If they are out of something that you order for takeout online (moo shu pork with the thin pancakes and plum sauce) they will substitute the pancakes and plum sauce with white rice. ? Their cashew chicken dish has 6 cashews total and their fried rice is just white rice with soy sauce. Panda Express tastes better. This place isn't planning on repeat customers.
Lu C.
Took my parents for dinner, the restaurant has wheelchair access, very friendly staff and great service. Food is yummy, must try stir fry shaved noodles. We ordered roasted duck, very yummy. Will come back again.
Roger S.
In our experience, this is the best cold mixed beef around -- and we have had this dish at several Portland area restaurants, San Francisco, New York City and Victoria, BC.
Michelle B.
Bad lunch take-out experience today - food was bland and soggy, service was flustered and the place is really dirty. I've had great food here a few times in the past. Might've just been a bad day but I won't be back.
Yufei T.
They used to be good but nowadays they shrink their food so much. I mostly order their food from Uber eats. The chongqing hot chicken has no chicken in it anymore compare to it used to be, it looks like a big amount but it actually just fried flour. The rice that costs 1.75 dollars is sooo tiny. Few times I had to order multiple of them but I still only got one at the end. Also the fish filet size has decreased too. I'm very disappointed to the food quality nowadays. The taste is still good, but please stop being so stingy.
Robyn Bennett
Szechuan Chef moved out of their main stream building and is now Word of Mouth dining- so you will get first rate service without the push of the crowds! Favorite dish: Cold Mixed Beef with hot sauce. This is the best in town- beef sliced thin- no rubbery thick pieces you find at other restaurants. They use the szechuan pepper liberally in this dish, and in their other menu items- your tongue will thank you! I am always disappointed with the lack of szechuan pepper at other places I've tried.The soup dumpling sauce is amazing! Rich and flavorful- not the watered down soy sauce other places do. Try the Hometown lamb pot for an explosion of flavor with natural bamboo shoots. The authentic menu items here bring out the people looking for delicious Szechuan food, and you are greeted with friendly staff who will recommend dishes if you ask their advice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shanghai Pork Soup Dumpling
Roger Straus
My wife and I first patronized Szechuan Chef when it was brand new in town, having just taken over Noble House's space. We were the first to review it in TripAdvisor. It was our introduction to Szechuan cuisine. We followed when it moved to its current location. For a while, quality and consistency faltered but it got its mojo back. We have consistently enjoyed eating here -- we find that its shao long bao (soup dumplings) rank among the best and its regional specialty cold mixed beef outshines any we have tried in this region, British Columbia, San Francisco and New York. The homestyle lamb dry pot is to die for. There was a brief time we felt that Sichuan City or Szechuan Garden were slightly better but our visits over the past year have returned Szechuan Chef to the top, in our opinion. The only issue we have with it is its loss of patronage -- early on, it was always bustling with largely Asian families. I don't know what happened, but it deserves to be tried. Hint-- you can probably get a "meh" American Chinese meal here, but you wont find better Szechuanese cuisine!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
DeHypnotist
My wife and I first patronized Szechuan Chef when it was brand new in town, having just taken over Noble House's space. We were the first to review it in TripAdvisor. It was our introduction to Szechuan cuisine. We followed when it moved to its current location. For a while, quality and consistency faltered but it got its mojo back. We have consistently enjoyed eating here -- we find that its shao long bao (soup dumplings) rank among the best and its regional specialty cold mixed beef outshines any we have tried in this region, British Columbia, San Francisco and New York. The homestyle lamb dry pot is to die for. There was a brief time we felt that Sichuan City or Szechuan Garden were slightly better but our visits over the past year have returned Szechuan Chef to the top, in our opinion. The only issue we have with it is its loss of patronage -- early on, it was always bustling with largely Asian families. I don't know what happened, but it deserves to be tried. Hint-- you can probably get a "meh" American Chinese meal here, but you wont find better Szechuanese cuisine!
Nitin Joshi
The level of flavor in general for quality is head and shoulders above other restaurants in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot and Sour Soup, Orange Chicken
Andrew Ferry
Best Chinese food in town by a large margin - and menu continues to expand. Very friendly staff and great atmosphere (particularly for people doing family style). Looking forward to their bar opening soon!
Was asked to tip after skipping it. I don’t believe in the tipping culture and always skip it unless the service was super exceptional then I might leave a few bucks. But in general, I hate the tipping culture. After the young girl noticed I didn’t tip, she asked, “Do you want to leave a tip? I noticed you don’t tip.” So I politely went and gave $3. She didn’t know how to charge only a tip so she added $0.01 plus the $3 so I paid $3.01. But the fact that she asked me for a tip was super uncomfortable. Them being Asian and from an Asian country, which I would assume is China but I don’t know 100%, in Asian culture, tipping is very uncommon. So needlessly to say it was very awkward for me.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tom Wiley
Food is really good but service has been awful. I would recommend not ordering online, as I have been waiting for 2 hours now for my food.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Stephen Knoth (Stephen K)
Definitely not my favorite.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Ned T
I've eaten here many times - have loved the food - but the most recent visits have shown that they give priority to phone orders. Tonight (12/20/2023) there were 3 parties waiting to be seated - and the server just repeatedly delayed seating to take phone orders - rather than put the callers on hold. I left the queue - perhaps they want to be just a take-away place.
If they are out of something that you order for takeout online (moo shu pork with the thin pancakes and plum sauce) they will substitute the pancakes and plum sauce with white rice. ? Their cashew chicken dish has 6 cashews total and their fried rice is just white rice with soy sauce. Panda Express tastes better. This place isn't planning on repeat customers.
Took my parents for dinner, the restaurant has wheelchair access, very friendly staff and great service. Food is yummy, must try stir fry shaved noodles. We ordered roasted duck, very yummy. Will come back again.
In our experience, this is the best cold mixed beef around -- and we have had this dish at several Portland area restaurants, San Francisco, New York City and Victoria, BC.
Bad lunch take-out experience today - food was bland and soggy, service was flustered and the place is really dirty. I've had great food here a few times in the past. Might've just been a bad day but I won't be back.
They used to be good but nowadays they shrink their food so much. I mostly order their food from Uber eats. The chongqing hot chicken has no chicken in it anymore compare to it used to be, it looks like a big amount but it actually just fried flour. The rice that costs 1.75 dollars is sooo tiny. Few times I had to order multiple of them but I still only got one at the end. Also the fish filet size has decreased too. I'm very disappointed to the food quality nowadays. The taste is still good, but please stop being so stingy.
Szechuan Chef moved out of their main stream building and is now Word of Mouth dining- so you will get first rate service without the push of the crowds! Favorite dish: Cold Mixed Beef with hot sauce. This is the best in town- beef sliced thin- no rubbery thick pieces you find at other restaurants. They use the szechuan pepper liberally in this dish, and in their other menu items- your tongue will thank you! I am always disappointed with the lack of szechuan pepper at other places I've tried.The soup dumpling sauce is amazing! Rich and flavorful- not the watered down soy sauce other places do. Try the Hometown lamb pot for an explosion of flavor with natural bamboo shoots. The authentic menu items here bring out the people looking for delicious Szechuan food, and you are greeted with friendly staff who will recommend dishes if you ask their advice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shanghai Pork Soup Dumpling
My wife and I first patronized Szechuan Chef when it was brand new in town, having just taken over Noble House's space. We were the first to review it in TripAdvisor. It was our introduction to Szechuan cuisine. We followed when it moved to its current location. For a while, quality and consistency faltered but it got its mojo back. We have consistently enjoyed eating here -- we find that its shao long bao (soup dumplings) rank among the best and its regional specialty cold mixed beef outshines any we have tried in this region, British Columbia, San Francisco and New York. The homestyle lamb dry pot is to die for. There was a brief time we felt that Sichuan City or Szechuan Garden were slightly better but our visits over the past year have returned Szechuan Chef to the top, in our opinion. The only issue we have with it is its loss of patronage -- early on, it was always bustling with largely Asian families. I don't know what happened, but it deserves to be tried. Hint-- you can probably get a "meh" American Chinese meal here, but you wont find better Szechuanese cuisine!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I first patronized Szechuan Chef when it was brand new in town, having just taken over Noble House's space. We were the first to review it in TripAdvisor. It was our introduction to Szechuan cuisine. We followed when it moved to its current location. For a while, quality and consistency faltered but it got its mojo back. We have consistently enjoyed eating here -- we find that its shao long bao (soup dumplings) rank among the best and its regional specialty cold mixed beef outshines any we have tried in this region, British Columbia, San Francisco and New York. The homestyle lamb dry pot is to die for. There was a brief time we felt that Sichuan City or Szechuan Garden were slightly better but our visits over the past year have returned Szechuan Chef to the top, in our opinion. The only issue we have with it is its loss of patronage -- early on, it was always bustling with largely Asian families. I don't know what happened, but it deserves to be tried. Hint-- you can probably get a "meh" American Chinese meal here, but you wont find better Szechuanese cuisine!
The level of flavor in general for quality is head and shoulders above other restaurants in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hot and Sour Soup, Orange Chicken
Best Chinese food in town by a large margin - and menu continues to expand. Very friendly staff and great atmosphere (particularly for people doing family style). Looking forward to their bar opening soon!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Was asked to tip after skipping it. I don’t believe in the tipping culture and always skip it unless the service was super exceptional then I might leave a few bucks. But in general, I hate the tipping culture. After the young girl noticed I didn’t tip, she asked, “Do you want to leave a tip? I noticed you don’t tip.” So I politely went and gave $3. She didn’t know how to charge only a tip so she added $0.01 plus the $3 so I paid $3.01. But the fact that she asked me for a tip was super uncomfortable. Them being Asian and from an Asian country, which I would assume is China but I don’t know 100%, in Asian culture, tipping is very uncommon. So needlessly to say it was very awkward for me.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food is really good but service has been awful. I would recommend not ordering online, as I have been waiting for 2 hours now for my food.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 4
Service: 1
Definitely not my favorite.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
I've eaten here many times - have loved the food - but the most recent visits have shown that they give priority to phone orders. Tonight (12/20/2023) there were 3 parties waiting to be seated - and the server just repeatedly delayed seating to take phone orders - rather than put the callers on hold. I left the queue - perhaps they want to be just a take-away place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Gross, do not eat here. They “recycle”
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1