China De Puebla

this restaurant sounded interesting to me because of the mix of food. i've been to mexico, i've been to hong kong and china, so i was trying to imagine how they could blend together. the food ended up being really good! what a surprise! the combinations were really unique and super tasty.\r \r the service was amazing! our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about wines and the margaritas were some of the best i've ever had. \r \r i actually don't live in the neighborhood, but it was really easy to get to, right off of the 1 train. took me no time at all from midtown.\r \r \r Pros: excellent food, great prices more

A friend and I found our new fave spot in Harlem on Saturday night! A little bit off the beaten path, but SO worth it!! Ian, the owner, was so attentive and made our dinner & night enjoyable! He also knows a lot about wine and recommended an awesome bottle to us! I had the salmon and lychee cerviche which was to DIE FOR! OMG, sooooooooooooooooo freaking good! I had the chicken tacos which were also so yummy and then to top it all off, the coconut flan which was outta this world! Our bill only came to 40-50 each so the prices are very reasonable and I just discovered they make the best margaritas ever, and guess what..........BRUNCH! I will definitely be back cuz I like to rollerblade alongside the West Side path to 125th Street, and this place is only 2 blocks away so a margarita sounds nice right about now! LOL I highly recommend a visit to this little gem of a culinary experience! Pros: The food! The ambience! The prices! Cons: Nothing! more

On Broadway, just below 125 Street, Puebla de China resides in the space where the African restaurant (one of three in the area) lived for many years. Next door, the long running pastry and bread bakery went through various changes until it became a Chinese restaurant. The liquor store at LaSalle still sells ten dollar French wine in bins in the front. The rumble of the elevated Broadway train thunders in the front door of Puebla de China. And the food is excellent.\r \r This space endured a Thai restaurant for a while, and then endured the loss of the liquor license at the beginning of the summer. The bar shelf is frugal, but shows many signs of taste. Of the few vodkas, there was a bottle of Smirnoff watermelon. The drinks menu lists the tequilas by their age. A standard frozen marguerita had a nice kick and a not too sweet taste.\r \r The steak was not tough, and cooked just as requested, accompanied by beautiful, delicious yucca fries, and greens. Tofu, manchego, and shittake tacos were bland, but a few spoons of the octopus ceviche shot them up to way above average. The ceviche sauce had a strong boost from a sharp, cayenne-like pepper flavor which complimented the red pepper in a nice way. I watched people enjoying a tasy looking bowl of mussels, and a multi-layered tuna appetizer. In my food, all the ingredients were fresh, and never suffered from too much oil, salt, or spice. And the prices were reasonable.\r \r The mood at Puebla de China is mellow, with cool and non generic South American music in the background, and a spacious room providing an area you can talk in, rather than fight for space with. A really nice place, in many ways. Pros: Good quality food, non-generic ingredients, good for conversation more

I went last week with my friends for the first time. I think this restaurant is a great addition to the neighborhood because there are only burger places around there. I was surprised by their food, it was delicious, the staff were all friendly (yes, although I agree with morningsidemama that the waitress was not knowlegable, I think she was sweet.) I loved their music too, it's not the usual loungey music but I think they were all latin music minus reggaeton. I loved the duck! and the zucchini blossoms were so melty and gooood. I will return once they have their liquor license, hopefully that is soon. Pros: Food and music Cons: no liquor license! no BYOB! more

Loved the unique food. For appetizers we had duck empanadas and tempura zucchini blossoms. They were excellent. For the entree my roommate had the Lemongrass Chicken Tacos and loved them. I did not like my entree which was the Ancho Chile Udon Noodles with Shrimp and Bay Scallops. It had a weird taste. The menu was great; so many things looked good that I was indecisive...\r I was definitely not a fan of the waitress there. She couldn't make any food recommendations, she wasn't very friendly or knowledgable. The ambience left much to be desired -- there was no music. And as of yet, one month after opening, the restaurant still doesn't have its liquor license. Ugh! But I would definitely try it again and hope that the service gets better. Pros: Unique items on menu Cons: Waitress not helpful more

This new neighborhood hotspot has outdone itself in terms of food, decor and service. We were there last week and had a fabulous meal. The duck empanadas and tempura zucchini blossoms were amazing apps. For entrees we had a really fresh snapper for $20, much less than what you would pay for downtown. As the old adage goes, ""You can tell a chef by his chicken"" and the chef really outdoes himself with his roasted chicken with curry sauce. Absolutely delicious....\r \r The best service I have seen ujptown... Pros: Exciting fusion cuisine that is well executed Cons: Still waiting for their liquor license more