Been here a few times now and it is one of the most authentic Chinese spots in the city. Brought my Chinese friends along and they fully approved and you can tell just by the crowd in there. Weekday visits are pretty chill but weekend dinner time gets busy, just something to plan around. Also a heads up on parking, the lot isn't very big so when it's packed it can be tough to find a spot. Would recommend carpooling if you can. I have a pretty low spice tolerance but there are still so many delicious dishes to choose from if you look around the menu. The soups are so hearty and comforting. Insider tip: the tofu egg dish is not on the menu but ask for it anyway. It is so worth it and the best way I can describe it is like eating a savory cloud puff. So unique and so good. The service is always super efficient, food comes out fast, and the staff will get you in and out. Every single dish I've had has been full of flavor and nothing has missed yet. Would absolutely come back and highly recommend. read more

The mangolian beef is not made with flank steak which is traditional in mangolian beef not even 1 hot pepper on the entree which again is traditional the meat was top round and for $22.35 I expected flank steak. The Salt and pepper pork was all batter no flavor at all, not even salt on that batter, it was a terrible and a big disappointment the white rice was dry, $60 for 2 entrees and Luke warm pot stickers. Not to mention the rude service we received, you have to ask for napkins and basics, which seemed to be a bother tithe rude waitress. She never once said thank you or hello Also not very clean either. I should've turned back around when we noticed the filthy glass doors. However I've been wanting to try this place for a while. Don't waste your money on this place like I did. I read more

What a yummy (and spicy ) dinner last night. We started out with the beef tendon and tripe appetizer, which was recommended to us by another Yelp review. It was served cold which we were not expecting, but had great flavor. For our mains, we shared the mapo tofu and the pork in garlic sauce. I am not a huge fan of tofu, but it was pretty tasty. The pork with garlic sauce was my favorite, though. The service was so fast, we were in and out in about an hour on a Saturday night. When we left, there was a line out the door of people waiting to be seated. Overall, it was a cozy spot with a huge menu and great atmosphere. Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu! read more

Chilispot - Mapo Toufu 901麻婆豆腐 - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

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Hard to find real Chinese in New Orleans but no problem in St. Louis. We ventured over to the strip of Chinese restaurants in University City and came to Chilispot for their famous Sechuan dishes. I love spice Chinese and its hard to find Sechuan in the states since most places serve Cantonese. I had the hot pepper chicken and it was delicious, my friend had a Sechuan fish dish that was way better than mine that had those delicious Sechuan peppers that are so tasty and aromatic. If ever in St. Louis again, I am definitely coming here. read more

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Best place for hot pot in STL! The food is amazing and authentic. We have a dinner group for Asian cuisine and we always love coming back here. The ambiance is typical Chinese restaurant. Service is always great. It's not fancy, but the food is totally worth going for! read more

Stopped in for a late lunch after craving some Chinese food! We got the bok choy and mushroom that was Tender hot and delicious. The Szechuan fish that had a lot of flavor and a crunchy cornmeal crust that made for a tasty spicy bite of fish. The staff was friendly and food came out quickly. Space isn't huge but enough to accommodate a good size group for a night out read more

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The Chili spot is a family favorite. I stumbled upon the Szechuan spareribs because my co-worker wanted to try them and he showed me a picture so they were immediately on my radar. This dish is phenomenal!!! Delicious and flavorful, served with white rice and of course spicy....... The peanuts and onions served on top of these tender spare ribs and the portion size is large enough for two. The Chili Spot is a quaint little spot on Olive in U-City specializing in Szechuan cuisine. We often order take out which is fast and convenient. They have a dinning room inside if you choose to eat in. The staff is friendly. It's a really relaxed atmosphere, no frills just good food. Now the BF and I come here for dine-in and carry out. *Deep fried handmade tofu in special sauce which was just OK, nothing special, just large chunks of spongy tofu that wasn't crisp at all in a brown sauce which comes with a side of white rice that we had to ask for. They assumed that since we ordered fried rice we didn't want the white rice as well. *Shrimp fried rice which is flavorful and hearty, light and not greasy. *Chili wontons which were really good when we first tried them in-house, so much so that I was craving them and we ordered a to-go portion but they tasted quite different, not the same flavor as I remembered before. *Dry fried string beans which are super flavorful. They are served crisp in a savory sauce along with crumbled pork over top, easily serves two or more. We are still working our way through the menu but I would definitely recommend. read more

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Wow! Authentic Chinese food at reasonable prices and fast to the table!! Busiest on the weekends (and it was a good sign that the parking lot was packed) but worth the wait if you don't make a reservation. We were seated and our server was very helpful with selections as this was our first time. The Dan noodles had a hint of heat and were wonderful. The salt and pepper shrimp were amazing (note these come with the head on but are cooked to be eaten like soft shell crab - the spices and taste is on the shell) and the stir fry green beans were magical. Great place with a lot of seating. Great for a date and we saw many couples, groups of friends, and larger families! We'll be back to try more adventurous dishes!! read more

Had a cute little Sunday date here at Chilispot! It's a restaurant that's been on my list for a while and so happy I finally came in. We got the dumplings as an appetizer which was so delicious. Fried rice that tasted so fresh! It was a big portion too which is perfect for sharing. Same with the Popcorn Szechuan chicken, it was packed with flavor and spice! Highly recommend this place if you're wanting to try something fresh and authentic. read more

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Great food. Spicy and right up to our Taste. Their potstickers are my favorite. Mapo tofu is a must. Such lovely soft spicy pieces. Hot pot and their spicy eggplant is another family favorite The restaurant is good, busy. Service is on or off. Depending on who you get Some people want to rush you out. They aren't helpful in ordering Others are more patient. If you need time, just ask for someone who can explain things to you. Greta food. read more

Everything was good and flavorful. My husband loves spicy and although it wasn't as spicy as he likes his food it still had a pretty decent kick to the dishes. The black pepper beef could have had a little more flavor but was good. Ribs were extremely flavorful. Not pictured but we loved the potstickers- extremely good. Overall, good experience and nice portions. Service was fast. read more

Chilispot - Beef with Black Pepper - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

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This place is definitely a place for dine. We went here last Saturday and everything we ordered was good. The staff were nice. Service was good. I like the seasoning of the food here. Portion for dine in was much bigger than carry out. The eggplant dish is my go to dish here. read more

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Wow!! Truly a delicious spot and we were able to try so many flavors and dishes. As a group of four, we ordered the Mapo Tofu, braised Shanghai greens with mushrooms, Pork with minced garlic, salt and pepper shrimp, and the short ribs. All amazing and complementary the shrimp was nice to cut the heat but we're still thinking about the mapo tofu read more

It is very good. We went with my brother in law who interned in China. He said it's one of the most authentic restaurants he's tried in St. Louis. Not pictured - the Chongqing Popcorn Chicken which was the table's favorite. It is very spicy, but very good. The service was good. Once we ordered, we felt like our food came out very fast & was very fresh. The chairs are really uncomfortable. They're those standard metal restaurant ones that look nice. My only real complaint. read more

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Chili Spot is a gem in University City, tucked in among several Chinese restaurants, and we've been here countless times with friends. Each place has its specialty (e.g. Cate Zone for their fried fish) but Chili Spot's deep-fried handmade tofu with special sauce (No. 902, $16.95) is by far our favorite tofu dish in all of St. Louis. The tofu is unlike anything around here-- it's soft and silky and slightly crispy on the outside, and the tofu's taste really shines through. It is slightly salty, but it is America after all :) Other highlights: the cumin beef and dry pot beef are both great. We've also tried the twice-cooked pork belly, storm fish fillet (fried fish), sautéed lamb with cumin, shrimp dry pot, and the Chongqing spicy popcorn chicken. And food comes super quickly and piping hot! Always appreciate speedy service read more

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We picked up our order and the portions sizes were great. Everything was good and had actual spice. The popcorn chicken was addicting. We'll be back for sure! read more

As a spicy food lover, I was impressed! I ordered the mala tang, spicy storm fish, and fried rice--everything was delicious. I especially enjoyed the numbing, fiery kick of the mala spice. Can't wait to come back and try more dishes! Oh, they were busy so their service was not attentive but they made up for their delicious food. read more

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A friend of mine brought me here for their birthday and I really liked their food. It wasn't the super spicy food that I was expecting, but it was full of flavors! I shared this with my wife, and we decided to come here as a family because I told her that our boys, especially my 5-year-old, would have something to eat here. She was not disappointed and really liked the place. I should say, this one topped our experience in Cate Zone. There will be two staple foods for us here: the braised seafood and the chicken poppers, both of which are not spicy at all. The third dish will be something different that we will try on each visit. For this visit, we tried the dry pot lamb spine. The service was your typical Chinese restaurant experience. We were seated quickly, given that we went in at around almost 1 PM. The place was not full at all, so I suggest going in at that time. The restaurant is so authentic; I love seeing the small spaces where they are trying to fit in people because that tells me the place is really good. The ambiance is very authentic in my opinion, and their food will tell you the same story. We are definitely coming back here. My boys loved the food, and the food came out really fast. Additionally, the staff was very friendly and accommodating, making our dining experience even more enjoyable. We also noticed that the menu had a great variety of dishes to choose from, which means we have many more exciting options to try on our future visits. Overall, this restaurant has become one of our favorite family spots, and we can't wait to return and explore more of their delicious offerings. read more

Chilispot - Dry Pot Lamb Spine 1004 - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

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My partner and I went to eat here for the first time recently, and it was enjoyable. Considering the ice/snow, which made parking a bit of a hassle, they had space inside for us to sit. Seemed very lively inside and the servers were ready to take orders and refill drinks. It was busy with families and medium sized parties. We decided to get an order of Popcorn chicken, Mongolian Beef and fried string beans. They were served family style so we had plenty to share, along with the steamed rice. They have an extensive menu of authentic cuisine. It may take a bit of time to look through the menu before you decide. Food was excellent though, and will try again read more

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Nice little parking next door. Large tables if needed. The food came out quickly and it all was very tasty. My favs. Garlic beef. On a sizzling plate. Beef was so very tender and so very tasty. Mongolian beef. Beef was also tender and tasty. These two beef dishes maybe my fav. Kung pao chicken. Very tasty. Kung pao shrimp. Very tasty. Popcorn chicken. It was good, not greasy. It was definitely spicy. Fish. Very tasty. Potato. Interesting dish. Potato was shredded and crunchy. Pot stickers. It was good. Average. Appreciate that the food came out fast. Took awhile to get the checks. Overall recommend and I can't wait to return! read more

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Chili spot is a Chinese restaurant located in university city. As in the name, expect to have your taste buds spiced up! I came for lunch one day and ordered their Saechuan style short ribs, hot and spicy shrimp, and fried tofu with special sauce. The ribs and shrimp were spicy but fried very well and were quite flavorful. The fried tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and the sauce was definitely special! I couldn't stop dumping extra sauce onto my tofu and rice. This was a great meal to have on a snowy day. The service was fast and I look forward to coming back! read more

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My friend and I came here for lunch on a random summer day, the restaurant was empty when we arrived but packed very quickly. The ambience is very authentic to their Chinese culture, lots of Chinese decor, pots on tables, family style dining, etc. we sat down and we were greeted after a little while. Definitely after like 8-9 minutes. I will not lie. The customer service is pretty much nonexistent. Our server seemed very rushed and like she did not really want to talk to us, but I think that's just a cultural thing, maybe? Lol. The menu was extensive! And they had a lot of things on there that I had never even heard of or never even thought to try. and probably won't ever try honestly lol. Cow tongue, pig liver, pig knuckles, etc. I played it safe & ordered the Kung pow chicken, my friend ordered beef ribs and we shared potstickers as an appetizer. Both of our entree's were good and flavorful. It was PACKED with chili peppers. It wasn't necessarily spicy, but they did add a small kick and I don't do spice at all so that says a lot. Our entrées were supposed to come with Rice. Unfortunately we had to remind our server to bring us said rice. When we reminded her, it seemed as if she had an attitude when we asked for it... like.... Girl if you don't bring me my rice that I'm supposed to have and that I'm PAYING FOR??? I may return with my husband who's taste palette is wayyyyy more advanced than mine so he can try something unique. But I'm actually OK with not coming back. read more

Chilispot - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

It feels like the most authentically Chinese restaurant I've ever been in. (I have never been to Asia so excuse my ignorance if you have.) Service is accommodating and fast. The spice level tends to be higher than traditional American Chinese establishments but I love it. I'm pretty adventurous with food but unfortunately I won't do much in the way of exotic animal parts. There are still plenty of great options for me but if you are more adventurous with animal products, you will find many dishes that are rare to the American pallet. The ambiance is very casual. read more

Chilispot - Chicken with red and green peppers. - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

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We were kindly greeted and seated immediately upon arrival. It's a pretty decent sized restaurant and it's a good place for large and small parties. This is a great spot for groups who like to do family style as the portions of each dish were huge. There were four of us and we ordered 5 dishes, but honestly we could've just ordered 3-4. We got the sweet & sour pork, smoked pork fried rice, braised Shanghai greens (bok choy) w black mushroom, beef w black pepper, and spicy beef sirloin noodle soup. The sweet & sour pork has more of a sweet, nutty--almost like fortune cookie--taste to it. It doesn't have the tang or sourness to it like I was expecting, so I probably wouldn't get this again because it tasted like melted sugar. The smoked pork fried rice was decent but pretty salty. I'd stick to just the plain white rice the other dishes come with. The Shanghai greens were excellent and the sauce wasn't overwhelming as I was afraid it was going to only taste like oyster sauce. The mushrooms in it were sooo juicy and delicious. My favorites were the beef noodle soup and black pepper beef. The noodle soup was actually spicy and had such a deep beef flavor that I had been searching for since I had it in New York. The black pepper beef was peppery, tender, so flavorful. Overall a good experience--would give 3.5 stars if I could! read more

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We went to dinner for the first time last night and WOW! This place is amazing and no nonsense. We had the wontons (must order) and shared other dishes such as popcorn chicken, pepper steak, Mongolian beef, and eggplant. Everything was delicious and a favorite. Service is no nonsense. Staff check in for water refills but are not going to stop by to ask if you need something. Speak up if you need anything and they are very friendly and accommodating. read more

Chilispot - Pepper beef - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

Always consistently great. The lamb spine dry pot is always a winner. It comes out piping hot served in a dry hot pot that has an active flame under it to keep it hot the entire time you are eating it. My only minor knock is that the portion (and size of the pot) went down a little after our last trip here a few months ago. I am assuming Trump's tariffs hit them as it has everyone else. That aside. it is still a fantastic dish that is heavily seasoned with cumin and accompanied by broccoli, lotus root, potatoes, cilantro, crispy tofu, and lots of dry chili peppers and some Szechuan peppercorns (although this last time they had less peppercorns than usual for I am assuming the same terrible tariff reason). The braised seafood with bean curd was also a little smaller than last time, but it is also a super solid dish. It is a great option for people who love Chinese food and seafood, but not the spicy take on Sichuan cuisine. The sliced beef tendon is one of my favorites and this is one of the few places to get a solid rendition of it. Too many Chinese places will put tendon on the menu, but then just serve you some gristly beef roast and call it tendon. This is the actual clear, melt-in-your-mouth delight that beef tendon is supposed to be. That being said, the dish now also has tripe and other bits and pieces as tendon has gotten expensive, but it is still mostly tendon. The service here is always fantastic and super fast. The wall paper is quite interesting and has some cool phrases from different languages involving food all around. One of my favorite spots for Asian cuisine (regardless of country of origin) in all of St. Louis. read more

Chilispot - Lamb spine hot pot (right) and braised seafood with bean curd (left). - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

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Always a fan favorite. Very reliable service. The spicy boiled fish is one of my favorite dishes as well as the thinly sliced pork in garlic sauce. Haven't had a dish from there that I didn't enjoy read more

Chilispot - Sliced Pork W Spicy Garlic Sauce 107 - Szechuan Near Me - University City, Missouri

Delicious! Really nice place. authentic food. I went with two of my friends. It was busy but we got seated really quickly anyway and the service was very good. Food was authentic and so many options, including something for the picky friend. read more

So good but definitely spicier than I expected! I am always looking for good Chinese/Szechuan food around St. Louis and am always excited to land on some that tastes especially authentic! Service is great here, the food comes really quickly, we were lucky enough that we didn't have to wait and the food was served in huge portions! Excited to come back! read more

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Omg Chilispot is so good every time I go. I've been more than a handful of times this year alone and the food is just SO good. It's consistently good and always hits the spot. They're usually very busy at dinner time so get there early. Service is great. They accommodate for big parties - I've had a party of 20 come one time and there was still plenty of tables available. Decor reminds me of other homey Chinese restaurants. There's a parking lot with a good amount of space. It really is one of our top spots in STL to eat. A must try! read more

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If you like szechuan: walk, don't run to chili spot. St. louis does not have much in the way of szechuan, but chilispot delivers. The restaurant itself gets busy on weekends and boasts extensive wait times, I recommend waiting. The service is solid and portions generous. I love their cucumber salad, signature popcorn chicken, and wontons. I haven't had a bad dish yet. The dishes give you an incredible tingling heat that is so addictive. The flavors are rich and vibrant while still being hot. The chicken dry pot is loaded with chicken, szechuans, cauliflower, and some other miscellaneous goodies that taste delicious but I have no idea what they are. Looking to try something new? Or, looking for some heat? Chilispot has you covered, and you will not be disappointed. read more

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Overall, if you want authentic Chinese food, this is a great spot to check out!! WAIT TIME: Came in for a 1:30pm lunch on a Saturday, we were seated immediately FOOD: We split the kung pao chicken and an order of spicy pot stickers. Portions are large so that was more than enough for the both of us! Everything was very well spiced and tasted excellent. Came with plenty of rice to complement the chicken portion. Highly recommend both dishes SERVICE: The people were all so pleasant, they greeted us and thanked us for coming when we left. Everything was smooth DECOR: You can see in the picture. Pretty normal PRICE: Very well priced for the amount food you get! Kung pao chicken was $17 and spicy pot stickers were $10, so roughly $15 per person. And again, we left very full so portions are large for the price read more

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We had two young children with us and the staff was incredibly patient with our large group and with the kiddos. Food came out quickly and was fresh and delicious. We ordered many dishes. My favorites were the tofu and the honey walnut shrimp. The beef and lamb was tender. The restaurant atmosphere is very chill with some tvs playing karaoke music. Great place for a family dinner! read more

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This is an amazing place for pretty authentic Chinese food and definitely the best Chinese food we've had in St. Louis. Our favorites that we ordered were the cumin lamb, fried string beans and fried chicken. Those were all 5/5 and seasoned perfectly. Garlic eggplant was good too. Spicy wontons had good sauce but the dumplings were a little dense for my liking. Service was quick and helpful. Ambiance was clean and nice. I appreciate they had lazy susans in the middle of circle tables for larger parties. Overall, we will definitely be back and I'd love to try more dishes! read more

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The food is spectacular. As you might imagine from the name, most dishes are on the spicy side. There's plenty of food for those who prefer mild dishes, however. Service is unobtrusive and really helpful. read more

Great food and service! So fast. Chicken with peppers and short ribs were delicious. Looking forward to going again to try their vegetarian dishes too! read more

If you are looking for that spicy, oily, and tongue numbing style of cooking, then this is the place for you. As someone that grew up in Chongqing, China, Sichuan cuisine is in my blood and what I seek out whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant. I can say without a doubt that Chilispot is my go to place. I have not been in STL long, but I have already lost track of the amount of times I have gone to Chilispot. This is somewhere I take my Chinese family members that swear they can never buy something better than what they can cook up themselves. I have probably tried the whole menu with some highlights that include the short ribs, Szechuan style boiled oxtongue, fish in pickled soup, and the eggplant. But honestly go ahead and explore the menu as it's all good. This is a restaurant that can fill up pretty fast during the height of the dinner rush any day of the week. They take reservations, but usually you can walk in and get seated within a reasonably amount of time, especially if your party is fairly small. read more

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They have an intense menu, and I want to emphasize the intense. So many food items, all mostly reasonably priced, and your taste buds will be soaring when you eat the food at ChiliSpot. The portion sizes are huge as well, only reason I couldn't give full five stars was because everything was too salty. A group of us ordered five different dishes to share, which included cumin beef, a fish dish, mala dry pot, fried rice, and pepper pork, and we had to make the saltiness work with extra rice. Otherwise, we would not have been able to finish our orders. Food came out super fast though, and that was greatly appreciated because we were hungry! Really appreciate the free parking lot too. read more

The food at chili spot was so delightful. Most dishes were extremely spicy but very tasty at the same time, each with a distinct flavor profile. We tried quite a few dishes , my favorites were probably the cumin lamb and the black pepper beef. The popcorn chicken was the spiciest dish we got and it was almost inedible. The atmosphere at chili spot is very clean and spacious with a lot of seating area to accommodate larger groups. One thing that was a little unfortunate was we felt rushed out of the restaurant before we had finished our meal, despite there being plenty of empty tables around us and no one waiting to be seated. I'd still go again and recommend chili spot though, because the food was honestly worth it. read more

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Chilispot has been on my bucket list forever, and we finally tried it out for a weekday lunch! It's known among my Chinese friends to be one of the more authentic Chinese restaurants in St. Louis. The interior was bigger and felt more spacious than it looked from the outside. The menu is mostly full of some classic Szechuan dishes that are spicy, but we also tried some non-spicy dishes for my kids and me. My favorites: stir fried green beans (so garlicky and yummy), wontons in chili oil (you can ask for the chili oil on the side), and the fried tofu with delicious savory sauce and broccoli/peas/carrots. My kids enjoyed the yangzhou fried rice and soup noodles with beef brisket (non spicy one) The spicy pork ribs were ON FIRE. I scraped off tons of chili and numbing peppercorns and it was still so spicy, but I have low spice tolerance; we still really enjoyed these ribs though! Desserts: I don't usually come to Chinese restaurants for their desserts but the fried rice cakes were SO unique! Crispy on the outside, chewy mochi-like texture on the inside, dipped in syrup and sesame seeds! I also tried their sweet jelly with crushed peanuts, raisins, and sweet syrup, which was so refreshing and soothing after eating spicy food. Their chili oil is SO good that I took home the leftover chili oil and put it on everything. Our neighboring table ordered the spicy boiled fish which looked amazing; I'll have to try that next time! read more

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