When I awarded Lin & Daughters a perfect 10 our of 10 last year, I did not think I would get better (or as good) dumplings for a long time. But that is because I had not yet been to Samniwago.
It was not for lack of trying. I visited the Mott Street Eatery (one of the more exciting food halls in the city) and tried a few other offerings, but I always went too early to get the dumplings. The New York Times’ Pete Wells named it one of the top inexpensive places to eat in 2022, and it just didn’t come together for me until I finally had a quick lunch pit stop recently.
Sanmiwago has had so much success that they have expanded from their stall in the Mott Street Eatery to a nearby storefront and two locations in Midtown and the Financial District, the hearts of the business district.
It turns out that the original is still fantastic (and a $1 cheaper than the nearby stand-alone). The menu is tempting, but the signature pork with yellow chive pan-fired dumplings was the most order. At least for my first visit.
The lady told me it would take about 10 minutes and I didn’t blink. However, this took much closer to 20 minutes. I was at a bit of a loss. It didn’t appear there were many other orders. Why was this taking so long?
Well, it turns out the entire process is made from scratch and I watched them be as attentive to those fried dumplings as Dom DiMarco used to be to his legendary pizza at DiFara.
Amazingly, these were absolutely worth the wait!
The signature dish here are stuffed with a plump juicy pork mixture and yellow chives. The fried skin is charred just enough leaving most of the wrappers soft and succulent, similar to an expertly grilled steak. Reminiscent of the excellent White Bear in Flushing, these are toped with an irresistible chili crisp, scallions, and fresh cilantro.
Either the dumpling game has been exceptional lately, or I’ve just managed to finally find the best spots. After all these years of searching. Price: $7
Does Sanmiwago have the best dumplings in NY? This is crazy, but they are the second plate of dumplings I tried in the last year that earn a solid 10 out of 10. These are not to be missed.
| SANMIWAGO |
| 98 Mott Street (between Canal and Hester Street), Inside Mott Street Eatery Chinatown (646) 775-7884 |
| sanmiwagodumplinghouse.com |
