What happened to my favorite Chongqing chili chicken? I've always known it contains MSG, but this time it was so overpowering that I could actually taste it. It used to be a 5/5 dish for me. Now it's a 3/5, and I'm genuinely sad about it. The eggplant was swimming in oil. The lotus root was just okay. The cumin beef was over-fried and clumped together, easily a 2/5. The spare ribs tasted odd and were over-fried as well. The only standout was the sliced pork belly appetizer in garlic and chili oil sauce. That was still delicious. I was planning to bring friends here for dinner, but after this visit, that's no longer happening. Maybe something changed in the kitchen or ownership. Whatever the reason, this restaurant no longer feels like the place I used to love. read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Underwhelming - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

If you like Ping's Bistro, you'll also like this restaurant. It's great in quality and about half the price. We got 5 dishes + rice + 2 drinks and with a 20% tip everything came out to be around $100. Parking is pretty easy to find, there are always people leaving. The place was almost empty when we came at 6PM on a Saturday, they did have a lot of takeout orders. The staff were super nice and attentive. Love that you are able to order by their QR code and that there are pictures for each item. The interior is pretty updated and clean. The only dish we didn't care for too much was the spicy noodles. The noodles were just clumped together and the soup was bland. I did really like the spicy cold beef dish, spicy pork intestine, along with the pork/celery/tofu dish. Will definitely revisit soon. read more

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I never knew about /had Szechuan food. I am in town for work and wanted to order dinner and I randomly chose this place. I ordered mapo tofu, and Kung pao chicken. The spice profile was strange to me. Spicy wasn't what I was used to. Numbing sensation along with spicy taste was odd. read more

This used to be one of my favorite restaurants in San Mateo but the last two visits have been terrible. 1. There is way too much salt and also way too much MSG. It was almost inedible. 2. When I mentioned this to the server, she replies that some customers do not think it is salty enough, but the truth is that I just hear another customer complaining of the same saltiness just the same night. The dishes are inconsistent level of saltiness. I'm giving up on this place for now. read more

This is our go to for comfort food in San Mateo, especially their cumin lamb. Their wintermelon and okra is very unique and tasty. read more

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Good and authentic Sichuan cuisine. Recommend spicy chicken. But not all dishes are good.

Parking can be difficult to find, but food is very good. We ordered boiled fish filet with flaming chili and Chongqing chili chicken. The fish came with noodles and mushrooms, and the Chongqing chicken was some of the best I've had - perfectly cripsy and flavorful. Overall, this restaurant is a solid pick for authentic Chinese food. read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Fish filet with Boiled Fish Fillet W. Flaming Chili - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Service is slow. I came here to pick up one item and it took more than a hour to get the food and I'm still waiting. Fish fillet with shredded ham & soft tofu takes about two hours to finish. read more

I stopped by again while in town, and wow--just as delicious as I remembered. I ordered the cilantro beef and the eggplant dishes. Every bite brought back memories, and I found myself wishing I lived closer because I'd honestly eat here every day if I could. One thing I miss is when dishes used to come with complimentary rice--it's a small touch, but one that makes a difference. It would be great to see that return someday! That said, I really appreciate that this is a no-tipping restaurant. It takes the pressure off and creates a more relaxed experience, especially for takeout or casual dining. Always worth the stop when I'm in town. Delicious food, friendly service, and thoughtful touches make this a place I'll continue to return to. Highly recommend! read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. Ordered takeout and the food was fast - they made 5 dishes in about 20 minutes. The pork belly with chestnut was really good. The meat was soft and not too rich. The string beans were also delicious. Their spicy dishes looked really spicy but pretty authentic. Not a lot of parking in front of the restaurant so may need to park around the corner. read more

Came here with friends and had an amazing dinner! Truly spicy and mala numbness. Love it! read more

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Definitely a regular at this humble Szechuan joint. Nestled just out of downtown San Mateo, this place offers delicious authentic Szechuan cuisine. We always get some form of boiling beef or fish, a vegetable dish (garlic pea sprouts today), and our absolute favorite dish that leaves us begging for me is the tofu and crab in clay pot. The texture and flavors are absolutely DIVINE. Hope to see this place flourish and thrive over the next decade because they deserve it. read more

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Service was good. But the food overall doesn't meet our expectation. The spiciness tastes very artificial.

Pleasantly surprised by how good the takeout was. Everything came piping hot. Twice cooked pork very flavorful. The leeks are soft and edible like caramelized onion. Usually i would just eat around the leeks. You'll definitely need to pair with rice Garlic eggplant legit Braised sauce chicken definitely had the numbing spice. Be prepared. May need to scrape off some of the pods Large portions read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Braised chicken with potatoes and noodles The Chinese name says it's called Xinjiang big plate chicken - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

Went here on the advice of Kenji Lopez-Alt and suffice to say, extremely happy. Hands down the best chicken wings I've had. They only use the middle part of the wing, and chop it in half so they can get just that extra bit of batter on it. Perfect amount of heat and mala, with just the barest hint of sweetness made this dish worth the 30 minute drive. The cold spicy jelly noodles had wonderful flavor, definitely will reorder. the mapo tofu - flavor was on point, again, the perfect amount of heat and numbing. my only complaint was that tofu cubes are a bit larger than I personally like (I tend to mix everything with white rice, and the larger cubes makes it just a tad longer. The leaf tripe - I didn't have it, but the wife loved it. Scallion pancake - perfectly crispy, and thin. It's not a fancy place, but for authentic Sichuan taste, this is so far the best in the bay we've had. read more

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Hot spicy jelly noodle - would get again Dan dan noodle - was soggy for takeout. Lots of peanut sauce flavor. It was okay... not sure if I would get it again. Spicy chili wontons - The meat had the weirdest texture, looked like chicken nugget meat, did not taste like meat. Would not get again. Cumin lamb - It was more wet than expected but had good flavor. Small portion size. read more

They have pretty good spicy food and its actually really spicy with mala too. Ive came here a few times and had different food, all the spicy foods are a good spicy. The glass noodles (attached in my picture) are my must get everytime I was there. The women waiter is really good at recommending food if you ask her. However, the food here is a bit pricey and lowkey not worth the price. But once in a while it's ok. If your looking for spicy mala food this place is your place to go. read more

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Really good food. Must get the fried chicken and Szechuan spicy fried shrimp. Casual, unassuming spot but sneaky good food with authentic dishes. Would recommend for a big group. read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Stir Fried Chicken In Heavy Peppercorn Flavor - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

I mainly wanted to try Chef Zhao because of the food on the menu has some of our favorites, and we wanted to compare them to our other go-tos. Everything is decent but unfortunately we still like our go-tos better. Hence the 3 star rating. We did take out, the boss lady seemed nice but since we didn't eat-in, I can't rate her service. The street parking wasn't bad. It was during lunch, although I picked up early at around 11:3oam. Hope this review helps you decide if you want to give this place a try! read more

Excellent sichuan food. Best shredded potato's, boiled fish. Ching Qing chicken is also good

Been back to this restaurant multiple times already and it's certainly a gem in the peninsula area! They serve authentic Szechuan food, and the servers are very friendly! Parking here is not difficult to find, there are a lot of spaces near the old downtown, and also ample street parking. We ordered the 辣子鸡 which is one of their best dishes! The chicken is crispy and flavorful, with numbing spices. This is a must try and we continue to order this every time we visit. We also ordered the 毛血旺, which was only $20 for a large portion! This was also very flavorful and a little spicy. We ordered pea sprouts, it was a little salty but I did enjoy the taste. The highlight for me was the 红糖酥皮糍粑. This is fried to perfection, it tastes so crispy while it's fresh out of the kitchen. Remember to eat this while it's hot because once it's cold it's hard to chew. Overall this is one of my favorite restaurants in the peninsula area, would definitely keep coming back to try other dishes! read more

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Food here is authentic schezwan but found the quality lack luster with very small portions. The Vikas spare ribs there was only like 10 small pie beds, most of which is fat. Mongolian beef had lots of green onions the beef wasn't as tender as I had hoped. read more

The food taste was average. It wasn't bad but I don't really feel like eating a lot either. The bean curd was pretty greasy. Overall acceptable food. read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Preserved pickles with pork intestine and duck pudding - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

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The thing about Szechuan places is that pretty much everything you order is going to taste the same: spicy. My parents came to visit me at work, so we came here for a quick lunch. Between the four of us, we ordered the Stir Fried Spicy Pork Kidney ($15.99), Stir Fried Garlic Bolt with Shredded Pork ($13.99), and Chicken and Preserved Pickled in Iron Pot ($15.99). Since all the food is so flavorful and spicy, you have to have rice with it, which was an extra $6 --wow, so expensive! Overall, food was good, but everything starts tasting the same as well. In addition, I found the meal to be rather expensive. Since I was only on my lunch break and limited on time, the service was lacking as well when I was trying to call the only waitress over to pay the bill. read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Stir Fried Spicy Pork Kidney, Stir Fried Garlic Bolt with Shredded Pork, and Chicken and Preserved Pickles in Iron Pot. - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

It's right off on the busy street El Camino Real. You can never miss it. And because of this same reason you need to park your car on the side street which is not a problem at all. Food here is decent. The spicy numbing ones really match their names. The veggie was exceptionally good and it's not oily. The tan tan noodle a bit soggy for some reason. Staff was friendly and helpful. This local mom and pop restaurant deserve our support so it can continue to stay around. read more

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Wow, I always drive by, but can't believe I haven't been here until today! I had this placed bookmarked for a while, especially after I saw Kenji Lopez Alt post about this place. But still, I was doubtful (but really one should never doubt Kenji). The chef and owners sound like they're from Sichuan, so that already says authentic. The food items they offer on their menu is also very authentic, items you might not be able to find at many standard more westernized 'szechuan' restaurants. For four people, we ordered 1) twice cooked pork, 2) spicy tripe, pork blood and spam, (毛血旺）3) chongqing spicy chicken, 4) the crab and tofu and 5) a side of scallion pancake. We asked for less spicy for everything, and I have to say they were still pretty spicy (for someone who handles mild spicy). Def ask for less spicy depending on your spice tolerance. Rice is ordered separately. Def order rice with the spicy foods. Twice cooked pork and the tripe and pork blood are very much among Sichuan signature dishes. Their twice cooked pork was super flavorful, and we finished off the entire plate. Would def order again. We (surprisingly) cleaned off the tripe and blood pudding dish too - though for this one, it has a lot of numbing spices, so eat quickly so it doesn't further soak in the chili oil and probably better w more people. It had great flavor and included not only tripe and blood pudding, but also spam, bean sprouts, intestine, stomach and crispy aorta. The chongqing spicy chicken was quite good - their version had a slightly sweet flavor which was interesting, but still very tasty. Of course I had to order a non spicy dish and the crab and tofu pot look good. I don't know if this is a traditional Sichuan dish, but it was tasty. The side of green onion pancake was thin and crispy, great flavor! Will def come back again. Space is clean, and looks modern. The service was great. We were the only ones dining at the time, but there were lots of to go orders. Food came out quickly. read more

Wow, this place is really good! Delicious dishes featuring onions, garlic, peppers, Chinese numbing peppercorns, just elevated cuisine. Great table service too. We WILL be back! read more

I come here for meals or order takeouts all the time. This is a very authentic Sichuan restaurant. The prices have gradually gone up during the past few years but so is everything else everywhere else due to inflation. I guess it doesn't particularly bother us because it is still a relatively good value. There was usually only one waitress or waiter at the time when we visited but the person was very capable and was very attentive. We feel that we were taken care off really well despite she or he had a lot of other customers. The food is typically good but sometimes the amount of salt in my favorite dish "水煮牛肉" is somewhat inconsistent. Sometimes, it is just right and sometimes it doesn't have enough salt. I am always curious what could have caused it. Maybe they have two chefs? The restaurant has a clean and nice environment. We have enjoy it a lot. Highly recommend! read more

My boyfriend always gets Chef Zhao and Chef Sha confused and asked me why do a lot of restaurants sound similar... I don't know, man, but let's try their food and see if it's good. I had a $25 Ubereats gift card and a craving for Sichuan food so I ordered: - Shrimp fried rice - pretty standard - Braised pork with chestnut - chewy pieces, but had an odd taste at the end -Hot oil boiled fish - fish was nice and spicy, but the oil really coats your mouth -Chongqing chili chicken - good flavor, could use a few additional pieces in the order Overall, it wasn't a bad meal. I picked up my order and the food was waiting at the counter. Everything was packed nicely and I appreciate them saran-wrapping the wet stuff to prevent any leakage. read more

Hands down one of the worst meals I have ever had :( We weren't too hungry so we only ordered two dishes, vegetable Chow mein and fried chicken. The Chow mein was half cabbage, half noodle with a few pieces of broccoli. The noodles tasted old like they had been sitting around for awhile and the dish was way too salty. The fried chicken had very little chicken, mostly bone with numbing spice and a crap load of salt, one of the worst dishes I have ever had. Bill came to $30 which is overpriced for the quality of food. Never again! read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I went to the one in Milpitas based on all the good reviewed online, very disappointed overall. I ordered three typical Sichuan dishes and they are NOT FRESH and not tasty as well. I have to run to bathroom after get home. Will definitely not go anymore. FYI, pictures lies, it looks good in the picture but bad when you eat it read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

Stopped by with a lunch party of 12. I was the only vegetarian so this is only for the vegetarian dishes I tried. We ordered all the vegetarian dishes without onion or garlic: Hot and spicy lotus roots with some pickled veg, easily my fave dish of the meal. Stir fried pea shoots were fresh and not old or fibrousy. Sour and spicy eggplant had thin slices of carrots and bamboo shoots. I love eggplant but I wouldn't order this again since I'm not a huge fan of eggplant paired with a sour sauce. Overall, the dishes weren't too salty. They weren't too oily. They also weren't too spicy. Vegetarian dishes we ordered didnt have too much of the numbing sichuan peppercorns. read more

Chef Zhao Bistro - Lotus roots without onion and garlic - Szechuan Near Me - San Mateo, California

A pretty legit Szechuan restaurant. After the Shanghai family restaurant fiasco, we were a little reluctant to go back to a Chinese restaurant that soon. To our surprise, the staff were friendly and courteous. Classics like boiled beef in chili oil and chicken with chili and Szechuan pepper corns are available here. Mixed dry pot: flavorful and lip numbingly good! Had the assortment of shank, shrimp, and vegetables. A must try if you've never had dry pot before. Fish filets in chili oil: you lips will go numb after taking that first bite, all thanks to the mountainous amount of Szechuan pepper corns. Filets were tender and packed with flavor. Glass noodles really soaked up the base and oil and were delicious in every bite. Scallion pancake: flakey and crisp. Decently layered as result of mixing dough with oil and hot water. Lightly seasoned as should be. Crab meat tofu: the weakest dish of the night. Not a difficult dish to make but somehow they missed the mark on this Shanghainese classic. Crab meat tofu came with trace amount of crab meat and lacked proper seasoning despite having used salted duck yolks. A definite repeat for that sudden Szechuan food craving! read more

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I've only ordered to go. I gotta say tho when I come to pickup the place is so clean looking that I can prob eat off the floor. This place has the best fried rice too. read more

My last visit was 5/12/24 8:30pm, 30 min before close. My friend, my wife and I went Chef Zhao for dinner after the San Francisco trip. Chongqing Chili Chicken is my favorite. We also tried a fish (I guess that was Boiled Fish Fillet) for the first time, it was so good too. We were not aware that it closes at 9pm, so we just kept going, thanks to the lady that patiently kept the restaurant open until we finished. I got use to come to Chef Zhao for dinner when coming back from San Francisco (I live in San Jose) in last 12 months. Always order Chongqing Chili Chicken and try another new item never tried before. Never disappointed so far. read more

Ordered through Uber eats. The food was delicious will definitely be ordering again soon. Tried the following Mongolian beef, combination chow mein & vegetable chicken read more

We ordered to-go food from them last week and the food was very decent! We ordered the spicy broiled fish, lotus roots and eggplants. My favorite is the fish because the spice has more varieties. The lotus roots were pretty greasy but it was not bad. The eggplants were not bad either. I think this is a good place to order take out if you're craving for spicy food read more

I ordered food to go. They wanted to add at 18% tip to the order. When I protested that this was a to go order, they responded that the payment won't go through unless I selected one the preselected tip amounts on the screen. I was in a hurry so I went through with it. This is not how you get repeat business. The food itself was nothing special -- next time I'll go to Noodle shop down the street. read more

Really stale rice served. We ordered three packs of the veg fried rice and the rice was stale. I called the manager and told him and he was in disagreement. Not going back for sure. read more

Very authentic. I came back few tiems, and every time so good. Especially I liked mapo tofu. very good spicy food! There is a same name restaurant in Milpitas. I am wondering if it is the same one? read more