CHELI MANHATTAN 浙里
CheLi cooks the Jiangnan region around Shanghai, sweet and soy-heavy and seafood-first, and it holds a Bib Gourmand from the MICHELIN Guide.21
Why go
The kitchen says it is building Song Dynasty banquet culture into Shanghai cooking. It names Beggar's Chicken and braised pork belly as its signatures.3 Hannah Albertine reviewed it for The Infatuation in January 2022 and made the regional case. Jiangnan food leans on sugar, soy and Zhejiang rice wine. Few New York rooms put it front and center.2 You go down a staircase off St Marks Place. The room is hung with lanterns and a thatched roof.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: the wine-soaked Atlantic blue crab. It comes in its shell with the top ajar and you pick up the quarters with your hands.2
- Order: the house special fish stew with Sichuan peppercorns.1
- Order: the red braised pork belly with rice balls, and the fried tofu bites dusted in mala spice and black sesame.2
- Avoid: spending the table on xiao long bao. Order them if you want them, and order everything else first.2
What locals & experts say
- The MICHELIN inspector:
Oddly enough, a recent stunner came straight out of the Sichuan lexicon: House special fish stew with Sichuan peppercorns is a must-order feast.
1 - Hannah Albertine, The Infatuation (14 January 2022, 8.4), on the dish everyone defaults to:
These pork-filled soup dumplings certainly rank higher than your average xiao long bao, but you don't have to order them with the same fervor as you would the other dishes.
2
Good to know
- Booking: they take reservations only for parties larger than five. Everyone else queues.2
- Which door: this page is 19 St Marks Place. There is a second CheLi in Flushing.1
Verdict
should-visit — Add the steamed prawns with glass noodles. They come butterflied, under a garlic and scallion puree you want in every bite. Ask the server for the regional dishes before you open the menu; the MICHELIN inspector says that is how to order here. This eats better the more of you there are.