Szechuan Four Rivers

This place has the best green beans in Philadelphia. I order green beans every time I go to a Chinese restaurant and my partner and I both agreed these were the best we’ve had in Philly. Ma po tofu was great– VERY spicy, even for people who love spicy foods. Meal came quickly and was fresh. The environment is a bit run down and the service was ok. Otherwise a great place to grab a quick dinner.

We had steamed fish, steamed chicken with chili sauce, cabbage with dried shrimp and wanton with chili sauce. Except for the wanton was a little bit too sweet and not spicy enough, everything else is authentic and perfect!

We love Szechuan food very much，but it took us maybe the whole life to wait tonight！！！Waiting kills people！！！ After we all finished，the last dish finally came out… I hope next time they can serve guests in turn and improve the efficiency！

Thought this place was okay. Had the peppercorn chicken with dough twists — way too much fried part and not enough meat part

The fish soup had too many bones. The dry pepper chicken was good but next time I’ll ask for it to be spicier.

a small hole in the wall is the best secret Philadelphia has to offer. a great hidden secret. if Asians are eating at a Asian, it’s a gr a time sign for the restaurant. very attentive service, they made us feel welcome, comfortable, and complimtary hot tea. we order the Shredded Beef with long hot peppers, Kung power chicken, and scallion pancakes. we’ve found this great gem by walking in Chinatown, too many choices. a great thing is they had an American and Authentic Chinese food menu selections.

Went there to have a dinner with my gf yesterday, and ordered quiet lot of food, we love spicy very much. And i asked the waitress to add more spicy on some of my food, but it came out not too spicy but its an ok. But overall was excelent. Still want to come and to make sure make it more more spicy :)

Not 3.5 but not quite 4 stars and Only been once so bear with me, the staff was extremely friendly and nice which is always great and the food is very Authentic and delicious. The menu is HUGE! And extensive with a variety to fit anyone’s palette, even had an American style section for those less adventurous patrons (I steered clear of that section and would advise others to do so as well, kinda ruins the point of going to an authentic spot ya know?)
For starters I got the Dan Dan noodles and had them make it as spicy as possible, even told them don’t hold back, not like «American» spicy and she chuckled. They were alright not that flavorful (in comparison to Han) and really not fiery how I was hoping, very little heat to me but I’m am a chili head by true nature so go figure. I also got the wontons in chili oil ordered as is no adjusting heat and they were Delish! I wish I had ordered them spicier because it wasn’t at all but my friend who doesn’t take heat well thought they were spicy enough, so an individual take on heat level.
My friend and I didn’t even order our entrees off of the menu as we were peeking on the table next to ours and saw a few great options. She got braised pork belly which we later found had tofu in it and we aren’t tofu people but the tofu was a firmer one and flavorful so okay and the pork belly was super tender with melty fat perfect for those who like different textures. Has an herb that gave a odd aftertaste but still fine. I got the crispy dry pepper shrimp ordered super hot and it was great! The shrimp was super crispy and even still crispy after a day in the fridge for left overs, was impressed. The heat was not where I wanted it but the shrimp size and portion made up for it. The meal was really affordable as well.
Coming back to browse the menu some without a doubt

Szechuan Four Rivers probably offers the best 水煮鱼 «water poached» fish fillet in chili oil sauce I’ve had in Philadelphia. If you enjoy this classic Szechuan dish, I’d definitely recommend the excellent rendition here («Boiled Fish Fillet in Chili Sauce»). The dish is not only spicy but also deeply flavourful and fragrant, with perfectly cooked fish fillets that are tender and succulent.
Other dishes I’ve tried have been mixed — here’s a quick summary, though none have been as good as the fish:
[I use ^ to indicate a half-​star and * for a full star. So, ***^ means 3.5 stars]
***** Boiled Fish Fillet in Chili Sauce ($ 15.95): Excellent! Fragrant and flavourful, with tender fish fillets.
*** Eggplant with Shiitake & Bamboo Shoot ($ 8.95): Solid vegetable dish, nothing remarkable.
*** Chinese Shiitake & Bok choy heart ($ 8.95): Another solid vegetable dish.
** Steamed Sliced pork with Chinese pickle ($ 12.95): Disappointing. If you’re looking for the classic pork belly dish, I don’t recommend this. They used the wrong cut of pork so it was not tender & fatty like it’s supposed to be. Instead, some pieces of pork were on the tough & overcooked side. Pickled vegetable is flavourful but there wasn’t enough of it.

My new favorite the best I’ve found. The food is outstanding, Hot Chili Oil on 5he table ! Clean, quiet,
great friendly service.

Pretty solid place overall, good portions and decent prices. I ordered take out in person, and my food was ready in under 20 minutes.
Hot and sour soup– Large is a bargain at $ 3.50. It’s more sweet and sour soup with some late hot notes, and there’s not much in terms of meat and tofu, but it’s decent.
Chicken spring rolls– Average, and not much meat. Not crispy enough at all. Nowhere near as good as Sang Kee’s. $ 2.50 wasn’t a bad price, but I’d suggest skipping these.
Pork wontons in chili oil– Pretty good. Really good sauce and wontons are good. Only complaint is the container they put them in was pretty small and ended up smooshing the wontons together.
Peppercorn chicken with dough twists– Very solid. I’m a big fan of dry pepper chicken and variants, and have had it at several places. My biggest complaint with Four Rivers’ version is that there isn’t a ton of flavor from anything. Han Dynasty’s version has a bit more flavor. This needed some kind of sauce maybe a ginger scallion sauce to heighten the flavor. Kind of reminds me of boneless fried chicken. Great portion, and tastes very good, and I would probably get it again, but I’d try another dish first.
I will definitely come back to try some things like dan dan, their noodle soups, and some of their other Sichuan dishes.

This is a place for real Sichuan food. If you come here to order some Americanize Chinese food like tso, s chicken or broccoli chicken, please get out and choose another place. This place cooks real Sichuan food, like spicy pig feet, Sichuan spicy grilled fish, and pig intestine spicy rice noodle. I recommend you guys to be brave and try some real Chinese food.

So not to far from where I work is this small almost missed spot on Race st. I walked in and wanted lunch. I took a look at the lunch specials and saw mostly everything about $ 6.95 and it comes with rice and a soup or egg roll. I ordered the white fish «chinese» style. Took it back and devoured it. It smelled great, had a fresh taste with great flavor.
A few weeks later, today, I went back to try the general tso’s chicken. I also ordered steamed veggie dumplings (credit card is a min $ 10). I must say this was the best general I’ve had. the breading has a little sweet taste to it, fresh and not greasy, don very well, not over fried, not to saucy and not too spicy to which the red pepper on the menu depicts. I’m not a spicy guy at all and I forgot to say «not so spicy» and it was perfect.
The egg roll didn’t have any pork in it, the roll had fresh veggies, not greasy and a great crisp to it. its the best i’ve ever had. The dumpling were awesome, fresh veggies as well and not over steamed.
This is twice I’ve had great food and is definitely a go-​to spot from now on. So far seems as though they strive on freshness and quality. I also would like to say the staff so far have been helpful. broken english but very helpful and you must be patient and work with the staff in describing or asking questions. I don’t mind it at all, they are very nice.
The lunch I had today was so good that I had to stop and leave some for my fiancé to try. I know she’ll appreciate it. So stop in, nothing fancy, casual and have yourself some great quality food.

I like this place more after it change the new management. The restaurant looks clean n bright. The food are great n taste. The lunch specials are tasty n nice portion.

This is my mom’s favorite place.
She loves the slice pork with bean curd and bamboo shoots from here.
They have one of the best sczechuan dishes and the price is very affordable. Their fish dish is also one of the best.
It is BYOB and it can get very busy and you may have to wait longer for your food if you come on a busy weekend.

Wow this placed has changed…
I use to live in walking distance to Four Rivers and loved getting their takeout… However, things have changed!
After a bad experience about 6 months ago I gave four rivers two more chances and have been let down both times. The past two times I have ordered the General tso’s chicken and chicken and broccoli (pretty simple stuff) and was grossed out both times… the meat in the general tso’s was soft and mushy not crispy and the chicken and broccoli was soggy and chicken rubbery… I’m sorry Four Rivers I gave you two chances to make up with me and now I refuse to get burned for a third time… time to move on.

Four Rivers is my boyfriend and his family’s favorite/​default Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, so obviously deserves 5 stars. If you like authentic Szechuan Chinese food, this is the place to go. They don’t baby your spices, afraid the consumer cannot handle it but if you don’t like spicy they can also dull down the spice if you ask for it.
The Peppercorn Chicken with dough twists (featured on their website June 1^st) is extremely difficult to make well, proven by the lack of quality found in the other restaurants. I typically go here with my boyfriend who loves Ma Po Tofu, and we both agree it’s one of the better ones we have tried.
We also try to get one vegetable dish such as Kan Ben String Beans or Chinese Spinach. Both were still good, but not quite as great as the dishes Szechuan is more known for.

You’d like this restaurant better if you stayed away from the «american chinese» dishes.
We love the fried peppers and intestines (I know, I know, we’re disgusting… but it’s so good) and their spicy fish filet dish (it’s the one that comes in a casserole).
Portions are generous and prices are reasonable for authentic Szechuan flavors.

This is more of a 2.5 star review. Had a living social voucher that was good for $ 60 dollars worth of food, dining in or take out. Chose to go the take out route, so I can’t speak to the service here. Food-​wise, it was just alright.
Ordered:
–crab rangoon
–veggie lo mein
–egg rolls
–spring rolls (veg)
–sesame chicken
–wonton soup
–egg drop soup
–dan dan noodles
Everything was pretty much your run-​of-​the-​mill takeout. The one item I will comment on is the dan dan noodles– I’ve had much, much better. (Spice 28 comes to mind). Prices are on the cheap side. They didn’t include any duck sauce or soy sauce packets though, which was slightly womp-​inducing. Not sure I’d order from here again, and if I’m hauling ass to Chinatown I’m probably trying my luck somewhere else.

After a hiatus of a few years, I returned to Four Rivers for an early dinner late last week. The first thing I noticed was how much cleaner the place looked, and the new furniture really helped the joint feel more respectable. Nice job.
The servers were friendly and attentive; another plus. The new (clean) menus had the traditional Szechuan style cuisine, plus a curtsy to the American palate with some of the usual neutered dishes to avoid mouth burn. It was my good fortune to dine with a Chengdu friend and she went after the dishes with glee after questioning the waitperson for a few minutes about how the dishes were prepared. Satisfied, she went to work: Duck & Seaweed Soup, Crystal Wonton in Hot Oil, Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork, Double Sautéed Pork Belly, Water Spinach & Garlic, and White Rice.
The soup was a first for me. I like Duck, but was not sure how I felt about mixing seaweed into the broth. Fear not. It was really delicious. The large serving bowl overflowed with meaty chunks of tender Duck that was easily sucked off the bone. The brackish flavor of the seaweed somehow complemented the bird’s taste, enhancing them both. I had several small bowls of it throughout the meal.
The Dan Dan Noodles were served lukewarm in temperature, and insufficiently spicy for me. I asked for a side dish of Hot Chili Oil, and once engaged with the pasta and Pork, it came alive. My sidekick loved it. The Crystal Wonton in Hot Oil presented a semi-​diaphanous skin with a delicate tail in a rich red hot oily sauce. It reminded me of the Butterfly Dumplings found in nighttime food carts that set up shop everywhere in Chengdu after sunset. These little darlings were made by hand only minutes before boiling.
The Pork Belly was tender with plenty of Red and Green Peppers in the mix. Good, but I have had better in town. Finally, the Water Spinach was done the traditional way with a load of fresh sliced Garlic thrown in with the thin leafed variety of this veggie.
Prices were very good for the amount of food we had on the table. About $ 50. including tip. I would definitely return with little prompting, but would probably choose E Mei on Arch as my go to Szechuan/​Chongqing style dinner in Chinatown.