Han Dynasty Upper West Side

"When you’re looking for a family home, there are several things you want to take into account. Nearby schools and transportation, for example. Also, whether or not there’s a Han Dynasty in the neighborhood. There are four NYC locations of this Chinese restaurant, and this one on the UWS is perfect for big groups and sit-down dinners when you want excellent dan dan noodles and spicy chili wontons. As for mains, we suggest trying the excellent and numbing mapo tofu as well as dry pepper-style chicken draped in chiles." - hannah albertine, kenny yang

"We love Han Dynasty in the East Village, but the no-reservation policy (except for parties of eight or more) and resulting two-hour waits make it tough to plan around. The Upper West Side location is much bigger, and they take reservations. So get one of the big round tables and share the dry pepper chicken, dumplings in chili oil, and multiple orders of dan dan noodles." - bryan kim, matt tervooren

"If eating Szechuan House’s mapo tofu is like going to a (pleasant and cathartic) heavy metal show, then you can think of eating Han Dynasty’s version as listening to hair metal. It’s slightly less alarming to your senses, but still numbing and peppery enough to get you amped up. Han Dynasty has a few different locations around the city, and the bright red, oil-heavy mapo tofu - along with their dan dan noodles - should be heavily involved in your delivery rotation." - hannah albertine

"“I like to take all those hot dried chilis in Han Dynasty’s dry pepper style chicken and add them to a pot of chicken soup. The broth becomes downright numbing without overpowering the other ingredients, but still successfully clears my sinuses.” -Arden Shore, Senior Editor" - team infatuation

"It’s possible that exactly one person is going to make it to this dinner on time (you). That person will then be tasked with having to hold down a table, promising the servers that the rest of the party is coming, and maybe even ordering food for all the people who swear they’re “10 minutes away.” At Han Dynasty on the Upper West Side, this won’t be too stressful to pull off. There are plenty of round tables and great shareable Szechuan dishes, like dry pepper chicken and spicy garlic green beans. That first person (again, you) definitely has permission to eat the majority’s share of dan dan noodles - they earned it." - hannah albertine, nikko duren