Vibrant Midtown Chinese w/ standout Sichuan & Hunan dishes. Great for groups, dates, or impressing visitors.
Arden Shore reviews Blue Willow, a Chinese restaurant in Midtown offering a scene and standout mapo tofu. It's a good option for corporate cards, date nights, and impressing visitors.
Blue Willow is a Chinese restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, praised for its authentic Sichuan and Hunan cuisine and vibrant atmosphere. It's a popular choice for various occasions, from corporate dinners to casual get-togethers, and is noted for its excellent mapo tofu and extensive menu, making it a versatile dining destination.
Blue Willow is a highly recommended Chinese restaurant in Midtown, specializing in Sichuan and Hunan cuisine. Standout dishes include the mapo tofu, noted for its authentic mala spice and texture, and various other Sichuan specialties. While generally praised, one user found the roasted duck suspicious due to its quick service time. The restaurant is also noted for its extensive menu, including vegetarian options and dishes like century egg clay pot and cold sesame noodles.
"Blue Willow is frequently recommended for its authentic Sichuan and Hunan dishes, with the mapo tofu being a particular standout. Other popular mentions include dumplings and century egg clay pot."
Customers generally have a very positive view of Blue Willow, frequently recommending it for its excellent Chinese cuisine, particularly the Sichuan and Hunan dishes. It's often cited as a great option for groups and special occasions, with many appreciating its lively atmosphere.
Important Note
One user expressed suspicion about the roasted duck being premade due to its extremely fast serving time. Another user noted a decline in quality for delivery orders over time.
"Blue Willow is recommended for century egg clay pot."
Positive"Blue Willow is recommended for century egg clay pot."
Positive"Blue Willow was suggested for its large menu, with most items fitting the specified price range, making it suitable for groups and sharing."
Neutral"This user frequently orders cold noodles and mouthwatering chicken from Cafe China for lunch."
Positive"Cafe China is recommended as an excellent option located relatively close to the original poster's location on West 56th Street."
Positive"The original poster mentioned that Blue Willow used to be very good, but their last order was a significant decline in quality, leading them to seek new recommendations."
Negative"The user found Blue Willow to be a great option, especially noting that their friends enjoy Asian food."
Positive"Blue Willow is suggested as a restaurant with a menu that offers adventurous options alongside more common dishes like sesame chicken and won ton soup. The commenter believes it would appeal to vegetarians and offers many meat-forward dishes, though not specifically steak. It also has a private room option."
Positive"Blue Willow is recommended as a restaurant with a transporting atmosphere."
Positive"Blue Willow is suggested as a Manhattan option, especially for groups, with good food and a potentially transporting atmosphere."
Positive"Blue Willow is mentioned as a sister restaurant to Red Sorghum in LIC, located in Manhattan."
Neutral"This user agreed that Blue Willow is a great place, recalling it fondly."
Positive"Blue Willow offers family-style dining. However, it serves Szechuan cuisine, which might be too spicy for children, although it could also be an interesting culinary experience."
Neutral"This user mentioned Blue Willow as a great place."
Positive"In response to Blue Willow being Hunan food, the user notes it's not as spicy and includes many traditional Sichuan dishes with 'ma' flavor."
Neutral"The user clarifies that Blue Willow serves Hunan food, not Sichuan, although it's similar. They note it's explicitly marketed as Hunan food in Chinese."
Neutral"The user agrees that Blue Willow is underrated, attributing this to its location in Midtown."
Positive"The user considers Blue Willow to be a good Sichuan restaurant, noting it's underrated possibly due to its Midtown location."
Positive"This user listed Blue Willow as a potential restaurant to consider."
Neutral"Blue Willow has private rooms available, with a reported minimum spend of $500."
Positive
