The Room
Chinese Tuxedo sits at 5 Doyers Street, on the bent Chinatown alley once called the Bloody Angle. The space was New York's first Chinese opera house. Owners Jeff Lam and Eddy Buckingham reopened it in 2016, keeping the pillars and pressed-tin and adding mid-century furniture. It is the most beautiful dining room in Chinatown, and the reason most people come.
The food has to live up to the room, and mostly it does. Executive chef Paul Donnelly cooks banquet-style modern Chinese — start with the honey-glazed char siu, the dish to order, then the crispy eggplant and the house-made egg noodles. Build out from there with shared plates. For eight or more, the set banquet menu runs $98 a head and is the cleanest way to eat across the kitchen. Most a la carte plates start around $24.
It is not a Michelin-starred kitchen, and it doesn't need to be. It is a good modern Chinese restaurant in an extraordinary room, priced for the neighbourhood rather than the address.
Best for a First Date
Book Chinese Tuxedo for a first date for the room, the format, and the walk in. The opera-house setting is dramatic without being loud, the shared plates give you something to do together, and Doyers Street is a story in itself. Prices read as considered rather than extravagant, which is the right note early on. Reserve one to two weeks ahead for a weekend table.
Not for
Skip Chinese Tuxedo if you want old-school, cheap Cantonese — for that, walk two minutes to Great NY Noodletown. This is a designed room with designed prices, and the cooking is good rather than transcendent. And don't come for a Michelin star on the wall: it doesn't have one, and the draw is the space, not the guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chinese Tuxedo have a Michelin star?
No. Chinese Tuxedo is a modern Chinese restaurant well covered in Chinatown dining write-ups, but it does not hold a Michelin star. The draw is the room — a restored former Chinese opera house on Doyers Street — and Paul Donnelly's banquet-style cooking, not a star rating.
What should I order?
The honey-glazed char siu is the signature and the dish to start with. Add the crispy eggplant and the house-made egg noodles, then build out with shared plates. For eight or more, the set banquet menu at $98 a head is the easiest way to eat across the kitchen's range without over-ordering.
What is the building?
It was New York's first Chinese opera house, on the bent alley once known as The Bloody Angle. Owners Jeff Lam and Eddy Buckingham restored it in 2016, keeping the original pillars and pressed-tin while adding mid-century touches. The room is the reason to come. See more New York restaurants.
Is Chinese Tuxedo good for a first date?
Yes. The room is dramatic without being loud, the shared plates give you something to do together, and Doyers Street itself is a talking point. Prices are moderate — most plates from about $24 — so it reads as considered rather than extravagant. Book one to two weeks ahead for a weekend table.
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