CHELI FLUSHING — Restaurant in New York

Che Li – Our Weekly Tradition & the Perfect Place to Celebrate the Mooncake Festival

Che Li in Flushing is more than just a restaurant to us — it’s our favorite weekly dinner spot and a place we’ve come to truly love. We dine here once a week, and each time we’re reminded why we keep coming back. The food is consistently outstanding, the service is warm and attentive, and the experience is always memorable. Tonight, we celebrated the Mooncake Festival at Che Li, and it was nothing short of perfect.

First, the food — and there’s so much to rave about.

Our all-time favorite dish is the truffle soup dumpling. It’s luxurious and fragrant, with that incredible truffle aroma hitting you the moment it arrives. The dumpling skin is delicate, and the soup inside is rich and flavorful. It’s hands down one of the best soup dumplings we’ve had in the city — and a must-order every time.

The braised pork is another standout. It’s incredibly tender, with layers of flavor that melt in your mouth. The sauce is perfectly balanced — slightly sweet, savory, and so satisfying. It pairs beautifully with rice or noodles and has become our go-to comfort dish.

We also love the vegetarian duck, which is flavorful, crispy, and unbelievably satisfying — even for meat eaters. It’s one of those dishes that surprises people with how good vegetarian food can be. The texture is spot on, and the seasoning is rich without being heavy.

To celebrate the Mooncake Festival, Che Li gifted us a complimentary mooncake, which was such a thoughtful and festive touch. It was beautifully presented, not overly sweet, and the perfect way to honor the holiday. It felt very special to enjoy it in a place that clearly values tradition as much as flavor.

We also had their pan-fried pork buns, which were golden and crispy on the bottom, soft and fluffy on top, with juicy, flavorful pork inside. Another favorite — so comforting and expertly done.

And then came a surprise highlight of the evening: the dessert pear. This was truly something special — lightly sweet, refreshing, and so delicately prepared. It wasn’t just a dessert — it was a beautiful palate cleanser and a perfect end to the meal. Elegant, subtle, and unforgettable.

Che Li always delivers, but tonight reminded us just how much care they put into their food and hospitality. Even as regulars, we continue to be impressed — not only by the menu but by the experience. The restaurant itself has a stylish yet traditional atmosphere, and the staff always make us feel welcome.

If you’re looking for authentic, high-quality Chinese cuisine in Flushing — whether for a special occasion like the Mooncake Festival or just a weekly dinner you look forward to — Che Li is the place. We feel lucky to be regulars and can’t wait for next...

Che Li is easily one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in NYC, and while I usually visit their East Village location, the flagship restaurant in Flushing offers its own charm and a consistently outstanding experience. My past two visits to Flushing have only deepened my appreciation for this spot.

The ambiance at Che Li is incredible. With its wood and bamboo accents and numerous Chinese decorative elements, the decor gives the restaurant a classic, authentic feel that makes you feel immersed in a warm and welcoming setting. The service is attentive and helpful—don't hesitate to ask for recommendations, as the staff is happy to guide you through the menu.

My go-to starter here is a small carafe of warm "Nv Er Hong," a Chinese rice wine that comes with dried plum and ginger, adding a lovely warmth to the experience and balancing the richness of the dishes that follow.

Recommended Dishes: —Wine-Soaked Chicken - Served chilled and marinated in Shaoxing wine, this appetizer is bursting with flavor. The chicken’s tender skin and delicate texture make it a fantastic start to any meal. Personally, I love adding the broth to my rice for an extra layer of flavor. —Spicy Sliced Pork Kidney - Thinly sliced and served over a bed of bean sprouts with a fragrant Szechuan peppercorn chili oil, this chilled dish has the perfect kick for spice lovers. —Pork Soup Dumplings - Savory and soupy, these dumplings are delightful. I like to take a small bite to release the broth, sip the soup, then add a bit of vinegar soy and ginger before enjoying the rest of the dumpling. —Che Li’s Pork Belly - This Shanghainese-style braised pork belly is served with quail eggs. Though it’s on the sweeter side, which isn’t usually my preference, the flavors are so well-balanced, and the pork belly so perfectly tender, that it just melts in your mouth. —Qian Long’s Favorite Eel - Cooked in a rich brown sauce, the eel is served with cucumber and scallion, making it perfect for wrapping in a thin Chinese pancake. The flavors and textures are a delight. —Spicy Christy Pork Knuckles - If you’re a fan of pork knuckles, this dish is a must. The fried knuckles are wok-tossed with red chilis, giving them a crispy exterior while keeping the meat tender and juicy. I can't wait to have this one again!

Che Li also shines with its vegetable dishes. I’ve tried the Lotus Pond Stir-Fry and Braised Vegetable Medley, and both were flavorful, perfectly seasoned, and provided a refreshing complement to the heartier dishes.

I thoroughly enjoy each visit to Che Li and can't wait to return to explore more...

As excited as we were for this food, it just didn’t live up. For starters, I did enjoy the soup dumplings (we did regular pork xlb, but also got the pork/truffle xlb). The skin of the dumpling was thin and sturdy so it made for a good soupy bite. You order via an iPad, so there isn’t much human interaction but I was able to add their beggars chicken to my order however when time came to place the order, we were told they were sold out. It wasn’t clear that there’s limited quantities, and by the time someone physically came to our table they said they’re sold out but another batch would be ready, one server quoted us 40 mins, another said over an hour. So that was disappointing 😳 Next, there’s no rhyme or reason to how the food is brought out. Our fried rice came out before any of the entrees, which was then followed by soup but no bowls were given at the table-we had to ask multiple different servers. The soup was phenomenal though, it was a beef in golden broth soup. After the fried rice was finished, we got our fish in sweet and sour glaze. This wasn’t very appetizing at all, there’s so much sauce/glaze that you don’t even realize you’re eating fish. It was way too overpowering. Then came our fried duck, which is meant to be eaten like Peking duck, but the duck itself was so hard and over done. The beef ribs in pepper sauce were good, lacking flavor but compared to what we had until then it was ok. The poached shrimp was delicious, the shrimp was cooked perfectly. Mind you, we had ordered some sides of white rice, which never came out until the end. I think our meal had potential to be better but just certain things need to be worked on. The restaurant wasn’t as chaotic/busy as other reviews have said it can be. There were many empty tables when we went so not sure where the breakdown in serving was? iPads can be a good ordering tool but not a substitution. When we had asked for our white rice during our meal we kept being told it was coming out, but it wasn’t also like we had a dedicated person serving us, you had to try to flag someone down every single time and it was never the same person twice. Like we’re getting our fried rice before we get the white rice that’s more than likely premade, and just needs to be plated and served? It’s a moderately priced restaurant, but there’s definitely better ones...