Congee Village

Food: The food was amazing! This was my first Chinese restaurant being back in the states from living abroad and it hit all the nostalgia points!! The regular size of congee is a decent share size for a small party but not enough for everyone to get seconds so recommend the larger size! The green beans were perfect! The beef was perfect! The dinner overall was perfect!

Service: The service is decent, and the food arrives piping hot! The waiters are attentive when tea runs out and always brings a fresh pot. We were told the wait was going to be 10min but it ended up being less than 5 which was also a plus!

My husband and I have been patrons of this place for years, so often that we've almost tasted every dish on the menu. Yesterday, March 14th, I brought my visiting parents who speak only Chinese to the restaurant, hoping to delight them with familiar food and atmosphere. We ordered a half garlic chicken, a vegetable dish of mushrooms and pea shoots 菌菇竹笙扒豆苗 and a whole steamed fish in Canton style. The food tastes less than expected: The chicken came quickly but it's only lukewarm and the meat was dry; the vegetable dish was okay. But the steamed fish is missing half of the usual amount of soy sauce that it tastes so blend.
But the reason why I decided to leave this review is not just because of the subpar food, it's more because of the stereotyping they cast onto us.
When the bill came, I put in my chase credit card as usual in the bill folder. The server goes "do you have cash for the tip?" "I don't" I said, since I didn't carry enough cash to cover the tip, "I'll write on the check". He then said "the credit card machine is having some problems, can you write it now on this bill?" With little doubt on the situation, I reopened the bill folder and wrote the amount of tip and gave it to process. Over the years of coming here, my husband and I had never been asked to put in the tip first before they even swipe the credit card.
When I got home, As I processed what has happened and it downed on me that the "problem credit card machine" is just an excuse to make sure my parents and I pay the tip.
While it's perhaps understandable, this act is toxic because it's stereotyping Chinese tourists. From a Chinese staff at a Chinese restaurant in New York. The irony and the pity are agonizing.
There were 2-3 other tables around at that time (2pm on Thursday March 14th) and nobody were asked to put in their tip first.
Congee Village, you will lose even more loyal patrons if you don't right your wrongs.

I could eat here everyday every meal.. so affordable and always love doing family style!! The congee here revives me. Can't wait till my next visit every time. Perfect for large parties

Service is fast and location is huge (2 floors with a ton of tables)! Even if there's a lot of parties waiting you'll get seated quickly!

This place is pretty popular and it can take a while to get a seat (beware). For a table of 3 we waited about 40 minutes.

The food was good. This was my first time having congee and I really liked what we got (pork and preserved egg & chicken and mushroom). The steamed pork with vegetables dish was a pleasant addition to our meal. We also got the green beans which were crunchy and yummy, as well as the steamed egg custard buns whose center is A LOT more runnier than you'd expect.

If you're looking to try congee/cantonese food, I think this is a great place to go!

Came here with my parents yesterday. I used to come here when I was a little girl and honestly it never disappoints. The beef is always good with a garlic taste and broccoli has that nice crunch.

Just be aware when coming in the staff is very straightforward and is quick to take your order. Not saying they are rude but they don't have the sweetest service.

It can get pretty lively in the dinner hours but since we came around lunch time it was nice and relaxing.

Pretty decent Chinese food and found the congee to be excellent! The other dishes, seafood, stir fry, etc were just okay. I would stick to their hot plates and congee.

This place was an experience. Very, very busy, and very popular with the local Chinese community, I knew I was in a good place. The menu is expansive and sizes are large for family style meals. It took us about 30 minutes to be seated. The waiting area is very small for the amount of foot traffic.

The meal comes with complimentary tea. There was no dim sum available for our meal. We got about 4 dishes: pork fried rice, sizzling short ribs, green beans, and honey walnut shrimp. Dishes came out quickly and in close succession. There is plenty of food for four people and very good. Chinese food is probably my least favorite Asian cuisine, but this was a great experience.

We came for 4 on a Saturday night. This location is busy because the LES crowd likes to come here. It's a mix of tourists and locals. There's a bar and you can get a drink while waiting. They have $6 beer and $10 cocktails. I asked for a lychee martini with Tito's for $15. Martini was strong on the vodka. They write a number for you and then shout it when it's ready. The space is a bit cramped. We got the sautéed snow pea leaf, roast chicken, sautéed mixed mushrooms with fried bean curd, fish stomach soup, and clay pot pork belly. I thought everything was pretty good. The chicken was a little salty in some parts. The mushrooms didn't taste normal to me for some reason.

Congee Village has been a staple in the Lower East Side, but I've only come to try it after years eating other Cantonese food in the Chinatown area. We had to wait a good 40 minutes for a table to free up for our party of 5.

- The congee there is stellar - our congee was served in claypots which added to the aesthetic.
- The bamboo rice is supposedly a little gimmicky, but the flavors definitely hit the spot for us. I will say the rice was a little too salty for my party's preferences.

Congee Village is a bustling restaurant with lovely decor, quick and efficient service. It's popular to visitors and locals alike due to its expansive menu and good food. If you're craving some congee or some Cantonese food, you'll probably be able to find something good at Congee Village.

This was my first time here and I absolutely loved it- from the decor to the service to the food.

First off, I love the traditional Chin decorations and ambience. A lot of restaurants have more modern decor which is great, but it's nice to see something more traditional here and there. Even the tables were family style and the round tables helped bring everyone closer to one another by being closer, making it easier to share the food, and to talk with more people rather than a standard rectangular table.

I came with a big group to celebrate a friend's birthday and we ordered a variety of classic Chinese dishes. My top dishes of the night had to be the Honey Walnut Shrimp, Century Egg Congee and the Lobster Sticky Rice.

The mayo in the Honey Walnut Shrimp was just the right amount and did not drown the protein at all. The lobster was easy to eat and combined with the sticky rice made it much more enjoyable. Lastly the congee had a very generous amount of meat in it and I really enjoyed the consistency of the congee itself.

Some other dishes we ordered - black bean clams, lo mein, water spinach, wood ear mushrooms, and a Rice Baked in Bamboo dish (Salted Fish and Diced Chicken in Bamboo).

The riced backed in bamboo dish seemed very interesting on the menu. However, I don't think I tasted much of the baking. It felt more like the rice was cooked separately and then thrown into the bamboo for presentation purposes. I was expecting for the rice to be more crispy on the edges since it's supposed to be baked in the bamboo. I think I need to try the dish again or ask how the dish is prepared to really understand the concept. Other than that, it was delicious and I had a great time!