Junzi Kitchen

This July, we had the pleasure of sampling Junzi Kitchen’s summer menu and learning about their unique approach to accessible Chinese food. The menu at Junzi features northern Chinese cuisine made with healthy, seasonal ingredients, and their ethos focuses on building community through the power of food. In the past four years, they’ve grown their business to include locations in Morningside Heights, Greenwich Village, Bryant Park, and New Haven, CT.

For our visit, we enjoyed an amazing meal while delving into the mission behind Junzi Kitchen with Yong Zhao, their Co-founder and CEO, and Xuhui Zhang, their Director of real estate development & architectural design. The idea behind Junzi is taken from Chinese philosophy: A Junzi is a person with integrity, a person who is honest, kind, open to new ideas, and the version of themself. They’ve taken this philosophy and applied it to every aspect of Junzi Kitchen, from the vegetable-driven, seasonal ingredients, to the carefully developed aesthetics of each space. By creating dishes and spaces that can be enjoyed by all and contribute to their guests’ well-being, the team at Junzi is truly revolutionizing the traditional Chinese restaurant concept in America.