Insider Pages Reviews for Chin Chin

5 Stars: Great Chinese! (by citilivin)

citilivin — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:00:00 GMT

I've been going to this place for years and it has never disappointed me. The place is beautiful with a chic atmosphere. The service is always excellent and the food is absolutely delicious. It might seem pricey, but the portions are quite large and the quality of the food is great. I definitely recommend giving Chin Chin a try!

1 Stars: Nothing special (by myla35)

myla35 — Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

Food is mediocre at best, and not sure what the hype is about the dining room. Far from elegant food or dining room. So many better places with authentic chinese without French and Italian music playing.

2 Stars: Boo! (by Helenic)

Helenic — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:00:00 GMT

I have eaten chinese food at different restaurant so many times and i can say that this place is not a place to eat fine chinese cuisine.go somewhere else.

5 Stars: Good chinese food. Good service. (by ChristinaRay)

ChristinaRay — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Went there on a Saturday in Feb 08 and the service was very good. Everyone was extremely nice, and the food did not take long to arrive at our table. I had a good time, and was able to carry a conversation without them trying to rush you out of the restaurant. The taste and quality of the food were good as well. The food doesnt have excesses amounts of oil. If you want good chinese food where the quality and service of the food are great then go to Chin Chin.

3 Stars: Good food, semi-friendly staff, a bit pricey (by lizzyred8)

lizzyred8 — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 01:00:00 GMT

We made last minute reservations for a table of 9 during Restaurant Week. Staff was accomodating allowing us to be seated before the entire party arrived. The options on the pre fixe menu were broad, but I must say the food was up to par with what you would find at any standard Chinese restaurant, and probably for less $ (even w the pre fixe). We ordered 4 bottles of wine throughout the night. The staff was less than enthusiastic about serving us, and definitely took their time with attending to our table. At one point the waiter spilled a glass of water across the table, and proceeded to soak it up without the mention of an apology. Crossing this off of my list of places to return to.

5 Stars: Perfect, even in a holiday rush (by scotts)

scotts — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Went for dinner Christmas evening. The place was jammed but service was excellent. Food was even better.
The best meal we had this time around (except Grimaldi's which was transcendent, but that doesn't dount cause it's pizza not upscale dining)

5 Stars: CHIN CHIN IS AMAZING (by fdr17)

fdr17 — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:00:00 GMT

Lets put it this way if you have money to burn and you love Chinese food this is the PLACE to go. Their sesame chicken is to die for and the atmosphere is pleasent and upscale.

5 Stars: REALLY RIDICULOUSLY GOOD CHINESE FOOD!!! (by queen_v)

queen_v — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 02:00:00 GMT

seriously. best in the city. i go here all the time and the service is always super fast and polite too. every dish is super tasty and they have an interesting menu for a chinese place. my faves are the shrimp dumplings, shark's fin soup, and peking duck or duck a l'orange. i really don't understand why the reviews below mine are so bad, everybody i know loves this place.

plus i've seen derek jeter, mariah carey, and david/victoria beckham (to name a few) having low-key dinners here. if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!

1 Stars: Over-priced, bland food, rude service (by mrgnyny)

mrgnyny — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Would never eat here again. The food and the service are no better than the cheap joints in Chinatown. This is supposed to be a high class restaurant ? Who are they kidding?

2 Stars: Horrible, horrible, horrible service... (by lladyllilly)

lladyllilly — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:00:00 GMT

It started out pleasantly enough - we walked in on a Sat night without reservations and were seated with no problem. The place had a nice, upscale feel and pretty flowers on the table. Then, our server came... He was clearly put out that we asked for a description of some of the dishes on the menu. Then we couldn't get him to bring us anything to drink (not even water) until after we'd gotten our appetizers. He was surly throughout the evening, never once coming to our table without being flagged down (which he assiduously avoided btw), and it completely detracted from the food, which wasn't half-bad (actually the crisped orange beef was pretty good). What made it even more bizarre was that he was very attentive to to the loud, drunken folks (I hope, since one of them would spontaneously burst into song at random intervals throughout the evening) at the next table. I spent $100 for dinner that night, no alcohol (perhaps that would have made the experience more tolerable?), for Chinese food that was moderately better than what you'd have delivered to your apt for $10 - shouldn't that price tag include decent service, at the least?

3 Stars: Heavey on the OIL (by jackryan)

jackryan — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 02:00:00 GMT

This place is very very highly acclaimed. Famous people eat here and some friends rave of it. We walked in with no reservations on a Weds and got seated.....the food was brought out within 5 mins of ordering and was tastey....the top half. The bottom half of the dish was all oil. It was a little disappointing for the amount we were paying.

Service was decent, but it seems as if they have a problem with air flow in the place as there are fans all over the place moving it around.....I was there in Feb. There is a nice sky light dining room in the back.

5 Stars: Sophisticated Chinese Cuisine (by cherie7)

cherie7 — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Chin Chin is a go-to business restaurant that consistently provides high level of service and food quality. The authentic Chinese cuisine on white-napped tablecloths and sophisticated Western-style service and ambiance is a great combination, and not usually seen outside the better restaruants of Kowloon or Hong Kong. Chin Chin never fails to impress.

5 Stars: Best Ribs (by wachtler)

wachtler — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:00:00 GMT

I love Chin Chin, after Bill Hongs closed this became my favorite chinese restaurant. The Ribs are absolutely amazing.

5 Stars: Awsome (by ankusharma)

ankusharma — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 02:00:00 GMT

Chin Chin was awsome.. food was so nice the service was awsome and the entire atmosphere was great. Everthing from the tables to the waiters

5 Stars: Great for Groups!!! (by davidpsu)

davidpsu — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 02:00:00 GMT

My wife and I dined at Chin Chin over the weekend with a large party of 10. I could not have been more satisfied with the dining experience. The service was attentive, the ambience was elegant and the food was extraordinary! This place is going to become a regular for me. I would definitely recommend this exceptional chinese restaurant!

1 Stars: overpriced chinese food (by neenoneeno)

neenoneeno — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 02:00:00 GMT

I went to Chin Chin for the first time with my two co-workers last night. Honestly, it was overpriced chinese food. We ordered three dishes and shared them, the meal came out to around $90. I am Chinese American, I grew up in Chinatown, and I grew up eating Chinese food. You can get the same great tasting food and better, the same dishes and more in Chinatown for half the price that Chin Chin offers. Though you will not get the ambiance and not the same service, you will enjoy eating great tasting food for cheap in Chinatown. If I brought my mother to Chin Chin, she'd yell at me for wasting money on such foods. I mean to find authentic Chinese food, where else would you go besides Chinatown? There are great tasting restaurants for dim sum, for lunch, brunch, and dinner for not even half the price spent at Chin Chin. I eat out a lot from low-key to fancy restaurants and this might seem like a very harsh review, but it's the truth. I would go back to Chin Chin, for the ambiance, but as for the food, I've had better. The waiters were speaking Cantonese, Chinese. I heard their entire conversation. Disappointing, disappointing...

5 Stars: One of My Most Favorite (by cianadoll)

cianadoll — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 02:00:00 GMT

Although I can agree with the rushed service complaints, I'd have to disagree with just about everything else a lot of these posters have noted. For one, I think Chin Chin's food is DELICIOUS! Their shrimp dumplings, which I usually request fried, are breathtaking (for lack of an even better word). Their ribs are perfect. And, my fav - their szechuan shrimp are right on point. Not to mention, the owner Mr. Chin is very pleasant and welcomes everyone as if he's been waiting on you all day. And, the wait staff are great too.

1 Stars: User review by sineadnyc (by sineadnyc)

sineadnyc — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 01:00:00 GMT

A large party of friends had dinner there this week. We were seated in a private room which was nice. Upon arrival we had drinks at the bar, the bartender was nice but service was slow, he seemed obviously overwhelmed. We were served pri- fix appetizers, there were 24 of us and they charged us $400 for this, ridiculous considering what we got and the standard to which it was prepared, then I had my entree of"crispy sea bass".. I use the term crispy very loosly, as it was swimming in sauce. My rice was served 5 minutes after the fish, only after I had to ask for it. I did not enjoy my dining experience, neither did my friends, the service was terrible (I also am a server), the food was very average and extremely overpriced.

4 Stars: Best of the Rest (by Mahendra V.)

Mahendra V. — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 05:29:00 GMT

Most have annoited Shun Lee Palace as the supreme Chinese cuisine spot. So, if you want the next best then try Chin Chin - my personal favorite.

Jimmy Chin is a master host and manager. Your wait will be short and pleasant due to the friendly confines of the bar and staff. Your food will be expertly prepared and recommendations are eagerly given.

Kudos to Jimmy and the gang. We love Chin Chin

PROS: Food, Staff, Management
CONS: Cost

3 Stars: what's the rush? (by cinnamonswirl)

cinnamonswirl — Tue, 07 Dec 2004 01:00:00 GMT

First of all, the restaurant is lovely. It was half full and we were seated immediately - in the back area, which was attractive but happened to be where all the idle waiters hung out which felt awkward.

We had the prix fixe Peking duck. Hot & Sour Soup was good (not amazing). Duckskin pancakes were crisp and good, but VERY rich (it is duck skin, after all). The fried rice with sweet Chinese sausage and scallops was EXCELLENT as was the sauteed spinach. The stir fried duck was... okay. It was very saucy and didn't seem very duck-like. The sorbet was freezer-burned.

The service was polished-seeming but WAY too quick waiters swooping in and removing plates before we were finished. (??)

The whole meal was finished in less than an hour - for that amount of money I want to linger for a while, you know?

5 Stars: Just great Chinese in a warm setting (by shellyf)

shellyf — Sat, 08 May 2004 02:00:00 GMT

Had after theatre dinner one nite last week. We were warmly greeted by owner and staff. Dishes were made to order and served hot at the table. We requested sharing and the waiters separated each dish into several plates expertly. Though not on the menu, do try the Grand Marinier Shrimp, a luscious and unique taste. The spare ribs are the best & the 10 ingredient fried rice was superb & was mixed into everything. Great dining experience.

3 Stars: FAAAST FOOD (by mikflow)

mikflow — Fri, 12 Mar 2004 01:00:00 GMT

For a Thursday night, the restaurant was half empty. The waiter rushed us to order and then threw one thing after another in our faces. We were in and out in 45 minutes. The food was good...if you have time to taste it.

1 Stars: FAKE CHINESE FOOD (by londonmarriott)

londonmarriott — Thu, 27 Nov 2003 01:00:00 GMT

THIS RESTAURANT HAS CHINESE FOOD FOR NOVICES. IF YOU CAN'T USE CHOPSTICKS OR JUST DISCOVERED GENERAL TSO' CHICKEN THEN COME HERE AND PAY TRIPLE OVER TAKE OUT.

4 Stars: GO EASY ON THE MAINS (by LUCAN)

LUCAN — Thu, 15 May 2003 02:00:00 GMT

A GROUP OF 5 FRIENDS AND I VISTITED CHIN CHIN'S ON A SATURDAY NIGHT.WE STARTED WITH SOME SOUPS WHICH WHERE GOOD BUT NOTHING OUT OF THIS WORLD, TO FOLLOW WE TRIED THE MIXED DUMPLINGS. THINGS WERE NOW GETTING A LOT BETTER.BUT THE STAR OF THE SHOW WAS THE MAIN COURSES, WE TRIED 6 DIFFERENT ONES WHICH WAS PROBERLY 2 TOO MANY AS THE PORTIONS ARE REALLY BIG. THE FRYED BEEF IN ORANGE WAS THE TASTIEST DISH THAT I HAVE EVER HAD IN A CHINESE RESTAURANT.IT WASN'T CHEAP BUT AS I SAID WE O.D'ED ON THE MAIN DISHES.WE DIDN'T BOTH WITH WINE STICKING INSTEAD TO THE CHINESE BEER WHICH IS VERY LIGHT AND NOT TOO GASSY.

5 Stars: Pre Theater at its best (by clh820)

clh820 — Fri, 24 Jan 2003 01:00:00 GMT

While visiting in NY over the Thanksgiving Holiday, the concierge at the Waldorf recommended Chin Chin. I was traveling with my teenage daughters and my niece. The restaurant was very accomodating for my niece who is not fond of asian cuisine and served her very plain fried rice!! My daughters and I loved the food and the atmosphere. We'll put it on our list for next year's visit.

5 Stars: Best of the Rest (by Akileez)

Akileez — Sat, 11 Jan 2003 01:00:00 GMT

Most have annoited Shun Lee Palace as the supreme Chinese cuisine spot. So, if you want the next best then try Chin Chin - my personal favorite.

Kudos to Jimmy and the gang. We love Chin Chin.

4 Stars: Worth the trip... (by ronberk)

ronberk — Fri, 30 Aug 2002 02:00:00 GMT

Service was great- waiter was attentive, funny, nice- & food was very good too!

1 Stars: for the Sinophobic (by PamLum)

PamLum — Mon, 08 Jul 2002 02:00:00 GMT

Finally, a restaurant for *pallid* palates in search of stir-fry in a "civilized" atmosphere (e.g., no Chinese clientele or greasy chopsticks in sight). Sorry, but pressed linens, coattailed staff, and fancy names for disgusting chicken drenched in soy do not sophisticated cuisine make.

I, for one, will never again grumble about platters of Mystery-Meat Chowmein in zero-atmosphere Chinatown. At least I know I'm not just kidding myself about dining on Chinese.