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Lin's Kitchen

3.9 (110 reviews)
ModerateChinese
Closed 11:30 am - 9:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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Eggplant
Lizzy L.

After hearing great things about Lin's, I was excited to give it a try! It was a major holiday so we called at 6pm to check if they were open, and we were asked to place our order ahead of time (for a seating at 7pm) to give the chef time to prep. When we arrived, the door was locked and there was a note to call to be let in, which took a few minutes. In terms of the food, I was impressed by the quality and flavors of the dishes! The veggies were so flavorful, and the wonton chili oil was delicious. However, I was majorly disappointed by the rice - it was room temp when served and didn't taste fresh. They also charged us for the rice (which is really unusual for most chinese restaurants!). The service is expectedly slow - the dishes came out one at a time and the wife of the chef was the only one attending to the customers. There were only two other parties when we arrived and our meal still took 1.5hrs from start to finish. I'd would recommend dining in (and calling ahead to pre order) if you are in the mood for authentic Chinese food at a very leisurely pace. But next time I'd probably order take out and make my own rice at home!

Inside seating
Jess L.

So full. So happy. I've finally found a Chinese restaurant in the area that I adore. My friends and I got quite a few items - some off a special secret menu - and it's impossible to pick a favorite. We started with the Chengdu dumplings in red oil, scallion pancakes, and soup dumplings. Dare I say that the xiaolongbao were the best I've had in CT - perfect amount of soup, great meat flavor, and not scalding. Even the scallion pancakes were particularly good, I think because it was a bit thinner than others. TJs eggplant special with pork was delightful. I loved the textures and mix of the two main ingredients, and the sauce was sweet without being saturated. The three cup chicken also really nicely seasoned and moist. And lastly, the squirrel fish was excellent. Great crispness and gooey sweetness. I'd order everything again, but there were also so many other items I want to try. I can't wait to come back.

pork hock
Chuzhi Z.

The pork tasted like charcoal. The waitress was very rude. Tip was automatically added to the bill, and the waitress did not allow splitting.

Red oil wontons
Timothy H.

Red oil wontons - 5/5: I've noticed that no two restaurants do red oil wontons the same, and there's incredible variance in recipes. Lin's serves theirs with very little chili oil, and leans heavier on fragrant aromatics, sesame, and vinegar. I would have preferred it spicier, but it was actually incredibly good. The wontons themselves were a bit small, but were well made. Crystal shrimp dumplings - 3/5: meh. It was ok. Wrap was a bit thick. Very middle of the road, wouldn't get again. Crab and pork xiaolongbao - 4/5: probably the best xiaolongbao I've had in the New Haven area by a large margin. The broth tasted great, the filling was good (couldn't taste any crab, though), and it wasn't overcooked. The one negative was that the wrap was incredibly thick for some reason (see picture). Two other minuscule issues were that the spoons they gave were tiny (give soup spoons so the soup doesn't leak!) and that there was no ginger. Sponge gourd - 5/5: sponge gourd is one of my favorite foods in the entire world, and this didn't disappoint. The dish was seasoned well with garlic, green onion, and pepper, and the sauce was the perfect starchy consistency. Tasted exactly like it should! The one downside was that it was $20, but a higher price is to be expected for an ingredient that's harder to come by in the States, I guess. Taiwan style beef noodle soup - 2.5/5: the dish I was most excited for was unfortunately a miss. The broth was the main offender -- it was opaque and incredibly salty, way too salty to drink, and not authentic at all. The noodles were alright, but definitely not traditional beef noodle soup noodles (which are thin, flat, and springy). They actually reminded me a lot of ramen noodles. The one saving grace was that the beef shank was very well prepared, and tasted great. Overall: Proooobably a 3.5/5. Some hits and some misses. The menu is extensive with many appealing-looking options, but while I'll likely return I'm not incredibly excited to try everything else. When it comes to cost, Lin's falls on the pricier side. For Chinese restaurants, the golden standard is to be authentic, sanitary, and cheap, and most places sacrifice one of the three. Servings are pretty small, and the price is fairly high for what you get. Service was friendly, if a little perfunctory, and the food takes quite a long time to come out.

Steamed Crystal Shrimp Dumplings
Gene C.

The food was absolutely amazing! Tastes very authentic. We tried a lot of various dishes such as Dongchu House Special Pork Stew and Crispy Fried Whole Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce and Pine Seeds. All the sauces were flavorful, vegetables right amount of crunch, and presentation was top botch. The one thing I think they can improve on has nothing to do with the food. Though the hostess is friendly, she seems to be the only person waiting on tables, delivering food, cleaning the tables, etc. They should have more help on the service side, especially during the peak lunch and dinner hours. But aside from that, this restaurant is deserving of a top rating.

Fred M.

I have learned there are stellar Chinese restaurants tucked into strip malls that do not attract attention. Lin's Kitchen is one of these places. On busy U.S.#1 it is easy to miss. I joined a group of Chinese friends for dinner on a Sunday evening. The space is small, clean and tastefully decorated. The service is friendly and attentive without being intrusive. Food is served promptly, water refreshed frequently, and plates cleared and replaced. There is nothing overlooked. The food is nothing short of amazing. As a transplanted New Yorker, I think my expectations are pretty high. LIn's delivered. Our opening dish, a spicy tofu soup was outstanding - spicy but did not overwhelm my Western capacity for spice. A whole fish was fresh and cooked perfectly. A tofu and green bean entree was subtle and delicious. We also tried chicken with chestnuts and fried pork with pineapple. Each entree was tasty and served in a sequence so we were not overwhelmed. For dessert we were served a delicate dumpling with red bean paste. I have never had this before and it was excellent. Overall Lin's was a great treat, a real 'find' and we will definitely be back. If you like well-prepared Chinese food that is a far cry from the usual fare, you should consider Lin's Kitchen.

Chestnut chicken
Melissa Z.

This is low key my favorite Chinese restaurant in CT. My two favorite dishes here are the chestnut chicken and the stir fried chicken but I also like many of their other chef specials (the spicy pork rib stew and the pork belly with vermicelli and picked veggies). Hard to find a northern style restaurant amongst the Sichuan and Guangzhou influences in the U.S. and so I'm thankful for this small family run business. Please support your local businesses and try Lin Kitchen's! Your taste buds will thank you

糖醋里脊
Sarah J.

If you are looking for the real Chinese food, this the definitely a great place to enjoy this authentic Chinese food culture. The host was from northeast part of China, so they are expertised in northern Chinese food. Ordered 地三鲜&糖醋里脊, which are my favourite childhood food. It tasted like exactly what I was looking for!!! It doesn't like other place offer the American Chinese food with Chinese food label and defraud customers. Again, if you want real Chinese food, just go this place and order the food on real Chinese food menu, don't order Sth like general tso's chicken. The hosts were pretty nice, they explain the menu very detailed and patient. They are pretty knowledgeable about Chinese food.

Spicy Rib Tips Stew. I did have some before taking the picture.

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Hands down still the best authentic Chinese in the area. Every dish is well prepared and delicious.

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