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    Jin Da Lai

    3.8 (52 reviews)
    ModerateKorean, Barbeque, Chinese
    Open 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Jin Da Lai Photos

    Business Info

    JIN DA LAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Divey
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for groups

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    Hot coal briquettes ready for cooking
    Gordon Y.

    Cuisine: 8 Service: 6 Decor: 3 Value: 7 Overall: 7 Where do you go for a beer and some late night Chinese bbq? If you haven't been to restaurant, then you should give this place a try. It may be the description of a dive, but my friends and I always have a good time whenever we eat here. So, what makes this restaurant special? At each table is a small fire pit where they lay down a pile of charcoal briquettes. You can order from over 30 different kinds of food on a stick and grill them to your liking. Then add some of their amazing seasoning and enjoy! The most popular choices are usually lamb, beef, and chicken ... ... you should definitely get them. They all taste great, especially the lamb, which is our group's favorite. However, if you are adventurous, go for some of the more odd items on the menu. By that, I don't mean squid legs or fish tofu, which are both delicious btw. I'm talking about chicken heart, beef tendon, lamb kidney, etc. May sound disgusting to some people, but music to my ears, and others who appreciates the unique textures of the food they sample. There is also a huge selection of cooked dishes that are quite good too. On this night, we ordered something resembling fried corn pancake, which was crispy and somewhat addicting. We were also given a yummy free dish made with vermicelli, shredded tofu and cabbage in a sweet & slightly spicy sauce. However, my favorite dish was the stir fried pork intestines w/ peppers. Absolutely fantastic! Anyway, if you have a late night craving for some Chinese BBQ, and don't mind a basement dive, then stop in for some awesome grub.

    corn pancake
    Amanda W.

    Expected a grilled your own skewer experience. But the initial walk in was awkward, so resulted in being too weirded out to ask about the grill. It was fine, we sat next to a table of six who was having a get together, and they turned to look at us when we walked in real quiet hahaha.... nervously we looked at the menu and decided on what to eat. I think downstairs is probably where you grill your own. Next time !! Gave 3 stars bc the food got cold fast, we tried eating fast but that didnt work. Server was also quite absent and mostly you do your own, that's pretty ok. Ambience is eh. Food tho, the food is good. Corn pancake is sooo crispy wow, impressed. Crispy pork was good too, just thought it would be crispier, an 8/10 tho. The sausage is the chinese childhood snack of WangZhongWang brand, such a throwback.

    Pig intestines skewers and chicken
    Vicky Q.

    If you aren't paying attention you will for sure miss this spot. They have grill your own skewers which are so amazing and the meat is so fresh. Its basically the street cart skewers with the same seasoning. The menu is mostly Chinese and Korean but google translate was really useful. We ordered the beef skewers, pork intestines skewers, chicken, lamb, and sausages. The beef, lamb, and sausages were (5/5) amazing , juicy and PACKED with flavor (MUST ORDER). The chicken was (4/5) a little dry because we weren't sure when they were done cooking and wanted to be safe. The pig intestines (3/5) It was very chewy even after grilling and the seasoning didn't hold too well so it wasn't too flavorful. We also got a freebie cold noodle salad dish which was delicious! Highly recommend getting rice on the side too! They make add pumpkin to it so its slightly sweet which goes so well with the salty and fatty meat. Cannot wait to go back! Must try their guabaoruo, we were too full to try but for sure next time!

    Lamb and beef skewers
    Tony P.

    We ordered the beef and lamb skewers which were seasoned well. The meat had a hint of spice and the meat was tender and cooked. They provided roasted peanuts and kimchi while we waited for our entrée. Although the staff had limited english, they were very polite and we were able to find a table/order food easily. The atmosphere of the other customers with the staff made the place feel very homey.

    Yang H.

    This is the place that's for "our own people" type of restaurant. The menu is in Chinese and Korean. The food is the Yanbian style, which is the Chinese-Korean form one of the 56 ethnicities officially recognized by the Chinese government. This makes the food very special, it is the combination of Korean food and North Chinese food. The must eat food in here is the DIY bbq, just make sure that you don't over cook your food. The beef and lamb are delicious and juicy. I personally feels that they tastes better than the cart in Flushing. The owner and the staffs are very friendly, they like to chat with you and teach you how not to burn your BBQ, but I guess it only happens if you speak Chinese or Korean. Definitely recommend.

    Ally L.

    Ok. A very hidden spot that may seem sketchy and probably is but still yummy and affordable! If you're in the mood for skewers and want to cook them yourself while enjoying some beer in a basement, come here! Communication barrier at its finest with the waiters and waitresses but nothing pointing at pictures and hand gestures can't fix. I opted for the chicken, beef, and lamb. I'd return if I'm in the mood for a sit down skewer spot

    I wish I can give a 0 star review the restaurant is the worst restaurant I've tried in my nyc trip. The staffs were really slow and rude, and argued with the costumer next to me, made really loud noice. The food tasted like a shit and expensive. Would never go there again.

    Lamb skewers

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    2 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Great vibe, friendly service good food. Brought the whole family and a good time was had by all.

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    They dont let you cook your own skewers. The waiter doesn't not come by after serving food. Feels damp and smells like a basement.

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Amazing place lamb skewers next level and charcoal bbq. This place is a must go. Authentic experience

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    4 years ago

    Bad service and slow. I've had much better Korean food elsewhere. I came here based on the reviews and was greatly disappointed.

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    11 years ago

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    3 years ago

    great service great food chicken was the best at least u think that must try if u come near here

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    7 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

    Jin Da Lai Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Jin Da Lai

    Would I be able to order if I don't speak or read Chinese?

    They are able to understand basic orders like beef, lamb and chicken the basic stuff you know they have on the menu. But as for other foods you'll be taking a chance. So your options are very limited.

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    Jardin De China

    Jardin De China

    4.1(307 reviews)
    2.4 miNorth Corona
    $$

    Cuisine: 6 Service: 7…read moreDecor: 4 Value: 7 I have not been here in a long time. Maybe because the prices are no longer considered cheap eats. Or maybe because my taste buds have evolved over the years. Or maybe it's just not as good as it used to be. The answer is maybe all three and somewhere in the middle. I have never came here, or any other Latino-Chinese restaurants in NYC, for service or decor, so let's set that aside. The value is still somewhat there, but the food did not hit that nostalgic note I was looking for. I wanted to get the Fried Pork Chops (Chuletas De Cerdo Frita), but our server suggested the "juicier" Broiled Pork Chops (Chuletas De Credo Asada) instead. Sorry to report, if that's juicy, then how dry is the fried pork chops? I shutter at the thought. It was also under seasoned. I substituted the House Fried Rice for my side at an $4.50 additional fee. It was just okay and not worth the upgrade. Boneless Crispy Fried Chicken (Chicharron De Pollo) was also a disappointment. The batter was more hard than crispy, but the idea that boneless dark meat isn't more juicy simply tells me that the chef over fried the pieces. It came with Fried sweet plantains, which could have been a but more ripe but not bad. I'm not sure how I feel about the Beef Stew (Carne Guisada), which had relatively tender meat, but the sauce was so weak and lacked any real flavor. The black beans and white rice that came with it was decent. What might bring me back to this restaurant sooner rather than later was the Shrimp Egg Foo Young (foo Young Con Camarones). I felt that the eggs were cooked extremely well, but the star of the show was that delicious brown sauce full of umami. Having this over white or fried rice made this meal much more acceptable. I'm not sure when I'll have another craving for this type of food. If I do, I'll definitely get the egg foo young again. However, the other dishes were misses for me, so maybe I'll try the Fried Pork Chops and Shredded Beef in Tomato SayceRopa Vieja.

    Whether you speak Spanish or Cantonese, the waiters here can help get you whatever dish your heart…read moredesires. It's amazing to step into this restaurant, it's like stepping into another world where anything is possible. I feel like home whenever I come here. My favorable dishes are the combo dishes because I can choose fried rice or noodles or French fries with a meat usually, Yummylicious to the core!

    Photos
    Jardin De China - The restaurant itself

    The restaurant itself

    Jardin De China
    Jardin De China - Boneless Crispy Fried Chicken (Chicharron De Pollo)

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    Boneless Crispy Fried Chicken (Chicharron De Pollo)

    Shanghai Zhen Gongfu - Shumai

    Shanghai Zhen Gongfu

    4.3(298 reviews)
    3.2 miElmhurst
    $$

    Ambiance (5/5): A no frills Chinese diner. The tables are a little tight and homey…read more Service (5/5): Our waiter was awesome. It helps that we speak the language that we got a little more comedic interaction with him! He was a hoot and was helpful in providing us advice on the # of dishes and what to get. I'd say everything is authentic to the Shanghainese cuisine so I'm a little biased that I loved every dish! A fish dish was suggested but we opted for our usual favorites: Scallion Pancake -made fresh as you can tell from the crunch Soup dumplings - super fresh, delicious inside, plenty of soup, perfect ratio of skin to meat Chow Fun - classic, look at the heaping amount of beef portioned on top!! Beef pepper steak - chunks were very tender and full of flavor Pork buns - a lovely crunch on the bottom of the bun, soft bread and tons of flavor Shrimp with broccoli - large pieces of shrimp (I didn't try it so I'm not sure on the taste)

    Came here for my brother's birthday. At first it seemed nice, they put out a sign for him and we…read moregot a nice long table for my family. Then the server Bill, started acting like a used car salesman. He said he would give us a sake cause it was his birthday, but didn't tell us we were going to get charged for it. Also before my brother got there, he said that since it was his birthday, he would bring out a "banana boat" which was just 5 scoops of ice cream and some cut up banana. When we got the bill he not only charged us for both, but that banana boat was $30! When we asked about it, he argued with us saying that he didn't tell us the price of every single thing that we bought... very rude. We also tried to order two orders of regular soup dumplings and two orders of the truffle. He kept rushing our order, and then tried to change our order to four orders of the truffle. We weren't sure if we would like it yet, and kept pushing back but he wouldn't take no for an answer (that being said the truffle was good, but I'm definitely a purist and preferred the regular soup dumplings). We also ordered the kau fu but it was not good, and tasted too much of five spice. The cha cha mien was fine, but a bit small and a little bland. The rice cakes were good, but the rice cakes were not al dente enough for me. We also got the fried rice, which was fine, but nothing to write home about. Finally we got a fried tofu dish which was good and had a lot of tofu in it. Overall, this server ruined our experience. The food is fine, but there are other Shanghainese restaurants in the area and would visit those over this place.

    Photos
    Shanghai Zhen Gongfu - Vinegar/Ginger Sauce for Soup Dumplings

    Vinegar/Ginger Sauce for Soup Dumplings

    Shanghai Zhen Gongfu - 5. Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings

    5. Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings

    Shanghai Zhen Gongfu - 109. Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

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    109. Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

    Jin Da Lai - korean - Updated September 2026

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