Yunnan Kitchen
Chinese restaurant · South End ·
Authentic Yunnan dishes like mint beef, pea jelly, and fish
Authentic Yunnan dishes like mint beef, pea jelly, and fish
"Opening around mid-April 2022 at 1721 Washington Street, Unit B in the South End, Yunnan Kitchen will serve Yunnan (Dian) cuisine from southwest China, a rarity in Greater Boston. The restaurant is from the team behind Brighton’s South of the Clouds but will have a completely different, more expansive menu than that noodle shop sibling; co-founder Patrick Siu says it will be “more expansive and there will be something for everybody,” with an emphasis on spicy dishes, and it will also serve beer and wine." - Eater Staff
"A relative newcomer to South End’s dining scene, Yunnan Kitchen, run by James Beard-nominated chef and owner Yisha Siu, is a rare Boston restaurant focused on the Yunnan, or Dian, fare of southwest China. The Yunnan-style rice pancakes with condensed milk are compulsive, as are the sticky rice meatballs, fried pea jelly, and crispy mushrooms served with a chile powder dip." - Erika Adams
"There are no special bells and whistles on this dish at the South End restaurant that focuses on the food of Yunnan Province in southwestern China. It’s simply a humble potato pancake done extremely well. The potato slices were crisped up just so, and it hit the table at the exact right temperature for digging in. Plus, it’s served with a little pot of chili powder because, well, it is a bunch of potato slices, after all. It was so comforting, I had eaten half the pan before I realized that there were more dishes on the table and I should probably share." - Erika Adams
"The team behind Brighton Yunnan rice noodle restaurant South of the Clouds expanded to the South End in 2022 with the debut of Yunnan Kitchen, a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The menu goes well beyond noodles here, with a far more expansive range of Yunnan, or Dian, fare including pea jelly salad (or fried pea jelly, either version of which is deeply satisfying), and bite-sized sticky rice meatballs garnished with goji berries. It quickly attracted critical acclaim: Head chef Yisha Siu snagged a James Beard nomination in 2023." - Nathan Tavares
"I’m pointing out Yunnan Kitchen in the South End because its chef, Yisha Siu, was nominated as a finalist for Best Chef: Northeast in the 2023 James Beard Awards." - Erika Adams