A fiercely loyal regional cuisine — sweet, saucy, nostalgic — shaped by immigrants and beloved beyond New England

Katie Lockhart is a food and travel writer with work in Travel & Leisure, CNN

Published May 3, 2026 10:30AM (EDT)

New England Chinese Food (Katie Lockhart )

Walk into any American-style Chinese restaurant in New England, and you’ll find locals sipping from umbrella-topped Scorpion Bowls and flaming Pu Pu Platters (pronounced plattah ). Piled high with chicken fingers , chicken wings, spare ribs and teriyaki skewers crowded around a blue Sterno flame, Pu Pu Platters are a beloved menu mainstay throughout the six states.

As a born and raised Bay Stater, Chinese food on the weekends has always been a ritual.…