Chinese restaurants in the US are known for being dingy and oily, even when the food is excellent. People don’t go to Chinese restaurants for the atmosphere or the experience, you go for the cheapness. It’s such a shame because that’s not at all what most restaurants or food are like in China. Sure, there are tons of cheap hole-in-the-wall places, but there are also lots of beautifully furnished mid-priced restaurants. (Well, there are also lots of extravagant high end places with private suites and meals running into the hundreds of thousands RMB, but that’s another story)

Cafe China is a rare example in NYC of what a modern moderate price range restaurant might look like in China. Step inside and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into 1920s Shanghai, with all the vintage posters and beaded curtains. I love their attention to detail – in particular the rotary phone at the bar. Aren’t ornate rotary phones just wonderfully romantic? I’m obsessed with them. In my future home, there will definitely be one…

Crispy and spicy baby fish to start. These are quite spicy! Delicious, but paled in comparison to the next 2 dishes we ordered.

The Chungking spicy chicken was a beautiful dish, and the sesame seeds added a lovely aroma to the chicken. It’s not that hot, which I’ve noticed is a trend at Cafe China. Even the dishes marked as super spicy really aren’t, which I actually appreciate. Sometimes heat can overpower a dish so that it has no taste at all besides just being really really spicy. This chicken had a good balance of flavor and heat.

Ah! Here we are. The star of the show. Sweet and sour baby ribs. I was blown away by how homey and authentic this was. This could’ve come out of my mom’s kitchen. Also, they weren’t afraid to leave the cartilage on the bone, as that’s my favorite part. Underneath those ribs, you’ll also find a bed of spinach, which was a nice surprise.

Because of work, I end up ordering takeout from Cafe China a lot and have consequently tried almost their entire menu. I don’t know whether I should be proud or ashamed. Regardless, some favorites include:

Pickle and Fish Stew

Baby Ribs in Bamboo Leaves

Braised Pork

Fragrant Fish Fillet

Braised Fish Fillet with Silken Tofu

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Cafe China

13 E. 37th St (btw 5th and Mad), New York, NY