Our good friends, Sandra and Will introduced us to Han Dynasty ages ago by saying it was "some of the best Szechuan food in NYC!" Now, being Asian American, we tend to judge asian food - in particular - Chinese food a bit harsher than other since both of us grew up in the heart of asian food: Flushing. So when Sandra told us we had to go try this place, we were quite skeptical.
There are 8 different locations - but we've only been to the one in East Village. It's on 3rd avenue between 12th and 13th street which is an extremely convenient location to get to. In the evening, it does get quite crowded, so we always opt to head in before 6 (which there's never usually a wait for that). In the past (a year ago or so), when we would arrive at 8 something - we would have to wait, so we would hop across the street to a local bar and grab a happy hour drink first!
The menu itself has a wide range of Szechuan foods and doesnt stray away from what it knows. I love how it also labels how spicy each food will be with a number from 1-10. When we first came to this place, the 9 and 10 were so extremely hot, I couldn't eat it, but I believe that after some time, the spiciness has calmed down. If a food is at a 9 or 10, it's still spicy, but for me its bearable, where as Felix is disappointed its not spicier!
In true NYC fashion, the place is quite tight. It fits a lot of people, but if you are sitting in the booth (like I am in this photo) and have a bit of a wide load (like I do lol), you'll have trouble getting between the tables. Often, I saw the waiters moving tables back and forth to allow customers to sit into the booths. If you reach our your arm to the sides of you, you can probably reach the guests next to you that are enjoying your meal lol.
Fel and I also appreciated that they had hot tea in a kettle, just like traditional Chinese restaurants. Although it proved to be slightly more annoying than not since there wasn't enough room to have that and the food we ordered! :P
We have three items we religiously get at Han Dynasty and then have a wild card where we just pick something random off the menu. The first item is (don't judge us!) the CUCUMBERS! As simple as it sounds, it has the perfect blend of sweet, savory and spicy... and then when you feel like the flavors may start to feel overwhelming, the cool crunch of the cucumber kicks in and it makes this such a refreshing treat.
The dan dan noodles used to be way more spicy when we first came, but has definitely mellowed out to be easier to eat. Dandan noodles is a delicious dish that has noodles (obviously lol) and some sort of spicy meat sauce. Generally speaking, it has minced meat, and sesame paste. It's a delicious staple in Szechuan meal and this one doesn't disappoint! Don't forget to stir well, or else you will get very plain noodles on top and very salty toppings on the bottom! lol!
I mean, can we just look at this pic LOL!. So good right? This is one of Fel's favorite dishes - the spicy wings. When we first ate these a year or two back, I could hardly down a bite because it was a 9 on the spicy scale and it was way too spicy. Now because the spice has cooled off a bit, I'm actually able to eat these and they are so delicious. Reminiscent of Korean fried chicken, it has a slightly sweet but spicy taste. The skin is super crispy, but has a sticky sauce on it that makes you feel addicted once you eat it!
Other choices that we've eaten and loved are their wontons in chili oil, three cup chicken and their crispy rice!
Definitely worth a try if you're in the mood for Chinese food and want some of that spice!
The location we went to was:
Han Dynasty
90 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
