VIEW SLIDESHOW: Where to Eat Chinese Food in New York City
Editor's Note: There's never been a better time to eat Chinese food in New York, so here's our comprehensive-but-selective guide to it all: the good, the great, and the decent, all to help you find the best Chinese food across the boroughs. Listings are grouped by restaurant specialty and neighborhood; you can find a map with them all at the bottom of this post. Know about something we missed? Tell us in the comments below, or send your tips to nyeditor@seriouseats.com—we'll update this post as we expand our restaurant coverage. Want to head straight to some food porn instead? Hit up the slideshow above. — M.F.
Sit-Down Restaurants
Scallion pancakes at Legend. [Photograph: Max Falkowitz]
Legend (Chelsea): One of the best options for Sichuan food in Manhattan. The deeply flavorful dishes don't let up on the heat; we're big fans of the Tears in Eyes and Chonqing chicken.
Grand Sichuan (Chelsea and Elsewhere): Hardly the best Sichuan in New York, but it does in a pinch, and we'll admit it: we like our gloppy Chinese food every once in a while, and Grand Sichuan does it pretty well.
Shanghai Cafe (Chinatown): A standout ambassador for Cantonese in Chinatown, and understandably popular. Home to our favorite soup dumplings in Chinatown, and with plenty of other good eating, too.
Shanghai 456 (Chinatown): Tasty Shanghai-style cooking in a clean and bright space. The lunch specials are a particularly good deal.
Amazing 66 (Chinatown): You'll find all the Chinese classics here, mostly prepared well, but also some innovations like pastrami shrimp fried rice.
Great NY Noodletown (Chinatown): One of the few restaurants in Chinatown that's open late, and something of a neighborhood icon. On a good day it's in the running for best roast pork in the entire city. The noodle dishes aren't half bad, either.
Red Egg (Chinatown): Order your dim sum off a menu instead of from a cart at this squeaky clean joint. It's more expensive than the other dim sum spots here, but the food is much more fresh and full-flavored.
Rice cakes at Shanghai Asian Cuisine. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Shanghai Asian Cuisine (Chinatown): A good lunch place in a sea of restaurants in Chinatown; the rice cakes are done particularly well.
Wild Ginger (Chinatown): A restaurant for vegans who aren't crazy about faux meat. Dishes like Moo-Shu Vegetables are satisfying and not too heavy.
Hot Kitchen (East Village): Not the best Sichuan in New York, but it's your best bet in the East Village. Shredded beef with spicy green peppers is one of the better options on the menu.
Grand Sichuan (East Village and Elsewhere): Hardly the best Sichuan in New York, but it does in a pinch, and we'll admit it: we like our gloppy Chinese food every once in a while, and Grand Sichuan does it pretty well.
Gu Shine (Flushing): A suitable ambassador for Taiwanese cooking in the heart of Flushing. Yup, they do stinky tofu, and they do it well.
Fu Run (Flushing): One of New York's best northern Chinese restaurant. The flagship dish, the braised, spice-crusted, battered, and deep fried Muslim Lamb Chop is a Flushing must.
Hunan House (Flushing): A real-deal Hunan restaurant that is not shy about offering fish stomach, offal, and pig ears.
Lao Cheng Du (Flushing): A home for spirited, seriously spicy Sichuan with a home cook's edge. The Diced Rabbit with Red Chili Sauce and Spicy Chicken with Hot Pepper are big hits, but so is most of the menu.
Biang! (Flushing): The flagship restaurant of the Xi'an Famous Foods empire, with all the spicy noodles and salads you know and love plus a range of other great dishes that show off the range of Xi'an's cooking. The menu tops out at $15, and the clean, modern design makes this one of Flushing's more interesting restaurants.
Little Pepper (Flushing): An iconic Sichuan spot off Flushing's main avenues over in College Point, but it's worth the hike, especially if you're into offal.
Braised beef rolls at Yunnan Kitchen. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Yunnan Kitchen (Lower East Side): One of New York's only Yunnan restaurants, albeit with a modernized, Western spin. That means the flavors are a little toned down, but they still deliver.
Mission Chinese Food (Lower East Side): This San Francisco import is one of New York's most fascinating Chinese restaurants, in the full spirit of Sichuan cooking but gleefully inauthentic. The waits are long, and the space is cramped, but good service and dishes like kung pao pastrami speak for themselves.
Congee Village and Bowery (Lower East Side): Both restaurants offer a range of Chinese classics, but their specialty is congee, and that's what you should stick to. It's served in a ceramic casserole, creamy and soothing after a rough Lower East Side night.
Grand Sichuan (Midtown East and Elsewhere): Hardly the best Sichuan in New York, but it does in a pinch, and we'll admit it: we like our gloppy Chinese food every once in a while, and Grand Sichuan does it pretty well.
Café China (Midtown East): Our vote for the best Sichuan in midtown, and in the city, for that matter. The clean, well-designed space is several steps above your average New York Chinese restaurant.
Land of Plenty (Midtown East): Another good Sichuan spot, and a little upscale, but dishes like smoky wok-tossed diced chicken with thousand crispy chili and peanuts deliver on intense heat.
Grand Sichuan (Midtown West and Elsewhere): Hardly the best Sichuan in New York, but it does in a pinch, and we'll admit it: we like our gloppy Chinese food every once in a while, and Grand Sichuan does it pretty well.
Szechuan Gourmet (Midtown West): One of Midtown's (and Manhattan's) best Sichuan restaurants. Twice-cooked pork is nice here, as is the crispy lamb with cumin.
Grand Sichuan (Murray Hill and Elsewhere): Hardly the best Sichuan in New York, but it does in a pinch, and we'll admit it: we like our gloppy Chinese food every once in a while, and Grand Sichuan does it pretty well.
Legend (Upper West Side): This Sichuan restaurant isn't as good as the Chelsea original, but it's a boon to the neighborhood, and the subtler, less spicy dishes have plenty going for them.
Grand Sichuan (Upper West Side and Elsewhere): Hardly the best Sichuan in New York, but it does in a pinch, and we'll admit it: we like our gloppy Chinese food every once in a while, and Grand Sichuan does it pretty well.
RedFarm (West Village): This Hudson Street establishment provides Chinese-American deliciousness that is hard to come by in NYC. The Spicy Crispy Beef is a great example of what this place aims for.
Grand Sichuan (West Village and Elsewhere): Hardly the best Sichuan in New York, but it does in a pinch, and we'll admit it: we like our gloppy Chinese food every once in a while, and Grand Sichuan does it pretty well.
Dim Sum
Dim sum at 88 Palace. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
88 Palace (Chinatown): Our favorite dim sum in Chinatown. It has plenty of variety, high quality, and bargain basement prices.
Jing Fong (Chinatown): A truly massive dim sum house, popular with tourists and brunchers. The food tends towards greasy, but it's satisfying all the same, and the scene can't be beat.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor (Chinatown): New York's oldest dim sum restaurant got a facelift some years ago, leading to much better food at very cheap prices. While the a la carte dim sum is mostly good, the steamed rice rolls are killer.
Vegetarian Dim Sum House (Chinatown): Not the best dim sum in town, but for vegetarians who dig faux meat, it's a more than satisfying recreation of the dim sum experience.
Stir fried turnip cake with duck at Reg Egg. [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
Red Egg (Chinatown): Order your dim sum off a menu instead of from a cart at this squeaky clean joint. It's more expensive than the other dim sum spots here, but the food is much more fresh and full-flavored.
Dim Sum Go Go (Chinatown): Another a la carte dim sum spot. The fried dishes are the way to go here.
Asian Jewels (Flushing):Also known as Ocean Jewel, this cavernous restaurant is very popular for brunch, so be prepared to line up at peak hours. The dim sum isn't as good as it used to be, it's still a decent option in Flushing.
Diverse Dim Sum (Flushing): Dim sum in a mall food court? Yup, and most of it's good. Small, intensely flavored soup dumplings are the star here.
East Ocean Palace (Forest Hills): Not just the best dim sum in Forest Hills (not much competition there), but some of the best in Queens. The menu boasts some unique dishes like fried rice balls stuffed with crab meat.
Pacificana (Sunset Park): Some of New York's best dim sum, a definite highlight of Sunset Park's Chinatown.
New Spring Garden (Sunset Park): The dim sum is inconsistent here, but delicious on its good days. Steamed rice rolls are the best of the offerings.
Dumplings
Fried pork dumplings from Tasty Dumpling. [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
Tasty Dumpling (Chinatown): Some of our favorite fried dumplings in Chinatown, $1.25 for five incredibly juicy potstickers that are usually fried to order.
Lam Zhou (Chinatown): This Fujianese hole in the wall makes especially juicy pork dumplings, some of Chinatown's best, though the hand-pulled noodles are a tad overcooked.
Super Taste (Chinatown): Another Fujianese restaurant, more of a noodle shop, but their steamed pork and chive dumplings don't disappoint, a good option if you want to avoid fried versions.
Yoz Shanghai (Flushing): This Golden Shopping Mall stall does a number of deadlines, most of them not very well. But their boiled pork and leek dumplings are worth seeking out: juicy, clean-tasting, and absolutely full of aromatic greenery.
My Sweet Home Dumpling (Flushing): The pork and chive dumplings here are always fresh, since they'll only start rolling dough for your batch once you order. The resulting skins are pleasantly chewy but thin, and the filling is fresh and clean-tasting.
Pork and fennel dumplings at Best North Dumpling. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Best North Dumpling (Flushing): This small shop in a narrow mall offers chewy-skinned pork and dill dumplings (the menu calls it "fennel") that are full of bright, herbal flavors.
White Bear (Flushing): A Flushing legend for their wontons in hot oil, delicate pork wontons topped with a mild chili oil, roasted chilies, and preserved mustard root. Another Flushing must.
Sifu Chio (Flushing): This restaurant specializes in wontons and noodle soup; their wonton noodle soup combo is one of the best in New York. Their pork and shrimp wontons are fat, juicy, and well flavored.
Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (Flushing): A soup dumpling specialist with some of the better xiao long bao in New York. The rest of the menu is mostly filler, though the cold appetizer counter has some good options.
Tianjin Dumpling House (Flushing): Possibly the best dumplings in New York, if for their hearty vegetarian and delicate, self-saucing lamb and green squash dumplings. Other dumpling offerings, like pork, shrimp, and chive, or beef and turnip, are also great, if not on the same transcendental level.
Chinese-Korean Noodles and Dumpling (Flushing): One of the best vendors left in the Flushing Mall; their thick, hearty boiled "three kinds dumpling" (pork, shrimp, and chive) in chili dipping sauce is the star.
Sliced Noodles (Flushing): This is a noodle shop in Flushing's glitzy New World Mall, but the real winner is the incredibly juicy pork and leek potstickers. Starch falls off the dumplings' skins during steaming and fries into a lacy, crisp sheet, which binds all the dumplings together on one plate.
Lao Wang Ji (Flushing): They don't speak much English at this Golden Shopping Mall stall, so be clear with your order: you want small wantons in soup, a Fujianese specialty of wispy pork wontons in a rich chicken broth.
Noodles
Noodles at Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Tasty Hand Pulled Noodles (Chinatown): One of our favorite hand-pulled noodle spots in Chinatown. You can order your noodles by thickness a nice customizable touch; we'd recommend getting them stir fried rather than in soup.
Spicy Village (Chinatown): Problem: the thick, bouncy hand-pulled noodles at this Henan shop are great, but most of the broths leave something to be desired. Solution: order them on top of the Big Tray of Chicken, a saucy, spicy stew of chicken wings and thighs with potatoes and star anise.
Xi'an Famous Foods (Chinatown and Elsewhere): Though the lamb and pork burgers are something special, the shop's uniquely thick hand-pulled noodles with lamb and a ton of cumin are a citywide favorite.
Sheng Wang (Chinatown): Hole in the wall Fujianese noodle shop that makes some of Chinatown's best hand-pulled noodles.
Roast duck noodles at New Hon Won. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
New Hon Won (Chinatown): Rice noodles like chow fun are cheap and especially well done here. (The congee's good, too.)
Xi'an Famous Foods (East Village and Elsewhere): Though the lamb and pork burgers are something special, the shop's uniquely thick hand-pulled noodles with lamb and a ton of cumin are a citywide favorite.
Lao Bei Fang (Elmhurst): This hand-pulled noodle specialist has a bonus treat for offal lovers: a bowl of soup noodles with some enormous marrow bones.
Uncle Zhou (Elmhurst): This Elmhurst noodle shop is better suited to thicker knife-cut noodles.
Nutritious Lamb Noodles (Flushing): Another Henan noodle shop, this one in the Golden Shopping Mall. It specializes in gamey broth with tender lamb.
Xi'an Famous Foods (Flushing and Elsewhere): Though the lamb and pork burgers are something special, the shop's uniquely thick hand-pulled noodles with lamb and a ton of cumin are a citywide favorite.
Biang! (Flushing): Noodles in the same vein as Xi'an, but in a nicer setting. The flagship of the Xi'an Famous Foods empire.
Lan Zhou (Flushing): Hand-pulled noodle vendor in the Golden Shopping Mall. The cold noodles with cucumber are especially nice.
Xi'an Famous Foods (Midtown West and Elsewhere): Though the lamb and pork burgers are something special, the shop's uniquely thick hand-pulled noodles with lamb and a ton of cumin are a citywide favorite.
Yun Nan Flavor Snack (Sunset Park): New York's only traditional Yunnan restaurant, a small, cash-only shop with some great cheap finds, like rice noodles with crispy meat sauce.
Noodle Village(Chinatown): A small shop that does a serious wonton noodle soup. If you order it to go, the restaurant will pack the noodles separately so they don't get soggy.
Snacks and Misc. Specialties
Roast pork from Big Wong King. [Photograph: Max Falkowitz]
Big Wong King (Chinatown): Though the menu is spotty, the roast pork and roast duck are among the best in Chinatown.
Peking Duck House (Chinatown): A spot for, you guessed it, Peking duck that's worth the splurge.
Excellent Pork Chop House (Chinatown): Not surprisingly, pork chops are the name of the game, done quite well here.
Hua Ji Pork Chop Fast Food (Chinatown): Or get your pork chops Taiwanese-style.
Golden Steamer (Chinatown): Chinatown's best steamed buns. Pork and vegetable and char siu roast pork are highlights.
Sun Hing Lung Co (Chinatown): Excellent resh tofu available from the morning to 4 p.m. or so. It's especially vegetal and soy bean-y, as is the creamy soy milk. The small shop has a counter at the front that sells steamed rice rolls, which are some of the best you'll find in a stryofoam container.
New Beef King (Chinatown): Chinese-style Jerky that comes in thin leathery strips and larger, juicier chunks. Flavors range from sweet to spicy; we're fans of the curry beef chunks in particular.
212 Grand Food Corp (Chinatown): A jack of all trades shop that makes delightfully greasy crullers (you tiao) and a satisfying mess of greens.
Stir fried rice rolls from Mei LI Wah. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Mei Li Wah (Chinatown): This bakery and cafe is best known for its roast pork buns, which we think have gone downhill. But the rice rolls and congee are still worth a visit.
Xin Jiang Prosperity Kebab (Chinatown): A standout kebab cart in Chinatown, with everything from chicken to squid on skewers. But it's the chili- and cumin-dusted lamb kebabs that draw the crowds here.
Vanessa's Dumpling House (Chinatown and Elsewhere): We're not crazy about their dumplings, but their crisp, almost doughnutty sesame pancake sandwiches may be the best in town.
Rice Roll Carts (Chinatown) Two rice roll carts occupy the northern corners of Elizabeth and Hester Streets in Chinatown. Both charge $1.25 for a freshly steamed rice roll, a great breakfast (or lunch).
Soy Bean Chen (Flushing): This florist has a window up front that sells creamy, custardy fresh tofu with your choice of sweet or spicy toppings. We prefer the latter.
Corner 28 (Flushing): Look for a small window near the front entrance of this mini food court. There you can find steaming-hot Peking duck buns, sold for a dollar each. They go a little heavy on the hoisin, but for crisp-skinned Peking duck it's a great deal, even by Flushing standards.
XSG Dumpling House (Sunset Park): Dumplings are in the name, but the real winner is the amply stuffed crisp sesame pancake.
Vanessa's Dumpling House (Williamsburg and Elsewhere): We're not crazy about their dumplings, but their crisp, almost doughnutty sesame pancake sandwiches may be the best in town.
Sweets and Tea
Mochi with black sesame paste at Yat Yat Sweet. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Yat Yat Sweet (Bath Beach): A destination for Hong Kong-style tong sui desserts like black sesame paste, red bean rice balls, and warming sweet ginger soups.
Bread Talk (Chinatown): Chinese bakery that's home to our favorite egg custard tart in the neighborhood.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop (Chinatown): The coffee's whatever, but for 70 cents you get a perfect steamed sponge cake, light and fresh and warm. Go early before they sell out.
Sun's Organic Tea Shop (Chinatown): The best loose leaf tea shop in Chinatown with a focus on green, oolong, and herbal teas. They also do some healthy takes on bubble tea.
Teado (Chinatown): Some of the best milk and bubble tea around from a tiny shop. The high quality tea is brewed perfectly, and they let you fine-tune your sweetness levels before committing to a full cup. If you're looking for something more weighty, try a cup of herbal jelly with tapioca, a mix of beans and grass jelly that's not too sweet.
Golden Steamer (Chinatown): Chinatown's best steamed buns. The salted egg yolk and pumpkin buns) for 70 cents each are great.
Express Tea Shop (Golden Shopping Mall) (Flushing): Though they offer an array of interesting desserts, the osmanthus jelly wins out.
New Flushing Bakery (Flushing): While the bakery as a whole is just alright, the Portuguese egg custard tarts are incredible—light and creamy with deep vanilla flavor and a shatter-crisp crust.
Fang Gourmet Tea (Flushing): Hands-down the best source for Taiwanese tea in New York City. While the teas are expensive, a tea tasting ceremony costs just a few bucks. A can't-miss Flushing experience.
Hot Pot
Broth at Mister Hot Pot. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Hou Yi (Chinatown): You pay a fixed rate for two hours of all you can eat hot pot with intensely flavored broths and plenty of dip-ins. Be careful with that spicy broth—it's not joking.
Little Sheep (Flushing): Sure, it's an international chain, but it gets all the essentials of hot pot right. We recommend ordering your broth half-spicy, half-mild.
Mister Hotpot (Sunset Park): Excellent hot pot in Brooklyn's Chinatown. The mild broth is a must-order, rich with marrow for something almost as creamy as ramen broth.
Shopping Mall Food Courts
Golden Shopping Mall. [Photograph: Max Falkowitz]
Golden Shopping Mall (Flushing): The city's must-visit Chinese food court destination, a cramped, frenetic two-floor space with vendors from all over China. Take a full tour here.
Flushing Mall (Flushing): This food court is fast emptying out, but it's still home to some standout vendors like Diverse Dim Sum and Chinese-Korean Noodles and Dumpling.
New World Mall (Flushing): Massive, energetic food court popular with Flushing's younger eaters. Stalls are more glitzy here, and while we don't love everything, a few stand out well, like Sliced Noodles.