Order the house special rice cakes, the fish and pickled greens soup, - my two favorites. There are a lot of dishes outside of my HK and Shanghainese repertoire so it was a little daunting to decide what to order. It did get a James Beatd nod and my 2 foodie friends are tegulars. So give it a try! read more

Yunnan Kitchen - The stir fried Yunnan rice cakes, Dali fried mushrooms, and pea jelly tofu - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Really amazing food; good fast service for a large group for brunch. Not dim sum but better and happy to dial up or down the spiciness. We will be back! read more

yunnan is a classy place that always seems to be teeming with guests. come at lunch time for less of a crowd. i am fortunate enough to live across the street from such a good establishment, so i frequent here. service is quick, no fuss, and out of the way so you can enjoy the company that you came with. some favorites include the stir fried rice cakes, the beef with peppers, sticky rice meatballs, and dali fried mushrooms. enjoy your time here!! read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Hand-made Sticky Rice Meat Balls - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Yummy food, cool ambiance, friendly staff. Enjoyed beef with mint and stir fried rice noodles with pork and vegetables. Pan fried dumplings also a must. Will be back soon. read more

Amazing food and experience. Came in with a group of 12 and they were above and beyond accommodating to our group. Some of the best food I've had in a while! read more

We made reservations for Christmas weeks in advance asking for the chef's choice menu. Our reservations were for 5:30; we waited 45 minutes until we finally got a table which we nearly didn't get because the staff was paying no attention. They had no idea of what we had asked for, took another 20 minutes to figure out. We then waited another 20 minutes until after begging for food we finally got a cold mushroom dish that unless we were starving would never have eaten. The food was only ok, had to ask for rice, and didn't even get water without having to ask. Dessert was awful. I will never go back. read more

Great service, and so many great choices! Great atmosphere and vibes. Absolutely delicous. Would recommend!

Being Boston's first and only Yunnan restaurant, I came in expecting food incomparable to those served from other chinese restaurants around Boston. For the most part, I came out relatively satisfied. The stir fried rice cakes exceeded my expectations. The dish was actually quite fragrant and smokey, providing a great deal of wok-stir-fry flavor and aroma. The mint beef was also a delight! The beef was tender and moist; the chillies added a fiery but sweet flair; and the mint leaves provided a refreshing aftertaste that leaves you going for another piece. The wood ear mushroom salad was simple but refreshing! Cold, soaked in soy sauce and vinegar, accompanied by crunchy onions. A great pallet cleanser! Unfortunately, the steamed pot chicken completely fell short, and was by far the weakest dish. $35 for a few chicken scraps in a broth that lacked any depth in flavor. The chicken itself was somehow incredibly dry and lacked any complexity in its taste! It's almost as if they took the scraps of another chicken dish, boiled it in water, and served it in a fancy vessel. Aside from the food, the restaurant itself is cozy, though not very spacious. As for the service, the food was brought out almost instantaneously! All four dishes came out in less than 5 minutes! Unfortunately, we were rushed out before I could even ask what was on the dessert menu. Overall, Yunnan kitchen isn't a bad restaurant at all. Aside from the chicken, it executed its food quite well. Personally, I wasn't too blown away by it. The flavors were good, but certainly not extraordinary to leave me wanting to come back for more. Needless to say, you won't be disappointed coming here. read more

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I've ordered out a single fish dish from here several times (boiled fish in chili oil) but finally had the opportunity to dine in with a few friends and try some different plates. Yunnan rice cakes: a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside patty served with a condensed milk sauce for dipping. Also makes a perfectly absorbent medium for sopping up the spicy sauces! Helpful hint: Wait for them to cool before trying to stuff the whole cake in your mouth. Mint beef: This was a friend's pick for which I had no expectations at all but ended up enjoying so much that I ate most of the bowl. Tender beef cuts sauteed with fragrant mint and with just a bit of a spicy kick. Stir fried rice cakes: I'm a huge fan of these chewy nuggets. Think al dente rice pasta tossed with mustard greens, pork and egg in a mildly spicy oil. Boiled fish in chili oil: A thing of beauty. It's a dish I've had at other restaurants but the tofu skin and baby cauliflower set this one apart for me. It's not half as dangerous as it looks or sounds - the sichuan peppercorns and chili oil just leave you with a pleasant tingly-face. Green pepper and potato fried rice: This was our safety/recovery (non spicy) dish if we needed it, but we liked it as much as everything else on the table. Not at all greasy, almost like broken rice with shreds of potatoes and pepper. Fast and unobtrusive service, as well background music with an actual background volume level to make this one of the rare restaurants where you can actually hold a conversation (THANK YOU AND PLEASE DON'T CHANGE). A unique and delicious experience! So much more to try here. read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Rice cakes (front) mint beef (upper left), boiled fish in chili oil (upper right). - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I've had take out from here once, and sit down meal once. The takeout was the rice cakes with pork which was far far too spicy for my taste, which isn't the restaurant's fault, I'm sure they can make it less spicy for my western palate. This review focuses on my sit down meal here and how utterly terrible the service was. But first the food - my friend and I shared the fried goat cheese with honey, which was fun and delicious. We also shared the sticky rice meatballs which were tasty but bland (could definately use some ginger.) Finally we had the sweet and sour pork, which was good - crispy with a more complex than usual sweet and sour sauce. Both the meatballs and pork came with crisp-tender brocolli (but rice should have come with the sweet and sour pork.) So for the food alone, at least a 4. But from the greeting at the door, to the service where we sat a the bar, this place left a bad taste in both our mouths. The staff at the host stand was confused, unclear and not communicative. They never actually put our names on thier (paper) list, then said the wait was 15 minutes. Then 60. Then no, someone was leaving. Then what was your name? (You didn't take it) Then "oh, someone left from the bar, you can sit there.). We were confused and left feeling like the staff were completely making things up as they went. (An electronic reservation system cost money, yes, but it would be way more efficient than a messy paper list you aren't even really using.) When we sat, it took a long time for a waiter to come over and take our order, then they brought out appetizer without side plates.When we asked for one, he gave my friend a plate and said "we don't have any more, that's the last one." That might have been a language issue, but they did clean one, or find one for me, instead of placing it in front of me, threw it on the bar next to my friend. Just not great service from the hostess or from out waiter, and we felt like we were an annoyance. This place has a James Beard nomination. Do they count service in there at all? Cause it was not a James Beard noiminee experience at all. read more

Delicious food with authentic flavors! Everything was fresh, well-seasoned, and served hot. Great service and cozy atmosphere. Highly recommend the chicken fried rice !"This is one of the best Chinese restaurants I've been to. The best Chinese Cuisine was perfectly cooked, the portions were generous, and the flavors were spot on. Staff were friendly and attentive, and the restaurant was clean and welcoming. Definitely a place I'll come back to often." read more

If your a fan of authentic Chinese food this is your place ! It's not your Americanized Cantonese style many are accustomed too. I had a tofu skin and pickled vegetables soup it was great. The beef and jalapeños fried rice was fantastic. The dumplings were also very good. Great beer selection. read more

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If there was a definition of a restaurant I wanted to gate-keep, it would be here. I came here late on a Friday night without a reservation with 2 of my friends. I called 20min before to check if they had a table available. They luckily said yes, and we were immediately sat down when we arrived. We shared the mushroom appetizer - so good so spicy. Then our 3 mains were the mint beef, fish in chili oil, and stir fried rice cakes. I believe everything we chose was spicy (the menu specifies which dishes are spicy), and it was amazing. I definitely need to come back and check out their drinks. The waiter was also so helpful in helping us decide which dishes to choose. There are also some decorations inside that pay tribute to the Chinese culture so overall a great ambiance! read more

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New spot (and much needed Chinese food) in the South End! Ambiance of the restaurant is great and the service is 10/10! We ordered the chicken, stir fried beef, rice cakes which were all tasty but just a tad on the saltier side. Mix it up with some other dishes and it's a solid meal, even better experience. read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Great restaurant! It is 9/10. It is a great place to find an original taste from south-west of China. The survey is friendly and the fast. The ambiance is a very traditional from original area. However it takes time to find a parking spot. The food in the image is my favorite. Highly recommended! read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Xishuangbanna Lemon grass tilapia and steamed pot chicken. - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Portion sizes were massive - the soups could all have served two. I had the fried tofu with long horn peppers which was mostly peppers which was very spicy. We started with the fried cheese, dali fried mushrooms and potato pancake all of which were great. The mushrooms had the spice in the side, so if you don't like spice you can still share. read more

Dropped in for a light dinner and was lucky to beat the 95% Asian crowd in at 6! We ordered the fried pea jelly since we had no idea what it was--perfect light fry on a mild "jelly" (very soft and the slightest bit of chew), which turned out to be a great vessel for the real star of the dish, the dry chili powder. I'm a big fan of the numbing spice sensation, which we got even more of with the braised chicken. I didn't expect it to be still so juicy with such a strong sauce (you can see all the whole spices used!), and I couldn't get enough. Would return if I come back in town and recommend for an authentic southern Chinese spicy kick! read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Dali Fried Pea Jelly Yongping Braised Chicken - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This was a James Beard nominated restaurant, please!!!! It was the worst dining/drinking experience I've ever had. First, we both ordered one of their 5 signature cocktails to be told "we don't have those two". I had a water. I ordered the fried mushrooms, fried spring rolls and pork dumplings. The fried mushrooms were served cold, limp and super spicy (awful). The spring rolls were equivalent to the cheapest frozen spring rolls I could get at the grocery store and the pork dumplings were decent. My partner got a lime chicken dish. It was a pile of over cooked shredded chicken breast heaped in a mound on a plate with 3 slices of lime sitting on top. THATS IT!!! We left 80% of the food on the table and went to China town. Whom ever nominated them for a James Beard award needs to give up on review food establishments, you have no taste. Terrible, terrible, terrible. read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Fried mushrooms. LOL - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

My wife and I were overwhelmed and deeply satisfied by the uniqueness of the Yunnan Flight for Two on Saturday night. The first course was stir-fried beef with pickled mustard greens, which had just the right amount of spices, a little heat, and was cooked perfectly. Next came their stir-fried rice cake, which has the mouth feel of a large rice noodle sliced into wafer-sized chunks, nicely spiced with pickled mustard greens, pork, and tomato. A hearty staple of the Yunnan region, no one will be left hungry after eating this smooth, flavorful dish. The master chef Yisha Siu then honored us with a plate of another signature dish: fried pea jelly, which consisted of light, fluffy cubes made with a yellow pea flour mixture that is deep fried and served with chili spices that seemed to have fennel, pepper, and more. Our favorite course was the signature Xishuangbanna lemongrass tilapia, which is a whole fresh tilapia, split and grilled perfectly on the bone with remarkable seasonings that include chili paste, jalapeno peppers, garlic, lemongrass, and citrus. We chose to pair with an Argentinian Malbec and a glass of specialty sake. The coconut delight dessert was distinctive including palm seeds along with coconut flakes and brioche. Yunnan Kitchen is unique in the area for its authentic tastes and presentation. The staff is friendly and attentive, and reservations are needed for weekend nights. The booth we were seated in gave us a quiet special meal. The Chef's flavor in its specialty dishes are unique in the Boston area and well worth experiencing. read more

I have to admit that I have never had Yunnan food before except one dish (过桥米线) and I do not have too much knowledge on Yunnan cuisine. So we blindly picked beef brisket stew with potato (good but not quite sure this one is an authenticate Yunnan dish), mint fried ribs (good but very spicy), Yunnan potato pancake (excellent), and hand-made stick rice meatballs (excellent, my favor). I have seen several other dishes such as Yunnan style rice pancake, and Grandma's potato that might represent typical Yunnan food. I will definitely come back. I also love the decoration of this restaurant, quite traditional! read more

I enjoyed the Dali fried pea jelly (13$) a lot! It was super interesting, with a nice crisp outside and nice spicy dip. It was ever so slightly too bland because of the issue of double dipping though -- I feel like if it were smaller chunks, it would be ideal! The Yongping braised chicken (29$) came out sizzling hot, but was overall way too salty; delicious otherwise with tender chicken and lots of flavor. The rice (3$) was a bit on the drier side, which normally would be fine, except the chicken didn't have sauce, so it did make for a suboptimal combination. Service was fine except when we wanted to get our bill, which was weirdly slow. I'd definitely recommend visiting! read more

I went there on a rainy day and their spicy shrimp with fried rice was so good! The atmosphere was on top because of the music, comfy seating and lights; it was really romantic in a way. But the only downside was service. I haven't left any tips since order was already pricey, but when I was just about to leave, servant come up to me and started complaining about not receiving tips. After telling her many times that I don't want to give tips she started complaining even more. It was VERY disappointing read more

Easy online ordering, ready and waiting for pickup when they said it would be. Unique menu items, cooked just right with fresh ingredients, as well as traditional Chinese restaurant items (eg scallion pancakes). read more

Came here after I recently saw their chef was a James Beard Award Finalist in 2023. It's also been on a friend's list for a while so this was a good opportunity. Located in the South End it's an unassuming restaurant with a few homier touches. Finding a table was reasonable ~ 30-45min on a Friday at 630pm. Lots of takeout orders but our party of 4 (2 M/F couples) got a booth. We got 4 appetizers and 3 entrees which are all good and different from what we usually eat. We're all chinese-american so we eat at Asian restaurants a lot but 2 of us are northern and 2 southern. I haven't eaten a lot of Yunnan food so this was somewhat unique! We got: Apps: Fried pea jelly, yunan style rice pancake, dali fried mushroom Entrees: Sticky rice steamed ribs , boiled fish filet in chili oil, stir fried beef with pickled veges, Lemon shredded chicken Highlights: - Fried Pea Jelly (somewhat like fried tofu) - Yunan Style Rice Pancake w/ condensed milk (very good) - Dali Fried Mushroom (unique, jerky-like mushroom) - Boiled Fish Filet in Chili Oil (not as spicy as szechuan but very good) - Stir-fried Beef w/ Pickeled Veggies (very soft and appropriate texture) Overall, great place with great taste. Homier in taste than traditional chinese restaurants. There are of course classic American-Chinese options but we didn't try them. Yunan is southern-ish which tends to be less salt/garlic heavy and more sweet but it's hard to generalize. Give the traditional Yunan dishes a try! read more

I was quite disappointed given all the recommendations I have been receiving from my Chinese friends recently and after learning about all the credentials and awards Yunnan Kitchen has received. We ordered around 7 dish, ALL of which, except for the dessert, were extremely salty. Everyone at the table mentioned that the food was a bit salty . Personally, I think the kitchen made a huge mistake for all of our dish, but if that's their standard amount of salt they add to their dish, I will never return as the salt drowns all other flavors and it is bad for my health. Hence I ordered white rice to help myself to finish the food, but it turns out the rice was not made well either, it was slightly undercooked and dried. I assume they didn't add enough water. When we left the table, a lot of food were not finished which was not surprising to me. Most of the items in the menu are not authentic Yunnan dish, my friends informed me. But that doesn't matter too much to me as long as they had other authentic and tasty Chinese cuisine. But I have no reason to return, I look forward to being proven wrong about this establishment and have more Chinese restaurants opened in Boston. read more

Delicious and very traditional yunnan food! My friend spent a couple of years in the area and was impressed by the food that popped out. They do a great job with every dish. The grandmas mashed potatoes weren't like anything my grandma would make, but man I want to meet this grandma 10/10. The fish in chili oil was also stunning. Finally do yourself a favor and get the fried pea jelly. Fun fact they are made of peas. Heads up they don't do carafes of sake, but they have a massive bottle you can order off menu. read more

I was looking for an authentic Chinese restaurant with fresh food and amazing flavor. Not only was the food amazing the ambiance was relaxed and calming. The restaurant was clean and the staff were very attentive. The spicy shrimp was to die for as well as the sticky rice and rib dish. We shared the dessert rice pudding which was unlike anything we'd had before but perfectly delectable! Highly recommend this place!!! read more

I got my food and I found 2 plastic wraps , please don't go to this restaurant, it is very dirty. So I did email the manager and of course it is not answer , I don't think they really care about customer, so if anybody go to eat there please check your food. read more

Yunnan Kitchen - I found 2 plastic wrap on my food - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

6.5/10: Yunnan Kitchen is a newcomer to the Boston food scene. It's quickly built a clout after snagging a James Beard nomination just a year after opening its doors. Unfortunately, the food fell a bit flat. There's not many Asian restaurants in Boston that attempt elevated cooking. Most in Chinatown and Allston stick to the American staples of Lo Meins and Crab Rangoons. The fusion places often disguise mediocre cooking with catchy phrases like "Koji Marinade" and "knife cut noodles." Think Pagu. Yunnan Kitchen certainly shakes things up. The chef introduces elements like mint, lime, pea jelly, and goji berry that are rarely seen in Chinese restaurants. That being said, there was room for improvement. - The texture of the fried mushrooms was an off putting mix of dried and squishy. - The snow pea leaves were overpriced. - The braised chicken used lower quality meats. - The sticky rice meatballs were the best dish. read more

Very good food and service. Be warned, the spice level is no joke. Very authentic, even the dishes not marked spicy had quite the kick. read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Wood Ear Mushroom Salad - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Stopped by for lunch on a Saturday and was seated right away. We tried a bunch of dishes including the rice pancakes, shrimp with lotus root, fish in chili oil, stir fry udon, sauté snow peas, and coconut delight dessert. Because if you don't like spicy because a lot of the dishes were spicy. Everything was tasty but service was slow and they forgot one of our dishes. The rice pancakes were interesting. They don't have much flavor but taste good when dipped in the condensed milk. The coconut delight was not sweet which made it very bland. Overall decent option for Yunnan dishes! read more

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One of the worst places I've ever gone to in my life, absolutely disgustingly dirty. When the lady move something off the table a cockroach came underneath the plate. Do not go to this place unless you're looking to get sick. read more

Food is very tasty and authentic to the region. Ambience was chill but lively, the waiters are also very friendly and attentive. read more

Great service, good environment, authentic Yunnan food, but mediocre chief. If you are craving for authentic Yunnan dishes you've seen on YouTube, here's the place to go and try it out see if you like the gourmet. If you miss your hometown in Yunnan, we'll, you can try it out but you might be disappointed a little bit. Why do I say that? Because the food here tastes like Yunnan food, but is not cooked very well. We ordered some authentic Yunnan dishes. Vegetable dished were fine, such as fried mushrooms, and fried rice cake with egg and basil. But the meat dishes were just OK, like 3 stars out of 5. The ingredients were right, it's just the chief's skill I guess. Dishes were presented well, although, so they all looked good. So hopefully the chief can do better in the future. But I can see that they are at least on the right path! Will check it out again I guess next year and see. Overall 4 stars. read more

Really solid Yunnan restaurant with authentic flavors that just opened in the South End! We ordered the potato pancake, which was pretty much as expected--it was thin and crispy, made up of thin strands of potato. You could sprinkle additional spices onto the pancake (which was very much welcome) and the green onion added a lot. We also had the boiled pork with chili oil, which was a larger dish. The flavors were on point in terms of being very mala and savory and quite refreshing. We thought that the flavors could have been concentrated a bit more, though, since sometimes it didn't really stick to the pork meat itself. Just a bit less broth/water would have been perfect. It was a great dish to pair with rice, though. The rice cakes were the star of the night, they were flavorful and delicious. The rice cakes were perfectly tender and chewy and really absorbed the flavor. The pickled vegetables, ample slivers of green onion, and tomato and egg were perfect complements to the rice cakes. The dish had the perfect stir fried flavor that you can only get at a restaurant! Also, our server was incredibly sweet and doing a great job even though it was his first day. We hope that this restaurant will stick around and become a South End staple! read more

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My coworkers and I ordered lunch from here and it was great! 3 of us got the general tso's chicken and 1 got the beef and broccoli. We ordered from the lunch menu and I was SO surprised at how large the portions were. When you take a bite of the chicken, you actually see that there's white meat inside! I feel like at a lot of places, there's little meat and mostly fried batter. The sauce was sweet but not overly and it's not the usual thick goop that you get elsewhere. My coworker also loved his beef and broccoli, even saying this was going to be his new spot for Chinese food. Prices seem high ($14/$15 for lunch) but it was worth it, especially considering how big the portions were. We will definitely be going back. read more

This place is located in the South end of Boston close to BU medical campus. Upon walking in, the place had a very nice ambience; it was dimly lit medium sized space with music in the background. The staff were all friendly as well. The place offers authentic traditional Yunnan food which is not as commonly seen in the states compared to other Chinese food. Almost all of the food had spicy kick to it, therefore if you're not familiar or used to spicy food, I wouldn't recommend coming here. We ordered the wood ear mushrooms, fish filet in chili oil and stir fried rice cakes, all of which were very delicious, flavorful, and well made but definitely spicy. read more

Yunnan Kitchen - Wood Ear Mushroom Salad - Szechuan Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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It was very very hot (very uncomfortable) in the restaurant and the interior seems old and dim; food was decent

The front lady was mean and bad attitude. Food is below average. Don't go if you have a choice. read more

The taste was very good, but hygiene management has deficiencies. The glasses were dirty. The bathroom was filthy. And you should not get bug bites when eating dinner. read more