The best Malaysian food in NYC’s Chinatown
There’s a lot more to New York City’s Chinatown than just Chinese food. Like, say, Malaysian food.
Outside of taking a trip to Malaysia itself, Chinatown offers some of the best selections of Malaysian food not only in New York City, but also in the U.S. This isn’t a surprise when you consider that NYC – spread largely between Manhattan, Brookly, and Queens – is home to more Malaysian immigrants and Malaysian-Americans than anywhere in the United States.
You might have already seen our top-3 restaurants to send you down the Malaysian rabbit hole, which you can experience on our Chinatown tour. But we’ve got a few other options to keep the adventures going:
1. West New Malaysia
An extensive menu at West New Malaysia brings the full spectrum of Malay flavors under one roof. From Hainan poached chicken to spicy fish head curry to fresh roti to an endless selection of vegetarian dishes, West New Malaysia has it all. A must-try is the Beef Brisket Curry Noodle Soup. Noodles, curry, soup, and brisket…in one dish. This is honestly the pinnacle of human achievement.
2. Laut
One of the first Malaysian restaurants in NYC to receive a Michelin Star, Laut takes the ingredients and traditions of southeast Asian cuisine to a new level. With unique dishes like Duck Curry and Serawak Pepper Lamb Chop, you’ll get to experience the inventive side of Malaysian cuisine. But you’ll still have plenty of traditional options, like Malaysia’s national dish Nasi Lemak and Rendang Beef.
3. Rasa
Grab a bowl of Penang Assam Laks, one of the dishes that put Malaysian food on the map. But there are plenty more traditional and fusion dishes to choose from, like Malay chicken wings, Dancing Fries, Tamarind Curry Claypot Flounder.
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic culture, and this reflects proportionally on their multi-ethnic cuisine.
Malaysian cuisine takes heavy influence from its “Big 3” ethnic groups, which consist of Chinese, Indians, and Malays. There are further influences — owed largely to centuries of trade, migration, and colonialism — coming from historical contact with Arab, Thai, Filipino, Portuguese, Dutch, and British peoples.
Throw in some indigenous Malay communities, Creole communities, and a partridge in a pear tree, and you’ve got a wild foundation for Malaysian food.
Basically, if you’re feeling it, Malaysia’s got it:
Beef, pork, chicken, freshwater fish, seafood, vegetables, spices, herbs, chili peppers, tropical fruit, noodles, rice, dumplings, pastries, bread.
If Malaysian food were a political party, it would be a diverse ticket.
This is great news for the indecisive, because there’s something for everyone.
If you like this list, wait until we serve you a piece of Hong Kong style French toast…
