New Haven's Taste of China

I’m a big fan of authentic Chinese food (not American-Chinese takeout) and this place hit the spot. The place has a more upscale ambiance but the prices were still reasonable. It had a number of dishes I haven’t seen at other Chinese restaurants. Eggplant in garlic sauce - was very tender and flavorful. Napa beef - had a lot of flavor and I really liked it. It was very oily though which is common at Chinese restaurants. Still delicious though. Tea smoked duck - had a great smokey flavor with a crispy outside and tender inside. The duck plate it was served on was a nice touch. Dishes do come with rice (some places you have to order separately). I came before the dinner rush and had no wait.

I was craving for chinese food and going to this restaurant was a great choice. Conveniently located in downtown, it jas a very diverse menu. Food was very tasty and good service. Great portions which allows for sharing. I enjoyed the ambiance/ decoration.

Great service ( waiter serve warm water on a cold day) great atmosphere nice set up inside. We ordered lunch special which was nice enough but saw neighbors had main menu food really looks great.

Never ever do a take out order here. The chef and owner are not honest to the quality of food they provide. Cost me $30 to try the sauteed salted egg yolk shrimp, which state to be large or jumbo shrimp, turns out to be a small shrimp and quantity is little too. Called the restaurant afterwards, service guy apologized and state they will refund this dish, which never happened. I understand you want to maintain the cost, but you shall provide the quality of the food you promise, otherwise, do not ask for the price.

We ordered 4 dishes, mostly taste great and fine. The service is really nice! DEFINITELY I WILL COME AGAIN!!!!!!!

Favorite Chinese restaurant in New Haven. It's a but pricey, so I would only recommend for special occasions. Definitely a great spot for birthdays, graduation, or other celebrations. The squirrel fish and sour cod soup are dishes you won't find anywhere else. They are worth the money!

We used to love taste of china and come here frequently. And it would’ve gotten 5 stars. But on recent visits they lose a bit of the consistency. Some of our favorites like Napa Fish were still great, but Mongolian beef was oily and overused and fried beef dumplings were burned. Not sure what happened - but may be worth looking into it

Great restaurant with authentic food. Do not be dismayed by any reviews that do not seem to be on point or on subject. The staff are very in tune with how your experience is and they will pay attention to you to make sure that your service and your food is excellent. This has been our experience and everything that we tried. Here was absolutely amazing. I wish I could cook like this at home

We met friends at a Taste of China today for lunch. We tried the squirrel fish which was delicious! However, my husband remembered it as crispy and today it certainly was not crispy. We also opted for the calamari which is perfect. Our friends had duck which looks wonderful. The service is good. The food comes out nice and hot. Their prices seem to have increased lately but perhaps I had forgotten that the Squirrel Fish was $40.00. When we added the calamari and soup our total came to over $60.00 for lunch for two. We used to think it was a very reasonably priced restaurant for lunch. Still, I think we will go back again when we have the chance.

I wasn't really impressed with this place. Aside from the waiter informing me that they don't sell egg rolls or spring rolls - in a definitely off-putting and condescending manner - the wonton soup was spicy and had no pork in it. I had a sizzling shrimp and scallop dish that was very tasty and my partners shared a dish they liked, so I see why people might like it But... There was no silverware on the table and I had to flag down a passing server for that and a refill of the non-coke coke I had. My overall impression was that I was supposed to be grateful for eating there and their reputation was enough to ensure that. It didn't for me.

BEST, most tempting, well-presented menu for ANY restaurant I've come across in a WHILE. The app/entree pictures alone sold me, AND were a great choice for my veg. cousin as well!!! Cozy, upper-scale while still comfortable setting, GREAT service, and Very reasonable pricing. We shared a few awesome apps (Chinese celery with dried tofu and cold noodles with ginger... YUM!!!) along with eggplant in garlic sauce and tofu family style. Check out the WONDERFUL pictures on their online menu... You'll want one of EVERYTHING!!! 100% recommended for a special occasion or just a REALLY good, MUCH better than "standard" Chinese fare!!

Another outstanding meal! Great place for a large party. Dishes are varied and flavorful, staff friendly, service fast.

Amazing food, one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area. Particularly good the ma la duck, one of my favorite dishes and the chefs noodles

Food good but prices too high! Also parking in this area is difficult but it is central to downtown New Haven.

One of the problems with being a solo diner in a fine dining establishment like this is that often times I feel like a bug that needs to be squashed. While the food was generally pretty tasty (the duck was a bit dry and the dumplings were slightly overcooked), the experience made me want to dine and dash as fast as possible. I can tell this is a restaurant heavily liked by students and locals, but it is not something for me. I would only come here again with a group so I do not get those stares from the staff as to why I am here alone. All the while I just kept thinking that I should have ordered takeout from down the street and eaten it at the hotel. Food is authentic and I will give them that. Good spice with sweet notes interspersed with each dish. The noodles left a nice tingly texture on my tongue, which was welcoming. Except I will have to pass on it if I come back alone.

I dined in here with my wife twice, and we ordered an array of dishes that included duck, beef, steamed fish, and one of my longtime favorites, spicy hot green beans. For traditional Szechuan cuisine as presented in the United States, this place hits all the targets--flavorful, fresh ingredients, and decent portions for the price. The service was excellent, and the space is tastefully decorated and minimizes some of the noise one would expect in an establishment like this. If your palate can only handle "General Tso's Chicken," or you can't eat "Chinese" food without abominations like "duck sauce," then do yourself a favor and go to Panda Express or other wholly-westernized fast food Asian place. That's not what they serve here.

Food was okay. Service was okay too. Ambience was very cool. Street parking though but accessible by the bus.

We love the food and we love the service! On our last visit, we ordered salt and pepper calamari as well as Mongolian beef. Both were delicious. We like the staff and we like the food! And we always seem to meet some interesting people there as well!

The most authentic Szechuan cuisine that you'll be able to find in downtown New Haven! I've been here multiple times and the food never disappoints. Some of my favorites are the Dan Dan noodles, chongqing chicken, and Napa fish - such strong mala flavor! The eggplant, dou miao (pea shoots), cabbage, and other veggie dishes are great as well. There are several large tables with Lazy Susans, which are perfect for large groups. Service can be slow and inattentive, but the food makes up for it.

Was extremely excited to finally check out this popular Chinese restaurant in Downtown New Haven! This restaurant is very chic and a great spot for a date night or work dinner. The decor is beautiful and our waiter was super friendly and patient as attempted to narrow down our choices from their expansive menu. We ordered the vegetable dumplings which were absolutely delicious! The sauce that the dumplings came with was also super tasty and we actually sued the dipping sauce for our entrees as well. The scallion pancakes were good but a little oilier than I typically prefer. They had a nice crunch but some of the pieces felt a little too dry. For my entree I ordered the Black pepper beef and thought it was tasty but nothing too remarkable. The flavor wasn't as complex as I was expecting and I didn't really get the Black pepper. The texture of the beef was also a bit chewier than I was expecting. Overall I enjoyed the meal but I was expecting a bit more given how fancy the restaurant appears. Great place if you want standard Chinese food staples and a more refined dining experience.

We went on Christmas Day. My husband, who grew up in Japan, really liked the food. The staff were very nice & service was good. Definitely get scallion pancakes - delicious!

The ambiance of this restaurant is great. They have some Chinese staffs but also some non Chinese speakers servers, which is refreshing for an authentic Chinese restaurant. The food is great and they are not super spicy but very flavorful.

My husband and I were looking for good authentic Chinese food and this was the place. We loved everything that we ordered. Dan Dan noodles were great, it had the sauce and numbing feeling I was looking for. The atmosphere was great and the service was fantastic. We will be coming back here to try out more of their dishes. The menu is huge by the way so there are a lot of options!

Here's a fun Christmas story: Realizing that Christmas Eve and Christmas/Hanukkah are very popular times for Chinese food, I and my family made a reservation for 12 people at 6:00 on Christmas night weeks in advance. When we arrived, we could not get in the front door because all the scooter delivery drivers were standing in the vestibule and at the front desk blocking entry. When we finally made it in, we were escorted to the very back of the restaurant where the temperature was a brisk 62-ish, as compared to the front of the restaurant, which was warmer. While walking back, it was clear that the restaurant was at about 95% capacity. I can only assume that most of the people there had the foresight to make reservations. When we arrived in the very back, we were presented with a table for 8. Not 12. 8. Pretty simple stuff. Fortunately, the table of 4 next to us very reluctantly moved one table over to accommodate us. So, right there, you've got 16 annoyed people. Not a good start. When the 1 waiter serving the entire back finally came around to give us water and take our drink order after about 30 minutes, it became clear that we were in for a real treat. We ordered drinks. They came 30 minutes later. We ordered appetizers and entrees. Most often, when the waiter haphazardly, over a period of 90+ minutes brought food back, he had no idea what table it belonged to. All the guests were claiming similar dishes and turning back dishes they didn't order. Some capitulated and took what they could get. During this 90+ minutes, I walked to the front of the restaurant to see what was happening and thaw myself out a little. Almost every table in the place was expressing annoyance because the same was happening to them. Meanwhile, the scooter delivery drivers were again crowding the front. Even more this time. I told the front desk that it would be best to suspend delivery. They ignored me. I went back to eat, and found the food undercooked, lukewarm and just plain bad. Unfortunately, 3 in our party woke up vomiting and with diarrhea in the middle of the night. Others simply felt queasy and had chills. The kitchen was clearly overwhelmed. The whole place was. Bottom lines: The management showed utter disregard for the diners that night, to wit: They had to know this was coming. They didn't staff even close to properly. They allowed a huge amount of take out at the expense of everyone dining there (they should have shut it down). They clearly sacrificed food quality for quantity. They were rude when people became annoyed. People got sick from something they ate there (I'm guessing we weren't the only ones). The atmosphere was terrible, mostly because it was freezing. The service was an absolute joke. The whole restaurant was annoyed and they did nothing to remedy it. I've eaten there many times and have found the food to be pretty good, but pricey. I've found the staff to be unfriendly, which I can generally tolerate. But the total lack of integrity and disregard for the customers that night was so bad that I won't support them. This really wasn't rocket surgery. They had to see it coming and they clearly didn't care. Not a good strategic plan.

Ordered the pickled fish, Chong Qing chicken, garlic string beans, and scallion pancakes. The pickled fish was good and had a sour/spicy flavor; I also enjoyed the addition of noodles. The Chong Qing chicken was too spicy and not crispy enough. The garlic string beans were okay, in my opinion they were not fried enough. The scallion pancakes were pretty good and I liked how crispy and flavorful they were. The restaurant's strongest trait is that it has a wide space with a nice and calm ambiance. There are tables that can seat 2-4 as well as larger arrangements for 8-10 customers. I think the food is overpriced if you only consider what you are eating, but it makes more sense when considering the service and environment that you are dining in.

Nice decor for an elevated dining experience. The menu has Chinese and English verbage, with lots of photos of dishes. However, I still found it a challenge to navigate. Selections of cocktails and wine list provided, beers as well, interestingly concentrated on Belgium beers, with only 1 Chinese beer listed. The one Belgium beer requested was not available. Bummer. Our waiter was nice enough, but really was lacking in overall attention and follow up. I saw several waiters hanging about whilst customers were looking for drink refills , extra napkins, etc. I will say that our water glasses never went unfilled, but this responsibility fell on someone other than our waiter. We ordered 2 appetizers, but they arrived at least 10 mins apart. Dan Dan noodles and ChengDu Dumplings. Both good. Main dishes also arrived at the table at different times, although we were told sometime after placing order that one of our entree choices was not available. It would have been most helpful if staff was informed of this at the start; I asked multiple questions about the dish prior to deciding on what to order, and it is just common sense to state it's not available. Napa beef dish beautifully presented and was so generous a serving, but some pieces of beef were tough and inedible. Duck with ginger salad was very good, I prefer other takes to on this dish which I can get nearby. The meatball dish was enticing and satisfying. Only off street parking.

As someone who has lived in China this is probably the most authentic Chinese cuisine you will have in New Haven. First, the garlic eggplant and mapo tofu were absolutely delicious, i couldn't get enough of those dishes! They were so delicious that I contemplated ordering seconds instead of dessert. But when it comes to the scallion pancakes, I'm sad to report that they were dry, overly crispy, and seemed to have been on an extended vacation in the deep fryer. They were, to say the least, desert-dry with a jaw-challenging texture. Overall--the ambience and service were top-notch. The restaurant had a cozy, inviting atmosphere that made me want to linger and enjoy my meal. And the staff? They were attentive and friendly, always ready with a smile. So, if you're in the mood for some lip-smacking garlic eggplant and mapo tofu, and you don't mind a scallion pancake that's a bit on the drier side, Taste of China is the place to be. Just be prepared to savor the flavors while appreciating the fantastic service and ambiance!

Perhaps one of the best if not the best Chinese food in New Haven and extremely great price The portions are generous so perhaps the best option is to order a series of food to share in large group .

Absolutely delicious food and wonderful service! This place serves super authentic Sichuan cuisine. What a delightful find in New Haven!

Many vegetarian options but you do need to ask for the vegetarian menu!! Service was pretty quick. We got dumplings very quickly and 4 main dishes came within 20 minutes or so. The vegetarian dumplings were v good! All of us enjoyed. Average rating of 8/10 from 4 of us! I ordered the eggplant w garlic sauce. It was great. Sauce was very good but nothing particularly special or different from other stores but its my favorite for a reason! Solid 8/10 if you usually like eggplant anyways. Two friends ordered sizzing mock chicken w black bean sauce. The mock chicken is just tofu. One friend and I didn't love the texture of the tofu so we didn't enjoy it (we give like 4/10). Another friend did like the tofu (she gives 7.5/10). The sauce was great though and had broccoli well cooked in it too so really depends on if you like the tofu. One friend mock pork w garlic sauce. I personally really disliked the tofu texture again (it was really dry and bland and didn't absorb sauce well). But two of my friends really enjoyed it (one gave 7/10 and one gave 9/10). Overall, if you are iffy on tofu, you may not like this place. But for some people the tofu is really good. Not for everyone! Everything else was great in my opinion.

Food excellent and the options interesting. Service was speedy but not rushed. Definitely a taste of China!

I've not had better service anywhere in the state! Just glance in the direction of your server and they'll be right over to your table in a second! We went for lunch and the lunch specials were very affordable, very fresh, lunch sized portions. The ambience is very nice, beautiful artwork on the dark wooden walls, and white table cloths... but not stuffy at all. I will 10000% be back.

This is true Sichuan spicy food! So authentic and delicious The best in New Haven for sure! A must if you love spicy Chinese food

Now this was my first time coming here & will not be my last. Oh the flavors sent my taste buds our of sight. Everything was prepared fresh and presented so well. We ordered a few dishes and it did not disappoint one bit. The burst of flavor & spice. Made everything so right that I couldn't choose what to eat first or last. This traditional restaurant serves up a great experience. So many delicious plates to choose from. If your in the new haven area stop in you won't be disappointed.

Downtown new haven , it was dead smack in the center of it all ! Do not , I repeat do not walk by this place!! Nice dim stetting great hall dining room !! Tasty amazing food, is my newest favorite place to eat Schezuan food!! The flavors will bring out all your tastes buds together with love for eating healthy food ! Drinks are delicious and the have great options to choose from . I recommend you try this beautiful gem !!

Stumbled in during college campus trip with friends from China. Food tastes authentic and seasoning is not over powering. All parties enjoyed the meal.

Driving through New Haven and happened to find this gem! Great food with affordable prices. The chicken lo-mein was amazing.

Best Chinese restaurant in CT. I had the Tripe in Julienne Chili peppers and it was absolutely mind boggling. My girlfriend had the Mongolian beef and it was sensational. Taste of China is very clean and spacious. We appreciated the quick and kind service. I actually can't wait to come back here..

This place is legit! There's a wide selection of authentic Chinese dishes with delicious Szechuan flavors that give the food a nice KICK! Wanted to order everything on the menu but we'd be there all night lol. Highly recommend the salt and pepper shrimp, beef tendon & tripe, string beans, westlake soup, and squirrel fish. The place was very spacious and there's even a back part of the restaurant that provided some privacy to keep our little one calm when he got fussy. Beautiful deep red interior! And fabulous decor.

Service slow and unorganized --over priced --over spicy typical Chinese food. It was the only Chinese open in New Haven in our one night in city. No f'n good PASS

We ordered take out. Steamed pork dumplings for appetizer, shrimp fried rice, salt and pepper shrimp, fish with ginger onion and scallion. Everything was delicious with the exception of the salt and pepper shrimp, which was over cooked and dry. Parking was difficult on the street.

Just INCREDIBLE, service was good and quick, food was just very very delicious. Everything was fresh, the taste was just spot on, ambiance was really nice. Great place and good vibes.

I went here for lunch. It's the best Chinese restaurant I've been to around New Haven so far. I had the beef and baby bamboo shoots with brown rice lunch special which came with a soup of the day. The main dish was very tasty with only one rookie mistake which was using the outer layer of the onion in the vegetable mix rendering it chewy and inedible. The brown rice was cooked well. The soup was some kind of tomato soup that I've never seen before (probably because the chinese don't typically eat tomatoes). The broth was thin and tasteless. They would be better off giving you some choice on the soup with the usuals being egg drop, wonton and Hot and Sour. The price of lunch was very affordable. I gave them 4 stars because of the soup and the onion problem. All-in-all, I can recommend this restaurant to those looking for something other than the typical New Haven take out glop. I will definitely return.

Didn't like this place at all. I ordered something that was marked as $24 but when I got the check, it turned out to be $30 on the check. I asked the waiter and the waiter just said "it is $30 now" with a bad attitude. No one told me that when I ordered. On their online ordering site, it was still 24. Very shady way to run business. Also the food was way too salty.

I took out lunch from this place. Communication was through a closed door. Food was ready in 20 minutes. Chong Qing chicken was my favorite. It was spicy, with a lot of red chillies. Napa beef soup was also good. For appetizer I went with Fu Chi Fei pian. It was a cold appetizer. Generally I am a fan of hot food, so not a big fan of this dish. Generally Schezuan food is very spicy. For Schezuan standard, I felt the spice level was less. Still spicy though. Shu in Hartford is a bit more spicier than this place.

Pro tip: make sure you ask for the vegetarian menu! Thanks to Taste of China for having amazing vegetarian and vegan options! My number one recommendation would be to get the garlic eggplant. It's off the chain. We also had two tofu dishes. Those were delicious; I will remember to add their names later. Anything with mushrooms is also a great bet. I think? We had their scallion pancakes and they were top notch as well. Finally, the veggie dumplings are uniquely flavored and delicious!

I absolutely adore this restaurant with all my heart! I picked it thanks to the great Yelp reviews and the images of a vegetarian menu, but was initially concerned when I didn't see any indication of that menu on their (quite musical) website. When we walked in, I asked if they had vegetarian options and the host graciously handed me a gorgeous little menu full of intriguing Szechuan delights! Szechuan cuisine is one of my top five favorites of all time, thanks to the abundance of spices used in cooking. I was intrigued by so many things on the menu and shared several dishes with a less adventurous friend who was dubious at first but then won over with one bite! 1. Chinese celery with dried tofu. Utterly incredible. Everything I've ever dreamed of in a dish where tofu is the star. This would be the thing to try if you are as obsessed with spice as I am, tofu lover or not. This will make a tofu lover of you! 2. Chengdu Rice Bean Jello "in a mouthwatering mala sauce." Not for picky eaters. I rarely get to be as adventurous as most people because I'm vegan, but finally I got to try something new. This is NOT jello that comes from cow's hooves, but rice bean powder. It's absolutely delicious (but definitely not for people who are afraid of unctuous/gelatinous textures). It is not at all spicy, by the way. 3. the pièce de résistance: Nappa Tofu, which is an enormous bowl of vegetables (napa cabbage, squash and leaks) and tofu in a spicy unctuous soup. I could cry right now just at the memory of it. I know people go mad over the healing/comforting properties of congee, pho and ramen, but I think this dish might cure just about any ailment (or at least make it a lot more enjoyable to suffer through). I see some people taking pause about price point. I don't understand it! This is an upscale Chinese restaurant not some chop suey joint. I need to also mention that "small" plates at $8 are anything but, and entrees can easily serve two. You're getting superbly unique dishes that aren't at your average restaurant. It's worth it (and I can't even call it a splurge!) The atmosphere is lovely, with elaborate paintings, dark red wood walls, high ceilings, white table clothes and a gorgeous fountain. There's comfortable yet elegant seating, round tables and banquets, all beautifully arranged. My ONLY criticism would be to dim those overhead lights a bit because the ambiance really demands it. There's a full cocktail, beer and wine list. Service is excellent. Although over an hour from where I live, I'd call New Haven Taste of China a destination restaurant. I cannot wait to return.

I spent 58 dollars on a to go order very expensive but review said was worth the price. Bag was stapled closed but when I got home there were no no soy ,duck sauce and no fortune cookies. I am 60 years old and I have never had nothing in my bag. I should've looked but I didn't. When I called I didn't even get an apology! Wow I am from Florida and just want anyone spending a sort visit to know that this place doesn't cater well to there pick up customers. Would've be all ok if they would've offered to bring it to me. I am disabled and is a challenge to even go get the food. Very disappointed.

Not your average Chinese restaurant. Truly amazing tasting dishes and obviously prepared to order and with great care. I've been several times and once I've ordered my favorites, I add something I've not tried before. I haven't been disappointed yet.

Great authentic food!!! Love the beef tripe and chicken and cucumber lunch special! Recommend for anyone who likes authentic Chinese food.

They don't have the best vegetarian options but they were nice enough to accommodate us and make us something. Dumplings good and traditional. Tofu was good but I really didn't like the sauce on it. It wasn't on the menu so unsure what it is. The noodles were super good. Beautiful on the inside and everyone was nice. Would recommend, especially if you want authentic Chinese food.

Casually I walk around downtown New Haven and view restaurants. I came across this accidentally. I'm happy I did because I was very satisfied! Service was quick. I ordered off the appetizers - extremely good! I tried the Chengdu Dumplings in spicy garlic sauce, the sliced beef in chili sauce with peanuts sesame and scallions, the mouth watering chicken (wasn't my fav, I'd give it a 7.5/10 but I still recommend). Both the sliced beef & mouth watering chicken are served cold! I'm a huge fan of dumplings so I had the steamed pork dumplings as well and a side of Dan Dan noodles. For a first timer here I tried the Mai Tai to drink. So good!

Got a delivery of ma po tofu, Chinese celery with dried tofu and chef beef. I'll give 5 stars for beef and celery, which taste like China. Especially the beef, it seems to have some hotpot spices in it and is really good. A little spicy but totally fine for every one. The only imperfect thing is the beef is a little bit hard to chew and maybe it will be better if eat at hall. For ma po tofu I'll just give 3stars for the tofu. But the total taste does not fit my taste. In all, quite great!

Service is pretty bad when there are only 3 servers/hosts/runners during Sunday lunch time. They are not just servers but they picked up phone calls, assign seats, clean tables, etc. We have been waiting for 15-20 mins after we decided what to eat. Food is ok but price is relatively high.

HAD THE WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE AT THIS PLACE! Specifically ordered a dish with a specific FISH (cuttlefish) but then came out with a fish dish that was using Flounder which was not what I wanted as it makes my tongue a bit numb. Told the manager the issue wouldn't take it back and change it even though it was his mistake as he ordered our food and we specially ordered the cuttlefish version. He honestly was extremely rude too. The food was meh for the price of $120 and you could get a MUCH BETTER service at other szechuan restaurants in CT.

I tried a few Chinese restaurants during my visit to New England and this, by far, exceeded my expectation: nice ambiance, awesome food, and great value for the money. My parents had to tell the servers their compliments to the chef.

I would say this is a more "upscale" Chinese restaurant. It has a nice ambiance and the food here is really fresh and delicious. A group of four of us split a few appetizers including the eggplant, snow peas and dumplings. It didn't take long for our food to arrive. I had the Kung Pao tofu as my entree. The portions are generous and well seasoned. I was pleasantly surprised with my experience here!