If you're looking for authentic Chinese food at a really good price point, I highly recommend this place! The service was attentive and kind and the food came out relatively quickly. It helped that we were one of two parties eating at the time, but nonetheless we had a great time. The chicken had really great flavor, the tofu was just like my mom used to make it, and the eggplant was absolutely delicious. All dishes came with rice and it truly just completed the meal. I'll definitely come back if I'm ever in town! read more

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Definitely go for the spicy options here, it's what they do best. Very solid Chinese food overall. Sometimes it does come out a little salty for me. I particularly like the intestines and fried chicken here. Staff is always nice. read more

Fugu is my one true love it's one of the very few places in Madison where I feel like I'm eating authentic Chinese food. My top 3 favorites are: 1) deep fried chicken w/ chili pepper, 2) cumin lamb, and 3) stir fried string bean. Their sliced fish & tofu with spicy sauce and their Chinese cabbage with dried shrimp are really yummy too. The serving size of each plate is very generous (albeit, food here can be pricey). I ate hot pot here with friends before, and while the food was satisfactory, I think we should've received larger portions on each plate. Servers here are not exactly warm & talkative, but that does not bother me at all. They are very efficient in taking orders, bringing food out in a timely manner, and making sure your water cup stays full (despite how busy it gets around lunch/dinnertime). Fugu is great for accommodating party sizes of 1-10. Restrooms are available for customers. They are kept clean and well-stocked! read more

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Ordered take out and showed up a little early to pick it up. They let me sit at a table while I wanted and brought the food out quickly. I got the mala beef noodles and I'd highly recommend. I'll definitely return. read more

Fugu is a hidden gem. I highly recommend the twice cooked pork as well as the scallion pancakes. Particularly for these two dishes, this place is the best in Madison. It is a great place to come with friends and split a bunch of dishes! Also, they are happy to move fast if you are in a hurry:) read more

Not for tourists. This is, according to myself and my wife, among most authentic Chinese cuisine you can manage. In this pretty attractive, unassuming restaurant, quiet and great for a date night, you'll hardly see a white person around. This place is for people who want authentic Chinese food, and delicious Chinese food at that. Service is quick and thoughtful. I get the Mapo Tofu every time, but everything else I've ever had off someone's plate was delicious as well. Truly cannot be beaten in the city, for my money. read more

The worst experience forever and I ruin all my happiness in the dinner. First thing, I ordered a dish, the price was 18.5 on the menu, but it showed 21 on the check. I asked why and told me that the price showed above is the old price, the current price has changed. who fucking knows. The price of the dishes my friend ordered has not changed, why did mine changed. Second, is the boss's behavior ethical? Is it for me to show a bad face to change the order for me? Angrily snatched my check? An adult, who can't handle even this thing, is he still qualified to be a boss? Third, I received the revised bill, and the price I got even changed the extra price to the tips. What the hell is that? commercial fraud? Moral kidnapping? Are you kidding me? I swear that I will never step in the Fugu anymore. The following is writing in Chinese. 菜单价格不改，也觉得自己站的住理？ 鲁莽服务顾客，有商业道德？ 把价格改到小费，以为自己很聪明？ read more

I read that Fugu was under new management/potentially new chef and so I gave it a try! Ordered delivery - delivery was on time and food was hot. Ordered: Wontons in chili oil - YUM. a touch sweet, but really tasty. not too oily. not too spicy. Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles - good flavor! a bit on the vinegar-y side, but good taste overall. The noodles got a little soggy in the delivery, but still good. Mao's braised pork - yum. was in the mood for this and it hit the spot! very tender pork pieces and very flavorful. Mapo tofu with pork - tasty too. not too oily, and good flavors. twice cooked pork with black bean - my first time ordered the black bean sauce for twice cooked pork. well cooked pork with leeks and spicy peppers. good portion size too! Eggplant with garlic sauce - on point as well! Happy with my delivery choice. everything was hot and I have leftovers for days. highly recommend and will order again! read more

Went tonight for my birthday dinner. We ordered the Sichuan Cucumbers, the Fish with Golden Peppers, and the Fried Chicken stir-fried with dried chilis. We had a Mango, and a Pineapple smoothie to drink. Absolutely phenomenal! Everything was delicious. We will definitely return. read more

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If you avoid the Americanized stuff on the menu, this is the best Chinese place in Madison. It is, for example, the only place you can get ma la Mapo Tofu without either asking for it to be extra ma la (Ichiban Sichuan) or going into the back and talking to the chef (every other Chinese place in Madison). read more

Okay, Fugu, I'm sorry for taking such a long time to write a review for you, while I may be referred as a regular, by yelp standard. First time I came here was to have my own welcoming party held by my professor, supervisor and my new friends. Apparently, all of them have been regulars here for years so they ordered: the chicken with chillies (Sechuan style), fried tofu, and spicy fried fish, right away without any hesitation. They are all spicy and served our Indonesian tastebuds just right: we are all spicy eater. My American professor would only take a small portion, as it was too spicy for her. But, she liked it. Other times, hubby and I would try their lamb stew- again, spicy but delectable. In all, our meal experiences at Fugu have been always warm and nice. It's good, tho we all know, there should be some MSG involved. read more

Fugu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We walked in and were greeted promptly by a hostess who took us to our table and gave us the menus to peruse. There are a lot of options including your typical American Chinese like Mongolian Beef or Orange Chicken as well as more exotic dishes like tripe, ox-tail, kidney, or intestine. When our waitress returned we ordered sake as well as 'Steamed White Meat Chicken with Chili Oil Sauce', 'Three Threads Salad', 'Sliced Lamb with Black Pepper', and 'Sauteed Baby Octopus with Pickled Pepper'. The chicken is an appetizer and appetizer priced, but you get a lot of chicken. It is served cold and has the skin on. It was our favorite dish. Both spicy and sweet, very tender, I absolutely loved this and will order it every time I go back. Like a lot of Chinese food it is practically floating in oil, but it was so good. The Three Thread Salad is also an appetizer, also a good deal, and also delicious. It includes seaweed, bean noodle, and radish. Spicy and incredible. The flavors and textures were spot on and I would highly recommend this dish. The lamb with black pepper was not what we were expecting. It was floating in a lot of oil. It contained blackened chopped spicy red peppers and there were dozens (hundreds?) of them. The flavor of the lamb and the sauce was incredible. I think it also had cilantro in it. However, the spicy blackened peppers were everywhere and although I love spicy food I could not eat them, so I had to pick out the beef which was a challenge with that many chopped peppers. Great flavor, but I would not order this dish again as it was just too much work. The baby octopus dish was also delicious. Hot and spicy, with some vegetables I did not recognize. Some of the octopus were not as tender as I might like, but this was another very tasty dish. We really enjoyed the flavors and textures of all the dishes we tried. The peppers made the lamb challenging to eat. Next time we go, we'll probably just do appetizers since they are nearly the same size as the entrees but only 1/2 the price. I definitely recommend Fugu! read more

I came for a quick bite and just ordered from the appetizer menu. Things I had: Sweet Potato Pancakes: these were very interesting and not what I expected. They appear to be deep fried pouches of a sweet potato purée-like filling. The balance between crunchy outside and gooey inside is a nice balance. These are only slightly sweet and I wish weren't so oily. Beef in Lettuce Cup: the plating was nice but not sure how they got "cups". I expected lettuce wraps but received beef with lettuce pieces. I could not scoop then into lettuce cups as the lettuce was chopped too much. Flavor wise this was DELICIOUS! I highly recommend this if you want a lighter low carb dinner, and it's much cheaper than the entrees and the portion isn't too much! Ambiance: a little dark for my liking and I went during lunch time. I sat by the window which made it bearable, otherwise it was way too dark. read more

Fugu - Sweet potato Pancakes - Asian Fusion Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Fugu is among the top two Chinese restaurants in Madison serving authentic, family-style Chinese cuisine. A bit heavy handed with the salt and msg, but of course this means the food was good. I was delighted that one of their seasonal vegetable options was Water Spinach / Ong Choy / Kong Xin Cai. The stir-fried thick rice noodles with chicken was also a good bet. Like other Chinese/Asian fusion restaurants in Madison, Fugu is undergoing an identity crisis. Rather than serving a cohesive selection of items, I imagine this place developed its concept by catering to the whim of its customers. I guess business is business. Our waiter was charming and patient when trying to explain some of the difficult-to-translate menu items. The price point is high for home-cooked Chinese food, but I'm learning to expect this of State St. establishments. read more

Fugu - Seafood and Japanese tofu hotpot. MSG, get in my belly!! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The food was always good until my recent two visits, I am pretty sure they have a new chef now. Everything tastes different now, the food quality is getting worse. read more

This place has the spicy Chinese food i've been craving for. They got some American Chinese food but mostly true authentic Chinese food you don't see much. This is the only reason you should go here for and order. I bet most people are brained washed thinking that Chinese buffet restaurants are true Chinese food. The young unwise me was once. When I first arrived I had to wait out front alone for a few minutes before someone finally came out of the kitchen. Put after that service was on. Friendly and helpful. Their was only one other couple in the place the whole time I was there on a Monday night. They have two menu "books". Took me awhile to figure out what to order even thou I had looked over their menu online a little bit. First dish to arrive was the Spicy Green Beans. Crisps bite with slices of garlic and chucks of dry chilies. Greasier than I would of liked. Huge pool of oil on the bottom of plate. Had a kick to it but nothing compared to the next dish. The Mapo Tofu. Mouth on fire, nose running, the way I like it good. Chili oil, minced pork, scallions, szechuan pepper, and tofu. Hard to eat with chopsticks. The side of rice was excellent to soak up all the liquid. No buffet here. But great place to get a group of friends together and order a huge amount of plates to get a wide tasting of their menu. read more

Fugu - MaPo Tofu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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3.5 stars Came on a Saturday night this time and it was very busy, so the service wasn't the greatest. Appetizer came after both meals were served. One meal arrived 5-10 minutes after the first. We shared until the second one arrived. The food is so worth it. So is the drive from Milwaukee. Appetizer- Fried calamari Meal 1- Deep fried chicken w. dry chili pepper (I can't get enough of this) Meal 2- Sautéed baby octopus To go- Ox tongue and tripe w. chili sauce read more

This is a late review- we went around June time frame. This place is open late and is relatively cheap. The portions are HUGE! we ordered ramen and a rice dish with tofu. My ramen had decent to hot spicy level( they did ask on a scale of 1 to 5). I would steer to lower levels from next time Haha. The dinner was a more oily than I would prefer and since there was so much food, I mixed my own veggies in it next day for a full new meal. read more

I've been resisting going to this place for the past several years. The location was previously an 'all you can eat' place called Yummy Buffet. It's illogical why I resisted. I went here recently and ordered the cold chicken, eggplant dish, and fried chicken. Everything tasted amazing, but in particular, I want to say, be open to the cold chicken dish - the briny sauce it was smothered in was a heavenly combination of sweet, tangy, and salty. I'm definitely coming back here again. Three dishes came out to $30 or so for two people. You could also go cheaper and order the lunch bentos. read more

This is the best value Chinese restaurant in downtown Madison. The food isn't just your standard "American-Chinese" food as Fugu specializes in spicy Szechuan cuisine. Their Mapo Tofu is the perfect mix of silky tofu, crispy salty pork and spicy-numby oil. The value is also great as their lunch special is only $9 for a small soup, fried rice and a hefty entree. Compared to the cheaper alternatives Fugu's food tastes fresher, cleaner and more delicious, not to mention the staff is incredibly friendly. I also recommend their cumin beef! read more

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Glad to have this place back. A pretty solid spot to get decent Chinese food near State Street. The 3 star rating is because things can be a little bit hit or miss here. There are times when our favorite dishes are not as good as they usually are. Despite this inconsistency, this is a restaurant that we very much enjoy whether for eating in with a big group or to order takeout. When the dishes are on point, they're the best near campus. As far as dishes go, I really like their fish with tofu and ginger sauce. It is a large and filling dish, which often leaves us with leftovers. The beef dishes have always been really solid go-tos for us. I also like the fried chicken with chili pepper, but this is a dish that we've had mixed results with. read more

I am really struggling with how to review this place because the food was probably the best chinese food I have had in madison. I ordered the fried eggplant, mapo tofu, mushroom dry pot, and spicy string beans; all of them were truly excellent. That being said, I ordered the food as take out and it arrived 2 hours after their anticipated delivery time (3 hours after I ordered it). All in all, I cannot rate them any less given how truly exceptional the food was. However, I have to include the warning about time, as I would never recommend someone order from here if they were already hungry or if there was any deadline at all. That being said, if they are able to get their timing in order, they would easily be deserving of 5 stars. read more

The menu is huge here and you'd likely have to go to Fugu several times before discovering your favorite items. My favorite dish here is the sliced fish with sweet and sour sauce. I've never had anything as similar and as tasty as this. The cumin beef and the twice cooked slice pork are also great choices here. Not sure why, but I also really like their spicy string beans. In addition, ordering for takeout at Fugu is pretty convenient. I've never seen such a great set up for an Asian restaurant. You can order online and there is usually a discount for doing it this way. Just check out Fugu's website. Your best and closest bet for good, authentic Chinese food in Madison would be Fugu. There is no close second. read more

Best Chinese food in Dane County, hands down! If you are looking for flavor and authenticity, this is your place. Our last order was carryout during he pandemic and included Zhaijiang Noodle Peking Style (it has ground pork in it and is a favorite yummy dish), Twice Cooked Pork w/Spicy Sauce, and Szechuan Style Kung Pao Chicken (wow does this have kick, but do delicious)! Pork Fried Rice isn't special, but it's good. The Wonton in Hot Chili Oil appetizer is so good, but order it when you are dining in as it gets soggy carryout (but even soggy that chili oil is so amazing for the flavor). Spring rolls are okay. We will let you know what we get next time, but be adventurous and try new things here as this place is the bomb! read more

Fugu is a wonderful little restaurant right off of state street! The name is a little deceiving because it makes me think of the Japanese delicacy, but it is actually a Chinese restaurant (that serves Thai food?..I swear I saw some thai dishes on their menu...). My friend and I walked into the restaurant around 11AM on a Wednesday morning, so we didn't experience the longer wait time that other reviewers mentioned. We were promptly and politely escorted to a booth, and given plenty of time to peruse the menu. For lunch, the regular menu is pretty pricey ($9+ per person), but they do have a lunch specials menu with a smaller selection of dishes for more reasonable prices ($7.99). My friend and I ended up ordering the Kungpao chicken and Mapo tofu lunch specials to share. I want to say that the cuisine is mostly from Szechuan..because MAN they really know how to use their hot peppers. Personally, I thought the food was very authentic......Obviously, nothing is going to beat the Chinese food from back at home, but I think Fugu comes close! Now that I've found my go-to Chinese restaurant in Madison, I'm off to search for a Korean restaurant to add to my list! read more

Wow. I have only experienced this flavor twice in my life. The first was when my friend used lighter fluid to reignite the charcoal in his cheap grill in college. The second was the duck meat that was just delivered. I honestly can't taste anything other than butane. BUTANE. Seriously this is so weird and sad I'm not sure what to say. Did the owners grandson just make an attempt at lighting a duck on fire with firecrackers and then ship it's sorry ass out? My god. Lawsuit sad. Petrochemical taste in the mouth 45 minutes later sad. Holy cow. read more

Ever time I visit Madison I would go to this restaurant. The Chinese food is authentic and tastes well. The presentation could use some more work, but it's fairly affordable and was not positioned as fine dinning so I can't pick on it for that. Overall a great place to get your authentic Chinese fix! read more

When I heard they open again I'll go come again with my friend and try my favorite dish that always get it it was spicy chili chicken it was delicious and worth it to come back again great service great people and same interior which is nice bring back the memories thank you fugu for open again read more

I came here because i saw a few very good reviews from few years back. However, it was a big disappointment. First, there is only one server. It took forever for him to take orders. Then, food took forever to come. Next, the food was horrible. All were very salty. Food that supposes to be spicy comes out sweet. Those weren't chinese food I wouldn't be so disappointed if the food wasn't that bad. Then, i went home and looked further for the reviews. I realized that the owner changed. The one star is for the server who was nice. read more

I think I may have just found the one. It was a late Saturday afternoon, and we were preparing for the copious amount of alcohol we were about to consume that night. Knowing that the best way to not get completely trashed was food in our bellies, my friends and I set out on a quest to find some alcohol buffer. After going through countless takeout menus online, we finally settled on Fugu. Having never heard about this place before, our expectations were pretty low. First of all, the Chinese food in Madison is crap, period (Sorry Madisonians(?), just being honest). Second, this place is located right off of State Street, which is basically drunk haven for college kids. Third, this place is called Fugu.... and they sell Chinese food. Dictionary.com defines fugu as "a puffer fish that is eaten as a Japanese delicacy, after some highly poisonous parts have been removed by an authorized chef." So ok, this place is named after a highly poisonous Japanese delicacy, but serves Chinese food... Alright then, moving on... As soon as we opened up the menu, however, I knew we were in for a special treat. My non-Asian roommate couldn't read the menu at all, which is immediately a good sign when it comes to Chinese food. As I browsed through the list of food, I saw quite a few authentic Chinese dishes that I was so used to back in Boston. We ordered the sesame pancakes, Singapore beef noodle, eggplant in garlic sauce and deep fried chicken with dry chili pepper. It took roughly ~30 minutes of wait time before the food was delivered right to our doorsteps. The fact that this place delivers AUTHENTIC Chinese food alone should merit 5-stars. While waiting for our friend to bring up the food, the aromatic scent of delicious Szechuan cuisine wafted through our house, and made our mouths water. The moment the food was set on the table, we went into it like ravenous savages, and devoured the food within minutes. It was definitely not a pretty sight, but oh was it ever so delicious... I can still taste the soft eggplants with its sweet, garlic sauce. The numbingly spicy chicken with its perfect crusty skin. The thin, dry noodles intervened with tender pieces of beef and vegetables. Everything about the meal was delicious. I thought I had fallen in love before, but it wasn't until now, that I have realized my naivety. Fugu, you're now my number 1 love in Madison. read more

The location of Fugu is a huge bonus. Being located on State St right on campus, it's definitely popular amongst students especially. They serve good Sze Chuan food, which means that the majority of the dishes will be cooked with spicy oil -- making them spicy. Their menu actually runs pretty parallel to that of Ichiban. I have written a review of that pretty recently and I order and recommend the same favorites as I do at Ichiban. Plus, there are many reviews of Fugu out here with good recommendations on what to get, so I will talk more about the experience and service here. Went to lunch once for my post-seminar celebration with my group. We had the lunch specials, which was a good deal coming to about $10. It has a set consisting of the main course, a soup and fruits to go with it. Most of their sets are served in bento boxes, which is a pretty cool concept. For dinner you just order off their menu. Service wise, it's a little off what I could call top-notch. Which means that your main course dishes might come before or together with your appetizers. On some occasion especially when they are busy, you might have to remind them about parts of your order. But they are pretty good about reminders, and will get you what you want fast. I would visit more often but Ichiban has equally good Sze Chuan delicacies with a much larger sitting area and ample parking. Between one or the other it all boils down to personal preference and convenience. If I live downtown and I do not have a car, Fugu will be the logical option. Otherwise, take your pick, either way you will get nice Sze Chuan dishes =) read more

Fugu used to be my favorite Chinese restaurant in Madison, not anymore. When it started business in 2009, Fugu was red hot. Its authentic Sichuan Chinese food has drawn so many people to its wonderful central location at State and Gilman. I at least have dined more than 10 times during 2009-2010 and have been constantly happy with its food. Back then, only Wah Kee Noodle was the other "Authentic" Chinese place on my radar. But you know, restaurants are precarious business. Since 2009, there has been a revolution in the Chinese food scene in Madison. I can count almost 10 new authentic Chinese restaurants joining the competition. Ichiban, Oriental House, Double 10, Dumpling Haus, Hong Kong Station, to name a few. Fugu was no longer unique, and I have settled with Ichiban for Sichuan food in the past couple of years. Earlier this week, I went back to Fugu and was totally disappointed. The dining space was under-staffed with only two people handling 50 people. Through the whole time of our dinner, servers never had time to clean up dirty dishes left by previous customers. When we left, the restaurant was full of empty tables with dirty dishes. A group of people came but was unable to be seated. So they left. It was ugly. Plus, there were flies accompanying our dinner. We had 5 dishes, but they slowly came during a 30-mins period. The fast and accurate service was gone. Food was good but inconsistent. Water-boiled beef and Tofu Fish were really good, but somehow our stirred fried pea shoot, the easiest and overpriced dish of all, was messed up. Too much salt. My experience sounds really bad, but I tend to think it was an anomaly rather than the standard. Therefore I gave it a 3 star instead of 2. But for while, I don't think I am going back. There are much better choices if you are not limited to the State st area. read more

4 stars for one of two most authentic Chinese restaurants in town! 4 stars for the only Chinese restaurant specializing in Sezchuan foods. 5 stars for the o-so-spicy-it-makes-your-mouth-drooling-and-your-eyes-teary spicy fried chicken (other recommended menu includes tofu and mushroom in white sauce, spicy dandan noodle, and spicy wonton) 3 stars for the fish with spicy sauce, cold tripe/tendon. 3 stars for the relatively expensive price read more

I went here for lunch with a couple of friends. First of all, I must agree with Lan that the space is MUCH more appealing than you would guess from outside, and the restrooms deserve a special note of their own--single occupant and I'm not kidding, they are beautifully decorated. The overall ambiance was very nice. For the meal, we shared the steamed dumplings and my friends had Sichuan dishes with pork and tofu, respectively, while I had the Thai basil noodles with chicken. Madison is sadly lacking in Chinese food, but I would say we finally have a decent place in town for at least some traditional specialties. The Sichuan menu items are appropriately spicy and my friends liked them a lot. My Thai basil noodles with chicken were DELICIOUS. My only complaint is that the sauce was a bit overly greasy, which one friend said was also an issue with his spicy garlic sauce, but it wasn't overwhelmingly so and we agreed that in both dishes, the flavor was still very good. The steamed dumplings were serviceable although not particularly rave-worthy. (Then again, their competition at the meal was fierce.) The entree portions were large; I tend to pig out, but many people probably could have made two meals of them. We also had hot tea, which was promptly refilled by our waitress as we ate (admittedly it wasn't very busy at 11:45 or so when we were there). I really like green tea, and the flavor of Fugu's house tea is lovely--a bit bolder than Takara's, I would say, which I also like, but not too strong to enjoy with a meal. I gave them $$ for price because many of the entrees are in the $10-15 range, but they have a lunch menu with a range of $8-10 specials. Not at all expensive for the quantity and quality of the food, in my opinion. You should note, however, that there is a $15 minimum for credit cards. read more

I wish Fugu was more than it is. It's not horrible, but it's not particularly good either. I was there with a friend and I ordered pork and beancurd in a garlic sauce, which I know the name of in Chinese, but the translation they had on the menu is probably not the best. The sauce wasn't particularly good. It was spicy like it should be but too thick and gelatinous. My dish was smothered in it and I couldn't really taste anything but the garlic sauce. I think this is the same garlic sauce that they use in several of their dishes. The pork and beancurd was more like a vehicle for mediocre sauce. Growing up in LA though, I may be spoiled by my idea of good Chinese food and this doesn't even begin to compare with the myriad of options in LA. If you're used to LA's options, this is not the place for you. read more

We had Singapore noodles and Tofu with Fish Dish. Both were awesome. Tofu is the best i had, combined with sole fish , the dish was so delicious. we are planning to come here again and try out other dishes Staff and the Owner are very friendly read more

Okay. I'm torn. Mostly because this seems like a beloved restaurant by the humble (and very midwesternly polite) citizens of Madison. Let me just start at the beginning. The initial greet was polite and nice. I told them I was waiting for a friend and was sat right away, given menus and water. So let's begin with the menus. One set of menus was a standard Asian menu. The wine list had suggested food pairings - this was great! I mean, the pairings didn't make a lot of sense; some were paired with appetizers, some with entrées. The second menu, although bound in leather, was handwritten. In different colored magic markers. Any misspellings were crossed out and then corrected - in magic marker. Needless to say, it was hard to decipher and that menu was tossed aside very quickly. The title of said menu was "Winter Specials". It's June. My friend joined me shortly after. We both ordered wine, The server seemed very confused and had to come back and have my friend point to the exact wine she wanted. She ended up bringing the correct wines and they were delecious. The food came, and the presentation was fantastic. Lots of food (we should have shared). A few minutes after we got our entrees, the server dropped off the check. We weren't planning on leaving right away and this wasn't exactly what we were expecting. My friend asked for another glass of wine. Apparently no one has ever done that here before because both severs looked extremely confused. After a few minutes one of them came back and very abruptly said to my friend, "no more wine!" and just walked away. No offer for a differnce varietal, or something else to drink (a soft drink perhaps, saki, whatever). I mean, come on. We were begging to spend money. We weren't being loud or obnoxious, so I don't think we were cut off. But who knows at this point. While we were there, they seemed to have many many deliveries, so business must be booming. Perhaps that is the way to go. read more

I ended up going twice in a week. Interesting mix of Chinese-American and "real" Szechuan. You get two menus, one of which is really large. Huge variety of food to choose from. On the first visit, I went with a vegetarian friend and there were lots of options for her. After reading reviews, we ordered the sesame pancakes, which were good, but they were like deep fried roti with sesame on them. They didn't taste very Chinese-y but were tasty. Greasy but tasty. We shared the Ma Po tofu and still didn't finish it all - really good dish - spicy (not too much) and a lot of flavor. On my second trip I ordered the Kung Pao chicken, recommended by another friend. The waitress asked which one I wanted - there was an American-Chinese style and a Szechuan version. I got the Szechuan version. You know those red chili peppers in a lot of spicy Chinese dishes? There were a ton and chopped up so if you don't like eating them (like me, I love them in the food for flavor but they give me massive heartburn), you have to pick out a lot of them. The chicken was deliciously cooked - perfectly tender and also had slices of garlic and I think some ginger. Of course, there was a generous supply of peanuts. They also have some interesting dishes like fried spicy intestines that I wanted to try but wimped out. read more

Being in Madison for a couple of years, I'm pretty sure that if you want delicious and authentic Chinese food, this place is as good as it gets! They have many very authentic Chinese dishes you don't see very much elsewhere. I love the poached sliced beef in hot chilli sauce and the fish fillet dishes, they're delicious! Everything else I've tried here are all really great. The food can be really spicy, but you can always ask them to make it more mild. The servers are always really friendly and helpful. The restaurant gets pretty busy on the weekends, but I think it's worth the wait. The food is a bit pricey, ranging from $10 to $15 per dish, but the portions are big and it's not that bad if you share the dishes. One little down side is that they charge extra for rice. I highly recommend this place! read more

Fugu generally has pretty authentic food, and despite changing management a couple times, they've maintained the quality of their food. I ordered the spicy string beans, the garlic chicken, and cumin beef. The meats in my meal were cooked really tender, which was really nice. The flavors are really full too, and the sauces are abundant. Enough to flavor the foods AND the rice. The rice is a bit too soft and fluffy for my taste, but that doesn't affect my review. However, BE WARNED: if you come in during busy hours, you might have to wait 30 minutes before you get your food ... read more