I have finally found it: my favorite Chinese restaurant in New York City that has just as good take-out and delivery as it serves in the restaurant. I’ve had trouble finding Chinese food that’s not too oily, greasy or weirdly shaped white meat chicken without fatty pieces. Sure, there’s a bunch of options in Chinatown, and while I haven’t been to all of them, I am confident that Legend Bar & Restaurant is at the top of them all. All of the vegetables and chicken dishes are cooked perfectly. It’s more than affordable, and the menu is so unlimited that you could eat here for weeks and still not order the same thing twice. I dined here with someone who lived in China, and he was blown away by the authenticity and countless options. You can make reservations and easily walk-in for lunch or dinner. The downstairs has huge tables and a private room perfect for a large group dinner. Not to mention the lunch specials include your choice of a main dish, soup and rice for $7.25 – it’s just an insane steal.
Start off with some Sichuan Cucumbers and an order of Dan Dan Noodles Chen-Du Style. The noodles are cold, a bit sweet and help tease your palate off to the right start. The are $5.50. The Egg Drop Soup is light and perfect. The way you expect every Egg Drop soup to taste: not to thick or eggy and just brothy enough with a few flakes of corn. I love all three of the stereotypical white girl chicken dishes from Kung Pao to Chicken with Broccoli to General Tso’s. The quality of the chicken is delicious and the veggies are clean and crisp. There is just enough sauce and nothing is drowning or overly sauced up. The Garlic Eggplant is long strips of tender grilled eggplant in a spicy sauce. I could eat this for a whole meal because it is so tasty and feels healthy and good. Vegetarians freak out.
We tried the authentic Dry Spicy, Tasty Diced Chicken with Ginger and Peanut. I was not a fan of this. Yes, it was dry like it says in the name and also a bit breaded, but ya know it’s always good to try new things. I just won’t be ordering this again. I rather not have the crunch be from the meat and prefer it to be from the veggies. All of the chicken dishes are about $12 and can feed a large group when sharing amongst yourselves. The Fried Rice is standard and for those who can’t go to a Chinese restaurant without it, you’ll be satisfied here (get the shrimp). All I can say is Legend is simply the best. When you are craving Chinese that’s legit, fresh and thoughtful on preparation, they will never let you down. When you want something cheap, or the best lunch deal in town, they have your back. You can count on everything here, and there is room to experiment as there are about 200 items on the menu. Let’s just say I was not sick of it after having it three times in one week…