City Guide: New York

andrea strong bitesee contributor
By Andrea Strong

Mission Chinese

This lively, modern Chinese eatery serves a menu of unabashedly fiery Sichuan fare.

No doubt you’ve heard great things about Danny Bowien’s glorious, lazy susan-required Mission Chinese Food—the San Francisco eatery that landed in New York City to a rush of social media mania from feverish foodies. In this case, all the hype is truly deserved.

This lively Bowery eatery, decked out in cherry red banquets with a monster-sized fish tank as its centerpiece, feels reckless and fun, with alarmingly boozy cocktails and a menu of unabashedly fiery regional Chinese fare. Any meal should begin with an order of Lumpia Shanghai Eggrolls, stuffed to capacity with Jap chae, and chicken thigh, served with lip-licking pepper jelly. Ditto the sticky cumin-rubbed lamb ribs with charred onions, dates, and candied fennel. To round out the feast, add a bowl of mapo tofu, some pea leaves in pumpkin broth with chiles (if only they bottled this), a spicy tangle of peanut noodles with Gulf shrimp, chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn, toasted shrimp and peanut furikake, and the koji fried chicken, Haianese style, bitter lemon hot sauce. Be careful here as some of the food is hot to the point of pain, but it’s the kind of agony you’ll easily grow to love.

Note: The Beggar’s Duck and Josefina’s Chicken are only available if pre-ordered. Email reserve@missionchinesefood.com to place an order.

Must try:
Pea Leaves in Pumpkin Broth
Exquisite Chinese / Hot and Spicy
$$$
Reservations: Yes
Hours: Mon-Tue, 5:30–11 pm; Wed-Fri, 12-4pm, 5:30 pm - 12 am; Sat 12–4 pm, 5:30 pm–12 am; Sunday 12–4 pm
Location: Lower East Side
Address: 171 East Broadway
Phone: N/A
  • Subway: F to East Broadway
 
Ideal for:

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