"This little Chinatown spot is known for its Big Tray Chicken: a big tray of chicken with various vegetables that you should share with at least one other person. There’s a low, per-person minimum if you want to BYOB, so supplement the chicken with a few sides like the beef and pork pancakes. Keep in mind it’s cash only." - molly fitzpatrick, bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"Wendy Lian and Ren Fu Li’s gem of a Forsyth Street restaurant is a temple to a spectacular dish: big tray spicy chicken (da pan ji). The preparation involves dousing thick, hand-pulled noodles in a stew of chicken, garlic, potatoes, cumin, chiles, and star anise. With the capacity to feed at least two, the feast ranks as one of the city’s best large-format deals. Also go for a pork pancake, where stewed pork comes in sandwich form as a must-get appetizer. Spicy Village is BYOB." - Eater Staff
"Spicy Village’s big tray chicken is one of Chinatown’s most iconic dishes. Big bone-in hunks of chicken and potatoes come stewed in a rich sauce made with Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and other spices—and you have the option of adding hand-pulled noodles. Always get those noodles. The dish easily feeds two people (this is not medium tray chicken, after all), and it costs roughly $16. Notably, this place is BYOB—so stop by with a couple friends for a fun, delicious meal that probably won’t run you more than $20 per person." - team infatuation
"Even on a Monday night, you might find it difficult to get a table at Spicy Village. And there are several reasons for this. First off, the space about the size of a tollbooth. It’s also BYOB, and the noodle-heavy Henan food is very good and pretty inexpensive. The rich, brothy big tray chicken (with noodles) should always be on your table, and you should bring one or two people to split it with. For a quick, casual meal that won't cost more than $20 per person, it doesn't get much better." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman
"Believe it or not, eating spicy food cools you down. The science goes: When you eat spicy food, your blood circulation increases, you start sweating, and once your sweat evaporates, you've cooled off. Stay cool at this summer at Spicy Village with their big tray chicken—big bone-in hunks of chicken and potatoes stewed in a rich sauce made with Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and other spices." - neha talreja