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“The Chinese Restaurant”
Seinfeld episode
Elaine, Jerry and George at the Chinese restaurant.
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 16
Written by	Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld
Directed by	Tom Cherones
Original airdate	May 23, 1991
Season 2 episodes
Seinfeld - Season 2 January - June 1991
The Ex-Girlfriend The Pony Remark The Jacket The Phone Message The Apartment The Statue The Revenge The Heart Attack The Deal The Baby Shower The Chinese Restaurant The Busboy
List of Seinfeld episodes

"The Chinese Restaurant" was the 16th episode of Seinfeld. The episode was the 11th episode for the show's second season. It aired on May 23, 1991.

Jerry, George and Elaine decide to get dinner without reservations at a Chinese restaurant before seeing a movie but are repeatedly stymied by the maître d'. After they are repeatedly told they will receive a table in "5, 10 minutes", a starving Elaine suggests bribing the maître d'. George gets frustrated when other patrons monopolize the phone, as he needs to use it to get in touch with his girlfriend Tatiana, who eventually calls but the maitre d' calls Cartwright instead of Costanza resulting in their subsequent break-up. Jerry, having lied to his uncle that he couldn't make dinner, sees his uncle's receptionist at the restaurant. Realising his cover is blown, he decides that he might as well call his uncle and have dinner with him after all. George and Elaine both agree to leave. As soon as they leave, the maitre d' says 'Seinfeld, four!'

• This episode occurs in real-time, with the exception of a deleted scene in which George explains that he has hurt his ankle.

• Elaine, Jerry, and George are on their way to see Plan 9 from Outer Space, which Jerry describes as the "worst movie ever made." Though Jerry misses out on the movie here, he finally goes to see it with Kramer in season 7's "The Postponement", mentioning the events of this episode.^[1]

• This is only one of two episodes in which Kramer doesn't appear, the other being season 3's "The Pen."^[2]

• This is the only episode in which Jerry makes any mention of having a sister. After he meets Loraine from his uncle's office, he remarks on the chain of communication in his family: "...my uncle to my cousin, my cousin to my sister, my sister to me." In a later episode, Jerry says to his parents: "Are you finally givin´me a little brother?" [14:53]^[3]

• When Elaine goes over to the table of strangers to eat an eggroll on the $50 bet with Jerry, Larry David is one of the voices heard after Elaine offers them $25. He says, "What did she say? What did she say? Can someone tell me what she said? What did she say??"^[4][5]

• This is the first episode not to show a single scene of Jerry's apartment. The others are "The Pen", "The Parking Garage", "The Subway", "The Limo", "The Airport", "The Movie", "The Hamptons", "The Merv Griffin Show" and "The Dealership". In "The Puerto Rican Day" no scene takes place in Jerry's apartment, although the empty apartment is shown.^[6]

• This episode is referenced in Season 4, when George mentions their experience as a plot for a hypothetical episode of the sitcom that was pitched to them by NBC in The Pitch. Jerry doesn't think it would make a good sitcom episode - an in-joke referring to NBC's reservations about making The Chinese Restaurant.

• Actors James Hong (the maître d') and David Tress (Mr. Cohen) both appeared in the movie Missing in Action.

• The Chinese Restaurant, along with James Hong returning to play the maître d', appeared as a cameo in the sitcom "The King of Queens", which is set in the same general location as Seinfeld.