New York’s Chinatown is one of the most impressive Chinese enclaves of its kind. The fresh produce includes different varieties of prawns and clams. When I visited, the fruit vendors were not just plying peaches and longans but also rambutans from Malaysia.
One of NYC Chinatown’s oldest restaurants is Nom Wah Tea Parlor which opened in 1920 at 13 – 15 Doyers Street as a bakery and tea parlour and was particularly famous for its mooncakes.
In 1968, the restaurant lost its lease at 15 Doyers Street. As a result, Nom Wah moved into a brand new kitchen next door. It has, since then, been at 11 – 13 Doyers Street. The original proprietor of Nom Wah was the Choy Family. In 1974, they sold to Wally Tang, who had started working in the restaurant in 1950 when just 16 years young.
By the time Tang reached 20, he was actually managing the place. Not much has changed at Nom Wah down the years. From the typeface on the front of the restaurant to the interior décor, visiting Nom Wah is like rolling back the years.
Sitting in the restaurant is not unlike being in a time capsule, lingering or languishing in Hong Kong when movies were black and white, including telephones. Little was mobile then. The range of dim sums is classic Cantonese although there are allowances to more recent taste, including xiao long bao. There are two other Nom Wah outlets, in Philadelphia (opened in 2015), and in 2016, New York’s Nolita district. Nom Wah also has a kiosk in Pier 57.
13 Doyers Street
