Jacky C.

I've been seeing this spot pop up on my Instagram feed, so I decided to check them out. It is a Sichuan restaurant, but what makes them unique is their Tang Dynasty style dining experience where they play traditional music, have dance performances, and theatrical storytelling during your dining experience. You can even get dressed in Hanfu attire while enjoying your dining experience. Rentals is $10 for just the costume. Definitely a hot spot to take a lot of photos for Instagram. I saw Choudoufu (Stinky Tofu) ($16) was on the menu and immediately had to get my hands on it. I loved it when I had it in Taipei and this tastes pretty much just like it, maybe even better. The other appetizer we ordered was the Chongqing Spicy Chicken ($23) and it's spicy spicy. Be warned. I personally loved it and its fried well. Our veggie dish is the Plain Stir-fried Pea Shoots ($19), which is our go-to. Never a fail in my mind. If you need a rice dish, Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice ($14) is pretty good. However, all of the shrimp is pretty much placed on top (see photo). We went digging through the rice and there were no other shrimp. Our entree was the Golden Broth Sauerkraut Fish ($33), which they use Snakehead Fish and not Tilapia. We got this mild, which was perfect for us as it's the summer now and one spicy dish was plenty. We ended up taking this home as leftovers and it was devoured the next day.

Elizabeth X.

The food was so good; I loved the fried rice, glass noodles, tofu egg, cabbage, and cauliflower. The crayfish was pretty mala, along with the fish sauerkraut. They had some cool performances going on the first floor and the basement (where we dined). But I wouldn't go just for the performances. The basement level has private spaces for large groups, that are interestingly set up Japanese style, where you take your shoes off in the room because of the tatami mat. The tatami mat is also raised, where your seats are level with it, and then your legs go into an indent in the mat when you sit at the table. It makes it slightly hard to get up and out. There was also a karaoke tv.

Jennifer M.

I've dined at Chuan Bistro on two separate occasions with a medium to large group for dinner. The first time we had ordered a variety of dishes such as string beans, dandan noodles, spicy fish hot pot, ribs, eggplant and mapo tofu. The eggplant dish was ordered as super spicy but came out without any spice at all. We sent it back and it still came back out with very little spice. The fish and string beans were okay, but my favorite thing was the mapo tofu. It was the spiciest dish and the most flavorful. The 2nd time I went, I tried the chongqing spicy chicken, crispy pepper beef, lamb skewers, salted egg fried shrimp, fish fillet in picked vegetable soup, and sweet and sour pork. My favorites were the lamb skewers and the fish fillet in picked vegetables soup. The salted egg fried shrimp was certainly unique but failed in execution as the shrimp was not deep fried enough to be crispy. None of the dishes really wowed me on both occasions. The main attraction for Chuan bistro is their nightly entertainment, which features traditional Chinese dancers. Diners can also opt to dress up in hanfu for $10 per person. This was not disclosed to us when I went the first time. While it was nice to feel immersed in the ambiance and watch the dancers, I don't think I would recommend this restaurant for food as the it is not the main focus here. It is a one and done visit for me.

Tanya K.

We came here for an early dinner and booked out one of their private rooms. Food was fantastic and although we were in private rooms we still received amazing service. There's also karaoke in each room, but it's a bit hard to navigate in English. My family told me later they do have performances and drums.

Stephanie Y.

Really fun immersive dinner experience. You can pay $10 pp to dress up in traditional hanfu (+ more if you want makeup and hair) and can eat and take pictures with the outfit (no time limit). The male outfits are more limited but still cute. Approximately every hour it seems they have performances in the evening (ours happened at 7:15) and the dancers tend to go to each table (on the first floor) which felt very engaging. Huge plus too was that the food was also decent portion sized and all tasty!!

Joannie B.

I made a reservation for 7 people to celebrate my birthday on June 6th with my friends. I sent an email and I called to specify I would like to sit close to the stage to be able to see the show which starts at 7pm. I arrived around 6:30pm. When I arrived the hostess told me I had a group ahead of me which I didn't see. She said, because it's a weekend all 3 levels will have a show featured. There is the main floor, the second floor balcony, and lower floor. We followed the waitress to the lower floor and was given a room for large groups, it is secluded but felt like VIP. We were given a tablet to order from which then we send to the kitchen. My friends and I opted for the dresses and were led upstairs to choose. We finally settled down and started with our orders. The waitress seemed tired and off. I noticed a box sitting on the wall for music and my friend recognized it as a koreoke set up. When we asked the waitress she said, it wasn't working. So Immediately I'm thinking why they gave us a room with a non-working kareoke set-up when all the other rooms were empty when we got there. Also my friend mentioned we weren't supposed to step on the mat around the table with our shoes on; we noticed some sandals in the corner but, the waitress never mentioned anything. I'm not sure if that was a big deal to them or not. I don't want to assume things in certain situations and jump the gun to play the race card, but it definitely was given preferential treatment to the other guest. But anyway the dancer finally came around 8:30/9 ish and she danced for a whole 2min then proceeded to the other rooms who had kreoke and were jamming out. The food was good. We had the cabbage, spicy chicken, lamb chops, rib tips, spicy shrimp, cold beef slices, and shrimp fried rice. We all agreed the cabbage and rice stole the show lol. Although I did enjoy the Rib Tips. For drinks we ordered a bottle of sake and couple of bottles of soju. I won't say I had a terrible time because, i enjoyed my friends company. despite hearing the show going on upstairs and having to listen to the others kareoke, I enjoyed my birthday. Staff took pictures for us upstairs. We all looked great. My friends enjoyed it and we will definitely go back to try the exotic dishes on the menu. I would recommend it for the experience if you're into donghua, Asian history, or Asian drama. Or just to go try.

Sam Y.

Came with a group of 9, so we were able to try a variety of dishes (they have an extensive menu!) We were seated by the entrance, as it seemed to be the only table big enough for such a large group. They have the option to rent a hanfu and get your makeup and hair done, and while our group did not, there were a few people who did, including a couple of kids. The dancers do interact with people who are dressed up and/or taking videos. We tried: - Chongqing Spicy Chicken: lots of chicken and dried red chili peppers! The chicken was cooked well. - Golden Rice Crispy Chili Beef x2 (we could have gotten only 1 since the portion was generous!): I enjoyed the texture of the crispy golden rice with the beef! Great flavor addition to the dish as well. - Mapo Tofu: pretty standard version of this dish. I definitely recommend at least extra spicy for this dish, as it wasn't too spicy at this level. - Salted Egg Shrimp: could use more salted egg flavor. The shrimps were meaty and had a good crunch though! Definitely have to like eating the shell to make this dish worth getting. - Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet: classic sweet and sour flavors. However, the fish fillet were on the thin side, so some pieces were more coating than fish. It could have been any protein inside and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. - Sauerkraut Fish Soup: good balance of ingredients. I enjoyed the sauerkraut flavor a hit of spiciness! The fish was flaky and in nice big chunks! - Lamb Skewer: very tender and flavorful! If we didn't have so much food, I would have ordered more! We didn't think to order a vegetable dish, so everything was a bit heavy at the end. Will have to try their vegetable dishes next time. I also got a Guang's Pineapple Beer Drink (non-alcoholic - it is a malted drink). Overall, the dishes are pretty standard. Also, definitely up the spiciness (or enjoy the not so spiciness). I'd come back for the vibes.

Napoleon M.

05/15 I am so honored to be included in UYE's. It gives way to opportunity to try things outside of yelp events and experiences. About 7 of use came to Chuan Bistro to dine. The place is beautiful and it provides an upstairs view looking down as well as a main floor setting. The food was pretty good, I have no complaints. The service was friendly and welcoming. I really enjoyed the soup it was very tasty. I kind of don't remember the names of the other food and that's on me. I enjoyed the performances that were put on and how they chose someone from the audience to dance around them in the middle of the floor, that was the highlight. Inspire more, Yelp more?

Cecilia L.

Chuan Bistro offers a really cool theatrical experience with hanfu and live performances. Just a heads up on the timing: the live shows only run from 7PM to 9PM daily, consisting of a 3-4 min performance roughly every 40 min. It's definitely worth coming during that window to see it! A massive bonus is that they let you customize your dishes with options for less spice, less salt, or less oil, which is amazing for Sichuan food. Yangzhou Fried Rice (5/5): Fantastic fried rice. We opted for the "less oil" option, and it came out still very delicious and feeling healthier Pea Shoots (5/5): amazing veggie dish! Super fresh and cooked just right Lamb Chops (4.25/5): Really solid. They had a nice, subtle crisp to them and weren't gamey at all. Salty Egg Tofu (4/5): Good texture, though I didn't catch as much of the rich, salted egg yolk flavor as I hoped Cold Beef Tripe (3.75/5): Decent flavor, but it still leaned a bit on the saltier side Overall, come for the live show and enjoy some solid food!

Gail B.

Thanks to my Yelp Elite friend Andie for arranging a UYE here. What a fun environment that gives diners the opportunity to rent Hanfu clothing! Hanfu is the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group. Google says that they are the largest ethnic group in the world; and that they originated in the central plains of Northern China. Every dish that Andie ordered for our table was a visual feast, but the lamb skewer was the standout. It was packed with flavors that blended beautifully. Our server was excellent because she was attentive and quick. Every order was placed on the table 1-2-3. The ambiance was authentic, and the dance performance was incredible. Please watch the video below of one of the dancers leading a child in a dance. If I ever return, I might eat some Dry Pot Ox Penis (see the menu). Or I might experiment with some Dry Pot Bull Frog or Egg-Flavored Mushroom Deer Antler. I give the restaurant 3.5/5 stars, rounded to 4 because most of the food was too spicy for me.

Fennie W.

Delicious. Every dish I got, was so flavorful. I got everything mildly spicy because I can't handle too much spice and it was just perfect. The couples delight was non spicy and the vegetable as well and it was a perfect balance for the other mildly spicy dishes. There is also an option for you to click less salty in each of the dishes which is great for people who are being mindful of their sodium intake. Service is great. Everyone is very kind and attentive. Atmosphere is great. I went around 5pm on a Monday so it wasn't crowded and there was no wait but it started to get. Just around 5:30/6. They apparently have a performance for us but we overheard that it doesn't start until 7pm. Will definitely come back!

Gordon Y.

Cuisine: 5 Service: 6 Decor: 8 Value: 6 Overall: 6 This new hot spot is known for one thing, and one thing only, the beautiful traditional performances throughout the night while diners eat. However, that's all this restaurant really offers since the cuisine is average at best. The best dishes I have tried so far include the Grilled Oyster (8/10, tender and tasty), Braised String Beans & Eggplant (7.5/10, great but greasy), Preserved Vegetable Twice Cooked Pork (7/10, too greasy again), Pine and Nut Corn (7/10, simple but good). The Couple's Delight (6/10) was average, but was definitely a bit too chewy in texture and lacked that punch of flavor from a Szechuan dish. What didn't work for me includes the Sauerkraut Duck Blood (5/10, sauce was terrible), Crispy Salted Fish Fillet (4/10, to much batter), and Garlic Braised Beef Tendon (3/10, tendon was tough while sauce was flavorless). As for the performances, they start at 7:00pm daily, but not really every 30 minutes as advertised. They are more hourly, at least on my two visits so far. What we saw were short 3-4 minutes long traditional dance performed by a lady dressed in hanfu. What we watched was nice, but it really is just a gimmick. If they only have dancers and other performers stay around doing their thing for maybe 15-20 minutes every hour, then I would think it's worth eating some mediocre food to enjoy the view.

Camille R.

I came to Chuan Bistro on a Saturday night and it was such a fun experience--definitely more than just a meal. Food highlights: The dry hot pot cabbage sounds super simple, but don't skip it. It was packed with flavor, tasted clean/healthy, and somehow became the one veggie dish my kids devoured. The lamb skewers were a huge hit--big portions, juicy, and so flavorful we ended up reordering twice. Sweet and sour fish fillet was another winner. Big portion, great for sharing, and really tasty. Yangzhou fried rice was massive--we couldn't even finish it. Loved how generous they were with the shrimp. Cordyceps flower chicken soup had a super rich, comforting broth and tender chicken, though I do wish there was a bit more meat. Mixed / miss: Dan dan noodles had great noodle texture, but the flavor balance was off--too much peanut topping and not enough chili oil, so it leaned overly nutty. Chicken skewers were the only real letdown. Every adult at our table thought the texture and taste were off--very gamey and didn't quite taste like chicken. Dessert (surprisingly a highlight!): The fermented rice glutinous balls came warm in a slightly acquired-taste syrup, but once you bite into the balls and taste the black sesame filling, it completely changes the dish--so good and my favorite of the night. The ice jelly was also amazing--light, refreshing, perfectly sweet, with toppings like haw flakes, beans, and dried fruits that all worked really well together. Atmosphere: The live performances were beautiful. The dancers in hanfu were elegant and graceful, performing from around 7-9 PM and even walking through both floors of the restaurant. It really adds to the whole experience. I was offered basement seating (private rooms), but I chose to wait for the main dining area specifically for the performances--worth it. Tip: Make reservations well in advance. Even with a waitlist, the wait can be long. Overall, a memorable night with great food, generous portions, and a unique dining atmosphere. Just order strategically!