Spicy Village

"Wendy Lian and Ren Fu Li’s gem of a Forsyth Street restaurant is a temple to a spectacular dish: big tray spicy chicken (da pan ji). The preparation involves dousing thick, hand-pulled noodles in a stew of chicken, garlic, potatoes, cumin, chiles, and star anise. With the capacity to feed at least two, the feast ranks as one of the city’s best large-format deals. Also go for a pork pancake, where stewed pork comes in sandwich form as a must-get appetizer. Spicy Village is BYOB." - Robert Sietsema

"With food originating in the Chinese province of Henan, this tiny cafe facing Sara Roosevelt Park opened in 2012. It’s run by Wendy Lian and her family and specializes in Henan’s broad, hand-stretched wheat noodles. Try them with the well-stewed brisket topping, along with a serving of the garlicky cucumbers common in northern Chinese restaurants. The cafe’s most famous offering, however, comes from Xinjiang province: “big tray chicken,” a burbling wok of bird parts in hot oil with enough Sichuan peppercorns to blow the top of your head off (or at least cause a profound metallic tingle on your tongue). Pork-stuffed dumplings are great, too." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff

"Even on a Monday night, you might find it difficult to get a table at Spicy Village. And there are several reasons for this. First off, the space about the size of a tollbooth. It’s also BYOB, and the noodle-heavy Henan food is very good and pretty inexpensive. The rich, brothy big tray chicken (with noodles) should always be on your table, and you should bring one or two people to split it with. For a quick, casual meal that won't cost more than $20 per person, it doesn't get much better." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman

"Spicy Village’s big tray chicken is one of Chinatown’s most iconic dishes. Big bone-in hunks of chicken and potatoes come stewed in a rich sauce made with Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and other spices—and you have the option of adding hand-pulled noodles. Always get those noodles. The dish easily feeds two people (this is not medium tray chicken, after all), and it costs roughly $16. Notably, this place is BYOB—so stop by with a few friends for a fun, delicious meal that probably won’t run you more than $20 per person. Get that big tray chicken (with noodles), and supplement your order with some plump, bell-shaped soup dumplings, a crispy pancake filled with pork, and either an extra noodle dish or a plate of the scallion dumplings. Just be aware that Spicy Village can’t accommodate parties larger than six. Once you see the tiny space, you’ll understand why. Food Rundown Spicy Big Tray Chicken This is the best dish here, and there’s not much to say about it that the name doesn’t cover. It’s a big tray of chicken covered in a chili-oil sauce with cilantro to cut through the heat. You have the option to add noodles, and you’re going to want to do that. Pancakes These pancakes are fluffy little circles of dough with crispy crust. You can have them filled with pork (our favorite), beef, or egg. Or you can order them plain and dunk them into the various leftover sauces from the other things you’ve ordered. Any and all of these options should be pursued. Spice Scallion Sauce Dumplings A great appetizer to eat while you wait for big tray chicken. The soy-scallion-chili oil sauce is great to have on hand for pancake dunking. Grilled Pepper Chicken Chicken and peppers grilled in a spicy sauce served over rice or noodles. This is a little bit hot, a little bit sweet, and extremely delicious. Soup Dumplings These don’t compete with some of NYC’s best, but they’re pretty solid. Piping hot and full of broth and delicious pork, get an order if you’re in the mood for a waft of porky steam straight to the face. Spicy Lamb Hu Mei A lot of the noodle dishes here follow a similar format: thick hand-pulled noodles, bok choy, cilantro, and meat. The spicy lamb is great but order this as an add-on to the big tray chicken—not in lieu of it." - Team Infatuation

"Descended from a Flushing restaurant serving the food of the Henan province, Spicy Village popularized a peppercorn-studded version of what was originally a Uyghur dish, big tray chicken. The co-specialty is broad wheat noodles known as hui mei, used in two dozen soups and stir fries, plus dumplings and a series of pleasing side dishes involving ingredients like cucumber and kelp. Take your carryout to Sara D. Roosevelt Park, across the street, for consumption. Phone to order: (212) 625-8299." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff