Dr. Clark

"Soup Dumplings!!! This place is surely a hidden gem in Chinatown but cherished by locals for their generous portions and reasonable prices. This place recently changed it's name but hasn't changed the quality of yumminess they serve daily. Our favorite is (obviously) the soup dumplings. If you aren't a fan of soup dumplings, the Peking pork chops and sautéed pea tips are also winners in our book." - Barrel

"Dr. Clark is a dark, sceney restaurant where you can mingle with people who dabble in content creation. It’s exactly the sort of spot that might get a writeup in Vogue (which it did), and it’s one of the only places in NYC exclusively dedicated to serving food from Hokkaido. Order salmon jerky, fried squid, and jingisukan, a BBQ dish that involves thinly-sliced mutton or lamb cooked tableside on a skillet shaped like an upside-down bowl (said to mimic a warrior’s helmet)." - Hannah Albertine, Bryan Kim, Hillary Reinsberg, Matt Tervooren, Carina Finn Koeppicus

"If you’re a margarita purist, you might take issue with this wasabi margarita from an undeniably cool Japanese restaurant in Chinatown. But once you taste it, you’ll understand why it belongs on our list. This adventurous spin on a spicy margarita has a subtle blend of tequila, triple sec, lime, and a dollop of wasabi all served on the rocks. The unexpected combination of sweet and sour balanced by the intensely spicy wasabi is not for the faint of heart. But shockingly, it won’t invade your nasal passages and make you tear up either. It’s mostly a smooth roller coaster of flavor that heats up at certain moments and cools down at others." - Nikko Duren, Bryan Kim

"The owner of this Chinatown restaurant is behind fun spots like Nowadays in Ridgewood, so it’s no surprise that Dr. Clark is sceney. Equally captivating as the scene—perhaps more so, depending on your interest in Cool Downtown Life—is the food. This place specializes in dishes from Hokkaido, and you have the option to grill things like lamb and mushrooms at your table. We recommend the smoky salmon jerky, fresh crab, and squid stuffed with uni rice, and you can order these things until 2am every night. Try to get a seat at one of their covered kotatsu tables outside. They’re a lot cooler than what you’ll find in your average outdoor setup." - Hannah Albertine, Bryan Kim, Neha Talreja, Carina Finn Koeppicus, Kenny Yang

"This Japanese spot in Chinatown has everything from tabletop jingisukan dishes to french fries with uni and anchovies. But what really sets Dr. Clark apart are the eight outdoor kotatsu tables where you can sit with a group of three to six people under a roof and a disco ball. These tables are reservation-only, and each one comes with its own oscillating fan, so plan ahead if you want to eat squid stuffed with uni rice outside without becoming a soggier, sweatier version of yourself." - nikko duren