One person apologizes for liking it so much " although I am not Chinese, so I can't say how authentic it is."
However, one man says he has been to China and it IS authentic (at least the duck I guess) and a man's Taiwanese wife said it was authentic and great.
Make what you will of the woman who had a roach crawl up her leg.
Peking Duck House
236 E 53rd St
(between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 759-8260
(between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 759-8260
Announcement
Enjoy our Peking Duck Dinner. Minimum of 4 persons. More details on our website!
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)51 St. (4, 6, 6X)59 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu, Sun 11:45 am - 10:30 pmFri-Sat 11:30 am - 11:30 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
- $$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
143 reviews for Peking Duck House
Review Highlights What's this?
-
"...and tender meat, paired with hoisin sauce and some nice flour wraps." In 15 reviews -
"Grand Marnier Prawns and Crispy Sea Bass are really good." In 4 reviews -
"Perfect crispy skin and the flavor of the duck meat was great." In 10 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
143 reviews in English
-
Review from Shawnie J.
Westchester County, NY6/8/2013
This place is phenomenal. The service is amazing from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave. They're very accommodating and the service is quick and thorough.
The venue is spacious, good for groups, and the decor is beautiful.
I ordered the sauteed Chinese vegetable with garlic sauce which I assumed, and I think most people would, that it would be mixed vegetables with rice. However, it was a large portion of asparagus and collared greens. They should really stipulate that on the menu. Although it wasn't what I expected, it was still really good.
My friend ordered the general tso chicken and despite the fact that he's a picky eater, he loved it. The portions are huge so come with an empty stomach. I left feeling too full, but it's worth it especially since the meals are so expensive here.
Because it was my birthday, they sang 'happy birthday' (it was cute but hella embarrassing) and provided us with complimentary ice cream and fruit. -
Review from Asuka N.
I came by here to grab dinner with a friend after work recently. Not crowded at all on a Thursday night; getting seated was easy, and service was pretty much standard in terms of what to expect from a Chinese restaurant. I didn't do anything too fancy and went with the paradise beef - basically beef with broccoli, but using slices of filet mignon instead of the cut regularly used. It was very good - the beef itself was of decent quality, and the sauce wasn't as overbearingly greasy as other places I've been to. The main drawback (and this goes for just about everything else on the menu, save perhaps for the duck) is that it was overpriced. $30 is a lot to pay for a dish that, were there ordinary beef being used, would be $5 for a lunch special in Chinatown. Even the regular beef w/broccoli here is $23 for a dinner entree - with no additional sides - so you're just getting socked with the premium of dining in Midtown.
The drinks were also pretty nondescript as well. $8 gets you an undersized glass of sauvignon blanc that was fruitier than I would prefer, and $6.50 will get you 'beer' (literally how it is listed on the menu) - it turns out to be a slightly larger-than-12-ounces bottle of Tsingtao. I might come back if I was hankering for Chinese food, and I would like to try out the full Peking duck sometime - it's not something I've come across often here in the U.S. - but unless you don't have the wherewithal to make it to either Chinatown in Manhattan or Flushing, I'd probably save a little money and eat elsewhere. -
Review from Joe M.
The food, while I was able to eat it, was actually not bad, however, midway through our meal, my friend felt something crawling up her leg; and when she looked, it was a huge cockroach!! Suffice to say, our meal was ruined after that. I tried my best to eat afterwards, but was just disgusted.
I then go to the bathroom, and as I head back to the table I noticea bit of a commotion by our table again...yep, a second roach!! It had climbed up a person sitting at the table next to ours, and he flicked it over and landed by us. Thank God I was not there...I'm not a fan of roaches.
The roaches were bad enough, but for the staff to not acknowledge it and at the very least, apologize?? Not cool.
If you like roaches crawling all up on you, then this might be a good spot for you, but I'm definitely not coming back. -
Review from Cynthia M.
Manhattan, NYBIG GIANT ROACHES!!!!
Now I have written over 700 reviews, with the majority of them being restaurants and I have never had such an experience as this. I am not a clean freak and hey, I have dined in B-rated restaurants, but this was just ridiculous.
Halfway into my meal, I felt something on my leg under the table. I thought maybe the tablecloth was just rubbing against my calf but I moved my leg and still felt the funny sensation. I pulled my leg from out under the table and saw a HUGE ROACH scurrying on my calf. I shook it off and it scurried away towards the wall. My cousin jumped up and tried to trap it under a cup that was on an empty table nearby. The staff came over quietly and trapped it themselves and didn't say a word.
Now, I think I kept my composure quite well and did not make a scene to the other patrons. But the staff did not even acknowledge to us what happened. I sat uncomfortably with my feet raised the rest of the meal still in shock about what happened.
Was this an isolated instance though? NO! About 15 minutes later, we looked over at the table next to us and noticed ANOTHER GIANT ROACH crawling up the tablecloth close to the top of the table! These roaches are BOLD! The patron (a tourist who just expects everything in NYC to be dirty) just brushed it off onto the floor and the staff again discreetly went to try to catch it but failed this time (Roach wins this round)
Now, twice in one short dinner hour? There has got to be some health code violation at this place. I have dined all around the five boroughs (except Staten Island) and NOTHING like this has ever happened to me.
I won't say anything about the food because you judge it for yourself if you even want to step foot in a restaurant where this happens. And there was no apology from the staff or acknowledgement about what happened at all! They are lucky we didn't even ask for any discount or comped meal after that horrible experience.
I WILL NEVER GO BACK! I AM TRAUMATIZED ENOUGH. I get sick just thinking about how their kitchen is. -
Review from Stephen C.
New York, NYWhat is not to like about a solid NYC classic eatery? They have the look, feel and style that is practiced year after year. And of course, "what would you order in a restaurant named "The Peking Duck House?" The duck! I was with a group and we all left knowing we tried this place. They did a great job on everything from food to service and kept that old "NYC feel" of a place that hasn't changed since the day they opened. -
Review from Joan H.
Very much a Chinese restaurant from the 70s - you've got all your great Chinese-American classics with plenty of sauces to smother up a heaping dish of deep fried meat. They have some decent set meals with the duck that will be way too much food - so try to always order for 1-2 persons less than in your group. These meals include your very Chinese-American fried noodles with plum sauce, egg roll, chicken dumplings, and soup (hot and sour, egg drop, wonton).
The duck is solid, but I prefer making my own wrapper, so that I can put the exact ratio of duck - sauce - cucumber - scallion that I prefer. They slice the meat very thick here, so not just skin, as in a lot of places in China.
It's not a bad spot for a big group lunch, especially as they have a good back room that accommodates 5 or so tables.
Expect to spend around $30 for too much food, including tips. -
Review from B. G.
Short Hills, NJComing here for years and it's always terrific. The Peking Duck is carved at the table. It is perfectly cooked. The pancakes are kept warm and moist in a steamer. Impeccable. The other dishes are good too, but go for the duck. -
Review from Janet C.
Brooklyn, NY8/28/2013
Came with 8 customers. All ordered Peking Duck ask for wet towelets for our hands. Language barrier did not know what we were asking for. Should have been available for this dish. -
Review from alicia k.
What do you order if you go to a place called Peking Duck house? If you don't get the duck, you are missing out! Come in a large group so you can take advantage of the family meal. Since we didn't have enough people, there was an option to order it a la carte. When the duck arrives, the chef comes out of the kitchen and carves the duck in front of you. He doesn't say a word, but you will be mesmerized by the speed and precision by which he carves that duck. The duck is perfectly seasoned and perfectly crispy. The crispy duck and a green onion stalk served as a great filing for the housemade wraps. Unlike many other Chinese restaurants, they do not take the carcass and make soup for you. That was a big bummer.
The shark fin soup (it's expensive) was delicious. Great balance of wine and other flavors and the fin had nice firm texture, a cross between gelatin and cartilage. The wonton soup was so so. The wonton skins were too doughy and the filing was a bit bland.
Overall, this restaurant is large, clean and the service is very good.-
Peking duck is a must.
-
-
Review from Elisa L.
REGO PARK, NYMade a reservation for 8 guests @ 7pm on Wednesday. They set up a table for us that could only seat 6 people & we said no, that's not happening. They were hesitant in adding another table for us so we wouldn't have to be elbow to elbow but they ended up moving us to another table that seated all 8 of us comfortably. Once we got settled in & was ready to order they told us we had to move to the back because a party of 16 was coming (not sure how they were going to fit 16 people where we were originally sitting, not possible) so we grabbed our things, moved to the back & was finally able to order our food.
My party & I ordered 3 Peking ducks, 1 appetizer and 4 entrees.
Peking ducks were very dry & skin was not crispy (all 3 of them) - very disappointing & I prefer having my Peking duck in a steamed bun rather than a flour tortilla. It was like eating a duck burrito, but that's just me.
Jellyfish - bland & boring. They could've at least served it with pickled daikon & carrots or something.
Shrimp w/ candied walnuts & broccoli in mayo sauce - shrimps were big but not crispy & too salty.
String beans w/ minced pork - probably the only thing I enjoyed.
Pan-fried noodles w/ beef - They use a lo mein type noodle for this instead of the thin one & because of that, it got soggy too quickly and again, too salty!
5-spice pork chops - For this to be seasoned with 5-spices it lacked flavor.
BTW, this place is BYOL - Wines & Liquor, no beer.
Overall, I was disappointed & would've been happy with a $1 Peking duck sandwich from the food stand in Flushing.
I left feeling full, but not satisfied. -
Review from Brent C.
Sunnyside, NYGreat duck, $10 corkage, very friendly staff. We've had several dinners here with 50+ people, and they're very BYOB friendly. Bring your own stems if you're serious about wine. Highly recommended.
Also great vegetarian dishes, and the scallop & seaweed is a favorite app. -
Review from Joe L.
My Taiwanese wife said this is the best duck she has ever had, even better than when she lived in Taiwan. I think that says enough about it, but in my opinion it is definitely the best that this white guy has ever had. Perfect crispy skin and the flavor of the duck meat was great. A bit pricey compared to other duck restaurants I've been to in California but well worth it. -
Review from Adrienne O.
Washington, DCFour stars for the peking duck service, two for all of the other food.
Because we wanted to try and be a little healthy, we got a side of steamed spinach. It was in some greasy, weird sauce. Pass. In the future, we'll stick with half a duck. -
Review from LV C.
New York, NYGreat service. Some dishes were a major disappointment. Quality or the technique of making the duck has gone downhill.
1) Peking duck-- soo dry! What happened?
2) Chinese broccoli-- not fresh, kinda old
3) Ma La scallops with watercress-- very good: scallops are slightly crispy, must be eaten immediately otherwise they get soggy.
4) Eggplants with garlic sauce-- delicious -
Review from Duane D.
It's hard for me to review this place because I am not a real aficionado of this type of food. I didn't recognize a lot of what was served at a large corporate lunch I attended.
However, the rest of the people at my table loved the food, including the Peking Duck. It certainly appeared to be very high quality food -- just not exactly my thing.
The restaurant is nice and the service is good, although there can be a language barrier at times.
Four stars based upon the opinions of my group as a whole. -
Review from RB S.
New York, NYOrdered the ducks, Gen Tso's chicken, spinach.... Portions are big.
Duck was sliced little larger than what I am used to. So after two wraps, I was practically full. ~8 wraps per duck... so one order of Peking Duck and couple of dishes should be more than plenty for group of four ppl.
Food quality was above average Chinese. Peking duck particularly as their specialty.
Service was good and efficient without much of friendliness. And I normally do not expect friendliness from Chinese restaurants. Though in more than few occasions i was pleasantly surprised to come across friendly and witty staffs...
wound up with a big bag of left-over...
all in all, i don't think i can go wrong here whether my next visit is with clients, co-workers or friends & family. -
Review from Melissa G.
Marathon, FLHaving been to Beijing and had Peking Duck, I can tell you.....this is authentic. The duck was tender, moist, not greasy......the presentation table side was impressive. We were on vacation and stumbled upon this restaurant just a few blocks from our hotel. Went on a Friday evening....most tables were full but the service was prompt. Quite surprised when the check came......quite reasonable for duck, appetizers and wine....$78. Would definitely recommend. -
Review from Stacy C.
New York, NYCame here with friends and was seated in the front section and smelled a strange smell, they helped us get seated in the back banquet room immediately. The service was attentive, my water cup was never empty.
We ordered the sliced jelly fish to start, followed by the Beef w. Watercress in Garlic Sauce, fried rice, and of course a fried crispy duck.
The duck is roasted for hours and sliced to thin pieces table side. You have the option to have them wrap it for you or do it yourself. We opted for them to help us. The skin was crispy just the way I liked it and the duck meat was tender & juicy.
This place is good for NY standards, but I've had better in California Chinese restaurants and in Beijing where this style of cooking originated.
Tip: Add more hoisin sauce! -
Review from Irene G.
My cousins suggested we meet them for dinner here during our NY trip. I didn't really know what to expect since I've actually never had duck before. For $30/person, you get duck, soup & egg rolls, and three entrees of our choice to share-great deal! The duck was amazing!! It was tender and flavorful. They serve it to you wrapped in a flour tortilla. For our entrees we ordered general tso's, eggplant with minced garlic & scallops, and a beef dish. All delicious. We were stuffed at the end of our meal. The service is attentive and the atmosphere is relaxing. Great menu for a group!-
3 course entree meal...
-
-
Review from Victoria J.
Brooklyn, NYI stumbled upon Peking Duck while going to another restaurant. When my anniversary with the bf came around, we thought it would good to try. The restaurant has a very nice setting. As soon as you are seated, you are given pickled cabbage to snack on and some oolong tea sip! Yuuuuum! For our appetizer, we ordered the pork dumplings. Pretty tastey. My boyfriend ordered the pork and shrimp entree. I think it came with something else. This dish was good. I ordered the shrimp, scallops and lobster entree. This dish was also good. Both were made with vegetables-carrots, scallions etc.
The service was excellent. Our waiter always kept our oolong tea flowing. He poured the tea for us every time our cup was going on E (even though the kettle was right there and we could pour it for ourselves.
Overall experience was a four!-
-
Pork dumplings! -
Scallops, shrimp and lobster meat...pretty good
-
-
Review from Matt P.
Mountain View, CABefore you read, please note that I'm not Chinese, and hence have no idea whether the food is truly "authentic" Chinese. Also, to give you a sense of my tastes in Chinese cuisine, I like Kung Pao chicken, which all other Chinese tell me "is not a real dish" :P
That said, here we go...
Peking Duck House was one of my favorite places to eat near where I lived (E 54th St). Ingredients are generally top-quality, which I appreciated since many Chinese restaurants tend to skimp and give cheaper / fattier cuts of meat (e.g., chicken), which is not always desirable.
Would frequently order (all good):
* kung pao chicken
* crispy beef
* chicken w/ peapods
Wait staff is the only variable here --- there's this one older waiter who is short, parts his hair, and is mean and unfriendly, and to be honest, a complete dick. The rest of the wait staff are helpful and accommodating.
Environment is like your regular family Chinese restaurant --- cleaner, brighter and more spacious though since it is in mid-town east. Of course, it also has the midtown price creep, which might surprise some Chinese food fans who will suffer some sticker shock.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered