8 Old-School Restaurants in NYC That Will Take You Back in Time
"Isolated in its little corner of Chinatown on lower Mott amid other senior establishments like Wing On Wo & Co., Wo Hop is the city’s second oldest Chinese restaurant, founded in 1938. (Only Nom Wah Tea Parlor, originated in 1920 but recently restored, is older.) The secret of Wo Hop’s longevity? Both the reliability of its Chinese-American fare, which seemingly uses no ginger, garlic, or soy sauce, and the small, subterranean nature of the real estate it occupies. Sweep down the red stairway into a small square room plastered with snapshots of its enthusiastic patrons. Communicating with each other in Cantonese, the stately waiters wear starched, light blue shopcoats and don’t miss a move as they pass around massive platters of chicken chow mein, sweet-and-sour pork, subgum egg foo young (in the section “Chinese Omelettes”), and beef chow fun. Bring a crowd and share several dishes for maximum enjoyment." - Robert Sietsema
