“People here like to eat Chinese food,” said Ed Schoenfeld, the co-owner of new Chinese restaurant RedFarm, which is located on Broadway between 76th and 77th streets. That was evident from the packed crowd at the restaurant, which just opened on Saturday but was already packed to the point of bursting on Sunday afternoon.

After more than a year of waiting, Upper West Siders now get to devour the next big thing in Chinese food. For now the restaurant is only open for lunch, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., but it will open for dinner too later this month. An employee told us that they’re trying to work out the kinks before starting dinner service.

RedFarm’s main dining room has booths on the side and a long table in the center. There’s also another dining area behind a wall on the side, and a bar in the back with $12 cocktails and $7 beers.

RedFarm’s first location in the West Village has drawn praise and huge lines since it opened a few years ago. The new location has an eclectic menu, ranging from a Katz’s pastrami egg roll, to a wide variety of soup dumplings, one of the restaurant’s specialties.

Already there’s a review on Yelp:

“Ate here at the first official seating.  My family and I had been stalking the opening, and when we saw that it was happening, we stepped right up.  Now: this is a recipe for disappointment.  But the opposite happened.  It exceeded our expectations. The crispy beef: awesome. Dumplings: top shelf.  Bacon and egg rice: killer. Instantly became my favorite place in the neighborhood. A neighborhood that desperately needed a seriously serious spot. This is modern Chinese food executed at the highest level.”

Schoenfeld was clearly excited for the launch, standing near the front of the space and chatting with customers. He used to live on the Upper West Side, and said “the golden age for Upper West Side Chinese food was the 1970’s.” Renowned chef Joe Ng is the other owner.

There will likely be lines at the new spot once they start serving dinner. The downtown RedFarm does not take reservations for parties smaller than six.

Check out photos of the interior and the menu below.

Click on menu sections below to enlarge:

Thanks to Jeff and Sue for the tips.