Nai brother LiC

"Nai Brother does one thing, and does it well: sliced meat in hot broth. Everything about this casual Sichuan soup spot is so simple, a robot could run the place. And one kind of does. A human will take your order, but your big bowl of soup will arrive on top of a flashing robot that glides around the tables. The pungent, pickley broths are organized by heat level, and there are some super mild options like sun-dried tomato. That makes Nai Brothers a good choice for a group dinner where you don't need to leave your spice-sensitive friends behind." - neha talreja, bryan kim, hannah albertine, sonal shah, molly fitzpatrick

"Nai Brother is a restaurant chain known for a singular dish that you can order a hundred different ways: the Sichuan soup, suan cai yu. The default version is sour, savory, and spicy: It comes with flaky white fish, like snakehead or tilapia, plus pickled mustard greens and a handful of chiles. That’s just the beginning. Diners can customize with an array of ingredients, like ramen noodles, dried beef, frog, and duck blood, as well as several broths available at different spice levels." - Eater Staff

"Caroline Shin, an Eater contributor, wrote this month that there are “a thousand ways” to order fish soup at Nai Brother. I stopped by the new restaurant this week — and think it could be more. Suan cai yu, a sour fish stew with pickled mustard greens, is offered in nine different preparations, but add-ins like beef, snakehead fish, and instant ramen make them infinitely customizable. Of the three bowls we ordered, the original soup was the clear winner (around $23 for a shareable portion). In addition to boiled fish, the dark green broth bobbed with potato slices, tofu skin, red chiles, and Sichuan peppercorns. It had us puckering, sweating, staining our shirts, and smiling the whole time." - Eater Staff

"Nai Brother in Long Island City does one thing, and they do it really well: sliced meat in hot Sichuan broth. To build your suan cai yu, you'll choose from a list of pungent, pickley broths, and add fish, beef, and other fillings. The soups are organized by heat level, with some super mild options, and a few flavor variations like sun-dried tomato and kimchi. Everything about this super casual spot is so easy, a robot could run the place. And one kind of does. A human will take your order, but your big bowls of soup will arrive on top of a real robot with a face made of flashing lights. We’re not sure if it gets tip share, but that’s an issue for Gen Alpha to solve." - Neha Talreja