S Wan Cafe

S Wan is a diamond in the rough. Found this place close to home and has quickly become my go to for breakfast. Ordered the eggs, bacon and toast A2 that comes with coffee and it’s amazing for $6. Staff is very friendly and place is very clean. Not a lot of seating although not a long wait to sit the times I’ve been there. Will definitely keep going back, and will have to try for lunch and/or dinner soon.

Hole in the wall place. Great for locals. Amazingly homey and comforting food for breakfast. Can't beat the price. Fed 3 people for $20. Definitely get their milk tea. Sooo legit and good. Pork chop had great flavor, and the chow mein had good "wok hei" Go there early to get their chinese breakfast, as they were out by 1030AM on a Friday.

Amazing HK breakfast! Although the restaurant is a bit small, we had a great time there with local people. The meals were just delicious. Best congee in town.

Delicious comfort food with authentic HK flavors! Curry beef stew with rice, HK Comfort Food satisfies every craving. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. Highly recommend!

FRIDAY March_15_2024 TIME: 2:04pm My order: (#D2) 2 Fried Eggs, Beautifully Seasoned Chicken Chop(chicken breast)Substitute toast with waffles plus a small coffee. After a long stressful exam I had taken earlier in the day. I was in the mood for a legit breakfast. To me breakfast in the afternoon; should ALWAYS have eggs included on your plate. Everything else is just extra. So as I was walking around the financial district/near Brooklyn Bridge area. I was immediately reminded of Chinatown. Why? Because I was craving breakfast but nothing heavy on my plate. So it’s Friday; I was making my way downtown walking fast through Chinatown; I came across “S WAN CAFE”. I heard through the grapevines of social media that this local “hole in the wall” delicacy serves quite the most unique SUPER AFFORDABLE dishes. I had the breakfast combo (D2) with some modifications. But here’s what I want to focus on. The food was of course absolutely filling with a side of coffee (condensed milk and coffee). But the customer service itself and the actual atmosphere.. wasn’t tooo intimidating; it was a peaceful busy quiet small “quick bite” to order breakfast, lunch and dinner. I believe they do offer door dash and the usually delivery services. But overall customer service and my time there…superb.. Please support the local!!!

A non descript no frills HK Style Chinese fast food restaurant. They have a very large selection of noodles, rice and HK style sandwiches. Its is a fairly small place, so take away is the most appropriate option. As well, ordering on site will set you back 20 - 25 mins especially if during popular hours like lunch and dinner, advise to call ahead. But the value is high, all the prices and portions are very fair.

You know this place is authentic and operated by real Hongkongers when you spot the wall is fully decorated with posters of Mirror, the most popular Cantopop boy band in Hong Kong. Seems like their USA fan clubs often borrow the café for fans meeting and distribute fan gifts lol 2 breakfast sets with drinks for $11 in total - their price range is totally anti-inflation! Not feeling like to absorb too much carbs so I ordered Breakfast A. I regretted my choice immediately as the lunchmeat were salty. The toast was thin but well spread with butter, hopefully it could be toasted slightly longer. Their HK-style Milk Tea was tremendously good, almost the best and the cheapest cup I could grab in NYC so far. I forgot to order it without sugar (HK Milk Tea in NYC seems to be sweetened in default), luckily it wasn't too sweetened so I still love it! Smooth, creamy, reached an optimal balance of Ceylon Tea and evaporated milk. FYI their breakfast menu is available all day ***The waiting time could be long as it is very busy. Better phone order in advance if you are in rush. Speaking Cantonese is preferable because some staff can't understand Mandarin well, let alone English I guess. My Recommendations: THEIR HK MILK TEA IS LEGIT (I'll ask for no sugar next time) Worth Returning ? HELL YES

We ordered beef stew lo mein. Unfortunately we cannot recommend it. Bad quality of meat, just fat no meat. Cut too roughly, pieces way too big. Why these tasteless withe noodles? Just cheap, not good.

S Wan is a diamond in the rough. Found this place close to home and has quickly become my go to for breakfast. Ordered the eggs, bacon and toast A2 that comes with coffee and it’s amazing for $6. Staff is very friendly and place is very clean. Not a lot of seating although not a long wait to sit the times I’ve been there. Will definitely keep going back, and will have to try for lunch and/or dinner soon.

Hole in the wall place. Great for locals. Amazingly homey and comforting food for breakfast. Can't beat the price. Fed 3 people for $20. Definitely get their milk tea. Sooo legit and good. Pork chop had great flavor, and the chow mein had good "wok hei" Go there early to get their chinese breakfast, as they were out by 1030AM on a Friday.

Amazing HK breakfast! Although the restaurant is a bit small, we had a great time there with local people. The meals were just delicious. Best congee in town.

Delicious comfort food with authentic HK flavors! Curry beef stew with rice, HK Comfort Food satisfies every craving. Friendly staff and great atmosphere. Highly recommend!

FRIDAY March_15_2024 TIME: 2:04pm My order: (#D2) 2 Fried Eggs, Beautifully Seasoned Chicken Chop(chicken breast)Substitute toast with waffles plus a small coffee. After a long stressful exam I had taken earlier in the day. I was in the mood for a legit breakfast. To me breakfast in the afternoon; should ALWAYS have eggs included on your plate. Everything else is just extra. So as I was walking around the financial district/near Brooklyn Bridge area. I was immediately reminded of Chinatown. Why? Because I was craving breakfast but nothing heavy on my plate. So it’s Friday; I was making my way downtown walking fast through Chinatown; I came across “S WAN CAFE”. I heard through the grapevines of social media that this local “hole in the wall” delicacy serves quite the most unique SUPER AFFORDABLE dishes. I had the breakfast combo (D2) with some modifications. But here’s what I want to focus on. The food was of course absolutely filling with a side of coffee (condensed milk and coffee). But the customer service itself and the actual atmosphere.. wasn’t tooo intimidating; it was a peaceful busy quiet small “quick bite” to order breakfast, lunch and dinner. I believe they do offer door dash and the usually delivery services. But overall customer service and my time there…superb.. Please support the local!!!

A non descript no frills HK Style Chinese fast food restaurant. They have a very large selection of noodles, rice and HK style sandwiches. Its is a fairly small place, so take away is the most appropriate option. As well, ordering on site will set you back 20 - 25 mins especially if during popular hours like lunch and dinner, advise to call ahead. But the value is high, all the prices and portions are very fair.

You know this place is authentic and operated by real Hongkongers when you spot the wall is fully decorated with posters of Mirror, the most popular Cantopop boy band in Hong Kong. Seems like their USA fan clubs often borrow the café for fans meeting and distribute fan gifts lol 2 breakfast sets with drinks for $11 in total - their price range is totally anti-inflation! Not feeling like to absorb too much carbs so I ordered Breakfast A. I regretted my choice immediately as the lunchmeat were salty. The toast was thin but well spread with butter, hopefully it could be toasted slightly longer. Their HK-style Milk Tea was tremendously good, almost the best and the cheapest cup I could grab in NYC so far. I forgot to order it without sugar (HK Milk Tea in NYC seems to be sweetened in default), luckily it wasn't too sweetened so I still love it! Smooth, creamy, reached an optimal balance of Ceylon Tea and evaporated milk. FYI their breakfast menu is available all day ***The waiting time could be long as it is very busy. Better phone order in advance if you are in rush. Speaking Cantonese is preferable because some staff can't understand Mandarin well, let alone English I guess. My Recommendations: THEIR HK MILK TEA IS LEGIT (I'll ask for no sugar next time) Worth Returning ? HELL YES

We ordered beef stew lo mein. Unfortunately we cannot recommend it. Bad quality of meat, just fat no meat. Cut too roughly, pieces way too big. Why these tasteless withe noodles? Just cheap, not good.

This spot is honestly a gem!! Everything is so affordable and tasty. The staff move quickly and it feels like home here. You can find authentic Hong Kong cafe staples here and they serve anything ranging from macaroni soup, sandwiches, stir fried noodle dishes, and rice dishes. This is a great breakfast and lunch spot for you to gather with your friends to have a hearty breakfast. Their breakfast combos are so worth it and come with a sandwich, entree, and a drink. You can also upgrade them and add new things to the set order. They have a cozy space for you to sit and eat your food as well and the staff is so friendly here :)

The most attractive aspect of this restaurant is that it opens early with relatively cheap prices coming in second. I had the congee with soy sauce noodles combo, beef chow foon, and the breakfast D set which had eggs, milk tea, and the chicken chop sandwich. The food just average with the beef chow fun tasting the best with it costing more as well. The pork in the congee did not taste fresh and impacted the overall congee. All the food come in to go containers instead of plates. The restaurant staff was stingy and refused to provide an extra lid/container to serve as a plate. So be mindful if you're eating with friends.

Real HK style cafe, with the speed and 'tude that you'd also get in HK. We went for brunch and the congee was already sold out. This was one of the best milk teas I've had in a long time and I was visiting from LA -- I also lived on HK for years and this was the closest one I've had. I'm not sure what the specialty item is here but the breakfast combos were a deal, you don't really see prices like that any more. The portion was not huge but filling enough if you eat all the components. Each of my party ordered a combo and none of us finished everything. The only extra item we shared were curry fish balls (totally recommend). Very limited dine in seating capacity. Regardless of dining in or taking out, all food served in disposable containers.

CHeap Chinese food! The food is good portion size. My wife and I shared the porridge, noodles, and fish balls. Food comes out quick and there's a small area for you to sit and eat!

Great Hong Kong tea and breakfast. Long line to order but is totally worth the waiting

I once spent a summer in Hong Kong and the simple classic Cantonese dish of soy sauce chow mein with thin noodles and a smattering of bean sprouts is one of my all-time favorites for a quick breakfast or lunch. S-Wan Cafe serves a big portion of a faithful rendition of this dish for $3.25, in 2024. I am somewhat glad I don't live near here because if I did I'm quite sure I would become enormously fat.

Arrived around 1pm on a Saturday. Was expecting a long line but the line was not horrific! This is a good up to the counter, order, find a seat on your own and pick up food at the counter type of place. Tried ordering fried rice noodle roll and chicken wings, both were already out when we tried to order. Get there early if you want to try everything on the menu! There are 6 fish balls per order $1.75. Chow mein was super filling and yumm. gotta love the water down Sriracha! :) we ordered 2 orders of chow mein and 2 order of fish all with one hot milk tea. The total was $12! Can't beat it!

Came in for a cheap meal and some HK cafe nostalgia. The menu is pretty big, and their breakfast set meals run the whole day if you want an insanely cheap meal. I opted for getting a la carte. Soy sauce chow mein was underwhelming. It was dry and didn't have enough flavor. I will say that there was enough wok hay though. The portion is huge for $3.25, a bang for your buck type of place. Hong Kong milk tea was great. Perfectly sweetened with a bold tea flavorful. It's only $2 for it too. The food brings back memories. It's insanely cheap and filling, but not the best I've had.

Great spot for HK food! Food tastes goood and is so affordable. They have different breakfast sets which is so worth, like macaroni soup, toasts, etc. They also have a lot of lunch items like rice and spaghetti with different varieties. I usually get the Chinese Style Breakfast which comes with congee and your choice of soy sauce chow mein or fried rice noodle roll for $5.75. Super filling for one person. So delicious and so happy eating this lol. I go back again and again for this. They have a decent amount of seating indoors but most people do take out. Note it can get super busy in the mornings. If you can call ahead to order, it'll be faster. Also, they mostly speak canto and can speak mando, so if you can't, pointing to the items you want on the menu works too lol.

The best Hong Kong Milk Tea in this city. They have their breakfast combo all day long so no need to rush there before 11 or 12 like the competitors. This restaurant is the definition of cheap eats and you will not be disappointed with what you order. I recommend you come here and try it out for a true New York City Chinatown experience.

Small step down Hong Kong style cafe. LOVE their curry beef brisket for lunch/dinner and breakfast combos.

Delicious and cheap HK food! Lots of variety on the menu, and big portions for everything. I am constantly amazed by how low their prices are. Beef stew on rice: beef is perfectly cooked with lots of rice Pork chop soy sauce chow mein: HUGE pork chops and so much chow mein below it (they also have just chow mein which is only $3.25!) Mushroom chicken on rice: comes with bok choy, chicken, mushrooms Fried chicken wing: juicy wings, 6 pieces for $6 Spam with egg sandwich: surprisingly SO good, I would eat this all the time! Overall delicious. I would love to try their all-day breakfast sets one day. The service is fast, and the place is small. There are a few seats inside, but you order at the counter.

FRIDAY March_15_2024 TIME: 2:04pm My order: (#D2) 2 Fried Eggs, Beautifully Seasoned Chicken Chop(chicken breast)Substitute toast with waffles plus a small coffee. After a long stressful exam I had taken earlier in the day. I was in the mood for a legit breakfast. To me breakfast in the afternoon; should ALWAYS have eggs included on your plate. Everything else is just extra. So as I was walking around the financial district/near Brooklyn Bridge area. I was immediately reminded of Chinatown. Why? Because I was craving breakfast but nothing heavy on my plate. So it's Friday; I was making my way downtown walking fast through Chinatown; I came across "S WAN CAFE". I heard through the grapevines of social media that this local "hole in the wall" delicacy serves quite the most unique SUPER AFFORDABLE dishes. I had the breakfast combo (D2) with some modifications. But here's what I want to focus on. The food was of course absolutely filling with a side of coffee (condensed milk and coffee). But the customer service itself and the actual atmosphere.. wasn't tooo intimidating; it was a peaceful busy quiet small "quick bite" to order breakfast, lunch and dinner. I believe they do offer door dash and the usually delivery services. But overall customer service and my time there...superb.. Please support the local!!!

Talk about definition of off the beaten path. Came in on a weekday and you hear locals chatting in Cantonese about their day with the few tables that's inside. (I loved it) It's definitely easy to miss as you're walking by if you're not looking for the place but I did come in specifically for their HK milk tea. I got it iced and it was so so good. Tea flavor and aroma was all there. Service was friendly and quick. If I'm ever in the area I would try their other menu items as well. Prices are amazing and honestly makes you feel good that you can "afford" it comparably to other places now

You know this place is authentic and operated by real Hongkongers when you spot the wall is fully decorated with posters of Mirror, the most popular Cantopop boy band in Hong Kong. Seems like their USA fan clubs often borrow the café for fans meeting and distribute fan gifts lol 2 breakfast sets with drinks for $11 in total - their price range is totally anti-inflation! Not feeling like to absorb too much carbs so I ordered Breakfast A. I regretted my choice immediately as the lunchmeat were salty. The toast was thin but well spread with butter, hopefully it could be toasted slightly longer. Their HK-style Milk Tea was tremendously good, almost the best and the cheapest cup I could grab in NYC so far. I forgot to order it without sugar (HK Milk Tea in NYC seems to be sweetened in default), luckily it wasn't too sweetened so I still love it! Smooth, creamy, reached an optimal balance of Ceylon Tea and evaporated milk. FYI their breakfast menu is available all day ***The waiting time could be long as it is very busy. Better phone order in advance if you are in rush. Speaking Cantonese is preferable because some staff can't understand Mandarin well, let alone English I guess. My Recommendations: THEIR HK MILK TEA IS LEGIT (I'll ask for no sugar next time) Worth Returning ? HELL YES

I haven tried any of their food but 5 stars for their lemon iced tea alone!!! They actually brew their tea, unlike a lot of the other HK cafes that use powders. They also used real lemons! Overall super refreshing and real!!

I heard about this place from my sister. She read that the food here is similar to food in HK. Its not a large place and have about 7 tables and about 15 chairs. They offer an interesting menu. I asked if they served breakfast all day and they do. This place definitely had that dive vibe but they were busy which is always a good sign. My sister ordered a few different dishes to go. I noticed that their beef chow fun was very popular. It turned out to be absolutely delicious and cooked perfectly. I definitely want to come back here to try their other dishes.

It's a small unnoticeable store. Mostly take out service, they do have few tables (self serving). Recommended Fresh Toast & HK style milk tea.

BEST affordable Hong Kong style fast casual / take out place! Great if you're looking for a home cooked meal. Everything is sooooo good here. The breakfast menu hits the spot - try it all! And the lunch menu is always delish. My favorite is the mushroom chicken over fried rice or spaghetti. Pork chop rice is also great. You can always customize your meals by changing the base eg fried rice vs white rice, adding a fried egg, adding veggies, etc. The lines do get long so recommend calling and ordering in advance. Limited seating (hole in wall type of place).

Vibes felt like I was in an actual Hong Kong cafe--busy and vibrant. More of a hole-in-the-wall place with limited seating but people usually quickly shuffle in and out. Their menu is pretty expansive, from breakfast to rice and noodle plates to Hong Kong style teas. Very affordable and generous portions for the price. We had the tomato beef and beef chow fun. The tomato beef was delicious and was very tender, and the sauce was great mixed with the rice. I wish there had been more beef vs tomato, but for the price, you can't complain. While I don't speak Cantonese, the lady at the counter made sure to flag me down after I ordered in English, which I really appreciated. Will definitely be back!

Great authentic no-frills Hong Kong cafe with a huge menu of sandwiches, stir-fried noodles, and spaghetti dishes. I love coming here for their soy sauce chow mein, a single small order of pork chop, and any of their egg sandwiches. The seating and decor is definitely more function over form. It's a popular spot for lunch or breakfast for the neighborhood uncles and aunties. They have a wall devoted to local Chinese or specifically Cantonese musicians and upcoming films. You can't come here without trying their Hong Kong style milk tea. It's really strong, not too sweet, has got a touch of bitterness and stands apart from other black milk teas from the nearby Chinese bakeries.

No frills Cantonese shop with set meals and local dish options. Good price on the set meals, comfort Cantonese breakfast/afternoon food. Curry fishballs had good flavor and texture. Seats available near the side of the store. Definitely need to be more aggressive when ordering; bring cash.

Love this place. Neighborhood gem frequented by old school canto folks who know what's good. Been coming here for years for Hong Kong-style breakfast. Prices are cheap, service is efficient, and the food is delicious, takes me back to Hong Kong. $8 for pork chop and onions over rice? It's a steal.

I grew up eating here weekly, so it's definitely nostalgic coming back. I came here three days in a row to try out different items. The taste and quality haven't changed. Prices are still affordable. This is a no-frills, HK-style cafe, cheap-eats type of food. If you come at peak times, expect some wait. They have so many walk-ins and phone orders. It's sometimes amazing how they have such great memory to remember everyone that came in, what they ordered, and if they paid or not. They don't even write down any orders. B1 Ham Macaroni with Soup, egg sandwich, and tea with milk $5.50 - Delicious, and simple. The egg sandwich is fluffy and buttery. Chinese Style Breakfast $5.25 - Great value that includes century egg and pork congee and Soy sauce chow mein. Good flavors, and best eaten together. Chicken Chop Sandwich $3.50 - Simple slice of chicken between two white bread.

My all time favorite cafe in Chinatown is now my least favorite. Terrible customer service and extremely rude staff. My mom placed an order through phone and when she was standing outside the door, she called and asked if they can bring it out because she had a baby stroller and couldn't possibly go down the steps on her own. The woman who picked up the phone and yelled "IM BUSY" and just hung up. We've had this request with multiple restaurants and they were all completely fine and kind about it. We are never returning again.

Totally brought me back to mornings in HK, no frills breakfast Had egg sandwich, noodles, rice roll, and congee, all super authentic HK breakfast items. The milk tea was also quite good Did I mentioned we spent $12 on breakfast for 3 people? Can't beat the prices! Would come here everyday if I lived closer

This place stands out because all the MIRROR & HK movie merchs, it shows they're really Cantonese/Hong Kong. They can get very busy at lunch time, lots of phone order. Being my first time there, I had to try the curry fish balls and soy sauce fried noodles since they're one of the iconic HK/Cantonese foods. Curry fish balls didn't come with sauce but the flavors are good, I liked the curry kick at the end. Soy sauce noodles are a bit disappointed: tasted average but came in a nice one person portion. I would love to return to try other HK cafe foods when I'm in the area. Beware: Only like 4-5 seats if you want to dine in, mostly take outs. Very HK customer service (if you know what I mean). Don't get offended if they "rush you".

Service was great, very nice staff and didn't get annoyed or try to rush me to order when I wasn't sure what I wanted. This place might get overlooked bc it is situated down a few steps from the sidewalk. I really enjoyed the flavor of everything, the chicken was just slightly more chewy in certain areas than I usually like. All this food for $9 is definitely a hit. Will definitely be coming back in the near future.

Wed noon I'm surprised i haven't heard of this place until recently (because of Mirror fanclubs (disclaimer: i didn't go for the souvenirs)). I guess it's because I don't usually venture in this side of Grand. It's definitely very close to the subway. I read on yelp that ordering in person can take a long time, so i tried calling when I was 15min away. The phone was busy so I figured I'll just order in person. Upon arrival they didn't have any tables for sitting, only takeout. It was a bit confusing because everyone ran up to the counter saying they called in advance. The employees literally had no time to acknowledge my existence as a walk in customer. I guess I could be more aggressive next time. Good to know that there's a lot of locals who order here. The employees recognize what customers ordered what just by seeing them walk in. They all must be regulars. Most of them are either ordering drinks or full blown riceboxes. I had my eyes on the breakfast combos, always have a soft spot for HK food Curious how they were approached to put those Mirror items but I'm glad it's a way to attract a younger population of customers. Though they don't look like they're lacking customers lol. Anyway I ordered Breakfast B1: macaroni with ham, egg sandwich, hot milk tea $5.50. Even tho ordering was stalled a little, my order was ready in less than 5min. Everything was packed very neatly with little cardboard pieces inside a paper bag, stapled, and packed in a plastic bag. Efficient! Also it's called breakfast but you can order it anytime Considering the price and service and food quality (not perfect but very tolerable) this place deserves 5* My comments on the food tho Milk tea I saw the employees boiling pots of tea while i was waiting to order. They have the right tea blend but it's still not thick enough. Perhaps they didn't pour the tea multiple times to aerate it. Overall it was smooth though. I forgot to ask for no sugar but it wasn't too sweet. Temp was hot as it should! Egg sandwich It's a thin white bread with no crust. The egg is thin too. This was the best part of the meal though. I loved the bread. It's very fluffy but has some chewy texture. Not as dense as Japanese bread but more dense than Wonder bread if you get what i mean. Very pleasant to eat, not too oily, not soggy. Macaroni with ham I realized after ordering that spam ham is more expensive when you order it alone. Whatever I prefer cold cut ham. I didn't like this macaroni at first because the mac was slightly too soft, broth is diluted chicken stock, and the ham was tasteless. Somehow the broth grew on me and I started liking this during the second half. Also want to point out that they used these plastic quarts rather than smaller cheaper containers. At this price this size is sufficient. Overall this isn't very filling but is satisfying for the most part. I guess a ricebox will be more filling but I like this combo more. You can't even get a full order of macaroni at Cha Chaan Teng or Kong Sihk Tong at this price. Last i checked those were worse tasting than this

CASH ONLY If you're craving an affordable, quick, and delicious Hong Kong style breakfast, this is definitely the place to go. They have some seating inside but for the most part people get their food to-go and bring it home. I ordered the breakfast set A with spam, which consists of 4 pieces of buttered toast, 2 over easy eggs, 3 slides of spam, and a cup of Hong Kong style milk tea (or coffee). I also got the soy sauce chow mein, which I saw everyone else getting. It's exactly what you want and really hits the spot when you have a craving. The eggs had the perfect runny yolk that I dipped the toast and spam into, and the saltiness of the spam was a great compliment to the egg and toast. I always love a good milk tea, and for the price ($5.50) for the breakfast set A, it's hard to find better. The soy sauce chow mein came in a jam packed container that lasted me more than one meal. I really enjoyed eating the soy sauce chow mein with the other breakfast items, though by itself it wasn't that flavorful. Would definitely come back to try the other breakfast sets!

My friend is a huge fan of this place. He swears by it and I always see him going here all the time for his quick pick up meal. So I finally decided to go here and I have to say they are pretty good. I absolutely love their HK tea. OMG, they know how to do it right here. Their tea is not weak. It's full of flavor and taste delicious. Think of it like beer. You can be served the weak beer or the artisanal beer. Well their tea here is artisanal. As for food, I ended up trying their chicken chop with chow mien. It was good. The noodles is al-dente and their chicken is nice and soft. My only complaint is that I wish they gave some kind of sauce on the side like hot sauce or sweet soy sauce. Otherwise, everything tasted plain and flavorless. Overall, they specialize in hong kong breakfast and this place certainly deliver. I hear a lot of honk-kongese speaking when I was here so I know their food is legit. Would I come back here. The answer is hell yes! The only difference is that I'll bring my own hot sauce next time so I can't complain about the lack of sodium in their food.

Some *really* cheap eats are available, but I went for the higher-priced beef stew. Hong Kong- style cafes are a recent obsession of mine. This wasn't my all time favorite, but it was good. I wasn't expecting innards in my soup, but I blame myself for not doing the proper research (i'm learning). Service was kind, just under 10 min wait. Take out only, no indoor seating at this time. Ambiance on fleek with all the plants in the windowsill! All in all, a good lunch.

This small business will always have my heart! It's a little hole in the wall but don't judge a book by it's cover! This place is def an OG! Super affordable HK style food and super yummy and filling. I see locals come here every day for lunch and I'm so happy even with the pandemic, this place stays strong! I love coming here to get the soy sauce chow mein. The noodles are only $3 and they give you a lot! Great portion and great value. I hope this place will stay in the community forever~

This is legit my go to breakfast and Chinese fast food spot! It's super cheap and fast (if you order ahead!!). Trust me this place is so busy in the morning, like they are non stop making something, so you can order there but definitely expect to wait a 10 mins or so. It's a basement level, take out and a few seats along the walls. Definitely not super aesthetic beautiful but you can not beat the food and price! Alright any of the breakfast sets is good. A breakfast set could include eggs and a choice of meat and coffee or tea, and a side of congee or noodles . Personal favorite is their soy sauce noodles!! It's so simple and just absolutely amazing. I also love how simple their breakfast sandwiches are! It's not too buttery or oily, but it does act well to any hangover. Btw the entire set including coffee or tea and noodles it like 6 dollars. Give this place a try! It's so simple and food. Make sure to call ahead, you will thank me!

The food was all very good. I tried the curry beef which was nice and tender and the noodles were very saucy. The milk tea is also great and very yummy with the condensed milk toast. They even throw away the edges which is a plus!

Best authentic HK style breakfast. Great value. Can get hectic during peak breakfast hours so place your order ahead for pickup if possible. Warm and inviting staff. Best for pickup but they have 4-5 small tables for a quick place to eat as well. Recommended: any of the breakfast combos (available all day). My fave is the spam and eggs (served over easy) with toast awesome authentic HK Milk Tea (if u order the set combo meals, you can upgrade it from hot to cold for an extra dollar or two) condensed milk toast

I always come here for their breakfast. It's all day and it's cheap! Call in advance if you're ordering in the morning, they can be quite busy.

Support local biz! A favorite since the ol' college days. Still your hole-in-the-wall with the same menu offering, though prices are changing (increasing) due to pandemic, and just general increase in cost of everything. You know, even milk and paper bags. There's like a shortage of everything in the supply chain sigh. HK milk tea - check Congee w/o heavy MSG - check Soy sauce chow mein - check Egg & spam toast - check simple things in life should be that - simple don't fix things that ain't broken! CALL IN ADVANCE to order, which explains mostly the 1 star reviews. don't be surprised if you get busy tone, keep trying. and most likely you'll hear a lot of yelling in background of other ppl ordering or kitchen orders. that's part of the character of this place!

Legit flavors of my childhood. I'm not a huge fan of hk breakfast because it's so simple I could make it at home. I don't but I could. What I do love is the red bean ice! A generous helping of red bean on the bottom layered with condensed milk and crushed ice on top. Swirl it around and watch the colors mix. It's therapeutic. Take a sip and it's perfection. The perfect amount of sweetness and red bean flavor. Delicious! Certainly hit the spot and satisfied my craving. The curry fish balls are pretty good too. It didn't come with any sauce which I was taken aback by at first, however the fish balls are just bursting in curry flavor. Better than the alternative of regular tasting fishball with a ton of curry sauce. I much prefer S Wan Cafe's tastier version! I'm a fan and I will be back.

Fast morning service, good breakfast selections, food quality is good and great value for your money. Was very impressed with the milk tea, thoughts of Hong Kong. Definitely will be stopping by more often.

I felt that I am back in Hong Kong! I ordered the Chinese sausage fried rice and it was delicious! It was flavorful and inexpensive. I saw that people talked about their breakfast set and sandwiches; and not many people talked about their fried rice and noodles.... Tired and loved it! The service supposed to be quick but I came at 1230pm and they were swamped with phone orders so it took 25 mins for my food to come out. There is no ambiance in this place.

This cafe does not seem like much when walking by, or by walking in. Don't expect anything gourmet, but if you are looking for simple, good Hong Kong snack type food at very affordable prices then this is the place to be! It's a great Hong Kong style cafe with the foods you'd expect - rice noodles, macaroni soup, spam sandwiches, toast, etc. What I've tried so far has been pretty good, and so are their milk teas. There isn't much seating so you have to get a little lucky with timing, or you can take your food to go and just eat it at the park across the street. I've only been here about three times now, but I will definitely be back to try everything else on the menu!

Passport to HK. Don't miss, even if just for an ice cold drink.

Delay no more!!! Best HK style milk tea ever. I was strolling the streets and overheard some cantonese ladies saying I got u a milk tea to wake u up. Immediately "mm goy" - where is this place?? Cantonese street names and I was up and down the street until I found this place, a few steps down into this cafe. Soooooo 7 good lor!

S-wan Cafe is a holy grail cafe that I don't think I can live without, ever since discovering it. I come here at least once to twice a week (I work in Chinatown), and I am HOOKED on their HK style milk tea. I'm at the point where the ladies working there know my order as soon as I walk in. That being said, this place will have most authentic HK milk tea you can find anywhere in Manhattan Chinatown. It's not a lipton tea bag steeped in milk, they actually make the concentrated black tea and then pour in the evaporated milk & condensed milk (you can ask them for less sugar, which is what I usually do). Sometimes when I need a little extra kick in the morning I ask for the "ying-yerng" (in chinese this means 50% coffee, 50% milk tea), which is equally as delicious. All for the low price of $1.25 for a small, hot drink. Aside from raving about their HK milk tea, they have a variety of breakfast and traditional HK style cafe items (macaroni & ham soup, pork chop rice, chow mein, congee, etc). I recommend the pork chop rice!

I heard the Hong Kong milk tea is super authentic here and was super excited to try it. The interior is pretty simple due to Covid. To the right there's a menu in both Chinese and English and you'll order at the counter. It's a bit cheaper compared to the other spots in Chinatown and the milk tea is really good and just like the ones from Hong Kong! Their egg sandwich is super good too because the eggs are always made to order. I prefer cold milk teas, but their hot milk tea is better than their cold ones especially if you're carrying it around and you sip on it all day. The cold milk tea needs a lot of ice and the moment the ice melts, it feels rough on the tongue. The hot milk tea is smooth all the way even when it's warm. I highly recommend checking S Wan out for affordable and authentic Hong Kong food!

S Wan Cafe offers efficiently-prepared, delicious Hong Kong-styled cuisine at affordable prices. We ordered curry fish ball rice noodles ($2.75), taro and chicken fried rice ($8), and eel spaghetti ($10.50). The rice noodles came in a large Chinese takeout soup container and were softer and more soup-like than the typical dim sum-like rice rolls. That said, the fish balls were still delectable. The taro and chicken fried rice sounds more interesting than it actually was; diced into small bits, the taste of each didn't stand out visually or flavor-wise. But it was still solid fried rice. Similarly, we weren't sure if the intriguing eel spaghetti would come with Chinese-styled noodles or truly Italian-styled pasta. It was the latter, with a tomato ketchup-based sauce. This might sound weird, but ketchup is used quite a bit in Hong Kong-styled cuisine (I've seen some sources that ketchup actually originates from Southeast Asian fish sauces and may derive from the Cantonese word ke-jiap or the Chinese Hokkien word ke-tsiap). I wish I had heeded the advice of a fellow Yelper to place the order by phone in advance. When I arrived, I naively thought that take-out would be quick, since there was only one other customer in the restaurant. Instead, we waited for 20 minutes as the phone ringed non-stop and others, clearly insiders, quickly picked up their order and paid in cash. That said, the space is clean, with pink walls and lots of plants at the front. Although there was no seating available, it was not altogether the most unpleasant place to wait and observe the traffic of local customers. Seeing the rave reviews for the Hong Kong-styled milk tea, we will have to return and try it.

Cheap? Delicious? Sign me up! Came here for a simply quick breakfast and it did not disappoint! Yeah it is definitely a walk from the center of Chinatown but it is definitely worth it! After pondering the menu and resisting the urge to order everything, my brother and I settled on four menu items. -soy sauce chow mien: BEST soy sauce chow mien I've ever had in my life. Can't believe I've been missing out on this gem of a dish for so long! I think if I'm ever craving soy sauce chow mien, this will be my to-go place for it. It was just the right amount of soy sauce flavor and I like the addition of beansprouts to add that crunch...and you know, it counts as a serving of vegetables right? -breakfast A2 set: four pieces of toast (without the crust; yes I am a picky person), two runny fried eggs and a couple pieces of bacon? Where else can you get such a filling meal in Manhattan? -hong kong style milk tea: I think I've found my new favorite style of milk tea. Good bye basic milk tea from bubble tea shops. I really like the strong tea flavor that the HK style milk tea has. Or maybe my flavor preferences are changing now that I'm getting older... -curry fishballs. Just wished they added some curry sauce into the plate as well but it was pretty satisfying. -pork chop. Not their best dish. It was quite dry and tough. The flavor was okay. Still to the breakfast menu and teas! The staff who helped me were super quick and efficient in getting me my order. I really like that there's tables to sit at and it wasn't too crowded when I went today. I know where I'll definitely be coming by again for breakfast when I'm in Chinatown!

Came on a weekday with two other interns for lunch around noon time. We ordered at the cashier and seated ourselves. The interior isn't the classiest of places but still, it was constantly busy during the time I was there. I feel like it's these kind of places that are overlooked but have the best food and for better prices. We all barely finished our food! The portion was quite generous and we were really satisfied with our food. I do want to come back in the near future to try other things! Tip: remember your order and listen for your food! It got crowded really soon for lunch time and quite loud too. I recommend having a Chinese friend as they called out your orders in Cantonese and Mandarin.