General Tsao’s House

Best Chinese I've had in ages! I honestly wish we'd dined in because I liked the vibe and the cocktails look great, but with two wild little ones who don't always do well in restaurants, my husband and I decided to get takeout to eat in our hotel room. We got the chicken pot stickers, Shanghai soup dumplings, green beans, chicken lo mein, sesame noodles, and Jing Jiang pork. The lo mein was maybe the least exciting because it was fairly standard lo mein (but still good!), while everything else was REALLY good. Like, the sesame noodles were so perfect I honestly wish I'd gotten an extra order to bring back to DC, where I haven't found decent Chinese yet (and especially sesame noodles). We filled our cooler with our leftovers and actually did have them for dinner the following night back in DC, and I'm so glad we did. So good! If we stay in the Rittenhouse Square area again next time we visit Philly we'll definitely be back!

The best way to describe this spot is elevated Chinese takeout! We tried the Dan Dan noodles without the pork bits. The noodles were a bit thicker than Han Dynasty's Dan Dan noodles and there was a kick to the noodles! The scallion pancakes came with a tangy, soy sauce and were not overly greasy. The Garlic Sauce with Shrimp was really good! It came with this unique mushroom which I cannot put my tail on what it was. The peppers had a nice crunch to it and the bamboo shoot slivers soaked up the sauce really well. Service was above and beyond. The manager came over a couple of times to ask how we were. The waitress was flexible with seating. We were also an hour earlier than our reservation and they were accommodating. Restaurant is clean and really appreciated the wall art and contemporary bar.

Very similar to Dan Dan, a clean, modern & fusion take on Chinese/Szechuan cuisine that's tailored somewhat to local tastes. Also has a bar area serving drinks. You can get soup dumplings, pad thai, dry pot, stir fry, etc. - an interesting variety of things. Authentic? Not quite. However food is decent, nice seating area. Good for lunch or non-experienced Chinese food goers.

We decided to give this place a try while in Philadelphia given such great Yelp reviews! Though the restaurant is beautiful and has great ambience, the food was lackluster. We really wanted to enjoy the food, as we are big fans of Chinese cuisine, however, this was far from what we expected. The lychee drink was refreshing and strong which was a great start. We ordered the scallion pancake which was average. The soup dumplings were decent as well. It was the dan dan noodles that really disappointed us. The noodles were super dry and coated with chili oil, leaving a grimy and gritty residue feeling in our mouths. It lacked flavor and seasoning, and all that we could taste was this odd texture. Wish we tried other items on the menu to hopefully counterbalance these noodles, but the items we did order were not delicious enough to make up for it.

This review is only for Dan Dan noodles. It's dry and no too much flavor. The portion is enough for one person.The restaurant itself is very elegant and clean. I like the painting of a lady on the wall upon entering.

This place has delicious food. It also is a really nice spot for business lunches or dinner, date night and for group. The general tsao chicken was some of the best I've had in the city. The duck bao buns and the chili oil dumplings were also amazing. Lunch service was quick. Prices were decent. Portions were pretty big. Cant wait to return.

Crossing off another spot on Craig Laban's "New + Notable" list, we ventured to General Tsao's* for a late happy hour/early weeknight dinner. Although General Tsao's doesn't currently have outdoor dining along Sansom Street, we were able to reserve the table at the wide, front window--basically sitting on the sidewalk.For our appetizers, we went bao with the Peking Duck Bao Bun (sliced duck, cucumber, lettuce, scallion) and the Pork Belly Bao Bun (pork belly, pickle, peanut). The latter, in particular, had a nice crisp to it, but all four buns (two per order) were fluffy and had a great balance of flavors.For our noodle dish (because, noodles!), we ordered Dan Dan Noodles (noodles, minced pork, pickled, vegetable, sesame paste, chili oil) and were happily able to have the minced pork on the side so our vegetarian diner could enjoy. The Dan Dan Noodles were drier than at other restaurants in Philadelphia, which I appreciated--spicy with great flavor, but less slippery, if that's a descriptor.In an effort to "be healthy," we made sure to get two orders of veggies: Lotus Root with Pickle Sauce (lotus root, pickled pepper) and Eggplant with Garlic Sauce (eggplant, sweet, sour, and spicy sauce). The Eggplant was delicious--would definitely recommend to everyone, having a deep, rich garlicky sauce. Being my first time eating lotus root, I was pleasantly surprised to find it similar in texture to water chestnut (crispy and fresh) and the sauce had a zing of spice and fresh ginger.And for our entree, we shared the Dry Pot with Fish Fillet, which was served in a small wok over a flame and was absolutely terrific. The fish was crispy and the veggies and sauce all worked together, especially with the white rice (because, rice!).Drink-wise, the Lotus specialty cocktail was a particular favorite, with fresh lychee on toothpicks.Overall, the space was pretty and the service was friendly, prompt, and masked. Will definitely return!Note, the menu says General Tsao's can accommodate gluten-free diners, etc., just ask!*Formerly, Susanna Foo-owned SuGa.

Pros- clean and unique interior- literally every single dish we got was delicious- great food portion- timely in getting the food out to us - the service was great! I was surprised we were the only table on Saturday for lunch (but I did notice there were quite a few to go order pick ups)- kid friendly (immediately offered high chair for my son and gave us a roomy table so we could set our diaper bag on an extra seat)Cons- bathroom was clean but not diaper changing table :(- street parking only This is going to be one of my go to Chinese restaurants in Philly from now on! So so good and I love that there was no wait and no crowds!

Ignore the poor quality photo, but I was so distracted by the incredible food that I never ended up getting a better one. I had been craving some good Chinese for a while, so came to General Tsao's the recommendation of a friend. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was not upset. It's always nice going with chill friends who are down to share food so we could try some more dishes. We ended up getting the pork belly bao buns, spring rolls, veggie dumplings, Dan Dan noodles, and general tsao's tofu. Somehow every dish was just as good as the last. I will definitely be back to try more items on the menu. To top it all off, the staff was all super friendly!

My fellow yelpers came through with good reviews that led me here. We picked up takeout on a rainy day and it did not disappoint! Our order included dry pot with chicken, duck baobuns, noodles and of course General Tsao's chicken. Looking forward to the next order in/takeout day to try some other dishes. We may even stop to eat in one day.