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Overhead view of Chinese rice, vegetable, and noodle dishes on a table.
Dishes from Miss Shirley’s on Magazine Street.
Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA

The Best Chinese Restaurants in and Around New Orleans

Sichuan hot pot, Beijing duck, crab fingers Cantonese, and more

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Dishes from Miss Shirley’s on Magazine Street.
| Randy Schmidt/Eater NOLA

New Orleans may not have a Chinatown, but there are great Chinese restaurants, both traditional and contemporary. Serving soul-warming soups, tangy noodle dishes, splendidly stuffed bao, and the glory that is Beijing duck, here are Eater’s picks for where to satisfy a craving for comforting Chinese cuisine in and around New Orleans.

It’s worth noting that many corner stores offer quick versions of Chinese specialties, and some are downright delicious. LB Saints Food Store is a case in point. But this list sticks to Chinese restaurants.

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Panda King

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The only place around that serves traditional dim sum from pushcarts, Panda King on the West Bank has always drawn hordes to the Hong Kong brunch of steamed dumplings, baked buns, roasted duck, and pork. It’s still serving authentic dim sum off the menu for dining in and for takeout, with push cart service offered on weekends, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hong Kong Food Market

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Although it’s not a restaurant, this spacious Asian supermarket carries a spinning globe of international ingredients along with prepared foods to take away. Head towards the back at Hong Kong Market on the right for glistening, lacquered duck and slices of red-hued char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), fragrant with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and Chinese five-spice powder.

China Doll

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One of the West Bank’s favorite Chinese restaurants, China Doll’s Cantonese delights are well-informed by the family who founded it, the mother and siblings of the owner of Ming’s in Lakeview (the family also founded China Orchid). Try their version of barbecue shrimp and catfish or crab fingers Cantonese.

Hong Minh Restaurant

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Right off the freeway tucked behind a Best Buy on the Westbank, Hong Minh has an excellent menu of Chinese specialties, alongside some traditional Vietnamese and Asian fusion dishes. It’s a gem for takeout, with menu highlights that include Mongolian beef, roast duck, wonton soup, and beef with broccoli. Great lunch special.

Luvi Restaurant

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Chef Hao Gong elevates everything he touches to another level. While his mastery with sashimi is Luvi’s calling card, his Chinese dishes, both hot and cold, are fantastic. The menu changes often but usually features heavenly curried favor dumplings — beef and caramelized onions wrapped in the featherweight dough and swimming in a lightly curried broth — as well as bang bang chicken and spicy dan dan noodles.

Dumplings from Luvi.
Luvi

Wishing Town Bakery Cafe

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While Wishing Town is also a bakery, Guangzhou-born couple Vivi and Kevin Zheng’s Chinese specialties are some of the best in town. An extensive array of dim sum and cold noodle salads round out a menu of beautiful cakes and pastries, perfect for a celebration. There is a wide array of dumplings including scallop and shrimp; crawfish; onion and beef; crispy fried chicken; and char siu tofu pockets to a bustling Magazine Street corner.

Miss Shirley's

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Shirley and Tang Lee, the original proprietors of Royal China in Metairie, brought Miss Shirley’s famed cuisine to the former home of Jung’s Golden Dragon II in late 2022, a happy new life for the space. Serving a new, smaller menu than at Royal China, Miss Shirley’s focuses on dim sum, as well as rich, brothy soups and a few Chinese-American staples. The recent refresh adds comforting blues, festive lights, and bigger tables, as dim sum is best enjoyed with a group.

China Orchid

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China Orchid in the Riverbend neighborhood has been around for more than 25 years, first opened by Susan Ming, whose chef son now runs Ming’s in Lakeview. Although no longer in the Ming family, this neighborhood go-to for Chinese takeout offers an extensive menu, lunch specials and speedy service for take out.

Zhang Bistro

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Zhang Bistro is a family-run restaurant on the Esplanade side of Decatur serving a full menu of Chinese and Thai specialties. It’s a pretty, modern space, with great cocktails, lo mein, roasted duck, and the hot wok, a Sichuan-style dish of meat, onion, green pepper, cauliflower, jalapeno, and garlic tossed with spicy brown sauce. Cool down with the mango sticky rice.

Zhang Bistro’s hot wok dish
Zhang Bistro

Dian Xin

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The joy of having spicy Sichuan food in the French Quarter is boundless for fans of the chili-driven fare from the province in southwest China. Try Dian Xin’s xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, made with ground pork, ginger, and garlic swimming in a searing hot broth — best to coddle the dumpling in a spoon and gently poke it with the chopstick to let the steam out, making it easier to slurp. Also say yes to pan-fried pork dumplings and for heat lovers, the chili chicken is incendiary. A second location in the Quarter serves staples along with a hot pot menu.

Five Happiness

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Five Happiness opened on Carrollton Avenue in 1979 when Chinese food options were minimal. Named for the Chinese tradition of five kinds of happiness: longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death, Five Happiness adds a full belly to the list. The crispy whole fish with black bean sauce is a winner, ditto the duck, which comes with 10 thin crepes for bundling.

Bao & Noodle

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Chef Doug Crowell’s divine fried and steamed bao stuffed with soy-flavored garlicky roast pork is sublime. A veteran of the Herbsaint kitchen, Crowell learned Chinese dishes from his chef father-in-law in New York. Order plates of zippy dan dan noodles, ma po tofu, and hand-pulled noodles with cumin lamb. The spicy chicken noodle soup with greens will clear up any cold in a jiffy.

Get Your Mom & Dim Sum

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Serving some of the most exciting new Chinese-American cuisine in town is Get Your Mom & Dim Sum from chef Andrew Lu, found in the most unlikely of places: the Holy Ground Irish Pub in Mid-City. Lu has fleshed out his menu for the bar kitchen, which is loved for dim sum like dan dan dumplings, shrimp cakes, and black pepper beef, and mashed potato dumplings, with large plates. The menu is available from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the bar,.

China Rose

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The menu at China Rose comes in an English and Chinese version, a good sign. If dishes like bean curd skin, beef tendon in brown sauce, and fried pork intestines aren’t your jam, crispy duck, orange beef, and other traditional dishes await. The $9.95 appetizer platter delivers egg rolls, fried wonton, fried shrimp, shrimp toast, crab rangoon, and ribs, a good deal.

Tucked away by a Lakeview shopping center, this Cantonese restaurant is open, airy, and offers outside seating. Chef Ming channels recipes from his Hong Kong birthplace with Cantonese options like shrimp with lobster sauce, shrimp lo mein, and salt and pepper pork. Regulars miss the lunch specials, as for now Ming’s is open only for dinner.

Little Chinatown

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Little Chinatown on Williams Boulevard near the airport offers a massive menu of darn good traditional Chinese fare. Get the salt and pepper wings or try the roast duck, a somewhat rare find at most New Orleans Chinese spots. The pancakes are bun style, not the thin kind, but very good. Avoiding fried? Try the chicken lettuce wraps, a light dish that satisfies.

Trey Yuen Cuisine Of China

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Trey Yuen is a bright spot on the local Chinese food horizon, although you need to travel across the 24-mile causeway to the other side of the lake to find it. In the hands of the third generation of Wongs, who opened their first eatery in Hammond in 1971, this restaurant is full of Chinese art and artifacts and includes a pretty koi pond (ask about fish food for the kids). A few dishes to try: the ethereal shrimp and crab in a cloud, rich with egg and flavors of the sea; a bracing crawfish in spicy lobster and black bean sauce; and for the intrepid, marinated alligator stir-fried with fresh mushrooms. 

Panda King

The only place around that serves traditional dim sum from pushcarts, Panda King on the West Bank has always drawn hordes to the Hong Kong brunch of steamed dumplings, baked buns, roasted duck, and pork. It’s still serving authentic dim sum off the menu for dining in and for takeout, with push cart service offered on weekends, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hong Kong Food Market

Although it’s not a restaurant, this spacious Asian supermarket carries a spinning globe of international ingredients along with prepared foods to take away. Head towards the back at Hong Kong Market on the right for glistening, lacquered duck and slices of red-hued char siu (Chinese barbecued pork), fragrant with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and Chinese five-spice powder.

China Doll

One of the West Bank’s favorite Chinese restaurants, China Doll’s Cantonese delights are well-informed by the family who founded it, the mother and siblings of the owner of Ming’s in Lakeview (the family also founded China Orchid). Try their version of barbecue shrimp and catfish or crab fingers Cantonese.

Hong Minh Restaurant

Right off the freeway tucked behind a Best Buy on the Westbank, Hong Minh has an excellent menu of Chinese specialties, alongside some traditional Vietnamese and Asian fusion dishes. It’s a gem for takeout, with menu highlights that include Mongolian beef, roast duck, wonton soup, and beef with broccoli. Great lunch special.

Luvi Restaurant

Chef Hao Gong elevates everything he touches to another level. While his mastery with sashimi is Luvi’s calling card, his Chinese dishes, both hot and cold, are fantastic. The menu changes often but usually features heavenly curried favor dumplings — beef and caramelized onions wrapped in the featherweight dough and swimming in a lightly curried broth — as well as bang bang chicken and spicy dan dan noodles.

Dumplings from Luvi.
Luvi

Wishing Town Bakery Cafe

While Wishing Town is also a bakery, Guangzhou-born couple Vivi and Kevin Zheng’s Chinese specialties are some of the best in town. An extensive array of dim sum and cold noodle salads round out a menu of beautiful cakes and pastries, perfect for a celebration. There is a wide array of dumplings including scallop and shrimp; crawfish; onion and beef; crispy fried chicken; and char siu tofu pockets to a bustling Magazine Street corner.

Miss Shirley's

Shirley and Tang Lee, the original proprietors of Royal China in Metairie, brought Miss Shirley’s famed cuisine to the former home of Jung’s Golden Dragon II in late 2022, a happy new life for the space. Serving a new, smaller menu than at Royal China, Miss Shirley’s focuses on dim sum, as well as rich, brothy soups and a few Chinese-American staples. The recent refresh adds comforting blues, festive lights, and bigger tables, as dim sum is best enjoyed with a group.

China Orchid

China Orchid in the Riverbend neighborhood has been around for more than 25 years, first opened by Susan Ming, whose chef son now runs Ming’s in Lakeview. Although no longer in the Ming family, this neighborhood go-to for Chinese takeout offers an extensive menu, lunch specials and speedy service for take out.

Zhang Bistro

Zhang Bistro is a family-run restaurant on the Esplanade side of Decatur serving a full menu of Chinese and Thai specialties. It’s a pretty, modern space, with great cocktails, lo mein, roasted duck, and the hot wok, a Sichuan-style dish of meat, onion, green pepper, cauliflower, jalapeno, and garlic tossed with spicy brown sauce. Cool down with the mango sticky rice.

Zhang Bistro’s hot wok dish
Zhang Bistro

Dian Xin

The joy of having spicy Sichuan food in the French Quarter is boundless for fans of the chili-driven fare from the province in southwest China. Try Dian Xin’s xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, made with ground pork, ginger, and garlic swimming in a searing hot broth — best to coddle the dumpling in a spoon and gently poke it with the chopstick to let the steam out, making it easier to slurp. Also say yes to pan-fried pork dumplings and for heat lovers, the chili chicken is incendiary. A second location in the Quarter serves staples along with a hot pot menu.

Five Happiness

Five Happiness opened on Carrollton Avenue in 1979 when Chinese food options were minimal. Named for the Chinese tradition of five kinds of happiness: longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and peaceful death, Five Happiness adds a full belly to the list. The crispy whole fish with black bean sauce is a winner, ditto the duck, which comes with 10 thin crepes for bundling.

Bao & Noodle

Chef Doug Crowell’s divine fried and steamed bao stuffed with soy-flavored garlicky roast pork is sublime. A veteran of the Herbsaint kitchen, Crowell learned Chinese dishes from his chef father-in-law in New York. Order plates of zippy dan dan noodles, ma po tofu, and hand-pulled noodles with cumin lamb. The spicy chicken noodle soup with greens will clear up any cold in a jiffy.

Get Your Mom & Dim Sum

Serving some of the most exciting new Chinese-American cuisine in town is Get Your Mom & Dim Sum from chef Andrew Lu, found in the most unlikely of places: the Holy Ground Irish Pub in Mid-City. Lu has fleshed out his menu for the bar kitchen, which is loved for dim sum like dan dan dumplings, shrimp cakes, and black pepper beef, and mashed potato dumplings, with large plates. The menu is available from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the bar,.

China Rose

The menu at China Rose comes in an English and Chinese version, a good sign. If dishes like bean curd skin, beef tendon in brown sauce, and fried pork intestines aren’t your jam, crispy duck, orange beef, and other traditional dishes await. The $9.95 appetizer platter delivers egg rolls, fried wonton, fried shrimp, shrimp toast, crab rangoon, and ribs, a good deal.

Ming's

Tucked away by a Lakeview shopping center, this Cantonese restaurant is open, airy, and offers outside seating. Chef Ming channels recipes from his Hong Kong birthplace with Cantonese options like shrimp with lobster sauce, shrimp lo mein, and salt and pepper pork. Regulars miss the lunch specials, as for now Ming’s is open only for dinner.

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Little Chinatown

Little Chinatown on Williams Boulevard near the airport offers a massive menu of darn good traditional Chinese fare. Get the salt and pepper wings or try the roast duck, a somewhat rare find at most New Orleans Chinese spots. The pancakes are bun style, not the thin kind, but very good. Avoiding fried? Try the chicken lettuce wraps, a light dish that satisfies.

Trey Yuen Cuisine Of China

Trey Yuen is a bright spot on the local Chinese food horizon, although you need to travel across the 24-mile causeway to the other side of the lake to find it. In the hands of the third generation of Wongs, who opened their first eatery in Hammond in 1971, this restaurant is full of Chinese art and artifacts and includes a pretty koi pond (ask about fish food for the kids). A few dishes to try: the ethereal shrimp and crab in a cloud, rich with egg and flavors of the sea; a bracing crawfish in spicy lobster and black bean sauce; and for the intrepid, marinated alligator stir-fried with fresh mushrooms. 

Related Maps