A Century&Old NYC Dim Sum Icon Is Coming to Las Vegas

Nom Wah first opened in 1920 in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown, at a crooked intersection once known as the “Bloody Angle.” This is where criminals in the Tong Gangs of Chinatown would hide in the curve of the roads and cut down rivals as they turned the corner. More than a century later, the historic tea parlor still draws locals for dim sum, tea, and conversation — and now, it’s expanding west. This September, owner Wilson Tang will bring Nom Wah to Las Vegas, opening at the JW Marriott in Summerlin.

When it began, Nom Wah was known for its mooncakes — dense pastries filled with red bean paste traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. They remained a fixture until the 1950s, when longtime employee Wally Tang took over the business. “He was doing the cakes by hand,” says Wilson Tang, Wally’s nephew. “We still have all of these different mooncake molds that are made out of wood that were chiseled.” The current owner explains that, as trade opened up between the U.S. and China in the ’80s, small Chinatown bakeries like his found themselves edged out by more efficient mooncake production overseas. Wally Tang, pivoted — transforming the bakery into a tea parlor that served dim sum, a move that would define its next era.

Wilson Tang took over from his uncle in 2010, ditching the traditional dim sum carts in favor of made-to-order dishes and modernizing the kitchen. “We’ve incorporated a lot of machines now to make our dim sum,” says Tang. “That’s what allows for the growth that we have, because we’re utilizing both handmade and machine-made products.” The different approach also meant expanding with restaurants Cha Cha Tang and Sal Tang’s — plus manufacturing frozen dumplings for retail.

Those dumplings — and other favorites — will be on the menu in Las Vegas. Nom Wah will be part of the resort’s new food hall — along with an oyster bar from Top Chef star Fabio Viviani. Tang says that the Nom Wah stall will serve “all the hits” from New York — xiao long bao, pork dumplings, crystal shrimp shumai, and noodle dishes. Of course, tea will be a main beverage in addition to cocktails and other alcoholic drinks. 

Design-wise, the Vegas Nom Wah will nod to the original with vintage wood accents, mosaic floors, and red barstools like the ones at the Chinatown flagship. Tang says the move west was motivated by both personal and practical reasons — wanting to expand to the West Coast and seeing a lot of shared DNA between Las Vegas and New York. As for ending up in Summerlin, “it was a great opportunity to work with a major hotel brand like the Marriott,” he says. “And as attractive as the Strip sounds, I’m just not that guy anymore.”

Reaching a centennial is a rare feat for any restaurant — but especially in New York, where places open and close overnight. Tang credits Nom Wah’s longevity in part to luck and timing. “My uncle purchased that location at the right time,” he says. “It’s one of those iconic streets in New York.” But surviving for more than a century comes down to more than just real estate: its legacy of serving plump and juicy dumplings, steaming cups of tea, and the enduring flavors of early Chinese American cuisine. Now, a century later, those flavors are headed for the desert.