Brooklyn Wok Shop

182 N 10th St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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347.889.7992

Cuisine: Chinese
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: Moderately Priced
Hours: Sun-Thurs 5:30pm-1opm; Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm
Booze: Beer and wine
Subway: L to Lorimer St.

Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Not yet, but in January 2012
Grub Street says:

Edric Har, chef and owner at the new Brooklyn Wok Shop in Williamsburg, says the aftermath of the dot-com bubble led him to trade his day job suit and tie for chef’s whites and clogs ten years ago. After stints at Cru, Veritas, Le Bernardin, and as a private chef, Har and his wife Melissa decided to “create something more personal” and went back to the drawing board. Hence, Brooklyn Wok Shop, a concept that grew out of a late-night Chinese-food hankering in the couple’s North Williamsburg neighborhood.

Because healthy food and takeout are, for the most part, mutually exclusive, the Hars began to work on a menu of standards incorporating hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, as well as stocks and sauces made from real bones and scratch, not powders and bases. The result is a pared-down menu of snacks (buns and wings), soups (wonton, short ribs), and Cantonese staples like General Tso’s and orange beef, all made with better ingredients.

It is a mix of traditions and tweaks: Melissa’s family owns Chinese restaurants in Orlando; her father even traveled north to help out on the line during Brooklyn Wok Shop’s first week. Edric, who grew up downtown, braises chicken for the noodle soup in soy sauce like his mother once taught him, and the egg noodles are made fresh at the restaurant. Har prefers to use Escoffier-era black steel saute pans instead of actual woks, and other French touches abound — notably the flaky, fluted crust used for Har’s take on Chinese egg custard.

The counter-service restaurant is currently open only for dinner, but will open for lunch (and delivery) next month. The Hars say they plan to also start dim sum weekend brunch service in early 2012.

Gothamist says:

There are plenty of crappy Chinese takeout joints in Williamsburg, and a small handful of slightly higher-end Asian joints (M Shanghai and Samurai Mama come to mind), but overall, the area is seriously lacking in quality Chinese food. That’s where the newly-opened Brooklyn Wok Shop steps in.

Run by a husband-and-wife team who live in the neighborhood, BWS serves noodle soups with house-made noodles and broth; small dishes including fried chicken wings with a cinnamon-soy glaze, and entrees like orange-spiced hangar steak and chicken with broccoli topped with a fried egg. Owner Melissa Har told us that she and husband Edric source all of their hormone and antibiotic-free meat from Pino’s Prime Meats in Soho, and their goal is to “upgrade Chinese food a little. It’s not your typical takeout.”

Edric is a ten-year veteran of some of the city’s finest dining establishments, including working the lines at Veritas, Cru and Le Bernadin, and Melissa’s family owns several Chinese restaurants in Florida. The couple calls their Cantonese-influenced fare “Chinese food 2.0.” Right now, the restaurant is in soft-open mode, so they’re only open for dinner (6 to 10 p.m. daily), complete with a wine and beer license, though Melissa told us they hope to launch a dim sum brunch in January.

752 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718.218.7777

Cuisine: Chinese
Our Rating: ★
Cards: None
Price: $
Hours: Mon-Thu: 11am-11pm; Fri-Sat: 11am-11pm; Sun: 11:30am-11pm
Booze: None
Subway: L to Graham Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes

611 Manhattan Avenue
(between Driggs Ave & Nassau Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11222
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718.389.7103

Cuisine: Chinese
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Price: $
Hours: 11am-10:45pm Daily
Booze: None
Subway: G to Nassau Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
We say:

Standard fare but refreshingly less oily than most Chinese joints.

c/o Yelp

172 Grand St
(Between 1st St & Bedford Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.782.7596

Cuisine: Chinese
Our Rating: ★ ★
Cards: Cash Only
Price: $
Hours: Mon-Thur 11am-11:30pm; Fri-Sat 11am-12:30am; Sun 12pm-11:30pm
Booze: None
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
We say:

Standard greasy counter joint.

M-Shanghai Bistro

129 Havemeyer St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.384.9300

Cuisine: Chinese
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: $
Hours: Sun-Thurs Noon-4pm and 5pm-midnight; Fri-Sat noon-4pm and 5pm-2am
Booze: Full Bar
Subway: L to Lorimer Street, J,M,Z to Marcy Ave.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
We say:

It’s not the Chinese food you’re used to. M’s menu is packed with low-priced, big-flavored variations on traditional stir-fry over rice dishes and inspired creations like “Freddy Mercury’s Meatballs”. All ingredients are always fresh and the meals are never greasy. This restaurant is one of the better choices for vegetarians in the ‘hood as well. However, I got stuck with a ten-dollar martini there once, so beware the drink prices.

Citysearch says:

Rich brown banquet tables, decorative cream and crimson accents and a mood-conscious soundtrack immediately distinguish M from any number of carbon-copy Chinese restaurants in the city. Gracious owner May Liu elegantly integrates the space’s clean, earthy aesthetics with a Williamsburg sensibility, offering the bonus of a hopping downstairs lounge. The vibrant Chinese menu reawakens the palate to the flavorful possibilities of the cuisine. Steamed pork buns, spicy wontons and beef marinate each make sumptuous starters, while black mushrooms and the crave-worthy shredded potato with fresh chili pepper invite sharing. House specials such as shredded pork with bean curd and salmon with a silken tofu satisfy deliciously. The kitchen would do well to offer more desserts—the one option of Eight Treasure Sticky Rice connotes a Chinese fruit cake—but the drinks downstairs encourage one to linger.

c/o Mighty Sweet

549 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.384.8008

Cuisine: Asian/Dim Sum/Noodles
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: $
Hours: 12pm-6am Daily
Booze: None
Subway: L to Lorimer St.
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
Time Out New York says:

This wood-paneled noodle shop—inspired by the street vendors of Canton, China—peddles in snacks like sesame pancakes and pork buns. At the heart of the space is an open kitchen, where chef Shou Zheng crafts dumplings from scratch.

Metromix says:

Long before Williamsburg became too—wait for it!—hip for its own good,  M Shanghai Bistro was already serving wonderfully elevated Chinese food to a nabe in desperate need of Chinese grub beyond greasy stir-fried takeout. Now, they’ve opened this opened late-night noodle bar a few blocks down, offering a variety of noodle bowls ($7-$8), pan-fried noodle dishes ($7-$8) and appetizers ($4-$6). Six noodles are available—spinach, pulled, wonton, etc.—which can be mix-matched in dishes like sliced pork belly soup (the broths that take up to 24 hours to prep) or crispy double-pan-fried noodles with meat or veggies. The place’s counter-style seating can squeeze in about 26, and a patio area out back is in the works come warmer months. The clincher: They’re also open until 6 a.m. Munchies!

c/o Gowanus Lounge

208 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
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718.388.8898

Cuisine: Pan-Asian
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★
Cards: All major
Price: $
Hours: Sun-Thurs Noon-11pm; Fri-Sat Noon-Midnight
Booze: Full bar
Subway: L to Bedford Ave
Menu: Click Here
Delivery: Yes
NY Mag Says:

Entrée names like “Double Happiness” and “Happy Family” have staying power, but this modern Asian spot has dispensed with tradition by naming plates after friends and family, based on what they liked during previews. Vivian’s Curry Seafood, for instance, is a favorite of owner Vivian Chan, and David’s Salted Pepper Prawns is the go-to of her husband David Chiu.

Metromix says:

A Chinese restaurant with a Williamsburg twist? Actually, with sleek black furniture, glowing light boxes and romancing couples, it’s more like a Soho twist. The small restaurant’s friendly service and reasonable prices, however, are pure Brooklyn.  Head chef Mark Cheng, formerly of Mr. Chow, has created a lengthy menu that occasionally overreaches with its specials but is otherwise well-executed. The dragon rolls rule the appetizer menu with thick clumps of fresh shrimp wound around a strip of soft crab meat. Some entrees tend toward the cloyingly sweet side, including the pineapple crispy steak and none-too-tender honey baby back ribs. The basics fare much better, such as the thick and chewy chow fun noodles, as do seafood dishes like the Red Bowl, a massive pot of spicy broth bathing a tangle of glass noodles, giant tender scallops, shrimp and calamari. Despite fancier options, plain old green tea ice cream is the best bet for desert.

c/o Flickr user Maggie Hoffman

310 Bedford Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211
view map
718.218.8809

Cuisine: Chinese
Our Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Cards: All Major
Price: Cheap
Booze: None
Subway: L to Bedford Ave.
Delivery: Yes
Time Out New York says:

The cheap-eats favorite branches out to Williamsburg, with an expanded menu. Fans of the Chinatown location will find favorites like the fried pork-and-chive dumplings, puffy sesame pancakes stuffed with beef, and pork-and-shrimp wontons with a spicy soy-vinegar sauce. Vegetarians can nosh on items exclusive to this spot: noodles sautéed with vegetables or a four-mushroom roll in tofu skin.

Gothamist says:

Sure, they may have kicked out Monster Island to make way for more luxury condos, but there’s always room in Williamsburg for more cheap eats, particularly the kind of cheap eats that efficiently soak up that extra Jack-and-coke you probably didn’t need. Enter the first Brooklyn outpost of Vanessa’s Dumplings, sitting pretty in a prime piece of Bedford Avenue real estate.

Dumpling fans are probably already familiar with the mini-chain from its Chinatown and East Village locations, but if you’re not, here’s the drill: Vanessa’s is cheap (dumplings are $2-5, sesame pancake sandwiches $1-3, seemingly random Japanese teriyaki platters $4-7), fast, and no-frills. The dumplings aren’t as good as any of these, but for the neighborhood, they’re more than serviceable and we’re willing to bet this place will be packed, especially after-hours. A rep tells us that while they’re only open until 10:30 p.m. now, within a few weeks they hope to expand their hours until 1 a.m. to appease the legions of grease-seeking bar-hoppers. It’s certainly much more affordable than some other late-night options nearby.

They also a few additional menu items for the Williamsburg location, like a fried mushroom roll, green salad, and chicken and basil fried buns. We suggest grabbing an order of fried pork-and-chives and bringing them across the street to undersung neighborhood bar Lucky Dog for a night to remember.