Bonnie’s is the debut venture of Chinese American chef Calvin Eng. Located in his native Brooklyn, the restaurant takes its name from the chef’s mother and presents itself explicitly as “Cantonese American”, with the emphasis on Cantonese flavors and philosophy, although this is complemented by influences from Eng’s personal experience. The cuisine is based on his memories of his mother’s home cooking, dining out with the family in Manhattan’s Chinatown, and browsing the stalls of its street vendors, from whom he now consciously sources many of his ingredients.

The heart of Bonnie's

The menu is rich not only in nostalgia but also in umami, savoriness, and saltiness, using a lot of fermented, salted, and dried products. Popular choices include Char Siu McRibs, fried salt and pepper squid with a sauce the chef describes as “Chinese ranch,” and Fuyu Cacio e Pepe Mein, an original take on the Italian classic in which the pasta is tossed with a garlicky compound butter made with fermented bean curd.

Located on a corner of Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, this 40-seat restaurant has a loud and lively vibe, boosted by a hip-hop soundtrack, a funky cocktail menu and, usually, a line of people waiting outside.

Much of the minimalist décor, which includes a checkered tile floor, was purchased in Chinatown and is to some extent inspired by cha chaan tengs, the old-school tea restaurants of Hong Kong, where Eng’s mother grew up. Old images of Chinatown hang on the walls. The bathroom, on the other hand, strikes a hipper note with its loud neon lighting. Another fun feature is the large wooden table near the front window with a giant Lazy Susan in the center. Seating up to 10 people, it’s the only table capable of holding the entire menu, apparently not an uncommon order.

As a teenager, Eng spent his time out of high school making sandwiches in a local deli and dreaming of having his own restaurant. He didn’t have to wait too long for that dream to come true, opening Bonnie’s when he was just 27 years old.

He spent the intervening years first studying culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and then building his experience and reputation at a string of successful Asian eateries in NYC, from Dig Inn to Nom Wah Nolita and finally Taiwanese American restaurant Win Son, where he spent three years as Chef de Cuisine. While never formally training as a chef in a Chinese restaurant, he took advantage of every opportunity to learn the essentials of running his own operation, and by 2021 he was ready to open Bonnie’s.

A string of rave reviews followed in publications ranging from Brooklyn magazine, Grub Street, The New York Times and The New Yorker to The Wall Street Journal and the South China Morning Post. In 2022, Bonnie’s was featured in Esquire and Bon Appetit’s lists of best new restaurants, and Eater awarded it the honor of Best Restaurant for the End of the World.

Eng was a James Beard Emerging Chef nominee in 2022 and was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs the same year. He appeared in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list the following year and was a StarChefs Rising Star. The James Beard Foundation included him as a 2023 Best Chef: New York State semifinalist.

The Chef

At his restaurant Bonnie’s in his native Brooklyn, Calvin Eng serves up the kind of Cantonese cooking he learned from his mother, rich in nostalgia, as well as natural umami, savoriness, and salt.
He opened Bonnie’s at just 27, after learning his trade in a series of New York’s busiest and most popular Asian eateries. Now Bonnie’s too can be counted among the city’s busiest and most popular, thanks to its menu of crowd-pleasing dishes, viral word-of-mouth, and its raft of rave reviews. Eng has received accolades from the James Beard Foundation, Food & Wine, and Forbes.

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