The Best Chinese Restaurants in New York

Down in the LES, a great spot for a larger table, sharing crab, dumplings, whole suckling pig and roast duck. BYO too.Popular and very reliable spot, especially with the hospitality industry for any group or smaller occasion and level of hunger. The go-to for orphans Christmas, and lots of messy fun. Whole roast duck buns, live seafood tanks with crabs and other delights, dumplings, noodles and BBQ meats or order ahead for whole roast suckling pig to share with your BYO wine and table.A great spot for a quick solo lunch or sprawling dinner with friends. Use your napkin.

Sometimes all a place needs is 1 or 2 dishes that are so good, you will come back just for them, as in the case of Alley 41. This Chinese broccoli dish with marinated soy cooked in a skillet was extraordinarily good. And their pancake was so flaky. Don’t get me wrong, they have some other delicious dishes too but I could get the same things everywhere in NYC. However, these two dishes are special; worth the trip for me.

I consider myself an expert in Asian food, both in cooking it and eating it. So when I heard NYC has a Michelin Star Chinese restaurant, I had to try. I can see why it has the star. The dishes are traditional Chinese food, nothing very inventive. However, they just do it a step above others; everything tasted fresh and extraordinary. My fave dish was this potato noodle (1st pic) that was SO good that’s indescribable. You just have to taste it.

Outstanding Sichuan in NYCChili serves some of the finest Sichuan food in NYC. It’s not just about spice. Every dish is delicately balanced. Cumin lamb, kung pao chicken, brisket and tripe, Dan Dan noodles, charred cabbage, and mapo tofu are my standards. But honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything at this always packed favorite.

Chinatown at its finest. No frills, classic chinatown spot. Cram yourself into this joint and slug down a beer before gorging on classics. My advice:Get the shrimp wonton soup regardless of how hot it is outside. And the beef noodles. And the duck over rice.

Ho Foods is this tiny 7-seat place that is famous for one dish, Szechuan beef noodle. Yum, satisfying, especially in cold weather

Northern Chinese quality restaurant with posh decor in Upper East NYCHutong is in the old Le Cirque restaurant which is pretty clitzy - Gordon Gekko goes for dinner. You might be overwhelmed first but actually the décor is an interesting example of its era. But Hutong’s North Chinese food is absolutely excellent. Do not miss the dumplings/ dim sungs, xiao long bao, or their signature dessert with tofu ice cream. A wine list with famous and expensive wines. As I said, posh.

Silky, extremely thin layers of rice pancakes filled with for example dried shrimps, shallots and egg. The pancakes are cooked in a special steamer.

The largest Chinatown of New York City is in Flushing, Queens. Totally worth of the culinary trip. Be sure to visit New World Mall’s food court. For the dumplings, head to the Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao. Anthony Bourdain was here too, that explains the lines.

Trendy, hip Soho Chinese spot that puts out delicious food.While there is nothing groundbreaking about soup, dumplings, wok, fried garlic beans, and greens, and Peking duck, pinch, put it in a nicely modernized setting with excellent cocktails and wine. Food is delicious and completely satisfying and the Pax room will provide a lot of energy to any dining experience.

If you wonder why should you pay more for Red Farm’s high end dumplings when you could get more authentic, cheaper ones in gritty Chinatown? Well, first of all, don’t mistake a clean, modern dumpling place as inauthenticity. In fact, here is the scoop: “In the '60s, we had a generation of elite Chinese cooks who were cooking in China when they were in their 20s and 30s, but have since moved to New York and are now in their 50s and 60s. That's where the food at the first refined Chinese restaurants came from. This wasn't street food or the food your Chinese grandmother makes—which can be great—but something more subtle and technique-focused." What chef Ng does at RedFarm is to combine those old school techniques and the best ingredients money can buy, but refine it a bit so you could taste each dish’s true flavors. Everything tastes more elegant and is cooked with mild-mannered. Even the dipping sauces are refined, not your typical soy sauce & chili oil. We had Shrimp & veg dumplings; fresh corn, chive and shrimp dumplings; pork & crab soup dumplings; pan fried pork buns. No wonder it won best dumplings in NY.