Szechuan Chef

Stepping into Szechuan Chef, I was surprised at how decorated the interior was. Given the nondescript signage in a nondescript strip mall, I was e... more

Great Szechuan food. This is coming from a person who's lived in Szechuan for two years. Great hot pot,... more

Great Szechuan food. This is coming from a person who's lived in Szechuan for two years. Great hot pot, crab, and an assortment of other dishes. more

i've now decided that when i'm hankering for Chinese food, this is where i'll go. my partner and i found this eastside gem whilst driving around looking for a place to eat, like any new parents dreading the thought of caring for an infant and trying to cook at the same time. when we went inside, we first gawked at the decor though it ultimately charmed us. we came to realize that everything was quite authentic.\r \r we ordered the black bean shredded pork and the honey walnut chicken; both winners. in fact, i've ordered the pork (and another dish) every time since, though i'm trying to branch out. we also order the fried pot-stickers and, i don't know what they put in the sauce, but it's safe to say that i'm addicted.\r \r the quality of service has been incredibly variable, though one does get a nice hot teapot as soon as one is seated. the service is usually fine, but once we were forgotten while waiting for an open table. beware : the place is a hive of activity on weekends! if we are lucky, our son is distracted enough by it that we can eat without too much interruption, though we're learning to feed him rice with chopsticks.\r \r in the future, we hope to take more advantage of the expansive menu and also be a little adventurous and try the cook-it-yourself option the restaurant offers. i am not at all reserved about recommending this establishment to all my foodie friends, and then some. Pros: amazing menu, authentic ambience and fare, plenty of parking Cons: strip mall, sporadic service more

i've now decided that when i'm hankering for Chinese food, this is where i'll go. my partner and i found this eastside gem whilst driving around looking for a place to eat, like any new parents dreading the thought of caring for an infant and trying to cook at the same time. when we went inside, we first gawked at the decor though it ultimately charmed us. we came to realize that everything was quite authentic. we ordered the black bean shredded pork and the honey walnut chicken; both winners. in fact, i've ordered the pork (and another dish) every time since, though i'm trying to branch out. we also order the fried pot-stickers and, i don't know what they put in the sauce, but it's safe to say that i'm addicted. the quality of service has been incredibly variable, though one does get a nice hot teapot as soon as one is seated. the service is usually fine, but once we were forgotten while waiting for an open table. beware : the place is a hive of activity on weekends! if we are lucky, our son is distracted enough by it that we can eat without too much interruption, though we're learning to feed him rice with chopsticks. in the future, we hope to take more advantage of the expansive menu and also be a little adventurous and try the cook-it-yourself option the restaurant offers. i am not at all reserved about recommending this establishment to all my foodie friends, and then some. Pros: amazing menu, authentic ambience and fare, plenty of parking Cons: strip mall, sporadic service more

On my first time dining here, I came with two friends, and was meeting my sister there. I came in first, and got a table promptly on a Friday night. After seating, I was promptly given a menu as I waited for my two friends to come in from smoking. We spent a good amount of time waiting for my sister to show up, but the waiter was friendly and attentive. I noticed him watching us carefully to see if we were ready to order, and checked up on us several times.\r \r I had several questions about the food, as I don't recall seeing any descriptions of the food. The waiter obviously spoke Chinese, and had a hard time answering my questions, but made a very good attempt to do so. I was impressed. (My friend spoke better Chinese than I do, so he ended up asking the waiter for me.) They had a good variety of food. The proportions were huge and made for sharing like most Asian restaurants.\r \r To get service in an Asian restaurant, the guest needs to be more assertive, which is different than in an American restaurant, where the waiter/waitress is expected to be attentive. Therefore, the service met my expectations for an Asian restaurant.\r Pros: free and plentiful parking, to-go menu, good value Cons: lack of description of food more

On my first time dining here, I came with two friends, and was meeting my sister there. I came in first, and got a table promptly on a Friday night. After seating, I was promptly given a menu as I waited for my two friends to come in from smoking. We spent a good amount of time waiting for my sister to show up, but the waiter was friendly and attentive. I noticed him watching us carefully to see if we were ready to order, and checked up on us several times. I had several questions about the food, as I don't recall seeing any descriptions of the food. The waiter obviously spoke Chinese, and had a hard time answering my questions, but made a very good attempt to do so. I was impressed. (My friend spoke better Chinese than I do, so he ended up asking the waiter for me.) They had a good variety of food. The proportions were huge and made for sharing like most Asian restaurants. To get service in an Asian restaurant, the guest needs to be more assertive, which is different than in an American restaurant, where the waiter/waitress is expected to be attentive. Therefore, the service met my expectations for an Asian restaurant. Pros: free and plentiful parking, to-go menu, good value Cons: lack of description of food more

My husband and I tried Szechuan Chef after reading an article in Seattle magazine about it being one of the best new restaurants. Like others, we were skeptical of it's Bellevue, strip mall location, but it did not disappoint in the least bit! The food was superb. Everything tasted fresh and the food came to our table quite quickly. The garlic baby bok choy are a favorite, as is the mongolian chicken. Sometimes it can be a bit of a wait to be seated, if dining during peak hours, but otherwise is great. \r \r Pros: Fresh food, cooked quick, lots of parking Cons: sometimes a wait, a bit of a drive if you don't live in Bellevue more

My husband and I tried Szechuan Chef after reading an article in Seattle magazine about it being one of the best new restaurants. Like others, we were skeptical of it's Bellevue, strip mall location, but it did not disappoint in the least bit! The food was superb. Everything tasted fresh and the food came to our table quite quickly. The garlic baby bok choy are a favorite, as is the mongolian chicken. Sometimes it can be a bit of a wait to be seated, if dining during peak hours, but otherwise is great. Pros: Fresh food, cooked quick, lots of parking Cons: sometimes a wait, a bit of a drive if you don't live in Bellevue more

Food was great. Customer Service needs major improvement!\r Waiter was not ""polite"". Appertizer came after main dishes were out. Took waiter a long time to get water for the kids (remember these are spicy food). Hot Tea was luke warm cold tea. We didn't complain right there and then because it is a Saturday nite and the restaurant was very busy. Nonetheless the waiter could have been more polite and courteous when serving. He had a attitude like ""I DON""T want to be here working, it is so busy and here is the water and your food and stop bugging me!!"". So we tip 10% instead of the normal 15% or more tips and the waiter while picking the check up, make a smart remark to another waitress ""Guess how much!!!!"" with a smudged look before we even got up from out table. We come to this restaurant with family/friends average once /week. Credit is due to the KITCHEN for sure BUT definitely NOT the servers/customer service. So enjoy your food but don't expect too much of a service. I will tip a quarter I am in the next time with a note saying ""EXCELLENT food, lousy service"". There is no excuse even if you are busy. The experiece got my wife really upset and the kids were not very happy either without any water for a while having spicy food.\r Pros: Good Food, Fair Value Cons: Lousy Service, Noisy, Alway Long line during peak hours more

Food was great. Customer Service needs major improvement! Waiter was not "polite". Appertizer came after main dishes were out. Took waiter a long time to get water for the kids (remember these are spicy food). Hot Tea was luke warm cold tea. We didn't complain right there and then because it is a Saturday nite and the restaurant was very busy. Nonetheless the waiter could have been more polite and courteous when serving. He had a attitude like "I DON"T want to be here working, it is so busy and here is the water and your food and stop bugging me!!". So we tip 10% instead of the normal 15% or more tips and the waiter while picking the check up, make a smart remark to another waitress "Guess how much!!!!" with a smudged look before we even got up from out table. We come to this restaurant with family/friends average once /week. Credit is due to the KITCHEN for sure BUT definitely NOT the servers/customer service. So enjoy your food but don't expect too much of a service. I will tip a quarter I am in the next time with a note saying "EXCELLENT food, lousy service". There is no excuse even if you are busy. The experiece got my wife really upset and the kids were not very happy either without any water for a while having spicy food. Pros: Good Food, Fair Value Cons: Lousy Service, Noisy, Alway Long line during peak hours more

Somebody help me, I am addicted to this restaurant. They know me by name, I've offered to wash dishes for food!! I try something different EVERY time I dine here and it's all killer. Get adventurous, don't wuss out on Chow Mein, go for the whole fish, the szechuan crab, cumin lamb, smoked duck app. And if you see a shaky causasion guy in the corner with enough food for 6 people in front of him, it's just me! Seriously, I know Chinese food and this is the real deal. Pros: Food, fast service, always fresh Cons: Slippery floor, crowded more

Somebody help me, I am addicted to this restaurant. They know me by name, I've offered to wash dishes for food!! I try something different EVERY time I dine here and it's all killer. Get adventurous, don't wuss out on Chow Mein, go for the whole fish, the szechuan crab, cumin lamb, smoked duck app. And if you see a shaky causasion guy in the corner with enough food for 6 people in front of him, it's just me! Seriously, I know Chinese food and this is the real deal. Pros: Food, fast service, always fresh Cons: Slippery floor, crowded more

LOVE this place! Coming from California, it's been hard to find comparable Chinese food here in the Northwest, but this place is a new favorite. I love Szechuan cuisine, and they have so many interesting spicy combinations! My ultimate favorite is lamb and tofu in spicy sauce. The hotpot here is great too - we get half picked vegetable soup, half spicy. Quality is great, always fills my authentic Chinese food craving. Pros: Great Szechuan food, interesting selections, reasonable prices Cons: Slippery floor, in random strip mall, sometimes has long lines more

LOVE this place! Coming from California, it's been hard to find comparable Chinese food here in the Northwest, but this place is a new favorite. I love Szechuan cuisine, and they have so many interesting spicy combinations! My ultimate favorite is lamb and tofu in spicy sauce. The hotpot here is great too - we get half picked vegetable soup, half spicy. Quality is great, always fills my authentic Chinese food craving. Pros: Great Szechuan food, interesting selections, reasonable prices Cons: Slippery floor, in random strip mall, sometimes has long lines more

This unassuming restuarant in a funky strip mall offers the best Chinese food you'll eat outside of the International District. My guy and I have eaten there more than a dozen times, always trying something new, and everything is consistently good. The atmosphere is nothing to rave about (neon painted walls, plastic plants, bright lighting)... but the food is iwonderful!! All the vegetables are cooked perfectly, the whole fish is noteworthy, the szechuan crab a taste sensation that is a great value,. On occasion we've ordered something spicey it isn't as hot as we'd like, but always tasty. The place is always packed, so go early unless you don't mind a wait! Pros: Really Good Food Cons: Always crowded more

This unassuming restuarant in a funky strip mall offers the best Chinese food you'll eat outside of the International District. My guy and I have eaten there more than a dozen times, always trying something new, and everything is consistently good. The atmosphere is nothing to rave about (neon painted walls, plastic plants, bright lighting)... but the food is iwonderful!! All the vegetables are cooked perfectly, the whole fish is noteworthy, the szechuan crab a taste sensation that is a great value,. On occasion we've ordered something spicey it isn't as hot as we'd like, but always tasty. The place is always packed, so go early unless you don't mind a wait! Pros: Really Good Food Cons: Always crowded more

Surprising location in a strip mall next to a dead K-Mart, we came early and found a strange decor. The customers were 2/3 Asian, and 1/3 White -- which sounded encouraging. My young daughter ordered chicken chow mein, my wife ordered garlic bok choy, and I ordered Szechuan Whole Fish. And then the food arrived and everything else faded into oblivion. The chow mein was 1/2 chicken and 1/2 homemade hand-shaved noodles, garnished with scallions, the garlic bok choy was delicate, garlicy and salty. And the Szechuan Whole Fish -- don't know what that was -- but we licked the bones clean. Our Asian neighbor had ordered some kind of fresh seafood and tofu hotpot, and then they brought a huge plate of shaved beef to go with it -- got to figure out what item on the menu *that* was! I'd give it all a 10 if it weren't for the strange decor! NOT your average Chinese restaurant. Pros: Food, Food, Food, Service, Value, Family-Friendly, Larger Tables available Cons: Ambience, Stripmall, not romantic unless your date is an adventuresome foodie more

Surprising location in a strip mall next to a dead K-Mart, we came early and found a strange decor. The customers were 2/3 Asian, and 1/3 White -- which sounded encouraging. My young daughter ordered chicken chow mein, my wife ordered garlic bok choy, and I ordered Szechuan Whole Fish. And then the food arrived and everything else faded into oblivion. The chow mein was 1/2 chicken and 1/2 homemade hand-shaved noodles, garnished with scallions, the garlic bok choy was delicate, garlicy and salty. And the Szechuan Whole Fish -- don't know what that was -- but we licked the bones clean. Our Asian neighbor had ordered some kind of fresh seafood and tofu hotpot, and then they brought a huge plate of shaved beef to go with it -- got to figure out what item on the menu *that* was! I'd give it all a 10 if it weren't for the strange decor! NOT your average Chinese restaurant. Pros: Food, Food, Food, Service, Value, Family-Friendly, Larger Tables available Cons: Ambience, Stripmall, not romantic unless your date is an adventuresome foodie more

The former owner of Seven Star Pepper Cheng Biao Yang finally decided to seize the Chinese food market... more