Sun Sai Gai Restaurant

Today my phone was running out of battery so I let my relatives pick where to go. I was very hungry from not eating anything all morning and came into this café expecting to find Cantonese style café dishes. However, we got different stuff.
Everything was in smaller portions compared to other restaurants and the food was very bland. We ate beef fried rice which was lacking soy sauce and same goes with the beef noodles. The Singapore style noodles has a weird texture to it.
The vegetables were pretty good. We got the standard Chinese broccoli in garlic sauce. The wonton noodles could be better.
However, this place is on the affordable side. The dishes were quite cheap especially the pork/​any meat on top of rice. They gave you A LOT of rice. Which could be a plus or minus thing.

Don’t even bother. They gave me soy chicken without the soy covered chicken skin. I only came here bc I use to come her with my mom as a kid and I was in a rush. I asked for a 3 treasures dish which usually comes with 3 types of roast meat over white rice and a small side of veggies. They gave me a combo of soy chicken, roast duck and crispy pork. The soy chicken came with almost no skin which is a huge part of the flavor and texture of soy chicken. The roast duck was ok. The crispy roast chicken was maybe over crispy, can crack a tooth. The cabbage has no seasoning and was not even salted. Then they charged me $ 7.50 for this dish which I normally would only pay $ 6-​$ 6.50 had I not been in a rush. I got a can of Diet Coke for $ 1.50. I don’t know. You decide. Who gives out soy chicken without the skin?
I have them 2 stars for their food being warm, fast, and they counted the change correctly for me.

The best Peking duck and xa xui BBQ pork I’ve ever had. The duck isn’t too fatty and has great flavor. The xa xui melts in your mouth. It comes with white rice and some steamed cabbage. It’s an old school hole in the wall place, so don’t expect good service. Come for the food hanging on those hooks in the window. I haven’t tried anything else on their menu. No need to.

The food in the restaurant is good. I recommend getting the house special lo mein and fried rice. These two were my favorites and it was affordable too.

I stopped in for a quick afternoon snack consisting of a hot coffee, roast pork, roast pig, soy sauce chicken, and roast duck on a plate. The restaurant is small and kind of a hole-​in-​the-​wall place but the roast meats hanging in their window I saw outside as I was passing by were calling my name.
The roast pork was decent, nothing spectacular and had more lean meat than fatty portions. The roast pig skin was crispy (love that!) but a tad oversalted. Both the soy sauce chicken and the roast duck were delectable. Service was quick and efficient.
If I ever want to get this 4 meat treat again I’d consider it here again!

I’ve been coming here for years. It’s always the same people working here too. The roast pork and duck are the best. The portions are large enough for two people. They have the best steamed buns here. Especially the combo bun.

Only 5 pieces of duck and they are all bones. The chicken is dry and the pork is as hard as rock. The boss is mean and pushy (at least to us two Chinese girls).

This isn’t a new place but in fact it’s been here for over 30 years. The place is old but looked like it was updated some time ago.
As you enter, the bakery part of the restaurant is on the left and «cold cuts» to go is on the right. We didn’t order any of those today.
Today was cold so we got a large wonton soup which I didn’t think was good but the boyfriend enjoyed it– probably partly because it was cold.
He had the beef with Chinese broccoli over rice and I had seafood with veggie over rice.
They’re very typical dishes and tastes pretty much the same everywhere else. I was a little disappointed because there was only 1 shrimp. On the bright side there were ample squid and scallops unlike other places. Also, the u-​toy was just a lot of stems, hardly any leaves.
Overall, pricier than I thought but still good. $ 30 including tips.
Huge drawback: cash only. I suspected as so but would have been nice if they took CC.

Literally the best place on earth. If there was a peice of heaven on earth, this is it

OK I’ve been going here for Decades for there Pork Buns I think it’s probably the Best in Town even-​though Hop Shing gives them a run for there Money. Service Sucks I mean It sucks But there food is amazing there Duck is Great, Crispy pork amazing, Fried Rice amazing.
Better go with friends so you can sit with someone you know or you might be sitting next to ANYONE!!!
Would give more stars but the Service sucks!!!
Some waiters also add there own Tip on there check so be Careful.

I can’t imagine a better way to start a day than with one of their gigantic, delicious, steamed Combination Buns. A mound of ground pork, a chunk of roasted pork, a hunk of Chinese sausage, and half of hard-​boiled egg — all wrapped then a steamed in their pillowy fluffy rice flour! Classic, comfy, cozy, and so very cheap…

My review is for take out only. We got roast duck, pork, and sesame balls and all were fantastic. We found the pricing to be very reasonable and the staff were friendly. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for delicious meats hanging in a window so the feel of the place really pushed it from a 4 star to a 5. No regrets about picking this spot over the other similar options.

I came here with a craving for Cantonese roast pig, which is different from Cantonese bbq pork (char siu) in that there is no red glaze and it comes with an ultra crispy skin. Though Sun Say Gai’s version was very satisfying, I’m docking a star for how hard it was to order, even using Mandarin. I specified that I wanted #1 on the menu, which is a small portion of meat with rice, but somehow ended up walking out with more than 1 pound of roast pig, no rice. Cantonese roast pig is very fatty so I definitely didn’t need all that meat. It seems like the old-​time workers behind the counter only understand Cantonese.

When you’re hungry and you can’t wait to walk around another block for more, if not better options, come here. Food is pretty decent and the price is really good, but the overall experience is meh. People can’t understand you here and when you ask for a cup of ice and some extra wonton soup, they give you looks and deep sighs.
Not everyone here is like that though but everyone’s got their moments. Their pork is really good here though, the rice that came with it, not so much. You can do better just around the block! Food came quick though, that’s a star. Price– another star. And another star cause why not, food was edible and the portions were good.

This is the only place — to my knowledge — where you can get the combination bun (da bao or big bun in Chinese). Stuffed with pork and cabbage, roast pork, Chinese sausage, and a hard boiled quail egg. One of these for breakfast and I’m all set.
They have a small selection of dim sum items to go as well, all good quality.
The baked buns are really good — sometimes the roast pork buns you get are way too sugary or the sauce is so full of cornstarch the texture is not pleasant. This place is consistently more playable than that, and their buns seem always fresh even end of day.
Also some sweet buns the kids like — sponge cake, triangle cake, sesame ball.
Never had their lunch, the have a lot of roast pork/​duck over rice combos. Looks good
Now we all know the least amount of money and care goes into the bathrooms in Chinatown, and lemme tell ya — it shows in this place!

This review is a comparison between «The Big Bun» from Nice One Bakery and Sun Sai Gai.
In the photos that I’ve taken, the one on the left is from Sun Sai Gai and the one on the right is from Nice One Bakery (has the blue dot).
Bread: from the photos, you can see that the Sun Sai Gai has a thicker bun/​bread. Nice One Bakery has a thinner one. I prefer the thinner one. Bread is just filler.
Ingredients: main difference is that Nice One Bakery includes a piece of mushroom inside. The piece of pork is thicker from Sun Sai Gai and probably juicer. The pork from Nice One Bakery is also good, but I felt a little drier. Both buns had egg and a chinese sausage. In both buns, there weren’t any other vegetables (ie napa). I was quite disappointed. In terms of overall flavor profile, I still prefer Nice One Bakery.
Cost: Sun Sai Gai costs $ 1.80. Nice One Bakery $ 1.75. I prefer Nice One Bakery.
Service: in both places, the staff were friendly and nice.
Overall: I highly recommend Nice One Bakery over Sun Sai Gai. Nice One Bakery is cheaper, tastier, less filling (less bread).
As of now, Nice One Bakery is my go to place for «The Big Bun». I will now have to compare other stores.

I came here about 12y ago and will never forget their delicious well brewed hot tea, egg noodles, and casual but cozy ambiance. My husband and his family have been going for about 25y at least.
Today I missed brunch here with family as I was home sick in bed. My husband brought me requested takeout: wonton soup, pork noodle soup, and steamed pork bun. The wonton soup and broth was the best I have ever eaten and I’ve had my share (100s?) of wonton soup over the years. I didn’t even realize it could be this good. Just the broth alone was absolutely spectacular. The wontons were homemade and so fresh and delicate with tasty fresh meat filling. Not rubbery with meat substitute-​like filling as at most establishments. I cannot wait to eat the pork noodle soup tomorrow. The pork bun was good not outstanding (little too much dough) but the rice bun was amazing!
I can’t wait to come here soon for a proper sit down meal of roast pork over rice and more wonton soup!

This is one of the restaurants that actually drive me out of my way to visit Chinatown. I go there weekly just for the crispy skin bbq pork over rice. It is such a great dish. As a matter of fact, I always order TWO orders of it and enjoy the heck out of them.
I also highly recommend the steamed buns and few dimsum dishes sold at the left side counter. That food is classic traditional stuff. So if you never had it, I highly recommend you try it.

Pleasant Chinatown eat in take out. Neither of us liked the wonton soup. Duck was fine but a bit more fatty than my last takeout from Big Wong King
No egg rolls nor did a nearby place have them
Friendly people

I’ve been going to this Chinese restaurant for over 30 years. Sun Sai Gai on Canal Street, NYC. On a good day, the wonton noodle soup with roast duck and crispy skin pig is ambrosia. There is nothing better.
When I started going in the late 1970’s, I knew all the waiters and cooks. I used to take their photos with Polaroids and even my first digital camera. I have some stunning portraits.
Gradually, the original crew all died and retired and were replaced. Several times over.
Last week, I went there and there was a new waiter. I told him «I’ve been coming here since 1978.». He was singularly unimpressed, grunted and made a face.
I took a few photos and they immediately became suspicious and hostile and told me I would have to leave if I took any more.
Times have changed.
But I still love it. All these clowns who complain about the lack of décor, and the rude waiters are missing the point. These waiters are the heirs to the wonderful New York City tradition of the sarcastic, rude, wise cracking Jewish waiters of the early 20^th Century. They are marvelous, a living treasure.
What I have been ordering for over 30 years is the same. Roast duck, crispy skin pig combination with wonton noodle soup. I could die happy with this as my last meal.
Anyone who doesn’t like the food here is an abject idiot. Some of their dishes are Godlike. If you don’t like the food, you should take it as a strong clue that you are a subnormal mindless, tasteless bozo with no conception about what is good or bad.
This is like stepping into a time machine back to the real Chinatown that only exists in the memory of old fools like myself. Youth doesn’t appreciate paradise when you are in the middle of it.
(what I actually was trying to shoot was the dumbwaiter in action, one of the last in NYC and fascinating)