The Best Chinese Restaurants in New Orleans (2026)

The xiao long bao are the reason to come to Dian Xin, and the French Quarter location makes them the rare late-night dim sum option in the city. The kitchen runs until 10 p.m., which matters after a long night on Bourbon Street sends people looking for something real. Har gow and siu mai round out the cart. The menu notes a ginger accompaniment for the soup dumplings, though the room does not always deliver it.

Miss Shirley's on Magazine Street carries history with it: the woman behind the counter has roots in the Royal China days in Metairie, and the regulars know it. Sunday brings a crowd and a wait, sometimes close to 45 minutes. The dim sum menu runs long, dumplings, har gow, and siu mai among the draws. The staff keeps the room moving with enough warmth that the wait does not feel like a penalty.

Ming's sits near West End and has earned a loyal lunch following among people who work and live in the neighborhood. The fried rice and lo mein are steady, and the General Tso's chicken is the kind of version that brings people back week after week. The room is small, with bar seating and outdoor tables. Counter-service pace keeps the midday crowd moving. Regulars have been eating here for years, well before and after Katrina.

China Orchid is the Uptown option for a budget-conscious Chinese meal without sacrificing portion size or speed. The crispy chicken is the standout, consistently crunchy and fairly priced, and the fried rice and lo mein hold up across the menu. Service is friendly and the wait is short. Long-running Uptown loyalty keeps this room full; locals who have eaten here for decades treat it as a reliable neighborhood anchor.

Manchu Kitchen is a hood store in the New Orleans sense: modest space, focused menu, quick counter service, and fried food done right. Ten perfectly fried shrimp, served with fries or rice, is the standard order. The catfish comes out crispy with a juicy interior, and the fried chicken wings arrive already separated into flats and drums. Prices stay low for the volume of food. The room is not dressed up, and nobody expects it to be.

Louie's Kitchen runs as a drive-through counter, built for the quick stop. The fried wings are the signature, and regulars order little else, which says something. The shrimp po-boy combo draws its own following, and the gumbo does the work of keeping the menu local. Ownership has changed, and at least some longtime customers have noticed a shift in flavor and consistency. Worth checking the current state before committing to a large order.

Wishing Town stands out for putting crawfish in the dumpling, which is a sensible New Orleans instinct. The seafood noodle soup earns its own mention from the crowd that comes specifically for it. Baked pastries from the bakery side of the operation give the menu a reason to linger past lunch. The room is relaxed enough that people set up laptops without anyone rushing them out, making it one of the calmer spots on this list.