The meal I ordered seemed so simple: pork and pickled vegetables with rice noodles. I ordered it as takeout. As I sat down to eat it I was already anticipating what it might taste like. Wow. It was great. I rarely have such an immediate reaction. It was every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be. Almost too spicy. Makes your lips burn sort of spicy. At least, my face didn't break out in a sweat. For my taste, this was authentic Szechuan with just enough heat. It was a large portion. I had enough leftover for a meal the next day. I tried to plate the meal to do it justice even though it was takeout. This was my first visit to Shu. The interior looks nice. The woman at the counter was friendly. I'd heard a great deal about the restaurant. Trying to decide what to order on my next visit. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Pork with Pickled Vegetable and rice noodles - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

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Updating my review of this place based upon two dishes: Bok choy with garlic and Home style tofu (deep fried). Both were available with either white rice or brown rice. I opted for the brown rice. Funny how our palates change over time. When I was younger, I hated Brussel sprouts. Now, I love them. Same situation here. When I was younger, I would have said the bok choy with garlic was plain and boring. Now, I taste it as a more subtle dish. It is served in a broth, not the cloying sticky sauce that's usually made thicker by the addition of a corn starch/flour slurry. The broth allows for the flavor of the bok choy to shine. I'm guessing the dish was made with MSG as well. Nothing wrong with MSG, it is one of the ingredients which provides a savoriness or meatiness to a dish - umami. The bok choy was trying hard to be meaty. Also, the addition of sesame oil was evident at the end of a bite, the slight taste and whiff of sesame becoming more pronounced. Home style tofu - this was comforting and satisfying with a slight kick of spicy heat. It's like grandma hugged you and squeezed your cheek, for good measure. There was a corn starch slurry used in this dish but it sort of calls for it; it's a more substantial protein rich dish. I honestly didn't miss meat at all when eating this meal. The dishes provided today proved to me that the cooks at Shu Chinese can do subtle...and they can do spice (mala). I'll definitely be back for more. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - A portion of an order of bok choy with garlic over brown rice. - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

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I have no photo, but I must share how good this food is. My Chinese advisees have a short list of restaurants they prefer and Shu Chinese is always on the list. Tonight I had the lamb with scallions, the cold noodles, and the garlic greens. Everything was just delicious. When I go again, I will need to try one of the Chongqing dishes. read more

You never really expect a lot out of a strip mall Chinese food place. But I'll tell you what, this was some excellent fast casual Chinese food! I don't have it pictured, but I started with the Scechuan style dumplings. They were good. Just your typical Chinese dumpling. Nothing mind-blowing. The sauce was appropriately spicy. So, we were off to an okay start. I got the shrimp egg roll. Again, very standard fare. Maybe a notch above standard, but clearly either prepackaged or using the same mix out of that spot in Brooklyn that like 60% of the East Coast uses. It was cooked well. It was fine. Then, the General Tso's came with a big round bowl of sticky rice. That was a really big plate of chicken. I liked how shiny the sauce looked and that I could see the peppers, so I started feeling hopeful. I was not prepared. The chicken was crispy on the outside and super moist and tender on the inside. I get General Tso's EVERYWHERE, and this is easily the best cooked version I can remember having in a REALLY long time. The sauce was a nice blend of sticky, sweet, and spicy. It was SOOOO good. Sure enough, I got the old "Golden Bowl" fortune cookie with the check, so I know they are at least partially supplied by Wonton Foods (supporting my egg roll theory!). All in all, the atmosphere is fast casual. Service was on the ball. Prices were reasonable. Food quality overall was good. The General Tso's, though, was AMAZING. I will be back! read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Fortune cookie - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

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Great place for authentic Chinese, particularly the Szechuan crusine. It's now a convenient spot for me to take mom out for lunch. Good noodle soups. It's pretty good for upstate NY. They also have Americanized Chinese food if that's what you want. Good and pleasant service. At least one server speaks Mandarin Chinese if that helps. It does for my mom. Easy parking as it is in a shopping plaza. Spicy food can be quite spicy. I am out of practice as I used to be able to handle the heat better. I am sure they can adjust. I appreciate that the food can be spicy as it is a Szechuan restaurant. Recommended. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Beef noodle soup - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

Good food, I'm vegan but I asked for a burger. I liked it so now no more vegan for meeeheeeheheeeehe read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Go Cavs - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

Consistent quality, quick service, and great-tasting food - it's a frequent stop for me when I'm Albany!

All the food we ordered are super good. This is a very authentic Chinese restaurant, you can find super tasty dishes here. People here are very nice, provided a welcoming atmosphere. Please give it a try if you are looking for real Chinese food. read more

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We ordered for delivery honestly because our "go to" Chinese take out restaurant was closed. We weren't expecting that this order would be as good as our usual place - but we were pleasantly surprised! First of all, the delivery was earlier than they had projected. That was certainly nice Specially in regard to the food: a couple of items were a bit different than we were used to. China, being as gigantic a country that it is, clearly has regional cooking differences. Just like Northern Italian food dishes are frequently different than Southern Italian dishes. We ordered Pad Thai. The sauce was very different but it was an excellent dish. The wonton soup broth was also different but, again, was very tasty. We also ordered sweet and sour chicken and it was prepared very nicely - not greasy at all. Lastly, we got an order of chicken fried rice. Extremely tasty and not at all oily. Overall we were very happy with our experience with this restaurant to the point that we will certainly order from again. Give this restaurant a try. You might find your items were prepared differently than you are used to but I highly doubt that you will be disappointed. read more

As always such a gracious host and delicious food. The May fun is light and flavorful with many veggies. They thoughtfully asked me whether I wanted egg or not. I had plenty to take home. As a sidenote, there was another guest with an "Armenian pride" shirt on who insisted they leave Fox News on the television. He misogynist Lee went on, and on very loudly about how Fox News loves immigrants. I literally had an argument with this man in the restaurant.PLEASE TURN OFF FOX NEWS!!! The patrons world think you are prejudice and it is a propaganda channel. Don't listen to old white guys. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Veg mei fun and Shishido peppers. Delicious!! - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

Just dined in with my wife and 14 month old son. Service was great and the food was extremely fast, hot, and delicious. Our waitress was excellent and they have a chicken nugget appetizer which was perfect for kids. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

Takeout only during COVID! The door has been replaced by an ordering counter so you can't go inside, but you can order anything on the menu except lunch specials and the food comes out quickly. I had planned to dine in at lunch time so improvised by ordering twice-cooked pork, Mr and Mrs Smith and hot and sour soup. The items were coarsely chopped, not like I remember, almost too big to eat with chopsticks but the taste was good. Also, they've gone the American Chinese takeout route which maybe they have to do for their takeout business so your meal comes with crackers, fortune cookies and that weird neon "duck sauce". I wish I lived closer so I could stop by and pick up the Mr and Mrs Smith on a weekly basis--it's delicious and also one of the most affordable things on the menu. If you haven't tried, go get some today. read more

Really love the food & delivery service! I've ordered the Spicy Wings multiple times as they are absolutely delicious, actually a top wing in the area! read more

Complete cluster and awful business. Ordered and paid on line and went to pick up. They gave my food to wrong person. They argued with me that a boy picked it up and I don't have any kids.$50 worth of food. She refused to refund me stating that I was lying. It was only after they got a phone call stating they got the wrong order that I eventually did get a refund. No apologies. They wanted me to wait for the other person to return the food. It is amazing. I did not end up in Albany county jail. No wonder 2 people are there. I can't add a photo because I didn't get any food read more

On my first visit to SHU Chinese several months ago I went with a group of friends to try and share a large variety of different dishes. All were very good, but one especially stood out to me and was the impetus for a return visit today when my wife said "I have a craving for some Chinese food." We were actually surprised to see only one other person in the dining room at 6 pm on a Saturday. An hour later when we left there were about a dozen more customers. Come on folks, there really should be a lot more customers dinning here with such wonderful flavors. Yes, the menu does have a dozen items under a section entitled "American Chinese Food", but that is NOT what you should be coming here for. Szechuan is not only the word you are looking for, it is also the flavor profile you want to experience. I know, you tell me that Szechuan food is too spicy for you. NOT TRUE! Here, they spice the food to give it lasting flavor and not to kill your taste buds. I'm sure you could ask them to up the level of burn if that's your thing, but first try the food the way they serve it. Then, if you find you enjoyed it but would like it more spicy, just let them know when you come back the next time and I'm confident they will accommodate your taste. So what was that one dish that had me excited to return and enjoy again? Well, I said to my wife, "I'm planning on having Mr. and Mrs. Smith for dinner." You see, listed under the menu's Flavor Snack section is an appetizer by that name. It consists of ox tongue and tripe in a chili sauce ($9.50). My wife was turned off just at the thought of tripe. But once she tasted it, her reaction was the same as mine the first time I ordered "the Smiths" here. "WOW, that tastes nothing like any tripe that I've eaten before." It does have a slight crunch, but it is sliced so thin that it is not really chewy, and if you pick up both tripe and tongue at the same time with your chopsticks, the chew and flavors with the not very spicy chili sauce is a very tasty experience. The Szechuan Style Dumplings ($5.95) with a meat filling and in a spiced soy sauce, again, are not really very spicy. But you better be a chopstick-pro if you don't request a fork to pick up these slippery treats. For her main course, my wife had the Japanese Pepper Wrapped Beef ($16.95). Served in aluminum foil wrap, the beef was very tender with chopped onions and peppers. The beef may have been marinated and I think the purpose of the wrap is to infuse the beef with even more flavor from the vegetables and spices. I was interested in having a duck entrée, but the only two dishes I saw on the menu were not what I was looking for. Our server suggested that they could prepare a Shredded Duck with Ginger ($19.75). That sounded perfect to me, and it was. Tender and flavorful duck meat mixed with red and green peppers and shredded fresh ginger was an excellent blend of flavors. A fish dish is now on our radar for our next visit. I should also note that Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a cold dish, so it's the perfect dish to take home and eat later. read more

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Adventurous eaters, rejoice! For anyone not familiar with the cuisine of central China, its a hot pepper lover's dream. Which isn't to say that the food is impossibly spicy. But there are so many kinds of hot peppers, which delivery all different sorts of sensations. Yes, there are fiery hot peppers, that deliver a sharp jolt to the sinuses. But there are also lustrous slow burning peppers, that smolder. There is tingling heat. There is numbing spice. There are whole chilis. There is chili oil. Chili flakes. Chili sauce. You get the idea. And SHU brings them all to the menu. Unfortunately, SHU also has kept American-Chinese food on the menu in addition to hibachi, teriyaki, pad thai, lo mein, and udon. Do yourself a favor and pretend those don't exist. Do yourself another favor and grab a bunch of friends for a meal in the dining room. There are two big round tables. One is in the corner, and the other is hidden behind a half wall, adjacent to what was once the sushi bar. The semi-private table is a great way to hide your gluttony from the world, as you make your way through the "Flavor Snack" section of the menu. I can't say enough good things about Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the oddly named dish of ox tongue and tripe in chili sauce. The tongue is sliced thin, and the tripe reads more like noodles than stomach lining. The spicy boiled style fish filet is also a winner. And even better, it's on the lunch special menu for under $9. There are a few Szechuan style lunch items I want to try as well. I'll leave you with a few word couplets: Get there. Be adventurous. Bring friends. Take pictures. Try tripe. read more

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I love spicy food, and they make delicious and tasty sochuan food. The portion is good and the price is reasonable read more

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Very delicious Szechuan-style food. Dan Dan noodles, fish with pickled vegetable, all tasty. Lotus root spicy dry pot also marvelous.

Really 4.5, but probably because we order vegetarian. The spicy sour cucumber is haunting and fresh with tang and heat. Pea shoots were also fresh with garlic and ginger, not oily. Plaza parking, easy access. Very nice owners who were perfectly attentive. Update: still really interesting and delicious. Nice atmosphere and good service. We had spicy tofu, dry fried green beans, Chinese yam. The Chinese yam is crunchy almost like water chestnut not like orange yam. read more

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Pleasantly surprised. Interesting take on Chinese food. Slightly different seasoning from what I'm used to. Wonton soup excellent. Had Mongolian Beef which was very tasty. Looking forward to return as there a lot of different offerings from the norm read more

$20 for enough food for 3 meals (for me) and it was all DELICIOUS, the spicy food is actually spicy so be aware, I went at like 5pm so it was a bit of an odd hour so I was the only one in the restaurant but it was very clean and had lots of space and there's parking outside and the waitstaff were nice and the portion sizes were enormous and everything came out hot and steaming and flavorful it was great highly recommend read more

We love Szechuan food and Shu's delivers. From San Dan noodles to Szechuan dumplings the appetizers they call flavor bites are wonderful. WE love tofu and they offer it many ways. All are great. Can't recommend this place enough read more

Food wasn't bad, not great, not terrible. Service? Terrible. I walked in a little before 6 for dinner, I was the ONLY person in the restaurant. While I was eating, 2 more tables were seated. I finished my meal, needed a to go box...sat for almost 30 minutes without even being acknowledged. Never once after my food was put on the table did the waitress ever check on me. She was the only one working but again, the place was basically empty. She was gone almost that whole time, in the back. Came out to take orders for the other two tables, but ignored me those times also. I won't be returning. read more

Tried it for the 1st on Christmas Day. Food was hot and ready when expected. Flavors were good. We tried some traditional dishes that are new to us and found some new favorites. Got take-away a 2nd time and our experience was consistent with the 1st. read more

Bless Shu! Kind of what you say after somebody sneezes. Bless Shu for the lunch specials ($7.25 to $8.35) including soup (wonton, onion or egg drop), with both Szechuan and "American Chinese" offerings. The wontons were filled with flavorful pork floating in a mild, spicy broth - nice start. Bless Shu for the Kung Pao Chicken - sweet and savory and spicy all at the same time - juicy chicken bites topped with scallion and laced with crunchy peanuts (and not too many of them). Bless Shu for the Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce,rich with tender meat, flavored with veg and hot peppers. This was big enough to share, but not if it was mine. I would have eaten the whole thing. I ordered off the main menu, which is extensive. Bless Shu for the Hot and Sour Soup ($4.25), more sour than hot, very tasty, lots of veg, not too gummy. And bless Shu for the scallion pancakes - crispy and tender and rich. The dipping sauce was way too sweet but it didn't need anything. As for the Twice Cooked Pork, no bless Shu, nope it's more like just get yourself a ti-Shu - the weird vegetables were pretty fibrous and there wasn't much heat even though there's a little pepper next to the selection. And the Spring Rolls (2 for $3.95) reminded me of commercial freezer food (soggy on the inside, flavorless, greasy) - small, mostly wrapper, barely filled with a few veg, served with a side of gooey "duck" sauce. I cried they were so sad, but of course I ate them anyway. I really liked the modernistic sort of space and sturdy comfortable furnishings. I didn't like getting our food all at one time (next time I'll just ask them to pace it), and dishes were hit or miss (could be spicier). With respect to the kitchen, I wished there were a few condiments on the table (soy sauce, sugar packets, chili sauce/hot sauce, hot mustard, S&P, etc.). The service was good but less than attentive or I would have asked. And we actually liked the Chinese pop music. It was a bit on the loud side. Just like me. Bless Shu for bringing good Chinese to Albany. Zena, Goddess of Fire read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Scallion pancake - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

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Authentic Chinese food! The service was quick and the food portions are family sized. We ordered vegetarian food - lotus root with pickled peppers and mapo tofu and both were yummy and spicy! Would definitely recommend this restaurant to people seeking authentic and delicious Chinese food! read more

I'm Chinese and actually Shu restaurant is the only real authentic Sichuan food in Albany. It's not exaggerated to say that all Chinese people in Albany area love Shu，but we just have no habits to checkin or leave comments on Yelp. We just order it for take out or walk in to eat it again and again. The service here is really good and fast. And as a person who loves cooking and eating，the food material， the vegetable，the pepper，the meat, the oil...etc..they use are really clean（yes，my tongue and stomach can distinguish exactly how the food materials are）. For most other restaurants in Albany, I have to say I'd rather cook it by myself and eat at home. But Shu restaurant is definitely the very first and a happy choice for me to eat outside. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Real Sichuan cuisine！！！ Best in Albany！！！ - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

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We ordered for take out. The bill was kinda high and I'm not giving stars for that since I knew that when I ordered. The food was decent enough but it seemed like containers weren't filled to the top. And I ordered a LOT of food--enough for 7 people. The food was mundane--nothing special about any of it. The sweet & sour chicken were slightly over fried and tough. The Bok Choy in garlic sauce was yummy, I admit. Overall, what I'd expect from any Chinese food place, so I won't go out of my way again. read more

Went with friends here for celebration of Lunar New Year. Passed by the entrance to the strip-mall/small plaza that this restaurant is located at, but don't be fooled by the location. This is a destination to go to get some quite yummy Chinese food. The disappointing: they had two people on in front-of-house to seat, take orders, make/deliver drinks, answer the phone, and pretty much fill the spots for waitstaff. Slow, slow, slow service. The awesome: My God/Deity/Spaghetti-Monster the food. The food! Sichuan. Szechuan. However you want to spell it, just go and eat it. The sheer quality of the food makes this a place to go for authentic taste. There were six of us and we ate family-style. Pork belly, Lamb, shredded pork, vegetable dish, fish stew, duck, dumplings, and scallion pancake. All with a unique and mouth-water-inducing scents and taste. The sauce and spices hitting your tongue just right; all the flavors from the chili peppers, ginger, garlic, other spices all married and infused in the oil/sauce base probably perfected over years and years makes you think all that American-Chinese take out you have been eating (and use to) seem like a lie. Duck can sometimes be very greasy, however, their duck was done right; great taste and mouth-feel without a greasy coating that can sometimes linger. The fish was the perfect balance of firm-yet-flaky in the tasty, spicy stew. Honestly, don't know why it took me so long to find this place, but will definitely be back again. read more

After three daytime meals here, I am in love and declare I love this Chinese restaurant best of all in the region. The Szechuan dishes are beautifully executed, very tasty, fresh and delicious. Today I had the crispy fish (flounder, they said) served with semi-spicy sweet dried peppers; and two lunch specials of (1) green beans, and (2) double cooked pork. (And I have to confess last visit's taste of Mr and Mrs Smith aka innards was fresh and tasty. But that's an only-with-Otis kinda dish.) The pork was pork belly with scallions and I believe fermented black beans. Mucho delicioso. And the specials are only like 8 bucks and come with soup. Brown rice is an extra $1. The restaurant is clean, and very pleasant. I have no clue how they make money being open weekdays since there was only one other table full while we were there. Why have I declared this my favorite? Well, Lee is gone on to some promoted position from Northeast, which is grungier than this place. A la Shanghai leaves me cold. Not bad but Cantonese-ish is not as exciting to moi -- I think the ingredients would have to be purer and fresher. Asian Tea House in Rensselaer is pathetic Americanized crap (don't believe the Yelp stars!). Hu is nice, but last time after a several-first-blush-of-love run, I thought: "eh." It's Shu for me now, not Hu. I'll have to frame my Northeast VIP card. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - The Fish. (crispy?) - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

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It was a good Szechwan restaurant but not anymore. The chef's performance is not stable. Sometimes the food is too salty but sometimes it is just fine. Since the pandemic started, the food there is worse and worse. read more

We stopped in for lunch and were delighted by the huge selection of vegan options, all authentic Szechuan dishes. The service was exceptional, the steamed rice perfectly cooked and the hot tea was delightful. Sorry we don't live nearby, but will keep this place in mind when traveling through the area. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

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Food is fresh and delicious o us usually get it as take out and the service is nice and happy. I recommend :)

This is the best and freshest china food I ever had. A must try!! Fast friendly service and pick up is always ready in 15 minute!

Best Chinese in the area! Everything is fantastic and always delivered hot. Recommend the Pork Gyoza to start, one of my favorites.

Great, authentic Chinese food. Don't get me wrong I love American Chinese food, I mean who doesn't like General Tso's? But I don't come to Shu for that. I come here for traditional Szechuan dishes, and to try new things that I've never heard of! A definite must for those looking for traditional Chinese food, and adventurous eaters who want to try new things. read more

I was devastated to see the one-and-half-star current rating for Shu, hands down the best Chinese in the area. The complaints are understandable - questioning the delivery time, mumbled complaints in Fujianese and hibachi noodles - but besides the point. Skip the American Chinese menu (available elsewhere and better) and the strange quasi-Japanese section and look at the shockingly deep Sichuan selection. Chongqing-style chicken (also known as la zi ji) is a powerful triple pepper punch with an impress amount of that numbing ma la. Elsewhere there wasn't a bum note, from the mapo dofu to the cold noodles (sichuan liangmian), wontons (hongyou chaoshou) and the green beans (I forget). I was a smidge disappointed they don't do loose tea, but the portions are ginormous and flavors spot on. Truly an essential restaurant in the Capital Region - and incredibly they deliver! read more

Over the pandemic we had the opportunity to order takeout. Pretty simple, General Tso's and Sesame Chicken dishes. Both were delicious. Also tried the Hot and Sour Soup. Also very good. The only thing I would've liked was to have the soup and General Tso's a little spicer. The website has some interesting looking dishes displayed that I may like to try when indoor dining is available again. read more

Food isn't bad; love the spicy fish! It's nice to have an authentic Chinese food restaurant near here. However, the restaurant is wayyyy overpriced! This spicy fish was $17!!! If I had sit down at the restaurant, with tip, I would've payed $20 for one simple dish. read more

Shu Chinese Restaurant - Szechuan Near Me - Guilderland, New York

i love shu!! i'm from nyc and i've had quite a bit of chinese food but whenever i come up here to visit, shu is always my first pick for chinese. my favorite is the wonton soup. cheap and absolutely delicious- the broth is so flavorful and everything is hot and yummy. service is great, food comes quick and hot. though i've always taken the food to go, the inside of the restaurant is beautiful and the ambiance is really nice. i highly recommend this restaurant for chinese! read more