Peking Duck House
Midtown and Chinatown locations serve classic Chinese and specialty Peking duck in modern, dimly lit atmosphere crowded by loyal locals.
(646) 833-0612
236 E 53 St
(at 3rd Avenue)
New York,
NY
10022
40.7573
-73.9686
Neighborhoods: Midtown, Midtown East (Turtle Bay)
Reviews & Ratings for Peking Duck House
17 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 17 reviews
Unhappy, ungracious wait staff, Food not worth the high prices, Manager not responsive to problems
by RovingReviewer
August 10, 2008
I dined at the E 53rd st. location with 2 friends this past week on a Tues. (8/5/08). Atmosphere was elegant and sparse although the lights were a bit too bright. Our waiter was an older Chinese man who seemed unhappy in his job. He was efficient, but unfriendly, and he scowled when we asked for food with no Garlic. We ordered the sizzling rice soup with shrimp for two ($9.50). The rice was not at all sizzling and the broth was devoid of any taste whatsoever. All three of us sent back the watery mess without eating it and it was taken off the check. For the main course we ordered Gran Marnier Prawns which is described as being "finished in a refreshing sauce w. a hint of citrus." I can't be sure, but the sauce tasted suspiciously like Jello brand lemon custard and had the same consistency as custard. I'm not exaggerating. I would bet that Jello brand lemon custard was in fact the base of this sauce! It was definitely an unnatural taste that smacked of a taste laboratory off the Jersey Tpk. The Sliced Beef w. Scallops were good, but were served with sliced Garlic, after we had specifically asked our server to tell the chef no garlic. We spoke with the manager after we finished (and left about half the food on the plate) and he politely listened to our very specific complaints, but that was it. We weren't asking him for anything but even so, he did nothing. No complimentary dessert or apertif was offered, the check was not discounted, and no real apology. All three of us are New Yorkers to the core, we live locally and are experienced diners. We chose not to tip at all. We will not go back.
- Pros: Quiet, nice atmosphere, although the lights were a bit too bright
- Cons: Service, Food, Price
Duck, duck, DUCK!
by michel
June 08, 2008
Wow, great duck, good service, and decent prices. What more can one ask from a restaurant in Midtown????
Two thumbs up!
by michellecooley01
July 03, 2007
I really enjoyed my time here at Peking Duck house. The service was great and the food was very good and light, I came here with friends and we all agreed that we would definitely return to this place. I gave it 5 stars for the fab food!
Peking duck and braised ham hock
by toma43
March 08, 2007
The peking duck is perfect, but don't forget to order other things on the menu such as the braised ham hock, stir fried green beans, and deep fried beef with vegetables. The service is great. A white table cloth alternative to the usual chinatown barbecue place.
Superb Dining
by foodster168
February 27, 2007
What can I say , the duck it just awesome. I've lived in china for 6 months and nothing comes close to this . We must have better duck here. The chicken and pine nuts are a great way to start, not too heavy but full of taste. Shrimp marnier is one of my favorites too . Depending on what you like the sea bass is a nice specialty that you cant get just anywhere. Overall they do a great job, value is good too.
- Pros: Good atmoshpere , great food , GET THE DUCK!
- Cons: frozen drinks need a little work . stick to the mixed ones
Not Authentic... ingredients not fresh
by aznrose27
January 25, 2007
Canned mushrooms in soup? For an upscale Chinese restaurant I was not expecting this. Also, it seems that they only give good service to Westerners. I'm Chinese and the manager told me to wrap my own pancakes. You can find better Peking Duck and Chinese food for 1/2 the price in Chinatown.
Do not bring a Chinese guest to this restaurant. The food is too Americanized.
- Cons: Ambience
Duck to die for!
by panhandler06
September 25, 2006
The downtown location is my favorite, love the peking duck, the location isn't really much to talk about but that duck, best in the city.
- Pros: Peking duck, Sides, Value
- Cons: Decor
Not a tourist trap, but a treasure.
by taksa
April 21, 2006
The downtown location is in the middle of all the questionable touristy chinatown restaurants, but it is the real thing. Yes, the space is not quite attractive and yes, you often need to wait for a while to be seated. Also, you might be surrounded by a giant group from a bus tour, as were last week. All of this is completely worth it because of the perfect food. The duck is superb and comes with all the necessary sides; we figured out that if you order a couple of vegetable and noodle dishes, you'd want 1 duck for 3 people or 4 slightly less hungry ones. Try the green beans with pork and the thick noodles with pork as additional dishes. Skip the cheap house wines and stick with the tea and TsingTao beer.
- Pros: Duck, Sides, Service
Exquisite duck, excellent service
by notsofussy
November 04, 2005
You cannot beat the quality of the Peking Duck served here - the name says it all. The decor is minimalist but you cannot be the quality of the food and the service is very attentive. Great for a large group.
- Pros: Duck, Service
- Cons: Decor
Excellent duck, all round good chinese food.
by sumptiousny
October 20, 2005
If you enjoy Chinese cuisine you can't go wrong at this restaurant. A perfect place for dining in larger groups where sharing an array of various dishes makes things easy & enjoyable. Everything ordered was tasty and the Peking duck was perfect. The restaurant was surprisingly quiet. Decor is basic, service just fine but food is well worth every penny! Go!
- Pros: Peking Duck, Chinese cuisine, good for groups
- Cons: may close early
