Six Wins in Seven Years: How The Orient Became Long Island's Take-Out Champion

The Reigning Champion

The Orient has become the gold standard for Chinese take-out on Long Island, taking the top spot in the annual readers' vote six times since 2020—2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026. The Bethpage restaurant at 623 Hicksville Road, reachable at (516) 822-1010, has only been dethroned once in that stretch, by Danny's Chinese Kitchen in 2023. That kind of dominance suggests more than habit: voters keep coming back to a menu that balances the familiar with the slightly unexpected. The phone number itself has a second line—(516) 822-5610—listed in earlier winning years, a small detail that hints at the restaurant's evolution since opening in 2002. For a take-out category that often sees champions cycle through, The Orient's staying power is remarkable, and it starts with a kitchen that treats a cardboard container as seriously as a porcelain plate.

A Menu Built for the Take-Out Run

The Orient's menu reads like a greatest-hits list of Chinese-American classics: General Tso's chicken, roast pork with broccoli, fried rice, lo mein, and a full roster of noodle and rice entrees. But the kitchen also turns out Kung Pao Chicken, Moo Shu Pork, Pepper Steak, and Young Chow Fried Rice—dishes that go beyond the standard take-out script. Lunch specials run Monday through Saturday until 3 p.m., excluding major holidays, and include an entree with fried or white rice plus a choice of an eggroll, soda, or soup. The dim sum program is the real outlier: available every day as breakfast or lunch small plates, with a wider selection on weekends and holidays. That's a level of variety that keeps a regular from getting bored, and it's a key reason voters have made The Orient their default answer for a decade-long stretch.

The Other Winners

The Orient wasn't always the answer. Hunan Dynasty at 2993 Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown claimed the crown four straight years from 2010 to 2013, with a phone number that's still active at (516) 731-0300. Jen's Chinese Food & Catering took over the title in 2014, 2015, 2016, and again in 2018; owner Jen Chi built a following around her "Made With Love" philosophy and a second location at 2695 Merrick Road in Bellmore. Foo Luck at 122 Commack Road in Commack won in 2017, offering online ordering alongside fried vegetable dumplings and wonton soup. Danny's Chinese Kitchen at 2370 Merrick Road in Bellmore broke the Orient's streak in 2023, winning on the strength of its wonton soup—called "the absolute best" by regulars—and a chef's specialty called Happy Four, which combines jumbo shrimp, chicken, pork, and lobster. These restaurants proved the title could go anywhere, which makes The Orient's return all the more telling.

What Keeps Voters Coming Back

The Orient's longevity since 2002 has given it a head start in a fickle market, but the real draw is the attention to details that don't show up in a delivery photo. The weekend dim sum service—a selection of Cantonese small plates—sets it apart from nearly every competitor on this list, and the lunch specials are priced and portioned for a working crowd. The restaurant has also adapted its online presence over the years, shifting from theorientbethpage.com to theorientonline.com, but the phone number has remained a constant for a core set of regulars. Voters who have lived in Bethpage or near Hicksville Road know the spot well enough to order by heart. That familiarity, combined with a menu that never feels stale, is why The Orient keeps finding its way to the top of the ballot—even in years when a new challenger like Danny's steals the spotlight for twelve months.