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Mama Lee
Taiwanese
A Taiwanese home-cooking spot in Bayside so far from the subway that getting there is its own commitment. The chef, owner, and entire staff is one woman, Mei Lee, so ring the counter bell and wait. She'd rather you didn't spread the word. The New York Times put it at number ten on their 100 Best Restaurants list, so that ship has sailed. Beef noodle soup, lion's head meatballs, and broth poured to the rim say everything the bare room doesn't.
The awards strongest first
- The New York Times 2017 · Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- The New York Times #10 · The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City
One number, weighted & current 65
How we scoreThe dishes from the writeups
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Lion's head meatballs
“Taiwanese favorites like cloud-soft lion’s head meatballs of startling circumference”
The New York Times, 2026 -
Beef noodle soup
“beef noodle soup with hunks of meat fit to feed giants and broth to the very rim”
The New York Times, 2026 -
Three-cup chicken
“she makes homey, frankly appealing dishes like three-cup chicken, lion’s head meatballs and lu rou fan (ground pork braised in soy sauce and Shaoxing wine and poured over rice)”
The New York Times, 2017 -
Lu rou fan
“lu rou fan (ground pork braised in soy sauce and Shaoxing wine and poured over rice)”
The New York Times, 2017
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The neighbors closest first
- Bagel Oasis Eat · 74
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