13 Best Things to Order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor in 2025

Heritage Chinese fare is a must on any proper foodie adventure in NYC, and lining up a collection of the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor is a great way to experience some of the city’s finest dishes. A sumptuous menu from this long-time favorite spot offers dim sum fans an array of specialties that celebrate traditional Asian dining. 

As the Tenement Museum states, Nom Wah Tea Parlor first opened its doors in 1920 and remains the oldest dim sum spot in the City, making it a key part of Chinatown’s culinary legacy and a must-visit for history-loving foodies. Having a plan that highlights the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor ensures you experience the top dishes in a setting that’s both classic and contemporary.

What can hungry foodies lucky enough to experience this NYC dining institution look forward to when choosing the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor? The menu presents a collection of beloved creations crafted with some thoughtful touches that take the best things to order at Nom Wah beyond the realm of your usual dim sum delights. 

Though you’re bound to find favorites as you taste your way through the menu, some items are must-haves for first-time diners as well as long-time patrons looking for something new to dip into. Read on to discover the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor and make the most of your dim sum experience.

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• Why Is Nom Wah Tea Parlor So Popular?
• 13 Must-Try Dishes at Nom Wah Tea Parlor
• Experience More Dim Sum and Chinese Cuisine

Why Is Nom Wah Tea Parlor So Popular?

Nom Wah Tea Parlor holds the distinction of being the first dim sum restaurant in NYC. Established in 1920 to share traditional fare enjoyed by Chinese settlers in America, the restaurant served some of the first dim sum Chinatown NYC diners had ever experienced. Though Nom Wah changed locations in 1968 (to the space next door!) and underwent a change in family ownership in 2010, New Yorkers and visitors from around the world have been able to sample the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor for more than 100 years.

With its retro red booths and classic barstool-and-counter seating, the open concept dining room is a throwback to the early days of NYC dining that surrounds visitors in soothing old-time energy. Soon after its launch, locals discovered that one of the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor were the moon cakes, a favorite offered during the Chinese autumn festival that inspired lines of hungry patrons winding around the block. Now, guests can find à la carte offerings that mirror Hong Kong-style dining for a customized dim sum array tailored to their tastes. 

13 Must-Try Dishes at Nom Wah Tea Parlor

1. Pork Siu Mai

Dumpling lovers have a familiar favorite to start out the meal thanks to pork siu mai. These bite-size steamed dumplings filled with minced pork, mushrooms and shrimp happen to be one of the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor, lauded for their authenticity and extend the menu beyond the doors of the restaurant, thanks to delivery orders available via Goldbelly. 

This clever strategy lets curious customers outside of NYC sample the goods at home, complete with instructions for how to properly prepare the dish. It’s a smart way to use the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor to inspire potential visitors to make their way to the city for an onsite experience.

2. House Special Pork Roast Bun

Pork buns are a staple in dim sum circles, so making a pork roast bun a house specialty is a peak move. This oversized version is also one of the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor to experience the most enticing flavors of Chinese cuisine.

Roasted pork tossed in a barbecue sauce that tends toward the sweet side of the spectrum is wrapped in a soft, doughy bun that’s big enough to share, though you can always take half home for later if you can’t bear to part with the leftovers!

3. Spring Rolls

Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and loaded with fabulous flavor in every bite, the spring rolls provide some of the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor, especially for anyone new to the dim sum experience. A mixed vegetables and mushrooms filling tucked into a larger-than-average roll provides a platter-filler that’s more than enough for a satisfying lunch or dinner visit.  

4. Shrimp and Snow Pea Leaf Dumplings

Many food critics have declared these light and tender tidbits one of the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor, and the description supports their superlative claims. 

With translucent wraps that entice your eye and reveal a peek at the curled shrimp waiting inside, adorned with snow pea leaf greens to add warm flavor. In addition to being some of the best Chinese food in NYC, customers also point out the pretty presentation this dish provides.

5. Stuffed Eggplant 

Fried shrimp becomes a sumptuous stuffing for eggplant in one of the most unique things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor. The chewy skin silky interior of the eggplant creates a tempting contrast to the crispy batter and succulent flesh of the shrimp, providing a mild flavor that lets the filling shine through. It’s one of the few dishes on the menu that presents eggplant as a featured ingredient, giving it a one-of-a-kind status that makes it a must-try item.

6. Rice Rolls with Spare Ribs

Beyond being among the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor, rice rolls with spare ribs may be your top finger food option if smoky, meaty flavors are what get your taste buds revved up. 

Served on a bed of rice flour noodles steamed to tender perfection, this dish tucks spare ribs into soft rice rolls and dresses the whole shebang in a black bean sauce that adds complexity while ramping up the flavor profile. It’s a luscious mix that brings faithful customers back for more, even with an hours-long wait for a free table!

7. Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

Fans of sweet and sour pork are bound to dub pork chops covered in this tangy glaze one of the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor, bar none. Fried pork chops sliced and slathered in tongue-tingling combination the restaurant’s Instagram account calls out as a blend of A-1 steak sauce and Worcestershire. What arrives at the table is a tray of crispy, chewy strips that hit almost every taste bud on your tongue all at the same time.

8. Vegetarian Dumplings

Plant eaters need not fear that all the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor feature meat or seafood, thanks to the restaurant’s dynamic vegetarian dumplings. This mindful dish wraps mushrooms and mixed veggies into tapioca starch wrappers that add a gluten-free element to your herbivorous experience. 

The mellow flavor provides a mild canvas that invites sampling with sauces and dips to ramp up the spice, making these dumplings the perfect foil for some of the bolder options on the menu.

9. House Special Dumplings in Soup

Reviewers rave about this comfort food bowl being among the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor. The restaurant drops one of the best dumplings in NYC stuffed with a mash-up of shrimp, pork and mushrooms into a dish of umami chicken broth peppered with vegetables and greens. 

The result is a soothing blend that feels fresh and cozy, with an enriching range of flavors that please your palate while providing soft, sumptuous textures to sink your teeth into.

10. Original “OG” Egg Roll

A perennial favorite in the world of Asian cuisine, egg rolls are a must-have among the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor, though not just for the familiarity or dependably deliciousness of the dish. 

At Nom Wah, the restaurant’s Original “OG” egg roll is crafted from delicate egg crepe batter containing chicken and chopped vegetables enrobed in a creamy sauce that elevates the concept to the realm of gourmet wonder. Compared to your usual take-out options, it’s a first-rate upgrade you shouldn’t miss. 

11. Pan-Fried Noodles in Superior Soy Sauce

With a name that declares its own supreme spirit, pan-fried noodles in superior soy sauce may be one of the most essential things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Onions and scallions lend robust flavors to the platter, while bean sprouts provide toothy texture to the skinny stir-fried noodles underneath. The overall effect gives noodle lovers a go-to dish while providing anyone new to the dim sum experience an easy entry point to more advanced options. 

12. Steamed Phoenix Buns

A dim sum dessert like steamed Phoenix buns isn’t only one of the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor; it’s also the playful pinnacle of Chinese culinary creativity. There’s a molten center of eggy custard waiting inside the soft steamed skin that creates an indulgent surprise for dessert fans looking for a fun finishing dish. Sweet and salty flavors create a complex yet deceptively simple-looking treat that’s one of the best things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor to close out your meal.

13. Steamed Bean Curd Skin Rolls

With tender plant-based skins wrapped around savory fillings, a plate of steamed bean curd skin rolls are one of the most intriguing things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Every bite reveals bamboo shoots and mushrooms mingling with minced pork and shrimp to create an array of tastes and textures that capture the umami spirit of dim sum dining in delicious fashion. 

In addition to being thoroughly delicious, these rolls use a tofu-based alternative to the wheat-based wrappers used on other dishes, providing one of the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor if you’re a gluten-free eater.

Experience More Dim Sum and Chinese Cuisine

If you’re hoping to recreate the best things to order at Nom Wah in your own kitchen, expert-led cooking classes near you are the best way to get started. Work with some of your city’s finest instructors to learn time-honored methods for crafting dumplings, soups and other signature dim sum creations that make this timeless spot a celebrated NYC eatery. 

Join a robust community of curious foodies at an onsite session in town to craft a spread of your own. If you can’t make it in person, fire up your favorite digital device and enjoy online cooking classes to reproduce the best things to order at Nom Wah from the comfort of home.

With such a rich menu featuring delicious heritage creations, tasting all the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor means making return trips for multiple dim sum sampling sessions. Thankfully, this no-frills fixture on the NYC dining scene makes it easy for locals and visitors eager to try the best things to order from Nom Wah Tea Parlor in a cozy, nostalgic setting. 

Round up your favorite food adventurers and invite everyone to order something different for prime pickings everyone can try. Every visit is bound to be a new adventure filled with sweet and savory opportunities to explore the finest things to order at Nom Wah Tea Parlor!

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.