A new Chinese restaurant is opening soon in the former home of Grand Sichuan at 307 Amsterdam Avenue near 74th Street. The awning says it’s called Lily’s 74, but the menu makes it clear this is Grandma’s Restaurant, and no one messes with grandma.
Keith Marder got an advance look at the menu and it’s got quite a few options, including handmade dumplings. (Grand Sichuan closed in July.)
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What I do not understand is if it is called Grandma’s, why is Lily’s 74 on the awning? I have tried looking it up on Seamless, looked for a website and nothing is there. But Grand Sichuan still is. Very confusing!
Gee, where have I seen that menu before? Where was it? Oh yes, at every other Chinese restaurant catering to takeout and delivery.
exactly…and the prices are higher
Exactly. Same menu from the last 4 chinese food stores that have closed except this one is more expensive. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Will be reading about this place in the Opening/Closed section within a year.
Always a welcome site to see new merchants. I wish them the best. I just hope the increasing rent won’t drive them out.
Lily’s has long been a staple on the east
side… terrific, authentic Chinese cuisine.
A wonderful addition to the Upper
West Side!
This is not related to the Lili’s–different spelling, specific logo–that is on the UES and West 57th St.
Mmm, I don’t know. If a Chinese restaurant can’t get noodles right then I don’t have a lot of faith in the rest of the menu. I went to Lily’s on the UES and it was at best mediocre.
Overpriced!
It would be great if we finally had an authentic Chinese restaurant on the UWS instead of the bland, oversauced, gloppy and heavily Americanized offerings we’ve got.
Legend 72 is excellent, at least for the Szechuan dishes.
There’s tons of good Chinese on the UWS now.
Aside from Han (where most items should be ordered extra-spicy), you’ve got a burgeoning Little Sichuan Province around 100th & Broadway (try Szechuan Garden, 108 Dried Food Hot Pot or Xi’an Famous Foods, to name just a few).
More to the south, the new La Salle Dumpling Room at 60th & West End is getting good marks. Legend on 72nd will also do in a pinch, but again, order everything extra-spicy.
LOL. Do you assume that every reader of the West Side Rag likes dishes to be as spicy as possible?
Hi Bob, I recommended extra-spicy because some of these Sichuan restaurants, such as Han & Legend, make relatively tame versions of Sichuan food at their UWS locations.
Ordering extra-spicy will get you closer to the real deal and further away from “bland, oversauced, gloppy and heavily Americanized offerings” that XR wisely dislikes.
But by all means, do your own thing.
I am far from an expert but those who know more than I do about Chinese food rave about Han Dynasty on 84th. And it is fairly reasonably priced.
Han Dynasty is the best Chinese restaurant in the area. In fact that’s where i’m getting dinner tonight 🙂
As a Chinese person, I can say with certainty that Han Dynasty is authentic. It’s a gem of the UWS.
It looks hideous. That salmon pink pair. Oy.
Grandma sure does charge a lot!
Geez… Enough with the Chinese restaurants!!!!
Did you notice item S2, the codfish, for FORTY-ONE NINETY-FIVE?! I’m guessing it should be $14.95! A quart of their hot and sour soup was $7 including tax, about $2 more than Grand Sichuan charged. And much worse. Mostly plain mushrooms and bean curd, almost no tree ear fungus, no tiger lily stems, little bit of bamboo shoots. About the same as the Americanized version at Empire Szechuan. Not really hot (little chili), not sour (little vinegar), and watery broth. Their standard low-end Chinese takeout menu is just commodity food for people on small budgets who need to fill their stomachs. The pity is that in Chinatown for about the same money you can get fabulous food with stunning diversity. Incidentally, you can get amazingly good hot and sour soup with meat at La Nueva Victoria on Broadway at 95th–a few dollars more, and you have to wait 10-15 min. while they make it.
I just stopped by to try this place, ordered a sesame chicken lunch special that came to a total of $9.71, they don’t take credit card for a transaction that is less than $15. Already i’m annoyed.
Don’t even think of asking to subside the soup for a soda or an egg roll. Got home, opened the bag, found a tiny tray containing my meal, the chicken was hard and nothing to write home about. their prices are high and the service was cold. I won’t be coming back.
Lily’s is owned by the same people at Hiro Sushi, 160 Freedom Place. Just check out the yelp reviews. It is commonplace for the owners to yell at their customers. Especially if you are asian. I know from experience. Famous for their rude service.
Again, why so many Chinese restaurants?! Don’t we have enough if them!
Re: “Don’t we have enough if them!”
Yeah, but not as many as they have in China.
😂
But there they are just called “restaurants”
Haven’t found a chinese restaurant that I like here on the UWS. When I gotta have it I go to Wo Hop in Chinatown. It never disappoints. Been going there since 1969. I’m also trying different Dim Sum restaurants in Chinatown. The new one on the UWS is double the price as the one downtown.. I won’t settle for mediocre.
Food is fresh but bland. Good service.
They have been open for the past several days.
I will deeply miss the Spicy Chong Qing chicken from Grand Sichuan.
Why do all my favorite neighborhood places close?
I wish them luck but the menu looks like a typical boring American Chinese restaurant.
There are so many Chinese restaurants in NYC basically serving the same items. I believe the only way for Chinese restaurants to survive and thrive is for them to differentiate themselves.
Han Dynasty is a perfect example. So is the Xi’an chain.
Jing Fong, on 78th & Amsterdam, has been oven now 5 months and are STILL in “soft opening” status. They still only use the temp soft opening mini menu & are only open from 5-10. Not quite sure what they are still trying to figure out here?
I tried Grandma’s last night. (They do insist on being called Grandma’s, not Lily 74.) The food was very good. Welcome to the neighborhood, Grandma!
I wanted to try the place, but through their lunch menu as it’s a cheaper way to see if they’re any good. I must say, I was impressed. I ordered the fish fillet i red chili sauce. EXCELLENT & a huge portion of fish. Very fresh & delicious. Came with rice & soup. They took my credit card for the lunch special & delivered it within 20 minutes. Give them a try. Best of luck to them!