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A round table set with a spread of dishes (a whole crispy fish, a blue-rimmed sashimi bowl with orchids, prawns with broccoli, tuna on a pink salt block, a sushi roll and cocktails) in front of a red velvet banquette, a painted palace mural with a pagoda and a carved wooden screen

EST 1965 · 155 East 55th StreetEST 1965 · Midtown Manhattan

Authentic Chinese Cuisine in Midtown Manhattan

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Our Story

Legacy of
Shun Lee Palace

A red rose and dried flowers in a matte black vase on a white tablecloth, between water glasses etched with the 扬州楼 Shun Lee Palace name, with the painted palace mural softly lit behind

Founded in New York in 1965 by Master Chef T.T. Wang, Shun Lee Palace was the city’s first upscale Sichuan restaurant, and the first Chinese restaurant in America to earn a four-star review from Craig Claiborne of The New York Times, a milestone in how the country came to see Chinese cuisine.

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Chef Wang’s kitchen helped shape the flavors of Chinese cooking in America. Shun Lee Palace is the birthplace of Orange Beef, and Chef Wang is credited with introducing or refining dishes such as General Tso’s Chicken and Hunan Crispy Whole Sea Bass. All three are still among our Shun Lee Top 10 today.

In 1971, Chef Wang partnered with restaurateur Michael Tong to open a new Shun Lee Palace, which went on to be reviewed in The New York Times by three of its best-known critics: Mimi Sheraton, Bryan Miller and Ruth Reichl.

In 1995, the dining room was redesigned by renowned hospitality architect Adam Tihany, known for luxury restaurants and hotels around the world.

In 2025, Shun Lee Palace began a new chapter with a complete renovation. A sweeping mural of Chinese palaces and landscapes now wraps the dining room above deep red banquettes, beneath a softly glowing gold ceiling.

For more than six decades, Shun Lee Palace has balanced tradition with innovation. Today we carry that legacy forward: the classic dishes, warm hospitality and Chinese fine dining in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.

  1. 1965Originally opened by Master Chef T.T. Wang
  2. 1971A new Shun Lee Palace with restaurateur Michael Tong
  3. 1995Major renovation designed by Adam Tihany
  4. 2025A complete renovation opens a new chapter

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The Dining Room

  • The entrance water wall: a blue-lit cascade behind a bronze pagoda and silhouetted cranes among ferns.
  • The main dining room: round tables with white cloths, navy-and-gold chargers and gold napkins, under a painted palace mural that runs around the room below a gold-lit ceiling cove and patterned ceiling
  • The bar: a marble counter with a golden wheat arrangement in a “生意兴隆” planter, before a red wall lined with spirits under white linear lights.
  • Backlit glass wine cabinets glowing gold, stocked with racks of wine and featured bottles of wine and spirits
  • A hallway of glowing orange archways leading toward the dining room, walls hung with framed photographs.
  • A glowing gold lattice screen with round lantern lights, above a ledge displaying signed basketballs in glass cases.
  • The host stand seen from the side, its gold-lit band glowing beneath framed press clippings and a dragon painting.
  • A red cloud-pattern carved screen between tables, with orange leather chairs and a section of the painted palace mural
  • The Shun Lee Palace storefront at night beneath an office building, its long lit sign running across the facade.

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Private Dining & Events

For private dinners, business events and celebrations, write to us or give us a call.

Private dining