Village Kitchen

Village Kitchen gets a 5/5 for winning over my picky Chinese mom. She usually prefers Cantonese cuisine (we always go to Noble Chef) and will stick to the same 5-6 rotation of dishes. Today I picked VK since I've had good dining experiences here (though admittedly pre-pandemic) and she begrudgingly complied. This place primarily serves Hunanese cuisine, which is known for being spicy and heavy on the salt. I was nervous that she'd hate it and would hem and haw the entire time, but we had an awesome meal together. We ordered: The duck blood, pig intestine soup, noodles, stinky black tofu, and the smashed eggplant with century egg. Everything was a hit, especially the eggplant, which is crispy and wok-fried with tons of jalapeno and then smashed together with century eggs in a literal mortar and pestle. The duck blood was delicate and cooked in a semi-spicy chili-scallion sauce; I was pleasantly surprised at how big of a portion it was (duck blood ain't cheap). The stinky tofu was great but the listing on the menu was somewhat misleading as I thought it would be some sort of stew. Still good. Intestine soup had a non-spicy option and had a rich broth with lots of meat. I think the only miss of the night was the noodles, which were haphazardly seasoned with a small amount of chili oil, cilantro, and some peanuts. We ended up mixing some of the leftover condiments into it, making it a lot more flavorful. The total came out to be ~$85 for 4 people, which was pretty reasonable.

I went here on a friend's recommendation saying this is one of the best Sichuan restaurants in the San Diego area. My friend and I went here for a Monday lunch to try it out. We ordered the cumin lamb, deep fried chicken with crispy chili, and stir-fried string beans. Food overall is good but could be better. The cumin lamb was my favorite dish and it is served in toothpicks, so you can just grab the toothpick and eat it. It is well spiced and has a bit of spiciness to it, but I expected it to be a lot more spicy as it was barely mild (maybe they're catering to the western audience more?) The deep fried chicken was not as flavorful and spicy as I hoped, even though there is ginger, garlic, etc tossed in. The stir-fried string beans were pretty solid, just the minced pork is on the saltier side.Service is okay as to be expected for these kinds of restaurants. We wanted to Yelp check in for a free non alcoholic beverage but the waitress denied the offer, mentioning this offer was only valid a few years ago. In that case, why don't they just remove it altogether?

The restaurant was pretty spacious with the tables spaced decently apart. You scan the QR code to access the menu and place your own order online. We ordered the sautéed cauliflower, smashed eggplant with century egg, steamed sea bass, sour and spicy potato shreds, grandma's braised pork belly with steamed buns, and pumpkin pie. They brought out the first few dishes relatively quickly- the eggplant, cauliflower, potato shreds and pumpkin pie, but the two meat dishes came out when we were mostly full and done eating. I feel like they could have delayed the veggies a little bit so that there wasn't such a big gap in between. The cauliflower was the best dish, even though it was a bit salty. It was nothing compared to the saltiness of the other dishes though. I've never had such a salty steamed fish. I could only take one bite. The strange thing was that they served the fish on the metal tray it was steamed in, not on a plate. Presentation aside, it wasn't worth getting because of the utter saltiness of the fish. The potato shreds were so incredibly spicy that it was hard to eat. I understand that hunan food can be spicy, but they might have asked for a preferred spiciness level in case people can't tolerate that much heat (especially for people not used to it here). It was a pretty big plate though so it was very shareable. The pork belly and eggplant were also salty, but decent enough. I prefer the eggplant from "taste of hunan" in Mira Mesa. The pumpkin pie didn't taste like pumpkin at all to me. It was nicely deep fried and tasted more like a mochi type of cake but there wasn't much flavor. I prefer the pumpkin cake from Shangxi Magic kitchen (better presentation and flavor).

They've just introduced several exciting new items! One is the Hunan-style swamp eel, and the other is baby lotus. Both dishes are new to me and absolutely delicious. I've been a fan of this restaurant for a long time, and it never fails to impress. It remains one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in San Diego, known for its authentic flavors and excellent preparation. Although it can get quite busy in the evenings and on weekends, it's worth finding the right time to enjoy a truly exceptional Chinese meal. The restaurant is clean and inviting, with comfortable seating. Highly recommended!

It's very unassuming on the outside, but we're very excited to come back here! We tried several menu items and they were all terrific! A little on the spicy side for me, I would definitely order "mild" if it wasn't that my family loves it the way it comes! The flavors, textures and presentation are excellent. What a varied menu with things I haven't seen anywhere else. Village Kitchen is now a must-visit when we're in the area.

After forget taking pictures of a few Uber eats order, I eventually got chance to visit the store to test fresh cooked meal. I do believe they have new chief on board because all my order are tasty. Would come back if I am curving for Chinese food.

We casually found this online and wanted to come try the food. Restaurant is usually quite empty with a few table filled. The decor is pretty simple with bird cage hanging , clean table and dining area.The food came out hot and timely manner. I love that every thing is ordered using the QR code on the table, which make things a lot easier.The food was good not too spicy with plenty of flavor and large portions so definitely bring friends. I like the bamboo dish and cauliflower. The presentation for the eggplant is cool but it didn't really stand out in taste. Definitely skipping the corn bread, I got it cause it looked good in the photo but very tasteless and bland.

Mashed eggplant with century egg was hands down my favorite dish! It surprising because I don't usually like mushy food, but it was soooo delicious. The cumin ribs and cilantro lamb were great too. Go in a group since more people will mean you can try more dishes!

Super yummy! We got so much food. We also got a booth! #boothlife Service was really nice. The Yelp check-in coupon for one free non-alcoholic drink is expired. Ordering is via QR code and online. The wall murals are super pretty. You can only split the bill with maximum of two credit cards.

I happened to be in the neighborhood charging my vehicle. I looked around for somewhere to eat while my car was charging. I ordered the beef cilantro with green onions and peppers. Just the right amount of spiciness! It was very good with white rice. Friendly people and the restaurant was very clean.