Café Evergreen wears its frugality on its sleeve. From the moment you walk in, there's a pervasive, almost deliberate austerity that sets the tone for the entire experience. Even the bathrooms reinforce the theme: clean, but bare-bones. The sinks in each bathroom dispense only cold water, and the lone option for drying your hands is a weak electric dryer that blows cold air--functional, but joyless. The food follows a similar philosophy. We ordered a pot of tea, hot & sour soup, egg white drop with beef soup, chives and pork dumplings, BBQ roast pork, Mongolian lamb with ginger, and prawns in XO chili sauce. The dishes were generally abstemious--nothing flashy, nothing indulgent. My favorite by far was the hot & sour soup, which had the most personality on the table. The tea was serviceable, though charging $4 per pot felt oddly steep given the otherwise Spartan vibe. The dining room is tidy and austere, clearly optimized for efficiency rather than comfort. It's easy to see why this place does brisk business for takeout and lunch--get in, get fed, get out. The only thing that is not parsimonious is the price; our lunch came to $114 before tipping. Located on the Upper East Side, Café Evergreen has long been a neighborhood staple for Cantonese cuisine and dim sum. It's been around in one form or another since the 1990s, eventually settling into its current spot on First Avenue, where it helped popularize dim sum brunch in the area. There's history here, and an old-school sensibility that regulars clearly appreciate. Overall, Café Evergreen delivers consistency and tradition, but little warmth. If you're looking for straightforward Cantonese food in an unadorned setting, it does the job. Just don't expect luxury--or even mild indulgence--to be part of the experience. read more

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Delicious food. Comfortable setting. Efficient service. I enjoyed the soup, shrimp dish, ribs, and beef. Hot tea good too. read more

Cafe Evergreen - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

After a quick visit to the doctors on 68th St. my friend and I were looking to grab an early lunch. We wanted something light so the thought of Chinese crept into my mind. Normally, we would head down to Chinatown or even to the UWS but since we were on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan we decided to take our chances here. We noticed a review for this place and decided to give it a try. We walked into the place and noticed it was fairly empty, but clean and well lit with a late 1990s vibe. The hostess, who I suspected was also the owner, brought us to a table where we were greeted with menus and a glass of water. The waiter asked for a drink order and we responded tea. I excused myself and made my way to the bathroom as this is my usual custom before I sit down to eat. The bathroom was clean, however it was sparse, with only cold water running from the faucet and no paper towels. The air blowing hand dryer was lukewarm at best. When I arrived back to the table the tea was there which was excellent. We began to peruse the menu. They had handed us the lunch menu when we arrived, but noticed it was somewhat limited so I asked for the dinner menu. We quickly ordered off of both menus, settling on an egg white and minced beef soup for myself and a vegetarian hot and sour soup for my lunch guest. We then ordered barbecued pork and pork and scallion dumplings as our shared appetizer. The soup was excellent and really hit the spot on a still somewhat chilly Manhattan afternoon. The pork while flavorful, was a bit chewy and tough. The dumplings were above average packed with tasty, seasoned pork and hint of scallion. After a little while our main courses arrived. We shared an order of the Mongolian lamb with scallions and ginger and an order of prawns in hot chili sauce, brown rice on the side. The lamb was somewhat underwhelming, lacking a bit of flavor and having us question whether it was lamb or beef. The most distinct flavor was the ginger. The prawns were better with more complex flavors but not really spicy. The wait staff was excellent. The bill came and it was somewhat higher than I would have guessed for a decent, but mediocre meal. Although this place will do in a pinch, I would rather spend the extra time traveling to one of my regular haunts. read more

Service and food is excellent. Further They will prepare special dishes suggest it's a place to go also very clean..

Very good Chinese with an extensive menu. We went on Christmas Day and it was pretty full. Enjoyed their Singapore Mei Fun although it could have been better with a stronger curry flavor. Very good service read more

Great dim-sum and veggies and Peking Duck. Private dining area for larger parties. Staff is happy to accommodate special events like birthday parties. read more

Excellent Chinese food in a clean well maintained restaurant. Friendly staff with some of the best original Chinese menu I have had in a long time. The Prawn were big and the sauces tasty. Highly Recommended! read more

Authentic, Every Dish is Great tasting! Wait Staff are Amazing and Friendly. This restaurant is my all-time Favorite! Thank you Frankie!!! read more

Authentic lunch specials Decided to drop by here for lunch based on a recommendation I recieved. The classiness of interior immediately hits you as you sit down. They have a whole array of lunch specials. Decided to go for the clay pot chicken. The dish came out fast and hot! Chicken with super juicy with a generous portion of mushrooms. Flavor was great and not too overwhelming. Complimented with a nice chicken corn soup. Although a little pricier than your typical takeout lunch special, it was worth it. Great spot for authentic Chinese lunch. read more

Cafe Evergreen - Chicken corn soup - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

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Bare space, not much to say about decor. When I checked in, I got a Yelp pop up that stated I was entitled to a free order of dim sum. The waiter was dismissive and said "that's from before the pandemic." Really? If so, change it. We shared har gow, soup dumplings, garlic chicken and shrimp chow fun. The food was OK. My wife liked it more than I did. There's better in the area. read more

Ordered in through a delivery partner so I can only comment on food quality/price. Pros: - Great quality Chinese food - gluten free option available - free Chinese crunchy noodles w/ soup purchase - quick delivery service Cons: - Small portions (we ordered dinner portions and it looked like the lunch special size) - More expensive than other nearby restaurants - no chopsticks/fortune cookies Overall I'd recommend this place if you're looking to try something new and budget isn't an issue. read more

Best Chinese food in the neighborhood, we order take out from here almost ever over week. The food is good and the delivery has always been fast. We've also dined in and the service has been great. The place is clean and roomy including the bathrooms. read more

A pleasurable Cantonese lunch it was. Using high quality ingredients, genuinely surprised I was of their reasonable pricing of the three courses. Delicious was the dressing on their salad. Heavenly was their "Velvet Chicken Corn Soup". Delightful was their "Baby Shrimp with Kung Pao Sauce". Attentive was the service. The only mishap was with their generous portions, sadly, they forgot and threw away my leftovers for me to take home. Extensive is their menu with steep prices reflecting its location. I'd think twice of making a dinner reservation but would definitely return for lunch. CHEERS! read more

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It is hard to find gluten free dumplings and crispy rolls. That alone earns it too stars. The dumplings were delicious. My favorite was the duck roll because it had a hint of vegetable and noodles tucked in with the shredded duck. The gluten free menu is extensive. There are options for everyone. Staff is very attentive. There were relaxed vibes during lunch hour. read more

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Very good food and very good service and pleasant delivery men. Long standing presence in the neighborhood

This place advertises that it's gluten free and safe for celiacs...it is not. I was so sick after I ate here I began vomiting within 2-3 hours of eating while I was at work (common timeframe for gluten poisoning in celiacs). I was so sick I had to stay until I stopped throwing up and then take a cab home from work and I thought I was going to vomit the entire time. That is an extreme reaction so we're not just talking about a small amount of cross-contamination, something is very wrong at this place. Stay away if you have celiac disease. This place should stop advertising that they have gluten free food because they do not. read more

Best Chinese food in the UES. Food is consistently great and I highly recommend their dim sum.

The food took over 45 minutes to be delivered 1 block. It was cold when it got here. I also asked 3x's for a specific sauce which they did not bring. Too many better places to order. Done with them after 8 loyal years. read more

A somewhat fancier restaurant than the typical dim sum restaurants I've been to, and their prices are a little more than those typical dim sum restaurants, but then again, this is the UES. They only had one circulating cart when I went there at just after they opened at 11:00am on a Saturday with two friends. The restaurant was not yet full, so maybe they add another cart or two when the restaurant is full? All the steamed dumplings were on the one cart, and there was a guy walking around with a tray of the desserts (egg custard tart, sesame seed ball, and maybe the custard bun? not sure of the third dessert). There was only one vegetable dumpling available on the steamed dumplings cart, and that was pretty much the only thing I could eat from the cart. My friends who eat seafood got a couple of their shrimp dumplings. We ended up ordering and sharing the vegetable clay pot as well. Despite being only able to eat two things there, they were both delicious and I had a nice brunch outing with my friends. I might have to see about ordering the other couple of vegetarian-looking steamed dumplings from their menu next time. read more

Cafe Evergreen - Vegetable Clay Pot - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

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It was my first time dining at this restaurant and I was pleasantly surprised by the food and the atmosphere. We got dim sum for lunch and it was delicious. The service was excellent too. Would love to return soon! read more

Cafe Evergreen - Pan Seared Turnip Squares - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

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Large selection of gluten free items including dumplings. Food is very good both gluten free and non gluten free. Service is quick And friendly. We have taken out and eaten in and food is always great. read more

I really hate writing a review like this when restaurants are suffering but I can't let this experience go undocumented. The hubby and I weren't feeling well so we decided to order in dinner for our brood. After trolling Seamless and Yelp we decided to give Cafe Evergreen a shot. This was a mistake. Our order came quickly but that is the only positive thing I can say about it. We had: - Egg roll - tasty - Steamed Chicken with Black Beans - next to no sauce and the chicken had a weird coating on it (almost like congealed skin but it wasn't). - Boneless Spare Ribs- so dry, we have had beef jerky that was more moist. We couldn't get them down without a lot of water. - Chicken Fingers - they were ok - Crispy Orange Beef - soggy, nothing crispy here - White Rice - normally I wouldn't put a side dish like white rice in a review but ours had a short black hair in it - in the middle of the container and none of us have black hair. Needless to say, this will be our last order from Cafe Evergreen. read more

Good food, hits the spot, one of the few places I return to repeatedly. Will go back.

This place has been around the upper east side for a very long time and it never disappoints! It's definitely pricier than other Chinese places in the area but they serve higher quality food that is less greasy, less sweet, and less salty. They also serve dim sum all day. With all that being said, some of their dishes are still catered to the western palate but it is still better than other places in the area. Here are some of my favorite items from them Fried egg rolls. Their egg rolls are legit. It's giant, filling and crispy. Hot and sour soup. Very good and filling. Perfect for colder days. Walnut prawns. Very big prawns that are flavored in this nice sweet and savory white sauce with fried walnuts. Sautéed pea shoot. Very good while getting your fibers in. Shrimp with black bean sauce and mined pork. Very good and flavorful. Turnip cakes. Delicious and crispy. Chives and shrimp patty. Lots of flavor. They also have lots of gluten free options here. Service is always top notch. Overall a solid spot on the UES read more

Best Chinese on the Upper East Side. Have been enjoying Evergreen for 15+ years. Always tasty.

As a Canto-Shanghainese gal, I must first correct a misconception..originating from Guangzhou (S. China) & commonly enjoyed in Cantonese restos for breakfast & lunch, dim sum (點心) is not just limited to 2-3 dumpling assortments + egg rolls (which btw is totally Americanized vs a legit Spring Roll)..which is what most Chinese restos in NYC have on their menu. In the eyes of Chinese people, REAL dim sum / DS restos is defined by a menu that's totally expansive w/ LOTS of other assorted sweet & savory dim sum dishes (eg. Har gow, Siu mai, rice rolls, baos (buns), desserts, etc) - &, like tapas, they are to be shared! With that said, I'm giving Cafe Evergreen 3.5 - 3.75 stars (w/ hope of improvement)...as it's pricier & some of the dishes are geared more towards Americanized Chinese tastebuds &, sometimes, their dishes are inconsistent (as chefs may have come & go..esp during Pandemic) BUT, overall, there are some standard, authentic Cantonese dishes on the menu that I can get behind & order for delivery when I don't feel like cooking + I also love that I don't have to trek all the way down to C'Town for dim sum that's legit. Most importantly, Cafe Evergreen is the ONLY decent Chinese resto w/ a more sizable dim sum menu on the UES! Since dinner is pricier, my go-to's here are their $14 lunch specials & I've been ordering them for as long as I've lived in the UES (~5 yrs)..even though they currently do not really come w/ anything extra (eg. apps, soup or soda) like most other Chinese restos offer. And their portion sizes are not huge but, when they do it right, the taste & quality are spot-on! Also, I always ask for my dishes to be made "Cantonese-style," since authentic Canto dishes are more subtle & balanced in flavors, w/ LESS OIL, greasiness & goopy sauces..unlike how most NYC (Americanized) Chinese restos make their dishes. MY USUALS: Lobster w/ Ginger & Scallion, Steamed Chicken w/ Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) w/ sauce on side, General Tso's Chicken (garlicky & not too sweet or oily), Curry Chicken & Singapore Rice Noodles w/ Curry (both w/ tasty, milder & lighter curry sauces that can be made spicier w/ their chili sauce or oil...unlike Indian & Thai curry w/ stronger spices, coconut milk & flavors), Fried Veggie or Pan Seared Pork Dumplings & Shredded Pork w/ Preserved Veggies (Mei Fun) Noodle Soup (just wished it wasn't as Americanized & oily). MY FAVES: Chicken w/ Green Beans & Black Pepper or Black bean sauce, Filet of Sea Bass, Pan Seared Turnip Squares (request for extra crispy or well-done!), Green Chives & Shrimp Patties & Roast Pork w/ Scrambled Eggs (ask to add green onions). And not that they're awful here but this really is not the place to order order XLB / soup dumplings (duh! It's a Canto-Chinese resto & XLB's are of Shanghainese origin). Decent XLB's are more commonly found in an authentic Shanghainese resto - which UES really needs (NOT Tri Dim Shanghai, which is not edible nor up to my standards..see my review on that resto). All in all, Cafe Evergreen is decent & above-average. I have yet to try a number of their dishes on the menu but I REALLY wish they would include some of my beloved staples from Hong Kong / HK Cafes like BBQ Pork & Shrimp Wonton Soup Noodles, BBQ Pork & Wet Scrambled Egg Rice ("wat Dan Char Siu Fan"), Chicken & Salted Fish Fried Rice, Curry Fish Balls, etc & introduce some newer dim sum items (esp Rice rolls & Baked Pineapple BBQ pork buns like the ones from Tim Ho Wan). *BEWARE that delivery lunch deals & prices fluctuate, depending which platform you order from..eg. compare cheaper eat-in menu & better specials on restaurant website vs takeout menus from pricier Grubhub & cheaper Delivery.com. But pls SUPPORT OUR LOCAL FAVES (esp our CHINESE RESTOS) TO KEEP 'EM OPEN. And don't forget to TIP ESSENTIAL WORKERS GENEROUSLY! **And just so you know.. if you're a recent celiac sufferer, dim sum is particularly challenging because, as you know, soy sauce almost always contains gluten & that is practically used in every dish. So, I wouldn't just rely on menus specifying items are "GF" but instead ask to make certain that none of the ingredients in the dishes you order contain wheat gluten or soy...especially noodles, dim sum, buns & dumplings. read more

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Terrible service. Came for dumplings and mustard sauce-- asked 3 times for mustard sauce. Had dumplings without mustard sauce! Wait staff THEN confronted my friend when they did not like the tip they received. I had to intervene and escort my friend out. Also, took my umbrella when I was seated and never returned it. read more

Dim Sum is very good. Issue is the price. It's roughly 2x most other places in the neighborhood, so you have to ask... is it Twice as good?

Nice clean place. Friendly staff. The food is absolutely delicious. I had the dim sum sampler sweet and sour pork and absolutely loved it! read more

Cafe Evergreen - Sitting area - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

Absolutely our favourite Chinese restaurant in the upper east side. We this place and return to it every time we visit NYC.

Excellent old fashioned style Chinese food. Sometimes I need a break from spicy Szechuan and Evergreen does a great job

Was in the mood for lobster cantonese and knew that Cafe Evergreen usually has fresh lobster not withstanding that other Chinese restaurants stopped carrying due to wholesale price. The lobster was delicious, fresh tasting and good size which can be determined by the size of the claws. The only negative is that this restaurant is very frugal with the size of the side of rice, especially considering the substantial price of the lobster entree. Given that white rice is inexpensive being charged for an additional small cup seemed a bit distasteful. We had spring rolls to start which were very tasty and orange chicken that was perfectly cooked. Their staff is very attentive and restaurant has calming ambience and spotless in cleanliness. They studiously enforced the vaccine pass which made all diners very pleased. read more

My family has been ordering from Evergreen for many years, since it was at it's former location. I have never even eaten in the new location, but whenever I am in NY, we get delivery. Although I now live in South Florida, I grew up in NYC, so it is such a treat to get good Chinese takeout. Cafe Evergreen's fare might be pricier and not as "authentic" as Chinatown (or even parts of Queens these days) but it quite tasty. It certainly is good enough to give me my "fix" after the vast Chinese food wasteland in South Florida. Cafe Evergreen has many types of dim sum: Har Gow, Shrimp & Scallop, Shu Mei, Veggie, Pan Seared Pork, Shanghai Soup, etc. Evergreen has a great variety and they are all tasty & delicious ($6.50). Most of the time they are delivered steaming hot to your door. I have tasted more of the menu than I could ever describe. I particularly love Evergreen's veggie dishes. My favorite is the Dry Sautéed Eggplant and String Beans (12.50) soft eggplant and greens beans with massive flavor and just the right amount of heat. It also does not have gloppy sauce.....perfection. I also like the Moo Shu Vegetable ($13.50....make sure they do not forget the plum sauce!) Every shrimp dish we have had has been good. Tonight for the first time in many years we ordered Prawn with Lobster Sauce & Minced Pork. At $19.50, this was not the Shrimp & Lobster Sauce of my youth. These prawns were huge and the "sauce" was thick & delicious. Tonight we also had Beef & String Beans which was quite good. This is not on the menu but you can ask for it. Cafe Evergreen, can you please open up a southern location? South Broward County is beautiful in the winter..... read more

The dim sum and food here -- authentic. Service is efficient and fast, and as of right now, I feel like it is the best option for Chinese food on the UES. It is also one of the more pricey options -- but the extra $ are worth it. My kids LOVE their soup dumplings -- and they are just as good as the "famous" ones places in Chinatown (but no lines and more comfortable seating). They have great lunch specials that are great deals. read more

Cafe Evergreen - Chinese Near Me - New York, New York

Very good UES Chinese food and dim sum We had shumai, crystal shrimp, shrimp with cilantro, shrimp with asparagus. Vegetable lo mein and chicken with mushroom and snow peas All very well prepared. Dim sum alittle too sticky when taken out of the push cart Friendly, on point service Would definitely return when in the area read more

Great place for dim sum - have been coming here for years. Food is consistently good, and service is always very attentive.

Love this place! Have been enjoying their dim sum for at least a decade. The owner, the waiters and service staff are always nice and ready to assist. Food is consistently good and never disappoints. read more

This place is my go to for comfort food, they really accommodate your diet needs and the food is never greasy and always fresh. Best BBQ ribs I've ever had! read more

We were visiting friends staying at the Ronald McDonald house just down the road, so this place was super convenient. We had a 7 month old and a 17 month old is strollers, and these guys had plenty of room for us and 6 diners on Sunday. Nice. So they start with 3 a la carte appetizers. We got the pork buns and the fried sticky rice. Both were excellent, and I was happy we were off to a good start. The dim sum a la carte gets wheeled over, and I was less impressed. They let us look in without really telling us what anything was, so we constantly had to point at things and talk over the food. While that may not seem so bad, I was left to wonder how many other people had done that. We got some shrimp and scallop dim sum, but after that we asked for menus. We then ordered veg lo mein, general tsao's chicken, and scallion pancakes. The pancakes were too dry for my taste and tasted like oil, but the rest of the table liked it. The noodles and chicken were both delicious. Really nice vegetables. Super happy with that. Overall, I'd stick to ordering meals here. Food was really excellent. read more

For us, some of the menu we have once ordered, mostly chicken something and tofu meals, was so-so. The waiter who is skinny, with glasses, has been very kind to us. That was why we repeated to visit this place. But this time, there was an old man, taller, and with black glasses was there. He had been sitting at their counter and was doing nothing. But when our toddler dropped her water cup (no water spilled) that was kindly served by the waiter, and she started to cry, he stood up, and came to us. He glared at us, asked what is needed to bring silence back, and also meant that she is spoiling his restaurant. And did not do anything including bringing her a new water etc., but went back to his seat and glared at us. I noticed there were other persons who have experienced the same things with their kids. I will recommend that any of you will never choose this place if you have your loved one with you. The owner will come to harass you, entire family. This is very unkind and not likely to be American way. I imagine this kind of place will be negatively selected-out by good customers in this post-COVID era. read more