For my first in person experience it was a lil wierd. We had to ask for water, and for tea and for utensils and sharing plates. Then when we asked for some empty used dishes, beer bottle etc to be cleared the server went to clear the clean plates. About the plates, the only size is large serving ware or appetizer type plates, no regular dining sized for sharing. A total pet peeve of mine is seeing the staff eat. Both servers in the dining area were munching at different times throughout the evening. Warning the 2 pepper version of anything is really REALLY spicy. Like regular restaurants with one star or pepper spice indication I'm usually asking for 1-2 pepper upgrade. These chefs really mean their stars. One pepper really has heat and two well it has a lot more...like sweaty, nose drip, red eye more. The dim sum was fantastic and the double (not twice...we were corrected) pork was good and the sizzling style fish. The dry pot was super spicy but gorgeously presented. The chicken and needle mushroom was very bland, I thought the bell pepper detracted from it and over powered the dish. I had hoped it would be a brown sauce, it's more like a thickened sauce from the moisture the chicken and mushroom gave off. A table mate shared the toilet is not attached to the wall and it's very dark in the ladies room. read more

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Good food and portion sizes with an authentic Szechuan taste. Ambiance is fun and feels like you're immersed within the culture. Will return read more

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Beautiful restaurant food very good service great! Also loved the complimentary hard candy I grabbed a few more on the way out.

If I were to rate this restaurant on decor alone, it would get 5 plus stars. Entering the dining room I felt transported to a lovely garden tea room in Sichuan province. Even the dishware and chopsticks were gorgeous! The fork was gold. We started our meal with Hot and Sour Soup. It was delicious! The thought entered my mind that when I got home I would write an extremely positive review of Szechuan Opera. Instead it is a negative review I sit here writing. After the soup, everything went downhill. My husband's Pork Egg Roll was smaller than those we've had elsewhere and not very flavorful. My Spring Rolls were overdone and greasy. Shrimp with Garlic Sauce was my main dish. There were at most only 10 flavorless, thumbnail size shrimp in the dish with a few slices of equally flavorless celery, green pepper and mushrooms. The sauce was lukewarm, had no garlic flavor to it and was too thick, too sweet and too red in color. The accompanying Fried Rice, also only lukewarm, was bland. Hubby's General Tso's Chicken was also a huge disappointment. Again, the sauce was too sweet, too thick and so red we thought they might have had an accident and spilled a whole bottle of red food color into it. At least it was hot. And at the end, we didn't even get fortune cookies. Thumbs down for Szechuan Opera. read more

Great choices and tasty, sizeable servings. Im looking forward to trying something new.

It seems that their original chef may have left; we ordered five dishes, and all were disappointing. The portions were smaller, and the quality and taste had declined. For instance, in the "suan ni bai rou" dish, they added lots of cucumbers but only five pieces of meat. Moreover, the man at the front made my family wait over 20 minutes and allowed others without reservations to be seated before us. He also refused to let us sit at a larger table reserved for five, even though there were only four place settings visible. Yet, another group of three adults and one child were seated at a similar table in the back of the hall. I'm unsure why we were treated differently--was it because we are Chinese or because we spoke Mandarin? I will not be returning to this restaurant, and I will definitely inform my friends about our experience. read more

Szechuan Opera - suan ni bai rou - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

Szechuan Opera is right in my hood and is constantly tempting me with full color photos of their dim sum, filling the windows as you walk along their store front. The hubs and I finally checked it out recently, in two back to back visits for said dim sum, and we really loved it. On visit #1, we were there in the middle of the afternoon and the place was totally empty except for some staff in the back eating and a very busy woman on the phone taking take out orders. As soon as we got someone's attention we were seated and quickly ordered. We got 6 dishes: crabmeat and spinach dumplings, pan fried chive and shrimp dumplings, sea cucumber and mushroom dumplings, xiao long bao soup dumplings, pork sio pao (steamed buns), and crispy shrimp rolls. The food came out of the kitchen one plate at a time as it was ready, and we ate everything as it was fresh (and forgot to take any photos). We enjoyed everything and were really happy with food quality, portions and taste. On visit #2 we were 'restaurant hopping' around Park Ave with another couple, and S.O. was stop #2. This time it was around 6pm and the place was packed with groups of what appeared to be students, all eating out of huge plates being served family style. We again ordered dim sum plus carafes of hot and cold sake. This time we ordered Peking duck steamed buns, pan fried chive and shrimp dumplings, xiao long bao soup dumplings, crispy shrimp rolls, black truffle mixed mushroom dumpling, and beef short ribs. Again, food was great, service was friendly and efficient (despite how busy the restaurant was) and we enjoyed the experience. Couple other notes I'll add: Although it seems like every restaurant in the area has increased prices due to inflation, I still feel that this place is a good value in that the size and number of pieces of dim sum per plate is generous and satisfying. The internal decor invites large groups to come in for hot pot or to sit under (fake) trees and pagodas - we have yet to sit in one of the more festive settings, but always enjoy seeing them from adjacent tables! Finally, if you are driving in, there's free parking all around - front and back of the building lots and street. read more

Overall was pretty good. Enjoyed the steamed pork dumplings the most. The beef dry pot was decent, and chicken in garlic sauce was a little better in my opinion. Good service. The space itself was very nice, well decorated and ample space. read more

Szechuan Opera - J1. Garlic Sauce Style Chicken K3. Dry Pot Style Beef - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

I don't know why I waited so long to try out this place. Me and my wife suddenly craved for Dan Dan noodles after our recent trip to NYC. We immediately googled where we can get one in Rochester. This place popped up. We go to Park Ave very often but always missed this place. We ordered Dan Dan noodles and Mapo tofu. Both the dishes were delicious. I personally feel it could have been spicier but they were packed with flavors. Definitely the best Chinese food we had in Rochester. We had to pick up our order as they don't do Dine-in yet. read more

Excellent food, service, and ambience. The decor is absolutely beautiful. And they will pay for your parking if you bring your ticket in to them. read more

4.5 stars. I have lived in big cities before so I would base this rating compared to other Rochester restaurants. Very unassuming place from the outside, but wow, the decor is beautiful in this restaurant, which really surprised me. Wooden tables, flowers, and a luxurious and clean feel. We came early on a weekend evening and were seated immediately. We tried a wood ear mushroom salad as well as a spicy dry pot. Both were solid options and a nice quick meal for us. The spicy dry pot had a lot of nice variety in regards to proteins and vegetables. Prices do run perhaps $1-2 higher than a little hole in the wall place, but given the cleanliness and how nice the area is (all of the restaurants along this street), very well justified. read more

Szechuan Opera - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Use to be good back in the day but Sadly the quality of the food has gone downhill, and prices increased.

Delicious food, great service and superb ambience. I love this restaurant. Perfect portions, good prices and high quality food.

the food can be very good, but the way they do take out orders is terrible. They package each order in the kitchen then bring out a batch all at once of 6-7 orders. Consequently, I had a 40 minute wait and the food was cold. You need to bring out each order one by one, not let them sit off to the side as you take in multiple orders. I ordered first but I had to wait for all those other orders as they came in. When it is ready, bring it out hot and fresh, don't make people wait 40 minutes for cold food. Otherwise, I would likely be returning read more

We were getting tired of the Chinese we were ordering from and went to Yelp for help. Szechuan Opera was in the top 5. I called and made a reservation and we were off with friends to try it out. First, do not judge a book by its cover. It is in a little strip mall on Park Avenue. The outside is not much to look at but once you walk through the door the decor changes everything and definitely puts you in the mood for Chinese. We were seated quickly and offered drinks. They did not rush us for our order and our waitress was wonderful in helping us with dishes we were not familiar with. There are beautiful pictures on their website of their food. However, I wish they would have a title to the pictures. We started with lettuce wraps and several Dim Sum which were all delicious. Next entrees. They were very accommodating with an order not wanting several vegetables that came in the dish. When we were served the order was right on. All our meals were different and delicious and came with rice. We were not rushed and had a fun night with friends. I am sorry I did not take pictures of the interior or our food. There will be next times and I will then. read more

The best. The dry pot is fabulous especially if you love spicy foods. The mushroom dumplings dim sum is so amazing that I could have a few orders of that in itself as a meal. read more

Szechuan Opera - When my friend from Washington DC visits, we have to come here before even unpacking the car! - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

Food has gotten worse as time went on... Used to have bigger portions and better flavors. Service is not great, the hostess was rude and it felt like she just didn't want to deal with us. read more

I have only been here once. I will definitely be back for their soup dumplings, they were delicious!! They also had the best egg rolls, I've had in Rochester yet. Very crispy and nicely packed. I ordered an expensive spicy chicken dish and while it was really good. I was disappointed in how small the chicken pieces were. It was fried much like general Tao's but no sauce, all peppers and dry rub. It was super hot, almost too spicy. The chicken was cut so small by the time it was battered and fried, when you took a bite it seemed like it was batter and not much chicken Definitely not worth the 20.00 price tag on it. My BF ordered the beef noodles and there was barely any beef in it. The flavor was excellent, but they were just really skimpy on the amount of protein in their dishes. I'm a stickler for having dishes well balanced and this was way more noodles than beef. Pork fried rice was really good and had the amount of pork you would expect. They also automatically put a tip on my online order for pickup, so if you order online make note. I couldn't figure out how to take the tip off. I tip a couple of dollars for pickup, but this started at 15% plus they added a 1.00 convenience tax on my bill. Not really sure what that's about read more

Some say, this is the best Chinese restaurant in Rochester. It's hard to argue with that opinion, as the dishes are wonderfully prepared and presented. They are particularly strong on appetizers and dim sum, but be sure not to miss the noodle dishes. It's easy to become a frequent visitor of the establishment. read more

Outstanding!! Ordered on uber eats and was not disappointed! I am a huge fan of mapo tofu and their does not disappoint ... authentic szechuan heat and flavor. Can't wait to try more! read more

Cozy and comfortable, Szechuan Opera has gone to alot of effort and cost to create a unique, cozy dining space. When I first tried them years ago I found the food to be just adequate, but recent visits have convinced me that they have become one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Rochester area (which sadly can't compete with NYC or Toronto), even as others have lost their edge. Because of the variety of styles represented on the menu, this is a restaurant where making the right choice for you is important. Some dishes have heat and Szechuan pepper enough to set the tastebuds tingling, but can be overwhelming to the palate. This isn't the place to go all-in on a single dish. I suggest exploring and sampling and sharing many dishes from the menu to discover those culinary gems that might become your new favorites. read more

Szechuan Opera - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

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Recently I decided to come back here after a disappointing first impression, and the difference is night and day. As soon as you walk in, there were multiple staff on the floor and the restaurant was very packed. You could tell this place is a fan favorite. Once we were seated, we were promptly asked for our drink orders, with water delivered shortly after that. We had a wonderful gentlemen serve us, but the down side is that no one seems to speak English very well. For example, when you order food, you have to point to the items on the menu. The food came out at varied times, but was hot and fresh tasting. The prices were a little on the higher end, but the portions were adequate. The Hot and Sour soup was delicious and wasn't overly spicy. The Dry Hot Pot Fish Fillet was full of flavor and the fish was moist. The Singapore Mei Fun noodles were tasty and came out with plenty of veggies as well. I was impressed with the quick service and the ambiance of the restaurant. At times I did feel a little rushed, but I think the staff was just trying to stay on top of everything. Between the delicious food and the atmosphere of the restaurant, I am inclined to call this place a new favorite. My favorite dish here so far is the Dry Hot Pot! read more

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So many options that I havent seen before at szechuan places including getting the 'normal' spicy treatment on tofu! Finally! I can have something like the chicken my partner stop talking about! We ordered a lot of food but everything was gone at the end because it was all so good. They have special rooms for large groups which was nice. Service was great and accommodating for restrictions. read more

This place as others have said is absolutely stunning it really is... staff is efficient and very matter a fact. Not dismissive but not really friendly either? We ordered a few things to share: Wontons in Chili Oil.. just YAS. ORDER THIS! Fried Dumplings no they were a meh Smoky Pork w/ Mushrooms I should have asked it was basically bacon my bad but it was tasty but not my jam. Diced Chicken with Peppers & Dried Chili's in Chongqing Sauce. This was very tasty & hot! Dried Sautéed String Beans these were tasty as well. Well cooked with garlic and etc With our meals we also got white rice. The food is tasty just an FYI Szechuan is HOT but they also have on the menu regular or Traditional Chinese Dishes. What was cool is the diversity of the clientele so.. than you end the meal with the bill you get these small little drink bottles of almost like a orange dreamcycle. It was good. All in all the food was good, would I come back yes.. ask questions. 3.5 for service 4 for food 4 for decor They are in a shared parking lot on Park Ave. I'll be back read more

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The ambiance and service was great. The food variety was accommodating to diners who want to eat Sichuan and diners who want Americanized Chinese. We tried over 15 dishes family style and everything was delicious. read more

Szechuan Opera - Fish fillet dry hot pot - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

Got takeout here for the first time - the usual dishes like lo mein and sesame chicken and dim sum. Everything was so great. I think some of my favorite lo mein in the area. The spicy wontons were elite! I'll be going back for sure. read more

Our second lunchtime visit has confirmed this as a favorite. Tried DanDan noodles as an appetizer after seeing it on TV. very tasty. Kung Pao Chicken was great; not too spicy with a good mix of textures. Sesame Chicken was good but will go back to General, since we like it spicier! Service prompt and friendly. read more

Szechuan Opera is a great addition to the Chinese dining scene in Rochester. It is tucked away in the corner of a small strip mall on Park Ave, so it's easy to miss. However, once you walk into the restaurant, it will be hard to forget. It's a (dare I say) beautiful space. The owners have really put some thought and money into the interior design of the restaurant. Numerous Chinese Opera masks adorn the restaurant walls and Chinese characters emboss the table tops. Even the chopsticks are top quality. All these decorative details make Szechuan Opera the most upscale and aesthetically appealing Chinese restaurant in Rochester. As far as the food goes, Szechuan Opera is no slouch. The restaurant is easy on the eye, but also delicious to the stomach. The dishes I've liked include: Crispy Cucumber with Garlic appetizer, the Beef Dry Pot and the Eggplant with Garlic sauce. The Beef Dry Pot was the standout dish for me. The hot and sour soup was just okay (a little too sweet and not spicy enough). Service is okay. Not the friendliest, but prompt. The pricing is fair and the portions are pretty generous. Overall, one of the better Chinese restaurants in Rochester. read more

I was very impressed! Around home it's hard to find good (or pretty much any) Chinese food, let alone dishes beyond Kung Pao Chicken. This restaurant's menu is huge with probably about 100 different choices available. Our group had "regular" (familiar) dishes and some of the szechuan ones I'd never heard of before. I can't remember the name of my favorite, except that it was one of the unfamiliar szechuan ones,chicken in a slightly sweet and pretty spicy sauce. Even the broccoli beef was wonderful with a range of spices and flavors above and beyond what I'm used to. The peking duck buns were the only disappointment. The restaurant is really fascinating inside -- don't let the drab strip-mall exterior fool you! When in Rochester again, I'll be back. There are about 94 other dishes to try there. read more

Ambiance is excellent, service could improve, sat for a while before drinks was offered. Ordered steamed shu mai; steamed shrimp dumpling, beef spare ribs, steam buns, tripe dish, soy sauce chicken feet. Food tastes very bland. It took a while for the food to come, and it wasnt really busy. The food didnt justify the price they are charging for it. Seek an alternative. read more

Szechuan Opera - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

This is a classic, Chinese restaurant you'd expect to find in any Chinatown neighborhood (though this is not located in one). Ornate and bold interior, including a golden throne for selfie time. Menu was extensive and traditional. Service very attentive. No draft beers, sadly, since some popular IPAs pair well with what's on the plate. Our table of five had different dishes, all were quite good and had a "made at home" appeal to them. Levels of spicyness are offered. Prices are fair and reasonable. Good family place, particularly for curious kids due to the decor. read more

Fantastic food. Had take out. It was fast and hot. Very nice delivery person. Highly recommend this restaurant. Please try this restaurant.

Here is the good: relatively nice ambiance and decoration Here is the not so good: 1. Tried chicken with green and chili peppers (in the Szechuan section of the menu), and got dried chili peppers with some small pieces of highly battered chicken. Who eats that much dried red chili peppers? And why put so much batter on the chicken? Very disappointed. 2. Kind of big deal: the main door to the restaurant opens inward, which I believe violates OSHA requirements. I am pretty sure that public places with capacity of 50 or more, must have their exit doors swing outward. That allows people to exit quickly in case of emergency. 3. Egg rolls do not appear to be made in-house. The table next to us ordered an interesting dish that came to the table sizzling with a flame underneath. I wished I had tried it, but I am not sure I will go back to do so. read more

Szechuan Opera - Nice table setting, dried red chili peppers with chicken, and string green beans - Szechuan Near Me - Rochester, New York

They are now open for dining in, and we recently visited for the first time for dine in. The service is great and quite quick. There was a bit of confusion about dessert, they brought that item to us first. I guess I should have specifically said we wanted that after the other items. The pork and preserved vegetables is tasty though I did not taste the preserved part. (I expected to taste vinegar more than I did.) The mapo tofu is still delicious, as are the cucumber with garlic and noodles with soybean paste appetizers. I'll certainly dine here again. read more

Excellent food and a great atmosphere. Will definitely go again. If you haven't been there you definitely need to add it to your dining list. read more

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Food is really good. I love it! It's the best authentic Chinese food around here but expensive！ read more

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I love the delicious food at this restaurant. The service is always good and ambiance is very good.

Pretty good, they are still only doing take out, no dine in option. I had the wonton soup and ma po tofu. The wonton soup was not what I was expecting, the broth is quite dark and a unique flavor, didn't love the broth. However, the wontons were delicious, those exceeded expectations. They were tender and full of flavor. The mapo tofu was also very flavorful, close to authentic, I'm actually in China flavor. I would recommend. I would definitely visit again to try more menu items and dine in. read more

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Some of the best chinese food in Rochester! Tofu is always so crispy and fresh. The server we had last night was the best, made us a dessert even though the kitchen was closed. The hotpot rooms are nicely decorated and are great for parties. 10/10! read more

Mediocre food and even worse service. Server tried, but she was overwhelmed. Wife's food came out cold, told the server, she said someone opened the back door in the kitchen which caused the food to be cold. Huh?? My chicken was decent, very small portion. Went once, got fooled by online reviews, never again. read more