Lao Sze Chuan
Lao Sze Chuan
Eggplant
Salt and pepper scallops
Garlic eggplant (鱼香茄子)
Complimentary Spicy Cabbage Szechuan Style
Chongqing chicken
Menu, and half of my friend
622. Ma Po Tofu 706. Fried Noodles
Eggplant
soups and chowder, food, chowder, soup
pasta, food, pasta dish
Peking duck
609. Mapo Tofu
563. Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken
Spicy Chengdu Chicken
August 2023 - Front door area
outside
2nd stop on the food tour. We had Dried Chili Chicken. We also had a side of cabbage.
Steamed Pork with Sweet Pickle
Mapo Tofu with Rice
564. Tony's Chicken with Three Chili
202. Pork Pot Stickers
interior
Cabbage
Samantha V.
Aug 12, 2024
Came late at night, just me at 11 pm on a Sunday. They're open til midnight. Lots of places closed at this time, but this place was open and spacious. The hot tea is lovely.I ordered the cumin lamb to compare to two other places I've enjoyed it. (Chef Xiong and Uncle Zhang's). This is the most expensive of the 3 since I had to pay for rice separately. But I think it's the same price as Chef Xiong.It's a generous portion, enough to split with someone, but family style multiple dishes would probably be recommended. I liked that it was a little less greasy than others, and the red bell peppers were a vibrant addition. The cumin flavor was more subdued than Chef Xiong and about on par with Uncle Zhangs. However, the lamb flavor was more apparent, and I appreciate the size of the lamb pieces, very satisfying bites. I particularly liked the spiced/pickled cabbage accoutrement on the table. Not quite kimchi, not sure what it's called, but it paired beautifully with my dish.I also had the spring rolls which were decent. The hot mustard was the real star of the show on that front. ACCESSIBILITY: Despite being in the "mall" which has TERRIBLE brick tiling throughout, this location is the western most unit and can be more easily accessed from Princeton which also has a graded slope curb.The entrance does have two doors that might take a little maneuvering, but inside the spacing of dining chairs seems manageable. I did not use the restroom, so I can't speak to that. I use a cane/walking stick and appreciated the ease of access it afforded me, and would say this is about as close to wheelchair accessible location you'll find, in this mall at least. The main benefit of this restaurant is the late night hours, and the food quality is definitely good enough to return.
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Rita T.
Jul 27, 2024
zero stars from me! they acted as if they didn't want to serve us!!!!we walked in and waited... and said they'll seat usthen another party walked in afterthey acknowledged them instantly and were trying to give them the table they were gonna give us after they sat us they still were attending to the party after us... gave them water & appetizers while we sat there parched and hungry discrimination? mayberacist? maybe am I surprised? no Don't say ur the best Chinese food with a 3.3 on yelp. treat ALL ppl of color better and do better. It's embarrassing atp. what happened to grace and respect?
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Sharon M.
Jun 2, 2024
No waiters, had to order from iPad. Terrible . We were a party of 4 and I dish came out, without appetizers or beverages and another did not appear for at least 15 mins . We alerted the roaming serversPot stickers were old and tasted offEverything but the shrimp and scallop dish was less than mediocre Very disappointing
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Sam S.
Apr 13, 2024
Lao Sze Chuan has won a lot of accolades, and proudly boasts itself as one of the greatest restaurants in Chicago Chinatown. Did it live up to the hype? Just about. The meat dishes delivered very well on taste, texture and flavor- the veggie dishes were a bit more typical. Service was fine! No complaints. Ambiance was also nice- good place to go for a group dinner. I'm reading a lot of reviews and a few of them give praise and a few of them are saying their food was chewy and flavourless- and while I can't speak for anyone else but myself, I would wholeheartedly agree that this restaurant is very good! I don't think you could go wrong by coming here.
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Zora Z.
Aug 13, 2024
If you're looking for an upscale Asian/Chinese/Cantonese food experience this would be a lovely place to take out of town guess. I actually prefer most of the smaller places in the Chinatown area. The food was ok but the prices were slightly more pricey than I would prefer.
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Lico J.
May 5, 2023
I don't know why it took so long for me to write a review for this location even though I have been here many times. It's just that restaurant that if you don't know what to eat with so many changing options in Chinatown, you will not go wrong turning back and choosing it. Yesterday we arrived in Chinatown just 1 hour before a concert that we were going. We walked down that street and every restaurant was pretty busy but not interesting to us. For some reason, Lao Szechuan was not busy at all, so we walked in and asked if we could get food within 15 mins. The server was so friendly and promised that's no problem at all and helped us order right away. Amazingly, yummy food was served fresh and hot out of kitchen within 8 mins!!!! Thanks to the restaurant, we ate well after a long drive and before a long night. Now the food: highly recommend all of what we ordered if you are looking for more authentic Chinese flavors not American style walnut shrimps type of food. Non spicy options: Sole Fish Fillet Black Bean Sauce and Green Bean Szechuan Style are both very tasty. Particularly, their green beans look green but are so flavorful with no unpleasant veggie raw taste at all! Just in case you don't know fishy taste- they season the green beans with a bit salty marinated fish which is yummy to me. Spicy options: need I say more? Please order their spicy chicken - crispy but not dry at all at an acceptable spicy level. Mapo Tofu was a classic, you will not go wrong.The restaurant got busy after 7:15PM. So I guess you need to visit early so you don't need to wait.
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LeeAnn M.
Mar 23, 2024
Really recommend the pork dumplings! Everything was delicious and came out hot and quick. No one got sick which is always a plus when traveling and eating heavy food. Tea was offered with the meal and service was so kind. Place was pretty busy and full of happy faces.
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Aishah P.
May 28, 2023
A date took me here because he said that this was his favorite restaurant in Chinatown so of course I had to try one of his favorite dishes! When I checked in, the restaurant gave me free Shanghai spring rolls which were perfectly crispy and savory. We had a huge serving of the Chef's special dry chili chicken dish which was so yummy and crispy! It went so well with the white rice. The servers were attentive and made sure that our water cups were always full.I heard the fish was popular too so hopefully I get to try that the next time I come in!
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Jennifer M.
Oct 8, 2023
You MUST come here when you're in Chinatown. Lao Sze Chuan has changed Chinese food for me. It's completely different than what I get back home. It's not overly salty like most places are. Everything was amazing - tasty and big portions! Come hungry and you will not be disappointed :)
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Michael T.
Jul 15, 2024
Love it! Absolutely love Lao Sze Chuan. I have eaten at several locations (a few in Chicago, Evanston and Aurora/Napervile) and have never been disappointed. I live 20 minutes from another location and go there often. We were there on a Sunday when they first opened and had Szechuan pickles, chili eggplant, and empress chicken (we don't usually order any of the fried chicken with a topping - orange, lemon, etc.) We were extremely pleased. Our waiter and the staff were friendly and helpful. We will definitely go back.Some people mentioned the iPad; there is a reason why some restaurants have people order from an iPad, so you get exactly what you choose. The process is usually, you put your order in on the iPad and they review it with you before it is submitted. This cuts way down on incorrect orders. Smart!
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