Lei Is a New Jewel of Chinatown

Doyers Street is a one-block strip in Chinatown that starts off perpendicular to the Bowery and then curves ninety degrees, like a lowercase “r,” to terminate against the bustle of Pell Street. A notorious battleground for gang fights in the early nineteen-hundreds, it has, in recent decades, scrubbed out the bloodstains and redefined itself as a beloved, city-grid-defying idiosyncrasy, narrow and wonky and overflowing with atmosphere. Shops and restaurants on Doyers come and go, but as far back as the fighting days it’s been anchored by Nom Wah Tea Parlor, which claims to hold the title of New York’s oldest dim-sum spot. Its sign, once a bright burgundy and gold, is faded; the interior has seen better days, and the legendary egg rolls—I say this with love—have, too. But what Nom Wah does best is, simply, remain: it’s the colossus of Doyers Street, the past that has made it into the present.

A new establishment, Lei Wine, opened last June, right next door, and it serves as a potent counterpoint. Modern, sleek, restrained, Lei is the first solo project from the restaurateur Annie Shi, a partner in the chic European-inflected West Village restaurant King and its midtown sibling, Jupiter. Shi, a daughter of Chinese immigrants, grew up in Queens; she’s spoken about taking inspiration for Lei from her mother’s cooking and her father’s Chinatown social life. With mahogany wall panels and folktale-inspired murals, the restaurant evokes elements of traditional Chinese design, while its moody, candlelit interior and austere tableware (including chopsticks with riveted, bistro-style handholds) place it firmly in the aesthetic of the here and now. High shelves run around the walls in the tiny, table-packed dining room, clustered with bottles from Shi’s meticulously curated wine list; if a customer requests a bottle that’s out of reach, a server might grab a ladder that rests against the wall by the door—fire-engine red, the brightest shock of color in the otherwise low-key room—and climb nimbly over diners’ heads.