Szechuan Gourmet — Restaurant in Cleveland

Since I was a child I have loved asian food, but for a very long time all I knew of it was Americanized. With more authentic fare Japanese came first for me and along with it a longtime favorite of Sushi, later came Southeast Asian (Cambodian, Thai, and Vietnamese) and later still came Korean and delights from there. For a long time I was unable to find authentic Chinese of any sort because of the decades long heavy Americanization of the stuff. Once I found this place that all changed and overnight it became my favorite.

The food itself is literally like stepping into Western China with its fragrant assortment of chilis, vegetable and meat fare, and of course sichuan peppercorns which are present as an ingredient but never overpowering. It is fresh and as appealing to the eye as it is the palate. Much of the food is fairly quick to prepare so wait times are short (with perhaps things like tea smoked duck being an exception), the portion sizes are generous as well, and with the sheer vastness of the menu (both Americanized and authentic fares) there are possibly hundreds or even thousands of combinations to choose from in terms of how to best construct a meal for yourself, accompanying family or friends.

An advisory for first timers: The key I have found for multiple people (such as families) is to treat ordering here akin to the way family-style Italian works; with everyone ordering one or two things and then sharing them amongst the group at large. Again, this is an incredible restaurant which if you have not had authentic Chinese food before will very likely show you how it should be and how it should taste. In my case I utterly swore off all Americanized Chinese food (the grand bulk of carry-out, etc.) as a poor imitation of what this place offers. Your reaction may not be quite the same as mine, but it will definitely leave a good impression and expand your horizons to it as a very viable option for excellent...

My family has been making the drive to this restaurant since 2012, and we have always tipped well over 20 percent without exception.

We came in today with some family members to celebrate Father’s Day and were treated very disrespectfully by a staff member.

Our waitress was barely present throughout the meal, and my husband had to get up and refill our water three times himself. After we paid, an older woman approached us and, in Chinese, sarcastically asked, “What, did I not give you good service?” before accusing us of “always” tipping low. That accusation is completely false and incredibly disrespectful.

To the owner: please feel free to check our past checks. We have always tipped generously, except for this one visit when the service truly did not warrant it.

We wouldn’t even be upset if she had asked politely, but the condescending tone, frown, and sarcastic “Did I not give you good service?” was unbelievable. No, you didn’t give us good service.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but we’re still in shock that she thought it was acceptable to accuse us like that, especially after barely providing any service. It’s really unfortunate, because we’ve had good experiences here over the years and the other staff members have always seemed kind. Sadly, we won’t be...

Excellent authentic Asian food restaurant! I arrived at around 5:30 PM and ordered the General Tao's Chicken and Singapore Mei Fun (Spicy curry sauce). Within five (5) minutes (!!!) the food was served fresh and HOT! the chicken was crispy and spicy on the outside and the chicken was juicy on the inside. The mei fun had fresh vegetables, chicken, pork and shrimp and plenty of curry. The portions were large and enough for two people and reasonably priced. The wait staff was attentive and quick to serve, without being intrusive. Though the restaurant is located at the back of the building and off a side street, there was a constant flow of diners, coming and going and everyone seemed happy. The restaurant is next door to the Tink Holl Asian Market. After dining at the Szechuan Gourmet, I spent over one hour wandering around the market exploring the extraordinary and exotic food stuffs and supplies. The Tink Holl Asian Market shares the building AND the restrooms with the Szechuan Gourmet and there lies the rub. The men's restroom was flooded and filthy. That's where the 5th star went. All in all, the food and service were 5 stars, but the facilities are in dire need of attention, service and maintenance. Please work to make...