Authentic Chengdu

Since my last review, my family and I have given this spot three additional tries. We are now believers.
We were determined to find the truly great dishes on the menu. I could eat what is confusingly called String Bean Noodles with ground pork and chilies every night for dinner. The noodles are glass/​mung bean with «string bean starch.» It is very spicy and flavorful and highly recommended. So are the steamed pork buns, lamb fillets with cumin and crystal shrimp dumplings. Suateed shredded potato with chili is a bit bland but can be brightened considerably by mixing in some sauce from the various entrees you order.
So, with some trial and error, it is possible to have an amazing meal here. We are looking forward to the next one.

The food is quite authentic — it’s not just a marketing ploy. While the menu does contain American-​Chinese standards (lo mein, for example), hard-​to-​find dishes abound. Loofah (sī guā) is often available — and deliciously prepared! The mabo tofu is expertly prepared.

The food here is average! ! Nice and clean dinning room, boss lady is friendly one, price is reasonable, you may try the other dishes some days !

Excellent food… I may not necessarily know true «authentic» as it states in the name, but I know what tastes good in my mouth! Ordered the beef with baby eggplant, mapo tofu, sizzling fish with vegs, and beef lo mein. All very tasty and full of flavor. My feeling is that the robust flavor may be what is being confused for salty. Great little local joint!

If you find yourself craving pork soup dumplings (as I frequently do) make your way here. Still hungry? Follow that with the seafood noodle soup with egg. These are Chinatown worthy versions of these dishes. Perfectly prepared, rich and satisfying. The place is a fairly standard, well maintained, strip mall storefront but I suggest you eat these dishes in. I don’t think they’ll travel well.

Just because it says it’s authentic, does it mean it’s authentic? Sometimes it’s all about the marketing, but here, it’s for real– authentic! The folks here go back to China for a few weeks in the summer– enjoying real flavors and then bringing those delightful dishes’ inspiration back to the States.
Every time we dine here, the staff are friendly, patient and knowledgeable. There’s no fluff and no bombast. It’s all about the food.
In terms of food, this review is only for dine-​in food. We have never had take-​out from here, though it is quite popular for takeout. We prefer the dine-​in option for food to be as fresh as possible, sans take-​out boxes. There are just about a dozen tables of varying sizes, and reservations can be made for large parties. The décor is simple, not tacky and tasteful. They do not have any cheesy music playing, which can happen in some Chinese restaurants. It’s location in a small strip mall can be misleading into thinking it’s only take-​out. Don’t let that discourage the dine-​in option!
The food is deliciously flavored with spices that are just right. Some folks who come here insist that the crazy beef or pork belly with leeks or fish in wine sauce or xiao long bao are the best items to order… I’ve never tried any of those, but they are popular and authentic from what I can see and hear from those who have eaten those dishes. They have whole fish and «three cup chicken» that are also popular.
When you sit down, it’s nice to have some hot tea and a pre-​appetizer, like spicy pickled veggies or… those deep fried «noodles»… which… we never consume. Sometimes you can pick your tea — generally an oolong or green tea, but usually it’s the «house blend» of some black tea. If you prefer another beverage, they have a cooler with single serve soda cans/​bottles. You can also bring your own bottle of wine or sake.
The food… some of it is not authentic, and, well, it’s to be avoided. Those items tend to be the appetizers like spring rolls and dumplings. So, that’s why it’s just 4 stars. However, the other stuff– ooo, yes, it’s good, especially the spicy dishes that they specialize in preparing. They can adjust the spiciness for you, and you can then save your taste buds with rice.
There are always seasonal Chinese vegetables ready to be sautéed, so just ask if that’s your cup of tea. Favorites that they regularly have include snow pea shoots, Shanghai bok choy, Napa cabbage and spinach. The mushrooms they use often are the dried shiitake mushrooms for extra flavor, and adding them to veggie dishes definitely ends up with a nice flavor profile (i.e. with Shanghai bok choy or with noodles). Many noodle/​carb choices, like glass noodles, lo mein/​wheat noodles (probably have egg in them!) and rice cakes. They have good tofu options, so order from the menu or ask!
Conclusion: if you know what’s authentic, order it, and you’ll have it just right. If you’re not sure, ask, and the proprietress will offer excellent suggestions. Food is fresh and cooked to order. Don’t be sad if some dishes are unavailable, that just means you have an excuse to come back when they have those fresh ingredients available. Considering the size of this restaurant and the number of staff, it’s quite a lovely dining experience with delicious authenticity!

Yum! We ordered Dan Dan noodles and for someone who doesn’t like overly spicy foods, this had just the right amount of heat! Shrimp shumai with actual chunks of shrimp were tasty. Soup dumplings stayed intact!!! Gave husband one of mine grudgingly since it was his first time having them. Salt and pepper squid, although not as good as Hopkees in Chinatown, still were great and tasty. Will definitely go back!

Get your face out of your Americanized general Tso’s chicken! This place has authentic in its name, so order off the authentic menu. I went with a coworker who made a few recommendations and we picked some other items at random and ate them family style. Some standouts were a fish dish, a pork dish, and a shrimp and egg dish. Typically you can tell how good an Asian restaurant by how many Asians actually eat there. Halfway through my lunch I looked around and I think 90% of the patrons of the restaurant were Asian. I can’t wait to go back and try some other dishes. Everything we had was great.

Excellent food, exactly like Chinatown, in a prosperous, suburban location indeed. Decent prices, as well. Friendly and attentive staff. God bless everyone there. I am your fan, indeed.

Best Dan Dan noodle I ever had. Very authentic Chinese restaurant. We also ordered Sichuan peanut sauce noodles, very good yet too salty for my husband and myself. Shui zhu fish was a surprise. Fish was tender and it’s not really super spicy that u could still taste the fish. Great value for your money.

I think this will be my new «favorite» Chinese restaurant. It is local and I found it from a 10% off coupon in a shopping magazine. Being close by I decided to try.
The place was TOTALLY empty at 6pm on a Friday, kind of ominous. But it was Valentines day. While waiting for my takeout order, 2 – 3 customers came in and picked up theirs.
I tried the Dan Dan noodle appetizer based on other suggestions. They were excellent. And for the price, $ 5.95 is too much for one person to eat as an APP. They were spicy and delicious.
For an entry I tried the Beef Filets with Napa Chili. It was recommended because I wanted and entrée with «sauce».
Service was typical Chinese food quick. 10 minutes and out the door. The beef was good, very spicy, and unique in flavor compared to standard Chinese food fare.
Total cost was $ 22. Some have said the prices are high, but the portions are quite significant.
I will do some more experimenting with the menu, but I enjoyed my meal, and there is something different and more authentic.

Authentic. Delicious. Spicy. The best Chinese food in Somerset and surrounding counties. Can’t wait to go back.

We found this restaurant by accident earlier this year. After a bad experience with the Chinese Restaurant at the DANTE’ Plaza on 22 in NP… cockroaches…and that is all I am going to say it seemed like a lost cause getting some decent Chinese food. We have never had a negative issue with this restaurant before tonight but there was enough wrong with tonight order that it seemed fitting to say something. We ordered Szechuan Pork Dumplings, Steamed Veggie Dumplings, One Egg Roll, one order spring roll and the combination platter for General Tso’s Chicken (which was supposed to come with one Egg Roll). We live maybe 4 – 6 minutes from this restaurant and never had a problem with quality and cooked food. Got our food home to find that they left out the egg rolls as well as the dumplings were not steamed through. OK. called back to say that they left out the egg rolls. The lady behind the counter says that they did not have any and that she forgot to tell me (she, however, did not forget to CHARGE ME for them). OK… fine…tossed the dumplings into the microwave and you have hot… albeit GUMMY dumplings. Opened the General Tso’s chicken to find the pieces of chicken that are normally used for sweet and sour chicken substituted for the general tso along with 2 very small, mushy pieces of broccoli. Literally… the size of maybe a nickel in diameter. In today’s economy, eating out is somewhat of a luxury. Granted, $ 28.00 for dinner is not a make or break, but we still like to spend our money wisely. Since this restaurant is more expensive that most in the area, we expect their quality to be worth the money. When I called back and spoke to the woman, she claimed that I had to tell her what the problem was since the owner did not speak English. I explained to her that she had no one in her restaurant at the time of me picking up our food but MARINO’s pizzeria across the parking lot was banging with business. I could not understand why her cook would be so reckless with a customers order. Right down to HER not putting any sauces in the bag, so the cook was at fault and this woman apparently did not want to be at work tonight as well. Her way of resolving this problem was for me to come in and tell the cook what he did wrong and have him remake our order. YOU ARE KIDDING ME… RIGHT? Moving on past this place.

Recently moved to this area and have been desperate to find a chinese restaurant that has food that meets my minimum standards and was excited to read the wonderful reviews that this restaurant received. I tried the restaurant and this is the first opportunity to write a comment after being there a few days ago. The reviews that I read were obviously written by the restaurant owners, their family and friends. Lou P for instance who reviewed ¹⁰⁄₁₈ is probably the owner or chef. Best dishes in the U.S. or China. Laughable. The food is truly mediocre, bland, average and very one dimensional; big portions of tasteless food with pedestrian sauces and food that is amateurish at best. I will keep looking but this is NOT the place. Also, the service was lacking. They for instance brought the oranges and fortune cookies at the end of the meal and never cleared all the plates.

This is the real thing. Triple pepper chicken, beef with chilis & cumins, sliced pork belly are all excellent! I’m a local who got turned onto authentic Chinese food. Skip the American stuff and try the authentic Szechuan dishes. Tongue and tripe appetizer is nice! If you like hot food you’ll love Chengdu.

Living in the Warren/​Watchung area, the location of Authentic Chengdu is convenient and a nice change from stereotypical Chinese takeout. As others have mentioned, it’s a bit pricier, but you’re paying for quality and for expanded options. We had their cashew chicken and a spicy lamb dish as take away– the lamb had a delicious, heavy dose of cumin and left my mouth happily on fire. Too expensive to be a regular dinner option for me, but definitely a delicious place to mix things up. When I return next I hope to order more items off of the traditional Sichuan portion of the menu.

I really like this place. They have an authentic Chinese menu and an americanized menu. The Sichuan food is pretty authentic and though it isn’t the cheapest compared to other restaurants in the area it is a bargain. The lunch specials are a bargain.
I recommend the mapo tofu, dan dan noodles and spicy fish in oily broth.
The double cooked pork is hit or miss but often good.
Other pluses… Byob and very friendly service.

China is a very large country. That said, the region where this food derives from is along the spice and silk trade routes between China, India and Middle East. The presence of Sichuan chilis and cumin is pronounce in this region’s cuisine. It is not your «normal» Chinese take out and I was shocked that this place is smack in the middle of Watchung.
Chengdu has similar dishes as that of Xian Famous Food which has been lauded by Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain on their shows. From a culinary experience it is a culinary journey into the history of civilization in that part of the world.
Rather than wax poetic I’m going to tell you what to try.
Cold dishes such as jellyfish if you are feeling adventurous.
Otherwise for an appetizer do not skip the spicy Dan Dan noodles which is a staple for the region. Its basically thick spaghetti like udon noodles doused in a red chili oil/​kumin sauce. Its absolutely delish and feeds two.
Also try the crystal dumplings, these are closer to delicate rice paper dim sum than your typical thick Beijing style Chinese fast food take out.
Ask for the seasonal stir fried vegetable which if you are lucky is «deow miu» which is snow pea shoots. This is normally tossed in Western cooking but its the most prized green vegetable in all of Chinese cooking. Its a wonderful flavorful leafy green vegetable.
If you are feeling adventurous try the fish head casserole or tripe. Otherwise the sliced cumin beef is a must try and their version of moo shoo is pretty good as well. This is by no means the be all stuff to order but it will introduce you to this region’s flavors without scaring you off to the rest of the menu with scary items such as intestine and tripe.

I have been going here for months. The food is good and authentic (Sichuan and Cantonese), particularly the menu items that are not typical of suburban NJ restaurants. I like their soup dumplings, the various cold Sichuan appetizers, whole steamed fish (with ginger, scallions and cilantro) and a stir fry of smoky preserved pork with leeks. Like many Chinese restaurants they also have another menu written only in Chinese. There are some excellent dishes here that include chicken with basil in brown sauce (in a clay pot) and lion’s head (large pork meatballs with napa cabbage in broth in a clay pot). If you ask, they will be glad to make these dishes for you. The owner is nice and always willing to answer questions about the dishes. Added plus is that they also serve brown rice. Although it becoming more common, many places serving authentic Chinese food only offer white rice.
Update — This place is not big (smaller and intimate) and is getting more popular with Asian American community, so at times it can be crowded.
They support BYO Wine and Beer

In the past 20 years this particular location has been Grigsbys Cookies, Peking Royale, Tequilas and now, finally, Authentic Chengdu.
No retailer will ever come close to putting smiles on peoples faces like Grigsbys did, nor will they become a part of anyones formative years fond memories, however, Authentic Chegdu has good food.
It had to happen at some point, a Chinese restaurant in the heart of Watchung and it did… about 15 years ago, but Peking Royal sold out. Tequilas didn’t last very long, but so far so good for the new guy.
They’re menu offers the good old fan favorites like Beef and Broccoli, General Tso’s etc, but they also offer a bountiful selection of «new» foods.
Their «diet» selection is wonderful. They simply steam the meat and veggies, leaving the sauce on the side and offering brown rice. It’s simple, easy and they don’t try to jazz it up… it’s a diet people, not a carnival.
I will continue to order from here because they make wonderful food. They are fast and friendly as well.
I have «dined in» only once, but it was a delightful experience. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, my sister, myself and my boyfriend were craving Chinese so we naturally came here. Their food was just as good as the last time and it hit the spot in a big way.
My only «complaint» is that they are pricier then the usual $ 5.25 lunch special.
But hey, who wouldn’t want to pay for quality… it is «Authentic!»