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Came here with a relatively bigger group so we were able to order a lot. Would say it's a super solid restaurant for Shanghainese food!! They put a lot of effort into the presentation of the food to be more upscale (e.g. lighting the beef on fire and putting the dry ice on the shrimp). Taste-wise it was great though and portions were good size as well
Ordered the braised pork belly, pork soup dumplings, & garlic shrimp w glass noodles. Had the latter before, & it's always very good. Tried the braised pork belly this time, & that was very flavorful as well. Was pleasantly surprised that it came w quail eggs. Soup dumplings were good (skin wasn't thin & didn't rip), but not life changing.
One of my favorite spots for Chinese food in NYC! I was honestly a bit dubious when my friend first recommended this spot to me since the dishes seemed a bit too Instagrammable, but Che Li was beyond ready to prove that gimmicky food can be authentic and delicious. We started our meal with the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and they were genuinely some of the best soup dumplings I've had in the US -- the skin was remarkably thin, yet sturdy and managed to defend the ultra-flavorful soup from my manhandling and multiple failed attempts to pick one up. We also had the pu'er tea rice with uni, which was a great way to whet our appetite for the rest of the meal; the rice was cooked well and soaked up all of the goodness from the pu'er, and the uni gave the whole dish a great hit of umami. While this was a great and well-executed starter, it was also really small and not the most earth-shattering, so I'll probably opt to skip it for next time; even so, it was great preparation for the next round of dishes, including the full steamed yellow croaker, stir-fried water spinach, and crab and tofu. The steamed yellow croaker was fantastic; the sauce was subtly salty, umami, and tangy, and the fermented rice offered a little pop of sweetness. The fish itself was remarkably tender and easily slid off the bones; the dish was simple, yet executed perfectly. The same could be said of the crab and tofu, which went perfectly with their freshly steamed rice. The crab offered a bit of brininess and saltiness, which the silken tofu just soaked up like a sponge. The stir-fried water spinach was a great pop of green in our otherwise very protein-heavy meal. The veggies were well-cooked and not too oily, but also had a ton of flavor from the verifiable mountain of garlic they threw in there. All in all, this was an absolutely wonderful meal -- the dishes we chose were relatively simple, but crafted expertly and authentically. While a few others definitely felt a bit gimmicky (i.e., the longjiang prawns), the tables around us still had rave reviews for those dishes' authenticity and taste. Will absolutely be stopping by here again the next time I'm in NYC.
My first time here and it was definitely worth the visit! Tucked away on St Marks, it's on the 2nd level and the entrance isn't on street level Awesome decor here with a good blend of vibes and music. You order everything on an iPad but the servers will answer any questions and they come double check your order as well. The food and presentation were amazing. Beggars chicken and the beef came on fire and the chicken was a good presentation. Awesome spot for dinner or lunch and good for groups as well. I'll definitely be back
We somehow secured a Mother's Day dinner here for 5 without reservations! We gladly accepted a smaller table to get in. We had tried the restaurant next door jiang nan before and when we first entered we thought it was the same restaurant due to the decor, but staff said it wasn't. Finding the restaurant - easiest by accessing it from in front of the Tangram mall, maps initially had us walking through large restaurant area outdoors and going in circles for a bit. I broke my rule of never going out on Mother's Day because service is usually subpar, food is too and it's just too busy but we took my mom to NyC for the day so had to eat lol. Food was quite good, though overpriced a bit. We had the soup dumplings, sweet and sour fish, beggar chicken (with a small show), ham and vegetable clay pot rice, and a veggie dish. It was all delish! I especially loved the rice and hope to replicate it at home. Osthmanthus dessert (warm) wasn't good, I probably should have gotten the cool one. Service left a lot to be desired, which may be due to it being so busy. Hard to get staff to ask questions about the order. For the prices, one would think service would be exceptional. The staff were busy and seemed annoyed at requests for water, tea, etc. I would try it again on a less busy weekend.
I have been eating Chinese food for 50 years, and I've never had Chinese food like this! I mean that in a good way. There are so many flavors it was intoxicating without even drinking alcohol. Speaking of no alcohol, the "Milk tea with yellow wine" is delicious, and (I'm pretty sure) alcohol-free. If you do like alcohol, they had a nice ale from Hong Kong I never heard of before, but it was very tasty. We started with black truffle soup dumplings, which were amazing. Then, pickled cabbage fish stew, which was also unlike anything I had ever tasted before, an "explosion of flavors," my dinner companion said. We got a side of some garlicky "water spinach," which in Chinese is called "hollow heart vegetable" because the stem is a tube. Our server was as nice as can be, and was fluent in both English and Chinese. It's easy to see why this place is always crowded.
Came to dinner for 5 and we, as always, ordered way too much. We got the soup dumplings, Flaming Beggar's chicken, crab meat tofu stew, che li pork belly, sweet sour fish, lotus pond stir fry, brown sugar sticky rice cakes and pear desserts. The desserts tasted better than the meal. The meal was ok but I'm not sure if it was what we had ordered but most of the meal was a bit forgettable. I thought the chicken or the crab tofu would be a standout but both were pretty tasteless. The decor was stunning, it made me feel like I was in China. I do want to return and try other dishes. Hoping we just ordered wrong.
Quick dinner to catch up with my friend. The place is nicely decorated like old Chinese village vibes. Food is good, not too overwhelming yet tasty. Service is okay. The only thing is they keep asking if we finish or want to take left over food home. Feels like a little rushed when there was o people waiting and definitely not peak hours.
My friend from NY kept raving about this place and said it was one of the few chinese places that his family likes for chinese food in the city. The ambiance was great, I liked the aesthetic and felt that it was well decorated. Service was good, they checked in on us and confirmed our order after we places it through the ipad. I liked the eggplant dish a lot, one of the better versions that I've had. The fish stew had tons of fish and was enjoyable. I thought the braised pork belly was decent but too fatty for me personally.
We were lucky enough to be in a party that got the private table in the back. It made for a cozy and fun lunch. We tried about ten items on the menu. All were good. Standouts were tofu puffs; soup dumplings; string beans and shrimp in a delicious glaze. Beware: like in Asia, you need to eat the shrimp shell for the full flavor. It was great. For dessert we each had a lava volcano; hot custard inside a very unusual dough. See photo. Prices very reasonable for the city. Service was good.
Cheli is always a hit - it's been my go to recently for amazing Shanghainese cuisine. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu but my favorites are the pork belly, longjing shrimp, water spinach, string beans, and hunan spicy beef. I wasn't a huge fan of the flaming chicken, it was a bit dry. The ambiance is great; I love the "Chinese garden" feel. I also really like how the ordering system is on an iPad with photos of the dishes. I went with a big group of 9 recently and there was a secluded long table they reserved for us which was more private. For larger groups they have a minimum spend - I think it's about $60 per person.
I came for dinner with some friends when I was in the area and really enjoyed the vibes. The restaurant is decorated to give a traditional Chinese, ancient-time vibe. We had a reservation so the wait was not too bad. We ordered the Longjing Shrimp, braised pork belly, crab meat soup dumplings, and the white pepper beef with soft tofu. The food was delicious. My favorite was the white pepper beef with soft tofu eaten with white rice. It was a perfect mix of spicy, meating and smooth. The Longjing shrimp presentation was beautiful, the shrimps tasted fresh, but the taste didn't stand out too much for me. We also got the pear dessert, which ended up being one for those "look better than it tastes" situation. The pear was a panna cotta texture with pear flavored fillings served in a mildly sweet snow fungus goji berry soup. It was worth a try, but I wouldn't order again. Overall, very nicely decorated restaurant with delicious traditional Chinese food. I would come back to try more other dishes.
Very cool place - vibey and seating was great. You order off an iPad, and everything comes out pretty quickly. My favorite dish was the rice cakes - a must get. Not super impressed with the pork belly or duck. The AC was also broken so it was super hot while we were eating, which made it a little less enjoyable.
We went here for lunch on a Sunday. We arrived at noon and only waited ten minutes for a table for four. Tasty food and pretty good service. Some of the best Chinese food you can get in NYC. The fried pumpkin with egg yolk batter and pork belly with quail egg are the best I've had at any restaurant. They forgot our order of soup dumplings but quickly brought them out once we reminded them. Great ambience. Nice mood lighting and Chinese furniture and wall art. Decent price. We ended up spending $35 per person (four people total) for five dishes. read more
Although a very long wait, Cheli is embodied by rural Chinese inner decorations, great service and stunning presentations of Shanghainese food. For a group of 5, we waited 1.5 hours and spent a total of $275 (on food and a bottle of Sake before tip and tax). The creators of Szechuan Mountain House tap in to foods less oily and spicy than those who are used to Szechuan Mountain House's cuisine. I recommend getting the soup dumplings (pork and crab), spare ribs, shrimp, tofu, beef soup and pork belly and quail eggs (hong shao rou). Nothing that we tried was a miss, we enjoyed each dish very much. While I enjoyed Cheli, I would still have a slight preference to go to Szechuan Mountain House given the choice. read more
I really wanted to like Cheli, especially given all the raving reviews I had heard from friends. Though the ambiance was incredible, I was not impressed by the food. The Longjing Shrimp was beautiful to look at with the dry ice but tasted so plain even with the sauce, while the Braised pork belly had pretty good flavor but wasn't anything too special. I will say that I generally enjoy dishes with stronger flavors, and that is just not usually the case for Shanghainese/Zhejiang cuisine. read more
2 years ago
Took my parents here for a late lunch and they absolutely loved it! The interior and atmosphere of the place was incredible, I loved the decor and plating of the dishes. Everything was incredibly fresh and had such unique flavors. Our favorites were definitely the Eel dish, the frog, and the black truffle soup dumplings. We also had the chicken ginseng soup which was delicious. Our bill came out to $145 with tip (1 soup, 1 order of soup dumplings, 2 mains, 3 sides of rice). A little expensive but with how fresh and flavorful everything was, I'd definitely come back. Great service too! read more
4 years ago
Came here for a date night and became one of my favorite restaurants in New York City. I wasn't too familiar with Chinese restaurants, but this was an amazing introduction to the cuisine. The atmosphere, service, and food were beyond expectations. We went to the St. Mark location as a walk-in and were seated pretty quickly. 1. Braised Pork Belly: Definitely my favorite. It was a perfect balance of sweet and savory and wished there were more of it. 2. Sweet Osmanthus Rice Cake: Wasn't a huge fan of it, but everyone else seems to like it. 3. Eggplant in Garlic Sauce: Haven't had that many eggplant dishes, but this was so delicious. I took the leftovers back home and ate them with rice and it was even better the next day. 4. Fried Sliced Pumpkin w. Duck Egg Yolk: This came as a pleasant surprise because I didn't know pumpkin and duck egg could go so well together. It could get a little heavy when eaten a lot of it, but this is the one that I always crave and think about. read more
3 years ago
The eggplant and soup (5/5): Would come back for these! The eggplant went well with some steamed rice, perfectly portion for 2 people, and wasn't too oily which is usually my concern with ordering this dish out. The soup was MASSIVE and they didn't skip out on the fish either, you could definitely feed 4 people with it! If you're afraid of spice, beware of the Szechuan peppers inside. Xiao long bao (4.5/5): These actually exceeded my expectations -- super hot, not too thick skin, and packed with juice! I personally like to eat mine with the shredded ginger but they don't include that. Braised pork belly (2.5/5): The only dish that disappointed me a bit, both the meat and eggs was on the drier/over cooked side and didn't really melt in your mouth like others do. Overall, the ambiance was super cute, cozy, dim lighting but expect it to be pretty loud (we didn't mind it). The service was great and gave good recommendations. We sat there for probably 3 hours and they still checked in on us regularly without making us feel rushed at all, which we really appreciated. I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu. The restaurant was packed so definitely plan to to get a reservation in advance. read more
Thinking about the Crispy Duck at Cheli is making my mouth water a day after a great anniversary dinner at the East Village location ... This spot is a great place for a small celebration, with a dimly lit atmosphere and amazing decor. The service was fast, we were at the restaurant for a bit over an hour. From the extensive menu, my partner and I chose to order the Chinese Yam, Xiao Long Bao, Shanghai Lo Mein, and Crispy Duck. The Chinese Yam was smothered in a sweet, viscous syrup. We were not very into it, but this is also probably due to the fact that we were expecting a starchy yam (our mistake). It was really interesting to try though. The Xiao Long Bao was superb. I've been craving these for a while, and they did not disappoint! The dough was a great consistency, they did not skimp on the soup, and the meat was perfectly cooked. Definitely recommend! The Shanghai Lo Mein was the perfect starchy, oily (but not too oily) dish. The noodles were chewy and satisfying, and the oil covered our lips in the best way. But ... the star of the show ... the Crispy Duck. Oh wowza! Three words: crispy, juicy, fatty. Great amount of meat, kept us extremely satisfied and I can't stop thinking about it. 100% recommend! read more
3 years ago
3 years ago
I really enjoyed the experience at Cheli. It was a very unique dining experience and I would definitely go back. Service - 5/5. Everyone was very attentive and also gave us some great insights on the food itself. Our waitress checked in on us a few times and was so kind. Food - 5/5. We started with soup dumplings which were excellent. The next thing we tried was the hunan beef which ended up being one of our favorites, but by far the best dish was the fish stew. This is definitely something you might like if you enjoy more of a sour/spicy taste. The portion was huge and it was really the highlight. Rice cakes were also amazing. The pork belly was a little too rich to eat a lot of but in small portions was enjoyable. Vibe 5/5. The restaurant is quiet and feels intimate. The decor is also very immersive and they have really committed to the overall ambiance. I would definitely come back here or recommend it. I had really never been anywhere like it. read more
Been wanting to try this place for a while! Definitely recommend going with a group to order different dishes to try! Our waiter was super friendly and gave us recommendations on dishes to try. He made jokes with us and checked up on ua frequently! I'd recommend this place!! * Flaming Begger's Chicken ($34): I was not expecting a fire show & interactive dish. The flavor was super yummy and the chicken was sooo tender, literally fell off the bone (5/5) * Sliced Chilled Chicken ($15): Standard Chinese chicken dish. The chicken was super juicy and the sauce that complemented it went so well with the chicken (4/5) * Braised Pork Belly ($27): I loooved the quail eggs that came with the dish, maybe a bit more than the pork belly itself but the pork belly was very tender as well (4/5) * Crispy Eel ($32): This is a MUST GET. I was not expecting to like this dish but it was super flavorful and crispy. GET THIS! (5/5) * Herbal Mixed Mushroom Soup ($19): The soup was strong in herbal flavor and was a good cleanse from the dishes (4/5) * Stir Fried Water Spinach ($16): Standard vegetables, good flavors tho! (4/5) * Eggplant in Garlic Sauce ($16): I love eggplant dishes. This was yummy and had a small kick of spice (4/5) * Stir Fried String Beans ($17): Yummy string beans, cooked well and had lots of flavor! (4/5) * Fried Tofu Bites ($18): This was interesting LOL they look like little cheese balls. I wish there was a little more flavor to them but they were pretty crispy (3/5) * White Pepper Beef with Soft Tofu ($33): THIS WAS SO SPICY. I don't think it was like spicy spicy but like white pepper spicy if you know what I mean... The tofu was very soft tho but my mouth could not handle her (3/5) * White rice ($2 each) & Nabeshima Green Sake ($50): Sake was pretty smooth * Fried Sticky Rice Pancake (free): our server surprised us with a dessert at the end of our dinner (so nice!!) Was super tasty and the presentation was so cute!! read more
3 years ago
I don't think they made authentic food. Stirred shredded eels and crab tofu were really disappointing. Service and ambiance were excellent though. Food: 2/5. Service: 5/5. Ambiance: 5/5. read more
I had a great experience here a few weeks ago. First, make sure you make a reservation, because the wait seemed quite long when we got there for ours. The space is quite big and very nicely decorated, it almost makes it feel like a small village. There's a lot of attention to detail - from the design of the menu to the presentation of the dishes. Our server was friendly and attentive and helped us decide on what to order. We shared a bunch of dishes and very much enjoyed them all. Some of my favorites were Qianlong's Favorite Eel and the Steamed Yellow Croaker. I personally enjoyed trying some dishes I'd never had before and would definitely recommend checking it out! read more
2 years ago
It was ok. High expectation on their famous pork belly dish. Unfortunately, it was way too sweet. But their soup dumplings are super good. Great service and calm cozy ambiance. read more
Traditional styled decoration. Food is overall ok, pretty busy on weekend so make a reservation! The truffle steak is good and the crab tofu is ok for its price. Overall a decent Chinese restaurant to try in the city with special cocktails! read more
The vibes are immaculate and honestly worth the wait. Came here Sunday for dinner, no reservation party of two, and only had to wait 20 minutes w/ 6 parties ahead of us. Ordered; Qianlong Eel Braised pork Deep fried sea bass Chrysanthemum cakes And honestly it was quite a bit of food so we left feeling stuffed, but this was the best Chinese vibe restaurant I've been in -- reminds me a lot of China, but only the best parts and love how 热闹 the restaurant was. Only thing was I tried to order in mandarin but it was so bad the waitress switched to English to speak with me LMAO read more
Absolutely delicious. It's an experience to eat here. The menu is so unique. I feel like I've walked back in time. The only thing about the menu is that there aren't descriptions at all. We got the wine soaked chicken and piece of jade as appetizers. Loved the wine soaked chicken, and it was so refreshing. The piece of jade was pretty unique. I felt like I was eating so healthy w the piece of jade. The Puer tea soaked rice w. sea urchin is such a small portion. I'm not sure it's worth it. It is tasty but expensive for what it is. Braised pork belly - a classic and well done. Flavorful and yum. We were not expecting Qianlongs favorite fish head to be spicy, but it sure was tasty. We also didn't expect it to come in such a big dish! Ending the meal with Song Dynasty steam bun, it's a regular white steamed bun but pretty big. The sauce is sweet. Helped get rid of the spiciness from the fish. Would come back again. I still want to try Longjing Shrimp. They were out of dry ice, so it wasn't going to look quite the same. read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
A truly authentic Chinese restaurant that gets it all right. The ambiance, the servers and the food -- all worthy of a 5 star yelp rating! We arrived on a very bitterly cold day with a reservation for an extremely early dinner because we had a movie to catch uptown shortly after. Here's what we ordered: 1. Sweet Osmanthus rice cakes -- must order item 2. Xiao long bao with black truffle -- also a must order item 3. Eggplant in garlic sauce -- spectacular, best I've ever had 4. Crispy Eel with sweet and sour sauce -- good, but I'd skip this next time 5. Pork belly with quail eggs -- another great must order item 6. West lake minced beef soup w watershield -- warm, comforting and simply delicious Our server was extremely helpful, there when you needed him and we had quite the conversation about how cold it was outside. I am already plotting my return visit. The food here is that good. read more
4 years ago
TLDR: Food is great, but try to come here with a reservation! I've been here 3 times now and would still love to come back because they have many dishes that aren't available elsewhere, but their wait times are horrendous (2-3 hours)! They recently allowed reservations on Resy and even with one it could take 15-20 mins to get seated. Food recs: - qianlong's favorite eel: one of my favorite dishes here - unique and gives you spring rolls so you eat it like Peking duck - house special fish stew: surprisingly good given this isn't a Szechuan restaurant - not too spicy but plenty flavorful - wine-soaked chicken: good! I always get this dish. Chicken comes cold which may be off putting to some people - longjing shrimp: very aesthetic, the dish is a classic Shanghai dish which I love and it is done well here, but it is what it is - loofah with garlic: good too - fried sticky rice pancake: my go to dessert here! Can ask for it to come last so you have it warm. Aesthetic and delicious Food misses: - crab meat tofu stew: unfortunately didn't love this one - drunken crab: not much meat in the crab shell Drinks: - milk tea with Chinese wine - very interesting and surprisingly works? - rice wine with osmanthus: loved this! Would get again Ambiance is obviously great - photographs well read more
Food: Cheli specializes in Jiangnan cuisine. Unlike Szechuan food, it is mostly non-spicy and places more emphasis on sweet and sour flavors. Cheli has managed to create so many dishes with decadent flavors that are simultaneously delicate. My favorite dishes from Cheli include some of the following: - Longjing shrimp: I get this dish every single time. The presentation itself is idyllic and undoubtedly brings that "wow" factor. A beautiful smoke effect is created (I believe by pouring hot water over dry ice underneath the dish?). The shrimp has a tint of luminescent pink and is deliciously refreshing. -pumpkin with salted duck egg yolk: give me anything with salted duck egg yolk and I will like it, but this dish elevates salted duck egg yolk to a whole other level! The outer layer is crispy and salty. The inner layer of pumpkin has a soft and creamy texture. The juxtaposition is just brilliant! -pork belly with quail eggs: okay this dish might come down to personal preference. I wouldn't eat it every day. But If you're someone who occasionally indulges in some fatty goodness, you have to try this! The meat is definitely on the heavier and oily side, but it literally melts in your mouth! Service: Efficient, quick, courteous and pleasant service. Wouldn't say anything stood out in particular but I have nothing to complain about either. Ambiance: The restaurant is on the 2nd floor on St. Marks and is surprisingly spacious yet cozy at the same tiIt's definitely a popular spot so would come right when they open if you don't want to wait. read more
One of the only Zhejiang restaurants I've ever been to! Perfect for those who want Chinese food without any spice. Portions are generally on the smaller side and prices are very reasonable, so you can order more variety to share. My favorite thing about Cheli is the ambiance- the interior design is beautiful and really makes me feel like I'm in an old, dimly lit street way alley in China. The staff are attentive and the restaurant was 75% full when I went on a Friday for lunch. The food was just okay, in my opinion. My favorite dishes were the braised pork belly and the luffa but everything else that we ordered fell short. - Braised pork belly was delicious. Perfect balance of sweet and savory. - Luffa was great. Hard to go wrong with a vegetable when it's sautéed! - The crab meat tofu skew was a bit too subtle in the crab meat flavor (and a tad too salty). - Drunken chicken was a bit bitter and the chicken's skin was very very chewy and almost crunchy. I might be too used to the flavor of drunken chicken marinade from grocery stores - Crab XLB: way too sour. They added way too much vinegar into the filling, and it overpowered everything else in the filling Even though the food was mediocre, I would be willing to go back again for the ambiance and because of the scarcity of Zhejiang province food in NYC! read more
2 years ago
Delish and super fun meal! Felt taken care of the second we walked in with our large last minute group. The authentic flavors and dramatic presentations delighted us all. Definitely going back for the steaming shrimp and calligraphy paint brush dessert. read more
3 years ago
The decor here is incredible. I love the attention to detail and appreciate how much efforts they put into it. It's like walking into a retro movie set where you would expect highly skilled Kung Fu people to fly around the pavilions. Presentation of the food was beautiful and very aesthetically appealing. Food themselves wise I wasn't too impressed - everything I tried was good but nothing too special to write home about. Decor definitely deserves a 5 star, but food themselves is bit lackluster, so the weighted average for this place is more like 3.5 since I weigh food a lot more than the ambiance. read more
2 years ago
If you are looking for authentic Shanghainese food in the city, head to Che Li. Also - if you need to host a large dinner, you can call the restaurant to make arrangements. The team is super friendly and helpful - I have hosted two work dinners with 20 people and each time it has been amazing. And they do not force you into a banquet menu with a party this size. My favorites: xiao long bao (soup dumplings) Pan fried dumplings Longjing shrimp Crispy Duck Sour Fish stew Green Beans Eggplant Butterfly prawns and glass noodles Pea Shoots Salted Ham mixed rice Clay pot rice with mushrooms Beef on top of soft tofu You can't go wrong with- the food is amazing and the staff is great helping you with your order. ***** stars! read more
What a hidden gem. Having traveled through China, I have to say I found the food not only authentic - but delicious and excellent in presentation. The beef stew and duck were my favorite - I also recommend ordering several dishes at a time. (The beef stew was very, very spicy - but that is also my personal preference so I thought it was phenomenal.) read more
2 years ago
Authentic Chinese food of Jiang Zhe region. Busy for a Friday night, we ended up putting our name down then went to Brooklyn Bridge for a walk. Came back just in time, our table was ready in 20 min. Everything was delicious and not too sweet. Love the decor in the restaurant as well! read more
I arrived on a Sunday with a friend and we were able to get seated without reservation. The restaurant is quite big and most people seem to come here with bigger groups. If you only have a party of two, you might end up sitting by the windows, which has good lighting. The place is on the pricier side and my friend and I ordered their longjing shrimp, xiao long bao (truffle), house special fish stew, and stir fried water spinach. Their longjing shrimp was really unique and it was cool seeing the smoke come out. The xiao long bao was pretty decent. The portions for the stir fried water spinach was actually rather small but it was so good. Meanwhile, the fish stew was huge and we had to take it to go. Overall, the restaurant is doing a great job in how they present the food and the food is delicious! read more
A proper Chinese Meal that soothes your soul and delights your belly. We were fortunate to get a recommendation from Michelle who is Cantonese. This place has uniquely awesome food, not your typical Chinese restaurant at all. We had the steamed croaker, crispy eel, crispy fish, mapo tofu with Suchuan flair (the tongue numbing tingling taste with suchuan peppers which are actually berries), lo mein, snow pea tips, with 3 bowls of rice for five people. Every dish was outstanding! The crispy eel is addicting with its salty, crunchy, sweet and it is basically like glazed donut but with some savory flavor profile. You would not really taste the eel. Just when you think you are done eating, you find yourself picking up another piece to eat even when you are full with all the other food you have eaten. There were still some other new dishes we would love to come back for like crab and fried prawns and some other greens. However, we did come back for for more mapo tofu and snow pea tips and found out the closing time is not closing time. We went there an hour and half before it was supposed to be closed but they said that they have already taken their last customer on Sunday night, so we could not get in to have a second meal there :( They do not take reservations so get there early or prepare to wait! Here in American we are so lucky to be a melting pot where we can do an around the world culinary trip while without leaving the USA!!!! read more
1 year ago
wow!!! fancy restaurant with hard to get reservation. thanks friends for letting me bring my friend from home with me. bro the decor here is actually so fire. i was shocked when i went in. it was like i was transported to asia fr but no i was in new york, new york actually. but wow. the food was fire too. i really liked their marinated pork and also their yam was like weird at first but then it grew on me. i would for sure go here again it was fire. LOL but anyways we spilt a lot of tea and it wasn't awkward at all. i didn't get to try that much of the soup but it was sour and fishy and good. honestly everything we ordered was fire. awesome! we got chocolate dip after but i was so full and had a terrible headache so i didn't get anything unfortunately but my friend got a funny picture of me so ig that makes it worth it. and then i realized like huh why are we always eating near nyu LOL because i literally know st marks street like the back of my hand now. 5 stars!!! read more
2 years ago
The vibes are very old Chinese and nice inside, my pic does not really do it justice. The soup dumplings were super good, pillowy dough and strong, flavorful soup, some of the best I've had! The braised pork belly and quail egg is Steph's favorite, and then we got green beans and a hot stone braised mushroom and green pepper fried rice, which they stirred tableside! Overall a very good meal. However, New York has a lot of really good Chinese food in Chinatown and in upscale Chinese restaurants, so we will see if I return to Che Li in the future. Tough competition out there! Servers were also very nice read more
CheLi is another one of the new restaurants that opened in the last year or so which is high on our list to try once we are able to resume our trips to NY again. It offers Jiangnan - Shanghai region - dishes and is a sister restaurant to the Sichuan Mountain next door. Knowing how busy the places could get - we'd only been to Sichuan Mountain prior to this and the waitlist at dinner can be long regardless of day of week, and this being a Friday, we went there a bit earlier in the day to put ourselves on the waitlist so we didn't have to wait long when we showed up around 6, when the place was already packed. The decor here is designer style Chinese rustic and charming with a lot of atmosphere, just like the other restaurant. Lighting is dim overall but bright enough over the tables to see your food. Diners and waitstaff here are almost all young Asians, likely majority Chinese, with a few tables dotted by one or two non Asian faces. Given the diner profile here the food has got to be pretty authentic and delicious, and it is. They have ribbon fish on the menu which is as homey and Chinese a dish as you can get. I would have ordered it but it's boney and my table mates were not as enthusiastic. So we went with soup dumplings (the dough skin could be thinner but there is a ton of juice inside), mix veggie appetizer (good presentation but very bland), "smoked" fish (cold app but came slightly warm as the fish is fried with a super yummy dark sauce), stir fried loofah (so good and something I haven't had for years), pine nut filleted fish (another old favorite), and stir fried beef with pickled mustard greens - this last one a bit of a surprise as it came as a soupy dish which wasn't expected given the "stir fry" designation, nevertheless turned out to be extremely flavorful - it's also a dish that was individually served by the waitstaff. Only problem with it was the beef chunks were cut thick and huge, and some a bit tough as a result. The dessert menu was a bit disappointing so we had to skip that. Overall, I really liked this new place and will definitely be back to try many of the other dishes. read more
4 years ago
Loved the food here! I got the prawn with glass noodle, braised pork, and string beans. All of them were 10/10, flavor was great, large portions, very worth it. Service was ok, the servers came to the table quite often and were knowledgeable in sharing recommendations. Ambiance wise, it was pretty cute. The place was a little small though. Overall, it was really good, would definitely go back! read more
4 years ago
Hidden gem. Authentic Chinese food with a fun vibe inside. Not your traditional Chinese restaurant interior. The wine soaked chicken was better than what I've had in China. The fried eel was also the perfect combo of sweet, tangy, and fried. The roast beef was the perfect texture and taste. 10000% recommend this restaurant! read more
2 years ago
Loved this place! The restaurant itself feels comforting and intimate with lower lighting throughout the restaurant and lights for each table, the vibes were just perfect. The food was great too, super authentic and flavorful, plus the staff were very attentive. The hot stone spicy chicken and pork intestine (干锅肥肠鸡) was my favorite and what I recommend if you eat intestine, but their braised pork belly (红烧肉) was classic, sweet, and fatty in the best of way and goes super well with rice! We also got the west lake minced beef soup w. water shield (西湖牛肉羹), which has a texture a bit like hot and our soup but thicker, and a mild but deep flavor, and it had more than enough for 3 people. Highly recommend if you are ever in East Village! read more
Came back with a larger party of 10. The staff and food were amazing! The waiter was super helpful and immediately got comfy with us which always makes the eating experience more pleasurable. My father who is like the pickiest child you have ever encountered wouldnt eat anything until he saw how much we were all raving and even he started to eat the scrumptious meals. This time around we ordered just about the whole menu trying new dishes. I'm hoping this is my new regular spot and hope to keep accompanying people here for yummy meals :) read more
This place looks so beautiful and I just had to try it. My favorite dish was probably the crab and tofu. The flavor reminded me of the crab and pork soup dumplings I love. While the food was generally tasty, I don't think any dish was particularly impactful in flavor. It's plated beautifully but maybe due to the particular region of food here, I didn't experience the burst of flavor I've grown to enjoy from most restaurants in flushing. The price tag is definitely steep, and I think you're paying a large portion for the ambiance and plating. Tasty food, but you can get something similar for much less nearby! read more
2 years ago
More info about Cheli
19 St Marks Pl
New York, NY 10003
East Village
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(646) 858-1866
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http://www.che-li.com
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Ask the Community - Cheli
Going with my elderly mom and want to make sure they take checking COVID vaccine status seriously. Do they do a good job of making sure only vaccinated people are admitted for indoor dining?
They check but it's not the most stringent. They didn't check ID. And they don't check you again after your waitlist is up.
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