At Peking Duck, we prepare well in advance. Firstly air is pumped into the duck to stretch and loosen the skin, then boiling water is repeatedly spread over the bird, which is then carefully dried, the dried skin is rubbed all over with maltose, and the duck is then roasted in a hot oven for a period of time until the meat is tender and the skin crispy. Then the duck is served with house-made pancakes, green scallions, fresh cucumbers and special hoisin sauce.Private rooms available for Christmas parties.
The service is great and the food is just as good - perhaps even better. The proportions are reasonable, but the prices are very very high. Expect to pay at least $30-40 for a noodle or rice dish. Bring over $100 if you're going with a date. I wouldn't say the food is worth the price, but if you're not willing to go to Chinatown, it's really the best chinese food uptown.
Posted 07/05/05 | Report Abuse
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I go to this restaurant very often to enjoy all the meals. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! The food and service was terrific! I read some previous comments about not being able to take the duck home but if you ask a waiter to pack the rest of the duck up for you, they will. I would definitely come back to this restaurant again and invite people. The restaurant had no tacky accessories on them so i would give them a plus on that. I would definitely come back for more soon!
Pros: good food
Cons: none
Posted 12/21/09
I have been a customer of Peking Duck House since 1994 and service has always been grudging and no-nonsense but adequate. Therefore, I do not have high expectations in terms of service. But, the service has turned extremely poor. At today's meal, I asked for four glasses of ice water. It took 10 minutes and I got two glasses of ice water. When my peking duck came, I had to ask for the rice, which should come with the food automatically. When I complained to the manager, the manager said, "yes, yes, yes" and basically dismissed me. This manager dresses like a manager but acts more like a bus-boy. They simply don't give a damn.
Adding insult to injury is the quality of the food. The home-made noodles were bland. The better-quality peking ducks come with a white bun and not the pancakes but the Peking Duck House has changed over to the cheaper quality pancakes and charges extra for the white buns. This is ridiculous considering they charge $48 for a peking duck, $20 more than other restaurants' peking duck.
Don't bother going. The decor is sophisticated for Chinese but why pay top dollar to be treated like dirt? There are many restaurants that serve peking duck now.
Pros: Decor
Cons: Slow and Bad Service, Food Bland and Cheapening Quality
Posted 12/13/09
$50 for a duck is fine. But subject to abuse, arrogance, dissmisive service as a cutomer!! There is no way I go back here. There are other places for good Peking ducks in several Chinatowns in NYC (in Manhattan -- not Peking Duck House since they have same horrible services, Flushing Queens, 8th Ave Brooklyn, and Ave U Brooklyn)
don't bother and move on for good ducks and good service.
Pros: ok food
Cons: horrible service.
Posted 12/13/09
I went to the one in china town and I was excited about trying something new and i felt disappointed the place was some what nice to look at but the food was boring, cold, and what we payed for was simply not enough for two people........sorry but never again
Cons: Cold food not so great service
Posted 12/12/09
Everything was very good. My friend and I had steamed pork dumpling, bbq rib and spring roll appetizers and peking duck.
All were delicious. Service was excellent as well. The only reason I did not give it five stars is because the waiter left too much on duck after carving. The legs and quite a bit of meat was still on the bird. For $46 we wanted all the duck we paid for.
I guess they use it in their other duck dishes.
However, this would not prevent me from returning or recommending the place to others.
Posted 11/05/09
The dining experience was sadly disapointing. The food was cold and tasteless, the service was awful and bill was extremely expensive, I would never visit this establishment again. I found it to be a tourist trap, Being that I am a native New Yorker I will stick with the old faithful chinese restaurants down the block and across the street from The Peking Duck House.
Pros: nothing
Cons: everything
Posted 11/01/09
We are not New Yorkers, if we were, we would be frequent guests at this restaurant. I don't recall how many years we have been dining at this restaurant, at least ten and probably more. When ever we visit New York this is the first dinner reservation we make. They always remember us and even where we like to be seated. The attentive service is almost doting. They always make us feel like special guest..
Our favorite entree is the Peking Duck, carved and served tableside. The won ton soup and shrimp toast are good apetizers. Can't wait to get back there.
Pros: The house specialty, Peking Duck
Cons: None
Posted 07/11/09
I dined at the E 53rd st. location with 2 friends this past week on a Tues. (8/5/08). Atmosphere was elegant and sparse although the lights were a bit too bright. Our waiter was an older Chinese man who seemed unhappy in his job. He was efficient, but unfriendly, and he scowled when we asked for food with no Garlic. We ordered the sizzling rice soup with shrimp for two ($9.50). The rice was not at all sizzling and the broth was devoid of any taste whatsoever. All three of us sent back the watery mess without eating it and it was taken off the check. For the main course we ordered Gran Marnier Prawns which is described as being "finished in a refreshing sauce w. a hint of citrus." I can't be sure, but the sauce tasted suspiciously like Jello brand lemon custard and had the same consistency as custard. I'm not exaggerating. I would bet that Jello brand lemon custard was in fact the base of this sauce! It was definitely an unnatural taste that smacked of a taste laboratory off the Jersey Tpk. The Sliced Beef w. Scallops were good, but were served with sliced Garlic, after we had specifically asked our server to tell the chef no garlic. We spoke with the manager after we finished (and left about half the food on the plate) and he politely listened to our very specific complaints, but that was it. We weren't asking him for anything but even so, he did nothing. No complimentary dessert or apertif was offered, the check was not discounted, and no real apology. All three of us are New Yorkers to the core, we live locally and are experienced diners. We chose not to tip at all. We will not go back.
Pros: Quiet, nice atmosphere, although the lights were a bit too bright
Cons: Service, Food, Price
Posted 08/10/08
Wow, great duck, good service, and decent prices. What more can one ask from a restaurant in Midtown????
Posted 06/08/08
I really enjoyed my time here at Peking Duck house. The service was great and the food was very good and light, I came here with friends and we all agreed that we would definitely return to this place. I gave it 5 stars for the fab food!
Posted 07/03/07
The peking duck is perfect, but don't forget to order other things on the menu such as the braised ham hock, stir fried green beans, and deep fried beef with vegetables. The service is great. A white table cloth alternative to the usual chinatown barbecue place.
Posted 03/08/07
What can I say , the duck it just awesome. I've lived in china for 6 months and nothing comes close to this . We must have better duck here. The chicken and pine nuts are a great way to start, not too heavy but full of taste. Shrimp marnier is one of my favorites too . Depending on what you like the sea bass is a nice specialty that you cant get just anywhere. Overall they do a great job, value is good too.
Pros: Good atmoshpere , great food , GET THE DUCK!
Cons: frozen drinks need a little work . stick to the mixed ones
Posted 02/27/07
Canned mushrooms in soup? For an upscale Chinese restaurant I was not expecting this. Also, it seems that they only give good service to Westerners. I'm Chinese and the manager told me to wrap my own pancakes. You can find better Peking Duck and Chinese food for 1/2 the price in Chinatown.
Do not bring a Chinese guest to this restaurant. The food is too Americanized.
Cons: Ambience
Posted 01/25/07
The downtown location is my favorite, love the peking duck, the location isn't really much to talk about but that duck, best in the city.
Pros: Peking duck, Sides, Value
Cons: Decor
Posted 09/25/06
The downtown location is in the middle of all the questionable touristy chinatown restaurants, but it is the real thing. Yes, the space is not quite attractive and yes, you often need to wait for a while to be seated. Also, you might be surrounded by a giant group from a bus tour, as were last week. All of this is completely worth it because of the perfect food. The duck is superb and comes with all the necessary sides; we figured out that if you order a couple of vegetable and noodle dishes, you'd want 1 duck for 3 people or 4 slightly less hungry ones. Try the green beans with pork and the thick noodles with pork as additional dishes. Skip the cheap house wines and stick with the tea and TsingTao beer.
Pros: Duck, Sides, Service
Posted 04/21/06
You cannot beat the quality of the Peking Duck served here - the name says it all. The decor is minimalist but you cannot be the quality of the food and the service is very attentive. Great for a large group.
Pros: Duck, Service
Cons: Decor
Posted 11/04/05
If you enjoy Chinese cuisine you can't go wrong at this restaurant. A perfect place for dining in larger groups where sharing an array of various dishes makes things easy & enjoyable. Everything ordered was tasty and the Peking duck was perfect. The restaurant was surprisingly quiet. Decor is basic, service just fine but food is well worth every penny! Go!
Pros: Peking Duck, Chinese cuisine, good for groups
Cons: may close early
Posted 10/20/05
If you are a fan of Pecking Duck, then you will absolutely LOVE this restaurant. The duck is one of the best I have ever had!
Posted 03/25/05
First time come to this restaurant. I was so impressed. Never found any Chinese restaurant that serves such delicious food and excellent service. The special decoration provides a great atmosphere for me to eat there. I will definitely come back again.
Pros: Friendly Service, Inexpensive, Clean
Posted 10/03/04
Delicious food, Wonderful service. New renovations makes the perfect ambience. Must try!
Posted 09/13/04
The Best Duck in Midtown, Great Service but the decor needs an uplift. Wait staff knows their business, Peking Duck is carved at your table.
Pros: Quick Seating, rarely crowded, Great Peking Duck
Cons: decor is dated
Posted 12/08/03
"If you are looking for some great meixcan cuisine, this is the ..."
