“Cheap” is a relative concept, but most people voting in our survey agreed: Chinese dumplings are the way to go. Readers were all over the map, however, when it came to picking the top spot among the neighborhood’s many dumpling shops. Some are loyal to the old standbys: Vanessa’s (118 Eldridge St.) and Prosperity Dumpling (46 Eldridge St.), both offering four pork dumplings for $1.
Others, scared away by the swarming tourists, have turned elsewhere. Lam Zhou (144 E. Broadway) is our personal favorite, for their delicate skin and flavorful filling. Lam Zhou also happens to serve outstanding hand-pulled noodles. There were a few votes for China North Dumpling (27 Essex St.), where you get 10 dumplings for $2, and for Shu Jiao Fu Zhou (118 Eldridge St., in the same building as Vanessa’s), which sells eight dumplings for $2.
Vanessa’s Dumpling House 118 Eldridge St. 212-625-8008 Prosperity Dumpling 46 Eldridge St. 212-343-0683 Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle 144 East Broadway 212-566-6933 China North Dumpling 27 Essex St. 212-529-2700 Shu Jiao Fu Zhou 118 Eldridge St. 212-625-2532 Back to Best of the LES
