14 Postcards
Uncle Lou's in Chinatown serves up lively Cantonese village fare amid neon lights and bustling crowds, perfect for sharing hearty, flavorful dishes with friends.
"Uncle Lou is one of several restaurants remaking Cantonese food in Chinatown, taking traditional recipes and kicking them up a notch — served on big round tables with turntables in the middle for easy sharing. Chef’s specials are called lo wah kiu (“the old timers”) and include steak cooked with chives, vegetarian tofu skin wraps, and homestyle chenpi duck, with an unusual sun-dried mandarin-orange-peel sauce." - Robert Sietsema
"Uncle Lou channels the neighborhood's old-school Cantonese spots, with a hint of neon and a bit of fake foliage. Open since 2021, the place stays packed with groups going to town on family-style portions, and it nails just about everything on its enormous menu. The garlic chicken is essential, and you should pair it with some bacon fried rice, chow mei fun, and perfectly silky wontons. Reservations are only available for parties of six or more, so keep Uncle Lou in mind for your next birthday party." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman
"One of the newer spots on Chinatown's Mulberry Street, this Cantonese restaurant has a lively dining room decorated with neon, hanging lanterns, and fake foliage—and it's crowded every night. That's because Uncle Lou does so many things well—from silky wontons and hefty siu mai to chow mei fun with scallops and crispy fried bits of cuttlefish. The portions are large, so bring a group and try to snag a round table with a lazy susan in the middle. (You can make a reservation for parties of six or more.) Split a bottle of wine, and don’t miss out on the juicy garlic chicken with crackly skin. " - neha talreja, bryan kim, will hartman, sonal shah, willa moore
"Uncle Lou does so many things well—from silky wontons and hefty siu mai to chow mei fun with scallops and crispy fried bits of cuttlefish. That’s why the place is crowded every night. One of the newer spots on Mulberry Street in Manhattan's Chinatown, this Cantonese restaurant has a lively dining room decorated with neon, hanging lanterns, and fake foliage. The portions are large, so bring a group and try to snag a round table with a lazy susan in the middle. (You can make a reservation for parties of six or more.) Split a bottle of wine, and don’t miss out on the juicy garlic chicken with crackly skin. It’s famous around these parts." - Bryan Kim
"If you’re looking for old-school Chinatown, you might not think to start with a restaurant that opened in 2022. But Uncle Lou is one of the area’s most popular restaurants for a reason. The menu is large — as in, there are over 200 dishes — and most dishes are portioned for a family reunion. Start with the section called Loh Wah Kiu Favorites. There, you’ll find crowd-pleasing dishes and maybe something new: crispy, Chenpi duck flavored with Mandarin orange peel, or marbled beef buried in crunchy garlic chives. At dinner, there’s almost always a wait." - Eater Staff
