Not gonna lie to you here, wasn’t expecting much from this place. Partially because I was just walking toward the LES to a party I was attending and didn’t really have any guidance in picking a place other than going to one that looked open, and partially because it looks terrible inside.
Then I saw the prices. Five dumplings for $1.00. How can they do that?
COME IN TO PROSPERITY DUMPLING WHERE OUR PRICES ARE SO LOW IT’S ILLEGAL!!!!
What’s their margin on these things? I didn’t ask questions as I plunked down $1.75 for the two items they had left that day, Pork Dumplings and a Sesame and Green Onion Pancake. Maybe their inventory control has something to do with it. Get that EFF up and the books are lookin’ strong.
So, $0.75 for that. Yes, it’s only rice flour, green onion, and sesame seeds fried up for a couple minutes, but this thing was damn tasty. For $0.75, I would concede that it was fucking tasty. The green onions and sesames combined for a pleasant sweetness, and the fry-ed-ness … you’re going to tell me it might have been better if it was created like an actual pancake? I would disagree.
Of course, I had to get the obligatory pancake upskirt pic:
I’m not going to leave my readers clueless on the crispiness of the bottom of any triangular foodstuff; that’s blasphemy!
I wasn’t as psyched for the pork dumplings as I was for the sesame pancake. The main reason is that they had Sriracha trying to take the place of chili oil. It was disappointing because I knew they decided to make that sacrifice at some point in the life of the restaurant – they had vinegar and soy sauce, but no chili oil with chili flakes. If you’ve ever had dumplings in China, and it’s a respectable dumpling place, you have those three items on the table.
For a dollar, these things were amazing. For dumplings in general, they were OK. The draw of Prosperity Dumpling is that you can get solidly full for $2.00 and eat for an entire day on $4.00. I am looking at the three hundred and forthy three reviews on Yelp estimating this place at a 4.5 star dining experience and I just have to wonder if it’s actually the case. I have to wonder if the other stuff is as good as the pancake. If it’s exceptional, is it not solely exceptional for the price?
Coupled with the fact that there are so many other inexpensive places to eat in Chinatown, I may never confirm this.
Prosperity Dumpling
46 Eldridge St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 343-0683
I resolved to eat here last time I was in NY, but my pictures sucked because it was 5PM. Even for dumplings in general, I’d say they were pretty good. On the vegetable-y side (I could really taste the bitterness and green-ness). But yeah, pity about the chili oil.
As far as inexpensive dumplings go, I heard these were the best (and for that reason they were the only ones I tried).
Yeah, just not exceptional. For $1, you absolutely cannot beat the value – I don’t think there’s anything in the city I would rather buy for $1, but add $1.50 and I’m going to Mamoun’s.
Wow only a dollar for dumplings? That’s amazing! I need to try them! The pancakes looks pretty interesting too! If you are into Asian cuisine, check out Shaburi! Their shabu-shabu, Japanese beef fodue, is amazing! We’re featuring a 58% off deal- $35 credit for only $15!
http://www.scoop.st
-Sunmi
Yeah, you definitely should try them – for $1.00, you can absolutely not go wrong
“I’ll buy that for a dollar!”
Gotta love the Robocop reference.
hahaa!! nice! I always love to sneak that one in when I can.
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