Chinese food in America has two main hallmarks: huge portions and tons of delicious grease. Even though it has nothing to do with the US, given that American Restaurant is a Hong Kong institution that serves Pekingese food, it does sure do its namesake justice in those respects.

This restaurant is by no means new, but we figured it was about time we gave this favorite a proper once-over. A longtime staple for boisterous groups on the hunt for a big family-style meal, American Restaurant never fails to disappoint—if what you’re looking for are large, protein-packed dishes generously smothered in oil.

Don’t expect artful presentation or delicate flavor profiles from this joint—each dish is richer that the last: Peking duck; beggar’s chicken (yes, the kind cooked in a clay shell that a member of your table can crack open with a mallet); crispy fried beef that you stuff into doughy pockets; prawns in sweet-and-sour sauce served sizzling on a black cast-iron plate. Obviously, American Restaurant isn’t exactly Mecca for veggie lovers, but for carnivores it is a fabulously indulgent feast.

Like most American Chinese restaurants, the décor is practically nonexistent—white tablecloths simply serve as catch-alls for beer spills and sauce splatters. You might very well have to roll yourself home (or, perhaps, down Lockhart Road for a nightcap) after an enormous, satisfying meal.