It's not just any old cafe that would think to use a rich, thick, sweet balsamic vinegar, good enough to sip all by itself, on their avocado toast.

Cecilia Tsao

Yum! We ordered 5 dishes for 4 people and all of the dishes were pretty good. The staff members were also very friendly. Will definitely come back!

Yifan Wang

Fish is fresh and very tasty! Peking duck is great as well. Definitely recommended!!!

Yu Chen

Yongchuan offers a comforting and well-executed take on Ningbo cuisine in the Lower East Side. The food focuses on clean, balanced flavors rather than heavy oil or spice. Highlights include the warm and soothing taro thick soup, and the savory stir-fried long beans with preserved vegetables. The tofu skin rolls are crisp and satisfying, and the light citrusy cocktail makes for a refreshing start. Overall, Yongchuan feels authentic, home-style, and thoughtfully cooked—a great choice when you’re craving subtle, comforting Chinese flavors.

Jei Filipino

Place is organized and their seats are well situated. The staff from the front to server and even the bartender they are all awesome! Really friendly and made the experience relaxing. They have accommodated us even though we are 10mins past our reservation. This place also was also booked during the NYE. So we are glad that we are able to secure our table. The food was really good, love every bite we had aside from one. We had Dim sum Platter, Fried Dim sum, Dan dan noodles, Yong Chuan Fried Rice, Mapo Tofu, and the Duck! The fave of the table were the duck and fried rice. Unfortunately the mapo tofu didn’t hit the spot. But aside from that everything was totally worth it!

+1

Reed

Great value dim sum brunch, while I went there it was $29/person and the food was incredibly freshly made and delicious!!!!! My favorite is their spicy crawfish Hacaos, that’s my must eat place in NYC, will definitely come back

+3

clar3nc3

This place is truly a Gem! Beats any place in Chinatown, the ambience, most definitely the Quality of the food and the service is Top tier! 3rd time here and looking forward to our next visit. Special shout out to Barbara always pleasant and super attentive! Shout out to Billy as well great lunch service today despite being full and busy. Thank you!

Valeria Ricciulli

Yong Chuan is probably my favorite restaurant in NYC right now—everything is SO GOOD. I’ve already eaten here at least three times. Highly recommend the Peking duck, shredded beef, dan dan noodles, pea shoots, and the Yong Chuan fried rice, but you really can’t go wrong with anything.

Daniel Chow

YongChuan, Lower East Side NYC-Started with a taro soup which I found to be very interesting, I’ve never had any soup quite like it, has almost like a porridge consistency, hearty, flavorful and full of umami. This restaurant is known for its Peking Duck, slices of crackling skin and tender meat serve along side with cucumber, scallion and hoisin sauce. Also love the fact that they layer each wrapper with parchment paper for easy separation. The whole branzino was fried to perfectly golden brown, crispy, moist and topped with a well balanced sweet and sour sauce. Last but not least, thanks to our amazing server Barbara for such a wonderful dining experience!

+8

Bin Shen

One of my fav dim sim spots in LES, I have been coming here for brunch almost every weekend. 10/10 food, services, and vegan friendly. Also had two dinners here, but dim sim during brunch time is AMAZING. All your can eat is the reasonable price Must try: The B5 Spinach & mushroom dumplings and the B27 Spicy bean curd rolls Peking duck spring roll is fun and new, but it’s a bit too rich & oily for me lol Everyone is very friendly and professional. Special thanks to Barbara, she has been our server in the past two weekends lol, always good vibes.

NX

One of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in NYC.The dishes under Specialty menu are all local delicacies that’s are made exactly the same way as they are in China, no Americanization 👍. I commend them for staying true to the Chinese roots. Must order if you want an authentic differentiated experience: home-cooked wild yellow croaker with rice cakes and sea anemone with noodles. The yellow croaker fish rolls is also very good. The skin is fried to perfection.

Sylvia Liang

The all-you-can-eat weekend brunch is the best dim sum I’ve ever had in the U.S.!!!! So unique and tasty. Dinner is great too but the brunch dim sum gave me the best impression.

+3

Nitiphum S.

I had a wonderful dining experience at Yongchuan and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys authentic Chinese food. Everything we ordered was excellent, both in taste and presentation. We started with the Hot & Sour Soup, which had the perfect balance of spice and tang, warming and flavorful without being overwhelming. The highlight of the meal was the Whole Roasted Peking Duck — perfectly crispy skin on the outside with juicy, tender meat inside. It was served beautifully and is easily one of the best ducks I’ve had in a long time. The Dry-Fry String Beans were another standout, cooked just right with that smoky wok flavor and great seasoning. On top of the food, the service was outstanding — the staff was attentive, friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal. The ambience was also very pleasant, with a comfortable setting that’s perfect for both family gatherings and dinners with friends. I will definitely return for their dim sum all-you-can-eat, which I heard is very affordable and offers a lot of great choices. Overall, this is a place I’ll happily come back to. Delicious food, excellent service, and a warm atmosphere — Yongchuan is highly recommended!

+10

Thomas Falls

Inspired by Yong Chuan’s Peking Duck week (featuring 1/2 price Peking Duck) I, wisely, chose to visit. I arrived at about 5:30pm and was promptly seated. I ordered a dirty extra dry Tanqueray martini with a twist, 1/2 a Peking Duck, bowl of rice and Chinese broccoli with ginger. The martini was excellent (after getting a bit more dirty) but the duck was outstanding! The pancakes were warm & translucent. The duck was succulent meat with brassy crispy skin. I found the inclusion of pickled peppers on the duck veg plate innovative & brilliant. The gingered Chinese broccoli was terrific too!! I must admit receiving a box of 5 Neuhaus truffles a surprising and welcome gift! My understanding is that the chocolates are included for Peking Duck week only. The 1/2 Duck, veg & martini with tax was $69. An EXCELLENT deal. However, I will return at full price too. You should take in a meal here. They’re quite excellent.

+7

END3

The service was outstanding. They welcomed us in and didn’t rush us at all. They were attentive and warm. The quality of the service really stood out to us. Then the food, it was amazing. The pecking duck was just phenomenal and they were generous with the servings of pancakes and dressings for it. These little sesame mochi for dessert were so good and unlike anything I’ve had before. The cold vegetable plates were great as well, so flavorful. Overall we were so impressed with this place and highly recommend this place for dinner. We will be back.

Cong Li

Best upscale Chinese restaurant we have in a while! The seafood dishes are fresh and absolutely delicious. Ningbo and Szechuan style dishes are very authentic. We will certainly come back here again.

+6

Yinuo Tao

I had a good dining experience here. The service was nice—staff were attentive, friendly, and made us feel truly welcomed. The food was outstanding, especially the Peking duck, which was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of flavor. Every dish was beautifully presented and tasted authentic. The atmosphere was also excellent—elegant yet cozy, with soft lighting and a relaxed vibe that made it perfect for both casual meals and special occasions. Overall, it was a fantastic combination of great service, delicious food, and a warm, inviting ambiance. I’ll definitely be coming back!

Black Cat LES has an inconspicuous storefront for a Lower East Side cafe. once through the door, the interior opens up into a surprisingly medium/large space. it’s well-maintained and clean. the vibe is very community living room with a variety of seating options. lots of laptop-pers & tablet-ers at work when here last. there’s WiFi for those who need it. there are live events at night like music, readings, comedy, etc. there’s a variety coffee & tea drinks on the menu as well as variety of simple savory eats like sandwiches, toasts, and bagels. got a large drip coffee to fight a chilly weekday off with hot caffeine and it did the job. strong coffee, nice caffeine kick. it was a huge cup of coffee and it warmed up and sped up my walk of endless errands in the neighborhood. the staff is very chill and kind. cafes like this are becoming the rarity in NYC. cherish the neighborhood gems.

Black Cat LES isn’t your average coffee shop it feels like a living room for the Lower East Side. From the mismatched couches to the community events, there’s an unpolished charm that makes you want to linger. Their coffee hits the mark strong, unpretentious, and always fresh. I love that it doubles as a coworking space by day and a creative hub by night. It’s the kind of spot where conversations flow easily, and everyone feels like a regular.

Flo

**A Refined Taste of Ningbo Cuisine in New York City** Dining at this hidden gem offers a rare and authentic taste of Ningbo-style Chinese cuisine—a true delight in a city where such regional specialties are hard to come by. Given the cuisine’s reliance on impeccably fresh seafood, the quality here exceeded my expectations . **Standout Dishes:** - Home-Cooked Wild Yellow Croaker - Braised Sea Anemone with Noodles - Stir-Fried Shredded Eel - Yan Du Xian Soup - Braised Water Bamboo Shoots with Edamame and Pickled Greens While some dishes lean toward the saltier side, this appears to be a faithful representation of Ningbo’s bold, briny flavors. Our server Sam’s warm hospitality stood out. He was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely eager to enhance our dining experience. His recommendations were spot-on, and his professionalism elevated our meal. All in all, the experience was thoroughly enjoyable, and the commitment to authenticity is evident. I’ll certainly return to explore their rotating weekly specials—this is a restaurant worth revisiting.

+6

Came here to work remotely. The place is super grungy with a cool vibe, the Barnstable isn't the warmest person but I didnt mind as its part of the underground "charm" of the place. My main issue was with the wifi- for a place that requires a purchase to get the password, I tried 3 different times and the internet was basically not existent. So if you're planning yo actually do some work- wouldn't recommend it.

Went on 10/5/2025 at 8:10 am and the Barista was just opening. Didn't start taking orders for another 10-15 minutes and was kind of rude. The latte when it finally came out was really good, I got the nutella latte which felt a little juvenile but she did great on that. Just got the bagel and it looks awesome so we'll see.

hsiu-chen Chung

The food here is shockingly bad. The home-style braised fish looked appalling—the rice cakes were so unappetizing I mistook them for chunks of pork fat. Aside from the soft-shell crab, the dim sum was terrible, and the rice even had a revolting, musty cockroach-like smell. It’s no surprise we were the only table in the restaurant on a Friday afternoon. A truly horrific experience.

Susie Su

Fried noodles was probably the best dish of the night, the Peking duck was not rendered correctly, there’s a thick layer of fat in between the skin and the meat unfortunately.

+1

Rina Yoo

*Afternoon tea experience review I had a reservation for 3:45 p.m. a few days before my friend's birthday. On the day of the reservation, I received a message from the restaurant stating that their last call for the day I made the reservation was 3 p.m. I spoke to my friend, and we were able to get to the restaurant on time. The scones were good, but they were not served with proper clotted cream, nor even butter, but whipping cream, which was quite disappointing. The sandwiches were a bit odd, too. They were very thin and slightly dry, with no dill in the cucumber or salmon sandwiches, and capers in the egg sandwich for some reason. The tea was good, but the petit fours were meh. The pineapple buns we ordered from the dim sum menu were tasty. We were just happy to catch up because we live in different states and we don't get to see each other that often. Then, around 3:45, the waiter stopped by to tell us that they were closing up the brunch service by 4 p.m. We were a bit stunned. It's an afternoon tea; who books an afternoon tea to enjoy it for less than an hour? By 4 p.m., the waiter stopped by again to ask if we wanted to pack up the leftovers, which is a polite way of saying that we had to leave. The restaurant staff were nice enough to let us stick around for 15 minutes or so, but by then they were moving chairs around, carrying dishes, eating dinner, etc. It was obvious that we were expected to get out and find a different place to hang out. I felt terrible for my birthday girl while scrambling to find a new spot out in the cold. I wish that the management had let us know that the afternoon tea was going to be cut short if we were to come in at 3 p.m. or been told to come in even earlier so we weren't so rushed.

The barista was extremely unfriendly, exhibiting passive-aggressive behavior and clearly hating her job (evident from her shouting at guests towards the end). I visited this cafe for an event, and when I ordered an iced matcha latte (and tipped), the barista was not only passive-aggressive but also impatient. She/they made me feel as though I couldn't speak English while I ordered, even though I have lived in the U.S. for 10 years, speak fluent English, and work in a communication-heavy job. Towards the end of the event at 9pm (despite the cafe's closing time being listed as 10pm), the barista shouted at everyone, saying, "The cafe was supposed to close an hour ago! Nobody is paying me for this hour! Please leave!" This was unprofessional and unacceptable behavior. No professional staff member should ever shout at guests. Despite paying for drinks and tipping, the experience was terrible. Based on this, I cannot recommend this cafe to anyone. If you are the business owner, please address this rude behavior that occurred on June 26 (Wednesday) during the night shift. Improving staff behavior is crucial for customer satisfaction and the reputation of your cafe.

Very bad vibes here. There was only one employee working who was eventually rude and yelled at us and snatched our food away for accidentally taking the wrong order even though the ordering process was very chaotic and you had to guess if an item was yours when it came out. It was taking more than 20 minutes to get simple drinks out and I waited upwards of 30 minutes for a sandwich. Orders were disorganized and thrown out with no names attached which was very confusing. Food was ok although overpriced for the quality, but the rude and aggressive staff member made it a horrible experience. Would not recommend coming here.

The barista is *rude*. Idk if there are several but there is an older lady and does not put names on the coffees. So when people order the same kind of food or coffee they don’t know what belongs to who. Very uncomfortable. Poor customer service - she literally yells at customers. It also took over 30 min to get food

This place needs to seriously think about when and what days they do open mic comedy shows as they are often intrusive and do not have a schedule posted online so that people know to avoid the business those days. For example I am here on a Tuesday where every table is someone here to work and the comedy club essentially has forced multiple people to move for their setup.

Barista made a very rude comment about not tipping after I had paid. This was very off putting and made for a less than ideal experience.