New Chong Qing

How this place has fallen… I’ll start off by saying this used to be one of our favorite places. But our last visit was terrible! There was a bug in our rice, one of our dishes was served burnt, and the bean sprouts tasted rotten. What a sad day…

if you come for the spicy water fish, it is great.
if you are here for anything else, i wouldnt recommend.
it’s a good place for fish and spicy food lovers.
it can be a bit on the pricey side for hot pot or fish, but it is good for once a while.

Went here a yr ago… it was bad. came back again a yr later WORSE. 5^th yr annual sale??? buy 2lbs of fish get 1lb free???
NO PROS!!!
CONS: a yr ago, soup base was $ 3 (include fish in the hotpot; the pot was huge before). A yr later soup base ONLY $ 9 (NO FISH in pot; now tiny pot). $ 4.99 per lb of fish. (very tiny portion; don’t look like its a lb). There was no one eating in here on a weekend. NO SERVICE AT ALL!
& Tastes like shyt now. (In my opinion, this business is considered a Going concern doubt).

Found out about this place through some BBS forum who recommended this place. The restaurant is pretty dark, and small. We were seated quickly with menu’s for our viewing. One thing to point out is there’s a restaurant of the same name thats close to the area… so keep that in mind when looking for this place. We ended up ordering the spicy fish soup, spicy lamb chops, and their spicy noodle with those crunchy beans.
The spicy fish soup was just OK. I guess I didn’t really enjoy it because the fish had bones… whereas I’m used to having this dish without bones. My favorites had to be the lamb chops and spicy noodles. The lamb chops were awesome… lots of flavor in each bite… and very spicy. Meat was very juicy… although I would say the dish was greasy, it was quite good. I enjoyed the spicy noodles mainly because of the crunchy beans inside. The beans added that special crunch that made the taste something I’ve never tried before.
The owner of the restaurant was nice and we didn’t have any problems with the service. They also have hot pot… its worth checking out if your looking for good and spicy Chinese food.

Food is alright, but service is lacking. Been there twice and first time was busy so we got neglected for about 10 to 15 mins. Two groups of people who came in after us had gotten met and served before we were even asked for anything, drinks, appetizers, food, etc. Second time, earlier today it was not busy at all. Got seated and left. Again ten mins before anything. People who came in a few mins after us, were helped before us. Not too happy with this place so far.

I wasn’t too wowed by this place. Some things to note:
* –1 star: Their «spicy hot pot fish» is not fish fillet like other Sichuan restaurants, but actual fish chopped into pieces; as a result, there are a lot of bones and the scaly skin was not edible. The flavor of the chili and spices just wasn’t quite there.
* –1 star: Service was below average even for Chinese restaurants. Water was not refilled unless asked, they had no change for $ 20 bill (!!!) and they had to dig through the tip jar.
*-1 star: Food was average at best. For a Chongqing restaurant, I expected more spicy dishes. Besides the spicy hot pot fish which I wasn’t fond of, we ordered the following:
*SLICED PORK KIDNEY: not spicy at all but good chunks of kidney stir-​fried with bell peppers
*STIR-​FRIED LAMB: I was surprised that cumin lamb was not on the menu. This was regular lamb stir-​fried with bell peppers (again), and not spicy
*PORK INTESTINES: there were very little intestines, 80% of the dish consisted of dried chili peppers. These intestines are also deep fried and crunchy, not the soft mushy kind I like :)
All in all, I would not come back again. Spiciness and flavor of the food wasn’t up to par, prices were average, service below average, and their signature dish wasn’t all that great.

I’ve been going to this place for over a year now, and there definitely are some major pros. It is Sichuan-​style, which means spicy spicy spicy! You want to go here if you love spicy food.
Although they don’t advertise it, they are well known for their spicy fish hotpot (AKA water cooked fish). If you don’t try anything else, you must try this. It is authentic Chinese water cooked fish in which you can choose either tilapia or catfish. The pot also comes with beansprouts and tofu. Be careful though, because water cooked fish means there is a lot of spicy oil and sodium!
They do have beverage options available including sodas, fresh-​squeezed juices, Beijing yogurt, etc., but the staff does not mind if you bring in drinks from the Half & Half next door.
The restaurant layout is small and simple. They do not have very nice interior decorations, and the staff’s English is not very fluent, but this is typical of casual Chinese dining.

Lets just say I won’t be going to this location. The food is def below average. You kind of feel like you need to wash your hands, the table, the silverware and more before you eat and after you eat. In other words this is a perfect joint for the guys chilling and hanging but for a date or family… not a good choice.

wow. what happened to this place?! it use to be a favorite of mine but haven’t been here for almost half a year i think. Went back last week and wow, the decline in quality of food is so dramatic I’m never returning. I had persuaded my friends to come eat here from Rowland and was embarrassed that the meal tasted so awful.
We got the fish hotpot and the lamb (the two top things this place is known for). since the last time i was here, I’ve already noticed a decline in fish quality, i specifically asked the waiter if the fish was fresh that day. he replied «always, the fish are always live and fresh from the same day». Well, same day or not I can’t tell, but I could definitely tell the fish was not fresh. Not only that, it was overcooked when it was brought out to us. (disappointment 1)
on top of that, the soup base for the fish was sooooooo salty this time, it was almost not edible. 10x more so than i have ever remembered this dish to be. After boiling it for 15 minutes, as the water evaporated, it became more and more salty and inedible. I finally decided to ask the waitress about this and the not very caring and uninterested girl said «oh, i can add more water into your pot like the other tables?» WOW, so all the other tables were complaining about it too and yet, no one has decided to do anything about it? (disappointment 2) the waitress didnt apologize, didnt try to help, came and poured us some water, and walked off quickly so she can go flirt and giggle with the waiter behind the counter.
Next the lamb comes out (another favorite dish of mine from this place), and of course, tasted horrifying just like the other things that day. The lamb tasted re-​fried and extra salty too… do they have a new chef that’s testing out his skills or something? i was so curious that i waive at the waitress again and she slowly drags her feet over unwillingly. I ask if there’s been a owner or chef change at the place and she quickly answers «no» and then i continue to say, «because the food tastes so different» and she answers a simple «Oh» and then leaves. WONDERFUL service huh?
i never bother leaving Unilocal reviews and this is prob. my first one. I just had to complain about their quality and food and remind myself never to return again! awful service, awful food… what’s there to return for?

Nothing really special here. I was expecting some real authentic Sichuan-​style food but really it was nothing like what I expected. The food was not really spicy, the spicy fish hotpot was kind of small (heck I think all the portions were kind of small at that) and the rest of the dishes were quite mediocre at best.
I would definitely go somewhere else for Sichuan (or Chinese food at that).

A good place for Sichuan-​style Chinese food.
Any place that has spicy food, I fall in love with. Most places with Sichuan food I am madly in love with.
Although I have had better Sichuan water cooked fish at other places, New Chong Qing was decent (and spicy). The lamb was also good, with very tender meat; unfortunately there was more bone than meat.
The only thing I didn’t really like was that the dishes were a bit on the small side, and there could of been more meat instead of so many chillies in a couple of the dishes.
Anyways great dining experience with friends, and afterwards you can go next door and get some half and half boba.

3 and a half.
I like the lamb. They will put cumin in it want, but I need to learn how to say it in Chinese because they don’t know the English name for it. The mapo tofu is good as well.
The hot pot was good. We tried it with catfish because they said it is less bony than tilapia. Tilapia must be really bony because the catfish had enough bones on some parts that I got a little tired of getting the meat around the bones after a while.
We started with the fish and they told us to add the vegetables later with stronger heat.
I believe it is BYOB, but I don’t know if they have an opening fee.

Tried this place for the first time. I love spicy food, and while I get sweaty and red the food was really good.
Spicy crab — pieces of crab surrounded by dozens of whole red peppers. The legs are already cracked for you, and there were quite a few pieces that contained the soft part of the body where you can just «suck» the meat out. They use smaller crab, maybe blue crab, and not the large Dungeness. I think that is OK I was able to get a decent amount of meat.
Spicy lamb — Same as above, but with more meat. =) It reminds me of the spicy/​salty pork chops, but 100x hotter.
Dan dan mein — Really good. I don’t remember if this dish was spicy or not. The spice in my mouth might be coming from another dish.
Spicy glass noodles — I usually eat this with shabu, but it was in a brothy spicy soup which made it very tasty.
Beef fried rice — This was OK. It was not spicy which I used as a break between the other dishes.
I also got this Chinese tea which suppose to be famous in Asia. It was quite quenching and somewhat helped with the spiciness. Look for the red can.
So out of all the dishes I enjoyed 4 and eh on the 5^th. Hence I give them 4 stars.

I’ve been eating Szechuan food all over the world for 57 years. I grew up on Shorty Tang’s Cold Noodles in New York City.
This place was a total disappointment. The cold noodles lacked the depth and richness of sesame and/​or peanuts. They were mostly highly spiced, but spicy alone is no substitute for decent cooking.
I also ordered the house specialty lamb chops. What I was served was heavily breaded lamb bones with a total of perhaps 1 teaspoon of meat clinging to the bones in the entire dish, buried under a huge portion of spicy red peppers with a few tiny pieces of scallions. I’ve had great lamb in Chinese restaurants, but this was a disgrace.
And they got a health rating of «B».
What we were served bears no resemblance to the positive reviews here.

The numbing is not as bad as Chung King and the flavors are better, more subtle. The variety of dishes is also better here. The best Sichuan I’ve had so far in the valley.
These are the best dishes here
Dan Dan Mein — great flavors and nice balance. Not too spicy and a bargain at $ 3.99.
Cold Noodles — some people liked these better than the dan dan mein and I agreed at the end. There was something about these noodles I couldn’t get enough of.
Spicy Fried Chicken — wow was this spicy. A real latent heat. Great crispy little bits of chicken surrounded by an enormous amount of chopped and macerated hot red chilis.
Kung Pao Chicken — great dish, not the slimy sweet sticky sauce. A great version of this dish and very authentic. Not PF Changs.
Hot n Sour Soup — more peppery than sour. Excellent.
What else we ordered
Fish Hot Pot — taste was great and loved the nice dipping sauce. The only complaint was it took a bunch of work to get into the flesh.
Fatty Beef Rice — just ok. Didn’t have a ton of flavor.
Pork w Rice Power — yuck. Had a weird grainy tapioca like consistency and tasted like 5 spice.

Huo Guo, Shabu-​Shabu, Hot Pot… whatever the translation… it is by far my favorite food. We were headed to dinner at another hot pot place last night when we saw a sign @ the corner of New & Valley about New Chong Qing. So after a quick u-​turn, we headed back to check it out since we hadn’t been to the location since it was the ill-​fated Dodoro.
The quality of the meat for AYCE was pretty good. We had beef sliced, lamb sliced (recommended), squid, fish sliced (recommended), and the fuzhou fish balls.
The vegetables didn’t stand out in any way, but hey, their vegetables, right… We had the Nappa, water cress (recommended), winter melon, enoki, oyster mushroom, bean thread-​wide, frozen bean curd, and chrysanthemum (recommended).
Because my wife and I both like spicy we went with the full-​pot of spicy broth, but I recommend just about everyone else get the half-​half because the spicy broth is made with a lot of hot chili oil. If you aren’t familiar with this flavor my advice is to eat with caution as you may not enjoy the feeling as this works through and (more importantly) out of your system.
The food is 4 stars because I really like spicy Sichuan flavors.
Unfortunately, three major negatives:
First, the service was almost a joke as every table seemed to have to exert a lot of energy just to get the attention of a waiter or waitress. They are almost «professional» at avoiding eye contact.
Second, there is no alcohol served. No beer with spicy Chinese shabu-​shabu? Are you kidding me? Nope…
Third, no credit cards or ATM cards accepted. Cash only.
4 star food — 3 negatives… it really should be two stars, but I’m a sucker for huoguo… hence the overall 3 stars.
Price: $ 18.99 per person plus $ 5.00 for the pot.

This place was recommended to me by a relative so I decided to try it out. After spending $ 30, I just didn’t feel satisfied. Let me tell you why.
The food was not worth the amount of money that I spent.
For two people, I did not get that «Wow, this was a great meal and I got a great deal feeling.» Rather, I had the feeling of «I just spent $ 30 and I am still hungry and not satisfied feeling.» I didn’t think the portions were big enough and hardly got anything.
They charge you $ 3.00 each person to have the hot pot, and meats are usually $ 3.99 a plate. However, the meat plates are so small that you would need lots of orders to get full. The vegetable plates are $ 2.99 but are overpriced for sure. Come on, Enoki mushroom for $ 2.99 a plate? I can go buy Enoki for less than a dollar at any Asian supermarket.
Overall, the food is not worth the value. I guess if you enjoy the Sichuan spicy hot pot flavors then it may be your type of place. But for me, I didn’t particularly like the flavors and because I didn’t feel I got a good value, I will not be coming back. There are plenty of better hot pot places in the SGV and this isn’t one of them.

Hmmm how do I say it nicely? Yuck… I didn’t like it.
I was expecting a good hot pot stuff. I got mine with beef and fish. Super greasy with weird flavor. Then the after taste was horrible. This reminds me of Chun King restaurant. Well at least Chun King tastes good at first, then you experience the weird numb aftertaste feeling. This place is like that minus the good taste.
2 stars. I really want to say 1 star but I am in a good mood.
New Chong Qing was NOT yummylicious!

my first time having fish in hot pot.
pretty good.
VERY OILY.
it’s pretty inexpensive. $ 3.99 for meat & $ 2.99 for veggies.
very limited in selection though.
i don’t get why the sauce you dip the stuff in is made from the soup.
please let me know, if you know why.
it’s not that spicy. it just looks really spicy.

So far I have been to this place I don’t remember how many times and here are some conclusions:
1. In general the food quality is definitely up there. No doubt. Everything I had so far was just delicious. However, sometimes they could be a little too generous with the salt. I think giving them instruction beforehand may be a good thing since don’t we all have to watch out for hypertension anyway?
2. The dishes are also great. The stir-​fried vegies are very good. The cold noodles are good and authentic (would’ve been better if spicier). The steam fish (jiang hu yu) is also good different from the specialty there. What else? Best spicy diced chicken in the SGV. What else… Best fried pork intestines! (still, may need to let them know how much salt you are willing to take while ordering).
Overall, it’s still on my –definitely-​recommended list and I will go back sooner than you would expect~ Try it out!