NAN XIANG XIAO LONG BAO: BEST CHEAP SOUP DUMPLINGS EAST OF THE EAST RIVER

Already a regular at Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao? Read no further. There’s not much Flushing Food can add that hasn’t already been said, or confirmed.

Service here is no-nonsense. When you don’t immediately rattle off your first round of soup dumpling (xiaolongbao, or XLB) orders, your server prompts you to ‘fess up that it’s your first visit. S/he will then suggest that you start out with a couple of steamer baskets of pork soup dumplings. Each basket contains six freshly-made XLB for $5.50.*

No one will judge you if you simply order basket after basket of pork options. Nan Xiang is the current reigning place to get your fix, after all.**

If you need variety (what? why?!), go ahead and request the oh-so-garlicky cucumber and garlic dish ($4.50). Don’t be fooled if you can’t see much garlic. The flavor is just magically infused into the cucumbers:

Want something heftier (read: less healthy) than either soup dumplings or cold veggies? Wait until you’ve had your fill of orders. Then, ask for a scallion pancake with sliced beef ($4.95), which is more of a small—but sinful—fried wrap than pancake:***

And as a bonus for reading this far, here’s a picture of one half of the restaurant during an off-peak hour:

May Flushing Food suggest: having your whole group arrive on time during peak hours. When there are no empty seats and a line outside, your whole group must be present to be seated.

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* Listed as “Steamed Pork Buns” on the laminated menu, under “Shanhai’s Dim Sum” section.
** That is, until Din Tai Fung opens up shop on the East Coast.
** Associating “sinful” with scallions? Yes I did, and I blame Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao’s chefs and cooks.

Media credits: Helen Y.
Gadget: Nikon® Coolpix™ AW110