Blue Willow 夜来湘

- 40 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019

Blue Willow 夜来湘 Introduce

Blue Willow 夜来湘 Menu

Blue Willow 夜来湘 Details

Blue Willow 夜来湘 Photos

Blue Willow 夜来湘 Location

Blue Willow 夜来湘 Reviews

• We came here on a Friday evening at 6:30 for dinner with a reservation we had gotten a couple of hours earlier. The interior has a cool 1930s vibe and has a lovely dining area upstairs and bar/dining space downstairs. We were promptly seated and our server came by shortly thereafter for our drink and food order. We started off with the Mapo tofu which was fantastic! It didn’t have as much Szechuan peppercorn kick as I would have hoped, but I’m also a fan of the tingles it provides. The flavor was great regardless. The Dan Dan noodles were lovely, but not our favorite. Still very good if you haven’t had them before and want a good introduction to Szechuan staples. The red bean puffs and taro cakes had the most lovely puff pastry exterior and were like a savory dessert in the middle of the meal. The century egg claypot was also amazing. The eggplant had the most perfect texture and we loved the flavor of all of it. We had the crystal shrimp dumplings which were a nice palate cleanser to top off the main course. We finished with a dessert of the sweet osymanthus jelly noodles and the pumpkin mochi cakes. The standout was definitely the jelly noodles which had delectable flavor from the peanuts, raisins, and sauce that the jelly noodles sit in. It’s like a delicious loose Jello texture. I’m also a huge fan of red bean paste and enjoyed the pumpkin mochi cakes filled with it. This is our favorite Szechuan joint we’ve had on our trip and definitely recommend coming here!

  August 16 · Chris Wozny

• Really enjoyed my experience at Blue Willow. The food was fantastic, great portion sizes worth the money. Come with a large group so you can try a lot!Service was quick and friendly. Our waitress gave great advice on what and how much to order.Food was delicious, not too salty or oily. Stayed true to the Szechuanese style of cooking. Will come back

  May 12 · Kamy Chong

• If you’re craving bold, authentic Hunan flavors in NYC, Blue Willow 夜来湘 is a must-visit. Everything from the ambiance to the food transports you because the interior feels like a chic throwback to 1920s Old Shanghai, with cozy private rooms and a great bar serving baijiu cocktails and tea-infused drinks.Every dish we tried was packed with flavor and fragrance, the true to the meaning of “湘” (fragrant). Highlights were the Chairman Mao’s red-braised pork (a melt-in-your-mouth classic), the wok-seared green beans, and the fragrant chili fish.Favorites from our table:🥟 Chengdu Spicy Wontons: perfectly chewy with a nice mala kick.🍜 Chilled Sesame Noodles: creamy, tangy, and refreshing.🦆 Roasted Peking Duck: crispy skin, tender meat, with all the fixings.🥩 Green Chili Shredded Beef: tender and spicy.🦀 Szechuan Spicy Softshell Crab: crispy, spicy, and addicting.🍚 Classic Fried Rice: simple but done really well.Service was attentive, portions were generous, and every bite felt like a celebration of Hunan culture. Definitely coming back to try more!

  July 17 · Lauren S

• My friend and I dropped by for dinner since we were in the area - normally I do make a res (and I would recommend doing so - they're always pretty packed), but fortunately they were able to squeeze us in.I'm always a big fan of the decor here - refined/elegant take on 20th century design with Chinese touches - esp the lovely porcelain tableware.Some highlights that I've had -Pickled pepper chicken 泡椒麻麻雞丁 - this was SO good. It looks pretty mild in terms of spiciness (the green peppers really lower your guard), but it was actually really powerful, which was a pleasant surprise! (Esp compared to the changsha spiced chicken 長沙辣子雞, which I think superficially looks much spicier but has a lighter kick to it).Garlic string beans 蒜香四季豆 - you can never go wrong with these, but they were so well-cooked: every bite flavourful and cooked to the perfect texture (not too hard nor too soggy). Garlic flavour was a wonderful complement without drowning out the natural veggie flavoursChairman Mao's braised pork 毛氏紅燒肉 - each piece of pork was so juicy and tender, the texture (esp the contrast between the lean and fatty layers) was wonderful. It was weird that the server warned us that it might be spicy (it was not spicy).Overall that might be the biggest "gripe" I have - Hunan/Szechuan cuisine is expected to be Spicy-with-a-capital-S, and sadly the dishes here were not quite so. Still, everything we ordered was very delicious and the price point is very reasonable.

  May 23 · Matthew Ho

• Blue Willow makes a strong impression from the outside. Its low key facade has a strong presence, doing a great job of mixing Asian design cues with Western ones.The host nicely greeted us and led us to our seats. This was my second time back, and the consistent experience has been great. Inside, the restaurant is notably darker than typical Asian restaurants. While I don't usually prefer a dark atmosphere, here it added a sense of intimacy and mystery, which I thought would be great for a first date dinner. There were many cute interior and brand details throughout the restaurant, clearly showcasing thoughtful branding and design. Our seating included a booth situation and regular seats, and the chairs were comfortably cushioned, which was a nice touch.The menu photos on Google Reviews were up to date, so I'd refer to those for current offerings. The navy teal cover on the physical menu was particularly memorable.We ordered two cold dishes: the wood ear mushroom salad and the garlic sauced pork belly. For our main, we chose the chili oil braised beef, along with two orders of brown rice.The brown rice had an interesting texture. It fell apart easily but was round, reminding me somewhat of farro. I was a fan, though my friend was not.The wood ear mushroom salad was interesting; I expected a sweeter sauce but found it more tart, which we surprisingly liked. It was refreshing and a good dish to start with.The garlic sauced pork belly was good. I wasn't a big fan of its sauce, but it was still a solid choice to ease us into the main dish.Lastly, the chili oil braised beef was a solid choice. It wasn't my first preference and wasn't super memorable or mind blowing, but it's a safe option for those who want to ease their way into authentic Szechuan/Hunan cuisine.The service was great. There was no "fake smile" situation, which I appreciate, as is common in most authentic Asian restaurants. The servers did their job efficiently, checked on us frequently, and even went above and beyond by canceling our initial transaction when I used the wrong card and helping me pay again. I also appreciated that they employed Asian servers, which aligns well with the cuisine.I didn't like that the bathroom was downstairs, but that's a New York reality and a personal preference. However, it was not only clean, but I actually liked that it was slightly dark. The bathroom is a place where you sometimes don't want to see all the details. The design inside was also well aligned with the overall branding, even down to the soap dispenser (as shown in my photos).While the dishes we ordered this time weren't the most exciting, I'd happily come back to Blue Willow to try different, more adventurous or experimental dishes with friends who are open to it, especially given the pleasant ambiance and great servers.

  May 31 · Won Ko

More Best Restaurants Near Me

Categories

Top Visited Sites

Trending Bites & Banter Posts