damnlines.comdamnlines.comNew York's oldest dim sum parlor: made-to-order plates in a retro red-booth room on Chinatown's crooked Doyers Street, open since 1920.
The Infatuation calls it "the perpetual line outside of Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown," and attributes that line less to the food than to the room's status as the oldest dim sum parlor in New York (open since 1920). The review's own read: the dim sum is decent, but the draw is the history and the retro diner space, not cooking that beats the rest of Chinatown. So the queue is a landmark queue, not a hidden-gem one.
Reservations decide how bad the wait is. Per Nom Wah's own site, the Doyers Street location takes Resy reservations only for parties of three to five, and only Monday through Thursday; groups of two are walk-ins any day, and weekends are walk-in only. The Infatuation's line-skipping advice is blunt about this structure: "recruit three or more people so you can make a reservation." If you show up as a pair or on a weekend, you join the list.
damnlines does not have a live camera at Nom Wah, so we can't show you the line right now. What sources agree on: the shop opens at 11 AM every day (its site), and dim sum is made-to-order all day rather than run off pushcarts, which Time Out notes lets it "keep the small plates coming long after other dim sum joints have closed their doors." For live crowd conditions, check our nearby downtown Manhattan cameras.
No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:
Golden Diner · 5 min walkclosedLucinda's · 24 min walkclosedBreakfast by Salt's Cure · 25 min walkcloseddamnlines has no live camera here, so there is no real-time number. The Infatuation describes "the perpetual line outside" during prime hours and says the fix is to bring a party of three or more so you can reserve; without a reservation you join the walk-in list. Reported waits vary widely by day and season.
Yes, but narrowly. Per Nom Wah's own site, the Doyers Street location takes Resy reservations only for parties of three to five, Monday through Thursday. Groups of two are walk-ins any day, and weekends are walk-in only.
A weekday, with a party of three or more so you can book. Nom Wah opens at 11 AM daily (its site), reservations are Monday-Thursday only, and The Infatuation's line-skipping tip is to gather three-plus people and reserve. Weekends offer no reservations at all.
The Infatuation is mixed on the food, calling it "decent dim sum," and says the real draw is that it's the oldest dim sum parlor in New York (since 1920) in a retro red-booth room on Doyers Street, not superior cooking. Weigh the history against the line.
The Infatuation notes the only card they take is American Express, so bring cash otherwise. Payment policies can change, so treat this as a per-source note rather than a guarantee.