CHILI — Restaurant in New York

TLDR: a new NYC favorite. I’ll definitely be coming here multiple times a year for high quality chinese food! Don’t sleep on this restaurant!

Food: 5 out of 5. Simply remarkable. The chef here is the same chef that got another restaurant a Michelin star, and all I can say is, “wow!” So this is what food is supposed to taste like. Everything was perfectly balanced in sweet/salty, bitterness, fat, and texture. We had the beef scallion pancakes, a cold chicken dish (“Mouth Watering Chicken”), pork dumplings in chili oil, and a cold beef/tripe dish (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”) for appetizers. All of them were fantastic. I was a little hesitant on the cold plates for appetizers but I was completely wrong. The beef and the scallion pancakes were a perfect combination. But my absolute favorite of the appetizers was the beef/tripe dish. I’ve never had tripe that was that flavorful and tender. I like tripe to begin with but I know it to be chewy. This tripe, I don’t know how they cook it but it was tender. ok. Now for the main entrees. We had the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce, the Sweet & Sour Baby Ribs, Truffle Beef Tenderloin and the Spicy Soft-Shell Crabs. I don’t like soft shell crab, but this was the best I’ve ever had it and was definitely my favorite of the night. It was crunchy, but soft, flavorful, while still having the muted flavor of crabs. We asked our waiter to tamp down the spice level since he said the dish is about an 8/10 on the spice level. We asked for a 6/10 and it was perfect. It added the appropriate spice that enhanced the flavor without burning our palates off. The sweet short ribs were my second favorite: the meat was tender and the sauce was out of this world. If you mix the sauce with rice, that itself could be its own dish! Then you have some bokchoy for some bitterness to cut through the sweetness and fat.

Drinks: 5 out of 5. Most of the cocktails are ordinary but delicious. But some of them had extra theatrics. The rose bubble is a vodka based drink with some rose water and other things (vodka can be substituted for gin). But the extra-ness comes with a smoked bubble that they place on top of the drink and pop w/ some petals to create a smoky vibe (check the pics below)!

Vibe: 5 out of 5. Definitely an eclectic but strangely cohesive decor. It’s a relaxed vibe and great for either a one on one date or group activity.

Service: 10 out of 5. Honestly, the staff were so passionate about their job and their restaurant. I’ve never seen waitstaff that promote their restaurant as if they had their share of it as well. That just showed us how good the business actually is. They were incredibly friendly and approachable and helpful.

All in all. I FAVORITE very few things, and this one definitely gets the TravelingGayPanda stamp of FAVORITE

Overall a great dining experience! We ate mostly off the dim sum menu and everything was delicious.

We had: Pork Soup Dumplings - amazingly delicious, savory, juicy dumpling served with a tangy vinegar & ginger sauce. Beef pancake wrap - savory flakey crust surrounding tinder juicy beef, with fresh scallions & cilantro. Dan Dan Noodles - spicy noodles with sesame paste& minced pork. My kids especially liked it but it does have a slight spicy kick but not strong. Beware this one is oily, it was crunched in oil, see my pictures. Pork Pot Stickers - these were very flavorful & cooked to perfection, nice juicy dumplings with a slight crunch in the bottom. Scallion Pancake - flakey & soft, flavorful with a tasty dipping sauce. Tasted like the wrap on the Beef pancake wrap. Egg Yolk Buns - steamed delicious soft black bread with a juicy combination of egg yolk, butter and sugar. Be careful how you eat this one or you’ll get the liquid hot insides squirting all over your evening frock 😆 *the above are all dim sum sized portions, small in size but big in flavor.

We shared a chocolate mousse for dessert, which was chocolate creamy deliciousness covered in shaved chocolate but with a denser frozen white cream in the center. Not your traditional chocolate mousse center but still very delicious (see pictures).

I had the “Misty Rain” cocktail, which is a mixture of flavorful gin, longing tea & pear syrup. It was a refreshingly delicious well balanced simple tasting, lightly sweet drink that I would recommend. Be aware though that it is not served in the style of glass pictured in their drink menu illustration. The picture shows it being served in a standard 8oz acopa cocktail glass, but it was actually served in a 4 oz tea cup. I would have preferred the glass they have pictured on their drink menu.

Next time we’re going to try more of the main entree dishes from the menu. We saw others enjoying what looked like really delicious food. We headed to a music show & my kids wanted a lite meal and could not resist ordering all the dim sum dishes.

Tips: we were a group of 3 and if you have less than 4 people you aren’t able to get a reservation after 4:30pm. So we ate at 4:30pm. It was a bit early, next time we’ll invite someone to join us & get a later reservation.

The food was reasonably priced for the area. We paid $127.61 including tax & tip for the food & drinks I listed (see picture of receipt for more details).

I would definitely recommend this place for your next meal. The service was prompt & on point, and the decor was 1930s China, a beautiful...

The first time I was ever a patron at CHILI was for takeout. Now that I have eaten in as well, I can confidently say that it is a much better experience to dine in, which is probably why the place is so often packed for lunch and dinner. It is a well-deserved reputation for good food and company. First off, the staff are very accommodating and, might I add, very well dressed. They are friendly, speak both Mandarin and English, and are very courteous to patrons. Tableside preparations are done without too much obstruction or frivolity so you can enjoy your meal, and there is a sufficient number of waiters that you don't feel neglected or unseen, though you might feel so during later, more crowded hours when the outdoor dining is also open. Decor is vintage style, with a mix of Chinese and Western feel. There are images of women in qipao, like in old Hong Kong dramas, as well as glass lamps and a wooden aesthetic for the seats and bar. The food is great. I am not the biggest eater of szechuan cuisine, but it feels very true to the concept of mala. Even if the spice is not that heavy, it does accrue and it does numb the tongue. I highly recommend the cold noodle and sliced pork with garlic appetizers. They come rather quick and have a good portion for eating alone. Their lunch specials are also good and include a lot of food, though I feel they are a bit more predictable as dishes from a Chinese restaurant. For larger groups, they have great options for meal-sharing, as well as tables large enough to accommodate. They have a small dim sum section and entrees so you can enjoy the experience as if you were in a 酒楼. Lunch portions are generous, coming with rice and soup. Their purple rice is a unique option and their bean soup is very good. They also recently got spicy beef noodle soup. The spice is good on the soup, and the beef cubes are tender. The soup doesn't have a lot of beef...