New York City is home to hundreds of Chinese restaurants in all of the different boroughs. The city's restaurants are so diverse that they cover the cooking traditions of nearly every different part of China. This is no surprise, considering the great regional diversity that the city has with its vibrant immigrant communities. There are three different Chinatowns located in New York City: one is in Flushing, one is in Manhattan and one is in Sunset Park. There are all kinds of Chinese restaurants from nice, white-tablecloth sit-downs to authentic hole-in-the-wall places. Here are just a few of New York City’s many great Chinese restaurants.
Don't Miss The Best Chinese Restaurants In New York City!
1. RedFarm
529 Hudson Street (Lower Manhattan) or 2170 Broadway (Upper West Side)
There are two RedFarm Chinese restaurants located in Manhattan, located in lower Manhattan and the upper west side. RedFarm is very high-end for a Chinese restaurant and also unique and creative in its food, presentation and aesthetic setting. Inside the restaurant, it could pass as a modern, American-style restaurant with its décor. There are some exceptional menu items to check out, like the extra-crispy orange beef or wok-fried wings, as well as dumplings that come in all kinds of creative shapes. Pork and shrimp shumai come skewered over shot glasses of warm carrot soup. The Pac-Man ghost dumplings with the sesame seed eyes are a RedFarm staple and the Katz's pastrami egg roll is another great item to try.
2. Grand Sichuan
19-23 St. Marks Place
There are multiple Grand Sichuan restaurants located throughout New York City, but one of the best is this branch located in Manhattan. The restaurant specializes in traditional Sichuan dishes and has a very extensive menu with over 80 items, so you may have some trouble choosing what you want. The good news is that it is very affordable and much cheaper than RedFarm. Grand Sichuan has popular menu items like their pork soup dumpling, General Tso’s chicken, gui zhou spicy chicken, double cooked pork, braised sliced fish with chili sauce, and more.
3. Fu Ran
40-09 Prince Street
Formerly Fu Run, Fu Ran is located in Flushing and is a fantastic Chinese restaurant. The owners hail from the Dong Bei region of China in the northeast of the country, where you find some of China’s heartiest foods. Fu Ran specializes in lamb, and one of their best dishes is the very large Muslim lamb chop, which is a rack of braised and tender lamb ribs that are then battered and fried. Fu Ran is also very good with fish with battered and fried chunks of fish fillets that are very delicious, such as the Yellow Fish or the Hairtail.
4. Han Dynasty
90 Third Avenue
Han Dynasty is another popular Chinese restaurant, located in Manhattan Chinatown. Here you get fiery Szechuan style food that is hot and spicy and also salty. The décor in the restaurant is aesthetically pleasing with its yellow walls and Chinese oil paintings. Han Dynasty is known for its starters, with monster spiced chicken wings, delicate pork wontons and the unique and delicious dandan noodles. The entrees offer over a dozen different styles and ways to cook chicken, fish, lamb or pork.
5. Fung Tu
22 Orchard Street
Fung Tu is a very modern Chinese restaurant where it delves into 21st century Chinese food. Inside the restaurant, you’ll find a wood-rich décor that is particularly pleasant during the colder months of the year. Some of the best options are the dishes that have very assertive flavors, like the steamed whole fish, the sweet potato rice cakes and duck-stuffed dates. Fung Tu is recognized for its new approach to Chinese food that gives each guest an original experience. Fung Tu also has great drink selections behind the bar with their variety of Asian rice wines.
6. Legend
88 7th Avenue
Legend Restaurant and Bar is another great place to check out. It specializes in spicy Szechuan-style foods. Some of their best items include their smaller plates, like the Chengdu-style eggplant, battered and fried kernels of sweet corn, and pieces of fried shrimp that are topped with shavings of salted egg yolk and spicy cucumbers. Legend’s dandan noodles and Sichuan spicy Ma Po tofu with black beans are other great orders.
7. Big Wong
67 Mott Street
Big Wong is a great place with a silly name, located in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Big Wong is a long time favorite for people in the area with their great Hong Kong style of food and noteworthy small plates. They have an extremely extensive menu of over 150 items, so it may be hard for you to choose. The good news is that you can’t really go wrong because they have a bit of everything and offer it at great prices. Try the preserved egg and pork congee, the roast pork, or the soy sauce chicken, among dozens of other great menu items.
This article was written by Cameron Lafontaine.