886

This place is not bad but a bit of a rip off when it comes to food and portion sizes. Do not get the hot pot, it is not worth the money at all. Very little meat, costs too much to add meat and adding extra meat is only a few pieces. The hot pot is 80% vegetables and for $50 (without add ons) is just not worth it. I recommend coming here and ordering a lot of sides such as the fries, sausage fried rice and other small plates/starters are delicious. The service is great and the staff is friendly but I cannot give this place 5 stars with these prices and tiny food portions when it is after all not even some upscale swanky restaurant respectfully. I still recommend coming here for the sides though!

After visiting Taiwan earlier last year, I wanted to try out 886 and was a little (okay maybe a lot) disappointed. I was hoping for more traditional Taiwanese food but it was too americanized. The food was also just a tad too salty and the more I ate the least I liked it.... feel free to come here if you've never had Taiwanese food or if you're looking for a twist. Don't come here expecting real Taiwanese food.

I really wanted to try this place as I've been wanting a good Taiwanese restaurant in NY Metro for a while. Many of the "old school" Taiwanese places I had when I was young are all either moved to SoCal or retired/closed. I go to Taiwan every year so I do get to enjoy the real deal over there. I really wanted to like this place... But it really seems like it's not a place to get that authentic "old school" nostalgic flavors. It's like an Americanized hipster version cobbled together with ingredients from Sysco. Add the fact that the place was extremely loud didn't really have the might market vibe the were going for... People in night markets don't talk that loud and scream laughing over loud music. The pea shoots when served hot should not have those tofu skins. The was too much chopped garlic in the dish... It should be either minced or puree'd. Served cold to be a proper Xiao cai style. The oyster omelette didn't have enough oysters, too much egg, and the sauce was way too much like ketchup. There also wasn't enough or the correct veggies in the mix/ratio. The best ones in Taipei are almost runny when hot... Gooey with starch with freshness from veg and a burst of umami from the lots river oysters. I know it's impossible to get those oysters here but still, you can control those other aspects. The red sausage tasted more like a hot dog and didn't have the right spices and meat mixture. The glutinous rice was also not seasoned correctly, it should have fried shallots or shrimp to again kick up the umami. So the best dish was the blood sausage, but even that missed the mark in key details. The peanut powder should be crushed fine into almost a powder not have those large chunks. You don't use a blender to make that, but a purpose built mill/grinder. It should also have cane sugar. If it's good then the sauce should not be necessary and it was over sauced as if they were trying to mask the dish. *Insert disappointed Hercules meme here* This place has potential but the dishes need to be redone for me to recommend or come back. It's a shame other regional cuisine actual gets authentic representation in NY Metro but not Taiwanese. This attempt falls short. Also minor gripe, add hooks for bags/purses/costs. Sure, it's night market vibe but even those places have hooks nowadays.

3 pieces of braised beef shanks cost 50 bucks in Taiwanese hotpot. Shame on it, and why don’t you just rob me. Definitely no second time and not recommended restaurant for sure

Among the most atrocious interpretations of Taiwanese food seen in the city, it's a shame this has become some foreigner's impression of Taiwanese cuisine. Beef Hot Pot for 2 - Huge robbery for $50, it's the same soup base as the beef noodle soup hot pot, 4 pieces of beef, and stuffed full of cheap greens and tofu. Not to mention that kind of broth is not usually used for hotpot, I'd legitimately be hard pressed to find a worse hot pot dish in NYC. Beef Noodle Soup - The portion size is alright, but the broth is very underwhelming. It tastes like vaguely beef-flavored water made spicy and is lacking in five spice, making it dominated by the mustard green and cilantro toppings. Ho Foods or Taiwan Pork Chop house are both much better. Lo Ba Beng (Braised Pork Rice in Hokkien): Closest to acceptable dish. The flavors of the braised pork are muted by the amount of green toppings, portion size is unreasonably small. Came here twice, hoping the first time was a fluke. I'd be less peeved if it was more reasonably priced, the setting inside is pretty neat, but the food is really a bastardized version of Taiwanese food. If you're looking for Taiwanese food, go around the block to Four Four South Village for twice the flavor and portions.

Delicious Taiwanese food. Very friendly staff