Hop Kee

Hop Kee is amazing vintage cantonese style food at its best! The Crabs cantonese are incredible! Make sure they are in season so, you'll get plump ones with lots of roe. I even had the Wor Shu Opp and was blown away! No one even makes this duck dish anymore! And, the atmosphere is the icing on the cake. They could film Mad Men here, as nothing has changed in 50 years. Not even the waiters!

So far this is the best Chinese food I've had in NYC. Order the Pan Fried Fish with blackbean sauce (It's the best). The beef with snow peas and the pork chop was also great. Tip: Cash only, Family Style, Avg dish is $15-$20. Next time I'm trying the crab platter...looked delish!

I have been going to Hop Kee for 45 years since I was a little boy and the food has always been very good. We especially like the fried squabs, pan-fried flonder, scungilli, and other authentic Chinese dishes. You do not go to a restaurant like Hop Kee and order fake Chinese dishes like some of the reviewers have done. They may think they are sophisticated New Yorkers, but, speaking as a native New Yorker, too many of them are not. Really, who orders chicken with broccoli in an authentic Chinese restaurant?

This is my favorite traditional Cantonese place for many, many years I was also surprised to discover that it is also a fave of Anthony Bourdain's as well. The standard dishes on the main menu are OK but uninspiring. For the really good stuff, order off of the small side menu. My favorite is the salted squid with hot peppers. Absolutely sublime! Also very good: the snails in black bean sauce, crabs Cantonese (messy!) and the Chinese broccoli in Oyster sauce. Service is minimal and decor is basic too, but stick to their best dishes and you'll be pleased every time.

Sunday, 3/13/11 I dragged my husband from in front of the t.v set to go to Hop Hee. I read the wonderful expressions put up by people. Well---number one we did not get A large portion of food. We ordered chicken with broccoli. Not enough to share, not cheap. Want good reasonable priced food go to Saigon Grill on 91 Street Amsterdam Avenue. Not the same cuisine I realized but it's oriental food and all around better for the money. This from a native New York restaurant goer.

I am Chinese and i specialize in finding the Best Roast Duck. The best roast duck is here @ HOP KEE!! Why is it the best? ALL other chinese restaurants deep fry the duck to get crispy skin thats why they are so oily. At Hop Kee the duck is not oily at all, the skin is very crispy and fat rendered. The meat is soft and sweet. Me and My family went there on Chinese New Year: * Half Roast Duck * Salt and Pepper Calamari (other chinese restaurants make it with fried garlic instead of salt and pepper which is not very authentic at all) * Fried Flounder - whole flounder deep fried and the best part is the crispy edge thats the way to eat it * Stir fried Conch with Scallop and vegetables - comes with a side of Shrimp Paste * Shrimp with candied Walnut * Cantonese Style Lobster or any seafood is the best This is a very authentic Cantonese seafood place which is hard to find now in Chinatown or even in Flushing. Dont come to this restaurant to get Chicken and Broccoli - forget it thats not chinese food.

Based on my own experience and the other reviews, it seems this is one of those places you really need to know what to order. We ordered hot & sour soup, steamed dumplings, a house special fried chicken dish, and a house special duck dish. The hot & sour soup was the best dish of the four - the best I've ever had - with a unique sweetness to it, perhaps a little too sweet, but I couldn't stop eating it. The dumplings would have been good but they were served undercooked and room temperature with a drizzle of bland brown sauce, rather than sauce to dip in. Disappointing. The chicken dish was excellent, mostly because the chicken and vegetables were extremely fresh. I think the bird was killed an hour before we ordered. Good stuff. The duck dish was by far the low light. Between the three of us we barely touched it. It was simultaneously greasy, gamey, and bland - just overall yucky ducky. We tried going a little outside the box and paid the price. The cost was very reasonable, though not quite "cheap," especially considering we didn't eat one of the dishes. I've been to Wo Hop (which is practically next door) many times and it's a little cheaper but the good dishes weren't as excellent as Hop Kee's were, and they too are inconsistent. All in all, do some research, find out what's good, and I think you'll be pleased with Hop Kee. I look forward to coming back and ordering a little more carefully.