Sunset Park Food Crawl: 4 Stops Under $25
A Sunset Park food crawl down 8th Avenue’s street food: pan-fried dumplings, Yunnan cold rice noodles, Taiwanese popcorn chicken, and egg tarts. Two meals for under $25, plus a cumin lamb burger to finish.
8th Avenue is Brooklyn’s Chinatown, and this route eats across China in about a dozen blocks: northern dumplings, Yunnan rice noodles, Taiwanese fried chicken, a Macau-style egg tart, and Northwestern lamb if you have room.
It’s a takeout route, walking south toward the subway home. Two meals for under $25, with an optional lamb burger two blocks from the N train. New to town? Start with Which Chinatown Is for You?
Prices and hours change, so confirm before you go.
Quick picks
Stop 1 · Breakfast Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House · 8 pan-fried pork and leek dumplings, $4
Stop 2 · Lunch Yun Nan Flavour Garden · cold rice noodles, $9.50
The plan
| Core route | Stops 1 to 4: breakfast, lunch, a snack, and dessert. About $21 |
| Full route | Stops 1 to 5: adds a cumin lamb burger. About $26 |
| Not included | Drinks |
| Walking | Core: about 15 minutes. Full: about 20 minutes. Map estimates, not counting queues |
| Time | Core: about 2 hours. Full: about 3 hours |
| Days | All five stops open daily |
The core route is two meals for one person. Taiwan Station opens at 11 a.m., so plan to reach it after that.
The full route adds Dun Huang, and it’s best shared. All five restaurants open seven days a week. None of them has heard of a day off.
Starting late? Xin Fa closes at 5:30 p.m. If you’re running behind, get the egg tart first and double back.
The Sunset Park food crawl route
- Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House, 4801 8th Ave (core)
- Yun Nan Flavour Garden, 5121 8th Ave (core)
- Taiwan Station, 5510 7th Ave (core)
- Xin Fa Bakery, 5617 8th Ave (core)
- Dun Huang, 817 60th St
1. Kai Feng Fu Dumpling House · Core route
4801 8th Ave, at 48th St · Opens 7:30 a.m. · Seats in the back
Cash only
Order: 8 pan-fried pork and leek dumplings, $4.
A no-frills dumpling counter named after Kaifeng, an old imperial capital in Henan province. Order the dumplings pan-fried. That’s what this place is known for, and the menu won’t remind you.
Swaps:
- Smaller appetite: scallion pancake, $2, same counter.
- No pork: 8 chicken and mushroom dumplings, $5.25, same counter.
- Vegetarian: the menu lists vegetable dumplings. Ask whether the filling contains any meat, shrimp, or animal fat.
Walk to next stop: about 4 minutes.
2. Yun Nan Flavour Garden · Core route
5121 8th Ave, between 51st and 52nd St · Opens 9 a.m. · Small, takeout-friendly
Cash only
Order: cold rice noodles, $9.50.
A family noodle shop run by a couple from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. The cold noodles are house-made rice noodles in black vinegar, soy, and chili oil, topped with ground pork, roasted peanuts, and cilantro.
Swaps:
- Not a cold noodle person: pork dumplings in hot-and-sour soup, $9.25, same counter.
- Want the house specialty: crossing-the-bridge noodles, $13, same counter. It comes as a hot broth with noodles and toppings you add yourself. Bigger, and better shared.
- Want rice instead: King’s Kitchen, 5223 8th Ave, about 1 minute’s walk. Cantonese roast meats over rice: 2-choice BBQ combo, $8.50, or 3-choice, $9.75.
- Vegetarian: Lucky Vegetarian, 5101 8th Ave, about 1 minute’s walk, is a fully vegetarian Chinese restaurant, downstairs below a Buddhist temple. The lunch deal comes with an entrée, soup, and rice for $8.50, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Vegan? Confirm the whole order at the counter.
- No pork: the cold noodles come with ground pork. Ask which noodle dishes can be made without it.
Walk to next stop: about 7 minutes. Taiwan Station is one avenue west, on 7th Ave.
3. Taiwan Station · Core route
5510 7th Ave, at 55th St · Opens 11 a.m. · Small shop
Order: popcorn chicken, $5.75.
A small Taiwanese shop worth the one-avenue detour. Popcorn chicken travels well, so carry it with you. It’s the most portable thing on this route.
Swaps:
- Want rice and sides: popcorn chicken bento, $9.95, same counter.
- Want pork: braised pork rice, $6.95, same counter.
Walk to next stop: about 3 minutes.
4. Xin Fa Bakery · Core route
5617 8th Ave, between 56th and 57th St · Closes 5:30 p.m. · Limited seating
Queue
Order: Portuguese-style egg tart, $1.75.
The best-known bakery on 8th Avenue, famous for egg tarts with flaky pastry and a caramelized top, the style that came to Hong Kong by way of Macau. The line moves fast. One tart is the plan. A box of six is the outcome.
Swaps:
- Want savory: seaweed bun, $2, same counter.
- No dessert: skip it and head straight to Dun Huang.
Walk to next stop: about 5 minutes.
5. Dun Huang · Optional
817 60th St, between 8th and 9th Ave · Open until 10 p.m. · Casual noodle shop
Order: spicy cumin lamb burger, $5.20.
Named after Dunhuang, a Silk Road city in northwest China, and that’s the food: cumin, lamb, and hand-pulled noodles. The lamb burger fits in one hand, which matters at stop five.
On your way to the N train, look for a rice noodle roll cart near 61st Street. It isn’t always there, so treat it as a bonus.
Swaps:
- No lamb: smashed cucumber salad, $6.50, same counter. Avoiding spice? Ask whether the dressing has chili.
- Want noodles: signature Lanzhou beef noodles, $9.50, same counter.
- Want roast meat for dinner: King’s Kitchen’s second location, 683 60th St, about 5 minutes’ walk. 2-choice BBQ combo, $8.50.
Where to sit or pause
Most stops are takeout with few seats. Kai Feng Fu has seats in the back. For a view, Sunset Park, the park, is a detour north and west of Stop 1, about 10 minutes’ walk, between 41st and 44th Streets and 5th and 7th Avenues. The hill looks out over the harbor and the Manhattan skyline. Start there with your dumplings, or come back after.
Guess How Much? Sunset Park food crawl budget
| Stop | Order | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Kai Feng Fu | 8 pan-fried pork and leek dumplings | $4.00 | Menu price |
| 2. Yun Nan Flavour Garden | Cold rice noodles | $9.50 | Menu price |
| 3. Taiwan Station | Popcorn chicken | $5.75 | Menu price |
| 4. Xin Fa Bakery | Egg tart | $1.75 | Menu price |
| Core route | $21.00 | ||
| 5. Dun Huang | Spicy cumin lamb burger | $5.20 | Menu price |
| Full route | $26.20 |
All amounts are before tax.
Split the full route between two people: about $13 each.
Save more, or add more
- Save $2: get the scallion pancake ($2) instead of the dumplings.
- Upgrade, add $3.50: get the crossing-the-bridge noodles ($13) instead of the cold noodles.
- Take home, add $15: a bag of 50 frozen dumplings from Kai Feng Fu.
- Add $1.75 each: extra egg tarts for the people who didn’t come.
Practical box
- Getting there: D train to 50th St, then slightly over half a mile to Kai Feng Fu. Or the R train to 45th St or 53rd St, then walk uphill to 8th Ave, about 15 minutes.
- Getting home: N train at 8th Ave (62nd St), two blocks from Stop 5.
- Cash: bring about $30 in cash for the core route. Kai Feng Fu and Yun Nan are cash only.
- Hours: all five stops open daily. Taiwan Station opens at 11 a.m. Xin Fa closes at 5:30 p.m.
- Allergies: we couldn’t confirm any kitchen as free of peanuts, shellfish, or other allergens. Ask about ingredients and shared equipment.
Across the river, the Manhattan Chinatown Food Crawl does it for under $20.