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I read some reviews citing the tired and OK food, and felt I had to respond. Shun Lee is certainly the best Chinese on the upper West side. It may be over-priced and the atmosphere may be old and tired, but for really solid Chinese food, Shun Lee can't be beat.

Had to write this. The Cafe used to be great but last night was no good - and I was told by friends that it would be. The waiters were rude, there were only two Dim Sum carts with poor variety and you had to practically lasso a waiter to get served. This is the only reataurant that I know of that serves alligator and that was still good although the portion was miniscule. It used to be great and it used to be fun - but for me 'never again'.

I was invited to dinner there tonight with a party of maybe 10-12. And it was a catered event. Had veggie dumpling, ribs,chicken soong as appetizer, then soup, then fish, then meat and noodles. Overall, the best part was the fish. it was fresh and tasty. Had layers of flavors. But everything else was second par. The soup was a little heavy on the corn starch. the environment was formal. a little formal for chinese fare

I hadn't been to Shun Lee West for at least a decade until last night (although I have visited the Cafe next door, which has okay dim sum). I have aged during that time for sure, but Shun Lee makes me look like a spring chicken in every way. The decor is exactly the same I doubt that they have even dusted off the dragon that slithers around the walls. And the food was soooo tired that I wanted to put it to bed under a little napkin. Our meal for three began with half a Beijing Duck, which afforded only one pancake apiece for the two females at the table (our male host got two) my pancake contained only one small piece of crispy skin, no scallion, and the hoisin sauce was served on the side. Next to it lay the smallest duck leg I have ever seen: they must have raided the duckling pre-school to find this one. The "spicy" Szechuan noodles tasted and looked as if they were made primarily with broth and peanut butter: no hint of spice anywhere. The dry-fried string beans were okay, but definitely couldn't save the day. The service was decent, in that our meal came fairly quickly (which was nice, as we were on the way to Lincoln Center), and the hot towels after each course were welcome. All in all, however, I would suggest that the owners put this ancient restaurant out of its misery.

Thought I would give this place a try, but I should have checked the reviews before going. The place was not packed (maybe it's a pre-theatre restaurant) which was kind of the odd and made me a little weary. The decor was very nice, the service was quick, but I kept wondering if my food was going to be edible. Unsurprisingly enough the food was disappointing. I was really hoping for a great meal. For the price it was certainly not worth it.

Tried it twice. Terrible both times. Vegetables weren't fresh. Shrimp batter wasn't cooked through. Food was tasteless. And it's incredibly expensive. I had to write this review!

We ordered takeout and it arrived about an hour later. Everything except the hot and sour soup was bad, and the total cost was double what we usually pay for chinese. I am very disappointed because the restaurant looks very fancy and upscale. The Sesame filet minions were not good at all. Hard to believe they were filet minions at all, they tasted more like low quality steak and were thin and rubbery. Not a fan. However, I would give going to the actual restaurant a chance before I write off the whole institution.