An independent authority on Chinese dining in the United States
Elite 12 UNITED STATES 2026
The Chinese Restaurant Awards presents the Top 20 Honorees for the inaugural 2026 Elite 12 United States Awards—marking the Awards’ first expansion into the United States and recognizing restaurants shaping the country’s Chinese dining landscape.
The story of Chinese food in America is also a story of migration, belonging and evolution. Across generations, Chinese communities carried the flavours of home into new cities, while chefs and restaurateurs adapted regional traditions to local ingredients, cultures and ways of life. From enduring neighbourhood institutions to the distinctive voices of a new generation, Chinese dining in America continues to preserve tradition while finding new forms of expression.
Selected by the U.S. Taste Advisors Panel, these 20 honorees span cities, regional cuisines and dining styles. They are restaurants worth discovering, exploring and travelling for.
20
Inaugural Elite 12 United States
The Final 12 Revealed
September 23, 2026
Fairmont Pacific Rim
Vancouver, Canada
The final 12 honorees will be announced at the 2026 North America awards ceremony.
The 2026 Top 20 by City
8San Francisco
3New York
2Brooklyn
7Other Cities
—
Listed in alphabetical order
Array 36
San Gabriel, CA — Northern Chinese
Recommended Dishes
Beef Short Rib, Crab Roe Tofu, Peking Duck
Birds of a Feather
Brooklyn, NY — Sichuan
Recommended Dishes
Fried Eggplant Accordions, Fried Rice with Mustard Green Shoots, Sliced Pork Belly on Pickled Mustard Green, Spicy Soft Shell Crab
Bistro Na’s
Temple City, CA — Imperial Chinese / Beijing cuisine
Recommended Dishes
Crispy Shrimp, Na’s Spicy Chicken, Peking Duck, Chef Su’s Pork Feet Jelly, Na’s Prime Angus Ribs
Dian Xin
New Orleans, LA — Northern and Cantonese dim sum
Recommended Dishes
Hot and Sour Soup, Xiao Long Bao
Dumpling Home
San Francisco, CA — Shanghainese / Northern Chinese dumplings
Recommended Dishes
Numb & Spicy Pork Xiao Long Bao, Pan-Fried Juicy Pork Bao, Sheng Jian Bao
Four Kings
San Francisco, CA — Cantonese-inspired
Recommended Dishes
Chiu Chow Olive Green Beans, Chili Crab, Fried Squab, Xinjiang Lamb Skewer, Mapo Spaghetti with Beef, Snap Peas with Tofu Dressing, XO Escargot with Milkbread
Fu Hui Hua
San Francisco, CA — Shanghainese / Jiangnan Chinese / Japanese
Recommended Dishes
Crab Fried Rice, Drunken Shrimp, Velvet Egg White “Crab”, Off-menu Fish Roe Dish, Sweet Rice Dumpling, Tasting Menu
HK Lounge Bistro
San Francisco, CA — Cantonese dim sum
Recommended Dishes
Black Sesame Balls, Coffee Pork Ribs, Durian Puff, Koi Fish Mango Pudding, Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce, Roast duck meat & Peanut Dumpling, Shrimp Rice Roll, Stuffed Crab Claws
Kato Restaurant
Los Angeles, CA — Taiwanese-inspired, Tasting Menu only
Recommended Dishes
Huo Guo (Hot Pot) Soup Twist, Squab, Tasting Menu
Lei
New York, NY — Contemporary Chinese
Recommended Dishes
Chilled Celtuce with Kombu Jelly, Sweet and Sour Beef Short Ribs
Mister Jiu’s
San Francisco, CA — Modern Chinese, American Chinese
Recommended Dishes
Fried Dirty Rice, Liberty Farms Peking Style Duck with Savory Pancakes & Peanut Butter Hoisin, Pea Tendrils, Scallion Pancake
MOTT 32
Las Vegas, NV — Modern Chinese
Recommended Dishes
Hot and Sour Xiao Long Bao, Applewood 42 Days Roasted Peking Duck, Iberico Pluma Char Siu
Red Sorghum
Long Island City, NY — Szechuan and Hunan
Recommended Dishes
Century Egg Claypot, Chairman’s Braised Pork, Mao Xue Wang
Riverside Seafood Restaurant
San Francisco, CA — Cantonese seafood
Recommended Dishes
King Crab (3 Ways), Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs
Shu Jiao Fu Zhou
New York, NY — Fujianese
Recommended Dishes
Peanut Noodles, Pork & Chive Dumplings, Fried Pork & Chive Dumplings
Sumiao Hunan Kitchen
Cambridge, MA — Hunan
Recommended Dishes
Beef on Fire, Sumiao Tofu Pot, Red-braised Pork Belly
The Happy Crane
San Francisco, CA — Modern Chinese
Recommended Dishes
Beef Shin & Celery Root, Firecracker Shrimp, Char Siu, Jian Dui (in the style of Ferrero Rocher chocolates), Green Garlic & Ginger Lobster Noodles, Rosy Dawn Cocktail
Wenwen
Brooklyn, NY — Taiwanese
Recommended Dishes
Beef Fat Chili Oil Noodle, Lily Flaming Fried Rice, Shrimp Floss Lettuce Cup
Yingtao
New York, NY — Modern Chinese
Recommended Dishes
Tasting Menu
Z & Y Peking Duck
San Francisco, CA — Northern Chinese, Peking duck
Recommended Dishes
Sichuan’s Couple Delight, Dan Dan Noodles, Chicken with Explosive Chili Pepper, Peking Duck, Grilled Whole Fish with Sichuan Pickles and Yellow Chili
Shanghainese, Japanese & French-inspired
— Fu Hui Hua, San Francisco, CA —
