I was alittle disappointed with my food, first my delivery order was wrong, I ordered fried rice and recieved white rice. which i was alittle disappointed but didnt want to make a huge deal but then upon trying the main course it was very bland. the only saving factor for me was that I was able to get some of my money refunded to me through post mates. would not recomend very bland! read more

Food is average! Service is super fast! You will be in and out in 10-15 minutes! Not a great sit down and eat location but a great takeout option! The ambiance is def whole in the wall but you get a decent amount of food for the price! read more

Decided to try this for the first time. I ordered the Sa Cha Chicken hoping it'd be spicy. But it's not, it just tasted ok. However the quantity you get for $7 is quite a lot. I'd like to try some of their other items as well, before I form an opinion. The storefront doesn't look like much, but they have a large selection of food. Seating is limited, and during lunch hour it might be difficult to find a seat. I wish they didn't have to use styrofoam containers for the to go food, but then again it's pretty common to see styrofoam to do containers in most Oakland food places. The lady at the desk seemed nice enough. Overall, I'll be returning to try more seeing that they have a good selection of chicken based menu items. read more

Szechuan Express - Sa 51. Sha Cha Chicken - Szechuan Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Terrible. Really, that is the only word you need - don't bother reading more because "terrible" really sums up the dining experience at Szechuan Express. We ordered via grubhub's app. I ordered General Tso Shrimp, shrimp fried rice and a small extra white rice. The app offered a coupon so with 2 sodas I met the minimum to add on a free Young Chow fried rice. Yea! Here comes dinner! Delivery took a reasonable amount of time. The bag arrived and everything is packaged in Styrofoam. Two things here: 1. Who uses Styrofoam anymore?? it is terrible for the environment and 2. Styrofoam makes everything inside soggy. Yuck. And the sodas arrived warm. I guess they thought we'd like them for later or they are just too lazy to make the cokes cold. At this point I notice that there are not only zero fortune cookies but zero packets of condiments. My kid was super bummed about the no-cookie bit (me too). Now for the food. General Tso Shrimp. The shrimp are fried in a heavy batter, like a thick, cheap tempura. Since the batter takes longer to cook it does not take a genius to figure out that the shrimp is so over cooked that if you are lucky it is only just rubbery. Half of them were bone-dry and hard. Yes, they were that over cooked. I included a photo - the shrimp is a the bottom and is so shriveled that it looks just like the gummy tempura batter. Disgusting. (psst - try this at How Lee - AMAZING) Shrimp Fried rice. Wow. This was even worse. How they managed to hit both salty and bland is beyond me. The after taste was weird and off. It coated inside your mouth like dirty grease. One bite and the rest in the garbage. Young Chow Fried Rice. I have had this before from a different place and that place was awesome. This one... and I am not exaggerating... made my daughter cry when I told her that was her dinner. Yes, full tears. I took a closer look and totally got it. I included a photo of it. The pork looks like jerky. I think there was chicken in it, who knows. It looked like vomit. I am not sure I would feed this to a dog it looked so unappetizing. The shrimp looked ok comparatively. No one ate this. The white rice... yes, the ONE thing EVERY Chinese food place should be able to get right was even dry. Scraped up dry bits from the side and bottom. It's been just over an hour - and yeah, I ate some, like an idiot. I was starving. Now I feel sick, that bloaty, nauseous feeling with a slight headache bad food feeling... Terrible. Just terrible. edit: 9/3/2014 - the business and I had a colorful back and forth about my review over the weekend and the manager indicated that in order to have a satisfying meal that the diner should only eat in or pick up - that the delivery changes the quality of the meal. While I have my own opinions about this it appears that he likely also complained to YELP about my photos (and likely my review) of the meal I was served by his restaurant. these images, most notably, showed a shrimp so completely over cooked that it had shrunk to about 1/3 of its normal size and was swimming inside of the breading. the other image showed dry, unappetizing fried rice. What struck me the most about our emails was what I perceived as a complete lack of professionalism and inability to listen to feedback from a customer. Further, if he feels delivery is the issue when why offer it? To be honest, the delivery was the only thing that met expectation - it arrived within 45 minutes. I have ordered take out from a wide variety of places and have had great meals with it taking even longer to get to me. so, bottom line for me? the kid who is managing this restaurant pretty much reinforced my opinion of his business. there are a LOT of options out there in this category and i will happily spend my money at any of those before I spend another penny with this place. read more

Szechuan Express - Young chow fried rice. Dry & over cooked pork.is that yellow stuff chicken? My daughter actually cried when I said that was hers - Szechuan Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The cashier did not speak English the food was over cooked No flavor it was dirty flys in the restaurant it was bad DONT go there read more

Started going to this place in 2017. Was a huge fan. The overall food quality is decent at best, but they dish out gargantuan portion sizes that fill the stomachs of us broke college students without completely emptying our pockets. The menu is freakishly broad. They have every (hot) Asian dish one could imagine. This could be very overwhelming, but a great place to start is the combination fried rice . Really deserves 3-4 stars HOWEVER...... They. keep. giving. me. vegetable. rolls. The last couple of visits, I asked for beef/pork rolls and I'd bite into it and it'd be straight cabbage and carrots. Idk if this is a neglect issue or inattentiveness or what but it has happened at least 2-3 times on separate occasions. Infuriating. This, in conjunction with the below average food quality = 2 stars. - A disappointed (former) szechuan fan read more

I'm totally bias but hear me out. The price is cheap, the serving size is huge, and the food is done for you faster than McDonalds. Hygiene admittedly aint the greatest... but, just close your eyes and do not look into the kitchen. read more

A++++++ 100% satisfied every time. Highly recommend any of their noodle soups! Great quality and nice portions.

Been coming here for years. Never disappointing, solid food for a solid price. You can't expect Michelin start quality, but for the price I don't think you could find anything better! Only downside, if possible don't use the bathrooms here, unless your new years resolution was weight loss. read more

Ready on time. Hot food and large portions. Always get the steamed vegetables with white rice and sauce on the side

Always good, everytime I go. the staff isn't just polite, they're honestly NICE. The food is always piping hot and very good and they have a HUGE variety of dishes, including MANY vegetarian ones. Which is amazingly hard to find. P.s. yes, this is the same review I gave on Google. Cause I didn't know if the staff got to see the Google reviews. read more

Great customer service. I called Jason due to missing items and he was able to help me. Good look!!!!

Go there periodicly. Like everybody else says good portions and tasty. College aged kids know where to find large portioned foods in oakland. Dah! Love it, having statue of Jesus and pic in dining room blessing your food. Same Cashier is always there. Think he lives behind that counter. read more

Delivery was fast and the food was good. My order wasn't 100% correct, but delivery rarely is these days. The portions are good and the sides of rice very generous. It's worth mentioning that the fried rice is literally just fried rice, no veggies or eggs. I've never seen that before, but the portions are so large that you can use the leftovers to make your own fried rice. read more

For the first two years at school, this is a place I go because I was poor. It's just too nasty when you have a bit more money to get better food. read more

Literally a shish hole. Yes it's cheaper than all the other asian food places in Oakland, but what I paid for was barely edible. How about you give me $5 and I'll give you a plate of lard. Will not come here again! Spend the extra 50 cents and cross the street to Taiwan or Sushi Boat for more decent food. read more

I got horrible food poisoning that lasted for over 3 days after eating the chicken and broccoli with white rice, my friend ordered a fried chicken dish and had stomach pains, we're never stepping foot in this place again. read more

No utensils. No soy or any other sauces. Food was greasy and bland. 1/10 do not eat here.

Located near where I work, I've been coming here on-and-off for years. I usually just get the Teriyaki Chicken with Fried Rice. It tastes great! Big portion for only 7 dollars, including tax. Staff is friendly, too. The one man who runs the front is very pleasant and polite, greeting you with a smile and asking what you want. I love how fast the food gets to you. 5/5, will come back here many more times. read more

Fast, cheap...for a reason. All their dishes are swimming in a combination of grease, sauce, salt, oil, and god knows what else. Of course I wasn't expecting authentic Chinese food, but this wasn't even good Americanized Chinese food. This was one of the few restaurants that messed up Chinese food. My friend I went here with got sick off the stuff, I wouldn't recommend trying this place if your stomach can't handle it. I got the vegetable delight with garlic sauce and my friend got the shrimp lo mein. The dishes are hard to mess up but somehow this place accomplished it. In my vegetable delight there was way too much cabbage stem and not enough of anything else. My friend's noodles were bathed in soy sauce, she tried to sequester it into one pocket but to no avail for it pooled over to the other compartments. One good thing about this place is that there is a HUGE selection. The walls are covered with their menu so that's a positive. However, the prices and selection are still not tempting enough to make me go a second time. read more

Go-to for faster than fast food meal that is fresh cooked. Huge selection of dishes. Can always find a meal that will hit the spot. It's not fine dining, but a great everyday spot. read more

Okay, for what Szechuan Express is, it succeeds. I'm giving it four stars because I like cheap, greasy Chinese food, and this was my favorite place for it as a Pitt undergrad. I go back every time I'm in Oakland, and I get the tofu and broccoli with garlic sauce, and I am content. Yes, it's a ton and a half of rice, but the sauce is delicious, and you get plenty of tofu and broccoli for, you know, a week. Food comes quickly and it's always hot. There's a cooler with cans and bottles of everything, there's plenty of seating, and the same dependable crappy music is always playing. And for all these bad reviews, there are always people there. Like I said, whenever I visit Pgh, I stop at Szechuan Express for a solid block of Chinese food. read more

I have no idea why this place only has 3 stars. The portion sizes are amazing, the food is cheap, and it taste good. The line can get long but your food will be out in no time at all. It does look sketchy from the outside but the food is amazing. read more

Despite a bad (or two) review on their pad thai, I ordered one to judge it myself and it was pretty good! Take-out is as quick as always (sitting less than 10-5 minutes) with the food nice and hot. The pad thai itself had lots of peanut shavings and wasn't spicy at all! It met my standards for how a pad thai should look and taste. Though I ordered chicken with it, not all of the meat was properly cooked and it wasn't the best pad thai but for the cost of $7 and meeting my flavor standard, I'll definitely go back and order it again. read more

Szechuan Express - Pad thai. The quality ain't that great because I used a pretty old phone :/ but it works and meets my standards like this pad thai - Szechuan Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The food comes out really quick, the people working there are extremely sweet, and the food is also really delicious. Kimchi shrimp fried rice is really really good and there is no shortage of shrimp in it, unlike some other places. Regular fried rice is also tasty and has a good amount of meat. There's so many choices and I never get tired of the food here! And the price for it is so low paired with the amount and taste, so it's the perfect destination for anyone. read more

Cheapest of the cheap. Greasy, fast, oily, salty, and under flavored Chinese. I've tried multiple entrees, more so ones away from Americanized dishes, and each time I walk away questioning why I gave this place another chance. They offer so many different kind of dishes that the execution is always a miss. And their meat pieces definitely speak to the quality of their restaurant as a whole. That's not even describing the restaurant itself which is quite dingy. I'm all for a cheap lunch price but other places nearby aren't that much more expensive and come without the grease nausea. read more

Szechuan Express - Island of misfit meat pieces. Can you tell me which kind of meat this is? - Szechuan Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Their prices have gone up a bit and when you get some of their dishes, they def give you the runt end of the Napa cabbage so at least be aware of this. :). I personally love their veggie egg rolls because they use the thicker egg roll wrapper! read more

It's cheap, it's fast, it certainly is not fancy; but this is as good as it gets. You want good asian, go to a place frequented by lots of people of european descent. If you want autenticity go to the place that is packed with asians. This is a Pitt/CMU tradition, and the heart of "Asian Alley" on Oakland Avenue. There is no decor, it's packed in, and certinaly could use some renovations. Save the complaints for a different style. This is 100% authentic Szechuan chinese, and you should appreciate the complexity and style of the food served here. read more

Even for lunch on Sunday, this place started to fill up right when it opened. This pretty much speaks to all the high points of Szechuan Express--fast, cheap, large portions, and decent enough quality. There are photos of all the dishes lining the walls--you should know to expect utilitarianism walking in. Two of us ordered the 65 SAUTEED SHANGHAI BOK CHOY (made spicy upon request), 72 SHRIMP WITH EGGPLANT WITH GARLIC SAUCE, and 127 COMBINATION NOODLE SOUP. Everything was okay, everything could have used a little salt. Sautéed bok choy is pretty hard to screw up. The eggplant was nice and saucy, but sadly the sauce was a little bland. The noodles were the biggest disappointment--the veggies in it tasted decent enough but the chicken and noodles had zero flavor. My fiance found it fine enough for lunch but not worthy of keeping the lefties. Still, for about $22 for all 3 dishes and a huge pile of leftovers that I'll whip into a tastier stir-fry by seasoning the crap out of it, I can't say I'm too disappointed. They named it Szechuan Express for a reason--even they know what's up. read more

Food was excellent! Prices are great and the portions are amazing for the price. The gentleman at the front was very nice and the food was done in less than 10 minutes. The place itself looks a little dumpy but everything else made up for it! Definitely one of the better chinese places I've ever eaten at. read more

Szechuan Express is a solid place for cheap, quick, Chinese food. It looks exactly like the hole-in-the-wall places that line Clemente Street in San Francisco. Just walk up to the counter, place your order, then take a seat or wait around to carry out. The food here is not gonna blow you away with high quality or uniqueness, but for $5 it will surely fill you up. The garlic sauce tastes very similar to the chili sauce, but again, for $5 don't bring in unrealistic expectations. Its a bit grungy inside, so if you need it to be super clean to eat somewhere then maybe you should choose another spot. A couple good dishes are: beef noodle soup, double cooked pork, and chicken with garlic sauce. The staff is extremely friendly too. I usually stop in around 2 a couple days a week for lunch and the dude who works there is always laughing and having a good time with the customers. read more

What makes this place so amazing? The $8 meal that will last two or more days? The insanely fast service? The fact that there are undoubtedly better Chinese restaurants but *something* makes you keep coming back? Perhaps the world will never know! But what I do know is that whenever I get a craving for Szechuan Express, it will not subside until I'm sated with a vegetable roll and - my current favorite - General Tso's tofu. I've been grabbing food here for around 10 years and have never had a problem. I'm very picky when it comes to chicken - if there are any "bits", I won't be coming back. But I've always had perfect meat here. I only recently tried the tofu and while it's not the best, it's still decent. It's not too chewy and soaks up the sauce but doesn't turn into a sponge. The General Tso's sauce itself is tangy and, yes, quite greasy. But sometimes that's just what hits the spot! You get a choice of steamed or fried rice; I always go with steamed. I *think* you can ask for brown, but I always get the default white. If you're looking for quick, cheap, filling Chinese without any frills, get ye to Szechuan Express! read more

I don't like giving any place a bad review but the General Tso's chicken this place gave me was by far the worst, laziest, most insulting, disgusting 'food' I have ever been served. The meat was inedible and no longer even resembled chicken on the inside. It was kind of like Chinese you leave in your fridge and then a week or so later microwave hoping its still good and then instantly realize its not and throw away. My best guess is that they made it as part of a large batch, hopefully that morning but at worst earlier in the week, and then repeatedly heated it up and let it cool resulting in the sauce covered husks of string and rubber that they gave me. The chicken fried rice was almost food but had a slimy texture to it which kept distracting from the flavor leaving an ominous dis-settlement in my stomach as I tried to ignore it, and then ultimately giving up. I also ordered french fries just to get to the minimum for ordering and thank god I did because they were the only part of the meal that was edible with the added bonus of possibly being digestible. Speaking of digestible, what little I ate was not. I ended up awake most of the night sipping water and trying not to vomit, so uh thanks for that. Overall if this were one bad meal I'd wait a month and try again think I maybe caught them on a bad night before making up my mind. However based on what I got they clearly put no effort into making fresh or even semi decent food. Yeah this place is cheap but not cheap enough, if it were free I'd still warn against it. read more

Ton of options to choose from! Everything I've ordered has been very good. As soon as you sit down after ordering your food is already made. Very affordable and decent portions. One of my favorite places to stop and get traditional Chinese food after work. read more

I recall walking in and standing right in front of two employees who just continued their convo while I patiently waited to be served. Finally after at least 5 minutes I was addressed and I placed my order. I couldn't tell if the server was unfriendly, if it was merely a cultural thing, or if he just had trouble understanding me. Anyway since I'm giving the benefit of the doubt here, I increased my ranking by one star. I ordered the beef noodle soup and it was terrible - too spicy and the beef had a weird taste to it. Usually after I leave establishments one of the employees will either say thank you, have a good day or something, but not in this place. A few things to take into account are that the employees were college age and it was pretty close to closing time so that could have impacted the level of service. All in all I just did not enjoy my experience and I won't be returning. read more

I always order the sesame chicken and I've never left disappointed. It takes very little time for the order to be ready, which, as a Pitt student, works great for a meal between classes. My only problem with the dish is that the broccoli isn't that great, but the chicken more than makes up for it. Ultimately, it's my favorite Chinese food on campus, for both the convenience of it and the taste. read more

Fast service, great price. Don't order the wonton soup, it has no flavor at all. Cold Sesame noodles are good, very peanuty almost sweet. Tai Chi chicken is delicious. Fried rice leave much to be desired. Dont seek it out, but good in a pinch. Im bummed because the wonton soup is really what i wanted and it was the worst of the items i ordered. read more

The food is cheap for a reason. Don't waste your time. Crab rangoons were salty, general tsos tasted like dirty mop water, curry noodles were dry with seasoning sprinkled on top, the only edible thing I ordered was chicken with mixed veggies and that still was pretty gross. I can get down with some crappy Chinese food but this was pushing it too far....didn't even get a fortune cookie :( read more

If I was able to take away the one star that I gave this restaurant, I would. The food was pure trash. I had to pay a $12 minimum plus a delivery fee and when the driver arrives, she expected me to leave my warm home and run out to her car in the rain. The whole purpose of delivery is to 'deliver' the food to me. I ordered their General Tso's chicken but there was a memo that I didn't get. They decided to substitute my chicken for tofu, which I personally think is the most disgusting thing known to man. It was so bad I threw the shit away and ordered a pizza. Definitely a waste of the 90 long minutes I waited for delivery from a place that's a mile away. The best part of my meal was the shrimp rolls. Not that they were exquisite or anything but they were edible and had actual shrimp. The fries were soggy. If you want Chinese food, stay away from this place. Don't be lured by their cheap prices. It's cheap for a reason. You have been warned! read more

My favorite chinese place of all time... GOd i miss this place, my favorite place to go when i was in college. Good price, good portion, perfectly flavored( not too sweet, greasy) Would love to stop by someday soon!! read more