I came here with a foodie friend for dinner. We both really enjoyed the food, the service was excellent and friendly. The atmosphere of the restaurant definitely took me back to Hong Kong - like I was in a new concept restaurant in the famous area of LKF.
Highlights / Our favorite dishes: - Black Pepper Steak: the sauce was delicious and it came with broccoli rabe, which is a surprising and enjoyable twist (instead of Chinese broccoli). Love that. - Crunchy Vegetable Fried rice: yes it stayed crispy and crunchy throughout our entire meal and with all our talking. The fried rice was flavorful and not oily. This is the best vegetarian fried rice I've had in NYC. - H French Toast: This was a perfect dessert ending to our meal. Good for sharing. It is slightly different from traditional Hong Kong french toast which is completely deep fried. This one from Cha Cha Tang is fried crispy on the outside, therefore not as heavy (thankfully since we ate so much for dinner). And I love the ube cream inside!!
Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jeff Tsang
Came here for a birthday and had a great time. A mish-mash of trendy and old school charm, but it works.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rohan Sood
We had reserved a table on Open Table but unfortunately this restaurant was not able to accomodate us. They said their timings on the app were incorrect and that their kitchen had closed. There was another couple after us who had the same issue. We had spent so much time and Uber money to make it out to their location, what a waste. I doubt I will be returning since now I will never be sure if their kitchen is open or not.
ALI AYDIN
I visited Cha Cha Tang for dinner tonight. The hostess and my waitress were so kind and polite, making us feel very welcome, which is why I’d give the staff 2 stars. However, when I requested water for my service dog, the waitress informed me that the lady manager wouldn’t allow it. I tried to discuss this with her, but she ignored me. Then Clifton, another manager, approached me with two unreasonable excuses: first, they didn’t have ‘dog dishes,’ a term that doesn’t even exist in the restaurant business. I tried to explain this to him, but he was so arrogant and dismissive. His second excuse was concerns about spilling water, despite my offer to keep the cup on my knee at a high table.
The managers’ high-handed and condescending attitude was extremely disappointing. For a new restaurant, such behavior is not acceptable, especially when trying to build loyalty among local patrons. It’s a shame.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Josephine Lee
Look, I grew up with cha chaan teng. It's engraved in my DNA. If you cut me, I'll bleed HK milk tea.
When I heard about Cha Cha Tang opening in West Village--complete with West Village prices--a part of me died at the thought of white people eating overpriced, watered down versions of my people's food. Lawd help me.
Then one night, we found ourselves starving and in the area--and CCT was the only available option for food. We also met Wilson Tang and his partner while we waited for our table to be ready, and he gave us a lowdown of his journey to opening CCT and why the menu was the way it was. He even proactively mentioned the common complaint about high prices and explained why they were that way (spoiler: West Village rent).
I walked into the meal with mixed feelings. Speaking to a restaurant owner before trying the restaurant's food for the first time is like watching a behind-the-scenes doc of a movie you haven't seen it. I didn't know what to expect.
Dammit, but I liked the food. I really, really liked it. I think I liked it more than I should've because Wilson had explained how he Westernized some of the dishes and stressed that nothing was supposed to be "authentic" so much as a creative, fusion interpretation. Buzz words, I know, but in this case, they were correct. For example:
- Crystal Shrimp Dumpling: The dumplings were the real deal (re: authentic Canto), but the chili oil sauce they came with was new and unique--not to mention delicious. A nice way to incorporate a different region of China (Szechuan) into this style.
- Macaroni Soup: The authentic version of this has regular macaroni noodz you'd find inside a Kraft box, but CCT's version has larger-than-life noodz that are more fun to eat. The only potential drawback is the peas tend to get stuck in them. But dear Vishnu, that chicken bone broth! A lot of authentic cha chaang teng spots don't have great macaroni soup stock. It often tastes like salted water. Not so here. You could taste the umami resulting from multi-hour stewing. Mmmm!
- Pea Shoots: CCT adds another twist to this classic side by adding lots of sweet red peppers, which change the flavor profile to be more complex than just garlicky greens.
- HK French Toast: CCT's twist on this modern classic is to infuse the giant bread with taro cream instead of the standard vanilla custard. And why not? Ube is all the rage--it's gorgeous and tasty and only complements this amazing dessert. Also, the portions are huge.
I've saved the best dish for last--and the reason why I am all compliments about this place. CCT is only the second restaurant in NYC (the first being Macao Trading Co) to offer African Chicken. What's African Chicken? Well, it's a dish from Macao (Hong Kong's next door neighbor) that is near impossible to find here. When Macao was a Portuguese colony, the Portuguese introduced a popular southern Africa dish called galinha com piri-piri to the Macanese, who then interpreted it with the ingredients they had on hand--it might be the only curry dish in the world to use soy sauce. And it's effing delicious. I still think Macao Trading Co's version is better, but CCT is a worthy rival. And more importantly, I'm not going to complain when you can't even find this dish at authentic cha chaang tengs in the city.
So there you have it. My (begrudgingly) positive review of a place I thought I'd hate. Where's my gold star?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Richard Strother
Amazing new Hong Kong style food. Their duck is the best ever. Close to #1 metro
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark Denner
Really great dining experience at a beatify, welcoming restaurant. We had the duck sliders, pork pot stickers, branzino and XO fried rice and everything was memorable and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Sliders
Melody Scott
Highly recommend for the ultimate dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lewis Wong
Fried rice and a duck / Fanciest Hong Kong diner / Shrimp tails still on though?
I love the esthetic of this restaurant and the service was great. All the waiters were very attentive. My favorites were the bacon & egg pearl noodles, crystal shrimp dumpling and the duck sliders. The steak & eggs were flavored well but the steak was a little chewy which we warned by the waitress that the cut tends to be that way. For drinks, we got the cha cha which was tasty and a tad stronger than I expected and the vodka Bloody Mary which was okay.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Sliders, Steak and Eggs
Maggie Yi
Flavors are good, but everything was way too salty, sodium overload for the entire meal. Also for what it is, doesn’t justify the price
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Olivia Kumro
Incredible meal! The roast duck was a highlight, along with the eggplant and lychee martini.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tessa Torrente
great food all around but for me, the french toast dessert was the standout. absolutely extraordinary. make sure to save room for it.
also the host at the door was lovely. so accommodating and welcoming. give him a raise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Newman
raz is the best wow. Im gonna come here everyday for the rest of my life and eat dumplings till i become one. 11/10 best of the best
I came here with a foodie friend for dinner. We both really enjoyed the food, the service was excellent and friendly. The atmosphere of the restaurant definitely took me back to Hong Kong - like I was in a new concept restaurant in the famous area of LKF.
Highlights / Our favorite dishes:
- Black Pepper Steak: the sauce was delicious and it came with broccoli rabe, which is a surprising and enjoyable twist (instead of Chinese broccoli). Love that.
- Crunchy Vegetable Fried rice: yes it stayed crispy and crunchy throughout our entire meal and with all our talking. The fried rice was flavorful and not oily. This is the best vegetarian fried rice I've had in NYC.
- H French Toast: This was a perfect dessert ending to our meal. Good for sharing. It is slightly different from traditional Hong Kong french toast which is completely deep fried. This one from Cha Cha Tang is fried crispy on the outside, therefore not as heavy (thankfully since we ate so much for dinner). And I love the ube cream inside!!
Highly recommend!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here for a birthday and had a great time. A mish-mash of trendy and old school charm, but it works.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had reserved a table on Open Table but unfortunately this restaurant was not able to accomodate us. They said their timings on the app were incorrect and that their kitchen had closed. There was another couple after us who had the same issue. We had spent so much time and Uber money to make it out to their location, what a waste. I doubt I will be returning since now I will never be sure if their kitchen is open or not.
I visited Cha Cha Tang for dinner tonight. The hostess and my waitress were so kind and polite, making us feel very welcome, which is why I’d give the staff 2 stars. However, when I requested water for my service dog, the waitress informed me that the lady manager wouldn’t allow it. I tried to discuss this with her, but she ignored me. Then Clifton, another manager, approached me with two unreasonable excuses: first, they didn’t have ‘dog dishes,’ a term that doesn’t even exist in the restaurant business. I tried to explain this to him, but he was so arrogant and dismissive. His second excuse was concerns about spilling water, despite my offer to keep the cup on my knee at a high table.
The managers’ high-handed and condescending attitude was extremely disappointing. For a new restaurant, such behavior is not acceptable, especially when trying to build loyalty among local patrons. It’s a shame.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Look, I grew up with cha chaan teng. It's engraved in my DNA. If you cut me, I'll bleed HK milk tea.
When I heard about Cha Cha Tang opening in West Village--complete with West Village prices--a part of me died at the thought of white people eating overpriced, watered down versions of my people's food. Lawd help me.
Then one night, we found ourselves starving and in the area--and CCT was the only available option for food. We also met Wilson Tang and his partner while we waited for our table to be ready, and he gave us a lowdown of his journey to opening CCT and why the menu was the way it was. He even proactively mentioned the common complaint about high prices and explained why they were that way (spoiler: West Village rent).
I walked into the meal with mixed feelings. Speaking to a restaurant owner before trying the restaurant's food for the first time is like watching a behind-the-scenes doc of a movie you haven't seen it. I didn't know what to expect.
Dammit, but I liked the food. I really, really liked it. I think I liked it more than I should've because Wilson had explained how he Westernized some of the dishes and stressed that nothing was supposed to be "authentic" so much as a creative, fusion interpretation. Buzz words, I know, but in this case, they were correct. For example:
- Crystal Shrimp Dumpling: The dumplings were the real deal (re: authentic Canto), but the chili oil sauce they came with was new and unique--not to mention delicious. A nice way to incorporate a different region of China (Szechuan) into this style.
- Macaroni Soup: The authentic version of this has regular macaroni noodz you'd find inside a Kraft box, but CCT's version has larger-than-life noodz that are more fun to eat. The only potential drawback is the peas tend to get stuck in them. But dear Vishnu, that chicken bone broth! A lot of authentic cha chaang teng spots don't have great macaroni soup stock. It often tastes like salted water. Not so here. You could taste the umami resulting from multi-hour stewing. Mmmm!
- Pea Shoots: CCT adds another twist to this classic side by adding lots of sweet red peppers, which change the flavor profile to be more complex than just garlicky greens.
- HK French Toast: CCT's twist on this modern classic is to infuse the giant bread with taro cream instead of the standard vanilla custard. And why not? Ube is all the rage--it's gorgeous and tasty and only complements this amazing dessert. Also, the portions are huge.
I've saved the best dish for last--and the reason why I am all compliments about this place. CCT is only the second restaurant in NYC (the first being Macao Trading Co) to offer African Chicken. What's African Chicken? Well, it's a dish from Macao (Hong Kong's next door neighbor) that is near impossible to find here. When Macao was a Portuguese colony, the Portuguese introduced a popular southern Africa dish called galinha com piri-piri to the Macanese, who then interpreted it with the ingredients they had on hand--it might be the only curry dish in the world to use soy sauce. And it's effing delicious. I still think Macao Trading Co's version is better, but CCT is a worthy rival. And more importantly, I'm not going to complain when you can't even find this dish at authentic cha chaang tengs in the city.
So there you have it. My (begrudgingly) positive review of a place I thought I'd hate. Where's my gold star?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Amazing new Hong Kong style food. Their duck is the best ever. Close to #1 metro
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really great dining experience at a beatify, welcoming restaurant. We had the duck sliders, pork pot stickers, branzino and XO fried rice and everything was memorable and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Sliders
Highly recommend for the ultimate dining experience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fried rice and a duck /
Fanciest Hong Kong diner /
Shrimp tails still on though?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service and loved the Peking duck
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
I love the esthetic of this restaurant and the service was great. All the waiters were very attentive. My favorites were the bacon & egg pearl noodles, crystal shrimp dumpling and the duck sliders. The steak & eggs were flavored well but the steak was a little chewy which we warned by the waitress that the cut tends to be that way.
For drinks, we got the cha cha which was tasty and a tad stronger than I expected and the vodka Bloody Mary which was okay.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Sliders, Steak and Eggs
Flavors are good, but everything was way too salty, sodium overload for the entire meal. Also for what it is, doesn’t justify the price
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Incredible meal! The roast duck was a highlight, along with the eggplant and lychee martini.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
great food all around but for me, the french toast dessert was the standout. absolutely extraordinary. make sure to save room for it.
also the host at the door was lovely. so accommodating and welcoming. give him a raise.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
raz is the best wow. Im gonna come here everyday for the rest of my life and eat dumplings till i become one. 11/10 best of the best
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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