Szechuan Restaurants near Marlboro, NJ

“This used to be our go-to Chinese restaurant whenever we're in town; however, sometime during the Pandemic the ownership changed. We took out a few dishes from the new ownership and were utterly disgusted with the quality. It's been a few more years. I am not sure if ownership changed again, but we decided to give it another chance.

I didn't recognize the owner - not sure if it was because of the absence of mask. But first impression was she didn't care to be cordial or friendly, just doing the basic part as a wait staff. On the plus side, the chairs and tables have been upgraded from what I could remember. We ordered our usual dishes in order to gauge the current quality. 2 staple Sichuan dishes: Kung Pao Chicken ($14.95)and Shredded Beef with Hot Green Pepper ($17.95). We also added a noodle dish: Sauteed Noodle with Pork & Scallion ($11.95).

Kung Pao Chicken was rendered differently - sweeter and not as dark but tasty neve the less. The Shredded Beef was also slightly different, thicker and obviously tenderized with baking soda. It was good enough. The sauteed noodle was good but it's a generic dish so no authenticity to consider.

A number of deviations from before. The chicken and beef dishes each only 1 bowl of rice, instead of a big serving bowl for the table. We had to ask for one additional bowl of rice. Not sure if it was missed but we didn't get charged for it. The tea also wasn't complimentary any more. $1.50 for the pot.

Overall, we weren't disappointed because we came in with low expectation. We will be back again hoping to see that they can maintain the consistency in food quality.

———————— 2018 Review
If you have 2 or more guests, I'd highly recommend ordering #712 Noodle w/ Meat Sauce Beijing Style as an appetizer to share. The texture of the noodle was out of this world! We also had Fish Fillet w/ Pickled Cabbage in Hot Pot (#949) which was A+++. It's more like a fancy soup dish, but it also had the clear noodles in the soup. We also tried #946a Short Ribs & Bitter Melon in Black Sauce, which also had the same clear noodles in it, so it was a bit of a clash with the hot pot. Personally, I didn't think the noodles belonged in the dish, but the short ribs were still exquisite. Finally, we had our usual staple, Kung Pao Chicken which I need to caution emphatically to watch out for the unground peppercorns. I chewed on one and that ruined my palate for next next 10 minutes.

We over ordered but that's the way we like it - get to sample more varieties and get to doggybag for the next day :) We love it here!“

“This is the only place I feel safe ordering in from as someone with food allergies. I have a dairy and gluten allergy and they are so accommodating with the dishes. You get big portions for a good price and the food is always so fresh. I also have a super stomach with some problems so I always feel icky eating out and since the food is cooked in high quality oil I never feel icky after eating here which is SO rare for me. The owner is incredibly kind and told me how she also has food allergies and is happy to make modifications and help. It’s so rare that restaurants welcome modifications and she always does so for me. I’ve never gotten sick here and it’s the one restaurant I feel comfortable ordering in from and look forward to doing so every week. The entire staff is helpful and are always kind and respectful even when the phone is ringing like crazy and there’s a line for pick up. They never rush you and always make you feel welcome. A local gem- thank you to the incredibly owner for giving us allergy people a safe place with delicious food and for accommodating me with a smile. I appreciate you so much. Please support this local small business“

“The BEST gluten-free chinese food you will find in NJ! It's worth driving to.

I've never had any issues eating here and I am very sensitive to gluten.

The food tastes great, the service is very good, and the prices are reasonable.“