AJ Shanghai Restaurant

"Came here tonight with my husband for our anniversary, since we didn't want to trek all the way to NYC for soup dumplings. The restaurant is decently priced, clean, neat, and service is super quick. It was rather busy when we sat down this evening. Seating, extra utensils, beverages, and condiments are self serve. There's a setup along the wall with everything neatly labeled. Your basic plate, tea cup, chopsticks, napkin, and soup spoon are already set up at the table with extra setups on a table if you need more. They provide a little pot of jasmine tea when you first sit as well. (We're used to this sort of set up as it's common in the boroughs.) We didn't even need to press the call button to order. The waiter saw me look up and was there before I could haha The food came out super quickly and was piping hot. We got soup dumplings (pork, and crab/pork), string beans with pork, scallion pancakes, and the braised pork. The dumplings were perfect. I was a little worried because I saw people complaining in reviews about a lack of soup, but I found they were comparable to the ones we get in China town in NYC. Everything was delicious and decently priced, and the service was quick and polite as well. I can't wait to come back here. I can't tell you how happy I am to have a good soup dumpling place so close to home. Definitely thinking of popping in for lunch and adding it to our date night rotation!"

"Hidden gem! The food is just like what you can get on Mott street in NYC but without the trip and crowds. Service is always prompt, there's a parking lot and the tea is delicious. There's an outdoor option in summer. We come here at least once per month we love it so much."

"This place is a hidden gem!!!! We come here about 3 times a month. You can sit anywhere you want. They greet you with a nice pot of hot tea. The soup dumplings are delicious and a must every single time. They have a chili sauce and a vinegar base one to go with dumplings but it’s optional. Today we also ordered the wonton noodle soup and the pork w snow cabbage noodle soup. The pork was tasty and lots of noodles on both soups The sesame chicken is crispy and soft inside, smothered in the yummy sauce. This dish comes w white rice. Place is a relaxed atmosphere and they have a self serve bar to get utensils if you don’t want to use chop sticks. They halos have different sauces and straws for drinks if you desire. Menu is small but every dish has amazing flavors. We have yet to order a dish our family didn’t like. If you are in the area you have to go!"

"The parking lot was full and the online reviews were promising, however nothing prepared us for the awful food. I will say that the staff were friendly and service was on the better side. We started with the scallion pancakes(which were crispy, but was essentially oily batter with no trace of scallions) which were not a deal breaker. We then had two orders of the pork soup dumplings which were acceptable, but had no soup inside them from incorrect cooking. Next up was Sichuan Spicy Hot Noodle Soup(which was recommended by the waitress) which tasted oddly like hot dog water and had completely raw/undercooked noodles. Of course, we discovered there WERE hotdogs in the dish which we have never seen in a mala dish ever before, and had basically overpowered the soup base. Next came the Sauteed Peashoots leaves, which were evidently sauteed in salt and leftover water from washing the peashoots. The only flavor in the dish was the familiar washed veggie water taste mixed in with pockets of super salty leaves. Our main entree Chili-fried Chicken with Sichaun Pepper arrived and we were actually hopeful, as the chicken was juicy inside and crispy on the outside. Until we chewed it and were greeted with a mouthful of salt on every piece, causing us to literally gag and chug down our glasses of water. Now with ALL of these issues, the BIGGEST kicker was the cold leftover bowl of rice that was served to us along with the chicken dish that was simply insulting. Not only should this not be served as "fresh" rice, each rice grain was bloated and broke apart, except for the clumps that had coagulated together to make rice cakes inside the bowl. The server was nice enough to remove the noodle soup from the bill when we showed her the terrible noodle quality, however as you can see from the photos we barely were able to eat anything. We simply paid our bill and left the full dishes of food on the table and walked out. I am not sure if the locals have not experienced authentic asian food, or if they are limited on available options, but I highly suggest choosing a different restaurant for your dining experience."

"So excited to see an authentic Chinese restaurant opened here. We went to have a small party there, ordered most of their recommendations. Food was amazing, each one was well cooked! Soup dumping was the best I’ve ever had in this region. All of my picky foodies were satisfied. They have plenty of tables, an excellent place for family gatherings. Strongly recommend it for the people who want to experience real Chinese taste."