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dromyrtlebeach t1_j1mqtiv wrote

Nan Zhou is my favorite all around place to eat in chinatown.. sang kee for duck.

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diatriose OP t1_j1mr2iw wrote

Oooo Nan Zhou looks awesome

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ADUBROCKSKI t1_j1n3xt9 wrote

beef brisket shave noodles you're welcome

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Cowboy_Yankee t1_j1oty2h wrote

What on God’s green earth , I need this even though I am currently in food coma.

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skip_tracer t1_j1ovghg wrote

just want to second it, it's bomb and scratches that beef soup itch as good as pho

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RustedRelics t1_j1rjgiw wrote

Mmmm…. Go with wide or thin? Sounds like wide might work well.

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ADUBROCKSKI t1_j1rrulr wrote

the shave noodles are the wide boys and the hand drawn and the thin ones.

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dromyrtlebeach t1_j1nhbct wrote

If you get noodles (which you should) I suggest the soup over stir fried 😋

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ohWombats t1_j1o9m2d wrote

Sang Kee is my favorite place in all of china town

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EventAffectionate615 t1_j1ofla1 wrote

We splurged and went for SangKee also.

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SchleppyJ4 t1_j1qahjj wrote

How crowded was it? Did you have a long wait or do they do reservations? Looking to go next year.

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EventAffectionate615 t1_j1qncxs wrote

We ordered takeout and we're in the burbs, so went to the wynnewood location. My husband said it was very crowded inside. We ordered several hours ahead of time. Not sure if they take reservations for in-person dining.

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SchleppyJ4 t1_j1qnm7s wrote

Thanks for the info. Will definitely keep in mind for next year.

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ageofadzz t1_j1rw0od wrote

We arrived at 445pm and got seated immediately. By the time we left it was packed.

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Odd-Emergency5839 t1_j1n5ad3 wrote

Love me some tofu skin salad at Nan Zhou

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dromyrtlebeach t1_j1n7sdd wrote

Unbeatable chili pork dumplings! And I say this having lived in China for 1.5 years when I was younger.

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Winstonsassafrass t1_j1q2xih wrote

I’m sure it’s delicious because everything at nan zhou is, but something called “skin salad” sounds very Jeffrey Dahmer to me.

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Odd-Emergency5839 t1_j1qngcr wrote

I would never have ordered it myself. My partner put it in front of me and had me try it. It’s so damn good.

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Wheelie_Dad t1_j1orxmo wrote

Omg I might need to go to Nan Zhou this week. Those noodles 🤤

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JacobHH0124 t1_j1n3c64 wrote

If you want the added bonus of a kosher restaurant, two very good kosher vegetarian Chinese joints: Su Xing and Unit Su Vege!

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ELESH_NORN_DAMNIT t1_j1n4kew wrote

Just tried Unit Su Vege for the first time this Christmas, everything was fire but especially the mock pork buns! Su Xing is definitely a long time favourite of mine as well, much recommended 👍

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DoGreat_DieGood t1_j1nczzh wrote

Unit Su Vege is a boon for my partner who can't have authentic Chinese food because of all the lard. Also the food is just amazingly delicious and the staff are super friendly!

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xreekinghavocx t1_j1pze8g wrote

Tell me more about lard in Chinese food? This is not something I’ve heard

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DoGreat_DieGood t1_j1q75hm wrote

Pork lard is pretty common to use in authentic Chinese food in place of oil or butter, makes it taste great! My mom (who worked in a Chinese bakery for years) always warned me not to eat too much dim sum or pastries since lard is heavily used in those.

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Twodotsknowhy t1_j1osbba wrote

My family went to Su Xing last night. Their general tso's seitan is amazing

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killercalliope t1_j1ni27v wrote

caviar says both of these places are closed 😭

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JacobHH0124 t1_j1niz4u wrote

Caviar is wrong! Try their websites directly

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killercalliope t1_j1o02q5 wrote

oh shid.. well already ordered from dandan but blessings upon those who received your information

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TheThingy t1_j1o10fy wrote

I called Unit Su Vege earlier with no answer. I don’t see anything about xmas on their website.

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JHG722 t1_j1p64gj wrote

They were open, but stopped taking orders early because of dine in. We got food delivered to my brother and SIL from there, but we called at like 3 PM. They told us it was good we called early, because they were going to disconnect the phone around dinner time.

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whomp1970 t1_j20gvvq wrote

Kosher Chinese? Should be called So Su Mi.

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topscholar2 t1_j1mrv1m wrote

Definitely not Dan Dan \s. Take your large order/reservation elsewhere ;)

In all seriousness Dan Dan is great

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mountscary t1_j1muk56 wrote

Not a Jew but never really celebrated Xmas, spent many many Dec. 25ths at Dan Dan. Go early (5pm) and you'll have no problem getting a seat. Best dandan noodles in town.

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Aje644 t1_j1qyu67 wrote

That was where I went yesterday and it was delish

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MagnusUnda t1_j1mt22t wrote

Dim Sum and Grand Palace on Washington between 6 and 7!

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Odd-Emergency5839 t1_j1n58k2 wrote

Everyone’s weighed in on Chinatown spots already. Some less known bangers are in little Saigon/Bella vista area. Shing Kee is a lovely family run sit down/takeout spot. Everything I’ve had there is great. Really anything from that plaza or wing phat plaza is outstanding.

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defusted t1_j1nja9a wrote

Gentile here, we're getting Chinese too

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Mysterious_Bat8306 t1_j1nau47 wrote

Just ordered Tom’s Dim Sum!

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Garfield-1-23-23 t1_j1nk7fz wrote

Is that still good in Philly? The one in Media has taken a hard nosedive recently.

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BureaucraticHotboi t1_j1nq5rg wrote

I don’t remember how it shook out but their was some contentious ownership stuff going on and I think they are now owned by different people. Ate at chinatown Toms recently quite good

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8_Foot_Vertical_Leap t1_j1o0ds1 wrote

I got Tom's chinatown for the first time recently and the sticky sauce dishes were SOOOO syrupy, like way more than even your typical American Chinese fare. I'd go so far as to say sickly-sweet, couldn't have more than a couple bites. Don't know if that's always been the case or a recent development.

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BureaucraticHotboi t1_j1sl118 wrote

Hmm I’ll admit I mainly just eat dumplings there. Occasionally had a fried rice which they actually tend to do pretty fresh, rice is white, which I like.

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a1c0bb t1_j1oywas wrote

imo chinatown's TDS is ok as far as i know but in media dim sum mania is way better

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Neghtasro t1_j1pvmnv wrote

Which is ironically the one actually owned by Tom.

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soniabegonia t1_j1ncmfj wrote

I like Han Dynasty for Christmas, the pickled vegetables with flounder soup is great for winter

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PointB1ank t1_j1obgt3 wrote

Love a good ol fashioned handy nasty.

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emet18 t1_j1pgnzf wrote

It’s Shadynasty!

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PointB1ank t1_j1py3yp wrote

Love the fact this joke was in IASIP, I'm guessing most people outside of Philly don't realize it was based on a real place.

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BeerorCoffee t1_j1pzdx0 wrote

When I first moved to the area a coworker of mine gave me a Chinese food reco, sent me the link over with im. Needless to say I didn't click on it until I asked why he was sharing a link to Handy Nasty with me. Just didn't seem work appropriate at the time.

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jdoss42 t1_j1nqg7n wrote

Jane Gs

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DutchApplePie75 t1_j1oe6jc wrote

I am a gentile but am bookmarking this purely for Chinese food recommendations

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piper4hire t1_j1n2wyu wrote

I'm eating chinese right now. Am I jewish now?? Oy vey.

Put me down for Lee How Fook. They have the best salt baked squid.

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rockyroad55 t1_j1na9j5 wrote

Better place is shiao lan kung

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MajorNoodles t1_j1okrw3 wrote

Every person I've ever taken there has changed their mind about what their favorite Chinese restaurant was afterwards.

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EventAffectionate615 t1_j1ofrso wrote

I've thought for the last twenty years that Lee how fook had the best salt baked squid...But I just had it from SangKee, and now I need to do a side-by-side taste test.

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piper4hire t1_j1ogim1 wrote

hmmm - I’ll do the same, for science. gonna need my stretchy pants.

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animetg13 t1_j1n0rsy wrote

Either Tom's dim sum or the Sang Kee Peking duck House.

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puddin__ t1_j1mrvlp wrote

New Asian fusion in SP

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Acrobatic_Advance_71 t1_j1mtz53 wrote

Is this good. I’ve been meaning to try.

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puddin__ t1_j1n8s7o wrote

I liked it. My old go-to was good flavor. I know they were dirty as hell but it was delicious.

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kekehippo t1_j1ngpnv wrote

Tai Lake is always good food.

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TK528e t1_j1niowi wrote

Feel like I had to scroll too far before I got to Tai Lake.

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kekehippo t1_j1ocehm wrote

For me it's Tai Lake for the family, Mai Lai Wah for after clubbing.

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butatwutcost t1_j1oorkp wrote

Been going to Tai Lake for most of my life. My #1 spot for Chinese, specifically Cantonese seafood which is one of my favorite cuisines. Unfortunately I see that it’s not mentioned in many posts asking for Chinese recs.

Idk how it meshes with kosher though.

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B-BoyStance t1_j1npdzd wrote

My entire family has covid and couldn't come so I'm joining you guys for Chinese tonight

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wiy t1_j1mxdk7 wrote

Kung Fu hotpot!

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FLORIDA_MAN_WRESTLES t1_j1npliz wrote

Not a member of the tribe, but out in West, it's gotta be Fu Man Lou on Market out by 61st

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PhillyPanda t1_j1ors5n wrote

This thread is much nicer than the other thread holy fuck

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BearJew1991 t1_j1p08r9 wrote

I married into a Cantonese family and it's great since every year I get to keep up the tradition! This year we went to China Gourmet in the Northeast.

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Rahawk02 t1_j1qxn4x wrote

I was going to recommend China Gourmet I was thinking of going there today for some beef and oyster mushrooms

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BearJew1991 t1_j1r8zpk wrote

Sounds rad. I say do it! The cauliflower and Chinese bacon also slaps

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OlderThanMy t1_j1msz58 wrote

Don't you have to book well in advance?

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diatriose OP t1_j1mukdi wrote

Not necessarily

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OlderThanMy t1_j1myfxs wrote

I'm in darkest suburbia. We even had to book for takeout.

Even after booking it was a three hour wait.

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Cowboy_Yankee t1_j1mv411 wrote

Please educate me, why must Philly Jews eat Chinese?

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diatriose OP t1_j1mv7n7 wrote

Oh not just Philly Jews. Jews eating Chinese food on Xmas is a beautiful cultural tradition worldwide

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[deleted] t1_j1n260i wrote

Okay…sort of a story but hang in there with me. Born catholic. Raised catholic. Always had a natural inclination towards getting Chinese on certain holidays (thanksgiving, Christmas etc). Got my Ancestry DNA kit for the holidays last year. Results comeback. I’m 47% Eastern European Jewish. 47%!!!

So either a parent lied, I was mixed up in the baby room, OR someone in the family made some huge moves in the game of survival.

Either way, super proud of my ancestry. Also, now having read this post, I feel vindicated in my wanting Chinese for the holidays.

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Fat_Head_Carl t1_j1psicz wrote

That's wild... We did some genealogy work in my family, and my dad's uncle was actually his brother.

Apparently my grandmother got knocked up as a young woman, and her parents raised her son as her brother. Pretty sure it's because they didn't think she'd be able to get a husband back then.

Eventually she married, and had 5 more kids.

My dad passed away young, never even knowing he had a brother. Wild stuff!

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felis_scipio t1_j1neehz wrote

I have to laugh at the title, I’m not jewish but years ago I was visiting a girlfriends family who was and we went out for Chinese where the Dad went on in exceptionally great detail how Chinese was the traditional Jewish food during Christmas season.

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Mikemo05 t1_j1o90d6 wrote

Yeah it mainly comes down to the fact that we don’t celebrate Christmas but everyone’s off work anyways so a cheap low effort things to do is a big family meal at the only place that’s open (Chinese)

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Cowboy_Yankee t1_j1mx6bs wrote

Well then almost every weekend is Xmas for me then hahaha

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ThisHatRightHere t1_j1n8bo6 wrote

It’s because traditionally most stores and restaurants are closed on Christmas, leaving Jewish people who have a day off with nothing to do little options. Chinese places are always open so over time Asian business owners and Jewish people have created an unspoken holiday bond across the country.

Granted, might be a bit different this year due to Hanukkah overlapping.

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Cowboy_Yankee t1_j1otueg wrote

Love Chinese, am a non practicing Hindu immigrant, Chinese food saved my butt during my first thanksgiving here hahaha.

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youngbuck215 t1_j1q8zmw wrote

I once went to a wedding in Mumbai and at the reception they served Chinese Food!!!

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Cowboy_Yankee t1_j1rjeg4 wrote

Oh so in India along with Indian food , Chinese food is the one of most sought after food. Sometimes people prefer Chinese over Indian and this is a huge topic of debate when people go out to eat . But this is not typical authentic Chinese , this is a indo Chinese mix which I have only found in one restaurant in Houston called Alings. Some Indian places in PA and in rest of US try to make Indo Chinese food but so far it’s been a disappointment lol.

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tet3 t1_j1ny5ah wrote

Egg rolls, sweet & sour or sesame protein of your choice, venerable General Tso's - there are lots of Hannukah-compatible foods on Chinese menus!

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Mikemo05 t1_j1o963k wrote

Yeah I’m pretty sure most big family Hanukkah events happen earlier on the holiday. At least for me

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ThisHatRightHere t1_j1opi9z wrote

Yeah I wouldn’t personally know, but most of my Jewish friends are out of town seeing family this weekend. Probably just because everyone has extra days off work with Christmas here.

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tipyourwaitresstoo t1_j1p7af3 wrote

We never celebrated Xmas and would take our kids out to Chinese for years while they were growing up. I didn’t realize it was a Jewish tradition until a few years into “our” tradition. We were just eating at the only open restaurants. Btw, we’re African American. P.S. We did Thanksgiving like this too but added a movie.

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app1etree t1_j1mwc1y wrote

Because Chinese restaurants are generally open on Xmas. So it’s one of the few options for those not celebrating Xmas. Thus the tradition.

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Cowboy_Yankee t1_j1mxgjo wrote

Thanks for letting me know, will attack Dim Sum Garden today lol

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apricot57 t1_j1nkdxk wrote

My understanding is that it started back when the Jews and the Chinese were both non-Christian immigrants in the Lower East Side.

Edit: Ooh, Wikipedia backs me up! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish-American_patronage_of_Chinese_restaurants

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Cowboy_Yankee t1_j1ou057 wrote

Wow there is a wiki this is gold !! Thanks for linking this.

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apricot57 t1_j1r9pjs wrote

No problem! I’m Jewish and I learned things from that article. Happy holidays!

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alaman68 t1_j1nd2qn wrote

China Garden Inn. get the salt and pepper shrimp

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rockyroad55 t1_j1ooec5 wrote

Sang kee is a tourist trap for duck. You want to go to siu kee or ting wong. They’re both near the firehouse.

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BlessedBeTheFlerm t1_j1ouz95 wrote

Ting Wong is the best for their triple threat roast duck pork and shrimp wonton noodle soup and regular roast duck. But Sang Kee’s Peking duck was great last time I had it.

But yes Ting Wong so affordable and criminally underrated.

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rockyroad55 t1_j1pj7u7 wrote

Sang Kee used to be good until the previous owner sold it during lockdown and now the quality and portion sizes are shit.

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powerbook01 t1_j1nzymf wrote

I’ve heard good things about Ho Sai Gai in China town, or else Dan Dan is always a good go to

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stonkautist69 t1_j1ndpkr wrote

Were you looking for any type of Chinese cuisine in particular? There are tons of options I am a fan of

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ollie149 t1_j1nn6t3 wrote

Wait, as someone who’s not Jewish, why Chinese specifically? Is it like a Philly food exchange where they have Jewish food and you have Chinese food?

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pfmiller0 t1_j1nsotv wrote

Because traditionally Chinese immigrants didn't celebrate Christmas, so their restaurants would be open.

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Mikemo05 t1_j1o99xu wrote

it mainly comes down to the fact that we(jews) don’t celebrate Christmas but everyone’s off work anyways so a cheap low effort things to do is a big family meal at the only place that’s open (Chinese)

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GALACTON t1_j1p8epr wrote

speaking of jews, do you know of a mikveh in the city?

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Mikemo05 t1_j1p8o1h wrote

I’m pretty sure there is one close to lower Merrion where you can take regional rail to it. I think UPenn chabad might have one for pots and plates tho(not 100% sure)

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GALACTON t1_j1p9gvv wrote

Can non-jews use it? I can keep my mouth shut.

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jacwat88 t1_j1ol7sw wrote

sang kee for peking duck!

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TheBSQ t1_j1pu4vb wrote

That reminds me, I got one of those promo emails from Mike Solomonov’s restaurant group (Zahav, Laser Wolf, etc.) for a “fancy” traditional Jewish Christmas dinner featuring Peking duck, and other Zahav-style takes on Chinese dishes at their Fishtown event space. Think they were going to screen a movie there too.

Did anyone try that?

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SaltySeth2 t1_j1snhma wrote

I got duck, roast pork, shumei, and some soup takeout from Canto House and it was pretty good.

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OnionLegend t1_j1vyruq wrote

As an American of Chinese descent who lives here in Philly, thank you all for eating Chinese food so I have more Chinese places to go eat 🤤 What’s a Jewish restaurant you would recommend me? What dish?

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diatriose OP t1_j1w73vr wrote

We have a couple great Jewish restaurants in Philly! Zahav, Abe Fisher, 4th St. Deli to name a few. Have you ever had brisket?

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bdpyo t1_j1pw4p1 wrote

anyone ever heard of mandarin (sp?) house right by fkd&girard it’s american chinese but it used to be the best

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Irrelavent1 t1_j1pymij wrote

Google Christmastime for the Jews.

No name calling. It’s satire.

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freedoomed t1_j1nhfi0 wrote

Nope. I tired that once and couldn't actually find a Chinese place that was open near by.

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smibrandon t1_j1q4wt4 wrote

A day late, but Tiffin on Federal St. is/was open Christmas, if you wanted to mix things up a bit

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Cortado267 t1_j1qihgw wrote

Tiffin (on Girard) used to be my usual place for Indian delivery and we ordered from them last Xmas. However, after a 2hr plus wait (not even on holiday) cold food delivered, and no concern from the restaurant staff, I was ready to face the reality that the service was not worth the trouble. Tried Tiffin on Federal but was not to my taste.

This year we did a pick up from Amma’s (15th& Chestnut Sts) on Xmas. First time I have tried them and was happily surprised! Great vegetarian options.

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smibrandon t1_j1qin5i wrote

Damn shame. I always get take out, or eat in occasionally.

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Cortado267 t1_j1ql2ra wrote

Maybe I was there on an off-day for Tiffin Federal. The staff seemed nice and service was good at that location.

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YoungHeartOldSoul t1_j1n28bf wrote

Omg I was just wondering where the places to get good Chinese are around town, thank you OP.

Also, what it it about Chinese food that allows Jewish people to eat it right now?

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justsomedude322 t1_j1n3143 wrote

No one wants to cook, and Chinese restaurants used to be the only place open on Christmas .

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