From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was no longer in New York, which is an extra perk during a work lunch. It is minimalist and beautiful, and again the space feels like a little escape, and everything was very clean. My favorite appetizer was the Cold Noodles with Shredded Chicken. The wheat noodles, chicken, chili oil, and peanuts came together so well. I loved the sweet, slightly tangy sauce. It was easily one of the most flavorful dishes I tried for the appetizers . The spicy cucumbers are definitely spicy, so be prepared. I also had the Shanghai Shumai, which were good and full of flavor from the sticky rice, Chinese pork sausage, salted egg yolk, and shiitake mushrooms. I just wish there had been soy sauce or another dipping sauce served alongside them. For my entree, I ordered the Short Ribs . They were tender and delicious and helped balance some of the spice from the other dishes. The carrots with the caramel sauce were such a nice touch. The flavor was sweet, savory, and carmel mixed with Carmel reminded me of yams. I also tried the Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce, and that was actually my favorite entree dish overall. The pork and bell peppers in their sauce was so flavorful and not spicy . Best part was leaving already wanting to come back and try more from the menu. I also love, love, love the drinks, especially the Chungking Express. The only comment to add is the service from waiter was slow but maybe it was a one time th read more

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Have not been for a long and recently went for dinner before a train back to DC. This is an excellent little tuck around corner place. Traditional chinese food cooked well. No magic, just straight up decent food. Service is good, generally attentive and no fuss. Decor is not but special, may be not be a place for a special date but certain a place to eat chinese food. Food: If you like veggie, get the pea shoots - garlic or pouched. Those are not easy to make at home without that hot stove. The fish blossom is very nicely cook. It is tilapia so the seafood taste is not as special as a Bronzino, but a lot less expensive. Excellent sweet and sour balance. Japanese pumkin cake is just ok. Would probably go for other dessert. It is chewy without a nice mouth feel. Taste is ok, not too sweet. read more

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I ate at the bar here so I really can't speak much to the ambiance although the place seems spacious and appeared to have two floors. Pretty lively as well as folks were consistently going in and out. The service here was solid as well and the bartenders made good drinks. The one hiccup was when I came in, they assumed I was like a doordash or uber eats pick-up guy. Now what would make you think that? Not cool but I let it roll of my back. Anyway, the food here is pretty good. Had the chungqing (sp) spicy chicken and the fried rice with mustard green shoots. So yummy. I think this place is underrated, food wise. Will be back -- hoping for a better greeting next time. read more

Had a great dinner here with friends. We shared the kung pao chicken, twice cooked pork, eggplant & string beans, and shrimp friend rice among the 4 of us. Would recommend all the dishes. Solid place for slightly upscale Chinese food! read more

Lovely staff. The food was great. True schezwan food - too over powering peppers. Just a prefect hint. The cocktails are on point. read more

It was well worth the 10+ minute walking from my hotel on East side! I did a takeout. Mapo tofu, Pork dumplings in chili oil, mustard green fried rice and white rice. Everything was very good even the plain white rice which was fresh and moist. Mapo tofu tastes very authentic probably because they use authentic condiments and ingredients. Online order was easy with Apple Pay, and my order was accurate and ready ontime. read more

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As someone visiting from Vancouver, my bar for Chinese food is admittedly sky-high. But when I stumbled into Cafe China just down the street from my hotel, I was so pleasantly surprised. It's safe to say it blew my expectations away. The space is incredibly quaint, relaxing, and beautifully styled. It has a gorgeous vintage vibe that makes you want to linger, offering a perfect escape from the chaotic city streets outside. Let's just say it could easily hold its own in the competitive Vancouver food scene. Everything was incredibly flavorful, fresh, and executed with serious skill. High praise, but well deserved! Finding exceptional service, authentic Chinese food in the heart of Manhattan can be a gamble, but Cafe China is the real deal. Whether you're a local or a picky out-of-towner, this spot is highly recommended! I dined in solo and had the Lime Ice Tea (house-made), Tofu Ribbons in Scallion Oil, Pork Soup Dumplings, Tea Smoked Duck with whole wheat buns. read more

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First time we dined here was New Years Eve 2023. We were quite impressed with the 1940's Shanghai-Styled decor, and the great food. My wife has been here numerous times, for early weekday lunches, so I decided to tag along one Friday. The place has a different vibe during the day, then at night. We got there at noon, and the place was dead. However, the lunch menu is real bargain, and comes out of the kitchen quick. Definitely a great lunch..if you aren't afraid of a little spice read more

Cafe China - Bento Lunch - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

The cumin lamb was solid, but on the chewy side and not that spicy despite us saying they could make that one spicier. Mapo tofu was good, but got cold almost immediately somehow. Green beans are always yummy lol. Was not a fan of the fish soup at all, way too sour! Nice vibe and nice place, but maybe just not the best for our go to Sichuan dishes :( read more

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I've been here for dinner but I wanted to try a big boozy lunch as well--started with the Flowers of Shanghai cocktail, beautiful purple martini topped with frothy egg white...it tastes like being gently kissed by a flower: 10/10. I then chose the double cooked pork bento with purple rice and the kung fu shrimp entree. The server warned that it was a lot of food so I also added the pork soup dumplings to really round out the meal. The bento was fantastic, the side of cucumber was a pleasant reset after bites of salty pork and crunchy shrimp. I like to eat the shrimp with the skin and legs on, deliciously crunchy and pleasantly salty! The dry red peppers were also fried crispy and you can eat them like a chip snack. The soup dumplings come in a serving of 4 with vinegar and ginger slices. Small but great. One New Yorker crossword puzzle later and I was stuffed and happy. Until next time! read more

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As a fan of Birds of a Feather, I've been meaning to try this place for a while. I think the interior here is maybe my favorite interior design of any restaurant I've been to. It's so cute and the service is extremely warm and friendly. I came here with my parents, so we ordered less spicy dishes. We started with the dumplings in chili oil, which were juicy and plump. The richness of the pork filling was well balanced with herby vegetal flavor and the wrappers were smooth and silky. For our main course, we shared the string beans, the braised pork and the curiously tasty chicken. The string beans were perfectly cooked and seasoned lightly. The braised pork is very salty and rich, complemented by the lightness of the soft homemade silken tofu underneath and the pickled mustard greens. The curiously tasty chicken contained soft, tender chicken and cubes of winter melon, all cooked in a savory rich sauce. For dessert, we had the coconut ice cream which was full of coconut flavor and had chewy pieces of coconut throughout, and the Japanese pumpkin cake which was soft and bouncy and came very hot with rich red bean filling. They have a large menu which will be able to suit a variety of palettes. This is a good option for a newcomer to Sichuan food. While there are certainly restaurants serving slightly more intense and spicy Sichuan food in Flushing, none do so in such a well decorated and comfortable environment with a selection of unique cocktails like you'll get here at Cafe China. As a big fan of Sichuan food, this was the perfect place to take my parents to introduce them to some of it. read more

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On the more expensive side but it is in midtown Manhattan. Pretty solid dishes overall. Favorites were the okra, spicy fish fillets, and the pig trotters. read more

Cafe China - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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Rating: 3.5 stars I came by here for a Holiday Party with my office. As we were a larger group, we had to make reservations ahead of time and were seated in one of the private rooms upstairs. The space was nice and cozy. Our servers throughout the meal were also great. Since we were a large group, we had a pre fixe menu but were able to order off the normal menu as well if there was anything else we wanted to add. I thought the food was ok. Nothing amazing unfortunately but it was comforting. All in all, an ok option for Chinese food in the area. read more

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This place is truly wonderful, and a great place to host a private work meeting or small table group but the food is traditional shots Juan so if you're looking for other options or any flexibility, you won't get that here. Tonight was the third time I've died in a private room and it's totally worth every penny if you're looking for special ambience, but you might be lacking customer service or attention like my group did tonight if you're interested definitely make a reservation and check it out as it is truly a special experience in fine dining read more

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As somebody who spends many months of the year in China, THIS is authentic, delicious Chinese cuisine. It's in a touristy area, but don't let that deter you: it's worth the trip. Everything from the food to the cocktails and the ambience is to be savored. I had the "Lust Caution" cocktail to start followed by pork belly and noodles. Worth the visit for locals and tourists alike! Get multiple dishes to try and share the love. read more

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We got the prie fix menu that included scallion pancakes, shredded tofu, mouthwatering chicken, eggplant, pepper beef, lobster, green beans, green tea ice cream and mochi. The food was all greasy. Left my partner and I super puffy the next morning. The tilapia in the fish blossom dish was very fishy and not good. I liked the scallion pancake, cucumbers, and soup dumplings. The lobster was good but greasy and hard to eat in the shell the way the cut it. Service between the appetizers and main dishes was also quite slow. The waiter did keep the waters full and brought out extra napkins. read more

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A friend treated me to dinner at Cafe China while I was visiting NYC. It's now easily my favorite Chinese restaurant to dine at. Service has always been excellent for me. Love it here! Portions are generous Seafood dishes are their specialty, like whole steamed fish. My favs: sauteed mushrooms w/cabbage, pickled veggies (almost kimchi like) There's probably seating for about 10 people at the bar...service is excellent & attentive. On my last visit, the bartender served me a free wee dram of one of their popular gins: St. George's Terroir bc I expressed disappointment that they didn't have Tanqueray 10 Gin. Note: non-Asians tend to order beef or chicken dishes, but really, the best main dishes are the seafood ones. read more

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Oh boy. This was one of those meals where every dish that came out somehow topped the one before it. We got our own little private room (with its own coat closet?? Amazing) for our large party and service was fantastic! Apps, mains, and noodles all came out at a great pace and our server was constantly checking if we needed more drinks. The cocktails here are very unique, our table loved the classic lychee martinis though. For food, there truly wasn't one dish I didn't enjoy. They had a wide selection on the menu, including vegetarian options (tofu was great!). Some highlights include the spicy chili oil dumplings, the soup dumplings, the shrimp dumplings, the eggplant & green beans, and the fried rice. We had multiple chicken dishes and they all were great. The mushroom dish was good, but beware suuuuper spicy if you're a wimp like me. I forget which dish had sichuan peppercorns, but our table had a fun time experiencing those (iykyk). All in all - vibes, food, and service were immaculate. I will definitely be suggesting this place for group lunches and dinners in the future. read more

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The lunch special is a generous portion and was tasty! I really liked the shredded pork, and my friend enjoyed the fish. Staff was friendly and didn't rush us when we lingered after eating. read more

This is my favorite place in New York, and the only place I recommend to absolutely anyone. The atmosphere is absolutely lovely, whether you are sitting at the bar, at one of their jade tables or in a booth upstairs. The menu is meant to be shared. The entrees are quite large, and its better if you get a variety. My favorite menu items are the dan dan noodles and the dumplings in chili oil, but all of the dim sum is fantastic! We also love sharing the eggplant and a fried rice. I'ce also had the soft shell crab which I was very impressed by, but the chicken in peppers is oretty spicy. Their cocktails and wine selection is absolutely lovely as well. Our go-tos are the flowers of shanghai, and the lucky lychee. Their rating system for the spicyness is no joke, if there's one pepper next to the menu item, someone sensitive will be able to feel it so don't take it lightly. The location is fantastic, its close to broadway and bryant park, and so close to Penn Station if you are just visiting the city. Its sure to impress, as I've been back countless times. read more

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I've been trying various Sichuan spots and cafe china came highly recommended. We tried various dishes; the jumbo prawn, three pepper chicken, spicy fish fillets, spicy cumin lamb, fried rice, and scallion pancake. The chicken, fish and shrimp all seemed to have the same flavor, the peppercorn was very prominent and it was all spicy. The cumin lamb was ok, and the fried rice and scallion pancakes were good. The three pepper chicken was probably my favorite, but overall nothing stood out to me. read more

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I have been wanting to try this place for a very long time. finally pop in for a visit during lunch time on a weekday. it really exceeded my expectation. there are so many sichuan restaurants in NYC and it's already hard to top one another. but the food here is really unique and the service is a top notch. Love their old shanghai decor makes it cozy and quiet enough to be able to talk to each other without screaming. there are multiple floors even seats that best for solo as well. The dish most wows me is the spicy soft shell crab. there are so much crab in it and loaded with flavor. Tea Smoked Duck is very juicy with smoky taste. Pork Dumplings in Chili Oil is one of the best flavor in NYC, it's very authentic taste with a little sweet and a little spicy. the lucky cup sake is very easy to drink if you want to take advantage of their happy hour price for only $8 There are some lunch bento specials as well, if you are not a person to share. there are also plenty to choose from. read more

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A big fan of the cuisine! Went during lunch and it wasn't terribly crowded to get a table for two! The pork belly and the duck fried rice paired beautifully-- wish we got more food to try however! I also wish the cucumber salad was a bit chilled, but it was still great nonetheless! Cheers! read more

Cafe China - Spicy Cucumbers - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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The goat fried fish, no comparison, one of one. Pickled veggies are a perfect side. Travels well for delivery and is very consistent.

Organized a dinner for a work event, and was very impressed with the seamless booking process, menu selection, and value! I would definitely come back to dine with family and friends. Standout dishes to me was the fish, kung fu shrimp, and poached okra! Service was also very attentive throughout the dinner, and I really like the private dining spaces upstairs. read more

Cafe China - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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We enjoyed everything I ordered!! We tried all of this for 6 people. You can make a last minute reservation on the day of or you can walk in, as well! Fish Blossom Spicy Cumin Lamb Loofa with scallop Spicy Fish Fillet Fried rice with duck Fried rice with shrimp Mouth watering fish read more

Great food, great service and just an overall good experience. You feel like you are in your Chinese auntie's dining room, very homey and low key. Try the dan dan noodles and the cumin lamb. These are my go to dishes. read more

Cafe China - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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They have plenty of private rooms for parties which is a plus. We chose a variety of dishes for our party. The only stand out ones was the fish blossom but it was rather sweet. The shrimp hargow is solid and has real whole pieces of shrimp. The eggplant was good and came piping hot. Fried rice was mid and string beans were pretty good. I asked multiple times for chili sauce or oil and had to remind them a couple times before they brought it out. They're also quite stingey with the sauces. The customer service was not good and it felt like pulling teeth to catch their attention. read more

We made reservation for this place and we're taking to a corner table on the second floor. We had an amazing Waiter who was friendly and instructive and descriptive of the dishes. There were so many things on the menu that we wanted to try but had to settle for three starters and three main courses. I can easily say that we were all pleased with what we ordered, and we all said that we wanted to come back to this place. For me, it was possibly the best Chinese restaurant in the city so many of the other Chinese restaurants seem to be all the same . I think this may have to do with the fact that.this is Szechuan cuisine and from what I tasted possibly the real thing We started with their signature Lucky Lychee Cocktail, an Old Fashion and I had sake. For starters we shared the Peking Duck with Steamed Buns, Pork Dumplings In Chili Oil, Dan Dan Noodles. We loved all of them and notice their unique taste. The duck could have been hotter even though no one thought otherwise. For the mains, we tried Curiously Tasty Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Poached Snow Pea Shoots, Shrimp Fried Rice With Chinese Sausage. We loved them all. The vegetables were fresh, crisp, delicious. The rice was not oily but just the right moisture & flavor. We took most of the Curiously Tasty Chicken home as we could not finish and it tasted better the next day. Not curious at all since the spices liberated most of their flavors overnight. The atmosphere was electric and thankfully not your normal Chinese decor. We were treated courteously and professionally by the staff and as it was our first time guided nicely by our waiter. Definitely going back!! Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 read more

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A great place to try something new! I've never really tried Sichuan before, but this was a great introduction. My group had a reservation for Sunday night. The place has good ambiance and friendly service. Sometimes it was a little slow, but I appreciated not being rushed. I shared the ma po tofu, eggplants in garlic sauce, and scallion pancakes. The tofu was not too spicy (probably not spicy enough for some people) and I liked the sauce on the eggplant. The scallion pancake was my favorite, I would absolutely order this again. The purple rice was nothing special in my opinion. I'd definitely return, but not a meal I will be dreaming out. read more

Cafe China - Bar - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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The good: -cumin lamb, kung pao chicken, dan dan noodles, double cooked pork, and mapo tofu were all very solid -waiters were attentive -cute space for larger groups with coat rack The bad: -pork buns were straight up cold. Meat was cold and the bun itself was hard and not at all fluffy. How pan fried pork buns can be cold idk. I had come here three years back and they were way better and actually memorable. -shrimp fried rice was also cold and the rice was clumpy, indicating the rice was either overcooked, too wet, etc -string beans were overly oil in my opinion, maybe fried too long -appetizers were brought out after the entrees read more

Food: The food comes out incredibly fast. They are small plates that you can share. We got: -Crispy Eel Wuxi Style- sweet-savory and crunchy/chewy -Mung Bean Jelly- good, but hard to grab with chopsticks; we gave up -Crystal Shrimp Dumplings (4)- standard and good -Spicy Cucumbers- standard and good -Spicy Fish Fillets- perfectly crispy and spicy -Short Ribs in Claypot- yummy but overcooked; the meat wasn't tender, it was hard Drinks: I wasn't super impressed by their cocktail list. I think they could've used Asian liquors but what they had were Western brands. I'm glad to have tried the food here, but it was good for a one-time visit. The restaurant was packed though. read more

Cafe China - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

I came to Cafe China for a private dinner and it was lovely! The private rooms are upstairs and only accessible via staircase. The rooms were a good size and had a coat closet which was nice. I had a gin and tonic to drink but their original cocktails look good too. We had veggie dumplings and scallion pancakes to start which were delicious! The entree served was fish, but I cannot eat fish so I opted for the sizes of beans and rice. I thought all the food was very good and I'd love to come back on my own to try more of the vegetarian dishes including the smoked tofu. Staff was pretty attentive as well. read more

Crystal Shrimp Dumplings and Pork Pot Stickers were the only two dim sum that I wanted. Having eaten here several times especially when it was in the original location of know the quality of the cuisine. The pot stickers had thick skins and that wasn't appealing. The shrimp dumplings were delicious and next time I will order two of those. Service was quiet and fine. A clean restroom is in the back. read more

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In town to see a show and this was right near hotel. Great little spot, food was excellent, service also great.

Overall I enjoyed the meal. Price point is on the upper end for Chinese food, but the portions were generous. Not a fan when Chinese restaurants charge extra for white rice though, but at least Cafe China only charges $2! I ordered the loofah with dried scallops because I was interested (and I wanted a veggie!) It was a non-spicy dish of a vegetable that's similar to Okra. A good amount of seeds. I enjoyed the dish more for the dried scallop pieces and mild flavor (which helped when having other spicier dishes). Wished the dan dan noodles had more flavor and was a bigger portion overall; I split with one other friend and still wished I had more. Don't order these dan dan noodles expecting it to be anything more than an app for the meal. All the food seemed good quality and the food comes out QUICK like within 5 minutes of ordering. Nice, spacious dining space of two floors. read more

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Cute interior and delish food! This would be a cute date night spot/dinner w friends. Would get everything again, good portion sizes (ate w 4 people) + affordable ($16.50ish pp) Dan Dan noodles ($12) - this flavor was sooo good, I will say the noodles were a little thin for my taste but I would def get this again Pork dumplings in chili oil ($10) - solid and have good flavor, tbh I like DTF's better but would still get this again Scallion pancake ($8) - flakiest pancake, one of my friends said maybe the best scallion pancake she's had in nyc Mapo tofu ($18) - good portion size. It was a good amount of spice for me where it wasn't too mala but still had good flavor Instagram - @joangela.eats read more

Cafe China - Mapo Tofu Box - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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I came here for my birthday dinner with my family on a Thursday night. We were seated upstairs which was more spacious than downstairs. We ordered the xiaolongbao, the mung bean noodles, the tofu ribbons, the eel, the squirrel fish, the kung pao chicken, the string beans, and the loofah. The dishes were all delicious, especially the squirrel fish and the eel. I didn't feel like the dishes were that spicy though but I like spicy. I think Chili has better dishes and the dishes are spicier, but this place is more upscale for a birthday dinner. read more

Cafe China - squirrel fish - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

$18 chicken kung Pao. This was quite good. The criticisms I have are this, there's no Wokhei, I think they need to cook the chicken just a little more to impart some smokiness. Also just far room many sicuan peppercorns and not enough chilis but I think,for me what I disliked most was there are huge pieces of ginger in this. Find that a little off putting. Now with that said, this is an extremely good representation of the dish, and I'd happily eat this any day. read more

Cafe China - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

We came here a bit late on a Friday night shortly before they stopped taking orders. It was lively and bustling with energy. The waiters were super nice and helpful--even moving the entire bench to recover my phone! The food was fresh and delicious--it came out very fast so this doesn't seem to be a place where you have to wait long for your food. And it comes out as it is made. The spicy fried fish was so good that I froze my leftovers and took them home with me on my 6 hour flight the next day lol I'll definitely be back! read more

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