very bad experience in the place. they force customer to pay in cash but charge you tax! very bad attitude also. they charge rice for $1.5 and the second bowl for $5! Disgusting place! 欺骗客人，态度恶劣，无良商家 read more

I like this place a lot. Tasty and scrumptious food too bad they accept only cash though. Definitely worth it. As I mostly go with my colleagues we have a specific list of items that would mostly cover everyone's expectations. I find the new space much space and no wait times mostly read more

Take a cab, don't go after dark. Our car windows got smashed into-- parked directly in front of the restaurant. Food was fine, but we totally regretted picking this restaurant. Was trying to show my family around Oakland. I was trying to show my wife it's not that bad of a town, maybe we could move here. Yeah, I failed.. not gonna happen now. Guess I was being naive. Should have stayed away from Chinatown though. There's really good Chinese restaurants in East Oakland, way less shady. Don't let the 4 stars here fool ya. read more

This place is such a gem. I have been working in the Oakland downtown area for several years and have walked pass this place. Finally I got to try it and I quickly became a regular. The spicy dishes are all unique and truly for the die hard spicy fans. The explosive chicken wings is a must try. The soup noodle is great too. Too many good choices to list here. read more

Spices was too spicey for me! haha! Actually, one of the hot pot dishes we ordered was WAY hot, but aside from that the other food we ordered was really good. Lesson learned: If you want to order the murder pot, a murder is what you're gonna get! read more

I love spicy foods. I came here expecting spicy and barely got mild instead. I enjoyed my dinner here, but the Yelp reviews I've read about how spicy the food is left me pretty disappointed. We ordered the Chicken and Fish in Flaming Red Oil, the Sizzling Lamb, Stinky Tofu, a few other less notable plates and fried rice. They were all pretty exceptional! I'll come here to eat again, but not when I'm looking for something spicy! read more

Surprisingly good food. They serve TAIWANESE food which can be very spicy. Their specialty is STINKY TOFU in all its guises. They have 10+ stinky dishes to choose from. The menu is extensive and can be pretty overwhelming, but ask the waitress what the good dishes are, and you won't be disappointed. The string beans and watercress dishes are freshly prepared. If you order the pork loin, it will take a long time, but it is well worth the wait. The meat falls off the bones and has such a yummy flavor. read more

Had a rice plate during lunch and was somewhat disappointed by the food, service, and ambiance. And the women's restroom was totally run down, and didn't even have a mirror. You can do much better in Oakland's Chinatown. read more

Just ate there yesterday for lunch 4 dishes plus 2 drinks for a total of $46. Great food, great service. Can't find any better Chinese restaurant like this one. If I die tomorrow, food from this restaurant would be my last meal. read more

This is my first visit and I will recommend this place for a warm delicious authentic soup. This will be my new spot for won ton soup! We also order chicken chow mein, green beans and spicy chicken.. great service too. read more

Great place for sichuan food for cheap. Their appetizers are around $5 and lunch specials are around $6.5 with rice. I also like that they will make the spicy chicken with red pepper without the bones per demand. Purely in terms of taste it's probably not as good as Sichuan Fusion in Richmond or Sichuan House in Walnut Creek, but it's pretty close. I come here often for takeout. read more

The worst service I have ever experienced. Its a pity, since I went there after reading the other reviews that the food is good, but I walked out after 15 mins of just waiting to even get them to take my order. The attitude of the server was just deplorable. Not getting into details, but this is one place I'm not going back to again. There are plenty of great food places in Downtown Oakland. read more

Don't be scared off by the sketchy neighborhood - it's nice inside! It's quickly become a lunchtime favorite. Get the fried fish with explosive chili peppers - such a unique flavor sensation! The fish is very tender, surrounded by a spicy coating that tingles on your tongue. The string beans are great, and the smoked bacon with dried beancurd is absolutely out of this world! Try this place - you won't be sorry! Cash only, but you can eat very well for very little. read more

I was impressed all around! Spicy beef bowl with flaming red oil, Sizzling chicken with basil, lamb with chillies. All on target, spicy and cooked just right. Definitely coming back. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by how good this place was. The house special Orange beef was amazing. If you like spicy food, and you like Chinese food, this place is for you! I will definitely be eating from here again and highly recommend it! read more

I order the #46, which is fish fillet and veggies in super hot peppercorn oil, and the dry braised string beans. I guess I should try something else, but these dishes always hit the spot read more

Very delicious, some of the best Chinese food I've had in the Bay Area. The salt and pepper calamari were on point!! So good, definitely going back for those. The green beans were absolutely amazing and the garlic eggplant was perfectly cooked. Service was friendly and fast! New favorite place for casual date night. read more

Spices 3 - Chicken in red oil (not great) - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

See all

Everything here is perfect... Spicy food, of all sorts, are really authentic in my opinion. Except that "Cash Only" read more

Amazing find! Saved me on the late-night when everything else was closed with delicious food!

Amazing complex flavors. I ordered delivery and was pleasantly surprised with the quality. The spicy beef appetizer tasted of tingle pepper and puer tea! Cumin lamb was exquisite. My perennial favorite Chinese dish, black mushroom and bok choy had a simple sauce that let the flavors of the vegetables come through. Nom nom read more

The pickled cabbage with fish filet soup was outstanding! I would come back for that alone and would love to try some of the other spicy dishes. Very pleased! read more

Excellent hot and sour soup. Great noodle dishes (especially the rice cakes). Salt and pepper chicken is also good. If you go, make sure you go with people who are open to trying new dishes. The menu has some dishes that most would consider wierd. Besides the great food, it's open late and they have the large flat screen going with Chinese music videos. read more

I just ate there and it was really good. I had the Kung Pao chicken and enjoyed it very much. It was not that hot, so long as you do not eat any peppers. I had several and they lit me up. I had to push most off to the side. Great spot to get a quick bite of spicey food. read more

Open late in Downtown Oakland. The food is great except yes -- the stinky tofu lives up to it's name and can be annoying. I recommend the orange chicken. Delicious. read more

alright, the noodles were delicious. and spicy. but everything else we ordered seemed to be lacking. the pickles were sugary and the fried tofu dish showered with garlic was almost inedible. it was so salty! i have to say though, we took most of the leftovers to go and it tasted a lot better the next day, cold. read more

Best spicy food EVER !!! All the chefs know when I come in just by my orders :-D

A lot of really good dishes, but also a few that were too oily/spicy to eat. I wish the menu was just a bit more descriptive of what you were ordering. read more

Like the best cheap places in Sichuan and Beijing. This is fantastic fish-sauce eggplant (Yuxiang qiezi) and of course tsingdao is the only beer on the menu, as it should be in a truly authentic Chinese place. read more

Delicious and spicy. Had the calamari (not fried) in mustard sauce, and mapo tofu. Both were really good, quite spicy but without overwhelming the other flavors. I love spicy food, and this met my hopes admirably. read more

By far the best Chinese food you'll ever eat. I drive all the way from Monterey just to eat here. Every seafood dish is absolutely amazing and you can never go wrong with a hot pot(gangsta' style is by far the best and spiciest) All in all the people who run this place are friendly and helpful. I've been here dozens of times and still haven't tasted the entire menu. And to all the people who wrote bad reviews about the food, maybe you should know what true Szechuan food is before going to a authentic Szechuan restaurant. read more

They get crowded sometimes but the food is worth waiting. Some dishes are very salty but that just means you go on a diet for a few meals afterwards. Surprisingly the most numbingly spicy dish I have had so far is jiachang togu. Service is taking your order and bringing you the food. Don't expect more. For a quick lunch, that's enough. read more

I came here during my veggie diet. Had great options on the menu. All the food was delicious. We had the gangsta hot pot, veggie fried rice, fried green beans, shrimp & veggie, & the mo-pu tofu. They were all very satisfying. Everything we ordered had a lil spice kick to it which was a plus. I've been craving some more spice 3 food since the last time I ate there. read more

Spices 3 - Gangsta hot pot, fried rice with veggies, mo-pu tofu, shrimp with veggies & green beans - Szechuan Near Me - Oakland, California

Awsome food! Service slow and not that great though... But prices are good! Would recommend to anybody willing to eat delicious authentic Chinese food in Oakland! read more

Amazing Szechuan food! The Cumin Lamb, Beef Noodle Soup, and Ma Po Tofu are excellent. Great veggies with numbing spice, cucumber appetizer is one of faves. Service is fast and the food is always excellent! read more

The spicy fried rice with chicken and shrimp is out of this world. The food is served fast, so I give them a thumbs up for speed of service, but if you want something besides the hot tea you really need to be assertive. They serve it in this HUGE stainless steel bowl. It looks like it's meant for at least 3 people. Flat out the best fried rice I've had. The shrimp is cooked perfectly and not overcooked/tough as is the norm. Trust me, I don't give out these reviews easily. You won't be disappointed. I go here once a week and it's consistently great! read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this location in downtown Oakland. I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food, but their fried Kung Pau Fried Tofu and Eggplant in Garlic Sauce were absolutely fantastic. I would definitely return and order these again. The dining experience was normal. I was intrigued by the Stinky Tofu on the menu, as I had never heard of it. The texture of the tofu was fantastically crunchy. I thought it smelled and tasted like manure or a barnyard, so clearly my pallet is not experienced enough to capture the allure of this style of tofu. I would recommend the dish for adventurous eaters only. read more

This is a great little place. Delivers the goods on our favorite Szechuan dishes (good fish, appropriately szechuan-y spiciness, etc). We've ordered from here many times to pick up, and sat down a few times as well- very consistent quality and good service. read more

This place is only ok ... I would only go if I'm really desperate for spicy food because service is not all that great. I rather drive a bit farther for clean n better service for the same price u can get for that type of food read more

Good in general. Small place, good service. The crispy and smoked duck are excellent.

As someone who's family comes from the Sichuan province in China, this place is one hundred percent authentic. It was almost as if we were transported back to China. You can tell from the way the dishes are cooked, that everything was cooked with the signature Chinese high flame. (Massive flame to more specific) Highly recommend the 土肥羊火锅 (Numbing Spicy Lamb "bandit style" hot pot) and 炝炒A菜 (this one is the one where the watercress is stir fried with peppers. Not the garlic. It's not on the menu, but they'll do it). Small, but delicious. Decent service too. read more