Not going to lie, I was surprised by the overall 3 stars review here. The only major downside I saw here was the service but it wasn't because they were curt- it was because it was slow. I'm not sure if they were understaffed as this place is a lot more spacious than it seems (two floors, lots of seating) or if this is just how it typically is. I had to wait over 10 minutes for a menu but again, as long as the service isn't out-of-line in other aspects, I don't see the point in reading that much into it. I decided to stick to what seems to be popular here (and also what's really good according to a friend of mine who works nearby) and got the shrimp dumplings szechuan style. For $8.50, an order of 12 is pretty reasonable. Yes, you can find cheaper ones in Chinatown, but this place is a gigantic restaurant in midtown- it's expected. If anything, I thought it was a bit cheaper than what I thought it would be. Now, the dumplings. Honestly, they weren't the most amazing dumplings I've ever had but they were pretty damn good. On top of that, I think the sauce they were in made me love it even more. It was a hybrid of hot chili oil and peanut butter sauce and it just worked perfectly. I know I've drenched wheat peanut butter noodles in hot chili oil (or sriracha when times were tough) before, so I like that it already came fused as one. There was enough shrimp in them as well. All in all, if I ever frequent back here it would be for the classics as they're done pretty darn well. read more

Chef Yu - Shrimp Dumplings Szechuan Style - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

Chef Yu came highly recommended by a close friend while in the area visiting the Rosè Wine Mansion. I really enjoyed my meal here and the service that was provided. Growing up my parents took me to a traditional Chinese restaurant weekly where we lived in Nassau County. Lately, I've been researching " old school Chinese szechuan restaurants " and sadly many don't exist anymore where I live. Many have shut down and closed their doors for good. Chef Yu raises the bar in Midtown. I was shocked to experience the value and quality here. It reminded me of King Yum in Fresh Meadows. We were seated immediately for Sunday dinner at 4:45. Happy Hour had just started so we made perfect timing. I ordered a Lychee Martini which was $5 and very strong ! This is the first happy hour menu I've seen that has a plethora of options ! They don't just single out a few cocktails. They have L.I.T's, martinis ETC... Pick your poison ! We ordered spare ribs for an appetizer, orange chicken, spicy Beef Noodle Soup and crispy sweet and sour shrimp. Everything was perfection. The spare ribs were perfect. Lean and nicely glazed and charred. Beef Noodle Soup is my favorite. It arrived hot, fragrant and plentiful. Lots of seasoned beef, spinach, fragrant veggies and butter soft noodles. The service here was perfect ! I love that everyone takes turns with taking our order, bringing the dish and clearing the table. That reminds me of how family business is run. I will be back ! read more

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This place was truly a disappointment. The food is bland and so is the service. Within minutes after we placed our order, the appetizers arrived. I started my meal with the tofu vegetable soup which tasted like hot tap water with a pinch of salt. While there were plenty of veggies, they were tasteless and the tofu was entirely too soft. My friend had the scallion pancakes which he seemed to enjoy. While my appetizer was a fail, I remained optimistic about the rest of my meal. We ordered the shrimp with asparagus and the Shanghai bok-choy with shiitake mushrooms and bean curds. Can you say hospital food! One would have thought we were on a restricted diet in a hospital. No salt, no pepper, no flavor, just cardboard flavored watery vegetables and 4 shrimps. That didn't stop us. I guess we are indeed glutens for punishment-- we dared to order dessert. Fried green tea ice cream and matcha tiramisu. The fried ice cream was ok. The tiramisu was equivalent to a dish sponge! The decor is not much to speak on so I won't. read more

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I have been eating lunch here for years. The food is reasonably priced, consistent and very good. I do recommend for lunch, i have not had dinner but I assume it would be the same great food and service. read more

Had the best vegetarian General Tso of my life here, this place was an absolute gem. Right next to the train station, it looked way too fancy for the cheap prices, we walked by it then looked on the Yelp and turned around and came back. It's roomy and beautiful inside, food was delicious and priced about the same as back home in small town Texas. read more

What happened???? I have had a quick lunch of chow fun and hot oil dumplings in the recent past and it was fine. Decided to order multiple things for dinner this evening and found the food mostly inedible. Young Chow Fried Rice with absolutely no seasoning??????? This should be an easy one.................. All of it depressed me so I had no choice but to throw it out. How sad - I fondly remember back in the day when it was associated with Gingers on seventh Avenue where I could easily transition between having lunch there a few times a week and usually on Fridays doing takeout for home and it was always delicious. Apparently as the saying goes -?all good things eventually come to an end and that would be the case here - maybe for some people,they still like it, but I will not be back as there are too many more delicious places in New York to celebrate Chinese cuisine. read more

Food was delicious Highly recommend Very welcoming. Food came out quick. Was very pleased read more

DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS RESTAURANT I was a regular customer until there was a problem with my order and the restaurant refused to correct the problem. I don't spend my money at restaurants that don't respect their customers and are not interested in correcting their mistakes. DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS RESTAURANT read more

Spacious dining area and polite, attentive service. I had dumpling appetizers and the curry chicken for the entree. The food was delicious and plentiful. read more

I went on Wednesday 16th. Not tasty food, didn't get what I wanted. Mediocre service.

Super average place. I'd rather just go to Panda Express. Waiters are kinda stand offish and the whole place is just slapped together and feels cheap. Food came out at two million degrees so I'm convinced it's just pre packaged stuff. Table cloth was a piece of paper just randomly ripped to size. Already enough meth heads around this area, avoid and travel for a real dining experience. read more

Honestly this is not the best Chinese food I've eaten, the restaurant is pretty nice, the employees were friendly but not personable and I seen no smile (which would be nice to see). Thier leechy martinis were nice and strong but I wouldn't go there just to order it again. We had for an appetizer pork dumplings that had peanuts sauce, I guess I was a bit hungry that I missed where it said that it came with peanut sauce I found it to be over powering and the dumplings, to me were soggy (not appealing) I also ordered a pepper steak with white rice. The amount of onions and pepper that came with the steak was in abundance more of the veggie then meat I would've rather a small amount of both. It was ok the white rice was made good. read more

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Looking for a great Americianized Chinese Restaurant that still seems like authentic Chinese Food? Go here. I spent many years living around Flushing Queens. Most of the restaurants are authentic Chinese, Korean, read more

I ordered lunch from here an hour ago and it was good. Not exactly like the regular Chinese food you would get but it did the job. I called ahead with no issues and picked it up quickly. Customer Service wise I had very quick interaction so I couldn't give you a full review on that. The portions aren't as big as everyone proclaims them to be in my opinion. But for a $10 lunch special in NYC it was good. I'll sit in and review it again since it's so close to my Job. read more

Chef Yu - I wouldn't say it's a large portion but good pricing for NYC - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

Always love coming here. It's a hidden gem in midtown. The Szechuan style dumplings are a personal favorite. Savory peanut butter sauce is next level. Service is great, they are very attentive and it's a big restaurant where it doesn't feel too crowded ever. Also, best wonton soup I've ever had. read more

Chef Yu - Szechuan Shrimp Dumping Szechuan Style - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

The happy hour specials, alone, should make this a spot to visit. $5 cocktails, from 4pm to 9pm - Get this - every day that ends in a y. Yup. No gimmicks. Every day is happy hour hear. The food was also amazing. We split Pineapple Fried Rice, Szechuan Dumplings, Pad Thai, and Roast Pork. Everything was absolutely delicious and I look forward to returning. (Pro tip: just don't stuff your face before a Broadway show. lol) read more

As someone with the same last name as the chef, I really wanted this to be my new neighborhood Chinese spot. Unfortunately, the food just isn't that good. We ordered two dishes from the signature dishes, a fried fish fillet dish and a spicy beef dish. The fish fillet was incredibly sweet (despite not being advertised as such) and did not taste authentic at all. The spicy beef was neither spicy, nor did it taste nice. Despite having a tremendous amount of peppercorns and various spices, the spice seemed to have been lost in the wok. Overall, this place not only pales in comparison to Chinatown, but also pales in comparison to other restaurants in the area. read more

Chef Yu - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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Decent specials at lunch time. We stopped by on a Friday afternoon, and had the Kung Pao chicken, chicken and vegetables, and spicy basil chicken. There was nothing unique to mention, but all meals were of acceptable quality. Service is very fast, with our entire lunch meal from arrival to departure being less than 30 minutes in total. The lunch specials we're all between $10 to $11, plus the cost of beverages. I'd probably stop by again since the location is so convenient at the corner of 8th Ave and 36th, but it certainly not a place where I'd go out of my way to find. read more

The best Chinese food ever. The atmosphere is excellent. Every time I go to the city I make sure I eat at Chef Yu. The prices are not too bad, because of the atmosphere. Trust me on this one, you won't regret it. read more

Good Chinese food at a reasonable price. Place looks upscale but the food has always been a hit. Friendly staff and been coming there for years and it's been very consistent. Highly recommend. read more

I used to go here many, many years ago for Happy Hour. Recently went for a business lunch recently and was pleasantly surprised that absolutely not much had changed. The food is still very good and inexpensive, my drink was tasty (just had one) and the ambience is still quite chic but not pretentious. I will definitely be returning for Happy Hour and the Singapore noodles. So Good! and So Glad! - this restaurant is still around. read more

My go to Chinese food stop in midtown west. Their Shanghai wontons as an appetizer are excellent though spicy. Their lunch specials - particularly the kung pao chicken and from their regular menu the Singapore mai fun are my favorites read more

Still a good place in the city to catch a cheap... did i say LATE happy hour after all these years. Matched with the pretty quality and cheap food by Manhattan standards you cannot beat it. I've been frequenting this place for over a decade. Classy Chinese cuisine spot with a happy hour menu that will suit anyone not looking for top shelf liquor. Close to transit so an easy stop. read more

Chef yu is a great spot for lunch. They have a large selection of lunch specials. I ordered the diced chicken and shrimp it was really good and they give you generous portions. I love the way they make their vegetable fried rice its no comparison to the fast food Chinese restaurants. I also noticed that if you order your lunch special to go - you get more food and it cost less money. I know they have a good happy hour but its only for drinks. I don't think they have food on their Happy Hour menu. read more

The food whas tasty and the fried rice with chickin was very tasty the veggies and chicken were awesome!

In town for a convention and wanted some kung pao. Located across the street from the hotel and gave it a try. Order hot/sour soup, dumplings and kung pao. WOW what a dissapointment. The soup was the only good thing. Kung pao was not fresh, over cooked and very dry. Dumplings were re-cooked or left overs. Back to Cali where I know I can get great food. read more

Delicious food - we had pork dumplings, miso soup, and chicken & broccoli. Our server was attentive and friendly. Definitely hit the spot.

Our go to before an event at MSG. Food is always delicious and price is great for NYC!

For Manhattan, this is an excellent sit-down restaurant with good food and reasonable prices. Love it.

Disappointed with this restaurant. The service was not great. Took us over 30 minutes to get our drinks and always had to try and get the waiters attention to come to our table. The food was oily and bland. I would not recommend it. read more

Chef Yu - Chicken Lo Mein (Very oily) - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

The food here is sooooo GOOD! I come here religiously when I can. This is one of my favorite Chinese eateries in midtown. Authentic Chinese food is hard to come by in the midtown area, as it usually tends to cater to office buildings that just want Americanized Chinese food like 4 piece chicken wings and pork fried rice. This place has such a large variety of different dishes and it is all packed with flavor. The staff here is very nice, and prices are very reasonable as well. I highly recommend this place. My friends and I always have a blast every time we come here, as we just joke away and say catty nonsense to one another. My favorites are the dumplings in hot sauce, fried rice, spicy diced chicken, and mince meat noodles. I have day dreams about their food. Support them and check them out! read more

Chef Yu - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

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They might want to change name to Chef Yuck Food not the same as pre COVID Was the office go to restaurant-since reopening food had spiraled downward Tasteless and portions smaller Guess trying to recoup loses from being closed for so long read more

Food was good and great atmosphere. Service a tad slow but overall good experience. Would definitely visit again.

My manager and colleagues have been raving about this spot so I finally got to cross it off my bookmarks today. I spoke in Mandarin just making sure to exclude the dishes that had peanuts in it and the woman told me that Kung Pao Chicken is smothered in peanuts. She described the Spicy Beef w. Green Chili Pepper vs. the Shredded Beef Szechuan Style in details so I went with Shredded Beef Szechuan Style + Vegetable Fried Rice. Its a pretty quick process from ordering to paying to getting the food like in 10 mins tops. Listen carefully for your number and be sure not to lose your ticket. I rushed back to my office and was pretty amazed how they included a salad and two vegetable spring rolls. Holy moly that was WAY too much food expecting to consume on my lunch break. The shredded beef is very tender and delicious with the sauce and yummy vegetables especially celery and scallions. I am not a big fan of carrots but didn't have time to take one by one thinly slice carrots of my lunch. Overall its a nice Szechuan restaurant and what's with the C rating. Honestly the restaurant is flooded with loyal customers. Nice they have a balcony seating on the second level overlooking the downstairs dining area. read more

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I've definitely had better food elsewhere, but this place was pretty good with some items. I enjoyed my Dragon Bite cocktail. It tasted refreshing but it packed a bit of a punch too. For food, we got the meat wontons/dumplings, the shrimp wontons/dumplings, the soft shell crab, the spinach, a beef stirfry, and the conch. I really liked the wontons. The skin was thin and the sauces were flavorful and a little spicy. I preferred the shrimp one because the ingredients inside added textures to each bite. The soft shell crab, which was a special for the day, also tasted good. It was crunchy on the outside and some juicy bits inside. The conch was crunchy, though there weren't many slices of it in the dish so I was disappointed. The spinach was cooked well and flavored with garlic. I wasn't overly impressed with the spinach though, and the beef was just OK too. 3.5 stars. read more

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I love the lettuce wraps from this place. Other items on the menu are good but I love the latest wraps read more

This restaurant can be good and bad at the same time. Sometimes there is great service and the place feels very elegant, but other times like during happy hour, the place feels very cheap. When I went for happy hour, I got their Amaretto Sour, and oh man it was the smallest cocktail I have ever had for $5. I guess that is NY for you. Anyway I would recommend getting any of the dumplings with peanut sauce because that peanut sauce is to die for. It is so sweet and savory that it WILL make you lick your plate clean, feeling sad when the waiter takes the plate away. However their entree game could be more on point. I got a spicy general tso's chicken, unsure why, but it was not good quality chicken. Found a bone, and the chicken was mostly fried and barely any chicken. Felt I was chewing plastic. If I were you, I would get any dish with non-fried chicken, like the Kung Pow chicken. TLDR the restaurant looks pretty nice, but I would be careful to not order any food that you would get at a cheap Chinese restaurant. read more

Chef Yu - Shrimp dumplings with peanut sauce - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

Food was okay, but service was great and very very fast. Also every so often refilling water.

Really fantastic Chinese food! Did Kori's really lovely and the Weight staff are wonderful. I would definitely come back to this place to get a highly recommend it. read more

Chef Yu - Shrimp in black bean sauce - Szechuan Near Me - New York, New York

I went here tonight for a dinner with the Family for Mother's day. We heard about this place and read the positive reviews from past patrons and decided to check this place out. We were promptly seated as the place was not too packed. We had a reasonable amount of time to look over our menu's and decide what we were going to order, which is always appreciated because it is always a pain when the waiter's don't give you enough time. We ordered: General Tso's Chicken- just the right sweetness and not too much dough around the chicken Beef fried rice- Very well seasoned, we did not even need to ask for any soy sauce. The flavoring was complete. Chicken lo mien- I liked these noodles because I could tell that they were fresh and not greasy at all like some other restaurants. Chicken and chick peas- Definitely the healthier option at the table, the vegetables were crunchy and tasty. Sesame Chicken- Always a nice option from a Chinese menu and Chef Yu did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed the seasoned chicken and the well steamed broccoli that came along with it. Sine we had family style, we each got a little bit of everything. To sum it up all the food was really good. What makes this Chinese restaurant a definite go to place besides the food is the decor. The restaurant is very inviting and classy looking. So while you eat enjoy the dim lights and high ceilings with a clean and relaxing feel. read more