Food so good nothing else matters. If you want the best vegetarian options for distinctively different dishes which all taste great, this is the place for delicious dining. I've posted pictures of the treats we had previously: Hot and Sour Soup, Seaweed Salad, Shredded Potatoes with Sour Spicy Sauce, Kung Po Tofu, Sizzling Japanese Tofu, Sauteed Dried String Beans, and brown rice. We ate here a year ago when we last visited Ithaca, and this was the place I was so happy to return to for dinner tonight. We couldn't be more pleased with the wonderful dinner we had. Tonight the three of us had: vegetable soup with tofu Vegan by request: Szechuan style "hot numbing" vegetables stir-fried hot pot minus meats and added tofu Vegan shredded potatoes with sour spicy sauce Vegan seaweed salad Vegetarian Singapore rice noodle with tofu instead of meat (can be made vegan upon request by omitting egg) Vegan brown rice read more

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All was the worst experience in my life! I could go on and on and tell you but I'll save u the bad experience. And end with this no fortune cookie Added insult to injury. Everything the food and service was totally off the day we went in! I do not recommend and wished I asked for a refund read more

The food and service were excellent. I would recommend this Chinese restaurant and take out to anyone

I order food to go from this restaurant at least once a week. One of the few places in Ithaca that offers a no-meat Hot and Sour soup with tofu (bean curd). I love the traditionally nuanced flavor of Baby Bok Choy stir fry with rice. Since I am a vegetarian, I also enjoy Veg Mein Fun noodles and Tofu with garlic sauce. read more

Spicy Asian - Two mice are nose-to-nose. - Szechuan Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I have always loved spicy Asian, but last night was a super great night for them. We got the Fish in chili oil, Mapo tofu, Singapore noodles, sautéed bok choy and sautéed string beans. All five of us eating were in absolute heaven. I Am so tired of going out to eat where everything tastes like Sysco food. This was worth every bit of money. I haven't enjoyed a meal this much in forever. I wish I could eat this multiple times a week. 10 stars read more

Not the most exciting restaurant but the lunch menu is solid. Portions are mostly small but worth it during lunch. The place also has great eggrolls. read more

We have been going to this restaurant for over 15 years. The first owners of the restaurant at this address were Taiwanese. Food was great and owners so kind and friendly. We were saddened when it changed hands and became Spicy Asian. The vinyl seats were old dated to when the restaurant first started. Has that old stick to your skin also old vinyl smell. The food under Spicy Asian name was good and tasty so we over looked the old vinyl seats and we continued to eat there from time to time. We went two weeks ago and noticed the food was not right. Singapore noodle was extremely salty. Ordered Kung Po Chicken, the Chinese name for this dish literally said diced chicken 鷄丁, when the dish came it was sliced chicken with assorted vegetables. I thought they served someone else's order so I asked if this is Kung Po Chicken, the lady said yes this is. I didn't argue with her. Ordered eggplant with beef, it was tasty but also extra salty. When we finished, the waiter came over to give us our bill, I asked him if the ownership has changed and he said yes. I asked him if the chef has changed and he said he doesn't know since he is also new. I don't think we would visit this place again anytime in the near future. It was a disappointing experience. read more

This was my first time ordering. I've had Singapore mei fun many times before, and this was nothing like it--there was absolutely ZERO seasoning. Very disappointing to say the least. However, my husband did enjoy the General Tso's chicken. read more

Spicy Asian - Singapore mei fun - Szechuan Near Me - Ithaca, New York

This is a great place to get Sichuan food in Ithaca. I really enjoyed all their dishes. Their lamb was great. Their whole fish was very tender. I loved the egg drop soup. We had some dumplings in spicy sauce which was yummy. And the potato's in their stir-fried shredded potato dish was crispy and savory. The service was good. We went during a weekend evening in the summer and the place was not busy. The service was prompt. Note: Not all of the staff speaks Mandarin. The first waitress we did spoke Mandarin but we had another person who served our table who did not. The inside of the restaurant is like a typical Chinese restaurant. There is also plenty of tables and seating inside. There is a parking lot outside the restaurant so we parked there. We did not have trouble finding parking (albeit we didn't go when it was very busy). read more

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My favorite Chinese restaurant in all of Ithaca. You will find this wonderful restaurant on the west side of town in an unusual building. To me it's a hidden gem that should be discovered and promoted. I had a wonderful lunch there and due to dietary restrictions I ordered a little off the lunchtime menu. My first course brought out piping hot was their vegetable soup. The broth was perfectly flavored and the veggies were crispy and fresh. I couldn't have been more pleased. My next course was off their lunch time special menu. I got mixed vegetables with a side of brown rice, I wish the portion size had been a little larger or maybe more rice. I chose not to get the crispy bean curd which is fried tofu as I'm trying to cut back on the amount of fat I'm eating. No meal would be complete unless you get a fortune cookie, it was as to be expected and my fortune wasn't anything unexpected. Additionally, I got to go the vegetable fried rice w/o egg. I will enjoy that tonight or tomorrow for dinner. Thank you for living up to my expectations each time I've eaten here! read more

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Stopped by Spicy Asian as we were craving veggies. Found this near my old stomping grounds of Cornell, it is a short drive from downtown. The restaurant was busy on a Friday night. Ordered three dishes. Two veggies: string beans and cabbage. And the kung po chicken. I liked the string beans, however this was too salty. The cabbage dish had so much sauce it was swimming in it. And the kung po chicken, skip this! Horrible. The chicken wasn't even chicken, they were fried stuff. Don't even know what it was. Overall, you can skip this place. read more

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I have been coming to this place regularly for the past 4ish years. It always hits the spot. The food is flavorful no matter what you order. Service for dining in or carrying out is excellent. Definitely a must if you are in the area. read more

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They know it's the busiest time of year. No prep for that. They didn't even have the ingredients for my very simple dish and thought my husband would pay for it any way. Favorite dumpling dish. Fail. We'll go somewhere else next year read more

Great food! - particularly enjoyed the Kung Pao Tofu (flavourful, with tofu crisp on the outside). This is an unassuming restaurant conveniently close to several hotels , plenty of parking. Service is prompt, polite of not particularly elegant. (fyi no hate pls - a focus on good food rather than service is a sign of a good Chinese restaurant). This establishment is smartly also including a few fam faves from non- chinese cuisines (Thai tea, Tom Yum etc). read more

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This place is probably the best bet for legit Szechuan food. Boo Boo and I ordered dinner take-out and ate it at the campsite we were staying. Take out only during Covid time. I bookmarked this place for the next time we are in town. read more

Spicy Asian - Legit sichuan Chinese food - Szechuan Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Authentic Sichuan-style Chinese food along with more standard American style Chinese food. Service was delightful, my waiter was ever ready with water refills to help me out. My Cumin Lamb was really good, a nice heat. I also really enjoyed the Scalion pancakes wrapped beef. This is a great option in Ithaca. It was pretty busy on a weeknight. read more

Wow! Not what I was expecting but amazingly delicious... Not your average little Chinese restaurant in a strip mall. I wasn't sure about a five star review as we had to wait a little longer than they originally told us and the service when we picked up wasn't the friendliest but the food blew us away. We had the Shanghai noodles, Mapo tofu, egg drop soup and scallion pancake with beef wrapped inside. We've never had anything like the scallion pancakes before - they will draw us back again I would highly recommend ordering from the Szechuan specialties. The mapo tofu was perfect it left your mouth a little bit tingly! Love Szechuan peppercorns read more

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Great food and great service they also have good vegan/vegetarian options including kung po chicken scallion pancakes and general sals tofu which are all vegan read more

Chinese food in the US is really Americanized Chinese. I am not educated enough about Chinese cuisine to be able to tell you it were authentic. But what I can say is that Spicy Asian generally has very tasty and spicy food if you order from the Szechuan menu. We most frequently order the string beans, Zhong's dumplings, shredded pork or beef, cumin lamb or beef, kung po chicken or Mongolian beef. The dan dan noodles are also excellent- be sure to really stir them before you dig in. We usually order for pick up to eat at home and it's very easy to do. There are only a few downsides: 1) I don't think they use recipes, exactly, and there are definitely different people who cook the same things. You will find that the same dish can really vary from time to time in any of the following: how spicy it is, how much oil is in it, meat to vegetable ratio, and sometimes even the balance of seasonings. That said, I have never, ever, been disappointed with Zhong's special dumplings. They are so good that sometimes we order extra. If we get one order, we have to evenly split the six dumplings between us, and if one person chooses to eat their three the next day, the other person gets the hairy eyeball if they so much as look at the plastic container in the fridge. DON'T TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE'S DUMPLINGS. 2) There is no way to guarantee that you will get the level of heat/spiciness that you would prefer. It's a complete crap shoot. I like my food hot as the chef usually likes theirs, but no matter what you ask for, just be prepared for any level of spiciness. Taste is just too subjective, and so is the cook's interpretation of your heat request. My liking for heat is definitely beyond the tolerance of most people I know (okay, anybody I know, really). Because of this, I'll order anything with impunity, but if you are hesitant about spicy food, tread lightly and order carefully-if you can. And don't eat the chilies, obviously. You can pick around them. 3) I don't remember the specific reason for this but I think you can only pay when you pick up your food, I don't think you can pay online with your card. read more

My entire family (except me) hate spicy food, so you'd think we'd have avoided this place just b/c of the name. I thought I'd give it a try and called to see if they could make some of the dishes without heat and they did. Everything was very tasty. We did take out so I can't speak to the ambiance, but the food was great. read more

stopped in here for dinner last saturday. the outside looks a little run down but don't let that make you think the food is the same. the dining area is huge. lot's of booths and tables. we ordered a lamb stew and snow pea leaf tips. the server came out to let us know the snow pea leaf tips were out so we got the green beans instead. food rolled out fast and hot. the lamb stew is delish. the meat was soft and tender. the veggies in it were cooked perfectly. the green beans was good, a little on the salty side but nothing to complain about. we will come back the next time we're in town. there's off street parking in their lot read more

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Neither of us felt like cooking dinner and we have always wanted to try Spicy Asian ever since we moved to the area. Well I'm glad we tried it because now I won't be thinking of stopping by for the rest of our stay here. Dan Dan noodles were oily and very salty. Presentation was lacking, as in they just dumped some boiled noodles on top of the sauce and called it a day. Intestine sour soup was also extremely salty. Stir fry string beans were limp and again, very salty. I thought this was supposed to be the best Chinese restaurant in town? $40 and I should have just pulled my wok out of the cabinet and cooked myself. So funny (not really) I saw the staff automatically provide chopsticks to the Asian patrons, but only provided my non-Asian spouse and myself (why me though) two forks. read more

Food was good the first time eating here, but the second time, the food came out immediately after ordering and the same night we both got food poisoning. read more

I was really disappointed with the food here. Been driving by for years and decided to check out the reviews and was super excited when I saw they had Szechuan food, which I have not had since leaving the DC area 7 years ago. Read some reviews, many good, especially for their Szechuan dishes. For Szechuan, I got the Dan Dan Noodle and Kung Po chicken Szechuan style and not the slightest hint of Szechuan. I really was craving that numbing feeling from the peppers and was really let down. The noodles were way over cooked as well. Ordered some other dishes, all mediocre as well. read more

Great food every time I eat there. Consistent quality and service. Will return over and over.

Decent standard asian fare. Don't let the total lack of upkeep on the outside turn you away (it almost did it for us) , fight your way through the weeds, go on in and get you some decent food at a fair price. read more

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Food isn't as tasty. Processed is about right. Service is good. The environment is clean

This is by far my favorite Chinese restaurant in Ithaca. Everything is tasty and well-prepared and the portions are ample in relation to the price. That being said, I've had some truly amazing Szechuan food, and this isn't quite on that level. I recommend: - Zhong's dumplings - Sliced fish in chili sauce - Szechuan style pork intestines read more

Good things come in small packages. This Chinese restaurant isn't much to look at, but the food is right on point. You KNOW the food is going to be good when your server takes your order in Chinese on her pad. The food was very very good. We ordered the wonton soup, fried gyoza, steamed dumplings, shrimp lo mein, house special lo mein, Big Family, and General Tso Chicken. Everything was amazing. If we weren't passing through and actually lived in Ithaca, I could see this place becoming my go-to Chinese restaurant. read more

Spicy Asian had food that was overall not bad but definitely nothing to write home about. The mapo tofu was extremely firm (not soft tofu like it usually is made with) and wasn't super spicy. The green beans were good but didn't have the classic pan fried sautéed taste/crispy parts that the dish typically has. But the scallion pancake was good and came with a unique dipping sauce! I would recommend this place if you are already nearby but it's not worth making a special trip out of the way. read more

Spicy Asian - S86. Ma Po Tofu - Szechuan Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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This place has the best Chinese food in town. Snag the big round table in the corner with 7 of your besties and ask your server for recommendations. read more

Really wonderful fresh Chinese cuisine. Prices are very good too. The jasmine tea tasted fresh and a whole pot was only $1.

Very convenient location right by my hotel and a walk distance. I haven't had spicy Chinese food for a while, decided to give a try while stay in town. It's a cozy environment, waitress set me at a booth by the big drop down window. I ordered the baby bok Choy and spicy big hot pot (dry with shrimp, lotus root, celery and pork slice). The b-Choy has garlic added, and hot pot get more shrimp flavored in with spice decorated. The downside I should've ask to remove the minced garlic, but overall food is great. Service is on point, a great place to hangout with friends even want to try real authentic Chinese. read more

Spicy Asian - B Choy and spicy pot - Szechuan Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Food was good, Mongolian beef and General Tsao's were tasty. Cleanliness left a lot to be desired, that's the reason for the 3 stars, felt dirty, table was sticky, booth seat was ripped. Not a fresh smell to the place. Made me wonder what the kitchen looks like. read more

it is not real sichuan food. they changed owner, the real sichuan food was back few year ago, we tried it was amazing and taste as same as when we in sichuan. now it just like other American Chinese restaurant now. too bad. read more

Stopped in here for a dinner with the in-laws while passing through the city. Szechuan dishes and a Chinese meal (for the regular American Chinese food selections like Beef Broccoli). Servers popped by quickly but were scarce as the restaurant filled up quickly after we arrived at 6p. Had bok choy sautéed with mushrooms, which was tasty (although a little much on the cooking wine). Scallion pancakes were good, interesting two crunch layers and two chewy layers with scallion between in the center. The double-cooked pork was ok, but not my thing, and the 夫妻肺片 had minimal tripe, was mostly slices of beef (not even sure it was lung, sadly). Zhong's dumpling was a dumpling put in spicy chili oil.... not too exciting. Spicing was ok but nothing like actual Szechuan food (ma-la and such), and for the middle of the state, it's a reasonable choice if my in-laws were satisfied. read more

I asked for spicy noodles and recieved something in a peanut sauce. I asked to order something different and was given a dirty look and was told I would still be charged. Needless to say did not order anything else asked for my check and left. DO NOT RECOMMEND! VERY RUDE! read more

This is food and reply from restaurant when we spent over $60 for food that was not good! Bought happy family that is supposed to come with shrimp, scallops, beef and chicken! We got three shrimp, one piece of beef, one piece of chicken and a half of a scallop! This is circled in picture by restaurant themselves! They argued and basically don't care! Ordered dumplings that were no cooked and sayce too was melted so sauce spilled all over everything in bag! Do not waste your money here since owners basically do not care what they give as food and the customer service is absolutely inappropriate! Complete waste of money! read more

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I visited Spicy Asian on two occasions and left both times feeling mehhh about the food. On the first visit, I ordered the sliced fish in chili oil and sautéed snow pea sprouts. The fish dish is not authentic, neither spicy enough or cooked properly (in hot bean sauce versus in a huge pot of chili oil). The pea sprouts were delicious - super garlicky and flavorful, but were incredibly expensive for the amount that was given. On the second visit, I took my parents. I tried the sliced fish in chili oil again as well as dandan noodles, dried sautéed string beans, and a tofu hot pot dish. The fish dish was again disappointing for the same reason. The dandan noodles and string beans were good, but the tofu in the tofu hot pot were slightly questionable. My mother thought the tofu tasted a little sour. Overall, mediocre food that is pricey for the amount given. read more

Spicy Asian - Pea sprouts (top) and sliced fish in chili sauce (bottom). - Szechuan Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I must have gone on an off day. Portions were small, food tasted like leftovers....won't return.