Mission Chinese Food
Chinese restaurant · Chinatown ·
Inventive Sichuan-inspired American cuisine, bold flavors, and fun
Inventive Sichuan-inspired American cuisine, bold flavors, and fun
"Wait, what? You can reserve at Mission Chinese now and don't have to wait 1.5 hours in line to eat some tingling amazing spicy chinese food... Not like any other Chinese you tasted before." - My Orange Box
"A Chinese-American, Sichuan-forward restaurant that returned to New York after a pop-up residency and now operates permanently at 45 Mott Street, offering longstanding favorites like chile-blasted Chongqing chicken wings and kung pao pastrami alongside inventive takes on Sichuan cuisine through a contemporary American lens. Founded in San Francisco and later expanded to New York neighborhoods, the concept became a neon-lit, millennial magnet but also faced serious allegations of racial discrimination and abuse at its LES location, contributing to a 2022 pullout from the city before this Chinatown revival. The current incarnation grew out of a nighttime residency and emphasizes bold, playful dishes rooted in Sichuan techniques." - Tierney Plumb
"A New York City restaurant where John deBary serves as general manager; a drinks writer by trade, he draws on extensive nightlife experience to inform practical bar- and service-related advice. His perspective addresses tipping norms (recommending roughly 20% at restaurant-style cocktail bars and $1–$2 for simple orders), appropriate phone etiquette, how to read social cues when drinking solo, consent around buying someone a drink, when to involve staff about rowdy groups, and discreet ways staff can help someone safely exit a bad date." - ByHana Asbrink
"After taking over the Chinatown restaurant Cha Kee this summer, Danny Bowien and his team will return to the neighboring storefront at 45 Mott Street for a residency running from October 4 through December 25." - Emma Orlow
"I see that Danny Bowien’s pop-up at Cha Kee, originally set to run through July 31, appears to have been extended through August with service on Sundays and Wednesdays; critic Robert Sietsema describes this iteration as a throwback to the San Francisco original, with Bowien employing veteran Chinese cooks from Cha Kee." - Eater Staff