Szechuan Gourmet
“The stir fried chicken with chili peanuts and the pork belly with chili leeks are my favorites so far.”
“We also shared Crispy lamb filets with chili cumin, beef chow fun and sliced pork belly (the later two being my favorite).”
“This side of Chengdu, Sichuan, China this is the best Sichuan food I have had.”
Szechuan Gourmet
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Very mediocre. I've ordered takeout from here very fast and they are really quick (took 15 minutes from placing order to ringing my doorbell) but the food does not impress. It's not bad, but not good – just in the middle. We ordered:
– beef chow fun – no flavor
– spare ribs – no flavor
– general tso – not the typical general tso as there were some red and green peppers and onions, but it was actually pretty tasty
– spicy chicken with peanuts – this was my favorite and is the only reason i would come back. There is a ton of delicious brown sauce (similar to general tso sauce also) with lots of peanuts and great spice. It reminded me of a more saucy, better version of kung pao chicken. Definitely recommend getting this.
The order also came with a very small sample of dan dan noodles which were ok. Overall, the experience was nothing special.
Found this spot via yelp and was not disappointed. The food was delicious and reasonable for a Manhattan eatery. The menu has something for everyone, from old favorites to authentic Szechaun fare.
I would definitely visit again!
I used to come here for lunch all the time (like 5 years ago)… I'm not sure if I've changed or the food changed, but I came back for this first time since 5 years ago and holy crap, the food was awful. I made the mistake of biting into a seed from the tofu (map po) dish and my mouth a lips went numb. I lost my taste buds for the entire meal. After that, I just gave up eating since I wasn't enjoying it anymore. What a waste of money. Maybe I don't enjoy Szechuan food like I used to. But I won't ever come back.
Nice decor, not too fancy, not too touristy and divey. The service was quick and efficient; probably for the best since during our visit/meal it was quite busy.
A good spot to take a family of 6-8+ if you like spicy food (served family style).
The food was good, and had a decent kick to it and had me working up a literal sweat (this coming from a lover of spicy foods that can hold his own).
We had leftovers and the soup base we had saved was great for reheating and pouring over (white) rice and other protein, meat dishes (stir fry, etc.).
Really enjoyed this place. Might be the best chinese food in midtown?
The sichuan dishes here are strongly authentic and very good. The level of heat is high, and the famous sichuan numbing flavors are in full force. The dan dan noodles are excellent. The mapo tofu is very hot and very good (and i normally don't even like tofu). The double cooked pork belly is pretty good. I love the dry-fried string beans for a non-spicy break. On the suggestion of a chinese friend, we also got a crispy intestine dish, and it was outstanding. I'd strongly recommend this restaurant.
Eh. I had the pork, chive and noodles dish. It came out lightning fast which scared me. The noodles, which were the thin vermicelli variety, were a solid lump under the sauce, pork and sprouts. Once they dissolved, the dish was not bad. However, it was one dimensional like everything else at the table from the pot stickers to rice. The Honey Spare ribs tasted like honey but not ribs. The Chicken Fried Rice was extremely flat. What's the deal with Chinese restaurants not giving out fortune cookies for dessert????? I've noticed this trend lately and it's disturbing!!!!!
Service was okay but it's hard to get past the mediocre food. Things in the area were a little more expensive for lunch so I went here on the cheap. You definitely get what you pay for, I should've spent a few dollars more and had something decent.
N.B. – Good tea.
During the work week, I don't often (1) eat lunch beyond the confines of my desk and (2) eat lunch at a sit-down restaurant when I decide to eat out, so lunch at Szechuan Gourmet was a little bit of a treat for me. This place is a solid spot if you're looking for alternative lunch options to Chipotle, Hale & Hearty, Pax, and the other usual players in the area. The food's delicious, it comes out in a flash, and the price is right. I ordered and thoroughly enjoyed the popular sliced pork belly and chili leeks lunch special, which comes with your choice of egg drop or wonton soup.
Not bad, but not awesome either – I think the only thing that really blew my socks off was the Eight Treasure Rice (otherwise known as sweet sticky rice), but I can get that for seven dollars cheaper out of a car trunk in Chinatown. I never really noticed before how midtown Manhattan is saturated with Chinese restaurants, especially places with the word "Szechuan" in its name, and while most of them are pretty okay at what they're supposed to do (water boiled fish, husband wife beef tripe, dan dan noodles), I'm never left with a huge desire to go back. To be honest, I only really fire up the Yelp engine for Chinese places when I'm meeting my parents or family friends.
STAND-BYS:
Husband wife beef tripe
Spicy sesame oil cucumber
Scallion pancakes
Crispy beef fillets: These were fried so hard that other than the person who ordered them (me), no one could really taste what the underlying meat was.
Braised crispy tofu with chili pork slices
Water boiled fish with pig's blood jello: I had it in my mind that the pig's blood jello would be these little gelatinous cubes that went plop! in your mouth but they were these firm squares that tasted faintly of liver.
It was also kind of hilarious to watch Szechuan Gourmet's middle-aged Chinese male waiters try to navigate around my friend's wailing seven-year-old daughter.
Overall, an inoffensive Szechuan place to take your Chinese parents-in-law but otherwise not really worth it.