This NYT Cooking video is from a year ago so Maxi’s Noodles is old news but hasn’t been posted here. It’s one of my favorite NYC Restaurant videos. If you ever had to deal with all the medical stuff and having to translate for your parents, it will hit you right in the feels.
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(Disclaimer, I am NOT a wonton snob by any means. I actually don’t order wontons that often)
My 2 cents:
I’ve been meaning to try them for a year but even the world’s best wontons are not worth a 2 hour train ride to Flushing lol. They finally opened a 3rd location in Chinatown (technically 4th location if you count their popup in Chelsea Market/Pearl River Mart’s food court) so I thought it was time to pay them a visit.
When I got there, I was surprised that Noodle Village had moved literally right next door to Maxi Noodles. Noodle Village is my favorite Wonton noodle soup spot in the city so it’s cool that there’s now 2 wonton juggernauts right next door to each other.
The wontons ARE pretty big and it takes me 3 bites to eat them. They are good, very meaty and filled with lots of shrimp. The broth is tasty too.
On the size of the BEEEG wontons:
I want to say that Chinese food is amazing and I feel like there are probably good reasons why Chinese chefs settled on the traditional size of wontons.
At Noodle Village, it’s a perfect bite of wonton followed by a slurp or two of noodles.
At Maxi’s it’s a bit more awkward because I have to hold and fumble with the spoon with a half eaten big wonton in one hand while I slurp my noodles. I wouldn’t say Maxi’s wontons are “too big” but I do prefer the bite sized ones. I do think that the BEEEG wonton size is a simple and smart gimmick in modern times with social media.
I strongly considered going next door to Noodle Village afterwards and get another order of Wonton noodle soup to directly compare it with Maxi’s but I was already full and I felt like it would have been an unfair comparison with a full stomach. Maybe I’ll skip breakfast and try both the next time I’m in Chinatown.
Overall I say Maxi’s is very good and certainly worth a try. Are they better than Noodle Village though? Going by memory, I honestly they’re on the same tier but I think I give the slight edge to Noodle Village. If I were to give recommendations for Chinatown, Noodle Village still gets my recommendation over Maxi’s because of their very versatile menu for everything else. If someone is only going for wontons, Maxi is a fine choice.
—-
Some sidenotes:
After the meal, I noticed that there’s another Wonton shop under construction down the block. At the old Wonton Noodle Garden location, there’s a sign for “Wonton Noodle 1978”. I thought that maybe it was a chain restaurant from China/Taiwan but when I googled it, nothing came up. Mott street will definitely be the block to hit up if you are craving for wontons or want to do a wonton crawl.
If you’re in Brooklyn, [Superior Wonton Noodles in Bensonhurst](https://maps.app.goo.gl/fYPmD5qYx3bAU2d1A) may be a good Maxi substitute. Not a recommendation since I haven’t been there yet but they supposedly have similar sized BEEEG wontons and I’ve heard good things about them. I have to check them out the next time I’m in the neighborhood.
justflipping
Damn why am I crying into my wonton noodle soup right now.
amandabug
if youre from HK or have been there and eaten the wonton noodles, Maxi’s will be nostalgic. The broth and noodles are the closest to what you can get in NYC to an authentic bowl of HK wonton noodles. I’ve taken my elderly relatives there and the moment they tasted the broth and noodles, they were sold. Also that video made me cry last year when it came out as someone who’s had to translate for her parents since she was 7 years old.
yakitorispelling
It’s personal preference, but I prefer Noodle Village. I like smaller wontons, but I’m old school and prefer wonton lo mein vs wonton mein. Noodle Village has far superior beef stew, fish balls and has bigger menu of classic Hong Kong foods like their amazing brisket\oxtail curry.
4 Comments
This NYT Cooking video is from a year ago so Maxi’s Noodles is old news but hasn’t been posted here. It’s one of my favorite NYC Restaurant videos. If you ever had to deal with all the medical stuff and having to translate for your parents, it will hit you right in the feels.
—-
(Disclaimer, I am NOT a wonton snob by any means. I actually don’t order wontons that often)
My 2 cents:
I’ve been meaning to try them for a year but even the world’s best wontons are not worth a 2 hour train ride to Flushing lol. They finally opened a 3rd location in Chinatown (technically 4th location if you count their popup in Chelsea Market/Pearl River Mart’s food court) so I thought it was time to pay them a visit.
When I got there, I was surprised that Noodle Village had moved literally right next door to Maxi Noodles. Noodle Village is my favorite Wonton noodle soup spot in the city so it’s cool that there’s now 2 wonton juggernauts right next door to each other.
—-
What I ordered: [Noodle soup with 2 toppings – Wontons and Beef Tendons](https://imgur.com/a/pWKt9wN)
The wontons ARE pretty big and it takes me 3 bites to eat them. They are good, very meaty and filled with lots of shrimp. The broth is tasty too.
On the size of the BEEEG wontons:
I want to say that Chinese food is amazing and I feel like there are probably good reasons why Chinese chefs settled on the traditional size of wontons.
At Noodle Village, it’s a perfect bite of wonton followed by a slurp or two of noodles.
At Maxi’s it’s a bit more awkward because I have to hold and fumble with the spoon with a half eaten big wonton in one hand while I slurp my noodles. I wouldn’t say Maxi’s wontons are “too big” but I do prefer the bite sized ones. I do think that the BEEEG wonton size is a simple and smart gimmick in modern times with social media.
I strongly considered going next door to Noodle Village afterwards and get another order of Wonton noodle soup to directly compare it with Maxi’s but I was already full and I felt like it would have been an unfair comparison with a full stomach. Maybe I’ll skip breakfast and try both the next time I’m in Chinatown.
Overall I say Maxi’s is very good and certainly worth a try. Are they better than Noodle Village though? Going by memory, I honestly they’re on the same tier but I think I give the slight edge to Noodle Village. If I were to give recommendations for Chinatown, Noodle Village still gets my recommendation over Maxi’s because of their very versatile menu for everything else. If someone is only going for wontons, Maxi is a fine choice.
—-
Some sidenotes:
After the meal, I noticed that there’s another Wonton shop under construction down the block. At the old Wonton Noodle Garden location, there’s a sign for “Wonton Noodle 1978”. I thought that maybe it was a chain restaurant from China/Taiwan but when I googled it, nothing came up. Mott street will definitely be the block to hit up if you are craving for wontons or want to do a wonton crawl.
If you’re in Brooklyn, [Superior Wonton Noodles in Bensonhurst](https://maps.app.goo.gl/fYPmD5qYx3bAU2d1A) may be a good Maxi substitute. Not a recommendation since I haven’t been there yet but they supposedly have similar sized BEEEG wontons and I’ve heard good things about them. I have to check them out the next time I’m in the neighborhood.
Damn why am I crying into my wonton noodle soup right now.
if youre from HK or have been there and eaten the wonton noodles, Maxi’s will be nostalgic. The broth and noodles are the closest to what you can get in NYC to an authentic bowl of HK wonton noodles. I’ve taken my elderly relatives there and the moment they tasted the broth and noodles, they were sold. Also that video made me cry last year when it came out as someone who’s had to translate for her parents since she was 7 years old.
It’s personal preference, but I prefer Noodle Village. I like smaller wontons, but I’m old school and prefer wonton lo mein vs wonton mein. Noodle Village has far superior beef stew, fish balls and has bigger menu of classic Hong Kong foods like their amazing brisket\oxtail curry.