Decoy

Absolutely unreal hidden spot in the WV. The food was probably the best Chinese food I’ve ever had (the dumplings are so good) and the staff if really kind, quick and knowledgeable. We were there on a night where they weren’t doing the Peking duck so I can only imagine how amazing that is. Stunning and complex cocktails and overall an absolute favorite for anyone looking for authentic Chinese food and great atmosphere. 11/10

***4 1/2 stars***

After watching a generational stage talent hone her craft (cough cough Sarah Snook in The Portrait of Dorian Gray cough cough), a nip was in order, and I had zero interest in lingering anywhere near the Broadway/Times Square area. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I initially Ubered over to nearby Orient Express (one of my faves), but it was too crowded so after walking past a few other packed establishments, we saw this - a subtle basement-level bar with a small handful of customers. My kind of jam. It also feels like being in a basement, in the best possible way. There's a lot of wood paneling that felt like the merging of my grandparents' finished basement from back in the day, but with a lot of modernist touches. And of course, oodles of art featuring ducks, the go-to decoy for waterfowl hunting. Very into it. It's dark so if you're looking for gorgeous lighting, I'd keep walking, but I think you sort of know not to expect that going in when it comes to basement bars.

The cocktail situation here was excellent and very innovative. As with the bar food, there was a distinct Asian influence, which isn't something I encounter regularly so it was a pleasant change of pace (though my favorite wine, gewurztraminer, has those vibes by virtue of its lychee notes). We tried a few items on this menu, but the best was probably Golden Yuen, which my chum LOVED, and she's pretty picky especially when it comes to tequila-based beverages. It had a sweet yuzu foam on top, and the ginger paired really well with the tarter fruits in it - you had a long of strong flavors that were kept in check, which was impressive. Really strong item. I also opted for a Nectar of Wukong, which was as close as I could find to a bourbon-based drink (it was scotch). Decent with a solid presentation value; per the accompanying pic, it had a bubble on top that was reminiscent of the toadstools from Mario. Little too sweet for my palate though.

The food rivaled the drinks, which is saying something. I wasn't insanely hungry but had bypassed dinner so the compromise there seemed to be some dumpling action - I'm always down for a dumpfest. We ordered multiple dumplings, including the Five Flavor Chicken (the bartender's recommend), the Pan Fried Lamb, the Shrimp/Snow Peas, and the Oxtail. We diverged considerably on our opinions here, but the Chicken probably WAS the best, though it was very peanut buttery - not something I'm always in the mood for. That's not to say I had a negative opinion of the other dumplings, but they were all pretty much on the same playing field for me, tasty and flavorful, but not quite to the level of the Chicken.

Honestly, the only negative, and it's definitely a "your mileage may vary" situation, is that it's pretty pricey. The cocktails were all hovering in the $20 range, and the dumplings were close to $25, despite only having four each in an order. We ended up spending over $200 here, which is fine and something we're both willing to do on a city excursion like this, but it's arguably not worth the price given the portion sizes. I thought the price point for the cocktails was the more reasonable of the two, when you considered how high quality they were and that you're in the West Village - this stuff is just going to cost a few more dollars than it would in the suburbs.

Really solid recommend overall. The service was excellent, and we both really appreciated that the staff let us linger and didn't try to push us out despite our being the only customers there for a significant stretch (I think they were still technically open the entire time, but the foot traffic was going into the nearby Alehouse - hard pass for me). And who doesn't like sipping on a cocktail whilst gazing at a duck portrait?

If you love Peking Duck this is the place for you.   Made reservations to come here for a date night with my wife and from the drink to the dessert we were not disappointed.  The menu is filled with great selection of items.  Presentation was top class with every plate dressed nicely.  The food was delicate and flavorful.  The duck was the best we have had.  Perfect skin with tender meat.  The buns they use a super flat so the flavor is  of the duck itself not a cake style bun.  It is accompanied by varied sauces all were fabulous.  Would go here again any time.

One of the best Peking Duck places in the city. Definitely need to make reservations for larger groups, but there were only two of us so we got there early and got seats at the bar. If you show up later, it might be good to reserve a duck. We also got the oxtail dumplings and the truffle fried rice. The oxtail dumplings were extremely delicious and worth it. The truffle fried rice was good but probably not worth $28.

Probably the best Peking duck in NYC in my opinion.
Food is a bit expensive though.

We use Marinated & Grilled Creekstone Rib Steak and Grilled Prime Creekstone Bone-In N.Y. Strip Steak which are Halal.

Halal Status for Decoy Greenwich Village