New Haven Taste of China

If in search of Szechuan this is a great place — but a bit pricey.
must try the cold dumplin appetizer!
Smoked tea duck was amazing as well as the garlic eggplant.
Amazing service, quick with more hot tea on a cold day and so friendly.
I am a big fan of Han Dynasty so it would be nice to have a less expensive version but you get what you pay for — go with a big group and order a ton — share it all!

Food & quantity was okay but way too overpriced for the quality. I would not go back here.

Easily the worst service we have ever received in a restaurant. Fortunately for the restaurant, we were a table of 6 and they included a forced tip. Our drinks took 20 minutes. We watched them get delivered to the hostess stand and sit for 5 minutes before getting up to ask if we could take them. Our meals took an hour and 15 minutes to be delivered. We never ONCE had a waiter or waitress come to the table to ask if we needed anything, including drink refills. We had to flag someone down each and every time. All of the meals were quite good, except for the mongolian beef, which consisted of at least two sliced onions and barely any beef. We spent $ 259 and felt robbed. Will absolutely never go back there.

i’ve gone here multiple times as part of a group
the dishes are better than other chinese options in the area (great wall, main garden, etc) but it’s not much for the price

This is the best Chinese I have eaten in CT. I happen to like spicy foods so the Sichuan style was right up my alley.
There was 3 of us and we ate family style. For apps, we did the five flavor wonton, ginger green beans and the famously unique and incredible «Thousand Year Old Egg.» The wontons were marinated in a spicy, peanut butter sauce and filled with tender pork. The green beans were perfectly cooked and covered in fresh ginger (great for digestion). The spicy oil that the eggs are marinated in is out of this world. We saved the plate after we ate them and poured it over our rice. It was that damn good. The eggs themselves were totally insane. Rich, savory, and probably the most unique flavor of any dish I have eaten this year.
For entrees, we got the chef special seafood noodles and the twice cooked pork. The pork was thinly sliced and cooked to perfection. Again, the szechuan spices gave it a nice kick without overpowering the fresh pork. The noodles were solid but the pork really stood out.
I read about the eggplant after we were too full but I will try this one next time. We contemplated what the space reminded us of and we finally decided, «James Bond.» It is clean and classy in there. I may just throw on a tux for my next date here and order some martinis!
What really separates this place from other restaurants is the service. The waitress was extremely nice and informative when we asked for her favorite dishes. She even poured us a specialty Chinese spirit which was delicious and super strong! I’m Italian and it reminded me of nice Grappa.
The prices are on the higher side but for the quality of food it is by no means over-​priced. This was my third time here and each time I am more impressed. We take the drive from Middletown just to eat at this place and we will do it again very soon.

4 – 4.5 stars. Definitely the most authentic Chinese option on campus. Especially if you like Szechuan/​spicy cuisine because that’s what they specialize in. I’ve been here way too many times and will never get tired of the food. Among my favorites are the myriad of sliced fish filet dishes that they serve, green beans, and chengdu dumplings. Everything is intensely flavored just the way I like it.
The other thing that I really appreciate about this restaurant is that the environment is quite nice. There’s always a lot of space, not too much noise, and generally service is quick and cordial. The only qualm I have is that everything here is definitely on the pricier end, but I am often willing to shell out for the authentic experience here when I’m craving some Chinese.

Pleasantly surprised! I came here expecting americanized chinese food based on my friends’ comments about the quality of chinese food in the area. However that was not the case! The portions were regularly sized, I would recommend one entrée per person unless you aren’t particularly hungry.
Most of the food is spicy, mouth tingling and also oily. So be prepared for an unhealthy meal! I tried the beef tripe appetizer, double cooked pork and the spicy fried chicken cubes/​bits. I really liked the beef tripe, it was much better than the ones offered in hartford. The chicken came in second, it had large enough chunks of chicken which was great! This is often cheaped out by most establishments. The one I liked least was the pork, it was mediocre at best.
I would definitely come back if I’m in the area again! Oh and each entrée comes with a bowl of rice! !

By far the best Chinese food I’ve had in all of New England I walked in to this restaurant looked at the amazing menu. At first I was a little skeptical. Because most Asian cuisines are made with sugar and cornstarch. I mentioned to the waiter I was on a gluten-​free, no sugar, cornstarch, wheat, and no dairy diets. I asked if they can accommodate me and the waiter said absolutely what would you like. I order the lobster with Ginger and scallion, seafood soup and peas stems Leaf. The food was absolutely amazing. The food did not lack flavor. it with savory and delicious. It was so good I sucked every piece of meet out of the lobster shells. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone who’s a foodie and enjoys great food. Can’t wait to visit New Haven again to enjoy a great meal.

Big and clean restaurant. Nice customer service. I like the eggplant.

Took my wife there for her birthday and it was an absolutely lovely experience. The waitress was excellent (attentive, but not too much so) and the support staff was right on target; empty plates were removed in a timely fashion. We got the five spice wontons as an appetizer. For dinner, my wife got the twice cooked pork belly, and I got the Mongolian beef. The pork was definitely the star of the show. My Mongolian beef was great, don’t get me wrong (although it was a little sweeter than I was hoping for), but the pork was just fantastic. We also also got an order of fried rice (which was some of the best fried rice I’ve had). The prices, I felt, were very reasonable, too. I would definitely recommend Taste of China as a date place.

My boyfriend has talked about this place for almost a year so we finally went together on Monday and it was good. We have both loved the Clinton location for many years, even before we met, and he had been to this one before but I hadn’t. He says this one is better. I am not sure that I agree. I still prefer Clinton.
We had salt + pepper squid and chengdu dumplings as starts. Both good, although the best sp squid in state is at Sichuan Pepper all the way in Vernon. Chengdu dumplings here are tasty but much sweeter and less spicy than others and very garlicky too. A dollop of fresh ground garlic was placed atop the dumplings prior to being served to us. For entrees we ordered twice cooked pork (good), mixed vegetables with garlic sauce (a little boring and no garlic taste but satisfying in a «I’m getting my fill of vegetables and being healthy» kind of way), and water spinach (amazing. not even sad that pea shoot leaves were unavailable because this was the star of the entire meal and excellent in every way).
I liked it, I just don’t feel quite as strongly as he does about this Taste of China. Definitely very good Chinese and probably the best around town. Ambience is nice, servers were attentive and friendly, and overall a positive experiences. Prices higher than other Chinese restaurants but worth it for the quality.

The food here was really good I gave it 3 stars because the service i received was HORRIBLE!!! I came with my child with a stroller there was an employee outside when I came smoking a cigarette he didn’t offer to open the door for me. When I got inside the employees were looking at me like I didn’t belong there, the guy that brought me water reeked of cigarettes probably didn’t even wash his hands after smoking. I never was asked for something to drink all I received was tap water, did they think I wasn’t thirsty? They also told me a table was reserved and 30 min later gave that table to two people that didn’t want to sit at their designated table. Overall the food was good but ultimately nasty after the customer service which sucked!

I don’t know what took me so long to finally try this place. Went for dinner after a show at the Shubert with a friend and everything we both had was fabulous. Despite the silly sounding name, I was very impressed with the Mouth Watering Chicken — so tender and so flavorful! Also recommended, the Mongolian Beef — tasty and sweet!
Suprisingly good wine list too.

This place is great. I would try the dry tofu and peanut appetizer as well as the spicy wontons. It’s not easy to find authentic Chinese restaurants in Connecticut, but this definitely hits the spot.
Only thing is that this is on the pricier side-​but then again, the restaurant is on the fancier side.

One word: Eggplant.
Their eggplant dish is phenomenal and the large plate comes with plenty of eggplant and is spicy enough to tantalize your taste buds. This was one of 8 dishes our party of 11 shared and there was more than enough for everyone (which made me more than happy to finish off the rest of the plate, I have no shame).
Other delicious dishes included the fish with tofu (which comes with its own fire) and the restaurant is affordable as well. With a balanced and satisfying mix of seafood, meat, poultry, and noodle dishes, the total for each person came out to about $ 18. The service was decent as well. One thing that would’ve made dinner easier is if there was a lazy Susan. I guess Susan was so lazy that she just didn’t show up… This led to us passing the dishes manually which was a good arm workout.

holy shitake! Just ate here for the first time and had a delicious experience. Nice that it was busy for a Friday but not slammed, so no wait. The waiter Eric was perfect– not pushy/​hovering but checking in on us just the right amount and had a v. friendly demeanor, and didn’t seem to mind my annoying tendency to want warm water during the winter. Nice atmosphere and we were able to sit the cozy nook behind the front desk.
We got the sizzling chicken with the shitakes– perfect way to warm up. The meaty shitakes & that bean sauce were so amazing that next time I may ask to just get more shitakes instead of chicken. Also got the pea sprouts– they tasted fresh with just the right salt. My husband got the calamari appetizer– I’m never a calamari fan but based on his verbal «mmm’s», he was clearly content with them. I was a little disappointed in the dessert but think it’s b/​c it may not make many of the desserts in house so the pistachio custard seemed less fresh. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t not bad by any means (my husband especially liked it), but just wasn’t on the same fresh, delicious level of the entrees.
I’m already looking forward to our next shitake experience there!

Inside has very nice décor and comfortable seating.
The waitstaff are all so friendly and helpful. This is definitely one of the upscale Chinese restaurant in Connecticut. With that being said, their dishes are presented very decoratively and definitely picture worthy (even tho I didn’t take any because I was starving). Some dishes are outstanding while others may be a little lacking. But overall was excellent.

Taste of China represents one of the more bizarre dining experiences I’ve ever experienced. I was struck by an intense sense of culinary cognitive dissonance, because for me «Chinese food» means cheap food eaten in a bright dining room with plenty of loud, rowdy conversation, and Taste of China is decidedly not that. The atmosphere is admittedly very nice — exceptionally clean, with attentive but unintrusive waitstaff, and an admirable beer list and cocktail selection.
Being as prejudiced as I am against eating Chinese food in an upscale atmosphere, I was quite prepared to write a rather negative review if any of the food was subpar. Luckily for Taste of China, their chef knows what he’s doing. Everything I tried had good Sichuan flavors (not quite enough peppercorn) and compared favorably to the Sichuan food I’ve been eating all my life. Ma po tofu was average, but came out very hot like a good tofu dish should, and the Chung King chicken was impressively authentic. The chef also makes an excellent squirrel fish, which is notoriously difficult to prepare, so major props for that.
I was a bit surprised to see the menu offering Chinese delicacies like tendon, tripe, and intestine, although I guess if there’s any way to introduce queasy white people to eating offal, serving it for $ 20 in a hypersanitary environment with a cold Belgian ale at the ready is a pretty good method.
I have to say I left Taste of China with a certain appreciation for how the owners have managed to thrive in the niche they’ve carved out — authentic, tasty Chinese food served in a setting appropriate for a classy dinner date. They definitely deserve plaudits for sticking to this concept and executing it successfully, but alas — the ~$ 40 per person that my friends and I paid at the end of our meal means that my search for good, cheap Chinese food in the area is still ongoing.
Tip: Gratuity added for parties of 6+
There are a number of unadvertised discounts, including a student discount and a discount if you pay in cash.

My girlfriend and I decided to take my father and grandparents here while they were visiting, as we thought Chinese had the best chance of appealing to everyone. We ordered a fair amount of dishes for the table, including sliced beef tendon, celery with dried tofu, steamed dumplings, vegetarian ma po tofu, tea-​smoked duck, chicken with pine nuts and steamed buns, and salt-​and-​pepper shrimp. Honestly, I have nothing negative to say about the food. It was all excellent, the ma po tofu and chicken with pine nuts being standouts.
As for the atmosphere, however… We ate around 6:00 pm but were literally the only customers in the restaurant. It was dim, and our waitress thought it best to stand about five feet from the table and stare at us throughout the meal. I realize she probably thought she was just being attentive, but it was disconcerting to say the least. The bill ran to nearly $ 200 (sans gratuity) for six people despite the fact that we didn’t order many drinks. Even given the high quality of the food I’d call it overpriced for what they’re serving.

Really great food. I had the salt and pepper shrimp which was so good and fresh. My husband had the garlic eggplant which was also amazing. Will go back.
The service was great… but the place is very quiet and uncomfortable feeling. Good to go if you need a very quiet night out, not so great for a saturday night.