Having lived in Manhattan for several years and visited many of the famous Chinatown establishments, I somehow never made it to Joe's Shanghai. Everyone raves about their famous soup dumplings, so I decided it was time to finally check it out. On my visit, the restaurant was packed with a mix of locals and tourists. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait for a table, but I can see how it would be difficult for a large party to get a table during busy times of the week. We decided to order the pork soup dumplings, sesame chicken, and pork fried rice. The famous soup dumplings were decent, but my only complaint was that there should have been more filling. The balance between soup and protein was not consistent. The sesame chicken and fried rice were both very good and perfectly complemented our meal. Judging Joe's solely on the food, I would definitely give it a 4 stars out of 5. I would also like to commend the staff, who were very attentive and welcoming; the speed at which they operate is truly amazing to watch. I've been to Chinatown establishments that are both welcoming and unwelcoming to outsiders. Joe's has definitely built a reputation for themselves that they are proud to show the world. The restaurant is very clean and the tables are not on top of each other. For those planning on visiting, I would recommend that you bring cash since the restaurant does not accept any forms of debit/credit cards. I can't understand why businesses don't accept other forms of payment at this point, but Joe's is still worth the trouble. I'll definitely return again.

This is a place where the ambiance is like a Chinatown restaurant that feels like a time in the past, like maybe the mid 2010s. Not that far in the past, but you know what I mean! It really brings that sense of nostalgia. Also, here's a huge tip: it's cash only. Food: Scallion pancake: I'd have to give it a 7/10 as it could have been crispier. Soup dumplings: The soup dumplings are SO good. I'd give it 9.5/10 one of the juiciest dumplings. I think the skin was a bit too thin. The flavor was delicious though. Service was quick and casual. Street parking.

A great spot for Chinese eats nestled into the heart of Chinatown -- note that it's cash-only, but they do have an ATM inside. We stopped by for a Sunday dinner and it was bustling. They gave us the option of sharing a table to get seated faster, which we opted for. The service was pretty fast and the classic circular tables with Lazy Susan's made it easy to share. All of the food was delicious, but my stand-outs have to be the Spicy Szechuan Fish Filets and Vegetable Lo Mein -- definitely want to come back to try their dumplings.

This is my first time at this location. So when you get to the restaurant, you walk in and ask for a ticket to be seated. Because it seems as though there is a line with the people waiting outside, but I guess they're tourists looking at the menu. Bathroom is in the basement. My friends and I all ordered a number of different dishes and they were all tasty. I really enjoyed the jellyfish and the soup dumplings. Though I probably should have asked for more ginger and soy, vinegar. It was all quite good and fast. This was a better soup dumpling experience than my last time in Chinatown.

Was here for lunch on a Sunday and luckily got seated right away though right after a line formed so I'd say to expect at least a bit of a wait usually. Service was a mixed bag. For example they'll go ahead and take out the chopsticks for you but then throw it on your plate. Also, FYI as others mentioned, there's an 18% service charge added and it's cash only. Food was pretty good. We ordered noodles, beef with string beans, soup dumplings, and shrimp fried rice and everything was flavorful. Food came out relatively quickly too which was nice. The place itself was clean and bustling with lots of groups and an overall family friendly energy (at least for lunch). I'd say 3.5ish/5 but rounding up to 4 when also considering the value.