CHILI

This is a great spot a fun time with fusion Chinese with a novel twist. We went there on Jerry's recommendation which is always a smart thing to do :-)This is near Koreatown and it's a fun cool spot. We were there on a Saturday and it was packed. The place has a great ambience with lots of fun people. The bar is great and they are really busy. The main thing is that the cocktails which are NYC expensive but quite a cool set of drinks. We loved the whiskey cocktails and it was a great way to get the party started. The pours a generous and they definitely a spending the time to figure out some really novel combination. The service can be a little slow on a busy night like this, but they do a good job of keeping the dishes coming. We loved the various Chinese dishes. The best things were the Szechuan cold noodles which is a pretty classic disk. The Mung Bean jelly is definitely not something that you see in Chinese-American restaurants and you should give it a try. The scallion pancakes are not that traditional but they are crispy and delicious And the potstickers are also great, but we didn't come here because of the "regular" food but for something special. For that you should try the Lobster Szechuan style. This is a classic dish and it was well prepared (and expensive). We also liked the braised tofu with crab meat.The best part has to be the desserts, we had this wonderful dessert with dry ice that literally unfolded itself. You are coming to Chilis for that kind of show. And we enjoyed it.

We had a good dinner at Chili before walking to the game at MSG on a Saturday night. They do not accept reservations online for less than 4 people, but we were seated immediately at 5:30pm, so it worked out. Their cocktail menu was pricey (most were ~$20) but looked interesting so I ordered a Purple Rain. It was tasty and did not skimp on the vodka pour. The business has a lot of photos on their menu page of the website which was very helpful in making my decision. We ordered the Dan Dan noodles, beef pancake wrap, Mapo tofu, and fried rice with shredded duck. My favorite of those was the Mapo Tofu. The sauce was flavorful, right on the edge of my spice heat comfort zone, and did not have pork in it like some do. Our entrees were $18 and those were among the cheapest on the menu. Overall it was a little pricey, but quality was good and service was prompt.

First time, great all around. Party of 3.Second time around, tonight - party of 8. You'd think they'd be slightly more relaxed with the time limit - we were a large party of 8 people. Food was great, however we were incredibly rushed that the experience just wasnt enjoyable. Gave 3 stars because the food was good. The service was super rushed and a bit pushy. Not an enjoyable experience by any means. Perhaps give your larger parties an extra 30 minutes to enjoy vs a party of two getting the same amount of time for the entire meal.

Chili is serving up a ton of delicious Szechuan flavors in Midtown Manhattan. It's kind of got a "hole in the wall" vibe, but it's super cute inside. Service was great - they served us within the closing hour and I very much appreciate that! We tried the pork dumplings in chili oil and I had to try the ma po tofu - amazing. Crunchy celery mixed with puffy soft and spicy tofu and served with white rice. The ultimate comfort food. There's so much more on the menu I want to come back for: cold noodle, dan dan noodle, tofu with crab, and many more! If you love Szechuan food, this is a good spot!

I found myself at Chili for a work holiday get together. I had never been here before, but one of my colleagues had good things to say so I was really excited to check it out - plus discovering a new spot is never a bad thing in my book. Chili sits in Midtown East close to Murray Hill and K-Town. Like many other Manhattan restaurants, the space itself isn't too big; there's a bar towards the front of the restaurant with tables on the opposite wall, with more towards the back. The decor is kind of bright with soft blues and tasteful decor throughout the space. There were 5 of us, and we decided to order everything family style to share. We started with some shrimp dumplings, wontons, and scallion pancakes. These were all good - tasty without being overly salty. We then moved onto mains - spicy lamb, spicy chicken, eggplant, and tofu. Again, everything was really tasty - I don't tolerate high spice levels but this was just enough heat where I was able to enjoy everything. We had a couple of rounds of drinks and I wouldn't overlook their craft cocktail menu - they were creative and tasty.Service was good - we were told once seated there was a 90-minute limit which they adhered to as we saw a party waiting at the door as we were wrapping up. I think for a party of 5 that 2 hours would have been more appropriate, but I also understand that it's the holidays and they need to turn over tables. Overall, I had a solid experience at Chili, and would return to explore more of their menu.

One of the top notch and delicious Chinese / Szechuan spots! We ordered: -jellyfish salad: super refreshing and flavorful. -braised tofu with crab meat: very delicious and it tasted like salted egg was added to it which really enhances the flavor -spicy cumin lamb: kind of remind me of the lamb skewers and it's a nice balance of meat and veggies that consist of onions and cilantro-white style chungking braised fish stew: my favorite dish and practically fished the entire dish including the soup. The fish fillets were tender and the soup itself is flavorful and not crazy spicy which makes it really enjoyable. Overall service is quick and attentive. Great ambiance for both small and large groups.

Pretty tasty place!My sister scored reservations here on Christmas Day, and the second we walked into the restaurant, it smelled so damn aromatic. Beautiful ambience. I didn't want anything heavy, so I opted for the Fried Rice with Shredded Tea Smoked Duck and WOW. It was DELICIOUS. It also doesn't come with most of the extras I ask to be taken out of fried rice, like onions and stuff. Just rice, tasty duck, and egg (I asked for no scallions). I also got the jasmine tea, and they give you your own little teapot, but watch it, because the little cup you pour into gets HOT to the touch.My mom got the Sweet and Sour Baby Ribs and they were fall-off-the-bone tender, melt-in-your-mouth good. The vibe was warm, cozy, and quiet, and they had what appeared to be delicious alcoholic beverages that I chose not to indulge in this time around, but I would certainly return!

Came here on a Sunday evening for an early dinner with no reservation. Was grateful as our initial restaurant had a 1 hour wait. Service was great - everyone was friendly and attentive. The restaurant was also nice and clean. Ordered a fair bit of dishes to share with friends. Really delicious and the spicy dishes definitely had a kick to it. Also ordered dumplings for kids and they were happy with it. Vegetarian friendly as we came with our friends who are vegetarians.

I came by CHILI for a birthday dinner on a weekday night. We were a party of 9 and they seated us at a large square table which was nice because we could all talk to each other. We ordered a lot of food, from spicy cumin lamb and double cooked pork to the chongqing spicy chicken, green beans, eggplant in fish sauce, tofu, and fish soup. Some of the items were really yummy - my favorites were the spicy cumin lamb, double cooked pork, and eggplant. But some of the items such as the tofu and fish soup tasted a little starchy. The chili chicken was also really salty. I will add however the service was spectacular as we had this frozen cake which was impossible to cut and our waiter really went above and beyond to help us slice it into 9-10 pieces. They also put this huge lighter on top of our cake which was a lovely addition for the birthday. Would come again, great bang for buck!

Update to my previous review:I reached out to the restaurant, and I'm happy to say they handled it wonderfully. They quickly reviewed the issue and refunded the extra charge.