Silk Road Palace

Re-​opened under a new name with the same cheap gimmick of offering wine-​in-​a-​box to custies both as they wait and throughout their greasy, unappetizing meal.

The food here was sub-​par, but it was always packed with a line out the door. The décor was drab, but the crowd inside was always jovial. Why pray tell would this be? Could it be the unlimited free box wine to wash down the sorry excuse for Chinese food? — Absolutely
Hopefully the owners of this restaurant manage to open another one with the same concept. Free box wine and something to wash it down with.

If you have read my other reviews, it may be apparent that I enjoy alcohol… or maybe I’m an alcoholic. I don’t know. One of the two. The alcoholic in me is BEYOND devastated that I was only able to dine at this fine establishment once before it was shut down (this happened sometime last week, apparently). The food is blech… but YOU DON’T COME HERE FOR THE FOOD. You come for the FREE (yes– FREE) wine they serve with your meal. While it’s not the classiest, or the tastiest — ok, ok… it’s boxed FRANZIA– pretty much as trashy as it gets– it does it’s job of getting me intoxicated quite well.
RIP Silk Road Palace… you will be missed.

I don’t usually write reviews but I have to for this place. Of course the best thing about this place is the free wine. However, my food was terrible. I ordered a chicken dish, and did not enjoy it. My friends ordered veggie/​shrimp dishes and they enjoyed their meals. So maybe this place just doesn’t know how to do chicken and meat well. I don’t think I would go back, unless it was for the free wine.
I have to admit though, they are very generous with the wine. You don’t even have to ask, you will constantly have wine available at your table.
However, when we were done with our food… they pretty much ushered us/​rushed us out to get other people into the restaurant. I thought that was a little tacky.

FREE FRANZIA! If you love cheap boxed wine, this is the place to go. Before I even sat down, I already found myself standing there with a glass of wine. They are very efficient at making sure your wine glass is never empty.
Some points to note:
1) You come here for free franzia, not the food. The food is horrible. I ordered steamed chicken with broccoli from the healthy menu. They meant it, they steamed my food, didn’t add any flavoring. I had to ask for soy sauce.
2) This is a great place to pregame before going out.
3) This place does not take reservations. I went on a week night at 630pm and managed to get a table easily. But its much harder during the weekends.
4) Cash only. Make sure you are sober enough to count your bills. I know credit card is way easier when you are half drunk!
5) FREE FRANZIA! FREE BOXED WINE!

I went here in May 2009. It was hot, humid, and I took the subway from Queens so of course I emerged looking like I had just left the steam room.
The food is your basic Hong Kong style food at real affordable prices but the magic in this place is that they serve endless box wine! The wine isn’t bad either. Plus, this place is small just like any other joint in Manhattan so chances are you WILL wait. At least you know that while you wait you start your wine intake.
Service is good, your glass is never less than half full. With that said, yes they are constantly checking on you. Nothing too invasive though. Place is small and the little asian man serving my table was a sweetheart.
Silk Road Palace, I miss you and hope to return soon.

I’ve been here 2 times now and both times I had a great time. You shouldn’t come here for the food alone, you come for the unlimited boxed wine.
The food is your average americanized chinese food and its definitely not bad at all. For about $ 13 – 15, you can get a solid meal and all the wine you can drink. Overall, a great place to start the night, but don’t come here expecting amazing food.

It was 6pm on a Friday night, and we were starving. The place was packed. We asked how long the wait was, and were told that she needed to take our names first, then she’d let us know. After conferring with the manager, the answer was: «Very soon.» When we asked what «very soon» meant, she repeated, «very soon.»
The old couple in line ahead of us (getting sloshed on free white wine) turned around and said, «That could mean an hour, but it’s worth the wait!» I think they were drunk. The turn-​around time seemed pretty quick and it smelled delicious, so we waited. They put us at the Bathroom Table. I HATE the Bathroom Table. People are in line, strange smells waft in your direction, it’s an all around bad scene. We moved without asking and no one complained. Star!
We had the sweet ‘n sour chicken and veggie chow fun. Chicken was yummy, chow fun tasted like MSG. The highlight was when the 5 year old next to us decided that my friend looked like Spiderman and asked for his autograph. Toby complied. He’s nice.
I could argue for 4 stars, but my fortune was so awful that I left feeling bad about myself. Here’s what it said: «In order to discover who you are, first learn who everyone else is. You’re what’s left over.»

The food here is «eh.» It does the trick but will not blow your mind.
The reason this place is legendary is the Free Wine. UNLIMITED carafes of boxed wine while you eat. Also unlimited wine while you wait to sit.
You will probably get the most epic hangover headache you have ever had the day after, but it is always a great time here.
They will not let your carafes of wine sit empty for more than 5 – 15 seconds. It is pretty breathtaking how much they want you to down that wine.
This place gets VERY crowded on the weekend. Plus people are willing to wait 1 – 2 hours to get in. Weeknights it is easy to get in, but avoid it on Friday and Saturday unless you really don’t mind waiting.

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT COME HERE FOR THE FOOD. COME HERE TO GET TRASHED FOR «FREE» BEFORE HEADING DOWNTOWN.
4 stars because of the amount of laughter that erupted from deep inside my core after thinking of this place, remembering the awesome drunken nights that have started here.
You will wait forever and a day for a table (especially if you have more than two in your group), and you run the risk of waiting in their cramped doorway or even outside (sucks when it’s cold out), because there simply is no extra space in this joint. That shouldn’t matter much, though, since the free [boxed] wine starts flowing the second you put in your name for a table.
Tables are cramped, food is downright awful. If you dare to complain like my friend and I did about the «dumplings» we were served, the nasty waiter will just look at you and your friends and curse you out as if you’re as drunk after a frat party your freshman year. «But sir, we just got here. We’re NOT drunk!»… Yeah, they don’t buy that. Oh, and you still have to pay for the awful food, even if you don’t eat it and try to send it back. Tip: no matter how bad it tastes, make sure to scarf down at least a few bites. Your stomach will undoubtedly thank you later, as may your cab driver will for not messing up his cab.
Going out after having «dinner» here is quite an adventure, if you can even remember what happened the next day. This place does leave a little sour note in my soul, simply because I lost my diamond ring after slushing down glass after glass of Franzia and pretty much blacking out the rest of the night. My fault, I suppose. Therefore, I’m not blaming «China Wine». But drinker beware, leave all expensive jewels and other belongings at home before venturing to this bottomless vino pit on the UWS. You will lose them, as well as most of your dignity, before the night is over.

The only thing you need to know about this place is:
UNLIMITED FREE (BOXED) WINE.
*Yes, I did just say FREE, UNLIMITED, and WINE in the same sentence.
For all those people griping about the poor quality of the food and the plethora of drunk people, I am confused as to what made you even consider going to a place known for its UNLIMITED FREE (BOXED) WINE? That alone should have been an indication of what to expect in terms of quality. It’s like going to a frat party and complaining about the plastic cups and shitty beer. Uh yeah… what were you expecting? Microbrews and glass mugs? Pshhh, b*tch, please…
As expected, the food was nothing to write home about but it also wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had. Then again, that may be all the Franzia talking. Make sure, if there’s a wait, you push your way through the line to put your name down on the little notepad they use to figure out who’s next. Also make sure you get within striking distance of the little bar to get your drank on while you wait (We had to wait a little over an hour but thanks to a little alcohol time travel we were sitting down at our cramped little table in no time at all).
Long story short– Silk Road Palace is everything I had hoped for and nothing more.

As far as price, atmosphere, food, and the big draw of free wine is concerned, Silk Road has a lot to offer. It’s definitely not a place for a family dinner, kids, or a date, but is certainly ideal for friends visiting from out of town, or a pre-​cursor to one hell of an evening.
Although the confines can be a bit cramped, the staff miraculously weaves through each table with more chips, and an encouraging carafe of wine. Make sure to take it slow, because before you know it another carafe is full in front of you. The food is decent (I recommend and always get the General Tso’s) and goes down even easier with the free wine. It can get a bit rowdy towards, but isn’t that what we are looking for?

Moderately good food is far outweighed by the lively atmosphere and great prices!!! The scallion pancake are really good and thick so you have something substantial to bite into.
A big draw to this place is the free wine. Personally, I could do without the boxed Franzia but after the third or fourth time they fill up your carafe, who really cares what’s in it! This is a good solid place to find pretty decent food at fabulous prices.

Whenever I have a friend visiting NY I ALWAYS bring them here. The food is super cheap (and delicious) and there is free wine. FREE.
You MUST try the scallion pancakes with the peanut butter/​soy sauce concoction; it’s so good! I get cravings for this all the time. I also always order the curry chicken noodles. and it’s impossible to finish the whole thing, it’s huge.
If you want to go out to pregame, I recommend this place. The wine is free and they refill your carafe about 394 234 times before you leave. That’s right, I counted.
The only downfall to Silk Road Palace is that they can get SUPERRR packed and then you have to wait forever to get a table. So if you’re gonna go, get there early!

Silk Road Palace has figured out the secret to restaurant success: free boxed wine.
I come here rarely because it’s only fun to go with a group of friends who are willing to get absolutely smashed over dinner and I find that as I get older it’s harder and harder to organize such a group (pansies).
Once in awhile I still manage to do it. The wait is ridiculous, sometimes over half an hour, but they make up for it by refilling your glass of wine which you are handed when you arrive and put your name down. By the time you actually sit down to eat, everyone in your party should be feeling slightly dizzy, that’s how you know you’re on schedule.
The service here is kinda rude, the food mediocre, but does any of that really matter? It certainly becomes less important as you keep drinking.
One tip, this place is very popular with college students for the obvious reasons so consider coming here when they go home for their breaks, because as it turns out drunk college students are even louder and more obnoxious than drunk people in their mid twenties. Who knew?

This is a solid 3.5 stars.
FREE WINE
The food is okay, I got the ten ingredient noodles, which, after counting, had a mere 8 ingredients. However, this octo-​noodle dish was quite satisfactory.
FREE WINE
My eating compatriots were pleased as well, enjoying their own dishes of the crunchy beef and bean curd combo, respectively.
FREE WINE
Also quite an extensive menu, with quite a lot of variation. Definitely warrants a repeat visit.
FREE WINE.

You’ll find a pretty Free Wine extensive menu for a Chinese place with some rather traditional dishes Free Wine running the gambit of cuisine and Free Wine tastes. The service Free Wine can be somewhat brisk and even rushed Free Wine at times but overall it is a Free Wine comfortable experience.
One of the nice perks are the home made Free Wine noodles the give you when you sit Free Wine down. I hate those stupid soup noodles Free Wine you get at most mid-​level Chinese restaurants Free Wine that don’t seem to hold the mustard. Literally.
You will have to contend with some of Free Wine the weird UWS locals coming in for the early dinner or Free Wine whatever. But some would just Free Wine consider that local flavor. Personally, Free Wine, I can do without the mumbly Free Wine old ladies who smell of bengay and regret.

White wine from a box! Crispy wontons with sweet and sour sauce. Dishes are decent but not spectacular chinese food. I enjoyed my chicken and vegetables. The chow fun had flat noodles which I was surprised by but it all tasted fine. The chinese food is a litltle too americanized for my taste– they serve you on flat plats with forks instead of the traditional small bowls and chopsticks. I wouldnt say the food is crap but its your average chinese neighborhood joint I would say. I enjoyed my experience here so I probably will be back: D
If you come in a group, get there early as the place fills up and then groups usually have to wait. The place is small so it does get crowded.

For Food, this place leaves something to be desired.
For Free Wine, this place is hilarious.
Truth: It’s Boxed Wine.
Truth: They go to absolutely no lengths to hide the fact it’s Boxed Wine.
Truth: Once it was monsooning outside and we just tipped the bus boy and he let us just consume Boxed Wine to our heart’s content.
Truth: I always regret going here the next morning — Crappy China Food Hangover + Boxed Wine Hangover = Intimate Relationship With the Porcelain God.
Truth: It’s a college hangout — but I’m not too ashamed to admit that I’ve been a few times Post-​Grad.
Truth: It is PACKED. Prepare to wait.
Truth: Family’s/People Not Looking to Deal With Highly Inebriated Co-Ed’s need not present themselves.
You’ve been warned.

Let me start by saying that this place is the stuff of legends among my college guy friends. I had heard too many stories of nights ending with puking out a cab window, falling asleep on the sidewalk, and general mayhem. So when my friend Q casually suggested that we go for my first experience on a random Saturday eve after a movie at the Walter Reade, I was a little taken aback. And intrigued.
So the wait was long, and the crowd strictly B&T, and unclassy college kids looking to get smashed. The boxed wine was flowing while people were waiting in line. I knew it was going to be like this, but a swaying, slurring, ridiculous guy in the doorway waiting for a table should have been my cue to run (later he and his friends engaged in such standup behavior as throwing food in the dining room, pounding on the bathroom door, spitting on the floor, and staggering out of the restaurant into traffic only to come back 10 mins later to repeat the above). EW. I kept expecting to be barfed on any minute. Q assured me that this scene was not the standard, even for the Silk Road.
So the environment is «lively» and a bit trashy. But they have free boxed wine, people. What do you expect???
The food was good greasy Chinese. I don’t know if I would return and deal with the crowd, but I wish I could, because sometimes you just need some good greasy Chinese! So far I haven’t discovered it here in Bushwick (bulletproof Chinese takeout? no, thank you). The sesame chicken was nice and crispy, and the chicken surprisingly decent quality. Unfortunately, the veggie dumplings were too bready for my taste.
All in all? Be ready for the «experience» if you dare. If you’re looking for source material, it’s teeming with it. If you’re in the area, might be good for take out. Otherwise, not worth a trip to the UWS for me, and the quest for «good» Chinese continues…