Chef Xiong - Taste of Szechuan

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Szechuan food and any spicy Asian food so I was extremely happy to have Chef Xiong as one of my vacation meals! I didn't even know Anthony Bourdain had raved about this place before, but now I understand why. The Chongqing popcorn chicken had sooo much chicken inside and was very flavorful, crispy, and spicy. The mixed dry pot was actually my favorite and I loved how light and dry it was without absorbing too much oil. The food was well tossed and assorted with all different kinds of proteins. I never eat intestine but Chef Xiong made it taste so good that I didn't even realize it was intestine! My second favorite part about my meal was that the cold sesame noodles helped wash all off the spicy food and Chicago summer sweat away. The chicken and dry pot were both hot but after a bite of the noodles, it felt like the best reset with a side of crunchy bean sprouts. Also apparently they have 40% on DoorDash from 2-5pm!

Delicious Szechuan served hot and fresh with ample portions, located just across the street from mainstreet Chinatown. The ambiance was casual, with a bar at the entrance, banquette seating and small tables in the dining room with chill city music playing. We had shrimp with dried red chili peppers, wrinkled green beans and Mongolian beef. Both dishes were great; however, my lunch partner said the Mongolian beef was the best they ever had, juicy and tender and spiced just right. Servers were friendly and prices were reasonable. We'll definitely go back!

Updated review: I haven't come back in a long time mostly because I was intimidated by the choices and not knowing what to order but I took a friend's recommendation and am very satisfied!Xinjiang beef and/or lamb is fire!!! So much flavor, nice cumin notes and spicy! Yummy! I don't usually dig lamb but they made it accidentally instead of beef so I got to try it for free and I'll be having it on purpose in the future. This is the second time I've had Lamb and enjoyed it (the other good Lamb is at Uncle Zhang's in the dumplings!)I ordered the crispy pork ribs and asked for gluten free, they were able to accommodate and those things are soooo tasty! I'm a little baffled by the crinkle fries in it, but they're tasty too so no complaints.And of course the stir fried green beans are the bomb. Those didn't stand a chance at being leftovers!They're friendly and fast with takeout and it still tastes great when you get home. See you next time Chef Xiong!

Decided to try this place because Anthony Bourdain came here and I was not disappointed. This restaurant definitely lives up to a Szechuan spiciness. We got the popcorn chicken, pork wontons and braised chicken with potato. I would recommend the popcorn, chicken and the pork dumplings. I wasn't really a fan of the braised chicken with potato because it tasted like curry almost which I'm not a fan of. We went in the middle of the day on a weekday so it was not busy at all. We were able to get quick and easy service. I would say this location is somewhat casual so you don't have to dress up for it. There is a lot of construction going on, on the outside of the restaurant so just be sure to use your map when looking for it.

Found this place for the first time while walking around Chinatown. A lot of the usual popular places had lines out the door, so we decided to try this place. Glad we did! The food was great and came out very quickly. My favorite was the eggplant with green peppers (jalapeños). Great amount of spice if you like spicy food. Decor was good but not too flashy or commercial feeling. Definitely give it a try!

A small, quaint, authentic Chinese experience on the outskirts of Chicago's brilliant Chinatown. This is a Bourdain-approved spot, showcased on Parts Unknown, so if it's good enough for him, it's probably good enough for you. Albeit the place has changed since the show (granted it has been a couple years), but the food was still pretty good. The grilled skewers and Xiajiong Spicy Beef were especially delicious. Miso soup was solid. The staff were friendly, bathrooms were clean; I have 0 complaints.

Great food, great service, and a good ambiance and decor. We tried the Sliced Pork in garlic sauce which was succulent and sweet, the house special duck which was peppery and flavorful, and the taiwanese popcorn chicken which was spicy, perfectly battered and so good. A surprise favorite was the celery, which was the best celery I've had.

This is some excellent Szechuan food and it is mala to the max. People who are not fans of that fiery, numbing combination of Szechuan peppercorn and chilis should take the heat ratings of certain dishes seriously, because they pack a punch. Luckily for me, I love it, and while some dishes can be fairly spicy, they do it without overpowering the flavor. I've had half a dozen or so dishes from here and all of them were winners, the chongquing popcorn chicken, yibin noodles, malo tofu and chefs special lamb being my favorite. The portion sizes are large, the service is fast and the food is some of the best Szechuan I've had so far. I can't wait to try more of their menu

Another excellent 5 star meal here! Got the usual:Pea sproutsPopcorn chickenToothpick lambBeef Brisket Dry PotBeef tongue in peppercorn soupFish filet in peppercorn soupOther dishes are good too, but above are our favorites. There's a rumor they're closing by end of November this month, but I hope it's not true...

First time here and it was amazing! We shared a bunch of different items and nothing let me down. Service was great and food came out fast!