Hunan Restaurant Near Times Square: Check China Xiang Hours

China Xiang is the Hunan restaurant near Times Square to check first when your evening is built around 42nd Street rather than a reservation. It sits at 360 W 42nd St on the west side of Midtown, a plain dining room that has fed this block for four decades, and it opens every day at 11:30 AM and closes at 10:30 PM with no break between lunch and dinner.

The decision most people arrive with is whether a Hunan kitchen this central is worth it for one dish or for a whole table. Here it is the table. The chili-topped fish head lands in a huge ceramic basin and is built to be shared, while the generously portioned dry pot and the wok-charred stir-fried pork round out an order that reads like a family meal rather than a single plate. Ratings sit at 4.0 out of 5 across 829 reviews, and the recurring note is the fish head and the freshly made rice noodles rather than the room itself.

Come for a pre-theater dinner, a late lunch after Midtown meetings or a group night that wants heat. Skip it if you want quiet, polished service: this is a busy casual eatery where the kitchen moves fast and customization is the norm.

Address: 360 W 42nd St, New York, NY (Manhattan, west Midtown near Times Square)
Hours: Monday-Sunday 11:30 AM-10:30 PM, no midday closure
Kitchen: Hunan and Xiang cooking alongside familiar Chinese classics
Signature: chili-topped fish head served in a large ceramic basin
Price signal: $$ on the venue record; menu prices are not published
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 from 829 reviews
Phone: (212) 967-6088
Good for: pre-theater dining, casual group meals, spice-forward lunches
Not stated in the venue record: reservations, parking and accessibility

Start with the reason the kitchen has a reputation: the chili-topped fish head, which arrives in a huge ceramic basin and is the dish most reviews mention first. It is a sharing order, not a solo plate, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. Around it, the dry pot is generously portioned and carries real heat even at the normal spice level, so it is the second thing to put on the table.

From there the menu splits in two directions. One is the freshly made rice noodles, praised for their chewy texture and the cheapest way into the kitchen's strengths. The other is the wok work: stir-fried pork with char from the pan, and duck tongue for anyone who wants to eat past the familiar. The rest of the list runs to Chinese classics, which is what makes this easy to order for a mixed group where not everyone wants the same level of heat.

A practical order for three or four people is one basin, one dry pot, a noodle dish and a vegetable, then add a classic for anyone nervous about spice. Portions are built for sharing, so ordering wide beats ordering deep, and the kitchen will customize a preparation when you ask.

Hunan cooking is a chili cuisine, and this kitchen does not soften it by default. The dry pot is the clearest test: at normal heat it already packs a punch, which tells you the baseline sits hotter than a Cantonese or American-Chinese menu a few blocks away. Order it mild if you want the flavor without the burn, and treat the normal setting as the real thing rather than a warning label.

The fish head is the exception in the sense that its heat is structural. The chilies are part of the broth and the presentation, so you eat around them rather than asking the kitchen to remove them, and the reward is the fish itself plus the noodles that soak up what is underneath. For anyone at the table who does not want heat at all, the answer is the classics side of the menu.

What makes this manageable is that the kitchen customizes preparations to individual preferences when you order. That is the one lever to use: ask at the moment of ordering, not after the plate lands. It also means a group can eat at different heat levels at the same table without splitting the order, which is rare enough in a Hunan restaurant to matter.

The hours do most of the planning for you. Doors open at 11:30 AM and the kitchen runs to 10:30 PM every day of the week, with no gap in the afternoon, so a late lunch and an early dinner are both straightforward. For a pre-theater meal the useful window is the early side of the evening: the room is a busy casual eatery rather than a tasting-menu pace, which suits a fixed curtain time far better than a long sit-down.

Navigation is simple because the address is the plan. 360 W 42nd St puts you on the west end of the theater district block, so a show afterward is a walk rather than a transfer. The venue record does not publish reservation, parking or accessibility details, so call (212) 967-6088 before a large group booking or if you need either of the last two confirmed.

The photo above is the storefront to look for on the block, which matters more than it sounds on a street this dense. Arriving before the pre-theater rush is the single best move, because a four-decade-old neighborhood room fills from the inside out, and the flexibility on either end of the day means you are not locked into one sitting.

Where is China Xiang located?
360 W 42nd St, New York, NY, on the west side of Midtown Manhattan near Times Square and the theater district.

What are the opening hours?
The restaurant opens at 11:30 AM and closes at 10:30 PM every day of the week, with no afternoon closure between lunch and dinner service.

What is China Xiang known for?
Hunan and Xiang cooking, especially a chili-topped fish head served in a huge ceramic basin, freshly made rice noodles and a generously portioned dry pot.

Do you need a reservation?
The venue record does not state a reservation policy. Call (212) 967-6088 before bringing a large group or planning a fixed pre-theater time.

Is the food very spicy?
Hunan cooking is chili-forward and the dry pot is hot even at normal heat. The kitchen will customize a preparation to your preference if you ask when ordering.

How is the restaurant rated?
4.0 out of 5 from 829 reviews, with reviewers repeatedly praising the fish head, the chewy rice noodles and the fast service.

Is it good for a pre-theater dinner?
Yes. The 11:30 AM opening and continuous service to 10:30 PM suit an early dinner, and the theater district is within walking distance of 360 W 42nd St.

Is there anything for people who avoid spice?
Yes. The menu covers familiar Chinese classics alongside the Hunan specialties, and the classics side is the safer order for anyone at the table avoiding heat.

Keep the same appetite going after a Hunan dinner on 42nd Street. Chinese noodle soups near Midtown Manhattan cover a weekday lunch of xiao long bao and takeaway-friendly classics, while modern Chinese plates in the former Limelight space bring dim sum and private dining into a Midtown room. Midtown Chinese dining with a 1965 legacy leans on Sichuan cooking and shared plates, and Peking duck carved for the table anchors a formal dinner on East 57th. Further uptown, Hunan and Sichuan plates meet an art filled room near Columbia for a second night of the same heat.