One of NYC’s Best Classic Chinese Restaurants, UNCLE LOU in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York

Uncle Lou is one of the most popular Chinese restaurants in Manhattan's Chinatown serving Classic Cantonese and Southern Chinese food. Its food is true to the flavors of Chinese cuisine that was served in Chinatowns for decades. You can really get a taste of the past, and yes, the past is just as good today!
Uncle Lou
73 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10013
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[@minutereviewshow]

Thanks for watching! If you find my videos useful, may I ask for a quick subscribe? I will have many more videos coming in the years ahead. 😀

[@user-ub5tk4hv6r]

I thank you for starting a new series of vlogs. I was born in Japan but was raised in the US in the 50's and 60's and I feel a tremendous nostalgia for the overseas Chinese food we had during that time. Your sweet and sour pork here had a definite crunch on the outside, so important, often the pork seems coated in a glue formed by the sauce combing with undercooked batter. Seafood panfried noodles another classic old school dish, very important to get the thick white sauce with it (I've been served this with a braised soy sauce) and the texture of the noodle, not crispy but with chewy body is what makes it so delicious with the sauce. Too bad about the vegetables, carrot, zucchini ok but broccoli? Cabbage or even spinach better.

[@minutereviewshow]

Thanks for tuning in to my videos. I'm pretty sure old-style Southern/Cantonese food has come a long way and is still evolving. I'm happy to see that what I showed in the video, as you confirm, is similar to what you had growing up. In New York, as around the country, Chinese is now more mixed with new immigration patterns, but I always hope the earlier generation Chinese food survives.

[@paulleung8480]

For the price, the best chinese restaurant in Manhattan Chinatown right now and I lived in NY for over 50yrs.

[@minutereviewshow]

It's hard to argue. I would put it in the top 2 for food quality in Manhattan 's Chinatown. Thanks for watching!😃

[@Gr8thxAlot]

That looks amazing!

[@stevenj2380]

Thanks! Looks so nicely prepared and flavorful. I can get some spicy favorites elsewhere. Can walk over there from here in KV.

[@catabolistnyc1207]

I live near and LOVE Chinatown. But why does Undle Lou's have a B SANITARY RATING????? Still, enjoyed your review and hope to go there...when they get an A rating!!!

[@audegottoeaudegottoe363]

Have @ Wonderful New Year's!//thanks

[@raybl9295]

I have not tried this place yet and will probably give it a try the next time I get downtown. I imagine the reason they use mostly western vegetable is because for the Lo Wah Kiu menu, during the old days before 1980, most of the Chinese vegetable currently found in the Asian markets weren't available for the Lo Wah Kius at that time. and that remains true for even most of today's Chinese take outs outside of the major city urban areas.

[@minutereviewshow]

Thanks for your comment! I haven't considered that as a reason.

[@raybl9295]

@@minutereviewshow Yeah, it's hard to believe that most of the wide variety of Chinese vegetables available in today's Asian markets only started to appear in the early 80s when Chinese started their vegetable farms down south. As I recall, before that time, the only Chinese vegetables widely sold then were bok choy, a form of choy sum that looked closer to bok choy than the real thing, mustard leaves, and nappa cabbage. Everything else had to be home grown and even then, most Chinese didn't have their own gardens to grow their produce. Choices were few in the old days, thus the Lo Wah Kiu menu.

[@pandabear153]

Our parents were from Hoisan and me and my siblings were all born here in America. So I think the Chinese and or Cantonese food had to use the vegetables that were available in America therefore the broccoli, carrot, etc. Still home food was good. Mom used shrimp paste and or fermented tofu to flavored the dishes. No spices no soy sauces either. By the way when you said "chen pi" is that the same as "chim pi" because we called preserved plums"chim pi moi"

[@minutereviewshow]

Home food was definitely good. We grew up in a Chinatown so having plenty of Chinese veg was easy to find even in the 70's. Agree that good Cantonese cooking technique is key no matter the ingredients. As for the Toisanese, through the years, I've found many variants of Toisanese. It's fun to discover new ones!

[@greggbambu411]

I noticed that on the front door, there was a B . Is this a problem or no big deal?

[@minutereviewshow]

From what I know it’s no big deal. I would avoid the C’s because they tend to have more serious violations. Also, most restaurants in NYC are in really old buildings so I guess that has sometimes do with those ratings.

[@salinator5966]

Using the Western vegetables is keeping with the Lo Wah Kiu theme. Chinese vegetables just weren't readily available in the early days of the Chinese immigrants.

[@CAFEX24]

i really enjoyed your review...you seem like a genuine down to earth guy. are you of genuine asian american dessent or african asian? ty

[@minutereviewshow]

Thank you! Yes Chinese American born in the US.

[@CAFEX24]

@@minutereviewshow who has the best general tso chicken...can u do a video with that dish. Ty

[@minutereviewshow]

@CAFEX24 to be honest I don’t know because when I get General Tso’s it’s usually at the cheap Chinese American take out restaurants. Whenever I ordered this from a real Cantonese restaurant it always disappoints because they love using white meat.

[@user-eq6xp6rc2k]

Bro when you entered the restaurant the beer the guy was drinking.is it a stag?? If it is well thats my favorite beer in trinidad

[@edwinkirkland8856]

Didn't know about this and im from the bronx, going

[@minutereviewshow]

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

[@jaypassarella1392]

B rating on door?

[@BossBrookeArmstrong]

Silly question but do they only offer chopsticks to eat? Or do they also have forks?

[@minutereviewshow]

Not silly. They offer plastic chopsticks in a cute green color! Also, regular forks and spoons are available.

[@user-vd5yg1jm2c]

Why is this CC? I can hear and understand you just fine.

[@minutereviewshow]

Hello! Thanks for your feedback. I've been told that I sometimes slur my words, which is why I decided to put up the captions. I hope you don't mind. :)

[@user-er3ri6sc3j]

How much is it at Great Noodletown on Bayard and Canal?

[@minutereviewshow]

Which dish?

[@LordLOC]

@@minutereviewshow Has Noodletown even reopened yet? Last I heard they closed down for renovations right? I used to eat there 35 years ago, and as I remember it they only have a few things on the menu - but the salt baked duck and roast pig/pork were incredible.

[@minutereviewshow]

Yes, my sources say it's open and the same source says it's still great, but a bit more expensive. Also, I believe they're no longer 24/7.@@LordLOC

[@warrenfong500]

$20 overpriced sweet & sour Pork.

[@Pango5697]

Got a B grade 😂

[@warrenfong500]

$40 for 2 dishes. Not for me.

[@FORBIDCharlie1986]

B rating? Yikes. Do you know how easy it is to get an A rating? Now imagine how bad a place has to be to get a B rating.

[@cheonglee300]

Looks like they had a B health rating 😬

[@thai33oz]

The lower the grade the better the taste 😉

[@shorty61978]

No chicken feet? why?

[@minutereviewshow]

I went early afternoon. Although they had a limited dim sum menu, they only had simple items like har gow and siu mai. Unfortunately no chicken feet. 🙄

[@shorty61978]

thats not fair. chickenfeet is delicius

[@ramencurry6672]

Speaking of chicken feet, the best version I’ve had was boneless chicken feet in Korea. So far I haven’t found a good version of Korean chicken feet in America

[@markriley5863]

Was someone shining a laser pen in your face? If so why didn't you notice?

[@minutereviewshow]

I didn't see it at all.

[@22jdeee]

Uncle Lou got a B grade.

[@truth4004]

Its too expensive judging from the menu, from what I could see clearly.

[@minutereviewshow]

It's seems to me that at many Chinese restaurants these days two-thirds of the menu would be between $20-$35. The days of sub $20 entrees are numbered unfortunately.

[@LordLOC]

I saw beef chow fun (Danny the Medic is one of the only other channels on YT that shows chow fun in any capacity sadly) was $18.95 and I couldn't believe how much it was. When I lived in Brooklyn, you could get a giant dish of chow fun for $7.95 usually. Even at the more expensive spots we'd go to in the city or in uptown areas.

[@minutereviewshow]

These days, the only places to get cheap chow fun are the American Chinese take out restaurants. I actually still see $7.95 lunch special chow fun.@@LordLOC

[@LordLOC]

@@minutereviewshow And basically some of the best chow fun I've ever had has come from American Chinese spots. There was a local joint we'd order in from once a week or so back in the day and get chicken chow fun for $6.95 and an order of spare ribs that was maybe $7 or so. Now spare ribs I've seen as much as $15 or more as it is. I know inflation made everything more expensive, but man.

[@grahamsmith6210]

@@minutereviewshow Fuzhou food seems to be the best value in NYC