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    Chef Z's

    4.2 (84 reviews)
    ModerateSzechuan, Noodles, Soup

    Chef Z's Photos

    Business Info

    CHEF Z'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Chef Z's

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    Beef noodle soup (non spicy)
    Maureen M.

    Definitely one of the best szhecuan restaurants in the Bay Area! Located inside the mall, more like a mall to me, but inside there are only two learning centers, many food courts, one herbal shop, and one travel agent booth. We ordered: 1. DanDan noodle: very delicious indeed! In fact, we came to this restaurant for their famous dandan noodle. Noodle is very chewy, they put a little bit broth at the bottom, and it's very flavorful! Order this at this restaurant and you won't be dissapointed. 2. Beef noodle soup. Beef was tender, they put quite some veggies, the broth was infused with a bit herbal, I'd assume that made it smells aromatic. 3. Stir fried vegetables. Simple, nice and fragrant of the fried garlic. Nice company to their beef noodle soup. 4. Peppercorn chicken. You can choose between boneless/with bone. We chose boneless. This dish was the winning dish of the day for me. The batter was their winning point. Very crispy indeed. Mixed well with the hot peppercorn oil. Definitely will come back for this dish. Customer service was supberb as well, we were being treated nice. The down part was they only accept cash.

    Emlie L.

    Best hidden gem and most authentic Sichuan food in South Bay! We are so glad it's open and has a variety of food choices for takeout. We got two bentos on Saturday - Chongqing Chicken (boneless) and Chicken Noodles with Scallion Oil - both with perfect flavoring and consistency, and the portions are more than generous for $10 each. We ordered through their WeChat mini app, but phone orders seem to be pretty easy. Wish we lived closer so we could take advantage of the week day bento and family meal deliveries.

    Chongqing fried chicken
    Marissa R.

    Dis some baby making food! In a little corner of worn down Chinese shopping center in Cupertino, CA is this gem! Chef Z's - a Sichuan food court restaurant surrounded by an optometrist, Chinese medicine booth, and several music schools and tutoring centers. The foods: chengdu dumplings (wontons in chili oil), chongqing fried chicken (Sichuan style popcorn chicken), and shredded pork in hot garlic sauce I've eaten at some of the best holes in the wall in San Francisco but THIS is the best chinese food I've ever had in my life. Everything was perfectly cooked in under 10 minutes. This meal felt like a big hug and lifted my mood after the first bite in a run down Chinese strip mall other Chinese people eat there flies menu in Chinese with a splash of english have to ask for water cash only This place is legit!

    Sichuan chicken
    Shelby F.

    Delicious food, simple atmosphere. Restaurant is in the shopping center, back left. Takes cash only. Service was great/as expected. I had the twice cooked pork and boneless Sichuan chicken based on reviews, and it didn't disappoint! Crunchy Sichuan chicken with just the right amount of heat for that tingle on your tongue. Pork was flavorful with mixed veggies. Will definitely be back.

    Replaced Sichuan Chili
    Michael S.

    I came to the very strange makeshift food and retail hall at 1600 S. De Anza Blvd looking to try the Dan Dan noodles at Sichuan Chili, but after sitting down and getting up and sitting down again, I learned that Sichuan Chili has closed and another restaurant reopened in its place a week or two ago. The new restaurant is called "Chef Z's". FYI, all the signs inside and out still say Sichuan Chili rather than Chef Z's - only the menus have the new name, plus some 8.5x11 home-printed signs. I ended up ordering the lunch special listed as "Shredded pork with hot garlic sauce". My selection was completely blind because it was my server's first day, he understandably seemed seriously frazzled and he couldn't offer a single menu comment or recommendation. The lunch specials menu said my dish came with "rice & daily soup". I ultimately received the rice but not the soup - "Sorry, no soup today". No discount on the lunch special price though (mine was $8.95 but others were $7.25). My meal was fine, but these folks are obviously just trying to figure things out. Best of luck to them!

    Sliced Beef with Stomach Intestine in Chili Oil
    Randy F.

    Chef Z's replaces Sichuan Chili which replaced Chef Ma before it. With so many restaurants opening in the Bay Area, I've hardly had time to return to some of my favorites and Chef Ma and Sichuan Chili (with a former Chef Ma chef) was definitely one of my favorite Sichuan hidden gems of the South Bay. Chef Z's largely continues the Sichuan fare and retains a very similar layout with perhaps a touch more branding. During a late lunch, it was quiet with only another patron or two. Perusing the menu, I was encouraged that many of the dishes of the former two restaurants had been retained. Hoping for the best, I ordered two favorites of yore. Service was earnest albeit a bit inexperienced. Beef Slices with Stomach Intestines in Chili Oil - $7.99. Despite the slightly different name, this dish looked like a carbon copy of Chef Ma's/Sichuan Chili's Cold Sliced Beef Tendon and Honey Tripe in Chili Oil including a similar price. There was lots of garlic, peanuts, diced cucumber and sliced beef and Intestines. Unfortunately, while the dish was good, there was one important difference -- the Chili Oil was nowhere as good. It seemed to be more a mundane soy sauce and Chili Oil combination whereas the prior versions had been sublime. I had asked Chef Ma and Sichuan Chili to box the leftover sauce for me many times. No desire this time. Sichuan Spicy Pork Soup Noodles - $7.99. This was the closest dish I could find to my old favorite Spicy Sichuan Ground Pork Noodle. It turned out not to be the same. Instead of a delectable Chili soy sauce with dry noodles and plentiful ground pork, this dish had a slurry of ground Pork over solid rice noodles in a forgettable soup broth. There were also bok Choy but again the spiciness just wasn't the same. Overall, while I wish Chef Z's well, it's clear that it's a different chef and recipe than Chef Ma and Sichuan Chili. I thought lightning had struck twice when Sichuan Chili was almost just as good as Chef Ma (and the Chengdu dumplings were even better). No such luck a third time. Chef Z's takes cash only.

    Dan Dan Noodles
    Original G.

    *STILL* my go to spot for Sichuan Style Dan Dan Noodles & Dumplings. I've been a patron since it was called Sichuan Chili. The previous owner ran the front and her husband ran the back. She thought I would like the dumplings, and I've been ordering them every time since. She was so kind. I heard that the owners moved back to China to take care of family, and that Sichuan Chili had closed. Today, I was more than pleased to find out that there is another Sichuan Restaurant in this location, and Dan Dan Noodles and Dumplings are both on the menu. A really nice waitress I remember from Sichuan Chili was still there, and after talking with her about the new restaurant, the Owner/Chef came out and welcomed me and we had a great conversation. His version of both Dan Dan Noodles & Dumplings are EXCEPTIONAL. Thank You!

    Thank you Chef Z's for feeding me & my fellow healthcare workers!

    Thank you Chef Z's for feeding me & my fellow healthcare workers! Portions were large and delicious! It's definitely a meal with love :)

    Yikes.  Went over the curb and now the front wheel is off the ground!

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    8 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Tasty favors, clear and inexpensive. Ordered many times, never disappointed. Delivery is always on time, fantastic customer service!

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    1 year ago

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    6 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    5 years ago

    My favorite traditional Chinese southwest food! Great value with big plate! I love their rice noodle and spicy chicken!

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Very disappointing. The dish was burnt. Looks like charcoal and very salty. Never again.

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Love this place. It's a bit hidden away in the mall but everything is fresh and tasty. We like the ribs especially

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    The place doesn't look like much but the food is on point. The Dan Dan Mien and Chong Qing Chicken are all very good.

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    7 years ago

    Garlic baby rib is so delicious, it is a must try! They also gathering for big party!

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    Page 1 of 3

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    4.6(1.3k reviews)
    1.8 mi
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    8 years in business
    Speaks Mandarin

    Came in to celebrate a birthday. Food was very good. Freshly made and delicious, especially the…read moresesame chicken. The beef shank wrap continued to be a delight, it was incredible! The combination of meat, veggies and the exterior crispy pancake created such an outstanding tasting effect. The lamb dish had one of the most tender meats I've tasted. The brown sugar sticky rice cake was soft inside and hard outside; with just the right amount of sweetness. Service was ok. They should've been kinder and more grateful. I liked how they have a sign posted on window saying that gratuity is at free will and you don't pay for the wrong dish they send to you. It showed accountability. That's why we keep coming back, for now.

    I've come here a handful of times for 5+ years and generally check in for their monthly specials…read more Parking is pretty full due to the other stores in the area. There was no line for us to be seated. I was able to flag down a server to seat us since they seem to be extremely busy cleaning tables and servicing others. The hotpots are full of ingredients and the broth has always been tasty. Unfortunately, the meats seem to be overcooked. Prices have been going up over the years where only the monthly special is enticing for the value. Servers were friendly and checked in on us, but it took 25 minutes for our food to show up at our table after we ordered. The only consistent experience I've had are the oranges at the end of the meal. They are always amazingly sweet, juicy, and comes off the peel easily. I don't usually enjoy oranges, but I love the ones HomeEat offers! Will be back if in the area, but hope kitchen service will be quicker in the future.

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    I've been eyeing this spot for a long time and finally got a chance to grab dinner last night. It's…read morebeen high on my list because every time I came to the movie theater next door, I'd see a long line of folks waiting to get in. The service was truly excellent. Jeff, the chef (rhymes!), was kind and welcoming. He could tell it was our first time and went out of his way to check in, give advice on what to order, and how to enjoy it. The wagyu and chicken soup were both outstanding -- flavorful, hearty, and healthy. Here's the part that took it over the top for me: they had accidentally forgotten our fried tofu. I happened to be nearby this morning and stopped in, fully expecting them to ask for proof of purchase or be resistant. Instead, they just handed it to me. No questions. That's top-notch customer service. I'm now a promoter and will definitely keep coming back. Highly recommend!

    Had 575 bookmarked for so long and was super excited to finally try yesterday! Came for dinner and…read morewas seated right away at 6pm. Staff are friendly, spot is pretty small but kid-friendly and self-serve utensil tables. The Wagyu Soup Noodle bowl was super bland. So much so that my partner had to add a ton of chili sauce, and I had to add other seasoning toppings. Would be open to trying the beef noodle soup next time but the Waygu soup bowl wasn't it. Pig ears were pretty good but sliced super thin.. thinner than the onions..

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    Chef Z's - szechuan - Updated May 2026

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