I ordered delivery from Lao Sze Chuan a few months ago, but finally visited in person this past Saturday and had a very good meal. Lao Sze Chuan is a new-ish (open since January 2025) Sichuan restaurant that took over the space Busboys and Poets used to occupy. It's a huge space, but they did a great job renovating it, and it feels light and bright and modern - very comfortable. It's huge though - so I hope people know it's there and are ordering takeout/delivery or stopping by a for a meal in person! The service was very friendly and very fast, so it's a great spot for an in-person meal, too! Their menu is as large as the restaurant space, so there's something for everyone! They definitely have a lot of Sichuan dishes, but if you're not up for Sichuan, they have some other dishes that might fit the bill: dim sum (plenty of dumplings and buns), lo mein, fried rice, Peking duck, basil eggplant, Mongolian beef, and more... On Saturday at the restaurant, my husband and I shared a pot of white tea and a few dishes: crystal shrimp dumplings; pork soup dumplings; spicy tofu skin strips (shredded tofu skin tossed with Sichuan-style chili oil, peppercorns, and spices for a bold, numbing and spicy flavor); spicy and sour fish fillets (tender fish fillets simmered in a flavorful broth with pickled mustard greens, garlic, and Sichuan spices); a side of white rice for the fish; and red bean paste pumpkin cakes for dessert. When we ordered delivery in February, we shared: vegetable steamed dumplings; Yu-Shiang Eggplant Roll (tender eggplant braised and rolled in a traditional Sichuan Yu-Shiang sauce, offering a perfect balance of sweet, sour, savory, and spicy notes); crispy salty chicken (bite-sized chicken pieces deep-fried and seasoned with basil); salt & pepper pork chops (crispy fried pork chops tossed with onions and jalapeño peppers for a bold and savory flavor); and a side of white rice). I've enjoyed everything we've eaten (although I wouldn't recommend the crispy dishes for delivery for obvious reasons - I can't resist salt & pepper pork chops sometimes even though I know it doesn't travel the best), and I love how broad the menu is. I can't wait to return to try more of their dishes! read more

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Had a good meal for our second visit but the service left something to be desired. Our waitress was very nice but the restaurant was almost empty and she hardly checked on us at all. We sat there for 15 minutes after we were finished and I finally had to get up and ask the hostess if she could ask our waitress for to go containers. As for the food it was quite good. The dumplings in spicy chili oil were very good. The shrimp fried rice was fine, nothing too special. The general tsaos chicken was good. The dry fried green beans were very good and the lemon shrimp was decent. read more

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The best dim sum place I've ever visited in US. Better than Sam Francisco! Mesmerizing umami! Comfortable atmosphere and friendly staff!

Great tasting Szechuan food! We liked the Spicy chicken the most, as the pieces were crunchy on the outside and very juicy on the inside. The fish fillets with Sichuan peppercorns were also a highlight of the meal. Definitely get some rice! Though it is marketed as Szechuan cuisine, we felt that there was a decent amount of western influence as well. The spice levels for one were not as high as we imagined. But overall was a great meal! I really hope this stays around for a while - previous restaurants in this location haven't lasted more than 2 years each, so I hope this is able to stick around longer than that! read more

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This chicken is killer! I got it medium spicy and it has the perfect kick, a tasty crunch, and everything in between. The rice noodles were also so chewy and perfect. The guy working the counter was super nice and the only reason it's a 4 star is because I asked for no onions in my to-go order but there were lots of onions. read more

Lao Sze Chuan - Chongqing spicy chicken - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Woke up from anesthesia craving the duck bone broth soup here. Its flavor is plain, but nurturing. Its exactly what I needed after getting my wisdom teeth pulled. My typical order is the braised pork belly, which is served with quail eggs! A happy little surprise. The portions here are meant to be shared, emphasized by the family portions listed across the menu. Sometimes I stop by just to get the Szechuan green beans so I have a little snack to nibble on as I walk around town. I've only eaten inside once, but the high ceiling and simple décor makes it easy on the eyes. On such a busy campus it is truly a place of refuge, where one can truly enjoy their meal in peace. This will be an excellent spot to have a dinner party once the private dinning room is completed. read more

Lao Sze Chuan - White Tea - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I ordered some food from this restaurant through DoorDash to be delivered to the hotel. I got their Chong Qing spicy chicken, dan dan noodles and steamed rice. The food came so well packed in an insulated bag and tasted so fresh, warm and delicious. I highly recommend this place. read more

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This is good chinese since i have ordered from there a couple of times some dsihes i thoroughly enjoyed others were just ok. Also they are heavy on cumin in some dishes which is not one of my favorite spices which throws me off a bit. Their side of fried rice is decent. Let me see what i have ordered Mongolian beef was ok, way too saucy but decent enough. Tibetan Lamb diced was nice, the sizzling scallian chicken the first time i ordered it i liked it, the second time not so much. Also ordered the spicy beef cubes loved them tho the cumin threw me off just a bit. Its not your average chinese price wise, but its a lot of food that can last you a lot of meals so you can justify the cost. Will work my way through the menu tho. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was! Dined here for lunch on a weekday-Service was fast and efficient, the food came out piping hot, and everything was delicious. The space is quite large, clean, and very nicely decorated with plenty of seating. We ordered the pork soup dumplings and the spring rolls to start. Both were good but one of the soup dumplings had been ripped prior to arriving at our table and the soup leaked out onto the plate. The dumpling was still good but we didn't get to slurp the soup out which is the best part! Spring rolls were pretty standard but good. The crispy sesame beef was perfectly fried and had a great texture combined with the glossy, sweet, savory sauce. Yum! Definitely will be back to try more of their dim sum menu! read more

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This place serves delicious, elevated authentic Chinese food. We went there for lunch, and got soup dumplings, fried dumplings, , bbq pork buns. salt and pepper fish fillets, beef chow fun, braised pork belly and Peking duck. Everything was beautifully presented; especially the braised pork belly served in a bubbling red pot and Peking duck, has the fat trimmed off the skin serves with pancakes and accompaniments. The service is exceptionally attentive. The dining room is modern and clean. This is a wonderful place to go for elevated Chinese food. read more

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I don't understand the people here who said then food is authentic. Despite the low ratings, I saw certain comments that made me want to give this place a try. It was certainly disappointing. My biggest issue with this place is that the ingredients did not taste fresh. Even under heavy spices, you can tell the cumin lamb had a weird stink to it. The cold appetizer of beef with chili oil was even worse. Despite the heavy vinegar, you can still taste underneath the meat had a strange flavor. This is my favorite dish so I eat it all the time at other places but never had this. I honestly was afraid to eat it and I thought I would get sick from the old meat they used. The braised pork belly was fine, but overly sweet and you can tell they used food coloring. The chili fish was just fine, did not have a lot of flavor and was not authentic. We did not mean to order the "sesame beef." We thought it was some sesame beef dish with sliced beef, but it ended up being a panda express dish. It had so much breading that you can barely taste the beef. read more

Great space! Very upscale and yet not too much. We stopped by for some dim sum and were not disappointed. We ordered braised pork belly, dry stirfry beef rice noodle, frided fish, pork bao, soup dumplings, half of a duck and puer tea. Everything was very flavorful and delicious. The staff were very awesome and helpful. Will definitely come back at some point! read more

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We've been here multiple times, most recently we sat in for dinner! We usually do pick up, so I can finally comment on service/ambiance. Service 10/10. Speedy, responsive, attentive. Kept our water glasses full and gave a good wine recommendation for those in our group who don't like the taste of wine. For food, I recommend a few things: -mongolian beef -chilli chicken -vegetable lo mein -chilli oil dumplings That is literally everything we have tried from here. Nothing has disappointed us. Everything has been hot, fresh, and flavorful. I love the schezuan spices. We go here every other month at this point, love it so much! read more

The food is fresh and hot even when I ordered through DoorDash it was still sizzling chicken and hot rice! The salmon spring rolls were delicious and the truffle buns were amazing as well. Definitely a new favorite for a satisfying lunch order, now I need to go dine in! read more

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Got the lunch dimsum which we didn't know they had. This runs til 5 pm. Ordered two orders of pork soup dumplings (6), one order pan fried pork dumplings (6), salmon firecracker, ha gao shrimp dumpling (3), 1 scallion pancake, brown sugar mochi, and the charcoal yolk buns (2) for $80 ($40 pp). It was pretty ok, 3.5 stars for dimsum, to be honest not the best and kind of pricy, +1 star for being less than a block away from my dorm and new restaurant on St. paul's. Recommend the salmon firecracker thought, that was ok price for the amount you get. read more

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I've had the shrimp dumplings but the veggie dumplings are some of the best. A little pricey but a nice treat once in a while. They come with a sauce made in-house that is spicy and delicious. I feel the veggie lo mein was good. There are other vegetable dishes but you have to order rice. All in all it is kind of expensive so it's better to go in a group so you can share. Service was okay. read more

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i went during the soft opening. they have a dedicated vegetarian menu, which is nice. the ambiance is very nice, soft lighting and very wood-y vibes. the service was very chaotic, but i assume that's because it was during the soft opening and things weren't fully ironed out yet. water refills were unfortunately nonexistent. i ordered the basil tofu pot. the food itself was quite good, although it didn't taste like basil it was still very enjoyable. the main gripe i have is the price. my tofu dish was the same portion as my friend's beef dish for almost the same price when tofu is usually significantly cheaper. also, i find it silly that a 22 dollar dish doesn't come with rice automatically. although pricey, you can easily split it up into 2 meals. i would probably come here again, but only for special occasions or for dim sum. read more

Lao Sze Chuan - basil tofu pot - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

After a great experience at the Bethesda location, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Lao Sze Chuan also has a restaurant in the Baltimore area -- and of course, I had to check it out. Once again, it did not disappoint! I tried some of their seasonal drinks, which were unique and very refreshing -- something I haven't seen at other Chinese restaurants. The dishes were consistently delicious, just like at the other location, and the service was attentive and welcoming. I enjoyed the food so much that I ended up ordering extra to take home. Overall, this Baltimore location lived up to the same high standard, and I'll definitely be coming back. Highly recommended! read more

The staff was great. They worked to seat us immediately. Our server, Brandon was kind and pleasant. The vibe was calm and warm. The food came out nice and hot and the wait was not long at all. My favorite was the firecracker fried salmon roll. read more

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We order take-out at least once a week! It comes hot and fresh, and the packaging...those bags! Our go to items are definitely the pan fried dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, Cucumbers and fried rice. We were so happy that they moved to this location as we were missing some really good authentic Chinese food. We have gone there once to eat and was able to get a table with no problem. It's roomy...not too loud and the service is spot on. read more

The wife and I got dinner there on a Saturday night. The food was incredible and the dining room was clean and nicely decorated. The only reason for the 4 stars is that the staff is terrible. They brought us someone else's order and made us wait about 20 minutes before I had to grab someone else so I could pay. read more

The mapo tofu and cabbages were great. However the crispy beef was hard to chew and not recommended. read more

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The servers seemed new but super attentive and friendly. Open space is refreshing. Big windows are nice. The food is some of the best Chinese food in the state. It rivals Rockville/Gaithersburg places, which is the real Chinatown of DMV. Flavors are sublime. The shredded chicken is both tender and super thin, packed with flavor. The shumai is better than most dim sum joints in MD (I am looking at you Far East in Rockville). Sizing is right on. And like that rice can be ordered separately. This is the place to eat if you want Chinese in B'more. read more

Lao Sze Chuan - Tripe, wonton in spicy chili sauce, cold beef appetizer, cucumber, shredded chicken. - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I waited for a while to try them, based on some middling reviews on a few sites, and I wasn't really excited with the food that I got. Salmon firecracker rolls were mentioned in a lot of reviews as being great, but I wish they'd put the sauce on the side - they were soggy and aggressively sweet. Many rolls were 90% wrapper with just a knuckle-sized amount of salmon, too. The spicy chicken was bland, overcooked, and too tough to chew. Super disappointed - for this price had hoped it was a step up from cheaper takeout options. read more

We order take-out at least once a week! It comes hot and fresh, and the packaging...those bags! Our go to items are definitely the pan fried dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, Cucumbers and fried rice. We were so happy that they moved to this location as we were missing some really good authentic Chinese food. We have gone there once to eat inside, roomy...not too loud and the service is spot on. read more

Firstly , the menu was varied and looked interesting. We were excited to see they have a vegetarian hot and sour soup, sadly it was thick, gelatinous, brown and salty . The rest of our meal was a bit lack luster, mediocre and on the greasy side. The decor was lovely. The service was excellent and they have nice bathrooms . Ultimately it didn't live up to the Szechuan a Block down the street at the Orient Express. Possibly an off night ? They are newly opened , maybe in the future they will tighten up the flavors. read more

I've been to the Bethesda location of Lao Sze Chuan so I decided to give the Baltimore location a try since it's so close to the Homewood campus. I was not disappointed! The four joy lion's head meatballs and the vegetable stir-fried rice noodles were fresh and tasty. Service was very friendly and attentive. Even though I was so full, I got some dan dan noodles to go. Would love to come again! read more

Lao Sze Chuan - Four joy lion's head meatballs - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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The best place I've ever ate in my life those spicy beef cubes were amazing and the server who recommended them was so kind the hostess was so nice very clean environment too. read more

Love their Yuxiang shredded pork as well the dumplings and hot and sour soup. Take out is very efficient.

Ridiculously expensive for take away. Yes fancy warm bag but do we need it and GET THIS No rice included! AND We asked if we could order food without MSG And they said absolutely NOT! Chef won't do!!! They ask about all kinds of allergies but not to msg. GO ELSEWHERE !! read more

Dreadful food. Absolutely flavorless. The service was indifferent. No need to try again!

Great food. Huge portions. Lovely staff. One thing needed-- availability of pots of tea.

My favorite Chinese restaurant in Baltimore city. They're really great with flavors and textures. Nothing I've had is bland or soggy. My favorite dishes are the dan dan noodles, the hot pot soup, and the salmon rolls. Atmosphere is nice and service timely. Great for a date, group hangout, and even carryout. read more

This new restaurant is fabulous. The service was great and the food gets a chefs kiss for sure! My partner is allergic to garlic so we were very pleasantly surprised that they have a separate garlic (and onion) free menu! He loves onions so they were able to keep that in his main dish for him. I'm a vegetarian and this was the absolute best tofu I've ever had. The sauce was delicious as well. Rice doesn't come with the dishes so make sure you order it on the side. We can't wait to return. We are thinking of going there for our birthday next month. read more

Lao Sze Chuan - Vegetarian spring rolls, tofu with basil, lemon shrimp with walnuts and diced lamb - Chinese Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

The restaurant has provided the WRONG ORDER several times thorough Door Dash. Door Dash being themselves have not refunded me the full amount of the order, nor will they ever. Furthermore, Door Dash won't let me leave a review or rate the restaurant, so here I am. The quality of this food does not warrant the prices AT ALL. I like their Sesame Chicken, but it's hard to get when they consistently provide the WRONG ORDER. Avoid this restaurant and Door Dash at all costs. read more

The food was good and my friend and I enjoyed it very much. We ordered spicy fish fillet and mapo tofu. If you enjoy authentic spicy sichuan food, this isn't the right place because their spice levels were nowhere near the descriptions. We ordered three peppers for each dish and it felt like 1 pepper. Also, the wait was absurdly long. We entered the waitlist at around 5:40 pm and got seated around 7:00 pm, and we were 1st on the waitlist for half an hour. They told us our expected wait time was 20-40 minutes, but left us waiting for double to triple the time. read more

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There were no people in the restaurant, all of the food was weirdly soft, and the waiter could have cared less

This place opened a few months ago and we after walking by it a few times, we finally made a reservation. The restaurant looks beautiful with great indoor designs and surrounded by glass overlooking the busy St. Pauls street. The people at the restaurant are very friendly. Good experience from door to seating. Their dimsums are a must try. My recommendation would be the pork dumplings in red oil , pork pan fry dumplings, beef stir fry. read more

We noticed this restaurant in our neighborhood was having a soft open so we stopped in to try it out. We had the cucumbers in garlic sauce, the dry-fried green beans, and the chongqing chicken. Everything was delicious. The service was outstanding. We arrived at the same time as a large group that kept the wait staff busy. Our service was *hardly* delayed, but nevertheless our waiter and the manager both apologized repeatedly and even gave us a discount on our check as a goodwill gesture. The restaurant seemed very clean and up-to-date. I'm not sure if they redecorated since taking over from the last business, but it was a comfortable space. We will be back for the official opening. read more

Kinda going downhill? Hot and sour soup tonight (delivery) was like a cornstarch slurry. Mongolian beef ($24) sad, soggy onions, no aromatics, just a salty brown sauce. The cold apps are always great! Chengdu chicken in red oil sauce is very good. Just does not hit the same for me as it used to. I am SO grateful they label things gluten free and have a less oil/salt option, otherwise i'd never get Chinese food. But kind of an off night read more