The story
On the historic Doyers Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown, Lei is a 28-seat wine bar that brings together a carefully curated wine list and a menu rooted in regional Chinese homecooking. The space is intimate, designed for the kind of eating and drinking that feels both refined and relaxed. The wine list rotates constantly, featuring bottles from classic producers alongside emerging winemakers. It’s this thoughtful pairing of food and drink that earned Lei a Michelin Recommended distinction for 2026.
The food at Lei is built to complement wine, but it stands firmly on its own. The menu is divided into cold, warm, and large dishes, all drawing from Chinese culinary traditions. Cold starters include chilled celtuce with kombu jelly and red vinegar, and a salad of beef tendon and potato dressed with lemon and red Sichuan peppercorn. Warm dishes range from a simple sesame shao bing (available with Jin Hua lardo) to spring bamboo and fiddleheads wrapped in cheung fun with allium-infused soy and trout roe. Larger plates feature steamed razor clams with vermicelli and Chinese celery, hand-rolled cat’s ear noodles with lamb braised in cumin and tomato, and a sweet and sour beef short rib. Dessert options include eight treasure rice pudding with sticky toffee and Alphonso mango shaved ice.
Lei opens nightly at 5pm, with a limited number of reservations released 14 days in advance. Walk-ins are welcome. The space is air-conditioned and also offers outdoor seating when weather permits. Doyers Street is a pedestrian plaza, so taxi drop-off is best arranged at the corner of Doyers and Bowery.
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