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This tiny West Village storefront clearly wasn’t designed with dine-in patrons in mind, so even with just three duct-taped plastic stools lined up against a narrow counter, locals flock to it for reasonably satisfying Chinese takeout. Unsurprisingly, the cheap lunch specials are popular, thanks to large portions of Cantonese- and Szechuan-inspired, slathered-in-sauce dishes like crispy orange-flavored beef and shredded, spicy Szechuan chicken, as well as a variety of fried foods like scallops, crab sticks, and KFC-style chicken. The line at noontime can stretch out the door, but diners don’t seem to mind the wait, since watching the meals cooked to order in the fast and furious kitchen—visible behind a faux-marble, Formica-topped counter—keep them mesmerized until their food is ready. — Alexis Korman

Crispy orange-flavored beef, $9.75