Executive Chef Philippe Chow has been serving New York’s hoi polloi Beijing-style Peking duck for 20 years. Suddenly, in July 2025, New York City got a bad case of midnight cravings when Chow’s flagship location at 33 East 60th Street closed to make room for a new tower on Billionaire’s Row.

This can be the kiss of death for a restaurant, with startup costs in New York City ranging from $300,000—for a deli-style storefront with a few tables—up to millions of dollars for New York’s fanciest dining emporiums.

But Chow knew that the fancy people must be fed! With an influx of new investors, Philippe Chow opened an ultraluxe location in March 2026, at 10 East 52nd Street (at Fifth Avenue). The swanky two-level pagoda features 7,000 square feet of white-clothed tables surrounded by animal prints, polished brass, black marble, and velvet, with a lavish bar and several private dining spaces for its high-profile clientele. When I dined there last month, its hallmark exquisite service was on full display and the dishes were exemplary.

Philippe Chow’s Downtown location opened in 2019, in a 5,000-square-foot luxury cavern at 355 West 16th Street, replacing the Japanese restaurant Megu. This Meatpacking location shares a trendy athlete-and-musician clientele with nearby Tao.

People couldn’t get enough, so in June 2023, Chow cast his famous satays beyond New York to Washington. The DC location on Wharf Street allows patrons to enjoy his inimitable cuisine along with sweeping views of the Potomac River.

A year later, in June 2024, Chow expanded globally, opening a restaurant in Kuwait City. Situated on Arabian Gulf Street, at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, the restaurant serves patrons from the Embassies of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and India. We hope their location has been unharmed by the US-Israel-Iran War.

Subsequently, Philippe Chow’s popular restaurant expanded to Nashville, in October 2025. This location in America’s country music capital features a murder mystery dinner series in its private dining rooms. Who dunnit? I’m guessing the butler!

After enjoying an exceptional meal at the new Philippe Chow Fifth Avenue location, I was eager to experience the Downtown venue. My friend Andrea and I clad ourselves in suitable ensembles and rendezvoused there last week.

Philippe Chow’s signature panda greeted us at street-level, adding a playful note before the descent down an entrancing mirrored staircase to the white-table-clothed dragon’s den. The spacious room had just the right amount of swank, with plenty of privacy between tables, golden bamboo, milky dandelion-pod lights, and glorious calla lilies. Another panda guarded patrons while they eat.

The service was exceptional, from the friendly hostess greeting to the timely refilling of water and wine glasses. Our server, Daniel, was unfailingly attentive and helpful. With his assistance, we took a tour through many of the food groups on the menu, accompanied by cocktails, wine, and port.

We started with their extraordinary walnut shrimp, lightly breaded to give a delicate crunch, then veiled with a subtle walnut sauce and topped with candied walnuts. We shared the dumpling sampler—each morsel wrapped in the thinnest, most tender pillowcase, and dipped in a tangy, smoky sauce.

Philippe Chow has mastered the art of transforming simple dishes with complex, complimentary flavors and textures. I hew pescatarian, so I was delighted to see a sweet and sour salmon dish on the menu. How I’ve missed the sweet and sour chicken from days of old! The salmon version was sublime, firm and moist, with a wonderfully crunchy coating and a tangy sweet chili sauce.

Andrea sampled the ribs, which she said were perfectly fall-off-the-bone, enrobed with the most delicious honey-glaze barbecue sauce. She rhapsodized about the crispy duck—wrapped in whisper-thin house-made pancakes with plum sauce, crunchy cucumber, and scallions—the perfect combination of flavors and textures.

The side dishes were also superb. Salt and pepper cauliflower was dusted in the lightest tempura coating and perfectly cooked to a tender crunch. Fried rice with shrimp and steamed white rice were also top of class and a special treat.

After admiring the neighboring table’s cotton candy Baked Alaska, we followed Daniel’s recommendation to end the meal with an impressive table-torched half-dozen beignets crowned with vanilla ice cream and a Nutella drizzle. Exquisite!

In celebration of their recent twentieth anniversary, this summer’s restaurant week at Philippe Chow lasts for a month! From July 20 to August 16, enjoy a three-course tasting menu for $45 or $60. Their signature lychee martini, a swirl of Tito’s vodka, lychee, and coconut cream, is a sweet deal at $15.

Philippe Chow Downtown also offers a mythical Dragon Hour with $10 martinis and $8 wine, as well as bites a dragon would love, ranging from $5 to $8. The Dragon Hour specials are available Wednesday to Sunday, 5:30 to 7:00 PM.

What I Wore

To prepare for a Beijing-style feast, I wore a slender black wool crepe dress by designer Andrea T New York, with cheongsam-reminiscent details including a side slit and a semi-Mandarin collar, as well as Andrea’s recognizable asymmetrical features.

This story first appeared in Chelsea News and other papers in the Straus News group.

More Details

• Slender black Andrea T-meets-cheongsam dress in wool crepe with silk charmeuse lining by Andrea T New York. 147 West 35th Street (by appointment only).
• Nine West black leather strappy platform sandals. Macy’s.
• Wide-brimmed black-and-white Kentucky Derby hat with black polka dot bow and white plush panda hat. Author’s collection.
• Pearl and mini onyx bugle bead necklace-as-bracelet. Made by the author. See her book, Complete Beading for Beginners, to learn how.