Chengdu Gourmet（Squirrel Hill) — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I have been going to this restaurant for a few years for takeout. I had an unpleasant experience today with a rude employee that I will describe so please bear with me on the length.

They have recently raised their prices on all the dishes I looked at by $1. I always ordered white meat chicken and was never charged extra money for it. I never even noticed the particular dish I usually get actually has a separate listing in another area for the white meat that is $1 more than the regular listing because I was never charged that price.

Today when I placed my order over the phone I noticed the $1 base price increase but the price I was told my order total would be did not include the additional extra $1 for the white meat even though I specified that I wanted white meat 2 or 3 times. After I paid I noticed the price I was charged was $1 more than I had been told and I asked if they had an updated takeout menu I could have that reflected the new prices. I was told the menus were correct so I inquired about why the dish was more expensive than I had been told.

Instead of explaining that the extra money was for the white meat (which I didn't know about because I had been told the wrong price and had never been charged it before so I didn't know to look further down and in another column on the menu from where the non-white meat dish was listed) and maybe acknowledging that I had been told the wrong price the cashier rudely told me that if I didn't like the price then I shouldn't order from them anymore. I wasn't rude or accusatory when I asked why the price was different than what I had seen on the menu and been told, I just asked why there was a difference.

No business should tell a customer that if they don't like a price (especially when they were told the wrong price before confirming they wanted to place the order) that they shouldn't come back. I am especially aggravated with the treatment I received because while I don't eat out often I have made a specific choice to try to spend more of my money at Asian restaurants since the pandemic due to the additional difficulty they have had with discrimination on top of the regular pandemic impact on the restaurant industry. I am definitely not saying that they should be grateful to me for giving them business (though all businesses should appreciate their customers) but they shouldn't be rude, especially given their financial difficulties.

Additionally, the restaurant now has signs up asking you to place your takeout or delivery orders online through their website. They advertised that you can get 10% off for doing so but on the actual site it says that is only for 1st time orders. I began to place my order online before deciding to call in my order instead because they were charging another extra $1 for ordering online and the estimated pick-up time was twice what it is when you order over the phone. The online ordering system also doesn't allow any specific requests like if you order extra spicy like I do. I don't think it is reasonable to be asked to pay even more money to place a takeout order online through their own website (that they are specifically asking you to do now) as opposed to over the phone when you are actually doing them a favor by not tying up their employees on the phone.

Overall I didn't have a positive experience and don't know if I will give them another chance when there are plenty of other Asian restaurants in the area who may treat their...

*update Nov2023 (a year since last post)

A very consistent FOODIE’S GEM OF AUTHENTIC CHINESE GASTRONOMY🤩🤩🤩. It’s among TOP 5 Authentic Chinese restaurants in Pittsburgh.

This is unlike the vast majority of similar places in this city that serve chinese-style (generally greasy soy-seasoned) food that pervades America.

This the “older sister” of Chengdu Gourmet North Hills owned by the same award-winning Chef and Restauranteur👏👏👏. Both restaurants have MENUS FOR AUTHENTIC CHINESE SEPARATED FROM AMERICAN CHINESE-STYLE foods. For those familiar with both restaurants, there are listings here not served in the other, and vice versa. I RECOMMEND TO VISIT THEM BOTH.

😎😎😎Having just returned from another trip to China, it’s really delightful to refresh one’s palate with Authentic Chinese gustatory flavors😎😎😎.

Silken sauces (brown and white), flavorful broths, natural sweetness and crunchiness of vegetables, lean meats or meats with well-rendered fats, fragrant spices, tempered chilies and lovely teas.

This is a place that merits repeated visits to savor authentic Chinese cuisine 🤩🤩🤩. It’s unassuming, not a white-table cloth restaurant, the dining room here looks typical of small to medium-sized eateries in Shanghai and Hong Kong and authentic places in Chinatowns in SF, NYC and Chicago.

Service is very good.

+++++

A FOODIE’S GEM. TOP 3 AUTHENTIC CHINESE in Pittsburgh. The owner/chef is a James Beard Award Semifinalist few years running including 2022. I (with friends/colleagues) have been here several times and never disappointed.

AUTHENTIC Chinese fare, well seasoned and flavorful; very much unlike the awful unhealthy american “Chinese” food that has overtaken much of America. The menu is rather longish, but I overlook it because of the wide variety of entrees that reminded me of my past trip to PRC. The menu is a reason to keep visiting to savor both the traditional Szechuan and the much elevated americanized listings.

My recommendations as of July 2022: Teasmoked Duck, Homestyle Zhu cubed duck, Braised pork shoulder, Bokchoy w black mushrooms, Flaming multi mushroom, Kung pao chicken chengdu style, Smoked pork belly, Eggplant w green beans, Pork w woodear mushrooms, Shredded pork w bamboo shoots, Pan fried hot peppers. And, black or jasmine tea (unsweetened) that is not only aids digestion but also it cleanses the palate savor delicate flavors and textures.

Very highly...

Went to order General Tso's Chicken along with my girlfriend and I had explained to the cashier that we wanted no MSG in our General Tso's Chicken, because it causes us to have very bad migrains or headaches. The cashier had at first acknowledged our request to not put the MSG in our food, however as I and my girlfriend were waiting outside a prominent member of the management that was seated inside had informed (yelled at) their employee or cashier. It was easy to see from the manager yelling at the cashier that our request would not be fulfilled. The cashier kindly came outside to inform us that the General Tso Chicken has a premade mix that includes MSG and if we would like to order something else as a replacement. It had seemed as if the manager did not wish to have another batch of General Tso sauce cooked up to accomodate the order or that in fact all customers who request no MSG are lied to and get MSG (a little bit as the cashier stated) in their food regardless even if it is health concern to them (migrains...headaches). I had informed the cashier that we would like sweet, and sour chicken as a replacement. The manager did not want to oblige as again she had yelled at the cashier with a very stern look or one of distress. In the end, we settled for chicken and broccoli which I honestly don't trust eating after being lied to about the MSG. It's not possible to see they had taken out the MSG with previous orders and then say its in the mixture of the sauce and a new batch can't be made. I believe a restaurant has the obligation to fulfill such a request. Please do not eat here as the staff has been very dishonest about the ingredients...