I have to say that based on the reviews of this place I was expecting more. I ordered the shaved noodles chow mein. They were OK but I have had much better chow mein and also much better chow fun. The mandarin chicken was cooked to such a crisp that the majority of peaces of chicken just tasted burnt. I would only be willing to return to try some of the hot pot dishes.
(2)
Juli-ann W.
I am a huge fan of their hot and sour soup. It really hits the spot when you are craving that perfect blend of tangy, spicy, and salty. Fried rice seems to also be a favorite and anything with the spice level on high. A few too many fried items, but the menu is HUGE so it's easy to order. Great service.
(4)
Wes M.
Awesome! Best pot stickers ever! Shaved noodle beef chow mein was great! This place we will most definitley eat at again!
(4)
Arry Y.
This place is a great place to hit lunch for working on the eastside. When I worked over at TMobile - we'd go here for lunch. When I worked over at Microsoft - we'd go here for lunch. It's also by this other good lunch place, Tuna House, so you can change your mind last minute (Chinese vs Japanese food). Particularly like/enjoy: - hand shaven chow mein - this chicken noodle soup (w hand shaven noodle) - scallion pancakes - hot pot - hot and sour soup Delightful lunch place.
(4)
Avery And Tanya S.
The food here is great. Very spicy (much more than you can get at most places). The fried chicken with red peppers is great as is the smoked pork hot-pot. The green beans with smoked pork is our favorite though, along with the appetizer of cucumbers and basil in a spicy chili sauce. The service can go from slow to fast just depending on something I can't identify, but the people are always friendly and the food is great.
(4)
Ninette C.
3.5 stars I came here for lunch with a friend and it was way better than I expected. They have nice lunch specials starting at $7. I ordered a spicy fish dish which was good. The soup and rice were fine...I mean, its hot and sour soup... I am interested in coming back for a dinner or hot pot.
(4)
Heather J.
Bamboo appetizer still delicious. I really have been looking for this on menus everywhere and have never been able to locate it. Can't recall what it was about my last green onion pancake that I didn't enjoy, but my most recent one was quite delicious. I'd definetly order it next time. This time though my garlic brocolli was just so so. My friend ordered the hot spice wonton soup and it was too hot for her FYI. This place was super packed on a saturday night with nearly every table occupied, a little loud for my preferences, but I guess everyone just enjoys the good food. I'll have to remember to keep stopping by this place when I am in the area, although I admit it is in a part of Bellevue I never make it to. Definetly worth driving out of the way for though.
(4)
Leona Y.
I dined here on a Saturday night with a couple of my girls and there were plenty of tables available at 7pm. I called ahead to reserve a table for us but that wasn't necessary. Ants on a Tree: This was definitely the best dish that we ordered. It wasn't too spicy and the dish is large enough that you can split it between 2 people. I would recommend ordering some white rice with this though since it can get a little salty at times. I saw that a number of people posted pictures of this dish and there's pictures of it all over the menu so I knew it would be good! Special Chow Mein: We ordered the hand shaven noodles which I liked. The dish itself isn't really that special -__- I thought it was pretty bland. I would definitely go for the Ants on a Tree dish instead. The dishes are fairly spicy so if you are weak when it comes to spiciness, make sure to let your waiter/waitress know! A reason why this place doesn't get all 5 stars from me is because of the service. Although there were plenty of tables available, my friend and I had to wait a while before someone seated us. The whole place seemed super understaffed and even when we would wave people down, they would always just acknowledge us and not return to help us. I will most likely return when I'm in the mood for spicy food but probably wont go unless its the middle of the day or when the rstaurant is dead so that service will be better.
(4)
Karen L.
The first time boyfriend and I came here to eat, we were unimpressed. We ordered a spicy lamb dish and mapo tofu, and both were good, but we concluded that Sichuanese Cuisine in Redmond would remain our favorite, and left it at that. However, we returned for hot pot with several of our friends, and I have to say, hot pot here is great! We chose option C for hot pot, and it's unlimited. We got half lamb and half beef. Option A is beef, chicken, and pork. Option B includes seafood, but it's not unlimited. All options include vegetables, noodles, tofu, fish fillet, tripe, potatoes, and fish balls. The price for the option we chose is $16.99, which isn't so bad, considering it's all you can eat. We also chose one pot to be all spicy broth, and the other half spicy and half non-spicy. The spicy broth is super spicy--so spicy that if you accidentally inhale some of the steam from it, you literally cough from the spiciness (because it happened to me... haha). I was really surprised at how thinly sliced the meat was, and that is a huge plus. Once you drop the meat into the broth, it cooks almost instantly, and that's how it's supposed to be. It was also really soft and tender--mm, already off to a good start. I've never had potato in my hot pot before, but I really liked it and found myself eating several slices of the potatoes. Fish as well. For some reason, the fish was just really tasty (I think it had some garlic infused into it). Everything was really good, though I was slightly disappointed by the limited variety of the items. Service is good; the waiters are really helpful. Parking is great too. It's pretty much a huge empty lot that looks abandoned so parking here is no problem.
(4)
Hattie H.
Their food was good when we first began getting. When we last got it the food quality was a big disappointment. Won't be going back
(1)
Dhaval P.
Hot pot spot: Prior to my visit here I hadn't had legit hot pot in over a year. Man I love hot pot. I went with some friend's from Seattle and ordered the all you can eat hot pot platter. I am not too privy to all you can eat joints, but this place was different. I could eat forever, or at least that's what it felt like. I think between four people we killed two rounds of seafood/meat. Very fresh food! The service was chill, and the joint was well lit. They even catered to our obnoxious table-side manners. What more can you ask? Oh and to that middle aged couple that had to put up with our childish banter at the table, sorry. We were all loopy from our hangovers.
(4)
Gary W.
Value, value, value and good food to boot! I've only been here for lunch so can't provide a review on the dinner experience. But, this is a good place for lunch when you want the Chinese "lunch special". There's plenty of choices and you get a large plate + soup + rice and hot tea. I normally get the mandarin crispy chicken, white rice and the hot and sour soup. You get a large portion and can easily take home leftovers. Another find on the lunch menu is the "special fried rice". It's a large plate made to feed more than one with everything added (chicken, beef, egg, shrimp, onion, etc..). You'll be able to eat this as a meal and have left overs for at least two more meals. Don't confuse the "special fried rice" with the fried rice that comes with the lunch specials as it doesn't have all the ingredients in the "special fried rice". The service ranges from lightning quick to relatively slow depending on how close you are to the kitchen. My advice is get a table as close to the kitchen as possible and not near the door if you want attentive service and get in and out quickly for a one hour lunch.
(4)
Alice L.
Great, consistently good food and quite a bit of bang for your buck. The Mister and I like to come here on the weekend and it sure does satisfy my craving for delicious, spicy Chinese food.
(4)
Dennis O.
Convenient parking, friendly service, reasonable pricing and great food. We had the wild chili pork, fried rice, and hot and sour soup. Best Chinese food around. They have a second restaurant in Portland that we have tried and is also great.
(5)
Neil W.
We went for the first time with friends this Saturday. i must say, I was impressed. The dishes were full of flavor and spicy goodness. It was not too spicy , just enough heat to make you happy. There is a lot to pick from and the prices are pretty reasonable... i think it was about $30 for me and my wife to eat well. The one downfall, and this is where they lose the fifth star, is the food came out a little too quick. We did not get to finish our apps when all of the mains came out and crowded the table.
(4)
Michelle B.
I've been to this restaurant twice i believe and both times have been great! The first time we ordered Hand Shaven Noodles, Chong Qing Chicken, and Beef in Hot and Spicy Gravy. The gravy seemed more like a bunch of chilli oil on top of the whole thing, but whatever. They were really tasty and came out super fast! The beef dish was HUGE! it came in a big bowl and was filled to the top. The left overs were delicious :) I also highly recommend trying the Hand Shaven Noodles. So Yummy! My 2nd trip there we decided on trying the AYCE Hot Pot. I forgot how much it costs per person, but i believe it is around 13-16 dollars. I believed we ordered the Ma La broth wich is super spicy. They didnt skimp on the heat wich i like! I don't think they had as many choices as Hong Kong Bistro does in Chinatown like Enoki mushrooms, glass or egg noodles, but the quality of the meat and other foods were great. They also give you a nice peanuty dipping sauce as well.They don't get cranky when you keep asking them for refills either which i appreciate. The service is not bad at all. The workers are very attentive, fast, and give you exactly what you want. I wish i could eat at this place more often but its soooo far from where i live :( Szechuan Chef, PLEASE open a location in the Seattle or North end area!!!!!!! I Cant wait to go back and try many of the other dishes they offer!
(4)
Andrew K.
My wife and I love this place. We love it so much we had our Wedding Rehearsal Dinner here. Be careful on the spice, the items marked as spicy are actually really spicy, and this is coming from a Korean. My favorite item on the menu so far is the Twice Cooked Pork Szechuan Style or any of the Mandarin Crispy meat dishes. + Food comes out quick! + Large menu and so far everything I've tried is great! + Left-overs after a day are awesome, maybe the flavors need to soak in for a day :) + Staff is always friendly and will always customize menu items to your taste - Sometimes short on staff, expect long delays especially on busy days. - They keep mistaking me for Chinese, although I'm Korean ^__^; Tips: They are usually short on staff, try to get your order in when they sit you in order to avoid long waits.
(5)
Bennet Y.
We've been here several times. Food is a bit greasy but pretty decent. The last time we went there was on a Friday night. Terrible service and we had to wait over 30 mins and we still could not order despite asking to several times. Granted there was only 1 waitress for the entire restaurant which is pretty bad planning for 1 hour. Worst, the waitress had major attitude and we ended up leaving before we even had a chance to order. So despite the decent food, we'll be taking our business elsewhere.
(1)
Deborah S.
This restaurant is all about the food. Very authentic, just what we were looking for, while visiting relatives. If we lived here, we would eat in or take out once a week. The waiter directed us to Sliced Beef in Hot and Spicy Sauce, we like hot and spicy, this did not let us down as most Asian restaurants do, thinking we can't handle it. We also ordered the Wild Chili Pork, again a winner. As for service we arrived a half hour from closing, the restaurant was more than half full, and service was swift. We will be back here again when visiting.
(4)
Sean C.
Szechuan Chef presents a conundrum. One could certainly order: - Middle Eastern fusion cumin lamb (~$12) for a savory, spicy delight - Chong Qing hot chicken (~$12) similar to popcorn shrimp except chicken and better - Dan dan noodles with pork (~$7) for a peanut-based spicy soup - Hot garlic sauce chicken (~$7, lunch) for a heap of sweet and sour on steroids And if one did so, one would probably leave happy and with a good impression of Szechuan cuisine. In fact, I highly recommend doing the above... for takeout orders or lunch. They are not the reasons one braves the inconsistent service or the schizophrenic decor of marble tables and a fake bamboo aisle in the middle of a nondescript strip mall with an abandoned flagship store. --- NB: Do not try the following with: - an uptight or personally nerve-wracking first date - vegetarians or, worse in this context, vegans - extended relatives who think beef and broccoli is an exotic dish - supertasters that cannot handle any level of spicy food - one whose idea of dinner is six lightly salted string beans --- Hot pot. If this is your first night at Szechuan Chef, you *have* to (have the) hot pot. $15/person, minimum 2, for the basic buffet hot pot with a false choice of broth - the spicy "ma la" broth is the only choice. It will arrive with beef, chicken, pork, fish ball, fish fillet, tofu, udon and more and we, both after running multiple miles and working out earlier in the day, were unable to finish the heaping default serving, but not for the lack of desire. For the basic dishes on price and taste, I think it's mostly a wash with Bamboo Garden or Spiced, but for hot pot, this is the only real choice in town, and worth the drive even for residents of Seattle proper based on my hot pot experiences in the ID.
(4)
Elizabeth M.
Go here and get the Chong Qing Chicken. It's easily one of the best fried chicken dishes I've had. I love this place, but like every Szechuan place I've been to, it's heavy in oil, so don't go here if you're looking for something light and healthy. Otherwise come here and have a good time. They also have pretty good service and a nice interior.
(5)
Faythe R.
I've been here several times for and tend to get the same things. I love the hot and sour soup and always enough to take home or that could be that i always order a large :o/ I love the potstickers and those plus the soup make for a yummy lunch. I've never been for dinner, but it doesnt strike me as the place to lounge at after work
(4)
Ian M.
Great food. The Sesame and Mandarin chicken are both fantastic. This is a place you go for the food - the decor and service are utilitarian. They also do takeout.
(4)
BC D.
Will have to try this place the next time I am visiting Seattle. Had a good time here while visiting a friend and his wife. The food was good, the service was better. Many veggies on salad were fresh -- a nice contrast to food served in Las Vegas, NV.
(4)
Craig R.
Personally, I was kind of surprised at the mass of 4 and 5 star ratings for this restaurant. I ate here 3 nights in a row as I was working nearby, and I came back 3 nights in a row because of the number of high ratings. This might have something to do with the fact I am used to much more Americanized Chinese food, and this place seems a little more traditional. I tried a different dish every night: Night 1: Pork Fried Rice Night 2: Pork With Crispy Noodles Night 3: Mandarin Crispy Chicken (The equivalent of a General Tso's Chicken if you go somewhere else) I felt the Pork in general was a little lacking in taste in both the Fried Rice and the Crispy Noodle dishes, but it could just be personal preference. The Mandarin Crispy Chicken was delicious. The service was excellent. The staff was both attentive and very nice. The food came out quickly. They have Hot Pot! I'll have to try this some night when I have another person with me... They don't take American Express which was a bit of a turn off for me. It's definitely not my favorite Chinese food ever, but it's certainly a place you can go to and expect a good meal at a decent price.
(3)
Sam H.
This place has one or two things... Either a waiter who does Jedi mind tricks who influence you to order something that is already prepared and ready to serve... Or.... Ninjas in the kitchen who cook food LIGHTENING FAST! Why? I have been here 3+ times and theaverage wait time for food after your "order leaves your mouth" (prior to waiter writing it down)... and comes to your table all piping hot.... is less than 5 minutes. We have timed it on multiple occasions! First time may have been a fluke so... we ordered different things 2nd and 3rd time... The first dish all came with in 3.5 minutes... HOW DO THEY DO THAT!!!??? AND MAKE IT TASTE AWESOME!!!???? NO FREAKING IDEA!!! Are you hungry and want some good chinese food??? YOU SHOULD COME HERE!
(5)
Gisete K.
I went to this place first time a year ago and the food was pretty good. Today I went back there and had Orange chicken and Beef Chow Mein. Seriously, they might be laughing behind my back because the food was a joke. The orange chicken was mostly batter, worse than Panda Express', there were several pieces of batter with no chicken at all inside. On top of that the little chicken I found was super dry, obviously overcooked and perhaps old. The "beef" chow mein was 90% noodles, 5% beef and 5% cabbage. Seriously? There were like 5 to 7 very small pieces of beef. And hey, I'm talking about the dinner portion here. Also I was expecting more vegetables in a chow mein and not only cabbage. Honestly there was a part of the noodles that was white, with no sauce covering it. The taste was OK, but I was so upset at this dish; geez I could I have made this at home and included a lot of veggies. They might have other better dishes or better days but today it was a big fail!
(1)
Thuy D.
Salt and pepper squid came in a super huge plate that is 2/3 filled with raw cabbage. Squid was super dried and chewy in texture. Fish dish(forgot the name) has way too much batter and tasted old. Chicken dish(forgot the name) again super dried and lacked flavour although there was so much sauce 'gunk' on it. Maybe we ordered all the wrong dish, but come on!!!
(1)
Jerry L.
I visited this restaurant two weeks ago and they have really improved their service. The restaurant seems brighter now which is better. One of our dishes came up bad though... an order of one of the fish dishes came up with a bitter tasting fish. I asked the waitress what fish it was and she told me it was tilapia. Obviously it was not cleaned properly but she managed to get me another dish as a substitution. This restaurant is getting better and I will visit it more often.
(4)
Jasmine M.
Craving for authentic, spicy Szechuan food? After visiting China and learning how delicious the fire-burning food in the region can be, I come here to get my Szechuan fix especially during the cold weather. The food here is always consistent and what I am most grateful about is that the food is not greasy compared to their competitors in the area as chili oil is commonly over used in Szechuan food. They have a huge menu and offer hot pot as well. Though I have not tried the hot pot here, I saw that they give you meat that is piled mountain-high. Like most Chinese restaurants' portion, there is always extra food to take home. Keep on eating, diners!
(4)
George S.
The richest (?) Chinese food I've ever had. We had the fried potstickers, green beans & smoked pork, and a pork hot-pot. Normally string bean dishes are 80~90 percent beans, 10% meat, mushrooms, etc. These were about 45% pork, and very fatty pork. Both dishes were swimming in pork fat - the hot pot was like bacon soup. It was incredible, but we couldn't eat that much. Outside of eating roast duck, I've never had this much fat in Chinese food.
Ok, i ate here last Thursday 6/17/2010. I read the reviews so i thought id really like it, as i am picky about meat texture as well. I ordered the honey walnut prawn, and lunch special Mongolian beef w/ fried rice. Fist off let me say none of it tasted good and appeared to be full of msg. This is all i have hear and i will probably not go back. The prawns tasted fishy, over breaded, and shitty walnut. Hands down the best honey walnut prawns is a uptown china in queen anne...ttere bbq fried rice is really good as well as ther mongolian beef. Also ballet and chungees on cap hill have the best fried rice.
(1)
Patrick L.
If you like eating spicy, you'll absolutely love this place. The menus is huge, almost dauntingly so. I've been here many times, and have only sampled a small fraction of the items on the menu. The food is very good, comes out piping hot, has amazing aromas, and is just delicious. Some dishes do tend to be pretty oily, depending on if there are deep-fried components or an oily sauce base. This is not to deter those that can't handle spicy food. You can ask them to make any dish non-spicy. Just be warned, it's not like the Americanized Thai restaurants you're used to, where 3/4/5 stars often isn't even that spicy. If you don't want spice, make sure you tell them to make it without any, or like a 1 star or something. You'll definitely regret it if you try to go with what you think is a medium level. They also offer hot pot, with good prices and (if I recall correctly) an all-you-can eat format. This makes it a great intro for first-timers, so you can sample several different broths and ingredients. I've been going here since its inception, although it has been over a year since I last had a chance to eat here. Not sure if ownership has changed, but it was originally opened by the former owner of Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan restaurant in Chinatown, so they've been doing this for a very long time. From the outside, it's nondescript facade and location in a sad lonely strip mall don't clue you in on the treats inside. It's actually pretty nicely decorated inside, although a bit of foliage-overload.
(4)
Kay Y.
Whenever I'm in town, I always make a point of having dinner at Szechuan Chef. it is far better than many of LA's Szechuan restaurants. It is a strip mail joint and tackily decorated but the food here is great. Hope you lucky Bellevue residents appreciate it. The dishes I like best are the scallion pancakes, the hand-shaven noodle house chow mein, the garlic green beans, the seafood hot pot, and the mongolian beef. I thought the moo shu was just OK. My mouth waters just thinking about the tasty food here! The place is always busy so get there early. I can understand some of the negative reviews as the consistency of service sometimes waivers and you have to know what to order as some dishes are better than others; however, most of the standard dishes are excellent, especially for the price. Go in January, when it's cold and see all the hot pot steam pour out the front door when you open it. It's quite a sight. Plenty of free parking.
(4)
Carolyn S.
Szechuan Chef is authentic, very reasonably (cheap) priced, excellent food, and it is served up fast! We had our wedding dinner with 64 guests there. Family members complained when they heard we were going to a Chinese restuarant, but are now devout belivers. This is likely were we do out to eat most often. The food is consistently good, and you can go even if you're in a hurry. As others have said, you can judge an ethnic establishment by the number of native customers. Schechuan Chef is always full of Asian customers. It's in a strip mall, and is a bit unassuming- so you might drive by and be tempted to keep driving, but trying it out is a risk that will pay off. Excellent food. Good prices. Fast, courteous service.
(5)
kate b.
It's not a good sign that the first thing I do upon coming home from dinner, is to rush to my computer to write a negative review - or any review for that matter. My boyfriend loves this place. Goes every Friday with his work mates. We ordered the hot pot soup. We specifically asked for the no fish/seafood option. They dropped off a huge towering plate of bok choi and cellophane noddles, the peanut sauce, and the soup and a hot plate and a huge portion of seafood..ummmm. Did not tell us what to do at all. Leaving non cooks with raw meat to cook in soup...not a good idea. That was the LAST time we saw the staff come close to our table. The hot pot servings were huge - I'll give them that, but unless you're a practiced cook, difficult to manage at a table. We were left with at least 3 lbs of meat that would have to be thrown away. Maybe they should consider 1/2 portions. The soup base tasted so much like oil, that it was unappealing to me. The service was very poor - not to fault the staff who were trying. I finally had to walk up after 45 minutes of waiting, to pay my bill. No water was filled, no tea refilled, no asking how our meal was (maybe they could read it on my face) I left eating nothing but a few bites (enough to taste that it wasn't good), very displeased with the experience and having spent $50 for the 2 of us. Money is precious these days. I'm not taking another chance on Szechuan Chef.
(1)
Adam C.
You can have good, fast, and cheap. Here you get good and cheap. Fast is not an option. Service is slow and not very good.
(4)
Bob W.
This is good Szechaun restaurant for the uninformed. They salted the food in excess and missing key ingredients to make a proper Chinese food. The Garlic and peppers are missing mostly. So, I probably will not be back again, Visiting from the Bay area, where you can get some real Chnese.
(2)
Paul M.
It doesn't look like much from the outside... but as you get closer, you'll notice many awards adorning the front windows. "Best 100 Chinese Food Restaurants in America" one says. I frequently eat here with my team that is based all over the world. I am not one for seafood, but this place makes everything taste delicious. I have a guy on my team that lives in China. We let him do the ordering. We get about 10-12 dishes for ~15 people. My favorite dish: * #50 Chong Qin Hot Chicken -- I swear this dish has meth or crack sprinkled on it because my mouth is crackling after I've licked the plate clean. Pros: * The service is great: quick seating, food is prepared fast and fresh * Large glasses of water * Easy parking * Great food, good-sized portions Cons: * Portions aren't as large as Sichuanese (another Chinese food restaurant 2 miles away)
(5)
Steve G.
OK - So I know that this review flies in the face of most of the previous reviews; so let me explain. Szechuan Chef is suffering from inconsistency. Sometimes the food is absolutely heavenly, sometimes the food is tasteless and boring. Also - Watch your bill! - We usually go in with 4-6 six people (Caucasian and Asian) and we have noticed the past two times that extra dishes have been added to the bill that we have not ordered or received. (The first time it was $4.99. We did not even realize it until the bill was paid and we were home! The second time was 9.99.) When we brought this $9.99 discrepancy to the attention of our server, he refused to correct the bill, saying "We had so many dishes, how do we know we did not order it." The answer is simple, because we were watching for it and testing them! So, go at your own risk - the food might be great, the food might be bland. Also, watch for the extra $5 - $10 "phantom" dish that might be added to your bill, as it was in ours!
(1)
p e.
It's Sizchuaneze situated in the same parking lot as the abandoned Bellevue Kmart. I'm pretty sure there is a zombie horde residing in that shell of a Kmart building, but we can worry about that when the time comes. The decor isn't too bad; the fake plastic trees almost had me fooled into thinking I was in a tropical paradise...only without the threat of cannibals hauling me off. Not many people know this but cannibals AND zombies are both repelled by plastic trees. These people really know what they are doing and they take your personal safety seriously. The service was pretty quick and cheerful (but not in an annoying saccharine way). My favorite dish here is pickled pepper chicken. Mmmmmmm. Yeah, so what if it's probably 1000 calories thanks to all the oil they use? It's really delicious. You will need the nourishment to fight off the zombie horde if and when it comes. You can get in and out of here in around 30-40 minutes--so it's perfect for a workday lunch. Chances are, you will be coming from someplace else 'cause there isn't a lot going on in this part of town. Lucky for you, zombies don't have cars; so the lot will provide plenty of parking options.
(5)
Tom C.
Pros: If you like spicy food, this place is good. Try shave noodles, I like their spicy tofu/beef dish and Szechuan style fry chicken with red pepper. Con: Typical Chinese Restaurant service... don't expect too much. Can be greasy.
(4)
Someone W.
This is the best Chinese food in Bellevue and the only one I truly really like. The good: The food tastes good, well made, not too greasy, fresh and the portions are very generous. Some dishes are outright outstanding like the crispy sesame chicken, chili lamb and the hot and sour soup. There are also many good, better than average staples like the hand shaven noodles or garlic chicken. The one thing I don't like is that they are understaffed. They get extremely busy during lunch sometimes and that means long wait times. Still, staff is friendly, but I do feel sorry for them sometimes.
(4)
Jens J.
Revised: 1/15/09 It's pretty good. Ended going here for lunch two days in a row, including today. Ordered the green onion pancake. I thought its dipping sauce was perfect but Penny opined that it could have been a bit more vinegary. In any case, it's addicting (like Yelp). Please note that in subsequent visits, Penny came to the conclusion that the dipping sauce is in fact, perfect. The (fried) pot stickers were huge and had the same dipping sauce as the pancake. The dipping sauce helps tone down the heavy concentration of ginger in the pot stickers. I ordered the Mongolian Beef and egg flower soup both days. Penny had a pork and broccoli dish that must have been OK because she didn't remark on the dish...and Dr. P. would have remarked if it wasn't OK. Here's what's interesting.....and that is the variability of the dishes from one day to the next. Today the egg flower soup was much hotter and more peppery. Yesterday, the Mongolian beef had more beef and less onion. Like Szechuan's high ceilings and airy feel. Penny was intrigued by the bright orange pumpkin colored walls. Szechuan is going to be a regular lunch spot. The only off note is the "chive and corn" rolls. on the appetizer menu. These really don't taste good at all.
(4)
Shanshan C.
food is serving in extremely fast speed while quality is great. We had hand shaven noodle it is very authentic. Ant the starter spicy Wonton is great too. Other dishes are good too, not that special from other Sichuan restururant.
(4)
Whit H.
Don't let the boxed-up Kmart out front fool you, Szechuan Chef is in business, and business is good. We went on Mother's Day, and the place was packed. There seemed to be some confusion about a number of misplaced reservations, and they looked a bit understaffed and overwhelmed. That said, it was worth it. The food was fantastic. My kids ordered the Orange Chicken, and it was quite possibly the best version of that dish that I've ever had -- to the point that everyone at the table ate it and we had to order a second serving. My only regret is that we didn't find this restaurant until today, about a month before we're moving from the area. We'll try to make up for lost time!
(4)
S C.
Good food, huge portions! Service is stretched and sub-par, but that might be a one-off. The food will bring me back.
(4)
Ashley B.
I've been here twice. The first time was good, although not great. We ordered the mandarin chicken and hand shaven chow mein noodles. Both dishes were great, but service was a little lack-luster. The second time, we went back here again on Christmas evening. The fact that it was Christmas is the only reason I'm giving Szechuan Chef 2 stars instead of 1. I'll give them a little lee-way because I understand that holidays can be more stressful for a restaurant and sometimes they are underprepared. But in no way does it justify the service we experienced. It's the restaurants decision to decide how many to staff on a particular night, and ultimately their fault if they end up being understaffed and too stretched. They've had enough Christmases in business to know that a Chinese restaurant, especially an already very popular one, will be extremely busy for dinner on Christmas. As expected, when we got to the door there was a long line to get a table. We waited for about 30 minutes. Completely fine if the restaurant is busy, although it was a little frustrating to see 50% percent of the tables sit empty, dirty with the previous customer's dishes, upwards of ten minutes while costumers waited. A sign that the waiters are too stretched to have time to clean tables. The was also no organization in seating customers. No hostess etc. The line of 20 plus people waited for 5-10 minutes even after multiple tables had been cleaned and ready to seat because there was no one to seat them. Whichever random waiter happened to see the line whilst serving his tables would quickly grab the next party and seat them. Sometimes it would take large gaps of time before a stressed waiter would notice the line again. Once we were sat we waited about five minutes before someone ran by and dropped off 3 menus for our party of six. Our waiter didn't show up until about five minutes after that. I tried to order the hand shaved noodles again but this evening they were out of them. Instead our party ordered mandarin chicken, mongolian beef, two crispy tofu dished (I don't even remember what they were called as I was not able to try them - more on that later), the dry cooked pork riblets hot pot, and the green onion pancaked app. We also all ordered a smoothie. Looking around the restaurant, each waiter was running (literally) around with a worried expression on their face. I only saw 3 waiters for the entire (extremely busy) restaurant. -Ten minutes later, as we are still waiting for our drinks, our waiter comes back to tell us they are out of smoothies. Ok, we order different drinks. -We wait 30 minutes until our app comes. The green onion pancakes were okay, but a bit greesy and bland. -We wait another 30 min until our first entree comes. And yes, it was only one entree. The mongolian beef came first and we sat and waited 10 minutes until another singular entree came out, the mandarin chicken. At this point we asked our waiter where the rest of our food was. He let us know he would be right back with it. -Another five minutes go by. During this time my party is asks for waters from any waiter who walks by us, as ours haven't been filled since we sat down. Each waiter hurriedly shakes their head and stammers "okay" before taking off again. We never receive more water. -Our waiter walks by again and we again ask him where the rest of the entrees are. It's now been almost 20 minutes since we were given only two of our entrees. At this point he apologizes and lets us know that they are out of crispy tofu (which was included in two of our dishes) and asks us what we would like to order instead. At this point it's been around an hour and a half since we ordered. Wow. We order replacements. We wait another 10 minutes for the third entree, and the two replacement entrees come 10 minutes after that. The service was one of the worst I've had at a restaurant. Overall, Szechuan Chef has good food but their service needs to be improved. Telling a party, 1.5 hours after ordering, that two of the entrees they ordered are out (and after two of their ordered entrees have already been placed on the table 20 minutes prior) is ridiculous. Under-staffing for a day they know will be busy, such as Christmas, is also unacceptable.
(2)
Shannon E.
We eat here every couple of months. It's amazing! We usually call our order in and get it for take out. It's always done quickly and hot. We get the same dishes every tine. Tossed fried beef, combination fried rice and sweet and sour chicken. The tossed beef is spicy with cilantro, the combination rice has big portions of chicken, shrimp and beef and the sweet and sour chicken is like dessert.
(5)
theresia t.
The ambiance of the restaurant is great. The service is great. Food is awesome. I love the "husband and wife lung slices - fu qi fei bian?" Authentic, and reasonable price. will come again to try different dishes.
(4)
Sarah M.
I was a little skeptical when walking into this place with the tacky decor and odd arrangement of tables. However, it was comforting to see 98% of the customers in there were Asian which is usually a good indication of the quality and authenticity of the food. The food itself was good! I had the vegetable chicken which had an awesome sauce to it - and the crispy mandarin chicken. Both good selections. The food here is very flavorful compared to many other Chinese places that I've been to. The sauces are heavy which I guess can be a good thing or a bad thing. Although it doesn't look like much on the inside or outside, I would definitely come back here!
(4)
Casey P.
There's a good chance that you would never come this unsuspecting spot in a stripmall next to a walmart and there's a good chance you'd never forgive yourself for not trying it sooner! The food here is just really really good. and spicy haha. Get ready to sweat. I've done dine-in and takeout and the staff is super friendly, with great recommendations. They can be a little slow, but just wave them over and you'll get taken care of. The portions are enough for 3 at the least, so it's actually quite reasonably priced. Crispy tossed tofu was a great surprise, theres this sliced fish in spicy gravy that sounds a little strange but it's so good. Nothing bad yet!
(5)
Linda C.
LOVE! Finally a place with authentic Szechuan food. Green beans were great. Spicy fish was DELISH. Dan dan noodles: noodles were OK but the sauce was way too sweet. Will have to return for hot pot. Hooray for an authentic Chinese place in the area! ----------- People, this is a Szechuan place. You can't order off the lunch specials menu and then write the place off. That's like ordering mac 'n' cheese at the French Laundry, and thinking that *it ain't all that*... *gets off soapbox*
(4)
Yuichiro M.
seriously? the broth in their hot pot is so much better than ID places. I dont even know why...but count me as a huuuuuuuuuge fan now! It is definitely a little more expensive it seems, but I wouldn't count that against them because the food is so amazing! One bad thing during my first experience there: bad service during our meal (nobody comes around with water, i had to go ask the front desk!), and they ask for tip regardless of what you think about their service...
(4)
Cynthia L.
I am totally in love with this place. My friends and I came in here last night, a group of 8, and the service was just great. Despite how busy they were, the waiters took time to take a group photo for us. With the new commercial space that will be opening up there, I have no doubt that they will get busier, so don't forget- they take reservations!
(5)
Amary N.
What happen to this place? I used to be good. Perhaps a new cook? All my dishes that we ordered are cold. And lack of spices. The hand shaven noodles came out flat and tasteless. Sorry to say this, I'm very disappointed. I could see that they make a mistake with one dish. But all 5 dishes? The food comes out quick and service is still good. I'll check back again in the next few months.
(3)
Nyomi L.
Well, I don't know if it's "as good as it gets", however, Szechuan Chef does an amazing job of providing semi-authentic Szechuan food and maintains one of the competencies of Chinese restaurants in the U.S.... price. Just being the two of us, my friend and I shared 3 dishes. They were: Mapo Tofu Lamb w/ Cumin Water-boiled fish (literal translation, I don't know what the menu name was) Mapo Tofu is one of those dishes that's found in every single Szechuanese restaurant. It really is hard to go wrong in making it. You need, tofu, spices, ground pork and time.... That's it :) That being said, the mapotofu at Szechuan Chef was decent. I grew up with two people who loved cooking for me, so "decent" in my book would probably rank as an A- or B+ in most others. I really really wanted to love the lamb with cumin, but I couldn't. The part of China I grew up in specialized in lamb dishes, as it was the muslim autonomous region. Now when you have a group of people whose main meat is lamb, and lives in a region where the lamb is going to be freshly slaughtered that morning... anything less than amazing is going to be a disappointment. I knew Szechuanese people aren't as adept at cooking with lamb as they are with other meats... still.... This dish warrants a C or C-. But yes, the water-boiled fish redeemed the rest of the meal. After patiently explaining to the waitress that I do indeed want my food as spicy as they can possibly make it, the water-boiled fish came in it's bowl of chili-drenched "soup"... if liquid chili can be called soup. The fish melted delectably on the tongue, every moment a sheer ecstacy of spicy bliss. So needless to say-- A, perhaps even A+.
(5)
Jamie R.
OK, so I just about flipped out right now when I realized when looking at my Yelps that I have never Yelped this place!!!! Szechuan Chef is the ONLY Chinese restaurant I go to... they've ruined me, I hate all other Chinese now! Admittedly I am not very adventurous when I come here... I don't order anything with intestines or other organs which are featured on the menu. I stick to the ridiculously good Chive and Chicken Shaved Noodle Soup, the Mandarin Crispy Chicken and The Udon Pork Chow Mein. I've brought a ton of people here and they always love it! They will prepare your dishes without MSG which is nice, and it doesn't compromise the flavor. Prices are great, I don't think I've ever spent over $15 here when splitting the check with a friend. Service is ok. You often have to wait to be seated and wait for the bill and wait for more water. But the food is so good it never bothers me. Someday I want to try the hot pot because there's always a ton of tables with that, so it must be good right? Parking is easy and the place is easy to find. Think abandoned Kmart and Starbucks.
(5)
Dan P.
I love going to the Chef for lunch.... of course I always order the same thing - Twice cooked pork. The good: - Pork is tender and tasty - Hot and Sour soup is good... has a spicy kick to it - Service was quick. - Cheap lunch (10 bucks) The bad: - Cut the portion sizes recently?? I've been here multiple sizes and although the price is still the same, the portion size has decreased for lunch. It wasnt quite as filling as it was before. Overall: Reading other reviews, it seems this place is hit and miss depending on which dish you order. I'm sticking with the Twice cooked pork. Now if I can just remember how to spell Szechuan?
(4)
J S.
I decided to visit Szechuan Chef this evening based upon the amazing reviews it seemed to be getting here on Yelp. And I have to say, Yelp didn't steer me wrong. We got there at about 5:00, as we weren't sure if there was a dinner rush. When we got there, we were the only customers. My wife asked if I felt that was a bad sign, but I assured her the reviews couldn't all be wrong. The wait staff was extremely friendly and very open with giving recommendations on food selections. I started with the Hot & Sour soup and it was amazing. It has been a long time since I've had Hot & Sour soup that's made me almost want to skip getting an entree and just dine on soup, but this one did. (Can't wait to get it again!) I then had the Chong Qing Hot Chicken and my wife had the Honey Walnut Crispy Chicken. I loved mine, but could have stood for it to be hotter. (I did a 3 out of 5 not knowing their heat scale, but now that I know I'll definitely do a 5 next time.) - My wife also loved her dish as well, but neither of us finished our meals. We both have enough for lunch tomorrow. So, if you don't have a big appetite, be ready to bring some home or split a meal with someone. By the time we left the place was getting very full, so I was glad we had gone earlier... and bear in mind this was a Sunday evening. Overall, it was a great find, and it's definitely going to be go-to spot for us.
(4)
Duane L.
If you love spicy food, go here for a great many choices. If you don't, then you may be limited to what you can order. I wish this place was closer to me so I could go to it more often. The hand shaven noodle chow mein is quite possibly the best hand shaven noodle I've ever had. Hands down. Deelish.
(5)
Joseph M.
The hot pot here is great!! Unlimited meat and veggies. Be warned though it is ridiculously spicy. I have also come here for lunch multiple times and love the mongolian beef. It is super sweet but delicious
(4)
C A.
My Chinese sister-in-law who is a recent immigrant recommended that we dine with her at this place. I raised an eyebrow since she seems to believe that the best Chinese restaurants are either in the International District in Seattle or in China itself. I also generally dial down my palate's expectations of restaurants located in strip malls. So, this was no exception. But to my surprise, this place served up some pretty delicious and flavorful dishes both Szechuan and other Chinese provincial dishes. The prices were reasonable, good size servings, the place is clean, well maintained, the only star reduction is for spotty service. The wait staff could've been more attentive although the food arrived promptly, if not quickly. Overall, highly recommended.
(4)
Rob G.
I love this restaurant! My favorite dish is the Chung chicken. Great atmosphere and the staff is warm and friendly.
(5)
Jeff B.
Go for the hand-shaven chow mein!! I've been here before and had the mediocre hot pot which I won't be back for . I had the spicy hot pot and ended up being tasteless with boring sides. I had to come back and try the dishes. This time around I tried the beef and soft tofu in gravy. Not sure of the name but it's the first item under beef and pictured. Nice portion shared by three of us. The chow mein with hand-shaven noodles was excellent, we all loved it. Also the hot & sour soup is the best i've had to date from the SF Bay Area and certainly up here. On a slow monday at 3pm, two to-go orders of only soup walked by us, so i guess the word was already out. I've been back there a few times to get the hot 'n sour soup to-go!
(4)
Lilly T.
We came here by default on a Friday because Sichuanese Cuisine was packed and had a line going out the door on a Friday night. Szechuan Chef has a lot more space w/ plenty of tables. Portions here are pretty ridiculous. Ridiculously big! We got an order of the house special beef chow mein (w/ Udon noodles), mandarin spicy chicken, green beans and a family serving of the hot and sour soup = more than plenty for 4 people. The food here is good, but definitely not as good as Sichuanese Cuisine. Be forewarned: a mini bucket of steamed rice is $5. Definitely more worth it to just get an order or fried rice for a couple $ more. Overall, so-so feelings about this place. Not sure if I'd come back..
(3)
Flora C.
Review for Water Boiled Fish and Green Onion Pan Cake only. Fish is ok - Spiced restaurant wins on this dish Pan Cake - Hot and crispy, Good!
(3)
Emily W.
My brother absolutely hates the Eastside for its lack of authenticity and flavor. I brought him to Szechuan Chef and he said, "this might actually redeem the Eastside". I've been a few times, the food here is tasty and flavorful and they have hand-shaven noodles!!! Aside from the noodle-goodness, everything I have eaten here has been good - the eggplant, Mongolian beef, deep fried Szechuan stuff, hot pot...bring an empty stomach. Seriously hands down the best Szechuan food in Seattle/Bellevue area
(5)
Guy N.
We went there for dinner tonight. Our party of 4 split the following 5 dishes: - Chicken Chow Mein w/Hand Shaved Noodles - Moo Shu Beef w/4 Pancakes - Honey Walnut Crispy Chicken - Garlic String Bean - Fried Rice with Egg The Chicken Chow Mein w/Hand Shaved Noodles was served first, literally 90 seconds after we gave our order. If that was all they had served us for dinner, we would've walked away very impressed. This dish was excellent. The Moo Shu Beef w/4 Pancakes came with a fantastic hoisin sauce that really brought out the flavor of the dish. The Honey Walnut Crispy Chicken was only slightly above average, but still good. The Garlic String Bean dish was STELLAR. It's garlic sauce was so deliciously garlicky, without being harsh that I begged our waiter for the recipe. Finally, the Fried Rice with Egg was pretty standard. This is as good a Chinese place as I've ever been to, and I definitely plan on going back.
(5)
Regina L.
I first went to Szechuan Chef with couple of my friends. I read the review that says that they are usually busy, and I didn't want to keep my friends waiting so I made a reservation. We went there 5 minutes before reservation time. Nobody attended us, and when I told them that I made a reservation, they still made us go back to the line and wait. If this is how it's done what is the point of me making that reservation? After serving our food, the waitress never came back to us, not even to fill up my empty water cup. I even had to go up to them to pay. We went on a Sunday afternoon (around 2) and they only had 2 people working up front, which is probably the reason for such poor service. However, I did enjoy their food, so a week later, I ordered to-go because I didn't want to deal with the staff there. I ordered three different dishes, but I think I did not order the right kind of food for me because the dishes were extremely oily. I remembered their food kind of greasy from my first experience but not as bad as the second time I ordered. The food were so oily that I was able to see the oil floating on my dishes and they werent even soups - I think they were supposed to be some kind of gravy.
(3)
Marie H.
Surprisingly good food for a strip mall restaurant. As usual Yelp didn't let me down. I don't know the area very well and met a friend to go to the nearby shooting range. A quick look at the close restaurants on yelp and my lunch location was selected. I got the Honey Walnut crispy fish and the Hand Shaved chow mein Noodles. Pure YUM! They've got a huge selection of food. I'm glad I took the advice of the previous reviewers. I couldn't have been happier with the food. The waiter was fine, our food came super fast. The only complaint was they show having Taro as a flavor for their bubble teas, and they don't actually offer it.
(4)
Amit W.
We have been to this place many times now. The wild chili chicken is awesome. The service is quick. I wish they had brown rice as an option.
(4)
Sheila L.
I've came here for the first time with coworkers for lunch. Their lunch prices are a bit steep but the food itself isn't bad. I ordered their Dan Dan noodles which comes in a big bowl. Too much that I had to share and pretty much give away. I've also tried their honey walnut fish which is the same dish with prawns but with fish. I was amazed on how great it tasted. Definitely something to order and try. I also tried the szechuan green beans with chicken which I was told they use actual szechuan peppers which numbs your tongue for a few minutes. I wasn't able to feel that effect at all or maybe I just didn't eat enough? Hmm....I want to also try their hot pot special which I heard was good. Can't wait because I love hot pot!
(4)
Hao Z.
This place has been a staple for my Chinese friends, and its clear to see why. They have a solid lineup of dishes that are all at least fairly good, and their hot pot is generous and tasty. That said, I noticed their hotpot price has been creeping up quite a bit. At only $11 a year or two ago, its made its way to $13, and now I look and its $16! I guess they charge what people are willing to pay for it.... (btw, you can get hot pot much, much cheaper in Chinatown in Seattle) Their watermelon slushee is to die for, it tastes amazing, like they sprinkle some addictive crack into it or something, just try it and you'll see. Not cheap though, at $4 a cup, but you can't help but pay... (also, it seems to be made from pure watermelon, so the price may reflect that)
(4)
Ryan C.
would like to give a 4 but it's too good! why 4? coz it's tooo SPICY! OMG i couldn't even finish my lunch coz it's too spicy! spicy but good! i yelped this on the go, was going to another place but i entered a wrong address and saw this place across the street. located in a strip mall (as usual, great restaurants are located in strip malls! ahhaha!) doesn't look interesting from outside but the interior is great! large space, not stinky, clean tables, no sticky carpet, & non-greasy floors! got the garlic chicken lunch special @ around $7. portion is generous and the food was out before i could finish my soup! waaaaaay fasst! also got the green onion pancake, the au jus was great! (dipping sauce, just wanna sound bourgeois! ahhaha!) will come back again to make sure they deserve the 5 stars! otherwise, great food, great price, lightning fast service, & takes debit cards! (table of 6 next to me submitted 6 CC without any complaints from the cashier!)
(5)
Mary G.
I have been to restaurant many times over the past 3 years. And I just went tonight. Ordered garlic broccoli, cumin lamb (2nd time ordering), sweet and sour crispy fish, and orange chicken. After this meal, I am not going back there again. This place used to be so tasty. What happened?! Today's meal was bland. There was absolutely no salt on the fish nor the lamb. I thought I was getting chinese broccoli. Instead when I ordered "garlic broccoli", I got steamed broccoli with starchy garlic sauce poured over it. The only good thing was the orange chicken and plain white rice (the orange chicken isn't even real chinese food!)
(2)
Terry L.
Great spot for lunch. $7 - $9 for soup, main dish, two scoops of white or fired rice & a hot pot of tea. Nice looking place as well. There are 30 lunch special items, I like the twice cooked pork dishes. Here is the thing: The potion size has decreased by about 35%-40% from Jan 2012 to July 2012... Also you'll notice that the take out is much smaller portions then the eat-in lunch. Anyway, for a good Chinese lunch try it, it's a very popular place. They do have the large 8 top round tables for larger groups.
(4)
Maple C.
You know the food is good when people from the surrounding tables are looking at your food with their hungry eyes. My bf and I got the hot pot buffet and the hand shaven dan dan noodles, and o.m.g. was it good!!! You get TONS of stuff for the hot pot.: fish balls, tripe, tofu, noodles, lettuce, kobacha (I think that's what it was) and fish all comes standard. We chose option a, which includes chicken, pork and beef in addition to everything I listed above. It was so much food that I had to actually stop eating for a little while and let my stomach rest before I could eat again. In fact, there was so much food for the hot pot that we barely ate the dan dan noodles even though they were delicious; there was just so much food! The place is really clean, it's easy to find, there's a huge parking lot and the people working here are all so nice and extremely attentive. They came to refill our soup for the hot pot even though we had much more than 50% of it left. *sigh* I can't wait to go back...
(5)
Alan L.
I would say their hotpot is pretty decent; not the best I've had, but they have a variety of items. My favorite in Washington was Chef Chen's hotpot, but since they closed down, I've been coming here for it. They also serve individual dishes. I think if you go with the right people and know what to order, the food is really good. Their real fruit drinks are very good, and it's quite refreshing after eating a meal of greasy chinese food. Service wise, sometimes it can be hard to waive down a waiter/waitress to accomodate you.
(4)
Xiangyu Z.
It's okay.
(3)
Mark M.
If you're craving Chinese food and in the Bellevue area...this is the place to go. If it wasn't for Yelp, we would've never found this gem of a place. Now on to the food. The mandarin crispy chicken was awesome. I was literally saying "this is good," after every bite. The dish was make to perfection...crsipy on the outside (not burnt or overlooked) and tender on the inside. The Mongolia beef was ok. I thought the meat was a little over done. The flavor was ok as well. I've definitely had better Mongolia beef. And the portions...WOW! its like the claim jumpers of Chinese food. A lunch plate can pretty much feed two people. Plan on taking food home. Overall... Above par food, clean, friendly, and the price was just right.
(4)
Pani L.
Great hot pot with generous portion sizes and we didn't need the unlimited refills. The staff was attentive without lurking. I wish Eugene, Oregon had a place like this. The other dishes we saw ranged from authentic Chinese to Americanized-Chinese food and it all looked delicious. Might have to fit in another trip while we are here.
(4)
Ted C.
If you like spicy then you find the right place. I personal recommend their appetizers. They are all very good.
(5)
Jon G.
The worst chinese food ever. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but the Chong Qin Hot Chicken should be renamed to "Fried nothing with truck load of salt and a bucket of MSG" I was about half way through my painful experience when I asked the waitress if I could just have one piece of chicken - anything, just wanted some real meat. I don't need 100 little fried things with no chicken in them. She said "what, you don't like it? Lots of customers like it." Customer service at its worst - she should have offered another dish for free or not make me pay. I will never return.
(1)
kathy m.
I read one review on Yelp that suggested that one can judge a Chinese restaurant by the number of Asian customers. If that is the case, then five stars for having lots of Asian customers. But I like to judge a Chinese restaurant by the fried rice. That's a great yardstick because everyone serves fried rice and someone at my table always orders it. Szechuan Chef's fried rice is excellent. We ordered the veggie fried rice which had large pieces of fresh vegetables (not just frozen peas & carrots). I also don't like fried rice that is heavily seasoned with soy sauce. That's a cop-out. There are plenty of other things with which to season fried rice. The fired rice here is mostly white which I love. Just a little bit of soy. I also order honey walnut prawns just about everywhere I go and I loved these honey walnut prawns. They were light and crispy and the sauce was sweet and tart. So, aside from having lots of Asian customers I am giving Szechuan Chef five stars in the category of strip-mall Chinese restaurants. The food is good and reasonably priced. Lots of it. Nothing is overly salty or greasy. I never got the idea that anything came from the freezer. We will definitely be back!
(5)
Vinh N.
Best hot pot in Seattle...or close to it. We only come here for the hot pot, so haven't tried the actual dishes. I love the sauce that they give you with the hot pot. You can choose between the all you can eat meat-only for something like $15 or the fixed portion combo meat & seafood one that is like $20. We've always gone with the fixed portion because we like the variety, and they give you enough to where we can't even finish all the meat.... that's why you bring girls right? Also, you MUST order the fresh watermelon slushie. I know, you wouldn't think a restaurant would have the BEST watermelon slushie, but this one does. I was so shocked at how great it was (and this was when watermelon wasn't in season too). My friend from Malaysia who grew up on fresh watermelon slushies was hesitant in tasting it, but once she tasted it, she agreed that it was much better than expected.
(5)
Ron L.
No our cup of Tea(hehe). Our food we had here was OK. We normally eat spicy food and this was spicy just not flavorful. Maybe it was what we had on the menu but unless someone says we have to try a certain dish, that we'd be interested in, we won't be back. The decor of the restaurant is very marbley and cold feeling, disconnected.
(2)
madelyn f.
Best place in Seattle for Hot Pot in my opinion! Their fish is outstanding! and the all you can eat meat is great! We always leave this place full, happy and ready to return.
(5)
Nina N.
So I am a total sucker for a good deal, but I don't think it was necessarily a great deal in price, but it definitely was a good deal in flavor!!! So yelp's business area has done a new thing on their website where they do their weekly, or daily special... so as I look at my bookmarks one day to see $19.99 spicy crab... so I decided fuck why not try it out? So I did .....I ordered the crab and it was decent, similar to what you could get at an asian wedding ceremony hhahaha, but good enough for 20.00 buckaroo's.... But what made me happy was their hot pot!!! seriously!!! seafood hot pot ..amazing!!! So my foodie friend and I shared the hot pot.. and asked them to do it Anthony bourdain style (don't laugh), and make it spicy..they laughed,and freaking a..!! so worth it..a bit too spicy, but hey I got what I asked for right???? anyhow, so it was worth it after a hard work out, and I am glad I tried it out :) Smiles all around.. or should I say napkins all around for those runny noses!!!
(4)
Lori M.
I love this place! I come here with my family for hot pot, but some of my favorite things here are spicy tofu peanut appetizers and tendon. They do some good stuff with szechuan peppercorns. Try their bubble tea while you're here too. They do a pretty good job with theirs (it doesn't taste like the powdered ones...ick!) They aren't quite as good as Sichuan First down near Ikea, but if you don't want to travel that far, you should give this place a try. Also, I've never had a long wait here.
(5)
Lori S.
I am already wanting to go back and try more entrees at Szechuan Chef! There menu was so thick it was hard to decide what to order, and a bit overwhelming! We opted to do some hot pot action, but couldn't resist getting at least one entree to start things off right. Their Kung Pao was the best we've had from the east side, the bamboo shoots were nice and thick! We did the unlimited hot pot between 4 of us. I would recommend half spicy soup and half non-spicy. I made the mistake of trying to drink the spicy soup and boy was I in for a surprise! SOOO SPICY (but tasty good)! I really liked the tripe (pork intestine), and secondly the fish. Even after I was full I couldn't stop eating! My stomach was stretched out yet I would call it pains of joy, because I was in hot pot heaven....yumm!
(5)
Melody S.
After eating at Szechuan Chef several times I knew I had to let others know about this favorite Chinese restaurant. They are just soo good! As MSG upsets the delicate balance, I always order mine without. In most places this usually means bland..bland..bland. Not so at Szechuan Chef. The flavors will really knock your socks off. Garlic and fire (if you want some heat!). Really, So, DO NOT pass this place up just because they are next to a quite large old K-Mart building and in an older strip center. My favorite dish so far? Their Mandarin Crispy Chicken is all that...nice and crispy...not soggy!! Need I say more?!
(5)
Doug V.
Growing up in San Francisco, it was a hard food transition when I moved here. Szechuan Chef is an oasis of deliciousness. The hand-shaved noodles are delicious, but some of the other dishes lack consistency...sometimes they are great and other times they are just meh (in general though, even their worst dish is better than most of the other Chinese restaurants in the area). Hot and sour soup is spicy and has a great vinegary tang, twice-cooked pork was tender and tasty. The pot-stickers and won tons are delicious either fried or steamed. Ordering to go is great and everything is packaged so that things don't get soggy (i.e. sweet and sour sauce separate from the fried meat). It's also very family / kid friendly.
(4)
Reed F.
Really good Chinese my family's first choice for Chinese food.
(5)
The-Hoa H.
The food here is delicious, quite authentic and seems to be pretty consistent. The prices may seem a bit high at first for some dishes...but when you see the portions you will definately reconsider it as cheap! Service is semi attentive and nice. They don't bother you too much but do get you what you need. I've been here twice and both times ordered the crispy orange chicken and beef and brocolli....we substituted chinese brocolli instead of regular brocolli which s really good.....Very flavorful...yet not too sweet, salty, etc. so that your pallet ends up getting tired of the same flavors throughout the meal. Will definately be back!
(4)
Lily L.
I went today for dinner based on reviews I've read from Yelp. I ordered the hand shaved chicken chow mein, hot and sour soup and house pancake. The chow mein lacked flavor. The hot and sour soup was watery and wasn't that hot nor sour. The pancake was crispy but didn't have a lot of flavor on its own (it was OK with the dipping sauce). I had to use the dipping sauce for the chow mein just to give it flavor. I have no idea how this place can get 4 and 5 stars from other reviewers. 1 star at best. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.
(1)
Ane P.
This place is pretty good! One good sign, is that when you look around you actually see Chinese people eating at the tables. The food is quick, and also delicious--the only thing is that my biggest memory from dining here, is that when I left I smelled so strongly of food, it was as though I had been in the kitchen cooking it myself. It's one of those places where you look in from the outside and the windows are always beady with steam. It's not the cheapest place for Chinese food, but If you want to try some good authentic dishes, just ask the server. That's what I do, and it helps me to avoid picking the same things over and over.
(3)
Liz R.
Simply the best Szechuan food you can get in the Seattle area. It is what it is, so don't expect anything fancy, just large portions of good food. I highly recommend the spicy eggplant, tea smoked duck, and cumin lamb.
(5)
Allan D.
The food is okay. I brought my family here to celebrate Chinese New Year. We tried the steamed sole fish, kung pao chicken, orange chicken, spicy string beans, and udon noodle chow mein. The kitchen was very quick but the food was not as flavorful as expected. The steamed fish sauce was a weak mixture of soy and green onion, and lacked the taste ginger and hot oil. The orange chicken was mostly batter and the kung pao was mediocre at best. If you are on the Eastside and are looking for Chinese food, I would suggest checking out Facing East (Taiwanese), Yea's Wok, and/or Shanghai Cafe.
(3)
Vadim A.
There was a cockroach in my dish and nobody apologized for that.
(1)
M C.
I've been traveling back to Asia as long as I can remember, as my own taste definitely evolve and mature through experience. I thought I've tried it all but Wow! I'm not even a fan of spicy food. From flavor, authentic ingredient, and culinary combination. Impressive! I have to mention I hardly eat Chinese on my weekly dining routine anymore not because of lack in quality or flavor but it's just so hard for me to be impressed. Service = Awesome!, probably personal to my experience Ambiance = a bit on the weird side, but it's OK Food = outstanding, nothing but great things to say Price = $$ Crowd = family, mature, couples Favorite = outstanding food, value, tender fish to the crisp of the chicken, uniqueness of flavor. Wow! Worst = decor Meal for two = $80, that's me going out of control! Final Say = If I was give a relative ranking of all Chinese restaurant the next restaurant down may be only a 3.5 star
(5)
Annie K.
Here's what we ordered: - Green Onion Pancake (6/10): Not the best I've ever had. It was definitely crispy and came with a good sauce but it was WAY too oily. - Tofu and Chicken with Hot Gravy Sauce (9/10): Amazing! The silken tofu was so soft and the flavors were very powerful but not at all overwhelming. This was yummy!! - Fish in Hot Black Bean Sauce (9/10): I'm usually not a fan of fish, but this was awesome! The fish was so soft and tender and the best part was that it was boneless!! - Ants on a Tree (8/10): With such a unique name we had to try it. It was very good. It's basically glass noodle in a spicy sauce with pork mixed in which makes it look like ants are crawling up a tree. Very good! This is a great chinese restaurant considering that it's in the Eastside. Definitely recommended!! :)
(4)
Bao N.
I LOVE the Northern cuisine they have here. The hotpot is good (but what's up with so little veggies?!). The dishes are great. You know you've found the right place when over 80% of the clientele are mainland Chinese people. Some might think the food's too greasy. I'd refer them to crappy Sichuanese Cuisine and leave this place to people who actually like authentic Chinese food. C'mon now! Oh, and also gotta love the slippery floor. It's like you're in a heated rink :)
(5)
Christina H.
By Seattle standard, it's a 5-star. But I had better food in Cali, so... This is how I judge a good Szchuan resturant, can they make Ma Po Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken? This place aced both. Love their hot-pot. Try the pickle cabbage and fish broth. It's even better than the spicy broth. Tips: if you go with Option A, they charge for every head at the table even children, but it's all-you-can-eat. We usually go with Option B for two and it's enough to feed 2 adults and 2 children. We always order steamy dumplings for our kids as soon as we sit down to keep their mouth shut. They came quickly and good. It's must for us. Intestine/blood/cabbage clay pot: it takes some nerve to try it, but it's really good. Hand saved noodles: try it in any fashion, you can't go wrong. Like all good restaurant, the line is long during peak hours. Go early or make reservations. And ask for a bigger table when you plan to have hot pot. It take a lot of space.
(4)
SP A.
Love this place! They have best 'szechuan style fish' and 'honey walnut shirmp' and their szechuan style fried chiken is really good with good quality of meat. Their hot pot dish that everyone seems to like is not our style but all the other foods are good. The service is pleasand and prompt. We are satisfied with the place so much and we will always go back! :)
(5)
Chrissy F.
Hand. Shaven. Noodle Brilliantly done with chicken here at Szechuan Chef. My first experience here, we had a party of 11 people total and ordered 9 various dishes. I'd never had hand shaven noodles and these were just outstanding. Other "common" dishes like sweet n sour chicken, this place far exceeded my expectations. Especially because the bill came out to each person paying $12, that was for splitting the tab and including a 15-20% tip! Where can you go for an abundance of deliciousness to feed 12 hungry adults and pay less than $150 total? When it comes to Asian restaurants, I am extremely picky (At one time, I delivered produce to Asian restaurants and could tell you stories that would make you perma-cringe) and I can highly recommend this place to family and friends based on food, ambiance, service, and availability. I've gone here with both small and large groups and they were always accomodating and helpful. DELICIOUSNESS!
(4)
Hayley V.
Good restaurants are like songs that, when played, have the ability to instantly transport you to a better time when you were richer, thinner, and cooler distracting you from the bill-paying, debt-collecting nightmare that is your present day reality. Today was a shightful day but the mere mention of Szechuan Chef for dinner made my ears prick up and I purred over the possibility of green onion pancakes and a warm numbing food coma. SC is the reason eating was invented...or maybe it was the other way around. Just know that when your day needs salvaging you can count on Szechuan Chef.
(5)
Bob G.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant when we first moved to the Eastside was the Szechuan at Crossoads. It has been closed for at least 20 years and finally we found a replacement for it. The food here is as authentic here as at the one of old and every bit as tasty. We'll have to come back and explore the dinner menu. The portions were sizable and prices reasonable. My wife had the vegetable chicken with fried rice. I had the Garlic Sauce Chicken. I really enjoyed mine, but my coworkers complained about the garlic hours later. Guess I need to take garlic cloves along to work and give them each one to munch on the next time I come here.
(5)
anita c.
Thank your lucky (seven) stars that Szechuan Chef is essentially the reincarnation of Seven Stars Pepper in the ID, where its chef (and most of its staff) left earlier this year. Szechuan Chef has slightly higher pretensions than ol' Seven Star: better decor, better uniforms, nicer dishes and menus --- although the prices remain insanely reasonable. Six of us ordered a thoroughly sufficient amount of food and spent exactly $20 each, including tax and a 20% tip. Better yet, it seems that most of the friendly waitresses have followed the chef to his new location. Never one to tamper with a successful formula, we started out with a pair of old favorites: the green onion pancake and an order of hand-shaven dandan noodles with pork. Both were served promptly and piping hot... and tasted just as good as ever. We waited for one our party to arrive, and enjoyed an array of beverages, including a trio of house-made (but adorably packaged) fruit slushies. And then the food onslaught began. Chong Qin chicken, just as crispy and glorious as in the old days, smoky flash-cooked water spinach (aka ong choy), and many other faves. Even a couple of mis-steps --- they were out of shell-on prawns so our salt-and-pepper shrimp came white-people style, and the whole Szechuan fish we thought we were ordering turned out to be chunks --- couldn't dampen our enthusiasm.
(5)
Kelley M.
You know you're in for a treat when the menu is in Chinese with English 'subtitles'. I went with a friend for dinner Friday night and we ordered the Dan Dan noodles (hand-shaved), Shanghai style wontons, and Mandarin Chicken. I wish we were adventurous enough to try the Hot Pot, but we couldn't get past some of the 'meats'. No worries--it was delicious all around. Crispy chicken with a savory brown sauce. Slippery, light wontons in a spicy broth. Lots, lots, and lots of food. We ordered an appetizer and two entrees; and brought home enough for lunch the next day.
(5)
Krista U.
This was THE spot to go to on Wednesdays when school got out early! Ahh the good ol' days! I remember the food being extra delicious and the prices to be reasonable for a highschooler's budget! I must come back for nostalgia's sake! Other reviewers already noted that this place is awesome. But I would also like to add that there are tons of parking spots! You'll never have to search for long! I mean the shop to parking spot ratio is just.. it's just beautiful. Every driver dreams of such ample parking space.
(4)
Mckensie G.
This is my favorite Chinese food in the whole state of Washington. The prices are great, the atmosphere is welcoming and authentic, and the food is delicious. If you go I recommend the Special Hot Chow Mein with hand shaven noodles. Chinese food doesn't get better than that.
(5)
Minh H.
One of the best ! The place is clean, nice, and not greasy like other Chinese Restaurants. Would not embarass you for an invitation to dinner. The food is tasty and right to its original. Must try: 1. Hot pot 2. hand shaved noodle 3. Chong chin chicken 4. Cold noodle is OK. Interesting taste 5. Fish with hot black bean sauce. Affortable price for every thing except the dungeon crabs...why so expensive? It can get up to $45 a pound. Huge portion... I spent $ 130 for 8, and everybody went home with a full, happy stomach. Looking for Original Chinese Food? This place will not disappoint you.
(5)
Annette S.
I definitely recommend this place to people who want fresh, not deep-fried Chinese food with a lot of flavor! This place has very cool decor and a lot of options on the menu. It's quasi chinese decor with a modern vibe in the lighting selections. Lots of bamboo. Marble tables! I've never been there when it was less than 75% packed, all asians in the house! We've taken groups of 20+ or just the two of us and have been treated well and served quickly each time we go. Portions are huge, and there are awesome vegetarian options as well as a kick-azz all-you-can-eat hot pot (with meats) for a rediculously low price! A family member recommended the place to us originally for the hot pot, but we've been back many times since to try other things. I can take anyone and we'll have something even the pickiest eaters like, which is awesome! The hot tea comes with the meal, and if you ask for water it comes in the form of a HUGE bright-colored plastic highball glass that will definitely last you throughout dinner! Each time I go I'm surprised at how low the bill is too. Definitely a good spot to go. And you don't feel hungry an hour later!!
(5)
Garret N.
I also noticed the odd smell when I walked in. The decor also leaves something to be desired but none of this detracted from my excellent meal. The hot and sour soup tasted familiar and the tea was fairly tasty but the real treat was the Mongolian Beef. My family ordered three dishes, Mongolian Beef, Kung Pao Chicken and Mu Shu Pork. The Kung Pao chicken was probably my least favorite actually because the Mongolian beef was so sweet and spicy and the Mu Shu pork was really heaped on. I didn't find any of the dishes unusually spicy. We ordered them normally and my spice-phobic parents didn't complain even once.
(4)
Daniel T.
I liked the twice cooked pork and the Mongolian Beef. We will go back soon. The lunch specials are a great deal.
(4)
Evan M.
Consistently one of the best Szechuan/Chinese places in the entire region (at least that I've found). They also have LOTS of "strange" dishes that are usually hard to find if you don't read/speak Mandarin, so woohoo! Favorites: - Pork intestine, blood, preserved cabbage clay pot - Dry cooked pork intestine - Cold tofu in spicy oil appetizer - Sour/pickle hot pot OMG. It's great. Even my, let's say, less-adventurous co-workers can enjoy it because they have both ends of the spectrum.
(5)
Eva W.
The. Best. Chinese. Food. Ever. Period. I work fairly close (10 minutes) away from Szechuan Chef. Our sales staff visits the restaurant for each and every birthday we celebrate. The honey walnut chicken is to die for. The Szechuan Crab is absolutely amazing. The hand shaved noodles are delicious. The fried rice is perfect. The spicy Dan Dan noodles are amazing. The portions are huge. It's all delicious and amazing. I can't find anymore words. If you are planning on dining here to "catch up" with an old friend, change your mind. You will be too busy eating and enjoying the delicious food that you'll forget to talk. It's just that delicious.
(5)
Anna H.
OMG!!!! I want to have a bigger stomach so I can eat more in this place! We went there with high recommendations from relatives. We were not disappointed! 5 of us ordered a nice mix of dishes, includes: Pork Tripe with Hot Sauce, Spicy Wonton soup, Lamb, Dong Por Pork, and others. The my fav of the night is Dong Por Pork. This dish is very tradition Szechuanese, the pork needs to be fatty and tender. It is hard to achieve both, since fatty meat tend to fall apart when cooked too long. But SC does it perfectly! The sauce is sweet, and yet salty. I high recommed this dish. It is not the usually spicy dish you would expect, but eaqually chalenging to make. If we have the chance, we will definaitally go again!
(5)
Jamie T.
We were searching for shabu shabu and the best alternative we could find was hot pot. This was my first time doing Chinese-style hot pot, but I definitely enjoyed it! We did a pot of half spicy/half non-spicy. Although we love spicy food, the spicy was SPICY! Good thing we had the non-spicy broth to calm down our taste buds. We got served a huge mound of meat and veggies. It was so tasty. I haven't tried anything else here, but would definitely come back just for the hot pot!
(4)
Karl H.
Holy Speed Racer Batman! That was quick! Which is exactly what you are going to be thinking when two seconds after you place your lunch order from one Waitress another turns around and brings you your food. The service is fast, the language barrier is a tad rough at times and the food fantastic. If you're curious about the authenticity there are mostly Chinese people eating here. I'm sold! FYI: Spicy is definitely spicy as I don't think they discriminate against the white man spicy. You know what I mean... a whitey asks for 4 stars and they get like 1 1/2... an asian person asks for 4 star and they get 4 star. Hey, hey, hey... don't get all pissy about it. It's know its a racial thing, but I ain't the one doing it.
(5)
Jason Y.
Love this place- especially on a cold day. Nice selection of spicy, szechuan -style dishes and great hand shaven noodle dishes! We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here since it was so close to our venue (Robinswood House!). Surprisingly, it turned out well - and everyone got plenty of good Chinese food for a good pretty good price.
(4)
nanu b.
This review is just for one dish that I tried and if others are as good as this last one I am a fan!.........had the eggplant in hot garlic sauce with spice level 4 (on 1 to 5 scale)......it was sweet, sour, definitely spicy but had a very well rounded flavor......although i reached out for a jar of water more than once but the spiciness complements the dish so well.......the other eggplant dish w/ basil seems to be milder than this one........the price was $9.45 different from what their website menu said but no complaints..........chinese veg dishes often get ignored for the pork n chicken ones but you shouldn't miss this one.
(5)
Srta L.
Worst food ever! My bf and I came to try this place because it had great reviews overtime. Let me start Service: it was horrible! as soon as we entered to the restaurant, the lady waved at us to come in. Also, they took long time to take our order, they never came back to check on us. We had to ask to refill our water twice. Finally water came in, at the moment I asked for the check Food: Horrible! we ordered, the hot and sour soup from the lunch special was tasteless. Also ordered the wild spicy pork (had a weird smoke flavor), ordered beef brisket (full of fat meat and only bamboo and mushrooms $14 for garnishes basically, taste was ok) and the handshaved beef noodles ($9 - tasted ok) Ambiance: OK. Price: $$ - 1 lunch special, and 2 menu items = $35
(1)
Summer S.
The food here is good! I believe the portion sizes have been getting slightly larger over the past year (keep it up please ^.^). So now you can have just a little bit of leftovers and then you can remember how delicious the food was - that way you'll have to come back soon. Also, if you want spicy and authentic Chinese food, I believe this is one of the better places to visit. They have great lunch menu options and specials. Plus the service is good. Everyone is friendly and attentive.
(5)
Pallavi S.
Excellent sichuanese cuisine. Casual place. Good for lunch and dinner.
(4)
KC C.
Not sure why this restaurant has such a good review. There are so many better Szechuan restaurant in Bellevue that are much better than this.
(2)
Rohit K.
Go here for some real spicy Szechuan food. The service is okay but responsive. We love the fish fillet in black bean sauce here. The food is oily but tasty and slightly expensive. The hand shaven noodles are quite thick and we generally stopped ordering those after few tries. Good place for a casual spicy meal.
(4)
Maddy C.
Amazing food...the seafood dishes are to die for....esp if you are craving spicy food....yummm
(5)
Vania K.
Much love for Szechuan Chef for their chong qing chicken and Mongolian beef. My family and I came here late Sunday afternoon (around 3pm) and the place was pretty quiet, with only a couple of tables occupied. We ordered the chong qing chicken (I can't help but ordering this whenever I'm at a Szechuan restaurant), Mongolian beef, and dan dan noodles. Unfortunately, they were out of hand shaven noodles (boo!), so we settled for the "regular" noodles. I don't know if we were all just starving (we were pretty hungry) or if the food was just THAT good, but we devoured everything like we hadn't eaten in days. All the dishes were very good, and the portion is very generous. The chong qing chicken was crispy but not greasy, served with the typical dried chili peppers and something a bit more unusual: long beans. It was addicting, we couldn't stop munching on the bite-sized chicken even though we kept saying that we were full. The Mongolian beef was very flavorful, not spicy at all, surprisingly a bit sweet, but all the flavors seemed to work. The dan dan noodles had a broth-like sauce and ground pork. I'm used to a thicker, gravy-like sauce, but this was good too. It's a bit vinegary and was probably the least savory of all the dishes, definitely more of a side dish to share. I definitely recommend ordering to share family style, unless you're here during the week and happen to catch their lunch specials (aw, so jealous!). Service was good and the place was clean. Our total bill came to roughly about $38 after taxes and tips for all the dishes mentioned above and a side of rice. We had a lot of leftover (I wish they didn't use styrofoam containers!).
(5)
J. C. L.
Loved their twice-cooked pork, green beans, and ANTS ON A TREE (ground meat with yam noodles). Would definitely recommend + go back.
(4)
Emerald P.
Great boiled beef and fish!! Not a big fan of the spring rolls so don't waste your time with them. They are greatly staffed and attentive to everyone. Very clean facility. I wish they would have given me more white rice, but then again I love white rice and could eat 3 people worth
(5)
Mason L.
Both services and food is good and I can't other restaurants that can beat their price and portions. I wouldn't mind going that every week.
(4)
Mike S.
Been looking for a good Chinese spot that is close to work for me. I think I found the spot, (so far so good). I have tried the Mongolian beef and also the House Fried Rice. Let me start off by saying the reviews that I have read so far are pretty accurate. The Mongolian Beef was great! it tasted great, wasn't too sweet like other places I've been to and it was very tender. The House fried rice was good as well! It has chicken, beef, pork and shrimp I believe. The only complain I have on the fried rice was that it only came with two pieces of shrimp, but they were very tasteful. Overall, a great spot so far. Definitely want to explore some more of the menu, but a lot of reviews says to stay away from any deep fried chicken, since most of it is breading. I might have to check it out still since I love chicken.
(4)
Lia T.
I've come here for lunch a few times with co-workers, but last night I finally came for dinner. My sister and I shared the pot stickers (steamed), egg drop soup, and the special hot chow mein with chicken (hand shaven noodles). The sauce for the pot stickers was just divine. I also really liked the hand-shaved noodles - they were the perfect texture, flavorful and a bit spicy. Service was a little slow, but we were not in a hurry. Its in a strip mall with a large parking lot so there is plenty of parking. I'll definitely be eating here again!
(4)
Alisha W.
Classically awesome Szechuanese cuisine: It is my go-to restaurant for reliably delicious Szechuan spicy food. HUGE portions that are bound to leave you with leftovers. Great meal for the price. My favorite dishes: * Fish cooked in water with spicy (literal translation from mandarin) - spicy stew leftovers can be taken home and made into delicious leftover stew. Its got the kind of spiciness that really makes your mouth kind of tingly and numb :) * Maopao Tofu - classic. * House special Hand shaven noodles
(4)
Nina H.
I learned last night that Chinese food on Christmas Day dinner is a tradition for many folks. My bad. Our party of three waited in line for 30 minutes because the restaurant was PACKED at 6 p.m. I really had no idea, and I should've known better, but nevertheless, we were seated and ordered shortly after. Everything felt a little delayed because they were clearly understaffed. No problem, it was understandable and I felt bad for both the servers and the diners. The three of us ordered more than we could handle, but we were ready to take food to go. We shared the stone pot tofu dish, green beans, eggplant and sweet and sour fish. Everything was delicious but definitely on the spicy side! My favorites were the green beans and sweet and sour fish. Service was as good as it could be given the hectic situation. We got our tea refilled pretty quickly and I was able to go up to the front and pay the bill quickly too. Not too bad! I'd definitely come back and try the hand shaven noodles.
(4)
Ron A.
I love this restaurant! The interior is messy and ugly but the food is GOOD--when you tell them you want authentic Szechuanese food. The price is way better than just reasonable. This review is only for the Bellevue branch though--the one down South is awful.
(4)
Sunny H.
Delicious. First time trying out the place b/c our other fave was closed today. Mongolian Beef Spicy noodles Beef with Broccoli Eggplant and a couple of other dishes. All delish. Will def. return.
(4)
Ann W.
I am a total hand shaven noodle junkie! Something about those thick cut, crooked edged, chewy noodles just get me all giddy. So once I saw that Szechuan Chef had my drug of choice, I was there for lunch with my bestie. I really enjoy dan dan mein, and I am a new spice lover, so I had to have it. For $8.95, it was definitely a must-try. When it arrived to the table, I was like, DAAAAMN, GINA... the bowl was huge! Since size is not all that matters, let me tell you how the dish tasted. The sauce was a really nice mix of sweet, salty, and of course spicy! There was lots of cabbage slices and dan dan's signature ground pork. The noodles themselves looked delightful, but the texture was sadly too soft....and no, it is not normal and does not happen to everyone. Still, the experience was redeemable due to the value, flavor, and not to mention the convenience of parking. I have actually been here before many years ago and remember enjoying most of the dishes I tried, so I'm glad things haven't changed too much since then.
(3)
Heidi M.
Yum. This place rocks in the Bellevue area. I have been going here for years and the food has remained consistent. Great shaved noodles. There curry dish and orange chicken are both great choices as well. Can get busy during the lunch crowd. Service is good. Prices are on track.
(4)
Brett M.
Typically service is pretty poor (only reason it's a 4 star, to me). The food is worth the wait. They give you good portions for your dollar. Love it!
(4)
John E.
I am almost more disapointed in the service than the lame food. Let me explain. The Twice Cooked Pork was so overly salty I couldn't hardly make it past 5 bites. My wife's Crispy Tofu with Eggplant was all eggplant and 5 pieces of tofu. We also ordered the Ant On a Tree to share. I know it's hot, but this was so overwhelmingly over hot that every single strand of noodle was coated in peppers. And where was the meat. Just a couple of pieces of ground pork. Also, the use of chili oil was so heavy handed and overwhelming that it ended up a greasy hot mess. We took it home and the leftovers are a red oil dripping soupy mess still. Toss... We never got our tea. My kid loves Chinese for the tea. My 4 year old only likes steamed rice and broccoli. We asked for some and the server was vague. They couldn't come up with a simple order of broccoli, EVEN THOUGH ITS GARNISHING MY WIFES PLATE FOR GODS SAKE... Lame. We tried to get the crispy fish appetizer. The waiter just said, "we don't have that". So we said we'll need some more time and he just walked off. He never came back again. The other person who took the order was the one who couldn't figure out the side of broccoli. Even though there are items just like that on the menu. So we hated our experience. And I'm left with an unsatisfied craving for Ant On a Tree. But with the combo of the salty lunch and the water I drank to put out the chili oil overdose fire, all I feel is bloated.
(1)
Gene D.
No changes. I still keep coming back. You're crazy if you don't order half your lunch-dinner off the specials board. That is all.
(5)
Amos Y.
Plenty of parking, and pretty roomy restaurant. I liked that this place gives you the nice heavy square chopsticks and ceramic plates. The service was alright, as expected of a Chinese restaurant. A server brought over tea and water for us, but didn't come back to take our order. But once we signaled that we were ready to order, they quickly came over. After taking our order, the dishes started coming out pretty quickly in 5-10 minutes. We got garlic green beans, Chinese broccoli beef, mandarin crispy chicken, and the dan dan handcrafted noodles. One interesting thing though, is they didn't ask us to rate the spiciness we wanted. My favourite was definitely the mandarin crispy chicken. They are small lumps of deep fried chicken in a tangy slightly spicy sauce. The broccoli beef and garlic green beans were pretty standard and tasted good. The dan dan noodles were a little unexpected. We were expecting a more peanut / seasame spicy sauce type noodle. However, the sauce used was an interesting numbing spicyness. It makes your tounge numb, which makes drinking water taste kind of strange. The noodles were fine, but the numbing spice was pretty strong. For people not used to this spicyness I would stay away as it might be hard to eat. Overall the food was pretty good, but for people seeking spicy food Spiced would be a better restaurant.
(3)
Jocelyn R.
Best Chinese Food I've had in a long time. The Hand Shaven noodles are amazing. The staff is great and the food is brought out so unbelievably fast! Love it!!
(5)
Lisa W.
I absolutely love Szechuanese food, and this place is my favorite in the area. My family and I come here all the time and pretty much order the same dishes: fish in spicy gravy, Chong Qing chicken, cumin land, and the fried crab. The dishes are pretty authentic (maybe not as spicy) but will really open up your palate with their spicy and slightly numbing flavors. The service is good, and you can find parking easily in the lot.
(4)
Gabriel C.
Tried a variety of their dishes (mabo tofu, twice cooked pork, eggplant tofu, pork tofu, hand shaven noodles, dan dan mien, boiled fish in chili oil)- exactly what I'd expect a Szechuan restaurant to serve. Although it's on the oily side, the dishes weren't just cooked and a ton of spice thrown on. Definitely will come back to try more dishes!
(4)
Tina G.
Worst tasting food ever!! Went with a group of coworkers. No one liked their food. Funky tasting :(
(1)
Brad F.
Great somewhat hidden spot. No frills but huge menu of choices. Service is usually quick but sometimes it helps to flag someone down when you need something. Best experiences have been with groups of 6-8 when we could order several dishes to share. They have a funny policy here too. They do not like to see food wasted and will charge you extra if you waste food. Not a problem for me. I'm always happy to box up leftovers and take them home!
(4)
Anna S.
Hit or miss with this place. When it's a hit, it's absolutely amazing. We always order the crispy orange chicken with either fried rice or chow mein. When the chicken really is crispy, it is better than any other I've had. There is a good amount of chicken and the sauce is phenomenal. The rice and chow mein have a lot of flavor, are not very greasy (although it's still not healthy food, but that's what you know you're going for here). When it's a miss though, the chicken is not crispy at all and a little soggy, and the plate is half filled with orange peels instead of actual chicken. It still tastes pretty good, but definitely not as advertised. The rice and chow mein are very bland when it's a miss, and sometimes far too greasy. If this place was more consistent, I would have given it 5 stars all around. We still take the gamble though, because when it's good it's sooo worth it!
(3)
Brian P.
There is no better Szechuan style Chinese food in the East Side or greater Seattle area. Mandarin chicken is crispy, saucy, and sweet with an undercover spice to it. They are in little bite sized nuggets that are so amazing. Another favorite is the Szechuan deep fried crab. Yep. Deep fried crab. This with beer is heaven for me. Salt and pepper squid is also amazing. Fish is spicy gravy is another favorite. It can get hot in here and extremely busy so don't expect top of the line service. You go here to EAT amazing food.
(5)
Hurst K.
Very nice, hot and sour soup awesome! Mongolian beef great. Kung pao chicken very good. Will be back.
(5)
Kristin C.
This place gets busy for lunch, and rightfully so. The lunch specials are great. I love the mandarin chicken. It's very Americanized, but not too sweet or greasy. I love their egg flower soup too, and I am not usually a fan of it. Their Dan Dan Noodles are alright, but I've definitely had better. I'd stick to the lunch specials. Soup, Entree and rice for less than $8. The place is super busy, so be prepared to wait for 5-10 minutes for a table, but they are super efficient and get you in and out of there quickly. Avoid the fried rice though, it's just plain gross.
(4)
Nathan N.
Service is terrible, food mediocre/served cold. On top of that they charge you $10 if you leave food on your plate. Never heard of that anywhere else! I would avoid, plenty other places in the area.
(1)
Jim T.
I've eaten many a lunch here over the last several years. Used to be a really good and consistent experience. More recently, it seems to have gone downhill. The service is mediocre. Last time we ate, they got the order wrong. They fixed it, but no real attention to detail, including not bringing a dinner plate. I had prawns with string beans. I've ordered this several times, here. This time, there was some very strange, out of place flavor in the food. I have no idea what it was, but it had a citrus quality like chewing a vitamin C tablet. It was just weird. Wish we'd gone to Kukai Ramen, instead. I don't think I'll be back.
(2)
Mimi S.
Food here is a bit too oily for me compared to other Szechuan restaurants. But other than that it tastes good, spicy dishes are not that much spicy. Food comes in big portion. We visited this place on Saturday noon, many people were dining there. A good thing is that there were plenty of parking space outside. Service is good, although they seems not have enough waiter to take care of everything on time.
(4)
Marika A.
Best authentic Chinese food on Eastside!
(5)
Big T.
Good food here! They've got a broad menu and lots of favorites to try. Dinning in is much preffered, as certain dishes just don't travel well. String Beans Yumm!
(4)
Heather H.
Always great food and great service. Portions are large, family style. Favorite dishes include their whole broiled fish, all their vegetable dishes (but especially eggplant), and anything with their hand shaved noodles. Best Chinese food for 400+ miles. We come from Seattle to eat here.
(5)
Henry P.
I've been here 3 times now. I've had Green Onion Pancake, House Special Pancake, Tofu+Beef Szechuan style, Szechuan style dumplings, and Honey Walnut Chicken. The first four items were great. The last item, not so great. The first four were great because they required a certain measure of cooking skill to make them great. The taste was good and what you'd expect from this place. However, the honey walnut chicken was not breaded via hand. It seemed more like wholesale chicken (frozen s--- as Ramsay would say). Not it didn't taste all that bad, but you the item should be breaded in-house if they're not charging Cafe-like prices. I'm from SoCal, so I'm very aware of what the price-quality ratio should be in an Asian restaurant. Overall, the restaurant is nice. The decor inside is airy and cavernous. The service is great and I like the fact that complimentary tea is served with water. Normally, you'd have to request these items (at least at places I go to). Overall, I give this place four stars across the board (Decor, Service, Food). Aside from the Breaded Chicken, this place actually is good.
(4)
Elizabeth L.
2.8 stars. Not sure if we just ordered the wrong dishes, but was completely underwhelmed here - cheap cooking that skimps on main ingredients. - Salt/pepper squid was a disaster gone wrong - 90% cabbage, jalapeno, scallion with 10% batter, maybe 1% squid. Almost inedible - Mao Po tofu - how can one possibly screw up the most basic homecooking? I make better maopo tofu than what they're trying to pass off as authentic cooking here. TRAGEDY. - Hui Gwo Rou - while the flavor was right and had a bit of ma la (numbing spice) which was excellent, again the dish had too much filler/scallion, which isn't traditional for this dish. - Si Ji Dou (string beans) was decent - Kong Xin Tsai was super fresh and the sole dish worth returning for Nice try, but won't be back.
(2)
Crystal G.
Delicious! Wanted to try a new spot with the kiddos and pulled out yelp. Stopped in here and got a TON of food for $40. There were 5 of us and we took home leftovers for days. Kid friendly, they enjoyed the usual fare. The BBQ pork is made fresh here and while different than what we are used to it was quite delicious. I would be interested in visiting without the kids so we could be a bit more experimental with the menu.
(4)
Arnold P.
I love this place. The menu is very involved, so they are sure to have something to please you. I love the chili wontons. Go see for yourself!
(4)
Gurei C.
Love it! If you are into spicy Szechuan cuisine, this is your place. The Chong Qing hot chicken is excellent. Your lips will burn. This restaurant has an expansive menu so one never needs to worry about not finding something to eat here. Would give this restaurant five stars but seems short on staff on busy weekend evening.
(4)
Mark F.
We stumbled upon Szechuan Chef last year (2013) on Memorial Day. We had just arrived the day before from Colorado, moving to Seattle. We had to head back over to Bellevue to return the UHaul. Given that there are already a lot of reviews of this place on Yelp, I'll keep my comments brief. We had lunch here today and this was our fourth visit. It may be sufficient to simply note that we're willing to drive from Seattle, where we live, to come to Szechaun Chef in Bellevue--we think it's the best Chinese food we've had in King County, although to be fair, we haven't begun exploring the International District yet. In our four visits the food has been of consistently high quality. Good quality and fresh ingredients, spiced and flavored very nicely, and always cooked just right. Today we had, for the first time, the honey and walnut fish and it was simply amazing. The fish was light and moist and the fried coating was ever so light and crisp. The honey sauce, with just the right hint of lemon, was out of this world. We always think their pot stickers are first rate and today was no exception. Finally, we ordered one of today's specials which was a "beef brisket casserole." This brisket would have made any Texas barbecue chef proud in terms of its firm yet tender quality. If I were rating food quality only, I would unhesitatingly give Szechuan Chef 5 stars. I take one star away because the service is always a little lackluster. There's nothing specifically wrong, they just don't demonstrate any eagerness whatsoever to really deliver a first rate and welcoming service experience.
(4)
RJ D.
Every time I'm in Seattle, I'm taken to this Chinese restaurant. The food is good, and the service is great. I just get ordered the same dishes all the time. I like the fried rice. This is good because all Chinese restaurants should have good rice. The fried tofu was good, although it gave me heartburn later that night. The intestine dish is okay, and the fried spicy pork looks like popcorn chicken. I guess I'll keep coming to this restaurant and try something else.
(3)
Diana C.
It's been a long time since I've been here last and I don't know why it's taken so long! The service is decent, considering the authentic Szechuan food. The prices are good considering portion size and location (Bellevue, up and coming plaza). And the food is hot, yummy, and spicy! Can't complain on any front! They have a large menu to choose from so you can bring everyone and they should be sure to find something that pleases their palate. Parking is plentiful but getting busier now that so many businesses have moved in. Overall a great place to come and nosh on some spicy deliciousness!
(4)
Tianming Z.
Good is cheap and good in general. I like their fish and lamp. Not all waiter/waitress are English proficient enough to communicate. Lots of vegetarian options.
(4)
Mimi D.
Everything was pretty good tonight . Had hot pot with the family and it was well more than enough food . Servers checked on us plenty of times to make sure everything was okay . Oh and also the Chong Qing Hot Chicken was pretty good .
(4)
Jule G.
I was just in here over the weekend because Kukai had a seriously long wait. The restaurant was pretty empty, which makes me wonder if the owner has changed, because a couple of years ago this restaurant was always hopping at the mealtimes. I ordered the dan dan noodles, which were ok. Flavor was decent, but I've had better. The twice cooked pork, by contrast, was so ridiculously salty that it tasted like the cook had dumped an entire salt shaker into the dish. After two bites of the pork, I could no longer taste my dan dan noodles...they basically tasted like cardboard because my palate had been killed. Not my idea of good cooking. Definitely not coming back here again. I was never really a fan of the place, anyway.
(2)
Danielle C.
Yum! This restaurant serves very good Szechuan food. I was impressed because usually the Chinese restaurants in the area are not up to par. The dan dan noodles were good. The sauce was great and the lunch portion was huge for under $10. The hand-shaven noodles are really thick, just a forewarning. The sauce is really spicy so if you like spice, this place is good for that. The twice cooked pork was excellent too. The food was also spicy and had a lot of chili oil. The loser for the day was surprisingly the egg drop soup. It was bland and rather gelatinous.
(4)
Joanne D.
Delicious! We ordered the hot and sour soup to start and honey walnut prawns and mandarin chicken. All dishes were very tasty. I loved that they serve both hot tea and water when seated. Will definitely come back!
(5)
Angela L.
I have been here a few times, every time this place made my stomach happy. The price was good for what you get. I have never try their hot pot, will do next time!
(5)
Jon L.
Review number 888. Was saving this for a Chinese restaurant or a place having something to do with luck. Szechuan Chef just happens to be a lucky Chinese find. Although this is the closest Chinese place to my house, I have put off trying this place for a long time. At least partially attributable to the once rundown strip mall it is located. Fast forward to the present and there have been a lot of improvements made. There is a soon to open LA Fitness and a Walmart grocery store opens later this year. Plus the parking has been redone, though it was a bit rough to look at the construction as it happened. The exterior seems unassuming, but it was surprisingly cozy inside and actually a pretty sizable restaurant. I thought it would be a smaller looking place. If you are dining in, wait in front to be seated. Otherwise, head to the counter in back to order takeout. I decided to do takeout. It was quite crowded at lunchtime. And why wouldn't it be? Szechuan Chef has a good lunch menu, sizable portions and great prices. Did not see anything over $7.95 on it. I ordered the diced fish with pickled peppers lunch special ($7.95) and special hand shaved noodle chow mein ($8.25). As this is a Sichuanese restaurant, these can pack some heat. If you want a tamer version, ask for 1 or 2 stars. The diced fish goes all the way up to 5 stars. I decided to go with 2 stars for both. Although the wait was supposed to be 10 minutes, I got my order in around 5 which was really speedy. Both dishes were good, though I prefer the chow mein. I love noodles and the texture of hand shaved noodle makes it one of my favorites. They have several meat choices to choose from, but if you pick the special version, you get chicken, beef and prawn mixed together which I think works perfectly. The diced fish is bit of gloppy, soupy type version that works well with rice. I had enough leftovers that I combined the fish with a block of soft tofu, diced cucumbers, garlic and shallots which made for a good comfort meal and nice repurposing of this dish. I liked the dishes that I had here and the rest of the menu looks promising to try. I don't know really why I waited over 5 years to try this place, but it sure won't be another 5 till I try this place again. Szechuan Chef has turned out to be a fortuitous find.
(4)
Connie L.
I've been here like... 5+ times, and the food never fails me. Most recently I ordered the sweet and sour crispy fish, which had a lot more breading than I last remember... I like breading, so it was delicious to me... but some people may not like it... The sauce was good. Also the fish was loaded with cilantro on top, and I know there are cilantro haters out there. I also ordered mongolian beef (yum) and ong choy for the vegetable (yum!). I've previously ordered handshaven noodles, which I guess are decent (I don't normally super enjoy hand shaven noodles anyway), mushu pork (YUM), mapo tofu (which was spicy spicy spicy... and I'm not normally a fan of this either), green beans (yum), fried rice (yum), kung pao chicken (yummerz), and probably other items. All yums. They speak mandarin and canto there.
(5)
Corliss P.
Got take out from here and decided to order the chong quing hot chicken since it had positive reviews on here and I'm a sucker for fried chicken. It was not good. It was way too salty and all batter and no chicken. Such a rip off for 12 bucks. Next time I get take out I get the hot and sour soup and hand shaven noodles which are both awesome and the mandarin crispy chicken.
(2)
Yuyin V.
My husband loves this place and often eat there with his co-workers but I don't think its that good. The spiciness left my mouth feeling numb. The food is too greasy or too dry. The only thing I like there it's the egg soup.
(3)
Food Lover L.
Hot spicy fish is best from all Si chuan restaurants that I have been to in Seattle area.
(5)
Nathan R.
Nicely decorated inside- which was a nice surprise, considering I wasn't necessarily expecting that judging from the outside. The staff was courteous too. The food was A-OK, nothing to write home about- but filled the sustenance needs. The best dish was the chicken and hand shaven chowmein noodles (I'm still not comfortable with the word "shave" and food, but yeah...) - nice lighter sauce. The sesame chicken was overpowering with sticky, gooey, sweet sauce and the garlic string beans were a-ok too. I ordered for takeout, and the turnaround was very quick, so that was really nice. If you're in the area, have just moved some friends and are starving- you could do worse.
(3)
Harsh B.
Two words - Oliy greasy. Service was decent but mostly all tables were not cleaned up.
(1)
Jay K.
This place was horrible. We should never have sat down when we saw the restaurant was nearly empty at noon and the host/waiter/bus boy pointed at a table and tossed the menus on it. Fortunately, we wised up enough to order only one lunch special - Spicy Garlic Beef. Their web site quoted $6.95 but in reality the menu was $7.45. The food arrived and looked like 1960's American chop suey. I'm betting this place is gone by next summer.
(1)
Georgie M.
One of the best Szechuan restaurants on the East side (or, West)! We've come here for lunch and dinner and have never had a bad meal. Yes, it can get crowded, but it's worth the wait. Cold noodles, Szechuan dumplings(Won-Ton), Pot Stickers, Hot & Sour soup, Kung Pao, Sweet & Sour, Hot Garlic Sauce Prawns, I could go on, but they're all wonderful and delicious! Most of the entrees are in the $12 to $13 range. I use to come here for lunch just for the soup! I know a lot of good places in the International District, but this is one the best. Check out the menu: szechuanchefbellevue.com Enjoy!
(4)
Steve F.
Tried the Dan Dan noodles based on the good reviews. Really didn't do it for me. Pretty much just noodles and peanut sauce with a smattering of lettuce and green onion garnish. I guess I was looking for something with more vegetable substance. Mu Shu chicken was good but only after we had to send back the Mu Shu pork cause it tasted off. The place is popular so we will try it again.
(3)
Orlene C.
i love hand-shaven noodles, and it is hard to find, so I was excited to try the chow mein with hand-shaven noodles after reading the reviews and the mandarin chicken. The mandarin chicken was good. I was disappointed with the noodles. To be fair it has been awhile since I had chow mein,so not sure what this dish traditionally taste like. I ordered 1 star and the spice was bearable but it was the main flavor. Also, I was hoping for much more veggies and found only a couple small pieces of cabbage. The beef was nice and tender but wished there were more pieces of meat to enjoy. The noodles texture themselves were pretty good.
(3)
Daniel T.
Honey Walnut shrimp was an A and was a large portion. Mongolian beef, B moderate portion. Chong Qing hot chicken 5 star was good but not great (B) but we all really did like the Mandarin Crispy Chicken (A). Egg rolls were large and tasty as well.
(4)
Rodion K.
I have eaten here a good handful of times. The food is tasty but the service is usually sub-par. Despite this, I kept eating here (again, for the food)...but after my last experience I am not likely to return. I entered the restaurant with my girlfriend - immediately we noticed that each and every table was covered in dirty dishes and food (except for the few tables that had some customers). We have never seen something like that before. After waiting (too long) at the entrance, an employee finally came to seat us. We began to follow him, when he realized that all of the tables were filthy and covered in dishes. He very rudely put out his hand multiple times as if to shove us back and told us to wait. We were already a little upset, but once we saw how slowly he began clearing a table (we were waiting several minutes), we lost all patience and left to eat elsewhere. tl;dr - restaurant has some good food, but the service seems to be getting worse and worse. And some potential cleanliness issues as well.
(2)
Luther H.
Have literally eaten here or taken out 50 + times having said that, the following is the least i can say: Dan Dan Best ever Noms now
(5)
Andrew A.
Two of my friends and I decided to try this place out since our church was close. Over all the food was good we had to stop eating halfway through because we found 2 hairs in the food. They did comp her meal so that was nice but left a bad taste in her mouth.
(2)
Jess L.
Found a dead (but cooked) larvae-like insect in my food. At first I thought it was a piece of garlic or something, but upon closer inspection, the foreign source of protein had tiny little legs. Manager and staff were apologetic, but that doesn't excuse them for their dirty kitchen. I used to come here quite a bit, but I'm never coming back after that terrible experience.
(1)
William l.
To call what it serves Szechuan cuisine is either an outright lie, or if you are super generous, consider its dishes as "highly interpreted". E.g. The Dan Dan noodle is watery and lack any sort of spices. (maybe sugary because they threw a bunch of napas in there. lol) Add to it their surly service, I recommend you avoid it. The staff are all Cantonese if you need more proof. There are are so many good options around these days, why bother with this?
(1)
Tina C.
been here at least three times. my favorite Chinese restaurant in all of Seattle. every time i order, i am never disappointed. they also have handmade noodles and prices are very reasonable. favorites include ma po tofu and their broccoli beef. also if you ask the waiters what they recommend, they usually do a great job. the environment is nice and the customer service was great (waters were always filled and dishes were taken away in a timely manner). i take all of my out of towners here (i think i will start contributing to their photos on yelp because i wish they had more photos!!) they also have hot pot all you can eat (Def. returning in the winter)!! they are also next to walmart so you can get your groceries!
(5)
R. Lewis B.
A little wait at the door, but it's Christmas! Great food, good service! Tsing Tao beer!
(4)
Food L.
We came here for dinner on Sunday a week ago. We arrived around 5:30 and so there was no wait. We ordered Szechuan Wonton Dry Style, Beef Tendon with Peanuts, Toss-Fried Lamb, Sliced Fish in Hot & Spicy Gravy, Crispy Tofu with Salt and Pepper and Garlic String Beans. The wonton wasn't tasty as we had at others. Beef tendon was really good as it was cooked just right, not tough but still had a bite to it. The lamb was very tasty and it wasn't over spiced, so you can taste the lamb. The fish was great. It was tender in that delicious hot and spicy gravy with bamboo shoots and lettuce. Crispy tofu was not good. The tofu wasn't soft kind compared to the same dish in other Chinese restaurants. Not enough salt and pepper flavor - don't order! Garlic string beans were OK. Overall it was good for the Szechuan spicy dishes except a few of the non-Szechuan dishes that we won't order again. We had to order some non-spicy food for in-laws. But ordering non Spicy Szechuan dishes in a Szechuan restaurant is expected to be so so. We will definitely come again.
(4)
Wendy S.
Went here for a friends birthday dinner. We orders about 8 dishes for 8 of us and the bill came out to about $160. When we got there early and there was plenty of space. I was a little worried that it was going to be a hole in the wall restaurant...but I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived I found that it was in a nice area and looked nice on the inside and outside. The food came out quickly and promptly. We started out with the Gai Choy tofu soup. It was like an egg flower soup with tofu and a collard type green which was tasty! We also ordered the baby bamboo shoots with tofu and pork tripe with hot sauce for appetizers. We ordered the garlic green beans which were delicious! We also ordered the braised whole fish with supreme sauce which was just OK. I felt like it was a little on the bland side. We ordered the Chong Qing chicken which was very tasty, but I definitely agree with other reviewers that it is a lot of fried pieces and not a ton of chicken pieces. We ordered the cumin lamb which was VERY cuminy :) we also ordered the dry smoked pork hot pot. It was like smoked cha sui and it was very flavorful. Lastly we ordered house special chow mein with the hand shaved noodles (the whole reason I chose to go to this place) we received all of out food minus the noodles, when we asked where it was the waiter said that we didn't order it and we advised him we did. After that it was promptly brought out and it was delicious! It was good, but I wouldn't make the trip over there on a normal basis.
(3)
Quincy S.
So, I Had The Kung Pao Chicken With Fried Rice & Egg Flower Soup. I'll Start With The Soup. It Was Not Good At All. Did Not Even Eat It All. The Kung Pao Chicken Was Just Ok Nothing Great. Now What Made This Place Horrible Was The Service. I Will Never Go Back To This Place. First Off They Took Forever To Come Take My Order The Never Took My Drink Order. I Asked For No Veggies Instead Of Saying "OK" She Says "There's Not A Lot In It" I Still Say No Veggies Please. My Meal Come And Guess What There's Veggies In It. They Don't Even Put The Food In Front Of You They Put It On The Other Side Of The Table Not Even Close To Me Were I Had To Lean Over To Grab It. Did The Same When They Brought The Soup. I Was Done With The Food For 5 Mins Trash On The Place Before They Bought My Check. Never Asked Me Once If I Was Ok Or If I Needed Anything Else. Very Sad First And Last Time I'll Go There.
(1)
Shelby J.
Chong Qing Chicken. Ants on a Tree. Hand Shaven Dan Dan noodles. ALL of them a total win! I used to eat here about once a month, at my job we would order take out for the whole location/store from Szechuan Chef. It was usually one where you would high-tail it to the lunch room, because it wasn't going to last long despite everyone's good intentions of sharing. At any rate, I have never dined at the restaurant... it's always been take-out. And I'm okay with that. That way I can go get my gluttony on in private in front of some select individuals. Don't judge. :) So good!
(4)
Robert B.
The circumstances of our bad experience: I guess those who order to go will be given the crap treatment (the place was busy and lots of customers actually seemed to be enjoying their meals when we were there). The order was wrong (asked for no onions, but they were in there), the beef and broccoli was absent of that thing called taste (completely bland, and the juice it was in was like bath water), and the meat in the fried rice was frequently fatty and had cartilage. Ultimately we had to toss the meal.
(1)
DW K.
One of my regular spots for Chinese on the East side. I usually get the mapo tofu because they use Szechuan peppers which differentiates the taste relative to other authentic Chinese restaurants. Their lunch combos are huge and very affordable. Fried rice is pretty average. Overall a very convenient place to have decent Chinese outside of Seattle.
(4)
Maddy C.
I go here for the spicy fish curry...its fieriness lives up to its name! Also like some of the hoptpot dishes. Quite efficient and fast service.
(4)
Kozby E.
Food was great, service was slow but they were attentive. I suggest anyone to go this place in non-peak hours. I also noticed that you can simply stop by, order and have your food to go. It seems like a family business and employees are willing to help always. Also as far as cleanness I can say overall it was clean store. I am coming back during non-peak hours.
(4)
Rachel F.
Absolutely amazing!!! We were in WA on a business trip and saw some reviews for this place. I highly recommend it!
(5)
Paul L.
Keeps on ticking Ambience: 4 Food: 4 Value: 4 Amidst an insurgency of Chinese eateries in Bellevue, a solid choice for spicy Chinese cuisine remains Szechuan Chef. The same well-executed Szechuanese food awaits customers inside a remodeled interior (they are next to the newly opened LA Fitness and Walmart Superstore). Chong King Chunk Chicken, Spicy String Beans, Stir Fried Lamb, Spicy Fish, etc., reliably delivers a spicy yet indigestion free meal. The portions are generous and the prices are decent. A reliable choice for me.
(4)
Blake M.
Best. Chinese restaurant in all of the Seattle area. I eat Chinese food once about once a week and I've lived here for 2 years and I still have not been able to find a place that makes anything better than Szechuan Chef. I've tried about 1/3rd of the menu and everything is amazing that i have had. And they are very consistent with their food . It always will taste the same. 10/10 would eat again. and again. and again.
(5)
Allison M.
I have been coming to this restaurant for several years. The food has always been great. My boyfriend and I are vegetarian, so we come here quite often as they have great veggie dishes. The only issue I have is sometimes the service isn't very good. they've all grown to know us, but sometimes they simply do not have enough people on staff. If you like good food, it's worth waiting. Some thoughts on dishes: 1. Mandarin crispy tofu: I order this dish every time I go there. 5 - Excellent. The flavor is great, and the tofu is almost always perfectly crispy. Occasionally, they rush it and it doesn't get cooked as much as it should, and the tofu tastes almost soggy. 2. Dry cooked string beans: I order this dish every time I go there. 5 - Excellent. This dish always comes out so fast, within a couple minutes of ordering. The flavor is great, and the green beans are always fresh. Sometimes it will have a little less flavor than I like, but sometimes it has more flavor than necessary making the green beans a little soft. 3. Hot and Sour soup: I order this dish every time I go there. 4 - Great. I have yet to get a hot and sour soup that I like more at other restaurants. Sometimes it comes out scalding hot though, so be careful. 4. Tea: 4 - Great. This tea is served to everyone. I recommend letting it seep for a couple minutes though. They pretty much make it to order, so you need to let the water retain flavor from the herbs if you like a flavorful tea. Most of the food ranges between a 4-5/5 here. Between the dishes that I mentioned above, my boyfriend and I get 2 whole meals (4 meals for 1 person) and it usually comes out to be around $26. In my opinion, this is a great deal for prepared food, given the excellent quality. We eat here around once a week.
(5)
Jacob D.
I really like a simple dish here, which is the fish with pickled peppers. I asked for it a little bit mild because it is one of there spiciest dishes. I asked for 2/5 (many other dishes are on a 3 scale). It came out spicy but not too spicy and it was perfect. The sauce for the steamed pot stickers is excellent and I poured some of that onto my fish!
(4)
Robert B.
Always the family's go to place. Love everything here.
(5)
Rachel S.
Could give this place 4 stars for food but 1 star for service. We dined on a Friday night and were seated quickly but it went downhill from there. It took a good 15 minutes to take our order and then we waited a further 45 minutes to receive any food. Our tofu hot pot could have been great except it was a cold pot. Somehow it got out of the wok and into a pot with no lighter and must have sat for a while. The other stir fry was hot and quite delicious, however the 2 other things we ordered never came. We waited about another 20 minutes before requesting our bill and had to leave. So annoying! I was hungry! lol Many people arrived and left without being seated. Other diners were left waiting for a good 45 minutes. Irritating some people who arrived after us were served faster and they seemed to be pumping out the take out orders but no food was coming out the kitchen on plates. Will try again oneday as good chinese is hard to come by.
(3)
johnny n.
This place is gross. Go to Bamboo Garden instead. They couldn't even make a good string bean and chicken. The string beans were not crispy enough and the chicken lacked flavor. The eggplant was not salty enough. I don't even want to start on the beef and tofu spicy dish. Yuck! We ended up throwing the leftovers in the garbage because it was stinking up the car. Save your money, appetite, and time for Bamboo Garden in Bellevue. Bamboo Garden was closed for two hours between lunch and dinner, but I guess if you are really good, you can do whatever you want!
(1)
Olivia L.
The food was AWESOME! We had hand-shaved noodles (wider noodle but not chow fun), steamed fish and spinach with watercress. The only reason why I do not give it a 5 star is because they are EXTREMELY short handed. We waited a ridiculously long time and our dishes came out at different times. Super frustrating especially when ur eating with small children. Overall delicious but aggravating experience. btw: I saw other diners complaining about the same things. Too bad because this restaurant has outstanding potential!! Love the hand-shaved noodles!
(4)
Cherene R.
When I eat here, it's like I'm cheating on Yea's Wok, which is my all-time favorite Chinese restaurant in Bellevue (well...Factoria, but close enough). Szechuan Chef is actually a 10-15 minute drive away from it's Chinese-food-love-rival and conveniently nestled in a plaza close to an LA Fitness for those who want to reward themselves with a gluttonous meal after a super sexy sweaty workout. I've only eaten here a couple of times, but every time I've gone, I've always enjoyed their food! The last time I was here, we had the Mandarin crispy chicken, the sesame tofu, and the fried fish with black bean sauce. It was an enormous amount of food. I would recommend eating all the dishes we ordered again, especially the chicken! But even if any of these do not suit your tastes, the menu is vast! They have a wide selection of dishes for you to choose from. They even have hot pot! But please...if you're coming here to "eat healthy", why are you looking for Chinese food!? The service was great. Even when we needed more time, the server did not mind coming back in a couple of minutes because we either just read very very slowly or just couldn't decide. He even answered our questions when we peeked over the table across from us because we were wondering (and drooling over) what they were eating. When we finally made our order, the food came out fast! And it was hot! And fresh! One last thing - the portions are very generous! I would recommend that when you choose your entrees, you order as many entrees as you have people in your group...and no more than that! Unless you plan on bringing a leftovers feast home, which is not bad either!
(4)
Elle D.
It was okay.... I didn't think there was anything extravagant worth raving about. After I ate the hand shaved noodles, I couldn't move at all. It was way too filling. The noodles expanded in my stomach. Went home and threw it back up. Then again. Twice. It tasted really good at least.
(2)
Peter S.
This was my first visit. I was looking forward to it based on a coworker's comments, reviews on Yelp, and a busy lunch crowd. I was underwhelmed. The service was good, but... I ordered the lunch-menu item of Mongolian Beef with steamed rice and hot-and-sour soup. The soup was a good starter dish. I didn't enjoy the Mongolian Beef - it tasted "flat", the meat was very chewy, and a couple of times I had to politely cover my mouth and put my food into a napkin.
(2)
Sireesha S.
There is good food and there is bad food. And then there is food which has ants in it. Not that I have a problem eating ants, but eeeeek! Seriously?! The dish we ordered was some kind of sweet fish - looked pathetic, tasted horrible and was garnished with black ants. Their only saving grace is their quick service - even during peak lunch hours. And that may deserve the one star.
(1)
Ellen B.
My husband and I decided to stop in on Christmas Day, as we have no family in the area and were looking for some affordable and tasty Chinese cuisine! The atmosphere was pretty nice for a strip-mall kinda Chinese outfit. The lighting was nice, and while I am sure they do a good take-out business, I didn't feel as though I was in a take-out type place. My husband and I ordered the green onion pancakes (amazing), orange chicken (very tasty) and broccoli in spicy garlic sauce (/hot/perfect/my fav). While the food was amazing, the service was horrible and terribly slow. The place wasn't that crowded, but we ended up sitting there for over two hours, 45 minutes we were waiting for our check. Though, if you have a ton of time and want some tasty, good-quality, fair priced Chinese food, definitely give this place a try!
(4)
Nina S.
I haven't found a good Chinese restaurant here in WA since we moved here from CA almost 10 years ago, but this place is as good as it gets around here. The shaved noodles are good. Other dishes are good too but nothing to rave about. A decent place to go if you're craving Chinese food.
(3)
Steven L.
Above average Chinese resturant. Place is real clean and decorated real well. Here is what we got: -Mandrian Chicken: Get this! Ours tasted like chicken wrapped in a donut. Probably not the healthiest but it's a perfect dish for your cheat day meal. -Fried and Steamed dumplings: I preferred the fried but both are good. -Lunch special string beans: Decent -Mapa Tofu: This is well above average from other Chinese restaurants. -Mongolian Beef: Pretty good -Hot and Sour Soup We got 6 lunch special for 4 people (the guys and 1 girl). It was a good amount of food, probably could have ordered 5 and been content.
(4)
Donna C.
Came here for the lunch special. I had the Wild Chili Chicken with fried rice and hot and sour soup. $6.95 + tax and tip. This place is huge and the wait staff are working like crazy to accommodate the lunch crowd. Props for decent service. Food was cheap and for the price, I might come again. However, the food itself deserves 2.5 stars. The chicken was ok... really average stuff. Fried rice was terrible. It was brown and had absolutely no flavor. Hot and sour soup is spicier than your run-of-the-mill Chinese place but I didn't really like it. Portions are good if you like your dish. This place cannot possibly be one of the best Szechuan restaurants on the Eastside... the search continues.
(3)
Sarah D.
I am not normally a huge Chinese food fan. I am one to go for Thai if we are going Asian food. This however, was really, really good. I had the Honey Walnut Tofu. I always look longingly at the sauce on Honey Walnut Prawns, but just never thought of it as a possibility on tofu. Duh! It's delicious. I can't remember what else we got, but everything was really good. I am also looking forward to trying the cold bamboo shoots heather j. mentioned next time I order.
(5)
Allie S.
Pork in hot hoisin sauce -- it's converted everyone I've ever taken with me to dinner at Szechuan Chef into a fan. Then again, I've yet to have a dish that wasn't delicious... but that doesn't keep me from sticking with my favorite. Served with a stack of pancakes, it's like mu shu pork, but with hoisin. So freakin' good. It comes served on a small boat, for your family style dining enjoyment. If you come in for lunch, for around ~$7 you end up with a platter of rice, entree, and a cup of soup -- if you've got a normal appetite, it will probably suffice to feed you for at least two meals... but if you're like me, you'll binge and be blissed out on delicious food for hours to come. On that note, if you're dining with a short time schedule you may run into some problems -- these guys get busy, and the customer to employee ratio gets a little messed up -- so only come if you're prepared to be patient... or be late getting back to the office. One last aside: The tea here gets me drunk. Like, if I drink too much of their [delicious] tea I have to walk around the complex before I drive home. I think I'm allergic, but I hate myself or something, because it never stops me from finishing a pot.
(5)
Heather H.
My first time trying a traditional Chinese hot pot, and damn straight, yes it is hot! You've got two options: spicy and the non. Being a girl with adventurous taste buds I went with spicy and nearly burned my tongue off with each bite. I'm positive they load it with red pepper flakes. As a vegetarian, this is place does offer a pretty large offering of vegetable+tofu options, which is awesome, but likely come in a heavy sauce. Don't expect to come here and eat a salad with steamed tofu. My boyfriend and I split a pot which is a decent size for two, and the amount of food is overwhelming. I ordered up a plate of seafood which included somehow intestine? but also had some great fish cutlets. The plate of meat looked tasty and good quality, sliced extremely thin to allow a fast cook. We managed to put a good dent in our food but still not able to finish the whole feast. For two people and one hot pot it came out to about $30+ total. Not too bad for a hearty feast.
(4)
Krista N.
Why have I never been here before? Hot prawns & green beans was delicious and enough food for at least 2 meals. YUM YUM in the tum tum...my only complaint is it is a little too oily. They were pretty hot, but still I added more chili sauce because I like really hot food. I'll try more items here... it is slightly more expensive than other chinese places for lunch but way worth it.
(4)
Gorman E.
We came here for lunch after a family photoshoot at Yuen Lui Studios. This place has been going downhill, we use to come here a lot but with so many szechuan places in Seattle or other better choices on the Eastside...makes it hard to come here often. The food usually comes out fast and furious but this time service was slow the flavors lack the spicy that makes szechuan so special. Ordered: DEEP FRIED CHICKEN SZECHUAN SPICY STYLE: Spicy but the chicken was lacking and not much of it...more battered than meat ratio which sucks. The flavors was good, good amount of heat and the string beans was cook just right. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… GARLIC GREEN BEANS: Very flavorful, cook perfectly and it went well with rice but my gripe is that it was way to salty for my taste. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… ANTS ON THE TREE: Strange name but very delicious. It is vermicelli noodles with green onions and egg. Third best dish of what we ordered. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… SEAFOOD HAND SHAVEN NOODLES SOUP: The broth taste like won ton broth. The shaven noodles was done right and I really enjoyed the fish balls. 2nd best dish of lunch. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… SPICY HAND SHAVE NOODLES WITH CHICKEN: This was my favorite. The noodles was cook perfectly! The lettuce wasn't over cook so it gave great texture to the noodles. So much flavor to the noodles. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… Overall, this place is known for more their spicy hotpot than the szechuan dishes. I will be back but this place is not on top of my list. I paid about $70, so little on the pricey side for lunch but it is expected if you are on the Eastside.
(3)
Russell N.
Haven't been back for a while. Despite the food being quite good, I just can't digest the service. Check out all the reviews. They largely excuse the rudeness of the staff by saying the service was OK "despite the hectic pace of business", service was "OK, 'considering' ", "had to flag down for more tea", etc...... Please, just say it, the service sucks. If it were not for the quality of food, I'd give this a one or two star rating. I feel I'm being generous with three stars, considering I'll not be back for the privilege of being nearly abused by the staff.
(3)
C M.
I have tried a lot of Chinese restaurants in the area and I am very excited I found this place. The place is in a strip mall area with a large parking lot. From the outside it doesn't look like much but the inside is nice. The service is nice although sometimes it is a bit difficult to catch someones eye to get service. The food is great! I've been there 3 times now and never had something I didn't like. I will say a lot of the menu can be a bit spicy but you can ask to have the spiciness reduced if needed. For the price (which is reasonable) you get large portions which translate into a lot of leftovers. I recommend this place for anyone looking for good Chinese food.
(4)
Sharon F.
Of all the selection in this part of Bellevue, we ended up here because it's a definitive bang for your buck! Lunch is great. Each entree comes with hot and sour soup to start and served in incredibly large portions. The hot and sour soup is spicy, without a lot of meat, but still tasty. The dan dan noodles are served in a MASSIVE bowl, enough to feed 4 people. Again, not as much minced meat as I'm used to at other Szechuan joints, but the sauce is spot on. Everything else off the lunch menu was solid. For such a large restaurant, with two sides - a banquet round table sides, and a smaller area - the service can be slow, especially for lunch as we saw queues forming for quite some time. Come early and the food will arrived timely.
(3)
Seann S.
It's no secret, Seattleites are absolutely spoiled with Chinese food and the plethora of options before us. Sometimes, with so many choices, we end up wasting our time with the sub-par and downright awful Chinese cuisine. Well look no more. This is the place you want to be. From the ambiance, to the customer service, and to your dish, this place hits on all cylinders. I highly recommend everyone try the Mandarin Chicken. The sauce is so delicious, that you'll be lapping up every last bit from your plate. The shaved Chow Mien noodles are also a must. They are flawlessly cooked, and almost melt in your mouth as you eat them. Look no further, this is Chinese food you've been searching for.
(5)
Jeff B.
Had dinner for two. OK Service. OK Food. Had the smoked pork + string bean special, and shaved noodles. Perfect amount fo two. Interior is a bit cafeteria-like.
(3)
Kahlil B.
You know that great little Chinese restaurant that you wish was around the corner so you could go any time you like? This is that place. I have never been disappointed in the food here and the staff, while not always flowery, is polite and fast. This place is literally around the corner from me, so I find myself here often and suggest it liberally.
(4)
Weifei Z.
This review is for the hot pot only. I was excited to try the hot pot at this place after reading all the great reviews, but it was extremely disappointing. We had the half spicy half not spicy soup base and both were flavorless. The spicy soup base was not "ma la" at all, but more like a pot of watered down pepper. "Ma la" is supposed to be spicy and numbing, this had no numbing effect whatsoever. It may sound like self-torture to ask for your tongue to be numbed and for your mouth to be burning, but if they're claiming that the soup is mala, then give it to me!! While they do give you large quantities of meat, the other sides are lacking. I wish they had taro, quail eggs, and other veggies besides Chinese bokchoy. The fish balls, by the way, were abysmal. Overall, very disappointing. Do not come here for hot pot.
(2)
Jon X.
From what I hear, the former owner of Seven Star Pepper Cheng Biao Yang finally decided to seize the Chinese food market opportunity on the East Side of Seattle by opening a decently authentic Szechuan restaurant in Bellevue. The food is very spicy but flavorful and authentic enough to satisfy the Microsoft Chinese crowd that frequent the restaurant. One of the marks of a good Szechuan restaurant is their use of the 'ma' pepper to construct the spicy flavor. Szechuan Chef is one of the few restaurants in Seattle that seems to do this pretty well. The decor is a tad overboard with an outdoor Chinese village courtyard feel but it's clean and comfortable which is already a leg up on many other Chinese restaurants in the area. My personal must-try's include Mixed beef cold appetizer (Fu(1) Qi(1) Fei(4) Pian(4)) and personal favorite Fish in Spicy Gravy (Shui(3) Zhu(3) Yu(2)). Also try the cumin lamb and stirfry kidney (Huo(3) Bao(4) Yao(1) Hua(1)). The hotpot here is a good way to go for those cold and rainy Seattle winters but go with the half-spicy-half-regular soup. Your stomach will thank you in the morning.
(4)
Clif G.
You could pass by this place every day of the week and never even think about going in. It doesn't look like much on the outside, and once you're in the door it's only marginally better. However, the food is great and cheap! The lunch specials are great and easy if everyone wants their own thing, but I like going with friends and/or co-workers and going family style (easiest if you have some native speakers with you to order). They can accomodate groups of 8-12 people pretty easily, so this is a great place for a team lunch. I've had about 5 team lunches here and each time we had a ton of food ranging from pretty good to excellent, and it always comes out to $10/person or less. If only this place weren't in such a crappy location, it'd be an easy 5 stars.
(4)
Brian W.
Szechuan Chef has a wide selection of typical dishes at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, they missed the mark on flavor/spicing as all the dishes I had were over salted and did not have enough garlic. Considering there are not many Szechuan restaurants in the area, this may be a quick fix, but overall I've had much better Szechuan food. (would rate 2.5 stars)
(3)
Letha F.
Splendid hand-shaved noodles were the highlight of our delicious dinner, tossed in a perfect veggie chow mein. This is real deal Szechuan food served in a no-nonsense atmosphere. The menu strays from the American-Chinese standards and ventures into tripe and similar specialties. The spicy side of Chinese cuisine is well represented! Everything we ordered was darned good. The ingredients are fresh and good quality and the preparation is right-on. Seriously, this place beats most Szechuan joints in the International District. I'm delighted to find another wonderful restaurant on the east side!
(4)
Mary K.
Having been jaded by cheap Chinese take out for some time, I've been on a search for some good Chinese food for a while and I think I have finally found a place to become a regular at after trying out several Chinese restaurants in the Bellevue/Redmond area. The lunch combo specials are cheap and satisfying with a very wide variety of selections to choose from, from the Kung Pao chicken to Twice Cooked pork. I tried the Twice Cooked pork, Mapo Dofu, and Garlic chicken as well as the Black Bean fish and Tea Smoked duck. Everything except the duck was great..perhaps b/c we took it to go and the skin got kind of soggy after 3 hours of being in the styrofoam box. Plus, there seemed to be too many bony parts than meaty ones to justify the price for this dish. I've been here 3 times already and each trip has been good in terms of food. Service also has always been quick (during lunch time on the weekends). I didn't really notice that the decor was that bad like some reviews said. As long as it's clean, I'm pretty phased out about loud decor. So my search stops here for Chinese food and I'll be there as a regular. Overall, this place serves up authentic Chinese cuisine at a reasonable price AND clean atmosphere. That's a big plus in my foodie book.
(4)
Kelly M.
Szechuan Chef is definitely one of the most outstanding Chinese restaurants I've ever been to. It's equally surprising to find this place hiding in a strip mall in one of the lesser traveled corners of Bellevue. Just a bit far outside of the Microsoft lunch rush area to garner much notice. When we went to Szechuan Chef, we went for dinner. All of the food was great, and it seems very authentic. At the very least, they didn't have much in the line of westernized Chinese food. The menu was also very lengthy. One of my favorite dishes was the spicy pork tripe. It's served cold, but it's heavily spiced. The interesting thing about the spices used is that aside from a hot flavor, there is another flavor to it that's a bit hard to describe. To me it almost tastes cool and minty, but not quite. Another nice thing is that they have a few lamb dishes, which is always a bonus in my book.
(5)
Morgan W.
We first tried Szechuan Chef based on yelp reviews, I made sure to order the hand shaven noodles... I'm soo glad I did because they are by far my favorite!! We usually get take out and have only dinned in the restaurant twice. Both times the service wasn't always very attentive (like for refills or bringing your check) but that hasn't stopped us from returning! My favorites are vegetable or tofu hand shaven noodle chow mien, sesame or honey crispy chicken, mongolian beef and their fried rice is also really good!
(4)
Max D.
We had Twice cooked pork and I thought it was excellent. The flavor and leeks were perfect. The dry duck pot was flavorful and generous in portion but the duck itself wasn't braised long enough in the sauces. Had the bamboo shoot appetizer and it's way better than Shanghai Garden. Nice kitschy decor w/ orange walls. Clean and friendly. Didn't like that we paid $2.50 for rice that we ended up not eating. The portions were BIG. Whoever said they skimped on portions, WTF? Each dish could literally feed 3-4 generously. On my way out, I saw a crab dish being served to a table and I wish I had the stomach to turn around, sit down, and order more food. I'll be back!
(4)
Jason A.
Five stars are reserved for world class cuisine in my book. I'm occidental. Have a pretty experienced palate. Never been to China however. 90% Asian patrons in this establishment; good sign. We had the house special pancake, cucumbers in spicy sauce, szechuan crab, smoked pork belly with turnip (on the specials board), wild pepper octopus, and preserved cabbage with bean sprouts. Yes, that was way too much food for two people! The house special pancake was a plain pancake that was very flakey yet chewey at the same time. It was served with a fermented black bean and chili paste sauce for dipping. Very good, but could not figure out how this pancake was "special" compared to the green onion pancake, also on the menu. Bottom line, the pancake was house made, offered excellent textures. The cucumbers in spicy sauce is misleading. I detected nothing spicy. Rather, the cukes were cubed (skin on), and tossed with a sesame oil and vinegar and scallion dressing. Very simple, very refreshing. Would definately get again. The Szechuan crab was absolutely wonderful. It was the best thing I've eaten in a long time. Cost was $29.99, I believe market cost was $10.99/lb so we got a nice crab. It comes mostly pre-cracked and pan fried with scallions, wonderful peanuts, hot peppers, salt and pepper. The chef takes care to get all the meat out of the body so you do not have to. What one does is eats the legs with ones hands, cracking the legs in spots not pre cracked. Then one digs into the stir fried veggies, peanuts, and body meat. The crab was very fresh, and sweet, with wonderful flavor. It was really wonderful. The smoked pork belly with dried/preserved turnip was excellent as well. Smokey, fatty, chewy (not from the pork but from the dried turnip). There were also leek leaves in there. The wild pepper octopus was fine, nothing extraordinary. I will say the octopus was well cleaned and very tender, sliced thin. The flavor of szechuan peppercorn was most prominent in this dish, but not prominent enough in my opinion. The preserved cabbage with bean sprouts was an excellent vegetable for our meal; it was crunchy, slightly sour, a little sweet, a little salty. It balanced the flavors of the other dishes well. Service was so-so. Our waitress took our orders and never saw us again for drink refills. The busboy was rather helpful when we waived him down, however, to get us plates, drinks, desert. I would not say the waitresses were militant as implied elsewhere on the internet but they are certainly not very attentive and need some work. Decor is well described. Hey, at least it is clean! I can not recommend the Szechuan crab highly enough; it was just wonderful and I'd get it again in a heartbeat.
(4)
Bob R.
I find that they have consistently the best Chinese food on the East Side. The service is fast , making it good for lunch. It can be a bit noisy as it is a rather large room. As the server what to order based on your likes and dislikes. It is fun and makes it adventurous.
(4)
Saffiyya R.
Is there a 0 star option? Went there last night for dinner with the family (7 of us). We were seated right away, and the older lady serving us was MISERABLE! She seated us on one side of the restaurant where there was no one else, meanwhile, 2/3 of the tables on the other side of the restaurant were full. There would have been room for us to be seated there. Anyhow, after 15 minutes we needed to flag her down for service. People walked in after us, and she was serving them!! She puts our water glasses on the table rather roughly, and hurries through our order. When the food comes, one of the chicken dishes is TERRIBLE, and under cooked. No one ever came back to check on us. We waited after eating for about 20-25 minutes, before my brother in law stood up, grabbed the chicken dish walked into the kitchen and asked for our bill and them to remove that dish from it. Another lady came to the table to say, no they would not remove it but we could order something else. We explained that we were done eating, and that we had been served our food 45 mins ago without anyone coming over to check to see if everything was ok!! Besides, Like I wanted another dish from them, when their food tastes like @$$ ! we left a $0 tip, and vowed to NEVER go back. The food is subpar, and the service is horrible. never again. Save your money!!
(1)
Food E.
i haven't been here for the longest time ever..i came here with my friend today and we were kinda disappointed because the things that we want to order were mostly out of stock which is kinda weird too because when we came in at dinner time at 7pm there weren't many people there, i should say they weren't as crowded as they used to be...i rate them an ok...
(3)
David P.
This place is a hidden gem. It sits right in the middle of the most depressing strip mall you will ever see. Really dig deep and ignore the fact that there's an enormous creepy abandoned Kmart sitting next to it. You'll be rewarded with very tasty and reasonably priced chinese food. They have a pretty extensive menu of lunch specials. The menu includes all the dishes you would expect and a few that aren't very common for chinese restaurants. I'd recommend trying out the cumin lamb. I can't even fully describe why its good but I can't get enough. I'd give the restaurant 5 stars if they paid a bit more attention to service and decor. Sometimes it takes a while just to flag down a waiter just to get your drink refilled. Fortunately, they serve iced water in comically oversized cups. Good times.
(4)
Josh B.
I work with a lot of people from China (including many who live in Shanghai but regularly visit this area), and when they go out to lunch, they always go to the Szechuan Chef. So it was no surpise to me that that first time I went with them I found the food to be really excellent. Szechuan chef seems fairly authentic, but is not SO authentic that us Westerners cannot enjoy it. It's definitely my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Seattle area.
(4)
Ryan s.
Factor in price this place is a 4. I go here and order 5 entrees for just 2 people. We eat it all. The food is priced well and the portions are huge. Just over all good Chinese food. The noodle dishes are delicious, fried rice was light and not greasy.
(4)
Ray Z.
The single most popular dish at Szechuan Chef is, without a doubt, the hot pot, a fondue-like dish in which you cook your food in a clear or spicy broth. On any given evening, you'll find 40 to 60% of the patrons partaking of this popular dish. But to go to Szechuan Chef merely for the hot pot would be a waste. For some of the best Szechuanese cuisine in the area is to be found here. Particularly good are the chilled spicy beef appetizer, spicy beef stew, dry fried green beans and Ants Climbing a Tree (a savory noodle dish). Overall, the food is fresh and freshly-prepared. It has good flavor and texture, and is as authentic as the stuff in Sichuanese restaurants in China and other parts of Asia. Once caveat is that this type of regional cuisine can be rather greasy (although this shouldn't be too much of a concern as it is meant to be eaten with rice). Service is generally quite good. You're promptly seated (as soon as a table opens up, if there's a line) and things show up in good time. The last time we were there, the food was brought out astonishingly quickly - our entire order (5 items) showed up in under 15 minutes. When the place is packed, service can be a bit slow - especially if you're looking for refills for your hot pot. But not so bad that I'd complain about it. Pricing is also reasonable. Appetizers run around 6$, eat-with-rice entrees hover in the 8 to 10 range. Portions can range from h-u-g-e (spicy beef stew, for example) to typical Chinese restaurant size. I haven't really paid attention to hot pot prices but do remember that they're not out of line with the other places. So, somewhere in the 11 to 14$ range for dinner. It's all-you-can-eat - now you know why it's so popular. Oh, a word about the interior. The style is Garish Sino-Opulent (don't bother looking it up, I just invented it). Deep orange walls with black accents. Faux marble table tops with thick stubby pseudo-Greek (or perhaps Roman?) columnar bases. While not out of place if located in China, the interior did hurt my tender, naive, design sensibilities. But not so badly that I would not eat here again. Often, even.
(4)
Ryan V.
In two words: totally average. Normally, I probably would have given it 3 stars, but the description for 2 is "Meh. I've experienced better", which is exactly how I felt. Plus, this place has way more 5 star reviews than it deserves. Tucked away in a nearly abandoned strip mall way out in the "other" part of Bellevue, Szechuan Chef is a totally average chinese restaurant. The only thing that really stood out to me was the Hot & Sour soup, which, although spicy enough to break a sweat, was delicious. Everything else was a bit better than what you'd find at Safeway, but not spectacular by a long shot.
(2)
JC Z.
Very impressed by the real Chinese food that's here. Loved the Mongolian beef. It was perhaps the best I've had. Came here for lunch. It was very affordable for 3 people ($24). The place also looks pretty cool. Service was good. It's located in a dead beat strip mall, but don't let that discourage you. It's like a hidden gem and quite a pleasant find.
(5)
Julie A.
So, eight long and full years later, after 3 babies, 9 moves, several jobs, a few states...we still had not found a genuinely Sichuan-flavored dining establishment. In fact, my taste for Chinese food was so changed that I could barely stand the regular "Lucky Whathaveyou" joint in any town. Sweet-and-Sour Chicken had lost it's appeal (a flavor that we were told was created for Americans in the first place). My husband was disappointed with his attempt to eat Sichuanese in Bellevue. Thank goodness for the FoodBuzz foodie blog dinner last month or I may have never known about this local secret! Last night, kid-free for the first time in a while, we cruised over to East Bellevue where on the corner of 148th and Main Street, in a very ugly strip mall lies The Szechuan Chef. We nervously walked through the doors trying not to brace ourselves for further disappointment and were pleasantly surprised at the neat, clean, high-ceilinged, bright orange dining room. The tables were marble-esque and not at all that sticky unpleasant Asian restaurant feel! The service was quick, the menu quite thick. We flipped straight to the Hot Pot page at the end and ordered 2 portions plus an order of those potato strips fried with chilies. The waiter seemed somewhat surprised that we didn't go for the "half spicy/half broth" version, but straight up spicy. (I got a sideways glance...) When it arrived, oh, the aroma. So familiar. The spiciness traveling up through our nostrils and hitting us in the back of the throat. The fish balls were my favorite, yummy and salty. And there was this great peanut sauce that, although I never ate it in Sichuan, was really tasty. By the end of our quiet consumption, we had decided that we might need to try their dumplings just to be sure that we love this place. The fried potstickers tasted great and even had the authentically flavored dipping sauce. The sauce wasn't as spicy as I remembered which could be due to my lesser quantity of tastebuds in my old age. (could I have lost that many?) Anyways, The Szechuan Chef is a real as it comes. We can't wait to go back and try all of the other many dishes. It seems an endless variety came out of the kitchen. And I even saw a photo of what looked like Lian Fen--the gelatinous strips. We'll see if I get so lucky! If you like spicy and authentic, this should be your next stop. But, if sweet-and-sour chicken is as far as you go at whatever "Lucky China Garden Bamboo Dragon" you frequent, then this might not be your thing. But you really should give it a shot.
(4)
Rodney R.
The food has excellent texture and flavor. It's a popular place, and when they get busy, the noise becomes what you'd expect from a institutional cafeteria rather than a sit-down restaurant. But the quality of the food generally makes up for that.
(4)
Adam D.
Great food terrible service. That is really all that needs to be said. If they ever refilled water or brought what was asked for like napkins soy sauce etc. This would be a 4 or 5 star place.
(3)
Chuck L.
Defininitely my favorite Chinese restaurant on the Eastside. Although it's in a strip mall, when you walk in it's surprising that it's fairly nice inside. The hotpot is worthwhile. The fried pork dumplings are uniquely good. Also enjoy the green onion pancake. Expect a line at night.
(5)
Don L.
i have been to so many Chinese restaurant in the past few years. well, some of them have great foods ,some just do NOT. overall, Szechuan chef have my 5 stars among all the restaurants that i have been to. first of all, the food. i went there in a friday night with a group of 6 . we took recommendations from our server. we got the pickle chili slide fish soup. it came in a big bowl,plenty for us. the soup was amazing. its sour and a lil bit spicy , which make a perfect match. then we got the slide beef in hot spicy gravy, this is one really HOT . however, the server lower the spiciness for us. my friend love it . then we got the cumin lamb, water spinach with garlic source. those are really nice items to get . we enjoyed the food alot. secondly , the service. well, it was a friday night and its a chinese restaurant.. we didn't expected like excellent service like those fancy restaurant which has a server waiting behind us for the whole night. since we have a big group. we waited for like 5 mins when the waiter told us to wait for at least 10. right, we didn't have reservation. it will be a good idea to make a reservation the day before if you get a big group. like 6 and up. Tea and water was quickly served right after we took the seats. as i mentioned before, our server did helped us to pick the items and adjusted the spiciness for us. the servers were so friendly and making jokes with us. it was pretty good. however, the appetizer took a while to get to our table. well, its understandable. the place was full of ppl. ( the servers were walking, or running already). can't really blame on them . when the dish came, the server introduced all the dish to us. which i really like it . i dont like to eat something that i dont know what that is . waters were refilled. overall, the service is way better than alot more chinese place i have been to. ( dont wanna mention about the names here). It was an great experiences for all of us. will be back there soon. if u like spicy,but not like super spicy, here 's a good try. hope it help .
(5)
Eric F.
Awesome... Smoked pork.. Hot and sour!! Hand shaven noodles!!!
(5)
Tom S.
Great Hot Pot. When you don't get that, order off the white board. Dry cooked duck is awesome, though the peppercorns will put your mouth to sleep (numb)! Ant on a tree is also a favorite from the regular menu.
(4)
Tez M.
Service excellent. Fast and friendly. Generous plates. Bathroom is clean. Awesome lunch deal. Not a big fan of their mongolian beef dish, but their mandarin chicken is one of the best. Definitely coming back again.
(4)
Simon L.
If there ever was a red chili pepper heaven then this place is it! The spiciest dishes come adorned with lots and lots of red chili peppers. I envision the back room where they store this stuff to have wall to wall racks of chili peppers. The peppered dishes and the red walls just scream out at you "WE HAVE HELLA SPICY FOOD!!!". Great Chinese food! The spiciest menu items are pretty spicy but do not pack so much heat that the food leaves you sucking air into your mouth and gulping down copius amounts of water. Just the right amount of heat. I been back several times. Next time I want to try the hot pot.
(5)
Won M.
Honestly, I checked out this place because there was a great write up about it in the "Seattle" Magazine. They were voted as one of the best in Seattle. Since it was in the Magazine, I thought it would be a fancy, swanky and fusion style place, but when I saw that it was in a abandoned K-Mark stip mall I was even more impressed. First time we went, there was a huge line out the door. We were standing in the strip mall wondering what this place was going to be like. And once we got inside the door we were surrounded by fake Bamboos that separated us from the happily fed people inside. We peered through the bamboos to see what people were eating. Mostly, all I could see was people's head in a cloud of steam that was pumping out from big "hot pots". No pun intended. They were all so intently shoveling food into their mouths, sweating from the steam rising from the hot pot, I could have been dancing next to them and they wouldn't have even notice. At that moment, without a doubt, we were decided on the hot pot. We finally sat down. Even though, my mind was made I looked through the menu for like twenty minutes, I wanted everything. We ordered the Family style Spicy hot pot and Green Onion Pancakes. The Pancakes were delicious, greasy delicious. And then came the meats. It came on a plastic plate piled about two feet high. No, seriously, TWO FEET. My girfriend and I looked at each other in awe. And then came the Seafood metal plate, not as much as meat plate but still a lot. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had died and gone to heaven. SO MUCH MEAT! ....AND there was also TRIPE! I was ready to hug the server at this point because I was so happy. After wiping my tears of joy, I dove right into the steam. Once the soup started boiling, I threw in all kinds of meat. I threw in combinations of meats only found in my dreams. The hot pot came with a side of Peanut sauce that was phenomenal. I ladled the meats and veggies out, (yes, we did throw in some veggies, I have morals) threw it in a bowl topped it with the peanut sauce.... This is the point where I can't go further. It is THAT good. I saw a glimpse of Nirvana. It is a piece of heaven. My decription of the flavors will only ruin the beauty of Chef's hot pot. You are just gonna have to track out there and try it. Simply awesome. I have been back many times since. I get Szechuan cravings now. I live in Seattle but whenever I get the craving there is no stopping me. There regular dishes are also very very good. I enjoy the Mongolian beef comes with those Chinese buns...Yummy! We recently got Seafood in Black Bean sauce on hot plate. They bring out the hot plate pour the Seafood on top, sizzlin' goodness. I will stop here. I am droolin'.
(5)
Dave M.
Ordered the small duck appetizer and Mao's braised pork. The duck didn't seem to be seasoned or accompanied in any way and was served on a bed of limp lettuce. The sauce of the Mao's braised pork was spicy and good, but the pork itself was easily 75% fat. I had a pile of fat on my plate when I stopped eating about halfway through (I was very hungry). I will not eat here again. The collective high rating is puzzling to me.
(2)
Nadine W.
This hole in the wall located in a shopping strip in Bellevue is the best Chinese food in Seattle. When we first moved here from San Francisco we were crushed to discovery that the Chinese food in Seattle is terrible - really, really awful. We were trilled to discovery this gem in a strip-mall in Bellevue. The decor is tacky, the restaurant bare bones but the food is out incredibly fast and the flavors are incredible!!! Everything is wonderful. Even the fried dishes are light and not at all greasy. I highly recommend the honey walnut chicken and the kung pao. Finally, the staff is warm and it is very child friendly. If you are craving Chinese food, don't miss out on this place which is well worth the drive.
(5)
Pai P.
I've been to this place a few times. And just about every time, I couldn't resist from ordering the mapo tofu and green onion pancakes. So I can't speak on their entire menu because I haven't tried that many items. The items that I have tried have been very good. The pancake is fried perfectly -- crispy, thin, but with a bite, complimented by a sweet soy dip. The mapo tofu -- there's something magical about their chili oil. Although the last time I went, it was more salty and not as good as the first few times I've had it. Their smoked pork is pretty flavorful. We got it with string beans and it was awesome. An unexpected find situated in an unassuming Bellevue strip mall.
(5)
S N.
I had heard about this place for some time. Last night, we found ourselves in Bellevue unexpectedly. We have eaten in most of the best Chinese places in Bellevue and wanted to try something different. We called a Chinese friend of ours to ask where this place is. We drove to the location......an isolated, half empty strip mall. OK. Let's go in and take a look. We entered and I immediately felt like I was back in China. The smells and the decor were straight out of Beijing or Shanghai!! At least half of the people there were Asian, so that was a good sign. We were shown to our table and presented with some of the best Jasmin Tea I have ever had at a restaurant!! This is good!! We ordered our food and it was proptly delivered. We had Cumin Lamb, a tofu vegetarian dish, a cold beef appetizer and some kind of noodle and sauerkraut dish my wife ordered. The food is just like it came out of China. It was superb. Not a bit of "Americanization" going on here. This is a great place. I can't wait to go back and try some more dishes!! Put it on you list.
(5)
Henry y.
If you are in the mood for spicy food, this is the place. Once you walk in, you are assulted with the smells of chilli sauce. Once I walk in, I get hungrier. Decor is better than most, bright orange walls and fake green plastic bamboo used as screens. I come here with my wife every two weeks to get our fix. We order the Chong Qing Chicken deep fried chicken with chili everytime. I can eat it like pop corn, except I have to wash it down with water. If you are looking for the most authentic szechuan food, its this place and if you are looking for an authentic Chinese restaurant add this to the list.
(5)
Norm W.
We decided to go to Szechuan Chef tonight because our local favorite, Yea's Wok in Newcastle, had a half hour wait for a table. The last time I ate here we had to wait quite awhile for a table, but the hot pot made it worth it. This time, there was a surprisingly light crowd and we ordered more traditional dishes from their very extensive menu. Service was fast - a bit too fast, as the dishes came at the same time as the soup, which I usually like to have first. We had the Seafood Tofu Soup which was good, but needed a bit more white pepper for my taste. I asked the waiter for some and surprisingly all they had was black pepper. We also ordered Dan Dan Noodles because of my wife's birthday (long life noodles!), Smoked Pork with Garlic Leaf, Dry Bean Curd with Bitter-melon, Mandarin Crispy Fish, and a Sesame Crispy Chicken and Pork Fried Rice for my son. The smoked pork was the hit of the table - very flavorful and none of us minded the pork fat. The bean curd first came out as a plate of bitter melon only, but upon being told, the waiter very quickly brought out a replacement dish - though a bit light on the bean curd. I suspect they simply added a small amount to the existing full bitter melon dish, so it wasn't very well balanced. Bitter melon is a bit of an acquired taste - not everyone will like it and certainly not everyone at our table did. But the dry bean curd was excellent. The Sesame Chicken was tasty, though much more Western than Chinese, as you would expect. The Mandarin Crispy Fish looked and almost tasted identical to the chicken - we found the fried coating a bit too thick. We'll stick to more authentic Chinese steamed fish next time. The noodles and fried rice were fine - hard to get excited about those. Perhaps it was the dishes we ordered, but I was not as impressed as I was when I had the hot pot dinner. We'll return for sure, but will probably seek better suggestions from the waiter next time.
(4)
Farah F.
Quite possibly my favorite Chinese restaurant in Washington, I usually get one of the beef tendon dishes because those are hard to come by, but the dry cooked lamb is pretty good, too. The tendon hot pot is absolutely yummy and the portion is super big. Somehow there's never any leftovers whenever I go there with co-workers. Love love love this place, I'm so sad to be working so far away from it now. The lack of having a car makes frequenting this establishment is pretty much impossible nowadays :(
(5)
Ash N.
As greasy as it gets. God has a weird way of making all that's tasty, also unhealthy for you. But no major complains here. Could be a bit cheaper and with smaller serving sizes.
(4)
Mw C.
Today was the second time we ordered to go this week. It is that good!! We ordered chicken friedn rice and the hot spicy chicken noodles. It is delicious! It has a lot of chicken and cabbage and onions. For the price is just excelent due to the portions are big.
(5)
Sang H.
Ordered Mongolian chicken and hot and sour soup. I haven't been here for like 7 months. Food came out fast like before but it wasn't as tasty and soup tasted like they put too much vinegar. Good thing Starbucks is nearby so I can go after the meal.
(3)
Jacqueline S.
I eat here for lunch with coworkers and dinner with my family about once a month. The food is really good but they did change owners this year and some of the dishes aren't quite as good as they used to be. My favorites are the beef in hot and spicy gravy, honey walnut crispy fish and the pea vines when they have them. Honorable mention for the pork chow mein w/hand shaven noodles, chopped pepper with pork w/pancakes and the mandarin chicken. I used to love the Chong Qing Chicken with the szechuan peppers and crispy string beans. Unfortuantely, it barely has any string beans in it anymore and the chicken is now cut into chunks so small it ends up being just a plate of salty crispy bits. I have noticed an improvement in service with the new owners and the food is still very good overall.
(4)
The B.
Loved it! The Garlic Green Beans and Prawns were incredible. Even though I'm moving... I'll be driving back!
(4)
Hannah L.
I love this place!! This is my favorite Chinese restaurant. I live in Seattle and go all the way to Bellevue just to eat their food. I love spicy food and with most Chinese restaurants when I ask for 5 star spicy I usually get about 2, but not here they give me my 5 stars. I also love that the servers always remember my boyfriend and me even when we haven't been there for a while. Now to the food: I am a vegetarian and they have a ton of non-meat options available. I always get the spicy eggplant and they always add tofu. I also love the kung pao tofu. It's super spicy just the way I like it. My absolute favorite dish is the hand shaven noodles. I could eat an entire plate of these noodles myself. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. It's definitely worth the drive!!
(5)
Katie F.
This was a disappointment. We tried two dishes. The food wasn't terrible, but it was fairly bland and not spicy (despite being marked as spicy on the menu). The beef was gristly/fatty and the chicken tasted old. I'm sure it's possible we just ordered badly and that the restaurant does other dishes better, but I don't think I'll go back to try to find out given the other great options in Bellevue (Spiced, Bamboo Garden). Kind of a pricy lunch that was barely worth eating.
(3)
Teresa C.
Good food, take out service is very good.
(4)
Deborah H.
This is the closest I've come to the deliciously spicy food I had in Chengdu, China. It's a big restaurant that can accommodate huge parties, and there's plenty of parking since it's in a strip mall. The food is authentic (don't be afraid to ask the waiters for suggestions) and I was generally impressed. The only weird thing was during dinner, the parking lot outside somehow turned into a random carnival. It was kind of like the twilight zone when we walked out to look for our cars amidst game booths and lame rides.
(4)
G. M.
I love the food here. My favorites are the Chong Qing chicken, Dan Dan noodles and the chow mein with hand shaven noodles. I believe the original owners were previously affiliated with Seven Stars Pepper in Seattle, and the menus are very similar. The menu is extensive and has everything ranging from the americanized favorites, to more adventurous authentic dishes. Though, if your idea of great Chinese food is Panda Express or the Safeway deli, you're probably not going to like this place. Watch out for the floors when it's been raining - they are really slippery!
(4)
cat b.
This place is surreal. You must experience it. The first time I walked in, I was a little freaked out--as in, oh shit, this might be REALLY bad. It's the decor--something like pseudo-chic-yellow-trash-loft-done-by-Michael's. There's an abundance of silk bamboo in this joint, and I love green, but...this is just weird. The ceilings are startlingly high, and the walls are painted in a coral-y color. Enough about the weird ambience. This place is all business. It is staffed with several militant Chinese women, and dude, they do not mess around. I like efficiency, though...especially at lunch. As soon as you're seated, you get tea and water. And pressured to order. Now. Now. Now! I've tried the Ma Po Tofu--it's really good. I'm picky about it, and I like bastardized versions of it, but I think this is a good one. It's better than the version at Sichuanese Cuisine (in Overlake). Nice and spicy. I also tried the Mandarin Chicken. It's good, but I got a scary piece of chicken that may not have been chicken. Gum? A stray chicken knuckle? I can't be sure, but it was a foreign object. I won't be ordering it again. I'm not crazy about their soup. The egg flower is too stringy (difficult to eat--very messy) and it's not good enough to warrant the effort. It's definitely worth a try. Don't be frightened by the bamboo and the Walls Of Hell color scheme.
(3)
Sara M.
Sooo yummy and cheap. How did I not find this place sooner!
(5)
Patrick B.
Great food! The wait staff was attentive and ready to get you whatever you wanted. The server for our group provided lots of suggestions that ended up being great. We got the following, all of which were pretty amazing: Spicy chow mein (with hand shaved noodles) Szechuan whole fish Sweet/sour chicken Pork fried rice Honey walnut prawns Mongolian beef ...and one pork dish whose name I can't remember. Great food, plus some Tsing Tao's made the night complete. I'm definitely game to hit this place again when I'm back up in Seattle/Bellevue.
(4)
Neal M.
I thought this place was great a couple of years ago. The dan dan noodles, green onion pancakes, most everything was done well, reasonably priced and served by a somewhat friendly staff. This place was even voted one of the top restaurants in all of Seattle by Seattle Magazine a while ago. Then, something happened. I don't know if it was sold or what but the prices keep going up as the quality takes a nose dive. I kept going for a little while because I had had many good meals there, but I probably won't go back any longer.
(2)
Bing W.
Suffice to say, it didn't disappoint. I wasn't out to find a good Szechuan style Chinese restaurant, but stumbled upon it on Yelp. Since it's pretty close to where we stayed in Bellevue, it's worth checking out. We arrived a little past 5 local time so the place was still pretty empty. The menu is impressive, as we already knew from checking Yelp. We ordered some scallion pancake (crispy), blade-shaved noodle, a cold dish (pretty scary name: "couple lung slices", which basically are sliced roast beef and boiled beef lungs in spicy sauce), "water boiled fish" (deceiving name for that the water here is a mix of hot chili oil and spicy broth), and garlic green beans. Pancake is good, although nothing special. Noodles were excellent, fresh and of perfect consistency/texture, and stirred fried just right with chicken (you can pick other meats) and nappa. The cold dish and "water boiled fish" (they used flounder I think) are as authentic as it gets (at least in this country). The green beans are nothing fancy, but quite tasty too. The dish also got our 16 month daughter's approval - she gulped down a good portion of it. All the dishes had generous portions, which is a virtue lost on many authentic Chinese restaurants here. Service was OK. There isn't a lot of attention from the waiting staff, but not too bad. By the way, the bathroom was decent, which is something I found lacking in some Chinese restaurants. Will no doubt come back when we have a chance. Yum!
(5)
jainai i.
be prepared to sweat. then sweat again the morning after, while sitting on the throne... what we had the first time around: spicy lamb, spicy soft tofu, spicy hand shaved noodles, and spicy eggplant. burned going in. burned coming out. ahhh.... should you want a break from the masochism: get the green onion pancake...even if it's dinner time. perfectly crispy on outside and soft on inside. and won't leave your fingers dripping in grease. scrumptious! tea smoked duck ..... mmmm.....smoky...cripsy...meaty....mmmmmm.... and, ok, the spicy crab...finger lickin' good. other dishes: fresh, fast, and furious. generous portions. get on it! and don't forget to buy a roll of TP on your way home. just skip the shakes. the mango and avocado shakes were both concocted from powder, not real fruit. ********** UPDATE ************* I got a message from the restaurant saying they do indeed use real fruit in their shakes.
(4)
Jim C.
With such a large Asian population in the Northwest, who would've thought it would be so hard to find good Chinese food in Seattle. Okay, so Szechuan Chef is actually out in Bellevue, but 10 miles and 45 minutes of 520 congestion is no problem for me... especially for great food. The Chinese hot pot is perfect for those cold / rainy Seattle days... which so far has meant every visit. For $12 a person, you get a hefty sized plate of sliced meats, tofu, seafood, vegetables, and noodles ready to throw into a big pot of steaming soup broth. Ask for the half-half soup combination that includes a serving of the SPICY broth so that your taste buds can join in on the festivities. Other great dishes to try are: the green onion pancake, the Dan-Dan shaved noodles, and the salt and pepper prawns.
(4)
Jason D.
Nom nom nom nom Thanks (again!!!!!) Yelp, there is zero chance I would have found this place on my own. Was there alone and just had to have the: Pork intestine in sauce clay pot -- intestine, blood, tofu, leeks, pickled greens, great balance of flavor (peppercorns, chili, garlic, ginger, ingredients, could taste everything) (my notes at the table, verbatim) Absolutely love the same-sized black and white cubes of blood and tofu, it's like eating board game pieces. In a good way. And that balance, to reiterate, love the way you can taste EVERYTHING, not just heat. The hot pots everyone else were getting looked great too. I'm glad I don't live anywhere near this place or I'm sure I'd go way too often for my health. But when I'm back in Bellevue, I'll definitely return. (One disclaimer: I was there in Feb 2009, so if it's gone downhill since then, I wouldn't know)
(5)
Mags L.
This is what Seattle's needed for a long time. A clean, upscale establishment that also serves delicious food. Try: The eggplants in garlic sauce. It comes out piping hot, and pairs extremely well with a bowl of white rice. The hand-pulled pancake is amazing. The handshaven noodles make me happy.
(4)
Tiffany W.
not really the best service. but the food definitely makes up for it. i love their variety!!! and their hot pot!!! yummmm!! i can't even describe it... the more i think of it the more hungry i get. and they dont open for another.... 10 hours... damn....
(5)
Alix H.
A lot of times you can tell how good the Chinese restaurant is just by the quality of their hot and sour soup, and it is very good here. They don't skimp on the ingredients and the taste is just perfect. Since it is Szechuanese cuisine, you ought to be ordering the spicy items to taste authentic cuisine true to the province (skip the cashew chicken, yo). Make sure to look at the white board next to the cash register for the day's special and/or seasonal dishes that you won't find in their regular menu. Few of my favorites are: - seasonal greens of any sort (on the white board usually) - stir fried green beans - water boiled spicy beef - pork with tofu, bamboo, and pickled vegetable - spicy fried crab (the best crab I've ever tasted) If you're an adventurous omnivore, be sure to try their hot pots with both spicy and non-spicy broths. You won't be disappointed.
(4)
Blake C.
Szechuan Chef is the best Chinese restaurant on the Eastside--hands down, no question about it. If you're in the area, don't even consider any of the surrounding spots. I always get the chicken and green beans with hot and sour soup, but there is a ton on the menu that will satisfy the palette.
(5)
John J.
Took the family out for lunch last weekend - based on the reviews here we had to try it - we're all Szechuan fans. The food was very good. Some Szechuan places try to make things spicy with varying amounts of Sriracha sauce. These dishes had different flavors of spicy... some curry, some garlic, some chili... all very nice. The hot and sour soup was wonderful - hit the spot. The Dan Dan Noodles are TO DIE FOR! Get them with the hand-shaved noodles - simply wonderful. And the Chow Mein was the same way - perfectly done and spiced. If you're into hot chili spicy - the wild chili chicken or the Hot Garlic sauce prawns are great choices. As people mentioned here, some of the dishes definitely followed the cookie-cutter pattern you'd expect at other Chinese places. My wife had the Mandarin-style Chicken, which was very tasty, if predictable. The Orange Chicken my son had was just a bit overcooked - though the option to stirfry the orange peel in with the chili/citrus sauce added an interesting flavor. But the other options made it all worth it. So... why 5 stars instead of 4 with such drawbacks? The service! Others talked about the fast service. They've understated it. During a packed house lunch rush... the order was taken in a few minutes after our arrival. The soup came out 30 seconds after the order went in. The main dishes about 4 minutes later. You'd think the quality would suffer with such obvious staged preparation. Heck no! The food was great, even with the speed. We arrived at 12:30, left at 1:15 stuffed to the gills, and never felt rushed. But the speed is only one aspect. As we sat there, the staff came out to a table they'd reserved for their own lunch next to ours. As the kitchen staff began their meal, they brought out bowls filled with dishes from their list of specials. The staff eats family style - courtesy the owner. Talk about taking care of their people. My eye caught the manager's, who asked me if I needed something - I said I was just looking over the dishes her staff were eating... ideas for next time, I said. She walked over to the table without a word and began dishing up small plates for us to try each of the items... smoked pork, Szechuan fish (that was as tender as you could ever imagine), wild chili prawns... all fresh and amazing. And she didn't charge us - it was just like you'd expect when visiting a friends' house. Wonderful hospitality! And when we left, with tip, we were under $50 for 5 people. With boxes of leftovers. Can't wait to go back - I think my birthday's this month, right? yeah, that's it.
(5)
Helen W.
As Paris would say, 'this place is hot'. Anyone who knows about Szechuan cuisine knows that you are in for a spicy meal. The owners have done a great job of tying in the decor and the ambiance into the spicy theme. Everything from the burnt orange walls to the red waitress uniforms exudes hotness. The food is authentic & tasty, and the service is solidly decent. Be warned: They frown upon Asian people asking for forks in their Asian restaurant. (don't ask me how I know that). Must tries: Hand shaven noodles and hot pot.
(4)
Christie I.
Was interested to try this restaurant after seeing the good reviews. We went there on Sunday night, the place was busy enough. We ordered to go. There was a woman at the cashier, between 25-35's, who was REALLY unfriendly. I asked about ONE certain food because there was no information at all about what's in it. She seemed upset in the first place. Each time she answered me, she did NOT explain anything but pointed at the picture. I KNEW the picture and I could read the name of the food!!!! What I needed to know was the ingredients. I had to ask 3 times and EACH time she was upset and did the same thing. I'm also Chinese, and I'm REALLY pissed off being treated like that as a customer. I asked very politely and didn't expect that kind of treatment. No matter how good your food is, being treated like that will NEVER make me come back again. And I don't understand about all the good reviews here. The food was really BLAND. No problem to spend much money as long as the food AND the customer service are good. This place is a NO NO to me!! For the owner, please educate THAT employee of yours to serve your customers much better. Putting a little smile on her face wouldn't hurt. Maybe that woman happens to be the owner??????????
(1)
Aleks V.
Spicy food and good hot pot. Hand shaved noodles and Chongquing chicken are great!
(4)
Mason M.
I will drive a half hour for this food. Its soooo yummy. We usually go in big groups so have had the opportunity to try a lot of different dishes. Everything is super yummy.
(5)
Steve M.
The BEST Szechuan food on the Eastside (and maybe in the area.) Everything is delicious - and hot, as it should be - and a good value for all the food you get. Make sure to get the bamboo shoots appetizer, it is out of this world. The restaurant is much bigger than it seems from the outside, but is very nice (although the plastic covering on the chairs is a bit weird.) Staff is friendly though. Be warned, this place is starting to get very popular.
(5)
Will N.
We got there at least once a month. I'm always shocked how quickly food arrives on the table after order. Portion are generous and full of flavor. I can see how some people might find it a little greasy. Doesn't bother me though...
(4)
Jarrod L.
Since I moved to Bellevue, I've been trying every Chinese restaurant I could, hoping to find a really great one I could frequent. I've been very disappointed at most places, but this is the best one I've found so far. The Szechuan dishes are interesting, and the more usual fare is good too. Unlike most places in the area, they understand that some dishes are supposed to be spicy and make them that way.
(4)
Bhawna A.
great for lunch.. huge portions. Good spicy food.. 3and half star.. but yelp i not allowing me to give
(4)
Ivan M.
HOT POT! i can't wait for cold weather again just so we can truly enjoy hot pot. they offer a decent hot pot here with your choice of spicy (liquid hot magma!), plain (still delicious), or half and half (the pot has a divider). we usually do the latter, cook in the plain and finish in the spicy side. they do an all you can eat but it's limited to just the meat (beef/pork/lamb). we usually don't do that one cause the other option, tho it's not all you can eat, offers more seafood and meat than we can usually finish. there's certainly more variety too. the sauce they serve with it is not the sacha sauce that us cantonese folks are used to getting with hot pot, it's more of a brown bean paste sauce. it's a nice change up. bring a bunch of friends and family, order up a bushel of beers, don't be afraid to stand up and cook (all the other lames at the tables around us were sitting down but this is how we do it at home! you betta get up out your seat) haha. good times all around.
(3)
Tessa M.
Lively strip-mall restaurant with quick unintrusive service and greasy spicy stuff-myself-til-it-hurts cuisine. The food was delicious. I let my friend (k. c.) do all the ordering so I have no idea what the names of any of our dishes were, but here's my best description: * thin pancakes seasoned with pepper and green onions * thick hand-shaved noodles with cabbage, tofu, and chicken * lamb with tofu, hot and green peppers, and a sauce that "makes your mouth numb" (I didn't try this but my companions say it was the best) With tea, appetizers and tip (and about half the meal left over) it cost us $15 per person. Space is very open with high ceilings so it's loud and festive - great for large rowdy groups. Watch out for the super-slick tile flooring; next time I won't wear heels - nearly fell flat on my butt on the way to the restroom!
(4)
Jia T.
I used to travel for my job and I ate out 3 meals a day. I've found some amazing Chinese restaurants in California but nothing can compare to Szechuan Chef. This restaurant is focused on Szechuan region cuisine and the food is truly authentic. I love the bold flavors and the spiciness of every dish. The hot pot is a must have item during the winter. I usually order half non spicy broth and half spicy broth. They use Sichuan peppercorn in the hot pot broth and spiciness is both numbing and tingling.
(5)
Andrew M.
I've only been here a couple times, but everytime I go, it's for the all-you-can-eat hotpot. The food is good (not great, but hey, it's all-you-can eat), but it's mostly because it's a reasonably priced all-you-can eat
(4)
Martina L.
This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city! My husband and I frequent this place often. We recently catered food from here for a birthday party. They were so generous with the portions, the staff was so accommodating with the last minute order changes. Furthermore, the price was so reasonable for a big group of people and the food was delicious (as always).
(5)
Jared U.
I love the food here. Would highly recommend to anyone who likes Chinese food.
(4)
Chuck B.
This is the best chinese in Bellevue. I meet friends here every couple weeks and it has been consistently great for well over a year. The food comes out amazingly fast.
(4)
Brent F.
It's all true. This place lives up to the hype. The food is spot on. Service good. Atmosphere nice. It is a gem hiding in a strip mall. In the old K-mart parking lot off of 148th and Main in Bellevue. Stopped in for lunch and did the crispy chicken, fried rice w/ hot and sour soup. Everything was dee-lish-us and done right. Going back to try some of their more exotic dishes (pickled pepper, and hot pots).
(5)
Ben R.
I will preface that I have only had lunch specials at this restaurant but keep coming back as it is good, fast, and priced right. Seattle seems to lack in good Chinese restaurants and this place is the best that I have found so far. Some might be put off by the quick paced, rapid answer, rapid delivery but I'm impatient and appreciate it. You can seriously have lunch in less than 20 minutes if you know what you want.
(4)
Winnie Y.
I have forgotten what I ordered, but it's some spicy beef with tofu which was absolutely amazing. When they do it spicy it is no kidding. This place is a little on the greasy side because they put so much hot oil in everything, but hey if you are in that mood this is the place to go.
(4)
Richard S.
I've enjoyed the hand shaved noodles with chow mein here several times. Friends have never been disappointed.
(4)
Kris R.
The food here is very nice, and I went there for a work do. Just about all the food on the menu was good. There's also plenty of parking.
(3)
gary g.
this is it. my family's favorite restaurant in the seattle area, hands down. we are never disappointed. they use unusual spices in their stir fry like an artist, in unexpected combinations. the soft tofu with pork in spicy gravy, the ants on a tree, the kung pao chicken, are out of this world. sometimes there is a huge line, but it goes quickly. and service has always been quick. sometimes we order and then in 3 minutes, we've already been served. and it is so friggin good. and so friggin spicy . . . the only thing we havent really enjoyed here has been the occasional foray into seafood. other than that, mmm mmm good.
(5)
Maria L.
Although their spicy fried noodle dish isn't as good as the Sichuanese Cuisine Restaurant on Jackson in Seattle, I thought their hotpot and pan-fried dumplings were OK. A word of caution... If you go there on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared to wait anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. (And, in case you were wondering, they do not take reservations.)
(3)
Mikey E.
This place is simple the best Szechuan restaurant around! Hot pot is terrific. Have to try the deep fried sting beans with chicken and deep fried intestine! Portions are very decent too. They also have a lunch special, great time to try different dishes!
(5)
T T.
The best Chinese food I've ever had! I had the String Bean Pork with fried rice, and husband had the Pork with Garlic - both were so incredible! The service was really speedy, and the plates that the food came on were so unique. Do yourself a favor and eat there - you won't be disappointed!
(5)
James C.
Very good "Ants on the Tree". Hot Pot should be tried once, just to see if you like it. We liked it. Some of the other dishes had too much Pepper Corns. In Chinese, there is too much "MA" and not enough "LA" (not spicy enough, but numbs your mouth).
(3)
Kevin C.
first time in Bellevue and did not know where eat the the first night. yelp to the rescue! Outside is nothing to write home about. Very bare strip mall. Restaurant looks smalller on the outside than it actually is. once you walk in all you see are red walls and fake and real plants. Actually pretty pleasant interior. Food was excellent -except for one dish - the dan-Dan mien. yuck. It was way too garlicky so much so that it was actually spicy from the garlic. Back to the good stuff. There were ten of us so we had a feast. Can't remember everything we had but other than the Dan Dan mien we had about six other dishes and they were all excellent. dry fried beans, sesame chicken, Mongolian beef, salt and pepper tofu (my favorite out of all the dishes- huge plate, spicy salt and peppery, fantastic). recommended if you are in the area.
(4)
Kelli B.
I went here with my cousins. The food was great!! The service was pretty bad. My sister and I got there and sat for ten minutes until I got up and had to ask for something to drink. It was a Monday, not busy at all. If you like good service I would recommend going elsewhere. If you are ordering out or don't care about waiting, the food is amazing.
(3)
Bianca P.
This place used to be good when it first opened up. Only a couple of minutes from my house, you would think that I'd be hanging out there all the time. NOT. Don't get me wrong, I love hot pot, I love Chinese food and I love spicy food. The last 2-3 times I had hotpot there, I still really enjoyed it. But then, I started noticing something. After every hotpot meal there, I'd get a mild case of food poisoning. So did my husband. Now, this would not be enough to deter me from going back because I love me some hotpot. However, I took a chance and decided to order lunch there last week. I ordered the spicy green beans with scallops. This stuff was disgusting. Greasy, with tons of spicy chili flakes but barely any flavor except for the strong taste of soap. What is soap doing in food?? I barely had a couple of bites before I threw it away. Now, that is enough to turn me away.
(2)
Sara R.
My family and I went here as a large group and it was fantastic. The food was really good (although the twice cooked pork was very salty), the portions were generous so that we could all share in each dish and the service was pleasant and helpful without rushing us. Really weird location, but totally worth the drive! I think the hand shaven noodles might be better than Shanghai Garden even but their chow mien doesn't have enough egg in it for my tastes. :)
(4)
Alary M.
Probably some of the worst service out there. That being said, their hot pots are DELICIOUS! When we first ordered the hot pot (for 3) we were worried it might not be enough food and considered ordering other items off their regular menu. BOY were we wrong!! There were mountains of various meats, seafoods, tofu, bamboo shoots, and oh so yummy tripe! (not a fan of the blood cubes though). I'm not so sure how their regular menu is because every time we go back, we get the hot pot. If you want to go on a weekend night, make sure you call and try to make reservations, otherwise you'll be waiting in line with all those other hungry patrons!
(4)
Michael A.
It is very hard to find authentic Sichuan food and this place comes as close as I have found in Seattle without going to China...I lived in China for 7 years and love authentic food...I was introduced to this place by a good friend from Beijing and been going back ever since ...Quality can be uneven but when they are "on" they are Haojila
(4)
Nick B.
I used to love this place, but it has gone downhill fast. The food is still okay, but the service is terrible. I'm sitting here now writing this...it just took ten minutes after being seated to have anyone notice me. 20 minutes later when they brought my food I tried to get the servers attention for a fork. I said excuse me and she shot back "I know!". Rude. Plus the order was all wrong. Very upset as this was my favorite Chinese in Bellevue. If the owner reads these, fire the old grouchy broad.
(1)
Jason C.
Being new to the eastside a common directional landmark I'm asked if I know is "where K-Mart use to be". Well I finally found it. If you're looking for a great Chinese restaurant on the East Side (there are not many) I highly recommend Szechuan Chef. Because it shares a complex with the building "where K-Mart use to be", it looks deserted and a bit drab. The inside of the restaurant could not send a more different message. It's spacious and unusually clean for a Chinese food proprietor. But it retains its Chinese authenticity by having rainbow colored plastic cups to serve water it. These of course are the same cups that children get at day-care during juice breaks and right after naps. The menu is impressive in both size as well as breadth. There are classic Chinese-Americana dishes like chow mien and orange chicken, but it reaches out to some of the lesser known like pork tripe. I had the Dan Dan Noodles which in my opinion gets the award for Most Awkward to Order in English dish of all time. But the food was stellar. When getting the hand-shaven noodles, beware: you'll experiences surprises (there's a blend of peanut butter flavor in there) and you'll experience jubilance (when you see how much you get). Just remember that no one likes a glutton, the helpful staff is more than willing to get you a to-go box.
(5)
BlueMoon X.
I used to be there often. But I think I will do it less frequently because they raised the price and cut the portion. The food is still good, but I could go to Old Szechuan (both in redmond and downtown) for more authentic Szechuan food.
(3)
Dave N.
The menu and the food are accessible enough for nonChinese, but the clientele is largely Asian. I was a big fan of Seven Stars Pepper in Seattle, but noticed a distinct dropoff in quality. I found out that the owners had sold and had started up in Bellevue, where I live. I went immediately: the old favorites were there, the dry-fried green beans, the "ravioli," and the cumin lamb. And just as perfect as ever. And some new favorites, in particular, the dan-dan noodles, available with either regular or hand-shaven noodles....rich, almost creamy sesame-seasoned broth, toothsome noodles, ground pork, napa cabbage. That, and a plate of Sichuan dumplings, and I am very happy.
(5)
Yi Q.
Great place for lunch/casual dinner, although their food is quite oily (pretty common in Szechuan cuisine). Definitely go there with one of your asian friends if you're not familiar with Szechuan cuisine or can't read chinese :) They have a lot of items on the menu that most people whold shy away from unless someone recommends or translates it for them :)
(4)
Piao Piao L.
So this is the place everyone's been talking about-- where the old chef from Seven Stars Pepper went... Well, I've been here twice now, and have yet to be very impressed. Drove in circles around Bellevue before finally picking out the decaying shell of a "Big K" which defines the strip mall. Decor actually struck me as quite authentic-- a lot of the Sichuan restaurants in China evoke the same kind of feel (usually done a whole lot better, of course, but at least they're trying). Staff were quite friendly both times. On to the dishes... The first time here I had the classic combo of spicy chicken (laziji) and mapo doufu. Taste was excellent, but a weird aftertaste stuck both of us on the way home-- was it an overdose of msg? Who knows? Second time got the cold spicy noodle, spicy beef slices, and cold spicy doufu (do you notice a trend?). Taste was good, but nothing out of the ordinary (no aftertaste this time, thankfully). I put this place in the same category as Seven Stars and Lao Sichuan ID. The next time I'm in Bellevue, I'll probably go back; but I wouldn't make a special trip out of it.
(3)
Liz W.
Considering the other reviews, perhaps we just hit them on a bad day, but I have to say, this was some of the worst chinese food I've ever had. The fried rice was an enormous portion, and totally inedible. It had no flavor. It was totally under-seasoned. My husband had the sesame crispy chicken which tasted like it had been fried in burnt oil. It was awful. I'll never go there again.
(1)
Chris W.
Definitely some of the best Chinese food I've had, their food is always perfectly fried, though probably this has something to do with eating in, I've ordered take-out and the crispness didn't survive the later accidental steaming of the crust. The price is superb, the portions large, accommodates groups very well.
(5)
SML C.
The food here is for sure good. I'm a big fan of their honey walnut FISH...yes fish not shrimp! All their food has enough flavor and seems fresh enough. I'm usually not a big fan of spicy foods, but theirs is just sooo spicy and soooo good that I just can't help myself. The hotpot is nice for cold winter days..but I'm a big fan of hotpot fall, winter, spring, and summers so it's not even fair. The food is decently priced, but they have beens slowly creeping up. The service here is up and down. Sometimes they are very attentive and polite....other times (especially when they are busy) it they are borderline rude. Sometimes when they are super busy and I'm trying to wave them down, I feel that they ignore me...I must admit their service has gotten a lot better in the past year. Maybe there was a change in management because I remember all the waiter/waitress were rude at a certain point in time. There is however one older lady that always remembers us when we go and she is super attentive to us everytime. I can also tell that she works her butt off when its busy, but she has always been very nice even when she was swamped. Highly recommend this place if you are a fan of hotpot or spicy Szechuan food!
(3)
Rachel S.
So good I even thought the mapo doufu might turn out to be decent. It wasn't, of course. But a Sichuan place has to meet a pretty high standard before I even consider trying to order mapou doufu.
(4)
Bill M.
Fish in Hot Black Bean Sauce. This is what I got. I asked the waitress to suggest something good. She asked me what kind of food I wanted. I told her fish. She asked if I wanted hot or not. I said hot. She said this disk was good because it was spicy but the fish had no bones. She was spot on. The dish was very tasty, the sauce was smooth, but I think they cooled it off for the American. My bald spot could have taken a pepper or two more. The fish was firm but tender and very mild. The hot and sour soup was very good too. I would definitely recommend this place for Chinese in the area. I also saw two other very telling things. First, they did a brisk takeout business while I was there. Second, plenty of folks of Asian descent in the place.
(4)
Rosemarie d.
How this place is getting 5 stars from some folks amazes me. Maybe I just came on a bad day.... or maybe I've just had better Chinese food in the bay. Walking in, the place had an interesting smell - not bad... just not expected of an Asian restaurant. We were seated immediately and then greeted by our not-so-nice server. She looked @ us crazy and impatiently as we told her our orders. The hot and sour soup (a must-order for me whenever possible) was mediocre.. and we were shocked to find an eggshell in our soup. That was definitely a first. We requested a new server b/c of the rudeness of the first one... so I'm assuming it was the manager (or some higher-up) who served us. She definitely made up for the bad service we originally got. The food was okay. Nothing to ooh and ahh about. Definitely could have done without the eggshell in the soup. Make sure you can handle level-5 spiciness before ordering it. That was a mistake on our part when ordering the spicy beef. I'll continue to be on the woman-hunt for a better Chinese restaurant.
(2)
Pepper J.
Been here many times for lunch. Decent service and nice open space. Pretty clean too. Always packed at lunch and given the price and quality of food, its easy to see why. I would give it 5 stars, but in last 5-6 visits, I've gotten 2 dishes that were made poorly (way way over cooked meat). If this keeps up, I'll stop going and lower my rating.
(4)
Bill W.
So far so good - in fact very good. Szechuan Chef serves authentic Chinese food. I know this because I watch the travel channel . . . and I found a lot of dishes on their menu that I'm not curious enough to try. Our gang of three has had two great dinners there recently. (Not too busy on weekday nights like they used to be.) Most of the dishes are one star (spicy), so for us that already gets them off to a good start. I'm giving the restaurant itself 5 stars for the time being. This despite the fact that their meats are probably not the greatest cuts, but I don't expect better at a Chinese restaurant. (Chinese restaurants belong to the middle class.) Everything else was great: interesting spices and sauces, fresh vegetables cooked right (how often do you find these outside of a good Chinese restaurant?), the fastest food preps, large portions, nice people, and all so satisfying, you're thinking about what you're going to order the next time. Something else: they serve lamb, and we've tried two very good lamb dishes, cumin lamb and lamb and soft tofu with hot and spicy gravy. We've also tried vegetables with prawns, green onion pancakes, garlic sauteed string beans and ants in a tree. I've also eaten double mushroom beef at S. C. several months ago. Next time I think we're due for some Dan Dan noodles and Chong Qin chicken. If these dishes sound familiar it's because I've discovered Yelp and some helpful reviewers.
(5)
Annie G.
So glad we found this place due to cancelling another reservation due to a power outage. The food was fantastic! So much variety and so much flavor!!! We started with some spring rolls and the szechuan crab. The spring rolls were average, but the crab was amazing! So spicy and delicious. Served on top of some spicy peanuts and green beans. For my main dish I got the beef and seafood in gravy- which is a hot, spicy broth. Really good!!!! And a ton of food! At our table we also had some yummy chicken dish, and a noodle dish with handmade noodles. I was really impressed with the noodles, they were thick and flavorful. I think this was the first Asian place I have been to that made homemade noodles. Try them out for sure! We had plenty of food to take home as leftovers, which were just as good the next day. The reason I took off a star was because it was so darn hot in there! I wasn't really bothered, but everyone at my table had read cheeks and my baby was crying because he was so hot. I ended up taking him outside to cool down and he was much better. Everyone at my table was joking that they were going to be heat casualties. Turn on the AC please!!!!
(4)
Kyna F.
Trying to grab a bite between work meetings in a unknown neighborhood means hoping Yelp steers you the right way. In this case they did. I came in pretty early, before 5 so the place was dead. Up to the counter to order take out. The woman working was taking a phone order, but acknowledged me. Once off the phone she helped me immediately. I ordered Dan Dan noodles with hand shaved noodles. She said 5 minutes. They were out even faster than that. They were tasty, with a good spice balance. I would totally eat here again.
(4)
David D.
OK, so we were four tired and hungry Southern California Geocachers in search of some good Chinese food after about 10 miles on a trail near Snoqualmie Pass. Had no idea what was around, so turned to Yelp. As soon as we walked in I suspected we had hit a good one, Nice decor and they let the four of us have a six-person table. Good start. Very hospitable and outgoing waiter answered all our questions and promised we could have things made hot (OK, not everyone understands our interpretation of hot, but we continue to hope that some day someone will call our bluff). Sesame chicken and Walnut chicken were both tasty and tender, and not over-breaded. Spicy tofu was on the mark according to Bob. I had the Ants, which although not as good as the one time I was able to find it in SoCal, was not all that bad; but their attempts to make it spicy took a wrong turn that kinda killed the flavor. Portion sizes were generous and we left with a box. Not likely that I'll be in the area again, but if I were I would definitely make a return visit.
(3)
BK J.
Living way down near Olympia means you don't have any Szechuan restaurants without at least a half hour drive so I planned ahead and got to Bellevue early before the ramen event and got my butt into the Sz Chef. I was greeted and seated quickly upon entering and left with a menu and a lunch special list. Before I knew it water and hot tea were served. After another minute or so the waitress was back to take my order. She grabbed an order from another table and was back with my hot and sour soup. It was not my ultimate hot and sour but it was good with a slight sour edge and enough heat to make my scalp glisten a bit. The waitress took another tables order and bam before I knew it and was only half way through my soup my entree was in front of me (probably less than five minutes from ordering). The entree was quite good and had a ton of veggies so I was happy. There were plenty of chunks of hot red pepper so it had a real nice heat in addition to the garlic and ginger in the sauce. The lunch portion had six medium sized shrimp which felt like the right amount for lunch. By the end of it my napkin was nicely damp from dabbing my temples due to the heat. If I lived or worked in the area Sz Chef would be a frequent spot for me. For anyone with time constraints at lunch time this should be your go-to place.
(4)
Ednalyn M.
This has been in my bookmarks for a bit and I'm glad I finally got to try it! Their hand shaven noodles are so good! Good texture and awesome flavor. I chose the combination spicy chow mein with hand shaven noodles and it wasn't short on the spice! It was filled with just enough veggies and different meats (shrimp, fish and beef) the shrimp were huge which was a surprise and it was cooked perfectly. The only thing I didn't like was I had to track down a waiter a bunch of times for water, check and a to-go box. But I would definitely come back for noodles! Hopefully their service is much better.
(4)
Anjana A.
This Szechuan Chinese restaurant has a lot of seating capacity, an extensive multi-page menu, therefore a popular choice for group events. They offer a limited lunch menu at under $10 prices, but for the best items it's best to order a la-carte from the main menu. We went on a weekday and they were almost empty at 8PM, a lot of people kept stopping by for take-out though. The Fish in hot and spicy garlic sauce that I ordered was huge and sufficed for 2 meals. Rice is extra. The Kung Pao Chicken dish in comparison was half the size, maybe because it wasn't in gravy. The hot and spicy fish is a level 5 but they toned it down to level 3 at our request, which was plenty spicy for me. I liked it a lot better than the Kung Pao Chicken which was very typical. I think overall the food was good, the trick is to know which dishes to order. Personally, I think that the batter fried meat dishes are less tastier than the non-fried stir fries as they tend to have better meat, but that is a personal preference. The ambience was a little better than a hole in the wall and the service was fast. I wasn't blown away overall, but consider it an above average restaurant if you're craving Szechuan food.
(4)
John S.
Used to be great. Then the owners left and went to China. Fortunately they came back and started Spicy Talk in Redmond.
(3)
Melissa R.
Great Chinese food! Love the moo shu (sp?) chicken and the chow mein! Not a fan of the crab won tons.
(4)
Brian H.
Food was really good but the service could be more personal.
(3)
Kat R.
I *love* this place. Its really really good. A bit pricey, but well worth it. My fiance and I used to come to this place EVERY WEEK -- Twice a week! We went so much, the waitresses knew us. In fact, they still do! We don't get much variety (D's not so adventurous) buuuut... Here is our usual order: Wild Chili Lamb Young Bamboo Shoots and Dried Bean Curd in Chili Sauce and White rice. Excellent! You can't go wrong! Also, they have weekend lunch specials! That's right! Get your fill for cheap! We ALWAYS order the Wild Chili Beef Lunch special with Hot and Sour Soup and the Beef with Dried Bean Curd. I can't say enough about this place. If we had had our wedding in Seattle, we wanted our rehearsal dinner here -- I celebrated the passing of my bar here! Are you still reading this review? Get up and go!
(5)
Liz C.
Szechuan food is one of those things that is so comforting and heart warming (literally) to eat. It's not the most common kind of cuisine you find either. This place offers the sweet, comforting Szechuan food that I crave. It's located in the plaza so you should be able to spot it's sign fairly easy. The place is very spacious inside with lots of tables (especially for parties) and high ceilings. This makes you feel less cramped. We were seated right away and given hot tea and our menus. If you want ice water, you're going to have to ask. We ordered four dishes, and yes, that is definitely a lot for just two people. But my partner and I love Szechuan food and wanted to try it all. The food didn't take long to come. Rice comes with your meal. Dan Dan noodles, hand shaven - These noodles are definitely unique and feel homemade. The noodles are soft and not too thick. Pictures make it seem like it's mild with no spice, but the spicy sauce is at the bottom so you'll need to mix. It surprisingly was not as flavorful as I thought. You get a lot of the noodle taste rather than the sauce. The sauce is really subtle. I wasn't a huge fan of just tasting the noodle flavor, but this was my first time trying Dan Dan noodles. Overall, not my favorite but still tasted alright. Mapo tofu - The pieces of tofu were so delicately soft. There were many pieces of tofu and the sauce was thick enough to slather over rice. Definitely liked the spice level on this one. Chong quin hot chicken - This chicken dish was yummy. Fried chicken is a treat. It has this crispy exterior and a lot of spice. It also comes with well cooked and seasoned green beans that compliment the chicken well. It is slightly on the oily side, but they do have to put that Szechuan spice in there somehow. Sliced fish in hot gravy - Nothing beats Szechuan boiled fish in that thick sauce. You can slather that over your rice and eat the fall apart pieces of fish. The dish seems so simple and it appears like nothing special is done to the fish, but it really tastes so good! I would say this is a must when going to eat Szechuan food. Portion sizes here are HUGE. They are way bigger than any Szechuan place I've been to. We enjoyed trying every dish but we had a lot of leftovers of each dish (great for leftovers!). Service tonight was decently attentive. Our waters were filled but we weren't checked up on or anything. They also weren't very friendly when we came in and ordered. Attitude can definitely change how you feel about service. But they did see us stop touching our food and came to box our leftovers right away and handed us our check. For the four dishes we paid a little over $50 without tip. I think this is a very fair price, especially considering that the portion sizes are really large here compared to other places. We basically paid for two meals. Overall, the places food is comforting but it doesn't shine as amazing or anything so I would say food itself is just an average of three stars. But the spacious seating and the giant portion sizes definitely brings it up to four stars.
(4)
Madhu S.
Service is very good and the food is tasty! We tried the kungpao chicken and spicy fish in a black bean sauce. . Yes you can customize!
(4)
Jen S.
A wonderful find! Delicious, unique and authentic food, clean, no MSG. This restaurant doesn't carry your standard Chinese-American fare, rather southern China flavors and favorites. Try the seafood soup and cucumber salad and you will leave satisfied.
(5)
Vivian W.
Woo Hoo for Spicy Chinese Food!!! I Love Szechuan Chef! This is my favorite Szechuan place around! Try their Boiled Fish and Intestines. I know...if you are not a fan of intestines, just get the fish or beef, they are all really amazing. It is a must whenever I come over here. I also like their dan dan noodle! They use pepper corn in a lot of their dishes, so it will make your mouth numb but it is the good and delicious kind of numb! If you are not into spicy, this place also got a variety of non-spicy Chinese dishes! Try their Beef tendon noodle soup with Wonton! Yummness! Sometimes, their food can be a little salty! Just let them know before hand to use less salt! I like how they have a wide variety of dishes. Their menu is very picturesy so you can see what your food look like before hand! They are pretty accurate depictions.
(5)
Krista T.
My co-worker raved about this place, and even drove to Bellevue from Ravensdale to eat there. I thought, either she's a nutcase or the food is truly excellent. Come to find out, she's a bit nutty, and the food (or my dish, at least) was just OK. My problem with Szechaun Chef (and the majority of Chinese restaurants) is that the breaded meats are usually 70% breading and 30% actual meat. 'Tis the case of Szechuan Chef's Mongolian Chicken. The egg drop soup was watered down, and a real disappointment as well. Mandatory positive: - The servers were friendly and greeted us with a smile. - The fortune cookie was the tastiest part of my meal.
(2)
Kevin W.
We all hate Walmart (or at least claim to), but that doesn't mean everything around it has to be terrible. That's where Szechuan Chef comes in. I was absolutely starving one evening and came upon this restaurant completely by chance. Willing to eat just about anything by that time, I came in hoping for just enough food to fill my stomach. I was not expecting one of the best Chinese restaurants I've ever visited, but that's what I got here. One look at the menu made it clear I had struck gold with this place. Dish names sounded pleasant and reminded me of all the wonderful food you'd be more likely to find in the International District. The other dead giveaway that this was going to be a good restaurant was how everything was reasonably priced. Really bad restaurants also tend to be overpriced for some reason, which this place most definitely was not. I ordered an appetizer and some fried rice; both came to my table within five minutes of my ordering. I didn't even know it was possible to prepare these foods that fast. The Sichuanese cold noodles were fantastic and tasted like they were made right in Sichuan. The special combo fried rice was similarly wonderful and thankfully came with a very high proportion of meat. Man, these guys are just hitting all my weaknesses. I don't think I can take so much more! Delicious food, lightning fast service, low prices, authentic Chinese food in Bellevue, spacious and beautiful restaurant, massive portions, and convenient location. Seriously, does it get any better than this? Do I need to empty out my bank account and give this restaurant all my money? Because I'm coming back to this restaurant with a larger group of people and hoping that the rest of their dishes are just as rewarding.
(5)
Stephen C.
Nice openly layout. Staff are friendly and welcoming. Food is good, great value for money. You have your choice of some nice spicy dishes and non-spicy. Will return
(4)
Jamie C.
Love love loved it here! I was really fiending for some hot pot because it was so cold and rainy and coming here made all my dreams come true. We had a table for 8 and we did the all-you-can-eat hot pot for about $20 per person. We had two pots, both split in half for spicy and non-spicy. I eat non-spicy because I like to feel my tongue when I eat. I think the non-spicy broth is just water, but that didn't really matter because the food itself was so tasty. Our food selection included some really good quality beef and lamb, fish balls, tripe, fish fillets, potatoes, vermicelli, napa cabbage....and I'm sure there was more. Make sure you ask for the peanut sauce, which makes everything taste amazing. I mixed mine with soy sauce and some hot sauce just for some extra flavor. I don't recommend sipping on the soup in the end, though. That stuff gets pretty nasty with all the meat fat. Service was prompt and helpful. They didn't make a fuss about all of us splitting the bill with our cards at all. This is probably the best way you can spend a cold winter's night. Hands down.
(5)
Kate S.
Green beans... green beans.. Tasty, yummy green beans. Green beans... Green Beans.... Eat them up, Yum! (Lunch combo of delicious hot chicken w/dried szechuan style green beans + fried rice + soup + tea for $6.95? Total effing win in my book).
(4)
Miran W.
Easily the best Chinese restaurant on the Eastside. Fantastic food, interesting menu (mmm... pork intestine), solid service, and huge servings. Highly recommended.
(5)
Cory C.
Ordered the Hot Pot for 2 and it was horrible. I've had Hot Pot at other places and this didn't even compare. The broth was so bad, I didn't eat much. The restaurant was also pretty dirty and they use the main dining area for storage. Bathroom had cleaning supplies and paper towels on the floor - gross. Service - terrible. No one came by to check in or refill drinks. Had to flag someone down just to get the check.
(1)
Vi L.
Great food, great value. This place serves traditional Szechuanese dishes with escalating levels of spice and minimal bastardization of Chinese dishes. My personal favorites here are the Cumin Lamb, Ants on a Tree and most recently Mongolian Beef. Next on my to-do list is the Szechuan Style Crab. Food here is served uber quick. Today, I brought a table of 7 with me. We ordered 6 dishes and the first ones arrived literally within 5 minutes. The last dish arrived within 10 minutes of the original order time. Ample seating space so no waiting (which is one of my pet peeves). I wish they served rice noodles here, but I supposed it's better to stick with ones strengths rather than create an endless menu of mediocrity as to most Chinese restaurants. Yay for SC!
(5)
Rich A.
Get the Chongqing chicken. It's like popcorn chicken but has amazing flavor. It's spicy hot but you can definitely discern the various spices unlike some "spicy" dishes that numb the senses. We also love the steamed fish. It's a fillet of fish with a thin soy-sesame sauce. Service can take a while when busy but it's worth the wait.
(5)
Tom B.
This has become something of a regular stop in the rotation for the out-of-office lunch crowd at work. We might not have time to go out for lunch in a couple months, so we've been here a couple times already even though I am still new on the team. I have to say this place does a pretty darn good job. They certainly have all the tools in place--good location near busy streets with lots of offices and residential around them. Big dining room. Plenty of parking. The logistics have been well handled. If they can execute on the actual restaurant stuff--and they do--then they're set up to be here for a while. Which certainly seems to be the case. It's one of those dining rooms that feels nice even though everything, including the plants and the picture frames, is made out of plastic. You feel like you're going to enjoy your meal even before you sit down. And, man, there is no shortage of people sitting down to eat here. They have the usual puffy padded menus with 75 lunches and 275 dinners, lots of red peppers, lots of cumin, lots of comfortable old familiars for the devotee of szechuanese cuisine. Good tofu dishes, good pork and lamb. Hot and sour soup is OK. No brown rice. But the entrees are fantastic, especially for the price. The service is fast (though usually overworked), the kitchen is fast, the fortune cookies are affirmative, the lunch gets you in and out the door for around ten bucks. Mission accomplished. I have a slight preference when in the area to go a little farther north to the szechuan place on 24th in Overlake, but this place is a little closer to my current office and I have no problem imagining returning here again and again.
(4)
Leo K.
I love spicy food, so if you're with me, you'll enjoy the food here. Sure it might not have the best service, or be the cleanest restaurant, but what do people expect? It's Chinese food. The dishes are better than most, I definitely recommend the pepper pork, chong qing chicken, mapo tofu, and this one other vinegar fried fish dish that probably has a Chinese name that I don't know.
(4)
Lucie L.
Was here for the first time and I LOVED their handshaved noodles with chicken and qing long? chicken so I came here again with a group of friends a couple weeks later. We ordered the qing long chicken but I couldn't remember what the name of the hand shaved noodles with chicken was so I asked our server and he seemed to know exactly what we were talking about so he ordered it for us. When we got our order it was TOTALLY NOT what I had described. The noodles were in some kind of broth and it did not have chicken in it. So I called the waitor over and asked him to switch it to the one I wanted and he listened to my description again and finally told us he knew what we wanted so I asked him to switch the dishes and he REFUSED. So I said okay, just order us the right noodle dish and we will pay for both. We finally got the right handshaved noodle dish and it was SO TASTELESS. My friends and I took 2 bites and we asked for our checks. The same waitor came over and asked if everything was okay (it obviously wasn't) and we said the dish was totally tasteless. Me, working in the food industry and all, know that if a customer is not satisfied with their dish and barely touched their food will not CHARGE THEM FOR IT. It's common sense, does that waitor think my friends and I will ever come back when he charged us for 2 dishes that we didn't even eat and one of which the waitor had ordered by mistake?? He is sadly mistaken...
(1)
Carol A.
The food was good at this Chinese place, but it was too spicy for me. My family really liked it though, and so did one child with us. I had to have dishes with no MSG and no gluten and they were able to do that for me. I was going to post more, but I noticed all my previous reviews were "filtered" so I'm going to wait and see if this gets "filtered" too before I put more effort into reviewing! Are reviews filtered unless the business pays on Yelp?
(4)
Duy K.
Checked this place out over the weekend. Ended up stopping by during happy hour I guess you could call it. $8.50 item gets you rice, soup and a meat dish. Pretty good food, nice clean place, really big. Looking forward to going back. Food was great.
(5)
Jody S.
The BEST Hot Pot and food and great service. Very consistent and whatever you order you can't go wrong.
(5)
Rex C.
Ok this isn't the cleanest place I have eaten in but the food is cheap and good. The mandarin crispy chicken is one of my favorites alone with the Mongolian beef. Service is fast and I have never left not happy I went.
(4)
Gena S.
Some of the best Chinese food i have ever had the pleasure of eating!
(5)
Jeremy C.
This is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants on the East side, especially for lunch. It's not because of the great atmosphere within since it's full of fake plants, dirty windows, and an awkward setup of tables and chairs. It's also not because of the wait staff, which aren't very good about timing the delivery of food to ensure that everyone at the table gets their food at the same time. The truth is, many times the plates are delivered at drastically different times so I end up watching my fellow table-mates devour their food while I nurse my small cup of soup. Also, you almost always have to flag down a waiter(ess) for the check like at most Dim Sum restaurants. But if you can get past that, the lunch menu provides many different options and is almost always fresh and hot when it's delivered. My personal favorite is the Fried Tofu with Eggplant. I would opt for the steamed rice instead of the bland fried rice, and like many Chinese restaurants they do not give you the soup if you order the meal to go. Is it the price of the container? I'll bring my own if it means I can get some soup. Is it additional incentive for you to eat at the restaurant and pay for a tip? If so, I'll throw an extra buck or two their way. For the love of god, just give me some damn soup even if I don't eat there! Okay, I'll get off my "soup" box now. As I was saying, this restaurant also provides large portions, refills on soda's, and good food.
(4)
Anthony C.
The food and the pricing for the meals was amazing. The service and atmosphere were awful. We had to wait for around 20 minutes before a server would take our order, and that was only because we had to flag one down. There were several other tables around us that I noticed were in the same awkward position haha. The food came out and it was a huge mountain of food. Both me and my girlfriend each loved our dishes, and had plenty to take home for leftovers. I'll be going here again, hopefully next time the service won't be as incredibly slow.
(3)
S. T.
No thanks. Decent service, water tasted funny. tea was crappy. Food was the worst, it's like eating at the food stalls in a third world country w/ leftover meats, and inners of pig and mystery meat. And how come Chinese restaurants are so dirty and unsanitary. Why they use the same towel to wipe all the tables, without washing them? Yuck, Gross. Why are the all the people so freaking loud and rude? Felt like I was back in Hongkong or Shanghai, they will push you to a fake water well or cliff, so they can keep the water for themselves.
(1)
Shawn M.
I've eaten here many times because the food can be pretty decent. The service is the worst I've ever seen and the atmosphere is awful. The only reason I'm giving it a star is because if you take it to go you might have a good experience here depending on the chef cooking that night. The last and final time I was there a few days ago, they kept seating people but couldn't fill orders or bring people checks. People were literally yelling at the one person trying to help the whole room. After about an hour of waiting for the check and begging them to bring me the rest of my order, I finally walked up to the chefs and laid down $40 and said we are good. They looked at me and asked if it was close and I said yes and they said thanks. Really? I can't even get a bill or service? Why would you keep seating people that you can't serve? Just turn them away or tell them to wait. It's much better than luring them in and not serving them. I've been there on other occasions and the staff is rude. If this place had a good atmosphere and staff it would be the best around if they got their consistency down.
(1)
Ryan C.
We enjoy the take out as well as dining in here. It's close to home and always fast service. They even do custom orders such as not adding msg to a dish if you desire it like that. It would be 5 stars but once in awhile a glitch happens (lost order once, food arrived cold once, understaffed). Overall it's a great place though.
(4)
Michelle S.
The chicken with noodles is my fab.
(4)
Amanda M.
Good service, average atmosphere and great food. If you're there for lunch the portion size will fill you up and then some. Otherwise dinner I always expect leftovers. My only complaint is that when ordering pick up I've encountered some instances where the deep fryer didn't cook my food all the way through.
(4)
Jimmy B.
First and last time eating here. I rarely trust the low ratings when there are so many good ratings, but my experience at Szechuan Chef has changed that. To start, when we were seated, the ceilings fans were blowing so hard that we and the table next to us asked that they be turned down. Our waiter turned them off immediately...more on that later. We ordered our food, and wow, one plate came out within two minutes! It was prepped wrong, so we asked that it be done as we ordered. We were told no problem. 10 minutes later, the waiter came back and asked if we would like to try the errant dish to see if it would be OK. Seriously? It had been sitting in the back for 10 minutes! If the original came out in 2 minutes, why's it taking so long for the replacement? Could the original have been someone else's order that was wrong as well? We stuck to the original. Our other dish finally came, not hot, at about 20 minutes. The original dish finally came 10 minutes after that. Looking around the dining room, we weren't the only ones receiving "piece meals". Back to the fan...once we had our food, the ceiling fans were at full blast again. One of the other waiters was apparently hot. So much for the customer's comfort. When we, and the other table complained again, nothing was done. The food was "ok", service marginal, and the overall experience not so good. As a side note, you can only order the fried rice and chow mien "family style" in large expensive quantities. I agree that there are limited decent Chinese food restaurants in Bellevue, and for my money, the drive to Chan's in Woodinville is the only way to go.
(2)
Clint W.
Wow, I haven't updated a review of Chef in a long time. I come here a couple times a year and almost always order the hot pot. It's just what I do. When it comes to S. Chef, I'm in a rut. This time, I came with a number of other people and we ordered a number of other dishes. The lamb, some chow mein, a veggie dish, a shrimp and broccoli, a chicken and tofu, and salt and pepper squid quickly overwhelmed the table. Of all of these, the only one that I would have deemed exceptional was the chicken and tofu. Smooth and silky. I will admit that all the portions were huge, but I was expecting better. I thought some of the lamb was dried out and hard, as was the squid. It was fried too long and was hard and chewy. Staff also forgot my beverage and after awhile, I just gave up on it. Because all the food was rolling out by the time they came around again. In the middle of the meal, I noticed another table having the hot pot, which I looked longingly at. Sad.
(3)
Marshall S.
Not sure what everyone is talking about because this is some of the worst Chinese food I've had...ever. I actually went here because of the solid Yelp reviews, and couldn't believe how bad it was. I went with my whole family and everyone left disappointed. We had: - Egg Flower soup (flavorless, gel-like substance) - Mongolian Beef (where's the beef?) - Mongolian Chicken (nasty, dark chicken) - Wild Chili Pork (MOSTLY pieces of fat instead of pork, looked like thick cut uncooked bacon) It took forever to get the bill and the place was 3/4 empty. Won't be going back.
(1)
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Address :15015 Main St,Ste 107
Bellevue, WA, 98007
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Oremo O.
I have to say that based on the reviews of this place I was expecting more. I ordered the shaved noodles chow mein. They were OK but I have had much better chow mein and also much better chow fun. The mandarin chicken was cooked to such a crisp that the majority of peaces of chicken just tasted burnt. I would only be willing to return to try some of the hot pot dishes.
(2)Juli-ann W.
I am a huge fan of their hot and sour soup. It really hits the spot when you are craving that perfect blend of tangy, spicy, and salty. Fried rice seems to also be a favorite and anything with the spice level on high. A few too many fried items, but the menu is HUGE so it's easy to order. Great service.
(4)Wes M.
Awesome! Best pot stickers ever! Shaved noodle beef chow mein was great! This place we will most definitley eat at again!
(4)Arry Y.
This place is a great place to hit lunch for working on the eastside. When I worked over at TMobile - we'd go here for lunch. When I worked over at Microsoft - we'd go here for lunch. It's also by this other good lunch place, Tuna House, so you can change your mind last minute (Chinese vs Japanese food). Particularly like/enjoy: - hand shaven chow mein - this chicken noodle soup (w hand shaven noodle) - scallion pancakes - hot pot - hot and sour soup Delightful lunch place.
(4)Avery And Tanya S.
The food here is great. Very spicy (much more than you can get at most places). The fried chicken with red peppers is great as is the smoked pork hot-pot. The green beans with smoked pork is our favorite though, along with the appetizer of cucumbers and basil in a spicy chili sauce. The service can go from slow to fast just depending on something I can't identify, but the people are always friendly and the food is great.
(4)Ninette C.
3.5 stars I came here for lunch with a friend and it was way better than I expected. They have nice lunch specials starting at $7. I ordered a spicy fish dish which was good. The soup and rice were fine...I mean, its hot and sour soup... I am interested in coming back for a dinner or hot pot.
(4)Heather J.
Bamboo appetizer still delicious. I really have been looking for this on menus everywhere and have never been able to locate it. Can't recall what it was about my last green onion pancake that I didn't enjoy, but my most recent one was quite delicious. I'd definetly order it next time. This time though my garlic brocolli was just so so. My friend ordered the hot spice wonton soup and it was too hot for her FYI. This place was super packed on a saturday night with nearly every table occupied, a little loud for my preferences, but I guess everyone just enjoys the good food. I'll have to remember to keep stopping by this place when I am in the area, although I admit it is in a part of Bellevue I never make it to. Definetly worth driving out of the way for though.
(4)Leona Y.
I dined here on a Saturday night with a couple of my girls and there were plenty of tables available at 7pm. I called ahead to reserve a table for us but that wasn't necessary. Ants on a Tree: This was definitely the best dish that we ordered. It wasn't too spicy and the dish is large enough that you can split it between 2 people. I would recommend ordering some white rice with this though since it can get a little salty at times. I saw that a number of people posted pictures of this dish and there's pictures of it all over the menu so I knew it would be good! Special Chow Mein: We ordered the hand shaven noodles which I liked. The dish itself isn't really that special -__- I thought it was pretty bland. I would definitely go for the Ants on a Tree dish instead. The dishes are fairly spicy so if you are weak when it comes to spiciness, make sure to let your waiter/waitress know! A reason why this place doesn't get all 5 stars from me is because of the service. Although there were plenty of tables available, my friend and I had to wait a while before someone seated us. The whole place seemed super understaffed and even when we would wave people down, they would always just acknowledge us and not return to help us. I will most likely return when I'm in the mood for spicy food but probably wont go unless its the middle of the day or when the rstaurant is dead so that service will be better.
(4)Karen L.
The first time boyfriend and I came here to eat, we were unimpressed. We ordered a spicy lamb dish and mapo tofu, and both were good, but we concluded that Sichuanese Cuisine in Redmond would remain our favorite, and left it at that. However, we returned for hot pot with several of our friends, and I have to say, hot pot here is great! We chose option C for hot pot, and it's unlimited. We got half lamb and half beef. Option A is beef, chicken, and pork. Option B includes seafood, but it's not unlimited. All options include vegetables, noodles, tofu, fish fillet, tripe, potatoes, and fish balls. The price for the option we chose is $16.99, which isn't so bad, considering it's all you can eat. We also chose one pot to be all spicy broth, and the other half spicy and half non-spicy. The spicy broth is super spicy--so spicy that if you accidentally inhale some of the steam from it, you literally cough from the spiciness (because it happened to me... haha). I was really surprised at how thinly sliced the meat was, and that is a huge plus. Once you drop the meat into the broth, it cooks almost instantly, and that's how it's supposed to be. It was also really soft and tender--mm, already off to a good start. I've never had potato in my hot pot before, but I really liked it and found myself eating several slices of the potatoes. Fish as well. For some reason, the fish was just really tasty (I think it had some garlic infused into it). Everything was really good, though I was slightly disappointed by the limited variety of the items. Service is good; the waiters are really helpful. Parking is great too. It's pretty much a huge empty lot that looks abandoned so parking here is no problem.
(4)Hattie H.
Their food was good when we first began getting. When we last got it the food quality was a big disappointment. Won't be going back
(1)Dhaval P.
Hot pot spot: Prior to my visit here I hadn't had legit hot pot in over a year. Man I love hot pot. I went with some friend's from Seattle and ordered the all you can eat hot pot platter. I am not too privy to all you can eat joints, but this place was different. I could eat forever, or at least that's what it felt like. I think between four people we killed two rounds of seafood/meat. Very fresh food! The service was chill, and the joint was well lit. They even catered to our obnoxious table-side manners. What more can you ask? Oh and to that middle aged couple that had to put up with our childish banter at the table, sorry. We were all loopy from our hangovers.
(4)Gary W.
Value, value, value and good food to boot! I've only been here for lunch so can't provide a review on the dinner experience. But, this is a good place for lunch when you want the Chinese "lunch special". There's plenty of choices and you get a large plate + soup + rice and hot tea. I normally get the mandarin crispy chicken, white rice and the hot and sour soup. You get a large portion and can easily take home leftovers. Another find on the lunch menu is the "special fried rice". It's a large plate made to feed more than one with everything added (chicken, beef, egg, shrimp, onion, etc..). You'll be able to eat this as a meal and have left overs for at least two more meals. Don't confuse the "special fried rice" with the fried rice that comes with the lunch specials as it doesn't have all the ingredients in the "special fried rice". The service ranges from lightning quick to relatively slow depending on how close you are to the kitchen. My advice is get a table as close to the kitchen as possible and not near the door if you want attentive service and get in and out quickly for a one hour lunch.
(4)Alice L.
Great, consistently good food and quite a bit of bang for your buck. The Mister and I like to come here on the weekend and it sure does satisfy my craving for delicious, spicy Chinese food.
(4)Dennis O.
Convenient parking, friendly service, reasonable pricing and great food. We had the wild chili pork, fried rice, and hot and sour soup. Best Chinese food around. They have a second restaurant in Portland that we have tried and is also great.
(5)Neil W.
We went for the first time with friends this Saturday. i must say, I was impressed. The dishes were full of flavor and spicy goodness. It was not too spicy , just enough heat to make you happy. There is a lot to pick from and the prices are pretty reasonable... i think it was about $30 for me and my wife to eat well. The one downfall, and this is where they lose the fifth star, is the food came out a little too quick. We did not get to finish our apps when all of the mains came out and crowded the table.
(4)Michelle B.
I've been to this restaurant twice i believe and both times have been great! The first time we ordered Hand Shaven Noodles, Chong Qing Chicken, and Beef in Hot and Spicy Gravy. The gravy seemed more like a bunch of chilli oil on top of the whole thing, but whatever. They were really tasty and came out super fast! The beef dish was HUGE! it came in a big bowl and was filled to the top. The left overs were delicious :) I also highly recommend trying the Hand Shaven Noodles. So Yummy! My 2nd trip there we decided on trying the AYCE Hot Pot. I forgot how much it costs per person, but i believe it is around 13-16 dollars. I believed we ordered the Ma La broth wich is super spicy. They didnt skimp on the heat wich i like! I don't think they had as many choices as Hong Kong Bistro does in Chinatown like Enoki mushrooms, glass or egg noodles, but the quality of the meat and other foods were great. They also give you a nice peanuty dipping sauce as well.They don't get cranky when you keep asking them for refills either which i appreciate. The service is not bad at all. The workers are very attentive, fast, and give you exactly what you want. I wish i could eat at this place more often but its soooo far from where i live :( Szechuan Chef, PLEASE open a location in the Seattle or North end area!!!!!!! I Cant wait to go back and try many of the other dishes they offer!
(4)Andrew K.
My wife and I love this place. We love it so much we had our Wedding Rehearsal Dinner here. Be careful on the spice, the items marked as spicy are actually really spicy, and this is coming from a Korean. My favorite item on the menu so far is the Twice Cooked Pork Szechuan Style or any of the Mandarin Crispy meat dishes. + Food comes out quick! + Large menu and so far everything I've tried is great! + Left-overs after a day are awesome, maybe the flavors need to soak in for a day :) + Staff is always friendly and will always customize menu items to your taste - Sometimes short on staff, expect long delays especially on busy days. - They keep mistaking me for Chinese, although I'm Korean ^__^; Tips: They are usually short on staff, try to get your order in when they sit you in order to avoid long waits.
(5)Bennet Y.
We've been here several times. Food is a bit greasy but pretty decent. The last time we went there was on a Friday night. Terrible service and we had to wait over 30 mins and we still could not order despite asking to several times. Granted there was only 1 waitress for the entire restaurant which is pretty bad planning for 1 hour. Worst, the waitress had major attitude and we ended up leaving before we even had a chance to order. So despite the decent food, we'll be taking our business elsewhere.
(1)Deborah S.
This restaurant is all about the food. Very authentic, just what we were looking for, while visiting relatives. If we lived here, we would eat in or take out once a week. The waiter directed us to Sliced Beef in Hot and Spicy Sauce, we like hot and spicy, this did not let us down as most Asian restaurants do, thinking we can't handle it. We also ordered the Wild Chili Pork, again a winner. As for service we arrived a half hour from closing, the restaurant was more than half full, and service was swift. We will be back here again when visiting.
(4)Sean C.
Szechuan Chef presents a conundrum. One could certainly order: - Middle Eastern fusion cumin lamb (~$12) for a savory, spicy delight - Chong Qing hot chicken (~$12) similar to popcorn shrimp except chicken and better - Dan dan noodles with pork (~$7) for a peanut-based spicy soup - Hot garlic sauce chicken (~$7, lunch) for a heap of sweet and sour on steroids And if one did so, one would probably leave happy and with a good impression of Szechuan cuisine. In fact, I highly recommend doing the above... for takeout orders or lunch. They are not the reasons one braves the inconsistent service or the schizophrenic decor of marble tables and a fake bamboo aisle in the middle of a nondescript strip mall with an abandoned flagship store. --- NB: Do not try the following with: - an uptight or personally nerve-wracking first date - vegetarians or, worse in this context, vegans - extended relatives who think beef and broccoli is an exotic dish - supertasters that cannot handle any level of spicy food - one whose idea of dinner is six lightly salted string beans --- Hot pot. If this is your first night at Szechuan Chef, you *have* to (have the) hot pot. $15/person, minimum 2, for the basic buffet hot pot with a false choice of broth - the spicy "ma la" broth is the only choice. It will arrive with beef, chicken, pork, fish ball, fish fillet, tofu, udon and more and we, both after running multiple miles and working out earlier in the day, were unable to finish the heaping default serving, but not for the lack of desire. For the basic dishes on price and taste, I think it's mostly a wash with Bamboo Garden or Spiced, but for hot pot, this is the only real choice in town, and worth the drive even for residents of Seattle proper based on my hot pot experiences in the ID.
(4)Elizabeth M.
Go here and get the Chong Qing Chicken. It's easily one of the best fried chicken dishes I've had. I love this place, but like every Szechuan place I've been to, it's heavy in oil, so don't go here if you're looking for something light and healthy. Otherwise come here and have a good time. They also have pretty good service and a nice interior.
(5)Faythe R.
I've been here several times for and tend to get the same things. I love the hot and sour soup and always enough to take home or that could be that i always order a large :o/ I love the potstickers and those plus the soup make for a yummy lunch. I've never been for dinner, but it doesnt strike me as the place to lounge at after work
(4)Ian M.
Great food. The Sesame and Mandarin chicken are both fantastic. This is a place you go for the food - the decor and service are utilitarian. They also do takeout.
(4)BC D.
Will have to try this place the next time I am visiting Seattle. Had a good time here while visiting a friend and his wife. The food was good, the service was better. Many veggies on salad were fresh -- a nice contrast to food served in Las Vegas, NV.
(4)Craig R.
Personally, I was kind of surprised at the mass of 4 and 5 star ratings for this restaurant. I ate here 3 nights in a row as I was working nearby, and I came back 3 nights in a row because of the number of high ratings. This might have something to do with the fact I am used to much more Americanized Chinese food, and this place seems a little more traditional. I tried a different dish every night: Night 1: Pork Fried Rice Night 2: Pork With Crispy Noodles Night 3: Mandarin Crispy Chicken (The equivalent of a General Tso's Chicken if you go somewhere else) I felt the Pork in general was a little lacking in taste in both the Fried Rice and the Crispy Noodle dishes, but it could just be personal preference. The Mandarin Crispy Chicken was delicious. The service was excellent. The staff was both attentive and very nice. The food came out quickly. They have Hot Pot! I'll have to try this some night when I have another person with me... They don't take American Express which was a bit of a turn off for me. It's definitely not my favorite Chinese food ever, but it's certainly a place you can go to and expect a good meal at a decent price.
(3)Sam H.
This place has one or two things... Either a waiter who does Jedi mind tricks who influence you to order something that is already prepared and ready to serve... Or.... Ninjas in the kitchen who cook food LIGHTENING FAST! Why? I have been here 3+ times and theaverage wait time for food after your "order leaves your mouth" (prior to waiter writing it down)... and comes to your table all piping hot.... is less than 5 minutes. We have timed it on multiple occasions! First time may have been a fluke so... we ordered different things 2nd and 3rd time... The first dish all came with in 3.5 minutes... HOW DO THEY DO THAT!!!??? AND MAKE IT TASTE AWESOME!!!???? NO FREAKING IDEA!!! Are you hungry and want some good chinese food??? YOU SHOULD COME HERE!
(5)Gisete K.
I went to this place first time a year ago and the food was pretty good. Today I went back there and had Orange chicken and Beef Chow Mein. Seriously, they might be laughing behind my back because the food was a joke. The orange chicken was mostly batter, worse than Panda Express', there were several pieces of batter with no chicken at all inside. On top of that the little chicken I found was super dry, obviously overcooked and perhaps old. The "beef" chow mein was 90% noodles, 5% beef and 5% cabbage. Seriously? There were like 5 to 7 very small pieces of beef. And hey, I'm talking about the dinner portion here. Also I was expecting more vegetables in a chow mein and not only cabbage. Honestly there was a part of the noodles that was white, with no sauce covering it. The taste was OK, but I was so upset at this dish; geez I could I have made this at home and included a lot of veggies. They might have other better dishes or better days but today it was a big fail!
(1)Thuy D.
Salt and pepper squid came in a super huge plate that is 2/3 filled with raw cabbage. Squid was super dried and chewy in texture. Fish dish(forgot the name) has way too much batter and tasted old. Chicken dish(forgot the name) again super dried and lacked flavour although there was so much sauce 'gunk' on it. Maybe we ordered all the wrong dish, but come on!!!
(1)Jerry L.
I visited this restaurant two weeks ago and they have really improved their service. The restaurant seems brighter now which is better. One of our dishes came up bad though... an order of one of the fish dishes came up with a bitter tasting fish. I asked the waitress what fish it was and she told me it was tilapia. Obviously it was not cleaned properly but she managed to get me another dish as a substitution. This restaurant is getting better and I will visit it more often.
(4)Jasmine M.
Craving for authentic, spicy Szechuan food? After visiting China and learning how delicious the fire-burning food in the region can be, I come here to get my Szechuan fix especially during the cold weather. The food here is always consistent and what I am most grateful about is that the food is not greasy compared to their competitors in the area as chili oil is commonly over used in Szechuan food. They have a huge menu and offer hot pot as well. Though I have not tried the hot pot here, I saw that they give you meat that is piled mountain-high. Like most Chinese restaurants' portion, there is always extra food to take home. Keep on eating, diners!
(4)George S.
The richest (?) Chinese food I've ever had. We had the fried potstickers, green beans & smoked pork, and a pork hot-pot. Normally string bean dishes are 80~90 percent beans, 10% meat, mushrooms, etc. These were about 45% pork, and very fatty pork. Both dishes were swimming in pork fat - the hot pot was like bacon soup. It was incredible, but we couldn't eat that much. Outside of eating roast duck, I've never had this much fat in Chinese food.
(2)Mike M.
Mandarin Crispy Chicken. Probably one of the safest dishes on the menu, but also fantastic. It is a little spicy, a lot sweet and completely delicious. Also a big fan of their Hot Garlic Chicken. The lunch prices are very cheap... $6.99-$7.99 for an entrée, rice and soup. Service is inconsistent... sometimes you have your food within minutes of seating, other times you wait 20 minutes to place our order, all regardless how busy they happen to be at the time. But if you aren't in a hurry, the best Szechuan around.
(5)Tony F.
Ok, i ate here last Thursday 6/17/2010. I read the reviews so i thought id really like it, as i am picky about meat texture as well. I ordered the honey walnut prawn, and lunch special Mongolian beef w/ fried rice. Fist off let me say none of it tasted good and appeared to be full of msg. This is all i have hear and i will probably not go back. The prawns tasted fishy, over breaded, and shitty walnut. Hands down the best honey walnut prawns is a uptown china in queen anne...ttere bbq fried rice is really good as well as ther mongolian beef. Also ballet and chungees on cap hill have the best fried rice.
(1)Patrick L.
If you like eating spicy, you'll absolutely love this place. The menus is huge, almost dauntingly so. I've been here many times, and have only sampled a small fraction of the items on the menu. The food is very good, comes out piping hot, has amazing aromas, and is just delicious. Some dishes do tend to be pretty oily, depending on if there are deep-fried components or an oily sauce base. This is not to deter those that can't handle spicy food. You can ask them to make any dish non-spicy. Just be warned, it's not like the Americanized Thai restaurants you're used to, where 3/4/5 stars often isn't even that spicy. If you don't want spice, make sure you tell them to make it without any, or like a 1 star or something. You'll definitely regret it if you try to go with what you think is a medium level. They also offer hot pot, with good prices and (if I recall correctly) an all-you-can eat format. This makes it a great intro for first-timers, so you can sample several different broths and ingredients. I've been going here since its inception, although it has been over a year since I last had a chance to eat here. Not sure if ownership has changed, but it was originally opened by the former owner of Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan restaurant in Chinatown, so they've been doing this for a very long time. From the outside, it's nondescript facade and location in a sad lonely strip mall don't clue you in on the treats inside. It's actually pretty nicely decorated inside, although a bit of foliage-overload.
(4)Kay Y.
Whenever I'm in town, I always make a point of having dinner at Szechuan Chef. it is far better than many of LA's Szechuan restaurants. It is a strip mail joint and tackily decorated but the food here is great. Hope you lucky Bellevue residents appreciate it. The dishes I like best are the scallion pancakes, the hand-shaven noodle house chow mein, the garlic green beans, the seafood hot pot, and the mongolian beef. I thought the moo shu was just OK. My mouth waters just thinking about the tasty food here! The place is always busy so get there early. I can understand some of the negative reviews as the consistency of service sometimes waivers and you have to know what to order as some dishes are better than others; however, most of the standard dishes are excellent, especially for the price. Go in January, when it's cold and see all the hot pot steam pour out the front door when you open it. It's quite a sight. Plenty of free parking.
(4)Carolyn S.
Szechuan Chef is authentic, very reasonably (cheap) priced, excellent food, and it is served up fast! We had our wedding dinner with 64 guests there. Family members complained when they heard we were going to a Chinese restuarant, but are now devout belivers. This is likely were we do out to eat most often. The food is consistently good, and you can go even if you're in a hurry. As others have said, you can judge an ethnic establishment by the number of native customers. Schechuan Chef is always full of Asian customers. It's in a strip mall, and is a bit unassuming- so you might drive by and be tempted to keep driving, but trying it out is a risk that will pay off. Excellent food. Good prices. Fast, courteous service.
(5)kate b.
It's not a good sign that the first thing I do upon coming home from dinner, is to rush to my computer to write a negative review - or any review for that matter. My boyfriend loves this place. Goes every Friday with his work mates. We ordered the hot pot soup. We specifically asked for the no fish/seafood option. They dropped off a huge towering plate of bok choi and cellophane noddles, the peanut sauce, and the soup and a hot plate and a huge portion of seafood..ummmm. Did not tell us what to do at all. Leaving non cooks with raw meat to cook in soup...not a good idea. That was the LAST time we saw the staff come close to our table. The hot pot servings were huge - I'll give them that, but unless you're a practiced cook, difficult to manage at a table. We were left with at least 3 lbs of meat that would have to be thrown away. Maybe they should consider 1/2 portions. The soup base tasted so much like oil, that it was unappealing to me. The service was very poor - not to fault the staff who were trying. I finally had to walk up after 45 minutes of waiting, to pay my bill. No water was filled, no tea refilled, no asking how our meal was (maybe they could read it on my face) I left eating nothing but a few bites (enough to taste that it wasn't good), very displeased with the experience and having spent $50 for the 2 of us. Money is precious these days. I'm not taking another chance on Szechuan Chef.
(1)Adam C.
You can have good, fast, and cheap. Here you get good and cheap. Fast is not an option. Service is slow and not very good.
(4)Bob W.
This is good Szechaun restaurant for the uninformed. They salted the food in excess and missing key ingredients to make a proper Chinese food. The Garlic and peppers are missing mostly. So, I probably will not be back again, Visiting from the Bay area, where you can get some real Chnese.
(2)Paul M.
It doesn't look like much from the outside... but as you get closer, you'll notice many awards adorning the front windows. "Best 100 Chinese Food Restaurants in America" one says. I frequently eat here with my team that is based all over the world. I am not one for seafood, but this place makes everything taste delicious. I have a guy on my team that lives in China. We let him do the ordering. We get about 10-12 dishes for ~15 people. My favorite dish: * #50 Chong Qin Hot Chicken -- I swear this dish has meth or crack sprinkled on it because my mouth is crackling after I've licked the plate clean. Pros: * The service is great: quick seating, food is prepared fast and fresh * Large glasses of water * Easy parking * Great food, good-sized portions Cons: * Portions aren't as large as Sichuanese (another Chinese food restaurant 2 miles away)
(5)Steve G.
OK - So I know that this review flies in the face of most of the previous reviews; so let me explain. Szechuan Chef is suffering from inconsistency. Sometimes the food is absolutely heavenly, sometimes the food is tasteless and boring. Also - Watch your bill! - We usually go in with 4-6 six people (Caucasian and Asian) and we have noticed the past two times that extra dishes have been added to the bill that we have not ordered or received. (The first time it was $4.99. We did not even realize it until the bill was paid and we were home! The second time was 9.99.) When we brought this $9.99 discrepancy to the attention of our server, he refused to correct the bill, saying "We had so many dishes, how do we know we did not order it." The answer is simple, because we were watching for it and testing them! So, go at your own risk - the food might be great, the food might be bland. Also, watch for the extra $5 - $10 "phantom" dish that might be added to your bill, as it was in ours!
(1)p e.
It's Sizchuaneze situated in the same parking lot as the abandoned Bellevue Kmart. I'm pretty sure there is a zombie horde residing in that shell of a Kmart building, but we can worry about that when the time comes. The decor isn't too bad; the fake plastic trees almost had me fooled into thinking I was in a tropical paradise...only without the threat of cannibals hauling me off. Not many people know this but cannibals AND zombies are both repelled by plastic trees. These people really know what they are doing and they take your personal safety seriously. The service was pretty quick and cheerful (but not in an annoying saccharine way). My favorite dish here is pickled pepper chicken. Mmmmmmm. Yeah, so what if it's probably 1000 calories thanks to all the oil they use? It's really delicious. You will need the nourishment to fight off the zombie horde if and when it comes. You can get in and out of here in around 30-40 minutes--so it's perfect for a workday lunch. Chances are, you will be coming from someplace else 'cause there isn't a lot going on in this part of town. Lucky for you, zombies don't have cars; so the lot will provide plenty of parking options.
(5)Tom C.
Pros: If you like spicy food, this place is good. Try shave noodles, I like their spicy tofu/beef dish and Szechuan style fry chicken with red pepper. Con: Typical Chinese Restaurant service... don't expect too much. Can be greasy.
(4)Someone W.
This is the best Chinese food in Bellevue and the only one I truly really like. The good: The food tastes good, well made, not too greasy, fresh and the portions are very generous. Some dishes are outright outstanding like the crispy sesame chicken, chili lamb and the hot and sour soup. There are also many good, better than average staples like the hand shaven noodles or garlic chicken. The one thing I don't like is that they are understaffed. They get extremely busy during lunch sometimes and that means long wait times. Still, staff is friendly, but I do feel sorry for them sometimes.
(4)Jens J.
Revised: 1/15/09 It's pretty good. Ended going here for lunch two days in a row, including today. Ordered the green onion pancake. I thought its dipping sauce was perfect but Penny opined that it could have been a bit more vinegary. In any case, it's addicting (like Yelp). Please note that in subsequent visits, Penny came to the conclusion that the dipping sauce is in fact, perfect. The (fried) pot stickers were huge and had the same dipping sauce as the pancake. The dipping sauce helps tone down the heavy concentration of ginger in the pot stickers. I ordered the Mongolian Beef and egg flower soup both days. Penny had a pork and broccoli dish that must have been OK because she didn't remark on the dish...and Dr. P. would have remarked if it wasn't OK. Here's what's interesting.....and that is the variability of the dishes from one day to the next. Today the egg flower soup was much hotter and more peppery. Yesterday, the Mongolian beef had more beef and less onion. Like Szechuan's high ceilings and airy feel. Penny was intrigued by the bright orange pumpkin colored walls. Szechuan is going to be a regular lunch spot. The only off note is the "chive and corn" rolls. on the appetizer menu. These really don't taste good at all.
(4)Shanshan C.
food is serving in extremely fast speed while quality is great. We had hand shaven noodle it is very authentic. Ant the starter spicy Wonton is great too. Other dishes are good too, not that special from other Sichuan restururant.
(4)Whit H.
Don't let the boxed-up Kmart out front fool you, Szechuan Chef is in business, and business is good. We went on Mother's Day, and the place was packed. There seemed to be some confusion about a number of misplaced reservations, and they looked a bit understaffed and overwhelmed. That said, it was worth it. The food was fantastic. My kids ordered the Orange Chicken, and it was quite possibly the best version of that dish that I've ever had -- to the point that everyone at the table ate it and we had to order a second serving. My only regret is that we didn't find this restaurant until today, about a month before we're moving from the area. We'll try to make up for lost time!
(4)S C.
Good food, huge portions! Service is stretched and sub-par, but that might be a one-off. The food will bring me back.
(4)Ashley B.
I've been here twice. The first time was good, although not great. We ordered the mandarin chicken and hand shaven chow mein noodles. Both dishes were great, but service was a little lack-luster. The second time, we went back here again on Christmas evening. The fact that it was Christmas is the only reason I'm giving Szechuan Chef 2 stars instead of 1. I'll give them a little lee-way because I understand that holidays can be more stressful for a restaurant and sometimes they are underprepared. But in no way does it justify the service we experienced. It's the restaurants decision to decide how many to staff on a particular night, and ultimately their fault if they end up being understaffed and too stretched. They've had enough Christmases in business to know that a Chinese restaurant, especially an already very popular one, will be extremely busy for dinner on Christmas. As expected, when we got to the door there was a long line to get a table. We waited for about 30 minutes. Completely fine if the restaurant is busy, although it was a little frustrating to see 50% percent of the tables sit empty, dirty with the previous customer's dishes, upwards of ten minutes while costumers waited. A sign that the waiters are too stretched to have time to clean tables. The was also no organization in seating customers. No hostess etc. The line of 20 plus people waited for 5-10 minutes even after multiple tables had been cleaned and ready to seat because there was no one to seat them. Whichever random waiter happened to see the line whilst serving his tables would quickly grab the next party and seat them. Sometimes it would take large gaps of time before a stressed waiter would notice the line again. Once we were sat we waited about five minutes before someone ran by and dropped off 3 menus for our party of six. Our waiter didn't show up until about five minutes after that. I tried to order the hand shaved noodles again but this evening they were out of them. Instead our party ordered mandarin chicken, mongolian beef, two crispy tofu dished (I don't even remember what they were called as I was not able to try them - more on that later), the dry cooked pork riblets hot pot, and the green onion pancaked app. We also all ordered a smoothie. Looking around the restaurant, each waiter was running (literally) around with a worried expression on their face. I only saw 3 waiters for the entire (extremely busy) restaurant. -Ten minutes later, as we are still waiting for our drinks, our waiter comes back to tell us they are out of smoothies. Ok, we order different drinks. -We wait 30 minutes until our app comes. The green onion pancakes were okay, but a bit greesy and bland. -We wait another 30 min until our first entree comes. And yes, it was only one entree. The mongolian beef came first and we sat and waited 10 minutes until another singular entree came out, the mandarin chicken. At this point we asked our waiter where the rest of our food was. He let us know he would be right back with it. -Another five minutes go by. During this time my party is asks for waters from any waiter who walks by us, as ours haven't been filled since we sat down. Each waiter hurriedly shakes their head and stammers "okay" before taking off again. We never receive more water. -Our waiter walks by again and we again ask him where the rest of the entrees are. It's now been almost 20 minutes since we were given only two of our entrees. At this point he apologizes and lets us know that they are out of crispy tofu (which was included in two of our dishes) and asks us what we would like to order instead. At this point it's been around an hour and a half since we ordered. Wow. We order replacements. We wait another 10 minutes for the third entree, and the two replacement entrees come 10 minutes after that. The service was one of the worst I've had at a restaurant. Overall, Szechuan Chef has good food but their service needs to be improved. Telling a party, 1.5 hours after ordering, that two of the entrees they ordered are out (and after two of their ordered entrees have already been placed on the table 20 minutes prior) is ridiculous. Under-staffing for a day they know will be busy, such as Christmas, is also unacceptable.
(2)Shannon E.
We eat here every couple of months. It's amazing! We usually call our order in and get it for take out. It's always done quickly and hot. We get the same dishes every tine. Tossed fried beef, combination fried rice and sweet and sour chicken. The tossed beef is spicy with cilantro, the combination rice has big portions of chicken, shrimp and beef and the sweet and sour chicken is like dessert.
(5)theresia t.
The ambiance of the restaurant is great. The service is great. Food is awesome. I love the "husband and wife lung slices - fu qi fei bian?" Authentic, and reasonable price. will come again to try different dishes.
(4)Sarah M.
I was a little skeptical when walking into this place with the tacky decor and odd arrangement of tables. However, it was comforting to see 98% of the customers in there were Asian which is usually a good indication of the quality and authenticity of the food. The food itself was good! I had the vegetable chicken which had an awesome sauce to it - and the crispy mandarin chicken. Both good selections. The food here is very flavorful compared to many other Chinese places that I've been to. The sauces are heavy which I guess can be a good thing or a bad thing. Although it doesn't look like much on the inside or outside, I would definitely come back here!
(4)Casey P.
There's a good chance that you would never come this unsuspecting spot in a stripmall next to a walmart and there's a good chance you'd never forgive yourself for not trying it sooner! The food here is just really really good. and spicy haha. Get ready to sweat. I've done dine-in and takeout and the staff is super friendly, with great recommendations. They can be a little slow, but just wave them over and you'll get taken care of. The portions are enough for 3 at the least, so it's actually quite reasonably priced. Crispy tossed tofu was a great surprise, theres this sliced fish in spicy gravy that sounds a little strange but it's so good. Nothing bad yet!
(5)Linda C.
LOVE! Finally a place with authentic Szechuan food. Green beans were great. Spicy fish was DELISH. Dan dan noodles: noodles were OK but the sauce was way too sweet. Will have to return for hot pot. Hooray for an authentic Chinese place in the area! ----------- People, this is a Szechuan place. You can't order off the lunch specials menu and then write the place off. That's like ordering mac 'n' cheese at the French Laundry, and thinking that *it ain't all that*... *gets off soapbox*
(4)Yuichiro M.
seriously? the broth in their hot pot is so much better than ID places. I dont even know why...but count me as a huuuuuuuuuge fan now! It is definitely a little more expensive it seems, but I wouldn't count that against them because the food is so amazing! One bad thing during my first experience there: bad service during our meal (nobody comes around with water, i had to go ask the front desk!), and they ask for tip regardless of what you think about their service...
(4)Cynthia L.
I am totally in love with this place. My friends and I came in here last night, a group of 8, and the service was just great. Despite how busy they were, the waiters took time to take a group photo for us. With the new commercial space that will be opening up there, I have no doubt that they will get busier, so don't forget- they take reservations!
(5)Amary N.
What happen to this place? I used to be good. Perhaps a new cook? All my dishes that we ordered are cold. And lack of spices. The hand shaven noodles came out flat and tasteless. Sorry to say this, I'm very disappointed. I could see that they make a mistake with one dish. But all 5 dishes? The food comes out quick and service is still good. I'll check back again in the next few months.
(3)Nyomi L.
Well, I don't know if it's "as good as it gets", however, Szechuan Chef does an amazing job of providing semi-authentic Szechuan food and maintains one of the competencies of Chinese restaurants in the U.S.... price. Just being the two of us, my friend and I shared 3 dishes. They were: Mapo Tofu Lamb w/ Cumin Water-boiled fish (literal translation, I don't know what the menu name was) Mapo Tofu is one of those dishes that's found in every single Szechuanese restaurant. It really is hard to go wrong in making it. You need, tofu, spices, ground pork and time.... That's it :) That being said, the mapotofu at Szechuan Chef was decent. I grew up with two people who loved cooking for me, so "decent" in my book would probably rank as an A- or B+ in most others. I really really wanted to love the lamb with cumin, but I couldn't. The part of China I grew up in specialized in lamb dishes, as it was the muslim autonomous region. Now when you have a group of people whose main meat is lamb, and lives in a region where the lamb is going to be freshly slaughtered that morning... anything less than amazing is going to be a disappointment. I knew Szechuanese people aren't as adept at cooking with lamb as they are with other meats... still.... This dish warrants a C or C-. But yes, the water-boiled fish redeemed the rest of the meal. After patiently explaining to the waitress that I do indeed want my food as spicy as they can possibly make it, the water-boiled fish came in it's bowl of chili-drenched "soup"... if liquid chili can be called soup. The fish melted delectably on the tongue, every moment a sheer ecstacy of spicy bliss. So needless to say-- A, perhaps even A+.
(5)Jamie R.
OK, so I just about flipped out right now when I realized when looking at my Yelps that I have never Yelped this place!!!! Szechuan Chef is the ONLY Chinese restaurant I go to... they've ruined me, I hate all other Chinese now! Admittedly I am not very adventurous when I come here... I don't order anything with intestines or other organs which are featured on the menu. I stick to the ridiculously good Chive and Chicken Shaved Noodle Soup, the Mandarin Crispy Chicken and The Udon Pork Chow Mein. I've brought a ton of people here and they always love it! They will prepare your dishes without MSG which is nice, and it doesn't compromise the flavor. Prices are great, I don't think I've ever spent over $15 here when splitting the check with a friend. Service is ok. You often have to wait to be seated and wait for the bill and wait for more water. But the food is so good it never bothers me. Someday I want to try the hot pot because there's always a ton of tables with that, so it must be good right? Parking is easy and the place is easy to find. Think abandoned Kmart and Starbucks.
(5)Dan P.
I love going to the Chef for lunch.... of course I always order the same thing - Twice cooked pork. The good: - Pork is tender and tasty - Hot and Sour soup is good... has a spicy kick to it - Service was quick. - Cheap lunch (10 bucks) The bad: - Cut the portion sizes recently?? I've been here multiple sizes and although the price is still the same, the portion size has decreased for lunch. It wasnt quite as filling as it was before. Overall: Reading other reviews, it seems this place is hit and miss depending on which dish you order. I'm sticking with the Twice cooked pork. Now if I can just remember how to spell Szechuan?
(4)J S.
I decided to visit Szechuan Chef this evening based upon the amazing reviews it seemed to be getting here on Yelp. And I have to say, Yelp didn't steer me wrong. We got there at about 5:00, as we weren't sure if there was a dinner rush. When we got there, we were the only customers. My wife asked if I felt that was a bad sign, but I assured her the reviews couldn't all be wrong. The wait staff was extremely friendly and very open with giving recommendations on food selections. I started with the Hot & Sour soup and it was amazing. It has been a long time since I've had Hot & Sour soup that's made me almost want to skip getting an entree and just dine on soup, but this one did. (Can't wait to get it again!) I then had the Chong Qing Hot Chicken and my wife had the Honey Walnut Crispy Chicken. I loved mine, but could have stood for it to be hotter. (I did a 3 out of 5 not knowing their heat scale, but now that I know I'll definitely do a 5 next time.) - My wife also loved her dish as well, but neither of us finished our meals. We both have enough for lunch tomorrow. So, if you don't have a big appetite, be ready to bring some home or split a meal with someone. By the time we left the place was getting very full, so I was glad we had gone earlier... and bear in mind this was a Sunday evening. Overall, it was a great find, and it's definitely going to be go-to spot for us.
(4)Duane L.
If you love spicy food, go here for a great many choices. If you don't, then you may be limited to what you can order. I wish this place was closer to me so I could go to it more often. The hand shaven noodle chow mein is quite possibly the best hand shaven noodle I've ever had. Hands down. Deelish.
(5)Joseph M.
The hot pot here is great!! Unlimited meat and veggies. Be warned though it is ridiculously spicy. I have also come here for lunch multiple times and love the mongolian beef. It is super sweet but delicious
(4)C A.
My Chinese sister-in-law who is a recent immigrant recommended that we dine with her at this place. I raised an eyebrow since she seems to believe that the best Chinese restaurants are either in the International District in Seattle or in China itself. I also generally dial down my palate's expectations of restaurants located in strip malls. So, this was no exception. But to my surprise, this place served up some pretty delicious and flavorful dishes both Szechuan and other Chinese provincial dishes. The prices were reasonable, good size servings, the place is clean, well maintained, the only star reduction is for spotty service. The wait staff could've been more attentive although the food arrived promptly, if not quickly. Overall, highly recommended.
(4)Rob G.
I love this restaurant! My favorite dish is the Chung chicken. Great atmosphere and the staff is warm and friendly.
(5)Jeff B.
Go for the hand-shaven chow mein!! I've been here before and had the mediocre hot pot which I won't be back for . I had the spicy hot pot and ended up being tasteless with boring sides. I had to come back and try the dishes. This time around I tried the beef and soft tofu in gravy. Not sure of the name but it's the first item under beef and pictured. Nice portion shared by three of us. The chow mein with hand-shaven noodles was excellent, we all loved it. Also the hot & sour soup is the best i've had to date from the SF Bay Area and certainly up here. On a slow monday at 3pm, two to-go orders of only soup walked by us, so i guess the word was already out. I've been back there a few times to get the hot 'n sour soup to-go!
(4)Lilly T.
We came here by default on a Friday because Sichuanese Cuisine was packed and had a line going out the door on a Friday night. Szechuan Chef has a lot more space w/ plenty of tables. Portions here are pretty ridiculous. Ridiculously big! We got an order of the house special beef chow mein (w/ Udon noodles), mandarin spicy chicken, green beans and a family serving of the hot and sour soup = more than plenty for 4 people. The food here is good, but definitely not as good as Sichuanese Cuisine. Be forewarned: a mini bucket of steamed rice is $5. Definitely more worth it to just get an order or fried rice for a couple $ more. Overall, so-so feelings about this place. Not sure if I'd come back..
(3)Flora C.
Review for Water Boiled Fish and Green Onion Pan Cake only. Fish is ok - Spiced restaurant wins on this dish Pan Cake - Hot and crispy, Good!
(3)Emily W.
My brother absolutely hates the Eastside for its lack of authenticity and flavor. I brought him to Szechuan Chef and he said, "this might actually redeem the Eastside". I've been a few times, the food here is tasty and flavorful and they have hand-shaven noodles!!! Aside from the noodle-goodness, everything I have eaten here has been good - the eggplant, Mongolian beef, deep fried Szechuan stuff, hot pot...bring an empty stomach. Seriously hands down the best Szechuan food in Seattle/Bellevue area
(5)Guy N.
We went there for dinner tonight. Our party of 4 split the following 5 dishes: - Chicken Chow Mein w/Hand Shaved Noodles - Moo Shu Beef w/4 Pancakes - Honey Walnut Crispy Chicken - Garlic String Bean - Fried Rice with Egg The Chicken Chow Mein w/Hand Shaved Noodles was served first, literally 90 seconds after we gave our order. If that was all they had served us for dinner, we would've walked away very impressed. This dish was excellent. The Moo Shu Beef w/4 Pancakes came with a fantastic hoisin sauce that really brought out the flavor of the dish. The Honey Walnut Crispy Chicken was only slightly above average, but still good. The Garlic String Bean dish was STELLAR. It's garlic sauce was so deliciously garlicky, without being harsh that I begged our waiter for the recipe. Finally, the Fried Rice with Egg was pretty standard. This is as good a Chinese place as I've ever been to, and I definitely plan on going back.
(5)Regina L.
I first went to Szechuan Chef with couple of my friends. I read the review that says that they are usually busy, and I didn't want to keep my friends waiting so I made a reservation. We went there 5 minutes before reservation time. Nobody attended us, and when I told them that I made a reservation, they still made us go back to the line and wait. If this is how it's done what is the point of me making that reservation? After serving our food, the waitress never came back to us, not even to fill up my empty water cup. I even had to go up to them to pay. We went on a Sunday afternoon (around 2) and they only had 2 people working up front, which is probably the reason for such poor service. However, I did enjoy their food, so a week later, I ordered to-go because I didn't want to deal with the staff there. I ordered three different dishes, but I think I did not order the right kind of food for me because the dishes were extremely oily. I remembered their food kind of greasy from my first experience but not as bad as the second time I ordered. The food were so oily that I was able to see the oil floating on my dishes and they werent even soups - I think they were supposed to be some kind of gravy.
(3)Marie H.
Surprisingly good food for a strip mall restaurant. As usual Yelp didn't let me down. I don't know the area very well and met a friend to go to the nearby shooting range. A quick look at the close restaurants on yelp and my lunch location was selected. I got the Honey Walnut crispy fish and the Hand Shaved chow mein Noodles. Pure YUM! They've got a huge selection of food. I'm glad I took the advice of the previous reviewers. I couldn't have been happier with the food. The waiter was fine, our food came super fast. The only complaint was they show having Taro as a flavor for their bubble teas, and they don't actually offer it.
(4)Amit W.
We have been to this place many times now. The wild chili chicken is awesome. The service is quick. I wish they had brown rice as an option.
(4)Sheila L.
I've came here for the first time with coworkers for lunch. Their lunch prices are a bit steep but the food itself isn't bad. I ordered their Dan Dan noodles which comes in a big bowl. Too much that I had to share and pretty much give away. I've also tried their honey walnut fish which is the same dish with prawns but with fish. I was amazed on how great it tasted. Definitely something to order and try. I also tried the szechuan green beans with chicken which I was told they use actual szechuan peppers which numbs your tongue for a few minutes. I wasn't able to feel that effect at all or maybe I just didn't eat enough? Hmm....I want to also try their hot pot special which I heard was good. Can't wait because I love hot pot!
(4)Hao Z.
This place has been a staple for my Chinese friends, and its clear to see why. They have a solid lineup of dishes that are all at least fairly good, and their hot pot is generous and tasty. That said, I noticed their hotpot price has been creeping up quite a bit. At only $11 a year or two ago, its made its way to $13, and now I look and its $16! I guess they charge what people are willing to pay for it.... (btw, you can get hot pot much, much cheaper in Chinatown in Seattle) Their watermelon slushee is to die for, it tastes amazing, like they sprinkle some addictive crack into it or something, just try it and you'll see. Not cheap though, at $4 a cup, but you can't help but pay... (also, it seems to be made from pure watermelon, so the price may reflect that)
(4)Ryan C.
would like to give a 4 but it's too good! why 4? coz it's tooo SPICY! OMG i couldn't even finish my lunch coz it's too spicy! spicy but good! i yelped this on the go, was going to another place but i entered a wrong address and saw this place across the street. located in a strip mall (as usual, great restaurants are located in strip malls! ahhaha!) doesn't look interesting from outside but the interior is great! large space, not stinky, clean tables, no sticky carpet, & non-greasy floors! got the garlic chicken lunch special @ around $7. portion is generous and the food was out before i could finish my soup! waaaaaay fasst! also got the green onion pancake, the au jus was great! (dipping sauce, just wanna sound bourgeois! ahhaha!) will come back again to make sure they deserve the 5 stars! otherwise, great food, great price, lightning fast service, & takes debit cards! (table of 6 next to me submitted 6 CC without any complaints from the cashier!)
(5)Mary G.
I have been to restaurant many times over the past 3 years. And I just went tonight. Ordered garlic broccoli, cumin lamb (2nd time ordering), sweet and sour crispy fish, and orange chicken. After this meal, I am not going back there again. This place used to be so tasty. What happened?! Today's meal was bland. There was absolutely no salt on the fish nor the lamb. I thought I was getting chinese broccoli. Instead when I ordered "garlic broccoli", I got steamed broccoli with starchy garlic sauce poured over it. The only good thing was the orange chicken and plain white rice (the orange chicken isn't even real chinese food!)
(2)Terry L.
Great spot for lunch. $7 - $9 for soup, main dish, two scoops of white or fired rice & a hot pot of tea. Nice looking place as well. There are 30 lunch special items, I like the twice cooked pork dishes. Here is the thing: The potion size has decreased by about 35%-40% from Jan 2012 to July 2012... Also you'll notice that the take out is much smaller portions then the eat-in lunch. Anyway, for a good Chinese lunch try it, it's a very popular place. They do have the large 8 top round tables for larger groups.
(4)Maple C.
You know the food is good when people from the surrounding tables are looking at your food with their hungry eyes. My bf and I got the hot pot buffet and the hand shaven dan dan noodles, and o.m.g. was it good!!! You get TONS of stuff for the hot pot.: fish balls, tripe, tofu, noodles, lettuce, kobacha (I think that's what it was) and fish all comes standard. We chose option a, which includes chicken, pork and beef in addition to everything I listed above. It was so much food that I had to actually stop eating for a little while and let my stomach rest before I could eat again. In fact, there was so much food for the hot pot that we barely ate the dan dan noodles even though they were delicious; there was just so much food! The place is really clean, it's easy to find, there's a huge parking lot and the people working here are all so nice and extremely attentive. They came to refill our soup for the hot pot even though we had much more than 50% of it left. *sigh* I can't wait to go back...
(5)Alan L.
I would say their hotpot is pretty decent; not the best I've had, but they have a variety of items. My favorite in Washington was Chef Chen's hotpot, but since they closed down, I've been coming here for it. They also serve individual dishes. I think if you go with the right people and know what to order, the food is really good. Their real fruit drinks are very good, and it's quite refreshing after eating a meal of greasy chinese food. Service wise, sometimes it can be hard to waive down a waiter/waitress to accomodate you.
(4)Xiangyu Z.
It's okay.
(3)Mark M.
If you're craving Chinese food and in the Bellevue area...this is the place to go. If it wasn't for Yelp, we would've never found this gem of a place. Now on to the food. The mandarin crispy chicken was awesome. I was literally saying "this is good," after every bite. The dish was make to perfection...crsipy on the outside (not burnt or overlooked) and tender on the inside. The Mongolia beef was ok. I thought the meat was a little over done. The flavor was ok as well. I've definitely had better Mongolia beef. And the portions...WOW! its like the claim jumpers of Chinese food. A lunch plate can pretty much feed two people. Plan on taking food home. Overall... Above par food, clean, friendly, and the price was just right.
(4)Pani L.
Great hot pot with generous portion sizes and we didn't need the unlimited refills. The staff was attentive without lurking. I wish Eugene, Oregon had a place like this. The other dishes we saw ranged from authentic Chinese to Americanized-Chinese food and it all looked delicious. Might have to fit in another trip while we are here.
(4)Ted C.
If you like spicy then you find the right place. I personal recommend their appetizers. They are all very good.
(5)Jon G.
The worst chinese food ever. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing, but the Chong Qin Hot Chicken should be renamed to "Fried nothing with truck load of salt and a bucket of MSG" I was about half way through my painful experience when I asked the waitress if I could just have one piece of chicken - anything, just wanted some real meat. I don't need 100 little fried things with no chicken in them. She said "what, you don't like it? Lots of customers like it." Customer service at its worst - she should have offered another dish for free or not make me pay. I will never return.
(1)kathy m.
I read one review on Yelp that suggested that one can judge a Chinese restaurant by the number of Asian customers. If that is the case, then five stars for having lots of Asian customers. But I like to judge a Chinese restaurant by the fried rice. That's a great yardstick because everyone serves fried rice and someone at my table always orders it. Szechuan Chef's fried rice is excellent. We ordered the veggie fried rice which had large pieces of fresh vegetables (not just frozen peas & carrots). I also don't like fried rice that is heavily seasoned with soy sauce. That's a cop-out. There are plenty of other things with which to season fried rice. The fired rice here is mostly white which I love. Just a little bit of soy. I also order honey walnut prawns just about everywhere I go and I loved these honey walnut prawns. They were light and crispy and the sauce was sweet and tart. So, aside from having lots of Asian customers I am giving Szechuan Chef five stars in the category of strip-mall Chinese restaurants. The food is good and reasonably priced. Lots of it. Nothing is overly salty or greasy. I never got the idea that anything came from the freezer. We will definitely be back!
(5)Vinh N.
Best hot pot in Seattle...or close to it. We only come here for the hot pot, so haven't tried the actual dishes. I love the sauce that they give you with the hot pot. You can choose between the all you can eat meat-only for something like $15 or the fixed portion combo meat & seafood one that is like $20. We've always gone with the fixed portion because we like the variety, and they give you enough to where we can't even finish all the meat.... that's why you bring girls right? Also, you MUST order the fresh watermelon slushie. I know, you wouldn't think a restaurant would have the BEST watermelon slushie, but this one does. I was so shocked at how great it was (and this was when watermelon wasn't in season too). My friend from Malaysia who grew up on fresh watermelon slushies was hesitant in tasting it, but once she tasted it, she agreed that it was much better than expected.
(5)Ron L.
No our cup of Tea(hehe). Our food we had here was OK. We normally eat spicy food and this was spicy just not flavorful. Maybe it was what we had on the menu but unless someone says we have to try a certain dish, that we'd be interested in, we won't be back. The decor of the restaurant is very marbley and cold feeling, disconnected.
(2)madelyn f.
Best place in Seattle for Hot Pot in my opinion! Their fish is outstanding! and the all you can eat meat is great! We always leave this place full, happy and ready to return.
(5)Nina N.
So I am a total sucker for a good deal, but I don't think it was necessarily a great deal in price, but it definitely was a good deal in flavor!!! So yelp's business area has done a new thing on their website where they do their weekly, or daily special... so as I look at my bookmarks one day to see $19.99 spicy crab... so I decided fuck why not try it out? So I did .....I ordered the crab and it was decent, similar to what you could get at an asian wedding ceremony hhahaha, but good enough for 20.00 buckaroo's.... But what made me happy was their hot pot!!! seriously!!! seafood hot pot ..amazing!!! So my foodie friend and I shared the hot pot.. and asked them to do it Anthony bourdain style (don't laugh), and make it spicy..they laughed,and freaking a..!! so worth it..a bit too spicy, but hey I got what I asked for right???? anyhow, so it was worth it after a hard work out, and I am glad I tried it out :) Smiles all around.. or should I say napkins all around for those runny noses!!!
(4)Lori M.
I love this place! I come here with my family for hot pot, but some of my favorite things here are spicy tofu peanut appetizers and tendon. They do some good stuff with szechuan peppercorns. Try their bubble tea while you're here too. They do a pretty good job with theirs (it doesn't taste like the powdered ones...ick!) They aren't quite as good as Sichuan First down near Ikea, but if you don't want to travel that far, you should give this place a try. Also, I've never had a long wait here.
(5)Lori S.
I am already wanting to go back and try more entrees at Szechuan Chef! There menu was so thick it was hard to decide what to order, and a bit overwhelming! We opted to do some hot pot action, but couldn't resist getting at least one entree to start things off right. Their Kung Pao was the best we've had from the east side, the bamboo shoots were nice and thick! We did the unlimited hot pot between 4 of us. I would recommend half spicy soup and half non-spicy. I made the mistake of trying to drink the spicy soup and boy was I in for a surprise! SOOO SPICY (but tasty good)! I really liked the tripe (pork intestine), and secondly the fish. Even after I was full I couldn't stop eating! My stomach was stretched out yet I would call it pains of joy, because I was in hot pot heaven....yumm!
(5)Melody S.
After eating at Szechuan Chef several times I knew I had to let others know about this favorite Chinese restaurant. They are just soo good! As MSG upsets the delicate balance, I always order mine without. In most places this usually means bland..bland..bland. Not so at Szechuan Chef. The flavors will really knock your socks off. Garlic and fire (if you want some heat!). Really, So, DO NOT pass this place up just because they are next to a quite large old K-Mart building and in an older strip center. My favorite dish so far? Their Mandarin Crispy Chicken is all that...nice and crispy...not soggy!! Need I say more?!
(5)Doug V.
Growing up in San Francisco, it was a hard food transition when I moved here. Szechuan Chef is an oasis of deliciousness. The hand-shaved noodles are delicious, but some of the other dishes lack consistency...sometimes they are great and other times they are just meh (in general though, even their worst dish is better than most of the other Chinese restaurants in the area). Hot and sour soup is spicy and has a great vinegary tang, twice-cooked pork was tender and tasty. The pot-stickers and won tons are delicious either fried or steamed. Ordering to go is great and everything is packaged so that things don't get soggy (i.e. sweet and sour sauce separate from the fried meat). It's also very family / kid friendly.
(4)Reed F.
Really good Chinese my family's first choice for Chinese food.
(5)The-Hoa H.
The food here is delicious, quite authentic and seems to be pretty consistent. The prices may seem a bit high at first for some dishes...but when you see the portions you will definately reconsider it as cheap! Service is semi attentive and nice. They don't bother you too much but do get you what you need. I've been here twice and both times ordered the crispy orange chicken and beef and brocolli....we substituted chinese brocolli instead of regular brocolli which s really good.....Very flavorful...yet not too sweet, salty, etc. so that your pallet ends up getting tired of the same flavors throughout the meal. Will definately be back!
(4)Lily L.
I went today for dinner based on reviews I've read from Yelp. I ordered the hand shaved chicken chow mein, hot and sour soup and house pancake. The chow mein lacked flavor. The hot and sour soup was watery and wasn't that hot nor sour. The pancake was crispy but didn't have a lot of flavor on its own (it was OK with the dipping sauce). I had to use the dipping sauce for the chow mein just to give it flavor. I have no idea how this place can get 4 and 5 stars from other reviewers. 1 star at best. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.
(1)Ane P.
This place is pretty good! One good sign, is that when you look around you actually see Chinese people eating at the tables. The food is quick, and also delicious--the only thing is that my biggest memory from dining here, is that when I left I smelled so strongly of food, it was as though I had been in the kitchen cooking it myself. It's one of those places where you look in from the outside and the windows are always beady with steam. It's not the cheapest place for Chinese food, but If you want to try some good authentic dishes, just ask the server. That's what I do, and it helps me to avoid picking the same things over and over.
(3)Liz R.
Simply the best Szechuan food you can get in the Seattle area. It is what it is, so don't expect anything fancy, just large portions of good food. I highly recommend the spicy eggplant, tea smoked duck, and cumin lamb.
(5)Allan D.
The food is okay. I brought my family here to celebrate Chinese New Year. We tried the steamed sole fish, kung pao chicken, orange chicken, spicy string beans, and udon noodle chow mein. The kitchen was very quick but the food was not as flavorful as expected. The steamed fish sauce was a weak mixture of soy and green onion, and lacked the taste ginger and hot oil. The orange chicken was mostly batter and the kung pao was mediocre at best. If you are on the Eastside and are looking for Chinese food, I would suggest checking out Facing East (Taiwanese), Yea's Wok, and/or Shanghai Cafe.
(3)Vadim A.
There was a cockroach in my dish and nobody apologized for that.
(1)M C.
I've been traveling back to Asia as long as I can remember, as my own taste definitely evolve and mature through experience. I thought I've tried it all but Wow! I'm not even a fan of spicy food. From flavor, authentic ingredient, and culinary combination. Impressive! I have to mention I hardly eat Chinese on my weekly dining routine anymore not because of lack in quality or flavor but it's just so hard for me to be impressed. Service = Awesome!, probably personal to my experience Ambiance = a bit on the weird side, but it's OK Food = outstanding, nothing but great things to say Price = $$ Crowd = family, mature, couples Favorite = outstanding food, value, tender fish to the crisp of the chicken, uniqueness of flavor. Wow! Worst = decor Meal for two = $80, that's me going out of control! Final Say = If I was give a relative ranking of all Chinese restaurant the next restaurant down may be only a 3.5 star
(5)Annie K.
Here's what we ordered: - Green Onion Pancake (6/10): Not the best I've ever had. It was definitely crispy and came with a good sauce but it was WAY too oily. - Tofu and Chicken with Hot Gravy Sauce (9/10): Amazing! The silken tofu was so soft and the flavors were very powerful but not at all overwhelming. This was yummy!! - Fish in Hot Black Bean Sauce (9/10): I'm usually not a fan of fish, but this was awesome! The fish was so soft and tender and the best part was that it was boneless!! - Ants on a Tree (8/10): With such a unique name we had to try it. It was very good. It's basically glass noodle in a spicy sauce with pork mixed in which makes it look like ants are crawling up a tree. Very good! This is a great chinese restaurant considering that it's in the Eastside. Definitely recommended!! :)
(4)Bao N.
I LOVE the Northern cuisine they have here. The hotpot is good (but what's up with so little veggies?!). The dishes are great. You know you've found the right place when over 80% of the clientele are mainland Chinese people. Some might think the food's too greasy. I'd refer them to crappy Sichuanese Cuisine and leave this place to people who actually like authentic Chinese food. C'mon now! Oh, and also gotta love the slippery floor. It's like you're in a heated rink :)
(5)Christina H.
By Seattle standard, it's a 5-star. But I had better food in Cali, so... This is how I judge a good Szchuan resturant, can they make Ma Po Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken? This place aced both. Love their hot-pot. Try the pickle cabbage and fish broth. It's even better than the spicy broth. Tips: if you go with Option A, they charge for every head at the table even children, but it's all-you-can-eat. We usually go with Option B for two and it's enough to feed 2 adults and 2 children. We always order steamy dumplings for our kids as soon as we sit down to keep their mouth shut. They came quickly and good. It's must for us. Intestine/blood/cabbage clay pot: it takes some nerve to try it, but it's really good. Hand saved noodles: try it in any fashion, you can't go wrong. Like all good restaurant, the line is long during peak hours. Go early or make reservations. And ask for a bigger table when you plan to have hot pot. It take a lot of space.
(4)SP A.
Love this place! They have best 'szechuan style fish' and 'honey walnut shirmp' and their szechuan style fried chiken is really good with good quality of meat. Their hot pot dish that everyone seems to like is not our style but all the other foods are good. The service is pleasand and prompt. We are satisfied with the place so much and we will always go back! :)
(5)Chrissy F.
Hand. Shaven. Noodle Brilliantly done with chicken here at Szechuan Chef. My first experience here, we had a party of 11 people total and ordered 9 various dishes. I'd never had hand shaven noodles and these were just outstanding. Other "common" dishes like sweet n sour chicken, this place far exceeded my expectations. Especially because the bill came out to each person paying $12, that was for splitting the tab and including a 15-20% tip! Where can you go for an abundance of deliciousness to feed 12 hungry adults and pay less than $150 total? When it comes to Asian restaurants, I am extremely picky (At one time, I delivered produce to Asian restaurants and could tell you stories that would make you perma-cringe) and I can highly recommend this place to family and friends based on food, ambiance, service, and availability. I've gone here with both small and large groups and they were always accomodating and helpful. DELICIOUSNESS!
(4)Hayley V.
Good restaurants are like songs that, when played, have the ability to instantly transport you to a better time when you were richer, thinner, and cooler distracting you from the bill-paying, debt-collecting nightmare that is your present day reality. Today was a shightful day but the mere mention of Szechuan Chef for dinner made my ears prick up and I purred over the possibility of green onion pancakes and a warm numbing food coma. SC is the reason eating was invented...or maybe it was the other way around. Just know that when your day needs salvaging you can count on Szechuan Chef.
(5)Bob G.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant when we first moved to the Eastside was the Szechuan at Crossoads. It has been closed for at least 20 years and finally we found a replacement for it. The food here is as authentic here as at the one of old and every bit as tasty. We'll have to come back and explore the dinner menu. The portions were sizable and prices reasonable. My wife had the vegetable chicken with fried rice. I had the Garlic Sauce Chicken. I really enjoyed mine, but my coworkers complained about the garlic hours later. Guess I need to take garlic cloves along to work and give them each one to munch on the next time I come here.
(5)anita c.
Thank your lucky (seven) stars that Szechuan Chef is essentially the reincarnation of Seven Stars Pepper in the ID, where its chef (and most of its staff) left earlier this year. Szechuan Chef has slightly higher pretensions than ol' Seven Star: better decor, better uniforms, nicer dishes and menus --- although the prices remain insanely reasonable. Six of us ordered a thoroughly sufficient amount of food and spent exactly $20 each, including tax and a 20% tip. Better yet, it seems that most of the friendly waitresses have followed the chef to his new location. Never one to tamper with a successful formula, we started out with a pair of old favorites: the green onion pancake and an order of hand-shaven dandan noodles with pork. Both were served promptly and piping hot... and tasted just as good as ever. We waited for one our party to arrive, and enjoyed an array of beverages, including a trio of house-made (but adorably packaged) fruit slushies. And then the food onslaught began. Chong Qin chicken, just as crispy and glorious as in the old days, smoky flash-cooked water spinach (aka ong choy), and many other faves. Even a couple of mis-steps --- they were out of shell-on prawns so our salt-and-pepper shrimp came white-people style, and the whole Szechuan fish we thought we were ordering turned out to be chunks --- couldn't dampen our enthusiasm.
(5)Kelley M.
You know you're in for a treat when the menu is in Chinese with English 'subtitles'. I went with a friend for dinner Friday night and we ordered the Dan Dan noodles (hand-shaved), Shanghai style wontons, and Mandarin Chicken. I wish we were adventurous enough to try the Hot Pot, but we couldn't get past some of the 'meats'. No worries--it was delicious all around. Crispy chicken with a savory brown sauce. Slippery, light wontons in a spicy broth. Lots, lots, and lots of food. We ordered an appetizer and two entrees; and brought home enough for lunch the next day.
(5)Krista U.
This was THE spot to go to on Wednesdays when school got out early! Ahh the good ol' days! I remember the food being extra delicious and the prices to be reasonable for a highschooler's budget! I must come back for nostalgia's sake! Other reviewers already noted that this place is awesome. But I would also like to add that there are tons of parking spots! You'll never have to search for long! I mean the shop to parking spot ratio is just.. it's just beautiful. Every driver dreams of such ample parking space.
(4)Mckensie G.
This is my favorite Chinese food in the whole state of Washington. The prices are great, the atmosphere is welcoming and authentic, and the food is delicious. If you go I recommend the Special Hot Chow Mein with hand shaven noodles. Chinese food doesn't get better than that.
(5)Minh H.
One of the best ! The place is clean, nice, and not greasy like other Chinese Restaurants. Would not embarass you for an invitation to dinner. The food is tasty and right to its original. Must try: 1. Hot pot 2. hand shaved noodle 3. Chong chin chicken 4. Cold noodle is OK. Interesting taste 5. Fish with hot black bean sauce. Affortable price for every thing except the dungeon crabs...why so expensive? It can get up to $45 a pound. Huge portion... I spent $ 130 for 8, and everybody went home with a full, happy stomach. Looking for Original Chinese Food? This place will not disappoint you.
(5)Annette S.
I definitely recommend this place to people who want fresh, not deep-fried Chinese food with a lot of flavor! This place has very cool decor and a lot of options on the menu. It's quasi chinese decor with a modern vibe in the lighting selections. Lots of bamboo. Marble tables! I've never been there when it was less than 75% packed, all asians in the house! We've taken groups of 20+ or just the two of us and have been treated well and served quickly each time we go. Portions are huge, and there are awesome vegetarian options as well as a kick-azz all-you-can-eat hot pot (with meats) for a rediculously low price! A family member recommended the place to us originally for the hot pot, but we've been back many times since to try other things. I can take anyone and we'll have something even the pickiest eaters like, which is awesome! The hot tea comes with the meal, and if you ask for water it comes in the form of a HUGE bright-colored plastic highball glass that will definitely last you throughout dinner! Each time I go I'm surprised at how low the bill is too. Definitely a good spot to go. And you don't feel hungry an hour later!!
(5)Garret N.
I also noticed the odd smell when I walked in. The decor also leaves something to be desired but none of this detracted from my excellent meal. The hot and sour soup tasted familiar and the tea was fairly tasty but the real treat was the Mongolian Beef. My family ordered three dishes, Mongolian Beef, Kung Pao Chicken and Mu Shu Pork. The Kung Pao chicken was probably my least favorite actually because the Mongolian beef was so sweet and spicy and the Mu Shu pork was really heaped on. I didn't find any of the dishes unusually spicy. We ordered them normally and my spice-phobic parents didn't complain even once.
(4)Daniel T.
I liked the twice cooked pork and the Mongolian Beef. We will go back soon. The lunch specials are a great deal.
(4)Evan M.
Consistently one of the best Szechuan/Chinese places in the entire region (at least that I've found). They also have LOTS of "strange" dishes that are usually hard to find if you don't read/speak Mandarin, so woohoo! Favorites: - Pork intestine, blood, preserved cabbage clay pot - Dry cooked pork intestine - Cold tofu in spicy oil appetizer - Sour/pickle hot pot OMG. It's great. Even my, let's say, less-adventurous co-workers can enjoy it because they have both ends of the spectrum.
(5)Eva W.
The. Best. Chinese. Food. Ever. Period. I work fairly close (10 minutes) away from Szechuan Chef. Our sales staff visits the restaurant for each and every birthday we celebrate. The honey walnut chicken is to die for. The Szechuan Crab is absolutely amazing. The hand shaved noodles are delicious. The fried rice is perfect. The spicy Dan Dan noodles are amazing. The portions are huge. It's all delicious and amazing. I can't find anymore words. If you are planning on dining here to "catch up" with an old friend, change your mind. You will be too busy eating and enjoying the delicious food that you'll forget to talk. It's just that delicious.
(5)Anna H.
OMG!!!! I want to have a bigger stomach so I can eat more in this place! We went there with high recommendations from relatives. We were not disappointed! 5 of us ordered a nice mix of dishes, includes: Pork Tripe with Hot Sauce, Spicy Wonton soup, Lamb, Dong Por Pork, and others. The my fav of the night is Dong Por Pork. This dish is very tradition Szechuanese, the pork needs to be fatty and tender. It is hard to achieve both, since fatty meat tend to fall apart when cooked too long. But SC does it perfectly! The sauce is sweet, and yet salty. I high recommed this dish. It is not the usually spicy dish you would expect, but eaqually chalenging to make. If we have the chance, we will definaitally go again!
(5)Jamie T.
We were searching for shabu shabu and the best alternative we could find was hot pot. This was my first time doing Chinese-style hot pot, but I definitely enjoyed it! We did a pot of half spicy/half non-spicy. Although we love spicy food, the spicy was SPICY! Good thing we had the non-spicy broth to calm down our taste buds. We got served a huge mound of meat and veggies. It was so tasty. I haven't tried anything else here, but would definitely come back just for the hot pot!
(4)Karl H.
Holy Speed Racer Batman! That was quick! Which is exactly what you are going to be thinking when two seconds after you place your lunch order from one Waitress another turns around and brings you your food. The service is fast, the language barrier is a tad rough at times and the food fantastic. If you're curious about the authenticity there are mostly Chinese people eating here. I'm sold! FYI: Spicy is definitely spicy as I don't think they discriminate against the white man spicy. You know what I mean... a whitey asks for 4 stars and they get like 1 1/2... an asian person asks for 4 star and they get 4 star. Hey, hey, hey... don't get all pissy about it. It's know its a racial thing, but I ain't the one doing it.
(5)Jason Y.
Love this place- especially on a cold day. Nice selection of spicy, szechuan -style dishes and great hand shaven noodle dishes! We had our wedding rehearsal dinner here since it was so close to our venue (Robinswood House!). Surprisingly, it turned out well - and everyone got plenty of good Chinese food for a good pretty good price.
(4)nanu b.
This review is just for one dish that I tried and if others are as good as this last one I am a fan!.........had the eggplant in hot garlic sauce with spice level 4 (on 1 to 5 scale)......it was sweet, sour, definitely spicy but had a very well rounded flavor......although i reached out for a jar of water more than once but the spiciness complements the dish so well.......the other eggplant dish w/ basil seems to be milder than this one........the price was $9.45 different from what their website menu said but no complaints..........chinese veg dishes often get ignored for the pork n chicken ones but you shouldn't miss this one.
(5)Srta L.
Worst food ever! My bf and I came to try this place because it had great reviews overtime. Let me start Service: it was horrible! as soon as we entered to the restaurant, the lady waved at us to come in. Also, they took long time to take our order, they never came back to check on us. We had to ask to refill our water twice. Finally water came in, at the moment I asked for the check Food: Horrible! we ordered, the hot and sour soup from the lunch special was tasteless. Also ordered the wild spicy pork (had a weird smoke flavor), ordered beef brisket (full of fat meat and only bamboo and mushrooms $14 for garnishes basically, taste was ok) and the handshaved beef noodles ($9 - tasted ok) Ambiance: OK. Price: $$ - 1 lunch special, and 2 menu items = $35
(1)Summer S.
The food here is good! I believe the portion sizes have been getting slightly larger over the past year (keep it up please ^.^). So now you can have just a little bit of leftovers and then you can remember how delicious the food was - that way you'll have to come back soon. Also, if you want spicy and authentic Chinese food, I believe this is one of the better places to visit. They have great lunch menu options and specials. Plus the service is good. Everyone is friendly and attentive.
(5)Pallavi S.
Excellent sichuanese cuisine. Casual place. Good for lunch and dinner.
(4)KC C.
Not sure why this restaurant has such a good review. There are so many better Szechuan restaurant in Bellevue that are much better than this.
(2)Rohit K.
Go here for some real spicy Szechuan food. The service is okay but responsive. We love the fish fillet in black bean sauce here. The food is oily but tasty and slightly expensive. The hand shaven noodles are quite thick and we generally stopped ordering those after few tries. Good place for a casual spicy meal.
(4)Maddy C.
Amazing food...the seafood dishes are to die for....esp if you are craving spicy food....yummm
(5)Vania K.
Much love for Szechuan Chef for their chong qing chicken and Mongolian beef. My family and I came here late Sunday afternoon (around 3pm) and the place was pretty quiet, with only a couple of tables occupied. We ordered the chong qing chicken (I can't help but ordering this whenever I'm at a Szechuan restaurant), Mongolian beef, and dan dan noodles. Unfortunately, they were out of hand shaven noodles (boo!), so we settled for the "regular" noodles. I don't know if we were all just starving (we were pretty hungry) or if the food was just THAT good, but we devoured everything like we hadn't eaten in days. All the dishes were very good, and the portion is very generous. The chong qing chicken was crispy but not greasy, served with the typical dried chili peppers and something a bit more unusual: long beans. It was addicting, we couldn't stop munching on the bite-sized chicken even though we kept saying that we were full. The Mongolian beef was very flavorful, not spicy at all, surprisingly a bit sweet, but all the flavors seemed to work. The dan dan noodles had a broth-like sauce and ground pork. I'm used to a thicker, gravy-like sauce, but this was good too. It's a bit vinegary and was probably the least savory of all the dishes, definitely more of a side dish to share. I definitely recommend ordering to share family style, unless you're here during the week and happen to catch their lunch specials (aw, so jealous!). Service was good and the place was clean. Our total bill came to roughly about $38 after taxes and tips for all the dishes mentioned above and a side of rice. We had a lot of leftover (I wish they didn't use styrofoam containers!).
(5)J. C. L.
Loved their twice-cooked pork, green beans, and ANTS ON A TREE (ground meat with yam noodles). Would definitely recommend + go back.
(4)Emerald P.
Great boiled beef and fish!! Not a big fan of the spring rolls so don't waste your time with them. They are greatly staffed and attentive to everyone. Very clean facility. I wish they would have given me more white rice, but then again I love white rice and could eat 3 people worth
(5)Mason L.
Both services and food is good and I can't other restaurants that can beat their price and portions. I wouldn't mind going that every week.
(4)Mike S.
Been looking for a good Chinese spot that is close to work for me. I think I found the spot, (so far so good). I have tried the Mongolian beef and also the House Fried Rice. Let me start off by saying the reviews that I have read so far are pretty accurate. The Mongolian Beef was great! it tasted great, wasn't too sweet like other places I've been to and it was very tender. The House fried rice was good as well! It has chicken, beef, pork and shrimp I believe. The only complain I have on the fried rice was that it only came with two pieces of shrimp, but they were very tasteful. Overall, a great spot so far. Definitely want to explore some more of the menu, but a lot of reviews says to stay away from any deep fried chicken, since most of it is breading. I might have to check it out still since I love chicken.
(4)Lia T.
I've come here for lunch a few times with co-workers, but last night I finally came for dinner. My sister and I shared the pot stickers (steamed), egg drop soup, and the special hot chow mein with chicken (hand shaven noodles). The sauce for the pot stickers was just divine. I also really liked the hand-shaved noodles - they were the perfect texture, flavorful and a bit spicy. Service was a little slow, but we were not in a hurry. Its in a strip mall with a large parking lot so there is plenty of parking. I'll definitely be eating here again!
(4)Alisha W.
Classically awesome Szechuanese cuisine: It is my go-to restaurant for reliably delicious Szechuan spicy food. HUGE portions that are bound to leave you with leftovers. Great meal for the price. My favorite dishes: * Fish cooked in water with spicy (literal translation from mandarin) - spicy stew leftovers can be taken home and made into delicious leftover stew. Its got the kind of spiciness that really makes your mouth kind of tingly and numb :) * Maopao Tofu - classic. * House special Hand shaven noodles
(4)Nina H.
I learned last night that Chinese food on Christmas Day dinner is a tradition for many folks. My bad. Our party of three waited in line for 30 minutes because the restaurant was PACKED at 6 p.m. I really had no idea, and I should've known better, but nevertheless, we were seated and ordered shortly after. Everything felt a little delayed because they were clearly understaffed. No problem, it was understandable and I felt bad for both the servers and the diners. The three of us ordered more than we could handle, but we were ready to take food to go. We shared the stone pot tofu dish, green beans, eggplant and sweet and sour fish. Everything was delicious but definitely on the spicy side! My favorites were the green beans and sweet and sour fish. Service was as good as it could be given the hectic situation. We got our tea refilled pretty quickly and I was able to go up to the front and pay the bill quickly too. Not too bad! I'd definitely come back and try the hand shaven noodles.
(4)Ron A.
I love this restaurant! The interior is messy and ugly but the food is GOOD--when you tell them you want authentic Szechuanese food. The price is way better than just reasonable. This review is only for the Bellevue branch though--the one down South is awful.
(4)Sunny H.
Delicious. First time trying out the place b/c our other fave was closed today. Mongolian Beef Spicy noodles Beef with Broccoli Eggplant and a couple of other dishes. All delish. Will def. return.
(4)Ann W.
I am a total hand shaven noodle junkie! Something about those thick cut, crooked edged, chewy noodles just get me all giddy. So once I saw that Szechuan Chef had my drug of choice, I was there for lunch with my bestie. I really enjoy dan dan mein, and I am a new spice lover, so I had to have it. For $8.95, it was definitely a must-try. When it arrived to the table, I was like, DAAAAMN, GINA... the bowl was huge! Since size is not all that matters, let me tell you how the dish tasted. The sauce was a really nice mix of sweet, salty, and of course spicy! There was lots of cabbage slices and dan dan's signature ground pork. The noodles themselves looked delightful, but the texture was sadly too soft....and no, it is not normal and does not happen to everyone. Still, the experience was redeemable due to the value, flavor, and not to mention the convenience of parking. I have actually been here before many years ago and remember enjoying most of the dishes I tried, so I'm glad things haven't changed too much since then.
(3)Heidi M.
Yum. This place rocks in the Bellevue area. I have been going here for years and the food has remained consistent. Great shaved noodles. There curry dish and orange chicken are both great choices as well. Can get busy during the lunch crowd. Service is good. Prices are on track.
(4)Brett M.
Typically service is pretty poor (only reason it's a 4 star, to me). The food is worth the wait. They give you good portions for your dollar. Love it!
(4)John E.
I am almost more disapointed in the service than the lame food. Let me explain. The Twice Cooked Pork was so overly salty I couldn't hardly make it past 5 bites. My wife's Crispy Tofu with Eggplant was all eggplant and 5 pieces of tofu. We also ordered the Ant On a Tree to share. I know it's hot, but this was so overwhelmingly over hot that every single strand of noodle was coated in peppers. And where was the meat. Just a couple of pieces of ground pork. Also, the use of chili oil was so heavy handed and overwhelming that it ended up a greasy hot mess. We took it home and the leftovers are a red oil dripping soupy mess still. Toss... We never got our tea. My kid loves Chinese for the tea. My 4 year old only likes steamed rice and broccoli. We asked for some and the server was vague. They couldn't come up with a simple order of broccoli, EVEN THOUGH ITS GARNISHING MY WIFES PLATE FOR GODS SAKE... Lame. We tried to get the crispy fish appetizer. The waiter just said, "we don't have that". So we said we'll need some more time and he just walked off. He never came back again. The other person who took the order was the one who couldn't figure out the side of broccoli. Even though there are items just like that on the menu. So we hated our experience. And I'm left with an unsatisfied craving for Ant On a Tree. But with the combo of the salty lunch and the water I drank to put out the chili oil overdose fire, all I feel is bloated.
(1)Gene D.
No changes. I still keep coming back. You're crazy if you don't order half your lunch-dinner off the specials board. That is all.
(5)Amos Y.
Plenty of parking, and pretty roomy restaurant. I liked that this place gives you the nice heavy square chopsticks and ceramic plates. The service was alright, as expected of a Chinese restaurant. A server brought over tea and water for us, but didn't come back to take our order. But once we signaled that we were ready to order, they quickly came over. After taking our order, the dishes started coming out pretty quickly in 5-10 minutes. We got garlic green beans, Chinese broccoli beef, mandarin crispy chicken, and the dan dan handcrafted noodles. One interesting thing though, is they didn't ask us to rate the spiciness we wanted. My favourite was definitely the mandarin crispy chicken. They are small lumps of deep fried chicken in a tangy slightly spicy sauce. The broccoli beef and garlic green beans were pretty standard and tasted good. The dan dan noodles were a little unexpected. We were expecting a more peanut / seasame spicy sauce type noodle. However, the sauce used was an interesting numbing spicyness. It makes your tounge numb, which makes drinking water taste kind of strange. The noodles were fine, but the numbing spice was pretty strong. For people not used to this spicyness I would stay away as it might be hard to eat. Overall the food was pretty good, but for people seeking spicy food Spiced would be a better restaurant.
(3)Jocelyn R.
Best Chinese Food I've had in a long time. The Hand Shaven noodles are amazing. The staff is great and the food is brought out so unbelievably fast! Love it!!
(5)Lisa W.
I absolutely love Szechuanese food, and this place is my favorite in the area. My family and I come here all the time and pretty much order the same dishes: fish in spicy gravy, Chong Qing chicken, cumin land, and the fried crab. The dishes are pretty authentic (maybe not as spicy) but will really open up your palate with their spicy and slightly numbing flavors. The service is good, and you can find parking easily in the lot.
(4)Gabriel C.
Tried a variety of their dishes (mabo tofu, twice cooked pork, eggplant tofu, pork tofu, hand shaven noodles, dan dan mien, boiled fish in chili oil)- exactly what I'd expect a Szechuan restaurant to serve. Although it's on the oily side, the dishes weren't just cooked and a ton of spice thrown on. Definitely will come back to try more dishes!
(4)Tina G.
Worst tasting food ever!! Went with a group of coworkers. No one liked their food. Funky tasting :(
(1)Brad F.
Great somewhat hidden spot. No frills but huge menu of choices. Service is usually quick but sometimes it helps to flag someone down when you need something. Best experiences have been with groups of 6-8 when we could order several dishes to share. They have a funny policy here too. They do not like to see food wasted and will charge you extra if you waste food. Not a problem for me. I'm always happy to box up leftovers and take them home!
(4)Anna S.
Hit or miss with this place. When it's a hit, it's absolutely amazing. We always order the crispy orange chicken with either fried rice or chow mein. When the chicken really is crispy, it is better than any other I've had. There is a good amount of chicken and the sauce is phenomenal. The rice and chow mein have a lot of flavor, are not very greasy (although it's still not healthy food, but that's what you know you're going for here). When it's a miss though, the chicken is not crispy at all and a little soggy, and the plate is half filled with orange peels instead of actual chicken. It still tastes pretty good, but definitely not as advertised. The rice and chow mein are very bland when it's a miss, and sometimes far too greasy. If this place was more consistent, I would have given it 5 stars all around. We still take the gamble though, because when it's good it's sooo worth it!
(3)Brian P.
There is no better Szechuan style Chinese food in the East Side or greater Seattle area. Mandarin chicken is crispy, saucy, and sweet with an undercover spice to it. They are in little bite sized nuggets that are so amazing. Another favorite is the Szechuan deep fried crab. Yep. Deep fried crab. This with beer is heaven for me. Salt and pepper squid is also amazing. Fish is spicy gravy is another favorite. It can get hot in here and extremely busy so don't expect top of the line service. You go here to EAT amazing food.
(5)Hurst K.
Very nice, hot and sour soup awesome! Mongolian beef great. Kung pao chicken very good. Will be back.
(5)Kristin C.
This place gets busy for lunch, and rightfully so. The lunch specials are great. I love the mandarin chicken. It's very Americanized, but not too sweet or greasy. I love their egg flower soup too, and I am not usually a fan of it. Their Dan Dan Noodles are alright, but I've definitely had better. I'd stick to the lunch specials. Soup, Entree and rice for less than $8. The place is super busy, so be prepared to wait for 5-10 minutes for a table, but they are super efficient and get you in and out of there quickly. Avoid the fried rice though, it's just plain gross.
(4)Nathan N.
Service is terrible, food mediocre/served cold. On top of that they charge you $10 if you leave food on your plate. Never heard of that anywhere else! I would avoid, plenty other places in the area.
(1)Jim T.
I've eaten many a lunch here over the last several years. Used to be a really good and consistent experience. More recently, it seems to have gone downhill. The service is mediocre. Last time we ate, they got the order wrong. They fixed it, but no real attention to detail, including not bringing a dinner plate. I had prawns with string beans. I've ordered this several times, here. This time, there was some very strange, out of place flavor in the food. I have no idea what it was, but it had a citrus quality like chewing a vitamin C tablet. It was just weird. Wish we'd gone to Kukai Ramen, instead. I don't think I'll be back.
(2)Mimi S.
Food here is a bit too oily for me compared to other Szechuan restaurants. But other than that it tastes good, spicy dishes are not that much spicy. Food comes in big portion. We visited this place on Saturday noon, many people were dining there. A good thing is that there were plenty of parking space outside. Service is good, although they seems not have enough waiter to take care of everything on time.
(4)Marika A.
Best authentic Chinese food on Eastside!
(5)Big T.
Good food here! They've got a broad menu and lots of favorites to try. Dinning in is much preffered, as certain dishes just don't travel well. String Beans Yumm!
(4)Heather H.
Always great food and great service. Portions are large, family style. Favorite dishes include their whole broiled fish, all their vegetable dishes (but especially eggplant), and anything with their hand shaved noodles. Best Chinese food for 400+ miles. We come from Seattle to eat here.
(5)Henry P.
I've been here 3 times now. I've had Green Onion Pancake, House Special Pancake, Tofu+Beef Szechuan style, Szechuan style dumplings, and Honey Walnut Chicken. The first four items were great. The last item, not so great. The first four were great because they required a certain measure of cooking skill to make them great. The taste was good and what you'd expect from this place. However, the honey walnut chicken was not breaded via hand. It seemed more like wholesale chicken (frozen s--- as Ramsay would say). Not it didn't taste all that bad, but you the item should be breaded in-house if they're not charging Cafe-like prices. I'm from SoCal, so I'm very aware of what the price-quality ratio should be in an Asian restaurant. Overall, the restaurant is nice. The decor inside is airy and cavernous. The service is great and I like the fact that complimentary tea is served with water. Normally, you'd have to request these items (at least at places I go to). Overall, I give this place four stars across the board (Decor, Service, Food). Aside from the Breaded Chicken, this place actually is good.
(4)Elizabeth L.
2.8 stars. Not sure if we just ordered the wrong dishes, but was completely underwhelmed here - cheap cooking that skimps on main ingredients. - Salt/pepper squid was a disaster gone wrong - 90% cabbage, jalapeno, scallion with 10% batter, maybe 1% squid. Almost inedible - Mao Po tofu - how can one possibly screw up the most basic homecooking? I make better maopo tofu than what they're trying to pass off as authentic cooking here. TRAGEDY. - Hui Gwo Rou - while the flavor was right and had a bit of ma la (numbing spice) which was excellent, again the dish had too much filler/scallion, which isn't traditional for this dish. - Si Ji Dou (string beans) was decent - Kong Xin Tsai was super fresh and the sole dish worth returning for Nice try, but won't be back.
(2)Crystal G.
Delicious! Wanted to try a new spot with the kiddos and pulled out yelp. Stopped in here and got a TON of food for $40. There were 5 of us and we took home leftovers for days. Kid friendly, they enjoyed the usual fare. The BBQ pork is made fresh here and while different than what we are used to it was quite delicious. I would be interested in visiting without the kids so we could be a bit more experimental with the menu.
(4)Arnold P.
I love this place. The menu is very involved, so they are sure to have something to please you. I love the chili wontons. Go see for yourself!
(4)Gurei C.
Love it! If you are into spicy Szechuan cuisine, this is your place. The Chong Qing hot chicken is excellent. Your lips will burn. This restaurant has an expansive menu so one never needs to worry about not finding something to eat here. Would give this restaurant five stars but seems short on staff on busy weekend evening.
(4)Mark F.
We stumbled upon Szechuan Chef last year (2013) on Memorial Day. We had just arrived the day before from Colorado, moving to Seattle. We had to head back over to Bellevue to return the UHaul. Given that there are already a lot of reviews of this place on Yelp, I'll keep my comments brief. We had lunch here today and this was our fourth visit. It may be sufficient to simply note that we're willing to drive from Seattle, where we live, to come to Szechaun Chef in Bellevue--we think it's the best Chinese food we've had in King County, although to be fair, we haven't begun exploring the International District yet. In our four visits the food has been of consistently high quality. Good quality and fresh ingredients, spiced and flavored very nicely, and always cooked just right. Today we had, for the first time, the honey and walnut fish and it was simply amazing. The fish was light and moist and the fried coating was ever so light and crisp. The honey sauce, with just the right hint of lemon, was out of this world. We always think their pot stickers are first rate and today was no exception. Finally, we ordered one of today's specials which was a "beef brisket casserole." This brisket would have made any Texas barbecue chef proud in terms of its firm yet tender quality. If I were rating food quality only, I would unhesitatingly give Szechuan Chef 5 stars. I take one star away because the service is always a little lackluster. There's nothing specifically wrong, they just don't demonstrate any eagerness whatsoever to really deliver a first rate and welcoming service experience.
(4)RJ D.
Every time I'm in Seattle, I'm taken to this Chinese restaurant. The food is good, and the service is great. I just get ordered the same dishes all the time. I like the fried rice. This is good because all Chinese restaurants should have good rice. The fried tofu was good, although it gave me heartburn later that night. The intestine dish is okay, and the fried spicy pork looks like popcorn chicken. I guess I'll keep coming to this restaurant and try something else.
(3)Diana C.
It's been a long time since I've been here last and I don't know why it's taken so long! The service is decent, considering the authentic Szechuan food. The prices are good considering portion size and location (Bellevue, up and coming plaza). And the food is hot, yummy, and spicy! Can't complain on any front! They have a large menu to choose from so you can bring everyone and they should be sure to find something that pleases their palate. Parking is plentiful but getting busier now that so many businesses have moved in. Overall a great place to come and nosh on some spicy deliciousness!
(4)Tianming Z.
Good is cheap and good in general. I like their fish and lamp. Not all waiter/waitress are English proficient enough to communicate. Lots of vegetarian options.
(4)Mimi D.
Everything was pretty good tonight . Had hot pot with the family and it was well more than enough food . Servers checked on us plenty of times to make sure everything was okay . Oh and also the Chong Qing Hot Chicken was pretty good .
(4)Jule G.
I was just in here over the weekend because Kukai had a seriously long wait. The restaurant was pretty empty, which makes me wonder if the owner has changed, because a couple of years ago this restaurant was always hopping at the mealtimes. I ordered the dan dan noodles, which were ok. Flavor was decent, but I've had better. The twice cooked pork, by contrast, was so ridiculously salty that it tasted like the cook had dumped an entire salt shaker into the dish. After two bites of the pork, I could no longer taste my dan dan noodles...they basically tasted like cardboard because my palate had been killed. Not my idea of good cooking. Definitely not coming back here again. I was never really a fan of the place, anyway.
(2)Danielle C.
Yum! This restaurant serves very good Szechuan food. I was impressed because usually the Chinese restaurants in the area are not up to par. The dan dan noodles were good. The sauce was great and the lunch portion was huge for under $10. The hand-shaven noodles are really thick, just a forewarning. The sauce is really spicy so if you like spice, this place is good for that. The twice cooked pork was excellent too. The food was also spicy and had a lot of chili oil. The loser for the day was surprisingly the egg drop soup. It was bland and rather gelatinous.
(4)Joanne D.
Delicious! We ordered the hot and sour soup to start and honey walnut prawns and mandarin chicken. All dishes were very tasty. I loved that they serve both hot tea and water when seated. Will definitely come back!
(5)Angela L.
I have been here a few times, every time this place made my stomach happy. The price was good for what you get. I have never try their hot pot, will do next time!
(5)Jon L.
Review number 888. Was saving this for a Chinese restaurant or a place having something to do with luck. Szechuan Chef just happens to be a lucky Chinese find. Although this is the closest Chinese place to my house, I have put off trying this place for a long time. At least partially attributable to the once rundown strip mall it is located. Fast forward to the present and there have been a lot of improvements made. There is a soon to open LA Fitness and a Walmart grocery store opens later this year. Plus the parking has been redone, though it was a bit rough to look at the construction as it happened. The exterior seems unassuming, but it was surprisingly cozy inside and actually a pretty sizable restaurant. I thought it would be a smaller looking place. If you are dining in, wait in front to be seated. Otherwise, head to the counter in back to order takeout. I decided to do takeout. It was quite crowded at lunchtime. And why wouldn't it be? Szechuan Chef has a good lunch menu, sizable portions and great prices. Did not see anything over $7.95 on it. I ordered the diced fish with pickled peppers lunch special ($7.95) and special hand shaved noodle chow mein ($8.25). As this is a Sichuanese restaurant, these can pack some heat. If you want a tamer version, ask for 1 or 2 stars. The diced fish goes all the way up to 5 stars. I decided to go with 2 stars for both. Although the wait was supposed to be 10 minutes, I got my order in around 5 which was really speedy. Both dishes were good, though I prefer the chow mein. I love noodles and the texture of hand shaved noodle makes it one of my favorites. They have several meat choices to choose from, but if you pick the special version, you get chicken, beef and prawn mixed together which I think works perfectly. The diced fish is bit of gloppy, soupy type version that works well with rice. I had enough leftovers that I combined the fish with a block of soft tofu, diced cucumbers, garlic and shallots which made for a good comfort meal and nice repurposing of this dish. I liked the dishes that I had here and the rest of the menu looks promising to try. I don't know really why I waited over 5 years to try this place, but it sure won't be another 5 till I try this place again. Szechuan Chef has turned out to be a fortuitous find.
(4)Connie L.
I've been here like... 5+ times, and the food never fails me. Most recently I ordered the sweet and sour crispy fish, which had a lot more breading than I last remember... I like breading, so it was delicious to me... but some people may not like it... The sauce was good. Also the fish was loaded with cilantro on top, and I know there are cilantro haters out there. I also ordered mongolian beef (yum) and ong choy for the vegetable (yum!). I've previously ordered handshaven noodles, which I guess are decent (I don't normally super enjoy hand shaven noodles anyway), mushu pork (YUM), mapo tofu (which was spicy spicy spicy... and I'm not normally a fan of this either), green beans (yum), fried rice (yum), kung pao chicken (yummerz), and probably other items. All yums. They speak mandarin and canto there.
(5)Corliss P.
Got take out from here and decided to order the chong quing hot chicken since it had positive reviews on here and I'm a sucker for fried chicken. It was not good. It was way too salty and all batter and no chicken. Such a rip off for 12 bucks. Next time I get take out I get the hot and sour soup and hand shaven noodles which are both awesome and the mandarin crispy chicken.
(2)Yuyin V.
My husband loves this place and often eat there with his co-workers but I don't think its that good. The spiciness left my mouth feeling numb. The food is too greasy or too dry. The only thing I like there it's the egg soup.
(3)Food Lover L.
Hot spicy fish is best from all Si chuan restaurants that I have been to in Seattle area.
(5)Nathan R.
Nicely decorated inside- which was a nice surprise, considering I wasn't necessarily expecting that judging from the outside. The staff was courteous too. The food was A-OK, nothing to write home about- but filled the sustenance needs. The best dish was the chicken and hand shaven chowmein noodles (I'm still not comfortable with the word "shave" and food, but yeah...) - nice lighter sauce. The sesame chicken was overpowering with sticky, gooey, sweet sauce and the garlic string beans were a-ok too. I ordered for takeout, and the turnaround was very quick, so that was really nice. If you're in the area, have just moved some friends and are starving- you could do worse.
(3)Harsh B.
Two words - Oliy greasy. Service was decent but mostly all tables were not cleaned up.
(1)Jay K.
This place was horrible. We should never have sat down when we saw the restaurant was nearly empty at noon and the host/waiter/bus boy pointed at a table and tossed the menus on it. Fortunately, we wised up enough to order only one lunch special - Spicy Garlic Beef. Their web site quoted $6.95 but in reality the menu was $7.45. The food arrived and looked like 1960's American chop suey. I'm betting this place is gone by next summer.
(1)Georgie M.
One of the best Szechuan restaurants on the East side (or, West)! We've come here for lunch and dinner and have never had a bad meal. Yes, it can get crowded, but it's worth the wait. Cold noodles, Szechuan dumplings(Won-Ton), Pot Stickers, Hot & Sour soup, Kung Pao, Sweet & Sour, Hot Garlic Sauce Prawns, I could go on, but they're all wonderful and delicious! Most of the entrees are in the $12 to $13 range. I use to come here for lunch just for the soup! I know a lot of good places in the International District, but this is one the best. Check out the menu: szechuanchefbellevue.com Enjoy!
(4)Steve F.
Tried the Dan Dan noodles based on the good reviews. Really didn't do it for me. Pretty much just noodles and peanut sauce with a smattering of lettuce and green onion garnish. I guess I was looking for something with more vegetable substance. Mu Shu chicken was good but only after we had to send back the Mu Shu pork cause it tasted off. The place is popular so we will try it again.
(3)Orlene C.
i love hand-shaven noodles, and it is hard to find, so I was excited to try the chow mein with hand-shaven noodles after reading the reviews and the mandarin chicken. The mandarin chicken was good. I was disappointed with the noodles. To be fair it has been awhile since I had chow mein,so not sure what this dish traditionally taste like. I ordered 1 star and the spice was bearable but it was the main flavor. Also, I was hoping for much more veggies and found only a couple small pieces of cabbage. The beef was nice and tender but wished there were more pieces of meat to enjoy. The noodles texture themselves were pretty good.
(3)Daniel T.
Honey Walnut shrimp was an A and was a large portion. Mongolian beef, B moderate portion. Chong Qing hot chicken 5 star was good but not great (B) but we all really did like the Mandarin Crispy Chicken (A). Egg rolls were large and tasty as well.
(4)Rodion K.
I have eaten here a good handful of times. The food is tasty but the service is usually sub-par. Despite this, I kept eating here (again, for the food)...but after my last experience I am not likely to return. I entered the restaurant with my girlfriend - immediately we noticed that each and every table was covered in dirty dishes and food (except for the few tables that had some customers). We have never seen something like that before. After waiting (too long) at the entrance, an employee finally came to seat us. We began to follow him, when he realized that all of the tables were filthy and covered in dishes. He very rudely put out his hand multiple times as if to shove us back and told us to wait. We were already a little upset, but once we saw how slowly he began clearing a table (we were waiting several minutes), we lost all patience and left to eat elsewhere. tl;dr - restaurant has some good food, but the service seems to be getting worse and worse. And some potential cleanliness issues as well.
(2)Luther H.
Have literally eaten here or taken out 50 + times having said that, the following is the least i can say: Dan Dan Best ever Noms now
(5)Andrew A.
Two of my friends and I decided to try this place out since our church was close. Over all the food was good we had to stop eating halfway through because we found 2 hairs in the food. They did comp her meal so that was nice but left a bad taste in her mouth.
(2)Jess L.
Found a dead (but cooked) larvae-like insect in my food. At first I thought it was a piece of garlic or something, but upon closer inspection, the foreign source of protein had tiny little legs. Manager and staff were apologetic, but that doesn't excuse them for their dirty kitchen. I used to come here quite a bit, but I'm never coming back after that terrible experience.
(1)William l.
To call what it serves Szechuan cuisine is either an outright lie, or if you are super generous, consider its dishes as "highly interpreted". E.g. The Dan Dan noodle is watery and lack any sort of spices. (maybe sugary because they threw a bunch of napas in there. lol) Add to it their surly service, I recommend you avoid it. The staff are all Cantonese if you need more proof. There are are so many good options around these days, why bother with this?
(1)Tina C.
been here at least three times. my favorite Chinese restaurant in all of Seattle. every time i order, i am never disappointed. they also have handmade noodles and prices are very reasonable. favorites include ma po tofu and their broccoli beef. also if you ask the waiters what they recommend, they usually do a great job. the environment is nice and the customer service was great (waters were always filled and dishes were taken away in a timely manner). i take all of my out of towners here (i think i will start contributing to their photos on yelp because i wish they had more photos!!) they also have hot pot all you can eat (Def. returning in the winter)!! they are also next to walmart so you can get your groceries!
(5)R. Lewis B.
A little wait at the door, but it's Christmas! Great food, good service! Tsing Tao beer!
(4)Food L.
We came here for dinner on Sunday a week ago. We arrived around 5:30 and so there was no wait. We ordered Szechuan Wonton Dry Style, Beef Tendon with Peanuts, Toss-Fried Lamb, Sliced Fish in Hot & Spicy Gravy, Crispy Tofu with Salt and Pepper and Garlic String Beans. The wonton wasn't tasty as we had at others. Beef tendon was really good as it was cooked just right, not tough but still had a bite to it. The lamb was very tasty and it wasn't over spiced, so you can taste the lamb. The fish was great. It was tender in that delicious hot and spicy gravy with bamboo shoots and lettuce. Crispy tofu was not good. The tofu wasn't soft kind compared to the same dish in other Chinese restaurants. Not enough salt and pepper flavor - don't order! Garlic string beans were OK. Overall it was good for the Szechuan spicy dishes except a few of the non-Szechuan dishes that we won't order again. We had to order some non-spicy food for in-laws. But ordering non Spicy Szechuan dishes in a Szechuan restaurant is expected to be so so. We will definitely come again.
(4)Wendy S.
Went here for a friends birthday dinner. We orders about 8 dishes for 8 of us and the bill came out to about $160. When we got there early and there was plenty of space. I was a little worried that it was going to be a hole in the wall restaurant...but I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived I found that it was in a nice area and looked nice on the inside and outside. The food came out quickly and promptly. We started out with the Gai Choy tofu soup. It was like an egg flower soup with tofu and a collard type green which was tasty! We also ordered the baby bamboo shoots with tofu and pork tripe with hot sauce for appetizers. We ordered the garlic green beans which were delicious! We also ordered the braised whole fish with supreme sauce which was just OK. I felt like it was a little on the bland side. We ordered the Chong Qing chicken which was very tasty, but I definitely agree with other reviewers that it is a lot of fried pieces and not a ton of chicken pieces. We ordered the cumin lamb which was VERY cuminy :) we also ordered the dry smoked pork hot pot. It was like smoked cha sui and it was very flavorful. Lastly we ordered house special chow mein with the hand shaved noodles (the whole reason I chose to go to this place) we received all of out food minus the noodles, when we asked where it was the waiter said that we didn't order it and we advised him we did. After that it was promptly brought out and it was delicious! It was good, but I wouldn't make the trip over there on a normal basis.
(3)Quincy S.
So, I Had The Kung Pao Chicken With Fried Rice & Egg Flower Soup. I'll Start With The Soup. It Was Not Good At All. Did Not Even Eat It All. The Kung Pao Chicken Was Just Ok Nothing Great. Now What Made This Place Horrible Was The Service. I Will Never Go Back To This Place. First Off They Took Forever To Come Take My Order The Never Took My Drink Order. I Asked For No Veggies Instead Of Saying "OK" She Says "There's Not A Lot In It" I Still Say No Veggies Please. My Meal Come And Guess What There's Veggies In It. They Don't Even Put The Food In Front Of You They Put It On The Other Side Of The Table Not Even Close To Me Were I Had To Lean Over To Grab It. Did The Same When They Brought The Soup. I Was Done With The Food For 5 Mins Trash On The Place Before They Bought My Check. Never Asked Me Once If I Was Ok Or If I Needed Anything Else. Very Sad First And Last Time I'll Go There.
(1)Shelby J.
Chong Qing Chicken. Ants on a Tree. Hand Shaven Dan Dan noodles. ALL of them a total win! I used to eat here about once a month, at my job we would order take out for the whole location/store from Szechuan Chef. It was usually one where you would high-tail it to the lunch room, because it wasn't going to last long despite everyone's good intentions of sharing. At any rate, I have never dined at the restaurant... it's always been take-out. And I'm okay with that. That way I can go get my gluttony on in private in front of some select individuals. Don't judge. :) So good!
(4)Robert B.
The circumstances of our bad experience: I guess those who order to go will be given the crap treatment (the place was busy and lots of customers actually seemed to be enjoying their meals when we were there). The order was wrong (asked for no onions, but they were in there), the beef and broccoli was absent of that thing called taste (completely bland, and the juice it was in was like bath water), and the meat in the fried rice was frequently fatty and had cartilage. Ultimately we had to toss the meal.
(1)DW K.
One of my regular spots for Chinese on the East side. I usually get the mapo tofu because they use Szechuan peppers which differentiates the taste relative to other authentic Chinese restaurants. Their lunch combos are huge and very affordable. Fried rice is pretty average. Overall a very convenient place to have decent Chinese outside of Seattle.
(4)Maddy C.
I go here for the spicy fish curry...its fieriness lives up to its name! Also like some of the hoptpot dishes. Quite efficient and fast service.
(4)Kozby E.
Food was great, service was slow but they were attentive. I suggest anyone to go this place in non-peak hours. I also noticed that you can simply stop by, order and have your food to go. It seems like a family business and employees are willing to help always. Also as far as cleanness I can say overall it was clean store. I am coming back during non-peak hours.
(4)Rachel F.
Absolutely amazing!!! We were in WA on a business trip and saw some reviews for this place. I highly recommend it!
(5)Paul L.
Keeps on ticking Ambience: 4 Food: 4 Value: 4 Amidst an insurgency of Chinese eateries in Bellevue, a solid choice for spicy Chinese cuisine remains Szechuan Chef. The same well-executed Szechuanese food awaits customers inside a remodeled interior (they are next to the newly opened LA Fitness and Walmart Superstore). Chong King Chunk Chicken, Spicy String Beans, Stir Fried Lamb, Spicy Fish, etc., reliably delivers a spicy yet indigestion free meal. The portions are generous and the prices are decent. A reliable choice for me.
(4)Blake M.
Best. Chinese restaurant in all of the Seattle area. I eat Chinese food once about once a week and I've lived here for 2 years and I still have not been able to find a place that makes anything better than Szechuan Chef. I've tried about 1/3rd of the menu and everything is amazing that i have had. And they are very consistent with their food . It always will taste the same. 10/10 would eat again. and again. and again.
(5)Allison M.
I have been coming to this restaurant for several years. The food has always been great. My boyfriend and I are vegetarian, so we come here quite often as they have great veggie dishes. The only issue I have is sometimes the service isn't very good. they've all grown to know us, but sometimes they simply do not have enough people on staff. If you like good food, it's worth waiting. Some thoughts on dishes: 1. Mandarin crispy tofu: I order this dish every time I go there. 5 - Excellent. The flavor is great, and the tofu is almost always perfectly crispy. Occasionally, they rush it and it doesn't get cooked as much as it should, and the tofu tastes almost soggy. 2. Dry cooked string beans: I order this dish every time I go there. 5 - Excellent. This dish always comes out so fast, within a couple minutes of ordering. The flavor is great, and the green beans are always fresh. Sometimes it will have a little less flavor than I like, but sometimes it has more flavor than necessary making the green beans a little soft. 3. Hot and Sour soup: I order this dish every time I go there. 4 - Great. I have yet to get a hot and sour soup that I like more at other restaurants. Sometimes it comes out scalding hot though, so be careful. 4. Tea: 4 - Great. This tea is served to everyone. I recommend letting it seep for a couple minutes though. They pretty much make it to order, so you need to let the water retain flavor from the herbs if you like a flavorful tea. Most of the food ranges between a 4-5/5 here. Between the dishes that I mentioned above, my boyfriend and I get 2 whole meals (4 meals for 1 person) and it usually comes out to be around $26. In my opinion, this is a great deal for prepared food, given the excellent quality. We eat here around once a week.
(5)Jacob D.
I really like a simple dish here, which is the fish with pickled peppers. I asked for it a little bit mild because it is one of there spiciest dishes. I asked for 2/5 (many other dishes are on a 3 scale). It came out spicy but not too spicy and it was perfect. The sauce for the steamed pot stickers is excellent and I poured some of that onto my fish!
(4)Robert B.
Always the family's go to place. Love everything here.
(5)Rachel S.
Could give this place 4 stars for food but 1 star for service. We dined on a Friday night and were seated quickly but it went downhill from there. It took a good 15 minutes to take our order and then we waited a further 45 minutes to receive any food. Our tofu hot pot could have been great except it was a cold pot. Somehow it got out of the wok and into a pot with no lighter and must have sat for a while. The other stir fry was hot and quite delicious, however the 2 other things we ordered never came. We waited about another 20 minutes before requesting our bill and had to leave. So annoying! I was hungry! lol Many people arrived and left without being seated. Other diners were left waiting for a good 45 minutes. Irritating some people who arrived after us were served faster and they seemed to be pumping out the take out orders but no food was coming out the kitchen on plates. Will try again oneday as good chinese is hard to come by.
(3)johnny n.
This place is gross. Go to Bamboo Garden instead. They couldn't even make a good string bean and chicken. The string beans were not crispy enough and the chicken lacked flavor. The eggplant was not salty enough. I don't even want to start on the beef and tofu spicy dish. Yuck! We ended up throwing the leftovers in the garbage because it was stinking up the car. Save your money, appetite, and time for Bamboo Garden in Bellevue. Bamboo Garden was closed for two hours between lunch and dinner, but I guess if you are really good, you can do whatever you want!
(1)Olivia L.
The food was AWESOME! We had hand-shaved noodles (wider noodle but not chow fun), steamed fish and spinach with watercress. The only reason why I do not give it a 5 star is because they are EXTREMELY short handed. We waited a ridiculously long time and our dishes came out at different times. Super frustrating especially when ur eating with small children. Overall delicious but aggravating experience. btw: I saw other diners complaining about the same things. Too bad because this restaurant has outstanding potential!! Love the hand-shaved noodles!
(4)Cherene R.
When I eat here, it's like I'm cheating on Yea's Wok, which is my all-time favorite Chinese restaurant in Bellevue (well...Factoria, but close enough). Szechuan Chef is actually a 10-15 minute drive away from it's Chinese-food-love-rival and conveniently nestled in a plaza close to an LA Fitness for those who want to reward themselves with a gluttonous meal after a super sexy sweaty workout. I've only eaten here a couple of times, but every time I've gone, I've always enjoyed their food! The last time I was here, we had the Mandarin crispy chicken, the sesame tofu, and the fried fish with black bean sauce. It was an enormous amount of food. I would recommend eating all the dishes we ordered again, especially the chicken! But even if any of these do not suit your tastes, the menu is vast! They have a wide selection of dishes for you to choose from. They even have hot pot! But please...if you're coming here to "eat healthy", why are you looking for Chinese food!? The service was great. Even when we needed more time, the server did not mind coming back in a couple of minutes because we either just read very very slowly or just couldn't decide. He even answered our questions when we peeked over the table across from us because we were wondering (and drooling over) what they were eating. When we finally made our order, the food came out fast! And it was hot! And fresh! One last thing - the portions are very generous! I would recommend that when you choose your entrees, you order as many entrees as you have people in your group...and no more than that! Unless you plan on bringing a leftovers feast home, which is not bad either!
(4)Elle D.
It was okay.... I didn't think there was anything extravagant worth raving about. After I ate the hand shaved noodles, I couldn't move at all. It was way too filling. The noodles expanded in my stomach. Went home and threw it back up. Then again. Twice. It tasted really good at least.
(2)Peter S.
This was my first visit. I was looking forward to it based on a coworker's comments, reviews on Yelp, and a busy lunch crowd. I was underwhelmed. The service was good, but... I ordered the lunch-menu item of Mongolian Beef with steamed rice and hot-and-sour soup. The soup was a good starter dish. I didn't enjoy the Mongolian Beef - it tasted "flat", the meat was very chewy, and a couple of times I had to politely cover my mouth and put my food into a napkin.
(2)Sireesha S.
There is good food and there is bad food. And then there is food which has ants in it. Not that I have a problem eating ants, but eeeeek! Seriously?! The dish we ordered was some kind of sweet fish - looked pathetic, tasted horrible and was garnished with black ants. Their only saving grace is their quick service - even during peak lunch hours. And that may deserve the one star.
(1)Ellen B.
My husband and I decided to stop in on Christmas Day, as we have no family in the area and were looking for some affordable and tasty Chinese cuisine! The atmosphere was pretty nice for a strip-mall kinda Chinese outfit. The lighting was nice, and while I am sure they do a good take-out business, I didn't feel as though I was in a take-out type place. My husband and I ordered the green onion pancakes (amazing), orange chicken (very tasty) and broccoli in spicy garlic sauce (/hot/perfect/my fav). While the food was amazing, the service was horrible and terribly slow. The place wasn't that crowded, but we ended up sitting there for over two hours, 45 minutes we were waiting for our check. Though, if you have a ton of time and want some tasty, good-quality, fair priced Chinese food, definitely give this place a try!
(4)Nina S.
I haven't found a good Chinese restaurant here in WA since we moved here from CA almost 10 years ago, but this place is as good as it gets around here. The shaved noodles are good. Other dishes are good too but nothing to rave about. A decent place to go if you're craving Chinese food.
(3)Steven L.
Above average Chinese resturant. Place is real clean and decorated real well. Here is what we got: -Mandrian Chicken: Get this! Ours tasted like chicken wrapped in a donut. Probably not the healthiest but it's a perfect dish for your cheat day meal. -Fried and Steamed dumplings: I preferred the fried but both are good. -Lunch special string beans: Decent -Mapa Tofu: This is well above average from other Chinese restaurants. -Mongolian Beef: Pretty good -Hot and Sour Soup We got 6 lunch special for 4 people (the guys and 1 girl). It was a good amount of food, probably could have ordered 5 and been content.
(4)Donna C.
Came here for the lunch special. I had the Wild Chili Chicken with fried rice and hot and sour soup. $6.95 + tax and tip. This place is huge and the wait staff are working like crazy to accommodate the lunch crowd. Props for decent service. Food was cheap and for the price, I might come again. However, the food itself deserves 2.5 stars. The chicken was ok... really average stuff. Fried rice was terrible. It was brown and had absolutely no flavor. Hot and sour soup is spicier than your run-of-the-mill Chinese place but I didn't really like it. Portions are good if you like your dish. This place cannot possibly be one of the best Szechuan restaurants on the Eastside... the search continues.
(3)Sarah D.
I am not normally a huge Chinese food fan. I am one to go for Thai if we are going Asian food. This however, was really, really good. I had the Honey Walnut Tofu. I always look longingly at the sauce on Honey Walnut Prawns, but just never thought of it as a possibility on tofu. Duh! It's delicious. I can't remember what else we got, but everything was really good. I am also looking forward to trying the cold bamboo shoots heather j. mentioned next time I order.
(5)Allie S.
Pork in hot hoisin sauce -- it's converted everyone I've ever taken with me to dinner at Szechuan Chef into a fan. Then again, I've yet to have a dish that wasn't delicious... but that doesn't keep me from sticking with my favorite. Served with a stack of pancakes, it's like mu shu pork, but with hoisin. So freakin' good. It comes served on a small boat, for your family style dining enjoyment. If you come in for lunch, for around ~$7 you end up with a platter of rice, entree, and a cup of soup -- if you've got a normal appetite, it will probably suffice to feed you for at least two meals... but if you're like me, you'll binge and be blissed out on delicious food for hours to come. On that note, if you're dining with a short time schedule you may run into some problems -- these guys get busy, and the customer to employee ratio gets a little messed up -- so only come if you're prepared to be patient... or be late getting back to the office. One last aside: The tea here gets me drunk. Like, if I drink too much of their [delicious] tea I have to walk around the complex before I drive home. I think I'm allergic, but I hate myself or something, because it never stops me from finishing a pot.
(5)Heather H.
My first time trying a traditional Chinese hot pot, and damn straight, yes it is hot! You've got two options: spicy and the non. Being a girl with adventurous taste buds I went with spicy and nearly burned my tongue off with each bite. I'm positive they load it with red pepper flakes. As a vegetarian, this is place does offer a pretty large offering of vegetable+tofu options, which is awesome, but likely come in a heavy sauce. Don't expect to come here and eat a salad with steamed tofu. My boyfriend and I split a pot which is a decent size for two, and the amount of food is overwhelming. I ordered up a plate of seafood which included somehow intestine? but also had some great fish cutlets. The plate of meat looked tasty and good quality, sliced extremely thin to allow a fast cook. We managed to put a good dent in our food but still not able to finish the whole feast. For two people and one hot pot it came out to about $30+ total. Not too bad for a hearty feast.
(4)Krista N.
Why have I never been here before? Hot prawns & green beans was delicious and enough food for at least 2 meals. YUM YUM in the tum tum...my only complaint is it is a little too oily. They were pretty hot, but still I added more chili sauce because I like really hot food. I'll try more items here... it is slightly more expensive than other chinese places for lunch but way worth it.
(4)Gorman E.
We came here for lunch after a family photoshoot at Yuen Lui Studios. This place has been going downhill, we use to come here a lot but with so many szechuan places in Seattle or other better choices on the Eastside...makes it hard to come here often. The food usually comes out fast and furious but this time service was slow the flavors lack the spicy that makes szechuan so special. Ordered: DEEP FRIED CHICKEN SZECHUAN SPICY STYLE: Spicy but the chicken was lacking and not much of it...more battered than meat ratio which sucks. The flavors was good, good amount of heat and the string beans was cook just right. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… GARLIC GREEN BEANS: Very flavorful, cook perfectly and it went well with rice but my gripe is that it was way to salty for my taste. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… ANTS ON THE TREE: Strange name but very delicious. It is vermicelli noodles with green onions and egg. Third best dish of what we ordered. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… SEAFOOD HAND SHAVEN NOODLES SOUP: The broth taste like won ton broth. The shaven noodles was done right and I really enjoyed the fish balls. 2nd best dish of lunch. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… SPICY HAND SHAVE NOODLES WITH CHICKEN: This was my favorite. The noodles was cook perfectly! The lettuce wasn't over cook so it gave great texture to the noodles. So much flavor to the noodles. yelp.com/biz_photos/Wji3… Overall, this place is known for more their spicy hotpot than the szechuan dishes. I will be back but this place is not on top of my list. I paid about $70, so little on the pricey side for lunch but it is expected if you are on the Eastside.
(3)Russell N.
Haven't been back for a while. Despite the food being quite good, I just can't digest the service. Check out all the reviews. They largely excuse the rudeness of the staff by saying the service was OK "despite the hectic pace of business", service was "OK, 'considering' ", "had to flag down for more tea", etc...... Please, just say it, the service sucks. If it were not for the quality of food, I'd give this a one or two star rating. I feel I'm being generous with three stars, considering I'll not be back for the privilege of being nearly abused by the staff.
(3)C M.
I have tried a lot of Chinese restaurants in the area and I am very excited I found this place. The place is in a strip mall area with a large parking lot. From the outside it doesn't look like much but the inside is nice. The service is nice although sometimes it is a bit difficult to catch someones eye to get service. The food is great! I've been there 3 times now and never had something I didn't like. I will say a lot of the menu can be a bit spicy but you can ask to have the spiciness reduced if needed. For the price (which is reasonable) you get large portions which translate into a lot of leftovers. I recommend this place for anyone looking for good Chinese food.
(4)Sharon F.
Of all the selection in this part of Bellevue, we ended up here because it's a definitive bang for your buck! Lunch is great. Each entree comes with hot and sour soup to start and served in incredibly large portions. The hot and sour soup is spicy, without a lot of meat, but still tasty. The dan dan noodles are served in a MASSIVE bowl, enough to feed 4 people. Again, not as much minced meat as I'm used to at other Szechuan joints, but the sauce is spot on. Everything else off the lunch menu was solid. For such a large restaurant, with two sides - a banquet round table sides, and a smaller area - the service can be slow, especially for lunch as we saw queues forming for quite some time. Come early and the food will arrived timely.
(3)Seann S.
It's no secret, Seattleites are absolutely spoiled with Chinese food and the plethora of options before us. Sometimes, with so many choices, we end up wasting our time with the sub-par and downright awful Chinese cuisine. Well look no more. This is the place you want to be. From the ambiance, to the customer service, and to your dish, this place hits on all cylinders. I highly recommend everyone try the Mandarin Chicken. The sauce is so delicious, that you'll be lapping up every last bit from your plate. The shaved Chow Mien noodles are also a must. They are flawlessly cooked, and almost melt in your mouth as you eat them. Look no further, this is Chinese food you've been searching for.
(5)Jeff B.
Had dinner for two. OK Service. OK Food. Had the smoked pork + string bean special, and shaved noodles. Perfect amount fo two. Interior is a bit cafeteria-like.
(3)Kahlil B.
You know that great little Chinese restaurant that you wish was around the corner so you could go any time you like? This is that place. I have never been disappointed in the food here and the staff, while not always flowery, is polite and fast. This place is literally around the corner from me, so I find myself here often and suggest it liberally.
(4)Weifei Z.
This review is for the hot pot only. I was excited to try the hot pot at this place after reading all the great reviews, but it was extremely disappointing. We had the half spicy half not spicy soup base and both were flavorless. The spicy soup base was not "ma la" at all, but more like a pot of watered down pepper. "Ma la" is supposed to be spicy and numbing, this had no numbing effect whatsoever. It may sound like self-torture to ask for your tongue to be numbed and for your mouth to be burning, but if they're claiming that the soup is mala, then give it to me!! While they do give you large quantities of meat, the other sides are lacking. I wish they had taro, quail eggs, and other veggies besides Chinese bokchoy. The fish balls, by the way, were abysmal. Overall, very disappointing. Do not come here for hot pot.
(2)Jon X.
From what I hear, the former owner of Seven Star Pepper Cheng Biao Yang finally decided to seize the Chinese food market opportunity on the East Side of Seattle by opening a decently authentic Szechuan restaurant in Bellevue. The food is very spicy but flavorful and authentic enough to satisfy the Microsoft Chinese crowd that frequent the restaurant. One of the marks of a good Szechuan restaurant is their use of the 'ma' pepper to construct the spicy flavor. Szechuan Chef is one of the few restaurants in Seattle that seems to do this pretty well. The decor is a tad overboard with an outdoor Chinese village courtyard feel but it's clean and comfortable which is already a leg up on many other Chinese restaurants in the area. My personal must-try's include Mixed beef cold appetizer (Fu(1) Qi(1) Fei(4) Pian(4)) and personal favorite Fish in Spicy Gravy (Shui(3) Zhu(3) Yu(2)). Also try the cumin lamb and stirfry kidney (Huo(3) Bao(4) Yao(1) Hua(1)). The hotpot here is a good way to go for those cold and rainy Seattle winters but go with the half-spicy-half-regular soup. Your stomach will thank you in the morning.
(4)Clif G.
You could pass by this place every day of the week and never even think about going in. It doesn't look like much on the outside, and once you're in the door it's only marginally better. However, the food is great and cheap! The lunch specials are great and easy if everyone wants their own thing, but I like going with friends and/or co-workers and going family style (easiest if you have some native speakers with you to order). They can accomodate groups of 8-12 people pretty easily, so this is a great place for a team lunch. I've had about 5 team lunches here and each time we had a ton of food ranging from pretty good to excellent, and it always comes out to $10/person or less. If only this place weren't in such a crappy location, it'd be an easy 5 stars.
(4)Brian W.
Szechuan Chef has a wide selection of typical dishes at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, they missed the mark on flavor/spicing as all the dishes I had were over salted and did not have enough garlic. Considering there are not many Szechuan restaurants in the area, this may be a quick fix, but overall I've had much better Szechuan food. (would rate 2.5 stars)
(3)Letha F.
Splendid hand-shaved noodles were the highlight of our delicious dinner, tossed in a perfect veggie chow mein. This is real deal Szechuan food served in a no-nonsense atmosphere. The menu strays from the American-Chinese standards and ventures into tripe and similar specialties. The spicy side of Chinese cuisine is well represented! Everything we ordered was darned good. The ingredients are fresh and good quality and the preparation is right-on. Seriously, this place beats most Szechuan joints in the International District. I'm delighted to find another wonderful restaurant on the east side!
(4)Mary K.
Having been jaded by cheap Chinese take out for some time, I've been on a search for some good Chinese food for a while and I think I have finally found a place to become a regular at after trying out several Chinese restaurants in the Bellevue/Redmond area. The lunch combo specials are cheap and satisfying with a very wide variety of selections to choose from, from the Kung Pao chicken to Twice Cooked pork. I tried the Twice Cooked pork, Mapo Dofu, and Garlic chicken as well as the Black Bean fish and Tea Smoked duck. Everything except the duck was great..perhaps b/c we took it to go and the skin got kind of soggy after 3 hours of being in the styrofoam box. Plus, there seemed to be too many bony parts than meaty ones to justify the price for this dish. I've been here 3 times already and each trip has been good in terms of food. Service also has always been quick (during lunch time on the weekends). I didn't really notice that the decor was that bad like some reviews said. As long as it's clean, I'm pretty phased out about loud decor. So my search stops here for Chinese food and I'll be there as a regular. Overall, this place serves up authentic Chinese cuisine at a reasonable price AND clean atmosphere. That's a big plus in my foodie book.
(4)Kelly M.
Szechuan Chef is definitely one of the most outstanding Chinese restaurants I've ever been to. It's equally surprising to find this place hiding in a strip mall in one of the lesser traveled corners of Bellevue. Just a bit far outside of the Microsoft lunch rush area to garner much notice. When we went to Szechuan Chef, we went for dinner. All of the food was great, and it seems very authentic. At the very least, they didn't have much in the line of westernized Chinese food. The menu was also very lengthy. One of my favorite dishes was the spicy pork tripe. It's served cold, but it's heavily spiced. The interesting thing about the spices used is that aside from a hot flavor, there is another flavor to it that's a bit hard to describe. To me it almost tastes cool and minty, but not quite. Another nice thing is that they have a few lamb dishes, which is always a bonus in my book.
(5)Morgan W.
We first tried Szechuan Chef based on yelp reviews, I made sure to order the hand shaven noodles... I'm soo glad I did because they are by far my favorite!! We usually get take out and have only dinned in the restaurant twice. Both times the service wasn't always very attentive (like for refills or bringing your check) but that hasn't stopped us from returning! My favorites are vegetable or tofu hand shaven noodle chow mien, sesame or honey crispy chicken, mongolian beef and their fried rice is also really good!
(4)Max D.
We had Twice cooked pork and I thought it was excellent. The flavor and leeks were perfect. The dry duck pot was flavorful and generous in portion but the duck itself wasn't braised long enough in the sauces. Had the bamboo shoot appetizer and it's way better than Shanghai Garden. Nice kitschy decor w/ orange walls. Clean and friendly. Didn't like that we paid $2.50 for rice that we ended up not eating. The portions were BIG. Whoever said they skimped on portions, WTF? Each dish could literally feed 3-4 generously. On my way out, I saw a crab dish being served to a table and I wish I had the stomach to turn around, sit down, and order more food. I'll be back!
(4)Jason A.
Five stars are reserved for world class cuisine in my book. I'm occidental. Have a pretty experienced palate. Never been to China however. 90% Asian patrons in this establishment; good sign. We had the house special pancake, cucumbers in spicy sauce, szechuan crab, smoked pork belly with turnip (on the specials board), wild pepper octopus, and preserved cabbage with bean sprouts. Yes, that was way too much food for two people! The house special pancake was a plain pancake that was very flakey yet chewey at the same time. It was served with a fermented black bean and chili paste sauce for dipping. Very good, but could not figure out how this pancake was "special" compared to the green onion pancake, also on the menu. Bottom line, the pancake was house made, offered excellent textures. The cucumbers in spicy sauce is misleading. I detected nothing spicy. Rather, the cukes were cubed (skin on), and tossed with a sesame oil and vinegar and scallion dressing. Very simple, very refreshing. Would definately get again. The Szechuan crab was absolutely wonderful. It was the best thing I've eaten in a long time. Cost was $29.99, I believe market cost was $10.99/lb so we got a nice crab. It comes mostly pre-cracked and pan fried with scallions, wonderful peanuts, hot peppers, salt and pepper. The chef takes care to get all the meat out of the body so you do not have to. What one does is eats the legs with ones hands, cracking the legs in spots not pre cracked. Then one digs into the stir fried veggies, peanuts, and body meat. The crab was very fresh, and sweet, with wonderful flavor. It was really wonderful. The smoked pork belly with dried/preserved turnip was excellent as well. Smokey, fatty, chewy (not from the pork but from the dried turnip). There were also leek leaves in there. The wild pepper octopus was fine, nothing extraordinary. I will say the octopus was well cleaned and very tender, sliced thin. The flavor of szechuan peppercorn was most prominent in this dish, but not prominent enough in my opinion. The preserved cabbage with bean sprouts was an excellent vegetable for our meal; it was crunchy, slightly sour, a little sweet, a little salty. It balanced the flavors of the other dishes well. Service was so-so. Our waitress took our orders and never saw us again for drink refills. The busboy was rather helpful when we waived him down, however, to get us plates, drinks, desert. I would not say the waitresses were militant as implied elsewhere on the internet but they are certainly not very attentive and need some work. Decor is well described. Hey, at least it is clean! I can not recommend the Szechuan crab highly enough; it was just wonderful and I'd get it again in a heartbeat.
(4)Bob R.
I find that they have consistently the best Chinese food on the East Side. The service is fast , making it good for lunch. It can be a bit noisy as it is a rather large room. As the server what to order based on your likes and dislikes. It is fun and makes it adventurous.
(4)Saffiyya R.
Is there a 0 star option? Went there last night for dinner with the family (7 of us). We were seated right away, and the older lady serving us was MISERABLE! She seated us on one side of the restaurant where there was no one else, meanwhile, 2/3 of the tables on the other side of the restaurant were full. There would have been room for us to be seated there. Anyhow, after 15 minutes we needed to flag her down for service. People walked in after us, and she was serving them!! She puts our water glasses on the table rather roughly, and hurries through our order. When the food comes, one of the chicken dishes is TERRIBLE, and under cooked. No one ever came back to check on us. We waited after eating for about 20-25 minutes, before my brother in law stood up, grabbed the chicken dish walked into the kitchen and asked for our bill and them to remove that dish from it. Another lady came to the table to say, no they would not remove it but we could order something else. We explained that we were done eating, and that we had been served our food 45 mins ago without anyone coming over to check to see if everything was ok!! Besides, Like I wanted another dish from them, when their food tastes like @$$ ! we left a $0 tip, and vowed to NEVER go back. The food is subpar, and the service is horrible. never again. Save your money!!
(1)Food E.
i haven't been here for the longest time ever..i came here with my friend today and we were kinda disappointed because the things that we want to order were mostly out of stock which is kinda weird too because when we came in at dinner time at 7pm there weren't many people there, i should say they weren't as crowded as they used to be...i rate them an ok...
(3)David P.
This place is a hidden gem. It sits right in the middle of the most depressing strip mall you will ever see. Really dig deep and ignore the fact that there's an enormous creepy abandoned Kmart sitting next to it. You'll be rewarded with very tasty and reasonably priced chinese food. They have a pretty extensive menu of lunch specials. The menu includes all the dishes you would expect and a few that aren't very common for chinese restaurants. I'd recommend trying out the cumin lamb. I can't even fully describe why its good but I can't get enough. I'd give the restaurant 5 stars if they paid a bit more attention to service and decor. Sometimes it takes a while just to flag down a waiter just to get your drink refilled. Fortunately, they serve iced water in comically oversized cups. Good times.
(4)Josh B.
I work with a lot of people from China (including many who live in Shanghai but regularly visit this area), and when they go out to lunch, they always go to the Szechuan Chef. So it was no surpise to me that that first time I went with them I found the food to be really excellent. Szechuan chef seems fairly authentic, but is not SO authentic that us Westerners cannot enjoy it. It's definitely my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Seattle area.
(4)Ryan s.
Factor in price this place is a 4. I go here and order 5 entrees for just 2 people. We eat it all. The food is priced well and the portions are huge. Just over all good Chinese food. The noodle dishes are delicious, fried rice was light and not greasy.
(4)Ray Z.
The single most popular dish at Szechuan Chef is, without a doubt, the hot pot, a fondue-like dish in which you cook your food in a clear or spicy broth. On any given evening, you'll find 40 to 60% of the patrons partaking of this popular dish. But to go to Szechuan Chef merely for the hot pot would be a waste. For some of the best Szechuanese cuisine in the area is to be found here. Particularly good are the chilled spicy beef appetizer, spicy beef stew, dry fried green beans and Ants Climbing a Tree (a savory noodle dish). Overall, the food is fresh and freshly-prepared. It has good flavor and texture, and is as authentic as the stuff in Sichuanese restaurants in China and other parts of Asia. Once caveat is that this type of regional cuisine can be rather greasy (although this shouldn't be too much of a concern as it is meant to be eaten with rice). Service is generally quite good. You're promptly seated (as soon as a table opens up, if there's a line) and things show up in good time. The last time we were there, the food was brought out astonishingly quickly - our entire order (5 items) showed up in under 15 minutes. When the place is packed, service can be a bit slow - especially if you're looking for refills for your hot pot. But not so bad that I'd complain about it. Pricing is also reasonable. Appetizers run around 6$, eat-with-rice entrees hover in the 8 to 10 range. Portions can range from h-u-g-e (spicy beef stew, for example) to typical Chinese restaurant size. I haven't really paid attention to hot pot prices but do remember that they're not out of line with the other places. So, somewhere in the 11 to 14$ range for dinner. It's all-you-can-eat - now you know why it's so popular. Oh, a word about the interior. The style is Garish Sino-Opulent (don't bother looking it up, I just invented it). Deep orange walls with black accents. Faux marble table tops with thick stubby pseudo-Greek (or perhaps Roman?) columnar bases. While not out of place if located in China, the interior did hurt my tender, naive, design sensibilities. But not so badly that I would not eat here again. Often, even.
(4)Ryan V.
In two words: totally average. Normally, I probably would have given it 3 stars, but the description for 2 is "Meh. I've experienced better", which is exactly how I felt. Plus, this place has way more 5 star reviews than it deserves. Tucked away in a nearly abandoned strip mall way out in the "other" part of Bellevue, Szechuan Chef is a totally average chinese restaurant. The only thing that really stood out to me was the Hot & Sour soup, which, although spicy enough to break a sweat, was delicious. Everything else was a bit better than what you'd find at Safeway, but not spectacular by a long shot.
(2)JC Z.
Very impressed by the real Chinese food that's here. Loved the Mongolian beef. It was perhaps the best I've had. Came here for lunch. It was very affordable for 3 people ($24). The place also looks pretty cool. Service was good. It's located in a dead beat strip mall, but don't let that discourage you. It's like a hidden gem and quite a pleasant find.
(5)Julie A.
So, eight long and full years later, after 3 babies, 9 moves, several jobs, a few states...we still had not found a genuinely Sichuan-flavored dining establishment. In fact, my taste for Chinese food was so changed that I could barely stand the regular "Lucky Whathaveyou" joint in any town. Sweet-and-Sour Chicken had lost it's appeal (a flavor that we were told was created for Americans in the first place). My husband was disappointed with his attempt to eat Sichuanese in Bellevue. Thank goodness for the FoodBuzz foodie blog dinner last month or I may have never known about this local secret! Last night, kid-free for the first time in a while, we cruised over to East Bellevue where on the corner of 148th and Main Street, in a very ugly strip mall lies The Szechuan Chef. We nervously walked through the doors trying not to brace ourselves for further disappointment and were pleasantly surprised at the neat, clean, high-ceilinged, bright orange dining room. The tables were marble-esque and not at all that sticky unpleasant Asian restaurant feel! The service was quick, the menu quite thick. We flipped straight to the Hot Pot page at the end and ordered 2 portions plus an order of those potato strips fried with chilies. The waiter seemed somewhat surprised that we didn't go for the "half spicy/half broth" version, but straight up spicy. (I got a sideways glance...) When it arrived, oh, the aroma. So familiar. The spiciness traveling up through our nostrils and hitting us in the back of the throat. The fish balls were my favorite, yummy and salty. And there was this great peanut sauce that, although I never ate it in Sichuan, was really tasty. By the end of our quiet consumption, we had decided that we might need to try their dumplings just to be sure that we love this place. The fried potstickers tasted great and even had the authentically flavored dipping sauce. The sauce wasn't as spicy as I remembered which could be due to my lesser quantity of tastebuds in my old age. (could I have lost that many?) Anyways, The Szechuan Chef is a real as it comes. We can't wait to go back and try all of the other many dishes. It seems an endless variety came out of the kitchen. And I even saw a photo of what looked like Lian Fen--the gelatinous strips. We'll see if I get so lucky! If you like spicy and authentic, this should be your next stop. But, if sweet-and-sour chicken is as far as you go at whatever "Lucky China Garden Bamboo Dragon" you frequent, then this might not be your thing. But you really should give it a shot.
(4)Rodney R.
The food has excellent texture and flavor. It's a popular place, and when they get busy, the noise becomes what you'd expect from a institutional cafeteria rather than a sit-down restaurant. But the quality of the food generally makes up for that.
(4)Adam D.
Great food terrible service. That is really all that needs to be said. If they ever refilled water or brought what was asked for like napkins soy sauce etc. This would be a 4 or 5 star place.
(3)Chuck L.
Defininitely my favorite Chinese restaurant on the Eastside. Although it's in a strip mall, when you walk in it's surprising that it's fairly nice inside. The hotpot is worthwhile. The fried pork dumplings are uniquely good. Also enjoy the green onion pancake. Expect a line at night.
(5)Don L.
i have been to so many Chinese restaurant in the past few years. well, some of them have great foods ,some just do NOT. overall, Szechuan chef have my 5 stars among all the restaurants that i have been to. first of all, the food. i went there in a friday night with a group of 6 . we took recommendations from our server. we got the pickle chili slide fish soup. it came in a big bowl,plenty for us. the soup was amazing. its sour and a lil bit spicy , which make a perfect match. then we got the slide beef in hot spicy gravy, this is one really HOT . however, the server lower the spiciness for us. my friend love it . then we got the cumin lamb, water spinach with garlic source. those are really nice items to get . we enjoyed the food alot. secondly , the service. well, it was a friday night and its a chinese restaurant.. we didn't expected like excellent service like those fancy restaurant which has a server waiting behind us for the whole night. since we have a big group. we waited for like 5 mins when the waiter told us to wait for at least 10. right, we didn't have reservation. it will be a good idea to make a reservation the day before if you get a big group. like 6 and up. Tea and water was quickly served right after we took the seats. as i mentioned before, our server did helped us to pick the items and adjusted the spiciness for us. the servers were so friendly and making jokes with us. it was pretty good. however, the appetizer took a while to get to our table. well, its understandable. the place was full of ppl. ( the servers were walking, or running already). can't really blame on them . when the dish came, the server introduced all the dish to us. which i really like it . i dont like to eat something that i dont know what that is . waters were refilled. overall, the service is way better than alot more chinese place i have been to. ( dont wanna mention about the names here). It was an great experiences for all of us. will be back there soon. if u like spicy,but not like super spicy, here 's a good try. hope it help .
(5)Eric F.
Awesome... Smoked pork.. Hot and sour!! Hand shaven noodles!!!
(5)Tom S.
Great Hot Pot. When you don't get that, order off the white board. Dry cooked duck is awesome, though the peppercorns will put your mouth to sleep (numb)! Ant on a tree is also a favorite from the regular menu.
(4)Tez M.
Service excellent. Fast and friendly. Generous plates. Bathroom is clean. Awesome lunch deal. Not a big fan of their mongolian beef dish, but their mandarin chicken is one of the best. Definitely coming back again.
(4)Simon L.
If there ever was a red chili pepper heaven then this place is it! The spiciest dishes come adorned with lots and lots of red chili peppers. I envision the back room where they store this stuff to have wall to wall racks of chili peppers. The peppered dishes and the red walls just scream out at you "WE HAVE HELLA SPICY FOOD!!!". Great Chinese food! The spiciest menu items are pretty spicy but do not pack so much heat that the food leaves you sucking air into your mouth and gulping down copius amounts of water. Just the right amount of heat. I been back several times. Next time I want to try the hot pot.
(5)Won M.
Honestly, I checked out this place because there was a great write up about it in the "Seattle" Magazine. They were voted as one of the best in Seattle. Since it was in the Magazine, I thought it would be a fancy, swanky and fusion style place, but when I saw that it was in a abandoned K-Mark stip mall I was even more impressed. First time we went, there was a huge line out the door. We were standing in the strip mall wondering what this place was going to be like. And once we got inside the door we were surrounded by fake Bamboos that separated us from the happily fed people inside. We peered through the bamboos to see what people were eating. Mostly, all I could see was people's head in a cloud of steam that was pumping out from big "hot pots". No pun intended. They were all so intently shoveling food into their mouths, sweating from the steam rising from the hot pot, I could have been dancing next to them and they wouldn't have even notice. At that moment, without a doubt, we were decided on the hot pot. We finally sat down. Even though, my mind was made I looked through the menu for like twenty minutes, I wanted everything. We ordered the Family style Spicy hot pot and Green Onion Pancakes. The Pancakes were delicious, greasy delicious. And then came the meats. It came on a plastic plate piled about two feet high. No, seriously, TWO FEET. My girfriend and I looked at each other in awe. And then came the Seafood metal plate, not as much as meat plate but still a lot. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had died and gone to heaven. SO MUCH MEAT! ....AND there was also TRIPE! I was ready to hug the server at this point because I was so happy. After wiping my tears of joy, I dove right into the steam. Once the soup started boiling, I threw in all kinds of meat. I threw in combinations of meats only found in my dreams. The hot pot came with a side of Peanut sauce that was phenomenal. I ladled the meats and veggies out, (yes, we did throw in some veggies, I have morals) threw it in a bowl topped it with the peanut sauce.... This is the point where I can't go further. It is THAT good. I saw a glimpse of Nirvana. It is a piece of heaven. My decription of the flavors will only ruin the beauty of Chef's hot pot. You are just gonna have to track out there and try it. Simply awesome. I have been back many times since. I get Szechuan cravings now. I live in Seattle but whenever I get the craving there is no stopping me. There regular dishes are also very very good. I enjoy the Mongolian beef comes with those Chinese buns...Yummy! We recently got Seafood in Black Bean sauce on hot plate. They bring out the hot plate pour the Seafood on top, sizzlin' goodness. I will stop here. I am droolin'.
(5)Dave M.
Ordered the small duck appetizer and Mao's braised pork. The duck didn't seem to be seasoned or accompanied in any way and was served on a bed of limp lettuce. The sauce of the Mao's braised pork was spicy and good, but the pork itself was easily 75% fat. I had a pile of fat on my plate when I stopped eating about halfway through (I was very hungry). I will not eat here again. The collective high rating is puzzling to me.
(2)Nadine W.
This hole in the wall located in a shopping strip in Bellevue is the best Chinese food in Seattle. When we first moved here from San Francisco we were crushed to discovery that the Chinese food in Seattle is terrible - really, really awful. We were trilled to discovery this gem in a strip-mall in Bellevue. The decor is tacky, the restaurant bare bones but the food is out incredibly fast and the flavors are incredible!!! Everything is wonderful. Even the fried dishes are light and not at all greasy. I highly recommend the honey walnut chicken and the kung pao. Finally, the staff is warm and it is very child friendly. If you are craving Chinese food, don't miss out on this place which is well worth the drive.
(5)Pai P.
I've been to this place a few times. And just about every time, I couldn't resist from ordering the mapo tofu and green onion pancakes. So I can't speak on their entire menu because I haven't tried that many items. The items that I have tried have been very good. The pancake is fried perfectly -- crispy, thin, but with a bite, complimented by a sweet soy dip. The mapo tofu -- there's something magical about their chili oil. Although the last time I went, it was more salty and not as good as the first few times I've had it. Their smoked pork is pretty flavorful. We got it with string beans and it was awesome. An unexpected find situated in an unassuming Bellevue strip mall.
(5)S N.
I had heard about this place for some time. Last night, we found ourselves in Bellevue unexpectedly. We have eaten in most of the best Chinese places in Bellevue and wanted to try something different. We called a Chinese friend of ours to ask where this place is. We drove to the location......an isolated, half empty strip mall. OK. Let's go in and take a look. We entered and I immediately felt like I was back in China. The smells and the decor were straight out of Beijing or Shanghai!! At least half of the people there were Asian, so that was a good sign. We were shown to our table and presented with some of the best Jasmin Tea I have ever had at a restaurant!! This is good!! We ordered our food and it was proptly delivered. We had Cumin Lamb, a tofu vegetarian dish, a cold beef appetizer and some kind of noodle and sauerkraut dish my wife ordered. The food is just like it came out of China. It was superb. Not a bit of "Americanization" going on here. This is a great place. I can't wait to go back and try some more dishes!! Put it on you list.
(5)Henry y.
If you are in the mood for spicy food, this is the place. Once you walk in, you are assulted with the smells of chilli sauce. Once I walk in, I get hungrier. Decor is better than most, bright orange walls and fake green plastic bamboo used as screens. I come here with my wife every two weeks to get our fix. We order the Chong Qing Chicken deep fried chicken with chili everytime. I can eat it like pop corn, except I have to wash it down with water. If you are looking for the most authentic szechuan food, its this place and if you are looking for an authentic Chinese restaurant add this to the list.
(5)Norm W.
We decided to go to Szechuan Chef tonight because our local favorite, Yea's Wok in Newcastle, had a half hour wait for a table. The last time I ate here we had to wait quite awhile for a table, but the hot pot made it worth it. This time, there was a surprisingly light crowd and we ordered more traditional dishes from their very extensive menu. Service was fast - a bit too fast, as the dishes came at the same time as the soup, which I usually like to have first. We had the Seafood Tofu Soup which was good, but needed a bit more white pepper for my taste. I asked the waiter for some and surprisingly all they had was black pepper. We also ordered Dan Dan Noodles because of my wife's birthday (long life noodles!), Smoked Pork with Garlic Leaf, Dry Bean Curd with Bitter-melon, Mandarin Crispy Fish, and a Sesame Crispy Chicken and Pork Fried Rice for my son. The smoked pork was the hit of the table - very flavorful and none of us minded the pork fat. The bean curd first came out as a plate of bitter melon only, but upon being told, the waiter very quickly brought out a replacement dish - though a bit light on the bean curd. I suspect they simply added a small amount to the existing full bitter melon dish, so it wasn't very well balanced. Bitter melon is a bit of an acquired taste - not everyone will like it and certainly not everyone at our table did. But the dry bean curd was excellent. The Sesame Chicken was tasty, though much more Western than Chinese, as you would expect. The Mandarin Crispy Fish looked and almost tasted identical to the chicken - we found the fried coating a bit too thick. We'll stick to more authentic Chinese steamed fish next time. The noodles and fried rice were fine - hard to get excited about those. Perhaps it was the dishes we ordered, but I was not as impressed as I was when I had the hot pot dinner. We'll return for sure, but will probably seek better suggestions from the waiter next time.
(4)Farah F.
Quite possibly my favorite Chinese restaurant in Washington, I usually get one of the beef tendon dishes because those are hard to come by, but the dry cooked lamb is pretty good, too. The tendon hot pot is absolutely yummy and the portion is super big. Somehow there's never any leftovers whenever I go there with co-workers. Love love love this place, I'm so sad to be working so far away from it now. The lack of having a car makes frequenting this establishment is pretty much impossible nowadays :(
(5)Ash N.
As greasy as it gets. God has a weird way of making all that's tasty, also unhealthy for you. But no major complains here. Could be a bit cheaper and with smaller serving sizes.
(4)Mw C.
Today was the second time we ordered to go this week. It is that good!! We ordered chicken friedn rice and the hot spicy chicken noodles. It is delicious! It has a lot of chicken and cabbage and onions. For the price is just excelent due to the portions are big.
(5)Sang H.
Ordered Mongolian chicken and hot and sour soup. I haven't been here for like 7 months. Food came out fast like before but it wasn't as tasty and soup tasted like they put too much vinegar. Good thing Starbucks is nearby so I can go after the meal.
(3)Jacqueline S.
I eat here for lunch with coworkers and dinner with my family about once a month. The food is really good but they did change owners this year and some of the dishes aren't quite as good as they used to be. My favorites are the beef in hot and spicy gravy, honey walnut crispy fish and the pea vines when they have them. Honorable mention for the pork chow mein w/hand shaven noodles, chopped pepper with pork w/pancakes and the mandarin chicken. I used to love the Chong Qing Chicken with the szechuan peppers and crispy string beans. Unfortuantely, it barely has any string beans in it anymore and the chicken is now cut into chunks so small it ends up being just a plate of salty crispy bits. I have noticed an improvement in service with the new owners and the food is still very good overall.
(4)The B.
Loved it! The Garlic Green Beans and Prawns were incredible. Even though I'm moving... I'll be driving back!
(4)Hannah L.
I love this place!! This is my favorite Chinese restaurant. I live in Seattle and go all the way to Bellevue just to eat their food. I love spicy food and with most Chinese restaurants when I ask for 5 star spicy I usually get about 2, but not here they give me my 5 stars. I also love that the servers always remember my boyfriend and me even when we haven't been there for a while. Now to the food: I am a vegetarian and they have a ton of non-meat options available. I always get the spicy eggplant and they always add tofu. I also love the kung pao tofu. It's super spicy just the way I like it. My absolute favorite dish is the hand shaven noodles. I could eat an entire plate of these noodles myself. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. It's definitely worth the drive!!
(5)Katie F.
This was a disappointment. We tried two dishes. The food wasn't terrible, but it was fairly bland and not spicy (despite being marked as spicy on the menu). The beef was gristly/fatty and the chicken tasted old. I'm sure it's possible we just ordered badly and that the restaurant does other dishes better, but I don't think I'll go back to try to find out given the other great options in Bellevue (Spiced, Bamboo Garden). Kind of a pricy lunch that was barely worth eating.
(3)Teresa C.
Good food, take out service is very good.
(4)Deborah H.
This is the closest I've come to the deliciously spicy food I had in Chengdu, China. It's a big restaurant that can accommodate huge parties, and there's plenty of parking since it's in a strip mall. The food is authentic (don't be afraid to ask the waiters for suggestions) and I was generally impressed. The only weird thing was during dinner, the parking lot outside somehow turned into a random carnival. It was kind of like the twilight zone when we walked out to look for our cars amidst game booths and lame rides.
(4)G. M.
I love the food here. My favorites are the Chong Qing chicken, Dan Dan noodles and the chow mein with hand shaven noodles. I believe the original owners were previously affiliated with Seven Stars Pepper in Seattle, and the menus are very similar. The menu is extensive and has everything ranging from the americanized favorites, to more adventurous authentic dishes. Though, if your idea of great Chinese food is Panda Express or the Safeway deli, you're probably not going to like this place. Watch out for the floors when it's been raining - they are really slippery!
(4)cat b.
This place is surreal. You must experience it. The first time I walked in, I was a little freaked out--as in, oh shit, this might be REALLY bad. It's the decor--something like pseudo-chic-yellow-trash-loft-done-by-Michael's. There's an abundance of silk bamboo in this joint, and I love green, but...this is just weird. The ceilings are startlingly high, and the walls are painted in a coral-y color. Enough about the weird ambience. This place is all business. It is staffed with several militant Chinese women, and dude, they do not mess around. I like efficiency, though...especially at lunch. As soon as you're seated, you get tea and water. And pressured to order. Now. Now. Now! I've tried the Ma Po Tofu--it's really good. I'm picky about it, and I like bastardized versions of it, but I think this is a good one. It's better than the version at Sichuanese Cuisine (in Overlake). Nice and spicy. I also tried the Mandarin Chicken. It's good, but I got a scary piece of chicken that may not have been chicken. Gum? A stray chicken knuckle? I can't be sure, but it was a foreign object. I won't be ordering it again. I'm not crazy about their soup. The egg flower is too stringy (difficult to eat--very messy) and it's not good enough to warrant the effort. It's definitely worth a try. Don't be frightened by the bamboo and the Walls Of Hell color scheme.
(3)Sara M.
Sooo yummy and cheap. How did I not find this place sooner!
(5)Patrick B.
Great food! The wait staff was attentive and ready to get you whatever you wanted. The server for our group provided lots of suggestions that ended up being great. We got the following, all of which were pretty amazing: Spicy chow mein (with hand shaved noodles) Szechuan whole fish Sweet/sour chicken Pork fried rice Honey walnut prawns Mongolian beef ...and one pork dish whose name I can't remember. Great food, plus some Tsing Tao's made the night complete. I'm definitely game to hit this place again when I'm back up in Seattle/Bellevue.
(4)Neal M.
I thought this place was great a couple of years ago. The dan dan noodles, green onion pancakes, most everything was done well, reasonably priced and served by a somewhat friendly staff. This place was even voted one of the top restaurants in all of Seattle by Seattle Magazine a while ago. Then, something happened. I don't know if it was sold or what but the prices keep going up as the quality takes a nose dive. I kept going for a little while because I had had many good meals there, but I probably won't go back any longer.
(2)Bing W.
Suffice to say, it didn't disappoint. I wasn't out to find a good Szechuan style Chinese restaurant, but stumbled upon it on Yelp. Since it's pretty close to where we stayed in Bellevue, it's worth checking out. We arrived a little past 5 local time so the place was still pretty empty. The menu is impressive, as we already knew from checking Yelp. We ordered some scallion pancake (crispy), blade-shaved noodle, a cold dish (pretty scary name: "couple lung slices", which basically are sliced roast beef and boiled beef lungs in spicy sauce), "water boiled fish" (deceiving name for that the water here is a mix of hot chili oil and spicy broth), and garlic green beans. Pancake is good, although nothing special. Noodles were excellent, fresh and of perfect consistency/texture, and stirred fried just right with chicken (you can pick other meats) and nappa. The cold dish and "water boiled fish" (they used flounder I think) are as authentic as it gets (at least in this country). The green beans are nothing fancy, but quite tasty too. The dish also got our 16 month daughter's approval - she gulped down a good portion of it. All the dishes had generous portions, which is a virtue lost on many authentic Chinese restaurants here. Service was OK. There isn't a lot of attention from the waiting staff, but not too bad. By the way, the bathroom was decent, which is something I found lacking in some Chinese restaurants. Will no doubt come back when we have a chance. Yum!
(5)jainai i.
be prepared to sweat. then sweat again the morning after, while sitting on the throne... what we had the first time around: spicy lamb, spicy soft tofu, spicy hand shaved noodles, and spicy eggplant. burned going in. burned coming out. ahhh.... should you want a break from the masochism: get the green onion pancake...even if it's dinner time. perfectly crispy on outside and soft on inside. and won't leave your fingers dripping in grease. scrumptious! tea smoked duck ..... mmmm.....smoky...cripsy...meaty....mmmmmm.... and, ok, the spicy crab...finger lickin' good. other dishes: fresh, fast, and furious. generous portions. get on it! and don't forget to buy a roll of TP on your way home. just skip the shakes. the mango and avocado shakes were both concocted from powder, not real fruit. ********** UPDATE ************* I got a message from the restaurant saying they do indeed use real fruit in their shakes.
(4)Jim C.
With such a large Asian population in the Northwest, who would've thought it would be so hard to find good Chinese food in Seattle. Okay, so Szechuan Chef is actually out in Bellevue, but 10 miles and 45 minutes of 520 congestion is no problem for me... especially for great food. The Chinese hot pot is perfect for those cold / rainy Seattle days... which so far has meant every visit. For $12 a person, you get a hefty sized plate of sliced meats, tofu, seafood, vegetables, and noodles ready to throw into a big pot of steaming soup broth. Ask for the half-half soup combination that includes a serving of the SPICY broth so that your taste buds can join in on the festivities. Other great dishes to try are: the green onion pancake, the Dan-Dan shaved noodles, and the salt and pepper prawns.
(4)Jason D.
Nom nom nom nom Thanks (again!!!!!) Yelp, there is zero chance I would have found this place on my own. Was there alone and just had to have the: Pork intestine in sauce clay pot -- intestine, blood, tofu, leeks, pickled greens, great balance of flavor (peppercorns, chili, garlic, ginger, ingredients, could taste everything) (my notes at the table, verbatim) Absolutely love the same-sized black and white cubes of blood and tofu, it's like eating board game pieces. In a good way. And that balance, to reiterate, love the way you can taste EVERYTHING, not just heat. The hot pots everyone else were getting looked great too. I'm glad I don't live anywhere near this place or I'm sure I'd go way too often for my health. But when I'm back in Bellevue, I'll definitely return. (One disclaimer: I was there in Feb 2009, so if it's gone downhill since then, I wouldn't know)
(5)Mags L.
This is what Seattle's needed for a long time. A clean, upscale establishment that also serves delicious food. Try: The eggplants in garlic sauce. It comes out piping hot, and pairs extremely well with a bowl of white rice. The hand-pulled pancake is amazing. The handshaven noodles make me happy.
(4)Tiffany W.
not really the best service. but the food definitely makes up for it. i love their variety!!! and their hot pot!!! yummmm!! i can't even describe it... the more i think of it the more hungry i get. and they dont open for another.... 10 hours... damn....
(5)Alix H.
A lot of times you can tell how good the Chinese restaurant is just by the quality of their hot and sour soup, and it is very good here. They don't skimp on the ingredients and the taste is just perfect. Since it is Szechuanese cuisine, you ought to be ordering the spicy items to taste authentic cuisine true to the province (skip the cashew chicken, yo). Make sure to look at the white board next to the cash register for the day's special and/or seasonal dishes that you won't find in their regular menu. Few of my favorites are: - seasonal greens of any sort (on the white board usually) - stir fried green beans - water boiled spicy beef - pork with tofu, bamboo, and pickled vegetable - spicy fried crab (the best crab I've ever tasted) If you're an adventurous omnivore, be sure to try their hot pots with both spicy and non-spicy broths. You won't be disappointed.
(4)Blake C.
Szechuan Chef is the best Chinese restaurant on the Eastside--hands down, no question about it. If you're in the area, don't even consider any of the surrounding spots. I always get the chicken and green beans with hot and sour soup, but there is a ton on the menu that will satisfy the palette.
(5)John J.
Took the family out for lunch last weekend - based on the reviews here we had to try it - we're all Szechuan fans. The food was very good. Some Szechuan places try to make things spicy with varying amounts of Sriracha sauce. These dishes had different flavors of spicy... some curry, some garlic, some chili... all very nice. The hot and sour soup was wonderful - hit the spot. The Dan Dan Noodles are TO DIE FOR! Get them with the hand-shaved noodles - simply wonderful. And the Chow Mein was the same way - perfectly done and spiced. If you're into hot chili spicy - the wild chili chicken or the Hot Garlic sauce prawns are great choices. As people mentioned here, some of the dishes definitely followed the cookie-cutter pattern you'd expect at other Chinese places. My wife had the Mandarin-style Chicken, which was very tasty, if predictable. The Orange Chicken my son had was just a bit overcooked - though the option to stirfry the orange peel in with the chili/citrus sauce added an interesting flavor. But the other options made it all worth it. So... why 5 stars instead of 4 with such drawbacks? The service! Others talked about the fast service. They've understated it. During a packed house lunch rush... the order was taken in a few minutes after our arrival. The soup came out 30 seconds after the order went in. The main dishes about 4 minutes later. You'd think the quality would suffer with such obvious staged preparation. Heck no! The food was great, even with the speed. We arrived at 12:30, left at 1:15 stuffed to the gills, and never felt rushed. But the speed is only one aspect. As we sat there, the staff came out to a table they'd reserved for their own lunch next to ours. As the kitchen staff began their meal, they brought out bowls filled with dishes from their list of specials. The staff eats family style - courtesy the owner. Talk about taking care of their people. My eye caught the manager's, who asked me if I needed something - I said I was just looking over the dishes her staff were eating... ideas for next time, I said. She walked over to the table without a word and began dishing up small plates for us to try each of the items... smoked pork, Szechuan fish (that was as tender as you could ever imagine), wild chili prawns... all fresh and amazing. And she didn't charge us - it was just like you'd expect when visiting a friends' house. Wonderful hospitality! And when we left, with tip, we were under $50 for 5 people. With boxes of leftovers. Can't wait to go back - I think my birthday's this month, right? yeah, that's it.
(5)Helen W.
As Paris would say, 'this place is hot'. Anyone who knows about Szechuan cuisine knows that you are in for a spicy meal. The owners have done a great job of tying in the decor and the ambiance into the spicy theme. Everything from the burnt orange walls to the red waitress uniforms exudes hotness. The food is authentic & tasty, and the service is solidly decent. Be warned: They frown upon Asian people asking for forks in their Asian restaurant. (don't ask me how I know that). Must tries: Hand shaven noodles and hot pot.
(4)Christie I.
Was interested to try this restaurant after seeing the good reviews. We went there on Sunday night, the place was busy enough. We ordered to go. There was a woman at the cashier, between 25-35's, who was REALLY unfriendly. I asked about ONE certain food because there was no information at all about what's in it. She seemed upset in the first place. Each time she answered me, she did NOT explain anything but pointed at the picture. I KNEW the picture and I could read the name of the food!!!! What I needed to know was the ingredients. I had to ask 3 times and EACH time she was upset and did the same thing. I'm also Chinese, and I'm REALLY pissed off being treated like that as a customer. I asked very politely and didn't expect that kind of treatment. No matter how good your food is, being treated like that will NEVER make me come back again. And I don't understand about all the good reviews here. The food was really BLAND. No problem to spend much money as long as the food AND the customer service are good. This place is a NO NO to me!! For the owner, please educate THAT employee of yours to serve your customers much better. Putting a little smile on her face wouldn't hurt. Maybe that woman happens to be the owner??????????
(1)Aleks V.
Spicy food and good hot pot. Hand shaved noodles and Chongquing chicken are great!
(4)Mason M.
I will drive a half hour for this food. Its soooo yummy. We usually go in big groups so have had the opportunity to try a lot of different dishes. Everything is super yummy.
(5)Steve M.
The BEST Szechuan food on the Eastside (and maybe in the area.) Everything is delicious - and hot, as it should be - and a good value for all the food you get. Make sure to get the bamboo shoots appetizer, it is out of this world. The restaurant is much bigger than it seems from the outside, but is very nice (although the plastic covering on the chairs is a bit weird.) Staff is friendly though. Be warned, this place is starting to get very popular.
(5)Will N.
We got there at least once a month. I'm always shocked how quickly food arrives on the table after order. Portion are generous and full of flavor. I can see how some people might find it a little greasy. Doesn't bother me though...
(4)Jarrod L.
Since I moved to Bellevue, I've been trying every Chinese restaurant I could, hoping to find a really great one I could frequent. I've been very disappointed at most places, but this is the best one I've found so far. The Szechuan dishes are interesting, and the more usual fare is good too. Unlike most places in the area, they understand that some dishes are supposed to be spicy and make them that way.
(4)Bhawna A.
great for lunch.. huge portions. Good spicy food.. 3and half star.. but yelp i not allowing me to give
(4)Ivan M.
HOT POT! i can't wait for cold weather again just so we can truly enjoy hot pot. they offer a decent hot pot here with your choice of spicy (liquid hot magma!), plain (still delicious), or half and half (the pot has a divider). we usually do the latter, cook in the plain and finish in the spicy side. they do an all you can eat but it's limited to just the meat (beef/pork/lamb). we usually don't do that one cause the other option, tho it's not all you can eat, offers more seafood and meat than we can usually finish. there's certainly more variety too. the sauce they serve with it is not the sacha sauce that us cantonese folks are used to getting with hot pot, it's more of a brown bean paste sauce. it's a nice change up. bring a bunch of friends and family, order up a bushel of beers, don't be afraid to stand up and cook (all the other lames at the tables around us were sitting down but this is how we do it at home! you betta get up out your seat) haha. good times all around.
(3)Tessa M.
Lively strip-mall restaurant with quick unintrusive service and greasy spicy stuff-myself-til-it-hurts cuisine. The food was delicious. I let my friend (k. c.) do all the ordering so I have no idea what the names of any of our dishes were, but here's my best description: * thin pancakes seasoned with pepper and green onions * thick hand-shaved noodles with cabbage, tofu, and chicken * lamb with tofu, hot and green peppers, and a sauce that "makes your mouth numb" (I didn't try this but my companions say it was the best) With tea, appetizers and tip (and about half the meal left over) it cost us $15 per person. Space is very open with high ceilings so it's loud and festive - great for large rowdy groups. Watch out for the super-slick tile flooring; next time I won't wear heels - nearly fell flat on my butt on the way to the restroom!
(4)Jia T.
I used to travel for my job and I ate out 3 meals a day. I've found some amazing Chinese restaurants in California but nothing can compare to Szechuan Chef. This restaurant is focused on Szechuan region cuisine and the food is truly authentic. I love the bold flavors and the spiciness of every dish. The hot pot is a must have item during the winter. I usually order half non spicy broth and half spicy broth. They use Sichuan peppercorn in the hot pot broth and spiciness is both numbing and tingling.
(5)Andrew M.
I've only been here a couple times, but everytime I go, it's for the all-you-can-eat hotpot. The food is good (not great, but hey, it's all-you-can eat), but it's mostly because it's a reasonably priced all-you-can eat
(4)Martina L.
This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city! My husband and I frequent this place often. We recently catered food from here for a birthday party. They were so generous with the portions, the staff was so accommodating with the last minute order changes. Furthermore, the price was so reasonable for a big group of people and the food was delicious (as always).
(5)Jared U.
I love the food here. Would highly recommend to anyone who likes Chinese food.
(4)Chuck B.
This is the best chinese in Bellevue. I meet friends here every couple weeks and it has been consistently great for well over a year. The food comes out amazingly fast.
(4)Brent F.
It's all true. This place lives up to the hype. The food is spot on. Service good. Atmosphere nice. It is a gem hiding in a strip mall. In the old K-mart parking lot off of 148th and Main in Bellevue. Stopped in for lunch and did the crispy chicken, fried rice w/ hot and sour soup. Everything was dee-lish-us and done right. Going back to try some of their more exotic dishes (pickled pepper, and hot pots).
(5)Ben R.
I will preface that I have only had lunch specials at this restaurant but keep coming back as it is good, fast, and priced right. Seattle seems to lack in good Chinese restaurants and this place is the best that I have found so far. Some might be put off by the quick paced, rapid answer, rapid delivery but I'm impatient and appreciate it. You can seriously have lunch in less than 20 minutes if you know what you want.
(4)Winnie Y.
I have forgotten what I ordered, but it's some spicy beef with tofu which was absolutely amazing. When they do it spicy it is no kidding. This place is a little on the greasy side because they put so much hot oil in everything, but hey if you are in that mood this is the place to go.
(4)Richard S.
I've enjoyed the hand shaved noodles with chow mein here several times. Friends have never been disappointed.
(4)Kris R.
The food here is very nice, and I went there for a work do. Just about all the food on the menu was good. There's also plenty of parking.
(3)gary g.
this is it. my family's favorite restaurant in the seattle area, hands down. we are never disappointed. they use unusual spices in their stir fry like an artist, in unexpected combinations. the soft tofu with pork in spicy gravy, the ants on a tree, the kung pao chicken, are out of this world. sometimes there is a huge line, but it goes quickly. and service has always been quick. sometimes we order and then in 3 minutes, we've already been served. and it is so friggin good. and so friggin spicy . . . the only thing we havent really enjoyed here has been the occasional foray into seafood. other than that, mmm mmm good.
(5)Maria L.
Although their spicy fried noodle dish isn't as good as the Sichuanese Cuisine Restaurant on Jackson in Seattle, I thought their hotpot and pan-fried dumplings were OK. A word of caution... If you go there on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared to wait anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. (And, in case you were wondering, they do not take reservations.)
(3)Mikey E.
This place is simple the best Szechuan restaurant around! Hot pot is terrific. Have to try the deep fried sting beans with chicken and deep fried intestine! Portions are very decent too. They also have a lunch special, great time to try different dishes!
(5)T T.
The best Chinese food I've ever had! I had the String Bean Pork with fried rice, and husband had the Pork with Garlic - both were so incredible! The service was really speedy, and the plates that the food came on were so unique. Do yourself a favor and eat there - you won't be disappointed!
(5)James C.
Very good "Ants on the Tree". Hot Pot should be tried once, just to see if you like it. We liked it. Some of the other dishes had too much Pepper Corns. In Chinese, there is too much "MA" and not enough "LA" (not spicy enough, but numbs your mouth).
(3)Kevin C.
first time in Bellevue and did not know where eat the the first night. yelp to the rescue! Outside is nothing to write home about. Very bare strip mall. Restaurant looks smalller on the outside than it actually is. once you walk in all you see are red walls and fake and real plants. Actually pretty pleasant interior. Food was excellent -except for one dish - the dan-Dan mien. yuck. It was way too garlicky so much so that it was actually spicy from the garlic. Back to the good stuff. There were ten of us so we had a feast. Can't remember everything we had but other than the Dan Dan mien we had about six other dishes and they were all excellent. dry fried beans, sesame chicken, Mongolian beef, salt and pepper tofu (my favorite out of all the dishes- huge plate, spicy salt and peppery, fantastic). recommended if you are in the area.
(4)Kelli B.
I went here with my cousins. The food was great!! The service was pretty bad. My sister and I got there and sat for ten minutes until I got up and had to ask for something to drink. It was a Monday, not busy at all. If you like good service I would recommend going elsewhere. If you are ordering out or don't care about waiting, the food is amazing.
(3)Bianca P.
This place used to be good when it first opened up. Only a couple of minutes from my house, you would think that I'd be hanging out there all the time. NOT. Don't get me wrong, I love hot pot, I love Chinese food and I love spicy food. The last 2-3 times I had hotpot there, I still really enjoyed it. But then, I started noticing something. After every hotpot meal there, I'd get a mild case of food poisoning. So did my husband. Now, this would not be enough to deter me from going back because I love me some hotpot. However, I took a chance and decided to order lunch there last week. I ordered the spicy green beans with scallops. This stuff was disgusting. Greasy, with tons of spicy chili flakes but barely any flavor except for the strong taste of soap. What is soap doing in food?? I barely had a couple of bites before I threw it away. Now, that is enough to turn me away.
(2)Sara R.
My family and I went here as a large group and it was fantastic. The food was really good (although the twice cooked pork was very salty), the portions were generous so that we could all share in each dish and the service was pleasant and helpful without rushing us. Really weird location, but totally worth the drive! I think the hand shaven noodles might be better than Shanghai Garden even but their chow mien doesn't have enough egg in it for my tastes. :)
(4)Alary M.
Probably some of the worst service out there. That being said, their hot pots are DELICIOUS! When we first ordered the hot pot (for 3) we were worried it might not be enough food and considered ordering other items off their regular menu. BOY were we wrong!! There were mountains of various meats, seafoods, tofu, bamboo shoots, and oh so yummy tripe! (not a fan of the blood cubes though). I'm not so sure how their regular menu is because every time we go back, we get the hot pot. If you want to go on a weekend night, make sure you call and try to make reservations, otherwise you'll be waiting in line with all those other hungry patrons!
(4)Michael A.
It is very hard to find authentic Sichuan food and this place comes as close as I have found in Seattle without going to China...I lived in China for 7 years and love authentic food...I was introduced to this place by a good friend from Beijing and been going back ever since ...Quality can be uneven but when they are "on" they are Haojila
(4)Nick B.
I used to love this place, but it has gone downhill fast. The food is still okay, but the service is terrible. I'm sitting here now writing this...it just took ten minutes after being seated to have anyone notice me. 20 minutes later when they brought my food I tried to get the servers attention for a fork. I said excuse me and she shot back "I know!". Rude. Plus the order was all wrong. Very upset as this was my favorite Chinese in Bellevue. If the owner reads these, fire the old grouchy broad.
(1)Jason C.
Being new to the eastside a common directional landmark I'm asked if I know is "where K-Mart use to be". Well I finally found it. If you're looking for a great Chinese restaurant on the East Side (there are not many) I highly recommend Szechuan Chef. Because it shares a complex with the building "where K-Mart use to be", it looks deserted and a bit drab. The inside of the restaurant could not send a more different message. It's spacious and unusually clean for a Chinese food proprietor. But it retains its Chinese authenticity by having rainbow colored plastic cups to serve water it. These of course are the same cups that children get at day-care during juice breaks and right after naps. The menu is impressive in both size as well as breadth. There are classic Chinese-Americana dishes like chow mien and orange chicken, but it reaches out to some of the lesser known like pork tripe. I had the Dan Dan Noodles which in my opinion gets the award for Most Awkward to Order in English dish of all time. But the food was stellar. When getting the hand-shaven noodles, beware: you'll experiences surprises (there's a blend of peanut butter flavor in there) and you'll experience jubilance (when you see how much you get). Just remember that no one likes a glutton, the helpful staff is more than willing to get you a to-go box.
(5)BlueMoon X.
I used to be there often. But I think I will do it less frequently because they raised the price and cut the portion. The food is still good, but I could go to Old Szechuan (both in redmond and downtown) for more authentic Szechuan food.
(3)Dave N.
The menu and the food are accessible enough for nonChinese, but the clientele is largely Asian. I was a big fan of Seven Stars Pepper in Seattle, but noticed a distinct dropoff in quality. I found out that the owners had sold and had started up in Bellevue, where I live. I went immediately: the old favorites were there, the dry-fried green beans, the "ravioli," and the cumin lamb. And just as perfect as ever. And some new favorites, in particular, the dan-dan noodles, available with either regular or hand-shaven noodles....rich, almost creamy sesame-seasoned broth, toothsome noodles, ground pork, napa cabbage. That, and a plate of Sichuan dumplings, and I am very happy.
(5)Yi Q.
Great place for lunch/casual dinner, although their food is quite oily (pretty common in Szechuan cuisine). Definitely go there with one of your asian friends if you're not familiar with Szechuan cuisine or can't read chinese :) They have a lot of items on the menu that most people whold shy away from unless someone recommends or translates it for them :)
(4)Piao Piao L.
So this is the place everyone's been talking about-- where the old chef from Seven Stars Pepper went... Well, I've been here twice now, and have yet to be very impressed. Drove in circles around Bellevue before finally picking out the decaying shell of a "Big K" which defines the strip mall. Decor actually struck me as quite authentic-- a lot of the Sichuan restaurants in China evoke the same kind of feel (usually done a whole lot better, of course, but at least they're trying). Staff were quite friendly both times. On to the dishes... The first time here I had the classic combo of spicy chicken (laziji) and mapo doufu. Taste was excellent, but a weird aftertaste stuck both of us on the way home-- was it an overdose of msg? Who knows? Second time got the cold spicy noodle, spicy beef slices, and cold spicy doufu (do you notice a trend?). Taste was good, but nothing out of the ordinary (no aftertaste this time, thankfully). I put this place in the same category as Seven Stars and Lao Sichuan ID. The next time I'm in Bellevue, I'll probably go back; but I wouldn't make a special trip out of it.
(3)Liz W.
Considering the other reviews, perhaps we just hit them on a bad day, but I have to say, this was some of the worst chinese food I've ever had. The fried rice was an enormous portion, and totally inedible. It had no flavor. It was totally under-seasoned. My husband had the sesame crispy chicken which tasted like it had been fried in burnt oil. It was awful. I'll never go there again.
(1)Chris W.
Definitely some of the best Chinese food I've had, their food is always perfectly fried, though probably this has something to do with eating in, I've ordered take-out and the crispness didn't survive the later accidental steaming of the crust. The price is superb, the portions large, accommodates groups very well.
(5)SML C.
The food here is for sure good. I'm a big fan of their honey walnut FISH...yes fish not shrimp! All their food has enough flavor and seems fresh enough. I'm usually not a big fan of spicy foods, but theirs is just sooo spicy and soooo good that I just can't help myself. The hotpot is nice for cold winter days..but I'm a big fan of hotpot fall, winter, spring, and summers so it's not even fair. The food is decently priced, but they have beens slowly creeping up. The service here is up and down. Sometimes they are very attentive and polite....other times (especially when they are busy) it they are borderline rude. Sometimes when they are super busy and I'm trying to wave them down, I feel that they ignore me...I must admit their service has gotten a lot better in the past year. Maybe there was a change in management because I remember all the waiter/waitress were rude at a certain point in time. There is however one older lady that always remembers us when we go and she is super attentive to us everytime. I can also tell that she works her butt off when its busy, but she has always been very nice even when she was swamped. Highly recommend this place if you are a fan of hotpot or spicy Szechuan food!
(3)Rachel S.
So good I even thought the mapo doufu might turn out to be decent. It wasn't, of course. But a Sichuan place has to meet a pretty high standard before I even consider trying to order mapou doufu.
(4)Bill M.
Fish in Hot Black Bean Sauce. This is what I got. I asked the waitress to suggest something good. She asked me what kind of food I wanted. I told her fish. She asked if I wanted hot or not. I said hot. She said this disk was good because it was spicy but the fish had no bones. She was spot on. The dish was very tasty, the sauce was smooth, but I think they cooled it off for the American. My bald spot could have taken a pepper or two more. The fish was firm but tender and very mild. The hot and sour soup was very good too. I would definitely recommend this place for Chinese in the area. I also saw two other very telling things. First, they did a brisk takeout business while I was there. Second, plenty of folks of Asian descent in the place.
(4)Rosemarie d.
How this place is getting 5 stars from some folks amazes me. Maybe I just came on a bad day.... or maybe I've just had better Chinese food in the bay. Walking in, the place had an interesting smell - not bad... just not expected of an Asian restaurant. We were seated immediately and then greeted by our not-so-nice server. She looked @ us crazy and impatiently as we told her our orders. The hot and sour soup (a must-order for me whenever possible) was mediocre.. and we were shocked to find an eggshell in our soup. That was definitely a first. We requested a new server b/c of the rudeness of the first one... so I'm assuming it was the manager (or some higher-up) who served us. She definitely made up for the bad service we originally got. The food was okay. Nothing to ooh and ahh about. Definitely could have done without the eggshell in the soup. Make sure you can handle level-5 spiciness before ordering it. That was a mistake on our part when ordering the spicy beef. I'll continue to be on the woman-hunt for a better Chinese restaurant.
(2)Pepper J.
Been here many times for lunch. Decent service and nice open space. Pretty clean too. Always packed at lunch and given the price and quality of food, its easy to see why. I would give it 5 stars, but in last 5-6 visits, I've gotten 2 dishes that were made poorly (way way over cooked meat). If this keeps up, I'll stop going and lower my rating.
(4)Bill W.
So far so good - in fact very good. Szechuan Chef serves authentic Chinese food. I know this because I watch the travel channel . . . and I found a lot of dishes on their menu that I'm not curious enough to try. Our gang of three has had two great dinners there recently. (Not too busy on weekday nights like they used to be.) Most of the dishes are one star (spicy), so for us that already gets them off to a good start. I'm giving the restaurant itself 5 stars for the time being. This despite the fact that their meats are probably not the greatest cuts, but I don't expect better at a Chinese restaurant. (Chinese restaurants belong to the middle class.) Everything else was great: interesting spices and sauces, fresh vegetables cooked right (how often do you find these outside of a good Chinese restaurant?), the fastest food preps, large portions, nice people, and all so satisfying, you're thinking about what you're going to order the next time. Something else: they serve lamb, and we've tried two very good lamb dishes, cumin lamb and lamb and soft tofu with hot and spicy gravy. We've also tried vegetables with prawns, green onion pancakes, garlic sauteed string beans and ants in a tree. I've also eaten double mushroom beef at S. C. several months ago. Next time I think we're due for some Dan Dan noodles and Chong Qin chicken. If these dishes sound familiar it's because I've discovered Yelp and some helpful reviewers.
(5)Annie G.
So glad we found this place due to cancelling another reservation due to a power outage. The food was fantastic! So much variety and so much flavor!!! We started with some spring rolls and the szechuan crab. The spring rolls were average, but the crab was amazing! So spicy and delicious. Served on top of some spicy peanuts and green beans. For my main dish I got the beef and seafood in gravy- which is a hot, spicy broth. Really good!!!! And a ton of food! At our table we also had some yummy chicken dish, and a noodle dish with handmade noodles. I was really impressed with the noodles, they were thick and flavorful. I think this was the first Asian place I have been to that made homemade noodles. Try them out for sure! We had plenty of food to take home as leftovers, which were just as good the next day. The reason I took off a star was because it was so darn hot in there! I wasn't really bothered, but everyone at my table had read cheeks and my baby was crying because he was so hot. I ended up taking him outside to cool down and he was much better. Everyone at my table was joking that they were going to be heat casualties. Turn on the AC please!!!!
(4)Kyna F.
Trying to grab a bite between work meetings in a unknown neighborhood means hoping Yelp steers you the right way. In this case they did. I came in pretty early, before 5 so the place was dead. Up to the counter to order take out. The woman working was taking a phone order, but acknowledged me. Once off the phone she helped me immediately. I ordered Dan Dan noodles with hand shaved noodles. She said 5 minutes. They were out even faster than that. They were tasty, with a good spice balance. I would totally eat here again.
(4)David D.
OK, so we were four tired and hungry Southern California Geocachers in search of some good Chinese food after about 10 miles on a trail near Snoqualmie Pass. Had no idea what was around, so turned to Yelp. As soon as we walked in I suspected we had hit a good one, Nice decor and they let the four of us have a six-person table. Good start. Very hospitable and outgoing waiter answered all our questions and promised we could have things made hot (OK, not everyone understands our interpretation of hot, but we continue to hope that some day someone will call our bluff). Sesame chicken and Walnut chicken were both tasty and tender, and not over-breaded. Spicy tofu was on the mark according to Bob. I had the Ants, which although not as good as the one time I was able to find it in SoCal, was not all that bad; but their attempts to make it spicy took a wrong turn that kinda killed the flavor. Portion sizes were generous and we left with a box. Not likely that I'll be in the area again, but if I were I would definitely make a return visit.
(3)BK J.
Living way down near Olympia means you don't have any Szechuan restaurants without at least a half hour drive so I planned ahead and got to Bellevue early before the ramen event and got my butt into the Sz Chef. I was greeted and seated quickly upon entering and left with a menu and a lunch special list. Before I knew it water and hot tea were served. After another minute or so the waitress was back to take my order. She grabbed an order from another table and was back with my hot and sour soup. It was not my ultimate hot and sour but it was good with a slight sour edge and enough heat to make my scalp glisten a bit. The waitress took another tables order and bam before I knew it and was only half way through my soup my entree was in front of me (probably less than five minutes from ordering). The entree was quite good and had a ton of veggies so I was happy. There were plenty of chunks of hot red pepper so it had a real nice heat in addition to the garlic and ginger in the sauce. The lunch portion had six medium sized shrimp which felt like the right amount for lunch. By the end of it my napkin was nicely damp from dabbing my temples due to the heat. If I lived or worked in the area Sz Chef would be a frequent spot for me. For anyone with time constraints at lunch time this should be your go-to place.
(4)Ednalyn M.
This has been in my bookmarks for a bit and I'm glad I finally got to try it! Their hand shaven noodles are so good! Good texture and awesome flavor. I chose the combination spicy chow mein with hand shaven noodles and it wasn't short on the spice! It was filled with just enough veggies and different meats (shrimp, fish and beef) the shrimp were huge which was a surprise and it was cooked perfectly. The only thing I didn't like was I had to track down a waiter a bunch of times for water, check and a to-go box. But I would definitely come back for noodles! Hopefully their service is much better.
(4)Anjana A.
This Szechuan Chinese restaurant has a lot of seating capacity, an extensive multi-page menu, therefore a popular choice for group events. They offer a limited lunch menu at under $10 prices, but for the best items it's best to order a la-carte from the main menu. We went on a weekday and they were almost empty at 8PM, a lot of people kept stopping by for take-out though. The Fish in hot and spicy garlic sauce that I ordered was huge and sufficed for 2 meals. Rice is extra. The Kung Pao Chicken dish in comparison was half the size, maybe because it wasn't in gravy. The hot and spicy fish is a level 5 but they toned it down to level 3 at our request, which was plenty spicy for me. I liked it a lot better than the Kung Pao Chicken which was very typical. I think overall the food was good, the trick is to know which dishes to order. Personally, I think that the batter fried meat dishes are less tastier than the non-fried stir fries as they tend to have better meat, but that is a personal preference. The ambience was a little better than a hole in the wall and the service was fast. I wasn't blown away overall, but consider it an above average restaurant if you're craving Szechuan food.
(4)John S.
Used to be great. Then the owners left and went to China. Fortunately they came back and started Spicy Talk in Redmond.
(3)Melissa R.
Great Chinese food! Love the moo shu (sp?) chicken and the chow mein! Not a fan of the crab won tons.
(4)Brian H.
Food was really good but the service could be more personal.
(3)Kat R.
I *love* this place. Its really really good. A bit pricey, but well worth it. My fiance and I used to come to this place EVERY WEEK -- Twice a week! We went so much, the waitresses knew us. In fact, they still do! We don't get much variety (D's not so adventurous) buuuut... Here is our usual order: Wild Chili Lamb Young Bamboo Shoots and Dried Bean Curd in Chili Sauce and White rice. Excellent! You can't go wrong! Also, they have weekend lunch specials! That's right! Get your fill for cheap! We ALWAYS order the Wild Chili Beef Lunch special with Hot and Sour Soup and the Beef with Dried Bean Curd. I can't say enough about this place. If we had had our wedding in Seattle, we wanted our rehearsal dinner here -- I celebrated the passing of my bar here! Are you still reading this review? Get up and go!
(5)Liz C.
Szechuan food is one of those things that is so comforting and heart warming (literally) to eat. It's not the most common kind of cuisine you find either. This place offers the sweet, comforting Szechuan food that I crave. It's located in the plaza so you should be able to spot it's sign fairly easy. The place is very spacious inside with lots of tables (especially for parties) and high ceilings. This makes you feel less cramped. We were seated right away and given hot tea and our menus. If you want ice water, you're going to have to ask. We ordered four dishes, and yes, that is definitely a lot for just two people. But my partner and I love Szechuan food and wanted to try it all. The food didn't take long to come. Rice comes with your meal. Dan Dan noodles, hand shaven - These noodles are definitely unique and feel homemade. The noodles are soft and not too thick. Pictures make it seem like it's mild with no spice, but the spicy sauce is at the bottom so you'll need to mix. It surprisingly was not as flavorful as I thought. You get a lot of the noodle taste rather than the sauce. The sauce is really subtle. I wasn't a huge fan of just tasting the noodle flavor, but this was my first time trying Dan Dan noodles. Overall, not my favorite but still tasted alright. Mapo tofu - The pieces of tofu were so delicately soft. There were many pieces of tofu and the sauce was thick enough to slather over rice. Definitely liked the spice level on this one. Chong quin hot chicken - This chicken dish was yummy. Fried chicken is a treat. It has this crispy exterior and a lot of spice. It also comes with well cooked and seasoned green beans that compliment the chicken well. It is slightly on the oily side, but they do have to put that Szechuan spice in there somehow. Sliced fish in hot gravy - Nothing beats Szechuan boiled fish in that thick sauce. You can slather that over your rice and eat the fall apart pieces of fish. The dish seems so simple and it appears like nothing special is done to the fish, but it really tastes so good! I would say this is a must when going to eat Szechuan food. Portion sizes here are HUGE. They are way bigger than any Szechuan place I've been to. We enjoyed trying every dish but we had a lot of leftovers of each dish (great for leftovers!). Service tonight was decently attentive. Our waters were filled but we weren't checked up on or anything. They also weren't very friendly when we came in and ordered. Attitude can definitely change how you feel about service. But they did see us stop touching our food and came to box our leftovers right away and handed us our check. For the four dishes we paid a little over $50 without tip. I think this is a very fair price, especially considering that the portion sizes are really large here compared to other places. We basically paid for two meals. Overall, the places food is comforting but it doesn't shine as amazing or anything so I would say food itself is just an average of three stars. But the spacious seating and the giant portion sizes definitely brings it up to four stars.
(4)Madhu S.
Service is very good and the food is tasty! We tried the kungpao chicken and spicy fish in a black bean sauce. . Yes you can customize!
(4)Jen S.
A wonderful find! Delicious, unique and authentic food, clean, no MSG. This restaurant doesn't carry your standard Chinese-American fare, rather southern China flavors and favorites. Try the seafood soup and cucumber salad and you will leave satisfied.
(5)Vivian W.
Woo Hoo for Spicy Chinese Food!!! I Love Szechuan Chef! This is my favorite Szechuan place around! Try their Boiled Fish and Intestines. I know...if you are not a fan of intestines, just get the fish or beef, they are all really amazing. It is a must whenever I come over here. I also like their dan dan noodle! They use pepper corn in a lot of their dishes, so it will make your mouth numb but it is the good and delicious kind of numb! If you are not into spicy, this place also got a variety of non-spicy Chinese dishes! Try their Beef tendon noodle soup with Wonton! Yummness! Sometimes, their food can be a little salty! Just let them know before hand to use less salt! I like how they have a wide variety of dishes. Their menu is very picturesy so you can see what your food look like before hand! They are pretty accurate depictions.
(5)Krista T.
My co-worker raved about this place, and even drove to Bellevue from Ravensdale to eat there. I thought, either she's a nutcase or the food is truly excellent. Come to find out, she's a bit nutty, and the food (or my dish, at least) was just OK. My problem with Szechaun Chef (and the majority of Chinese restaurants) is that the breaded meats are usually 70% breading and 30% actual meat. 'Tis the case of Szechuan Chef's Mongolian Chicken. The egg drop soup was watered down, and a real disappointment as well. Mandatory positive: - The servers were friendly and greeted us with a smile. - The fortune cookie was the tastiest part of my meal.
(2)Kevin W.
We all hate Walmart (or at least claim to), but that doesn't mean everything around it has to be terrible. That's where Szechuan Chef comes in. I was absolutely starving one evening and came upon this restaurant completely by chance. Willing to eat just about anything by that time, I came in hoping for just enough food to fill my stomach. I was not expecting one of the best Chinese restaurants I've ever visited, but that's what I got here. One look at the menu made it clear I had struck gold with this place. Dish names sounded pleasant and reminded me of all the wonderful food you'd be more likely to find in the International District. The other dead giveaway that this was going to be a good restaurant was how everything was reasonably priced. Really bad restaurants also tend to be overpriced for some reason, which this place most definitely was not. I ordered an appetizer and some fried rice; both came to my table within five minutes of my ordering. I didn't even know it was possible to prepare these foods that fast. The Sichuanese cold noodles were fantastic and tasted like they were made right in Sichuan. The special combo fried rice was similarly wonderful and thankfully came with a very high proportion of meat. Man, these guys are just hitting all my weaknesses. I don't think I can take so much more! Delicious food, lightning fast service, low prices, authentic Chinese food in Bellevue, spacious and beautiful restaurant, massive portions, and convenient location. Seriously, does it get any better than this? Do I need to empty out my bank account and give this restaurant all my money? Because I'm coming back to this restaurant with a larger group of people and hoping that the rest of their dishes are just as rewarding.
(5)Stephen C.
Nice openly layout. Staff are friendly and welcoming. Food is good, great value for money. You have your choice of some nice spicy dishes and non-spicy. Will return
(4)Jamie C.
Love love loved it here! I was really fiending for some hot pot because it was so cold and rainy and coming here made all my dreams come true. We had a table for 8 and we did the all-you-can-eat hot pot for about $20 per person. We had two pots, both split in half for spicy and non-spicy. I eat non-spicy because I like to feel my tongue when I eat. I think the non-spicy broth is just water, but that didn't really matter because the food itself was so tasty. Our food selection included some really good quality beef and lamb, fish balls, tripe, fish fillets, potatoes, vermicelli, napa cabbage....and I'm sure there was more. Make sure you ask for the peanut sauce, which makes everything taste amazing. I mixed mine with soy sauce and some hot sauce just for some extra flavor. I don't recommend sipping on the soup in the end, though. That stuff gets pretty nasty with all the meat fat. Service was prompt and helpful. They didn't make a fuss about all of us splitting the bill with our cards at all. This is probably the best way you can spend a cold winter's night. Hands down.
(5)Kate S.
Green beans... green beans.. Tasty, yummy green beans. Green beans... Green Beans.... Eat them up, Yum! (Lunch combo of delicious hot chicken w/dried szechuan style green beans + fried rice + soup + tea for $6.95? Total effing win in my book).
(4)Miran W.
Easily the best Chinese restaurant on the Eastside. Fantastic food, interesting menu (mmm... pork intestine), solid service, and huge servings. Highly recommended.
(5)Cory C.
Ordered the Hot Pot for 2 and it was horrible. I've had Hot Pot at other places and this didn't even compare. The broth was so bad, I didn't eat much. The restaurant was also pretty dirty and they use the main dining area for storage. Bathroom had cleaning supplies and paper towels on the floor - gross. Service - terrible. No one came by to check in or refill drinks. Had to flag someone down just to get the check.
(1)Vi L.
Great food, great value. This place serves traditional Szechuanese dishes with escalating levels of spice and minimal bastardization of Chinese dishes. My personal favorites here are the Cumin Lamb, Ants on a Tree and most recently Mongolian Beef. Next on my to-do list is the Szechuan Style Crab. Food here is served uber quick. Today, I brought a table of 7 with me. We ordered 6 dishes and the first ones arrived literally within 5 minutes. The last dish arrived within 10 minutes of the original order time. Ample seating space so no waiting (which is one of my pet peeves). I wish they served rice noodles here, but I supposed it's better to stick with ones strengths rather than create an endless menu of mediocrity as to most Chinese restaurants. Yay for SC!
(5)Rich A.
Get the Chongqing chicken. It's like popcorn chicken but has amazing flavor. It's spicy hot but you can definitely discern the various spices unlike some "spicy" dishes that numb the senses. We also love the steamed fish. It's a fillet of fish with a thin soy-sesame sauce. Service can take a while when busy but it's worth the wait.
(5)Tom B.
This has become something of a regular stop in the rotation for the out-of-office lunch crowd at work. We might not have time to go out for lunch in a couple months, so we've been here a couple times already even though I am still new on the team. I have to say this place does a pretty darn good job. They certainly have all the tools in place--good location near busy streets with lots of offices and residential around them. Big dining room. Plenty of parking. The logistics have been well handled. If they can execute on the actual restaurant stuff--and they do--then they're set up to be here for a while. Which certainly seems to be the case. It's one of those dining rooms that feels nice even though everything, including the plants and the picture frames, is made out of plastic. You feel like you're going to enjoy your meal even before you sit down. And, man, there is no shortage of people sitting down to eat here. They have the usual puffy padded menus with 75 lunches and 275 dinners, lots of red peppers, lots of cumin, lots of comfortable old familiars for the devotee of szechuanese cuisine. Good tofu dishes, good pork and lamb. Hot and sour soup is OK. No brown rice. But the entrees are fantastic, especially for the price. The service is fast (though usually overworked), the kitchen is fast, the fortune cookies are affirmative, the lunch gets you in and out the door for around ten bucks. Mission accomplished. I have a slight preference when in the area to go a little farther north to the szechuan place on 24th in Overlake, but this place is a little closer to my current office and I have no problem imagining returning here again and again.
(4)Leo K.
I love spicy food, so if you're with me, you'll enjoy the food here. Sure it might not have the best service, or be the cleanest restaurant, but what do people expect? It's Chinese food. The dishes are better than most, I definitely recommend the pepper pork, chong qing chicken, mapo tofu, and this one other vinegar fried fish dish that probably has a Chinese name that I don't know.
(4)Lucie L.
Was here for the first time and I LOVED their handshaved noodles with chicken and qing long? chicken so I came here again with a group of friends a couple weeks later. We ordered the qing long chicken but I couldn't remember what the name of the hand shaved noodles with chicken was so I asked our server and he seemed to know exactly what we were talking about so he ordered it for us. When we got our order it was TOTALLY NOT what I had described. The noodles were in some kind of broth and it did not have chicken in it. So I called the waitor over and asked him to switch it to the one I wanted and he listened to my description again and finally told us he knew what we wanted so I asked him to switch the dishes and he REFUSED. So I said okay, just order us the right noodle dish and we will pay for both. We finally got the right handshaved noodle dish and it was SO TASTELESS. My friends and I took 2 bites and we asked for our checks. The same waitor came over and asked if everything was okay (it obviously wasn't) and we said the dish was totally tasteless. Me, working in the food industry and all, know that if a customer is not satisfied with their dish and barely touched their food will not CHARGE THEM FOR IT. It's common sense, does that waitor think my friends and I will ever come back when he charged us for 2 dishes that we didn't even eat and one of which the waitor had ordered by mistake?? He is sadly mistaken...
(1)Carol A.
The food was good at this Chinese place, but it was too spicy for me. My family really liked it though, and so did one child with us. I had to have dishes with no MSG and no gluten and they were able to do that for me. I was going to post more, but I noticed all my previous reviews were "filtered" so I'm going to wait and see if this gets "filtered" too before I put more effort into reviewing! Are reviews filtered unless the business pays on Yelp?
(4)Duy K.
Checked this place out over the weekend. Ended up stopping by during happy hour I guess you could call it. $8.50 item gets you rice, soup and a meat dish. Pretty good food, nice clean place, really big. Looking forward to going back. Food was great.
(5)Jody S.
The BEST Hot Pot and food and great service. Very consistent and whatever you order you can't go wrong.
(5)Rex C.
Ok this isn't the cleanest place I have eaten in but the food is cheap and good. The mandarin crispy chicken is one of my favorites alone with the Mongolian beef. Service is fast and I have never left not happy I went.
(4)Gena S.
Some of the best Chinese food i have ever had the pleasure of eating!
(5)Jeremy C.
This is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants on the East side, especially for lunch. It's not because of the great atmosphere within since it's full of fake plants, dirty windows, and an awkward setup of tables and chairs. It's also not because of the wait staff, which aren't very good about timing the delivery of food to ensure that everyone at the table gets their food at the same time. The truth is, many times the plates are delivered at drastically different times so I end up watching my fellow table-mates devour their food while I nurse my small cup of soup. Also, you almost always have to flag down a waiter(ess) for the check like at most Dim Sum restaurants. But if you can get past that, the lunch menu provides many different options and is almost always fresh and hot when it's delivered. My personal favorite is the Fried Tofu with Eggplant. I would opt for the steamed rice instead of the bland fried rice, and like many Chinese restaurants they do not give you the soup if you order the meal to go. Is it the price of the container? I'll bring my own if it means I can get some soup. Is it additional incentive for you to eat at the restaurant and pay for a tip? If so, I'll throw an extra buck or two their way. For the love of god, just give me some damn soup even if I don't eat there! Okay, I'll get off my "soup" box now. As I was saying, this restaurant also provides large portions, refills on soda's, and good food.
(4)Anthony C.
The food and the pricing for the meals was amazing. The service and atmosphere were awful. We had to wait for around 20 minutes before a server would take our order, and that was only because we had to flag one down. There were several other tables around us that I noticed were in the same awkward position haha. The food came out and it was a huge mountain of food. Both me and my girlfriend each loved our dishes, and had plenty to take home for leftovers. I'll be going here again, hopefully next time the service won't be as incredibly slow.
(3)S. T.
No thanks. Decent service, water tasted funny. tea was crappy. Food was the worst, it's like eating at the food stalls in a third world country w/ leftover meats, and inners of pig and mystery meat. And how come Chinese restaurants are so dirty and unsanitary. Why they use the same towel to wipe all the tables, without washing them? Yuck, Gross. Why are the all the people so freaking loud and rude? Felt like I was back in Hongkong or Shanghai, they will push you to a fake water well or cliff, so they can keep the water for themselves.
(1)Shawn M.
I've eaten here many times because the food can be pretty decent. The service is the worst I've ever seen and the atmosphere is awful. The only reason I'm giving it a star is because if you take it to go you might have a good experience here depending on the chef cooking that night. The last and final time I was there a few days ago, they kept seating people but couldn't fill orders or bring people checks. People were literally yelling at the one person trying to help the whole room. After about an hour of waiting for the check and begging them to bring me the rest of my order, I finally walked up to the chefs and laid down $40 and said we are good. They looked at me and asked if it was close and I said yes and they said thanks. Really? I can't even get a bill or service? Why would you keep seating people that you can't serve? Just turn them away or tell them to wait. It's much better than luring them in and not serving them. I've been there on other occasions and the staff is rude. If this place had a good atmosphere and staff it would be the best around if they got their consistency down.
(1)Ryan C.
We enjoy the take out as well as dining in here. It's close to home and always fast service. They even do custom orders such as not adding msg to a dish if you desire it like that. It would be 5 stars but once in awhile a glitch happens (lost order once, food arrived cold once, understaffed). Overall it's a great place though.
(4)Michelle S.
The chicken with noodles is my fab.
(4)Amanda M.
Good service, average atmosphere and great food. If you're there for lunch the portion size will fill you up and then some. Otherwise dinner I always expect leftovers. My only complaint is that when ordering pick up I've encountered some instances where the deep fryer didn't cook my food all the way through.
(4)Jimmy B.
First and last time eating here. I rarely trust the low ratings when there are so many good ratings, but my experience at Szechuan Chef has changed that. To start, when we were seated, the ceilings fans were blowing so hard that we and the table next to us asked that they be turned down. Our waiter turned them off immediately...more on that later. We ordered our food, and wow, one plate came out within two minutes! It was prepped wrong, so we asked that it be done as we ordered. We were told no problem. 10 minutes later, the waiter came back and asked if we would like to try the errant dish to see if it would be OK. Seriously? It had been sitting in the back for 10 minutes! If the original came out in 2 minutes, why's it taking so long for the replacement? Could the original have been someone else's order that was wrong as well? We stuck to the original. Our other dish finally came, not hot, at about 20 minutes. The original dish finally came 10 minutes after that. Looking around the dining room, we weren't the only ones receiving "piece meals". Back to the fan...once we had our food, the ceiling fans were at full blast again. One of the other waiters was apparently hot. So much for the customer's comfort. When we, and the other table complained again, nothing was done. The food was "ok", service marginal, and the overall experience not so good. As a side note, you can only order the fried rice and chow mien "family style" in large expensive quantities. I agree that there are limited decent Chinese food restaurants in Bellevue, and for my money, the drive to Chan's in Woodinville is the only way to go.
(2)Clint W.
Wow, I haven't updated a review of Chef in a long time. I come here a couple times a year and almost always order the hot pot. It's just what I do. When it comes to S. Chef, I'm in a rut. This time, I came with a number of other people and we ordered a number of other dishes. The lamb, some chow mein, a veggie dish, a shrimp and broccoli, a chicken and tofu, and salt and pepper squid quickly overwhelmed the table. Of all of these, the only one that I would have deemed exceptional was the chicken and tofu. Smooth and silky. I will admit that all the portions were huge, but I was expecting better. I thought some of the lamb was dried out and hard, as was the squid. It was fried too long and was hard and chewy. Staff also forgot my beverage and after awhile, I just gave up on it. Because all the food was rolling out by the time they came around again. In the middle of the meal, I noticed another table having the hot pot, which I looked longingly at. Sad.
(3)Marshall S.
Not sure what everyone is talking about because this is some of the worst Chinese food I've had...ever. I actually went here because of the solid Yelp reviews, and couldn't believe how bad it was. I went with my whole family and everyone left disappointed. We had: - Egg Flower soup (flavorless, gel-like substance) - Mongolian Beef (where's the beef?) - Mongolian Chicken (nasty, dark chicken) - Wild Chili Pork (MOSTLY pieces of fat instead of pork, looked like thick cut uncooked bacon) It took forever to get the bill and the place was 3/4 empty. Won't be going back.
(1)