Seeking Decent Chinese Food in Bushwick
Lee Garden topped the crummy choices for Chinese food in Bushwick.
There are many tens of Chinese restaurants in Bushwick and for the past two years I wouldn’t step foot into a single one. The cornstarchy sauces and greasy vegetables are bad, but it’s the funky soft chicken and questionable hygiene that made me swear off the cuisine entirely. But I began to wonder: might there be one diamond in the rough, waiting to be exposed? To answer the question I would have to lift my ban on ghetto Chinese food and hit the street.
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An hour’s internet search later, I was crisscrossing the neighborhood from one likely candidate to another, with a host of runners up in between. From the beginning, things looked bleak. I peered into window after greasy window, my stomach lurching every time I thought of placing an order. Fei’s Wok, on Troutman and Knickerbocker, was the least inviting — its crummy brown façade screamed stomach ache. Take a walk by this place; you will be amazed that people actually eat here.
Ten windows and three hours later, I was ready to call it quits. I even stopped into Sicily’s Best to ask some of the neighborhood veterans if they had any recommendations, and all I got were headshakes. But it just didn’t feel right to give up without having eaten anything, so I had to just pick one.
Elections were held and Lee Garden beat out the competition as the representative for all the bulletproof-glassed Chinese restaurants of Bushwick. I selected it for its vicinity to my apartment, convenient location at the DeKalb L subway station, heavy foot traffic, and relative cleanliness.
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For ten minutes I scrutinized the menu, trying to psych myself up, and was impressed to find a special “diet” menu that included things like steamed chicken, broccoli, shrimp, and scallops — but no brown rice. I ordered the non-diet chicken with string beans ($5). Lunch at Lee Garden ends at 4pm, an hour later than most in the neighborhood, but I was still thirty minutes too late for the free soup on the side.
Happy that my mission would soon be complete, I trotted home, put the food into a bowl to dress it up a bit and started eating. The green beans were fresh and crisp, but the overpowering taste of vegetable oil threatened all inherent health benefits. The chicken was eerily soft and the rice was just regular ol’ white rice. Ultimately, Lee Garden was okay, but not good enough for me to lift my personal ban. We all have to set our own standards.
So I didn’t find a pearl, but maybe you have. I’m sure there are plenty of horror stories out there, but let’s hear the gems, too.
Lee Garden
121 Wyckoff | 718-497-7661
Price: $2-$10
Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 12-11pm
Delivery: None
There’s another Lee’s you should try out Lee’s Restaurant below the M tracks tracks on 1546 Myrtle Ave.
It’s been there for about over 15 years. One of the better Chinese food dine-in spots (with an open bar towards the back), it has a take out booth adjacent to it, but you can place a take out order inside if you don’t care for the plexie partition at the booth. Check the link below for more info, Buen provécho, Bon apatite.
Link:
update: Sorry here’s the link again.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lee’s+Restaurant&sll=40.6955,-73.919634&sspn=0.011014,0.019312&g=120+Menahan+St,+Brooklyn,+NY+11221&ie=UTF8&ll=40.704172,-73.91108&spn=0.011013,0.019312&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A
My theory is that all the good Chinese people of Brooklyn decided to go into Mexican food.
i really like tse’s garden on cypress between starr & willoughby.
and for the record, MOST take-out chinese places have that fancy special diet menu you mentioned — it’s just that no one orders it, because….well it’s just steamed food & sauce on the side and it entirely misses the point of getting fast-food chinese.
Sarah, my sentiments exactly (you might be on to something there). If you notice the Burritos made in most of those spots are made like giant soft tacos, why bother calling it a burrito, just call it a taco deluxe.
I agree – sze’s garden on cypress is pretty good – the veggie fried rice isn’t too greasy and the shrimp is big enough – the counter service is always really friendly.
Neu Fong Sing is still amazing hands down people
Finest cat you can get is found in Bushwick, very ellusive.
I haven’t been to any of those places but just because it doesn’t look nice from the outside doesn’t mean the food is bad. How are you gonna declare lee’s garden as the best chinese in bushwick when you didn’t even eat anywhere else??
Fei’s Wok has been closed for like a year and a half. There were some signs up for a while suggesting that a taco place was going to go in there, but that seems to have fallen through.
how about beijing garden…. its pretty good…not great…
Hong Kong – technically Ridgewood. Wyckoff and George. It’s really pretty decent, and it’s also clean and well-kept with very few health violations. Rong Cheng on Irving and Halsey, on the other hand, is terrible.
Thank you for this brave bit of gumshoe (literally) reporting.
I have been to Jade Garden (pictured) a couple of times. Given the low bar, I have to hand it to them — the chicken in the Kung Pao was prepared in genuine Chinese style (I used to work in a Chinese restaurant) and has lots of vegetables — sure, because they cost less than chicken, but they’re good for you.
It’s also incredibly cheap. If memory serves, a half order, which would be a whole order anywhere else and is plenty for one person, is $3.
But I have not been back. I just don’t love brown sauce. But if you need something inexpensive or late at night after Cocoyoc has closed, I recommend it.
Also, Devon, health update: Don’t worry about the vegetable oil. It’s good for you.
Has anyone ever been to the Chinese place under the elevated track at the Myrtle-Wyckoff station? I don’t know what it’s called. Something about it struck me as odd but promising when I saw it — maybe that it seems to be really old and has a full bar?
Hing Long (pictured) on Starr and Knickerbocker is super convenient to me, so I eat there all the time. It looks bad from the outside, but I’ve definitely had worse food. I can’t vouch for the meat, but I’m sure it (probably) won’t kill you.
Randy’s in Ridgewood is pretty decent. The best I’ve had and I’ve tried quite of few…the general tso tofu is the bomb.
Putname Ave
718-381-1198
The restaurant that Mopar mentions – the one located on Myrtle right under the Wyckoff Ave. station – has been in operation for over 30 years, albeit under different managements and – until recently – minus the bar. During my District Manager years in the 1970’s, this was practically the only place to eat in Bushwick – other than a handfuul of Italian places on Knickerbocker. While I remembered the food to be pretty good, I had absolutely nothing Chinese to compare it to. Anyhow, whatever you like their fare or not, this is really a survirer of many difficult years. At least give it a chance.
M Shanghai Bistro has really great dumplings with soup in them – whatever they’re called…
Anyway, it’s not in the hood – it’s on Havemeyer.
I’d agree with Brian (11) about Beijing Garden, if he’s referring to the one on Wilson. There’s also another Happy Garden on Wilson that’s pretty good, and probably about as nice to look at as Lee Garden (if that’s a complement), but without the bulletproof glass. (My bias – I live within stumbling distance.)
The thing with “decent Chinese” that Devon doesn’t really explain is what he’s looking for. Is he looking for healthful Chinese? Or nice atmosphere to eat Chinese? Personally, if I’m eating Chinese food, I’m looking for a quick, greasy, filling but tasty meal – and taking it to go. Beijing Garden and Happy Garden (on Wilson) places have been pretty good at it.
I am in line with comments from Juan, Mopar and John… LEE’S RESTAURANT at Myrtle-Wycoff is tops! Sometimes I have a craving for General Tsao’s Chicken or Roast Pork Egg Foo Yung and I can rely on Lee’s to completely quench those tastebuds. But,way beyond that endorsement, let me share a personal secret: they make the best broiled fillet anywhere near here, hands down! Order it with the plantains.
Mei Wei on Broadway and Dekalb is pretty good, Cook st. Chinese (bway/cook oddly enough) isn’t bad either. Super clean and very friendly.
So Lee’s is the place that’s been in business for 30 years? And they serve plantains? Totally weird, but OK I gotta try it. Thanks!
I was waiting for an order at Lee Gardens three years ago when the health department raided the joint. It took the inspector 15 minutes and plenty of threats to get the manager to open the gated door. All the while the kitchen staff was busy hiding things. Needless to say, I didn’t stick around for my order.
I agree with Gina. Randy’s in Ridgewood. Stay away from Sze’s on Cypress, absolutely atrocious. Randy’s is fast and pretty good, though the woman taking the phone orders is occasionally difficult to deal with. I recently moved to the Park Slope area and the “nicer” Chinese restaurants in my new neighborhood aren’t nearly as good as Randy’s. Haven’t had a good pork fried dumpling since I moved.
and they all use the same exact stock photos of the food in the menu.
The chinese place right off the Halsey L (on Wyckoff I guess? I don’t know the name) is really good!
Just ate at Lee’s Garden at Myrtle & Wyckoff and it was best Chinese I have eaten in Bushwick. The place is nice and clean, the staff was friendly and efficient and the Chicken with Garlic sauce had good chicken, nice not-overcooked broccoli and a little spiciness. Its not Chinatown, but for Americanized Chinese this is your best bet in Bushwick.
You sound like a giant pussy! Is it really that bad to go eat cheap Chinese food? I’m sure some of the bars you drink in are atrocious by health standards. Don’t be such a goddamed baby and live life college boy!
Chen Yuan at the Knickerbocker/Jefferson intersection off the Halsey L stop is consistently above average, sometimes even downright delicious. Good General Tso’s chicken, and good Lo Mein too. Wonton soup is made to order, not poured from a giant vat, which is a huge plus.
As many have mentioned, Lee’s restaurant is the best bet. I lived in Bushwick all my life and am now a Chicago restaurant…I miss my NYC eggrolls and fried rice so much!!!
China Garden on Irving by Hart is pretty good. Their delivery boy refuses to bring the food upstairs tho, which really pisses me off, but the food is good. There was a thread on the Forum here about Chinese places awhile back too.
Lee’s on Myrtle and Wycoff is my fav. I live within a block of the Dekalb Lee’s but still go out to Myrtle Ave. Good food, great prices and a cheap bar.