Kai Fan — Restaurant in New York

For a Kosher Chinese place in Riverdale, this place is pretty good. It's understandably difficult to find authentic Chinese food that is also Kosher, but this place comes closer than most other Kosher Chinese places. Their menu is pretty extensive with many options for differing tastes. They even have non-Chinese options like sushi and some Thai noodle dishes.

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere. They serve crispy noodles with duck sauce in traditional American Chinese dining room fashion. Tea is available upon request. The service is friendly but a bit delayed. The wait staff and manager are all very accommodating and are willing to make substitutions.

The egg rolls, dumplings, and cold sesame noodles make for good appetizers. The cold sesame noodles are not especially authentic, leaning much more on the peanut-buttery side than the sesame side, but they are still tasty. The hot and sour soup is vegetarian friendly, hearty and well flavored. The general Tso's tofu is a nice vegetarian option for an entree. The portion is huge and comes with steamed broccoli. The tofu is a bit over-breaded and the breading falls off of the tofu easily. Nonetheless, it's a reasonable option for vegetarians who are stuck eating at a Kosher Chinese restaurant. The Szechuan hot oil dish can be made with tofu. This dish comes closest to an authentic Chinese dish at this restaurant, but the flavor and spice level just isn't what you will find at a more authentic place. The sushi is adequate, and a good option if you are looking for a lighter meal.

The meat dishes all come with huge portions and look pretty good.

Overall, this is an above average Kosher Chinese restaurant in a neighborhood that really needs one. The place does a good job at maintaining some level of authenticity while also providing Kosher food. Unlike many Kosher Chinese places, you don't feel like you are sacrificing quality by eating here. It's a great addition to the sparse Riverdale dining scene. The management here has done a great job in a...

Utterly tasteless tiny portions for big $$$ bucks: Avoid! Here is my story: I ordered over 66$ worth of food the other night, including something called mock crab and a maki role. The crab was indeed "mock" or more like muck, completely without flavor and resembled rolled-up bits of cardboard, coated in bread crumbs and smothered in a sweet syrup. (I imagined one of those ingenious vegan dishes any descent chief can prepare these days, not glop that looked like it was poured out of a jar). The so-called "maki" amounted to about 6 small slices of mostly cucumber surrounding a dollop of fish. A small scallion pancake (nothing special here), a fish tartare (not bad but for $17 it should be), and a few sour tasing dipping sauces was what I received for this amount of money: not even enough food for my wife and I for dinner. I called to complain and was told this is a Kosher restaurant, thus the high prices (and the tiny tasteless portions? No response). I was offered a refund of 50% (also to make up for a previous occasion when they took my order and my PayPal money, but never delivered! I should have learned my lesson the.) What I got a day later after submitting a dispute with PayPal was just over 9 dollars! Seriously. This is not only an unethical establishment, but the material they churn out (I can not call it real food) could only be appealing to people completely unfamiliar with real Asian cooking. Sadly, there seem to be a few of these...

If I could give them 6 stars I would, they are great!!! Went there on a date with a lovely friend expecting the usual Kosher Chinese fare that I have had from LA to Pittsburgh to my hometown here on Long Island, NY. I came expecting the food to be the normal I have expected in an inexpensive (for Kosher that is) Chinese restaurant, OK to good. However this restaurant astounded me, it was different!!!

The food was fabulous!!! We both had the 'Hot and Sour' soup, and it was impressive! The temp, was just right, not luke-warm as I have come to expect in many restaurants, and, not scaldingly hot, but just right! The spices were hot as they should be, but not too hot. As I said, I was amazed!!!

Then for the mains, we had, Spicy Chicken and Curry Chicken. Again the spices were quite hot, but not too, at least for me. They were just wonderful, tasty, yet with a subtle delight. It is hard to express. And we both commented how the presentation of the food on the plates was 'picture perfect.'

I would suggest you go and write your own experience! I live 30 miles on the other side of the NYC metro area where traveling can be a challenge all on its own, but for this restaurant in the Bronx, NYC, NY, Kai Fan, I will be returning!!!

ps I only wish they were closer to me here on Long Island!!

pss I was served by one of the owners, and an owner was on duty at the cash register! A great family...