Café China
Sichuan restaurant · Midtown West ·
Authentic Sichuan dishes served in a 1930s Shanghai-style setting
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Authentic Sichuan dishes served in a 1930s Shanghai-style setting
"We love the chandeliers, vintage posters, and general speakeasy vibes at this three-story Sichuan spot from the Birds Of A Feather team, not to mention the crowd-pleasing food. Go for lunch or dinner and get the tender cumin lamb, the fatty short ribs with a sweet soy broth, and the shrimp fried rice, plus some dumplings off the dim sum menu. Café China is best enjoyed with a group, with portions perfect for sharing, so recruit your work wives, work husbands, and maybe even your work in-laws to come along with you." - bryan kim, neha talreja, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
"Opened in 2011 and moved to a new location at 59 W. 37th Street (at Sixth Avenue) in 2022, the restaurant's owners publicly charged a rival with copying their concept after that rival took over the old space and recruited some of the staff. Zhang and Wang wrote on Instagram at the time: "Someone has stolen our menu, hired our cooks, imitated our design, and opened a copycat restaurant a block away in the old space that used to house [our former location]." The dispute centers on allegations of staff poaching and imitation of the original dining-room design." - Nadia Chaudhury
"Occupies three nook-filled levels and, while the ostensible focus is Sichuan food in large servings (good for groups), plenty of milder Cantonese dishes are presented with flair." - Robert Sietsema
"Café China—from the same people behind Birds Of A Feather—was a Midtown staple back when it was at its original location on 37th Street. In a new location just a five-minute walk away, they still serve the same crowd-pleasing Sichuan food in a dining room with checkered floors and chandeliers. Sample from the extensive dim sum menu, followed by supersized portions of spicy beef, peppercorn-covered fish, and fatty short ribs with sweet soy sauce broth. We consider it a requirement to come here with at least three other people." - neha talreja, hannah albertine, diana kuan, molly fitzpatrick
"This Sichuan mainstay moved a couple of blocks west and became much grander, seating over 300 with three full floors of dining rooms with a 1930s theme. The food remains every bit as good, if a bit pricier. Recommended dishes include pork dumplings in hot oil, luffa and dried scallops, ma po tofu, and especially braised beef in red soup." - Robert Sietsema