Chengdu Gourmet 2( North Hill) — Restaurant in Ross Township

My fiance and I went for their cold open on Wednesday, August 31st. I absolutely adore traditional Chinese food. When I die I would like to be embalmed in red chili oil. Anyways.

The food was absolutely amazing. Above five stars. Very hot, very fresh, above and beyond. We had the Chongqing special noodles (think Dan Dan noodles but a million times better), beef in red hot spicy broth, and Chongqing style frog (was very tasty, but tiny pieces = tiny bones)

Okay so, brutally honest review. I understand that everybody is just getting their feet wet but seriously. The servers didn't appear to have sections, we had to flag down and ask for our order to be taken, waved and asked for water, waved and asked for refills that didn't come until we asked again.. just absolute chaos.

That being said.. I'll be back tomorrow 😍 I will 100% be back - it's amazing 🤤

Edit: I don't want anyone to think that I'm bashing the service, please. I just wanted to make sure others were aware in the event they wanted a quick bite. I'm sure everything will be smooth in a couple weeks!! ♥️

Review #2 😍 12/17/22

Fiance and I have been back, ordered delivery multiple times, and ordered pickup multiple times. The spice and oil absolutely kills our stomachs, and we're addicted. Uber eats actually told us we're one of their most loyal customers 😅

We love trying a different menu item every time, and have found a few favorites: Green Beans. beef in hot spicy broth, and Chongqing style beef in hot spicy broth. lamb chops. Chongqing Special Noodles Dan Dan Noodles, no questions asked.

We are not fans of the American menu 🤮 stay with authentic.

I wish that they would do a few of my Szechuan favorites: dry fried hot and numbing beef (Chongqing style beef) dry fried eggplant / pumpkin / king oyster mushrooms (all these tossed in the Chongqing style seasoning and flash fried at super high temp)

Review #3

My first semi-negative review of Chengdu. We ordered delivery through Uber Eats:

barbecue pork buns 👎 dry sauteed green beans with pork 👍 beef lo mein 👍 beef in hot spicy broth Chongqing style 😭👎

Unfortunately, when the restaurant keyed in our Uber eats order, they ordered FISH in hot spicy broth Chongqing style... I don't like tilapia. I picked it out - and there was a TON!!! Which is great, if you like tilapia! There was cauliflower this time, which had I have known this was a "put whatever veg is going bad soon in the broth" situation, I would have gone for beef in red chili oil.

Anyways, the pork buns were underfilled and too much doughy bun. The green beans were amazing again. The beef lo mein was ACTUALLY really good!! I was expecting asian-flavored spaghetti, but we were both impressed with chewy lo mein noodles.

Of course, despite this one rough night I will continue to order from god's gift to Pittsburgh food.... Review #4

Eventually google is going to cut me off. In any case, I have covid (2/2023) and nothing touches my congestion. I knew I needed Szechuan seasoning. I came home from working out of town and literally immediately ordered Chengdu 2 for us.

Got my typical Beef in hot spicy broth 🙌 garlicky and spicy - but not super Szechuan peppercorn?! Sauteed green beans were less salty - thank goodness, a welcome change. Dumplings in red chili oil 🍬 they were basically dumplings in hoison - super sweet, not my style as you can pick up!

I myself prefer the beef in hot spicy broth over beef in hot spicy broth Chongqing style - because I like the less random vegetables. If you want more of a beef & veg, go for...

UPDATE DEC 2023

(Photos for this update are posted separately—- see them😎😎😎)

A tried and tested FOODIE’S GEM OF AUTHENTIC CHINESE RESTAURANT🤩🤩🤩, which is rare in Pittsburgh.

This is the “younger sister” of the one in Squirrel Hill by the same award-winning Chef / Restaurateur who had been recognized as “Master Chef and Teacher” (loose translation from Mandarin) by Sichuan Chinese Cuisine Magazine… see the posted photos of the plaques👏👏👏.

Notables: While this mainly Sichuan, the menu has a listing of Cantonese Meats Combo of roast duck, char chiu (roast pork) and slices of giant squid🤩🤩🤩. The duck and pork are hot, the squid is cold. The delicate savory sauce marries them together. … I recommend mixing the sauce with Chili Oil (ASK FOR IT😎).

Beef entrees are always very lean👍👍👍.

Duck is outstanding, whether Tea-smoked Duck (BEST), Peking Duck, Shredded Duck Ginger, Sichuan Roast Duck.👏👏👏👏👏.

Flaming Pan entrees, foods served in pan under an oil flame… the pan continues to sizzle.👌👌👌.

Entrees with broths … these are terrific especially this time of year 👍👍👍.

Then there’s the American chinese-style menu, listing common foods that this restaurant has lifted up to a better tastes/flavors.—-These are foods that go very well with Chili oil (ASK FOR IT).

+++++ Update September 2023

It remains Pittsburgh's PREMIER AUTHENTIC CHINESE RESTAURANT. The REAL CHINESE MENU is separate from the American chinese-style food so common in this country.

It's really worth repeated visits to savor all the authors food, and surprisingly, the rescue of the American chinese-style food.

Original review:

2nd pleasant home of Pittsburgh’s SUPERIOR AUTHENTIC CHINESE with a Chef recognized as James Beard Award Semifinalist multiple years running. Order from the CHINESE MENU for a dining experience. I Visited multiple times.

There’s a SEPARATE AMERICAN MENU recognizing chinese-style american dishes are NOT part of Chinese Cuisine.

Highly recommended (see posted pictures): Any of the duck dishes and enjoy the various tastes and flavors of duck: (a) tea smoked duck, (b) Peking Duck, (c) Sliced Duck. Cantonese meat: surprising inclusion in a Sichuan restaurant, but is pleasant combination of three meats, one is Cantonese duck. Braised Pork Belly. Cumin Lamb. Frog in hot pot. Exequisite vegs dishes: (a) Green Beans with Eggplant, (b) Snow pea leaf, (c) flaming spicy mushrooms, (d) lettuce with black fungus, (e) black fungus with Chinese yam.

American menu: only a James Beard awardee can rescue the otherwise terrible concoctions like (a) pork with mushrooms & vegs, (b) triple green vegs chicken, (c) chicken mushrooms. BUT there’s no rescuing deep fried stuff like egg rolls, general tso chicken or sesame chicken. Deep frying is Not (never been) real Chinese cooking.

If they get rid of the american book and sushi book, I think this place will be a full winner of the James Beard.

Service...

Edit: review now a year later: *You're now seated with too many menus, several pushing drinks or multiple copies of same menu.

*the service has gone downhill, with too few wait staff or management who do not walk through dining room to ensure things are running smoothly. Asked the waitress for a piece of citrus with a dish and she replied they don't have it - (it's a staples in the dish) - I asked how it was garnished if they didn't have it, she walked away. The dish DID come Garnished with one very small dried up piece of citrus...

*I too often see management and wait staff huddled and talking rather than checking on customers. I couldn't find anyone for water refill until they asked me when they brought the check

*food has become inconsistent and not served piping hot. A staple dish we like is scallions and shredded pork - each time it tastes different and sometimes there's scallions, other times onions. Hot and sour soup is different every time too. It was a little above "warm" rather than steaming hot.

I loved this place but they need better oversight of the kitchen and dining room management. What always ticks me off is we go there quite often, and with the exception of one waitress, the manager and other staff act like they've never seen us. They know us... they could learn to smile and say hello. Oh, and when leaving, unless the customer says goodbye, the woman up front can't be bothered to thank the customer and say goodbye. I think my business might be appreciated elsewhere. So sad as this was a go to at least 3x a month.

HIDDEN GEM! Best Chinese restaurant in Southwest PA!! A friend recommend this place to us as it did not disappoint. They had 5 or 6 dishes that they raved about. We stopped in for lunch and were greeted with a smile and a warm welcome. Our server was very friendly and answered questions. The food came out quick and hot. The menu offers very authentic cuisine as well as dishes to which I am more familiar. We ordered shredded pork and scallion, and Kung Pao chicken. I was asked if I wanted the chicken Chinese style and said yes as long as they didn't have Sichuan peppercorns, which it didn't. It was incredible. The pork dish too was well balanced and had tender meat. Light soft music played in the background as we dined. Water was served in glass tumblers and the hot tea was superb. Everything was super clean and sparkling. The service was incredible and we were made to feel appreciated. We will be back...it could be a weekly stop! This is a...