I was craving Desi Chinese for my birthday in a very specific, slightly unreasonable way, and Red Hot Chili Pepper completely delivered. For the birthday dinner, we ordered chicken fried rice, dry chilli chicken, dry chilli fish, and the sizzling chicken for my son. The dry chilli chicken and fish were the stars. Spicy, flavorful, and exactly what I had been dreaming about. They also surprised me with a flourless cake, ice cream, and a sparkler, which was such a sweet touch and made the birthday girl very happy. Naturally, we went back for Happy Hour, which runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The lychee martini was absolutely singing my name, but in an unexpected display of maturity, I stuck to water. K had the $5 draft beer, and we shared four appetizers: two orders of dry chilli chicken because we already knew how this story would end, dry chilli fish, and the Konjee crispy lamb. We would not order the lamb again, but the chicken and fish? Absolutely. No notes. I may already be emotionally attached to the dry chilli chicken. Savio was our host and was warm, responsive, and lovely throughout. This has officially become a monthly hangout spot for K and me, although I suspect the dry chilli chicken may see us more often than that. read more

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I would say this could be 3.5 starts. I think this place is ok. It's a little overpriced. I know why it's popular but I have not loved their food the couple of times I have gone. The service is ok but not particularly good. The ambiance is fine/nice. read more

Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first. Indian and Chinese fusion? I wasn't sure how that would work. Plus, spicy food wasn't exactly what I was craving the day we decided to try this. I wasn't sure how it would sit with my stomach. But wow wow, this place completely exceeded my expectations. First off, it's 100% halal, which is a huge plus since it can be hard to find good halal restaurants (It's listed on restaurant menu that only halal meat is served). The service from our waiter was excellent. He knew the menu well, gave thoughtful recommendations, and was incredibly accommodating. When we mentioned that one person in our group was pregnant, he immediately offered to have the chef prepare dishes without MSG, which was such a thoughtful detail we hadn't even considered. The food itself was amazing. Super flavorful, saucy, and unique. The fusion of Indian and Chinese cuisine was creative and worked so much better than I expected. We originally ordered five plates for our table of five + a 2 year old, but we were so impressed that we ended up ordering three additional dishes because everything was just that good. I really liked the fact that we can adjust the spice levels of the dishes. One small downside was our initial interaction when we arrived. The person seating us seemed a bit annoyed or perhaps caught off guard that we didn't have a reservation, which felt a little odd considering we arrived right at opening time (5:30 PM) and were the first customers there. It wasn't a huge issue, but it did stand out compared to how welcoming the rest of the staff were. Overall, though, the incredible food and excellent waiter service outweighed that minor first impression. If you're hesitant about Indo-Chinese fusion cuisine, don't be. This place is worth trying and I'd definitely come back. In fact, I'm recommending this place to any of my family or friends that visit the Bay Area. It's THAT good. read more

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Everything was just terrible and over priced, how can someone get your order in just 2 mins. Not kidding just 2 mins, and tasted too saucy and no flavor or taste. The price they charge and the food they serve are just unacceptable. I had bad experience at the Fremont location, I hoped it would be better. I am Done with them for good after today. Save yourself and stay away from them. Unless you don't care about not being served a not freshly made food and fine with paying for absolutely nothing but a tons of sauces read more

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Hubby and I had lunch at the Red Hot Chilli Pepper located at San Carlos. We had a great lunch. Ordered the veggie momos , mild human chicken and the veggie noodles. Enough food for 2. It was Delicious . Recommended. Staff was very helpful and kind read more

Lovely birthday celebration for my Mom, thanks to the great food and the lovely service by Savio and others on the team! Thank you!

We were craving for some authentic Indo Chinese food and with a quick Yelp search we found this spot! Parking was relatively tricky but we were able to find street parking. We went without a reservation on a Saturday night. Although the restaurant was decently packed, we were seated with minimal wait time. We got the gobhi manchurian gravy and the hakka noodles. We were super excited for the food! The food came out relatively quickly. The portion size was adequate for two people. The Manchurian was saucy and flavorful. It had the right amount of spice. The noodles were cooked well and had a lot of vegetables. Both the dishes went well together. We also got a litchi martini. It was well made but a bit sour for my liking. All in all, this was a nice spot. We hope to visit again and try other dishes too! read more

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My first time at this place, recommended by family who've been here before. We made reservations but there was a wait to check in with the host since it was so busy. Service was ok, but I think it was because they were understaffed. The host/server gave us free mocktails that were accidentally sent twice to our table, which made up for the long wait. Food was ok, I did add some of the chili oil and seasonings to the noodles and fried rice. I liked the veggie coins and the cauliflower in Manchurian sauce. Overall, I may give this place another try if we have more time during our next visit! Happy eating! read more

Very tasty food and prompt service. We ordered noodles, Manchurian, rice and soup. The ambiance of the restaurant was great too

Amazing service and food. Very tasty sizzling brownie with icecream. Must visit spot in san carlos area read more

Red Hot Chilli Pepper - Chilly potato, manchow soup - Chinese Near Me - San Carlos, California

I've reviewed Red Hot Chilli Pepper, before but after having lunch here yesterday I found myself wanting to share with you what a great dining experience it was. When walking into the restaurant we were greeted immediately along with being remembered from past experiences. We ordered the Chicken Momo Dumplings because they are worth going in for but requires 15 or 20 minutes extra time as they are made to order so they are mouth watering delicious. 5 big Stars for the best Dumplings ever! We also ordered the Chicken Spring Rolls, and I most always stay away from anything deep fried..they are delicious I ordered my go to favorite, the Honey Chicken. It has chunks of fresh pineapple in the dish which makes me very happy. I ordered the rice to go with it. I forgot the other Chicken entrée but I photographed it. It was served on an iron skillet hot plate with onions and it was stellar. I usually skip dessert but they offer tartufo with pistachio or coffee flavors. They are cooling and refreshing after the Indonesian flavorful spices. Downtown San Carlos, delivers great dining options but Red Hot Chilli Pepper is definitely one of the best restaurants to check out. Go for it! read more

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I had never been to an Indo-Chinese fusion restaurant and was excited to try this one out! I came on Valentine's day and was looking forward to the meal. Here are the items my group and I got: Dry Chili Chicken is a great appetizer! It's good for 2-3 people and not too spicy. The chicken is super crispy and full of flavor. 5/5! Chicken Lettuce Cups - These definitely surprised me! They meat was super refreshing and light for the lettuce cups. I recommend and get it again 5/5! Honey Chicken - The sauce is pretty sweet but very tasty. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't like spice. 4/5 for me. Prawns - These were extremely good! Crispy and had the perfect kick to them 5/5! Chili Garlic Noodles w/ Chicken - The noodles were a lot thinner than I expected but nevertheless there was so much flavor in these and they were slightly spicy but in the best way! 5/5 Service was amazing and they even gave a Valentine's dessert to the table. Would recommend checking this place out! read more

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I would've given 3 stars for the price to portion ratio but 4 because I mostly liked the food. Definitely closer to comfort indo chinese and food was fine but not amazing. Service was very nice and so was ambiance, was not crowded on a saturday evening we were able to be seated immediately. Appetizer plates were on the smaller side for sure. Liked: 4/5 Chili fish - I do appreciate they filled the plate with fish 4/5 Chili baby corn (fyi same flavor as the chili fish so you don't need to order both) 4/5 Hakka noodle - not very special-unique but good, I did feel like it was pretty small portion for the price 3.5/5 Molten banana cake (gluten free and vegan) - honestly not bad but a little small and a little dry, more warm muffin consistency 5/5 Indo chino chicken- I don't eat chicken but crowd sourced from the table Disliked 2/5 - Vegetable coins in manchurian sauce - didn't like the sauce it was not flavorful and borderline a bit bitter, the coins are very large like the size of my palm and are a little tough. 2/5 - Chili crispy potato - this was french fry like potato with the same chili flavor... I thought it was blander I didn't care for it 2/5 Chili garlic noodles - tastes exactly like chili garlic sauce on noodles... it reminds me of something I'd make for myself at home in college, not my current taste pallete ig I could come back here bc my fiancé loves this place but it's not my first choice. read more

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Food and service was amazing . Best indoor Chinese in peninsula Food and service was amazing . Best indoor Chinese in peninsula read more

Instagram recommends this place for Desi Chinese and this did not disappoint! Was craving American chopsuey and oh la la it was delish! read more

I am from India and have celebrated my birthday with perfect Ambiance Had a Amazing mouth watering Indo Chinese Food after long time with great Service Staff was very helping and polite read more

Red Hot Chilli Pepper - Fried Ice Cream and Daarsan A La Mode - Chinese Near Me - San Carlos, California

1. Service was extremely fast and fantastic 2. Ambiance is great as well 3. I would greatly recommend the apps - gobi manchurian and crispy chilli potato read more

Really nice indo chinese food and the waiter Savio was amazing! Mushroom and the paneer schezwan is really good.

Great food and service. I enjoyed the cauliflower and paneer chilli very much. Will Come again read more

I have been panning to visit this restaurant with few friends for a while. For some or the other reason, for example pandemic etc it didn't happen. So was highly anticipated and had high expectations. Food: 3/5 we got almost every vegetarian dish on the menu. Nothing was wow. In fact most of the food seemed to have the exact same sauce and flavor. I missed the variety and couldn't taste the flavor of the vegetable or the original ingredient, say paneer Service: 3.5/5 while the servers were nice and friendly, the service was not great. It took a lot of time to get our food. The server got me the wrong drink twice; after which I gave up and just had what they brought. It was nice of them to bring me hot water to drink Ambiance 3/5: ambiance might be okay for daytime but it felt a bit too grim and dim for night. The lights were not pleasant to the eyes. Dim lights are great when they make the ambiance soothing and pleasant. read more

Great service and food. Ambience os great as well ................. .................

This is our go to place for Indo-Chinese food in Bay Area, cauliflower Manchurian is the best!! Also the burnt garlic fried rice with egg was really good, Mickey has always been very attentive and taking care of us, He also gave good suggestions for drinks and food. Highly recommend this place! read more

Red Hot Chilli Pepper - Coconut mango mouse - Chinese Near Me - San Carlos, California

Food was great! Service was very warm!! Ambience was okay too. This is our goto place.

Love the food! Very nostalgic if you are from Kolkata. We keep coming back. Firecracker shrimp is amazing.

It's my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. The food is absolutely the best -- Indo Chinese here is rare to find and this is the best. My favorite dishes are chilli chicken, hakka noodles & chilli crispy potatoes. SAVIO is a great server, he was so kind and generous to us! read more

I have been to this place a lot of times before the pandemic. Best indo chinese food in the Bay Area. I recommend getting the corn salt pepper as it's the best thing on the menu. You won't regret it. Service is prompt, a lot of seating. The food is quick served within 10 minutes. Only docking a point as this is a bit pricy, but that is the price of indo chinese in the bay area. I rather spend money on the best location in the bay area i.e Red Hot Chilli Pepper, others don't come as close. read more

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Food is good and service was friendly and overall ambience is good. Everyone should try this restaurant:) read more

Red Hot Chilli Pepper - Chicken chilli - Chinese Near Me - San Carlos, California

Heard a lot about this indo Chinese cuisine! It does live up to the expectations/ hype! Nice cozy ambience :).... ordered baby corn, dry gobi Manchurian, schezwan fried rice, Hakka noddles, sizzling brownie choco ice-cream. Appetizers are ok portion, entrees are decent portion size. Sizzling brownie I thought could had another brownie and 2nd scoop. Delicious tasty food overall. It is pricey but worth the food and taste. Would def recommend. Only reason I couldn't give 5 star, was due to bit slow service. May be as it was busy weekend time, something to improve upon. read more

Not bad. Ordering is easy. Got it for delivery and they were so quick I thought the app glitched. Food was hot and yummy! Very spicy, even the mild. I am not good with spicy so it was a little too spicy for me but if you can take the heat, definitely worth a try. read more

Highly recommend this place for Indo-Chinese food. This has become our go-to place. Absolutely love everything. Shoutout to Savio for making our dining experience wonderful. His recommendations were great. read more

Absolutely loved this place. The food was packed with flavor--every dish tasted authentic, thoughtfully prepared, and incredibly well-balanced. The spice level was spot on: bold and flavorful without overpowering the dish, which is not easy to do. You can tell there's real intention behind the cooking here. What really made the experience stand out, though, was the service. Snehal, the owner, is amazing--so warm and genuinely invested in making sure every guest has a great experience. The staff was just as attentive. Our drinks were always full, and we felt taken care of the entire time without it ever feeling overbearing. It's rare to find a place that delivers both exceptional food and that level of hospitality. I'll definitely be coming back--and next time, I'm bringing family and friends with me. read more

Bad! Food is very unsatisfactory. We all had stomach problems next day. Felt like stale food or cooked in bad quality oil. They had an after taste to it that felt like rancid oil. Food came so fast and kind of cold or seemed just flash fried for quick turn around. Service too was weird. Awkward servers. Servers were not aware of cues or how far along we were with the dinner. Seemed disconnected and forced interactions. Ambience was dark and again felt stale. Food seemed overpriced for the quality. Never going again! read more

If you're looking for a sign to finally try this place, this is it. It's easily one of the best Indo-Chinese spots in the Bay. The Gobi Manchurian is non-negotiable--it's crispy, tangy, and honestly life-changing. If you eat meat, the Chicken Lollipops are the way to go. A fair warning: When they ask about spice, they aren't playing around. "Medium" here will have you reaching for the water, so order accordingly. It gets pretty loud and packed on weekends (San Carlos loves this place), so definitely make a reservation if you don't want to hover on the sidewalk for 45 minutes. It's a bit chaotic, but the food is consistently 10/10. read more

Went with colleagues for a Thu lunch. Not very crowded but made reservations just in case. Ordered Chilli paneer and firecracker chicken for appetizer. Both were excellent. Lychee martini was just ok. For main course we got pot rice , Hakka noodles, Fish in hot garlic sauce and black pepper chicken. Everything was excellent. I wish the waiter had asked us our spice level. They made it not spicy. So had to add hot sauce to make up for it. Overall very authentic Indo-Chinese food. Better than Inchin Bamboo Garden. Also slightly better than the Fremont location. read more

Went here with a group of friends and had a great time! We tried the chilli garlic noodles, chicken drums of heaven, fried rice, and the Devil's Chicken - which was insanely spicy (we even had to sign a waiver ). Everything was super tasty, especially the noodles and drumsticks. Fun vibe, good service. Would totally go again! read more

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Poor service, ambiance was ok, food was not good at all. One of the soup was very bad,we did not eat at least they had a courtesy of not charging for that. That was the saving grace. You will get better food , I will not be going here any time. read more

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Amazing food, I love coming here often and see that the quality haven't changed from year's. My first visit was in 2011 and the it still tastes the same. Their garlic noodles are top notch. Service is great as always. There's a chance to improve the ambience but what more do you expect from a downtown fine dining. I will love sitting next to the window and enjoy the view of Downtown lights and El Camino. I would try their other branch in Fremont and add my review soon. read more

Red Hot Chilli Pepper - Chocolate cake - Chinese Near Me - San Carlos, California

Love the panner Manchurian and Hakka noodles. Their crispy chili potatoes are also great (get them in mild)

Food, ambience, amazing choices, spice level, freshness and the overall experience is amazing.

Chicken in Manchurian sauce - not the best, will try another flavour (3/5) Hopefully other flavours are nicer read more

Red Hot Chilli Pepper - HAKKA NOODLES - Chinese Near Me - San Carlos, California

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