Not your average wimpy szechuan restaurant. Spicy and they mean it, unlike most midtown szechuan places they make their spicy dishes spicy. They don't use the same chili oil for all their spicy dishes either. Their Hot and Sour Noodle is not made with hot and sour soup! which is funny how other chinese restaurant just put noodle in their hot and sour soup.If you can stay the heat like really spicy food, this one is for you. they are also very friendly which is another plus.
Reviewed by:
Kevin L. on:
3/11/2013 7:03:00 PM
Went there on Mar. 10th for dinner. Ordered four dishes. One of them is fish in hot chili oil and the price is $24.95. While the taste is fine, there was less than 10 small slices of fish in it. Another one is "xiang guo fei chang" (), also with very few fei chang in it. Overall, the restaurant is using too few real materials and charging way more for what it's worth. Will never return again.
Reviewed by:
Janet M. on:
3/6/2013 7:47:00 PM
This was my second time here and wow i am just blown away at the authenticity and variety. Lets be clear that if you don't like spice and are not adventurous then don't bother. Try spicey dumplings to get the lips a tingling and then dive in. The sauteed vegetable dishes are a nice balance to the super spicey ones. The cuttlefish was just awesome!! sauteed pea shoots yum yum...beef with black bean just to compare with other more american dishes was excellent and a good non spicey option. Service was attentive and good. A real find.
Reviewed by:
Ellen W. on:
2/23/2013 2:03:00 AM
The place is as good as hot kitchen. Staff were really friendly and very apologetic when we only waited 20 min for a table. If you are used to nyc wait time, 20 min is almost the minimal. Service is great. I highly recommend it.Roasted pork feet was amazing!
Reviewed by:
Jeffrey T. on:
2/22/2013 10:19:00 PM
This is a great place to go for real Chinese food, but especially of the Szechuan variety. Definitely a lot of spicy options if you're into that, but there are enough dishes for your friends that don't like such things. I definitely recommend steering clear of the American Chinese dishes, as their hearts are clearly not into it (nor should they be, but then why are they on the menu to begin with?), but every now and again you see something awesome, like wok seared whole chilies in the orange chicken your girlfriend got, and you realize why this place is so great.Dry spicy chicken and Mapo tofu are easy recommendations, but practically anything here with a chili mark next to it on the menu is very good. Prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get (which is a lot), and the waitstaff is very friendly and courteous, but they need to stop giving me forks! I don't need a damn fork just because I'm not Asian!
Reviewed by:
Paul H. on:
2/11/2013 4:19:00 PM
Decor: 3.5/5-They can easily accomodate large parties of 8-10Service: 4/5-Impressed with their service but it could have been biased-They were extremely friendly and consistently filled our tea pots and waters-Food came out at a fairly quick rate-They forgot two of our orders but we were not charged for themFood: 2.5/5-The dishes are 'okay', very oily and lots of chili peppers for the spicy lovers. It's more of a mild to moderate buildup to a lingering burn.-Bearable for those who aren't a big fan of Sichuan dishes.I would not come back.
Reviewed by:
Ya O. on:
2/10/2013 6:27:00 AM
I wasn't expecting much, but was quite surprised how delicious the food.
Reviewed by:
David C. on:
2/5/2013 4:29:00 PM
LVES only gets two stars on the strength of its Dandan Noodles, which were better than other versions I have had in NYC. If I had not ordered the Dandan Noodles, I would opt for one star. Why? The Dry Spicy Chicken, a simple dish to prepare and ubiquitous on Sichuan menus, was worse than any other version I have had in NYC. The chicken appeared to have been deep fried separate from the other ingredients and had none of the flavor of the chiles, garlic, scallions, etc. The shrimp in the Braised Shrimp Chengdu Style had the distinction of having no shrimp flavor at all and an awful chewy, gummy texture, both characteristics that suggest to me poor freshness and/or handling and/or quality. Needless to say that the latter two dishes were sampled and then discarded. Too bad I didn't stop with the noodles.
Reviewed by:
Elvis L. on:
1/31/2013 11:44:00 AM
It should have got five stars from me. But as I've been so many times, the quality of their food quality dropped so much from the first time I was there. And I heard that they changed the chef, which I think is the reason.But generally it's more authentic compared to Szechuan Gourmet.
Reviewed by:
CB E. on:
1/22/2013 5:39:00 PM
Decent food but takes forever and overpriced. Not recommended for lunch.My beef lo mein to-go took 25 minutes from ordering at the counter until picking it up. Four people were wafting before me. By the time that my food was ready, there were 5 more people behind me. One poor guy ordered before me, but I got my order first...Since there is no other Chinese food option in this neighborhood, I may have to go back when I have my ma po tofu cravings, though.Beef lo mein is $9.75. Portion is way too much for lunch for one person. Apparently, this is meant to be shared with your friends and family for dinner.This neighborhood needs better competitors for lunch.
Reviewed by:
Joshua M. on:
1/22/2013 6:48:00 AM
I like this place more than its average review but I think I've also been fortunate to avoid the ubiquitous americanized chinese fare and choose my meals well. Service has always been outstanding though I don't weight that heavily in my reviews unless we're talking Michelin stars.There are a lot more items I want to try so I'll do my best to remember and update this review after a couple more visits.Dishes I recommend:* Szechuan Pickled Vegetable Appetizer* Spicy Cumin Mutton* Pork with Spicy Capsicum and Leeks* Shredded Beef with Hot Green PepperPros:* Friendly* Cheap* Fast* Spicy* FreshCons:* Sometimes greasy* Takeout soy sauce is corn syrup, salt, and color
Reviewed by:
Sharon D. on:
1/11/2013 8:23:00 PM
I have lived in NYC for over 40 years.This was the worst take out that i have ever had.We ordered a miriad of dishes.Nothing was spicy. It was all loaded with grease and coriander.The chicken tasted like it had been washed.Just AWFUL.
Reviewed by:
Hannah H. on:
1/11/2013 6:46:00 PM
Overall authentic but the service is intimidated.
Reviewed by:
Paskesz K. on:
1/10/2013 6:27:00 PM
I had a bad experience but the two other people eating with me were happy. First, the waiter could barely speak or understand English, so that was annoying as hell. The menus are very cool, as it "supposedly" pictures each dish. I really wanted the pan fried stuffed duck with rice ($20), but was told after I ordered it that it could not be made. So I ordered an appetizer (cold), of Szechuan Chicken, what was pictured was beautiful large pieces of white meat with a drizzle of green sauce ($9). What came was a very modest-sized serving, drowning in an extremely powerful Asian version of pesto. It was good but after finishing it I got so nauseous I felt like I was going to hurl right at the table. After drinking a few glasses of water I felt a little better. I skipped the main course because of how I was feeling but did partake in their pumpkin pancake dessert which was interesting and their sweet sesame ball dessert which was very Middle Eastern tasting and good. ---- The whole restaurant was filled with Chinese people (I was the only white man there), so apparently this is truly authentic Szechuan. I'm in no rush to go back however (call me crazy, but if I'm going to a restaurant, I want a waiter who speaks English), if I do I'll update this review and never again order a cold meat appetizer.
Reviewed by:
Michael K. on:
12/23/2012 10:34:00 PM
Incredibly authentic Szechwan food like nowhere else i've truly ever been. Don't let the plain decor fool you, the food is nothing but exotic and fantastic. Yummy brown sauces, spicy and pungent flavors. The baby eggplant is awesome and the beef and scallions superb! The menu is pictures of most all the dishes and they are amenable to making something not on the menu. Just remember to BYOB. I'm serious...totally amazing Szechuan food!!!!
Reviewed by:
Jennifer Z. on:
12/20/2012 11:46:00 AM
Came here for a friend's birthday dinner last Friday and the group had already ordered by the time we sat down - so didn't get a good look at the menu.That being said- the wait staff seemed nice and friendly with a few people at our table who were regulars at the restaurant. We had the diced spicy chicken, spicy frog, and fish in a spicy soup. We also had a non-spciy tofu with mixed vegetables and also a fried pumpkin dessert.All in all, I felt like the feel was a blur- food was good- but it was ALL spicy and had such similar flavors that by the 3rd or 4th one- I felt like it all tasted the same.Also when we went to pay the bill, they would only let us split it with two credit cards, which was kind of inconvenient given that we had 7 people at the table.I would probably come back to give it another try and perhaps order a different selection of dishes to try.
Reviewed by:
Martha W. on:
12/18/2012 10:10:00 AM
I don't get why a Chinese restaurant has to add a French tone in the name and its Chinese name has nothing to do with the French denotation. But that's ok. To me this place is overrated. They spent tons of effort on the visual presentation of the food, however the food material used isn't above par and failed to set it apart from the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. Their spicy chicken with fried dough twist has more dough than chicken, and the fish used in a fish dish isn't fresh and is over-salted. and they almost deep fry everything...I don't think Szechuan food is all about red hot oil, heavy condiment and a mind blowing amount of chilies, which can be a total disguise of poor food quality. My tongue tastes nothing after several rounds of chili bombarding.I've been here twice, first time was with a friend who wanted to choose this place as her wedding dinner venue( she ended up with a different one thank goodness). As a result we were over warmly treated by the chef and waiters for obvious reasons. The second time I went with other friends. the waiter welcomed us with his attitude the entire time...mehhBottomline, still one of the good chinese restaurants to go in midtown and I do recommend the diced rabbit cold appetizer. The taste remained the same in my two visits...lol the others can be hit-or-miss. Maybe I set the bar too high.
Reviewed by:
Bin Q. on:
12/13/2012 1:09:00 PM
Good taste compares to the other sichuan restaurant. the chef is from sichuan,too,makes it more authentic.will come back and try it again!
Reviewed by:
Paul S. on:
11/29/2012 8:11:00 AM
The food is a 5 star. without any doubt. The service is 1 star. The owner is extremely unfriendly. I still leave this a 5 star restaurant because such good food needs to be appreciated, even in NYC I consider this the best Szechuan restaurant. Reservation is only accepted for group of 6 or larger. The owner does not always honor reservations so make sure you go early.
Reviewed by:
Ricky V. on:
10/24/2012 2:19:00 PM
Had a late order out from this place and was really happy with my Fried Rice and General Tao's Chicken, my dumplings were the only thing lacking in flavor, but the place gives out utensils that come with a spicy mustard, duck sauce, and soy sauce that helps to improve flavors.Its a reasonably priced outlet with fast and delicious food so i would say give it a try and enjoy.
Reviewed by:
Tracy L. on:
10/21/2012 9:57:00 AM
Very delicious and authentic Sichuan food. I've been to most of the Sichuan restaurant in town and this place is absolutely the best interms of the variety and flavor of the dishes.
Reviewed by:
Jenny W. on:
10/19/2012 4:10:00 AM
I think the owners are Shanghainese? but AMAZING AMAZING food. Duck Tongues with Chili Sauce was surprisingly tender.Def get the Beef with Chili Black Bean!
Reviewed by:
Michael M. on:
10/5/2012 1:23:00 AM
I attempted to place a phone order and the lady on the phone Was not able to answer any questions at all. This was not a language barrier this was a person who did not know their menu . I decided to walk to Ktown instead. Good luck
Reviewed by:
Luka L. on:
9/21/2012 3:26:00 PM
I would give negative 5 stars, if there is an option.I forgot my credit card at this place late last night and then went home afterwards. There was very few other guests last night (only 2-3 whenI left) who could have taken my card, and I'm 99% sure my card was still at the credit card folder they gave me. When I called this morning, they claimed no one ever saw my lost card. In the mean time, my credit card company called me as theydetected fraud transactions of ~$1000 this morning on my card. I do not have the evidence to say anyone in the restaurant took my card, but there is no other explanation. I have to say that I am NEVER going back to this place and I have told my story to my friends, and they won't either.
Reviewed by:
G M. on:
9/7/2012 8:54:00 PM
Authentic sichuan food. The chef really knows how to make "ma la" flavor which leaves your tongue on fire from the red chilli and tingling from the sichuan peppercorns. I'll definitely come here again.
Reviewed by:
Kathy W. on:
9/3/2012 10:21:00 PM
Heard about this new place and decided to give a try.Went there on a Thursday night at 6:30PM, pretty quiet at the time.We ordered 4 dishesSliced conch w. chili vinaigrette - it tasted pretty good, but it is $2-3 higher than other places and portion is pretty small.dumpling in chili vinaigrette - this is just averageStir fried spicy chicken - the portion size was decent and it taste good.Broiled Whole Fish - taste more like fried, and one side of the fish was much more salty than the other side. It is the priciest dish, so I don't think I will be ordering it again.Overall, the ingredients tasted fresh, the price is on the higher end for similar restaurant, but I will definitely come back to try again. i saw quite a few tables ordering braised fish filets, chongqing style, definitely gonna give that a try.
Reviewed by:
Haz L. on:
8/2/2012 7:54:00 PM
For true fans of authentic Sichuan cooking, this is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I'm giving 4 stars for now until they fine tune the service and get their drinks license. Food here deserves 5 stars.The main chef is an award winning chef from the mainland, one of the original crew that started Szechuan Gourmet on 39th and 6th. He puts a new twist on some traditional regional favorites. Other than Spicy and Tasty in Flushing, I don't think one can find the same artfulness in cooking with Sichuan peppercorn in NYC.Here are some highlights:- try the appetizers: conch, beef tendon, tripe or kidney in chili sauce. The underlying ingredients taste fresh, clean and flavorful. The sauce doesn't overwhelm, but simply enhances- main courses: try the spicy frog legs, which are fried then flavored with peppercorn. Better than any fancy fried chicken in the neighborhood. Or the '3 pepper' spicy chicken. Yes it's fried again, but for those who know zero about Sichuan cooking, this is a traditional dish. But here, the skin is fried separately to make it even tastier like a pork grind. I also ordered the spicy fish with fresh tofu, also amazing.I'm so glad they replaced the crap fake Vietnamese place V33 which occupied this space previously. If you are looking for beef and broccoli and old school take out fare, this isn't your place. For those who want to introduce some excitement into your life, watch an episode of Bourdain in Sichuan and order something here you haven't tried before.Enjoy!
Reviewed by:
T. F. on:
7/22/2012 12:01:00 AM
Good,good, good!A great addition to Murray Hill's selection of Oriental foods. Ordered for delivery and it arrived promptly, as promised. Very good dumplings, ribs, scallion pancakes and beef main courses. It's a keeper for us!
Reviewed by:
Jon L. on:
7/21/2012 5:29:00 PM
A surprisingly good addition to the number of Sichuan restaurants in the area! I've only been here for lunch once, but everything I ordered was excellent. Tried the..I think it's called "husband and wife special" (tripe and beef slices in a spicy sauce), as well as the mapo tofu, and peppers and beef stir fry lunch specials. Portion sizes were generous, lunch special prices were cheap, especially for the area (7.50 i think), and all the dishes were full of delicious, mouth-numbingly spicy goodness. Actually, everything except the free hot and sour soup was good..the soup was pretty bland (neither hot nor sour) , though tasted alright when I threw in like a cupful of vinegar.I thought the service was fine, even during a busy lunch hour, so maybe they've worked out some of the new business kinks that other yelpers have been noting.It also appears that the servers here speak pretty good English, so non-Mandarin speaking people should have no issues here.Will definitely be back again for lunch specials and maybe dinner sometime.
Reviewed by:
Xiyuan H. on:
7/12/2012 2:43:00 AM
Good tast, and really special!
Reviewed by:
Strad D. on:
7/5/2012 7:52:00 PM
"Dry Spicy Chicken", was over-fried. I sent the dish back to the kitchen, the second serving seemed to be fine.Currently due to they don't have a beer/wine license, that showed on our bill as "Water".Price-wise, is on the upper side (to compare with same type of cuisine restaurants).Over all impression is just so so, is just another new Szechuan restaurant in the pool of competition.
Reviewed by:
Maki S. on:
6/17/2012 4:43:00 AM
3 stars for food, 2 for everything else....Tried lunch at this new place, couldn't take photos because the place is dark and my cheap cell phone doesn't have flash. Ordered the lunch special at $7.95 of Shredded pork with spicy garlic sauce and my friend had Fish filets with mixed vegetable, both are not bad. Only one waiter in weekday lunch time so you could imagine the poor guy running around like chicken without its head. We waited for everything....water, ordering, food, check.....A guy came in, looked at the menu and left, lunch folks in the area are looking for cheap Chinese meal and this isn't the place.
Reviewed by:
Allene J. on:
6/12/2012 7:31:00 PM
So glad this place opened right by my apartment! They've only been open one week and I've been there for both lunch and dinner.Their lunch specials are quite reasonable. I think it was $7.50 (or maybe it was $8.50) but comes with your pick of rice (white, brown, black) and choice of egg roll / soup. I had the Filet of Fish with Black Bean Sauce with white rice. It was flavorful and not too oily.For Dinner, I particularly enjoyed the Dry Spicy Chicken. It's not only spicy but numbing in a good way. The Dan Dan noodles were great too. It was just a little sweet and complemented our chicken dish.Of the two other Szechuan places I've tried in Murray Hill / Midtown -- this joint is by far my favorite! Not only is their food delicious and fresh, but the service is great. Really friendly and welcoming. I'll def be back.
Reviewed by:
Fred F. on:
6/8/2012 12:02:00 PM
The dishes I ate all tasted really fresh.- Fried spring rolls. Thin, lightly fried skins filled with clean-tasting cabbage and whole shrimps.- Hot and sour soup. Actually spicy and sour. Full favored delicious.- Singapore fried rice. Great curry flavor and no sketchy meat.Didn't try any of the Szechuan dishes, but if this experience is any indication of the quality, I'll be back!
Reviewed by:
Vineet S. on:
2/2/2012 3:03:00 AM
I was in the hood doing some shopping and wanted to satisfy my Chinese food cravings.Looked up this place on yelp and decided to give it a try. Well it is a big restaurant but when I walked in, it had a deserted look. I was the only patron at that time. I took the advice of the server and ordered the shrimps with lemon grass. Probably the worst chinese food I had in a long time. The food lacked flavour and lemon grass was undercooked.Definately one can give this place a miss.
AVG:(5.0)
