If you’re looking for some amazing Chinese food, you’ve found the right place. When you come to Szechuan House you’re going to get an authentic Chinese cuisine experience. We serve the freshest and most delicious sweet and sour dishes in the whole city.
When you visit our family restaurant, you can have your food your way. We cook your food according to your own tastes, whether you like spicy Chinese food or sweet and sour. You’ll enjoy eating our fried rice dishes and you’ll be wanting to back for more.
We also offer catering services so you and your friends and family can enjoy an amazing Chinese food dining experience at your next event. Tell us what you’re craving, and we’ll make it for you fresh and delicious. You’ll never feel as full as you do when you eat with us in Hamilton Township, NJ. Making you full and happy is our mission at Szechuan House.
Love this place, as it is one of the few places in the area outside Philly where you can get traditional regional Chinese cuisine!
The food was the best. So nice to go to a Szechuan restaurant and we served a pot of tea and getting chop sticks without having to ask for them. Egg roll was . They're tempura they used on the general tso chicken was so light and it held just that right amount sauce. Delicious
Excellent meal - we had Generals chicken and Mei fun, fried dumplings, spring rolls, wonton and egg drop soup. Staff was attentive and service was on point. Best of all, it was so nice to have a dine in experience. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
They need to work on cleanliness... The front door is so grimy no place to touch to open it.
Don't let the outside appearance of this restaurant deter you from visiting. The inside is actually pretty nice. The service is great and the food is delicious. I prefer my dishes on the spicier side and had to make it clear that I want the 'real' authentic level of spicy...that tongue numbing spice. My favorite dish from there so far is the mapo tofu, that was awesome and I can't resist the sesame balls. The vegetable salad is really good too. It's seasoned with the chili oil, has carrots and seaweed and a few other veggies. The Szechuan style dishes are very different from the typical corner Chinese stores. I don't really see too many in my area of the state, so I make it a point to visit them when I can because the food just had a whole different taste to it.
Insanely good food! Great prices and portions. Definitely worth a visit!
(Translated by Google) The clerk is very friendly and recommends some delicious dishes
Good taste Attentive service
(Original)
Good Chinese food in the region
We ordered carry out from here. The food is delicious! Next time we will have a sit down meal for sure. The staff is so friendly and engaging. Must visit and try the food. That is if you like schezwan, food. This is not your average beef& broccoli Chinese restaurant so make sure you order and try the authentic schezwan food.
Best Chinese restaurant in New Jersey. I've been going 7-8 years now. Almost broke my heart when they closed for a year some time ago, but glad they're still going strong.
Personal favorite dishes are the Happy Fish, cumin lamb, and Chongqing crispy chicken. And best scallion pancakes ever. And wonderful service. And great for large groups. Can't say enough about this place, honestly.
They have very good stuff and tasty dishes. I like this place a lot!
My family andi I had a wonderful dinner there last night. We ordered beef noodles for the kids and for us - beef tripe cold appetizer, cumin lamb and beef in hot chili oil, and everything was delicious! The restaurant was spacious and cute and our servers were very attentive. It was a great experience and we look forward to visiting again soon. I highly recommend Szechuan House.
Best best authentic Chinese food. Delicious. Building on the outside is a little run down, but the food is top notch. Only eaten inside ( we live too far away to make take out an option) and it never disappoints.
Good Chinese -- many authentic dishes
Excellent Szechuan food and excellent service. Particularly loved the braised fish in chili oil!
After living in China for two years, this place is hands down the most authentic and amazing Chinese food in the area. The menu is huge and the flavors are deep and balanced. If you like spicy food, buckle up baby. Get the cumin lamb and the fried dumplings. The chicken and green beans is also fantastic. Picture of dumplings not available because they were eaten too fast to photo.
Pretty restaurant with nice decor. Completely surprising. We only had their lunch special but will come back to try their regional specialty.
My favorite for Szechuan food, and I always make my parents come here when I visit home! The staff is super, super nice and the food comes out very fast (you are not coming here for the vibes). Get the Chongqing crispy chicken, spicy tofu with fish fillet, eggplant, stir fried beef with peppers, and the beef chow fun. All hits, no misses
Everything was excellent from the soup to the duck and fish. You cant go wrong with anything on the menu.
THE place for authentic Szechuan/Hunan food. Weve been getting take out here for years and the food is SO good! I just wish the menu included descriptions as it is very difficult to choose.
We love the more famous regional specialities like Dumplings in Chili Vinaigrette, Dan Dan Noodles, Cumin Lamb, Kung Pao, Mapo Tofu, and Fried Rice, all of which the Szechuan House does very well, but recommend also trying less common (in America) items like Shredded Potato w/ Pepper (not spicy), Sauted Vermicelli w/ Spiced Minced Pork, Minced Pickled String Bean w/ Minced Pork, etc.. If Rabbit appeals to you, the Diced Rabbit w/ Szechuan Peppercorn Vinaigrette and Peanuts appetizer is delicious despite many small bones.
Weve randomly chosen numerous menu items to see what they are and have never had anything that wasnt good. Sometimes the food is too spicy (hot) for us, but that comes with the territory and we never request mild, which is an option.
Varied menu. Everything we ordered was excellent.
As soon as I saw the menu, I knew this restaurant would be *good*! When a Szechuan place has menu items with ingredients I have never tried, I have found that the food is always excellent. I ordered from the Chengdu specialties section of the menu, and had a spicy vermicelli and pork dish that was super rich and tasty. My kids had Ma po tofu that was full of tingly peppers (yum!). The cold sesame noodles were also particularly good (not at all like typical peanut-heavy versions in most American Chinese restaurants).
This is my go to spot. I drive an extra 10 minutes out of my way to get to this place. solid!
Good authentic food, cozy vibes.
I'm from New York and I've eaten it many Chinese restaurants this is authentic and fabulous every dish I've tried there so far is a knockout I'm somebody that likes spicy food when they tell you something can be spicy it'll kick you back a step excellent food excellent service cozy restaurant can't wait to go back
You already know its gonna be good as hell when they have the imported Chinese decorations
My favorite restaurant in Hamilton! The ma po tofu with minced pork is my go-to. So delicious. Takeout is great and dining in is even better! Service is wonderful, restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. Good vibes. Great food. Nice people.
Take out from here tonight, fantastic! The Chonqing spicy crispy chicken is excellent.
Very good customer service!
Wonton soup review. Nothing special about it. Broth was bland. Noodle was soft but the filling had no real taste to it. $4 for pint with white rice.
Nice food
Nice to see their business picking up. I order the braised fish ( but not 'drunken style'). Quite good. Probably have it once every month or so. Family is a military family (USN.)
Very happy to have found this place. Ordered the diced rabbit, cumin lamb and chongching spicy chicken. All dishes were full of flavor as well as pretty good portion size. The atmosphere in the restaurant is friendly and has a relaxed vibe. We went on a Monday night and it seemed to still be pretty busy for the seated dining. The only thing is that the Chongching chicken was a bit too sweet but that may just be the style of this restaurant. The pieces were well sized and super crisp. All the ingredients seemed high quality and fresh compared with some other places I have been too. Will be coming back.
I ordered the shrimp in garlic sauce lunch special. The shrimp were of a good size, It all tasted very good and fresh.
Pretty authentic flavors. Nice to find szechuan food in this area
Have been driving past this place for years, finally decided to give it a go. That was one the best decisions Ive made in a long time!
Food was excellent, we got a mix of Szechuan food and American Chinese as well. The American Chinese was really good, but the Szechuan was excellent. Absolutely delicious, one of the best meals Ive had in a long time! Everything was so fresh.
Restaurant was clean, and service was fast despite being and extremely busy Friday night. The tables are the old school Chinese restaurant types with the lazy Susan making sharing the food fun and easy!
Best of all was the prices, they were extremely fair. There were 5 of us and we got a ridiculous amount of food and the bill was only $100 and we all left stuffed with a TON of leftovers for lunch the next day.
Definitely the best Chinese restaurant in Hamilton by far. They gained a customer for life.
Pretty decent food! Doesnt look like much from the outside but the inside is clean and staff members are quick and efficient. I recommend the shredded beef with peppers. Absolutely delicious! COVID comments as of October 2021. Everyone serving food in the restaurant is wearing masks which is nice. Not every single staff member is wearing one if theyre not directly serving anyone though. Still felt safe enough to take off my mask and enjoy the food and company!
Food is great but staff is overwhelmed by popularity.
Loved the food. Will go again
This is the place offering authentic Chinese Szechuan cuisines! Very delicious try it out!
Good food, great vibe, lots of parking space
We've been coming here for a few years. This particular evening was NOT a good example, they were swamped (perhaps because of the news coverage of them being rated best Chinese restaurant in NJ) but my take out order was great (as usual).
We ordered Eggplant in spicy garlic sauce, Kung Pao chicken, pork fried rice, cold noodles, and the dumplings. Everything was absolutely delicious and far beyond expectations. By far the best Chinese food I have ever had and one of the best meals I have had in the area overall.
The best food I ever had! will absolutely return
Nice service, good traditional food.
Love it !
Really great Szechuan restaurant. Reasonable price for good portions and great taste. I highly recommed the Mala Spicy Grilled Whole Fish. In conclusion, a superb restaurant!
We went here for the first time today and really loved the multi-spiced eggplant and sauted dry tofu family style.
We are curious however about the Chongqing Spicy Crispy Chicken; this was so extremely salty to the level that I wondered something went wrong in making it. Not sure that this dish is supposed to be so salty. Definitely will go back.
(Translated by Google) The clerk is very honest and introduces some delicious dishes
Good taste good service
(Original)
Authentic Chinese food.
I will be back since I need to try their conch appetizer. The tendon thin sliced was just great. The crispy chicken was spicy so this took me sometime, little by little. Sweet and sour chicken was excellent and same with beef with mushrooms.
Love hot food and they know how to use chili peppers
This is our go to restaurant for date night (both for eating in an takeout). The food is delicious. The Szechuan flavors are outside your typical strip mall Chinese. Staff are friendly, love to talk about food, and are very accommodating for vegetarians. Our favorite dishes are the fungus in chili vinaigrette, bitter melon, tofu in chili oil, and choy sum with black mushrooms. Prepare to have your mouth explode with flavor!
Braised beef in hit chili oil
I read they were the best in Jersey so I had to try it. Have to agree it was pretty darn good.
Super yummy... we will definitely make this trip again...
Pretty decent restaurant, we ordered the Sichuan classic on the menu and most of the dishes are pretty authentic. The menu is pretty big with a lot of selections, I would suggest to go for the authentic ones such as yu xiang rou si, Sichuan cold noodle, and hai xian guo tie. The only dish tastes a bit different was jia Jiang mian. The flavor was not the same as when I tasted in Beijing but maybe Sichuan jia Jiang mian had a different recipe. Service is outstanding though.
Large menu with tons of choices. Very friendly and EXCELLENT food.
Great selection of authentic Szechuan dishes.
Highlights include the Dan Dan noodles, spicy fish fillet and silken tofu, pea shoots sauteed with garlic, fried green beans, and potato shreds.
Great sushi
Great service great food great atmosphere
Amazing food! Loved the Chinese squash and the dumplings in chili oil. The service was great! Will definitely come again
Excellent food !!! Awesome customer service !!! The food (fish) wasn't as spicy as it usually is
My family and I often eat at and order from Sichuan House for authentic dishes. The service is always great- the waitstaff is extremely attentive and quick. The owner is always so gracious and kind. We have been patrons of this establishment for years and will continue to enjoy the food from this restaurant. Give it a try and make sure your tastebuds are ready for the heat!
Great place for authentic Chinese food. Nothing fancy but the food is great, especially considering their location. This is no flushing, but you still get some good Chinese food.
Very good Szechuan food
Fantastic! I went for the first time with a group from work for lunch. They are a bunch of foodies who know the good places to go. While I'm not an expert on what "authentic" Szechuan food is, this certainly felt authentic. I LOVE spicy food but at the urging of the group, we ordered everything as mild with the understanding that us who want more heat can easily add chili oil. That was a smart thing to do. While it didn't blow my head off, it didn't need anything extra for me to thoroughly enjoy it. I highly recommend getting many dishes for a group to share. I saw some Americanized options on the menu but why bother with them when you can get some specialties.
Update: My original review was 3 years ago. I've since been back many times even though it is over 20-mins away. My family even enjoys going there as it is always top quality food and great service.
This is true Szechuan cooking at its finest. Drove down from Union County just to try it and I was impressed, and I know Szechuan cooking. Place was traditional and the staff was friendly. The icing in the cake, BYO
Food is amazing!!! Not 1 dish that I've tried that puts negative comments in my head.
Definitely give it a try.
Food is spicy, as expected but you may ask for it be mild or extra spicy.
I ordered a bitter melon with chicken in a dark soybean sauce, a traditional Chinese dish with great nourishment in summer. Its delicious. Highly recommend
Love the food.. Pretty authentic. Beware to ask for spicy...
Favorite Chinese restaurant & food around. Delicious, authentic dishes. Friendly waiters and owner. Pleasant Chinese atmosphere with art and antiques. Highly recommend for dining in!
Many reviews online mention this is The best authentic Chinese restaurant in New Jersey. I totally agreed. The food are so good and the service is very nice and professional. Will come back again soon.
Chinatown NYC level Chinese food in NJ. This place is the real deal
Great sushi
Great selection of authentic Szechuan dishes.
Highlights include the Dan Dan noodles, spicy fish fillet and silken tofu, pea shoots sauteed with garlic, fried green beans, and potato shreds.
Fantastic! I went for the first time with a group from work for lunch. They are a bunch of foodies who know the good places to go. While I'm not an expert on what "authentic" Szechuan food is, this certainly felt authentic. I LOVE spicy food but at the urging of the group, we ordered everything as mild with the understanding that us who want more heat can easily add chili oil. That was a smart thing to do. While it didn't blow my head off, it didn't need anything extra for me to thoroughly enjoy it. I highly recommend getting many dishes for a group to share. I saw some Americanized options on the menu but why bother with them when you can get some specialties.
Large menu with tons of choices. Very friendly and EXCELLENT food.
Pretty decent restaurant, we ordered the Sichuan classic on the menu and most of the dishes are pretty authentic. The menu is pretty big with a lot of selections, I would suggest to go for the authentic ones such as yu xiang rou si, Sichuan cold noodle, and hai xian guo tie. The only dish tastes a bit different was jia Jiang mian. The flavor was not the same as when I tasted in Beijing but maybe Sichuan jia Jiang mian had a different recipe. Service is outstanding though.
Super yummy... we will definitely make this trip again...
I read they were the best in Jersey so I had to try it. Have to agree it was pretty darn good.
Excellent food !!! Awesome customer service !!!
Braised beef in hit chili oil
This is our go to restaurant for date night (both for eating in an takeout). The food is delicious. The Szechuan flavors are outside your typical strip mall Chinese. Staff are friendly, love to talk about food, and are very accommodating for vegetarians. Our favorite dishes are the fungus in chili vinaigrette, bitter melon, tofu in chili oil, and choy sum with black mushrooms. Prepare to have your mouth explode with flavor!
Love hot food and they know how to use chili peppers
I will be back since I need to try their conch appetizer. The tendon thin sliced was just great. The crispy chicken was spicy so this took me sometime, little by little. Sweet and sour chicken was excellent and same with beef with mushrooms.
Authentic Chinese food.
(Translated by Google) The clerk is very honest and introduces some delicious dishes
Good taste good service
(Original)
We went here for the first time today and really loved the multi-spiced eggplant and sauted dry tofu family style.
We are curious however about the Chongqing Spicy Crispy Chicken; this was so extremely salty to the level that I wondered something went wrong in making it. Not sure that this dish is supposed to be so salty. Definitely will go back.
Really great Szechuan restaurant. Reasonable price for good portions and great taste. I highly recommed the Mala Spicy Grilled Whole Fish. In conclusion, a superb restaurant!
Love it !
Nice service, good traditional food.
The best food I ever had! will absolutely return
We ordered Eggplant in spicy garlic sauce, Kung Pao chicken, pork fried rice, cold noodles, and the dumplings. Everything was absolutely delicious and far beyond expectations. By far the best Chinese food I have ever had and one of the best meals I have had in the area overall.
We've been coming here for a few years. This particular evening was NOT a good example, they were swamped (perhaps because of the news coverage of them being rated best Chinese restaurant in NJ) but my take out order was great (as usual).
Good food, great vibe, lots of parking space
This is the place offering authentic Chinese Szechuan cuisines! Very delicious try it out!
Loved the food. Will go again
Pretty decent food! Doesnt look like much from the outside but the inside is clean and staff members are quick and efficient. I recommend the shredded beef with peppers. Absolutely delicious! COVID comments as of October 2021. Everyone serving food in the restaurant is wearing masks which is nice. Not every single staff member is wearing one if theyre not directly serving anyone though. Still felt safe enough to take off my mask and enjoy the food and company!
Food is great but staff is overwhelmed by popularity.
Pretty authentic flavors. Nice to find szechuan food in this area
Have been driving past this place for years, finally decided to give it a go. That was one the best decisions Ive made in a long time!
Food was excellent, we got a mix of Szechuan food and American Chinese as well. The American Chinese was really good, but the Szechuan was excellent. Absolutely delicious, one of the best meals Ive had in a long time! Everything was so fresh.
Restaurant was clean, and service was fast despite being and extremely busy Friday night. The tables are the old school Chinese restaurant types with the lazy Susan making sharing the food fun and easy!
Best of all was the prices, they were extremely fair. There were 5 of us and we got a ridiculous amount of food and the bill was only $100 and we all left stuffed with a TON of leftovers for lunch the next day.
Definitely the best Chinese restaurant in Hamilton by far. They gained a customer for life.
I ordered the shrimp in garlic sauce lunch special. The shrimp were of a good size, It all tasted very good and fresh.
Nice to see their business picking up. I order the braised fish ( but not 'drunken style'). Quite good. Probably have it once every month or so. Family is a military family (USN.)
Very happy to have found this place. Ordered the diced rabbit, cumin lamb and chongching spicy chicken. All dishes were full of flavor as well as pretty good portion size. The atmosphere in the restaurant is friendly and has a relaxed vibe. We went on a Monday night and it seemed to still be pretty busy for the seated dining. The only thing is that the Chongching chicken was a bit too sweet but that may just be the style of this restaurant. The pieces were well sized and super crisp. All the ingredients seemed high quality and fresh compared with some other places I have been too. Will be coming back.
Nice food
Wonton soup review. Nothing special about it. Broth was bland. Noodle was soft but the filling had no real taste to it. $4 for pint with white rice.
Very good customer service!
(Translated by Google) Today I had a very happy meal with my friends. The dishes are authentic and the service is good. Especially the fish is very fresh. Very good will come back again soon.
(Original)
. . . Very good will come back again soon.
Lunch prices are fantastic, food is great. I reccomend calling ahead.
So so Chinese food.
The server was Very accommodating to my restricted diet needs and the food was delicious. Pretty decor...linen table cloths and big lazy Susan so you could share your food! Definitely going back
Incredible authentic and spicy Szechuan. They do serve more common American Chinese fare, but you are missing out if you don't try the specialties!
Good authentic chinese food. Super friendly staff
. . . Very good will come back again soon.
Doesn't look like much from the outside. Great food inside. Dining room open again.
Amazing authentic Szechuan food. The dumplings with chili vinaigrette, and some of the fish dishes are incredible. The cold potatoes in oil are stunning. Ownership has really improved the restaurant during covid - very very clean and dishes are even better than before. Staff is wonderful and friendly. Everything is made from scratch no preservatives. Don't let the exterior fool you - this place is a gem!
The best Chinese foods are made here. Great customer service packaging was great too. Perkin duck here is nicely done and well seasoned.
The best in NJ! I went to Chengdu China 3 times and Szechuan takes me right back! Fantastic!
Great
Great restaurant. Delicious food.
Best in the area
Ordered cumin lamb, mapo tofu, house fried rice. Everything was delicious. Hidden gem. I'm Asian.
Happened to come across this Chinese restaurant while shopping. For a long time, I was looking for a good szechwan style food. This restaurant is really good. I will be trying all varieties from their menu.
Happened to come across this Chinese restaurant while shopping. For a long time, I was looking for a good szechwan style food. This restaurant is really good. I will be trying all varieties from their menu.
Happened to come across this Chinese restaurant while shopping. For a long time, I was looking for a good szechwan style food. This restaurant is really good. I will be trying all varieties on the menu.
Fresh food, tasty good.
Food was tasty and spicy just as I wanted. The place is nice and calm. The lady at the front is very friendly, she makes you feel so welcome. You don't get alot of that these days. Also the portion is actually enough, yes it is.
Food is great, the environment is clean
Delicious
(Translated by Google) Quite Authentic Chinese food. Try Fish-flavored pork.
(Original)
Quite Authentic Chinese food. Try
Great authentic asian cuisine!
Fantastic food! They were closed when we tried to visit last year during a trip out to Grounds for Sculpture, but we tried again this year and it was worth it!! We ordered the braised beef tendon, dan dan noodles, and vermicelli with spicy minced pork, and the waiter brought out a pot of tea and a small dish of pickled vegetables. Everything came out quickly and was incredibly flavorful. If only they were closer!
Great meal. Not your average Chinese restaurant.
Delicious authentic Chinese food. Huge portions great for family style sharing. Will definitely be back
First time stop by this amazing restaurant, love the quality of the food, price is reasonable, free homemade hot tea, free white rice and amazing appetites(the spicy pickle) for free as well. definitely come back again
Delicious dishes!
Very authentic spicy Chinese food (judged by a native Chinese) in the Princeton area. The restaurant does expand its menu, so you could try something new if you are a regular customer. The housekeeping dishes are consistent. Service is courteous and super fast. Decorations in the restaurant is so so. Between the trade-offs of good taste and good deco, I would choose the good taste.
No flares decor but 100% authentic and extremely delicious Sichuanese food.
Reasonably priced and the service is both friendly and accommodating.
Been there on multiple occasions to get a seal of approval from Sichuanese friends. They are always impressed.
come back here again today, services has become better, another thumbs up for the glasses waiter, come back here for sure.
Recommended for a person who wants to try real Chinese food like myself^^
Excellent original Szechuan food, very tasty and good portions. Reasonably price
The beef and tribe in spicy sauce was delicious. The chicken and chesnut, delicious, the traditional Chinese eggplant in a spicy sauce, delicious! the noodle (they were thick and from bean or peas) in a spicy sauce, delicous. we were three people ate like crazzy, could not finish all but paid $58!! Amazing!!
Very good food, but horrible restroom. Inspite of us telling them about the restroom situation, it never changed. I would never take my kid to the restroom, so unhygienic. I wish the management can do something about it.
Great food and friendly staff! We had the pork Lo Mein and the Sweet and Sour chicken, both very tasty.
This place is so good it should be rating me. Any bad reviewer simply doesn't know how to appreciate authentic Chinese food. This is the only place in the tri-state area outside of NYC/Philly where I've been able to find ACTUAL Chinese food. Yes, it's spicy. It's supposed to be. The spicy crispy chicken (forgot the real name) is the first food I've seen make my Korean girlfriend cry, and she can gargle kimchee. I eat through the tears because the taste is worth it.
This is a full 5 star restaurant. The problem with the rating has to do with the area around it. Central Jersey doesn't deserve Szechuan House.
Authentic Szechuan cuisine that is arguably the best in the Central Jersey. Foods range from mild dishes that are good for those not familiar to chinese food to super spicy dishes only for those with the strongest stomachs. I would recommend Chow Fun, Sesame Chicken, Shredded Pork with Sliced Rice Cake, or Sauteed Spinach for beginners and Kong Pao Chicken, Pork Intestine w. Szechuan Pepper, or Sliced Pork Kidney for veterans.
Good food
Serves very authentic Chinese food in Szechuan style, as the name of the restaurant calls. I was not familiar with the area, but very pleasantly surprised. The price is reasonable. The dish I ordered was cooked just right, and sizable. Friendly staff. Will come back, and recommend to anyone who loves spicy Szechuan style Chinese food.
The hotel is fitted up with modern comfort sand conveniences and the food here is very much to my taste.
Lots of great food and kind attentive staff. My husband and I always come here for the fish!
(Translated by Google) Very delicious food especially chicken teriyaki
(Original)
Muy deliciosa la comida en especial chicken teriyaki
Excellent food.. nice ambience.. BYOB
Best authentic Szechuan food in the area... Dan Dan noodles.... Beef with hot pepper, Scallion pancake, and so much more...
yummy
Do it now!
we come For The shredded beef with hot pepper.
Very good veg food
Genuine Szechuan cuisine, a jewel in the rough.
We have been going to this restaurant since 2010. Very authentic Szchuan food! Great service! The Chongqing popcorn chicken and the spicy boil fish are always our favorite.
Fantastic! I went for the first time with a group from work for lunch. They are a bunch of foodies who know the good places to go. While I'm not an expert on what "authentic" Szechuan food is, this certainly felt authentic. I LOVE spicy food but at the urging of the group, we ordered everything as mild with the understanding that us who want more heat can easily add chili oil. That was a smart thing to do. While it didn't blow my head off, it didn't need anything extra for me to thoroughly enjoy it. I highly recommend getting many dishes for a group to share. I saw some Americanized options on the menu but why bother with them when you can get some specialties.
I adore this spot! They prepare splendid dishes, their menu is decent, The chef in that spot is very trained, I enjoy a lot trying all their food. The food is consistently of high class, the service towards the guests is very good too. I often eat in this place and I was never unsatisfied. I recommend it to all.
Great quality. Best pork fried rice in town. Worth the price
Delicious. Cold noodles with sesame sauce. Dan Dan noodles. Steamed dumplings with chili vinaigrette. Cold noodles with spicy sauce. I like noodles. Staples whenever we get from here. I was afraid they were going to close after a long remodel from a kitchen fire, but they managed to stay open.
super friendly service, plenty of heat in their dishes . Very authentic szechuan cuisine
09/06/20 They are almost fully open and are ready for indoor dining. Masks required while not eating. Food was great, as always and the service was quick. Dine in or pick-up today
Very nice and authentic Szechuan food
(Translated by Google) I love the chinese food of this place
(Original)
Amo la comida china de este lugar
Great food that is as authentic as possible. I recommend staying away from "Americanized Chinese" such as General Tso's Chicken. Prices are reasonable and service is quick. Szechuan is known for spicy dishes, so watch the spice symbol in the menu. Interior of the place does look better than the exterior.
Great food! Rare place where you can get relatively authentic Chinese food instead of American Chinese food in this area
Great spicy food.
This is our favorite restaurant- authentic Chinese food, wonderful spicy dishes, tremendous variety, consistently good, pleasant dining rooms, attentive staff and very friendly owner who makes sure everything is ok. Award winning restaurant with reasonable prices. People come great distances to eat here, and we are so lucky it's only two miles away from us.
Great food. Nice and spicy .
Excellent food !!!
I come to this superb place often because I like the ambiance that is unique to this place. The crew is highly helpful and skilfull. The service is certainly rapid. Needless to say, the food you eat is perfect. I ate there more than once and I was always joyful. The payment is decent. I suggest this restaurant to my friends and family.
I had the Dan Dan noodles and the Ma Po tofu and both were incredible. Both dishes were spicy and flavorful complemented by homemade tofu in one case and fresh noodles in the other. Also, had the pleasure of dining in and the service was incredible. Not to be missed.
Really great Szechuan restaurant. Reasonable price for good portions and great taste. I highly recommed the Mala Spicy Grilled Whole Fish. In conclusion, a superb restaurant!
Excellent food, very Authentic.
Best Chinese in NJ
Very nice and clean restaurant. And the most important SOCIAL DISTANCING is very practical. Would recommend the place 100%.
Great vibe and waiter. Good food. Nice decor.
Truly authentic Szechuan cusine.
Very nice and clean restaurant. And the most important SOCIAL DISTANCING is very practical. Would recommend the place 100%.
Really great Szechuan restaurant. Reasonable price for good portions and great taste. I highly recommed the Mala Spicy Grilled Whole Fish. In conclusion, a superb restaurant!
I had the Dan Dan noodles and the Ma Po tofu and both were incredible. Both dishes were spicy and flavorful complemented by homemade tofu in one case and fresh noodles in the other. Also, had the pleasure of dining in and the service was incredible. Not to be missed.
I come to this superb place often because I like the ambiance that is unique to this place. The crew is highly helpful and skilfull. The service is certainly rapid. Needless to say, the food you eat is perfect. I ate there more than once and I was always joyful. The payment is decent. I suggest this restaurant to my friends and family.
This is our favorite restaurant- authentic Chinese food, wonderful spicy dishes, tremendous variety, consistently good, pleasant dining rooms, attentive staff and very friendly owner who makes sure everything is ok. Award winning restaurant with reasonable prices. People come great distances to eat here, and we are so lucky it's only two miles away from us.
Great food! Rare place where you can get relatively authentic Chinese food instead of American Chinese food in this area
Great food that is as authentic as possible. I recommend staying away from "Americanized Chinese" such as General Tso's Chicken. Prices are reasonable and service is quick. Szechuan is known for spicy dishes, so watch the spice symbol in the menu. Interior of the place does look better than the exterior.
Serves very authentic Chinese food in Szechuan style, as the name of the restaurant calls. I was not familiar with the area, but very pleasantly surprised. The price is reasonable. The dish I ordered was cooked just right, and sizable. Friendly staff. Will come back, and recommend to anyone who loves spicy Szechuan style Chinese food.
Very nice and authentic Szechuan food
Delicious. Cold noodles with sesame sauce. Dan Dan noodles. Steamed dumplings with chili vinaigrette. Cold noodles with spicy sauce. I like noodles. Staples whenever we get from here. I was afraid they were going to close after a long remodel from a kitchen fire, but they managed to stay open.
Fantastic! I went for the first time with a group from work for lunch. They are a bunch of foodies who know the good places to go. While I'm not an expert on what "authentic" Szechuan food is, this certainly felt authentic. I LOVE spicy food but at the urging of the group, we ordered everything as mild with the understanding that us who want more heat can easily add chili oil. That was a smart thing to do. While it didn't blow my head off, it didn't need anything extra for me to thoroughly enjoy it. I highly recommend getting many dishes for a group to share. I saw some Americanized options on the menu but why bother with them when you can get some specialties.
I adore this spot! They prepare splendid dishes, their menu is decent, The chef in that spot is very trained, I enjoy a lot trying all their food. The food is consistently of high class, the service towards the guests is very good too. I often eat in this place and I was never unsatisfied. I recommend it to all.
Best authentic Szechuan food in the area... Dan Dan noodles.... Beef with hot pepper, Scallion pancake, and so much more...
yummy
Do it now!
No flares decor but 100% authentic and extremely delicious Sichuanese food.
Reasonably priced and the service is both friendly and accommodating.
Been there on multiple occasions to get a seal of approval from Sichuanese friends. They are always impressed.
Very authentic spicy Chinese food (judged by a native Chinese) in the Princeton area. The restaurant does expand its menu, so you could try something new if you are a regular customer. The housekeeping dishes are consistent. Service is courteous and super fast. Decorations in the restaurant is so so. Between the trade-offs of good taste and good deco, I would choose the good taste.
First time stop by this amazing restaurant, love the quality of the food, price is reasonable, free homemade hot tea, free white rice and amazing appetites(the spicy pickle) for free as well. definitely come back again
As a Chinese, I like this restaurant because they serve some real Chinese food but not Americanized. It can not compare with the restaurant in China, (but to be honest, almost none of the Chinese restaurants in here or NYC can meet the standard for any good restaurants in China) at least it gives some home-style Sichuan flavor. I like the duck, fish with silken toufu, and the spicy chicken as the cold appetizer. It is a good place if you liek spicy food!
We usually go to this place for dinner when in the area. Last time we went there, all the dishes we ordered were very delicious and authentic. Some of my favorite dishes in this restaurant are as follows: smoked tea duck, chendu/sichuan cold noodles, mapo tofu, chongqing dry and spicy chicken, double cooked pork, and beef with cumin flavor. However, when I went to this restaurant for the first time several months back, their whole fish wasn't fresh; never ordered any of their fish dishes again. The service at this place is alright and would definitely go there again when/if in the area.
This restaurant has become much better since the last time I went. The spicy of this place has become less suited for American tastes.
Since I'm not a huge fan of spicy food, I thought my choices would be limited - thankfully, I was wrong. Great option for lunch - there is the typical lunch menu that you find at most Chinese restaurants (soup + entree + rice), but I would opt for one of the other items on the menu. I had the shredded pork with pickled vegetable noodle soup - yumm! The bowl was deceiving - what I thought looked like a small portion was actually pretty large and very filling. The cha jang mein (noodles with black bean sauce) were also good, although the amount of sauce/meat was less than expected.
Service here was great - our waiter was attentive and was always available when needed.
It is a decent restaurant. My friend and I are both big fans of szechuan food, and we haven't found a good one like this for a while. We went at 2pm, when there were not many ppl. We ordered 3 traditional dished ,(twice cooked pork, xiang gan pork and Fu Qi Fei Pian) and they served all within 15 mins, which is surprisingly fast. The food tastes really nice. I like their spicy sauce used in the dished, gives me a really good appetite!
The price is not low, but I think it worths the price. We will definitely go there more often if it is not that far from us.
I just had dinner here a few weeks ago. I ordered the spiciest of everything and some dishes weren't as spicy as I had hoped or expected. If you like things spicy, make sure to try the spicy crispy chicken. Overall, the flavors were pretty authentic and service was great.
Enjoyed our meal at Szechuan House last night. The service was great, they were very friendly. The food was very good too. We'll definitely be going back!
So far I have gone there 2 times. Food was very good considering its in NJ where its not known to be a mecca for good Chinese food. Everything we ordered was on the spicy side. All the dishes were good to excellent!
This place is great if you like spicy food. They do have non-spicy dishes, so don't worry. I believe you can even order normally spicy dishes as non spicy, but you should ask the wait staff just to be sure.
The wait staff was friendly for the most part. The decor was nice and the bathrooms were nicely decorated and fairly clean.
We definitely enjoyed dinner both times and whenever we are in the area, We will visit them again.
The food here is really great. Service, not so much, I mean, most Chinese restaurants do not focus so much on service, however, these guys were really behind. Either they were short staffed (only had like 4 tables besides ours) or they just don't know how to efficiently run a restaurant... we had to holler at the host stand for take home bags and our check and our waiter only showed up to drop food.
The food was great, as I mentioned... exactly what you want from a Szechuan style restaurant. Spicy, mouth-numbing, delicious. Fried things, pickled things... yum. They have a great assortment of food.
I highly recommend this to any Asian family, otherwise you will be sort of confused by the menu, I mean, they spelled the word "COLD", "COLE" on their menu. Sad...
Firecracker chicken was not bad at all, I expected a dry spicy pile of chicken nuggets, but I got some nice tender pieces of chicken battered in Cornstarch and whatnot with spicy szechuan peppers and sesame seeds, not bad. the beef tendon was WAYYYY over spiced but really tasty, and their chicken was done really well.. inside the pepper sauce. Nom nom. Their friend whole fish was overly sweet (I really can not recall the name of the dish... despite the fact that I am asian...) but it tasted really good. Crazy amount of cornstarch and orange juice to make that sauce, but., it was delicious.
I've been here a number of times already, and I'm not stopping anytime soon. This place does a decent job with the standard Chinese-American fare (General Tso's and the like), but the real gems are found in the authentic Szechuan ("Chef's Special") section of the menu.
We always order the fish soup with pickled mustard greens. The tomatoes bring a crisp sweetness that completes this dish's palate. I'm also a huge fan of their twice-cooked pork: salty and fatty and delicious with scallions.
This isn't standard issue chinese food. The location and decor belie the tasty treats within. My take is based on about 5 visits.
Food: This is the real reason I'll visit a restaurant. Szechuan food is a rarity here, so my only points of comparison are Four Rivers (Philly) and various, presumably authentic, spots in China. Most of what comes out of this kitchen is magical, if a little oily. Standouts include the deep fried diced spicy chicken (essentially popcorn chicken fried up with Szechuan peppers, garlic cloves, ginger, and sesame seeds) and the shredded potato with peppers. The hot and sour and pork with pickled cabbage soups are excellent as well. Standard items (probably best avoided at a restaurant that specializes in hard to find dishes) are definitely a solid choice; their take on shrimp with garlic sauce is comparable to any of my other favorite spots. The freshness of the ingredients is readily apparent; these aren't the generic, starchy sauces and soups you'll find at your strip mall joints. Each dish is unique, and the rough chopped garlic, ginger, scallions, and the like make these dishes tastier after two days in the fridge than most are fresh out of the kitchen. Bold stuff, seriously.
Service: Excellent. The restaurant was busy, but the food arrived quickly and staff was friendly and attentive.
Ambiance: Average.
Pricing: Fair. Comparable to other mid-level Chinese restaurants.
Szechuan House is our go-to Chinese restaurant in the Princeton-Lawerenceville-Trenton area. Sesame noodles are a solid dish, along with the hot pepper chicken pieces. They'll also make some great dishes that aren't on the actual menu, such as spicy fried tofu (xiang la doufu). Tasty tasty! The only downside is the cheapo white rice they serve, but I guess that's all the more reason to fill up on the actual dishes.
4.5 stars
This is the only place in Hamilton, NJ to get chinese. Do not go anywhere else! I usually get the szechuan chicken and my husband gets the moo shu pork. The wonton soup is passable. The other chinese restaurants in the area use way too much salt, so this is the only place to go.
Wow, great stuff - much, much better than I've come to expect from restaurants in this part of New Jersey.
We got the dry chicken with spicy peppers (now I can't remember the actual name on the menu), the dandan noodles, the sesame noodles, and the pepper with shredded potatoes. All of it was really delicious. All of it was spicy as well, particularly the chicken. But if you don't like spicy, why are you eating in a Szechuan restaurant?
It wasn't exactly cheap, but you do get a ton of food - we paid $42 before tip, but it would have fed 5 or 6 people. Also, it came out within 5 minutes of ordering, and the waiters were incredibly attentive.
I get the impression that the menu has a lot of other good things, too. At the very least I want to try the tea-smoked duck and the mapo tofu. All in all, definitely recommended.
This was excellent! The staff made suggestions that were spot on. The authentic dishes were true to form. If you like spicy szechuan this is definitely the place. They don't hold back. So if you want to turn the heat down, you better tell them in advance. We will definitely be returning. It's nice to finally find a chinese szechuan place to eat that's not an hour away.
4.5 stars really... This area really lacks good Chinese food, and Szechuan House is by far the best in the area I've found in my five+ years in princeton vicinity... definitely give it a try.
Personal favorite so far is the "Rainbow" Tea smoked duck, which is a boneless version of the regular with added vegetables. It is quite simple in terms of flavor, but one of the better duck dishes that I've had. The cumin spiced lamb is good as well.
On the contrary, I've found the fan favorite "Crispy Chicken with Dry Hot Pepper" was drenched in gallons of salt and full of locked-in oil - basically inedible, even with heaping amounts of rice and tea.. It would make one hell of a side dish, but in very small quantities... [update] repeated visits proved this to be a good order for the table, you still need 3-5 people to share it across.
During lunch visits I got to taste the Kung Pao Chicken as well the Shredded Beef w. Hot Peppers... Both quite solid, and the spicy shredded beef beats others I've tried in the area.
Rest of the food and side dishes that I tried here did not disappoint, and I'm looking forward to more trips to this place! Be sure to skip fried rice and lo mein, and remember to order to share - there are a lot of interesting flavors here.
"Beep beep beep. That's the sound of an ambulance, coming to take me away. Cuz the sight of you stopped my heart." Or, the sound of the firetruck coming to put out the flames in my mouth. The delicious flames.
This place is a family staple. We find any excuse to gather and eat here. It's authentic Szechuan.
Top faves, must get!- Chongqing chicken, and the Chengdu cold noodles. Must love garlic, and mouth numbing spiciness. Order it "xiao la", aka small spicy, aka mild. No one will think less of you. Maybe just the little girl the next table over downing everything in front of her. And her younger brother.
Moved to Hamilton with my wife about a year ago and we were sad that we didn't try this place until now. My Mom (who is Chinese) has lived in the Mercer county area for almost 20 years and this is the best Chinese food I've had in the area so far. Definitely the best fried dumplings I've had at a Chinese restaurant and we were very impressed with their steamed flounder and singapore noodles. We were even impressed with the decor which was much less tacky than most restaurants. We definitely plan on returning in the very near future.
I absolutely need to give this a 5- I went back and had outstanding shrimp dishes and a spicy lo mein that we all raved about- SO glad this is within 15 minutes of our house. It's great to sit inside and go with friends, but I will also be doing take-out!
Servers are nice but not good. BUT, the food is good enough to get over it.
Prices were reasonable, and the food was great. One of the better Chinese restaurants in central jersey for sure.
This is probably the place we go most often here in Hamilton, and the only Chinese place I'll eat at in the area. The staff knows us and always treats us well, which is fortunate since they're usually crowded and could use another waiter when it gets busy. We usually try not to order anything that you can find on the menu of another Chinese restaurant, and that has paid off big for us with surprises both delicious and interesting (who'd have thought duck tongues were so awesome!). That's not to say that they don't do a fine General Tso's and their Hot Sour soup is far better than the average corn starchy gloop you find in most places, but if you get the restaurant's Szechuan specialties (ie. don't get the regular wontons, get the Szechuan ones) or the Duck Soup you'll be much happier and surprised with your results. Another tactic that's worked well for us is to see what the many Chinese families that frequent the place are eating, and then ask for what they're having if it looks good. Many of them order meals that aren't on the menu.
By far my favorite chinese restaurant in the area. Excellent Sichuan cuisine and very nice staff. The non-americanized dishes are the best and they will make you various delicacies that are not on the menu as well.
My son (Eric D who also wrote a review) and his wife took me here for my birthday last week and I was blown away. As a Chinese-American who was raised near NYC with tons of great Chinese restaurants, I've been disappointed in NJ's offerings thus far. We had the steamed ginger scallion flounder which was outstanding; the scallion lamb dish (also fantastic); sauteed dried string beans and Singapore mei fun, both best I've had in NJ! Lovely, serene decor, and service which granted was on a less busy weeknight was good. Definitely will go again soon!
I am originally from Hong Kong and really enjoy spicy food. This is one of the most authentic Szechuan Restaurant in the area. In fact, it's really the only Chinese restraunt in the area that gets filled up with the majority of Chinese patron's on any given night. Bottom line is Chinese people go where the food is good, so hopefully this place will continue to serve good food to keep us coming. Szechuan food is spicy, so beware. Each time we go, we order the Happy Fish in Spicy Soup. The soft shell crab is another one we've tried. The tea duck is great. Anyone can definitely gravitate to the typical americanized Chinese food, but ask the server for the authentic Szechuan style. I'm giving this place 1 less star becaue we've experienced a mix of servers where some are more patient and courteous than others.
On the final note, we've frequented this restaurant about once a month, but we've never had the problems with flies like some of the other reviewers.
came here after Pear picking few weekends ago. someone from the group suggested this restaurant for it's spicy dishes, . it was def SPICY! in a good way. but you prob don't wanna touch your face or eyes.
we also had , happy fish in spicy sauce??? i don't remember the English name. that was my favorite dish! spicy and a bit sweet. also the mince pork with mung bean noodles (stirr fried) was pretty good too.
the chicken fried rice was decent. try the , mochi balls in chinese liquore? that dessert is yummy.
DON'T try the , dried dumpling in spicy oil? it was not good. the sesame mochi ball dessert was just a-ok. won't recommend it.
the best part of all was... it was so affordable! with 8 of us, the bill was less than 150. thank you chinese food!
Traditional Sichuan style, very taste. You will not miss the boiling fish and fried spicy chicken.
The environment is suitable for you to invite your guests to enjoy the dinner, and talk to the boss with lots of stories from Chengdu.
Wish we will have one in our area soon.
Very delicious food that I was happy to see was prepared beautifully & so differently from standard Chinese restaurants in the area. Everything felt very authentic & I enjoyed every bite. My only negative comment is how very cold the temperature is in that place. When I said so to the waiter, his reply was that the heater was on. Brrrr...
Go there but wear a jacket!
I echo all good reviews here. Food is prepared differently from standard Chinese restaurants. Beware of Szechuan if your not familure with the real thing, "SPICY!". The authenticity is evident by the number of Chinese expats that frequent this location. My only negative comment was (see: Debby H.) how cold it is there in the winter. If you have a friend that speaks Chinese bring them along and try something new!!
This restaurant is very unassuming on the outside and not much to look at. I did not expect much when my mother and sister invited me here for lunch on a recent Sunday.
But as soon as I walked in through the door, I knew I was in for a treat. It was the aroma and the sight of the food: authentic. It was also another observation: every customer that noon -- aside from members of my party -- was Asian.
As Brad Heller's review points out: this is not your typical Americanized Chinese take-out. This is the real deal. The best Szechuan style Chinese I've had in New Jersey and it's been hiding nearby for all this time!
Let's just get this out of the way: the decor is very sub-par. The seats are old. The cushions are worn. The outside looks...cheap. But if you can look past the visuals, you will be in for a treat of fantastic, spicy, authentic Szechuan style cuisine.
The older reviews seem to indicate that there was a change the kitchen that lead to a downgrade. But the current rotation seems to be back to a crew of very skilled chefs in the kitchen. Everything we ordered was delicious and delectable. Every dish that came out was fresh and cooked to order. And while some of the food looked oily and greasy, we all commented afterwards that none of us felt "heavy" after gorging ourselves.
I would not recommend this place for those that like their Americanized Chinese food. I would not recommend this place for those that can't look past the atmosphere. I would not recommend this place if you don't like authentic, *spicy*, Szechuan style Chinese food (they do have many non-spicy dishes, but you'd be missing out!). However, I would recommend this place to anyone that wants to appreciate a truly authentic offering of Szechuan style cuisine hidden in a tiny nook in an unassuming building in Hamilton, NJ (of all places!).
Serious foodies will absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place.
THIS PLACE IS SO GOOD.
I've been dying for some authentic Chinese cuisine, and Shanghai Park just doesn't cut it. We had the Spicy Popcorn Chicken, Beef He Feng, and Steamed Green Beans. Apparently, the Spicy Popcorn Chicken beyond good -- even by NYC and China standards. I loved the He Feng and Green Beans as well -- though the two were a little too oily for my taste. Recommendation is to take out and cook it with some more he feng and beans to even out the oils and flavor. I don't know how to describe other than authentic and delicious.
tl;dr GET THE SPICY POPCORN CHICKEN -- to die for, really.
Ordered an authentic Szechuan dish called "Frog hot plate" very spicy, very good. Happy with everything else fried rice ect.
Went there last night as my brother and his family treated me to a nice meal at the end of my visit to Jersey. I am a seasoned authentic Sichuan food fanatic. So i can sniff the level of authentication at first bite. I gave this place 4 stars and it's quite good. I rarely gave 5.
My nephews are almost big fans of this place. They were trained from birth by their mom, their ability of eating spicy food.
items ordered:
Pickled cabbage fish filet soup: 3.5
FuQi FeiPian (sliced beef and tripes marinated in special spicy sauce - cold dish): 4.5
Scallion Pancake: 3
Ants climb tree (that's how it's listed on the menu. Only Chinese peeps would know what it is. It's essentially glass noodle sauted with minced pork in spicy sauce. Quite tasty): 4
Fish filet in hot and spicy sauce: 4
Braised duck with taro jelly: 3 (quite salty)
Sauted Chinese green squash home style: 4.5
Noodle in meat sauce (ZhaJiang Mian): 2.5 (it didn't taste bad but it's too soupy and the sauce was not authentic at all)
Worth returning to try other authentic specialty items, whenever i come back to visit family.
Honestly, this was one of the only places my friends and I would eat when I lived in Princeton. Would be coming here for every and any kind of event.
Definitely authentic and a favorite. I recommend going as a party of at least 4, you will be able to enjoy a better variety of dishes.
Not on the main menu, but one delicious dish is the fried spicy (xiang la tofu). After discovering it, I ordered that every time. The cold noodles are a great appetizer. Spicy popcorn chicken is definitely something my friends always order. Be ready for a mountain of spicy peppers with the tofu dish and the chicken. Order a few non-spicy greens to have some balance, although I always end up dipping them in some of the spicy sauce of the other dishes.
The spicy dishes are fine to take home if there are any leftover. It's still good after and they always package dry and wet separately. Rice is the only thing that lacks a bit--I think it's jasmine rice that's a bit dry. It's good to go with the dishes fresh when you are eating there in the restaurant with the spicy food, not good to take home if there are leftover (tried that one time to not be wasteful, and the rice was like sand).
Definitely one of the few restaurant in Princeton that holds a lot of fond memories.
Closer to a 3.5
I'm not from the area, so rely on Yelp to help me find places to eat. I called for a reservation about an hour before and it was taken with no issue, so I was surprised when we arrived that the place was packed! We were led right to a table. Service started off great, our water glasses were filled constantly. Once the food arrive, that dropped off a bit and getting the check took forever.
The food was quite good. There were 7 of us and we ordered 2 apps and 5 entrees and it was more than enough food. Some of the dishes included:
Wonton w. Roasted Chili Vinaigrette
Dan Dan Noodle w. Minced Pork w. Chili Vinaigrette
Jumbo Shrimp w. Walnut
Chicken w. Garlic Sauce
Everything was well made and delicious. Some items were spicier than others, but all enjoyable. Not to mention that it is super affordable, I think it came to about $12 per person and we left stuffed. This is a great place to go with a group and they were also very accommodating to someone in a wheelchair.
Great choice for Chinese in Hamilton.
Went on a sunday afternoon to get some szechuan food. Love me some ma po tofu.
Decor just like a typical Chinese restaurant. Omg background music has got to go...otherwise the food was authentic but I hope you can handle the heat....WOW HOT.... The tofu was silky, which was awesome. The minced pork was noticeable at first. HOWEVER once the heat catches up, got to say it one more time WOW HOT HOT
It was a bit of a drive for me....16 miles or so but bottom line, if you want authentic Szechuan food and a kick in the mouth....this is an awesome spot.
We went to this place after looking on Yelp--duh. We were a group of about 10 and needed somewhere to go that would be able to serve all of us. As soon as we got there we notices the place was packed and everyone was happily eating. The food is served family style and we had a mix of different people including my boyfriend who loves food the spicier the better, my grandmother and picky little me. We ordered a couple of apps and entrees for all of us to share. The food was excellent, with some of it being a bit too spicy for my taste. We ordered more than enough and the bill only came out to $13 per person! Which--when it comes to my family, that small of a bill is amazing!
The good place to have spicy food. If you wanna try the real Chinese Szechuan food, just go there!
Thanks to Yelp and its members, we decided to try this place, since our favorite Szechuan place in Philadelphia closed down. It's still a bit of a drive from our home, but I'm glad we made the trip: this is an amazing authentic Szechuan restaurant. Also BYOB, which we love.
First thing we noticed upon entering, is that majority of the diners were Chinese - a great sign! We were seated, and promptly went to the menu pages for the "hot stuff": the spicier, the better. I was very disappointed not to find the Szechuan green beans, which are a staple at every Szechuan restaurant, but moved on: they had our favorite dumplings in chili sauce, the mandatory mapo tofu, and we also ordered chin chu chicken [small cuts of meat smothered with different spicy peppers, fried with more chili peppers and topped off with mala peppers - didn't I say the spicier, the better??] While we waited, the server brought us a small dish of cut up veggies smothered in chili oil and crushed peppers - loved it, requested more.
Within 15 minutes, our appetizers arrived - very good, but not the best I had: the spices and flavors did not penetrate through the dough to the meat: it appeared to be on the surface only. Shortly, mapo tofu arrived: now this was worth the wait! The flavors were bountiful, complex, with a perfect kick of heat; the consistency of the dish was good - not a soupy mush of tofu, ground meat and sauce, but a distinct successful mix of ingredients and aromas. And the chicken course was also delicious: though cut a bit too small for my preference, the essence of the dish was captured spot on: crunch, texture and spices in a perfect blend.
Absolutely loved the food! And chatting with another couple, who are long-time regulars, it appears the restaurant finds the keeps loyal customers. Looks like we'll be joining the club, as we returned in 2 days, to pick up more mapo tofu and chicken: when it's good, it's good!!
Must say from the road, the building looks a bit shabby, the landscape [if you can really call lit that] unkempt. Some of the vertical blinds on the windows are skewed or missing, and some of the Chinese ornamentation on the outside is broken or torn.
The inside is more bearable, with the mandatory crystal chandeliers, pleasant decorative polished woodwork and nice wooden tables and chairs, but [truth be told] can also use some dcor TLC: the carpeted side of the restaurant simply demands to be addressed - the floor covering is abhorrent.
The four stars are STRICTLY for the cuisine and authentic flavors; I'm turning a blind eye to the dcor.
I give Szechuan House five stars because this is our favorite local chinese restaurant. We have been coming here for years. The food has evolved and some of our favorites are no longer on the menu but there are always new dishes to try. Do not order the usual Americanized type of Chinese food. Order what you see asian people eating or the food that they have photos of as you walk in. You'll know you ordered something good if they politely explain to you that what you ordered is spicy and it is what Chinese people eat. Just say yes you want it. My husband's favorite is the boiling hot pot. This is delicious but a little hot for me. I love the whole fish dishes and the spicy fish soup pots.
Yes, the building doesn't look like much and it is in a less popular part of town but there is ample parking, great service and delicious spicy food at a good price.
After visiting the Grounds for Sculpture, I decided to go to Yelp to find a place to stop for lunch. We came upon Szechuan House, which was almost in the middle of nowhere. There weren't many cars in the small parking lot, so we were a little skeptical.
The menu can be a little jarring with items like "tongue," "liver," "jellyfish," etc., but there are many "safe" items. I went with the spicy diced chicken and okra. At first bite, I said to myself, "okay, the spicy level is not bad at all." But then I kept eating... and the spiciness built up. It never got unbearable, but my tongue burnt in a good way.
So overall, the food was actually really good, and the portions are pretty big in size.
There are only a handful of restaurants that have ever truly blown me away and Szechuaun House makes the cut. I can't rave enough about this place. The diced chicken with dry hot peppers is easily one of the top five food experiences of my life and this is coming from a guy who went to culinary school. Oh and I highly recommend the tripe and beef cold starter.
..very good..
They sure have the authenic taste of szechuan. I am impressed that did not go easy on spices as most similar restaurants do.
Great place
We were surprised to find a restaurant that serves sichuan food so close to home. At first we dismissed it thinking that it was one of those restaurants that claim to serve sichuan food but actually don't serve anything close to that. But when one of my colleagues who is from main land China said it was really good, we got curious. The cool tingling sensation caused by sichuan pepper corns needs a bit getting used to. We didn't really like it at first but after trying a few sichuan entres over 1-2years, we developed a liking for it. We have a few favorites like Chongqing chicken, Ma Po Tofu, Dan Dan noodles to name a few. Definitely worth going if you want to try good sichuan food.
I've learned authentic Chinese means kinda creepy and shabby outside. Get anything spicy or dry rubbed. Don't get normal Chinese. Menu is pretty much non English but that's what google is for. I don't like Chinese take out, I think it looses something on that ride home. Def worth a trip. Be adventurous!
I came here on the advice of a good friend. His selling point to me was "they make their food spicy", which was all I needed to hear. Now, not having ever had spicy Chinese food before I was skeptical but I'm happy to report that these boys don't mess around - they will make your food spicy by virtue of cooking it with (seemingly tons) of little red peppers. I got their garlic chicken dish which is nothing like the typical Hunan style garlic chicken dish - this was a dry rubbed chicken of intense flavor and delightful consistency. Incidentally, I opted for this dish because quite a lot of their items were simply too exotic for me to take a chance on just yet. There were all sorts of "Eye of Newt", "Goat Larynx", "Vented Spleen", "Plum Sauced Guess the Phylum" style entries that escape my mind at this point, but the chicken was damned good. Damned good indeed!
Now this review is obviously based on that one take out meal, which was excellent. I know not about service, decor, ambience and what else have you. But I liked what I had enough to want to come back and explore some more.
If you are a long time fan of American Chinese food, this is not the place for you.
But if you want to eat where the local Chinese residents eat out then look no further than Szechuan House (SH). Here you will find more traditional chinese cuisine than the bastardized American chinese lo mein or wan ton soup.
Upon arrival the place looks ethnic stylish with lots of room to accommodate about 60-75 people. The hostess is friendly and quick in seating you. But like with many restaurants, the wait staff turns over quickly and its hit or miss. It seems like they hire the next college kid fresh off the boat to do the job. Hopefully you get someone who speaks at least a smattering of English and can get your order correct. A good point and smile usually does the trick as those around you are ordering in Mandarin.
Szechuan is known for spicy and they aren't shy about it. What is supposed to be spicy is, in no uncertain terms, spicy. Dishes are filled with flavor and not just heat.
Food comes out very quickly by my standards and is usually hot and steaming. The menu has some very ecclectic Chinese dishes, kind of like homestyle meats and animal organs but they also have tailored the menu for American palates.
When I go I start with the cold seseme noodles that are bang up. Spicy and deep in flavor and some of the best I have had, easily the best in this area. Typical egg roll because, well, just because, leave me alone. But the many varieties of soups are just as good and dont have that typical chinese restaurant chemical flavor to it.
My wife is also Chinese so I usually follow her lead when it comes to entrees. I have learned to love the beef and scallons as well as the beef and asparagus/mushrooms. The hotter the better for me. She also orders for me the pork and hot peppers that gets my brow wet and my tongue dancing all dinner.
She enjoys this fish and tofu dish that is in liquid with peanuts, cilantro and some mystery vegetable. I dont get the whole tofu thing but the fish is very good. Again spicy and tasty.
Also I have had before are those large bowls of "soup" with meat and noodles. More than for one person as I always take half of it home. They will do a whole fish wok fried, duck tongue, tendons and even these szechuan dumpling that are steamed, very thin skinned in spicy seseme oil. Yum!
If you can get past the miserable wait staff you'll get a good hot meal that is plenty for your appetite AND well priced. If you MUST have the usual Am-Chinese lo mein or moo shu pork I am sure the kitchen can make it but choose instead to expand your culinary horizons and try something different. You'll thank me.
This place is worthy of all the rave reviews. I had the cold beef tripe with peanut and chili sauce appetizer, it was out of this world! The boiled beef with fresh hot pepper was excellent as well. My wife is a little less adventurous, and her fried dumplings and sesame chicken were good, but a little bland. Not bad, just dumbed-down "Americanized" Chinese.
You wouldn't come here for the decor, it's just basic. The wait staff was very friendly and accommodating.
Absolutely the best Szechuan/authentic Chinese in the area.
This is a staple of ours. Chongqing chicken is great. Best Chinese food in Mercer County.
Very Nice food, taste was great. Quantity was great, one entree could serve 2 ppl easily and you can take some home as well. Only reason I didn't gave 5 start was because we had to wait long time to get table , then to order and then to get food. Also they massed up the order of the couple sitting beside our table.
This is a good but standard Szechuan restaurant. Meaning it's acceptable to most Chinese people, which is actually fairly high praise for Chinese food in this country. Do not come here and order some general's poultry or sweet and sour proteins. It is spicy, salty, and greasy - as it should be, so set your expectations in order.
Order the conventional Szechuanese dishes, which is their strength. That means anything with yuxiang (fish fragrance), most popular with pork or very good with eggplant. They have good water cooked fish. Most Chinese people do not order the appetizers. Their fire-exploded kidney flowers is quite good. These names might not be the names on the menu, as we order in Chinese and I can't personally remember the English names.
Smug Americans, who might have passed through Sichuan, might dismiss these fairly pedestrian dishes, but this is what they do best. The popularity of Szechuanese food is due to its supposed spicey taste, so clueless chefs and eaters can't discern it well. Authenticity is a moot point here - most Chinese people are not from that area and cannot tell if it's real or not. Some of us actually come here anyways to celebrate a new job, friends visiting.
They haven't remodel ever. Please don't judge them for that. The food was hot and delicious. We will return again. YUM
Authentic Chinese food, at least if you order from the Chengdu menu. If you don't like strong tastes just order from the other sections. I liked the Pork Intestine with Szechuan flower.
I've been back a few more times this past year and the owners have improved their cleanliness. The place is still dingy but the plates look new and the utensils and cups were clean. I'm just happy that my arms haven't been stuck to the table like it has before. The food is still good and the the portions were large enough where I could take leftovers home again. The staff were informative, friendly and attentive. Thanks for making the improvements Szechuan House keep up the good work! :)
Alright I hesitated to join Alex on this expedition...but he hit another Bulls eye. The happy fish was delicious; we both couldn't kill it and my soul is still sweating this one. I feel like I'm at at a sweat lodge talking to my ancestors. The tea smoked duck kept us grounded in this fantasy trip to China....
Very authentic not for the PF Chang fans!
It's a great place to grab Chinese food when you are craving spicy Chinese food!
Amazing schezuan cuisine .. The griddle and chengdu dishes are mouthwatering ...spicy deliciousness
Just picked up the diced chicken and hot peppers To go. I ordered the wrong item but they made the correction and we're really nice about it. I bought it for some coworkers to share. Runny noses sniffs heavy breathing and silence as it was devoured. The food is worth the stars
Authentic Szechuan food, full of flavor, reasonable prices (not super-cheap, but reasonable).
The ambiance is lacking, and I believe the people who complain about the service, but I've had only good experiences. Definitely recommend if you want some real Szechuan.
Asking this place to make cheap Chinese take out is like asking a Princeton professor to tutor your 5 year old. It is top of the line authentic Szechuan cuisine with efficient service. Ambience is relaxing and friendly: don't know what the other reviewers are talking about! Portions are generous: while prices aren't cheap there's enough for a second meal.
I really enjoyed this place. I got the griddle in spicy sauce with chicken and the cold tripe with beef for an appetizer. The flavor and spice was great for a Sichuan cuisine! Definitely worth my drive from Pennsylvania.
Very good Szechuan dishes if you can read Chinese. Otherwise don't try if you're after american-chinese flavor, which is quite awful. On the otherhand, the Szechuan flavor is very authentic.
I went here today with a large group from work to celebrate Chinese New Year. The food we had was ordered ahead of time. It was delicious. We had a special sausage appetizer, crispy chicken with pepper, fish and tofu, boiled beef soup (hottest dish of the day), cumin lamb, dan dan noodles, a fried eggplant in a sweet sauce, green beans, tea smoked duck and another hot/sweet cold duck dish. The heat was serious on some of these dishes, but intoxicating. Very good and can't wait to go back.
(Update, taking away one star for really horrible white rice the last 5 times i went there.) Aaaaaaaaaa my quest for authentic Szechuan has finally ended! First though I have to laugh and mention a few things about some recent 1 star geniuses. Ok...reviewer Sibabrata B. never even ate there but gave it 1 star (by the way this person has only done one review). Steven S. another person of integrity...NEVER ATE THERE...but gave it one star...seriously. Now Gary O. also gave it one star and while I will admit their noodles are not that great, this is not the type of chinese place where you order scallion pancakes and lo mein...you can go to hunan wok at the local mall for that. Any who I will make this easy for new comers to this place, I have been here 4 times and I am hooked. The "Cheng Du" part of the menu is the more adventurous and authentic part and often more spicey ...in a good way. This is why 75% of the people eating here are Chinese. Go for the dumpling in hot chili oil (amazing) and the braised beef in hot oil... wow...amazing and authentic. On the more Americanized side (the beginning of the menu) I would admit the noodle dishes are not so great (except for singapore noodle which was very good) nor were the "Appetizer" dumplings worth ordering. But the chicken dishes are truly A++. Go for the chicken with eggplant. Also they have a dish called 'triple delight' with a white sauce which is awesome. It comes with a hard noodle 'bowl' that I did not care for so I just ask them to substitute soft noodles instead - really really nice and packed with good stuff. Sure the service is not the best...which is at like every single chinese restaurant I know so oh well. Looking forward to going back next week!
This place is worth planning a trip around. Let me dispense 5 years worth of advice.
-Any dish that is shining bright red/orange will be excellent. Stains can easily be removed with dish soap.
-Drink your happy fish broth... It is the best part. Given the choice of only happy fish solids or liquids, I would choose liquids every time.
-When drinking the broth, it is advisable to separate and remove the chili oil. This can be performed efficiently at scale with a siphon.
-The optimal group size is n = 6 to 8 persons without dietary restrictions. Share your food. n-1 main dishes is an appropriate amount.
-If ordering in English, expect 10% of the dishes to be incorrect. Embrace this inefficiency: it broadens your experience.
-Always ask for more pickled vegetables.
Dear Yelp, is it possible to delete reviews by users who admit they have not even dined in the restaurant? As another reviewer correctly points out, any potential dinners should not even take note of the 1 star reviews here. Unless it is to feel sorry for these reviewers who think Panda Express is true Chinese cuisine. I was tempted to give 5 stars but that ranking is reserved for truly phenomenal dining experiences, if possible I would have given 4.5 stars. However, this is my favorite Chinese restaurant in NJ. I have eaten here more than 10 times(takeout included) and have never had a bad dish. I also agree with the reviewer who stated that the noodle dishes are not their best offerings, certainly not the Lo Meins anyway. As reviewers have pointed out, you can choose from Americanized or true Szechuan offerings, depending on your curiosity or tolerance for heat. I enjoy their "regular" dumplings, they are a bit thicker than at some other restaurants, but the filling in both veggie and meat is excellent, and portion size of 8 is very generous. I also love the thinner version called chili dumplings. The tea smocked duck is very interesting. Adventurous dinners can find items here that are not available at other places(sea cucumber, pork kidney or intestines, duck tongue to name a few) If you like Americanized Chinese food, come at lunch time for the economical specials. If you are a "foodie", come and try the Szechuan specialties. Don't be put off by the exterior of the building, when it first opened it was very nice. Now it is a bit run down. Interior is cozy and evokes an "Old School" Chinese restaurant. But as far as the food, that just evokes a lot of pleasure for your taste buds. If you are not used to true Szechuan food, you may want to ask them to tone down the spicy dishes.
Most authentic place in the Princeton/Hamilton/Trenton area that I have been too. Everything on their Chengdu delicacies or house special section of the menu is super authentic and mouthwatering. It's very spicy, but I'm always able to come home with leftovers that make me salivate. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for authentic Chinese cuisine. Everything except their scallion pancake is made so well to the point that you can't believe what you're eating because it's so lovely.
The food here is phenomenal. We've been coming here for 4 years now and each time the food is excellent. We always order the chicken fried rice, chicken with broccoli, lo mein, and Kung pao chicken. Great flavors and decent portion sizes. We've also tried a few fish entrees which have always been fabulous. The fish dishes are definitely more authentic than the other dishes. Their food is definitely spicy so beware if you are sensitive to spicy foods!
The only thing that is below average is the service at this restaurant. It's just terrible. When we first started coming here four years ago, the service was normal just as you would expect at any other restaurant. but over the years the service has gone down the drain. they place you at a table and forget about you, don't ask for anything to start with or order until you've waited 25 minutes and have to call them over on your own. They also never bring water or drinks anymore, which should be provided at all times since the food is so spicy. This place definitely needs to get its ish together in terms of service which is a shame because the food is so good.
Oh my gosh, HAPPY FISH. This dish has perfectly cooked morsels of fish swimming in a BUCKET of that famous chili oil, fragrant with Szechuan peppers and giving you that only-in-Szechuan slow burn in the back of your tongue and throat. I also love the bean sprouts and vermicelli that you have to scopp up from the bottom of that bucket. Not sure how happy the fish are to be sacrificed in this way but it certainly makes me happy.
Other standouts - the noodle dish are fabulous, any Chengdu specialty are worth checking out if you are a spice lover, and shredded pork with rice cakes is a very nice, child friendly and mild tongue-cooler to have in the mix.
Some misfires - the batter on the eggplant with minced pork and garlic dish...while the sauce is spicy, sweet, delicious goodness, the batter was so thick and tasteless that I had to peel it off and just eat the eggplants inside it. They could learn a thing or two from the Japanese tempura or British fish and chip masters.
Bottom line...this is a RARE opportunity in this Central NJ culinary desert (well, except for pizza) to experience authentic Asian cuisine. Keep this place going and please, don't say this place is mediocre after ordering lo mein and kung pao chicken. That's a waste of this kitchen.
love the chicken with dry peppers, wontons in chili oil, dan dan noodles and diced fish in spicy pickled pepper
Ok. So my family and I came for dinner while we where in NJ and let me tell you, this place was pretty interesting. Based on the outside of the restaurant, yes it looks run down and old but don't let that get you. The interior was pretty decent and the staff were very nice. Food wise we chose the Sichuan styled foods and it was so spicy. Maybe it was the fact that the resturants that I'm use to back home werent as spicy but compared to this one it was probably the spiciest I've ever had. Although I say it is spicy it was still pretty good. Overall if youre into super spicy Sichuan food this place is just for you!
So good.
First and foremost, get the diced chicken with spicy peppers, if you can handle spice. You won't regret it. (Just had it for lunch and already regretting not taking one to go.)
As for other stuff, just a heads up that this is a traditional Szechuan restaurant. So the flavors may be different from Panda Express style faux Chinese (which is fine if that's your thing, not judging). For one, traditional/authentic Chinese food tends to be more salty, and not all that sweet. It'll also use more interesting ingredients than your beef/chicken in garlic sauce.
They may still have decent beef broccoli but in all honesty don't come here for that when the menu offers so much more!
Szechuan House is a hidden gem in Hamilton. The five star rating is only for the food and not the ambience or the service.
This is our preferred neighborhood Chinese restaurant and we frequent this place at least once a month. Our family having a spicy palate usually order the cummin lamb, crispy chilly chicken, Chengdu eggplant stir fry and the house special fried rice. The price is on the higher side but the portions are huge enough to take home a doggy bag!
The dishes are great and quite unique. I never had cold chicken until now but everything I tried was good. Plenty of parking available and interior isn't modern/great, but that's not the point is it?
Fellow Yelper Jerry S. recommended Szechwan House to us - and we had the opportunity to dine there tonight. We ordered the braised beef in hot oil and the jumbo shrimp house style (spicy, but milder than the hot oil). SCORE on both dishes. The shrimp were tossed with black fungus, sliced bamboo shoots, fresh garlic slices, scallions, and pickled (I think) red peppers in a slightly spicy sauce. The beef in hot oil sat on a bed of sauteed napa cabbage. Plenty of minced hot pepper, chopped garlic, and sliced scallion from capped the beef. We could taste a hint of coriander as well. Beautifully spicy. There were so many dishes that I was interested to try, so I look forward to stopping in again very soon.
Friends recommended this shop before. A little expensive and taste not as good as we expect.
Amazing authentic food with top of the line service!! The food is spicy so beware, but everything is delicious.
They served tea after you seated, which really like some kinds of real chinese restaurant. Delicious food with spicy flavor.
Huge portions. I ordered the spicy double fried chicken- woah. Fantastic dish but EXTREMELY spicy. I took most of the dish home and it was just as spicy and hot the next day. Very good food. Their generals chicken is very good as well, the meat is chicken. Really enjoyed this spot.
I really like this place a lot. The best dish we order was the Happy Fish fish!!! It was perfect spice and amazing ingredients in that dish! Generous portion too! They ran out of snow pea leaves and Chinese water spinach so the waiter suggested the squash dish and we ended up liking it. For appetizer we ordered the bean curd with Chinese celery and that was delicious. But the fried dumplings were a disappointment. The dough was too thick and wasn't cooked all the way through. The service was great!
Very tasty Sichuan place near Trenton. Their specialty is Sichuan style fried soft-shell crab. It comes to the table wrapped in foil along with veggies and herbs. Underneath the foil is some wax or other material that they light on fire with a lighter to finish it off so it is at peak taste when the foil is pulled back and the amazing aromas greet you. And then when you bite in deep, the taste is full and juicy.
Let me start of by saying, I'm chinese, but am unfamiliar with true szechuan cuisine. Until I ate here. And I'm hooked.
Savory, spicy, salty. I can see why people get addicted to this. We ordered the diced chicken and peppers, braised beef tendons, pork ribs and pumpkin, and dan dan noodles. Everything was good and spicy. The diced chicken was crispy, salty, and riddled with mild long peppers and chillies. The beef tendons were delicious, and not for the faint of heart. Savory unctuous tendons with pickled peppers mixed in. The best was oddly the pork ribs, they were stewed with pumpkin and topped with a semi fried rice flour batter. Lathered with chili oil, it was freaking magical. The only let down was the dan dan noodles, wasn't quite a flavor punch as the rest of the dishes.
Needless to say I'll be back, there was so much more I wanted to try and I'm a glutton for spicy punishment. And like I said, I'm hooked.
Loves this restaurant! Very authentic Chinese food with loads of spicy flavors. Our family favorites are the popcorn chicken n the happy fish. The Chinese cucumber is very good although it is rather costly. I believe it was $15. We also tried the spicy tripes which was good too. Green beans veg was very tasty. Not too impressed with the Dan Dan noodles and the spicy wantons though. Service was always very good and I love the deco of the restaurant too. Would certainly recommend this restaurant to those who loves spicy food. This review is for the Hamilton location.
Very good Szechuan food, best one you can find around Princeton I think, slightly better than Szechuan Ace. The cold dishes - wonton in chili oil and sliced beef tripe are especially good.
So we all know that their spicy Szechuan foods are on point - but what if you don't like spicy foods? Well turns out Szechuan House can still be a good choice, although you've got to know what to order.
Smoked fish (appetizer) - This was surprisingly good, with a nice smokey flavor. Highly recommend.
Peking Duck - This was really good and authentic, with the crispy skin separated from the duck meat and the pancakes to wrap the meat on the side. It's also presented beautifully.
Jellyfish with Scallion Oil - This was really good, nice and crunchy and fresh, allowing the jellyfish to really shine.
Beef Tripe with Scallion Oil - Also really good, especially with the hint of scallion oil.
Duck with Pickled Radish soup - Skip this, it's a bit peppery (despite the non spicy notation) and otherwise pretty bland.
Shredded Pork with Sliced Rice Cake - This was good, but I felt too saucey, and the version at Shanghai Bun is much better.
Steamed Ribs with Pumpkin and meshed Rice Powder - My mom really enjoyed this dish but I found it rather average. Perhaps an acquired taste thing? Also, it's spicy despite being not noted as such.
Sizzling Assorted Seafood - I really liked this, the mixture of the crispy rice with the scallop and other seafood.
Steamed fish with Black Bean Sauce - This was surprisingly good, although it ended up being spicy despite assurances that it was not.
Loofah - My favorite vegetable dish here, and it was good, although this time they had some bitter pieces which was unfortunate.
All in all, I'd highly recommend this place for large groups, especially given how many big tables with Lazy Susan's they have. Unfortunately, they seem to have difficulty handling multiple large groups, and our food came out in a very random order, with multiple appetizers coming out at the end. Despite preordering the Peking Duck (which meant they should have started preparing it before we arrived), the duck came out long after all our other food, at which point we were quite stuffed.
Amazing, authentic food and the service was really nice both during and after the meal (I forgot my purse and they held it for me)
west lake soup is one of my favorites and it was well done. gan guo is great (it's called griddled pot or something). Pork intestine was super soft~ we also ordered beef tendon which was really well flavored. Will try beef tripe next time.
Yay!
I was looking for a Chinese restaurant in Hamilton with a decent atmosphere and a mix of authentic and Americanized.
This place met my expectations. The food was very good and it hit exactly what I was looking for. Don't let the faded sign out front put you off. This place was 75% full 7pm on a Friday night.
Just added two new dishes to the excellent heat profile provided by Szechuan House.
The Chongqing Chicken is a first cousin to the Spicy Chicken Dry Pot Style I have had in the past. High burn with every crunchy morsel. Just below numb on the volcanic scale, perhaps not reaching conflagration due to the meager presence of Szechuan black peppercorns and reliance on red chillies to cover for their absence, but still excellent.
The Crispy Fish Fillets Sweet & Sour was a large deep platter full of lightly fried fish and loads of orangey thick sauce. More Cantonese, but a strong interpretation. Really liked it in the face of all the other flames.
The few other plates were good, but not worth taking up more space here in light of all the other fireball delights found in this still surprisingly authentic Chengdu palace.
Me and my friend called this semi authentic Chinese eatery, The Ghost Ship. The outside remains eerily unkempt in everyway. It looks as if someone placed a faded Instagram filter over the whole entire restaurant, or is this just an eerie fog? As I entered I realized there was more Ghost Ship memorobilia hanging from the walls and mysteriously there was no explanation on where the strange wreckedge came from...Szechuan House should balance out the wreckedge with a sleeker environment.
I ordered the double fried pork, which is an authetic Chinese dish, it's like a thicker bacon. The taste was strong and the noodles and vegetables ended up being the best part. There are many duck options here as well which you won't find many other places. If you're bored go here with friends, don't take a date here.
Came here with my family post xmas.
Overall good experience. I'm not one to judge service so I thought the waiters were fine, attentive and brought out my dishes quickly.
Now to the food:
-beef raised in chili oil was kinda underwhelming. I expected something spicy but it was more savory and mild
-chili oil beef tripe was great. I can only think of a place in philly whose beef tripe is better but this is probably one of the better ones in central jersey.
-spicy fried beef intestines was surprisingly good. Nice and crispy and decently spicy
-spicy fried diced chicken was incredible. By the best tasting Szechuan style chicken in the area. You cant get much better than this
-saute jellyfish & spring onions were pretty good. Nice and springy. Fresh and crunchy/chewy
-rice costs extra
-their cold pickled vegetable that comes free is great. Probably one of the draws of the place for me
-rice wine rice soup dessert thing is quite a treat. Killer ending
Overall great tasting food for a decent price. It's a standard good tasting restaurant that you can set as a default if you can't think of anything better
Final score: A-
I only ate here a few times with a relative but I enjoyed the food every time and my relative did as well. Their portion sizes are generous (especially the huge bowls of soup) and the food is delicious. Service by the staff is reasonably quick and they were all very polite. One reason I like this place is because they serve scallion pancakes, which are a particular favorite of mine, and most all of the local Chinese restaurants do not have them on their menu. Szechuan House's scallion pancakes are excellent and include a tasty dipping sauce with an unusual flavor :)
I love this place. Can't get enough. Favorites include Cold noodles with spicy sauce, Twice cooked pork, Chongquin spicy crispy chicken, Sauted string bean, Eggplant with minced pork in spicy garlic sauce, and Diced fish with spicy pickles pepper. Awesome!
If you really enjoy Szechuan or always wanted to try it, this is the place for authenticity. Szechuan is very spicy Chinese food where you'll see plates where it looks like all peppers but food is buried in it. Szechuan house tones it down a little. Now this is different than most peppers that just burn you, Szechuan is said to burn but then numb and then makes you want more. I can't say I have specifically felt this but others I have gone to Szechuan House with have experienced this and ate more and loved it. This is also a place for adventurous eaters as they have menu items that you cannot find on most Chinese menus and items you may find bizarre but for most Asian eaters they are not. You can explore on your own. You know a good restaurant by its clientele, on most nights there are all Asians and their families eating there so that is good. I am Chinese but my Caucasian friends were definitely in the minority.
The exterior of the restaurant may look a little dated but you are here for the food right? And the food is really quite good. The go to every time is the Chongqing Spicy Crispy Chicken under the Chendu Classics on the menu. Nicely crisp pieces of chicken smothered in peppers, to me not burn your mouth off hot but a nice heat. Now I am not a huge fried rice guy not but I really really like their fried rice. It has its own flavor that I enjoy so these two are always a must have. One thing with me, even with fried rice I have to have a bowl of white rice this helps with some of the heat while eating the szechuan dishes.
I am a huge fan of beef chow fun (a wide noodle) but it has to be done right with a chewier texture and cooked really brown. This chow fun is a bit more soft and not as brown so not a big fan here. We also had a whole fish cooked with Szechuan sauce but this I would not recommend because of the bones. Most fish you can separate the flesh from the bones easily bit this was a gloopy hot pot of fish and spices so the bones were difficult to deal with. Better to go with a filet or fish cubes. Otherwise it was still tasty.
We have also had the peking duck which comes with the bun wrappers and scallion and hoisin sauce and although delicious it is $32 and you maybe got 6-7 small wraps out of it. If you've never had it worth a try just to say you've had it. The crispy skin and duck with everything in the wrapper is a very famous Chinese delicacy.
This place is amazing! If you love spicy food like I do and you want *authentic* Chinese food (not the PF Chang's crap on Route 1), then you need to check this place out. My favorite dish is the Diced Chicken with Sauteed Peppers. The sauce and the spices are absolutely incredible and it's just an explosion of flavorable, delectable heaven in your mouth. I can't get enough! Decided to stop by tonight for my second visit before Snowstorm Stella wreaks its' havoc tomorrow. Give this place a chance, you won't be disappointed!
3 words, Kao Pow Chicken! My husband and I like to come here when we want an old fashion sit down Chinese family style dinner. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because I feel like they carter to their own better than the regular customer, however this doesn't change how fantastic their food is. We have friends that live in the area and have never even tried their food, to us this is shocking because we literally pick up take out every time we are in the area. Their egg roles are kind of a big deal tool, they have peanuts in them and I'm a sucker for peanuts lol.
This place may need a facility upgrade, however food here is one of the best you could get. I have regularly visited this place for over 5 years and food is consistently great. Being a vegetarian, I always order Ma-Po Tofu, Lomein, Veg-Fried rice, Broccoli/Beans, however all my friends who eat meat also vouch for this place.
This is not your normal neighborhood Chinese restaurant. It's Szechuan, and not that fake, throw a chili in it and called it "Szechuan" Szechuan you often see elsewhere. If you don't know what that means then look it up before you go ordering off the Chengdu or house specialities sections. Expect lots of flavor, heat, and oil. That's the style. Chongquing chicken was fascinating...totally dry(well except for a bit of chili oil) but packed with flavor. Dumplings in chili vinaigrette was great too. Both pleasantly but not painfully hot. I'm thrilled to have found a place like this without having to drive an hour to Chinatown.
A friend from work introduced me to this restaurant some time ago. I didn't think there were any good Chinese restaurants in Mercer county, but this place proved me wrong. The spicy Szechuan chicken is quite spicy but amazing. My parents joined me here once for dinner, and my dad still raves about that chicken. The chili beef in oil is also quite delicious.
I will say, though, that I went with some friends for dinner once and learned that while they are really good for main dishes, their appetizers are not so good.
It may look a little outdated outside but don't let that fool your judgement of the food quality inside. There is plenty of seating inside. The complimentary pickled vegetables served were crispy and unique. We had the beef in hot oil which was perfectly cooked and soft in texture. The chongqing chicken and the cumin lamb were also excellent. All perfectly flavored and a bit on the spicy side. While you may feel tiny in this big restaurant, the food definitely makes you feel like your glad you visited! The portion sizes are also generous. I drove from langhorne pa.....Szechuan spots are hard to come by and this drive was well worth it.
Awesome place! Food is soooo good and the staff and service are great! Would recommend!
for NJ, this is really good, especially the fu ji fei pian. The fish in spicy broth wasn't that good though. I only had these two dishes
I don't leave reviews on yelp that often but honestly, this place deserves it. The food is so good and so authentic, the service can be spotty at times but honestly most of them are so nice, I don't even mind. And the food, good god the food. The happy fish stew, the mapo tofu, the chongquing chicken, this place goes above and beyond with their cooking .They deserve all these stars and more and I really hope that people come and try this place out. Please note though, this is an authentic szechuan place. If you're just looking for lo mein or general tsos, there's is good of course, but you're missing an opportunity to try some great, spicy authentic food. I would absolutely order from their szechuan or hunan menu and have a great experience.
This place specializes in Sichuan cuisine, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't come here if you can't handle a lot of spice. The food here is quite mild and light in peppercorns, but it's probably the best of the Chinese restaurants in the area; you may need to ask for dishes extra spicy if you're used to Sichuan food. Of the dishes I've tried, I think they do vegetables pretty well, and I also really liked the happy fish and the cold shredded chicken with chili sauce app.
Complimentary pickled vegetables - good
Happy fish (, $19.99) - really great!! The fish itself is kind of mushy but I was still super happy with this; the wood ear, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots at the bottom are great too. It's fairly mild though - I asked for it extra spicy and while the heat was good, it was still only barely numbing. (My friend thought this was too spicy though.)
Shredded chicken with chili sauce (, $8.95) - great, lots of sesame paste. Not very spicy.
Sauted snow pea tips ($18.15) - really great, probably my favorite version of this in the area.
Sauted Chinese squash home style ($14.95) - great, still firm and not overcooked or greasy.
Eggplant with garlic sauce ($10.95) - great though a bit heavy in sauce. The eggplants are sweet and tender and delicious.
Sauted bitter melon ($10.99) - great, a little oily but still nice and bitter and not sopping with sauce!
Chongqing spicy crispy chicken ($14.95) - good. Really thick breading and not very spicy, sort of reminiscent of popcorn chicken.
Ma po tofu with minced pork ($10.95) - tofu is nice and soft, but it's not very spicy and pretty greasy. There are a lot of fermented black beans. I liked this more than the shui zhu yu though.
Braised fish fillet in hot chili oil (, $18.95) - fish has some type of heavy coating/thick sauce, surprisingly salty, not spicy unless you get a bite with peppercorn. Vegetables on the bottom soak up a lot of chili oil and are spicy though. Really different from what I expected; I'm not a fan. It also came out really really quickly - I wouldn't be surprised if it were precooked and reheated.
Twice cooked sliced pork ($14.95) - this is mostly scallions with relatively little pork, which is very fatty. It's pretty greasy, not spicy, and very very salty.
Tea smoked duck ($18.95) - not good, super salty, meat wasn't great :(
Service is attentive and friendly, and our water glasses were always full. There's also free wifi (password is on the back of the door). I'm slightly concerned by the number of flies buzzing around our table though - this and the noodle that appeared in the pea tips don't make me optimistic about the kitchen. Nonetheless a solid 4/5 for central Jersey.
This will always be my favorite Chinese food spot in the area. I talked to the owner on the phone and they said they will be open again in 2 months once they fix the kitchen from the fire (I'm guessing in March 2018). Please come back! I will definitely be back when they reopen.
Best Chinese food in the area! Just spoke with them and they will reopen in a couple months! (Waiting on money from insurance for the fire damage grrrrrr) I'll be waiting (impatiently) for my chongqing chicken.
Great food authentic Szechuan !! Hurry back and good luck.
Szechuan House is back! After almost a year of being closed, it's once again offering great dishes, just as delicious as before. We love the diced fish with spicy peppers, and the Kung Pao chicken was really tasty tonight! We'll be back, of course.
HOORAY so happy the place has reopened but better yet all the old staff is back But BETTER YET the food is outstanding some of the best cooked chinese outside of China truly authentic. This is real Szechuan spicy,intense and fresh, eggplant w minced pork the best dish of the nite crispy sweet and spicy, fresh fish,dumplings in chili sauce. Give yourself a treat this is as good as it gets. But if Spicy ain't your thing go buy some frozen Chung king
Amazing place for authentic Szechuan cuisine. Highly recommend the dumplings in chili vinaigrette and the chongqing chicken.
Hate to let everyone know about this place because it's starting to get crowded. Sure the decor is old and dingy, the cleanliness a little questionable. But the food is authentic, awesome, and affordable. Best Chinese food in our little NJ town.
Finally reopened! Our favorite REAL Chinese food in the area. Service is as backward as always, carpet as stained as always, but food as spicy and delicious as always.
Happy to hear they reopened finally!!!!!
great authentic Szechuan food always cant wait to return...
This is the first time we have been here since they reopened. The place is still as spotless and comfortable as we remember it. The decor is wonderfully authentic and so is the food. The menu has most of what you would expect at a Chinese restaurant, but they go a step further with more authentic offerings I don't see on many menus. The food we ordered was delicious! We had an appetizer of pork dumplings in a spicy garlic sauce that was amazing! Our entrees were more of the typical for Americans at a Chinese restaurant. LOL! I had beef w/ black mushrooms and asparagus and my guest had Hunan beef. Both were well spiced and a generous portion. For dessert we had fried yam cakes with sesame and fermented rice wine. Excellent! The menu has so many selections it took us forever to pick something. They also have a long list of "hot/spicy" dishes for those who like their dinner on the hot side! I recommend this place highly! When half the customers in the restaurant are Asian you know that the food must be authentic or just that good!
Wow. Talk about spicy. So I have never had Szechuan food before...and I guess some of it tends to be a little hot? But it was that good kind of hot. The one that makes you want to come back. I had some kind of beef mixed with peppers dish. The hostess said it was her husband's favorite and I can't argue with that.
The only downside was it was a little pricey. I paid like $16 for a dish that was mostly peppers. The floor was also really sticky. So...not the cleanest place out there.
Back in business and better than ever. Spice levels are still real with the Szechuan dishes and all the dishes we've ordered have been executed well, fresh tasting and beautifully sauced. Soups are still too salty for my tastes but the rest of the entrees we've had have been as we used to get them before they closed suddenly. Every night I've visited to eat or to take out the place has been packed, and all gthe food coming out of the bust ktchen has looked damn impressive.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Had the dried chili/peanut/scallion chilled rabbit appetizer, choy sum with mushrooms (scallion oil, scallions, fresh garlic plus ginger were present), and tea leaf smoked duck. Hot tea was brought straight to the table and the waiter was a well-spoken and perceivably well-educated Chinese expat - I forget the man's name sadly, but he enlightened me on the differences in culinary styles between regions of China and as a fellow speaker of multiple languages I was impressed by English-speaking skills as a non-native. One of the funny bits was: "Chinese food from most takeout spots has been transformed so drastically because they're typically run by the family rather than trained cooks. Kids on the phone and register, dad in the kitchen. Here we have trained and professional Szechuan chefs." Ha ha. A little piece of paradise perhaps?
better than your typical Chinese. not any more expensive. best Kung Pao I have ever eaten.
This is one of my husband's and my favorite restaurants. The braised fish in hot chili oil and the chongquing spicy crispy chicken dishes are outstanding must-order items, and we really like the shredded chicken in chili sauce, which is a cold appetizer. We don't Iike the dishes with bean curds, but almost everything else is satisfying, and the free appetizer of pickled broccoli is really tasty! This place recently had a kitchen fire and had to close for renovation, which made us so upset! We rejoiced when the restaurant reopened.
We are here one day after visiting the Grounds for Sculpture and LOVED it! Best chines food we have had in NJ. While they are far from where we live, we will be back for sure!
This place is your average a little Americanized szechuan place, with bomb Chengdu noodles tho!
First off, loved the chengdu noodles, very authentic, very satisfying. Pls try if you like noodle dishes and spices. We ordered fish fillet with spicy oil, decent, nothing out of the world.
But what I wasn't fanatic about is the service and ambiance. Probably cuz I speak Chinese, they didn't care to explain the menu, I asked like "what's the special today?", our waiter said "nothing special, same as menu." So I was a bit speechless but nothing major, probably it is nothing special! And I'm ok with that. But other than that little episode, everything is great.
However the environment is not exactly sparkling clean, a few flies are trying to be friends with us.
Delicious authentic Chinese food. Huge portions great for family style sharing. Will definitely be back
Fantastic food! They were closed when we tried to visit last year during a trip out to Grounds for Sculpture, but we tried again this year and it was worth it!! We ordered the braised beef tendon, dan dan noodles, and vermicelli with spicy minced pork, and the waiter brought out a pot of tea and a small dish of pickled vegetables. Everything came out quickly and was incredibly flavorful. If only they were closer!
Food was tasty and spicy just as I wanted. The place is nice and calm. The lady at the front is very friendly, she makes you feel so welcome. You don't get alot of that these days. Also the portion is actually enough, yes it is.
It doesn't get more authentic Sichuan cuisine unless you're in Sichuan province. Excellent noodles and dumplings. Friendly staff, very helpful with menu items if you're not familiar with this cuisine. Well priced. Comfortable atmosphere.
Excellent food, very nice service and authentic decor! Highly recommended. This place is well worth a side trip just to eat here.
Szechuan House is back after having been closed for ~9 months from a fire in the parking lot. We were so sad when we found out that it was closed last year, but I saw someone review the restaurant recently, and we had to go right away.
The chef and staff are all the same. The recipes and the food are the same. We ordered our three regulars: Braised Beef in Hot Chili Oil, Happy Fish, and Chongqing Spicy Crispy Chicken. We were so excited when the food came, I only remembered to take pictures of one of the dishes. The food was excellent, as always. Kirby was courteous and attentive. We look forward to going back.
Spectacular, Authentic Szechuan. Have not found another restaurant in the tri-state area with authentic Szechuan food that comes even close theirs. One of my top favorite restaurants. I have raved about it to everyone I know!! Highly recommend.
Absolutely love it. I come here everytime with my mom and sis. Better than ones in Manhattan new york
The are serious about szechuan cuisine. Their jumbo prawns szechuan style are my favourite. We have also tried their chingdu style dumplings, steamed fish in black bean sauce and accompanied by complimentary green tea ? it completes the meal.
Delicious food, taste and flavor of Szechuan region. Real foods Michelin star restaurant with very reasonable price. Good pick at this single digit temperature weather. We were full with grateful while walking out of the restaurant.
Authentic Chinese restaurant. Very unique taste. Great service
The staff were so nice! I had an office party of about twenty and the receptionist helped me pick out the bet dishes for the event. At the party everyone raved about the food and asked me who had made it. It was the perfect amount and there was something for everyone.
Authentic Northern Chinese cuisine, kind of spicy if u are not used to it but could order to your preference of spicy. Very good.
Good Chinese -- many as authentic dishes
Currently the best Chinese restaurant in the area. When it closed, we thought well, that's it,, but here it is, back after a year. From the spicy dumplings and dan dan noodles to the delicious soups to the unique dishes such as braised frog, you will be pleasantly surprised. Some very interesting fish dishes that you would probably not easily find anywhere else. My only recommendation is the service could be more attentive. Otherwise, good restaurant, happy to see it reopen.
Yummy as usual. Almost couldn't get a seat. Totally booked at 1 pm on week day!
I went with my family to Szechuan House restaurant in this weekend. We ordered a lot of foods. The plates are clean, and the restroom is fixed with fresh flowers. The differerence is the same chef under the new managerment. That means totally different. there is amazing service and the best spicy dishes in NJ. My family will never forget. I would recommend people who like spicy foods should try this restaurant with your friends or family.
Spectacular service and truly authentic dishes. By FAR the BEST Szechuan around!
This place deserves a perfect 5.0 rating. I lived in NYC for 18 years and I seriously love Szechuan food. I probably tried every Szechuan restaurant in Queens and Manhattan...definitely every one with a good rep. And yet, I just ate the best Szechuan food I've ever had, right here in Hamilton Township, NJ, of all places. Not to be missed!
This is a local gem.
I lived in China for nearly 3 years, and visit Sichuan every year or two. Szechuan house here in Hamilton NJ (out of all places...) is the best representation of Sichuan Cai I've found stateside with few exceptions.
Opt for traditional dishes and shy away from American cuisine.
Anything with deep chili oil, hua jiao (Sichuan peppercorn) and don't miss out on the Gongpao (Kung Pao.) You'll taste the difference between real Kung Pao Chicken and the bastardized American version.
Great place.
The best in town!
Won ton soup was fantastic!
Very consistant everytime we order!
Great quality and fresh veggies!
Delivery guy was super nice and had a dog treat for our dog in his pocket!
Great company start to finish!
| Monday | |
| Tuesday | |
| Wednesday | |
| Thursday | |
| Friday | |
| Saturday | |
| Sunday |
Fill out the form below to learn more!
Dialog will close after 10 sec.
Thank you for submitting your contact request! We will reach back out to you within 24 hours of receiving your request.
Sincerely,
Szechuan House Support Team
Select language to translate this page: