China River — Restaurant in New York

I recently got a chance to dine here as I am not uptown very often. It was a very exciting change of pace as the Theatre District in Manhattan is one of the busiest places. The restaurant is very accessible by subway if using public transport and right across from the Phantom of the Opera theatre. ⁣ ⁣ It was a weeknight that my friend and I decided on dinner here. We were curious as neither of us had ever eaten here. It looks very quaint from the outside however when you walk in you are greeted by a very luxurious looking establishment that contains a very full service bar with high chair seating. ⁣ ⁣ The layout of the dining area makes good use of the space as it is a good sized restaurant (the it goes deep into the back) and there are stairs that lead to an upper level where there are more tables available. ⁣ ⁣ Before entering, I was outside waiting for my friend and was not surprised at the line of people waiting to get in to see Phantom. I can see that usually this is a good location for the restaurant due to the high traffic area. As we entered, the manager Teng was by the front desk. He showed us to our seats and indicated who our server would be. ⁣ ⁣ The restaurant to my surprise was not too busy for dinner. We were seated near the back. It was nice and quiet which was ideal for my guest and I. Our server Fu was very on point. He was helping another table before us and promptly came over to us to ask what we wanted. Since it was our first time we still needed some time to decide. The menu is quite impressive with the choices...a lot of the food was naturally very spicy.⁣ ⁣ Throughout the meal, while Fu was busy, another employee named Tina was super helpful. She checked on us to make sure we were all right. ⁣ ⁣ We started with drinks. They ran out of the Watermelon sake so my friend decided to get a Sangria (red wine, brandy, triple sec and fresh fruit) and I opted with the Tsing Tao Mojito (mint, lime, rum and bottle of beer). The sangria came in a standard wine glass however the mojito came in a larger glass and the beer bottle was suspended inside. I certainly was not expecting this but it turned out to be a refreshing drink. ⁣ ⁣ For a starter, we went with the classic Dan Dan Noodles. The meat and chili oil and spice on top of the noodles were a great way to whet the appetite.⁣ ⁣ Entrees that were shared between us:⁣ ⁣ Taro Chicken - classic Sichuan flavor with chicken and taro in a spicy broth. I was concerned it would be too spicy but it had just enough kick that still allowed us to savor the flavors. ⁣ ⁣ Eastern Lion Head - pork meatball in vegetable tofu soup. This was a very savor dish. The meatballs were very well cooked on the outside and had a pink inside which is naturally for cooked pork. The broth with the vegetables and tofu went well with the white rice. ⁣ ⁣ For dessert we just got the mango pomelo sago which was a great way to end the meal and helped to battle all the spice we encountered. ⁣ ⁣ Overall, a great experience for the first time visiting this restaurant. Again special mentions go to Fu and Tina for their diligence in making sure we were looked after. ⁣ ⁣ **For those who are there from 11a - 3:30p M-F and are looking for a deal, there are...

4.5 stars. China River is located in the theater district right next to the St. James Theater. You can easily walk by and miss it. From the front, the restaurant looks small but once you go in, you will see the restaurant keeps going towards the back and has a balcony for more seating. Ambiance was super relaxed, it felt nice to come inside and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

As you walk in, there’s a small waiting area and full-service bar to the right. Staff is very welcoming and attentive and the menu is extensive! Took us a minute to decide what to order. Menu is traditional Sichuan Chinese food fare.

We ordered mini pork soup dumplings, lettuce wraps with diced chicken and pine nuts, salt and pepper pork chop, sizzling sliced beef, plain fried rice, and shrimps with walnuts.

The pork chops were superb, and I really liked the presentation. The salt and pepper pork chops were served on a bamboo rice basket. Meat was tender with crunchy exterior. The fried pepper, shallots and garlic gave it a nice aroma. This was definitely my favorite dish from our meal and a must try.

Soup dumplings had nice thin casings and good flavored broth. The shrimp with cashews were okay, I’ve had better. The sizzling sliced beef was delicious and had a lot of flavor. It came with red and green peppers and onions in brown sauce. The lettuce wraps were refreshing. The pine nuts with the diced chicken and fresh lettuce were a good combo.

Prices here are comparable for the area. Food were plated nicely and were tasty. The service here is quick and we got our food a little over five minutes after we ordered. With service like this, I imagine this a perfect place for a quick pre...

They obviously have priority making money over customer satisfaction.

I went this restaurant with my family including two seniors and two kids, total of 6 people. They didn't have table available for 6 people on the first floor and a waiter took us upstairs. It was a burden for the two seniors but we went upstairs. On the 2nd floor, they had plenty of space with no customers and there was a table where 6 people could seat but the staff was going to take us to the 3rd floor.

I asked the guy if we could use the table already setup for 6 people on the 2nd floor but he said that table can be separated and used for more guests and insisted bringing us to the 3rd floor even though we had seniors and young kids with difficulty.

I understood what he was trying to do but we explained him again, if possible, we'd like to seat on the 2nd floor because of the difficulty we had and the fact that there were plenty of space on the 2nd floor. (There was no other customers on the 2nd floor where about 15~20 people could seat)

He then started showing us attitude and started serving other guests ignoring and leaving us (including seniors and kids) on the stairs between first and 2nd floor standing by. Wow seriously....

I wasn't going to pay this guy for his unpleasant/nasty service and we had to leave. Not going to this place ever again and not paying a penny for service like this. To be fair, I don't know about their food because I never got a chance to try them. Thanks to the guy for...