Flushing

Flushing Food Crawl: 4 Stops Under $30

A Flushing food crawl through takeout windows and a Cantonese bakery: pan-fried dumplings, a Peking duck bao, chili oil wontons, and an egg tart for under $30, plus two optional stops.

By J. Jiang · Food crawl · How we review

Flushing street food mostly hides in plain sight: takeout windows, a duck bao counter, and a bakery where you fill your own tray. This route strings four of them together, with under 20 minutes of walking in total.

The core route costs about $24. Two optional stops, a skewer stand and a basement bun stall, add about $14. New to Flushing? Start with Manhattan vs Flushing vs Sunset Park: Which Chinatown Is for You?

Prices and hours change, so confirm before you go.

The plan

Core route	Stops 1 to 4, about $24
Full route	Stops 1 to 6, about $38
Not included	Drinks, tips, extra orders
Walking	Under 20 minutes of pure walking in total
Time	Core: about 2 to 3 hours. Full route: about 4 to 5 hours
Days	Any day except Monday and Wednesday

The core route is dumplings, a duck bao, wontons, and an egg tart. It works solo.

The full route adds Xinjiang lamb skewers and Shanghai pan-fried buns. Bring a friend and share.

Closing times to plan around: White Bear is listed until 6:30pm, Tai Pan until 7pm, and the skewer stand until 8pm. Go at your own pace, but reach White Bear well before it closes.

The Flushing food crawl route

1. Zhu Ji Dumpling House, 40-52 Main St (core)
2. Shanghai You Garden window, 135-33 40th Rd (core)
3. White Bear, 135-02 Roosevelt Ave (core)
4. Tai Pan Bakery, 37-25 Main St (core)
5. Xinjiang BBQ Stand, 136-38 39th Ave
6. Liu Liu Sheng Jian, New World Mall, 136-20 Roosevelt Ave

1. Zhu Ji Dumpling House · Core route

40-52 Main St, takeout window at Main St and 41st Ave · Open until 9:30pm daily, from 6am on weekdays, 6:30am Saturday, 7am Sunday · Takeout window, narrow counter

Cash only · Queue

Order: pork and leek pan-fried dumplings (guo tie), 10 for $9.

Zhu Ji started as a street cart and now runs a takeout window near the LIRR station. The dumplings are pan-fried potsticker style. Ask for vinegar.

Swaps:

• Want something lighter: soy milk and a scallion pancake (cong you bing), $1.75, from the same window.
• Vegetarian: the menu has vegetable dumplings. Ask whether the filling contains egg, shrimp, or lard.

2. Shanghai You Garden window · Core route

135-33 40th Rd · 9am to 10pm · Takeout window

Cash only

Order: Peking duck bao, $2.75.

Roast duck folded into a soft bun with sauce, sold from a window on 40th Road. It’s the cheapest stop on the route.

Swaps:

• Not a duck person: go back to Zhu Ji for a scallion pancake, $1.75, about a minute’s walk.

3. White Bear · Core route

135-02 Roosevelt Ave at Prince St · Listed hours 10am to 6:30pm · Closed Mondays and Wednesdays · Takeout only, no seating

Cash only · Queue

Order: wontons with hot sauce (hong you chao shou), 12 for $10. It’s No. 6 on the menu board.

Pork wontons in chili oil, topped with pickled vegetables. There’s no seating, so plan to eat on the go.

Swaps:

• Less spicy: ask whether they can serve the wontons without chili oil, or in soup.
• No pork: older menus list vegetable dumplings. Ask whether they’re available today, and whether the filling contains egg, shrimp, or lard.

4. Tai Pan Bakery · Core route

37-25 Main St · 7:30am to 7pm daily · Takeout

Cash only · Queue

Order: Portuguese egg tart, $2.50.

A busy Cantonese bakery on Main St, with a sister shop on Canal St in Manhattan. Grab a tray, pick your buns and tarts, and pay at the counter.

Swaps:

• Not a sweet tooth: a roast pork bun (char siu bao), $3, from the same shelves.
• No dessert: skip it, and the core route comes in under $25, tax included.

5. Xinjiang BBQ Stand · Optional

136-38 39th Ave · Noon to 8pm daily · Standing only

Cash only

Order: cumin lamb skewers, about $2 each.

Grilled lamb skewers seasoned with cumin, a street food of Xinjiang in China’s far northwest. Follow the smoke.

Swaps:

• No lamb: chicken or beef skewers from the same grill.

6. Liu Liu Sheng Jian · Optional

New World Mall food court, basement, 136-20 Roosevelt Ave · Corner stall across from the escalator · Food court tables

Queue

Order: pan-fried pork buns (sheng jian bao), 6 for $9.99.

Sheng jian bao are Shanghai’s pan-fried buns, with a crisp bottom and a soupy pork filling. The stall cooks them on giant pans you can watch from the line. Bite a small hole first. The filling is hot.

Swaps:

• Small appetite: split the six with a friend.
• No pork: Lao Ma Ma La Tang, stalls 16 to 17 in the same food court, lets you pick your own vegetables, tofu, or seafood for a spicy dry pot. Ask whether the sauce contains meat or seafood.

Where to sit or pause

• Golden Mall: 41-28 Main St, next door to stop 1. The basement food court that made Flushing famous in the 2000s reopened in 2023 after a four-year renovation. Worth a look even if you don’t eat.
• New World Mall food court: food court tables at stop 6.
• Queens Public Library, Flushing branch: 41-17 Main St, steps from stop 1. A quiet break between stops. Eating and drinking only in designated areas.

Guess How Much? The Flushing food crawl budget

Stop	Order	Price basis	Amount
1. Zhu Ji Dumpling House	10 pan-fried dumplings	Reported price	$9.00
2. Shanghai You Garden window	Duck bao	Reported price	$2.75
3. White Bear	Wontons with hot sauce, 12	Reported price	$10.00
4. Tai Pan Bakery	Portuguese egg tart	Counter price	$2.50
Core route			$24.25
5. Xinjiang BBQ Stand	2 lamb skewers	Estimate	$4.00
6. Liu Liu Sheng Jian	6 pan-fried pork buns	Reported price	$9.99
Full route			$38.24

All amounts are before tax.

Full route split between two people: about $19 each.

Save more, or add more

• Skip the egg tart: the core comes in under $25, tax included.
• Lighter start: soy milk and a scallion pancake ($1.75) at Zhu Ji instead of dumplings.
• Split White Bear’s dozen with a friend.
• Upgrade at Liu Liu: 8 buns for $11.99.
• Take some home: ask White Bear about frozen wontons and dumplings to go.

Practical box

• Subway: 7 train to Flushing-Main St, the last stop. The LIRR stops at Flushing-Main Street too.
• Cash: all four core stops and the skewer stand are cash only. Bring cash for the whole route. About $45 in small bills covers the full route.
• Closed: White Bear, Mondays and Wednesdays (listed hours).
• Allergies: we couldn’t confirm any kitchen on this route as allergen-free. Ask about ingredients and shared equipment at every stop.

Still hungry next weekend? Take the 7 back to Manhattan and do our Manhattan Chinatown Food Crawl.