Shanghai Cafe

This is a difficult review to write, but I feel it has to be written. I reviewed this place before with nothing but good things to say about it. However, slowly this began to change. The food is still very good with possibly one of the best soup dumplings in Chinatown. However, the service makes the experience unbearable. Let me put this in perspective, I am a person who absolutely adores Chinese food and Chinese culture. I am white, but I won’t be caught dead ordering chicken with Broccoli. I also believe that people in the food business work tremendously hard and should be compensated. A reasonable tip is 18-20% for good service. Anything less is a way to show displeasure at subpar service. On this one occasion we were seated at a table and then moved to the booth when it became available. The waiter has asked us to move our own drinks. I don’t find this deplorable but it is in bad taste. When the soup dumplings arrived the waiter barked “excuse me” while we rearranged our plates to make room for the dumplings to be hastily dropped on the table. Service was not courteous for some time but this was a tad much. It felt like we were unwanted guests in someone’s living room. This motivated me to leave a 12% tip. On our way out the manager approached my companion yelling something in Chinese. I asked for a translation. Apparently the manager asked my Chinese companion to convince the “white guy” to tip appropriately. I informed the manager of why the tip was reduced. To this she replied: “In an Asian restaurant you can bring your own water.” I take offense at this. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants in Chinatown where service is valued. Furthermore, there are plenty of soup dumpling houses with on-par or superior dumplings. Demanding a bigger tip, rather than apologizing for the poor manners of your wait-staff, is abhorrent in my opinion. The conversation ended, with the manager assuring me that next time “She will bring my drinks herself wherever I go. “ Why would there be a next time?

I have no idea what some of the reviewers mean about rude service. The staff was helpful and friendly, and our nice waitress offered suggestions from the menu. The soup dumplings (#1&2 on the menu) are a must if you go. I have never had them before, and they are incredibly delicious and memorable. The broth inside the dumplings is aromatic, and the filling is flavorful and a nice texture. My friend and I also tried the scallion pancakes (delicious in the soy sauce with fresh ginger), Pork Dong Po Rou (pork belly in a glaze served with rice flour pockets to make little sandwiches) which was delicious, if rich, and fish Szechuan Style (not overly hot but served with a peppery brown sauce and tasty). Highly recommend, and again, my experience was very friendly service and plentiful, DELICIOUS, well priced food. My friend and I left with leftovers, which I had today and loved.

From the cool pink precincts of the subdued lighting of this Mott St. gem where I sat on a takeout chair for all of ten minutes I hopped on a W. 4th. St. headed D train at Grand and arrived home with a generous portion of Shanghai shrimp pan fried noodles and a carton of delicious spicy cabbage. The hot little peppers were wisely intact so you can chomp off as much or as little as you like and the noodles were separate from the huge tub of choice mushroom, snow peas and shrimp laden toppings. Highly recommended.

This place is THE spot for delicious soup dumplings. However, the service is always poor. Yet the soup dumplings keep me going back again and again. However the service today was especially poor, so I left only a $2 tip for a $25 dollar bill. On the way out a waiter (who was not my own) stops me and tells me I have to leave a bigger tip, and continues to ask me until I open my wallet and show him I have no more cash (since they don't take credit cards.) Then he turned and walked away in a huff. It may keep me from going ever again!

This is the best place to go when you're broke and want to eat like a King. My friends and I eat here all the time and the bill never comes out to more than $15 per person (that's with appetizers and entrees!). P.S. EVERYTHING is tasty!

The dumplings are good, but the service omg! They should just make it a Fastfood restaurant. All the waitress there just want you to eat and pay their tips and get out.

The portions here are enormous and the food is on par with other chinese food restaurants in the area, but the big problem at this place (for those of us who don't speak much mandarin) is that the service is sub-par. On my last visit, I asked what was in a particular dish (dietary concerns), and the waiter's answer was "Ok." I asked again, and received the same answer. After deciding not to take the chance, I ordered another item; after much delay, I received the first one that I had asked about and was unable to eat much of it. Over all, those of you who know no mandarin can order here if you don't care what you're eating and if you can point to the item on the menu that you want.