A Sichuan stalwart in the neighborhood, Philly import Han Dynasty has held down the cuisine since 2013. It’s an excellent place to bring a group, which can gather around a round table in the back for feasts of dishes like dan dan noodles, dry pepper chicken wings, and cumin lamb for just $25 a person.

This Michelin-starred Hong Kong import has been serving up affordable dim sum in the neighborhood since December 2016. It still attracts long lines for plates such as thin-skinned har gow, baked char siu bao, and eggplant stuffed with shrim paste. There are also no communal tables here, which is not very common in the world of dim sum.

Dumplings are the name of the game of this picture-perfect fast-casual restaurant, where since 2014 Taiwanese American sisters Hannah and Marian Cheng have made their twist on the favorite Chinese snack using farmer’s market ingredients. The classic offering is chicken and zucchini, and every month, collaboration dumplings from the likes of chefs such as Daniel Humm rotate on the menu. There is also a location in Nolita.

Rice noodles are hot, hot, hot, and Little Tong is ground zero for the sort served in stylish digs popping up with increasing frequency around town. Chef-owner and WD-50 alum Simone Tong opened her shop in March 2017, where the go-to is the grandma chicken mixian, or one with chicken confit, black sesame garlic oil, pickles, fermented chile, and a scatter of edible blossoms.

Another expansion from Flushing, Szechuan Mountain House has dramatically plated Sichuan fare, like a sliced pork belly with chile garlic sauce that hangs over a dowel like laundry on a line, interspersed with slices of shaved cucumber. It’s a popular destination since fall 2017 for Sichuan dishes that don’t skimp on the fiery spice known to the cuisine. Other recommended dishes include spicy mung bean jelly salad, stewed fish filet with pickled cabbage and chile, and sliced beef in hot chile oil.

Hong Kong-style clay pot cooking — where crispy pieces of rice line the bowl — is the sole focus of Clay Pot, a counter-seating spot from first-time restaurateur Alexander Yip that opened in February 2018. Each one starts at $12 and comes topped with a choice of proteins, including beef, chicken, eel, veggies, and baby shrimp. Besides rice, they also come with egg, spinach, tofu, and corn.

Opened in September 2016, postcard-sized Drunken Dumpling is perhaps best known for selling a massive soup dumpling. But that Instagram-bait dish can be skipped; owner Yuan Lee and his chef-mother Qihui Guan also happen to serve a tight menu of more average-sized soup dumplings and pot stickers that are worth ordering. Try the crab soup dumplings or the shrimp with wood ear mushroom jiaozi. At under $12 for six, these dumplings cost more versions in Chinatown, but the ingredients here are reportedly thoughtfully sourced. 

Pioneering Xi’an Famous Foods is one of the earlier hip, Chinese restaurants to open in the neighborhood, with a tiny takeout location debuting here in 2010. A combination of hip-hop on the speakers, a sleek space, and loud flavors still draws crowds at the local chain — with recipes from patriarch David Shi and business savvy from his son Jason Wang.

Many newer Chinese food restaurateurs in the East Village point to MáLà Project as a reason they were inspired to get into the business — owner Amelie Kang opened her Sichuan dry pot restaurant in December 2015, and shortly after, the combination of hip downtown Manhattan aesthetic and pumped up flavors attracted crowds. The main event is a dry pot, which can be packed with a slew of ingredients ranging from beef tenderloin to less common fare like chicken gizzard. Appetizers and dim sum items, too, are on-point, like the pig ear in chile oil and the sweet, sticky rice-stuffed lotus. There’s also a Midtown location. Perfect for group dining.

All sorts of Chinese noodles are the primary draw of the Tang, a small, narrow restaurant with lots of stool seating. Since opening in August 2016, it’s served takes on classics like zhajiangmian (soybean paste noodles, here called ZJM) and dandanmian (the numbing, spicy dish, here called DDM). Appetizers such as the mouthwatering chicken thigh — a cold dish with shredded chicken in Sichuan chile oil — can round out the meal.

Hunan Slurp Shop, opened in May 2018, is another Chinese rice noodle shop, but instead of Yunnan flavors, owner-chef Chao Wang highlights the profiles of the Hunan province in the 48-seat space. Wang, who previously worked as an oil painter, used his background to create a clean, minimalist dining room enveloped by lots of pristine wooden slabs. Though “slurp” is in the name, the non-noodle dishes might just be the highlight: a slightly sweet smoked pork stir-fried with smoked bean curd and cumin beef on skewers are both worth trying.