A-jiao
“Living in the UES there isn't an abundance of Sichuan Chinese cuisine (Majority would be found in midtown ) .”
“Last time my parents came to town, we went off my usual track and they liked the portion sizes and most of the food we got here.”
“There are a few dishes that are pretty good and keep me getting back: Stir Fried Chicken with Spice Roasted Chili (n.b. dark meat), A Jiao Special Hot Pot, Chef s Ma Paul Tofu.”
A-jiao
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Extremely solid Chinese food in the area. It is mostly Sichuan as opposed to Cantonese. I ordered the ma po tofu which was extremely good, though you can do better in Chinatown. However, for the UES, this is probably the best. Very reasonable prices, outstanding quick service, and the interior decor is very nice. Highly recommend if you are in the are and want Sichuan Chinese for dine in or take out. However, would not recommend traveling here from other parts of Manhattan because then you might as well go to Chinatown.
Wow. This place is such a gem on the UES. It is hard to find an authentic Sichuan joint and this is the best Sichuan place I've had in a long time. I've ordered delivery from here (super fast) and dined in (it's actually a white table cloth joint with really good service so dining in is acceptable – they are great with water refills). It is a above average in price and as far as I can tell, I don't think they do a lunch special for the true Sichuan dishes. Still, even though dishes can be $15-$16, they are really tasty with big portions.
The first time, bf and I had delivery. We had the dan dan noodle (unfortunately not my favorite because it is very vinegar-y? I like it spicier, saltier with more garlic). He had the kung pao which he said wasn't the best unfortunately, and I had what I think deserved 5 stars- the wok stir fried chicken with a thousand chillies (Han Dynasty, my fav place downtown calls it Dry Pepper Chicken). DELICIOUS. Salty, crispy, with the right amount of bitterness from the Sichuan numbing peppercorn, and the right amount of saucyness. Han's is drier. The first time I ordered this through delivery; I described what I wanted on the phone and the host helped me identify what they called it- maybe because it traveled but it was really saucy the first time. $15.95. Comes with your choice of white or brown rice.
I love this place and would recommend it to anyone looking for some good Chinese uptown. It's pretty traditional but I think caters to all tastes.
Lightning fast service. I asked my husband to pick up our order while I am submitting it online. We live 2 blocks away and the food was ready by the time he got there.
The mapotofu is indeed very good. Yes it is oily and I did wish they put more meat in there. When you order you can specify your spice level. I order spicy and it was pretty up there. The sauce and the silky tofu go really well with rice.
The fried chicken in garlic sauce was just okay. I think they put too much coating which makes them crunchy but too doughy at the same time. Also too sweet for me.
$27 total. Not the cheapest Chinese take out but better quality than average.
Most of the Chinese places in Yorkville are cheap takeout quality. This one is an actual authentic Sichuan place. The food was actually pretty spicy, though not overly so. I tried several things from here like ma po tofu, beef tendon, and sichuan pork dumplings. The best thing for me were the dumplings which had a rich, spicy flavor to them. However, I am not a big fan of Sichuan cuisine, so I found the other dishes underwhelming with their pungent tastes. The food here was also way too greasy – it seems that they like to pour chili oil all over their food. Almost everything I tried was covered in this red chili oil that got all over my hands.
Yes, they deliver, and they deliver above-average Sichuan Chinese food super late at night. Via Seamless, I had hot tasty A-jiao in 30-40 min after ordering. I can't wait for the next drunken late night order when I'm craving spicy Chinese food.
There are plenty of seating available. It's the answer to my prayers to good Chinese food in East Harlem. The Szechuan food is spiced perfectly. It's spicy and just enough of oily and numbing. The tea smoked duck is tender and smoky. The ma pao tofu is always good. Prayers do get answered.
When they say spicy, they are not joking.
I ordered delivery from here. I got the mapo tofu which was absolutely delicious. And the spicy dumplings. The dumplings come in a container soaked with vinegar.
My lips were on fire half way and i just couldn't finish my meal. Also, it was super greasy.
Pretty good Chinese food, especially if you enjoy spicy foods!