2. Little Fuzhou
Although often grouped within Manhattan Chinatown, Little Fuzhou on the Lower East Side began in the 1980s when immigrants from cities like Fuqing and Changle in southeast China settled on East Broadway and Eldridge Street. Although the area has been declining due to gentrification and mass evictions, Little Fuzhou still remains as a unified community with Fuzhounese restaurants, stores, churches, and community centers.
Perhaps the staple of Fuzhounese cuisine in Manhattan, Shu Jiao Fu Zhou restaurant offers diners with a taste of this light, non-spicy cuisine. This unassuming restaurant, with rather dated and minimal decor and only a handful of tables, offers only 14 items on the menu including their pork and chive dumplings with translucent skin and juicy filling. Their wheat noodles with peanut butter sauce and beef tripe noodle soup are popular as well.
Other popular Fuzhounese eateries include Wei Zhong Wei, a tiny eatery in East Broadway Mall known for their steamed buns, sweet potato congee, and mei fun with duck or clams. Right down the road is Shui Mei Cafe, known for their noodle soups with lamb and fish balls. Additional places like Change Le Xin Fan Zhuang on Eldridge Street serve Fuzhou seafood delicacies like crab and abalone.