Zest Szechuan
“He doesn't like seafood, but he fell in love with the Chong Qing Grilled Fish.”
“It came garnished with the usual peppers, peanuts, lotus root, and other small veggies to balance the flavor.”
“We were bored of the other neighborhood Szechuan restaurants and were attracted by the bright, clean, and modern decor.”
Zest Szechuan
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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This is a solid choice for Sichuan, but not truly mind blowing flavors as you mind find at other restaurants.
It is a nice, clean restaurant with friendly service, but things like the grilled fish didn't quite stack up to to other places I have had.
This is a pretty solid choice for Szechuan food in an area with a handful of other Szechuan restaurants. New, clean place with a sizable menu, and decent service. Nothing I've had from here has been bad. For the most part, everything has been above average. The only thing I have to say though is that their Chongqing Chicken is hit or miss. Sometimes it's pretty on and other times it's not. Wish it would be more consistent.
Craving spicy Szechuan food and having a hard time finding an authentic place to beat your spicy palate? Zest Szechuan would be your perfect choice if you happen to be in Midtown area.
Strongly recommend their spicy grilled fish, with the help of their special pepper sauce that made the meat even more flavorful. Definitely do not omit the vegetables, as they have completely absorbed the soup base and carried a strong spicy flavor. Girls should try their sautéed pig's trotter – the skin was so soft that it almost melt in my mouth. Well done!
Chinese place is always associated with less-than-satisfactory sanitary and service conditions; however Zest proved the opposite. Felt like I discovered a hidden gem in this location and will be back for more hearty food!
This might just be the best Chinese food I've had in my life. This place has amazing food at normal prices rather than insane NYC prices and is the most modern looking Chinese restaurant you'll ever see. They have "authentic" items as well as "Americanized" items on the menu so there's something for everyone. If you like a little heat get the Cucumber salad and say yes when they ask if you want it spicy. Do the same with the shredded beef with leeks and you've got a very tasty and spicy meal that isn't too much heat but just enough to do the job.
Proud to say I managed to eat my entire meal with chopsticks rather than the fork the friendly waiter brought just in case. If I lived here I'd be a regular, but since I don't I'd come back next time I'm in town.
It's been a long time since I wrote a Yelp review, but the service here was so outstanding I had to show my love.
The food is excellent and the lunch specials are superb.
I had to give them 5 stars because for some reason when I ordered online, it didn't give me a soup option for my lunch order. I called them and corrected it. They forgot it. I called them and we tried to negotiate new trades and what not. They ended up delivering the soup to me and gave me an extra soup.
And they were friendly through the whole process and apologized for their mistake. I'm used to businesses accusing me of wrong doing, which is annoying when it's not true.
Zest was professional, courteous, and went above and beyond to resolve my issue. I will return here again and spread the good word. Their food is also delicious!
This is a very solid Szechuan restaurant in the area where there are mostly other szechuan chinese restaurants.
The lunch special is what I get here and it's a really good meal and a ton of food for the $8.25. Their lunch selection is pretty huge and when all the items come in their own little box – you and your friends/coworkers can order 3 or 4 and have a nice family style lunch! That's what we did today and we're all extremely full!
The lunch meal comes with a small half size fried egg roll, a soup, a small container of rice and your item that you ordered from the menu. All combined in total it's a lot of food!
I am hopeful that this restaurant will bring some new life to Szechuan cuisine in midtown manhattan. I do love the modern black and white decor. The food is not nearly as spicy as its nearby competitors. I would prefer a little more kick to the food. I had the Kung Pao chicken and the Ma Po Tofu. I must say that Kung Pao chicken disappoints me in most NYC Chinese restaurants–they give you such small amounts of chicken and scallions. Probably the best Kung Pao chicken I have had this year was in Rome, Italy. It is not often that I will contend that Chinese restaurants in Maryland are superior to New York City, but when it comes to this single dish–Kung Pao chicken I will argue that point with anyone. Still, I am hoping this restaurant will bring some culinary creativity to Szechuan cuisine that is lacking in Midtown Manhattan!
Came here after being unsatisfied by neighboring Szechuan restaurant menus. If your menu looks like a Chinese takeout menu, it's unacceptable to call yourself an authentic Szechuan restaurant. I am so glad Zest Szechuan opened and I will definitely be back often. There was no wait on a Saturday evening and food/service were speedy. I tried the tripe appetizer (fu ji fei pian), shui zhu yu and ma la xiang guo – all three were exactly what I was craving and had a perfect blend of Szechuan sauces!! The appetizer was actually my favorite especially since few Chinese restaurants have it as an option. If you haven't been here, you haven't been to the best Szechuan restaurant in the city!