Yelp understands the power of superlatives. Consumers aren’t just scouting out good restaurants in their area anymore, or even great ones. Instead, prices being what they are, diners want to make sure they’re selecting the very best eateries, spending their time and money at places they consider properly vetted by the internet community. Yelp is all too happy to oblige, publishing lists of the best tacos in every state, the best vegan restaurants around the country, and more. Its latest roundup for the hungry gastronome has just been released, and it’s one that takes on a similarly broad category: the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants of 2024. 

What makes a great Chinese restaurant? 

Because Chinese cuisine is as varied as the nation’s landscape, and as nuanced as its population of 1.4 billion people, it helps to understand what Yelp was pinpointing as it sought out the best Chinese food. The platform chose a range of regional cuisines to illustrate the breadth of the Chinese food category, ranging from long-standing Chinese-American dishes like crab rangoon and egg rolls, to spicy Hunan staples, to regional styles of hot pot. 

An emphasis on scratch cooking is also present throughout the list. Hand-pulled noodles and house-made wonton wrappers get plenty of callouts, as well as deeply flavorful broths made over the course of days rather than hours. As with virtually any cuisine, the freshness and quality of the ingredients separate a good dish from a great one. 

How Yelp chose the best Chinese restaurants

Yelp determined the top Chinese restaurants by weighing not only the highest-ranked spots, but also the volume of reviews. More reviews mean more influence, causing a restaurant to rise to the top of Yelp’s search results — and spurring more people to eat there. Yelp’s list, then, is a sort of extra layer of vetting. 

National chains were not included in the list (sorry, Din Tai Fung!), and all included businesses had a passing health score as of October 2024. 

The top Chinese restaurants in America

Topping the list is Maxi’s Noodle in Flushing, New York, a 4.6-star spot with more than 700 Yelp reviews and more than 1,000 photos illustrating its oversized wontons packed with three varieties of shrimp plus some pork. The restaurant uses its own chili oil and sells it to customers for $6 per jar; Yelp reviews praise the overall affordability of Maxi’s and the warmth of its service. 

Although New York takes nine spots in the list, there are a wide range of cities and states represented; other top-10 restaurants are in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Oregon, California, and Nevada. Some don’t even need a dining room to impress guests — Jayd Bun in South Kingston, Rhode Island, at No. 2 on the list, is a takeout-only operation specializing in pan-fried buns, noodles, and a pancake made from egg, mung bean, and hot dogs. 

Of course, some aren’t brick-and-mortar operations at all. Mama Chow’s Kitchen in Portland, Oregon, is a popular 4.7-star-rated food truck specializing in lollipop chicken wings. The secret to Mama Chow’s success is, in some ways, its simplicity; dishes with only a few ingredients are elevated by an attention to detail rather than an excess of culinary flourishes. 

Finally, there are the restaurants whose playful menus are clearly having fun with the form. Monkey King Jianbing in Skokie, Illinois specializes in Chinese street food, and the business describes itself as “a celebration of creativity, flavor, and culinary adventure.” Its jianbing, a crepe-like wrap, can be filled with everything from two eggs and bacon to fried chicken and shrimp, and some have a hot dog thrown in for good measure. For something sweet, there’s a range of bubble waffles with chocolate, salted egg yolk, or purple yam filling. Most items on the menu cost $6 to $12. 

The full list doesn’t represent every U.S. state, but even if there aren’t any top Chinese restaurants near where you live, there are plenty to add to your bucket list. While the assertive, flavorful dishes across the broad spectrum of Chinese cuisine are popular year-round, Yelp says that interest in such food spikes each December. In 2023, the highest volume of searches for Chinese food was on Christmas Day. If you’re feeling inspired to celebrate the season with some superlative noodles and broth, see Yelp’s full list here.

The 100 Top Chinese Restaurants in America for 2024

1. Maxi’s Noodle, Flushing, New York
2. Jayd Bun, South Kingstown, Rhode Island
3. Dumpling Yo!, Sacramento, California
4. Lili’s Restaurant, Amherst, Massachusetts
5. Chang Lai Fishballs & Noodles, New York, New York
6. Mama Chow’s Kitchen, Portland, Oregon
7. Wagyu House by The X Pot, Rowland Heights, California
8. China Mama – Shanghai Plaza, Las Vegas, Nevada
9. Tian Fu DIY Hotpot, Corvallis, Oregon
10. Oyama BBQ, Newark, California
11. Pepper House, Ellicott City, Maryland
12. Kwok’s Bistro, Reno, Nevada
13. TJ’s Shanghai Dumplings, Madison Heights, Michigan
14. Meet Dumpling, San Diego, California
15. Shang Artisan Noodle – Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada
16. CHILI, New York, New York
17. Corner 21 Chinese Cuisine, Springfield, Missouri
18. Tasty Dumplings, Lowell, Massachusetts
19. The Magic Noodle, Las Vegas, Nevada
20. Wok’s Deli, Norwalk, California
21. Chef Hong, Austin, Texas
22. Antidote, Brooklyn, New York
23. Asian Snack, Indianapolis, Indiana
24. Xishang Roodle, Santa Ana, California
25. Yun Noodle & Dumplings, Las Vegas, Nevada
26. Awesum Dimsum, New York, New York
27. Qiao Lin Hotpot – Chicago Chinatown, Chicago, Illinois
28. Uncle Tsang’s Kitchen, Portland, Oregon
29. Hong Minh, Harvey, Louisiana
30. First Meeting Noodle, Rochester, Minnesota
31. Yi Ji Shi Mo Noodle Corp, New York, New York
32. Hong Kong Station, Centennial, Colorado
33. Jackrabbit Filly, North Charleston, South Carolina
34. Noodles Express, Denver, Colorado
35. Jade Dumpling & Noodle House, Eugene, Oregon
36. Tasty Gourmet, Davis, California
37. Noodle Man, Virginia Beach, Virginia
38. Boiled Fish, Orlando, Florida
39. Xiaolong Dumpling, Houston, Texas
40. House of Fortune Vegan Cuisine, Chino, California
41. LungFung Wok N Grill, Lake Oswego, Oregon
42. Petals of a Peony, Cordova, Tennessee
43. Sunflower Garden, Seattle, Washington
44. Phu Chen Kitchen, Fontana, California
45. AhHa Noodles, Livonia, Michigan
46. Ono Home Kitchen, Kealakekua, Hawaii
47. Lao Ma Tou Hot Pot, Irvine, California
48. Szechuan Mansion Hotpot, Cary, North Carolina
49. Fong’s Meat Market, Honolulu, Hawaii
50. Supreme Dumplings – Bellevue, Bellevue, Washington
51. Chinatown Express, La Habra, California
52. Fun Station, Honolulu, Hawaii
53. Asian Spice, Tucson, Arizona
54. Spicy Moon East Village, New York, New York
55. Hu’s Cooking, Houston, Texas
56. Gaslight Kitchen, East Grand Rapids, Michigan
57. 606, San Francisco, California
58. Tasty Kitchen Chinese Restaurant, Grants, New Mexico
59. Monkey King Jianbing, Skokie, Illinois
60. Chef K, Temecula, California
61. Big Dan Shanxi Taste, Las Vegas, Nevada
62. LaMei Hot Pot, Brookline, Massachusetts
63. Sauced Potstickers, Prescott Valley, Arizona
64. Dumpling Xuan, Cambridge, Massachusetts
65. Huakee BBQ Bento, Westminster, Colorado
66. Shu Jiao Fu Zhou, New York, New York
67. Noodlehead, Las Vegas, Nevada
68. Unit Su Vege, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
69. Tiger Soup Dumplings, Fenton, Missouri
70. China Palace, Walnut Creek, California
71. Mian Noodles & Dumplings, San Antonio, Texas
72. Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings, Denver, Colorado
73. Joy Cup Noodles Mean, Honolulu, Hawaii
74. Chopstick House, Wyoming, Michigan
75. Fortune Wok to Table, Denver, Colorado
76. Wah Fung No 1, New York, New York
77. Bing Mi, Portland, Oregon
78. Cate Zone Chinese Cafe, University City, Missouri
79. Wonton Guy, Edison, New Jersey
80. Dumpling Home, San Francisco, California
81. Double 10 Mini Hot Pot, Madison, Wisconsin
82. Soupleaf Hot Pot, Austin, Texas
83. King Wong Chinese Restaurant, Marlton, New Jersey
84. Sichuan House, San Antonio, Texas
85. Uncle Henry, Denver, Colorado
86. Sun’s Kitchen, Charlotte, North Carolina
87. Wong’s Chinese Cuisine, Phoenix, Arizona
88. Shi Miaodao Yunnan Rice Noodle, Rockville, Maryland
89. Nine Way 玖味, Redmond, Washington
90. China Wok, Savannah, Georgia
91. La Mei Zi, Doraville, Georgia
92. Khan Skewer Restaurant, Honolulu, Hawaii
93. Sister Liu’s Kitchen, Durham, North Carolina
94. Dian Xin, New Orleans, Louisiana
95. LJ Shanghai, Cleveland, Ohio
96. Mama Wing Kitchen, Anacortes, Washington
97. Urban Hai, Atlanta, Georgia
98. Li’s Place, Freeport, Maine
99. Dai Yee’s Asian Kitchen, Chicago, Illinois
100. . Qi Austin, Austin, Texas