Blue Willow 夜来湘

Yesterday, I went to a Hunan restaurant called Blue Willow in Midtown, New York.The decoration style is very retro, more elegant than most Chinese restaurants, very suitable for datesFor the appetizer, we ordered the Fuqi Feipian, which tastes exactly the same as in China, spicy and very appetizingThe taste is one of the best in Hunan restaurants in New York. We ordered their fried pork with chili peppers. The chili peppers were stir-fried very fragrantly, cut into thin strips, very fragrant, and paired with thin pork belly, it was super delicious with riceMao Ye Bao pork belly is also very delicious, with fat and lean, and it is super satisfying to take a bite. There is also a layer of Shanghai greens underneath, which is delicious with the pork belly soupWe also ordered a salted egg yolk lobster, the salted egg yolk is crispy, and the shrimp meat is also fried very fragrantFor dessert, we ordered taro balls, which have a bit of the feeling of Hunan morning teaTheir cocktails are also very unique Both cups I ordered actually had chili on themIt's a Hunan restaurant indeedAddress: 40 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019The environment is really nice. It's perfect for eating with friends or on a date! There are discounts when ordering on Panda Takeaway. Get 14 off when you place an order

The food does not deserve a rating above a one. To be honest, I was very disappointed with all the dishes that we ordered. Not sure if the usual chef was MIA that day because I anticipated a delicious meal based on the reviews, but instead I was left unimpressed. The food was worse than eating at a food court at the mall. I'm giving the place three stars because the service was very good and the ambience was nice.

We were visiting New York City for Christmas and needed to find a great spot for delicious Chinese food on Christmas Eve. We are so, so happy we found Blue Willow because it was truly the best!From the moment we walked in, the cozy atmosphere made us feel right at home. The food was absolutely delicious--every dish was packed with authentic flavors and cooked to perfection. honestly, everything we tried was amazing!If you're in NYC and looking for incredible Chinese food, Blue Willow is a must-visit! Highly recommend!

A good time all 20 of us had here kicking off this Year of the Snake. Wonderful it is to have a private room. Though the service was very rushed with the 2-hour limit; even with having set our banquet menu ahead of time. Of the 12-courses this evening, most memorable were Blue Willow's "Spicy Pork Spare Ribs"; "Peking Duck"; "Garlic Sauce Eggplant"; and, "Ginger Scallion Poached Fish Fillet". I'll think twice before hosting a party here again, instead I'll continue to visit this restaurant one-on-one from time to time!CHEERS!

Came here on a busy Tuesday night (before Lunar New Year) Ambiance was definitely modern with old Shanghai portraits lining the walls. Lighting was dim so keep that in mind if you enjoy more light with your dinner meals. Popped in and got lucky with their bar seating. They have a cute drink menu, which my colleague ordered a drink with baiju and edible flowers. The meal was great, we ordered a variety of items including Mapo tofu, wonton soup and sesame ball soup (which was fresh)aesthetically pleasing interior & food was good taste as well. A modern twist on a few of the dishes for sure.

I really wanted to like this place, but their weekday lunch was a disappointment.Their weekday lunch special ranges from $14+ to $17+ and includes:* a main dish of your choice* hot & sour soup or spring roll* white or brown riceThe price depends on your main dish.I ordered the Mapo Tofu as my main dish, with a spring roll and white rice.To our surprise, our main dishes were served within minutes' of our ordering--even before our drinks or appetizers. They were clearly not freshly prepared. The rest of our food came later on, but the rice didn't taste freshly cooked, either.They also seemed to want to clear tables quickly, even though there were plenty of other tables open. Before we'd even finished eating, they came to clear our table, stacking plates which still had food on them on top of each other at our table.Perhaps, dinner would be better, but I would not recommend lunch based on the quality of the food and service we experienced.

We made a reservation for 8 people and got a private room upstairs, with a $300 ordering minimum. They're known for their "old timey" decor and vibes.The food was good but nothing special, and I felt like most of the dishes were quite pricey for what they were. My favorites were the duck, garlic string beans, garlic eggplant, and tangyuan dessert. I wouldn't get the hot and sour soup, pumpkin mochi cakes, mala dry pot, chongqing chicken. or ginger tilapia again.I don't love that rice is $2 extra per bowl and the waiter also wanted to charge us per teapot. The service kind of tainted our experience cause our server was just not in a good mood and told us wrong things about the menu.

This is one of my favorite Szechuan food places in New York! There are so many options to pick from and I love how they categorize it by proteins. It is a little pricey but so worth it for the large portion size and the ambiance. I came with my sister at 3pm on a weekday and this place was still full. You definitely need to make a reservation if you've planning on eating here. We got:- spicy squid appetizer - mountain baked fish - numbing beef tendon All so flavorful and so delicious! I saw some folks complained about the portion size of the mountain baked dish but it was actually such a huge portion size? It was literally served in what looks like a catering tray and they do serve the entire fish with its head. Just be ready to have tissues for your running nose from all the spicy food!

Delicious and sometimes inventive food, relaxed yet invigorating atmosphere, ok service, with drinks not quite what we hoped for.The Dan Dan Noodles were enjoyed - and one of the few dishes we had that delivered a kick. (Having read so many reviews where people seemed to have their tastebuds blown out, I was mindful to mix up our menu). It's just a large taste, the noodles, with plenty of the sauce left over - sort of wish we were able to do more with that!After the Dan Dan Noodles, we received the rest of our dishes all at once. Possibly the best shumai we've ever had. Mushrooms and pork ground together in four power-packed traditional Chinese steamed dumplings. We also really enjoyed the tomato egg-drop soup. The chicken-based broth was strong and good. Never having had this variation before, the tomatoes delivered more of a texture than a tasty element. We adored the garlic eggplant, which also has a friendly kick. Sesame oil and otherwise drenched, this sizable veggie dish was one of our favorites.The seafood fried rice was another winner. Though I detected just a few small shrimp, the overall dish was hearty and satisfying.The cocktails we ordered beforehand did not arrive till we were halfway through our food. That was disappointing. I understand the bar is a big attraction here, and that they get super busy. Still, I wish we had had a chance to savor our drinks. As is, they were mostly lost in the shuffle. Perhaps by this time, our tastebuds were no longer in a position to appreciate the complexities and nuances of the mixologists. The General Tso, for example, was received with a shrug. So many ingredients, so little satisfaction. Do not look for much sweetness here despite lychee and with homemade peach soda. The Oolong Old Fashion was fine. Again, with having already gotten halfway through our meal, it was impossible to appreciate what sounds to be a lovely concoction of honey, orange peach bitter as well as the Suntory Toki bourbon.We tried two desserts. The Pumpkin Mochi Cakes has soothing sweet quality with the perfectly gummy shell and a lovely flavor. We liked this best. The Sticky Glutinous Rice Balls were fine. Served as a sort of soup, the flavors and textures were palatable and inoffensive. Overall, we'd definitely return. There's much more to the menu than we could get through. I would not order the cocktails, or I would be super clear that the cocktails need to come out before food. Though they have a 90 minute limit for tables, we had no trouble honoring that without feeling rushed. I would also scatter our order so that we have more of a chance to enjoy our food rather than trying to catch up. On the bill the suggested tip percentage is based on the total (including tax). It's not a hard adjustment to easily just give a proper 20%, but their receipt nudges you to tip on the tax, too, which has always struck me as wrong.

Food quality doesn't reach our expectations, seat is crowded and the environment is noisy,