I found this place looking for Austin's best spicy Mapo Tofu, and this place definitely delivered on that front. It has also turned out to have really great garlic bok choy, amazing cumin lamb, good soups, and excellent spicy fish in all its iterations. My niece likes their fried rice, and my coworker likes their sesame chicken, so apparently they can do traditional American Chinese standards, too. Huge portions, always fairly empty, large pots of hot tea, but don't order delivery by their phone number systems. My company tried it once, and it was a massive failure. P.S. I finally posted a review of this place because I wanted Chris A from Lexington Kentucky to imply I was a robot, too. read more

So good. The spicy jumping fish is incredible. We've been picking up here the last couple years and have only had great experiences.

I ordered delivery the other day and was impressed with Sichuan River. I ordered General Tso Tofu, bok choy and mushrooms, veggie fried rice, and seaweed and tofu soup. The general tso tofu, which I have never had the meat version of, was super tasty. The tofu has a nice crispy coating that soaks up the sauce - the sauce itself is great. I ordered medium spice but barely got any even though there were several peppers in there. The fried rice was flavorful without being heavy or greasy. It also reheated well. The soup was light but fortifying - a note that it does appear to have egg in the broth (for all the vegans out there). The only thing I would skip next time is the Bok Choy and mushrooms - a bit bland and neither veggie really shines. read more

Decent Sichuan food. Can never go wrong with the spicy fish fillets, though they're definitely not cheap. Also ordered some vegetables and an intestine dish. All were decent, nothing mind-blowing or awful. read more

Mmmm, yum. I very much enjoyed the flavour profile of the dan dan noodles, and service was prompt and accurate, even with an order which I had placed over the phone! read more

By far the best Sichuan spot in south Austin. The food is so good. I never order without adding their mopu tofu.

I've been going to this restaurant for years and have enjoyed many items on the menu, however today I received service so poor that this might be my last visit. The gentleman who checked me out only appeared at the counter when he assumed I was stealing my own order, then when I asked about their delivery radius, he confirmed 4 miles. I stated that I was within that range but the website didn't let me choose that option, he all but yelled that I should order on the weekend for delivery. When I said that today was Sunday, traditionally known as the weekend, he rose his voice even more to say Friday, Saturday, and Sunday repeatedly. This revelation left me no closer to wondering why I couldn't choose the delivery option, thus avoiding this man for the rest of my days. Overall the food was fine, if a little gelatinous. read more

Came here at 4:20 so there was not another customer in sight. The lady was very friendly and quick to come take our order. The first thing I noticed was how firm and comfy the seats were in the booth. The menu is so large it's a bit of a challenge to make your order. It took my girl friend and I a good 10 minutes to decide. If you like spicy you're in luck. Most of their dishes have the little pepper beside it so they are not afraid of making so it dishes here. I ordered the the CK17 - ChongQing Mala Chicken And my friend ordered the ND2- Chicken Lo Mein. The ChingQing was perfect! It was a very spicy chicken dish layer over a bed of cabbage and topped with cilantro. All the flavors blended together perfectly. The chicken Lo Mein was some of the best I've had. The noodles were slightly sweet and garlic with just the right amount of veggies. The portion was very large and could be shared with another person. I keep finding new things on their menu! They even have bubble tea and smoothies too! Fast and friendly service and food made to perfection. I will be a new regular! read more

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The day before Thanksgiving, I had lunch with a good friend here. Initially, I wasn't sure of the place, but my friend knows her authentic Chinese food. I guess it didn't hurt to be met at the door by a group of 10 Asian men also entering the restaurant at the same time as I arrived. For me, this was a reunion of sorts, because the former tenant (Tien Jin) was my "go to" for American Chinese in South Austin. That is, until it started showing signs of not being a clean place to eat. The new owners have totally fixed that problem, plus a whole lot more. Their menu is extensive and varied. That seems redundant, but it's a long menu to choose from, and it's not the same dish listed umpteen different times with different combinations. The lunch menu is strictly American Chinese. Instead of doing that, I let my friend order from the dinner menu and we ate family style from two dishes: the dried, sauteed green beans and the twice cooked pork. My friend checked with the waitress to be sure the dishes weren't too spicy (for me), and the waitress made sure I understood the pork was actually bacon (OK, I didn't). When the plates came out, I was astounded. Four could have easily shared the amount of food we ordered. Plus one for value alone. Since I am unfamiliar with authentic Chinese, I probably shouldn't comment on the preparation, but the presentation was superb. I really enjoyed both dishes, although the green beans were the keeper dish. I'd order them again with another entree (probably chicken), simply to keep the fat content to a minimum. To bottom line it for you great place with delicious food and incredible portion sizes. We both ate until we were beyond full--and then some--and we still each took to-go boxes. As we were leaving, the owner joked with me to come back tomorrow (Thanksgiving) when they'd have Sichuan Turkey. A man with a sense of humor. I admire that. So my old go-to Chinese place is now my new go-to Chinese place. Whether you like traditional Chinese or American Chinese, I'd recommend Sichuan River highly. read more

Ordered delivery through postmates and food was delivered in less than 30 min so I was excited for it to be fresh. Meal consisted of Mongolian beef (spicy), egg roll, and cream puffs, the standard Chinese fare. Mongolian beef was inedible. Sparse grey meat in a sea of onions and some dried red peppers that didn't add any flavor. It didn't even taste like they put salt or pepper on it and it tasted like there was a dusting of cornstarch that they didn't cook out. Not spicy at all either even though I selected spicy from the listing on postmates. Egg roll was actually a tiny deep fried spring roll. Inside was very mushy. Would not order again. Cream puffs were the only redeeming item ordered, would give them a 7/10. They were filled with enough cream cheese and were crispy and fresh when I got them. Overall, pass on this place. There are plenty of mediocre Chinese places in Austin better than this one. read more

Ahhh Sichuan river, real Sichuan food! It's so pleasant to find a place that actually exists in Austin that has the real Sichuan tastes. Service here is really nice, the lady there was really kind and pleasant to speak to! The decor is kinda normal, it's really large inside but we have to say...it kinda looks like an Asian horror movie from the outside with it's one giant red door...lack of windows...and half unlit sign...see picture to see what we mean...don't let the outside stop you though! You'll be missing some good food! But still...that decor lol. The food here has the perfect Sichuan taste, but for us who are Asian ourselves and have eaten a lot of Sichuan food, it wasn't spicy or flavorful enough. So just to clarify the taste and spice are there but just not ENOUGH, for us. We want our mouths to get a bang of flavor and to salivate from spice and feel numb. It just feels kinda like a little poof instead of an explosion. For some that might be ok especially if you can't handle spice. This place might actually be good for spice novices who want to try exploring into the world of Asian spice more. Overall though pretty good food, needs to amp up the flavor but a solid 4/5 from us. Food ranges from $8 for apps to $18 for the seafood dishes and $13 dollars average for other meat dishes. Veggie dishes around $10-$11. We tried the spicy jumping fish dish and the cold beef and tendon app when we came. Authentic good flavor, not enough though...darn so close, but hey next time we come back we might just ask them to put more :) read more

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Well, I chose this place because the Chinese buffet is closed and they are in the same parking lot. Did not start off too good, extremely rude, as many Asian people are with blacks (I'm black, by the way)... Then I ordered honey walnut shrimp, which I thought was going to be sweet but it looked spicy (see pic). They served me some kind of shrimp dish which I did not want and explained that this is the way "they" make honey walnut shrimp. The rude lady tried to fix it for me by exchanging the plate for sweet and sour shrimp. Then the chef came back and advised me that it was not spicy... he convinced me to stay and try it. And gave me a sweet sauce to help. It was not spicy but it was not what I expected or wanted... but the egg rolles are excellent. So I'm from out of town and glad I will never be back. 1 star for the fake honey walnut shrimp... if that's what you want don't come here!!!! When I was leaving to pay at the counter, the lady in the front who had been previously rude was extremely apologetic and nice (she may just not like her job and came across as rude.) She understood that I was trying to get something different than what I was served and tried to explain it to the boss but he wouldn't listen to her, but I was thankful for the apology. read more

Sichuan River - A sweet sauce that wad given to me to help it to be sweeter - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

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So happy to find a legit Sichuan style restaraunt in Austin. This place has their "ma-la" just right! If you don't like spicy food or can't handle lip-numbing spicy food, don't come here and then complain! This is an authentic Chinese restaraunt so judge it by their mala dishes, not westernized items like sweet and sour soup or kung pao chicken. You wouldn't rate a texmex joint poorly for bad burgers, right? The spicy Dan Dan noodles (off menu) had excellent flavor and more than enough for two people as appetizer. The spicy cumin lamb was our favorite dish. The portions were extremely generous and it was deliciously spicy. Shredded pork with vegetables were also good. Their dumplings are made with home made wrappers, not those thin store bought ones, which makes all the difference in taste. Service was excellent- the owner and the staff were all extremely friendly and eager to recommend dishes. We went around 1 pm on a Saturday and the restaraunt was full with Chinese families/groups and the majority of the people can be overheard voicing their approval. I'm glad this placed opened and I hope they don't tone down their spicy level! read more

Sichuan River - Dan Dan noodles - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I've never had Chinese food so flavorful and authentic. I eat here or order take-out at least once a week.I highly recommend the SF. 19 Spicy Fish Fillet & CK17. Chong Qing MaLa Chicken. We've ordered both dishes 10+ times and can vouch that the quality is great each time. My to-go orders are always ready in 15-20 min. Never late. *Last Tip: Even if you LOVE spicy food, I do not recommend ordering something above a 3 on their 'spice level' (only an option on to-go, they wont ask at restaurant unless you mention it). read more

Sichuan River - My favorite, the Chong Qing Mala Chicken - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I love the spicy fish hotpot. It's full of that fantastic lip-numbing, tongue-tingling scheuzan pepper. If you like chilli, you must order this dish. The spicy Dan Dan noodles are also great. Less spicy options: The shrimp dishes are good, especially the snow pea stir fry. The dumplings were fantastic the first time, and a bit disappointing last visit. Worth another shot before giving up read more

Sichuan River - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

Keep an open mind when you come to this restaurant and know that this isn't your general tso chicken and lo mein restaurant. It's family style, meaning that the dishes come in huge proportions and their dishes includes meats like tripe, intestines, and pork blood. With that disclaimer out of the way, the food was soothing and familiar to my Asian roots. The food sits heavy and comforting. We ordered the Dan Dan noodles (from the Yelp recommendations) and it packs a punch with the heat! It was really filling and flavorful. We also ordered the hot & sour, which had a subtle flavor accented by heat (do you see the trend here?). Our entree family style dishes were vegetable lo mein (delicious!) and pork intestine with bean curd (what a guilty pleasure dish). All in all, if you're looking for a Chinese place that's sticking to its roots and you're open minded, please give this place a try! read more

Sichuan River - The entrance - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

Very good Sichuan food. Although I've never been to Suchuan, China, but I'm a fan of all the food items I ordered: Fish fillet, Beef and Onion, and Lo-Mein with Lamb. Everything was delicious! I went around 3pm on a Sunday, so the service was very fast. I give it five stars because it's the first good Chinese Restaurant in South Austin! read more

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This probably the best whole in the wall. The food taste so authentic and they have options many other places don't!

If you ever crave for Chinese authentic food, this is the place to go. Very greasy for American standards, and for me too, but the flavor is explosive. When I crave for Chinese food. This is my go-to. read more

Was craving Chinese food after yoga class so I decided to try this place out. There were no windows so it felt a little sketchy at first, but I saw people going in. The parking lot was not crowded at 6:46pm on a Sunday. Upon entering I was greeted by the person at the register and told to sit anywhere. The menu looked like any Chinese restaurant and the prices were reasonable. I settled on the seafood combination plate. It came with white rice. It had fish, shrimp, fish cake, and vegetables like carrots, snow peas and celery. The portions were big and the food tasted good. It wasn't anything spectacular, but up to standards very filling. This place is easily overlooked and I'll definitely be returning here. read more

I don't think these people can speak English or either they have a big pot of fried rice with meat in it and just remove pieces when they're done this is the second time I ordered Singapore noodles chicken and the added shrimp to it. I'm allergic to shrimp and this carelessness cannot go unreviewed read more

Walk in and the ladies automatically start speaking Chinese to you? Check. Already sold on this place at that point. Ordered the cumin lamb, spicy fish fillet, ma po to fu and green beans. Everything was delicious and tasted very authentic. I particularly liked the spicy fish, which was very tender. My only complaint is that dishes were a bit too salty and not really spicy. Overall though, prices were very reasonable and portions were huge. Definitely a good option if you need a more authentic Sichuan fix! read more

Nice owners with great authentic food. Love the Ma Po and the Signapore Rice Noodle. They have a Spicy Wontons dish that's not on the menu but everyone should order. Best Chinese food in Austin IMO. read more

Hot pot was great!! We got the spicy and mild with fish, shrimp, beef, spam, and various vegetables. Super nice staff. Looking forward to coming back. read more

Singapore noodles and Fish fillet in white sauce were just mind blowing. Twice cooked pork was little too oily. But, rest two are a must try. read more

Had their spicy fish fillet entree. It was hot and spicy, and the portion was huge, but it tasted exactly like fish with chilly oil and hot water , that's it ! I was hoping for more flavors. Their customer service isn't too bad. Our server suggested we get 2 portions of rice with our entree since we were gonna share the entree, and it was a lot. Be mindful of the portions here. Hey! maybe I ordered wrong. One of my friends said the food here is really good. I know nothing about Szechuan chinese cuisine, so don't take my word for it. read more

Sichuan River - The spicy fish entree - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

Super delicious, healthy and authentic Chinese food. I had Chicken with veggies. Super fresh, crunchy and best flavor! Lovely tea as well.

Place is pretty alright. I mean, it's the usual Chinese American kind of stuff. In that scale, it's pretty alright, heh. My deep fried in chicken in a sweet sauce was tasty. It was supposedly general tsos. Just a different kind of sweet. The salt and pepper shrimp was terrible to me though. They have Boba tea as well. Not good either, tbh. read more

Note: This review is about their delivery. I have not made it to the restaurant, but I have ordered at least 6 times, and every time, it's fantastic! I have been in South Austin for a year and a half, trying every Chinese delivery restaurant that will deliver in my area, and none of them were that impressive. I'd give them 3 stars, at most (Pei Wei gets 2, if that's an indication of my devotion to good "Chinese" food.). I moved here from Mississippi. Mississippi has BETTER Chinese food than South Austin! Enter Sichuan River. I remember the moment in which I first laid eyes on the name in an article talking about authentic Sichuan-style Chinese cooking. I had to try it! The moment that I discovered that not all of their food was spicy, I ran to the computer to place an order! Hubby-butt doesn't like spicy foods. Bubby-hutt ordered the shrimp lo mein (Not spicy :)), and I ordered the bacon with garlic sprouts as well as their general tso's chicken. Both were amazing! The bacon was sliced thinly and perfectly seasoned, the sauce on the chicken was perfect -- not thick and sweet, and the lo mein had a wonderful "grilled" flavor to them, as hub-butt says. Tonight, I ordered their Stir Fried Squid with White Sauce, mild spice. It is amazing! There are full pieces of tender, cooked garlic, sliced in half, slivers of tender ginger, tender bamboo, and lots of squid! It's a very light dish with a light broth at the bottom. I'm loving it! Next time, I'll try a real Sichuan dish! Update: I finally tried a SIchuan dish! I had Dry Pot Chicken! As is tradition, I had this delivered. WOW what an amazingly large portion! This comes wrapped in foil inside of its styrofoam delivery tray. Upon unwrapping the parcel, I was immediately greeted with the scent of spice. It smelled spicy! I was very excited! I'm happy to report that the spiciness of this dish isn't an instant, strong spicy, as you would find with serranos or jalapenos. This is a spicy that starts out as a mild tingle and slowly builds up to some heat, at which point, you realize that your mouth is quite numb. In fact, I thought that it tasted spicier than it actually was. It's a great way to eat just enough without overeating! Next time, I'm definitely trying the famous fish that everyone is talking about!! Update Oct. 20, 2015! NEW FAVORITE DISH:: Eggplant in Garlic Sauce! It's very slightly sweet, has a delicious roasted eggplant flavor, and the garlic balances out the sweetness. It's purely delightful! I'm ordering this every time! Husbae also really loves the general tso. It's all he ever orders! read more

Sichuan River - Stir Fried Squid with White Sauce - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

very yummy food! one of the better chinese places i've tried since living in austin. ambiance is very cute for dining in, service is quick and attentive. definitely check it out!! read more

I don't like it! Don't know where they get all those good comments. This restaurant is old and not clean!! Especially the restroom. read more

Sichuan River - This dish is absolutely disgusting, over cooked chili all over the plate. CS6 Pig Elbow in Chili Sauce - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

I landed here after seeing the mention in one of the must try restaurants in Austin. Definitely NOT worth trying. We came here for lunch on Saturday afternoon to an empty restaurant, that should have been the first sign! We ordered their dumplings, spicy jumping fish, Dan Dan noodles and chicken dry pot and were disappointed in every dish. Dumplings- looked store bought and not homemade. The sauce however was great. Dan Dan noodles- was tasteless, the only thing we could taste was the tingle from the Sichuan peppers. Spicy jumping Fish- this was supposed to be their signature dish and boy was it bad. Some of the fish was cold and didn't have any good flavor to it. Dry pot Chicken- this was ok but again way below the expectation If you're wanting a good Sichuan meal, skip this place. read more

We tried this place for dine in because we had heard great things about it, and our meal did not disappoint. The food was very tasty and the portions were generous. Great value for your money as well, prices are very fair. This will definitely be our new go-to place for Chinese take out! read more

People on Yelp are raving about the hot and spicy jumping fish filet so we ordered it through Uber eats, along with Mapo tofu and green beans. When the dishes arrived I was so confused because the fish dish was not what I expected at all. I was expecting traditional fish in chili oil (水煮鱼）and this was not it. The dish we ordered tasted like just boiled fish with some green onions sprinkled on top, it was flavorless and smelled kinda disgusting. In addition the green beans are undercooked, mapo tofu is sticky and cold. Every dish we ordered was disappointing and we had to toss most food away because nobody could finish it and didn't want the leftover. I don't know what else to say other than this place sucks, if you are looking for legit good Chinese food search somewhere else. read more

Ok the restaurant is so dark and dingy. like the first thing I would say is please please change the furniture and lighting. No windows makes it so depressing! Also makes you wonder how clean the place must be. The place smelled mouldy Now for the food. Make sure whatever you order ask for NOT spicy! Me being from india found the food unbearably spicy. The dry pot lamb was inconsumable! I didn't even ask for spicy. The Sichuan chicken was ok. Nothing great. The fried rice was nice that's all. Would I go there again? No. P. F Changs anyday!!!!! read more

Sichuan River - This was pretty decent. Flounder in soy sauce and hot oil. Spicy but not as spicy as the dry pot dishes - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

All I can say is order the Jumping Fish! That fish dish was exquisite! My wife who hates seafood had two servings of the fish! It's beautifully prepared with long thin pieces of fresh cucumber and finely chopped green onions. The fish itself is light, plump and resembles little white clouds. You wouldn't even know it's fish because it doesn't test like fish or anything you've probably never had before. It will change your life! We also had the pork dumplings and cream cheese puffs which were good as expected. The Mongolian beef was good and not spicy but instead very sweet because of the onions. The spicy pork was indeed spicy but not too much and had jalapeños. We also had the chicken and broccoli which was okay. I believe they deserve 5 stars because the fish dish was phenomenal and the service and presentation was on point! read more

Hit and miss, sometimes the food is great, sometimes not so much. Ordered the dry pot chicken tonight and it was more oil than food, and the chicken was lower quality than usual. This isn't the first time their quality has varied a ton for me! Dunno what's up. read more

This is a traditional Chinese restaurant with some westernized dishes in the menu. I came here a couple months ago with a group of friends who recommended the place after trying their lunch. The interior is a bit outdated and neglected, but I don't mind it. I saw no evidence of uncleanliness. Because I wanted to compare with another Chinese restaurant up north, I decided I wanted to try a duck dish. I ordered P23 Duck Slice with Green Pepper. When ordering, the server explained that this dish has *boneless* duck slices cooked with green peppers; no sauce. My friends ordered some fried chicken and pork in garlic sauce. Their dishes came out in about 15-20 minutes and it looked great! The portions are large especially for the price. Here's the downward spiral of my experience: The server told me that my dish would be out soon. My friends awkwardly offered me some of their food as I waited.... and waited... and waited. Another 15 minutes later, my duck with "green pepper" arrived. The "duck slices" were chunks of charred, chewy meat with SHARDS of bones in every piece. The "green peppers" were slices of jalapenos with seeds intact. I was willing to write off the green pepper/jalapeno mix-up as a mistranslation until I saw 2 pieces of actual green pepper. I still wonder if they served me scraps of meat that were meant to be thrown away because there was hardly any edible meat. I didn't say anything at the time and even took the leftover home so my friends wouldn't feel bad for me or even worse than they already did. I'll probably come here again to try another dish since everyone else in my party seemed to enjoy their food. read more

Sichuan River - P23 Duck Slice with Green Pepper: So underwhelming and disappointing. You can see the bone shards in the supposed boneless meat. - Szechuan Near Me - Austin, Texas

My new favorite place! This is about as authentic as it gets as best as I know. Szechuan is my favorite Chinese region cuisine and here I find many items not usually found in Americanized Chinese restaurants. Liberal use of real Szechuan peppercorn and chili peppers make for a fantastic flavor. I highly recommend if you are looking for something a little more real than the typical strip mall Chinese fare. read more

Love this place! Authentic Chinese in South Austin. Been coming for years. This time we had moo shu pork, hot and sour soup, and sweet and sour chicken. Come hungry! Served family style, add is traditional. read more