Joe's Shanghai — The Line & How to Get In · Chinatown, NYC

//The line

Joe's Shanghai is the Chinatown soup-dumpling house people line up for, and it takes no reservations. The queue is for crab-and-pork xiao long bao, the dish that put the place on most New Yorkers' first-soup-dumpling list. Eat Nosh Nom describes the venue as identifiable by 'a long line of waiting, hungry New Yorkers.'

Most of the two-hour-wait lore predates the current room. Eat Nosh Nom reported waits that had 'sometimes taken us up to two hours' at the old 9 Pell Street location. In December 2019 the restaurant moved to a larger space at 46 Bowery, and its own site says it hoped 'the additional space' would 'shorten the wait time for our patrons.' The Bowery dining room still runs 'always lively,' per The Infatuation, and 'brightly lit and bustling,' per NYC Tourism.

Turnover is fast because nobody lingers here. The Infatuation notes a party of two can be 'in and out in under 30 minutes.' Cultural Chromatics skipped 'a rather lengthy line spanning blocks' by going 'at an odd hour on a weekday.' Order the soup dumplings the moment you sit; the shop's site warns they're made to order, 'otherwise it might be a long wait.'

//When the line peaks

Nightly dinner is the crunch: Eat Nosh Nom describes 'a long line of waiting, hungry New Yorkers' and waits that had 'sometimes taken us up to two hours' at the pre-2019 Pell Street room. Busy across service generally; The Infatuation calls the dining room 'always lively' and NYC Tourism 'brightly lit and bustling.' Weekday odd hours are the reported escape valve; Cultural Chromatics beat 'a rather lengthy line spanning blocks' by going 'at an odd hour on a weekday.' Small parties clear fastest; The Infatuation says two people can be 'in and out in under 30 minutes,' so short queues move quickly.

Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.

//Getting in

Walk-ins: The official site notes that after relocating to a larger space at 46 Bowery in December 2019, they hoped the added space would 'speed up our services as well as shorten the wait time for our patrons' — suggesting walk-in queues/waits are typical, though the site does not state an explicit reservation policy.

Official site →

//FAQ

How long is the line at Joe's Shanghai?

It varies and damnlines does not have a live camera here. Eat Nosh Nom reported waits that had 'sometimes taken us up to two hours' at the old Pell Street location; the December 2019 move to a larger Bowery space was meant to shorten that, per the restaurant's own site. The Infatuation notes small parties can be 'in and out in under 30 minutes.'

Does Joe's Shanghai take reservations?

No. It runs as a walk-in soup-dumpling house, which is why sources describe a line out front rather than a booking system.

What's the best time to go to Joe's Shanghai to avoid the line?

Off-peak weekday hours are the reported move. Cultural Chromatics skipped 'a rather lengthy line spanning blocks' by going 'at an odd hour on a weekday.' Dinner service is when guides describe the longest queues.

What is the line at Joe's Shanghai for?

The crab-and-pork xiao long bao (soup dumplings). The shop's own site notes they're made fresh to order, so order them the moment you sit down 'otherwise it might be a long wait.'

Where is Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown now?

At 46 Bowery, New York, NY 10013. The restaurant moved there in December 2019 from its longtime 9 Pell Street address, into what its site calls a larger space.