Mission Chinese Food

Love this place!!! Have been meaning to come for a while and it’s totally worth the hype!
We best dishes we had were the uni dish, green tea noodles, cumin lamb, papaya salad. SOO good.
The vibe is really great inside and the service was great. I highly recommend!

I think I want to like to place more than I actually did. If half stars were available, they’d get a 3.5 from me. Got the Feast with a bunch of people. Notes below.
The Chongqing wings have a really nice dry spice, but can be off-​putting for people who can’t tolerate hot foods. I was surprised at how spicy and numbing they were. I personally like them, but these aren’t wings you’ll want to eat regularly, the way Korean wings can be.
The Red Cabbage Salad was okay. The green tea noodles were good but I found the matcha to only take away from the dish; frankly, I thought it was just an unnecessary flourish.
I really liked the Mapo Tofu and the Salt Cod Fried Rice, but not anything special given the price we were paying. The Broccoli Beef was again good but not mind blowing.

I do not see the hype for this place. The food combinations are unique, but failed in execution. Everything we ordered was overly salty, especially the Chicken liver miso, it was inedible. My favorites for the night was the cold noodles, and thrice cooked pork and rice cake. But once again, very salty. I had about 3 glasses water, just so I can wash everything down. The staff was nice, and attentive for the most part. If you do go there, make sure to order a side of white rice, because you will need it. Also, if you failed to make a reservation online, just call them. I originally tried to make a reservation for 5 ppl around 7, but was not able to get a table. So, I had to decrease the size of the party. However, once I arrived at the restaurant, there were a lot of tables free. In a nut shell, do not spend more than :10
Waiting online, it’s not worth it! walk a few blocks down to Chinatown, you can find better tasting foods there.

Best lobster fried rice I have ever had! Modern Chinese food in a hip funky setting. We sat at the bar for the wait. Skilled craftsmen behind the bar.
Service was first rate. I’m only wish I lived a little closer

Definitely hostile server. Served an entrée well before any of the dim sum and made it seem like it was our problem that we didn’t appreciate the food as it came out, whenever and however the chef wanted. Server made a mistake on the order, but acted like it was our problem. Loud music reminiscent of a pizzeria. Left with the feeling that the restaurant’s motto is «the customer is always wrong». We liked some of the dishes, but overall it is someplace I never want to go to again.

After hearing about their popularity in San Francisco, we were delighted to find out that there was a location in New York City. We arrived on a Friday night and despite being told that it would be a 45 minute wait for a table, we were seated within 5 minutes.
We started out with drinks, which were both pretty unique but personally, I preferred the Firewater over the Lava Lamp.
Lava Lamp ($ 14) — Matcha, Aloe Vera, Melon, Fizzy Chernin Blanc.
Fire Water walk with me ($ 14) — Aged Rum, Baijiu, Lychee, almond milk syrup, orange blossom,
Okay, now on to the food. We made the mistake of ordering 3 dishes that were all spicy. You should definitely heed the advice of the waitress and balance it out with at least one non-​spicy dish or your mouth will be on fire.
Spicy Peanut Noodles– ($ 13) Out of the three, this would probably be my favorite. There is a nice kick to it but after a while the spiciness will creep up to you.
Kung Pao Pastrami ($ 17) — Least favorite. I don’t think this goes well together as an Asian dish but it is interesting to try. There is barely any pastrami in it because most of the deceiving squares are actually potato pieces.
Mapo Tofu ($ 15) — this was good too, not amazing like how the waitress described it to us but we did still enjoy it. You definitely need to eat this with white rice.
2 White Rice ($ 2.50 each)
Overall, the dishes were a bit overwhelming. I love spicy food but the numbing factor needs to be taken down a notch because after a while, you can barely taste the food anymore.

Great place for interesting drinks and food. The restaurant atmosphere was very lively and the wait staff was friendly yet kind of slow. Our main course dishes weren’t all served at the same time and we ended up waiting around 15 minutes for our rice dish come out after our meat and vegetable dishes were served.
Definitely not your average Chinese food but really delicious. I loved the Phil Collins drink I ordered. It was a yummy concoction of coconut milk, gin and holy basil. The pork tofu dish we ordered was great and had a good level of spice. The waiter suggested we pair that spicy dish with the Napa cabbage vegetable which turned out to be a wonderful combination.
Definitely a good place for something different.

Second time eating here and the verdict’s the same, but I gotta give Bowien some props for making something that’s uniquely/​identifiably «Bowien». Aka clean-​cut fusion dishes, a fun, trendy vibe, whimsical-​ish Chinese-​American homages, and usually some sort of connection to the local area. Notice the pizza oven left over from the pizzeria this place used to be. The food, it’s still something of its own category. Points for being creative and fresh.
The top picks: Cheese pizza and the Phil Khallins cocktail. The cocktail is no joke. It lives up to the hype. Sweet coconut goodness with a drizzle of chili oil. Perhaps inspired by coconut tapioca soup? The sweetness would go well with some of the spicy dishes here.
The cheese pizza is by far the best dish. Good enough to rank as one of the city’s best. Good dough base (and who can argue with fresh, melted cheese, oozing with yumminess!). The Koji fried chicken is cooked perfectly. Tender and juicy meat, crispy exterior. It comes with a bit of rice to catch the chicken juice. Clearly a fun and loose take on Hainanese chicken and rice. Not a huge fan of the spicy bitter sauce, but I can see how it’s necessary to complete the concept of the dish. I also tried the salt cod fried rice and spicy peanut noodles. The rice and noodles are cooked al dente. The spicy peanut noodle is coated in «numbing oil» and that’s true to the description. The taste leans more towards peanut-​y than peanut butter-​y. The salt cod fried rice isn’t very salty (in case you were worried about that).
To end the meal, they have 1 dessert item. Shaved milky snow with peaches and pop rocks. I don’t even know this guy, but it feels Bowien. All in all, the food is more so interesting and puzzling than mind blowing.

Pizza was surprisingly good as well as the spicy peanut noodles (left a bit of a tingle). The koji fried chicken was tender but it was just alright — I much prefer many other shops over it although the bittermelon-​jalapeño sauce was unique. Shaved snow for dessert was bold with pop rocks. Coconut cocktail was dangerously sweet. As always, Bowien keeps it interesting — a lot of things here you can’t get elsewhere in the city.

I really liked the vibe of the place. And any ethnic cuisine joint which prominently features hip-​hop and trap music will always get a positive review from me. But ultimately the food was sort of a let down. I had the flat noodles which were tasty but not very filling. Our waiter was dutiful but seemed to be annoyed with us being there in some sense.
Also, the bathroom and its homages to the classic show Twin Peaks is an obvious plus in any pop culture ahfficiando’s book.
Go here, but keep your expectations in check.

Went with a group of 5. Portions aren’t the greatest bang for the buck, especially in Chinatown. From the «fusion» aspect, things were okay. All of our dishes a ton of salt. We had the kung pao pastrami, the brisket, porridge, shiso fried rice, and wings.
Realistically, the highlight was the water to wash all the sodium out of my mouth.

Finally made it down here for dinner and we were glad that we came. When we walked in we felt like we were 10 years old again and eating out with our immigrant parents at the local Sam Woo’s. The décor is supposed to evoke memories of traditional Chinese restaurants all the way down to the menus. But that’s where the traditional Chinese restaurant experience ends.
The food is a modern twist on traditional Chinese dishes. We ordered five dishes for four people and shared everything family style:
Broccoli Beef Brisket
Mapo Tofu
Salt Cod Fried Rice
Black Kale and Pea Greens
Thrice Cooked Bacon
The Broccoli Beef was awesome! Note that they serve it up with Chinese Broccoli. The beef was really tender and the sauce was familiar, but completely different than the traditional dish.
The Mapo Tofu was probably one of my favorite dishes. There’s lots of mouth numbing wonderful goodness going on in the sauce.
The Thrice Cooked Bacon dish is essentially Shanghai stir fried rice cakes with a twist. It was spicy and delicious.
All in all the food here is quality and the experience is uniquely Chinese but somehow modern/​new. I’d recommend trekking out here to try this place if you haven’t already.

A sensational experience for spice-​lovers. For others, well…
Diana, Katie and I spontaneously showed up here on a Thursday night. We ordered a bottle of wine as we waited, but had to ask for it repeatedly. That set the tone from the get-​go for the service. It’s not like the service is mean, they’re friendly, yet noticeablely indifferent.
The décor and vibe is really funky — chandeliers and plush seats mixed with tacky looking Party City festoons. It definitely pays homage to the humble roots to those janky chinese food take-​out restaurants you always get the $ 5 lunch specials from. I’m flipping out with excitement, because my 3^rd favorite writer, Anthony Bourdain, recently proclaimed this restaurant one of his Top 5 spots in NYC.
The noodles set the tone with a nice kick to the mouth. It was scrumptious, I was slurping up the broth on my plate. More please. I felt like Tony eating a bowl of laksha, «oh yeah, oh yeah baby.»
Scallops were cold and soft, I let the girls eat those to cool off their palates. The waitress pointed out there was a lot of spice in the order, and I could tell the girls were feeling it because they kept dabbing at the kafir butter with the bread, which is like a pita-​meets-​naan, and eating scallops, which reminded me of a dressed– down Morimoto.
I was focused on the spicy stuff. Yaknow, the good stuff. The stuff that makes my face a little red, my mouth tingle, a little burning sensation as it goes down. Ohh yeah. This is where the split in opinion occurs. How people handle the sensations of eating this food is clearly an indicator of whether or not you will enjoy the Mission Chinese experience.
And I’ll be honest, Diana and I, being spice-​lovers, were baffled that Katie wasn’t really vibing to the spice. It was a lot for her. We didn’t get her in the moment. But today, after reading some of the reviews on Unilocal,I’m like, okay, I see her perspective now. Clearly Mission Chinese is spicy to the point of polarizing. So if your body doesn’t react well to the intensity — and believe me, even I, the next day later as I’m writing this review, even after having 3 Tums and a Chobani, feel the tingle in my belly. I understand now why that won’t sit well with others. That, compounded with the almost-​dgaf service and Katie’s low opinion of the wine, makes for a negative experience.
Unfortunately for Katie, Diana and I are on the opposite ends of that spectrum. The Thrice Cooked Bacon upped the ante on the spice levels, well cooked, and all around enjoyable.
However, I became distracted, no that’s not the right word, enamored, head over heels, over the greatest fucking tofu I have ever had in my life. Like holy fucking ball sack that was beyond incredible. When you cut into it, you’re just like, how the fuck do they make it so soft while retaining it’s form. And when you bite into it, you’re like, holy fuck, I didn’t think tofu was capable of this much flavor. And you eat the curry it’s in and the moaning sounds begin. The sensations are building with every bite, you look up and the world feels different. Woah, is that the spice? Reality doesn’t feel quite the same anymore. I felt like my life has changed after eating that tofu. Literally.
At this point, the girls are slowing down, but I’m speeding up. This is an attribute of the 5-​star experience to me, when something is just so good, I get a bottomless stomach. The limits really go away. And that’s when the spicy chicken arrived. He he he he he.
Now — a necessary preamble about the chicken. I feel like the waitresses are almost legally obligated to remind you multiple times how spicy it is. Especially given the spice levels on our table as it is. But I’m like, bring it the fuck on.
You can smell the spice levels are almost out of control. You can see it, the bed of chilis they dramatically pile on top. But the smell, the smell… was, familiar. Hang on. This is one of those unique moments where I know a spice, a flavor, from my childhood growing up in a Tamil household that’s all about the spice.
Even Diana, the self-​proclaimed spice-​lover, deferred from having a wing, knowing from experience how explosive it is. Katie is looking at me like, «Is that your third one, Shibi?» Yes, because while this is egregiously spicy, I’ve known these spices all my life so I can handle it. The numbing of my lips is a good thing. When I stood up to wash my hands and had to take a moment to reorient my axis of balance, I was like, wow-​ie incredible. It’s a compliment, in a spicy household, when a food makes your face drip with sweat but you can’t stop eating because it’s so good.
My mom would grin at this. I wish there were more vegetarian options, because this place is so good, even my parents, who are vegetarian and can’t even step foot in a Chinese restaurant, would appreciate this. That’s how good the spices are, if of course, you’re a spice lover.
If not, well, the other reviews on Unilocal tell your inevitable tale.

Mission Chinese is an interesting place. The food is a far cry from authentic, but it isn’t really your standard Americanized Chinese fare either, nor would you find it in a typical Asian fusion place. We had a reservation and were seated pretty quickly.
We got the spicy wings, kung pao pastrami, koji chicken, and salt cod rice. The wings came first as the appetizer, and it had a powerful ma la (spicy and numbing) taste and a bit of sweetness to it. The closest thing to it would be guai wei dou, a spicy and sweet broad bean snack you can find in many Chinese supermarkets, but it’s much more spicy than that. The kung pao pastrami was well-​cooked and the pastrami didn’t seem out of place at all in the Chinese sauces. The koji chicken was tender and crispy, and the lemon sauce helped to enhance its flavor. The salt cod rice, as implied by the name, was pretty salty for a fried rice dish, but it was tasty and full of umami (stay clear if you dislike fishiness though, because it permeates the entire dish).
Unlike most Chinese restaurants, it has an extensive wine list, though we did not order any alcohol that day.

Mission Chinese is more like a 3.5, but I’ll go ahead and round up. It’s a little overhyped and overpriced, but not to say that there aren’t some stellar dishes on the menu. I’ve dined at Mission Chinese a few times starting at their old location, and I do think the new space is better and less greasy, though missing that old red-​room vibe.
My favorites on the menu include:
Chongqing chicken wings — spicy level high and leaves your mouth with tingling numbness of schezuan, very very good
Salt cod fried rice — helps to combat the heat of some of the other dishes
Mongolian long beans — definitely a dish to share as it’s an entrée serving size of beans
Mapo tofu — good, but also not amazing, however always enjoyable
I mostly dine here when it’s an outing with friends and we can order a variety of dishes from the menu to share. It is a fun environment and the drinks are creative. I don’t normally crave anything on the menu that I don’t enjoy more elsewhere (except for the chongqing chicken wings), but it usually a good meal. What can I say – I’ll probably be back.

This is going to be an atypical review experience, because Mission Chinese gave me my most profound religious experience of my life.
I tried the Cod Fried Rice and was amazed at how good they could make a Chinese takeout staple so much better.
Then I tried the Thrice Cooked Bacon and ended up tasting God in the form of pork (cooked to however those guys got it to perfection), sumptuous dumpling, and hot pepper-​laden spice. — — — — - Best dish of my entire life.
Let me rephrase by stating that I’m not a religious person…
but I found God when I tasted their Thrice Cooked Bacon.

You will probably get about 31 warnings from your hostess and the person that brings out the food about how hot the wings are. The wings are hot, however, it is worth every bite. My advice is to avoid drinking water and once you eat 1 wing, take a 10 second break, eat some rice, and continue on to your second piece. When you feel like you’ve just about had enough, then drink water. For spicy food lovers, this is probably the best hot wings I have ever had in my life.
Fried rice and everything else is also fantastic. This place does get busy, so I would recommend coming early, or test your luck at getting a table near the bar area. There is also a bar at the very back of the restaurant with unreserved bar seating, I would walk back there and see if there is room back there also. Prices are relatively reasonable, and the staff is friendly. Highly recommended!

I was anticipating a 1 – 2 hour wait for a table of 2 on a Saturday night. We went to grab a drink next door and it just so happen that their happy hour was ending in 30 mins ($ 3 beers). 20 mins later we received a text saying that our table was ready. We were ecstatic and rushed back next door. We weren’t aware that there was downstairs seating. I love their décor, with high ceilings. It was more quiet compared to the main dining area and bar seating is available. There wasn’t much interaction between the waiter and us besides taking our order. He didn’t check on if we needed anything else. Not a problem though, we still enjoyed our meal.
For dinner we had the Mongolian long beans, Kung Pao Pastrami and to drink my boyfriend had an IPA and I had Phil Khallins. I was perusing the drink menu and was at disbelief because I couldn’t imagine how the drinks would taste. At my surprise, I loved my cocktail. It was so unique, almost like a spiked asian tongsui. The coconut milk and chili balanced together well, along with the gin. I give Danny Bowien kudos for serving this cocktail in a bowl, very creative.
The food came in 10 – 15 minutes after our drinks. Let’s say it smelled and tasted better than it looks. The long beans were really spicy and eventually turned my tongue numb. But I couldn’t stop eating it because it had such great flavor. It was a tad bit sweet, salty, saucy and hella spicy. We ordered a side of plain jasmine rice. It pairs perfectly to help balance the spiciness. I enjoyed the pastrami, but it was too salty for my palette. The ratio of pastrami to everything else in the dish wasn’t that balanced.
Yes, this was an expensive meal. But I haven’t found another place that serves this unique flavor and creative menu. Although, there are some things on the menu that are questionable, like the $ 100 duck? I mean I guess he’s Danny Bowien and he can price it that way. I will be back to try the Mapo Tofu and spicy wings!

I still have a soft spot in my heart for the old Mission Chinese with the keg out front to appease customers on an hour/​s long wait but the new location has its own charm (i.e. seating you before you pass out from hunger/​drunkenness).
But actually the food was pretty yum. My picky eater of a hubs enjoyed it so much that he wanted to know when we were eating there again. He also ate lamb, which he hardly ever does because he doesn’t like it when it tastes gamey, which this one didn’t.
What we loved:
— Westlake rice porridge, swimming in beef tartare, fish roe and a soft egg. *swoon* If I could have this on tap at home, that would be great.
— Salt and Pepper Lamb Rib Tip with kefir crème fraîche, wild sumac, sweet pickles and hot bread. So damn tasty. Don’t miss out on those pickles. They are crunchy sweet perfection!
— Koji Fried Chicken cooked Hainanese style (I suppose before getting deep fried). This was the most delicious thing we had. I’m contemplating going back and eating this on my own so I won’t have to share lol …
— Beef Jerky Fried Rice — I mean, I guess any kind of fried rice is great if you’re Asian but this one was particularly yum (we basically ordered 2 types of fried rice plus porridge for a party of 6 because #Asian). Filipinos will note that the beef jerky tastes like tapa
So-​so
— Brocolli Beef Brisket — I guess we needed the veggies and the brisket was actually nice but overall nothing to write home about. Should’ve tried the Kung Pao Pastrami instead, in hindsight.
— Chewy Green Tea Noodles — interesting flavor profile and good to try at least once but ultimately it was just okay
— Shaved ice dessert — the Pop Rocks sprinkled on top make it a really fun one to share but it gets less exciting after that. Wish Mission Chinese would come up with a cool new version of buchi (sesame balls) instead cos that’s my Chinese resto jam!

Go sit in the basement if you can, because the décor is wild and makes for a really interesting Snapchat. Yes, I’m a millennial.
Also go here for the cocktails, most of which are inventive and are fresh Asian takes on classics.
Don’t go if you’re a large group on a weekend night, because the wait will be excruciating. Luckily, the four of us got seats at the bar, but we saw people being quoted an hour or longer.
Also, don’t order the spicy wings unless you want to punish your taste buds. I get liking spicy, but not to the point where you can’t feel your lips and it has no flavor.
Get the salt cod fried rice, only if you’re not Chinese. Because otherwise, it will be a rip off because it’s something you grew up eating as poor people food.
You can skip the bacon and rice cakes altogether, because it was lame.
Yes, Mission Chinese has a lot of hype. And yes, it’s super popular. And yes, if I was a white person, I’d probably like it more. But as it stands, 3 stars.
Speaking of, a random white girl came up to me and started talking to me thinking I was part of the waitstaff. While I was eating dinner. Next to my group of friends. And then started telling me that the chef had white parents. Yeah… don’t be that person.

I’ve been to Mission a couple of times and there is one dish that never disappoints! It’s the Kung Pao Pastrami. Asians might hesitate ordering this dish, thinking it’s like Chinese take-​out, but Mission’s Pastrami is a whole another level and a must-​try and re-​try (if you can tolerate a tingle and spice). The peanuts alleviate the spiciness of the dish, acting as a great complement. The pastrami is tender and immerse with flavor. You might think there is a lot of cubed pastrami pieces, but half of them are the deceiving diced up potatoes! This dish is probably one of the few plates I’ve ever ordered multiple times (or every time) at the same restaurant. If all of the dishes were as good as the pastrami, this place would easily be 5-​stars…
Other meat dishes that I’ve tried are the thrice bacon rice cakes and the hoji fried chicken. The thrice bacon plate is quite oily (as expected… it’s bacon). It’s dense and filling (especially with the rice cakes). Nothing too speculator that I would order again.
As for the hoji fried chicken (which we waited over 30 minutes for) was the least greasy and underwhelming dish I’ve had at Mission. The chicken (like Hainanese chicken) is really tender and plain. The skin is barely fried, so don’t really expect the fried part. The sauce on the side was sorta random and too sour for my liking with the chicken.
The most questionable part of the chicken was its color. It looked quite undercooked with parts still pink and raw looking. We questioned the waiter about our concern and he claimed that’s how it’s suppose to be… the chicken is suppose to be «translucent»…
The only vegetable I’ve tried there is the Mongolian long beans (the beans were actually pretty short) and those were alright. Busted with cumin flavor and quite oily.
Occasionally, they will give you complimentary fried dumplings and white rice (even when you already ordered one of their fried rice… yep, never ending carbs)! I’ve tried the beef jerky fried rice, as well as the fish cod one. The serving for both of these rice is enormous. These rice are usually ordered by most tables, but I honestly don’t think they are that good… or memorable. In fact, I find them sorta bland. I guess they complement the savory, salty and saucy dishes.

As a former Army soldier with a history of incompleted missions, I wondered if Mission Chinese would end with unanticipated discharge. Luckily, our pantalones were dry all night. In fact, they were as dry as the personality of our server.
Where do I begin?
Well, It was my beloved boyfriend’s (youthful) birthday, so we ventured the million mile journey from midtown to the LES. After such a long commute, we were terribly famished, so we were a little displeased that we had to wait beyond our reservation time for a table. We waited so long, I almost developed a thigh gap.
Eventually, thighs still mashing together, we were led to a beautiful oceanfront nook. The blue LED lights were so soothing, which was nice because our waitress was borderline rude. We were in need of serenity. Perhaps some relaxing sounds of the orient?
See, my boyfriend has had a history of digestive issues AND it was his birthday, so we were hopeful that our server would make the extra effort. Yet, it seemed like we were going to have better luck finding Nemo than finding such pleasantry.
Just about everything we asked for was responded to with some paraphrased version of «no.» Such consistent rejection, I developed a strong concern for her boyfriend.
Examples:
Could the bartender make a saketini? «Well, we can’t because the sake comes in individual bottles.»
Could we please order the appetizer and meal separate? «No, the chef requires the whole order at once. «
Could you please give us some time between the appetizer and main course? «Ummmm, I’ll try. «(does not try even slightly)
She also never came back to check drinks. Ironically, after our meal was rushed to us, she seemed to disappear completely. We had sought a non-​rushed meal, and she rushed us just to have us sitting there unable to pay the check.
Food was good, though.
Wings were spicy like a Latina stripper on a crisp evening night in Vegas.
Complementary dumplings: «always blow when something is hot” — Mom
Egg Rolls, beef, fried chicken: I swallowed, so it must’ve been good.
Overall:
Tasty
Good people watching.
Ideal for large groups.
Good music
*Let us wish friction upon our server’s boyfriend’s conch. May he be serviced better than our table.
In beef and broccoli we pray,
Amen

Bön alors si vous aimez les endroits calmes, passez votre chemin… par contre si le bruit, les hurlements des américains né vous dérangent pas vous aurez le plaisir de goûter une cuisine originale, bigarrée, métissée tout à fait intéressante dans une décor kitsch et peu éclairé…personnel très attentionné (au USA on travaille les tips…) des cocktails étonnants …Arrivés vers 7:3 pm, finalement l’attente né fut pas longue du tout, grâce a Rachel il faut bien le dire… d’autres eurent moins de chance