Szechuan Gourmet 98

A Vietnamese restaurant is now at the location of what was once the Hunan Balcony. I haven’t been there yet … but may check it out soon.

Tried for first time for takeout. Ordered wonton soup, got hot and sour soup. ordered chicken and bok choy, received. only bok choy, no chicken. this was ordered steamed with sauce on side. one hour later returned with replacement, this time, it was not steamed and sauce mixed in. clearly there is a communication problem. Will not return or ever order here again.

*Uptowners, listen up*
This spot was formerly Hunan Balcony on Broadway between 93^rd and 94^th. They have now moved and renamed the establishment — as well as stopped delivery in Harlem — at least if you’re on 135^th St. I’ve ordered from them for YEARS — what kind of crazy delivery boundaries are they drawing, especially if they’re now further uptown? I smell discrimination.

Nice food. The owner is actually Cantonese. Sometimes they can’t understand my mandarin. I think it’s the best Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood, if not in Manhattan.

I normally skip chinese food b/​c it’s high in saturated fat and don’t taste that great (as compared to vietnamese or thai food). But this place was a pleasant surprise! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not healthy. The food I can tell is still high in saturated fat but at least it’s tasty!
I’ve only ordered the beef noodle soup and the snow pea leaves dish. The beef noodle soup was phenomenal the first time. It was very flavorful and while it’s not a diet dish, for occasional indulgence, it hits the spot. I ordered w the fat noodles (chow fun), which they were considerate enough to pack separately from the soup. Despite that, the noodles were bit too mushy. But the broth and the beef kicked ass. However, the second time it was loaded w chili oil. I could barely eat it not b/​c of the heat but b/​c of the oil! If you are to order this, make sure to tell them to hold back on the chili oil. Really, it was bad… i downgrade the 4 to 3 stars b/​c of this. Consistency in food quality is important!
Onto the second dish. Snow pea leaves are my favorite vegetable. The leaves are seasonal, so they’re hard to come by in chinese grocery stores. I’m not sure if the restaurant has this all year round (if so, i’ll be ordering from them more frequently!) Only complaint I had of the snow pea leaves dish was the amount of oil used in stir-​frying. I would have preferred w less oil.
I plan on continuing to frequent the restaurant, but just know to ask for less oil in everything i order. If they can get this right, I’ve found my regular chinese place!!!

We stopped here in May and found it to be pretty spendy for substandard szechuan. Portions were small, food was lukewarm. Try somewhere else in the neighborhood for far better. Too many good restaurants around to stop at this poor one.

There are no good Chinese restaurants on the upper west side. So when I saw some positive reviews for this new spot I ordered takeout.
I tried:
Pork dumplings in chili oil– these were spicy and delicious.
Wonton soup– more subtle than your regular olé wonton soup. Less salty, which I liked.
Dan dan noodles/​spicy and pretty good, though the ones at china café are much better
Spicy sesame noodles/​these were amazing. No peanut butter taste here, great sauce. I finished the whole container.
It’s a bit pricier than your average takeout place but the ingredients seem like they are better quality.
Will definitely come back with a group to eat at the restaurant and order some entrees.

Incredible find and random too. I love finding random places. Was out looking at real estate after work with a group, and looked around the neighborhood for dinner. Went in and was really surprised to see this kind of Chinese menu on the Upper West Side. We tried Pig Throat with minced hot pepper, Hand Shredded Chicken with spicy sesame dressing, Arctic Surf Clams with wasabi, Kung pao shrimp, Braised Fish Fillet with silk tofu in chili miso, Fatty Beef. Kaiyang Style Squash.
Best Sichuan in Manhattan and nothing in Chinatown compares. You’d have to go to Flushing to find something similar. The menu is definitely authentic Sichuan which means SPICY, but they offer more conventional Chinese-​American dishes as well. But try something different here, there are so many other places that can make fried rice and General Tso’s chicken.
The servers are very helpful, just ask what is their best authentic Sichuan dishes. Amazing food preparation and taste. The chef here is an all star/​MVP and remember to always order Chinese, family style

One of best chineses restaurants on the Manhhaton NYC. The service and tates are better than Legend and Olles in Upper west side near Columbia University.
Huiguorou and Koushuiji are good.

Good Szechuan food. Delicious with good service. I am happy to be here after three days in US.

Stopped in for a quick lunch. Perfunctory service, but the fish fillets with ginger and scallions had a complex and flavorful sauce. The menu said lunch specials come with soup or a soda, but I was offered neither. Not a bargain, but I’ll happily pay a premium for tasty Chinese food on the Upper West Side.

We came in with a party of 5 and had a delicious experience. Service was great. Really happy to have a great new restaurant on the upper west side. Highly recommend the dumplings, sesame chicken, and spare ribs. Enjoy!

It was pretty expensive and the General Tso was only standard. Very doughy, not crispy, and pretty much bland. I don’t like spicy but I like a little spice flavor, which is expected in General Tso. I would give it 3 stars if it wasn’t so expensive.
Maybe I’ll try some other dishes another time…

I was starving and ducked in for a pick-​me-​up hearty meal. I’m so glad I did! I’d been looking for a good go-​to Chinese place in the neighborhood. I had the General Tso’s Chicken. It was delish. Yay!

Took my mom here last night and had a wonderful meal. The staff was very friendly and the food was great. The pork dumplings with Chile sauce are amazeballs. We have previously been to the 39^th st location and this location is equally great. So glad to have one in our hood.

Good Chinese food on the upper west side! I am shocked — and delighted. Lots of exotic options for those less squeamish than I, but terrific versions of the sort of dishes my out-​of-​town visitors wanted. Superb scallion pancakes. Wonderful shrimp, chicken and noodles. I can’t wait to go back and try the duck.

this place is located on Broadway at the site of the old Hunan Balcony, food was good, but. it hurt my stomach. beef fried rice was a bit
gave my a headache. Miss Hunan Balcony. Ribs were very taste

Excellent! I’d give it five stars, but I only give a few five-​star reviews.
For those of you who know the neighborhood, this place is located on Broadway at the site of the old Hunan Balcony, an indifferent but reliable New York City Chinese restaurant. However, the Szechuan Gourmet has really taken this to an entirely different –and much higher — level.
The food was truly excellent! The one pepper dishes are reasonably hot, there are a lot of no pepper dishes, and there are some three pepper dishes that you probably shouldn’t try unless you’re really into it.
A lot of authentic things made with duck blood, innards, feet etc., but the menu is in English so you can choose these if you want them and not by accident.
But they are all perfectly prepared. We had a vegetarian dish, a shrimp dish and a pork dish.
Sides are good. The won ton soup is clear and subtle, and the noodle wrappers are delicate. The scallion pancakes are flaky and really the best I have ever had.
The environment isn’t luxe but is pleasant and the service is good. This appears to be one of a mini chain and I hope they’re all this good.

Finally a good Chinese restaurant in the W90s and the fact it’s Szechuan makes it even better! We went there tonight for the first time and couldn’t have been happier. The service was very attentive, the restaurant is clean, white table cloths and the food was amazing.
The Dan Dan noodles were spot on. Tasty minced pork with that familiar tongue numbing szechuan pepper, noodles with a good chew to them and a nice chili oil base.
We tried the pork dumplings which were also very tasty, a thin wrapper, nice and crisp on the bottom with a flavorful pork filling.
The Kung Pao chicken was our favorite for sure. It didn’t have the heat that we expected nor did it have szechuan peppercorns but it was a very delicious dish packed with chicken, peanuts and just the right amount of toasted garlic and ginger. I posted a picture of it, but the lighting doesn’t so this dish justice.
If you like Chinese food you have to try this place, I’m concerned that a lot of people think this is re-​opened by the owners of the old Hunan Park but it’s not. This is an outpost of the Szechuan Gourmet of Flushing, Queens, need I say more? Go, you will not be disappointed!!!

Our first try in it. So far so good. The same quality as the flagship restaurant in Flushing NY. Finally a good Szechuan or Chinese restaurant in 90’s of upper west side!