Sir Icky
I've been here about 20+ times & totally forgot I did not write a review.
It's a small mom & pop Taiwanese spot. It's in a strip mall type thing. Found this by chance when getting Bonchon one night & decided to drop in.
Customer Service: Excellent. They warn you ahead of time by telling you it's *CASH ONLY.* They're super friendly & welcoming. They try their best to explain the dishes. Very polite. Recent trip there's a younger guy & he's super nice & respectful.
They do get busy - so be wary. It's small spot & tables are limited.
Ambiance: Cozy & clean
Food: AMAZING! I love their fried pork loin & popcorn chicken. Pork loin is tender & flavorful. The gravy on the rice is superb. The egg is yummy. The popcorn chicken is seasoned to perfection. It's cruchy and moist. My SO enjoys the pork belly over rice.
The Iced Milk Tea is delicious & perfectly balanced sweetness helps with the meal.
Free water & Tea is available.
You clean up after yourself. So be kind & tidy up.
Parking: there's decent parking and there's mini lot.
Sean Chen
A hidden gem in this peaceful neighbourhood. The juicy and tasty Lu Rou Fan brought me back to southern Taiwan in first bite. Yan Su Ji is a must to your order, crispy skin and healthy white meat, tossing with five species seasoning and fried basil chips. Cabbage salad is an amazing add on between your every bite, wonderful sweet and sour sauce and fresh crispy texture. Don't forget the soy black tea, different with enriched domestic style soy milk, the light soy milk dose not glue up yout taste bud but a refreshing to your meal.
Boss is attentive and welcoming, very well maintained dinning space and warm jazz music.
Loving this small business but def put owner's heart in every detail.
Will be back very soon.
Benjamin Lioue
For some awesome Taiwanese food, this place brings it back. With comfort foods that remind me of Taiwanese cooking, this place gives all the home cooked food vibes.
Eat-in for best experience. There is no service, so make sure to pick up water/tea utensils and napkins before you sit. As well as take your bowls and put them in the bins near the trash.
The beef noodle soup was great, with the standard side dishes (cucumbers, seaweed, tofu skin). Make sure to get the popcorn chicken definitely a Taiwanese classic. The fatty pork over rice was soft and easy to eat with the rice. Another plus, they also sometimes give a small house soup as well for each main dish ordered!
Remember cash only and no tip need!
Ruby Chan
Queens def has all these hidden gems serving authentic and affordable taiwanese food. This family-run restaurant gives a homey vibe with warm lights, little plants and wooden furniture. The food and snacks of Chimama's embedded the owner's childhood recipes. I've tried a few taiwanese spots in the city, and so far this is my favourite one.
＊Stewed Pork Belly Sandwich 刈包
For god's sake I'm still thinking about the Gua Bao every day! Gua Bao is a steamed bun sandwich stuffed with a piece of thick 3-layer pork belly, pairing with cilantro and peanut flour. I am a cilantro hater, but I had to admit that cilantro added a herbal note and eased the greasiness of pork belly. The distinct nuttiness of peanut flour collided with the saltiness of the stewed pork, creating a contrasting complexity. Literally a must-order item at Chimama's.
*** Rmb to request a no-peanut version if you are allergic to peanuts.
＊ Hand-cut Braised Pork Rice 手切滷肉飯
The rice came with a complimentary soup on the side. It was generously covered with chopped pork, pickled cucumber and a braised egg. The braised pork chunks were well marinated, with a perfect portion of fat and meat so it wasn't overly greasy. Surprisingly the pickled cucumber was really appetising, which served as a welcome addition to the entire dish. Some reviews reflected that the meat-rice ratio wasn't satisfactory but luckily it didn't happen to me.
＊Braised Pork Knuckle 滷豬蹄
I didn't try this dish as I don't eat pork knuckle. But I was told that the slow-cooked pork knuckle was richly flavoured with fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
**** Cash only. Water and hot tea are self serviced. Interesting to know that they provide different tea every time, e.g. longan tea or barley tea.
My Recommendations:
Gua Bao (pork belly sandwich) and Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice)
Louis lee (foodie mickey)
Place is clean, a self serve place. i would say this restaurant is for meat lover. the way they cook the meat is so well made, i came twice this wk just to have it again
i tried the beef noodles, noodles is alright... ive had better ones but the beef is good amount and delicious.
only thing i would like the place to add is some more veggies variety. would be helpful after a meatful meal.
Kevin Koo
The atmosphere it's pretty neat. It's not a sit down and serve place. You will need to order at the counter and they will deliver the food to you. Utensils are self served.
The food it's amazing. Living in NYC for over 20 yeArs, I haven't tested a better Taiwanese food then this. It's even better than good in Taiwan. The portion of the food are huge. It's very filling. For ladies, two of you can share an order. We order 4 noodles and rice bowls and 2 snack plates. And we were super full. The bill came out to be $68 for 4 people. Which it's very good. I would definitely come back again and recommend my friends to come .
April-nyc
Tried this place for the first time. We got a few items to try. It is on the pricier side. Flavors were good, the braised meat over rice was cooked very well. We also got cucumber salad, salt & pepper fried chicken and beef noodle soups. Everything was good.
Tanya Kay
Chimama has been coming up in my search multiple times, and I finally got the chance to try it when a friend suggested we eat there!
You order at the counter and pay right there (cash only), someone will bring out your order to your table, and after you finish you’re responsible for putting away the dishes/scraps in the respective bins. Be prepared for a wait on weekends in the afternoon, especially if you have a large party.
Of course I had to order the Taiwanese Beef Noodle soup - soup was so flavorful, beef was falling apart tender, and the noodles were oh so chewy. It was a hot day and I originally ordered the Dan Dan noodles (not my fave, but also not what I was expecting) because it’s dry/soupless - but after trying a sip of my hubby’s beef noodle soup I made him switch with me.
Other MUST orders (if you’re hungry/can eat more after a huge bowl of soup) are milk tea and popcorn chicken. The chicken are super crispy outside and sooo juicy/tender inside. Milk tea - perfectly sweet and tasty/refreshing way to cool down after a hot bowl of soup (and popcorn chicken).
Eve Chou
Don’t want to spend 14 days in quarantine and missing Taiwan, visit Chimama.
The menu has all the classic Taiwanese treats and there are numerous options to choose from. Each dish has its own flavor profile. Some sweet, some fresh, some savory but all delicious.
The gua bao was my favorite of the meal. The bun is fluffy but not too bready. Eat it first cause the bun tends to get hard. The pork belly is thick and just melts in your mouth. The ground peanut and sugar adds some texture to the bite.
Their popcorn chicken is seasoned well from the meat itself to the breading. It’s crunchy but somehow still quite tender and juicy despite it being white meat. The chili powder adds just a slight kick to each bite. The fried basil adds another layer of flavor and crisp.
Get the cucumbers, it’s the greens you want for the meal. It’s fresh and garlicky but not so much it will overpower the dish. There is a slight sweetness and tang to it as well. It’s a good compliment to the fried treats.
We choose to get the beef noodle soup with the soup on the side. There is still some broth that is in the noodle and very tasty. Each spice plays off each other and not overpowering at all. The beef chunks are so tender and just falls apart. Noodle is cooked well and each strand is coated with the beefy goodness. When you get soup on the side, you get a pork rib veggie soup. It warms you up and has depths of flavor.
The fried pork loin was thinner than expected but flavored so well. There are hints of the five spice along with floral notes from the pepper. It’s not dried out despite it being the pork loin and how thin it was. We were pleasantly surprised.
The last dish was the mustard green with edamame. It wasn’t seasoned as well and a little too bitter for my liking.
Service is warm and friendly. You order at the counter and they will bring you the food but you bus your own table. It’s all very efficient. It’s a definitely trek from city but worth it. You will be rewarded with the goodness of Taiwanese classics.
Michelle Chen
Very very yummy 😋. The chicken was perfectly salty and crispy. So many stomach filling options. The environment was peaceful and very pleasant to the eyes. The hand very old yet cool pictures on the walls.
Jesse Yuan
Bit pricey but true and authentic Taiwanese dishes. I always find myself there for their noodle soup, the broth is super flavorful. An excellent choice for Chinese if you're in the Bayside area.
Small restaurant and tend to get busy during lunch/dinner hours. Street parking is relatively easier compared to the tiny private lot they offer.
Gabe Hung
Very tender meats! The Gua bao is perfect bite sized treat. Prices are on the expensive side but flavor overall is good. Limited menu to the more well known Taiwanese dishes.
As it is in Taiwan, you have to clear your own table and throw away each food item. Probably not something locals would enjoy as you can see everyone's food trash while throwing them away. For the pricing and well designed shop, I would expect table service instead.
Kenny Li
From the warm interaction with the owner to the delicious food, everything in here reminds me of Taiwan. Eating here completely transports my mind to Taiwan, warming my heart along with my stomach. For an authentic Taiwanese experience, look no further!
Frances Fan
The noodles taste good. Chicken popcorn is good. Rice with meat sauce is good.
The cucumber is really worth trying and my son loves it!
Do Not order the milk tea because it tastes like watery. I think this place is a little bit overpriced. Overall good but I won’t go back very often.
Annie Wu
A nice small Taiwanese Style Homemade Place. There are a handful of noodles and small plates that I wanted to try, but just me alone and can’t eat a lot. I ordered a bowl of authentic Beef Noodle in Soup plus a small plate of marinated wood ear & onion. The beef noodle soup was very good and tasted very much alike the ones I ate in Taipei, very good soup stock and no MSG. Beef stew was soft, tender and juicy and I liked it. This bowl of beef noodle is way better than a few of the restaurant in Flushing. They have a few parking spots right in front of the restaurant and also some street parking nearby. Will go back again!
Sara Gelsomino
Absolutely delicious. I was so happy with this place. The owners are from the same city my husband is from and they really did bring the food over from Taichung. We even took an extra order of everything home with us. We love in Pennsylvania but we will be coming back to this place as much as we can! Thank you for the great service and amazing Taiwanese comfort food!
Gimiyun Yu
CASH ONLY PEOPLE.
1. Order
2. Get seated (on your own, unless full house they'll help you)
3. Enjoy fantastic Taiwanese meal (don't forget to self serve your tea/water from the front if you forgot to order the iced milk tea)
4. Wait, did you order the popcorn chicken?
5. Put away dishes/food waste on the far right side of the restaurant
6. Tip - optional (for exceptional food)
7. Repeat next day
Shawn Coope
very authentic Taiwanese food, very clean and cozy place. We ordered R1 Lu Rou Fan, Gua Boa, braised tofu and seaweed, the taste is different than other Taiwanese restaurants i had tried. This one tastes like mom's home made food.
Meihua Wang
Chi MaMa’s cooking is the soul food that Taiwan islanders remembered and elevated with higher quality ingredients. The noodle house is now my go to kitchen!
Belinda Mendez
Had a wonderful meal here at a dinner meeting. I will be back again. I know they are new but friendly staff you can’t buy. Very clean and inviting.
Leslie Wang
The best and original noodle flavor from Taiwan !!!!
Robing Chiang
Traditional flavor melt with memory.
have to taste it！
Cecille Pangilinan
Noodles so fresh, staff are very nice. I will definely visit this palace again.
Jacky Lo
Wonderful experience in the noodle house. Good vibes, reasonable prices for family and friends. Beef noodles can’t be better anymore.
Charlene Chang
Delicious and authentic Taiwanese dishes. Highly recommended it!
Sophia Lee
懷念的好滋味，終於能在紐約吃得到！！
Ann Yuan
兒時的味道，就在這裏！我喜歡....
馬慧蘭
The excellent noodle house in New York
Tracy Lin
Simply can't wait!
The best in town. Looking forward to it!
Judy Tuan
台灣的好滋味，在紐約繼續發光發熱！
Caren K.
Best noodle ever! Simple yet traditional~ Love it!
Logan Huang
Omg !!!!!!amazing!!!!!!!
Arthur Chen
Yumm.
Pitt Sun
<3
Shanwei Edward Chen
CHIMAMA IS THE BEST !!!
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