If you’re looking to eat Chinese food in LIC, Hupo is the best option we’ve tried by far. Turn your random Tuesday night into a party here, even if the guest list is limited to you and some Chengdu cold noodles. (It's an exclusive party.)

We can’t think of any other restaurant in the Long Island City or Astoria serving Szechuan food that tastes like what you’d find in Flushing or Lower Manhattan. To see what we mean, try the mapo tofu, which stands out partly because of its accessories. Hupo tops the dish with a small handful of ground Szechuan peppercorns (the way you'd throw a dollop of whipped cream on a sundae), and we suggest thoroughly mixing in the peppercorns and digging for bites with scallion. The excessively thick-cut scallions add a brightness that’s so often missing in sub-par mapo tofu.

Stop by with a date or a group for dinner and drinks in the indoor space, which has two separate dining rooms and a bar. Hupo offers a long list of beer, wine, and sweet-ish cocktails—which should go nicely with all the peppercorns you're about to ingest. Come here once, and you won't want to eat Chinese food from anywhere else in the neighborhood.