YAO Modern Cantonese Cuisine 富瑤 — Restaurant in New York

Welcome to Yao, where Cantonese cuisine gets a modern makeover and your taste buds embark on a Harold and Kumar flavor adventure. The decor is prettier than the Met on a first date, and your wallet will likely hate you at the end of the night, but at least you're in for a truly sumptuous meal. Let me take you on a culinary rollercoaster through some of their best dishes:

Marinated Jellyfish with Sesame: My litmus test for most Canto spots. Nothing wrong with Yao's, except that it's too small.

Grilled Berkshire Pork: Presentation much? This dish was meant to be 'grammed. Imagine pork so succulent it's like biting into a cloud of happiness. Char siu never looked so sexy.

Traditional Chinese Salt-Baked Free-Range Chicken: If chickens had a spa day, this is what they'd look like after. Tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor, this chicken is so good, it's probably the reason why the phrase "winner winner chicken dinner" was coined.

Fresh Whole Sea Perch with Bones with Dried Tangerine Peel and Douchi: Dive into a sea of flavors with this dish! Plus, picking through those delicate bones feels like a culinary treasure hunt.

Mapo Tofu with Lobster: I hate how much I loved this. Silky tofu meets crunchy lobster in an actually spicy sauce that doesn't skimp on flavor. $68 is painful, but it hurts more not trying this.

Beef Brisket with Turnip in Clear Broth: Like a warm hug on a cold day. The beef melts in your mouth, and the broth tastes like Fri evenings with mom.

Snow Pea Leaves with Chanterelle: Crisp, vibrant snow pea leaves paired with earthy chanterelle mushrooms--it's a green dream come true!

Stir-Fried String Bean with Minced Pork and Kale Borecole: A classic for a reason, and Yao's is generous.

Fried Rice with Scallops and XO Sauce: Flavorful and perfectly cooked.

Fried Rice with Diced Angus Short Rib: Also flavorful and perfectly cooked. I'm not sure which fried rice was my favorite, TBH.

Pumpkin Cake: Yes, we desserted. This cake oozed sweet egg yolk that made me want to cry, it was so tasty.

Sesame Ball with Red Bean Paste: Another classic for a reason. You get five balls in this order, so it's perfect for sharing. Not too oily either.

Custard Pastry in a Swan Shape: Get this just for the 'gram. But also, it's actually quite crispy and delightful. Fly, my pretties, fly right into my mouth!

Portuguese Egg Custard Tart: Yao's best dish, bar none, and quite possibly the best egg tart in all of NYC. Made fresh every day and already their most popular dessert. My Macanese grandma would not only have approved, she would've ordered 12 more to take home.

I didn't want to love Yao because, let's face it, "elevated" Chinese food almost always subs presentation for flavor, but Yao managed to avoid that for the most part while providing a gorgeously modern...

I just host a private event at this restaurant to celerate an important anniversary with family and friends. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to hold a private meetup/party to chat business or celebrate your special anniversaries.

Since I reached out to the event manager, Frances, all my need is carefully considered. If availability is not an issue, they will accommodate specific needs as much as possible. (From the pic, you can see they've provided much help with my personal decoration needs without additional charges.) The staff are highly professional in addressing any concerns about the food selection. There are also plenty of advanced amenities for the most ideal demonstration as you wish. I would especially point out that their Samsung Serif is good for presenting and watching videos (I had a DIY video which played just wonderfully on the Serif TV).

During our event, there was a very courteous and responsive server waiting on-call the whole night, who was really knowledgeable about all the dishes they offered. He did give the best recommendations based on guests' needs. All parties in my event are more than familiar with most Chinese dishes, but his comments still enrich our selections. I would give a 5-star review for his informative suggestions alone.

Price-wise, the overall spend is not so cheap, but is acceptable to me as it has probably the best decoration/atmosphere among all Chinese restaurants out there in both Manhattan and Flushing. I have been to their another restaurant under the same brand (in Chinatown), but it is far less decorative and tranquil than this one. Compared to other fine-dining restaurants here at Manhattan featuring European or Asian dishes, the price here is just okay, let alone it locates at the very center of Financial District in Downtown Manhattan.

Food is generally good. This restaurant is featured as a Cantonese-pro site but is unexpectedly also good at Peking duck and other Yangzhou/Sichuan cuisines. So if you want to try any sort of Chinese dishes (even if not restricting yourselves to Cantonese), you may find something interesting here.

Overall, a wonderful experience for my group. A big shoutout to the staff for their courtesy and the food...

This restaurant demonstrates an unacceptable level of service and customer care. My experience closely mirrors the concerns raised by other dissatisfied patrons. I booked a Thanksgiving dinner for a party of 16, calling four weeks in advance and coordinating with Henry, the same staff member mentioned in previous reviews.

From the outset, there was relentless pressure to order overpriced seafood dishes and other expensive menu items. To reserve a private room, we were told we needed to order a staggering $3,000 worth of food—an absurd and unreasonable requirement. On top of that, we were informed that our reservation would end at 7:00 PM, regardless of whether we had finished dining. When I explained that a large group, particularly one including children, might need more time, Henry bluntly stated that if we didn’t vacate by 7:00 PM, our reservation would be canceled immediately.

This level of hostility and lack of accommodation is appalling. It reflects a business model that prioritizes profit over customer experience. The blatant disregard for hospitality and courtesy makes it clear that this establishment lacks ethical and professional standards.

Additionally, I researched further and found numerous similar complaints on forums, highlighting overpriced dishes, small portions, and an aggressive push for quick table turnover. Diners reported being rushed through their meals, with waitstaff presenting the bill before they even finished eating. For example, a meal for three reportedly cost $270, with overly salty and underwhelming portions.

The polished appearance of the restaurant may attract unsuspecting diners, but the reality of the experience is deeply disappointing. I would strongly discourage anyone from patronizing this establishment. If you value service, fairness, and quality,...