Cuisine guide · data as of 8 October 2026
Chinese food scored across 12 cities: New York leads, Miami trails
464 places scored, five at 90 or above, and a clear gap between cities that suit Chinese food and cities where the data is thin on quality.
- Places scored
- 464
- Scoring 90+
- 5
- Cities compared
- 12
- Median Harry score
- 73
The ten best-scored chinese places
Ranked by Harry score among places with at least 150 reviews. Chains are counted once. Scores are explained on the how-it-works page.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meimei Dumplingchinese | San Jose, CA | 91 | 80 | — |
| 2 | Shoo Loong Kan Hot Pot Manhattan 小龙坎火锅chinese | New York, NY | 90 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 3 | YX Hot Pot Bourke Streetchinese | Melbourne, VIC | 90 | 80 | — |
| 4 | Pot House 蝎子王 羊蝎子 火锅 牛骨 牛杂chinese | Melbourne, VIC | 90 | 80 | — |
| 5 | The blue blossom/Sushi/Chinesechinese | New York, NY | 89 | 79 | — |
| 6 | Paper Lantern(聚缘轩 Harrison分店)chinese | New York, NY | 89 | 80 | — |
| 7 | ChoJochinese | London | 89 | 80 | — |
| 8 | Nan Xiang Expresschinese | New York, NY | 88 | 79 | — |
| 9 | DAO Dim Sum & Chinese Cuisine（Manhattan)chinese | New York, NY | 88 | 79 | — |
| 10 | Breezedim-sum | New York, NY | 88 | 79 | — |
Is New York really the best city for Chinese food, or just the best-scored?
On average score, New York comes first at 82.4 across 26 places, with London next at 79.9 across 34. Those are the only two cities above 79. Sydney follows at 75.9 and Los Angeles at 74.8, which is a noticeable step down.
The pattern is that New York and London are consistently good rather than merely having one strong entry. Both have several places in or near the top ten. If you are choosing a city for a Chinese meal and have no other information, those two give you the best odds of a good table at random. The averages are scores, not verdicts on regional cooking, so read them as a measure of reliability.
Which city does it best?
Cities with at least twelve scored places for this cuisine, ranked by average Harry score.
What do the top scorers have in common?
Hot pot and dumplings dominate the upper end. Meimei Dumpling in San Jose leads on 91, then Shoo Loong Kan Hot Pot Manhattan, YX Hot Pot Bourke Street and Pot House in Kew all sit on 90. Of the top ten, six are in New York, which is a strong concentration.
Notice what is missing: none of the top ten carries any editorial acclaim in our data. These are crowd-driven scores, built on review platforms rather than critics. That is not a flaw, but it means the list shows where diners are enthusiastic, not where inspectors have been. Treat it as a guide to popularity done well.
Best value in the data
Places scoring 70 or above on the Harry score, ranked by Worth It score.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shoo Loong Kan Hot Pot Manhattan 小龙坎火锅chinese | New York, NY | 90 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 2 | Liu Ji Sichuan Noodle Housechinese-noodle | New York, NY | 87 | 81 | Great Value |
| 3 | Chew Funchinese-noodle | London | 87 | 81 | Great Value |
| 4 | Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtownchinese | Sydney, NSW | 87 | 81 | Great Value |
| 5 | Paper Lantern(聚缘轩 Harrison分店)chinese | New York, NY | 89 | 80 | — |
| 6 | ChoJochinese | London | 89 | 80 | — |
Where is the value actually found?
Worth It scores in the top group are tightly bunched, between 79 and 81. Shoo Loong Kan holds a Smart Spend badge with a Worth It score of 81 alongside its Harry Hungry score of 90, which is the best combination in the data.
Three others earn Great Value badges, each on 87 for quality and 81 for value: Liu Ji Sichuan Noodle House in College Point, Chew Fun in London and Best Gourmet Restaurant Newtown in Sydney. Two are noodle specialists, which suggests that a bowl-focused menu is a reliable route to value. Price tiers are confirmed for only a handful of places, mostly $$, so the badges are the better guide to what you will get for your money.
When Google and Yelp disagree, who do you believe?
Some places show a full point between platforms. Confucio Express Brickell in Miami has 3.9 on Google from 763 reviews but 2.9 on Yelp from 242. Dynasty Chinese Cuisine in San Jose has 4 on Google from 561 and 3 on Yelp from 700. Pearl River Chinese Restaurant, also in San Jose, and China Hill in Austin show the same shape.
In every case Google is the kinder score. The pattern suggests Google captures casual, local approval while Yelp reviewers are harsher. With review counts this large, neither is noise. Read these as crowd-pleasers that divide opinion, and expect a decent meal rather than a standout.
What should you make of the weaker cities?
New Orleans averages 56.5 across 29 places and Miami 53.3 across 22. Even their best entries, Miss Shirley's and Yip Wynwood, sit well below the leaders elsewhere. Austin, at 63.2, is a little better.
That does not mean you cannot eat well there, only that the odds are lower and you should be choosier. Check the individual score before booking rather than trusting the cuisine label. Seattle and Chicago sit mid-table at 67.2 and 69.1, with Qiao Lin Hotpot and Chengdu Bistro West Town as their best.
Where the review platforms disagree
Places with at least 150 reviews on both platforms and a gap of 0.4 to 1.0 stars. Yelp is used for US cities, Tripadvisor elsewhere.
| Place | City | Other platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confucio Express Brickell | Miami, FL | 3.9 (763) | Yelp 2.9 (242) |
| Dynasty Chinese Cuisine | San Jose, CA | 4 (561) | Yelp 3 (700) |
| Pearl River Chinese Restaurant | San Jose, CA | 4 (259) | Yelp 3 (254) |
| China Hill | Austin, TX | 4.1 (447) | Yelp 3.1 (253) |
The short version
Start in New York or London, where the averages are highest, and use the Great Value badges to find the best meals for the money. Where Google and Yelp split, expect a divisive crowd-pleaser.
Every figure on this page is computed from Harry Hungry's own database on 8 October 2026; the commentary is written with AI assistance from those figures and checked against them. Scores blend Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor with editorial acclaim; see how they work. No placement on this page is paid for.