We get the green peppercorn chicken curry once a week, literally! It is so insanely good. This is our favorite but everything else we have tried has also been super good. Fish, dumplings, beans, cucumbers! I'm so happy that we have such a good Sichuan spot in our neighborhood. read more

Have been reading about this place online for a while so we decided to come by for dinner. The dining area is very nicely decorated. They have a very extensive menu so after a few minutes we decided on five dishes between the two of us. We definitely over ordered but we wanted to try different things since it was our first time here. For an appetizer we settled on the dandan noodles. The flavor was decent, but the sauce was too heavy and ended up making the noodles too soggy. For the main dishes we got mapo tofu, fish griddle dish, twice cooked pork in Sichuan style, and vegetarian string beans. Mapo tofu: I'm not a fan of tofu but I did try the sauce and unfortunately I didn't really get much flavor out of it. Definitely no "ma" or heat in the sauce. Fish griddle dish: this was some fried fish filets with a bunch of vegetables served on a mini wok/griddle. The fish batter is a just little heavy in my opinion, but it is nice and crispy. The vegetables are very good in this dish, it's a bunch of peppers, onions, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots cooked very well. Since there is a fire underneath, the onions started caramelizing after a while which added some sweetness to the dish. Twice cooked pork: The flavor was okay but I thought the pork was overdone. The texture of the pork reminded me of just chewy bacon and the salt level was definitely a little high as well. I think on the menu it has two chili signs but there definitely was not much heat in this dish. Vegetarian string bean: At some restaurants that put some minced pork on this fish, it usually becomes my favorite part of the meal. Chef Tan's string beans are served vegetarian and without any peppercorns. It looked like it was served with small amounts of mustard greens but whatever it was, there was too much salt in it. The string beans were also a bit under, although that might just be personal preference. I like them better when they're a little more dehydrated. Overall, it's a nice restaurant and I'll be sure to come back. The cleanliness and decor is definitely a step up compared to other local restaurants of the same cuisine. I would've liked to see the salt level for some of the dishes brought down and the "ma" and "la" up a bit, but I'm not sure how that would be received by the rest of the public. read more

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I was so excited to try it since I haven't had it since the lockdown. But it got me so disappointed, it's got no taste. Not even spicy. Not savory, the garnish didn't even taste fresh. It's just a fried fish sitting in a no taste soup. I do not recommend. read more

Chef Tan - G5. Fish Griddle Dish - Szechuan Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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Very enticing and long menu to go over but you got most of your chinese classics in there. We LOVE chinese food and were craving it the entire week and decided to give this spot a try. We ordered: 1. Dan Dan noodles - My least favorite of all the things we ordered. The flavor was very sesame and peanuty which is not my taste but asked them to make it spicy and they did not unfortunately. I should have gone with Lo Mein 2. Mapo tofu - One of the most flavorful out of what we ordered. Must try 3. Chongqing Style Fried Chicken - My husband loved it, but it was too dry for me 4. Cumin Series - Always the best of the lot. My rating is also because I mentioned make it spicy on every dish and additional instructions and that was somehow missed and not heard :( I would definitely give this place one more shot and find a way to communicate to make it spicy. All in all, its a convenient chinese spot for us as we are only walking distance from it! read more

This is the best Chinese spot in Central Jersey! I can't even count how many times I've been here. It is sacred to Highland Park and it should be a permanent restaurant installation in the town that is completely tax exempt!! That's how good it is, and life gains meaning when I walk out. read more

Super good Chinese food! Ordered a bunch of food today, sautéed lamb and garlic pork are my fav! Shrimp fried rice is also yummy! read more

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Second time trying Chef tan and it was just as good. I went to the highland location previously and I think the food is pretty similar in taste wise. Got to try the thin pork belly and it was pretty good. Mapo tofu was also pretty good. Make sure to check in for free soda because I forgot read more

I order a dry pot spicy chicken . The taste is like American Chinese food as the spice is not the authentic one. The serving is huge so it is a good deal I will try other dishes to see if they are authentic. The menu includes a lot of authentic dishes and it is a good addition to the neighborhood. read more

Chef Tan - Dry pot chicken 乾鍋雞 - Szechuan Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

My boyfriend and I agree that this is THE most underrated restaurant of 2020 that we've gone to. Since starting to visit Newport more often from Manhattan, we stumbled upon Chef Tan's given its proximity to the Newport PATH station. We weren't expecting much when we went for the first time, but after eating there 2ce now in two weeks, we've decided it's our favorite Chinese restaurant in the Tri-state area. And believe me - we spend a good chunk of our weekend time looking for proper Chinese food! This place is reminiscent of the mid-upscale Chinese restaurants I'm used to frequenting in China. The flavors, presentation, and ambiance remind me of my favorite spots in Beijing. We were so happy to finally have found a restaurant that reminds us of home. The people who work here are efficient and polite - don't come here expecting white tablecloth-level service, but do expect you'll get your dishes in speedy fashion! ---- Overall: 5/5 Ambiance: 4.5/5 Service: 5/5 Food: 5/5 ---- The dishes we have so far ordered: 1) Mixed mushroom casserole: aromatic mushrooms in a non-spicy dry pot. Not vegan friendly, but if you're apt to picking around the small pieces of meat, this is amazing! 2) Pumpkin seafood tofu soup: large portions of this very savory and umami-full soup 3) Kelp with spare ribs soup: reminiscent of what my grandma makes - this is a classic. Obv not as good as hers, but this place has rib soup that is better than all others I've had. 4) Steamed cabbage with glass noodles: probably my favorite dish here. Savory and healthy! 5) Fresh tilapia with pickled vegetables: large portion of fish in a sour soup. Very authentic and moth-watering 6) Pumpkin cookies: haven't had this since being in China - great dessert to end your meal! Note that these are more like mochi than cookies 7) Chicken gizzard noodles: I'm not a fan of gizzard, but the flavor of the noodle was spot-on. read more

A bizarrely overpriced Chinese restaurant in a high-rise neighborhood where local food choices are unfortunately extremely limited. The kicker for me was that the restaurant did not even have Chinese mustard. At that point, I as they say "smelled a rat"... Yes, Chinese food can be pricey -- but that comes with earning a reputation for exceptional cuisine and factors that make outstanding restaurants what they are. This place apparently doesn't get it... read more

Very delicious sichuan food.We love the chicken dry pot and the chongqing fried chicken here.Very close to han dyansty on the city (our fav place) but on the pricier side.Must try if you are in the area. read more

Illuminated by large, decorative light fixtures and a pleasing aesthetic, walking into Chef Tan is uplifting visually, but the overall experience for my partner and I personally was a 3-3.5 Not terrible, would be fine with going back, but nothing out of this world. Here is my honest review: If you're looking to have a decent meal during the week after a commute, or find yourself nearby, hungry, and indifferent to where you eat, on a cold day this can still hit the spot. In terms of a top notch dining experience, there are better places to go for special occasions or a truly special Szechuan meal. Best Aspects: The restaurant looked extremely clean, it was decorated beautifully, the tea kettle was intricate and fascinating to look at, it was so nice having it on our table through the meal. Food was warm and came out reasonably quick, decent selection and average prices. Service: Staff is somewhat rude and inattentive...I know how tough it can be working at a restaurant, so it's a possibility that we caught our server on the wrong day. No one we encountered seemed particularly friendly or happy to be there. Hopefully this has changed ! Food: Dan Dan Noodles, Koi Shui Ji, and Pork Dumplings The chicken (Ko Shui Ju) had more oil than spice, to the point it was a little overpowering. A soybean oil taste with only a hint of the mala flavor dominated the dish, and it would have been nice to have more of the numbing hot flavors present. The Dan Dan noodles they serve have a nutty sesame taste, and are very creamy with the spicier elements toned down in the dish. This may suit some people better than others. I personally prefer an equal balance of spicy and sesame flavors. For my personal taste, there was not quite enough meat in proportion to the amount of noodles, but overall they were ok. The dumplings were the most enjoyable of the three, and the sauce was tasty, though again the amount of meat was less than I expected. My overall suggestion would be to improve service and give some tweaks to the menu items so that the powerful, aromatic, Szechuan flavors supposed to be present can really shine through! Worth trying to form your own opinions ! read more

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Fantastic edition to the newport area! The ambiance was beautiful! The service was prompt and courteous, suggested delicious dishes to order! The food was exceptional - A must try for anyone living in Jersey City! We ordered the following: Scallion pancakes - love love Salt n pepper chicken - great appetizer Chicken noodles - average Cumin beef - mouthwatering dish! A must try Chicken dish ( griddle dish) - amazing hot dish read more

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We went there for Lunar New Year (2/4/2019). We had 3 dishes Ma Pho Tofu, Vegetable Lo Man and Kung Pao Beef. It was better than last time. Kung Pao beef was spicier with peanuts. Ma Pho Tofu was good with tons of Tofu. Lo Man was just okay. I think this place is decent. Three of us went and all of us are satisfy with what we ate and price was little high end, but with generous portion I guess it was fair pricing. We will be back. read more

Chef Tan - Szechuan Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

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I had spicy fish and string beans for take out. The fish was not fresh. I could literally smell something bad while eating it. I knew it wasn't fresh since I ordered before and it wasn't bad as this time. I actually threw up after the meal since I didn't really feel comfortable with my tummy. The string beans had obvious rough fiber and we're hard to chew in the mouth. The overall experience was really disappointing given that this used to be one my favorite restaurants. read more

I have been visiting here pretty often for last three years, it is indeed a good Chinese restaurant!!!

Ordered spicy boiled fish, cost 30$, come with small amount of fish about 10%, the other 90% are vegetables The flavor is plain, I am very embarrassed to see a restaurant provide such cheesy quality of food and charge customers as much as the other amazing places. Definitely won't go again waste of time and $$ The three stars is for the friendly staffs and environment, otherwise the food worth no star at all. read more

I don't know why I ordered again from here but again the Seamless/GrubHub experience is VERY VERY BAD. You watch the driver on seamless pick up your food and drive further and further away from your apartment as the make multiple deliveries before yours . The delivery time, or more appropriately the delay , goes from 5 to 10 to 15 to 20 to 30 and more minutes beyond the time promised . The food arrives COLD and must be microwaved. They get a VERY HIGH PRICE fOr mediocre food and very POOR service read more

It's the only decent Chinese place close to my home in the Newport area. It's a nice well decorated restaurant with great ambience and pretty good service. Funny thing, some of the tables and couches are too closely placed to enter and one has to push the table to squeeze in. The place seems to be always crowded, so went to try the food. The place has a few vegetarian dishes, appetizers, main courses and sides. A few of the dishes tasted really good but a few were very bland and lacked any flavor. The vegetable lo mein noodles had almost no veggies and the scallion fried rice smelled funny. They can also improve the service a bit. When we were about to order desserts, the waiter said that the kitchen was closed. They could have asked us if we wanted to order anything a few minutes before closing the kitchen which would be a nice gesture. Instead they brought the check even we before requested. Overall one can try the food with average expectations and for their good ambience. Recommendations: Appetizers: Vegetable Spring rolls and Pan Fried Vegetable dumplings Mains: Mapo Tofu read more

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During the COVID-19 shutdown, Chinese restaurants in Jersey City closed. Weeks went by and we were craving Chinese food. A friend told me about Chef Tan. I am so glad he did. The food was not just good, it was fantastic. The food at Chef Tan is real authentic Chinese food. It is not the typical American Chinese. This was so good it has now become my "go to" for Chinese food in Jersey City. I have been in JC since 2010. I don't know how long they have been here, but I have just hit the lottery on Chinese food. Wish I had discovered them sooner. Try the Dan Dan Noodles, Twice Cooked Pork, Cumin Lamb, Chef Tan Soicy Fried Rice. read more

I found the best fried rice I've ever had in America. The service and environment is great. Its a good place for a group of 4-10. They have a round table here. The only suggestion for the food is that the please make the spicy food as spicy as they do in China- be authentic Hunanese/Sichuanese food. read more

Chef Tan - best fried rice of America! - Szechuan Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Trying this newly opened restaurant in my home area.. ordered delivery, was very disappointed. I didn't order anything complex.... By the way how those dishes taste like, I will never go there again read more

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Super disappointed... We ordered a takeout and waited for nearly 2 hours, almost starve to death. The food is definitely not worth the price, approximately 1.5x times of other Chinese restaurant in jersey city, but 0.8x times of the size and the content. We ordered a fish but it has strong fishy smell. I guess even I could cook this dish better if I dig in cooking for one month. Will never come here in the future. read more

I should have read these yelp reviews before I ordered. Not impressed with the food at all. The Tofu dish had huge chunks of fatty pork in it and it was also way too spicy, it tastes crazy. The pan fried vegetable dumplings is super over priced. It's almost $11 for 6 little dumplings that you can buy in the Asian supermarket for like $5 a entire bag. The best dish out of my order is the string beans but it's not the best I have had. It was a fun try but I will not order from here again. read more

Chef Tan is a proper Chinese restaurant that doesn't grace on Orange Chicken or moo goo gai pan (what even in the F is this??). To have this in Jersey City saves me from having to go into the city for authentic Sichuan food. If you've visited Schezuan Mountain House on St Marks or Flushing, you'll see similar beats served in the dishes here, particularly the sliced pork belly and fried rice dishes. Cumin beef and Chongqing chicken are both favorite staples here, and to come here on a Friday evening means you'll likely have a pianist play music as you dine with other Asian diners in the know. Appealing lighting and lovely decor means you can take friends, family and your lover alike. Maybe one day I'll order one of their fancied Chinese whiskies on the shelf. read more

The portions are comically small there is no flavor no spice in the mala dry pot. I CAN MAKE THIS BETTER THAN THEM!!!!! The tripe and ox tongue was dry and flavorless. I can't decide if I should cry or laugh! Save yourself the disappointment and order from king Szechuan palace, their single order of mala dry pot comes in TWO containers! read more

Chef Tan - Szechuan Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Good Chinese place to go to, the indoor seating is nice and comfortable. Food came out extremely quickly and was tasty. I recommend the griddle dishes as they remain hot during the course of the meal since there is fire heating it underneath. read more

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Super bad! This was the worst ever twice-cooked pork. The meat slices were even thicker than chopsticks, and it looks like they were not stir fried, but just boiled, sliced and then served. They were very greasy. The normal twice-cooked pork should be thin, properly fried, fat but not greasy, and the meat slices are in the shape of a lamp holder. I will never order the dish again, or maybe won't go to that restaurant again. 超级差评。这是我吃过的最烂的回锅肉，还不如我自己做的好吃 肉片比筷子还厚，看起来像是没炒过，而是煮熟后直接切片出锅的，非常肥腻。正常回锅肉应该是薄片、炸出了一部分油、肉片呈灯盏窝状、肥而不腻。不会再点第二次了。 read more

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I went here with a large group of coworkers one day and although they were very accommodating to seat all of us, it took a very long time to get our orders started and our food served. I ordered the Mapo Tofu and it was mediocre at best. Compared to other Chinese places that serve Mapo Tofu, the texture here was buttery (?) and wasn't spicy at all. It also felt very soupy, which made it feel like I was drinking tofu as well. It was a good experience but I don't think I'll come back. read more

It was aright. Taste was ok. Not the best Sichuan restaurant I've been to but definitely not too bad. They did a good job separating the guests and everyone is wearing a mask. Also their bar is closed so no cocktails. read more

Overall food quality was fine, but a bit too pricy. Spicy beef stripes tasted good, pleasantly hot but not overwhelming. Sliced cabbage and stir-fried Hunan style pork tasted standard. The steamed rice noodles with cabbage was way too salty. read more

delivery took nearly two hours, the food was icy cold, are you kidding me? I live three minutes walking distance away? read more

Chef Tan - Szechuan Near Me - Jersey City, New Jersey

Authentic Chinese food with Americanized options as well, but service isn't quite there. We tried the Mao braised pork, the Mongolian beef, and scallion pancakes for dinner. The pancakes were fantastic, crispy and light. The Mongolian beef was delicious with a nice, tangy sauce. The Mao pork also had a great sauce, but the texture was rubbery and chewy. read more

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Solid new Chinese restaurant. I hope it stays. The restaurant is spacious and it looks like there will never be a wait. * Scallion Fried Rice - There was a similar place in Flushing that had scallion fried rice that turned the rice green. The Flushing restaurant closed down, so I'm glad I found this kind of fried rice here. * Sauteed Pig Intestines - The waiter incorrectly told me the intestines were not fried. I guess the waiters don't really know how the dishes are made. The pig intestines are fried and then stir-fried. This was still tasty, but I wasn't in the mood for fried intestines * Fish Griddle Dish - This comes on a hot metal plate with a lit flame underneath to keep the entire dish hot. I enjoyed the pieces of breaded fish. I would order this again. * Chef Tan Style Fried Rice - I prefer the scallion fried rice better since they stir-fried the dried red chili peppers into the fried rice. It was annoying picking out all the inedible pieces. Otherwise I liked the subtle spicy flavor. * Double Cooked Pork - Not a huge fan of their double cooked pork. The pork wasn't fried enough and the result was rubbery pork. The whole dish wasn't spicy and there was no smoky flavor to it. The portion was quite large though. The food isn't the caliber of similar restaurants in Manhattan, but I would definitely come back if I were too lazy to make the trip into Manhattan. read more

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Updates: Disappointed in the visits later. The food is average. However, it is so close to where I live which is a plus; but that's all. read more

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Very good authentic Chinese food! My family come every week. We love the soup, vegetables and meats! I don't eat spicy and they customize dishes to accommodate me. Just ask! Waitress are polite and helpful! Table service is much better than most restaurants in the area. read more

Authentic food, terrible service, small quantity, high prices NEVER order takeout from here - one dish is approximately $20 (or more) and the quality is terrible. This used to be my go-to take-out place every week - mostly because of the location and how it's one of the only accessible authentic Chinese restaurants in Newport, and I've dined in a few times as well, but it was just an expensive meal every time. I've had the final straw when my order was constantly being either not made when I arrived or my order getting taken by someone else, and the restaurant would hastily make my order, in which the food is not cooked to the quality (usually overcooked or the taste was off) and the quantity is half the amount. It just gets extremely frustrating showing them my order number and what I ordered with them initially saying it's on the table with all the takeout orders, and having to prove to them that it's not on the table for them to admit that my order isn't there and I did in fact truly order from there. I normally order 2 hot dishes, and the cost is around $40. $40 to me should be a good quality meal, but the entire experience of my order not being there, them making it hastily, and them giving me around half the quantity just makes me realize that it's not worth paying $40 for the meal. I rather go and get chipotle and spend $10. However, I have to admit that the food here is very authentic and great. The Chong Qing spicy chicken is definitely one of the best I've ever had - it's large, crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. All the dishes are very authentic Sichuan and Hunan style. While the food is great, the quantity they give is very small, given the price. While this place does have one of the best Sichuan foods I've had, the quantity is the smallest, and the prices are the most expensive. read more

Baby Grand Piano. Very eye catching. Inside the restaurant is a great modern style and outside has welcoming outdoor tables. It's tasty Szechuan cuisine served in a modern atmosphere. Great for afterwork to unwind. Lunch specials are right portioned to fill you up without stuffing you. read more

Good place in Newport Pavonia. Lots of things I have never seen a menu. I was however, pleasantly surprised by the things we ordered. Everything was really flavorful and tasty. We had the hunan pork, the eggplant, the fried chicken pieces, vegetable fried rice, spicy lamb, spicy cauliflower, green beans, Mongolian beef for the meal. We also had the spicy dumplings, vegetable spring rolls, fried pork dumplings, and scallion pancakes as appetizers. Everything was very good and I was very impressed. Will definitely come back again. read more

Been here before. Ordered a dinner today. However, one of their courses stinks and doesn't smells like it is fresh at all. I called them for a refund of this course but turnout to be a 90% off for my next visit. Quote:"You are the first one who ordered this course tonight, so..." I guess they are super confident about their fresh food and IMPLYING I AM A LIAR. Hell yeah I'll do business with y'all again. read more