Grandma’s Home, a popular Chinese restaurant chain originating in Hangzhou province, China, with over 200 locations across 60 cities, has made its overseas debut in Manhattan's Flatiron district at 56 W. 22nd Street. This new outpost is described as not feeling like a typical franchise, boasting stone walls, contemporary art, and dining areas separated by carved wooden screens, giving it a unique ambiance.
The restaurant specializes in Hangzhou cuisine, with a standout dish being the $48 green-tea clay-pot chicken, designed to feed three or four people. This dish features a whole bronzed bird braised with Dragon Well tea leaves, goji berries, and orange peel, served in a bubbling concentrated chicken and green-tea jus. Other notable dishes include the $22 hong shao rou (red-braised pork belly), tofu-skin rolls with black truffle priced at $14, $24 simmered peppercorn beef (a Sichuan-style dish), and $12 mapo tofu, which was historically sold for the equivalent of 50 cents in China. The menu also offers innovative dishes like youtiao (fried dough) stuffed with shrimp paste, and boasts a strong bar program with mocktails and European wines.
Julia Zhu, the U.S. managing partner and daughter of one of the chain’s founders, emphasized a focus on cocktails and an extended wine list for the New York location. The restaurant's design and menu align with the growing "grandma-core" dining trend, which emphasizes familiar recipes, slow cooking, and warm, inviting spaces that evoke a sense of home and nostalgia. The decor includes modest pottery, surreal artworks, and a flagstone wall, providing a unique dining atmosphere.
