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A blue delft bowl with ma po peeking over the top.
The mapo tofu at Szechuan Mountain House is one of the best in town.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

11 Places to Find Spicy, Tingly Mapo Tofu

The spicy, tingly seasoning we’re smitten with has taken its rightful place on Chinese restaurant menus everywhere

by Robert Sietsema
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The mapo tofu at Szechuan Mountain House is one of the best in town.
| Robert Sietsema/Eater NY
by Robert Sietsema

Sichuan food has become the city’s most popular regional Chinese cuisine, and mapo tofu the flagship of the bill-of-fare fleet. It can be found at most New York Chinese restaurants — whether the menu lists dishes from Sichuan-, Fujian-, Shanxi-, or Guangdong province, or a little bit of everything.

The story behind the dish is often told: An elderly woman vendor on the northern outskirts of Chengdu disfigured by smallpox (“mapo” means pock-marked old woman) invented it in the late 19th century, mixing silky bean curd, Sichuan peppercorns, fermented bean paste, ground pork, chile oil, and other strongly flavored ingredients. Some accounts say she also had a husband and a restaurant.

Whatever the permutations of the story, the recipe has morphed in the hands of excited and purposeful purveyors, so that now versions can be found all over town, some with extraneous vegetables, others with beef substituted for pork, or no meat at all, and still others that have removed much of the heat that characterizes this fiery dish. Here are some of our favorite places to get it.

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Hutong New York

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Hutong may be the city’s most luxurious Chinese restaurant, with a futuristic design that makes you feel like you’re dining in a rocket ship. The mapo tofu is deeply flavored and very garlicky, with less emphasis on aromatics like leeks and scallions. The peppercorns here are dialed back so no need to worry about the heat.

Inside Beacon Courtyard, 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022
(212) 758-4800
(212) 758-4800
An elongated bowl with a thin stripe and serving of ma po in a depression.
Hutong’s garlicky mapo tofu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

DaXi Sichuan

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When it opened in 2017, this shopping-center Sichuan restaurant blew New Yorkers away with its over-the-top decor in royal blue with gilded trim. Servers deliver pork ribs in a literal birdcage. There are Dongbei dishes as well as novelties on the menu, but one thing that has left a lasting impression is the mapo tofu, darkly sauced and firm of curd: It catapults into one’s mouth with fierce pungency.

136-20 Roosevelt Ave #2R, Queens, NY 11354
(718) 621-9999
(718) 621-9999
Dark soy-looking sauce with cubes of bean curd.
DaXi’s fiercely pungent mapo tofu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Szechwan Absolute

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Located in a condo and shopping complex off Flushing’s Prince Street, Szechwan Absolute offers aggressive versions of familiar dishes and plenty of modern inventions, too. If you like a meaty mapo, this may be your place, and the leeks secondarily dominate the flavor.

39-16 Prince St #209, Queens, NY 11354
(917) 983-6666
(917) 983-6666
Flushing ma po Sichuan bean curd tofu
Absolute’s meaty mapo.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Cafe China

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This legendary Sichuan lunch favorite, which recently moved into more luxurious premises, offers a potent mapo tofu, with black beans added. Used in moderation, these fermented pulses add extra oomph to the dish’s rich flavor. The bean curd here is firmer than average.

59 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018
(212) 213-2810
(212) 213-2810
A white bowl of curd cubes in reddish sauce.
Cafe China’s mapo tofu uses black beans for fermented flavor.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Chili

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Successor to Cafe China in its old space two blocks east, Chili offers a similar menu of Sichuan favorites, but with some special twists. The mapo tofu uses the softest bean curd imaginable, but the load of peppercorns here is light, making it a good version for the tender tongued. Leeks provide a dominant flavor note.

13 E 37th St, New York, NY 10016
(646) 882-0666
(646) 882-0666
A black cauldron dotted with thick green leek segments.
The leek-heavy mapo tofu at Chili.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Szechuan Mountain House

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This restaurant, with branches in Flushing and the East Village, revolutionized Sichuan food in the city when it appeared in 2016. The mapo offers a nuanced flavor, a good dose of peppercorns, just the right amount of ground pork adding flavor but not volume, scallion highlights, and modest heat from chile oil. This is one of the best all-around bowls in town.

23 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003
(917) 388-3866
(917) 388-3866
Mapo tofu at Szechuan Mountain House
Mapo tofu at Szechuan Mountain House
Jean Schwarzwalder/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Grand Master 95

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This slightly upscale Cantonese restaurant on the fringes of Chinatown provides a mapo tofu appropriately more bland than the Sichuan restaurants here and there in the neighborhood. This crowd-pleasing version is heavy on the peas and cilantro, with a dark, soy-laced gravy. Just don’t expect any mouth burn.

95 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002
(917) 388-3281
(917) 388-3281
A very dark brownish ma po tofu.
A Cantonese perspective on mapo tofu is provided by Grand Master 95.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Famous Sichuan

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The mapo tofu is not the most powerfully flavored in town, but it gets the job done with its leeky magnificence and full complement of peppercorns. Still, the sauce is a little on the light side with less chile oil than others.

10 Pell St, New York, NY 10013
(212) 233-3888
(212) 233-3888
A bowl of dark red with reddish cubes bobbing and scatter of black dust.
Famous Szechuan’s Chinatown version of mapo tofu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Birds of a Feather

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In 2017, Birds of a Feather prominently brought Sichuan food to Williamsburg, with food a tad milder than some versions of the cuisine presented elsewhere. This was reflected in a very good mapo tofu that’s not as bean-y, with an expected amount of crushed peppercorns, but a slightly lighter dose of chile oil.

191 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 969-6800
(718) 969-6800
Cubes of bean curd bobbing in a light red sauce.
Birds of a Feather’s mapo tofu featuring a lighter touch to the sauce.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Antidote

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This Sichuan and Shanghainese restaurant near the Williamsburg Bridge has become a big hit with its fiery versions of Sichuan cuisine and more mellow Shanghai dishes. The mapo tofu is one of the spiciest in town, with a nicely balanced flavor dominated by the Sichuan peppercorns, and extra flavor provided by Chinese celery.

66 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
(718) 782-2585
(718) 782-2585
A bowl of dark red with powdery Sichuan peppercorns on top.
The mapo tofu at Antidote is nicely peppercorn-heavy.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

Chuan Tian Xia

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This Sichuan restaurant in Sunset Park has a pop, casual demeanor, and delivers the goods. The mapo tofu is especially well-balanced, spicier than most with aromatic notes and a good deal of ground pork and chile oil, delivering curd of medium softness.

5502 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220
(929) 295-0128
(929) 295-0128
A bowl of wobbly Sichuan peppercorn dusted tofu.
Chuan Tian Xis’s well-balanced mapo bean curd.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Also featured in:

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Hutong New York

Inside Beacon Courtyard, 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022

Hutong may be the city’s most luxurious Chinese restaurant, with a futuristic design that makes you feel like you’re dining in a rocket ship. The mapo tofu is deeply flavored and very garlicky, with less emphasis on aromatics like leeks and scallions. The peppercorns here are dialed back so no need to worry about the heat.

Inside Beacon Courtyard, 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022
(212) 758-4800
(212) 758-4800
An elongated bowl with a thin stripe and serving of ma po in a depression.
Hutong’s garlicky mapo tofu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

DaXi Sichuan

136-20 Roosevelt Ave #2R, Queens, NY 11354

When it opened in 2017, this shopping-center Sichuan restaurant blew New Yorkers away with its over-the-top decor in royal blue with gilded trim. Servers deliver pork ribs in a literal birdcage. There are Dongbei dishes as well as novelties on the menu, but one thing that has left a lasting impression is the mapo tofu, darkly sauced and firm of curd: It catapults into one’s mouth with fierce pungency.

136-20 Roosevelt Ave #2R, Queens, NY 11354
(718) 621-9999
(718) 621-9999
Dark soy-looking sauce with cubes of bean curd.
DaXi’s fiercely pungent mapo tofu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Szechwan Absolute

39-16 Prince St #209, Queens, NY 11354

Located in a condo and shopping complex off Flushing’s Prince Street, Szechwan Absolute offers aggressive versions of familiar dishes and plenty of modern inventions, too. If you like a meaty mapo, this may be your place, and the leeks secondarily dominate the flavor.

39-16 Prince St #209, Queens, NY 11354
(917) 983-6666
(917) 983-6666
Flushing ma po Sichuan bean curd tofu
Absolute’s meaty mapo.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Cafe China

59 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018

This legendary Sichuan lunch favorite, which recently moved into more luxurious premises, offers a potent mapo tofu, with black beans added. Used in moderation, these fermented pulses add extra oomph to the dish’s rich flavor. The bean curd here is firmer than average.

59 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018
(212) 213-2810
(212) 213-2810
A white bowl of curd cubes in reddish sauce.
Cafe China’s mapo tofu uses black beans for fermented flavor.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Chili

13 E 37th St, New York, NY 10016

Successor to Cafe China in its old space two blocks east, Chili offers a similar menu of Sichuan favorites, but with some special twists. The mapo tofu uses the softest bean curd imaginable, but the load of peppercorns here is light, making it a good version for the tender tongued. Leeks provide a dominant flavor note.

13 E 37th St, New York, NY 10016
(646) 882-0666
(646) 882-0666
A black cauldron dotted with thick green leek segments.
The leek-heavy mapo tofu at Chili.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Szechuan Mountain House

23 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003

This restaurant, with branches in Flushing and the East Village, revolutionized Sichuan food in the city when it appeared in 2016. The mapo offers a nuanced flavor, a good dose of peppercorns, just the right amount of ground pork adding flavor but not volume, scallion highlights, and modest heat from chile oil. This is one of the best all-around bowls in town.

23 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003
(917) 388-3866
(917) 388-3866
Mapo tofu at Szechuan Mountain House
Mapo tofu at Szechuan Mountain House
Jean Schwarzwalder/Eater NY

Grand Master 95

95 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

This slightly upscale Cantonese restaurant on the fringes of Chinatown provides a mapo tofu appropriately more bland than the Sichuan restaurants here and there in the neighborhood. This crowd-pleasing version is heavy on the peas and cilantro, with a dark, soy-laced gravy. Just don’t expect any mouth burn.

95 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002
(917) 388-3281
(917) 388-3281
A very dark brownish ma po tofu.
A Cantonese perspective on mapo tofu is provided by Grand Master 95.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Famous Sichuan

10 Pell St, New York, NY 10013

The mapo tofu is not the most powerfully flavored in town, but it gets the job done with its leeky magnificence and full complement of peppercorns. Still, the sauce is a little on the light side with less chile oil than others.

10 Pell St, New York, NY 10013
(212) 233-3888
(212) 233-3888
A bowl of dark red with reddish cubes bobbing and scatter of black dust.
Famous Szechuan’s Chinatown version of mapo tofu.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Birds of a Feather

191 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211

In 2017, Birds of a Feather prominently brought Sichuan food to Williamsburg, with food a tad milder than some versions of the cuisine presented elsewhere. This was reflected in a very good mapo tofu that’s not as bean-y, with an expected amount of crushed peppercorns, but a slightly lighter dose of chile oil.

191 Grand St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 969-6800
(718) 969-6800
Cubes of bean curd bobbing in a light red sauce.
Birds of a Feather’s mapo tofu featuring a lighter touch to the sauce.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Antidote

66 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11249

This Sichuan and Shanghainese restaurant near the Williamsburg Bridge has become a big hit with its fiery versions of Sichuan cuisine and more mellow Shanghai dishes. The mapo tofu is one of the spiciest in town, with a nicely balanced flavor dominated by the Sichuan peppercorns, and extra flavor provided by Chinese celery.

66 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
(718) 782-2585
(718) 782-2585
A bowl of dark red with powdery Sichuan peppercorns on top.
The mapo tofu at Antidote is nicely peppercorn-heavy.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Chuan Tian Xia

5502 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220

This Sichuan restaurant in Sunset Park has a pop, casual demeanor, and delivers the goods. The mapo tofu is especially well-balanced, spicier than most with aromatic notes and a good deal of ground pork and chile oil, delivering curd of medium softness.

5502 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11220
(929) 295-0128
(929) 295-0128
A bowl of wobbly Sichuan peppercorn dusted tofu.
Chuan Tian Xis’s well-balanced mapo bean curd.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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