Wu Liang Ye
“Dan Dan Noodles, Twice Cooked Pork, etc. It's really was a treat to find this restaurant so close to tourist town.”
“Ended with authentic as it get Ma Po Tofu–steaming, savory, tingling with Sichuan Pepper corns.”
“Next time, I think I'll come here to try some of their delicious lunch specials (Camphor Tea Smoked Duck!).”
Wu Liang Ye
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Only decent sit down Chinese place in the area. I'm not a fan of the salt levels but every now and then they do a decent job, so I would say it's hit or miss but people really seem to like it. vegetarians love this place!
A lot of people may whine and moan about how pricey this place is, or how much of a rip off compared to Chinatown, blah blah, but hey, you are in Midtown right by Rockefeller with legit Chinese food.
When my manager suggested we go here, I was a bit skeptical, but I was pleasantly surprised. I'd say all of the customers were Chinese / Asian, so that's a good sign.
I had the spicy beef soup and it was pretty good. The broth was awesome, noodles and beef brisket were on point.
I came here for dinner to catch up with a friend after work, and I nearly missed it – the entrance is not on ground level but instead requires you to walk up a small flight of stairs to the entrance. Once there, though, getting seated was a breeze, and our waiter was a nice gentleman who took our orders quickly, got our food out fast as well, and made sure we were well-attended to. The decor isn't anything necessarily to write home about, but it looks pretty well-kept and feels spacious with the high ceilings – definitely a contrast to what you would assume standing on the outside at street level. Given that I knew that was a Szechuan place coming in, I decided to keep it relatively mild and stick with a couple straightforward bites. We started with the spiced pork buns, which I really enjoyed…very similar to your typical pork buns, but with a little added heat in them, it really does come off as markedly more flavorful as a result. For my entree, I went with the vermicelli noodles, which, let me tell you, is well worth the $15-16 from a quantity standpoint. You get (pretty much) a giant pan/pot of noodles served to you, with small chunks of beef mixed in with plenty of pepper to give you a very rich, flavorful bite despite the general lightness of the rice noodles. I do wish the beef was not as finely chopped, as it was hard to really taste any of it without blending into the melange of flavors present. However, the noodles were fantastic overall, and I have to say I definitely would get it again.
I probably won't be a frequent visitor because my stomach for foods of this heat is not what it could be, but I did enjoy the meal and hope to come back and sample more dishes in the near future. With above-average service and a feel that doesn't come off as either too touristy (given the location) or too foreign, it strikes a great balance for a Chinese restaurant in NYC, and in midtown to boot.
Very good Chinese place and apparently highly regarded by the real Chinese community. Above average atmosphere (for a Chinese restaurant) and attentive and bilingual service (ah!). Had a very authentic twice cooked pork with leeks. So good. I'm usually not even the biggest fan of this dish either but this one won me over. Lots of chinese people dining here–which is a good sign. They don't have a separate menu of lunch so you have access to all the good stuff. Would definitely come back. Not cheap for Chinese though.
Summary:
Great Sichuan option in the Rock Center area. I came here with coworkers for lunch and it's a great option if you have reservations, otherwise the wait can be a bit long.
Atmosphere:
A bit small and cramped but the décor was trying to be very fancy.
Food:
We got a variety of dishes which my Chinese coworker ordered (this happens a lot, there's two different kinds of menus, one Americanized, and one traditional Chinese). We actually got one Americanized dish (Tangerine chicken) which was very good. We also got the Tofu which was phenom. We ordered a few other dishes which were pretty good which I can't remember. The only underwhelming dish was the scallops which were very overcooked and tough.
Service:
We ordered 10 dishes for 13 people and were only brought 9 but no one could remember what the 10th dish was so we let it go.
Yes it's by Rockefeller Center. Yes it gives off the impression of Americanized Chinese food. But their Peking duck is not kidding around: they give the right thin pancakes (not the fluffy buns other places do), ample servings of meaty duck with crispy skin, and just the right amount of hoisin sauce. Their dandan noodles are also very good: small portion (perfect for appetizer), slightly spicy but delicious sauce, firm noodles. Their beef and scallion is smokey and meaty and perfect and authentic. Their spicy dumplings (hong you chao shou) were definitely fiery, in a good way. Their double-cooked pork reaffirmed my faith in that dish after having bad versions at other Chinese restaurants. Prices aren't cheap, but pretty reasonable considering your portions.
As a self-proclaimed foodie, I would NEVER, and I say NEVER, go to any place with less than 4 stars on Yelp. However, my company has a tradition to go to Wu Liang Ye after our annual trade show in NYC and so I found myself here.
Wu Liang Ye lives up to their 3 star rating. It wasn't horrible, but in a city of many of the best restaurants in the world, go somewhere else. First of all, this place is just off of Time Square (a sign of a not so amazing restaurant). Secondly, you have to climb to the second floor to get in. Once inside, you're cold welcomed by a dark dingy room with cheap artwork on the walls.
You're guided to a large circular table each with a Lazy Susan (which is kind of fun!). They have a large menu but ask your server for recommendations. The food wasn't bad, but nothing really stuck out. If you must go here, I recommend the dan dan noodles and sweet and sour chicken.
Enjoy!
Authentic and tasty but extremely pricey chinese food with the usual poor service that's typical of chinese restaurants.
Each entree is around $20; they are greasy, but they are almost always delicious. Dishes are meant to be shared. If you're to order one for yourself, you'll definitely have enough for another meal.
If you're new to szechuan food, some of my favorite dishes are 1) cumin lamb, 2) dan dan noodles, 3) spicy eggplant, 4) mapo tofu, 5) sliced, spicy beef appetizer (probably tendon). Basically go for anything spicy with the red peppers and peppercorns and they'll probably make it well. If you're still unsure, ask them for the most popular (but don't trust them if they say general tso's chicken)
The restaurant itself is very uncomfortably cramped. Seats are very close to each other and tables are small. No matter where you are, you'll feel like people passing by are invading your personal space. Normally ambiance doesn't matter much to me if the food is worth it, but here, I expected the premium on the food would at least buy me a little more elbow room.
No lunch specials here, so you might as well come during dinner.