West Rice Roll King 西关肠粉王
A rice roll counter on Hester Street, and I have not found anybody who has written about it.
Why go
Robert Sietsema and Nadia Chaudhury treat cheung fun as its own category in Eater's Chinatown guide, and they pick two shops for it.1 At Yi Ji Shi Mo the sheets come out thin and ripple-like. The popular order is a roll with shrimp, pork and cilantro, and a container starts at about three dollars. It is cash only.1
Order this / avoid
- Avoid: planning around this counter if you want a roll somebody has written up. Yi Ji Shi Mo is at 88 Elizabeth Street and Chang Lai on Bayard.1
What locals & experts say
- Robert Sietsema and Nadia Chaudhury, in Eater NY, on the other shape: at Chang Lai the rice noodles are
more stubby and chewy - a buoyancy that's joyful to eat the whole way through.
1 - The same guide, on where that couple came from: Chang Lai ran as a rice roll street cart for years and took a Bayard Street storefront in 2023.1
Verdict
could-visit — The sheet is the whole product at a counter like this. Look at the tray before you order, and take the thin one if they make it.