Tim Ho Wan East Village

"Tim Ho Wan is a modern, upscale dim sum chain from Hong Kong with two NYC locations—one in Hell’s Kitchen, and one in the East Village. We think the East Village spot has slightly better food, but there’s almost never a wait at the Hell’s Kitchen location, so pick based on what's more important to you. The selection at both is slightly more limited than what you'll find at other spots on this guide, but there's still plenty to choose from. Try the tiny baked pork buns with a crackly, sweet topping, and get the deep-fried eggplant stuffed with shrimp and lava custard sesame balls. Circle your order on a slip of paper, order a pot of tea, and settle in for a few rounds of food." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman

"Show up early and be prepared to wait at this popular, high-end dim sum spot in the East Village—it’s worth it. Tim Ho Wan serves a trio of miniature baked pork buns with a slightly sweet, crunchy topping that we can’t stop thinking about. The dough is crisp on top and soft everywhere else, and the filling is rich and flavorful. Even if you’re here with just one other person, you’ll probably want to get two orders of these, because they’re just too good to share. " - Hannah Albertine, Carina Finn Koeppicus, Kenny Yang

"We’ve also been ordering a lot from Tim Ho Wan in Hell’s Kitchen. Evelyn is a chicken-feet person. I go hard on the congee and the dumplings. My kids are partial to beef and pork buns and dumplings, whereas I tend to gravitate more toward seafood or chicken dumplings. Not that I’m above eating a good pork dumpling, but the kids are more attracted to them, and one of the rules in the family is, essentially, if one of my kids likes something, I shouldn’t eat it because it should be for them."

"Spare but stylish, Tim Ho Wan is a few steps above fast casual, with an open kitchen churning out dim sum favorites. The menu pulls from the original Hong Kong location, and hungry, eager patrons crowd into blonde wood tables. The pork buns are a favorite; dumplings come steamed and stuffed with shrimp and celery, or fried and filled with pork. The congee with pork and preserved egg is great on a cold day, and the rice rolls are slippery, chewy, and delicious." - Andrea Whittle

"Popular global dim sum chain Tim Ho Wan opened its first U.S. location in the East Village, where all items are made to order in a full-service setting. The baked pork buns are the must-order, but any of the steamed dumplings will do as well." - Carla Vianna, Serena Dai