New Haven, CTChinese

Northern Chinese counter-serve founded by a group of Yale students, with Lucas Sin as culinary director. CTbites describes a build-your-own format organized around bings and noodles. Order the Chicken & Kale Bing, a folded northern-style flatbread stuffed to order, and the Jaja Mushroom Noodles in a savory bean sauce. This Broadway shop is the original location, the first of a small group that grew out of New Haven, so the menu here is where the concept was worked out.

From Yong Zhao and Wanting Zhang, the same founders behind Junzi, this Elm Street spot turns to regional Chinese cooking across Cantonese, Hunan, and Szechuan styles. CTbites points to the Golden Crispy Fish Fillet, Pork Xiao Long Bao, and Guo Bao Rou; Daily Nutmeg adds the steamed vegetable dumplings, spring rolls, and a scallion pancake. It is the fifth Nice Day location and the only one with dine-in service, which is why both write-ups center on the New Haven room.

A hand-pulled noodle specialist in the Ninth Square from chef Peter Song, recognized with a Michelin Bib Gourmand. CTbites and the New Haven Independent both describe noodles pulled by hand to order in the open kitchen. Order the wonton soup, the scallion pancake, and the Peking duck buns, and watch the dough get stretched at the counter. This is the only Connecticut location, the one both the CTbites review and the Independent's report cover.