This cozy Sichuan haven offers spicy delights like mapo tofu and swing pork belly, paired perfectly with pots of tea in a charming atmosphere.
"This St. Marks Szechuan restaurant with an original location in Flushing serves dishes that happily numb, like bright and slick mapo tofu and la zi chicken with a shovelful of chiles. In addition to ordering those, we always get the spicy bass with tender fish and an electric-green broth that induces just a little bit of forehead sweat. The place stays extremely busy, but the servers are still attentive. Even if you drop your chopstick, they’ll replace it within 30 seconds." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, neha talreja
"Eating at Szechuan Mountain House is an all-around thrilling experience. The chaos of St. Marks travels right up to the restaurant, where servers zip around with headsets, delivering dishes with hit after adrenaline hit of electrifying flavor. The combination of numbing peppercorns and spicy chilies can be found all over their menu, for example in their mouth-vibrating ma-po tofu and fried la-zi chicken. But Mountain House (which also has locations in Flushing, Midtown, and other cities) has so much more to offer. It’s always filled with people eating things like pickled frog legs, sour beef soup, and strips of pork belly and cucumber, served with a garlic paste that’s louder than any chili oil on the table. It’s sensory overload, in the best way. Afterwards, the East Village seems almost serene." - bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"The East Village and Flushing locations of Szechuan Mountain House are some of our favorite Chinese restaurants in the city, and now they have a third NYC location in Midtown. Try things like kung pao chicken served on a decorative shovelhead, pork belly suspended on a clothesline, and Sichuan classics like numbing mapo tofu, and stone pot green pepper fish stew." - will hartman
"The New York City location of this Allston Szechuan spot is an institution, and it’s one of the few transplant restaurants in Boston we’re actually excited about. Their swinging pork belly dish has mandolined strips of meat and cucumber draped over a wooden stand, with the whole thing dangling above a bowl of garlic and chili oil. Once it arrives at your table, it’ll first get your attention for presentation, and then for being your new favorite way to eat pork belly. Order that, the pepper lover chicken that has some decent spice without setting your tongue on fire, and a couple of other plates to celebrate crushing the first half of the workweek. " - tanya edwards
"One of our highest-rated restaurants in the entire city offers takeout on a bunch of different food delivery platforms. And, they have locations in the East Village, Midtown, and Flushing. Lucky you. Try their fantastic ma-po tofu, twice-cooked pork, and mala prawns. Check out the full list of apps they’re on here. " - neha talreja, bryan kim, hannah albertine
