Che Li Manhattan 浙里

"Che Li is a tasty, fairly authentic Chinese restaurant in East Village. I came with a friend, and we split a mock duck cold dish, an eggplant with garlic sauce, and the squirrel fish. The mock duck dish was really interesting, it was basically mini tofu rolls, each roll consisting of a thin tofu skin wrapping some chilled vegetables. I actually quite liked it, the dish was refreshing, and the flavour and texture of the tofu skin was reminiscent of duck seasoning. The eggplant with garlic sauce was the star of the night for me, I loved the dish, and it paired perfectly with rice. I was pleasantly surprised that they had squirrel fish on the menu, as it's not a dish I usually find outside of China. However, I was a little disappointed with the dish itself. The fish was on the smaller side, the sauce was overly sweet, and I felt like there was too much fried dough relative to how little fish meat there was. Che Li has an extensive menu though and I only tried three of their dishes, so I would definitely be interested in coming back and exploring more options."

"We came here under my friend's friend's recommendation and boy were we happy we did. They had some traditional shanghainese dishes (braised pork belly, soup dumplings) but also had new dishes I had never tried before and really enjoyed. They also served some dishes with a new twist such as the truffle soup dumplings, and a shrimp dish with dry ice so the smoke was coming out of it. Novel, fun, neat! The steamed egg dishes (2 shown in the photos) were so delicious. The service was friendly and attentive, and the design and decor made it a fun atmosphere with wood benches, lanterns of old style. Definitely recommend to those who want a more premium Chinese food experience. I will definitely come back!"

"I can't really review this place because I'm used to American-Chinese food, and this was not that. Just know that there are a LOT of bones in chicken and fish dishes. Vegetable dishes were tasty, braised rice was excellent. Beer and sake options are exciting. Just be prepared for small sharp bones and cartilage in the mains."

"We got the wine-soaked chicken, crispy eel, spicy fish stew, and the pu’er tea uni rice. All of them were amazing with unique flavors and beautiful presentation. The service and the restaurant decor were great as well. Definitely recommend having a reservation, especially during the weekend."

"The interior deco and atmosphere are amazing. Every time my family and I come here, we each order one serving of the walnut milk—it’s that good! I love the fungus rice dish as well, super umami and flavorful."