Midtown Lunch

A while ago one of my friends persuaded me to eat at Dim Sum Go Go on E. Broadway (at Chatham Sq.), and it wasn’t bad. No, you don’t get the charm of the carts going by, but if you’re looking for a somewhat quick dim sum lunch near City Hall and the government buildings and courthouses it’s a good option. While there I noticed they had a 10-piece dim sum platter on the lunch menu for precisely $10 and decided to go back and see if it was worth bypassing the cheaper options in Chinatown.

When I opened the takeout container, I was unprepared for the colorful assortment of dim sum awaiting me. I chose the regular platter, but there’s also a vegetarian version for the same price. The meaty kind is a bit of a mystery, but contained one each of shu mai, shrimp dumpling, crab meat dumpling, pork and chive, chicken, a stuffed mushroom, duck, pork and vegetable (which tasted like bok choy), seafood dumpling, and shark fin. There’s really no description of any of these items on the menu, and I’m not sure which exactly was which,so I’ll just tell you in broad terms which ones I thought were more successful than others.

The main problem with the takeout was by the time I got to eat mine, a few of the dumplings had fused together. The duck one (the most translucent in the above picture) was a particular disaster as the skin on it was thinner than the others and it fell apart as I tried to detach it. It still tasted good, though, so don’t let that deter you from ordering them. I also liked the stuffed mushroom, and all of the dumplings involving shrimp were good and tasted fresh. If I were to go back, I would definitely just order four things off the regular menu for the same price because not everything was great.

Another fail in the purse-shaped varieties was they got a little gummy, but that could also be because they were in a plastic takeout container for about 20 minutes. After reading some online reviews, it seems this place is primarily viewed as “the place white people and tourists go when they want dim sum.” I’d say that’s pretty on point, but with few quick dim sum options that aren’t $1 dumplings near the courthouse, this wasn’t bad. Just be prepared to pay a little more than you would at one of the old-school dim sum places.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• It’s close to all the government buildings/jury duty.
• If I’m in a hurry I can order my favorite dim sum.
• You get a discount at lunch.

THE – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I don’t want to eat dim sum surrounded by white people.
• It’s not very cheap if you’re really hungry.
• It’s hard to get of there for under $10 if you want dim sum.

Dim Sum Go Go, 5 E. Broadway (at Chatham Sq.), (212) 732-0796