Had a few small bites with wine. Really inspiring takes on some Chinese classics. However those weird french chopsticks make the eating experience so challenging!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jade Li
Beautiful meal. Usually I’m skeptical about Chinese fusion, but everything was executed perfectly at Lei. The celtuce had a delightful crunch, which was paired nicely with a rich, but light and slightly tangy sauce. The Cabbage with yuba and morels was also very warming and had a great depth of flavour without being too heavy. We also ordered the shao bing, which, while simple was delightfully crunchy and paired nicely with the slab of butter inside. The mains, however, were the real star of the show. Many come for the sweet and sour beef short rib, and I will say it’s a must order. It pairs wonderfully with the side of rice, and it is very tender and flavourful. The Hand-rolled cat’s ear noodle with lamb braised in cumin and tomato was also very special. The noodles come out perfectly al dente, and the broth is, again, rich and fragrant without being overbearing. Surprisingly, I also really liked the Eight treasure rice pudding with sticky toffee. It was a great twist on a traditional Chinese dessert, and the slightly salty caramel paired with the ice cream and sticky rice was a nice conclusion to the meal. The wines on offer were also excellent, especially the dessert wine. We tried a South African straw wine, which was very very special and unique. Overall one of my favourite meals in New York as of yet. Very innovative, very hard to book, but very worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Toffee Pudding, Great Selection of Wines, Fall of the Bone Short Rib
N V
Do not waste your time or money at this establishment - low quality ingredients, grating rude and unhelpful service and overly loud crowd. Very disappointed!
Courtney Sofiah Yates
Unreal on every level. Love to the chef !!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Randi DeMario
Been to Lei Wine Bar twice now and have enjoyed my experiences!
The atmosphere is my favorite part as its comforting and cozy but the playlist keeps lively so you can feel a vibrant energy when you walk in.
The wine list is bigger than expected and has something for everyone's palate.
Since it is a wine bar initially my expectations are aimed toward simple food but the kitchen at Lei is doing anything but that. Highly recommend the chicken and short rib, you wont be disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Zara Sirguroh
One of the best and most thoughtful meals I’ve ever had in Chinatown!
I came in for dinner last night, and even though the place was packed, I was completely blown away by how attentive and kind all the service staff were. Paulo and Steven especially made sure we were taken care of, wiping down the table and clearing our plates at the right times, bringing out food and wine super speedily, and making much-welcome conversation with us. This place runs like a well-oiled machine but manages to feel super cozy and inviting, not pretentious at all, but everything from the wine to the ingredients highlighted in every dish is meticulously chosen because the people here care. Every dish was brought out with a detailed explanation of each component and where it was sourced. The poached chicken with goji berries and Angelica root broth was incredible, and our server Steven told us all about the farm in the Catskills where this specific breed of chicken is raised, and Paulo explained that the inspiration behind the dish came from an old Chinese post-partum dish.
All of the rest of the food was spectacular too!!! You can tell everyone who works here takes pride in what they do. This is an establishment run by dedicated craftspeople. I love this place and I’m going to come back as much as I can
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jordan Becker
Disappointing taste, cheap ingredients, and the servers gossip about the customers after they leave. MEDIOCRE
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
jkaw
Super hyped cool wine bar with modernized Chinese food.
Portions for the price are hilarious...like three slices of fried squash for $22.
Wuxi-style short rib and sticky toffee rice pudding were incredibly good. Everything else kind of missable.
J Hamilton
So delicious and staff so accommodating to my allergies. Vibe was awesome would really recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sohyun Kim
Great service Food is to die for Hands down the best in the city <3
Great hospitality and amazing wine list. Food is really delicious. Dishes are on the smaller size, so trust the staff on ordering quantity
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Florencia D'Agostino
Steven was a great server, very attentive. I felt like home. Food is outstanding. Im definitely coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Indina Remy
Absolutely amazing! The food, the wine… truly no words. Every dish was different. Perfectly balanced and beautifully executed.
And a special shoutout to Arthur, who made our first experience even more memorable. He thoughtfully walked us through which wines to taste, pairing each one perfectly and elevating the entire evening. We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelsey Yin
Laughably difficult to get a table here but the host was kind enough to make a res for us a week later instead of fully turning us away after waiting on the waitlist for 3 hours on a Friday night. Service is great, my water was never empty. Very very small inside but so cute and well decorated. Same team behind king and stissing house in upstate (some of my favorite spots). In love with the broth that’s with the mushroom and cabbage rolls and the egg yolk squash incredible. Massive list of wines. Played some cantomando pop remixes which was nostalgic. Insanely expensive but that’s New York wine bars these days
Had a few small bites with wine. Really inspiring takes on some Chinese classics. However those weird french chopsticks make the eating experience so challenging!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beautiful meal. Usually I’m skeptical about Chinese fusion, but everything was executed perfectly at Lei. The celtuce had a delightful crunch, which was paired nicely with a rich, but light and slightly tangy sauce. The Cabbage with yuba and morels was also very warming and had a great depth of flavour without being too heavy. We also ordered the shao bing, which, while simple was delightfully crunchy and paired nicely with the slab of butter inside. The mains, however, were the real star of the show. Many come for the sweet and sour beef short rib, and I will say it’s a must order. It pairs wonderfully with the side of rice, and it is very tender and flavourful. The Hand-rolled cat’s ear noodle with lamb braised in cumin and tomato was also very special. The noodles come out perfectly al dente, and the broth is, again, rich and fragrant without being overbearing. Surprisingly, I also really liked the Eight treasure rice pudding with sticky toffee. It was a great twist on a traditional Chinese dessert, and the slightly salty caramel paired with the ice cream and sticky rice was a nice conclusion to the meal. The wines on offer were also excellent, especially the dessert wine. We tried a South African straw wine, which was very very special and unique. Overall one of my favourite meals in New York as of yet. Very innovative, very hard to book, but very worth it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sticky Toffee Pudding, Great Selection of Wines, Fall of the Bone Short Rib
Do not waste your time or money at this establishment - low quality ingredients, grating rude and unhelpful service and overly loud crowd. Very disappointed!
Unreal on every level. Love to the chef !!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Been to Lei Wine Bar twice now and have enjoyed my experiences!
The atmosphere is my favorite part as its comforting and cozy but the playlist keeps lively so you can feel a vibrant energy when you walk in.
The wine list is bigger than expected and has something for everyone's palate.
Since it is a wine bar initially my expectations are aimed toward simple food but the kitchen at Lei is doing anything but that. Highly recommend the chicken and short rib, you wont be disappointed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
One of the best and most thoughtful meals I’ve ever had in Chinatown!
I came in for dinner last night, and even though the place was packed, I was completely blown away by how attentive and kind all the service staff were. Paulo and Steven especially made sure we were taken care of, wiping down the table and clearing our plates at the right times, bringing out food and wine super speedily, and making much-welcome conversation with us. This place runs like a well-oiled machine but manages to feel super cozy and inviting, not pretentious at all, but everything from the wine to the ingredients highlighted in every dish is meticulously chosen because the people here care. Every dish was brought out with a detailed explanation of each component and where it was sourced. The poached chicken with goji berries and Angelica root broth was incredible, and our server Steven told us all about the farm in the Catskills where this specific breed of chicken is raised, and Paulo explained that the inspiration behind the dish came from an old Chinese post-partum dish.
All of the rest of the food was spectacular too!!! You can tell everyone who works here takes pride in what they do. This is an establishment run by dedicated craftspeople. I love this place and I’m going to come back as much as I can
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Disappointing taste, cheap ingredients, and the servers gossip about the customers after they leave. MEDIOCRE
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Super hyped cool wine bar with modernized Chinese food.
Portions for the price are hilarious...like three slices of fried squash for $22.
Wuxi-style short rib and sticky toffee rice pudding were incredibly good. Everything else kind of missable.
So delicious and staff so accommodating to my allergies. Vibe was awesome would really recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service
Food is to die for
Hands down the best in the city <3
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great hospitality and amazing wine list. Food is really delicious. Dishes are on the smaller size, so trust the staff on ordering quantity
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Steven was a great server, very attentive. I felt like home. Food is outstanding. Im definitely coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely amazing! The food, the wine… truly no words. Every dish was different. Perfectly balanced and beautifully executed.
And a special shoutout to Arthur, who made our first experience even more memorable. He thoughtfully walked us through which wines to taste, pairing each one perfectly and elevating the entire evening. We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laughably difficult to get a table here but the host was kind enough to make a res for us a week later instead of fully turning us away after waiting on the waitlist for 3 hours on a Friday night. Service is great, my water was never empty. Very very small inside but so cute and well decorated. Same team behind king and stissing house in upstate (some of my favorite spots). In love with the broth that’s with the mushroom and cabbage rolls and the egg yolk squash incredible. Massive list of wines. Played some cantomando pop remixes which was nostalgic. Insanely expensive but that’s New York wine bars these days
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A bit pricey but fantastic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...