Chef Xiong - Taste of Szechuan
Zachary Zhu · 211 Google reviewsChef Xiong - Taste of Szechuan — a Chinatown chinese mainstay. Feels like it's been there since before the neighborhood changed. Flavors stay true to the source. Priced right. Yuelian Li: "Szechuan Popcorn chicken is the best - Spicy, crispy, no skin, no born, all high quality meat of chicken" [$$]
What 478 diners keep saying
What 478 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“I really love this place. I've gone a couple of times and I always leave happy with a full belly. Portion sizes are very good and you can tell they care about the ingredients. It feels like the kitchen really knows how to incorporate Szechuan spice into all their dishes. The atmosphere is a very relaxed style, and the servers are kind and helpful, always making sure everything is clean and organized and our waters are full (the food is spicy so you'll be drinking lots of water). My favorite dish is the toothpick lamb, but there's such a big menu so I have much more to try. Check them out!!!”
“I thought the food was good but my mainland Chinese partner thought it was alright. I really liked the dry pot they had! I’m not sure what they put in it but it was addicting and kept eating. I would come back just for the dry pot!”
“Incredible and super authentic. Chongqing food that's tough to find in the states. I loved everything. I'll be back next time I'm in Chicago. Mala perfect. Super spicy and numbing.”
“I have been to many many Chinese and Sichuanese restaurants in Chicago. Chef Xiong’s is hands down the best I have had and super authentic. Chef Xiong himself is very friendly and always comes out the kitchen periodically to greet the customers and asking for feedback. His staff are always very attentive. I recommend dine in if you can, because food comes out the most fresh and tasty that way. The chef himself is also trained in Sichuanese cuisine and is very knowledgeable when it comes to cooking. His restaurant is my go to restaurant when I have friends visiting in town or when I organize a get together. My friends(Chinese and Non-Asians) all love his food SO much!!”
“We would like to have some dumplings or seafood noodles for lunch on our last day of this Chicago Christmas trip. However, those restaurants were quite full during lunchtime. I was surprised this authentic Szechuan restaurant had a lot of seats. Honestly, their spicy food was amazing and authentic. We got a lot of spicy dumplings and popcorn chicken, even though our stomach had got hurt by spicy hotpot. We definitely will come back and have more spicy food with stronger stomachs. A free bowl of rice came with entrees. Their service was great. Some American Chinese dishes and chef specials were also available.”
“First timer at Chef Xiong and was impressed! The authenticity of the Sichuan cuisine was on point. Definitely recommend the spicy fried chicken, green beans, and mapo tofu. Prices are very reasonable for the portions you get as well. The dining room is also warm and inviting. Would definitely return when in the area.”
“Good vibes and good food! It was my first time trying Szechuan food and I really enjoyed it! Plus the service was really good and our waiter was very attentive”
“I was sad Sichuan Cuisine had closed but relieved the folks behind it opened Chef Xiong. Everything I get here with my family is consistently good: Toothpick lamb, Chongqing popcorn chicken, Fish fillet in pickled vegetable soup. I would love to explore more of their menu and always look forward to dining here.”
“Solid Chinese food! We ordered the twice cooked pork, cucumber salad, and the lamb. I think the lamb was probably the strongest dish: the lamb was super flavorful and juicy. While their spicy cucumber salad definitely had quite the kick, I also found it quite refreshing, which I appreciated. The pork might have been the weakest dish, though even there the meat was quite tasty. Also appreciated that it wasn’t hard to get a table on a Friday night - definitely recommend for anyone looking for their fix for spice/Chinese food!”
“Aah Chef Xiong is always so delicious and a must-go whenever I'm visiting Chicago. It's usually not too busy whenever I come (never had to queue before), but I feel like it is much more deserving of ~social media fame~ than some of the suggestions I see online nowadays. I digress. Honestly all their dishes I've tried have been fantastic, so some highlights: -- Szechuan jelly noodle w black bean sauce (青椒豆豉涼粉) have a wonderfully springy/chewy texture, and I love that you can taste the fresh flavour of the noodles themselves. The chili bean sauce was sooo yummy -- definitely has a kick — and I love the crisp (clean!) spicy flavour that pairs well with the refreshing taste of the jelly noodles. -- Chongqing popcorn chicken (重慶辣子雞) - maybe my favourite dish here (a bit hard to say, since everything was so good). It comes in a really cute chicken-shaped basket. The chicken bites were really crispy without having too oily of an exterior, and the generous portion of chilli peppers made it Really Quite spicy. -- Kung pao chicken (宮保雞丁) is always a classic and Chef Xiong's is no different. I loved the slightly sweet sauce (I definitely prefer it to the Cantonese/southern-style kung pao chicken), and the savoury juicy flavour of the chicken pieces was great, too. -- For a non-spicy contrast I like to order the Chinese jajangmyeon (炸醬麵) - the noodles were perfectly cooked, meat sauce rich and filling, and it gave our burning taste buds periodic breaks in between everything else. It's also really inexpensive for the huge portion size. -- I've also tried smaller dishes like the mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) and wontons in chilli sauce (紅油抄手), which are all delicious too, though I think they don't stand out as much as the other dishes I mentioned. Overall, I can't recommend this restaurant enough. I loved everything we ordered, and the price point for the large portions and deliciously authentic food is just the cherry on top. Already thinking about my next visit here :)”
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