Happy Hot Hunan — Restaurant in New York

Stopped in to take out some highly regarded Hunan food. It did not disappoint.

Note that their flavor palate is different than Szechuan. No numbing here. More chili-hot or sour-hot options in Hunan food.

With that said, some dishes overlap, but the flavors are different.

Ended up getting the following: -Spicy cucumber salad ($8.95) -Three Pepper Chicken ($16.95) -Chairman Mao's Red Braised Pork ($17.55) -Fried Egg w Chopped Chili ($13.95) -Beef in Hot Chili Sauce ($19.95)

The spicy cucumber salad was good. You must like pickled flavors though, which separates it from Szechuan style.

The three pepper chicken was the most the similar to Szechuan, minus the numbing of course. I asked them to make it more spicy and they complied.

Chairman Mao's Braised Pork was excellent. It has a sweetness to it that's a perfect complement to the spicy food. This is one of the namestay dishes in Hunan cuisine.

The Fried egg with chopped chili was my favorite. It was also asked to made more spicy and was among the top spiciest dishes. It was a little salty. I'd come back for this for sure.

The Beef in Hot Chili Sauce was flavorful and good amounts of beef inside. The menu technically says its creamy. I'm not so convinced on that description, but it was pretty good. Not too hot.

I can't comment on service, but the young lady working the front was...

[Yes. This is one of those places. A rare find in a city bombarded with lots of restaurant choices, and where many are just under par, turning out to be disappointing].

I live in the neighborhood and so far only have had the delivery experience.

Ordered on their website. Quick, efficient, one dollar convenience fee, free delivery, option to tip, option to pay now with card or at delivery. Text and email confirmations etc. Simple and easy.

Without a doubt the best quality Chinese (almost Indo-Chinese) delivery I have ever had. This food is prepared real-authentic in a non-american-taste modified way (i e., not sweet, has real flavor, dishes don't all taste the same or bland, and has several tasty spices, served piping hot, etc).

This place is simply outstanding. Please, please store manager do not change anything. It's just right as is as of April 2024.

What I ordered and level of satisfaction:

Hot and Sour Soup - 7 out of 10 Smoked fried rice with roast pork - 8 out of 10 Fried Hunan noodles - 8 out of 10 Hunan chicken with mixed vegetables 8 out of 10

Absolutely smashing. Even the portions and prices are quite reasonable.

Will be back every time someone says hey let's order Chinese tonight.

In short, you must try this place-especially if you've eaten authentic Asian food abroad. It's a hidden gem. Won't be...

The place was packed with mostly Asians (students since it’s near Columbia?) on a midweek lunch. There is a reasonable lunch special ($10-11) that includes a 6oz soup. The Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce was spicy (I asked for “a little spicier” in Chinese) and flavorful with the ‘right’ vegetables (bamboo shoots, onions carrots celery?, not whatever veg-on-sale that is a filler to make the dish look big) albeit more vinegary than I’m used to. The Fish fillet with Ginger and Scallions was tasty and the fish tender. Both with a good amount of sauce for the rice. The Sweet and Sour Soup was a little bland (not sour enough, not enough earthy mushroom taste) and spicy, but, was too gelatinous (too much corn starch) and tasted too much like chicken bouillon. I would return to try other dishes. 2/2023.

Returned 2/2024. Food is very good. I would like to say authentic but I’ve not been to Hunan - just lived in China for 8 years and have been eating Chinese food in Chinatown for a long time. Food is as authentically Chinese as you can get in the US. I had the Double cooked fish lunch special. The hot and sour soup was much...