NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio dined indoors for lunch today at legendary Manhattan Chinatown spot Hwa Yuan, a representative for the mayor’s office confirmed, in a show of support for the neighborhood following Lunar New Year. Previously, de Blasio previously committed to dining indoors if the state lifted indoor dining restrictions in the city, and NYC restaurants were allowed to re-open their dining rooms at 25 percent capacity starting last Friday.
According to Hwa Yuan’s manager Jack Lin, de Blasio arrived at the restaurant around 1 p.m. with several other people and ordered Peking duck, Sichuan-style lamb chops, and tiger shrimp in a spicy ginger sauce for lunch. Lin was happy to see the mayor dining at the restaurant, he says, adding that the visit brings attention to the local Asian community and struggling businesses in the neighborhood.