Shun Lee Palace

Been coming here since the 1980’s. Have so many family memories and celebratory birthdays and events at Shun Lee. Just came in and spent a hour waiting for the appetizers to come out. Children fell asleep at the table before food arrived. There were 9 total tables of diners in the restaurant. No appologies. The food tasted rushed and possibly reheated. Extremely low quality. So disappointing to watch your childhood hero restaurant disintegrate into something awful. Poor quality food, enormous wait for appetizers with no contact by waitstaff, and very disappointing experience. Was embarrassed to show my children this place. 40 years later and it’ll be my last time.

Wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a great surprise. Reminded me of what I always imagined as a traditional New York Asian restaurant. Loved the General's Chicken and the amazing Egg Drop soup. May swing by and get another order. Very prompt and polite service.

Of all Chinese restaurants without a doubt, this has the most delicious, unique & different Chinese food. Flavorful, great presentation & perfect portions. The staff is overly friendly, warm & welcoming. The decor is aweful! Is old, bad 80s decor & cheap looking. A good renovation with great Chinese decor will make this an exciting experience ! It is pricey but it's also worth it. Recommend it a lot.

I loved this place 10 years ago when I worked in/around NYC and I was very disappointed. It smelled like mildew/mold and the dumplings tasted like they were warmed up in the microwave. We cashed out after.

We used to love this place! My dad used to eat there once a week before he retired! I don’t know what has happened to it in the last 2 years! The food has gone downhill while the prices keep going up! We used to always get the dry shredded crispy beef! The last 2 times it was soggy, tough crispy beef! I don’t understand what has happened! Are there new chefs? Are there new owners? Please bring the old Shun Lee back!

Love this restaurant. The food is top notch and service is stellar.

Upscale, pricey, and meh. Seriously, that about covers it all - its elegant, the decor is calming, white linen on the tables, nifty art on the walls, etc. The service is about the same, elegant, refined, and that's when the hiccups start - it just doesn't follow through all the way (share plates offered, but not delivered, spilled tea, etc) The food is about the same too - good, but not *that* good, a tad over-oily, muted flavors, and all in all, not really anything befitting the price (or heck, anything much beyond a run of the mill Chinatown restaurant) So yeah, don't go...

Went here with a friend who had good memories of the duck. The food did not disappoint. Very good food. Very friendly and attentive service. Highly recommend.

Ordered food in for an office lunch and everything was delicious. Timely delivery too.

Not certain how this place has survived so long. It's pricey and the quality if the food is poor; each dish lacked character. Egg drop soup inedible due to over-salting; wontons in the Cantonese soup were undercooked and of poor taste. All seven dishes ordered were mediocre or simply poor. Nothing was worthwhile. Chose to eat here due to location. Never again! Star rating is for ambience and service.

It used to be one of the best chinese restaurants in NYC but unfortunately no longer The waiter mr Wong was great and from the old time era Unfortunately the whole lobster i ordered was not live not fresh as i was told but a frozen or old from another era Being that i do not intend to return i just left it almost whole in its plate and no one asked why

It was mostly good but misleading. What I mean by that is the ants climb tree dish was supposed to have beef. We called after delivery as we saw no beef and the woman that picked up said she confirmed with the kitchen that they added beef. She said next time call and she'll add more, I'm not sure why that's not the standard. We live a block away and were excited to try this place, but for $36 and no protein, just noodles, there are much better options.

Excellent food. Always the best Chinese I have had! Great taste and good quality ingedients

The quality has been diminishing for a while. Tonight was the worst so we're done. Virtually no duck in the duck roll. Almost no pork in the pork fried rice. A small amount of chicken in the chow mein. However, we got 4 bags of noodles (so unnecessary). Very high prices and subpar experience means it's time to end our relationship and find another Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood.

The most disgusting food ever in NY. Never order or eat from here. Waste of money and the food is absolutely garbage. Ordered food for the kids over $180 and if I wasn't far away I would bring it back to have them eat their own food. Terrible

Listen, I love this place. I will always go back, probably long after I should. I love the food and am grateful for the dark decor masking the SERIOUS filth. I mean, there's no other way to say it. The food is good, and the service is speedy. And I know it's hard to keep things clean in the city- but could you please tryyyyyyyy

Usually I would recommend this place. Though after coming here for christmas day dinner this year I was not pleased at all. I know it was very busy and they seemed very short staffed. I get it its holiday time... but the food was soooo not like it usually is like. I had corn soup which came out pretty hot which is a good thing. It went downhill from then though. I got chicken and Broccoli and the chicken tasted like fish a little bit and parts were cold and some pieces of chicken were hot. I then tasted the lo mein and oh man could I really taste the salt.. the spare ribs were so so. Not to mention waiting like an hour and half for this meal. We usually come here for christmas day dinner but after this experience... may need to rethink it. One last tid bit...I over heard them say to the table next to us how they ran out of Wonton Soup!!!

It's not what it used to be. Especially in terms of eye appeal. It looks a little dated. But I am happy to report. The food is still excellent. It's very expensive compared to your neighborhood Chinese restaurant but for the most part, the food here is not like your local Chinese restaurant. All the soups are outstanding. The ribs were meaty and delicious. Beijing duck still the best. General Tso's maybe the best I ever tasted. And that server was great. 10 of us and everything came out exactly as ordered. Plenty of street parking after 7 o'clock during the week. In Manhattan that's a big, big plus.

Ordered the vegetarian singapore noodles and the general tso chicken and it was amazing. Fast service Delicious food cant ask for more

We used to love this place! When my dad was working he would eat there every week! Lately the food has been very mediocre if not inedible! The dry sautéed crispy beef was soggy , tough crispy beef the last 2 times we ordered it! This is not the Shun Lee that I remember! The only thing that has gone up are the prices! Ridiculously overpriced for such poor quality!

Frequent customer, but no longer. Tonights take out meal was sooo dissapointing! Dried out spareribs, tough filet mignon, tasteless fried rice. Is ita new chef or a new owner? don't know but its not the shun lee i always loved

Used to love this place..high prices..no taste. Blah taste that almost rivals corner takeout at best.lo mein with few vegetables and a very greasy spring roll...no crispy noodles..nochopsticks...good bye shun lee...btw we were disappointed a few years ago and worth another try...will not try again.

Just OK... the food was very greasy, the crispy beef was very overdone. The server was very attentive and pleasant. I wish the food was better

I never make reviews, yet I have to for this place. The worst dining experience of my life. Food was bland and had a stale almost rotten taste. Charged $10 for water without being informed there was a charge for water nor a mention of the price in the menu. Scallion pancakes were overly oily with the oil flavor being old. Dumplings were improperly rolled with the filling being clumped in the center instead of evenly spread. Fish was so slimy I almost gagged. Orange beef tasted like chewed up hamburger coated with orange candy. In fact, I feel nauseous from eating here. When leaving, we overheard a waiter mention something about rats in the kitchen in Chinese.

At one time this was my favorite NYC restaurant. Not so much now. So many reviews about cleanliness....aren't they reading the reviews. Where's Michael ??????

I've been to the west side location multiple times, but not since COVID. There was a big article in The NY Times that inspired me to try the east side location. This was clearly a mistake. Once you get past the hideous entryway carpet, the rest of the interior is old and pretty worn. Clearly hasn't been renovated since the 80s. We ordered dishes that we've ordered in the past at the west side location. The egg drop soup and fried vegetable dumplings were very good. It went down hill from there. The chicken with three types of nuts was ok, the sauce wasn't as good as the west side location and they inexplicably added red and green peppers. Here is where things went down hill. My wife was served a tiny bowl of room temperature rice with not one but TWO long strands of black hair in the rice. Neither of us have black hair. We couldn't even get a waiter to come over to complain to. We had to get up and bring the rice over to them to complain. This ruined the entire meal. Also we ordered dry shredded crispy beef but they brought out lo mein which we sent back. Once we saw the hair no one was hungry anymore and I had to go up to the host to tell them to cancel the second dish. They took it off the bill but they brought it out anyway. The beef was very chewy and the sauce was terrible. Another disappointment. The waiters were very apologetic after they realized all the issues. But it took them like 15 minutes to even acknowledge them. I recommend walking a couple blocks south to Peking Duck House. MUCH better food and more consistent. I would not return. Also 84 degrees outside and there was no AC! FAR too hot and uncomfortable!

The mariner Prawns was my fav dish. I don't come here often but when I do that's what I order.

Great food and service. Their prawns are amazing! Sad to hear their West side location closed recently

Delicious Chinese food in an upscale atmosphere. Been around 50 years. The only thing I would change is that the portions are kind of small but maybe that is because it is upscale.

Pros: - No tourists - Great service - Good food - ambiance- I love white tablecloth, and kitschy decor Con (but not really).: Pricey, but what isn't ? I haven't been here in over 20 years, but I'm happy I came tonight

The delivery service from Shun Lee Palace is either terrific or totally terrible. Tonight it was not only embarrassingly terrible, but there was no one answering the phone or capable of making good on a reasonably expensive meal. Tonight the main problem was "Ants climb on tree." There was plenty of tree, but no "ants" -- in other words all noodles and virtually no beef --let alone decent beef -- to be found. What can these people do to again regain a reputation for caring about their food and their delivery to customers. I'd hate for them to have to close, but they are self-inflicting wounds that are painful to see unfolding, given how reliably wonderful and consistent they have historically been on delivery quality food. Ed M.

Food was very good and takeout did not take to long (~30 min) . Loved the soup dumplings and moo shu pork. Will be returning

My office always ordered from here, and had small parties at the restaurant. Never liked the food. Always had a bleach taste to it. Figured they probably washed the pots with bleach and was tasting the residue. Bleh.

The food here is good, if wildly overpriced. But our big complaint about this place, where we went for a long-planned celebratory family lunch, is that the restaurant is not ADA-compliant and accessible to wheelchairs, as they specifically told us they were when we called in advance to reserve. Two people in our party use wheelchairs and are in their 80s, and the doors to both the men's and women's bathrooms are too narrow to let a wheelchair in, and even if they did, neither has a stall wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. It had a significant effect on our fun family lunch that two people at the table required about twenty minutes and the help of several able-bodied helpers to simply use the restroom. If this place ever wants our business again they should be truthful about the accessibility of their space.

Upscale, pricey, and meh. Seriously, that about covers it all - its elegant, the decor is calming, white linen on the tables, nifty art on the walls, etc. The service is about the same, elegant, refined, and that's when the hiccups start - it just doesn't follow through all the way (share plates offered, but not delivered, spilled tea, etc) The food is about the same too - good, but not *that* good, a tad over-oily, muted flavors, and all in all, not really anything befitting the price (or heck, anything much beyond a run of the mill Chinatown restaurant) So yeah, don't go...

Man has Shun Lee gone downhill. I've gone here a dozen times over the past 6-8 years, and I was always a fan, even despite their exorbitant prices. So, I was surprised to see that their yelp rating is down to 3 stars. But after our meal tonight, it makes sense. We had hot and sour soup, duck egg roll, lettuce wraps, general Tsos chicken and young chow fried rice. And honestly, none of it was good. The soup was just fine. The lettuce wraps were filled with oily and bland chicken, my wife didn't even eat hers. The general tsos chicken was fairly flavorless. Mostly just fried chunks of bland chicken. The young chow fried rice was flavorless too. What makes it really tough is that at the prices they charge, everything should be top notch. $10 for an egg roll? $22 for 2 lettuce wraps? $31 for general tsos and another $27 for a side of fried rice? These prices are 2X most other chinese restaurants and it just doesn't make sense given how downhill the food has gone. At these prices, just go to mr chows. Disappointing to see this NYC staple have gone so downhill : (

I happen to stop by for lunch at this location we came in & had no problem being seated. Once seated we got some sparkling water & stuck with the tea, not bad. To start I had the Hot & sour soup, good soup even better adding the delicious giant noodles very good on their own better with some added sauce or in the soup. Dishes to share we tried the Filet mignon with veggies very good nice tasting meat, good broccoli. Also had The Xo prawns they were good as well, decent size shrimp these are fried but are not bad at all.... topped this with some brown rice & it was a just enough food. As for the restaurant nice size, simple decor ..service was good & prices are high for Chinese food but not so terrible that u can give it a try.

We have been dining at the restaurant since the 1960. Saturday night was first time back since covid and it was so sad and disappointing. I did not recognize any of the new and amateur wait staff. No one seems to be in charge. The Duck and chicken song that were always prepared and served table side came plated on watery lettuce and thick and soggy pancakes. No one filled water glasses and several dishes requested, the waiter never heard of and several more were not available. The crowing touch to the meal was the hair in the food. Of course that was free of charge!

Well, what can I say? It saddens me to give a one star but really they kind of gave us no choice. We ordered soup dumplings. When they finally came there was barely any broth. Hood but not much liquid. Then came the rest of the dinner .... Shame. Luke warm and ok but really not great. The mooshoo pork was rolled for us but with no hoisin sauce!!! Did I mention the speed? We waited for ever. I wanted to like it but really it was not great.

Expensive, terrible service and bland food. There are some really good Chinese restaurants in this neighborhood - our friends had selected this one. I hadn't been here for 20+ years and remember it used to be excellent. No longer the case.

Very attentive staff. Catered to our every need and even more. Food was absolutely delicious. Try something new. Atmosphere amazing and calm. Presentation on the meal was wonderful. Will go back again.

the best fresh chinese food for years & years!!!!!! i love the lamb, steak, baby bok choy, chillaen sea bass! i love the shrimp fried rice! honestly, i have never had a vad meal at shun lee palace, ever!!! the decor is always elegant!!!

It was a OK dining, but not memorable experience.I think that lately more fit for foodies Chinese restaurants became available in NYC ,and that Shun Lee has passed its peak momentum. However, still, who ever is in for a traditional experience, should be satisfied here. I wouldn't mind still going back for a decent Chinese food.

Definitely only mediocre. Have met been in years and was a favorite on the east side. No crispy fried noodles with hot mustard when we sat down...altho some table did get them. Fries dumplings were more sautéed. No sign of crispness. Just warm soggy dough. Cold noodles were good. Orange beef was very tough. Impossible to eat with chopsticks. And I suspect the dish was reheated... based on toughness of meat. A disappointment. Service was eh...

I hate giving one star. But this used to be my absolute favorite resturaunt. Now its horrible. They ignore you the whole time, get the order wrong and worst of all the food sucks. Super disappointed and sad. Do better. DONT GO HERE.

Delicious slippery chicken and eggplant in garlic sauce though a little heavy with the oil

This restaurant had the best pan-fried dumpling I've ever had in NYC. And, the bartender there, Wei, took great care of me. He made one of the best Mai Thai's I ever had. He also had lots of great stories and feel like if I lived near him we would be good friends. I highly recommend this restaraurant and will eat here quite often in the future.

Great service and of course great food And they loved my service dog Baci Have the wanton egg drop soup mix Then have the shrimp in lobster sauce Yum......

Order lunch from her every once in a while and the food is good. It is a little pricey but what do you expect in midtown east. The sweet and sour chicken is a good portion and is all white meat which is great! It doesn't have too much breading on it and the sauce it comes with is good too. It has pineapple, water chestnuts, peas, and peppers in it. Yum! It comes with a side of white rice which tastes delicious with the sweet and sour sauce. My boss loves the hot and sour soup and the slippery chicken! This is quality Chinese food and you definitely pay for what you're getting.

The food was nothing like the Shun Lee on the Upper West Side which is delicious!! Pork fried dumplings tasted stale, shrimp balls were tasteless and very greasy, cold noodles were nothing special, chicken with three nuts had barely any chicken, both the wonton and hot sour tasted more like water than soup. Over $150 dollars worth of Chinese food down the drain!!!! Very expensive Chinese food, cheap kitchen!

Good value lunch in midtown area for a slight mark-up in price. For 35pp, one can enjoy a combo with an appetizer, a main course plus a dessert. The fish fillet I got was well seasoned and preserved its tenderness. My friends also enjoyed their Szechuan shrimp, which was slightly on the spicy side. One can choose between ice cream and pineapple plate for dessert. The place had a great ambiance, so good for business lunch too.

I love this place. The service is excellent--attentive and efficient. The shrimp dumplings were plump and lightly seasoned and oh so perfect on a warm August night. The Beijing Duck was perfection. We ensured that we ordered a half duck per person because that is all we really wanted and it was presented and sliced within view of the table--as it should be. The skin was like glass and the leg on my plate, with the crispy skin was heavenly. Each pancake was expertly crafted and placed on a platter--with extra hoisin. The decor is not "dated" in my view. It is plush, comfortable, clean and contemporary. Plenty of room to have a quite conversation. Very nice evening!

Delivery during Virus.............has been terrific. Fast and Hot. We keep ordering the same thing. Shrimp Dumplings, Duck Egg Roll, Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce, Cold Noodles. EXCELLENT. Frankly, way better than it used to be.

MEDIOCRE....if I was paying $10-20 for an entree. Factor in a $30-45 entree price range and the restaurant is a depressing waste of time, money, and calories. The place is stale. The decor looks like it hasn't been touched since the 1980s. When I walked in to the restaurant, I had to double check the name to make sure we were in the right place. There are low ceilings which wouldn't be an issue except for the fact that the tables are packed tightly and they are stingy with air conditioning. The staff is attentive but the attire looks like it was from the same year as the decor. There is a decorative plate left at the table but the dirt on the plate distracted from its aesthetics. The steak and general tso's were...ok...at best. Save your time and order from the local chinese restaurant around the corner from your apt.

Still one of the best in a fading scene of NYC Chinese restaurants. Much to admire particularly the consistency in presentation and flavors over the many years. Easily accommodate heat and specific spice preference.

Shun Lee Palace is by far, the best Chinese food I've ever had. The quality of the beef and seafood is bar none! People complain that it's over priced? You get what you pay for! Go to Chinatown for cheap, low quality meals, laden with msg where they pound the meat with a mallet to make it tender! I always look forward to the crispy noodles they put on the table to pick on before the food comes out. I love the spareribs! The wontons are delicious, very light, not thick and doughy like most other Chinese restaurants. The Grand Marnier shrimp are to die for! And any beef dish, that you order, will definitely not disappoint. I can't stress enough how much better the quality of their food is in comparison with other Chinese restaurants.

It's like a time warp. Like you are deeply buried in Kowloon while the world swirls around you but nary a sound is heard. My grandfather, Mr. 10%, always told me about these places. In a sense, they live long past their prime. But that's their charm. And with food that's solid, deal talk in hushed tones as the carpet and walls drum out the decibels, this is a place to not be seen. Again, that's the charm...