Red Paper Clip: A Michelin-Starred Culinary Journey in the West Village

Red Paper Clip Introduce

Introduction / Overview

In the heart of New York City’s charming West Village, Red Paper Clip stands as a beacon of modern and elevated dining. This isn't just a restaurant; it’s a destination for an unforgettable culinary journey, blending New American cuisine with the rich heritage of Taiwanese flavors. As a Michelin-starred establishment, Red Paper Clip has earned its accolades through a commitment to creative, refined, and flavorful food. The dining experience is a thoughtful exploration of bold tastes and high-quality ingredients, all presented with an artistic flair that delights the senses. The ambiance is equally impressive—intimate yet lively, and both cozy and upscale—creating a setting that is perfect for a special occasion or a romantic evening.

The philosophy behind Red Paper Clip is centered on storytelling through food, with each dish reflecting the chef's Taiwanese heritage and Queens upbringing. The restaurant offers a seasonal tasting menu that is constantly evolving, ensuring that every visit is a new and exciting experience. For those who prefer to choose their own adventure, there are also à la carte options. What truly sets this place apart is the combination of its exceptional food with knowledgeable and friendly service. The staff is attentive without being overbearing, and the pacing of the meal is designed to be relaxed, allowing you to savor every moment. This dedication to every aspect of the dining experience, from the first bite to the last sip of wine, is what makes Red Paper Clip an essential destination for anyone seeking a unique and elevated meal in New York City.

Location and Accessibility

Red Paper Clip is perfectly situated at 120 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014, in one of the city’s most beloved and iconic neighborhoods: the West Village. This location is easily accessible from various parts of Manhattan and beyond, with a variety of subway lines within walking distance. The restaurant's presence on Christopher Street places it in a prime spot for both local residents and tourists exploring the area's rich history, beautiful brownstones, and vibrant atmosphere. The convenience of its location makes it an ideal spot for a pre-theater dinner or a special night out. The restaurant is committed to ensuring a welcoming experience for all guests, offering a wheelchair-accessible entrance and restroom. This thoughtful design allows a wide range of patrons to enjoy a fine dining experience comfortably. The subtle glow of the neon red paper clip above the door serves as a stylish and discreet beacon, inviting you into a world of delectable discovery in the heart of the city.

Services Offered

Dine-in: Enjoy a full fine dining experience with table service in a cozy and elegant atmosphere.
Takeout: For those who prefer to enjoy their meal at home, the restaurant offers a convenient takeout option for select menu items.
Outdoor Seating: On pleasant evenings, you can enjoy a meal at one of the outdoor tables, offering a lovely view of the charming West Village street.
Reservations: Red Paper Clip accepts reservations, and it is highly recommended to book in advance, especially for dinner, to secure your table at this popular spot.
Tasting Menu: The restaurant's primary focus is its seasonal tasting menu, which offers a curated, multi-course journey through the chef's creative cuisine.
Bar Service: A full bar onsite offers a great selection of cocktails, beer, and a thoughtfully curated wine list, perfect for a pre-dinner drink or a pairing with your meal.

Features / Highlights

Michelin-Starred Excellence: Red Paper Clip has earned a coveted Michelin star, a testament to its exceptional quality, culinary artistry, and consistent excellence.
Creative Taiwanese-American Cuisine: The restaurant's unique fusion of New American and Taiwanese flavors sets it apart. The dishes are both familiar and surprising, with highlights like xiao long bao-inspired agnolotti and everything brioche.
Exceptional Cocktails and Wine: The bar is a major highlight, with a "great cocktails" and "great wine list" that are expertly chosen to complement the menu. The Negronis, in particular, are a favorite among guests.
Romantic and Upscale Atmosphere: The ambiance is intimate, lively, and sophisticated, making it an ideal spot for a romantic date night or a special celebration. The minimalist and clean decor enhances the elegant feel.
Friendly and Knowledgeable Service: The staff is consistently praised for being knowledgeable, attentive, and warm. The service is described as being "next level" and enhances the overall dining experience, making guests feel welcome and appreciated.
Luxurious and Creative Dishes: The menu features inventive and decadent dishes, such as the Oyster, Potato & Caviar dish and the Crème Fraîche Sorbet dessert, which are often cited as highlights.
Inclusive Environment: The restaurant identifies as LGBTQ+ friendly, creating a welcoming and safe space for everyone to enjoy a meal.

Contact Information

Address: 120 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Phone: (646) 386-7225

What is worth choosing

When dining at Red Paper Clip, the most recommended and popular choice is to experience the Seasonal Tasting Menu. This is the best way to fully appreciate the chef's creativity and the unique blend of flavors that define the restaurant. The menu is a carefully curated journey, with each course designed to build upon the last. While the menu changes, past highlights have included the luxurious Oyster, Potato & Caviar dish, which is a perfect bite of indulgence, and the Everything Brioche with its delightful combination of textures and flavors. These dishes exemplify the restaurant's ability to take classic ideas and elevate them with unexpected twists.

For those who prefer to choose their own dishes, the à la carte options also offer a taste of the restaurant's excellence. One of the most acclaimed items is the XLB Agnolotti, a creative and delicious take on a classic dumpling. For a perfect ending to your meal, the desserts are a must-try. The Crème Fraîche Sorbet has been highlighted as a refreshing and tangy finale that is both light and memorable. The drinks menu is also essential to the experience, with the Negronis being a consistently recommended choice. Ultimately, what is truly worth choosing at Red Paper Clip is the full experience—the combination of the chef's innovative vision, the exceptional service, and the intimate atmosphere—that makes for a truly unforgettable evening.

Red Paper Clip Details

Service options
Outdoor seating
Takeout
Dine-in
Delivery

Highlights
Great cocktails
Great dessert
Great wine list

Popular for
Dinner

Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible restroom
Wheelchair accessible parking lot

Offerings
Alcohol
Beer
Cocktails
Coffee
Comfort food
Hard liquor
Small plates
Wine

Dining options
Lunch
Dinner
Dessert
Seating
Table service

Amenities
Bar onsite
Gender-neutral restroom
Restroom

Atmosphere
Cozy
Romantic
Trendy
Upscale

Crowd
LGBTQ+ friendly

Planning
Dinner reservations recommended
Accepts reservations

Payments
Credit cards
Debit cards
NFC mobile payments
Credit cards

Red Paper Clip Photos

Red Paper Clip Location

Red Paper Clip

New York New York County New York Christopher Street

120 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Red Paper Clip Reviews

An average rating of ★4.3 from 265 user reviews.

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★ 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1

Wow! What an incredible experience. We did tasting menu which was perfect for dinner. The food was delicious , and spaced apart evenly. The service was knowledgeable &friendly without being overbearing. Ambience was minimalist and clean.
September 12 · Vinod Sharma
A Truly Memorable Evening at Red Paper Clip (NYC)We had the pleasure of dining at Red Paper Clip recently in NYC, thanks to a friend who hosted us for what turned out to be an unforgettable evening. The food was absolutely exceptional—creative, refined, and packed with flavor.My personal favorites were the oyster, potato & caviar dish (a luxurious bite), and everything brioche. For dessert, we had the Crème Fraîche Sorbet ( highlight of my meal), a light, tangy, and refreshing finale. The Negronis and wine flowed generously and set the tone for a relaxed and celebratory night.The ambiance was intimate yet lively, and catching up with old friends made the evening even more special. Red Paper Clip really delivered on all fronts—food, drinks, and atmosphere. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a unique and elevated dining experience in the city.
July 07 · shefalii dadabhoy
To start, we ordered a negroni and a Oaxaca cocktail. The negroni tasted like a cup of straight campari while the Oaxaca, (with beet juice?) was quite pleasant although I don't really know what was so Oaxaca about it other than the mezcal.The first set of courses to come out started off strong with the caviar and potato, being extremely rich and delicious. It set very high expectations for the rest of the courses which were quickly shattered by a mediocre, undersized oyster with a mignonette that somehow made it taste worse. Finally, the cucumber salad made me feel as if I was ripped off since it was straight up sliced cucumbers with a little hint of oil and sesame seeds on them. It was almost redeemed by the tzatziki sauce, which was honestly some of the best tzatziki sauce I've ever had. If only there were more than just a skid-mark of it on the side of the bowl, it really just left me wanting more out of it.Next came out the corn on corn on corn. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad, but again, nothing too special that made me think "Oh my god, I can't believe they did this with corn". I mean, if you really like corn, I'm sure you'll enjoy this dish, but to me, it was alright.Then, we got the everything brioche, one of the flagship dishes of red paper clip. We enjoyed it, the dish was well put together but the flavor was very Slavic/Eastern European, so although it reminded me of home it did feel a little out of place. The cured egg yolk had a unique creamy flavor that was well complemented by the pickled onions, trout roe, and cured trout. Very good dish, but it feels like its in the wrong place.Next, we got both the Cavatelli and the Xiao Long Bao Agnolotti. After multiple dishes of mediocrity, we were finally pleasantly surprised to have something so good (so much so that we forgot to take a picture). Both of these dishes were generously covered in black truffle shavings and the occasional full chunk of truffle, which wasn't really expected but whatever. Both dishes were served in a sauce/broth that we couldn't get enough of and wanted more.Unfortunately, these heavy hitting dishes were followed by what another reviewer called "Three ways to waste lobster". To me, this dish was more like a "two ways to waste lobster" because the miso beurre blanc lobster was cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious. Again, seemingly the common theme for this place is to start off strong, and then absolutely disappoint you, because the sticky rice with the two tiddly-winks of lobster on top really just tasted like leftover microwaved fried rice. Even worse was the dry, breading covered, peppercorn lobster claws that gave me flashbacks to the taste of red lobster in the height of bankruptcy.After this disappointment of a dish, we got dessert, which was alright. It was three apple fritters with raspberry sorbet and cheddar cheese ice cream? The fritters were perfectly fried little dough balls which were quite enjoyable, and the sorbet was good but it tasted like something I could just get at target by the pint. Finally, the cheddar cheese ice cream was really confusing, it just tasted like frozen milk and the only indication that it had cheese in it was the huge chunk of cheese right on the bottom.We finished off with some chocolate covered caramels that were pretty good, but we were still left unsatisfied after the whole experience. The service was alright, our waiter just kind-of plopped our dishes onto the table and recited what was on the menu, but nothing more. Another table next to us got their dishes delivered by another waiter who seemed to have no idea what was served to them. I believe the chef was also having drinks with them but it looked like he had a little too much since he tripped on the table and almost fell onto one of the customers.Overall, I have no idea how this place has had a Michelin star for the past three years. Reading other reviews, it seems to have potential, but is just so inconsistent and very hit or miss. I left finding it really hard to justify the $125 per person price point.
April 13 · Nicolas Yusim
I liked every dish except first one- cucumbers. Other dishes tested really good, especially pasta with black truffles and lobster tail. Drinks were strong and not too sour. Also I liked dessert, but, from my perspective, dishes were really small and I ( small young lady 118 pounds) left restaurant not full. Otherwise, I had wonderful dinner there and tried new, delicious dishes
February 02 · Violette Ospol
Tucked away on a narrow street in the heart of West Village, Red Paper Clip is a small yet remarkable restaurant that delivers a Michelin-starred dining experience. Its cozy and intimate setting provides the perfect backdrop for a tasting menu that masterfully blends New American, European, and Asian flavors.The tasting menu is a thoughtfully curated journey, featuring standout dishes like fresh oysters, a vibrant tomato salad, a delicate smoked salmon and caviar bite, and handmade pasta infused with the luxurious aroma of black truffles. The star of the evening is undoubtedly the lobster, presented in three creative and delicious variations. Each dish is crafted with fresh, high-quality ingredients and executed with precision and care, reflecting the meticulous attention to detail that earned this restaurant its Michelin star.Red Paper Clip offers more than just a meal—it’s a dining experience that delights the senses. For anyone seeking inventive cuisine in an intimate setting, this hidden gem is highly recommended.
December 21 · Jimmy Shen