A lot of New Yorkers assume that dining in a strip mall is a luxury they won’t be able to regularly enjoy unless they relocate to a state like New Jersey, or Virginia. Jade Island, in a Staten Island strip mall that’s also home to Old Navy and Mattress Firm, is here to dispel those notions. With more than one water feature, and servers wearing Hawaiian shirts, the old-school Chinese tiki restaurant has been a go-to good time in New Springville since 1971. On weekends, the place is packed with locals who meet up for quadruple dates every Saturday, with maraschino cherries that sneak their way into way more than just the tiki cocktails. When your teeth hurt from drinking out of a pineapple, switch to Tsingtao. The menu leans Chinese with a few old-school dishes—like a pu pu platter, which is a fun appetizer if you’re mainly drinking. But if you’re here with a group, the Family Dinner for around $30 per person is the way to go. It starts with egg rolls and soup, continues with big plates of your choice of main, and concludes with a huge platter of ice cream—with yes, more maraschino cherries.
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