Nom Wah
New York's First Dim Sum Restaurant, est. 1920
Opened by the Choy family in 1920 on one of the oldest streets in Chinatown, Nom Wah is New York's first and oldest dim sum restaurant. Dim sum, which translates to "a little bit of heart" referring to its bite-size portions, originated on the Silk Road a millennium ago. Tea houses along the trade route began serving food to weary travelers and transformed afternoon tea into a celebrated eating experience.
In 1974, Nom Wah was sold to Wally Tang, who started in 1950 as a dishwasher at the restaurant. In 2010, Wally passed the business onto his nephew, Wilson. Uncle Wally suggested Wilson modernize the restaurant, but Wilson refused. He saw this as his chance to preserve a piece of New York history. And Nom Wah certainly is a piece of New York history. A century since opening its doors, Nom Wah has become a testament to synthesizing the traditional with modernity.
