Mapo Tofu
“This is my go-to work lunch guilty pleasure when I'm craving spicy, oily, fatty food and Sichuan flavors.”
“The sautéed mixed vegetables with tofu are way above average.”
“Best Chinese take-out in Murray Hill area.”
Mapo Tofu
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
8 reviews
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If Jim Parsons of the Big Bang Theory lived in New York City I think that Mapo Tofu would be the Chinese Restaurant of his choice. Mapo Tofu, Szechuan Chicken, Hot & Sour Soup, and Dan Dan Noodles would be his Manhattan staples. I am beginning to understand how Millenial Yelpers value their delivery service, etc. However I stand by my statement that it is about the food. Also, even an old school Chinese food lover like myself embraces that the future is fresh, sustainable ingredients. I love the Kung Pao chicken, Hunan chicken, hot and sour soup, Dan Dan Noodles, and the Mapo Tofu. This is a very consistent restaurant as I have become a carry out regular. I have old had one subpar meal here The bamboo shoots, and Dan Dan Noodles are some of the best you will ever find. In the movie "The Search for General Tso," they make the statement that Chinese food has become the quintessential American cuisine. I would contend that there is some truth to the statement. After all, the Big Bang Theory, is the "Friends" of this decade. So if spicy Chinese food appeals to you, this restaurant is a place you should experience.
I needed a quick lunch on Thursday,2/18, along my walking route back to the office from Grand Central Station after finishing work on a case in the Bronx. I chose Mapo Tofu, a restaurant that I had not been to in years. It is in a small rectangular space with tables very close together. It is chaotic and loud at lunch. The clientele I observed that day was about half non-Asian.
The waiter took my order quickly(too quickly). He did not put a tea pot on my table. I had to ask for tea, which irked me. I ordered the Stir Fried Pork Belly,my "go-to" dish. It was good, with plenty of leeks, though not as good as at La Vie En Szechuan. I was extremely annoyed that the waiter did not bring me a dish to mix the rice into the pork and vegetables and eat my meal. In my experience, it is kind of customary to do that in Chinese restaurants.
My starter, Hot and Sour Soup, was also good. It was well balanced between hot and sour. The food is good here.The less than expected service is the rationale for my review.
My check arrived within 20 minutes. What if i wanted to order something else? Obviously, they regarded turning over my table as more important than serving me.
I would return to Mapo Tofu………perhaps in 2017.
Mapo tofu!! It's more like 3.5 stars place. MT successfully transformed a classic tear-driving spicy Sichuan dish to a savory but acceptably spicy one. While we loved every bite of it, everything else was good too. Zhangcha marinated duck is outstanding, the duck meat is savory and tender plus the skin is crispy.
The service is good too. After we complaint that the squash is bitter, the staff immediately offered to replace it with another one with no charge. They also kept adding waters for us.
Nicely transformed Sichuan food. Will come back.
Another decent Szechuan place conveniently located in midtown east! So our group of five came by after our alumni event not far away from here and just preferred something simple yet hearty.
We shared the garlic fish (marinated well and I loved the strong garlic flavor!), smoked duck (a bit dry and skin less crispy) and the sautéed luffa. For some reason, our luffa was extremely bitter and we had to exchange for some other veggie dish. Fortunately our waiter was pretty considerate and helped us resolve the issue seamlessly. Try their Ma Po tofu, the signature dish as indicated by the name of the restaurant – the single best dish!
Not too crowded at least on weekday nights, so no need to make reservation if you plan to visit during normal times.
I went there once about two years ago at night. I and my friend ordered some different menu and shared. I thought food was good, but not very impressed, but I
went back recently for only Mapo Tofu. I think this is the best Mapo Tofu I had in New York. There Mapo Tofu is very authentic and the spiciness is not adjusted for non Chinese. The spiciness comes from both red pepper and szechuan pepper corn. Yes, it is super spicy!! My tongue started to numb, but I wanted to keep eatingbecause it had a great flavor. So I had to wash my tongue with cold water many times. It was hard to eat, but worth eating.
I went there on Sunday, so they didn't have lunch special. So the Mapo Tofu costed more but my friend tokd m the quantity of Mapo Tofu we had is more than that of lunch special. Since that taste gteat, I wanted to finish everything, but I could eat only half of it. The rest became my husband's dinner and he loved it!! I will definately go back there for that Mapo Tofu.
Are all delicious Chinese food overloaded with sodium? If that's the case, I will sadly accept the fact that I may develop a heart problem by the age of 40.
I've ordered only mapo tofu and sesame chicken here, which both tasted good; however, I always end up drinking so much water after having dinner here- a strong indication of overly used sodium in their food.
Thanks to my fellow Yelper chica Shonnie H. for recommending Mapo Tofu to me. I speed walk over and order my take-out of Hunan Chicken without carrots and mushrooms along with Fried Rice and Wonton Soup. There was one seat that was meant for someone to sit and wait for his/her take-out which was for moi =)
It took a bit as I was like the last person to get my take-out and speed walk back to my office which I had only 20 mins to devour my lunch. OMG the chicken were huge slices along with green and red peppers…mmmmmmmmm! I am glad that I got the Fried Rice because it was flavorful then the boring white rice. The Wonton Soup was pretty yummy and wish there was a little more meat filling and the broth was delicious. I was super stuffed and wanted to lick the leftover sauce from the chicken but too many hot pepper seeds mixed in it or mama's mouth will be on fire lol
This is definitely WAY BETTER THAN Evergreen on 38 and the food tasted so fresh from the ingredients that they make to each order.
Next time I am going to call ahead so I don't waste time waiting =)
It sucks eating lunch in midtown because everything is RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. i stumbled upon this place when i started working in the neighborhood 2 years ago. the food is still pretty good, but the portions have gotten smaller, even for takeout. the menu is a balanced mix of authentic options and "western" options, so you get a little bit of both.
pricey for Chinese food, but what isn't in this neighborhood? and definitely hits the spot when you have a craving. BONUS: it's open at 11 am, 30 minutes before its competitors.