Uncle Lou

Uncle Lou is a big, warm Cantonese restaurant on Mulberry Street, in the heart of historic Chinatown, opened in late 2021 by Louis Wong, a longtime Chinatown resident and businessman who had always wanted to add a place of his own to the neighborhood. The room seats about seventy-five, with lanterns and lights hanging from the ceiling, a long banquette against a brick wall and round tables with lazy susans that seem made for family dinners. The menu is deliberately huge, meant to bridge generations: there are old-school dishes for grandparents with roots in the Cantonese villages of Toisan, Sunwui, Enping and Hoiping, comfort food for Chinese American kids who grew up between Chinese school and Columbus Park, and plenty for first-timers.

Order family style. The Infatuation singles out silky wontons, hefty siu mai, chow mei fun with scallops and crispy cuttlefish, and above all the garlic chicken, juicy with crackly skin. Time Out recommends the half chenpi duck in its tangy, near-sweet sauce, Buddha's delight and Hong Kong-style char siu lo mein, and the casseroles and pan-fried lotus root and pork patties are worth a look too. Uncle Lou was featured by the YouTuber New York Turk in 2025. Walk-ins are welcome for small parties, and the restaurant takes phone reservations for groups of six or more. Bring friends; portions are generous and the menu rewards a crowd.