Hunan Bistro
“The dishes are so deeply flavorful and dare I say it more authentic than Han Dynasty next door.”
“Here is what I have tried so far:
-Braised Smoked Bamboo With Chili Sauce – Amazing.”
“Braised sliced beef with chili sauce, chicken ginseng soup, cold bean curd hunan style, chicken casserole, sauteed pea shoots with garlic, and steamed whole fish with chopped chillies.”
Hunan Bistro
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
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
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Authentic flavors without the hour long wait, this place is BETTER than Han Dynasty (the other hyped up Szechuan Chinese food restaurant a few doors down) — hands down. I came here for lunch and ordered the mala tofu, Chinese water spinach, mao's braised pork and the braised sliced beef. I would recommend all of them. Looking forward to coming back and trying the fish dishes as well. Definitely give this place a try, you will not regret it!!
We came in on a Sunday evening. We waited to be seated for about 20 minutes because none of the bus boys cleaned off the available table. A group of three came in 10 minutes after us and the bus boys cleaned off a table and say them before seating us.
When finally seated, we had to wait another 15 minutes before our order was taken. It was nice that we got a free appetizer via Yelp but it wasn't enough to repair what started as a bad dinner experience that ended off just as bad.
We ordered Hunan beef which was a tad bit better than Chinese takeout. The pork belly dish was really good though. The dishes came with rice and the waiter asked us if we wanted brown or white. We were never given our rice. Why bother asking?
I don't think I will come back here again.
a chinese restaurant that's true to its name!
think: authentic flavors
NOT: typical takeout place with greasy Seasame chicken nonsense
Get: Mao's brasied pork belly
Farmer's Pork stir fry
Try: delivery. Although they've had flops on deliver, judging from other Yelp reviews, our experience has been decent.
Despite all the fake reviews, I actually think this place is actually pretty great. We came here for a late dinner, and our experience was actually pretty seamless and the food was delicious too, so I ain't gonna hate on it. The place is nicer than your average divey Chinese restaurant, yet still fairly casual in terms of ambiance.
We got the red braised pork belly, stir-fried string beans, and the braised beef rice noodles. The pork belly was very flavorful, although a bit on the fattier side. Regardless, with some rice, it was pretty killer. The stir-fried string beans were quite delicious too, and prepared just right. They use the dry-fry method, which is my favorite way of preparing string beans. Along with the garlic and other spices, a pretty great combination. The braised beef rice noodles were excellent as well, with the noodles having some great chew, and the beef having some pretty great flavor. After eavesdropping on some other tables, the Dan Dan noodles didn't look quite as appetizing as the ones at Han Dynasty, but the food we did eat was certainly up to par.
Prices aren't great in terms of Chinese food, and they're likely a reflection of being in the East Village and not Chinatown. Yet, I guess I would pay a little extra to sit in something that isn't a hole-in-the-wall, so kudos. Service was very attentive through the meal, and was very good about water refills which were needed, given the richness and saltiness of the food.
Definitely a good alternative to Han Dynasty, especially if you don't feel like waiting 45 minutes for a table. The food is actually pretty delicious and a step above your normal Chinese takeout. I'll definitely be back to give some of their other dishes a try, like the steamed fish or or mapo tofu.
Excellent, authentic Chinese food with a distinct hunan flare, true to its name. I came here on a Sunday night around 7:30 pm and it was bustling. Chinese was everywhere in the air so that was the first good sign. We ordered water spinach stems with small fish, bamboo shoots and pig stomach and "stinky" tofu. All of the dishes were lightly spicy but mostly dry/salty, true to hunan style. Maybe it was the three dishes that we ordered, but the base flavoring/condiments were pretty much the same: a spicy bean-based hot sauce, red peppers and green peppers. They were all delicious and not too greasy. I want to come back though to see if I can order items that are a little more diverse.
Service is friendly but one tip: If you want them to come over (to order food, get the check, etc.) you have to explicitly holla at them. They're generally good about replacing your water but won't bother you at other points during the meal unless you explicitly call out to them. Can't wait to come back!
RECOMMENDED
After seeing that a fellow Yelper bookmarked this restaurant I checked it out and read that it was on the same block as Han Dynasty, a restaurant I had reviewed earlier this year. Insofar as some reviewers deemed Hunan Bistro to be the superior restaurant, I had to get there pronto, even though it, like Han Dynasty, is far from my workplace.
Like most Chinese restaurants, it features a lunch menu which includes soup. I chose Double Cooked Pork with Smoked Bean Curd, and Hot and Sour Soup to start. The Hot and Sour Soup was quite good. It was light and not too "corn-starchy". It was nicely balanced between hot and sour with tofu and some thin noodles, the latter being a nice surprise. The Double Cooked Pork, an extremely large and generous portion, as my photo(now number 91) documents, was perfectly cooked, well seasoned and delicious, with plenty of pork, bean curd , green peppers and accompanying "sauce".
Service was very polite but a little slow, but this is not a knock of any sort, and would not deter me from returning, because only one person was working the dining room and answering the phone to get takeout orders.
I look forward to returning and trying other items on the menu.
This place has really authentic flavors, that I will agree to. However, it is at a significant markup. I blame it on the rich and richer NYU students (ugh). If you want to skip the hour long train ride to Flushing, this is your best bet to satisfy your chinese cravings.
Also be forewarned, vegetarians stay really far away.
Here is what I have tried so far:
-Braised Smoked Bamboo With Chili Sauce – Amazing. I think I can just go at this myself with rice and call it a day
-Steamed Eggplant With Salted Egg Yolk – sounds unimpressive. but boy was I amazed at how well they made this dish. I have never had it before and didn't really know what to expect but the yolk is made with salted duck egg I believe. Blew me out of the water and reminded me of China instantaneously
-Steamed Whole Fish With Chopped Chilies -we ordered this but I think they gave us a huge fish head instead. This is a signature Hunan dish and I know many people from the region love this. I have not heard their verdict as to how well this place reflects the region..but either way this is pretty good. I would not recommend this for 2 people as you will need more mouths to share this.
Will definitely be back to try their other dishes.