168 Szechuan Restaurant — Restaurant in Houston

I recently revisited 168 Szechuan Restaurant after learning they changed management, and I noticed several changes in the menu and food quality. Overall, there have been some great improvements, but also a couple of disappointments.

Pros:

The Beef Broccoli has seen a major improvement! It used to be overly salty, but now the flavor is balanced, and the sauce has a better consistency and thickness.

The Combination Lo Mein has also improved significantly. The taste is richer, and the sauce consistency is spot on, making it a much more enjoyable dish.

The service was great, and the food was prepared very quickly. The atmosphere is very quiet and calm, as the restaurant is mostly empty, but I have to say the place is cleaner than ever. You can tell the new management has made improvements.

Cons:

The Pan-Fried Dumplings have changed, and unfortunately, I’m not a fan of the new version. I liked the older style where they were steamed with crispy bottoms. The new ones seem baked or air-fried, which makes the dough dry and overly thick, though the filling still has good flavor. The dumpling sauce has also changed and is now very sweet, which I didn’t enjoy.

The biggest disappointment is the removal of my favorite dish, Szechuan Chicken. It’s the dish that made this restaurant stand out for me—it’s even in the name! I would strongly urge the new owners to bring it back to the menu.

The prices have gone up again, so the meals are a bit more expensive than before, which might not sit well with everyone.

Overall:

While I appreciate the positive changes in some dishes, I miss the old dumplings and the unique Szechuan Chicken that made this place special. The improved service, cleanliness, and faster food prep are definite highlights, but the price increase and menu changes may make it less appealing for some. I hope the new management considers customer feedback to refine the...

So... this place used to be called 168 Beijing and I remember the food being good and it’s been a while since I had it. I was on this side of town so I stopped to get an old favorite, or so I thought. I ordered a simple meal of beef with broccoli, the lunch portion. It also came with a small wonton soup and an egg roll. Pretty standard Chinese food order. I ate the soup and egg roll first because I knew I wouldn’t finish everything and thought of saving some for later. The soup was meh. The egg roll was an egg roll, nothing special. Then we get to the entree. It seemed a bit off, but I was starving so I dug in. The brown sauce was very jelly like and thick. Some pieces of meat were tough with burnt edges and a few areas were cold but I thought mixing everything up would make a difference. Boy did I think wrong. After my third bite, I finally put my finger on it. I was not eating freshly cooked Chinese food but rather Chinese food that had been prepared in bulk and then reheated. I asked the hostess could fresh food be prepared to which she replied, “The manager is not here so there’s nothing I can do. But I will try to go talk to the chef.” After she disappeared into the back for what seems to be maybe 30 seconds she returned and said, “Yea there’s nothing I can do. Sorry.” I quickly gathered my things and left everything on the table. I’m actually writing this review in my car so I know I’m mad. I typically give reviews a couple of days to get my thoughts straight but, nah. They are going to get this heat. If I could give them 0 stars I would. If you’re looking for quick Chinese food, keep looking.

**Also I should have known something was up because nobody else was dining in. Let me remind you all this...

Ordered take out. Chicken was so dry it was inedible. Literally chewed on one bite for several minutes and could not break it down enough to safely swallow- worse than jerky! The whole dish was this way- I’m guessing it was cooked a week ago or more and reheated multiple times. And it wasn’t just me, my 15 y/o and 11 y/o couldn’t eat it either. I returned to the restaurant with the plate to show them how dry it was and explained it was impossible to chew. I asked for a refund or a different dish. They were not apologetic at all and refused both, saying they could only give me the same thing I originally ordered and would tell the chef not to cook it so long. They said the plate looked half eaten so didn’t think they should have to oblige me.. hello, I shared the order with my daughter and didn’t think to put her chewed up spit out bites back in the container!!I I accepted their offer of a new order and hoped for the best, but of course it was just as inedible as the first. And probably had their spit on it. Horrible customer service and disgusting food and waste of...