Szechuan’s Dumpling

First time eating here last week and thought the food was great. It’s a pretty authentic Chinese restaurant without the hassle of driving into Chinatown. I also went with a friend who knew the menu well and ordered in Mandarin so I benefited from her expertise. Their xiao long baos or soup dumplings are really good with nice thin skins and plenty of juice when you bite into it. (Make sure you eat with a soup spoon and bite carefully to avoid getting squirted). My favorite was their scallion pancakes wrapped with beef (juan bing)! How have I gone my whole life without ever having this?! My second favorite is their gua baos or an Asian equivalent of a slider. Next time my parents visit, I’m going to bring them here.

A decent enough Chinese food restaurant. Considering they’re named after dumplings, you’d think their dumpling choices would be phenomenal, however they only have the thick «Peking dumpling» style wrappers, not the thin ones that typical Chinese dumplings should made of. Still, when you’re lazy and want dumplings, it’ll do.
Also, don’t get the duck.

Dumplings are smaller in size but you’ll 8 pieces instead of 6. The dough is thin but I wont call them «juicy dumplings» because there are hardly any. They are good though. The spicy beef noodle soup is peppery and flavorful. Soup base is pretty mild. If you’re afraid of squishy and fatty meat, then avoid this dish. I don’t mind them at all. Spicy fish stew is SUPER spicy, just the way I like it. Too bad the dish is too gelatin-​y. Top layer is so thick that I had a difficult time fishing for the tofu and fish fillet. Countless bobas in my milk tea!

I don’t want to leave the 5 star review hanging out there. Ownership has changed and the food is now unexceptional. A couple blah visits convinced me that it was no longer worth going out of my way for and I haven’t been back for about a year.

Great to have a Chinese restaurant serving authentic Hangzhou food! Love the mini juicy dumplings!

I was here a year ago… And I must say, their food quality have really declined. We ordered pretty much the same dishes we ordered last time, but it was not even close to the same.
The sweet and sour fried fish came in this dark sweet sauce (general gaos sauce)… It used to have pineapple and peppers in it. But nothing. It was just a small pile of fried fish smothered with dark sauce. General gao’s fish?
The rice cake was soaked in grease… Tasted like salt.
The Singapore noodles was over curried and not dry like it’s supposed to be. It was also soaked in grease.
We also ordered sauteedwater spinach, beef fish, and a couple others.
All the dishes (besides the soup dumplings) were a disappointment and I have to say I do not recommend.

I’m rating this restaurant four stars instead of five because the décor/​ambiance lacks a bit, but the food is exceptionally good, beautiful and delicious with generous portions, and the service is always friendly and accommodating.
The menu is packed with unusual dishes which seem refreshingly authentic. Every time my friends and I go we try to pick some more menu items we haven’t tried before… and nothing has disappointed. We love the place. Run to have a meal there, you’ll love it too.

There are so many Chinese restaurants on Mass. Ave from Arlington to Cambridge and the mixed reviews here had me apprehensive going in… but this locale was closest to my meeting so I took a chance – and glad I did!
Service was friendly and efficient, and the food was [unexpectedly] awesome! Spicy, authentic dishes blew my socks off (and made me sweat just a bit!)
–Scallion pancakes and spring rolls were freshly fried and not too greasy.
–The filling in the pork and chive dumplings was well seasoned; dough wasn’t too heavy.
–The XLB’s (soup dumplings) was the only thing I didn’t like (–1 star) with thick dough and tough and bland pork inside.
–spicy fried chicken was indeed fiery with intense flavors (and the appropriate amount of szechuan peppercorns and chili peppers), served super crispy and hot (temp.).
–Chili beef, perfectly spiced with good quality meat
–Broccoli, Pea Pods & String beans with garlic sauce (could actually detect the garlic, unlike many versions of this type of dish)
Prices are in line with quality.
Note to self: schedule another meeting near here!

Ordered sweet and sour pork, crab rangoons and hot and sour soup on foodler.
Awful.

Average Chinese restaurant with a nice selection of beverages and a menu that can overwhelm you. Food is decent but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here. We just happen to live nearby so it’s convenient. There’s only street parking which isn’t bad because it’s free but sometimes it can be difficult to find a spot. Three stars because prices are on the higher side.

If you like authentic Chinese food then this place is the right one! We come here often and they are always consistent with their food and service. It’s a bit of a drive since its in Arlington but it’s worth it.
Their Shanghai bun are always good and they aren’t cheap on the stuffing which is always a positive thing! Xia long bao is juicy and full of flavor! Better than those dry one you get in Chinatown.
The last thing I want to say about this place is that their service is wonderful. Usually when you eat at Chinese restaurant they never check up on you and ask how’s the food. They usually just give you the food and then wait for you to flag them down to ask for the check, but this place is different because they actually care about their costumes.
If you’re around the area definitely stop by and give this place a try!!! Hope they stay around for awhile.

Ok not great. We tried things from across the menu, from classic dumpling appetizers to spring rolls to the pork mini juicy buns and a few selections off the «authentic» menu– spicy pork tripe and shredded pork ears. Oh yeah, and shrimp with vegetables.
The dumplings were really too chewy. The dough was tough to get through and the pork tasted odd to me. The shrimp with vegetables was standard dull Americanized Chinese fare nothing out of the ordinary there but nothing to complain about either. The authentic menu should’ve been the stand out, but the spicy pork tripe was only good and the shredded pork ears were really nothing to write home about.
Delivery was pretty quick, they said on the phone they deliver to «Arlington area», I’m not quite sure what that means.

It’s rare for my husband and I to eat out at a Chinese restaurant. Once in a blue moon, we do take outs, but most of the time I cook my own Chinese food. However, on those very rare occasions we do go out for Chinese, we always go to Szechuan’s Dumplings. Since we’ve been coming here, this is the 3^rd ownership, and we’re hoping they stay for awhile.
We always start by ordering their mini juicy pork dumplings. They are so delicious. Smaller in size than the juicy dumplings you get in Chinatown, but just as tasty. It’s a perfect start during the winter months especially. If you’re not in the mood for juicy dumplings, their pan fried dumplings and shrimp & vegetable dumplings are also very good. The last 2 visits we’ve ordered this fish filet with tofu in brown sauce, and black mushroom w/​Shanghai green and a cup of steamed rice. Those 2 dishes have satisfied our bellies just fine, and most likely we’ll order them again the next time we go there. They also have full size bottles of sake on their menu, and if you prefer drinking them hot, they’ll warm them up for you.
One thing I have to say about their service is that they do give you a great and friendly service, unlike almost all of the Chinese restaurants (or Asian restaurants in general) I’ve ever gone to. It always baffles me when you go to a Chinese restaurant and they don’t give you any service other than taking your orders and delivering your food. Not here, that’s why we love coming here… the people are so friendly! You come in and they have this big smile on their faces, and they act genuinely happy to see you. Good job guys! Stay for awhile, will you?

Came here for lunch and ordered their soup dumplings, lo mien, and lunch special shrimp. The dumplings were also really dried out and had an odd taste to them. The food was just really bland and not well prepared. The staff also decided that they were going to all take a lunch break while we were dining. Their food looked great compared to the sad helpings we got. I’m ok with bad service at Asian restaurants as long as the food is worth it but this was just sad. We weren’t really appetized with our meals so after a couple bites, we boxed the remainder and went elsewhere for a more fulfilling lunch.

Great food and awesome service! Employees are all very friendly and polite. They observe well what you need and react instantly. We got our food less than 5mins after we ordered and they were all very delicious! Parking is free on the road side.

Very consistent food, service, and quality. I live in Winchester and come here whenever I’m craving dumplings. They have great service and good food. Pricing is reasonable– not cheap nor expensive. They also have a very delicious ginger tea that I’ve tried to replicate at home many times but it never comes out as amazing as it does here. I love their pork and chicken dumplings the most.
They have a bunch of under $ 10 lunch combo options but honestly I don’t trust anything under $ 10 from an Asian place.

The Taiwanese main courses are pretty good relative to Chinatown, but the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) are just awful. I’ve gone twice, and both times there is literally no soup in the dumplings, and the meat inside is a very tough ball of meat. Like a terrible meatball.
A total shame, because something just not right that they are serving soup dumplings that are this bad.

We’ve been here many times over many management and name changes. Heard they had new owners again recently (within the month) and decided to try again.
Huge difference from before. The dishes are vastly improved. Chicken with picked mustard is awesome. Juicy dumplings (now called mini juicy pork bun) are even better than they were, one of the few things I liked on the old menu. Wait staff was also very personable and friendly.
I wasn’t thrilled with coming back before but definitely will after lunch today, very very good.

Good enough Chinese food, would not travel here just for this but only order it bc it’s nearby. And not all that often. It’s often empty in this restaurant, we’ll see how long it lasts. The dumplings and dishes are so so, not the best not the worst. I only come here when I really crave Chinese food and don’t want to go anywhere far due to my laziness.
just gotta trial and error as to which dishes are good and which you don’t care for as much.

What a nice surprise! Driving in the rain and craving hot and sour soup so we stopped here when we saw the sign.
Super nice and attentive staff– we were there on an off hour (2pm Sunday) so the place was mostly empty.
I got a hot and sour soup. Not too sour or spicy but extremely flavorful beef –ish broth — REALLY good and I liked it a lot.
Also got the pork friend dumplings– kind of a cross between gyoza and steamed buns– again extremely flavorful and right out of the fryer– no sogginess here!
The BF had Spicy beef noodle soup with rice noodles and the bowl was big enough for four people– I kid you not. He is a big guy and still ate about ¹⁄₃ of it!
He says the spice was spot on as well.
Try the place– you will be really glad you did (and lots of leftovers to boot)
We WILL be back again!