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Home > Restaurants > Shun Lee

All Reader Reviews of...

Shun Lee

43 W. 65th St., New York, NY, 10023
nr. Central Park West
212-595-8895

5.3 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
50% Would you go back?
50% Would you take a date?
16% Would you take kids?
16% Would you go on business?
33% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 5.3
Service: 5.0
Décor: 7.0
Value: 4.5
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  • Showing reviews 1 through 6 of 6

A Guaranteed Good Time!

jennywren03 from 06511 | Posted on 6/3/09

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? Yes
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 8
Service: 9
Décor: 9
Value: 7

I'm getting tired of all these negative reviews --so I decided to put my 2 cents in. We went early--around 6 pm before the kitchens got overloaded--so take that into account. However--the service was attentive, friendly and excellent. Our waiter was insistent about getting us fresh, hot tea at the end of our meal. The food was extraordinary--fresh ingredients, lightly battered and seasoned. No overwhelming sauces or flavors. We ordered the crispy duck, the dry crispy beef and a wonderful chicken dish I can't remember the name of...but the flavors were delicate, and yet distinct. My acid test is the hot and sour soup and it passed. Finally the ambience was theatrical and wonderful---this is the place to take out-of-towners who want something they won't see at home. A friend of mine described Shun Lee as a "guaranteed good time" and I agree.

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3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Visiting from out of state and I expected more...

smpatel from 84115 | Posted on 3/15/09

Overall Rating: 2 (Not Recommended)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 3
Service: 1
Décor: 1
Value: 1

I was visiting from the West coast and was expecting a great meal, first the ambiance is awful for a restaurant they consider upscale and for the prices on the menu the atmosphere is one of the worst, I'd rather sit at a take out joint if I want to sit on cheap chairs, also there were utensils sitting on the floor within sight and no one bothered to ever pick them up. I had ordered a shrimp dish that was supposed to have sauce on top of it, which maybe had a tsp drizzled on it, and I asked the waiter for a side of it, and he said no and refused to bring that specific sauce, and brought me another type of sauce. I think the food is almost comparable to take out food, but I think I've had even better take out food. The service was horrible, the waiters were slow and hard to understand. The quality of service and food were mediocre and I would NOT recommended this restaurant to anyone who enjoys a good cuisine, decent alcoholic beverages, good ambiance, and excellent service.

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5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

A Staple

willyr411 from 10023 | Posted on 1/23/09

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 9
Service: 8
Décor: 9
Value: 8

I have been coming here for over twenty years and never had a meal that I did not enjoy. While occasionally there are nights that the waitstaff is bombarded by the heavy crowds, they are always attentive and eager to please. Don't go if you are looking for a quick meal, as this is food that should be enjoyed over time.

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2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Over priced place for Chinatown quality service/food

liebeklose from 10040 | Posted on 4/16/08

Overall Rating: 1 (Not Recommended)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 1
Service: 1
Décor: 7
Value: 1

For the first time in my life, I left a restaurant without leaving any tips! I even felt obligated NOT to tip. I told the water 3 times (as soon as we got there) that we had a performance to catch. The place is right around Lincoln center and their main customers are those who go to a performance. I have lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and all other restaurants have a system to accomodate these customers. 50 minutes later, as we were about to leave the restaurant angry, the waiter brought our food. We ordered peking duck for 2 and a glass of wine each which ended up paying $78. Well, what we got (after waiting for 50 minutes) was some burrito looking peking duck wraps (2 each) which had a small piece of cucumber and a tiny piece of scallion in it for $50. No extra cucumber/scallion pieces or sauce on the side. As we got the food, we asked for the check and he nastily yelled back, "It's coming!" We had to eat this "burrito" in 3 minutes and ran to the opera. I came home with terrible stomachache.

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9 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

a shell of its former self

negrons from 11231 | Posted on 10/1/07

Overall Rating: 3 (Not Recommended)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 3
Service: 3
Décor: 7
Value: 2

More than $110 for two (no drinks and no specials) and i wished I was at Ollie's just two blocks north on Broadway. The food at Shun Lee was weak (the spicy orange beef was bland) and of poor quality (the rice was very greasy). The service was almost non-existant (like when they look away our tea and left our water glasses empty for an eternity) and sometimes annoying (when the waiter reached across and bumped my face to fill my water glass) . Yery disappointing. I used to be a regular, but I won't be back for a while...

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128 out of 212 people found this review helpful.

Chinese Dishes at Lincoln Center

martin_chamois from West 50's | Posted on 10/19/04

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 8
Service: 8
Décor: 9
Value: 8

Shun Lee and it’s next door Café represent solid Chinese dinning places within close proximity to Lincoln Center. These Westside relatives of the heritage Eastsider are hipper, more energetic and frequently far better. The dinning atmosphere is eclectic and the patrons are equally varied. All the traditional choices are here and specials are available which tend to outshine the menu. The Dim Sum at the Café can be either outstanding or pedestrian, so choose carefully.

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248 out of 469 people found this review helpful.

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