Men & Beasts

Men & Beasts is a modern Chinese kitchen & tea lounge, founded by Alex and Minty, is a welcoming space where tea, dim sum, and culture come together. Blending tradition with a contemporary touch, it offers a relaxed setting to explore flavors, connect with others, and enjoy meaningful culinary experiences rooted in Chinese heritage.Our storyThis restaurant and the cuisine we will serve is extremely special to me because it represents a journey that Alex and I made together as partners.After moving to the US, I struggled to find food I liked, and would often skip meals out of total disillusionment with whatever I had tried to eat or cook. Homesickness definitely played its part and I found myself constantly ordering New York Chinese food to obtain some semblance of nostalgia. After I met Alex, he quickly introduced me to a plant-based diet, which sort of unlocked a love for food and cooking that I had lost since my early childhood.So, once I embraced the plant-based diet, I immediately started to fantasize about how I could continue eating Chinese food, and started asking Alex to make plant-based versions of all kinds of my favorite Chinese dishes.I see the food that Alex & I created for Minty Z, and now Men & Beasts, as the embodiment of our own unique and shared experiences: Chinese food, adapted to be plant-based, created by a highly talented and passionate chef.Minty Zhu, Co-Founder