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Crammed full of tiny wooden tables and spindly chairs, this corner Chinese restaurant is usually so packed with people and fast-moving waitstaff that it’s easy to overlook the tall takeout counter up front, the wood-paneled walls, or the fish tanks in back. The long glass storefront windows facing Second Avenue keep the space airy. A far-reaching menu ranges from Mandarin noodle soups and Cantonese barbequed meats to Szechuan wontons; there’s even a hefty sushi section and the occasional Thai dish, as well as dim sum from China’s north (shrimp toast, roast pork buns) and south (dumplings, scallion pancakes). Despite the menu’s geographic daring, the actual food is disappointingly tame. Dishes are technically well-prepared (and ample), like a fresh-fried, piping-hot scallion pancake, but the flavors are more blah than memorable. Seafood fares better; hot and sour soup has a tasty bite, and kung po scallops blended with red pepper and peanuts pack a welcome, if woefully rare, kick. — Jessica Branch

There’s an extensive range of both Japanese and Chinese deals available at lunch hour.

Seafood hot and sour soup, $2.75; Kung Po scallops, $13.95