damnlines.comdamnlines.comA Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated East Village Shanghainese spot on St. Marks Place known for a line that's almost always stretching out the front door.
No camera at CheLi yet — these are the closest live lines we cover.
damnlines hasn't pointed a lens at CheLi yet. The most-wanted lines get a camera first.
The Michelin Guide's own profile of CheLi describes it as a 'St. Marks Place hot spot' with 'a line almost always stretching out the front door,' framing the standing line as a defining, near-nightly feature of the restaurant rather than an occasional weekend spike. That reputation lines up with CheLi's Bib Gourmand status, Michelin's designation for good cooking at moderate prices, which has kept demand high since the award.
The line exists in part because of how CheLi handles reservations. Per The Infatuation, the restaurant 'only accepts reservations for groups larger than five people,' meaning solo diners, couples, and typical two-to-four-person groups can't book ahead at all and are funneled straight into the walk-in queue. Larger parties can reserve through Resy, which lists a bookable CheLi Manhattan page, but everyone else takes their chances on arrival.
The Infatuation also suggests the crowd isn't confined to a predictable Friday-night rush: the reviewer describes the room's energy as feeling 'festive, even on random Tuesdays in the wintertime when everyone silently wishes they lived on a different coast,' implying steady demand across the week rather than one clear off-peak lull. Note that CheLi also operates a separate Flushing location with its own Resy listing, distinct from the original St. Marks Place restaurant this entry covers.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: Reservations are accepted only for parties larger than five; smaller groups must walk in, per The Infatuation's review of CheLi.
Walk-ins: Yes — CheLi takes walk-ins for parties of five or fewer, per The Infatuation.
No source publishes an exact average wait in minutes, but the Michelin Guide describes CheLi's line as 'almost always stretching out the front door,' and The Infatuation notes the restaurant stays busy 'even on random Tuesdays in the wintertime.' That points to a wait being the norm rather than the exception, especially since most parties can't reserve ahead.
Only for larger groups. The Infatuation reports CheLi 'only accepts reservations for groups larger than five people,' and those bookings can be made through the restaurant's Resy page; smaller parties cannot reserve at all.
Yes — per The Infatuation, parties of five or fewer must walk in since they're not eligible to reserve, which is the main reason the front-door line described by the Michelin Guide forms so consistently.
Yes, CheLi holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction, per the Michelin Guide, the designation Michelin gives to restaurants offering good-quality cooking at moderate prices.
CheLi is at 19 St Marks Pl in Manhattan's East Village, per the restaurant's official site and its Michelin Guide listing; a separate CheLi location also operates in Flushing, Queens.
Sources: Michelin Guide - CheLi · The Infatuation - CheLi Review · Resy - CheLi Manhattan · CheLi Official Site