Chef Xiong - Taste of Szechuan

Daicy Hexiao Yu a month ago

I have to say that I’m disappointed by their noodle dish. I got their spicy sze chuan beef noodle, a type of noodle dish that I’ve had at many restaurants so I have an expectation of what it should be. I can tell this place’s broth isn’t what noodle soup should typically taste like; it takes like spicy hot pot broth or another package that they just added water to. Honestly it’s pretty obvious just by taking one look (if you’re familiar with beef noodle soups). The vegetable they use is also a bit off because authentically people wouldn’t use napa cabbage (what they used) and would do a green veggie like bok choy. Unfortunately the beef also has too much tendon. I know some tendon is expected, but this one had so much that I wish they had cut the pieces smaller to be more chewable. The noodles are also not chewy—they break immediately when you bite down like scissors cutting string—not the type of quality noodles that I’ve had elsewhere that taste handmade (even though this place’s menu claims that the noodles are handmade). Overall just quite disappointed because nothing in this dish, noodles, soup, beef, or vegetable, made me happy. The one plus side is that the portion is huge, but I’d rather have a little bit of what I love than a lot of what I don’t like! I don’t know about their stir fry though; these could be their strength and I simply just don’t know. To be fair, sze chuan food authentically is mainly stir fry / rice dishes. But, their classic noodle dishes are pretty iconic, which makes this place’s beef noodles even more disappointing.

Xinyu Zhuang 5 months ago

I have been to many many Chinese and Sichuanese restaurants in Chicago. Chef Xiong’s is hands down the best I have had and super authentic. Chef Xiong himself is very friendly and always comes out the kitchen periodically to greet the customers and asking for feedback. His staff are always very attentive. I recommend dine in if you can, because food comes out the most fresh and tasty that way. The chef himself is also trained in Sichuanese cuisine and is very knowledgeable when it comes to cooking. His restaurant is my go to restaurant when I have friends visiting in town or when I organize a get together. My friends(Chinese and Non-Asians) all love his food SO much!!

Matthew Ho 10 months ago

Aah Chef Xiong is always so delicious and a must-go whenever I'm visiting Chicago. It's usually not too busy whenever I come (never had to queue before), but I feel like it is much more deserving of ~social media fame~ than some of the suggestions I see online nowadays. I digress. Honestly all their dishes I've tried have been fantastic, so some highlights: -- Szechuan jelly noodle w black bean sauce (青椒豆豉涼粉) have a wonderfully springy/chewy texture, and I love that you can taste the fresh flavour of the noodles themselves. The chili bean sauce was sooo yummy -- definitely has a kick — and I love the crisp (clean!) spicy flavour that pairs well with the refreshing taste of the jelly noodles. -- Chongqing popcorn chicken (重慶辣子雞) - maybe my favourite dish here (a bit hard to say, since everything was so good). It comes in a really cute chicken-shaped basket. The chicken bites were really crispy without having too oily of an exterior, and the generous portion of chilli peppers made it Really Quite spicy. -- Kung pao chicken (宮保雞丁) is always a classic and Chef Xiong's is no different. I loved the slightly sweet sauce (I​ definitely prefer it to the Cantonese/southern-style kung pao chicken), and the savoury juicy flavour of the chicken pieces was great, too. -- For a non-spicy contrast I like to order the Chinese jajangmyeon (炸醬麵) - the noodles were perfectly cooked, meat sauce rich and filling, and it gave our burning taste buds periodic breaks in between everything else. It's also really inexpensive for the huge portion size. -- I've also tried smaller dishes like the mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) and wontons in chilli sauce (紅油抄手), which are all delicious too, though I think they don't stand out as much as the other dishes I mentioned. Overall, I can't recommend this restaurant enough. I loved everything we ordered, and the price point for the large portions and deliciously authentic food is just the cherry on top. Already thinking about my next visit here :)

Matt zebroski a month ago

Incredible and super authentic. Chongqing food that's tough to find in the states. I loved everything. I'll be back next time I'm in Chicago. Mala perfect. Super spicy and numbing.

Reese 4 weeks ago

I thought the food was good but my mainland Chinese partner thought it was alright. I really liked the dry pot they had! I’m not sure what they put in it but it was addicting and kept eating. I would come back just for the dry pot!