Spicy King

I ate here a couple weeks ago and got the panpan noodles. It was soooooo delicious. I’ve been looking for restraunts across the United States that serve pan pan noodles and have not found any place. I will have to make a special trip into Chinatown when i am in the area next time to feed my craving. The hot tea was very good also.

I should say something after visiting there with high expectation. I ordered the guilin rice noodle which is my hometown popular food. I want to say this food is not good. If you come here, it had better not order this food.

ahhhh — not sure if it’s because my tastes have changed, but i think the spice has become so much milder than before! crazy. meeps! i want to try some of the other new hunan houses in chinatown.

Ordered beef rib and orange chicken. The line is pretty long (30min wait time), but worth the food quality. I liked orange chicken better than the rib. Interior design is beautiful.

Phenomenal food! Every single dish was far above average, including some of the best I’ve ever tried. Language barrier was an issue, but well worth it for the quality

Another popular trend in Chinese cuisine besides hot pots is spicy food, specially Southwest Chinese regional style. Szechuan is the most famous along with Guizhou. Szechuan’s capitol is Chengdu, most famous for its panda reserves.
The recent trend that started a couple years back is numbing hot, a sensation that leaves a tingling sensation on your tongue and renders all flavors to be neutral (neither salty or sweet). This is not my cup of tea and, for me, if you can’t taste it, what’s the point?!
The restaurant is known for their hot pots which is difficult for lunch, given most people are on a schedule workwise. After studying their individual serving dishes, I decided to try their Tan Tan noodles (
) for $ 7.95.
Eating this in my office, it was a bit difficult to mix the ingredients as most of the meat and sauce were on the bottom. After eating my way down about ¹⁄₃^rd of the way, I was able to better mix those with the cabbage. The flavors weren’t overly spicy but still had good enough heat. The cabbage added a crunch to the noodle bounce and the minced meat pieces.
Yes, I would have this again.
My friend and I stopped for hot pot but there was an interruption so I’ll withhold comment until I actually enjoy this here.
The chef apparently worked for the popular Z&Y on Jackson Street for some time before branching on his own. The original spot was the former location of Pot Sticker about half a block away on the other side of the street. I’ve tried his other restaurant on Geary Blvd last year, coincidentally during the Warriors’ finals’ run.
For Chinatown old timers, most will remember this spot of the famed Uncle’s Restaurant, where many of the political negotiations back in the day happened in the community. This was a popular breakfast place for local business owners and family association officers for discussing situations and solving problems (ala Sun Wah Kue, Mary’s, Jackson Café, etc.).
The ambiance is a bit dark in there with a few large tables and mostly two or four seat tables. Checkout the «ride» in the front of the restaurant, which doesn’t make much sense to me.
But I guess that’s the thing about Chinatown… many things don’t quite make sense here.

Only been there 2 times.
The first time was with my mom, they had people who spoke mandarin and cantonese, and english I believe. The food was very nice, they had teas. I loved the noodle, although it was spicy.
2^nd time was with my aunt. Loved the cucumber, the chicken dish had a lot of chicken, however the noodle i ordered again was very salty. That was disappointing.
Bonus for the lemon water
Another time I wanted takeout, I wanted the original menu with the pictures and everything, which I find necessary to raise my appetite and to choose, but the employee just handed me the paper one with just names, left me hanging there, so I just left.
Still, I’m all about the food. Overall I still think it’s alright.

This is a great Sichuan restaurant in SF and 5 stars are based on the food, not on service. I’m from china and love spicy food and this place hits the spot. Yes it’s less spicy that what you would find in Sichuan but the numbing spicy is authentic.
You should not listen to those who gave shitty reviews based on cleanliness and service. If that’s what you are looking for, definitely go elsewhere. If you want good authentic food, get some chongqing numbing noodles, couples delight, fish in chili oil or a flaming pot. It saddens me that people made the trek to this place and orders things like egg rolls or chow mein, and then gets disappointed with the «Chinese» food they got. Come with the expectation Sichuan spicy means numbing spicy. just because it’s not the spicy you are used to doesn’t mean you should rate it low and recommend others to go elsewhere.

Ran into this place after some Unilocaling and their Noodles is really good! Definitely coming back to try the other things on the menu!

I was originally attracted by the chongqing noodle but as soon as they brought it up it just looks really unappetizing to me. The spicyness and numbness is not as close as the authentic and the veggie they use doesn’t seems to be washed properly.
I will not come here again…

My wife and I might be anomalous, but we really love the simple Chinese dishes we ate all the time when we met, began dating, and got engaged in China. We were pumped about authentic Chinese food in Chinatown, and happier still when we found the menu here, and felt our suspicions confirmed by the mostly Chinese clientele.
The restaurant is not very large, but they do offer to seat small parties together at larger tables. We took this option, but it meant staring at and smelling the amazing foods our table-​mates had ordered before we had even placed an order! We went simple: «fish flavored» egg plant, hand torn spicy cabbage, and spicy broth tofu. When the cabbage finally came out we devoured it almost instantly! It was the exact Sichuan style dish we were craving! Sadly, the subsequent dishes were not as satisfying. The tofu seemed to have cracked black pepper, which we found odd, but the eggplant was inedible due to the skin, which we can only surmise was burned.
The service was also very slow. I think they were under-​staffed, but the tables that emptied stayed dirty a long time before anyone from the developing crowd at the door could’ve seated.
If you’re looking for fancier dishes, this place seemed to do the trick for whole fish and hotpot, but for more modest fare I think you’d be better off looking elsewhere.

What a treat. Never had the cuisine before. Always you beef and broccoli variety kind of Chinese food. Clients from Schezhuan area brought me here and ordered everything. It was numbing not hot. So you can still enjoy the flavor. Excellent food. Will be back.
Ordered big fish. Cukes. Noodles.

My man friend and I stopped in this evening for a bite to eat after work. In all honesty, I had a tummy ache but told myself to buck up and shut up. So we got a bunch of things to share, my favorite thing to do on a date. I think you learn a thing or two about someone by the things they order when ordering for two. Fortunately we both like a lot of the same foods, so it worked out.
We got the Potstickers, Green Onion Pancakes, Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce, and the Princess Chicken. Everything was very tasty: the chicken was super good, spicy, hot, crispy, slightly sweet, green onion pancake was thinner than I usually have it which was a good thing. Potstickers were lightly fried and juicy, and the Chinese Broc was perfectly cooked.
I gave three stars because this place was not really my scene. It was clean and fine, but I am personally more into the dirty little hole in the wall Chinese places. It felt very Americanized and chain-​y, there were tons of white people eating there, never a good sign to me at a Chinese spot in Chinatown. But regardless, I had a pretty nice time chatting, nibbling, and sipping a Sapporo.

Authentic Sichuan restaurant that showcases hau jiao or the famous Sichuan numbing pepper– an awesome feat considering that 99% of Szechuan restaurants in the USA lack this vital spice. Dishes we tried were the fish with chili oil, bean jello with chili and dry string beans. Best to go with a bigger group to try more items. Definitely focus on the «folk» menu and steer well clear of the «white folks» Mandarin items.
My only complaint is this place uses WAY TOO MUCH SALT. Shame on the chefs for that.

I came here with a group of 5. As first timers, unanimously, we all hated it. We ordered 6 dishes, and every single one of them was extremely salty and oily. I could pour out a bowl of oil from the sauce of these dishes (we literally poured out the oil). I generally like food with flavor, but the food here was so salty, it was basically pouring msg down your throat. On top of that, I generally don’t have high expectations for tea at restaurants, but the tea served here was basically water. We were curious so we looked into the tea kettle. To my surprise, there was a teabag, but the tea was tasteless? It makes me wonder if they reuse the teabags over and over again.
We weren’t impressed with the service either. We came in with a group of 5, and they decided to seat us at a big table meant for a party of 10. In the middle of our meal, they asked us to move because a group of 14 was coming in. Why seat us there in the first place?
Also, it is pricey. Every dish is $ 10+. We (and our wallets) would be way happier going around the corner for better, cheaper Chinese food at Capital. Not coming back.

I was surprised by how authentic the flavors were here. We came on a rainy day so fortunately there was no wait. My friend and I shared the enoki mushroom salad, she had the gong bao chicken and I had the eggplant in garlic sauce. All the flavors were delicious and authentic. Run, don’t walk to try the eggplant, seriously.

Not a bad place if you are craving Szechuan style food. The restaurant is located in the heart of SF Chinatown. It’s a small-​medium size restaurant, and I can see this place getting packed easily. Luckily, our party of 3 was seated immediately (probably because we were there on a Monday night).
I would recommend getting the mapo tofu and the fish fillet boiled in chili oil. I felt the taste of the food was more geared towards an Americanized audience.
No particular reason why I only ranked it a 3-​star… It didn’t disappoint, but also did not wow.

My friend and I had finished eating our meal and we were figuring out the bill. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and I remember thinking «is that what I think is is?» It was. A RAT ran under my friend’s chair and then ran back out again. I instantly jumped out of my chair and out the door. That was the first time I’ve ever seen a rat inside a restaurant — it totally turned my stomach and freaked me out. I will NEVER be going back.

This is one of my Favorite place for dinner in the city. Great food, great service and even have karaōke in the vip room upstairs. How can u ask for more?

Best Szechuan food in SF Chinatown!
Recommend silky tofu fillet and chongqing xiaomian noodle!

Spicy King is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area! Their food are not only taste great, but also look awesome!!! Check it out and you won’t be disappointed.

It is one of the most popular Chinese restaurants. The environment is nice and the waiters are so kind. There are lots of Sichuan dishes. We ordered frog flaming pot and fried lotus. They are all delicious and not that spicy like China. You should go there and have a taste.

I really wanted to like this restaurant because their menu is actually pretty legit (not much Americanized general tso like dishes) but I had a horrible experience here. I lived in China for years and speak mandarin so i’m thinking i’m an ok judge.
Si ji dou– So salty that I couldn’t even eat it– and this coming from someone who loves salt.
mushroom dry pot– ok. Pretty good actually.
liang fen– disappointing. The noodle tasted like it had sat around for a long time.
kou shui ji (spit chicken) — Along with the dry pot one of the better dishes.
cold cucumber– so so.
While the food was meh the service was awful. The waitresses working frequently ignored us and carried a «i hate you and our jobs’ expression on their faces the entire night We sat at a pretty large round table and they didn’t even bother to put the rice bowls and dishes in front of where we sat– forcing us to lean over the table and set them where we get them. And again– I was speaking to them in Chinese.
On the plus side– beer is only $ 4 a bottle.
I will never be going back.

I got to try this joint on my recent visit to SF and I absolutely loved the food here. I came here with my party of six on a Thursday night and we were seated in 5 mins.
Two of us ordered the vegetarian dinner option and the rest of the party ordered a shareable pot of the hot and sour soup, prawns flaming pot, sauteed string beans, onion pancake, spicy beef noodles, and rice.
The noodles were flavorful, spicy, and not at all overcooked accompanied with onion, broccoli, & carrot. The onion pancake was savory and not soggy as I’m used to from other restaurants. The string beans were absolutely delicious here! They had the right amount of bite, sauce, saltiness, and spiciness. The spring rolls that came as part of the veggie option were average, yet good. The hot and sour soup was super yummy and definitely hit the spot as it was quite chilly that night! It was both spicy and tart. The rest of my party enjoyed their spicy beef noodles saying it was a good combination of salty and spicy. The food was so satisfying, we were all done eating after a few bites.
We were somewhat disappointed with the service here since no one bothered to check up on us for drinks. We had to keep waiving for staff to take notice of us even though we were seated at the biggest table front and center of the restaurant. It wasn’t even a busy night. On top of that, we never received the steamed rice we had ordered at the beginning. The waitress later admitted she had forgot & included it in our leftover boxes. Though the service lacked, I can’t wait to come back again in the future to try some of their other spicy options!

Spicy King: wanting to have more Chinese Food but this time spicy we headed to Spicy King back in Chinatown for lunch. We were greeted and seated, given a menu and offered drinks right away. The menu was quit extensive with amazing hot/​spicy dishes to choose from. We ordered the Chicken with Explosive Chili Peppers and a bowl of rice. The dish was very good, chunks of perfectly fired chicken seasoned with Szechuan peppercorns, green onions and dried red chile peppers. Definitely spicy and well enjoyed. Service and food very good.

Server told my boyfriend & I to sit at the end of the bar right next to the kitchen door where the workers go in & out, because supposedly there were no «small tables» even though there were plenty of small tables (seat of 4) in the back.
Then when we were about to sit down, a couple who was sitting at a table just paid & left. So, we asked the server if we can sit at the table instead because the end of the bar was too cramped & if we sat there, we would be blocking the entrance to the kitchen for the workers. The server then said «no the other couple who came in after you is going to sit there». Yes, the couple AFTER US.
So, my boyfriend & I decided to get up & leave soon after because we are not going to take that kind of crappy service & we’ll gladly spend our money elsewhere.

I love a nice spicy lunch to help energize me for the rest of the workday; works better than coffee! Though I really like Z&Y for Szechuan, their popularity makes getting a table difficult sometimes. Spicy King is a little off the tourist path which means seating is easier; also it feels like some of the dishes might even be spicier. A good way to get your chili fix.
Chicken w/​Explosive Chili Pepper: Despite all the chilis, it’s not that hot if you don’t eat the dried chilis (which don’t have a good texture anyway, since they’re dried). The chicken chunks are pretty large, like a bite or two per piece. And they seem more generous with chicken portion than at other Szechuan places. Lots of perfumey Szechuan pepper taste (which are from the little peppercorns, not the long dried chilis). A little fried chicken overload for one person, but great to share.
Chongqing Hot Numbing Spicy Noodles w/​Peas & Meat Sauce: Thin crinkly noodles, like ramen, in an oily chili sauce. It wasn’t quite numbing, but it was appreciably hot. The bland cabbage pieces were a nice palate cleanser between bites. I wasn’t really feeling the peas since they seemed like the canned kind (or maybe frozen), but definitely not fresh out of the pod. The minced meat was nice, but a small portion.

This is a complex review, but here goes. I’m giving this a 4 star but I want to give it 3 ½.
Why?
Being an American, I have come to expect my Chinese food to be a certain way. This food may have been to close to what actual Chinese food is like and I have yet to acquire an appreciation for it. I had the spicy chicken.
My spicy chicken was SUPER spicy. But what turned me off is that it was dry (no sauce) and for the price did not come with rice or noodles $ 13.95. Rice was $ 5. Now don’t get me wrong. It tasted great. I had to order a side of sweet and sour sauce to tone down the spicy flavor. We also had Mongolian chicken. Also very good flavor $ 9.95.
Come before 5pm. This seems to be a popular place. The waitress was swamped with all the tables until the other hep came in.
Overall it was tasty. Just not what I’m used to eating.

Five star solid. You won’t find this place peddling menus on the corner of Grant Ave luring tourists in for «authentic Chinese cuisine». They obviously don’t need to. Do your self a favor and walk slightly up the hill to Waverly Place for some darn good Sichuan cuisine.
As the name suggests, the standard offerings here definitely have a kick and I’m sure that they could punish you more if requested. I was here with my kids and a friend visiting from out of town, so I kept the selections a bit tame but everything we ordered was great and we all left full and happy. I’d love to come back here with someone who would help me explore some more of this huge five page menu.
The spicy sauteed green beans were the group favorite and were every bit as good as I remembered from my travels to Shanghai. The salt and pepper shrimp were unexpectedly good, perfectly cooked, lightly breaded, and a great compliment to the other more spicy entrees. I was jealous of the other tables who were sampling huge noodle bowls, hot pots, and other interesting delicacies. Next time…
I haven’t explored much of the cuisine in SF Chinatown, so don’t actually know how this compares, but for this kid, it was a hit.

this place is so so legit! definitely gives Z&Y a run for its money. seriously. i’ve also had hot pot here and it’s delicious (although a bit pricey…)
last night, came here with three girlfriends and ordered: mapo tofu, numbing chicken (nugget style), beech mushrooms, dan dan noodle, sesame pancakes, eggplant in garlic sauce. got 2 bowls of rice and washed EVERYTHING down. honestly. so yumm! cant wait to come back. everyone who was eating here last night seemed to be enjoying themselves!

Take the road less traveled… by tourists… and find yourself here.
I wasn’t sure that they would speak English, and my abilities in any dialect of Chinese are minimal. It wasn’t a problem, and no Chinese was necessary.
It wasn’t really busy when I arrived, but the waitress came over to greet me. She looked about the dining room, grabbed a towel and a menu, and seated me after cleaning a table for two. I only needed one chair, despite my big mouth.
Given that they specialize in Sichuan food, I wanted to find something interesting. I was friends with a Chinese family who owned a restaurant in Ohio, and they approximated Sichuan cuisine, but I’ve never had the food made with the real recipes.
I ordered the Hand-​shredded cabbage, which was meant to be spicy. I talked to waitress about it, and I mentioned tofu. She showed me Mapo Tofu, which is a Shanghai-​nese (I’ve been reminded by someone that it is Sichuan. I don’t know but I’ve had people from Shanghai claim it, also.) recipe that I really like but I was there for Sichuan food. She suggested that I might like the Preserved Egg and Tofu appetizer. I had asked for iced tea, as she had brought hot tea. They didn’t have any. She also asked if I wanted steamed white rice.
When I returned from the restroom, she had brought ice water. It wasn’t long after that when she brought the appetizer, and fairly quickly, the main course arrived, along with steamed white rice.
Since I wasn’t sure how anything but the rice should taste, I was pleased with all of it. The appetizer was cold and the level of spice was mild. The level of spice of the cabbage was a bit higher and there were many red peppers that had been cooked with the cabbage as well. Is this typical? I don’t know.
I remember being told that Sichuan recipes were extremely spicy, and they had some tongue-​numbing recipes, with the word «numbing» in the description.
I felt more secure as other Asians entered the restaurant. I’ve been to a number of places where the tourists outweigh the local people, and it always gives me the feeling that the food isn’t good enough. I believe this place is good enough.

4÷5÷15: Just a quick look at reviews tells me many people misunderstand what this restaurant serves: authentic Chinese Szechuan (Sichuan) food. Here’s a quote from a 1 star review:
«However, be warn with both of these dishes the food is sitting in a pool of chili oil. The chili oil is how they make everything spicy. It’s so greasy. Yuck.»
Obviously the reviewer has no idea what true Szechuan food is since the «pool of chili oil» is the hallmark of such cooking. Many of the dishes mention a «numbing oil» referring to the fact that if done properly your mouth should feel somewhat numbed (to let you tolerate much hotter foods) as a result of the special pepper corns they use, yes, in a pool of oil. Anyway, just wanted to point that out.
That said, I’ve had my fair share, including some really awesome ones in Monterey Park, and unfortunately this place isn’t among the best, and is actually sub par…
1. Couple’s Delight $ 7.95: This is the MUST HAVE for any Szechuan meal – the typical 2 or 3 foods (out of sliced beef, pig ear, and tripe) combined for an appetizer, hopefully with ton of numbness dished in. In this case, they did the famous dish right. Everything was super flavorful and rich. ⁸⁄₁₀.
2. Chongqing Hot Numbing Spicy Noodle $ 7.95: My girl was SUPER HAPPY to see this on the menu. Even immigrating from China she has never had this dish and was looking forward to duplicating it. Unfortunately, what they server was NOT IT. Also, not hot or numbing at all. −2÷10. Yes you read that right: NEGATIVE TWO /​10 for making a joke out of a famous dish. −−−−−2÷10
3. Boiling Live Fish w/​Numbing Chili Oil $ 28.95: Sigh… so, my girl and her friend immediately said this was not «live.» We even asked the waitress who confirmed they did use a live fish. I dunno, maybe it was killed in the morning and they called it «live.» Personally, I thought the fish was okay, but was more disappointed that it was cheapass tilapia, the cheapest live fish you can get at Ranch 99! For nearly $ 30, totally not even close to worth that chunk of change. Taste-​wise, again, I thought it was okay, but out of the humongoid pot, I think 2/​3rds of it was chilli peppers and inedible filler. Very little actual fish. This is one of the most expensive items on their menu, so I warn you – DO NOT GET THIS. ²⁄₁₀.
4. House Special Lamb Ribs $ 13.95: I LOVE ribs. American. Chinese. Whatever. And I’ve had ribs at other Szechuan places and I always love them. But this one… some pieces were okay, but most of the ribs were not intact, with half their meat ripped off. The ones that were still one piece were good. The rest was just lying in the dish. Also, some of the lone pieces were super chewy and were barely swallowable. Note, this is the cumin-​flavored variation, not the bbq type. ²⁄₁₀.
5. Chicken w/​Explosive Chili Pepper $ 13.95: I thought this one was decent. Pretty tender chicken to me with good pepper taste. But the girls disagreed. Anyway, for me, ⁵⁄₁₀.
This restaurant just isn’t as good as their average competitor. Go elsewhere.
#chinese #szechuan #sichuan

I went here on Friday for dinner and it was just aweful. We got the chicken, duck soup, pork, and chow mein. Both the pork dish and chow mein were super salty. The chow mein had a ton of soy sauce in it.
The chicken and duck soup were good. They were really spicy. However, be warn with both of these dishes the food is sitting in a pool of chili oil. The chili oil is how they make everything spicy. It’s so greasy. Yuck.
They also charge $ 0.30 for each small to go box. The horrible food plus the costly to go boxes made it easy to waste all that good and leave it behind. Not returning back to this again.

We pre-​yelped this place before going since we knew we were going to be staying in the area. I used to live in Chinatown and I really wish I had known about this place at the time!
It was a Wednesday night and the place was totally crowded. We ended up sharing our table with another couple because we were so hungry and the places smelled so great we didn’t want to have to wait any longer.
We ordered the spring rolls as an appetizer. They came out crispy and fresh. That was a great way to start off the food experience.
Next came the princess chicken. I don’t know what flavors they used but the combination was sweet and spicy and drenched in sauce yet the chicken was still crisp. This was definitely my favorite dish of the night.
After the chicken came out we realized that we had ordered some steamed rice and actually had to ask them to bring it out. I’m guessing they forgot too. That kinda sucked.
Lastly came the orange beef. That was pretty amazing too. It wasn’t very tough to eat and came with tiny shavings of orange peel cooked into the sauce. That was a refreshing and delightful touch.
So, I really debated if I was going to give this place 3 or 4 stars. The wait staff was absolutely horrible! They never asked us how the food was. Never asked us if we wanted another beer or if we wanted more water. It was a shame. At the end of our meal we were still being ignored and we had to resort to putting out hands in the air like we were in elementary school just to get them to pay attention to us. This place really deserves 3 stars just based on that but the food was just so damn good!