Before the storefronts changed and the menus disappeared, these were the places where Chinatown ate. Remember them through images, food, and the people who knew them.
A restaurant tucked into the passage we called the “tunnel.”
Eric remembers Yummy Noodles in the covered passage connecting Bowery and Elizabeth Street. The sign, the dining room, the kitchen counter, and the clay pots preserve a glimpse of a restaurant that belongs in his Lost Chinatown archive.
These images show more than a storefront: bowls of congee, rice served in clay pots, a cook at work, and tables ready for the next meal. Together, they record the everyday details that are easy to lose when a restaurant disappears.
StorefrontThe Yummy Noodles sign and entrance in the passageway.
The passagewayA view of the covered passage Eric remembers as the tunnel between Bowery and Elizabeth Street.
Behind the counterA cook at work among clay pots and stacked bowls.
The dining roomTables, chairs, and the open service counter.
The service counterThe dining area beside the kitchen counter.
Clay-pot riceRice topped with a meat patty, egg, and scallions.
CongeeA bowl of congee garnished with scallions.
Another clay-pot favoriteClay-pot rice with mushrooms and pieces of meat.
Rice made to shareA clay pot of rice with sliced meat, egg, and scallions.
At the tableTea, photo menus, and tabletop food promotions.
Along the storefrontAn angled view of the restaurant sign and windows.
A small bowlA pale dish photographed at the restaurant; its name is not recorded here.
Image source: screenshots supplied by Eric Kwan. Original photographers and capture dates have not been identified. Restaurant location is described from Eric’s recollection.
