HUPO
Chinese restaurant · Long Island City ·
Refined Sichuan & Shanghai flavors, mapo tofu, tea-smoked duck
Refined Sichuan & Shanghai flavors, mapo tofu, tea-smoked duck
"Full of hanging lanterns and wooden lattices, Hupo is a welcoming restaurant with the most extensive Sichuan menu of any Chinese spot in the neighborhood. You’ll find things like cumin lamb, mala dry pots, and mapo tofu topped with a handful of ground Sichuan peppercorn. Stop by with a date or a group for casual dinner and drinks—there’s a full bar, and with two dinings rooms, it’s easy to get a table." - neha talreja, bryan kim, hannah albertine, sonal shah, molly fitzpatrick
"The Deal: $30 Lunch, $60 Dinner Head to Hupo in Long Island City for quality Sichuan food like scallops with ma-la beef, spicy XO scallops, and fish with pickled peppers. Unlike most on this list, their dinner deal comes with wine and a cocktail." - bryan kim
"Sometimes you can hear the sound of sizzling woks in the kitchen of this Sichuan dining venture. It’s a good omen in Long Island City, which isn’t known for its Asian cuisine but may be soon, thanks to Hupo. The sleek space is narrow and long, with dark hardwood floors and lofty ceilings.Such a quaint setting is an apt pairing for the small, focused menu that features regional favorites like spicy mapo tofu, house-made cold noodles slicked in a sweet and spicy chili oil, as well as Chungking spicy chicken. Nothing blasts of heat here, so spice junkies are unlikely to break a sweat. Still, dishes like stewed fish fillet in hot chili soup arrive chock-full of minced garlic and channel the kind of fiery, umami-driven complexity we crave from this cuisine." - Michelin Inspector
"Hupo in Long Island City serves Sichuan food that compares with some of the best dishes in Flushing and Lower Manhattan. Full of hanging lanterns and wooden lattices, the welcoming restaurant is our go-to spot in the area for cumin lamb, mala dry pots, and mapo tofu topped with a handful of ground Sichuan peppercorn. Stop by with a date or a group for casual dinner and drinks—there’s a full bar, and with two dinings rooms, it’s easy to get a table." - neha talreja, hannah albertine, diana kuan, molly fitzpatrick
"This Long Island City restaurant’s mapo tofu stands out partly because of its accessories. For instance, Hupo tops its mapo tofu with a small handful of ground Szechuan peppercorns, like a dollop of whipped cream on a sundae. We suggest thoroughly mixing in the peppercorns and digging for bites involving scallions. Also, Hupo’s excessively thick-cut scallions add a brightness that’s so often missing in sub-par mapo tofu." - hannah albertine
