Szechuan Express — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

It's been nearly 2 weeks since you had Chinese. Where are you going to go? Not Golden Palace, certainly no. Maybe try one of the Asian places that all the international kids go to? That's a little uncomfortable being the reverse minority for once. Sigh Sketchuan it is. Actually, you're kind of excited, you can remember the General Tso's with fried rice like it was yesterday. Now you're heart is beating, you start salivating. You rush across fifth onto Oakland and see garbage bags lining the street - you've arrived. Walk in and make a left, counters on the right. 5 other students in pajamas with dead eyes are waiting for their orders. They turn with judgemental eyes but you don't make eye contact. The front man is taking another order and friendly chatting with some Oakland lifer there for a large takeout order. Your eyes glance around the walls - wow, so many damn options, maybe I'll try ginger duck, possibly a soup? "Next!" Your focus snaps back to reality and you stumble up to the counter. "what you want?" "Uhhh, General Tso's chicken please." White or fry rice?" "Uhhh, fried rice." "Tso Ji, chao fàn!" He barks into a walkie-talkie like speaker. You silently hand him a tenner, he silently hands you a $1.50 back. No eye contact is made, except maybe with a chef in the back. You shuffle back a couple steps and stand awkwardly in the doorway to the adjacent dining room because the others are still waiting. You wonder what the hell 2005 show is playing on the TV - cowboys, space, meth? It's actually not that bad even though you can't hear anything... "General Tso Chicken with Fry Rice!" You look up and get up to get the white bag just placed on the counter. "Not you" the front man says as he lifts his chin to the girl behind you trying to get the bag. She doesn't make eye contact with you and leaves with the bag as you retreat back to the door frame. You don't even feel embarrassed, this happens everytime. A second later "General Tso Chicken with Fry Rice!" This time you pause waiting for one of the other 4 people before you to make a move, no one does. "General Tso Chicken with Fry Rice!!!" You mechanically advance and grab the bag and get out of there. No one makes eye contact. You trudge home, either uphill or down to deep south oakland - you couldn't eat in the lively common areas - those people all have Chipotle or Oishii or Primantis or Chickn, but you - You have Szechuan. When you get home you tear into the white styrofoam container, clammy condensation dripping down. The mound of saucy chicken looks glorious especially sitting beside the 2 pieces of sickly looking broccoli. Itadakimasu! You think to yourself - wait that's japanese, what do chinese people say? Doesn't matter, you dig in. The first bites are glorious, and your slow savoring quickly turns into shovelling. Then it hits you full force on the 5th mouthful - the food is awful. But for some reason you feel compelled to keep eating, bite after bite. You're full, maybe you can save the second half for later? No, you know from experience that anything over 1 minute in the fridge makes it all inedible. Guess you gotta finish then. You push through and finally finish. A wave of nausea, relief, and self loathing rushes over you. Post-coital clarity sinks in, you should not have done that. You resolve to never go again. Almost 2 weeks pass, you get a craving for chinese...

Quintessential college...

Szechuan Express at 125 Oakland Ave – A+ Food & Viral TikTok Vibes

If you’re searching for the best Szechuan restaurant near 125 Oakland Ave, look no further than Szechuan Express. This spot is a hidden gem delivering bold, authentic Chinese flavors with modern flair — and they’ve got the TikTok game to prove it.

From mouth-numbing spicy noodles to crispy, golden dumplings, every bite at Szechuan Express feels like a five-star foodie moment. But what really sets them apart? Their TikTok content is A+ — creative, trendy, and drool-worthy. Whether it’s behind-the-scenes kitchen shots, sizzling stir-fry action, or hilarious customer reactions, their videos are as flavorful as the food.

With quick service, generous portions, and viral social content that keeps the crowd coming, Szechuan Express isn’t just another takeout joint — it’s a must-visit destination for spice lovers and social media foodies alike.

Highly recommended for: • Spicy food fans • TikTok food content creators • Lunch breaks, college students, and foodie tours

Visit them at 125 Oakland Ave and follow their journey online — they’re not just serving heat, they’re serving content that slaps.

#SzechuanExpress #OaklandEats #TikTokFoodie...

I don't write reviews often, but this was such a bad experience, that I really have to warn people.

I completely understand that this is a cheap joint, and I have ordered "Chinese" staples many times here, mainly Tso's Chicken. It's cheap but decent, and always very fast delivery.

However, I decided to take a chance and order the duck tonight, and it was just awful. I wouldn't rate 1-star if it just tasted bad. However, literally every small peice of "duck" was a bone, with trace amounts of meat. I almost cracked a tooth biting into it at first, because I didn't expect them to throw a bunch of bones into the vegetable broth. I ended up picking out all the """duck""" (about 6 bones), and I was just left with vegetables and the suspicious inch-high broth.

It's actually a safety hazard, I don't know what they are thinking. What if I choked on it? What if someone ordered this for their kid? If you can't make this dish properly, then take it off the menu, or raise the price - but do not insult and endanger your customers by throwing bones...