Cathy Zhou

✨ Hidden Jiangnan Gem in NYC — Yum Cha Chinese Kitchen Is a Must-Try! ✨ If you’re craving delicate, elegant Shanghai flavors in New York, Yum Cha Chinese is the spot you don’t want to miss. The restaurant feels like stepping into Shanghai—warm lighting, wooden décor, and that calming water-town vibe. Their dishes focus on light, aromatic flavors with incredible attention to detail. From beautifully plated cold appetizers to slow-braised mains, everything tastes refined, comforting, and authentically Shanghai. 💛 Perfect for: cozy dates, family dinners, or anyone who wants a break from heavy flavors. 📍 A calm, poetic escape right in the middle of NYC. Highly recommend!

+4

Quanfeng Yan

It’s the real Chinese food. When I eat it, I feel like I coming back the China. And the atmosphere is really nice. It better to take your lover to here

willa besner

Ivy was such an amazing waitress!! So kind and helpful. Food was incredible the star was the truffle fried rice and the shrimp balls. Presentation was so pretty and special too!!! Will def be coming back to try more!!

Terrence Peterson

Cozy little spot with great service and excellent food. Szechuan fried chicken with chilies was indulgent and perfectly spicy. The soup dumplings were among the best I've had in a while. Highly recommend!

Kensie Elwell

Really cute atmosphere, food came out quickly and is really close to campus (nyu students). Very authentic, I recvomned the salted egg pumpkin!

+2

Austin Leong

There’s a lot of modern Chinese restaurants in NYC nowadays and Yum Cha is definitely a solid spot to dine at for elevated comfort Chinese food, dim sum, and drinks. The Pomelo Tea and Strawberry Probiotic Bliss were both great drink choices. I liked the Chicken Soup Dumplings, but wish it had more soup inside. The Steamed Pork Buns were steamed really well and had lots of filling inside. The Stewed Tofu W. Minced Crab Meats was silky and paired well with white rice on the side. For a veggie dish, definitely get the Stir Fried String Bean W. Minced Pork. I also tried their hearty Braised Beef Noodle Soup and for dessert, got the Crispy Fried Milk.

+1

Jessica Huang

The newly updated menu is amazing! Every dish feels thoughtfully crafted — the soup dumplings are juicy, the sweet & sour ribs are crispy and flavorful, and the beef with porcini rice is just irresistible. Beautiful interior with a touch of Jiangnan elegance. One of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve tried in Manhattan!

+4

Marcus Zhao

10/10 food, service and ambience! We ordered a couple of dim sum, entrees, and dessert to share in a group of three. The portion size was good, especially for the hot stone porcini mushroom rice. My favorite had to be the sweet and sour ribs. Very flavorful. I would totally recommend Yum Cha if you are in the area. The location is convenient because it is only a few blocks away from Washington Square Park. The dining space is elegant. Absolutely loved the dining booths with comfy sofa.

Ruby Chan

So happy to see the modern Chinese food scene growing in NYC. Yum Cha is a tapas style modern Chinese restaurant right next to Washington Square Park and NYU. The service here was super friendly, and I loved how classy yet intimate the dining space felt. ＊Deep Fried Cheese Shrimp 荔汁蝦球 $21.99 * Literally a showstopper. This gorgeous lychee shrimp tree here reimagines familiar flavors with so much creativity. The lychee paste mixed with cheese gave a savory note. Super fun and oddly satisfying) to pluck the lychees off the tree. ＊Porcini Mushroom Beef Rice 石鍋牛肝菌拌飯 $27.99** It came in a sizzling hot stone pot that kept it warm the entire meal. It was saucy, with a meaty flavor from the porcini mushrooms and a kick from the green pepper. The portion was huge and easily enough to feed four. ＊Sweet and Sour Ribs 糖醋排骨 $24.99** We were asked to try their sweet and sour ribs, and it ended up being my favorite dish. I usually don’t enjoy eating around bones, but these were braised so tender they fell off easily. Very saucy and savory, perfect with white rice or their porcini mushroom rice. ＊Golden Black Phoenix Bun 黑金流沙包 $9.99 Fluffy bun with the satisfying moment when the salted egg yolk lava oozed out. I just wish there was a bit more filling at this price point. ＊Crab Roe Mixed Noodle 蟹黃拌麵 $18.99 The noodles were drenched in a vibrant orange pool of crab roe and shrimp. Visually promising yet flavor-wise, the crab roe was faint. We were reminded to mix everything quickly, or the noodles would stick together. ＊Crispy Fried Milk 炸鮮奶 $10.99 Creamy milk custard in a light fried batter, served alongside condensed milk. A not-too-sweet sweet treat to wrap up the feast. ＊Strawberry Probiotic Bliss $9.50 ＊Peach Oolong Elixir $9.50 Their non-alcoholic drinks were surprisingly good, comparable to the quality you could get at a boba spot.

+21

Olivia N

Overall rating: 4.7 I went here with a group of 7 and they do NOT split bills. Be warned. But! The food was actually really delicious. The soup dumplings were really small and not worth it. My favorite was the Dan Dan noodles. They were surprisingly really good. Really spicy. In good way! The general tsao chicken was not good. The item they cook in a pot was delicious too. Wish I was able to take more pictures but I forgot at one point. Will def be coming back & highly recommend!

+1

Sherry Huang

This is a popular Chinese restaurant in SOHO. The Procini Mushroom Beef Rice is delicious and my favorite. It would taste even better if the server wait a few minutes before mix ing it, so the rice gets more crispy in the hot stone bowl. The Truffle Ribeye Cube is yummy but lack of truffle favor. The presentation of Deep-Fried Cheese Shrimp W. Snap Pea is very special and picture perfect, however the taste is just okay. It would be a wonderful addition if the restaurant offered complimentary house tea, as is customary in many authentic Chinese restaurants.

+8

Dimitri Karipidis

I had an incredible dining experience at Yum Cha! The **Shredded Garlic with Truffle Steak Cube** and **Yum Cha Black Fish** were absolute standouts—each bite was packed with rich, savory flavors that blended perfectly. The steak cubes were tender, infused with the aromatic depth of truffle and garlic, while the black fish was beautifully cooked, delicate, and flavorful. To top it all off, closing the meal with **Egg Milk Rice** was the perfect way to go—comforting, creamy, and satisfying. The balance of flavors throughout the meal was simply outstanding. I’ll definitely be returning for another round! Highly recommended for anyone looking for an exceptional Yum Cha experience.

+2

La

Dining area: spacious, booths and regular tables. Food: amazing, delicious and presented beautifully. Soups, meat, cold appetizers, hot appetizers - so good! Their drinks were also on point and original

+4

S Y

Enjoyed the meal here especially the vegetarian fried rice and l edamame. While the quality was good, many dishes were too salty for my preference. Also, the stir-fried cabbage could have been better, as it was excessively greasy. I agree with other reviewers about service. Restaurant seemed busy at the time and service was very rushed, needs improvement for sure.

Li Ju

The food at Yum Cha was overall quite good — I’d give the dishes 4 stars. The black truffle fried rice was flavorful and well-executed, and the lychee shrimp balls were creative and refreshing. Definitely some thoughtful touches on the menu. However, the dining experience was seriously let down by the service and environment. We visited on a very cold and windy day, and were seated right by the entrance — which unfortunately had a broken door. Staff were attempting to fix the door during service, but it kept swinging open, letting freezing wind blast into the restaurant. Our food got cold almost immediately, and the entire meal was uncomfortably chilly. After dinner, I ended up with a really bad stomach ache, which honestly ruined the night. It’s a shame because the kitchen clearly puts effort into the food, but the lack of consideration for customer comfort and poor service left a bad impression. I’d only consider coming back if the space and hospitality improve.

+1

This is their crab noodles - way different from the menu. Tastes like a puddle of salt water with fishy flavor. Literally not edible. Crab noodles are not supposed to look like this. The first time I wanted to walk out a restaurant cus of how horrible it tastes… didn’t eat a single thing