Cha Siu Fan!

Sometimes, the line outside the restaurant says it all.

At 9 a.m., people are already showing up outside of Wah Fung #1 Fast Food Inc. They can’t wait to get their hands on the $2.50 “roast pork over rice,” which is billed as an “all-day lunch special.”

“The line never disappears!” said Mark Xu, a local resident and frequent visitor to the fast food joint located at 79 Chrystie St. “It’s almost like everyone in Chinatown comes here at least once a week.”


And that includes many of the NYU students living in the nearby Lafayette dorms. Sometimes the wait can last up to 45 minutes. Once inside, customers squeeze through the 4-foot-wide hallway to place their orders at the tiny counter. At the end of the hall sits a lone table with four chairs. The place isn’t meant for sit-down meals. The message is simple: get your food and leave.

But the sheer quantity of delicious food that Wah Fung #1 delivers will entice you back. In addition to the signature all-day lunch special of either roast pork, duck, or chicken over rice, larger portions are available for only $3.50.

A whole roasted duck sells for $12. And about a pound of roast pork goes for $6.

In addition to the meat line, there’s a Fujianese steam table. Rice noodle rolls, which are sold along with fish balls are served up in small ($1) and medium ($2) portions. There’s also a variety of other dishes, like chicken curry, stuffed fried eggplant, and stewed green squash with egg sauce.

The wait is usually anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. I usually go in the afternoon and dinner time. Sometimes I order the larger version of roast pork and rice ($3.50) which comes in a 5 inch by 4 inch container with nearly equal amounts of meat and rice.

Many other Chinatown restaurants serve up this classic dish for $4.00 but there’s usually more rice. And they never pack in so much that the container can barely close.

During my last visit with my boyfriend, we went for the large orders. While we waited we watched the The rice was warm and fluffy and the stir-fried mix of cabbage, broccoli, and green beans was flavorful and delicious. But the main act is the pork: it’s smoky yet sweet, and tender to the bite. Definitely worth the wait.