damnlines.comdamnlines.comA cash-only, red-awninged Henry Street dumpling counter run by a woman regulars call "the dumpling lady," known for a sidewalk line since there's no indoor seating.
No camera at Jin Mei yet — these are the closest live lines we cover.
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at Jin Mei yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
Mashed says it "would be easy to miss" this red-awninged Henry Street counter — run by a woman regulars call "the dumpling lady" — "if not for the long line that forms on the sidewalk outside." The outlet notes the shop has no interior seating, so the line and the eating both happen outdoors.
A longer-running local account, Dining on a Shoestring in NYC, describes Jin Mei drawing "the local residents and many of the young hipsters living in the neighborhood," with a notable after-school rush around 3pm as students stop in for cheap dumplings; the same account points to a small park a block away on Catherine Street as overflow seating since the counter itself offers only limited seating outside.
No source describes a reservation system or booking option for Jin Mei — every account treats it as a straightforward sidewalk queue at a cash takeout counter, with Mashed urging customers to eat the dumplings immediately while hot rather than carry them far.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Walk-ins: Walk-in only; sidewalk queue at a cash takeout counter with no interior seating, per Mashed.
One local account (Dining on a Shoestring in NYC, 2017) reported daily hours of roughly 8am–9pm; not independently reconfirmed for 2026.
Mashed says the shop is "easy to miss" were it not for "the long line that forms on the sidewalk outside" — a near-constant feature given the counter has no interior seating. No outlet publishes an exact minute count, but Dining on a Shoestring in NYC flags the after-school stretch around 3pm as one of the busier windows.
No — Jin Mei is a walk-up, cash-only takeout counter, and no source describes any reservation or booking system.
Yes, it's walk-in only. Per Mashed, there's no interior seating, so the sidewalk line outside the Henry Street storefront is the entire queuing system.
Per Mashed, most people eat standing outside or perched on nearby stoops; Dining on a Shoestring in NYC also points to a small park a block away on Catherine Street with benches as an alternative.
Coverage consistently points to the pan-fried pork-and-chive dumplings as the draw, with Mashed stressing they're best eaten immediately while hot and fresh.
Sources: Mashed · Dining on a Shoestring in NYC · Yelp