Oscar Ouk

Duck is slamming! Def worth it and good size. The rest of the food is very tasty but portions are on the smaller side. Not very shareable for a group larger than 4. So you’ll have to double up on orders if you’re a big party.

Matt Sweetwood

Excellent table cloth throw back Chinese menu. Upgraded modern interior and efficient service. Food is 8/10 and portions are reasonable. Menu is large and has many traditional Szechuan items. The negatives are very expensive drinks ($20) and expensive entrées. Worth a visit for a special occasion but not your every day kinda place.

+6

Jessica

I had a team lunch here last month and we ordered so much food! Overall, all the items we had were all pretty tasty. The duck (the main event) was great, flavorful and the skin was so golden, crispy and fatty. The one thing that was surprisingly just ok was the double sauteed pork belly (comes with buns) only because I feel like it could have been way more flavorful compared to how everything else was tasting. However, it was super tender.

+6

Matt Smith

Nice, lively, and bustling Szechuan restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. The street that it’s on isn’t the most well kept, but when you get to the restaurant it clearly stands out from its surroundings with its bright and clean facade - a diamond in the rough. We were welcomed by the friendly staff, noted our reservation, and were led to a table on the second floor up a staircase lined with beautiful lilies. I started with an Old Fashioned cocktail which was the low of the evening for me - wasn’t well made and overly sweet - so I switched to TsingTao beer after. The food and service was great. I highly recommend the Beijing duck. Everyone clearly comes to this restaurant for it and I had to try. We got the half duck for 2 people and the waitress asks if you want to take a picture before she starts carving it up at the table. We also ordered the shrimp dumplings, bok choy, and a spicy tofu and pork dish. Everything was delicious. I also discovered that this restaurant is Michelin starred which wasn’t surprising given the great food, but what was surprising was that everything was reasonably priced - appetizers are in the $12 range, Beijing duck for 2 is $45, and most entrees are in the $30 range. However, Cocktails were expensive at $20 each and not the best tasting so I’d recommend just going with beer or wine. Overall, I would definitely recommend checking this place out. Appears to get very busy on a Friday night so I’d recommend making a reservation.

went there once with family, food was good but smaller portion, service ok but the waiter came with a very strong smell of alcohol and red face, omg could not stand it, never seen that before at a restaurant! You couldn't wait to drink at another time? and you drank so much?? it's nice if you enjoy a fancy experience of dinning but not really worth going back, I would feel more comfortable dinning at a nice average restaurant

Susie Su

Peking duck was fatty and the crispy beef was good. Sesame noodles were okay but I wouldn’t say they are the best in New York (which is what is advertised). Everything here is very pricey and I wouldn’t call it authentic Chinese food.

+5

Wenbin Liu

We came to Hwa Yuan for dinner and were deeply disappointed—both by the food and, more disturbingly, the service. We ordered their signature Beijing Duck. The duck arrived with skin that was dark and lacked the glossy look of a well-prepared Peking Duck. The meat itself was quite dry, and the staff member slicing the duck left two large pieces untouched and cutting the skin into rough, uneven chunks. The duck crepes, which should have been soft and delicate, were stiff and hard to chew—almost like they hadn’t been fully cooked. Even the rice tasted stale and too firm. What really bothered us, however, was the service. It was blatantly unequal. We observed the waitstaff—who are all Chinese—being far more attentive and warm to non-Asian customers. Our table, made up of Chinese diners, was consistently ignored. No one checked in on us or even refilled our water until we flagged someone down to complain. It felt like we were being taken for granted simply because we’re Chinese, and that’s unacceptable—especially when we paid the same as everyone else. This kind of discriminatory treatment has no place in any restaurant, let alone one with Hwa Yuan’s reputation. We won’t be returning.

Edwin Yu

We visited this restaurant after seeing it featured on YouTube and learning about its Michelin recommendation. Their signature dish—Peking Duck—is highlighted on the first page of the menu, so we expected it to be the star of the meal, especially at $90. Unfortunately, it was anything but. From the moment the duck arrived, it was clear something was off. The skin lacked the signature crispness and looked like it had been pre-prepared and reheated, possibly from a day or more ago. When sliced, it was visibly uneven and tough in spots—a telltale sign that it was not freshly roasted. The ultimate test was the duck leg, which was chewy, dry, and difficult to eat, making it obvious that the dish was not fresh. To make matters worse, even the wrappers, which should be thin, delicate, and freshly steamed, were old and stiff. The garnishes, including the scallions and cucumbers, looked like they had been chopped hours earlier, lacking the vibrancy and crispness that fresh ingredients should have. Other dishes were equally disappointing. The jellyfish appetizer was fine, but the fried oyster was a disaster—mostly batter with barely any oyster inside. On top of that, they charged $10 for a pot of tea, something that is often complimentary or at least reasonably priced at high-end Chinese restaurants. The dining experience itself was also unpleasant. Despite having two floors, they crammed all diners into a tight corner on the second floor, right next to the kitchen, seemingly for staff convenience rather than customer comfort. We left quickly, feeling deeply disappointed. For a restaurant with a Michelin recommendation, the quality was shockingly poor. If you’re looking for authentic, freshly made Peking Duck, look elsewhere—this place isn’t worth your time or money.

+6

Balázs Sparing

You know what they say. When the attitude stinks, the food bangs. Expected a very pleasant experience after seeing the hospitality award outside. Felt very unwelcome by the male waiter who did not want to be there and felt very rushed. The food was nice, quick service. They did get my soup order wrong, but the peking duck was tasty. The male waiter shouting at the couple next to us was quite unpleasant. Can’t say they were over worked as it was 1pm on a Monday afternoon, with 7 guests in there total.

I have been a repeat customer here, but after this visit I will not be returning... We dined the night before Lunar New Year and our bill was about $300+ Some staple dishes like the Peking duck and soup were fine. The issue was the service and how a complaint was handled. I spoke to our female waitress in Mandarin and asked her to recommend a fish dish with a bean sauce. She directed me to the hot and sour fish. What arrived was a $52 tilapia that was heavily fried, dry, and covered in an extremely sweet pineapple sauce with pineapple chunks. It was clearly a Westernized sweet and sour style dish and not what I asked for! When I raised the issue, she dismissed it immediately and said there was nothing she could do because I ordered it and that is just how the dish is. She also told me she recommended it “because of your husband is a foreigner” which was inappropriate and unprofessional. I asked to speak with the manager. The first floor staff behind the host stand told me the manager was sleeping. They later relayed that the manager said no and would not come speak with me. A male server behind the host stand then shoo'd me away. No one tried to resolve the issue or even listen. I also noticed that nearby non East Asian tables were spoken to more patiently and warmly, while my concern was brushed off quickly. The difference in tone was noticeable. I had continued to dine here in the past because I understood the business had been struggling and I wanted to support them. After this experience, I no longer will. There are many nearby Chinese restaurants at half the price with better food and far better service, and I would recommend supporting those instead. At this price level, the dismissiveness and lack of accountability is unacceptable. I left feeling talked down to and ignored, and forced to pay for a misrepresented dish that was not edible. I will not be back.

The food at this restaurant was very ordinary—simply average, and far from Michelin-level quality. The service was also extremely poor. I sat at my table for five minutes without a single server offering me a glass of water. What made the experience even worse was the clear racial discrimination. I observed servers communicating with their colleagues in Cantonese and Mandarin, yet when I attempted to order in Mandarin, the server pretended not to understand and asked me to repeat everything in English. Throughout the meal, the staff were visibly impatient, and on more than one occasion I saw servers rolling their eyes while serving guests. Overall, the experience was extremely unpleasant. Considering I spent over $120 per person, this level of service was completely unacceptable and not what I deserved.

Hands down the WORST Peking Duck I’ve ever had! The duck itself look malnourished (very skinny, not much meat / fat), was dark and overall dry. Check the pics posted by other users if you don’t believe me (and google “Peking duck” to see what it’s supposed to look like). And that wasn’t even the worst part… The steamed wraps were ASTONISHINGLY TERRIBLE - they looked more like tortillas (with burn marks) and were so incredibly dry that they cracked when we tried to wrap them. After complaining, the waiter gave us a slightly better batch, but still super dry! We ended up just giving up on the wraps and ate the duck straight. If you’re looking for authentic Chinese, go literally ANYWHERE else in Chinatown. On the other hand, if you like everything tasting overly sweet and malnourished ducks, then you might like this place.

Neil

Unfortunate to report that you should avoid this Chinese restaurant. We were holidaying in NYC for Christmas with friends and visited for a nice meal out. We had no expectations, but sadly the experience fell short of even that! - We were rushed into ordering drinks, so that we stayed and ordered food. - While ordering it was engaging and felt like we came to the right place for our meal. - This Chinese Restaurant has never heard of Prawn Crackers. - Appetisers (spring rolls & ribs) were tasty - but small portions. - we ordered half a duck (usually plenty for us) - there was no duck!?! We had a plate of skin. We asked for the bones back so that we could take off more duck meat 🤷‍♂️ - we were recommended 2 main dishes which we ordered, they were fine, but not enough at all. - The entire party was dissatisfied. We asked for the bill and the waitress demanded a tip - even though we weren’t happy with the food. - We explained why we didn’t want to tip, for a very mediocre meal that cost us $200 we felt like they’d already had their tips from us. - we were called tight and were continually challenged by the waitress until we gave them $10 to go away. The duck was the worst duck we’ve had in our lives. I advise you go elsewhere.

Sandy

We didn’t even touch the food on this table! it was that bad. This place officially tops the list for the worst Peking duck I’ve ever encountered. The duck looked sad, dry, and like it had been cooked three days ago, then reheated in an air fryer as an afterthought. If anyone ever wanted to punish me, making me eat their so-called “house specialty duck” would be the perfect way to do it. The irony? This is what they proudly call their specialty. It tasted like old, leathery jerk duck left out for days. Honestly, you’re better off grabbing duck from Big Wong’s. At least there, it’s not pretending to be something it’s not. I’ve never seen a restaurant with such a nice atmosphere serve such overpriced, reheated, fridge-stale duck. It’s almost tragic.I genuinely feel bad for the duck having to suffer through so many levels of disrespect. Speaking of atmosphere: despite there being open tables elsewhere, walk-in guests like us were herded to a cramped 2ndfloor corner next to the kitchen. I could literally feel kitchen grease wafting through the air and sticking to my hair. To their credit, the servers acknowledged the disaster and canceled the order, which I appreciate. But still no one should be charging premium prices for something like that. Maybe they can get away with it with tourists or folks who’ve never had real Peking duck, but I feel compelled to speak up for them: this isn’t how it’s supposed to taste. The fried oysters were terrible too, tasted like scrap dough. I had high hopes, especially after seeing the glowing Resy and Google reviews.but now I can’t help but wonder how many of those were manipulated. What a letdown, Hwa Yuan.

Aye Mon

It was a terrible experience. We reserved for 16 people for my wedding dinner on upstairs. One waiter ( seems manager , tall man, around 60 of age, mean face, Chinese) was extremely arrogant and unpleasant. We all are doctors and can afford such kind of dishes but he treated with terrible and disgusting behavior. The atmosphere was off and there was chaos 3 people were serving us , one person is nice. The utensils are below standards, all are cracked and awful., how could they get 5 stars. The place might be popular and decent among white people, but not for Asian even though the servers are Chinese. Lol we are Chinese and were treated poorly. We ordered 45$ chicken soup and they did not refill even though the pot is half full left. I wonder who hire such kind of waiter. That Stupid waiter even asked to tip for at least 15% . We spent more than $ 1000 for the dinner and got such a terrible experience. How can we tip for such an arrogant waiter but we did tip due to not wanting something bad happen on my wedding. Will never go there again . Even if i could give negative stars, i will give u double triple negatives.

+3