


A legendary Chinese eatery from the ’80s is modernized in a three-story space with decorous rooms, serving Sichuan-inspired cuisine.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 42 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Phone: (212) 966-6002
Website: http://hwayuannyc.com/
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Order and Reservations
Reservations: resy.com
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Hwa Yuan Szechuan | Authentic Chinese Cuisine
Hwa Yuan Szechuan Restaurant (@hwa.yuan.nyc) · New York, NY
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Reviews
We dined the night before Lunar New Year and our bill was about $300+ Some staple dishes like the Peking duck and soup were fine. The issue was the service and how a complaint was handled.
I spoke to our female waitress in Mandarin and asked her to recommend a fish dish with a bean sauce. She directed me to the hot and sour fish. What arrived was a $52 tilapia that was heavily fried, dry, and covered in an extremely sweet pineapple sauce with pineapple chunks. It was clearly a Westernized sweet and sour style dish and not what I asked for!
When I raised the issue, she dismissed it immediately and said there was nothing she could do because I ordered it and that is just how the dish is. She also told me she recommended it “because of your husband is a foreigner” which was inappropriate and unprofessional.
I asked to speak with the manager. The first floor staff behind the host stand told me the manager was sleeping. They later relayed that the manager said no and would not come speak with me. A male server behind the host stand then shoo’d me away. No one tried to resolve the issue or even listen.
I also noticed that nearby non East Asian tables were spoken to more patiently and warmly, while my concern was brushed off quickly. The difference in tone was noticeable.
I had continued to dine here in the past because I understood the business had been struggling and I wanted to support them. After this experience, I no longer will. There are many nearby Chinese restaurants at half the price with better food and far better service, and I would recommend supporting those instead.
At this price level, the dismissiveness and lack of accountability is unacceptable. I left feeling talked down to and ignored, and forced to pay for a misrepresented dish that was not edible. I will not be back.
The duck itself look malnourished (very skinny, not much meat / fat), was dark and overall dry. Check the pics posted by other users if you don’t believe me (and google “Peking duck” to see what it’s supposed to look like). And that wasn’t even the worst part…
The steamed wraps were ASTONISHINGLY TERRIBLE – they looked more like tortillas (with burn marks) and were so incredibly dry that they cracked when we tried to wrap them. After complaining, the waiter gave us a slightly better batch, but still super dry! We ended up just giving up on the wraps and ate the duck straight.
If you’re looking for authentic Chinese, go literally ANYWHERE else in Chinatown.
On the other hand, if you like everything tasting overly sweet and malnourished ducks, then you might like this place.
We ordered their signature Beijing Duck. The duck arrived with skin that was dark and lacked the glossy look of a well-prepared Peking Duck. The meat itself was quite dry, and the staff member slicing the duck left two large pieces untouched and cutting the skin into rough, uneven chunks.
The duck crepes, which should have been soft and delicate, were stiff and hard to chew—almost like they hadn’t been fully cooked. Even the rice tasted stale and too firm.
What really bothered us, however, was the service. It was blatantly unequal. We observed the waitstaff—who are all Chinese—being far more attentive and warm to non-Asian customers. Our table, made up of Chinese diners, was consistently ignored. No one checked in on us or even refilled our water until we flagged someone down to complain. It felt like we were being taken for granted simply because we’re Chinese, and that’s unacceptable—especially when we paid the same as everyone else.
This kind of discriminatory treatment has no place in any restaurant, let alone one with Hwa Yuan’s reputation. We won’t be returning.
From the moment the duck arrived, it was clear something was off. The skin lacked the signature crispness and looked like it had been pre-prepared and reheated, possibly from a day or more ago. When sliced, it was visibly uneven and tough in spots—a telltale sign that it was not freshly roasted. The ultimate test was the duck leg, which was chewy, dry, and difficult to eat, making it obvious that the dish was not fresh.
To make matters worse, even the wrappers, which should be thin, delicate, and freshly steamed, were old and stiff. The garnishes, including the scallions and cucumbers, looked like they had been chopped hours earlier, lacking the vibrancy and crispness that fresh ingredients should have.
Other dishes were equally disappointing. The jellyfish appetizer was fine, but the fried oyster was a disaster—mostly batter with barely any oyster inside. On top of that, they charged $10 for a pot of tea, something that is often complimentary or at least reasonably priced at high-end Chinese restaurants.
The dining experience itself was also unpleasant. Despite having two floors, they crammed all diners into a tight corner on the second floor, right next to the kitchen, seemingly for staff convenience rather than customer comfort.
We left quickly, feeling deeply disappointed. For a restaurant with a Michelin recommendation, the quality was shockingly poor. If you’re looking for authentic, freshly made Peking Duck, look elsewhere—this place isn’t worth your time or money.
We were holidaying in NYC for Christmas with friends and visited for a nice meal out. We had no expectations, but sadly the experience fell short of even that!
– We were rushed into ordering drinks, so that we stayed and ordered food.
– While ordering it was engaging and felt like we came to the right place for our meal.
– This Chinese Restaurant has never heard of Prawn Crackers.
– Appetisers (spring rolls & ribs) were tasty – but small portions.
– we ordered half a duck (usually plenty for us) – there was no duck!?! We had a plate of skin. We asked for the bones back so that we could take off more duck meat ♂️
– we were recommended 2 main dishes which we ordered, they were fine, but not enough at all.
– The entire party was dissatisfied. We asked for the bill and the waitress demanded a tip – even though we weren’t happy with the food.
– We explained why we didn’t want to tip, for a very mediocre meal that cost us $200 we felt like they’d already had their tips from us.
– we were called tight and were continually challenged by the waitress until we gave them $10 to go away.
The duck was the worst duck we’ve had in our lives.
I advise you go elsewhere.
Every bit of the food was incredible as well, being the best we’ve had for any of the dishes. Scallion pancakes were so savory and delicious. The whole duck more than fed our party of 3, it was carved at the table, and it was perfectly cooked. Just a piece of skin has more flavor than most restaurants do. It was made all the better by the Hoisin Sauce they provided, which went great with everything.
Overall it was a very memorable experience, completely worth the price for the high-quality you receive. It was so good we might make coming here at least a yearly tradition, if not more often.
I started with an Old Fashioned cocktail which was the low of the evening for me – wasn’t well made and overly sweet – so I switched to TsingTao beer after.
The food and service was great. I highly recommend the Beijing duck. Everyone clearly comes to this restaurant for it and I had to try. We got the half duck for 2 people and the waitress asks if you want to take a picture before she starts carving it up at the table. We also ordered the shrimp dumplings, bok choy, and a spicy tofu and pork dish. Everything was delicious.
I also discovered that this restaurant is Michelin starred which wasn’t surprising given the great food, but what was surprising was that everything was reasonably priced – appetizers are in the $12 range, Beijing duck for 2 is $45, and most entrees are in the $30 range. However, Cocktails were expensive at $20 each and not the best tasting so I’d recommend just going with beer or wine.
Overall, I would definitely recommend checking this place out. Appears to get very busy on a Friday night so I’d recommend making a reservation.