i had super high hopes for this place but everything was just OKAY to me and my friend. HOWEVER, the toothpick cumin lamb was the BEST and we couldn't stop munching on that!! the mung bean jelly was whatever's, not that flavorful tbh even though t's like drowned in chili sauce haha. we also go a mixed hot pot thing because we wanted a little of everything inside, it came with like spam, intestines, pork blood, etc but we both thought it tasted only okay. we should've stuck with like chili fish or something haha. parking is a bit difficult? i don't think they have like a big private parking lot. we parked on big street valley blvd right in front of the restaurant. read more

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Whoever gave this anything but 5 stars either has Covid-induced taste loss or is an agent of a competing restaurant. Perfect food, perfect service, and perfect Jonathan Gold reviews as decor. read more

The food here is fire .Confused why this place only has 3.5 stars. We all loved literally every dish we got: toothpick lamb, boiled fish with green peppers, sour spicy potato, tan tan noodles, eggplant. The portions were generous. The lamb came out fresh & hot, great amount of protein to spicy, truly a perfect bite. Boiled fish you can't go wrong if you're looking for that mouth numbing spicy! Super delicious broth and not for the weak. I'm a sucker for a sautéed spicy potato so that was one of my favorite dishes, I got the sour spicy version but they also offered spicy, vinegar, and sour. Tan tan noodles had a great balance of peanut sweetness and savory spicy, the noodles had an amazing texture - be sure to mix vigorously for best sauce distribution. The Yelp waitlist isn't real so plan to walk up and write your name on the clipboard inside. There aren't many tables so expect a wait but the food comes out super fast. Loved this place and will be coming back again. read more

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Authentic and deliciously good, definitely numbs your tongue quite quickly but the food was very well done. The Veggie dishes were very good, complimented the Meats really well. Would definitely recommend if you want to have a szechuan style meal. read more

Wanted some authentic numbing Szechuan dishes; came to the right place! Can't go wrong with the green pepper fish and red pepper chicken. The "toothpick" lamb was interesting but worth it (not sure why you need to put a toothpick in each piece of lamb) as well. Beans w tasty bits of pork was a hit as well. Never ordered the tomato and egg soup but had some non spicy people at the table so got that. Interesting but not sure would order again. Bottom line, if you want so really authentic Szechuan dishes come to cheung du, you won't be disappointed. Also yelp waitlists works well too. read more

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I dropped by on a Saturday evening with a few friends 30 minutes before they closed and there was a short wait. It was my first time having this kind of Sichuan food. We ordered the Toothpick Lamb, Chili Oil Chicken and Veggies Skewers, Dan Dan Mian, and Stir Fried String Beans. All dishes were cooked with Sichuan chili's (no surprise there). They all had a strong chili taste except for the String Beans, there was just a hint of spiciness. I'm not a fan of lamb so I didn't care much for that dish but my friends thought it was pretty good. They mentioned that it could've used more flavor. The other dishes were pretty flavorful, especially the Chicken Skewers in Chili Oil. The chili oil they put all the skewers in was good and spicy. The Dan Dan Mian was okay, the noodles were over cooked but the sauce was good. Service was terrible! Granted we did arrive right before closing but the servers were very rude. read more

Chengdu Taste - Toothpick Lamb with Carrion - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

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If you're like these as$hole reviewers that can't handle spice, blame other diners for not getting on the waiting list, or place any blame on the restaurant for choking on a toothpick when the dish is called Toothpick Lamb, go eat a more spice manageable spoon of mayonnaise at home, like the entitled douchebag pansy moron reviewer that'd otherwise plague this fine establishment's rating further. This place has the best bowl of tan tan noodles I've had. I got teared up reminiscing to some magical ingredient or effect my late grandma imbued into her rustic home cooking. The meaty numbing wontons had the perfect texture: firm meaty filling and delicate wrappers that didn't glue together like some other places use thick compensate for overcooking. The only disappointing dish was the tofu with duck egg that a tall server graciously took off immediately upon request (20+% tip for you sir) and the mung bean jelly could've been colder and have a bit more bite. Definitely coming back (that flour steamed pork/ beef looked enticing), and bravo Cheng Du Taste. Screw all the idiots complaining about anything besides how well this food hits the Sichuan spot. Update: as of a few weeks ago I was not a fan of food served on plastic or paper plates, but it doesn't detract from the food quality. read more

Overpriced and not tasteful, worst Chinese food we ever had. Not worth the price and service and Food is cold.

If you like spicy .. This is the definitely the best place to go. Cheng Du Taste is one of the best szechuan place in California. Their Mapo Tofu is one the best mapo tofu i'mve ever had. The servers are young and energetic, but they are very polite. I'd recommend : Mapo Tofu Toothpick Lamb Deep Fried Intestine read more

Chengdu Taste - Mapo Ma Po Tofu - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

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Chengdu Taste never disappoints. This is the second time I've been to this location and I've also been to the Vegas location twice as well! Chengdu Taste has flavorful Sichuan style food. We ordered the dry fried green beans and the wok must have been the perfect amount of hot because the beans were crispy but the insides were tender. We also ordered the toothpick lamb, the fish in oil, and pork belly slathered in garlic oil. Toothpick lamb is spicy and flavorful and easy to share! We waited half an hour before being seated. We parked around the corner in the residential neighborhood that was less than a five minute walk away. The service was fast and efficient with all of our dishes arriving within ten minutes after ordering! There's no beer at Chengdu Taste, which would have a nice addition to our meal! I can't wait to return! I would never turn down an invitation to Chengdu Taste! read more

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Only ordered take out, service was fast but I was also there at 3pm so not sure what dinner rush is like. I was excited for the toothpick lamb but it was a little dry. The flavor was good but not sure if worth the $22 read more

Chengdu Taste - Toothpick Lamb with Carrion - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Los Angeles area. My go-to's are the guess guess shrimp and wontons in red chili oil, but practically everything is great on the menu. The long lines from the early days are no more, but the food quality is as amazing as it was in the beginning and I highly recommend you still keep going. I would like them to bring back the cumin potatoes. That was actually my favorite dish and for some reason they stop serving it. I also know a well-known tv actor from one of the most popular comedies of all time, who also loved that dish and I can convince him to post about it if you bring it back. Please!!!!! read more

First time being here with my aunts and uncles. Food was flavorful and delicious and will most definitely come back again. Price is reasonable and staff are friendly and helpful. read more

Review #397 - 2018 The kids were craving Chengdu Taste so I made sure that I took them here once during our stay in LA before we went back home. We showed up around 9 PM on Wednesday, December 26th & put our name on the waitlist since the place was packed. The waiter comes over to inform us that we may not get seated since their last call for all orders is at 9:30 PM so we might have to take our food to go. I told him that we'd be willing to wait until 9:30 & if we weren't seated by then, we'd place a take out order and he said that was fine. Thankfully, a table became available at 9:25 so we were able to put in our order before the kitchen closed. We pretty much got our usuals. The toothpick lamb was good, but kind of dry. The stir fried green beans were still our favorite compared to most restaurants. The Chengdu fried rice was ok. Not overly flavorful so it went well with our other dishes. The dry fried pork intestines were super greasy compared to what we had in Las Vegas so I asked the waiter if it was the same item & he insisted that it was. Flavor is the same, but consistency is definitely different. Glad we gave them a try for comparison & Vegas definitely makes everything better. read more

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Will the food leave your lips numb? Yes. Is it all that spicy? No. (at least not to me) I walked into this restaurant expecting dishes that are packed with strong flavors. However, I was widely disappointed. We ordered: 1) Toothpick Lamb with Cumin: overly dry and salty 2) Boiled Fish with Green Pepper Sauce: meh, definitely expected so much more from this soup. They give you a really big serving though - can probably feed 4 or more people. 3) Stir Fried Pork Intestine: crispy and relatively delicious. Friendly and fast service. Looks like they recently increased their prices... oh and you have to pay extra for rice. Lame! read more

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Food: Food is absolutely delicious, the toothpick lamb is a must try and it tastes out of this world. The spice is unique because it is numbing unlike what most people are used to. Service: Very busy and active staff, usually need to wait about an hour to get a table if you come in during the dinner rush. The staff are very understanding and get your orders accurately and it comes out quicker than expected. Vibes: Typical 626 Chinese restaurant decoration with white table cloths and red everywhere for that prosperity. Thank you so much! read more

I always feel horrible leaving bad reviews, but let me be real here. This place just wasn't for me. I came here with a friend mostly for the experience, but it ended up being one of my biggest foodie ragretz as of late. We came on a Friday night around prime dinner time and were surprised that there was no wait. A huge rush came right after us though, so I guess it's hit or miss. The service also isn't too great. We got our menus, and they approached us three times, asking if we were ready to order. A little impatient, but hey, pretty typical of authentic Asian restaurants. We decided to order the Toothpick Lamb and the Sichuan Tan Tan Noodles but wanted one more thing. So we asked the waitress for a recommendation. She raved about how people love the Fresh Fish with Green Pepper Sauce. So we went with that. To be blunt, I did not enjoy the fish dish at all. I had a couple bites, but honestly, the whole thing was just strange. Not that spicy, just a really bitter, overpowering flavor? Even my friend, who is Chinese, didn't appreciate it. It seemed fine in the beginning, but it worsened as we kept eating it. We were basically eating and picking at it because we didn't want to waste it at that point. The Toothpick Lamb was good, but overrated in my opinion. There's a lot of it, and I started to get sick of it after the 10th toothpick LOL. There were also way more pieces of fat than actual meat, so that was a little disappointing. But if anything, the seasoning was decent. The Sichuan Tan Tan noodles were also a bit underwhelming. Like I thought they were a bit on the spicier end but also bland at the same time (does that even make sense?) The spice overpowered the other flavors that I was hoping to taste. Unfortunately, I probably won't be back. It's not that cheap here, and I think I spent too much to not be happy with the meal. I have a pretty wide palette and acceptance of foods, but maybe I'm just not cut out for authentic Szechuan-style stuff. read more

I'm a huge fan of szechuan food and had this place on my list for a long time. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance and service was nothing special.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food itself overall was good. The toothpick lamb and green beans were my favorite. The fish filet in a light sauce was good but not great. The garlic eggplant and tan tan noodles were my least favorites. read more

I've been here a couple of times. Ever since this place was mentioned on Jonathan Gold's 101, its been my go to for Szechuan food. The restaurant is always packed and its not rare to see people waiting outside. Both times I have been here I came during super odd hours so we got seated immediately but every time I drive by after work there is a crowd outside. I have tried their toothpick lamb, boiled fish, cold jelly noodle appetizers and none have disappointed. Will be back very soon. read more

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Yummy dish for us ...special chicken w yum. Cumin toothpick lamb and crispy pig intestine dish. Since the walnut grove branch is closed down. We have been coming to this place more often. Good that we can do Yelp wait. They hold the table fir as bout 10 mins only. read more

Chengdu Taste - Cumin toothpick lamb, crispy pork intestine, frued green beans - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

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Did not live up to the hype. First of all, while we were here, there was a disturbance. I don't speak Chinese, but there was kicking, throwing over a trash can, and lots of angry Chinese yelling. Props to staff for being able to keep the threat outside. The food overall was just okay. The price is expensive for the amount of food you receive. My mother in law asked them in Chinese for no peanuts, but it came with peanuts anyway. However, they took it to the back and remade the dish. One of our plastic water cups had a hole, and leaked water all over the table. We ordered the pork curua, toothpick lamb with cumin, mung bean jelly noodle, kung pao chicken, and tan tan (dan dan) noodle. The pork, and mung bean was bathed in chili oil, which I love. Seasoning was a bit off for the lamb. It was missing something. The inside of the pork was under seasoned. Could use some neutralizing ingredients like maybe basil or ginger. The mung bean was good but over all tiny. I'm used to larger quantities from Chinese restaurants. Overall, considering price, wait, quantity, and flavor this place did not meet expectations. I'd probably skip. read more

Chengdu Taste - Pork Curua - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

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Very tasty food but wow, is it spicy. Depending on your spice tolerance, you may want to request a little less intensity. It got to the point where I couldn't even taste my food anymore. Make sure you add rice on if you want it with your meal. read more

The best spicy Chinese restaurant in LA. We had four dishes today, extremely delicious. Fermented bean fish is the best the cold dish in the picture is our family's favor. Will visit again. read more

Chengdu Taste - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

Chengdu Taste ended up being a little different from what I expected, but it was still a really enjoyable meal overall. The biggest surprise was that despite it being Sichuan food, the spice level wasn't especially high. The dishes that indicate heat certainly had some, but nothing was beyond what was comfortable to eat and even the numbing spices weren't terribly strong. I probably could've handled a bit more, but I was also a bit relieved that it wasn't too much to take. My friend and I ordered the Mung bean noodles, toothpick lamb, and dumplings with red chili oil. The noodles were the only one I wasn't a fan of - I generally like this kind of thing, but the flavor didn't penetrate them well and the whole dish tasted a bit watery, despite the spices being interesting. The toothpick lamb was a generous serving and even though I don't usually like lamb, I found it enjoyable. The cumin flavor is very different from Americanized Chinese food, but it was well balanced and the lamb was very tender - even the fatty pieces melted nicely and avoided any kind of rubberyness. My favorite dish turned out to be the dumplings in red chili oil. Despite being the least unique of the 3, the flavor was just the perfect mix of salty, savory, and tangy. While it's called chili oil, the sauce was similar to the common cold chicken in chili sauce appetizer you see in Sichuan cuisine, where it's a mixture of chili oil, soy, black vinegar, and other aromatics. It was so good that I was picking up stray pieces of dumpling wrapper just to eat more of the sauce. While one of our dishes was a little disappointing, I wouldn't hesitate to come back if the need for Sichuan food struck again. read more

Chengdu Taste - Toothpick Lamb with Cumin Wonton with Red Chili Sauce - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

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I was seriously concerned when my friends wanted to dine here, because I am not known for my tolerance for spicy food. I was pleasantly surprised that the dishes were not exceedingly spicy. I mean, I could definitely feel the burn, but it's tolerable. With strategic ingestion of rice and frequent sips of water, I actually enjoyed the fish and chicken. The spiciness adds another dimension to the experience, but there's plenty of flavor in the dishes already. read more

Closed as of today (2nd time during pandemic) ... Hope they reopen soon since delivery and take out is permitted read more

Chengdu Taste - Closed (Again?) - 12/25/2020 - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

Chengdu Taste is quite the culinary experience even if you do not like spicy food. I happened to join my cousins for dinner and was able to experience the fare at this establishment. It is a fairly simple restaurant that serves water in plastic cups with disposable spoons for soup. Szechuan Cuisine is known to be spicy however, if you can't handle the heat like me you can always request that the dishes are not made with the chili sauces. Doing so does defeat the purpose of eating at this restaurant lol. If you are willing to be adventurous and try the cuisine beware of the infamous Szechuan peppercorn. Majority of the dishes have a heavy helping of them incorporated into them. If you happen to bite into one of the peppercorns it truly is quite the experience. You're left with an almost numbing and electrifying effect that takes hold of your tongue and mouth. It does pass after a little while however, feels very odd. Keep in mind there's no heat it's not a hot spicy peppercorn. I would describe it as Nature's Novocaine packaged into a tiny bite. read more

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The food is pretty mediocre here, the fish is somewhat bland, but the skewers were fairly good. It was pretty pricey for what it was. Nothing was very spicy even though that they said that it would be. It was pretty much middle of the road for Chengdu food. read more

Chengdu Taste - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

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This was a packed location! We waited for 30 minutes so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We had gone to CIty of Industry location before and wanted to try this location and we are very happy with our experience here. Here is what we got: 1) Mung Bean Jelly Noodle with Chili Sauce - This was a nice appetizer and not too big so it was great for sharing while we waited for our other food 2) Toothpick Lamb with Cumin - Always a top notch thing to get! So salty and so spicy, and you can't stop eating it! 3) Boiled Fish with Green Pepper Sauce - We tried the red sauce before and this was also very spicy! It has a different flavor and I like both the red and the green! The fish was the frozen fish filet, which I liked since I do not like the taste of fresh fish (with skin and bones in it) 4) Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce Fried Rice - This was not a spicy dish but our mouths were so numb that this was a good break from all the other dishes. It had a more sour taste to it and I loved the pork and garlic in this! Customer service was very fast paced but very good. You got your food fast and your water was refilled immediately. That's all I need! The parking is street parking so you can park on the bordering streets. read more

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I am dreaming about eating their fish in spicy sauce! My mouth waters when i think about this restaurant! I hate giving this 5 starts and make it known to the world but they are too damn good not to be praised! read more

Some of the best flavors I've had in a long time. Service is fast because you place your order through phone and it just comes out. Very easy and very good. Will definitely recommend and go back. Wish I lived closer. Some stuff was spiiiicy! read more

You always see a huge crowd of people waiting outside this restaurant. Don't be fooled - the wait is largely due to the long time it takes for the kitchen to prepare the food and the horribly inefficient staff that serve and turnaround the tables. We went on a weekday evening and there were only 4 small parties ahead of us (2-5 people). It took ONE HOUR for us to get seated. It then took another hour for us to get the three dishes that we ordered. During the TWO HOURS we waited, we made several observations...the restaurant has about 8-10 staff in the restaurant. They spend most of their time laughing and talking to each other. One guy mans the front, clears the table, and sets the table. One girl takes all the orders. You really have to wonder why they need the other 6 people. This place also caters to those from the Mainland. The servers were not at all helpful if you do not speak Mandarin. They won't even attempt to translate. We ordered the toothpick lamb ($13.99), tan tan noodles ($5.99), and the mung bean noodles ($4.99) because these seemed to be its specialties. We ordered the mung bean noodles only because we saw that practically every table had one. We later discovered that it was offered as a FREE appetizer if you win a rock-paper-scissor game with your server BUT this is only offered to the special people who speak Mandarin. We even tried to ask one girl about it and she just shrugged and walked away. We asked for everything medium and it was still pretty spicy. The lamb was pretty gamey and reminds me of popcorn chicken. I don't really see why they needed to put each piece on a toothpick and it kind of makes it a pain to eat. Might be better as an appetizer or a shared dish for a larger group. The tan tan noodles were just oily and spicy. Lucky Noodle King in San Gabriel has much better tan tan noodles. The mung bean noodles were spicy but tasteless. Ai Ri Rang Tofu House offers the same thing as one of their banchaan. The wait wouldn't have been so bad if we the food was good. However, the food was spicy but lacked flavor and taste. As for service and atmosphere, we walked away thinking that this was the most horrible dining experience that we've had in a long time. Spare yourself the misery...there are lots of other Szechuan restaurants in the SGV and they are a lot better than this one. I recommend Lucky Noodle King or Chung King. read more

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I finally got to try this place with a couple of friends last weekend! This place always has a lot of people waiting outside because its a very small restaurant. Expect to wait at least minimum 30-45 minutes. Luckily we went early at 6pm and only waited for about 30 minutes for table of 4. Parking is only street. You can park in front of the restaurant on Valley Blvd (if you're lucky) or park around the block. Located on Valley Blvd and 9th street. We ordered the mung bean jelly noodle to try as appetizer. It is enough to feed 4 people if you just want to try how it taste like. I loved it! It is just like noodles! It has a kick of spiciness to it so it is not too spicy. Very flavorful and spicy! I would order this again! Boiled Fish in green chili sauce. This was soooooo SPICY! I was crying! If you can't take spicy food then this place is not for you. Because this is very very spicy! I wanted to try to drink some of the soup broth but it was so spicy! Just a hint of touch with your tongue and it's already burning! By the middle of the dinner, my lips and tongue was so numb. But the fish is so soft, the broth is flavorful just really spicy, comes with bamboo shoots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and lots of chili! Toothpick lamb was so bomb! SO addicting! But it has a lot of the cumin spice to it. Still very good and addicting. One of the most popular dishes here. Highly recommend getting this. Pork with garlic and chili fried rice. Very flavorful and this was one of the least spicy item. Would definetly order this again. Overall, cool experience to try some really spicy food. But I am not use to eating this much spice and I really wanted to cry because it was just so spicy. But I think I would come back again for the toothpick lamb and mung bean jelly. Probably try another dish too since they have so many! **1 star off for having dirty water! There was stuff inside the water cups. I thought it was my cup that was dirty but everyone in my table had the same thing. Be careful when you drink your water. Might be dirty too. Just order soda. read more

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This is another overhyped place due to a review by Jonathan Gold. I came here on a Sunday around 6 p.m. and ended up waiting for more than an hour. I got so fed up from waiting, I just left and went somewhere else for dinner. I came back today and just ordered takeout. Seeing how many people line up at this place, even on a weekday, I expected some mindblowing experience. It was more mind-boggling than anything. I honestly can't understand why people would wait so long to dine at this place. It seems most people come here for the toothpick lamb with cumin. When you enter this place all you can smell is cumin. It's somewhat overpowering after a while. When you wait in line for an hour smelling this stuff, you get sick of it by the time you get seated. I liked the sauce but I'm not a fan of lamb so it didn't really do it for me. It would've been great if they used the same sauce/marinade on beef. The boiled fish in red chili sauce seems to be another popular item here. The fish was really fresh and tender but the sauce was just ok. It tasted more salty than spicy for me, but then again I have a higher tolerance for spice than most people. It wasn't painfully spicy, but because of the chili oil, it stays on your tongue and leaves a tingling/numbing sensation after a while. Personally I prefer the red chili sauce at Chung King. Don't waste your time waiting in line. Just order takeout if you want to give this place a try. Place isn't that big so the tables fill up really fast and they aren't very efficient at getting people in and out. Waiting more than an hour for a table is ridiculous. They have parking in the back but it's not that big. You will most likely end up parking in one of the residential streets. read more

Chengdu Taste - Szechuan Near Me - Alhambra, California

Hot in...Hot out... If you're going to light my butt on fire, at least take me out on a nice date first. Buy me flowers and chocolates, pick me up, take me out to a nice candlelit dinner. Common courtesy right? Be a gentlemen about it. This location is so much hotter than the Rosemead location. Trust me, my butt was complaining for the next couple days. He was so angry at me I had to send him an official apology letter a private carrier thru the mail. After that he was still angry at me so I was a gentlemen about it and took him out on a date. I just couldn't stop eating the chicken in spicy oil though. So good. Why the line?! Kept wondering why this place always had a line. I know how, it has enough seats for a south El Salvadorian family. You figure it out. On top of that the service is so slow, the entire time we were there not a single table finished. So don't think that just because a place has a line means it's a great spot. read more

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We arrived around 10:35 on a Saturday morning in an effort to beat the lines that Chengdu Taste has become known for in such a short amount of time. Sitting at a back, round table, we feasted on a number of Sichuan dishes that are relatively well-known - thanks to Johnathan Gold and other reviewers. We tried the Mung bean noodles, toothpick beef, dan dan mian, water-boiled fish and cold garlic noodles. Everything was good and super spicy but the garlic noodles were the standout dish on the table. Wow, just thinking about that meal puts my mouth on fire again! There wasn't enough rice to calm my tongue but the food was so bold with distinct, flavorful seasonings, despite the powerful chilies. If you can handle the heat, check this place out but go early because as soon as the doors opened at 11, the small dining room started filling up rather quickly. read more

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Props to the staff of Chengdu Taste and my friend Yelper Marc L. for getting our party of 40 in without a wait on a Saturday! I was skeptical that we could even get into Stop #1 on our 3rd SGV Chinese Food Crawl. Marc called ahead, got us there at 3:30 (off peak time) and pre-ordered six dishes for us to sample. If you've read about or tried to get into this restaurant, you've heard about the legendary 60-120 minute wait times. You are going to hard pressed to find any other restaurant in Southern California that has Sichuan food like this. The first thing I noticed was the presentation. Other restaurants may do similar dishes, but Chengdu Taste preps them so that the colors bling out. The greens seem so green and the reds seem so red. Taking that first bite of each dish, I found that the taste matched the looks. Toothpick Lamb - Spicy, pungent, mostly tender meat chunks tossed with dried red peppers, cumin and fresh cilantro served on toothpick skewers. This is a Sichuan staple dish and a must get, unless you hate lamb. Wonton with Pepper Sauce (Numb Taste) - These are boiled wontons presented in a pepper oil sauce. The sauce is heavy on the sichuan peppercorns. The red peppers give heat, but the peppercorns are what numb you. This dish is a winner. Mung Bean Jelly Noodles with Chili Sauce - Another spicy dish but this one is offset by the cool jelly noodles. The jelly noodles won't stop the heat, but at least when it's in your mouth you get the illusion of cool noodle with spicy sauce. Topped with sesame seeds, green onion, and roasted crunchy mung beans. Reminds me a little of the Liang Pi at Shaanxi Gourmet. Dishes like this in general don't excite me that much, just personal preference. if you do like this style of noodle, Chengdu taste does it well. Cold Noodle with Garlic Sauce - I loved this dish because of how much flavor it packed without being very spicy. It's dry noodles (no soup) with sauce on top. I'm going to order this every time. So good! Twice Cooked Pork - Thin, fatty pork slices, stir fried with greens. A simple plate, not very spicy at all. The meat is a little salty, inbetween bacon and regular pork, but other than that, nothing too unique. Lion Fish (not on the English menu) - You want a show? Bring on the Lion Fish! It's tilapia, cut, breaded and fried in a way so that the fish resembles a male lion with its mane. Half of the fish is splayed into tentacle like pieces. When each of you is done pulling those off, there's more fish fillet left on the body. This is not a spicy dish. It's served with a slightly sweet gravy sauce. If you look on the net, you'll be able to locate a "secret" menu that has dishes that they didn't translate over to the printed English menu. There are other dishes here that I'd still love to try... the Diced Rabbit with Younger Sister's Secret Recipe, the Spring Onion Chicken in Pepper Sauce (Numb Taste), Spicy Shrimp with Sizzling Rice... to adequately plate you'd need two or three visits here. Just so you know, Shaanxi and Szechuan food are usually not my first choices for favorite Chinese dishes. I do enjoy their regions' dishes and I love spicy, but not as much as I like Shanghainese, Cantonese , Taiwanese or Northern Chinese food. Shaanxi and Szechuan food share some similarities, as they both use peppers and spices with their noodles and have lamb skewers as common everyday eats. If you love spicy food, or you've been hunkering for that Szechuan food you had back home as a child, Chengdu Taste is a five star find. There are so few restaurants like this around here, which is why there's often a long wait for a table. It's good, it's different, but it might not be for everyone. read more

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Sliced Boiled Pork with Garlic Sauce - *** spicy lean and fat pork slices, thin cut Crispy Rice Covered with Pork Slices - **** new cuisine, tender pork slices with sweet and sour vegetable sauces, tasted great with crispy rice chunks, especially good for ppl who can not eat spicy food, recommend "Lion Fish"- ***** here's just the direct translation from its Chinese name (check photos for what it looks like), not the toxic lionfish, daily special, limited quality, you'd better call in advance to check out availability. Deep fried fish, crispy and tasty with spicy sauce, highly recommend Sautéed Chicken with Hot and Green Pepper - *** well-marinated chicken meat, chewy, spicy and tasty Tips: 1. the five-star review here is grateful to its delicious food and nice service, but feel free to take away one star by yourself, if you mind waiting a lot 2. sincerely advice you avoid weekend nights, or call in advance, or place to-go orders, save your time and enjoy great food :) --- Nov 3 --- Green Peppers Live Fish - **** soft fish slices, very fresh, recommend Mom's Special Pigs Feet - **** light soup base, tasted mouthful, recommend Steamed Beef - *** average taste, pork might be better Mixed Vegetables (Mao Veg) - *** very spicy read more

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We have been going to this place for years and it's one of our favorite restaurants. Very authentic Sichuan cuisine. Highly recommend it! read more

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It's been a really long time since I have been to this Chengdu Taste location located off Valley Blvd in Alhambra. I use to come here a lot with my friends and wait in this ridiculous line for sometimes over an hour to get seated. During those times the food was actually really tasty to me and I enjoyed it. I recently came back here a few days ago during dinner time and only had to wait maybe ten minutes to get seated. We had ordered our food and each of the dishes that did come by were quick and missing something. I don't know what it was but everything looks the same but the flavour just isn't what I remembered it tasting like. If you aren't into spicy food, and can't handle the numbness in your tongue I don't think this is a spot for you. Or you might have to drink lots of water to wash it all down. One of the popular dishes that still at least taste pretty similar as before is the toothpick lamb. Yes it is still good. The veggies on the other hand though, that was a different story. Maybe it was too rushed or maybe the veggies weren't that fresh but we actually didn't enjoy these dishes and ended up not eating them at all sadly. read more

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