Experts' Choice Award Mission Chinese Food
What the experts agree on
Danny Bowien's boundary-pushing Californian-Sichuan cooking delivers bold, mouth-burning flavors and inventive mashups like kung pao pastrami—though some find the intense spice relentless rather than fun.
“The kung pao pastrami... intermingles tender pastrami with vegetables and tastes like the product of a collision between Big Apple institutions Katz's Deli and Grand Sichuan.”
– Gayot
Fodor's "When the news spread that chef Danny Bowien was bringing his popular San Franisco Chinese spot to the Lower East Side, you could almost hear a collective shout of blogosphere glee." Full review
Michelin Guide "Uniquely aggressive cooking that may yield delicious Shanghainese rice cakes tossed with thrice-cooked bacon and chili oil-soaked tofu skin."
Rough Guide Star
"Cultish San Francisco Chinese fusion joint with a menu of small dishes like char siu pig ear terrine... and tea-poached chilled greens."
Time Out "Bowien’s cooking—bold and original and well worth the wait—features intensely personal spins on a host of Szechuan and Chinese-American classics." Full review
New York Magazine Critic's Pick
"The one-note, meat-centric focus on Sichuan cuisine sent my fellow diners and me into a peppery, protein-induced death spiral from which there was little relief or escape." Full review
The New Yorker "The room, down a dim hallway/kitchen-viewing galley, isn’t much to look at... but it doesn’t matter, because the food is the star of the show." Full review
Village Voice Critic's Pick
"Cool the burn with a nifty version of chilled Japanese soba, which ramps up the traditional austere presentation with a very Southwestern (American, that is) green chile sauce." Full review
i
Go at lunch to avoid the crowds.
The Infatuation6.6
"Mission Chinese has always been a good time, but now, with sweet new digs, it’s an absolute f*cking blast." Full review
Zagat "Danny Bowien’s “like-no-other” Lower Eastsider “challenges your taste buds” with spins on Californian Sichuan cooking that “turns up the spice” to “mouth-burning” degrees." Full review
New York Times "When it appeared on Orchard Street in 2012, Mission Chinese Food was slightly unreal." Full review
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