Prince Tea House Flushing: What It Actually Is
There is a tea house and restaurant in Flushing called Prince Tea House. It serves Chinese-style food, mainly dim sum, soups, noodles, and some Cantonese dishes. The location is in Queens, near the main transit hubs. I have been to places like this multiple times over the years, and they all follow a similar pattern: rushed service, inconsistent portions, and a menu that tries to cover everything. The place sits in a busy commercial area. You walk in, order at a counter or a small kiosk, and wait for your number. The seating fills up fast during lunch hours, usually between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. If you show up after 2 pm on a weekday, you will likely have the place mostly to yourself. That is when the kitchen is actually calmer and the food comes out faster. I learned this the hard way on a Tuesday in March. I went in around 12:45 pm with two colleagues, ordered what looked like a standard setup — soup, rice, a few small plates. We waited 40 minutes. The kitchen was clearly backed up. I watched three other tables leave without ordering. The workaround is simple: go early or go late. Not in between, unless you do not mind waiting.
How the Order System Works
Most of these places use a ticket or number system. You grab a number, find a seat, and wait for your order to be called. The staff usually writes the table number on a slip of paper and sticks it to your food when it comes out. This sounds basic, but it fails often. I have seen orders mixed up multiple times — someone else’s soup placed in front of me, empty chairs taken by people who ordered but had not arrived yet. The menu is printed on laminated sheets or a wall board. Prices are listed in dollars, usually ranging from $8 to $25 for a full meal. Portion sizes vary. Some dishes are meant for sharing, others are individual. The soup portions are usually around 12 to 16 ounces. Rice comes in bowls that hold roughly 1.5 cups cooked. If you are hungry, order extra rice or add an appetizer. I once asked for a larger portion of pork dumplings. The server brought out a plate with six pieces. I asked if that was the standard, and she said yes. I counted the teeth marks on my neighbor’s plate — two missing. The kitchen was clearly rushing through orders. The workaround is to ask before you order if you want a larger portion. They usually accommodate, but you have to ask.
What the Food Is Like
The food is standard Chinese-American. Soup is usually broth-based, sometimes with noodles or rice. Dumplings are steamed or fried. Noodle dishes come in soy or hoisin sauce. Rice is plain white or fried. The quality is consistent in the sense that it tastes the same every time. That is not necessarily a good thing. I have eaten at similar places in other neighborhoods. The difference is usually in the price and the speed. This place charges around $12 to $18 for a full meal with soup and rice. Other places in Manhattan charge $20 to $30 for the same thing. The food quality is about the same. You are paying for location and convenience. The dim sum trays are usually pre-made and kept warm under a heat lamp. I have watched the staff rearrange the trays every 20 minutes. Some items look fresh, some look like they have been sitting for an hour. The ones near the front get moved to the back. The ones at the back get pushed forward. It is a simple rotation system, but it means the food you get depends on when you order and where you sit.
Get the Full Details
Common Problems People Face
The biggest issue is the wait time during peak hours. If you go between 12 pm and 2 pm on a weekday, expect to wait 20 to 40 minutes for food. The kitchen can handle about 15 to 20 orders per hour. If more people show up, the queue builds up fast. I have seen tables turn over in 30 minutes, but the kitchen takes twice as long to cook the food. Another problem is the seating arrangement. The place has about 40 to 50 seats. During lunch, every table is full. People sit two to a table, sometimes four. The chairs are metal or plastic, not comfortable for a long meal. If you are eating slowly, you will block a table for someone else. The staff usually signals when you should leave, but they do not kick people out. I once sat at a table for 90 minutes while the kitchen was clearly trying to turn it over. The server came by three times to ask if we were finished. I said yes, but we were still eating. The fourth time, she said the next customers were waiting. I finished my meal in 10 minutes. The workaround is to eat faster or go during off-peak hours. Not both, unless you want to leave early.
How to Order Efficiently
If you want to minimize wait time, order before you sit down. Some places let you order at the counter and then find a seat. Others make you wait for a table first. At Prince Tea House, you usually order after you sit, but you can flag down a server quickly. Point to the menu, say what you want, and wait. The menu has about 50 to 60 items. Most are under $20. Soups range from $6 to $10. Noodle dishes are $10 to $16. Rice dishes are $8 to $14. Dumplings are $5 to $9 for a plate of six. If you are ordering for a group, split the dishes. Two people can share three items. Four people can share five or six. I learned this from experience. I once ordered for three people and got seven dishes. We wasted half of them. The leftovers went in a container, but it was still pointless. The workaround is to order conservatively. You can always ask for more. The kitchen usually has extras, but they do not advertise it.
Payment and Tips
The place accepts cash and cards. Credit cards are processed at the counter or by the server. There is usually a 15 to 20 percent tip expected. If you pay by card, the machine asks if you want to add a tip. If you pay cash, leave it on the table or hand it to the server. The tip is usually around $2 to $5 for a small order, $5 to $10 for a larger one. I have seen people leave no tip. The servers do not say anything, but they remember. The next time you go, the service is slower. The food comes out later. It is not revenge, but it is a pattern. The workaround is to tip reasonably. Not based on the menu price, but on the service. If the server is attentive, tip more. If they ignore you, tip less.
Alternatives in the Area
If Prince Tea House is too crowded or the food is not what you want, there are other places nearby. There is a dim sum spot two blocks east that serves similar food at similar prices. The wait is usually shorter because the seating is smaller. There is also a noodle shop one block west that does soup and noodles only. No dim sum, no rice dishes. If you want something specific, go there instead. I tried the noodle shop after having a bad experience at Prince Tea House. The wait was 10 minutes. The soup was $8. The noodles were $10. The portion was smaller, but the quality was better. The broth was clearer, the noodles were fresher. The trade-off is less variety. If you want a full meal with multiple dishes, stick with Prince Tea House. If you want speed and quality, try the noodle shop.
When to Go
The best time to go is between 11 am and 11:30 am, or after 2 pm on a weekday. Lunch crowds start around 12 pm and peak at 12:30 pm. After 2 pm, the line disappears. The kitchen is calm. Food comes out in 15 to 20 minutes. If you go on a weekend, expect longer waits. Saturday and Sunday are busy from 11 am to 3 pm. I used to go on Saturdays around 1 pm. I waited 50 minutes. The food was cold by the time it came out. The kitchen was overwhelmed. Now I go on weekdays at 11:15 am. I sit down, order, and have food in 20 minutes. The difference is huge. The workaround is to check the crowd before you go. If you see a line outside, come back later.
What to Expect Price-Wise
A single meal with soup and rice runs $12 to $18. Add dumplings or an appetizer, and it is $18 to $25. For two people sharing multiple dishes, expect $30 to $45 total. Tip extra if the service is slow or the food is cold. The place does not charge delivery fees if you order pickup, but they do not offer delivery unless you use a third-party app. I once ordered for four people and spent $60 before tip. The food was decent, but not exceptional. The portions were standard. The service was rushed. I tipped $10. The next time I went, I ordered less and left a bigger tip. The server remembered and brought out food faster. It is not magic, but it is a pattern. The workaround is to be generous when you can. Not required, but helpful.
