of every 70’s light rock listenin’ fuddy duddy’s existence ie) almost half the people here. Come to think of it I’ve grown to love 70s light rock too. Crap, I’ve turned into a New Jersian!
Anyhow I still don’t get lack of love for Chinese food here while places like Outback steakhouse can do no wrong. Who knows… Maybe it’s cuz of the (mostly) crappy Chinese restaurants in jersey
However, pay an arm and a leg to hop over a tunnel (while repressing thoughts that you are helping finance a Port authority retiree’s Porsche 911) and Chinatown is on fire and hipster central.
Anyway so it was that we came to Joe’s Ginger for dinner. Joe’s Shanghai and almost every decent Shanghainese restaurant within a 10 minute walk to where we parked were PACKED.
Seeing the awning for Joe’s Ginger, a member of my party said they recognized it as a good restaurant back in the day. Chinese restos unfortunately often change ownership and chefs so that doesn’t always mean anything (as we were about to find out).
Unfortunately everything we ordered except the soup dumplings and one other dish was a bit disappointing. To make matters worse, prices are a bit high and portions are a bit small.
As mentioned, at least the soup dumplings were good (hence the 3 stars). They make them a bit different from how most other places do. They are not as tender or soft and I guess it is because they use more lean meat for the dumplings rather than fatty ground pork. Good flavor and juice however and the skin was delicious as well.
I guess come here if you want the healthiest Shanghainese soup dumplings you can get (probably still not very healthy) while not sacrificing much flavor.
From that highlight of the meal comes the lowlight — salt and pepper pork chops here tasted worse than 5 day old leftovers of the same dish I’ve had from other restaurants reheated in a microwave at work. Overpriced too for the portion size and quality — 12.95
Rice cakes with shredded pork and cabbage was decent. A bit lacking in flavor and small portion compared to some other restaurants but not too bad.
Meat and rice wrapped in lotus leaves (zhong zhe) was way overpriced — 5.50 and honestly I’ve had better of this dish getting takeout in ctown street corners I later heat up at home.
Steamed vegetarian leek dumplings were tasty. Good dish.
Overall I regret coming to eat here with all the better options available in Chinatown. It wasn’t truly horrible but it was meh and the price was high.

Same restaurant as Joes Shanghai. Same owners and same exact menu and food. But supposedly not alot of people know. So if Joes Shanghai’s line is too long, head over next door to Joe’s Ginger!

Meh. Meh. That’s all I can say. Flavor is lacking in the soup dumplings, noodles were bland, scallion pancakes were burnt, sautéed string beans were plain and not perfectly crunchy. I’ve had many different shanghainese restaurants and this one can’t even be decent.
The good thing was that the staff was nice. That’s all.

Meh. 2 stars. Sorry I’m not sorry. Other than the quick seating time, everything about this place was subpar.
Soup dumplings… average. Not overly impressed. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by all the fantastic Shanghai places I have tried around NYC, especially in Flushing but theirs is a tad bland in my opinion. The skin of the dumpling probably saved it from being a below average dumpling. It was done perfectly.
Cold appetizer — HOW CAN YOU MESS UP JELLYFISH?!? This was the only dish I wanted and wahhhhh it was the saddest day ever. It was absolutely tasteless and we had to tell them to add more sesame oil on it. Even then, no flavor.
Pancake was a little more burnt than I am used to but the taste wasn’t too bad.
Dishes in general are small, not the typical Chinese family style size you would expect. Inconsistent taste and flavor.
If you want something delicious, I highly recommend a bottle or two of Tsingtao. This was bomb and probably saved the place from getting one star.
It wasn’t the worst restaurant I’ve ever been to, but I wouldn’t come back unless I really have to.

It looks like I might be reiterating what other Unilocalers have said, but it’s a good sign when you see the same thing from strangers right?
This was my first soup bun experience and they are delicious! I definitely recommend ordering a batch when you first sit down and while you decide what else you are going to order. They are made to order and come piping hot, filled with a savory, flavorful soup and rich stuffing (we tried the pork and crab meat combo, a house specialty).
We also had a couple lobster spring rolls (good, but tasted like shrimp), the scallion pancakes which were equally delicious especially when you add the ginger sauce on top and some fried rice. We were worried, that we hadn’t ordered enough for the two of us, but in the end, the portions were large and we were stuffed!
Service was quick and friendly as well. The seating is tight and you are likely sitting inches away from the next table, but all in all, I’ll be back!

This place has the same yummy soup buns as Joe’s Shanghai!!! There is less of a wait and better service.
Server will ask you if you want the soup buns when you sit down before you order anything else because they are freshly made and steamed. You can choose pork or crab meat soup buns. I prefer the pork.
I’ve had almost all of their noodles there and you can’t go wrong. Hot and tasty! The dumplings are good too. I also recommend any side dish to compliment your meal.
The place has little waiting space so I recommend one or two from your party to wait inside and others outside. They will not come outside to call your name for the table. Too many people waiting inside, you’ll be on top of the diners.
Like most Chinatown restaurants, this place is cash only so be prepared.

This place is literally next to Joes Shanghai. From what I’ve heard it’s owned by the same person and food there is identical to that of Joes Shanghai. Simply delicious. There are also few reasons I’d choose this place over Joes Shanghai:
–Wait time. There is no line at all, you walk in and get a table right away, whereas at Joes Shanghai there is always a crowd standing outside waiting to be seated.
–Seating. You actually get a table, and don’t have to share it with random people. They have plenty of tables and second floor with even more space.
–Food is identical to that of Joes Shanghai. Honestly, I’ve never ordered anything besides the dumplings. Pork and crab soup dumplings us the way to go. DELICIOUS! Craving them again while typing this up. Also, we usually order Shanghai chicken and rice for a side and it’s more than enough for two person, and delicious as well. Definitely coming back again and again!

We ended up coming here because there was no wait, compared to the more popular Joe’s Shanghai down the road. We figured any food in China Town must be good (aka 4 stars). We were immediately seated and the food arrived promptly. After trying a bunch of items, I can confidently give this place 3 stars for food: not the best, and not the worst.
The best thing we tried were the pork soup dumplings, my only complaint was the skin on a few of the dumplings were dry.
The worst thing I tried (and it’s probably just me) were the crab and pork soup dumplings. I could not swallow that thing once I tasted the intense crab flavor. I’m more of an imitation crab person so the real crab they used in the dumplings was just too overwhelming for me. It was like 80% crab and 20% pork. I felt nauseous.
The regular dumplings were handmade, we tried the chicken one and the shrimp one. I enjoyed them, but I prefer the ones my family makes.
I was pretty disappointed with the shumai and the beef chow fun. The shumai tasted fine but each individual piece was half the size of what I’m used to. If this was Japan or the kiddie serving, I’d be ok with it, but it’s not. The beef chow fun was $ 13 and literally came with 4 pieces of beef. I paid $ 13 for a bunch of rice noodles in brown sauce?! They didn’t even bother putting in any veggies! The flavor of the sauce was great, however, and the noodles themselves were yummy.
If I had the time and didn’t mind the long wait, I would go to Joe’s Shanghai.

Ursprünglich wollten wir in ein nahegelegenes Restaurant mit ähnlichem Namen, das in vielen Reiseführern empfohlen wurde. Irrtümlich gingen wir dann in das falsche Restaurant, das nun die Erwartungen nicht ganz erfüllen konnte. Da die Messlatte in den Reiseführern schon sehr hoch gelegt worden war, gingen wir selbstverständlich mit hohen Erwartungen in einen hübsch eingerichteten Raum, der die mäßige Lage an der Straße gut kompensieren konnte. Die Auswahl der Gerichte war durchaus abwechslungsreich und vielversprechend. Leider kamen unsere Bestellungen schon so gut wie kalt an und waren auch nur mäßig gewürzt. Für die gesalzenen Preise (1 kleiner Beilagenteller mit Reis — 10 $) hatten wir uns geschmackstechnisch schon etwas besseres vorgestellt.