Chef Xiong - Taste of Szechuan

Good vibes and good food! It was my first time trying Szechuan food and I really enjoyed it! Plus the service was really good and our waiter was very attentive

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

I was sad Sichuan Cuisine had closed but relieved the folks behind it opened Chef Xiong. Everything I get here with my family is consistently good: Toothpick lamb, Chongqing popcorn chicken, Fish fillet in pickled vegetable soup. I would love to explore more of their menu and always look forward to dining here.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Solid Chinese food! We ordered the twice cooked pork, cucumber salad, and the lamb. I think the lamb was probably the strongest dish: the lamb was super flavorful and juicy. While their spicy cucumber salad definitely had quite the kick, I also found it quite refreshing, which I appreciated. The pork might have been the weakest dish, though even there the meat was quite tasty. Also appreciated that it wasn’t hard to get a table on a Friday night - definitely recommend for anyone looking for their fix for spice/Chinese food!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

The service is awful. The waiter is so rude and ridiculous.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 1

Great food! I was visiting from Detroit where unfortunately we don't have many great options for real Chinese Cuisine

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I ordered the BBQ Grilled Pork ribs since that's the only thing I find familiar to what I've eaten before. It was good, a nice taste to it and the water was refreshing.

If you're in San Diego go try Phil's BBQ in Sports Arena Blvd.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Aah Chef Xiong is always so delicious and a must-go whenever I'm visiting Chicago. It's usually not too busy whenever I come (never had to queue before), but I feel like it is much more deserving of ~social media fame~ than some of the suggestions I see online nowadays. I digress.

Honestly all their dishes I've tried have been fantastic, so some highlights:

-- Szechuan jelly noodle w black bean sauce (青椒豆豉涼粉) have a wonderfully springy/chewy texture, and I love that you can taste the fresh flavour of the noodles themselves. The chili bean sauce was sooo yummy -- definitely has a kick — and I love the crisp (clean!) spicy flavour that pairs well with the refreshing taste of the jelly noodles.

-- Chongqing popcorn chicken (重慶辣子雞) - maybe my favourite dish here (a bit hard to say, since everything was so good). It comes in a really cute chicken-shaped basket. The chicken bites were really crispy without having too oily of an exterior, and the generous portion of chilli peppers made it Really Quite spicy.

-- Kung pao chicken (宮保雞丁) is always a classic and Chef Xiong's is no different. I loved the slightly sweet sauce (I​ definitely prefer it to the Cantonese/southern-style kung pao chicken), and the savoury juicy flavour of the chicken pieces was great, too.

-- For a non-spicy contrast I like to order the Chinese jajangmyeon (炸醬麵) - the noodles were perfectly cooked, meat sauce rich and filling, and it gave our burning taste buds periodic breaks in between everything else. It's also really inexpensive for the huge portion size.

-- I've also tried smaller dishes like the mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) and wontons in chilli sauce (紅油抄手), which are all delicious too, though I think they don't stand out as much as the other dishes I mentioned.

Overall, I can't recommend this restaurant enough. I loved everything we ordered, and the price point for the large portions and deliciously authentic food is just the cherry on top. Already thinking about my next visit here :)

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Could be better.
Nice interior friendly staff and mediocre food

Twice cooked pork.
Pork tasted old. I thought about out right returning it.
It was shame because veggies tasted fine and knife work was impressive. Uniformly thin slices.
A bit salty.

Mr and Mrs
Cold dish with decent numb.
Meat was tough despite being thin
A bit salty.

I would order different menu if I visit again

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

Their food genuinely tastes so good, so I’ve tried giving them a shot multiples times hoping the outcomes would be different but everytime I try their food, I get the worst stomachaches and nausea.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

We stopped here for lunch on Sunday, 8/3/2025. Food was good but the table was sticky and service sucked! It wasn't busy, just a few tables had customers. My water was empty and no one around. I noticed the 2 servers chatting and on their phones at the front counter. After some time, I finally flagged one of them over for a refill. That happened twice during our meal. When we were done eating, we waited and neither one was around. The couple next to our table was also done eating and waiting. Someone finally showed up about 10 minutes later but we had to flag him over. The restaurant just lacks good customer service!

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 1

I have been to many many Chinese and Sichuanese restaurants in Chicago. Chef Xiong’s is hands down the best I have had and super authentic. Chef Xiong himself is very friendly and always comes out the kitchen periodically to greet the customers and asking for feedback. His staff are always very attentive. I recommend dine in if you can, because food comes out the most fresh and tasty that way. The chef himself is also trained in Sichuanese cuisine and is very knowledgeable when it comes to cooking. His restaurant is my go to restaurant when I have friends visiting in town or when I organize a get together. My friends(Chinese and Non-Asians) all love his food SO much!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We came here kinda by accident and were blown away by the food. Beautiful decor, great service, and an incredible menu full of flavorful dishes.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The Mapo tofu and spicy beef soup were authentic.

Yibin noodles lit 🔥 af, get this if you want a savory noodle with some chili oil. Also got the chef special lamb and stir fry green beans for veggies. Come here and there’s no wait, across the street is aesthetic but this ish is ittttt

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Poor customer service. Have to ask for more napkins and water refill and ice. Doesn’t come check on our table and when we ask for anything never smile. Odd vibes like we weren’t welcome there. Even when we entered, didn’t even greet us. Foods was too oily.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 2