New Jersey’s 31 best Chinese restaurants you need to visit in 2025

Chinese food may have been supplanted by Italian and Mexican as America’s favorite cuisine, but it is no less beloved. There are about 45,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S., and few are the towns and cities that don’t have at least one.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so it’s a great time to celebrate Chinese food. There are eight great regional Chinese cuisines: Szechuan, Cantonese, Hunan, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong. Hunan and Szechuan are “heart-clutchingly spicy,” according to “China The Cookbook,” an excellent reference guide. (Fuschia Dunlap’s various books on Chinese food are also highly recommended).

For this list of Chinese restaurants, we did not consider Asian fusion restaurants, those with some combination of Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, etc.

Instead, we aimed to focus on authentic Chinese, which means a reference or two to sliced pork kidney, Ants Climbing a Tree and other famed Szechuan, Cantonese, Hunan and Shanghainese dishes. Don’t worry, we’re not talking about real ants.

Here are 31 terrific spots you need to try right now, ordered alphabetically by town name. Dig in!

READ MORE: It was ‘Chinatown by the Sea.’ Inside a Jersey Shore town’s unknown history.

Imperial Asian Restaurant, Atlantic City

Who orders calamari at a Chinese restaurant? I do! The fried calamari with pepper at Imperial Asian Restaurant shames every restaurant/bar calamari out there. Plump, perfectly fried chunks of squid make for an amazing app. For an entree, try the Kung Pao chicken. (PG)

Han Dynasty, Cherry Hill

Han Dynasty is located in the same Route 70 strip mall as Dolsot House, a perennial entry on my best NJ’s best wings list. The dumplings in chili oil are irresistible little mounds of spicy hot joy, and the three pepper chicken is recommended. My favorite dish here: the ginger shredded duck (photo). Fatty, greasy, glorious. (PG).

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, Cherry Hill

Taste the rainbow, and we aren’t talking Skittles. Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao is known for its soup dumplings, and they come in many different colors. For example, truffle and pork are black, chicken is yellow, scallops and pork are red and shrimp and pork are green. They were named the No. 1 dumpling dish in New Jersey by NJ.com. There isn’t just a Cherry Hill location either. Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao has restaurants in Queens and Manhattan — and an American Dream outpost is in the works. (JS)

Petite Soo Chow, Cliffside Park

Cliffside Park is loaded with great Chinese restaurants, but you won’t do any better that Petite Soo Chow. The unassuming spot has an intimidatingly large menu, but you can’t go wrong with soup dumplings, scallion pancake, chow mein or bok choy. Feeling adventurous? Go for the fish head in hot pepper sauce. The restaurant has massive tables that spin like lazy Susans, making your feast even more sharable with your party. (JS)

Hunan Taste, Denville

Hunan Taste often appears at the top of most lists of the state’s best Chinese restaurants. It certainly has the grandest facade, with two imposing stone lions standing guard under the pagoda-like roof. The spicy chicken dumplings are a lightly spicy, thoroughly enticing app, and the Peking duck is a model of its kind. Were the dishes disappointing? No, but this Chinese restaurant legend was eclipsed by other, less-well-known restaurants on our list. (PG)

Veggie Heaven, Denville, Montclair and Teaneck

Vegetarian dishes and plant-based meat substitutes may be mainstream, but they weren’t years ago when Veggie Heaven opened. General Tso’s chicken. Beef with broccoli. Shrimp with garlic sauce — all vegetarian, all absolutely delicious. (JS)

Tasty Moment, Edison

Central Jersey doesn’t just exist, it’s one of the most diverse culinary hubs in the Garden State. Tasty Moment is one of many excellent Chinese restaurants — serving up succulent pork buns and soup dumplings as part of a menu that is so big it’s almost intimidating. Don’t miss the sweet and sour spare ribs. (JS)

Bill & Harry Chinese Cuisine, East Hanover

What would New Jersey do without its strip mall restaurants? Starve, most likely. Bill & Harry, open since 1985, is squeezed into a Route 10 East strip mall. The wonton soup smelled like heaven — fragrant, spring-meadowy. And the Lake Tung Ting shrimp (photo) may have been the best Chinese seafood dish on my entire road trip. (PG)

Golden Seafood, Edison

Middlesex County has the largest Asian population in the state — with 237,945 Asian residents — so no surprise that Golden Seafood has enjoyed immense popularity after not even three years in operation. The restaurant’s dim sum (small plates of dumplings and other snack dishes) is its main calling card. (MM)

Shanghai Dumpling, Edison

Shanghai Dumpling has a vast menu, ranging from sweet tofu pudding and pumpkin pancakes with oats to duck tongues in wine sauce. But the dumplings are the main attraction — their soup dumplings, shrimp dumplings and pork and vegetable wontons in spicy sauce are divine. (JS)

China Chalet, Florham Park

The trick at Szechuan-accented China Chalet is to ask if you can order “off the menu,” which is not a secret or special menu but items simply not listed anywhere. The razor clams with scallion pesto wins the prize as most creatively presented Chinese dish — a peacock with carrot-topped plumage, carved from a radish, perches at the front of the dish, the clams trailing behind. The wonderfully named Chilly Fish Pond (flounder simmered in Szechuan spices with cabbage, bamboo shoots, celery and Shiitake mushrooms) looks more like an oil slick than soup, with its deep brown broth, but it’s fabulous. (PG)

Soup Dumpling Plus, Fort Lee

As much as I love soup dumplings, I’m always hesitant to order them for takeout because they don’t travel well. But the soup dumplings I got from Soup Dumpling Plus were so hearty that they were restaurant quality even out of a takeout container — not a single one had ripped, and the broth was still hot. But as the name of the restaurant suggests, they have more than soup dumplings. Its pan fried pork buns have crispy bottoms and doughy interiors, and its fried udon noodles are addictively good. (JS)

Hong Kong Palace, Hackettstown

Another strip mall wonder, Hong Kong Palace has been open since 1986. The menu is expansive; try the house special fried rice or the beef chow ho fun. (PG)

Szechuan House, Hamilton

As you can tell by this list, Jeremy and I sure do love our Szechuan food. It’s the spiciest Chinese food, for sure, and there is something about all those chili peppers that makes me squirm with delight. Szechuan House’s owners are from Chengdu, the capital of Szechuan province. The braised beef in hot chili oil (photo) is terrific. For an app, try the sliced pork kidney with Szechuan peppercorn vinaigrette. (PG)

No. 11 Food Store, Hoboken

After briefly finding a permanent home in Hoboken, No. 11 Food Store is back to pop-up status at acclaimed pizzeria Dozzino. Billing themselves as “good food that looks Chinese,” No. 11 is more fusion than authentic, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious. The pepperoni fried rice, sichuan country hot chicken and drunken noodles are all massive hits. (JS)

Chengdu 1, Jersey City

You can practically see the Holland Tunnel from your table at this tiny restaurant, but what the Chengdu 1 lacks in ambiance it makes up for in spice. Their dan dan noodles, mapo tofu and spicy wontons — the latter in a shimmering red sauce — all have serious kick. If you’re looking for less heat, try the wontons with sesame sauce. (JS)

Grand Sichuan, Jersey City

There are fancier, more acclaimed restaurants in Jersey City, which has quickly become the state’s hottest food town. And there are restaurants with better ambiance. But I don’t think anywhere else in Jersey City has served me more delicious and consistent meals than Grand Sichuan, a tiny BYOB restaurant a block from the Grove Street PATH station, offering some of the best soup dumplings I’ve ever tasted. Its eggplant in garlic sauce, caramelized and sweet, is a must-try as well. (JS)

Peppercorn Station, Jersey City

Peppercorn Station has a midtown Manhattan location that is in the Michelin Guide. The restaurant’s Jersey City outpost opened in February 2023, and quickly became a standout in Jersey City’s illustrious dining scene. Located not far from the Grove Street PATH station, the restaurant pairs incredibly attentive service with impressive and authentic Sichuan dishes like dry chili fried chicken, ma po tofu, mala whole fish and clear noodles in chili oil. (JS)

Peking Pavilion, Manalapan

The original Peking Pavilion opened in Richmond, Virginia, in 1975; owners Michael and Corinna Kuo re-located to New Jersey. Their son, Steve, owns KUO Social, also on this list. The Chung King beef at Peking Pavilion is one of the half dozen best dishes I’ve had so far this year, of any cuisine. Don’t be like me and drive right past the place on first try — it looks like a doctors office. (PG)

Sichuan Cottage, Marlboro

Sichuan Cottage is a short walk from the much more heralded Crown Palace, but I’ll take Sichuan Cottage any day. It’s located in the same strip mall as the Marlboro post office, and right now it’s takeout only. The fish filet with roasted chili in hot oil is an orange-glowing bowl of marine magnificence; the oil alone is dangerously addictive. The triple pepper chicken manages to be both crispy and fire-breathing. (PG)

Joe’s Peking Duck House, Marlton

What should you order at Joe’s Peking Duck House? How about the fish maw soup? OK, just kidding. The Peking duck — you can order it à la carte by the half or whole, or as a combo meal for two or four — is better than its counterpart at Hunan Taste in Denville, for starters. Tender, juicy, eminently tasty skin — it hits all the roast duck notes. Also recommended: the wonton noodle soup. Add wontons and noodles, in separate containers, to the broth, and you have a sumptuous soupy delight. (PG)

Shanghai Bun, Matawan

Shanghai Bun touts an impressive assortment of dumplings, but its massive soup menu truly sets it apart. Spicy beef noodle soup, Shanghai wonton soup and duck and taro rice noodle soup are just a few of its options, while its rice cakes and chow fun are hits as well. (JS)

Ram & Rooster, Metuchen

Ram & Rooster places quality and attention to detail as their hallmarks as they reel you in with an eight-course tasting menu with portion sizes that are just right. The Tea Smoked Duck and Steak Tartare are must haves. (MR)

Jiang Nan, Montclair

Jiang Nan is a fusion of regional Chinese dishes, which are quite different than the familiar Chinese-American dishes many New Jerseyans associate with the cuisine. The grilled Sichuan sea bass arrived to the table, bubbling ferociously, in an iron buffet-style chafing dish that took up half of our table for four. The fish was served whole, swimming in a spicy broth of ginger, garlic, scallion, pickled radish and peppercorns. The steamed pork and truffle soup dumplings were nothing short of delightful, and the peking duck was served differently than any Peking duck I’ve ever had (and I’ve had many), but did not disappoint. The duck itself was juicy, with a nice fat cap beneath deep caramel colored, crispy skin. (MM)

T.S. Ma, Montclair

Two words: Honey. Chicken. The sweet, succulent dish is one of the signatures at T.S. Ma, which serves up a lighter, healthier brand of Chinese food than your typical hole-in-the-wall spot. (JS)

Old Shanghai, Palisades Park

Old Shanghai is actually relatively young, having been open for just a few years. But in that span, it has become one of the most popular restaurants in the area for its brothy soup dumplings and staples like chicken with garlic sauce and Szechuan style double-cooked pork. (JS)

Shan Shan Noodle, Parsippany

You don’t just get dinner when you go to Shan Shan, you also get a show. Watching the masterful chefs hand-pull their noodles through the window into the kitchen is almost as fun as eating the tender, slurp-able dish. The noodles in hot oil are my personal favorite, but the cumin lamb noodles are delectable as well. Don’t forget to order the beef wrapped in scallion pancake, too. (JS)

Rice King, Turnersville

Is anything more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of egg drop soup on a nasty, rainy day? The one at Rice King does the often-forgotten soup proud. It’s thick, viscous and eminently eggy, a deep rich golden hue. Whoever wrote the menu here should win a Pulitzer for menu hyperbole. The House Special Sizzling (shrimp, beef‚ scallops, onions, snow peas, mushrooms) boasts a “sensational” aroma. The Shrimp Amazing (jumbo shrimp with Chinese vegetables) features — what else? — an “amazing sauce.” The former is actually pretty good, rich and hearty. (PG)

Chengdu 23, Wayne

Within walking distance of Willowbrook Mall, Chengdu 23 is my favorite Chinese restaurant in the state, and a recent visit did nothing to change that opinion. Sign of a great restaurant? When a dish you last ordered ten years ago (the spicy cabbage) tastes exactly as you remembered it. That’s consistency. The bang bang chicken, a savory swirl of meat, chilis and vegetables, looks like a dish conjured over an open fire in a distant village. I also recommend Ants Climbing a Tree, a slithery, slippery mix of cellophane noodles and minced pork. Note: No ants were harmed or even used in the dish. (PG)

Dragon House, Wildwood

“Best Chinese at the Jersey Shore” proclaims Dragon House, which opened in 1959. “Chinese pizza” — the scallion pancakes — is a popular dish here. Recommended: the Hong Kong Seafood dish, with fresh-tasting seafood, and the steak Polynesian, with enough steak and pork to feed a hungry small army. (PG)

Krystal Vy, Williamstown

Krystal Vy, a modest, red-framed building on Route 322, may make the biggest egg rolls in the state. They’re loaded and luscious and skillfully fried. There’s more to like here: the scallops and shrimp Hunan Style and the Grandfather Chicken are both recommended. (PG)

Stephanie Rizzolo and Michael Mancuso contributed to this report.

Stories by Peter Genovese

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Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. On Twitter, @petegenovese. On Instagram, @peteknowsjersey and @themunchmobile.

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.