DUMPLINGS in New York: Fu Zhou Wei Zhong

There are endless number of hidden gems and secrets in New York. Case in point: it took me 20 years of exploring Chinatown, a pandemic, and an abandoned shopping mall to discover this secret subterranean dumpling shop with a very long name.

Fu Zhou Wei Zhong Wei Jia Xiang Feng Wei(or booth B45) has been in the East Broadway Mall underneath the Manhattan Bridge for at least the last twenty years. Things have changed to say the least, including their expansion and recent press to try to keep them alive.

I had been in this strange foreign mall a long time ago and somehow missed the food options downstairs. After reading about them recently, I was shocked that I had no idea and so decided to fix that.

Walking into this mall in 2024 feels very post-apocalyptic. A few locals hang out or maybe wait for the bus here while practically every single storefront is shuttered. Perhaps there are some community happenings or something else as a few people head past me as I tried to nonchalantly find my way through the maze and down the stairs.

Once downstairs, it was not difficult to find the food stall, which had a decent number of customers for a weekday before noon.

Steamed buns are the specialty here, but I had to try the dumplings. This seems like the ultimate place for them.

I ordered them steamed and they came out plump with soft translucent skins.

The biggest flavor on my first bite was wheat and wrapper. The pork mixture inside was flavorful but had a strange chewy texture. The chives tasted almost a bit wet and made it seem like the ingredients were a bit lower quality. Not sure if they were or not, but the texture put me off a bit.

Perhaps I came on an off day. I probably owe it to this place to give it a second chance. I really want this hidden gem and last remaining vendor to survive, so while I did not love the dumplings, I will have to return for the specialty steamed buns. I know there is another reason to come here aside from the secret hidden ambiance and supporting a local business. I’m just going to continue searching to find out what that is.