In notoriously expensive San Francisco, a filling lunch for less than $10 is apparently worth waiting for. Rice Roll Express, a no-frill Chinatown joint that became a TikTok sensation for its freshly made chewy rice noodle rolls — known as cheung fun — is still pulling huge lunchtime crowds, with lines stretching out the door … Read more
A video has emerged purportedly showing a Panda Express employee stepping around food while cleaning a frying station, as meals were being prepared. Paul Elisha Finger, who captured the footage, told Storyful that he “noticed the gentleman jump on the fryer that the lady had just put food into” when he visited a Panda Express location in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in early … Read more
A Bay Area restaurateur has gone viral for charging parents as much as $327 for failing to control their rowdy children at his Chinese eatery Chez Xue. You You Xue, who operates two restaurants south of San Francisco, says he’s slapped financial penalties on parents of spirited tots who smashed credit card readers, carved “designs” … Read more
A popular Taiwanese chain is planning to remove its famous Shanghai Rice Cakes from the menu — sparking a petition and sending furious foodies into a frenzy. About 1,700 people have already signed a new petition to bring Din Tai Fung’s beloved dish back after leaving loyal patrons “distraught” after employees of the famous eatery, … Read more
La Grenouille, widely acknowledged as the city’s prettiest restaurant for more than a half-century, closed last fall. But its gorgeous ghost is back at 3 E. 52nd Street, where frogs’ legs have given way to Beijing-style duck. The former home of classic French cuisine has surprisingly been reborn as a location of iDen & Quanjude Beijing … Read more
Life’s unfair — and then there’s the Michelin 2024 guide to New York City restaurants. If MAGA-believers and far-left progressives can agree on one book to ban, it should be the tire company’s red-jacketed travesty of culinary justice. Twenty years since Michelin invaded the Big Apple with its hilariously error-filled debut edition, the publication remains influential enough … Read more
Tasteful noods only. NYC is at the tip of the chopstick when it comes to Chinese food in the United States, according to Yelp. The popular review site ranked Queens eatery Maxi’s Noodle number one on a new Top 100 Chinese Restaurants list — thrilling the proprietor, who swapped a corporate job for the rigors of … Read more
It’s the top duck in a city full of bland birds that fly lower. The Hong Kong-style roasted fowl at the new Cha Cha Tang is one of the best Chinese duck dishes in the city. The restaurant is a winning collaboration between owner John McDonald and partner Wilson Tang. Tang was famously the guiding … Read more
They’re the soup dumplings that saved the Big Apple’s summer. Our sluggish, outdoors-focused dining scene needed a lift. The end of last year saw major openings from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud and Andrew Carmellini, but recent months have been far less exciting — and the new fall crop looks thin. Thankfully, there’s been one huge … Read more
Honey, I shrunk the lids. Does Panda Express have a shrinkflation problem? One disappointed customer is sounding the alarm on the orange chicken monger, claiming the popular Chinese fast casual has severely downsized its takeout containers — even as prices have gone up. “Panda Express food container got smaller,” griped TikTok user @jayasuriyafamily in a recent … Read more
Chinese food is the most popular ethnic cuisine in the United States, with around 45,000 restaurants across the country, according to the Chinese American Association. However, how many of them actually serve authentic Chinese dishes? In general, fast-food eateries like Panda Express are a Westernized version of Chinese food. If you’re looking for more authentic flavors and … Read more
It’s dorm-room delicious. At a buzzy new Long Island City restaurant, there are 115 types of instant soup on the menu — including cups of ramen — just like you might make at home. In fact, you’ll have to add boiling water and cook the noodles yourself. Instant Noodle Factory (24-11 41st Ave., Queens) has … Read more
It’s a bustling night at Bonnie’s, Brooklyn’s viral Cantonese restaurant and the bartender is mixing up a martini — with a very different kind of twist. “Almost everything on the menu has MSG in it,” says Bonnie’s breakout star chef and owner Calvin Eng, enthusiastically. Including, apparently, the martinis, which taste more like a chilled … Read more
Keep the gingerbread — pass the fortune cookies. I’m looking forward to a great Chinese meal on Dec. 25 — a tradition known to many New Yorkers as “Jewish Christmas,” when those who don’t celebrate actual Christmas gather for a festive lunch in the one type of restaurant that typically remains open. For many in … Read more