China Blue
“As a Shanghainese I must say I like this restaurant very much, from cuisine to environment and service.”
“It was well worth the small trek from the UES to this hidden place on the far west side next to the river in charming Tribeca.”
“I also recommended Dongpo Pork, poached pork belly with steamed buns, and their Fragrant Fish Fillets with Mushrooms.”
China Blue
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Really good… Three of us ate here, mid-week, family style for dinner. The ambiance was nice- natural light, wood floors, casual elegance. Service was OK though it did take an awful long time to flag someone down to take our order (we weren't ready when they first came by)… The drinks… were tragic. Don't order their signature cocktails. I can't imagine anyone liking any of the things I sampled.
Anyways, the food stole the show, highlighted by a delicate fish stew that's probably the best fish stew I've ever had. When I tell you I had to resist ordering a second bowl, I mean my dinner guests had to literally hold me back because we already had way too much food.
I think my second favorite was the lionhead stew entree- just like mom used to make (not really, but you get the idea). There was also this rice shumai thing which was quite good. The drunken chicken and thousand-year egg apps were tasty. And finally the dongpo pork, steamed pork dumplings, and snow pea tendril veggies were excellent.
So, net-net, a great upscale Shanghainese meal. If we're in Tribeca we'd definitely return…
I usually don't like Chinese food but I would definitely return. What makes this place stand out in my mind is that the dishes tasted like authentic Chinese food but without the grease!!! And who wouldn't love being able to order dim sum during any part of the day!!!
I came for a birthday celebration so there was about 10 of us. Hence I was able to try a bunch of dishes. (Probably at least 10) Everything we ordered was tasty and as I mentioned above, tasted authentic. There wasn't really a dish that stood out and is a must order. However I usually don't like fish and I liked this fish that tasted sweet and sour (I didn't do the ordering so I don't know the name of the dish). The fish was really tender and cooked well. There was also a fried fish with a spicy sauce. I enjoyed that as well
Great for a date night, or dinner with friends in a more intimate setting. My favorite Chinese restaurant in NYC to-date.
Space – Ambient, clean and quiet.
Service – Very attentive and friendly.
Crab soup buns – If you thought pork soup buns were good…
Fish blossom – Nicely fried sea bass in sweet and sour sauce with pine nuts, carrots, and edamame. Crowd favorite. I love my seafood, and this fish tasted amazingly fresh.
Pork ribs wuxi style – Fall off the bone tender. Savory, sweet, and cooked to perfection. Even the bone was edible.
Shredded beef with Asian chili – Spicy with a touch of sweet.
Egg tofu with enoki mushroom – Great way to cleanse the pallet.
Sautéed rice cakes with chives – Nicely sliced pieces of rice cake with a hint of sweet.
Love, love, love! Glad to have found this gem in TriBeCa.
China Blue's menu is like a mini Chinese cuisine Wikipedia – they offer a wide range of dishes from different parts of China, mostly focused on Shanghai and GuangZhou areas. I watched the Taiwan version Lonely Gourmet and had strong craving towards many classic Chinese dishes in it. Luckily I found most of them at China Blue with great quality and taste!
Lunch set is a good deal – baby main dish with rice plus a marinated cucumber appetizer/hot sour soup.
Fantastic Chinese restaurant in Tribeca. I've been here twice – once for dinner and once for a weekend lunch. Both times the food was delicious. The space is in what used to be a warehouse that they've revamped. It's modern and big windows bring in lots of natural light. The tables on either side of us and across from us had groups of native Chinese speakers and that's always a good sign 😉
Dimsum is only served for lunch, so be sure to check the website before making your way over. My dad and I had opposite opinions of our food. I ordered the steamed vegetable dumplings and they were moist, chewy and flavorful without being salty. My dad ordered the mapotofu and he said it was too salty and greasy. I didn't try any because it had minced pork in the dish. The vegetarian and gluten free dishes are clearly labeled on the menu.
We didn't need a reservation at 1pm on Saturday — since it's a big restaurant, there were plenty of open seats. Great spot for big groups.
I asked my mom if the restaurant resembled any 1930s restaurant in Shanghai. And she said only the posters did.
Okay, so the décor wasn't what would win our hearts here.
But the food was great, I thought. I loved the vegetarian duck, which had a very refined flavor. The Xihu fish came in a delicious sauce. Wuxi spareribs were tender and flavorful. The two veggie dishes, bok choy and enoki mushrooms, were perfectly done as well.
So the flavors were pretty authentic.
And sometimes that's all it matters.
It's the second time we come here. The first thing you would notice is that the restaurant tried to recreate the atmosphere of the glamorous old Shanghai. Tables caters for group. They have many authentic Shanghai dish you could only get when you are in China.
Authentic 4
Ambient 4
Food 4
Price 4
Like its sister restaurant on the East side, Café China, China Blue is very sexy, sophisticated and offers very tasty food. It's also very reasonably priced for what it offers, given its upscale setting and very tony address.
Recommendations – fried fish with cured duck egg yolk, pork spareribs, mapo tofu, pork belly with mustard greens and bun. Also very good – salt and pepper fish filet, shredded pork, baby cucumbers. My guess is, you probably won't go wrong with anything on their menu.
Their cocktail game is on point as well – I had a libation with an earl grey liqueur, in a glass rimmed with earl grey tea leaves. It was delicious and memorable.
The one random thing that irked me a bit – was the near constant string of happy birthday being sung live by the waiters around the restaurant. It's definitely popular with birthday groups on a weekend evening – and yes, we have no right to complain, since we had a birthday girl in our tribe and thus also part of the noise pollution. But you might want to rethink the venue if you want a quiet and romantic vibe.
Definitely aiming to go back soon.