HANDS DOWN BEST AUTHENTIC CHINESE FOOD I'VE HAD IN SD ! I'm obsessed and already thinking about my next visit. If I could give this place 10 stars, I absolutely would. What started as a happy accident (spot we originally wanted was takeout only) turned into such a great discovery since they were kind enough to accommodate our group. The vibe when you walk in is so lovely. Place is super spacious with plenty of seating inside and around the table. It has a comfortable, welcoming feel. I also loved the round spinning table it made it so easy to share dishes family style. It's the perfect spot for a small group if you want to split a bunch of plates and keep it budget friendly. They also served tea, which added to the classic sit down experience. We ordered 6 dishes which were all amazingggg and fed all of us, with even leftovers ! I'll list them in order of favorites: 1. Dry-fried string beans - absolute 10000/10 just try them! so much flavor. 2. Orange chicken - sauce was amazing, very thick and flavorful, chicken tasted crispy and delicious. 3. Chow mein w/ beef - super fresh, noodles cooked to perfection ! tasted homemade. 10/10 4. Spi deep-fried fish cumin - my gosh, this one really stood out! I could still taste this absolute goodness. Strong cumin aroma, but not overpowering in flavor. If you like fish but are hesitant about cumin, don't worry, just try it! You might stumble upon a new favorite dish. 5. Fried rice combo - solid and flavorful on it's own, didn't even need soy sauce or chili oil. 6. Garlic crispy pork ribs - still good, but wish the garlic flavor came through more. I barley tasted any garlic. Pieces are bite size w/ some small bones, just be careful. Good, but not my favorite compared to everything else. Honestly, the chow mien and cumin fish go hand in hand in top 3 favorites ! It's so hard to rank because all dishes were great and top tier quality. Service was decent, food came out fast, everything tasted super fresh and had soooo much flavor. I just would've loved more spice, but we added chili oil which helped a lot and was good quality oil. read more

See all

The wait for magic kitchen next door was Too long so we decided the try this place. I'm glad we did because the food was very good. They have an iPad with picture of every dish which is really helpful to better understand what you are ordering, especially if you want to try something different. The chili oil put on the table was HOT! Most spicy chili oil I've had at any restaurant on convoy I loved it. Prices are fair because the portions are BIG. Two people can easily share one dish, keep that in mind because we ordered too much food. The dumplings were really big too. We ordered: Kung pao shrimp (fried and sweet sauce) Mapo tofu Pork and chive dumpling Dry green bean Scallion pancake Rice for two We were extremely full and had leftovers for another meal for us both. Service was completely fine. Food was not any more oily than I have had at other places I've eaten at. I've eaten at many, many restaurants on convoy and I would come back. read more

If you like spicy food but specifically Szechuan food, this is the clear standout among all Szechuan restaurants in San Diego. It is a family style restaurant, but I still go here with small groups or with just one other person. The atmosphere is nothing special and can get a bit lively when it is busy. Service is decent, but nothing to write home about, and it can feel inconsistent at times, which doesn't take away from the food itself. I always end up ordering multiple dishes here, but this is my favorite lineup. Sizzling Japanese Tofu - 铁板日本豆腐 (5/5): This is my absolute must-order dish whenever I dine here. As a tofu lover, this may be one of the best tofu dishes you have ever tasted, and even for my friends who don't like tofu, they really enjoyed it. It is an egg tofu that is fried, which gives the tofu a great outer texture contrast. The gravy that the tofu is served with is very flavorful without being overpowering, and it makes you come back for another bite. Dry Pot Pork Intestines - 干锅肥肠 (5/5): Intestines may seem very daunting for some due to it not being commonly eaten in every culture. In this case, the intestines are cleaned well and have a great chew and tenderness to them. The dry pot is loaded with chilies and aromatics, which give it a bold and numbing flavor without being overly greasy. It is served over a small fire that keeps it piping hot, which allows you to taste the fragrance of the dish. Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic - 蒜炒豆苗 (4.5/5): A great lighter dish to provide you with some contrast to the heavier items while also being a great standalone dish. It is stir-fried with garlic, which provides a great aroma along with the fresh vegetables. It is not a flashy dish by any means, but when it is done properly, you can taste the skill of the chefs. Rice Noodles with Pickled Mustard Greens and Shredded Pork -酸菜肉丝米线 (5/5): This was considered an accidental discovery for me. I am not the type to usually order noodles at a Chinese restaurant as I am more of a rice person, but my girlfriend ordered it, and it was amazing. I have had my fair share of rice noodles all over Southern and Northern California, and this one has the best flavor. The combination of pickled mustard greens and slight chilies provide a very refreshing flavor that isn't heavy on the palate but not overwhelming, which keeps you addicted to eating it. This is a very comforting dish, and I would come here just for the noodles. Husband and Wife Sliced Beef & Offal/Spicy Beef Slices - 夫妻肺片 (4/5): It is served cold which might be unusual to some people but this allows for tasting every bit of seasoning they used while also preserving the texture. It is spicy, so beware of your spice tolerance, but the dish is very layered and flavorful, making it a very worthwhile order. From a broader perspective, the service may not be a highlight, but I am still going to give Szechuan Chef a five star rating from the food alone. I have yet to taste a bad dish from this restaurant, and the consistency alone speaks volumes. It has reasonable pricing compared to other places in San Diego, so the barrier to entry is low. If you like Chinese food but have never had Szechuan food, come give it a try. If you like Szechuan food but have never had this place, then you absolutely need to. read more

See all

This is my favorite Szechuan restaurant. Everything I've had here is consistently delicious. It's so good I order the same things pretty much every time! Attentive and great service in a casual restaurant. The parking in the lot isn't too bad. They charge for parking now, but two hours are free, which is more than though time to dine here and even stop at the bakery or get boba in the same shopping center. I highly recommend if you like spicy Szechuan! read more

See all

What I say to my friends about this probably speaks louder than what I can provide in this text box. Good job for the tardiness of one dish you sacrificed a table of 8. read more

Szechuan Chef - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

This place is one of San Diego's most authentic Chinese restaurants. It was my first time visiting with friends and we had a pretty good experience here overall. With the iPad, you can see pictures of each food, and then you have to order when the waiter comes. The iPad is not orderable. The food were all really good quality, spices were very authentic, I recommend people trying the spot if you really like Szechuan style Chinese food. A lot of people came even during the week so the restaurant was pretty busy. Overall, it looks pretty clean as well. read more

See all

I was craving authentic Chinese so did a search and wanted to try this place out based on their menu items. I didn't know it was located in a shared plaza with Boba Time, Melody Karaoke, Olleh, Monsta Ramen, etc so as you can imagine parking was a nightmare just like how everywhere else in Convoy. The restaurant is pretty spacious with a lot of patrons. I went in to grab takeout yesterday evening around 6pm. They have an iPad menu but you don't order off the iPad. I made it a point to ask for extra chili oil mentioning that I eat spicy. The lady at the register kept saying yes and even mentioned she'll pack me 2. They were half filled and I don't understand why places are so stingy with their chili oils for takeout when it's openly at tables and I clearly ordered 4 entrees. So I ordered: *Mongolian Beef $18.99 - it was good, not spicy at all and the meat was tender. *Garlic Crispy Pork Ribs $16.99 - they were nicely crunchy. A bit too small of pieces so they could've cut it bigger so it wouldn't feel too crispy with the bones. It had this after taste that I can't put my hands on but it wasn't bad. *Pork Intestine in Hot Pot $19.99 - now this was good. I had been craving intestines for a while and it hit the spot. The flavors complimented each other well. *Combo Chow Mein $13.99 - it came with a mixture of beef, chicken, shrimp. I was expecting the bigger rounder chewier noodles. The noodles were a bit on the thin side and it was just ok for me. They were kind of plain as well. *Rice $2 small/$4 large - they do charge for rice here. read more

See all

Kung pao anything and pea leaves are awesome, I love their soups too. Be mindful that their hours are strict!!!!!! Get there before closing but not too close. read more

Good size portions, large variety of food to choose from. Food and service was ok. Food came out fast. read more

See all

We found this place with a friend by accident while going to yun tea. the restaurant is family oriented, your ordinary restaurant. Our waitress kept pushing for a different dish that my fiend didn't want, but you know what, she was right as the one he selected had too many bones. Mine was a normal beef broccoli, but boy o boy was it good! read more

My mom and I come here to eat a few times in the past few years since it's the closest thing to authentic Chinese food we have back home. Over the years, the prices has gone up and the portion size is good, they use a lot of oil in their food so make sure if you don't like extra oil, ask the chef to reduce it. Overall the price is decent and I enjoy the food. It's definitely worth it read more

See all

pretty damn good. I ordered the mapo tofu for myself and beef with vegetables for my gf and she scarfed it down like there was no tomorrow. I also ordered the green onion pancake but it wasn't as crispy as i liked. overall, it was good though. read more

12-25-24 I came here on Christmas Day, 5pm. It was packed but the wait was only 15min, not bad. Ordered: 4/5 -Porky Intestine Lao Gan Ma Chili $19.99- very tasty but the intestine was a bit on the chewy side. -Eggplant w minced pk $14.99- yummy delicious and filled w tasty oil. -Szechsty braised pk $16.99- needed to be more braised, pork was a bit dried. -Rice $2 for each order. Service: 2/5 due to reasons below Liked: yummy food Disliked: -They took orders from customers who came after us of not one table but two other tables before coming to us. That is a big No No. -They forgot our 3rd dish until we asked about it (toward the end of our meal). Overall experience, although I gave 2 stars for service, I still would return for the yummy food. Note: No paper menu read more

See all

We arrived at 5 PM and skipped the line. Three of us ordered four dishes, and the portions were generous. Unfortunately, the pork intestines were way too spicy to handle, and the other dishes were overly greasy. We ended up leaving without eating much. read more

Szechuan Chef - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Everything was amazing! The fish was absolutely incredible and super flavorful. There were only two other tables, so service was great. Spacious restaurant and nice for large groups of ppl. read more

See all

Adding an update review - this time we ordered a pork and vegetable stew, soup, seasoned green peas and an eggplant dish. Service was also prompt and ambiance was also great. read more

See all

My family and I love this place. We went there for the first time last week and came back again today. The spicy food is very flavorful and the ingredients look fresh and beautiful. My favorite is the Pork Intestine in Hot Pot. It comes in a heated pot with fire under it to keep it warm and delicious throughout the meal. The Szechuan Style Braised Pork Belly is also great. I know intestine isn't for everyone but you should definitely come try their other spicy dishes at least! read more

Szechuan Chef - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

Pretty good. I liked the fried rice and the texture of the ribs was good. I would come back to try more things. read more

See all

By far our favorite Chinese restaurant in San Diego. We have been coming here for more than 6 years. It's not the restaurant for those in their 20's and 30's but it is very popular with families. My husband was born and raised in China, it's authentic Chinese food. Great value, friendly staff, and nice and clean. read more

See all

Great food! Loved it! Only problem is the horrible parking in that center! Go check it out!

Szechuan Chef is located on busy Convoy Street, the home of many Asian businesses and restaurants. The food here is very good, but the service can be spotty and is lacking any ambiance. We came early on a Thursday, a little after five. We had the pick of several parking spaces. A novelty, given how crowded Conroy can be around seven-thirty. The three of us found a seat inside and started reviewing their absolute massive Menu. It must have been over Forty pages long! I gave up taking photos after twenty-five pages LOL. See separate post. After having a snack at nearby IKEA, we ordered only two entrées and two appetizers. The Oolong tea was fresh and hot. We decided to share our food which came out Asian style. Meaning whatever the Chef decided to make, it came out first. We had, in order of plating... * Shredded Pork $16.99 京酱肉丝 * Chicken Fried Rice $12.99 鸡肉炒饭 * Dried Spicy Chicken $15.99 辣子鸡丁 * 2 White Rice $4.00 米饭 * Scallion pancake $5.99 葱油饼 * Gyoza Pork Potstickers $10.99 The portion sizes were huge and everything was great and very tasty. We had more than enough for leftovers the next day. We will definitely will be back. read more

See all

I'd avoid this place like the plague! too greasy no flavor customer service socks! And too expensive!

Gotta keep these authentic Chinese restaurants at 3.5 stars on Yelp :') I'm a frequent flyer of Spicy City when it comes to Szechuan food in San Diego. This restaurant seems cleaner (maybe newer) but prices are comparable. They have a shared parking lot, but on a weekend night, it legit took 20 minutes to wait for an open spot. Beware! I was here with a party of 6 adults and 2 kids, so they gave us a round table in the back. The menu is so extensive, but so helpful that they have photos! The menu has both English and simplified Chinese. I came here because someone said orange chicken was good ......... It was not :') The chicken with lao gan ma sauce was much better. The "fish in thickening sauce" is like water boiled fish. Instead of bean sprouts, they had small pieces of cabbage. I enjoyed that dish. I'd order the sautéed pea shoots again. It's one of my fave veggie dishes. They charge like $2 per person for rice, but for our large party, they brought it out in a red tub. They take American Express! read more

See all

Perfectly 3.5 stars- lol- IYKYK. There is no host when you walk in and not all staff speak English so please be patient. I didn't want to risk ordering to-go over the phone so I ordered on site, and pointed at menu photos to make sure I ordered the correct dishes. 1. Fish soup with pickled vegetables: delicious- survived piping hot for more than 20 min. It was carefully packaged separately in 2 separate quart containers with a third container for the delicate rice noodles. You don't want them soaking for too long, so this was very thoughtful of them. As good or better than any I have had. Wonderful slow burn that grows in heat as you eat. The broth is so warming and tangy delicious. I assume the fish was tilapia but don't quote me- very mild flavored and cooked perfectly. 2. Spicy Wood ear mushroom: the most powerful of the 3 dishes for flavor and heat intensity- be careful eating all those chilies! I could not get enough of the spicy garlicky seasoning and the mushrooms were perfectly tender. Must order for any mushroom lover. 3. Pea Sprouts- I know this is supposed to be a balancing dish and milder than the others, but it tasted like it had absolutely zero salt. I felt like I could've made this at home for 1/4 of the price. I was shocked that this dish was $17.99. Yes, there was a large amount of it, with a lot of garlic, but I couldn't really taste it in the sprouts. I ended up mixing the sprouts with the wood ear mushroom sauce which made it much more delicious. I wouldn't order this one again. I can't wait to come back here to try more dishes! read more

See all

We were really craving Chinese food and this place hit the spot. I'd definitely go back to try their other dishes. We ordered the green beans, the honey walnut shrimp, and the chef's special chicken. The honey walnut shrimp was delicious. The shrimp was crispy and sweet and the walnuts were nice and crunchy. I also felt like they gave a lot more shrimp than I'd typically expect for the dish. The chicken was well seasoned. Had to sift through the bones to pick out the meat. But when I did, it was flavor packed. A bit spicy even after we had requested the dish to be less spicy but not so spicy that it hurt my stomach. The green beans were different from the garlic-y din tai fun style green beans I am used to but I enjoyed the spice it was seasoned with. Overall all the dishes felt clean, not too oily. And the portion sizes were large. I really enjoyed their food and would like to go back to try other items off of their huge menu. read more

See all

Loved the tomato noodle soup, Sichuan cold noodle and fresh fish. It was very good and I will be back read more

Szechuan Chef - Tomato noodle soup, sichuan cold noodle, fresh Spicy Boiled Fish Fillet / 飘香沸腾鱼 - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

Food is excellent but service is meh. I've gone 3 times. First time was great. Second time, they closed the kitchen (about 30 min before closing time) so left disappointed. Last time it was busy with a long wait. Seating of groups was not organized well so I had to keep an eye where my group was in the line. Then they pointed us to a table where they just sat another family ( that was behind us in line). Not a huge deal as there was another open table but waiting is bad enough without having to worry about people cutting in the line. Food was delicious every time. read more

I didn't know the name of this restaurant for the longest time because my co-workers always referred to it as Yummy Chicken. We went as a group for lunch and sat at the round table in the corner with the rotating lazy Susan and ordered a large spread for the 9 of us. We ordered two servings of the crispy chicken with chili sauce, cumin lamb, fried fish with sweet sauce, spicy fish in a pot with vegetables, mapo tofu, sautéed pea greens, vegetable fried rice and steamed rice. The chicken is by far my favorite followed by the pea greens and mapo tofu. The chicken is fried crisp, has a lovely breading and is tossed in jalapeños and chilis that are so hot that the lining of your stomach is removed from the heat. But it's like crack and you keep going back for more. The greens were bright and fresh, mapo tofu was tender and spicy. The fried fish was also delicious as was the fried rice. The dish that surprised me the most was the cumin lamb which was very tender and flavorful. I'll definitely continue to visit and refer to it as Yummy Chicjen. read more

See all

This place is completely under the radar and my favorite Szechuan food in San Diego. They have a pretty extensive menu. My favorite thing to order is the intestines with pickled vegetables. The green beans are also a must. The crowd is 99% Chinese which is a testament to the authenticity of the food. read more

Truly phenomenal Szechuan food! Easily one of my favorite restaurants on Convoy. My favorite dishes here are: 1) beef in thickening hot sauce - I crave this dish 2) scallion pancake 3) sizzling chicken 4) red pepper shell-less shrimp Come here with a group and order all of these dishes. Then go next door to Shan Xi and treat yourself to some noodles. read more

-1 star service 2 star price 3.3 star food So MUCH potential with the food, but NO Service -1 out of 5 What happens when you find a piece of metal in the sauce in your tofu dish? The young male server switched it out and apologized, so he's in the clear. The real deal breaker was the middle-aged woman who delivered the tofu dish with a piece of metal. Her reaction to the piece or metal: "So?" Additionally, she said we could have gotten a 10% discount if we paid cash instead if CC after I paid with CC so I asked for the CC charge to be voided because I have cash and the middle-aged female server said NO. Young man was MVP again when he voided the charge, he said it was "easy" to do. Price 2 out of 5 Four dishes came out of $60, which is on the higher end for Asian food on Convoy. Our prawns with vermicelli was $18.99 alone so that's how the bill went up but $13.99 for just tofu that had a piece of metal in the sauce? Onion pancake with beef was $8.99 and with almost no beef and dry. So we paid $8.99 for an onion pancake with the slightest amount of hoisin sauce--nothing else. Food: 3.3 out if 5 This is authentic and had so much potential 1. Prawns w/ vermicelli Salt galore on the vermicelli Prawns are not fresh and hence lacks seafood flavor 2. Beef onion pancake Almost no beef Absolutely no flavor due to lack of hoisin sauce Dry meat if any meat that is 3. Tofu on skillet but transferred on plate First time, we got a piece of metal Second time, they undercooked the tofu This should and could have easily been the MVP dish! It's made with Japanese tofu! 4. Classic veggies The only dish you tell them to go easy on the oil and salt and they drain it in oil and salt read more

See all

So happy to finally find a spot on Convoy that didn't have the huge lines! This is definitely a hidden gem and the food was superb! Their menu is HUGE, so I may have to come back a few time lol Here's my food recommendations: - Beef roll - Glass noodles with seafood sauce - Crispy chicken with lao gan ma chili sauce - King mushroom stirfry Their king mushroom is so flavorful along with their crispy chicken. Reasonable portions. Overall a good value. The restaurant is clean and the staff is very courteous and prompt with service. This place is great to hang out with friends or big groups. Overall, we enjoyed our food and definitely will be back! read more

See all

I enjoy coming here esp when I'm missing Chinese food and sometimes they can be dishes hard to find. The other day, I ordered a sour fish soup and the glass noodles and flavor hit the spot really well. There's a big variety of dishes in their menu which is really nice and keeps me coming for more every once in a while. I want to try their tofu dishes which look yummy. Their portion size is big and leaves leftovers for another meal. I do think it's just slightly pricey, but with few Chinese options, you take what you can get for good quality. read more

Szechuan Chef - Honey Walnut Shrimp, Red Chili Fried Chicken - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

After searching for a restaurant on a Saturday night off of Convoy, we were happy there was not an hour wait and we got to sit down right away! The service was fast, maybe not in the right order of food being brought out, and food was good. Temperature was great and all tasted delicious. Great place for typical Chinese food! read more

See all

All the food we ordered was obviously cooked long ago and reheated. Even the water tasted bad. One positive is that the restaurant was very clean. No dust anywhere, not even on all the fake plants. If only they put that same effort into the food. read more

Really good service and a nice, clean restaurant. Authentic food; however, will deduct 2 stars for what I found to be a general skimping on the meat in most dishes we ordered. Eggplant with pork was 45% oil, 50% eggplant and maybe 5% pork. Trumpet mushroom with beef was same- maybe 5% beef in the dish. Ribs with pumpkin was also ~5% meat. Great soup dumplings. read more

Szechuan Chef - Soup dumplings, hot and sour soup, Tsing Tao beer - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

This place is underrated. Everyone is always flocking to the restaurants next door, but I think the food here is much better. It's very authentic Szechuan food, and my picky partner who is from Beijing and loves spicy food also enjoys it. During today's visit, I especially enjoyed the salted egg yolk tofu (咸蛋黄豆腐). We hardly had to wait for our food to arrive. Service was friendly. Prices were reasonable. The menu has a huge selection so we'll be back to try something new. read more

See all

Wonderfully great Szechuan food. I am big fan of spicy food and if you are then you cannot go wrong. I goto Shan Xi Magic Kitchen quite a bit and tried lots of Szechuan food, wanted to try this place and it was very good. I tried their pepper fried chicken cubes with rice, I loved it. Want to take opportunity to more dishes there. read more

Food was great and wasn't oily. There are also some good non-spicy options to choose from. I would recommend the steamed fish with tofu. Portion size is large. We got four dishes from two people and came back with many leftovers. One star minus because of the service. Their servers looked like they were having a bad day and were not friendly or even courteous. (The guy server was good and that is why I still left a decent tip. I read some reviews and low ratings seem to be mainly about poor service. So work on that. No one wanted to go to a restaurant if they don't feel welcomed even the food is good. read more

See all

I was recommended this spot by some of my friends and it's straight heat. Don't let the 3.5 stars fool you it's some of the most authentic Szechuan food you can get in Convoy. Service and ambiance is pretty standard of this type of restaurant. They'll take your order and leave you alone unless you wave them down. Interior decorations aren't super fancy. But if you're coming here the main thing you're worried about is the food. I've had a lot of the dishes but with how large the menu is it's hard to try it all. Some of my favorites are the mapo tofu and the spicy noodles in soup. Whenever I'm feeling szechuan this is my go to spot. Give it a try for sure. read more

Szechuan Chef - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California