Szechuan Cafe

Bottom Line: Quaint and cozy atmosphere and tasty Chinese cuisine.
Overall, I had a nice experience at this family owned Chinese restaurant in Pasadena. Although I was here on a packed, rainy Friday night the restaurant was comfortable without being too loud or cramped. Our waitress didn’t speak too much English but she had a kind smile and was attentive.
All of the dishes we ordered had good flavor and I particularly enjoyed the Mu Shu Pork. The «pancakes» served with the Mu Shu Pork were thicker like flour tortillas but this was actually more practical for filling them with the plum sauce and pork.
The décor is nice here too. I appreciate the crisp white linen napkins and the Chinese inspired dishes. Also, the staff dresses nicely.

How have I not reviewed the gem of Pasadena???
Mr. Tim is amazingly kind and the food here is beyond delicious and super fresh.
I highly recommend the wonton soup and boston rolls.
Their rice is so fresh, much better than their competitors. If you are in the area — it’s a must have!

I had lunch with my Mother here yesterday. First problem, the waitress and manager lied about the heat. It was beyond cold in the restaurant. No one was seated by the windows and the male manager explained no one wanted to be seated by the windows because it was so cold. I’m sure the health department would love to know there was no heat. It’s just like having no hot water. The business shouldn’t have been open. I do agree that the food is good but you could compare some of the chef’s choices that were averaged around $ 10. to a $ 4.95 roll. The waitress was very impersonable. Nothing to write with, when it came to filling out my sushi menu. The waitress didn’t understand english very well. Never asked how I was, how the food was. My mother’s food came out while I was still placing my order for sushi. They placed 3 glasses of water in front of me. My seaweed salad comes out and all I have is silverware. I had to go to the bar and ask for chopstix. The waitress seemed very irritated where I placed my plates, while showing my mom a photo on my phone. She was moving my plates around while I was eating my seaweed salad. My food comes out. I ordered 4 rolls, 4 orders of sashi and they place a marble sized piece of wasabi and ginger on my 15″ x 15″ plate of food, along with another plate. I felt like I had to argue for more ginger and wasabi. I should’ve kept my reciept because I know they charge extra for these items. As long as I’ve enjoys this japanese dish, I’ve never been given such a small amount. At this point, my feet were freezing. I ordered so much because I knew I would want to eat more, later, at home. I packaged what I wanted to take home within a ½ hr and continued a conversation with my mother. As I’m still eating, the waitress comes over and starts stacking plates, ontop of my plate with food that I was still eating. I actually had just take a bite of squid, as she did this. I was fuming. My Mother and I have always ate here, when I came to Pasadena to have lunch with her. We had a regular waitress, whom we loved and she would pull up a seat and see how we were doing. I am a bartender/​server of 30 years in MD. This was horrible customer service. I shouldn’t have tipped what I did. I would only come back due to the great food, if I was served an apology with a smile.

My fiancé and I went here a couple of days ago. We have been looking for a decent sushi place relatively close and were told this place was great. When we arrived, the place was packed, but we were seated fairly quickly and ordered shortly thereafter. It took us approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to receive our order of sushi. At one point, our entire section of the restaurant was waiting on food. What was strange was that food was served to customers who arrived much later than other customers who were still waiting on their orders. I believe most people understood that the restaurant was busy. But, when the manager was informed of the situation, instead of understanding or offering some sort of explanation, he gave many customers excuses and chose to joke about the situation. Once we received our order, I will say that the sushi was very good to our taste. I do not fault the cooks nor the waitress for the poor experience we had. Rather, I fault poor management and lack of professionalism from the manager of the establishment.

Excellent food! The sushi is fantastic, and the food is great! Unfortunately the check out process with a group is a struggle to say the least. We had 6 people, and we were told «We don’t itemize. You need to tell us how much each of you are paying. «really? You have a calculator. I don’t want to figure out how much I need to pay, since that’s part of the job of a cashier. «How much you pay?!?» Is not the proper response in a customer service industry. We get take out here at least once a week, but most likely won’t be back after eating in.

I recommend the Mongolian Beef and that’s it. The crunchy veggies and tender beef are great. The Orange chicken pieces are huge and it tastes good but it is not for me. We ordered large size sides and they are huge. If you’re 2 – 3 people, order a small side. The fried rice and noodles are bland. My husband added sriracha sauce and liked the sides better. And we had the crepes for appetizer. They were just ok. Thick, chewy pastry with cheese inside. Similar to crab rangoon. No crab. And no flaky pastry. I’d rate this place 3 stars, my husband says 5 stars for around here. And he says the people working at the restaurant are really nice!

Decided to try a new place for Chinese food tonight, and called Szechuan Café for some takeout. SO glad I did. I met the owner when I entered, and we chatted for a few minutes while my order was being finished. He was incredibly friendly and personable, and I’ll add that the restaurant smelled amazing.
For dinner, planning on having leftovers, I ordered the vegetable spring rolls (2), a small wonton soup, and a small House Lo Mein.
Spring rolls: crispy outside, but not greasy. Flavorful cabbage inside, that was still somewhat chewy and not limp like most spring rolls. Definitely would eat again.
Wonton soup: simple, flavorful, and hot. Hit the spot. Definitely would eat again.
The house lo mein: my ‘small’ container of lo mein was stapled together at the top to prevent it from overflowing — that’s how packed the container was. The house lo mein has shrimp, chicken, and roast pork and I was pleasantly surprised to find a LOT of (big) shrimp, chicken, and pork in with my noodles. Saucy, but not overwhemingly so, and plenty hot. I have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow, because the portion is generous.
Overall total bill was under $ 12, and between the great flavors and all three above-​average food items, it was well worth it. Definitely recommend this place for quality carry-​out, hoping to eat in next time or sit outside at the tables.

Best place to eat in Pasadena. Mr Tim is a wonderful man and his staff is always so nice. They remember who you are when you enter the Restaurant and they always make you feel welcome. Mr Tim is always there with a smile on his face and he even had a saki bomb with me during my last visit. I love their food.

The boss was very rude and very unfriendly. I also don’t like the way he talks to his subordinates. The waiters were very kind and in overall they have a very good food quality. I give 2 stars because of the boss’s improper attitude (he also has a horrible accent).

Was told this was the best sushi in Pasadena. I would definitely disagree although Pasadena doesn’t have many options for sushi.
The rice to fish ratio is off, so you’re eating a lot of rice and a little bit of fish. The Chinese food is not great but was plated very nicely. The service was slow and the waiter couldn’t really speak English.

The owner (Tim) is so friendly and so amazing! And I have nothing but good things to say about the staff and food. Everything is fresh and delicious (sushi and all!!) It was totally packed tonight and Tim kept us all entertained and full of sake bombs. You can tell that it is all about making the customers happy, even under super crowded circumstances. I love coming here and you will too. 5 stars all around.
I do suggest the orange chicken and the ultimate tuna roll or the Tim roll! But everything on the menu is delicious so really you can’t go wrong.
Amazing! Just absolutely amazing!
It would be cool if they offered happy hour sushi rolls though!

I have been here over 20 times. The food is tasty and consistent. Staff is helpful. Prices are good. I recommend this spot.

Based on other Unilocaler’s, we tried this place.
First thing I noticed, the owner knew his customers names. So I’m imagining he must have quite a few regulars if he knows them by name. If he has that many regulars, the food must be dynamite.
Second thing I noticed, from the owners to the workers, they all had a great sense of humor. The place was packed on the day before thanksgiving, but the atmosphere was light and friendly. It’s hard to describe why it stuck out in my mind, but it was pretty neat.
Third thing was my food was ready when they said it would be.
And then the food! It was delicious. Soup, egg rolls, spring rolls, main dishes… All wonderful. For a place to be ranked 4 stars after 50+ reviews on Unilocal,you figure it must be good and it didn’t disappoint. Even though I live in Arnold, I’ll keep driving here for my Chinese food.
Endorsements don’t get better than that.

Loved this place the first time we went. Not so much this time.
Service was extremely slow, tables that ordered 10 minutes after us had food before we did. Glasses sat empty for long periods.
My fiancé’ ordered sushi, and despite clarifying twice for the waitress he only wanted 2 six-​counts, she brought out three. His sushi came out way before the appetizers did.
Appetizers finally came, he was nearly done with his sushi. My entrée showed up probably 20 minutes after the appetizers did. By then, we just boxed it up to go. I did try one piece of the General Tso’s before boxing it up, all gristle. Probably just going to go into the trash at home.
Waitress charged us for the wrong appetizer, I was looking over the check and made mention to my fiancé. Our waitress was at a nearby table cleaning it, and she immediately came over and started getting defensive about the prices.
I told her it was fine, I wasn’t concerned, just making an observation. Apparently, that wasn’t acceptable because she went and got the menu which she proceeded to shove in my face to show that the price of both appetizers was the same. She just didn’t feel like correcting it on the receipt.
Super slow service, lousy waitress, and now take-​out grade food. We’ll pass on this place. Guess one time was the charm.

Great food, fantastic service! You’re treated like family here. I am so lucky my friend brought me. I will definitely be coming back!

Unilocal, you never steer me wrong. We always go to the same places to eat when visiting my parents. We decided to go out of the box and try Szechuan Café. Awsome! First we ordered home made egg rolls with fresh tasting cabbage a nice size shrimp, fried perfectly. Also had wonton soup also above average. The real treat came when our sushi order arrives (picture included above) and a lucky family. The lucky family was a bit different than most in a good way. The picture of the sushi says it all.
Again thanks Unilocal for your help in finding a new favorite place to go!

Mr. Tim is awesome and the food is fantastic! We love their «sushi.» We don’t do the raw meat sushi but we love their Baltimore roll. It is SOOOOO good!!! Highly recommend :)

I ordered the beef and scallop combo, which was labeled «mildly spicy» let me tell ya, either I am the weakest person ever for spices, or they drowned it in that sauce. So why the 5 star review you ask? It was so good despite the hot hot heat and the fact that tears were literally falling from my eyes, that I ended up eating every.last.bite. and I would do it all over again, it was that good. I cannot wait to try the sushi, in fact, I know whats for dinner tomorrow!

Update review I know it’s been a while but the boyfriend asked to go here again as he said the pepper steak is delicious. Taste like the one he used to get at the mall food quart somewhere in baltimore. So we’re ordering tonight for dinner and this time in getting beef lo main!!! Praying this has flavor as that was my issue last time I ordered lemon chicken. It was tasteless so beef lo main I’ll get this time & couple sushi pieces :))

Ummmmmm AMAZING!!!
Always has been. Always will be. We have been going there over 18 years. We followed from the old location and will be sure to follow them anywhere. Amazing food, great staff that makes you feel like family. Customer service here is unlike any other you will get. Can’t get any better.