21 Cafe

Pretty authentic Chinese food! We got a hot pot and double cooked pork, so satisfying! Would come here again!

Don’t bother looking elsewhere. The food was fantastic. Straight from Canal St. Food was fresh and authentic with a great mixture of ingredients. As with some other reviews, (they don’t speak English) there was a young couple who did and helped, and you can point to the ingredients on display or the posted menu (which has changed from the online one) and figure out what you want. There clearly are dishes that American palates won’t appreciate, but if you want to try adventurous they have it. Most of all it was clean. You feel comfortable there. Will definitely be recommending it to friends and be back. Its a seriously good place. I hope someone translates this for the owners.

Not sure what I was expecting when I came here but definitely glad I tried the place. If you don’t speak or read Chinese, ordering is extremely difficult. The menu is subtitled but in very generic terms so it’s still impossible to know what you’re ordering. Luckily, there was an English speaking worker and she helped us through the menu. My girlfriend order the spicy beef and it was really good. Very oily since they use lots of spicy oil but very authentic. I did the «pick cook» option and chose a variety of meats and vegetables cooked in their spiciest sauce. It was amazing. Less oily than the spicy beef but even more flavorful. My only regret is that they were out of squid and crabs. I can’t wait to try the spicy seafood.

Authentic Chinese — delicious and fresh! «Hot pot» ingredients are extensive. Everything is in Chinese, but one staff was fluent in English and guided us through the options.
Comfortable seating, but no hot tea.
Definitely will be back!

Best Chinese Restaurant in Syracuse! Environment is not great, kind of like school cafeteria (食堂). The dish price is not cheap but the size is great, good for group of people. The taste, is great and comparable with restaurant in China, which is a great compliment for a Chinese restaurant in the U.S.

Fantastic authentic. Some of the best double cooked pork I have ever had will definitely be returning.
This is counter service it seems. The chef was nice. Food came out quickly.
If you are scared of spice, stick to fast food Chinese. This is the real deal.

I’m reluctant to post about it because I don’t want it to get swamped with people who like fake Chinese.
But their dan dan mian and mabo dofu are outta this world. Better than Red Chili.
Don’t expect «good service.» I hate when people expect Western service in a non-​Western restaurant. Get outta here.

If you love Panda Express and General Tso chicken then 21 Café is probably not for you. However, if you want some of the best authentic Szechuan Chinese food in the area or are just curious what the heck the difference is then this is the place.
The only catch is ordering. No one working there speaks much English. It’s not that tough though. The cook will come around the counter and you can just point to what you want. Alternatively there’s a counter where you can take all the meats and vegetables you want and have them cook it the way you want.

With out a doubt the best Chinese in syracuse. Ordering can be a challenge as English is not spoken much. If your willing to work through the language barrier you will be rewarded with very tasty food. This place reminds me most of my travels to China in syracuse anyway
You can order from the menu which has english subtitles and there also is a self serve bar which I am yet to try however it seems to be most popular
My final word of advice put down your go to american chinese menu Google a few words in chinese like hello and thank you then give this place a try it’s worth it

Love at first bite. I ordered the pork and vegetable noodles and it far exceeded my expectations. The building is on a side street and at first glance looks a little sketchy.
Worth the walk inside because it is with REAL Chinese food. Not the greasy fried thing you find in the mall. I can’t wait to come back with friends and try the hot pot.

Real Chinese! In Syracuse!
After seeing a few Unilocal review, decided to stop by tonight on my way home. Walked in and saw I was not only the only non-​Asian in the restaurant but also the only non-​Chinese speaker as well.
Fortunately, the gal at the register spoke some English and using the menu to point at, got my order entered. I had the pork and vegetable noodles — very, very good!
Most of the folks that came in after me got either the hot pot or if they ordered off the menu a stir fried pork dish — not sure what it was, I’ll have to figure it out for my next visit. If you want sweet and sour or General’s chicken, this place isn’t for you but if you want more authentic Chinese cuisine, you’ll love it!
I would put this place right up there with places in San Francisco and New York — will definitely be back to try other dishes.

The menu is now in ENGLISH (see pix).
So yes, you pick and they cook hot pots, dumplings, LOTS of noodle dishes, lots of rice dishes from all over China. The basic menu is in the pix, but go and see what is on the handwritten special menu (e.g. Peking Duck). Seriously, this place should be mobbed.

Tried this for lunch today. Got stirfry lamb with cumin, stirfry shanghai bokchoy with garlic (listed as «garlic with vegetable»), and double cooked pork slices. Rice was complimentary. Meat dishes were $ 14 – 15, veg was $ 12. Good sized portions, more value for the lamb as that is pure meat.
Lamb was done in the western China style, with cumin, chillies, and peppercorns. Really tasty and tender. Pork is simmered with spices/​sauces then sliced thinly and stirfried with wombok, carrots and green bell peppers in a savory chili bean paste. Pork was also really soft and tender, although I wished there was more meat in the dish (perhaps expectations spoiled by the lamb dish haha). The veg stirfry was a decent size and a simple foil for the other spicier dishes, lots of garlic just the way I like it! We got shanghai bok choy, perhaps they rotate the veg depending on what’s fresh and on hand.
With a couple drinks and a $ 2 service charge, total came to $ 50. A bit pricey, but we didn’t tip as we go up and order and then retrieve our dishes from the counter ourselves (self-​serve, similar to small joints in China). You also pay ahead of time when you place your order. We took half the lamb and veg home for another meal, and we were comfortably full.
This will be another fixture in our eating out list! Nice that you can go next door to the supermarket and find ingredients to reproduce what you just ate, too. Will be back to try the hotpot!

For those who complain that there is no authentic Chinese food in Syracuse, here you go.
Crowds of Chinese customers slurping down dishes that include items such as duck heads, staff speaks little or no English, even the menus are mostly written in Chinese only.
TV is tuned in to live news from China.
Beverage options don’t even include Coke or Pepsi products.
If you are bored with the CNY dinning scene, I suggest trying this place.