YAO Modern Cantonese Cuisine 富瑤

Nestled on the second floor of the Courtyard Marriott, this restaurant is a true hidden gem. The service is exceptional, with staff going above and beyond to handle details often left to the patron, making the dining experience seamless and enjoyable. The food is bursting with flavor, showcasing a level of quality and creativity that stands out. One helpful tip: many of the dishes are designed for sharing, which is great for groups but may catch some off guard. For instance, a dish priced at $120 is generous enough to serve two or three people, making it a more economical option than it initially appears. Overall, this spot delivers on both taste and service, offering a unique and memorable dining experience.

Amazing high-end Cantonese cuisine! The Golden Oyster with Foie Gras and Dried Tangerine Peel and Douchi were the highlights—rich in flavor, perfectly balanced, and beautifully presented. Every dish was well-prepared with just the right taste. The ambiance was modern and elegant, making it a great place to enjoy a meal. Service was also exceptional—friendly, attentive, and efficient. The portions were just right for the price, and everything was spotless. Definitely a place worth visiting, and I’ll be coming back for sure!

Came on a Friday night and it turned out to be really good! The angus short rib was super tender, and the mushroom rice was fresh and flavorful. The kids loved it. Nothing was too salty or heavy. It also features modern decor and offers a great view and service was friendly. Would recommend it to anyone that's looking for authentic Cantonese cuisine located in a nice area.

After coming here for the first time this is now my favourite Cantonese restaurant in NYC! I’ve had a pretty hard time finding a good restaurant and I must say this definitely exceeded my expectations. I got the lunch menu and it was decently priced. The place was so pretty and the service was so attentive and nice.

Food is a little pricey but totally understandable considering the location, quality and service. Most Chinese restaurants in New York unfortunately have no or terrible service, but not here. A great spot for a business lunch or just a good, authentic Chinese meal.

An upscale Cantonese restaurant that delivers on both flavor and presentation, though with prices to match. The interior is sleek and modern, a perfect spot for special occasions. We were super impressed by the flavor of every dish: the salt-baked chicken was incredibly tender and flavorful, the hot stone mushroom rice had rich umami notes and a delightful crispiness, and the scallion oil steamed fish was simple yet well executed with mostly deboned filets, the snow pea tips was hearty with chanterelle mushrooms added on top, and the braised abalone and pork was rich and decadent. Every dish hit the mark, and the service was attentive and thoughtful throughout the meal. Overall, it’s a great spot for splurging on a special occasion or for a premium Cantonese dining experience.

We held our wedding tea ceremony at YAO and the experience was amazing. I would 100% recommend anyone who wants to have an event or have a high-quality meal to come to YAO. It was hard to pick a favorite dish there were so many. Some favorites: beggar's chicken, the fish, tomahawk steak, and lobster noodles.

Over all great experience with my girlfriends. We did a tasting menu. However there was no substitute. Which sucks for the amount if money and my friend don’t eat beef they cannot come up with another dish? We order more good after but Some of the food was way to salty when we told the staff they took it off our bill right away. That is amazing service The restaurant looks beautiful great high end finish.

Beautifully designed interior and excellent service, this spot offers fusion Cantonese cuisine right in the heart of Manhattan's Financial District. I'm so glad I discovered this place, it brings back memories of Hong Kong.

Very nice restaurant that is a little hidden being on the 2nd floor of a hotel. We had the Scallion Pancakes, Xiao Long Bao, Half Peking Duck, Citrus Honey Mayo Glazed Tiger Shrimp and Fried Rice with Diced Angus Short Rib - all solid. Service was friendly and very attentive and nice decor.

A really nice place, its simple yet giving fancy vibe. And i love how there is space between tables so we're not squeezed like chicken in a farm. Great service. 4 stars for the food, some of the dishes were really good, one was just alright. Oh, they have lunch special. But the regular menu is def better. Will i come back? Yeah!

This place is located in a hotel, to get to it you access the hotel lobby and you take the elevator to the designated floor. The ambiance is chic and modern. The staff is super helpful and the food is delicious. I tried the lunch beef lo mein noodles and they were amazing. I would totally recommend this place whether it is for a quick lunch or for a date night. They have a vast menu with all the Cantonese classics combined with a great space.

We had Christmas dinner at Yao. While waiting for elevator two women got in and they got out first in line at the host. They didnt have a reservation and proceeded to push for one. We heard hostess said come back at 6:30 PM. Then it was our turn to check in the hostess immediately said your table is ready but can you finish your dinner at 6:30 PM! We thought it was abruptly rude and that gave the impression they were giving the table to those women in front of us. We ordered the peking duck and fish fin soup both almost $50 each for individual or half portions. The jellyfish was good but there was some sandy texture. The char siu was berkshire pork but it was not as tender as expected (we had Hayhay the previous night it was way better). My son enjoyed the shrimp and soup dumplings. We also had the sweet and sour pork with an elaborate presentation on dry ice it was ok would have been better with some taipoica coating gives it a different texture, we also had the okra and mushroom dish it was good. Overall we spent quite a bit for dinner and imagine a restaurant charging such price demanding you finish your dinner before you even sat down. The other service staff was good.

Was craving peking duck and in the area. The restaurant is in a hotel, and you need to take the elevator up, which I didn't mind. Note that this place seemed much more like a business dinner place than a restuarant I would want to go with my friends. The interior was very gorgeous, it felt like an elegant place. The food, similarly was presented very well, but it didn't taste authentic nor very good, and was very expensive. I ordered the peking duck and some other dishes. The peking duck came out on a rack and they lit a fire under it, which was just for show. The duck itself didn't taste as authentic, it was more like roast duck. Still pretty good. The other dishes were not very notable and I felt overpriced. Would not come back here again unless I was desperately craving duck and unable to go anywhere else.

Absolutely amazing. One of the best Chinese restaurants in NYC. Great food and great service. My favorite dishes were the Peking duck (amazing), the steamed Dungeness crab with meat (pork), and the egg custard tart dessert. The salted chicken was also very good and quite unique. Everything else we got was also tasty, including the snow pea shoots with chanterelles, the cauliflower, the pork, the pumpkin dessert, and the swan custard dessert. The service is also amazing. They were constantly swapping out our plates and refilling our waters. There is also some fancy $350-some-odd meal per person you can preorder two days in advance. Not clear what it includes. And there's a beautiful inside as well as some private dining rooms, I believe. Highly recommend. Can't wait to return!

A nice place for group of people, a little bit fusion Chinese dishes, not limited to Cantonese at all. High recommend Mapo tofu and Peking duck is great! Specially it's hard to find a good Peking duck in the city. The environment also comfortable and quiet. The only downside is the elevator share with hotel, sometimes need a long waiting time!

{Overall: 3.5; Food: 3.5} Service: 4; Ambiance: 3.5 Yao is an upscale rendition of Cantonese cuisine in the Financial District. It is located on the second floor of a hotel. The dishes bring a modern take to traditional Cantonese cuisine. Everything we ate was decent, but the dishes weren't that memorable and didn't really meet my expectation for Cantonese comfort food. The restaurant feels more like a place for a special occasion, and when you're interested in trying more of a unique flavor profile.

We had a group of 9 people and the owner Thomas and chef Kenny put together an amazing meal. We had food we never had before. Few of these dishes worth mentioning were lobsters with fresh galangal, Filet of turbot with scallions and truffle duck. The service were attentive and spot on. I have not seen this level of service in a Chinese restaurant in a long time. Even our guests from Hong Long were impressed.

Welcome to Yao, where Cantonese cuisine gets a modern makeover and your taste buds embark on a Harold and Kumar flavor adventure. The decor is prettier than the Met on a first date, and your wallet will likely hate you at the end of the night, but at least you're in for a truly sumptuous meal. Let me take you on a culinary rollercoaster through some of their best dishes: - Marinated Jellyfish with Sesame: My litmus test for most Canto spots. Nothing wrong with Yao's, except that it's too small. - Grilled Berkshire Pork: Presentation much? This dish was meant to be 'grammed. Imagine pork so succulent it's like biting into a cloud of happiness. Char siu never looked so sexy. - Traditional Chinese Salt-Baked Free-Range Chicken: If chickens had a spa day, this is what they'd look like after. Tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor, this chicken is so good, it's probably the reason why the phrase "winner winner chicken dinner" was coined. - Fresh Whole Sea Perch with Bones with Dried Tangerine Peel and Douchi: Dive into a sea of flavors with this dish! Plus, picking through those delicate bones feels like a culinary treasure hunt. - Mapo Tofu with Lobster: I hate how much I loved this. Silky tofu meets crunchy lobster in an actually spicy sauce that doesn't skimp on flavor. $68 is painful, but it hurts more not trying this. - Beef Brisket with Turnip in Clear Broth: Like a warm hug on a cold day. The beef melts in your mouth, and the broth tastes like Fri evenings with mom. - Snow Pea Leaves with Chanterelle: Crisp, vibrant snow pea leaves paired with earthy chanterelle mushrooms--it's a green dream come true! - Stir-Fried String Bean with Minced Pork and Kale Borecole: A classic for a reason, and Yao's is generous. - Fried Rice with Scallops and XO Sauce: Flavorful and perfectly cooked. - Fried Rice with Diced Angus Short Rib: Also flavorful and perfectly cooked. I'm not sure which fried rice was my favorite, TBH. - Pumpkin Cake: Yes, we desserted. This cake oozed sweet egg yolk that made me want to cry, it was so tasty. - Sesame Ball with Red Bean Paste: Another classic for a reason. You get five balls in this order, so it's perfect for sharing. Not too oily either. - Custard Pastry in a Swan Shape: Get this just for the 'gram. But also, it's actually quite crispy and delightful. Fly, my pretties, fly right into my mouth! - Portuguese Egg Custard Tart: Yao's best dish, bar none, and quite possibly the best egg tart in all of NYC. Made fresh every day and already their most popular dessert. My Macanese grandma would not only have approved, she would've ordered 12 more to take home. I didn't want to love Yao because, let's face it, "elevated" Chinese food almost always subs presentation for flavor, but Yao managed to avoid that for the most part while providing a gorgeously modern dining experience.

I stumbled into this restaurant near Wall Street randomly, it's inside the hotel Courtyard on their 2nd floor. I ordered one of their lunch option, abalone with pork over noodles. It was delicious.

We were surprised to find Chinese food in Fidi, but we're glad we gave it a try! Yao served mostly traditional Cantonese dishes (some a little fusion) in a modern setting. We loved the beef with rice noodles and truffle lobster. There were a few dessert options, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're not used to traditional Cantonese flavors. The grapefruit ice cream had the salty Chinese dried tangerine peels in it, and the stewed milk was really strong in ginger. I loved them, but it's not for everyone. All the dishes were presented beautifully, which explains the price. It was a little confusing getting here being on the second floor of a hotel, but once inside, the restaurant was large. Service was great, and we would come back!

We booked a private room for a celebration. The food was good, and dishes like the cha siu, Peking duck, and smoked chicken were visually appealing and entertaining to watch as they were being served.

We were all in for a very exciting culinary journey at beautiful Yao; a modern take on Cantonese cuisine at the helm of Chef Kenny Leung, who takes short rib to a whole new level in its mouth watering "I love meat that melts in your mouth" (thank you June for the quote of the evening) succulence. The fried rice with diced angus short rib that sent my senses reminiscing back to childhood sensory memories of my granduncle's roasted rice soup (fan dew) in its comforting bits of crispy flavorful rice. There were many other memorable dishes such as the smoked soy sauce chicken under glass, roast duck with giant truffles (true decadence!) I was deliriously reeling from food coma. In sum, this was truly like an Omakase Chinese style with each dish surpassing the last dish, with many intriguing surprises. The best part was we were in our private room but connected to other diners with the understated opulence of the elegant Dining room. The service was excellent but not overbearing and we were doted upon by Chef Kenny and Co-Owner Thomas Tang who were most hospitable, they provided us with explanations of the dishes and made us feel like honored guests. It was a most memorable evening...highly recommend for a special food experience!

Yao exceeded my expectations. The service was exceptional, and the quality was top-notch. Highly recommend.

Embark on a culinary odyssey where the vibrant flavors of classic Cantonese cuisine collide with a modern twist, creating an explosion of taste sensations that linger long after the last bite. Within the exquisitely decorated dining room, blending Chinese and Western aesthetics seamlessly, each dish is a masterpiece. From the meticulously roasted Braised Cha siu to the tender Steam Lobster, alongside the Plum Duck, House signature Scallion Chicken, and the crispy, flavorful Mushroom Rice, every bite is a revelation. However, it's the Roasted Black Angus Short Rib that steals the spotlight, offering tender meat with a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness, culminating in a satisfying crunch. For the price, the food seems to lack in flavors but the presentation and services were amazing. What we ordered: Braised Cha Siu Steamed Lobster and Chencun Noodles with XO sauce Plum Duck House Signature Free-Range Chicken Assorted Organic Mushrooms in Hot Stone Pot Roasted Black Angus Short Rib

Finally a fancy upscale Chinese restaurant with real Chinese (Cantonese) food! I know to expect good food at YAO given that its sister restaurant is August Gatherings (one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Manhattan), but I'm still so amazed by the interior design! Compared to August Gatherings, YAO is definitely more spacious and offers much more seatings, including private dining rooms. Food was amazing as expected, with fancy presentations - making it the perfect place to entertain guests, or have celebration meals here. Given it being quite a new restaurant, some non-Chinese staff aren't very experienced with Chinese dining - they're not quite sure when to change plates etc but that's okay not big of a deal. He has a more experienced Chinese staff teaching him along the way. Overall a very nice dining experience, can't wait to be back!

We came here to rest because it was raining outside and regretted it. We got the peking duck, braised pork, and steamed fish, as well as a couple bowls of rice. The peking duck was slightly firm and was overall decent. The braised pork was a complete disappointment as the pork was extremely hard and dry. The sauce was also mediocre. The steamed fish was tender, but not all the bones were removed from the fish during service. Service was great and the decor is really nice. However, when I was paying for the bill the server was staring straight at me. He was also looking at the screen. A fine dining establishment of this stature shouldn't be intimidating their customers like this. This restaurant is good but not worth the price range. For peking duck I would recommend going to the place next door called Golden Wuish. TLDR: not worth price range

Really solid modern Cantonese spot from the team that made August Gatherings. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a hotel and is fairly upscale, and the space is modern. Service was great and accommodating. Menu is predominantly Cantonese with lux ingredients. Think abalone with pork or mapo tofu with lobster. Lux or not, everything was executed will and tasted great. With that said, Yao will be on the pricier side with smaller portions. Yao also features an interesting tasting menu but I didn't try it. All in, I think Yao has the potential to be one of the more interesting restaurants in FiDi. If you're into Cantonese food, can't go wrong checking this out.

I was happy to have an American Chinese food place back in the neighborhood, it had been a while since there was one, but this place definitely has post inflation prices. It's possible they have more traditional Chinese dishes, but I only looked at their lunch special menu. It's like $20 for a lunch special which is just a standard general Tso's or sesame chicken with white rice. The food is good, but pretty standard Chinese fare. I might go back if I'm craving American Chinese, but prob not going to frequent this spot.

Yao is an amazing, hidden gem Catonese restaurant in FiDi. The ambiance is definitely on the more upscale side for Chinese food, and it is a really comfortable and pretty space. Most of the food that we ordered was delicious! The Peking duck is a must- it comes with the usual pancakes, scallions, cucumbers, and sauce, and is amazing. The skin isn't the crispiest, but the duck is overall prepared very well. I also highly recommend the grilled pork belly- the meat is super tender, and the smokey flavor is incredible. The soft shell crab special was also fried perfectly and seasoned well. However, the longevity noodles with lobster was okay- the noodles themselves were excellent, but the lobster was quite tough. And at $68, I was expecting the entire dish to be better. We did not even finish the lobster pieces. The cocktail menu has a great selection, and the fresh baked egg custard tarts for dessert are divine. The pricing overall is a bit off- some items were fair, and some menu items were way too high. But overall, I had a great experience and would recommend this place.

Wow to Yao! What an excellent restaurant that is hidden behind the Courtyard by Marriott/Residence Inn on Pearl Street! I sat at the bar and ordered a martini from Sergio, the excellent bartender, along with some still water. It was really delicious. I think a Japanese vodka was used. Then I ordered the Beef with Chencun Noodles in XO Sauce and I was in awe. It's absolutely and easily the best Chinese (Cantonese) food I have EVER had. The balance of beef, egg, mushrooms, spice, and amazing Chencun noodles was a tastebud tantalizer to the Nth degree! I have been to China and don't remember any meal like this one. Sergio's service was second to none. The bar was empty even though the restaurant was very busy. The bar has a wide array of spirits, wines, and beers. It was decorated nicely (especially the light fixtures) and, though it wasn't busy, had a great vibe. I hope I have time to return on this trip to enjoy another beverage and delicious dinner! Congrats Yao and Sergio for delivering the goods with unparalleled distinction! Seafood, Duck, Chicken, Beef...whatever your choice, I truly believe it will be a winner.

Went there with a party of 8 and it was easy to make reservations through resy. Parking was tough so just give in and pay for the $25 parking downstairs at the restaurant. The restrooms were decently clean but the pink soap was a turn off. Not the biggest deal, but details matter. I liked that they have paper towels and seemed to keep the restroom well stocked. I looked at the menu in advance and knew what I wanted to get. We ordered 10 dishes for 8 people and the risk came out to around $680 including 20% gratuity. We ordered the following - fresh whole sea perch: a few of us thought it was good but my father thought it was overcooked. He's a fish connoisseur so I trust him, but I still enjoyed the fish. He also said the price for this dish is not bad compared to run of the mill Chinese places in Brooklyn. Considering this is an upper scale place pricing really wasn't bad. - oven roasted black Angus short rib: this was really soft and good, I highly recommend this dish. - stewed soup abalone, sea conch, cucumber: I liked the flavoring for this soup but not everyone gets abalone and we had 8 people. There were maybe 4 pieces of abalone? It was good but some people were disappointed they didn't get abalone and it was a relatively small bowl that everyone got. I would still recommend this dish. - traditional salt baked free range chicken: I thought this chicken was really good, soft, and flavorful. Most people thought it was too salty, but maybe it depends on which piece you get. I would recommend this dish. - spicy silken tofu with baked eel: this was very spicy. I enjoyed the flavoring but the spice is probably not something most elderly Asian are comfortable with especially if they're Cantonese Chinese. My dad was also disappointed with the lack of eel meat. The piece that I did get was good though. - whole Peking duck: I personally don't care for Peking duck but it came with nice presentation. The wrap was too thin for my dad's liking but I found no issue with it. Most people thought this was decent. I wouldn't say taste wise it's highly recommended but the presentation was good. - snow pea leaves with chantarelle: this dish wasn't presentable to me and wasn't that flavorful. Maybe opt for the snow pea leaves with broth? Or just get another veggie dish. - cauliflower: I thought it was good but it was also a tad spicy. It's not something that I would highly recommend but if you need veggies this is an option. My dad said this was expensive though. - steamed lobster with noodles: very underwhelming and not worth it. There was barely any flavoring. - fried rice with angus: not recommended, the fried rice didn't get influenced by any angus flavoring. My nephew enjoyed it though but I think he was the only one who enjoyed it. Overall this was a good time. It was a spacious place, clean bathrooms, and excellent service. Price isn't bad either imo, but of course you can always find cheaper in other than establishments.

Although expensive it was a good experience eating at Yao. Beautiful decoration at the restaurant and great attentive service.

First time here On a Wednesday many seats open didn't have to wait service: 5/5 food: clay pot rice was great 5/5 dim sum 3/5 colorful but nothing special mas far as taste egg plant 5/5 dessert: apple sorbet 5/5 price was mosr definitely on the expensive side, 2 people over 200

Jelly fish & roast duck with plum sauce appetizers were delicious. Pickle was tasty. Abalone with dried squid and scallop fried rice were winners. Fast service and nice, roomy decor. The best part was that none of the dishes were too salty nor too oily. Good quality and interesting ingredients are big plus. Thanks to chef for healthy consideration. Happy to find such a fusion Cantonese cuisine in NYC.

I really like the place! I've been to the original restaurant August Gathering but that restaurant was always chaotic and long wait. The new location is very modern and upscale. Food was amazing. It's more towards high end Cantonese food that you can only get in China. Service was excellent. All our waiters were very nice and they kept adding water to our tea. Highly recommend the place!

The ambiance is really nice, though the food plus the ambiance was not quite worth the pricing. However, the service was excellent. The food was not as good as some other Cantonese restaurants like congee village and over 1.5x the price. With that being said, the best dish was the lamb chops, but each chop was really small and you only get 3. The ribeye was good, but many pieces either had tendons or were too fatty making the tender cut of beef chewy. The snow pea leaves were on par, but I asked them to use black garlic and for whatever reason they said they couldn't do it. I wouldn't go back given the price to quality isn't quite there.

My friends and I visited Yao (the newly opened sister restaurant to Chinatown spot August Gatherings) last Friday. The food was great and the décor was fantastic. Food We got the following items for the evening: · Oven roasted black angus short rib · Signature free-range chicken · Organic mushroom in stone pot rice · Lamb chops · Durian puff pastry First served was the signature chicken. This was probably the best dish of the evening. The chicken was tender, tasted very clean, and light. It was served with heaps of scallions that complimented extremely well with the chicken. Next was the angus short ribs. This was decent, although not as great as what we remember was served at August Gatherings. The soft and tender ribs were served on a dark thick sauce that was not only sweet but also savory. The only blemish to the ribs was that the meat felt a little dry. We then had the mushrooms in stone pot rice. Each bite of the rice had a strong mushroom parfum that really showcased the mushrooms in the dish. However, I did feel that the rice was slightly under seasoned. A little more salt would have gone a long way. The last dish of the night was the lamb chops. These were succulent, tender, and well-seasoned. The gamey taste was minimal. No complaints whatsoever. It was a good lamb chop. For desserts we got the durian puff pastry. We got mixed review of the puff pastry from our group. My friends suggested that the durian custard in the puff was not sweet and was rather bland, and puff pastry was dry and did not give the crunch factor one looks for when eating a puff pastry. I personally enjoyed it as I prefer light dessert with less sugar. Service The service was good albeit rather clumsy. The wait staff were very attentive but they also unintentionally spilled tea a couple times. I think the waiters were trying their best to take care of us but in doing so accidentally tripped up. Otherwise no complaints. Ambiance Ambiance is probably the highlight of the night. The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor so it had a good view of the street. The dining room was bright and elegantly decorated, presenting traditional Chinese elements with a modern take. They have a number of private rooms and large round tables for special occasions, perfect for hosting occasions such as birthdays. Overall, the restaurant was aesthetically pleasing that we are keeping this place as a potential location to host a number of our friends in the future.

After a very long day I was looking for a quick bite to eat near my hotel in the financial district and as luck would have it on the second floor was Yao. Great menu with a lot of traditional dishes as well as some more interesting ones that are unique to the establishment. As always I at the very nice bar and received excellent service from Jason and June. Highly recommend.

This is the Fidi outpost to August Gathering in Chinatown. The food was excellent albeit a bit on the slow side due to its soft opening night. We ordered the abalone xiao mai, salt baked chicken, mixed mushroom rice, and veggie stir fry in truffle sauce. I wished the waiter who took our order would mention the veggie stir fry were all mushrooms with a bit of asparagus. We ended up doubling up on the mushrooms. But i suppose even the wait staff didn't know how the dishes looked or the components that went into each dish. The portuguese tart for dessert was silky and the pastry was flakey. It's a very good version made here. The almond cookie from the restaurant was also a nice touch. Overall, everything was tasty. The siu mai is a pass for me. I would definitely be back. There was a bit of confusion between the staff communications. We were asked several times on drinks and food. I hope they iron out the kinks because this is definitely a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

We had a pre Valentine and Lunar New Year dinner with great friends here last night Foods were exceptionally prepared to perfection, everyone was having a good time and enjoyed it so much , the quality of foods and the presentation impressed everyone, each presenting dishes come with an WOW factor. The server was knowledgeable to introduce us each dish and what we gonna expect

Went on CNY day and the place was jam packed. Food was delicious and the service was decent. Ambiance is nice. Menu is expensive. Go only if you are ready to splurge for higher end food. See my pics for lobster noodle, crab claw, Peking duck. A lot more dishes on the menu we want to try.

Lovely and relaxing decor with attentive service. The menu was a mix of catering to non-Cantonese diners, and, not deferring to non-Cantonese diners -- so some items have photos, like you would get in a walk-up restaurant. It's kind of a jarring mix, where you find yourself asking "is this fancy food or just a fancy setting?" Ultimately, it doesn't really matter if what you want is a relaxing evening with attentive and professional service.

This is the high end restaurant which the service will definitely satisfied you. All their dishes makes you drool - you can see it with my pics. They will have their own special little desserts that makes you refresh once for a while. I love it.

Very overrated high end Cantonese spot in FiDi. A lot of "tell, don't show". Seems more like a place to take clients than people you actually care about

If you're someone who enjoys bold flavors with a kick, the Mapo Tofu with Lobster at Yaon is a dish you won't want to miss. The tofu is velvety and soft, absorbing the spicy, savory sauce while the lobster introduces a surprising yet harmonious contrast with its sweetness and tenderness. The combination of heat from the spices, the richness of the umami, and the subtle sweetness creates a dynamic and unforgettable bite. Perfect for those who love complex, daring flavors! You'll definitely be coming back for more.

They bring back all the old Traditional food and add new ideas in it. I thought it just for the look but no. It taste great. Every is so good. Love this place

This place deserves 6 stars instead of 5 stars , food , service and environment, price is decent, if you like real Cantonese and fusion Chinese food , I think this is the best restaurant in NYC for sure

the food was very delicious! went during our trip to NY, and the flavors were unique compared to other Chinese restaurants. it was notable that the dishes were not too oily or salty, and had different levels of flavor with each bite. highly recommend for Cantonese food! appetizers and dessert dishes were excellent. service was great too.

We ordered the jellyfish, cha xiu, kang Kong, sour spicy soup, salt chicken, orange peel sea bass , lobster ma po tofu, mushroom rice in stone pot, honeydew sago and the swan custard. Everything is delicious. Best Cantonese restaurant in Manhattan!

There is no way for you to go wrong at Yao - the new modern Chinese restaurant in downtown Manhattan! The food was SO good and the portions were generous with good attentive service. All my friends thanked me for bringing them here. Everything we have ordered was delicious !

We had a terrible experience. The owner cursed us out in Mandarín and the servers translating didn't have the balls to say it in English. So, it looks like a nice place to eat but it's completely disorganized.

YAO definitely will be one of my favorite new spot in Manhattan. Honestly I am blown away by their taste and service! All the staffs are friendly and the food was super tasty ! The eel fried rice with crispy taro was savory , the abalone with chicken was very juicy , the honey roasted pork was so tender ! Can't wait to come back again！

Do you want a fancy Chinese dinner with nice ambiance and extremely attentive staff? This is the place. The Peking duck was wonderful but my family members didn't realize there was paper separating the pancakes and they accidentally ate some lol.

Elegant setting , knowledgeable staff . Fine well - prepared , unpretentious Cantonese food , which is becoming harder to find .

Amazing food! Love how it was modern Cantonese food and the presentation of all the dishes were amazing. They made sure you were able to get you pics of the dishes! Favorite dish was the sho sung duck. Also loved the tomahawk steak! It was so tender. Loved when the pot the Peking duck on fire before taking it back to slice up. The aesthetic of the place is beautiful and all the waiters were very attentive. The only dish that was just ok was the lobster mapo tofu. The chili peppers in it overpowered any of the other flavors in the dish

Exceptionally one of a kind and unique Cantonese creations by Kenny, the Head Chef of Yao. Super delicious coupled with the classic ambiance and excellent service by its experienced staff. Modern and fusion fine dining at its best. Highly recommended.