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    Szechuan House

    3.9 (112 reviews)
    ModerateSzechuan
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order Szechuan House Takeout or Delivery

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    SZECHUAN HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Szechuan House

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    Dishes
    Kathy T.

    We ordered take out for dinner on a Saturday, and the front desk waiter was friendly. We ordered the eggplant dish, kung pao chicken, flat noodle dish, and a spicy pork dish. The eggplant (came with bits of ground pork) was very good and I would order again. The kung pao was okay. There were diced zucchini and a lot of chili peppers. Some of the chicken pieces were cooked and others seemed to be slightly under cooked. I didn't think the flat long noodle dish had a lot of taste. It was also stuck together and had very few vegetables. As we didn't eat in, I can't speak for the inside of the restaurant, however there was parking in the front.

    48. Fried Spicy String Beans
    Raj D.

    Saturday and I find myself in Ames. Been a while since I've been here. In town for a wedding. Brought Mom and Dad as well as my daughter. Each has their own tastes. What to do? We yelped it of course. Good ratings. Let's check it out. First the lady who greeted us was very polite. She sat us down and took our order. In less than ten mn our orders started coming out. Made exactly as we asked. Mild for Dad and Madison, meaning all the flavor, no hot peppers. Robust for Mom and me... Meaning a lot of heat! The tofu was great even if you don't care for it, this one is amazingly spot on.

    Dil S.

    I've been here three times now. Love it every time, I would highly recommend trying there Hot pots. They have soup and dry ones. The drive ones would be very close to traditional Chinese but remember this is Szechuan Chinese. This time I took my wife with me who is vegetarian so we only did veggie dishes. Didn't care for the spring rolls as much but the sauce was on point and I do know The crap raccoons are amazing that I got last time lol. I'm giving you a five stars, all their meals have been amazing. Indecently priced, and I always been full with leftovers.

    food on spinny table!
    Dorothy Z.

    Best Chinese food in Iowa City! My research group and I went for lunch over the summer. Their food tasted like authentic Szechuan food with a refreshing kick to it after eating spiceless dining hall food for weeks. I was surprised to find a great Chinese place in the middle of Iowa. We ordered the cucumber salad, potstickers, spicy tofu (fiery red though not very spicy), scallion pancakes, sauteed ginger beef, crispy duck, spicy crispy chicken (my personal favorite!), kung pao chicken, shanghai eggplant, house fried rice, stir-fried udon (yum!), thick noodles, and brown sugar rice cake. Since they were operating on one server that day, service was relatively slow, but it was nice to converse in Mandarin with the waiter. My main complaint is their policy of maximum splitting the bill three times...why!?

    Shumai
    Lobster ..

    Oh YES. After what seems an inordinate amount of time, The Spring Roll Quest finally brings me to Szechuan House. Went in on Sunday around 2, just as the lunch rush was winding down. I guess the routine during that time is to grab a menu, seat yourself, then, when you've made your choices, you come up to the cash register and place your order. Luckily, my buddy and I were so indecisive as we pored over the menu, our entire dining section cleared out, so the lady who greeted us actually had time to come to our table to take our order personally. Being so late in the day, I was especially hungry, so I decided on TWO appetizers to go with my entree. Landed on the "Shanghaimese" (that's how they're advertised on the website) spring rolls, the Szechuan House's take on shumai, and Menu Item #101: sliced pork with Beijing sauce. My tablemate got the crab rangoons and a dish called "San Bei Chicken" (more on that later). Let's get right down to what you came for: the spring roll review. I don't know exactly how Shanghai differentiates itself from the rest of China when rolling their spring rolls, but whatever it is produces a great product. They came to the table blazin' hot, golden, flaky, and impossible not to chomp right into. Thank God they give you those big glasses of ice water when you sit down. After I recovered from that first bite, I decided to try the sunny, orange dipping sauce that came with the rolls. Maybe this is what Shanghai does different. Avoiding the usual red color, this sauce is uniquely THICK, and not overpoweringly sweet. I traded one of my spring rolls for two of my buddy's rangoons, which also went well with that dipping sauce. But the main draw of these rangoons wasn't the wonderfully crispy-chewy exterior; it was what was inside. Definitely not the usual cream cheese filling; this stuff was sweet and silky and amazing. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing any crab meat in there, but no matter! The rangoons held their own against the spring rolls, even though they weren't in direct competition. Then there was the shumai. Such a letdown! It tasted alright, and was wrapped in a unique way (different than the classic, "open" style) but it was cold when it got to the table. I'm not asking for it to be as scalding as the rolls and rangoons, but lemme have a little warmth in these things--I'll even settle for tepid, okay? Nope. Even the little bowl of dipping sauce that came with it couldn't reverse the disappointment. I dug into my 'Beijing Pork' and really enjoyed the deep, rich, but-not-salty flavor. If there was a complaint about this dish, it would be that there wasn't surplus sauce. Evenly distributed over all the pork, there was precious little available for the rice, but them's the breaks, I guess. My buddy, on the other side of the table was enjoying his dish too, so I swapped some of my pork for his chicken. Holy Szechuan, that flavor was incredible! That gravy was rich, delicious, and somehow tasted like fried chicken! I don't know what San Bei means, but if you told me it translated to "Super Flavorful", I would absolutely believe you. HOWEVER!...if you ever visit Szechuan House and decide to order this incredibly tasty entree, it comes with a warning: brace yourself for bones. Not sure why, but the shards abound in almost every bite of this dish, so get that empty plate or bowl ready to catch those sharp little bits as you carefully chew each mouthful. Other than that, this was a good one. Friendly, speedy service, GREAT flavors in the dishes, and (mostly) fantastic appetizers! I do have to mention it was a bit pricier than your average Chinese restaurant, but then again, EVERYTHING'S more expensive these days. Maybe that's why we didn't get fortune cookies after paying our bill. Oh well; if it keeps prices down, I'll gladly go without my lucky numbers.

    64. Kung Pao Chicken
    Mike H.

    I am from Arizona, I took Chinese for 6 years and experimented with a lot of Chinese food, as well as visited China and appreciated the food there. So I appreciate good Chinese food I find in America! I miss the restaurant we visited at home, as they provided authentic tastes and enjoyed conversation in Chinese and teaching me new terms! I got 宫保鸡丁 (Kung pao chicken) and plain rice, my easiest, favorite dish! The rice was great, and the kung pao was pretty good, 7/10. I noticed someone suggest 麻婆豆腐, (ma po tofu) and I will try that next, because that was easily my favorite dish in China. The kung pao chicken features spicy chiles, cucumber, peanuts, ginger and a sweet and spicy glaze. It is not too spicy, but if you don't like any spice, it won't satisfy you. I would get it again, but will be experimenting with new foods there, as I just moved to Ames and this is my first taste of Szechuan House. A lot of ingredients are hard to find here in America to make authentic, healthy Chinese dishes (mostly because Chinese foods don't contain a lot of the preservatives and ingredients we use). But this restaurant hits close! I would definitely recommend trying it! 谢谢!

    La Zi Chicken
    Edward J.

    I drove all the way up here from Des Moines and the dining room was closed. So I decided to have a Schezuan picnic. I ordered La Zi chicken, cumin beef and Dan Dan noodles. The food wasn't very good. It certainly wasn't anywhere near spicy or mouth numbing like Schezuan food should be. Chicken was greasy. Beef had an off taste that wasn't good. Noodles were mushy and the sauce was tasteless and lame. I wanted to like it but I threw most of it away.

    Lizzy L.

    My favorite Chinese restaurant in Ames! I would frequent this spot with my family whenever they visited while I was in college! The beef chow fun and shredded pork with garlic sauce were my absolute favorites! Also loved the tofu dishes and every pork dish I've had was delicious! I miss this place and the next time i visit ames, I must come here!

    a table with a menu on it

    Still operating under pandemic protocols with a nice pass through plexiglass box. The ordering and pick up is sheltered. It is much quicker to order ahead plus the menu is extensive so that might be a more comfortable experience. Despite the rundown exterior of the business, the food is first rate. I had the Szechuan General's Shrimp which can best be described as puffed shrimp fritters about the size of a meatball in a wonderful brown chili garlic with Szechuan pepper chili peppers. The potstickers were also very good. The dipping sauce is the star there though.

    L20. General Tso's Chicken Lunch Special feat. chewing gum
    Karrissa A.

    Szechuan House is the reason I have trust issues with fast-food Chinese. I just got back into town for the week and my dad suggested we go for Chinese and try out Szechuan house. When we got there we were promptly seated and we ordered the crab Rangoons right off the bat. The crab Rangoons were sub-par at best and I wasn't a fan of the sweet and sour sauce. My dad ordered broccoli chicken and I ordered General TSO's chicken. I was starving and it looked super good upon arrival. I took a couple bites and was enjoying how it tasted until I noticed something white and stringy on the bottom of one of my pieces of chicken. I started digging a bit to investigate what the white stringy stuff was....there was only one way to figure out the mystery substance, I was going to have to sniff it. I raised the sticky substance up to my nose and immediately a violent, wretched, dry heave rolled through my body. I knew that smell. SPEARMINT. There. Was. CHEWING. GUM. in. My. Chicken. GROSS.

    37. Chicken lo mein, and 11. Crab Rangoon

    AAAAAMAZING! This is my favorite place to eat! Not only do they have the BEST crab ragoons I have ever had- but their portion sizes are huge! You get 2 meals for the price of one. The staff are super nice and the food is always fresh. As a college kid I can confidently say this is my favorite restaurant in Ames. Afforda- fast-amazing tasting food!

    pork belly and bao wraps

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    9 months ago

    Food's good and tastes amazing. Spicy crispy fish and dry braised hot pot chicken are our favorites.

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    3 years ago

    The food here is AMAZING, the people are quick to serve you and are always quite friendly and their prices are fair.

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    3 years ago

    Good food, good service, good price. The environment is clean and tidy. Best Chinese restaurant I have seen in Iowa.

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    Joy's Mongolian Grill

    Joy's Mongolian Grill

    3.8(51 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $

    My girlfriend and I wanted to try something new in the area and stumbled across Joy's from a quick…read moreGoogle search. We started off with the egg rolls and crab ragoons which were some of the best I have personally had. Ordered the sweet and sour chicken and a combination lo mien which we shared and ended up having leftovers the proportions were so hefty. For the amount of food you get, it was a very very reasonable price. For the mid-western taste buds, the lo mien had the perfect amount of spice to it to make it enjoyable while still getting a good kick. The sweet and sour chicken was okay, breaded chicken pieces with provided dipping sauce. Being a student at ISU, I will definitely be going back to Joy's with friends for some good Mongolian food.

    Really wanted to love this place but it was just ok…read more Overall food was average but good Chinese in my opinion but the service was where it was more disappointing. Did an order ahead that said it would be ready in 30 min. Showed up 40 minutes later wasn't ready. They were decently busy so I was fine waiting longer. Then they forgot I was waiting for a pickup and tried to serve us in house. Seemed like very nice people just didn't have a good set up for when it's busier. Got our food after about an hour and 15 min after ordering. Other people were there for close to 2. pepper chicken was the best- rice that it came with was cooked perfectly. Wontons were decent. The spring roll was soggy and the gyoza was a little dry. The reviews kept showing a dumpling sauce that people used for the gyoza which I asked for but they didn't give me any and I think the sauce would've made it better

    Photos
    Joy's Mongolian Grill - Orange Chicken

    Orange Chicken

    Joy's Mongolian Grill
    Joy's Mongolian Grill - Buddha's Delight

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    Buddha's Delight

    Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar - Firecracker roll (Right). Unicorn roll (Left).  Shrimp tempura roll (Middle).

    Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar

    4.0(142 reviews)
    29.9 mi
    $$

    We went on a Thursday at lunch time. great service. S and I ordered the Mongolian beef spicy with a…read morehouse salad. mom got pot stickers and tempura shrimp. the meals came with an eggroll, miso soup or a house salad. I wasn't sold on either one, but a salad sounded good. the dressing was so good!! it's a sweet dressing. the salad had a cherry tomato and some cucumber slices. the potstickers and shrimp were very good as well. the Mongolian beef was even better the next day for lunch. we'll be back for sure.

    Our daddy daughter afternoon started at Mandarin! Like her dad she has picked up a taste for…read moresushi... Well...at least sushi rolls. We haven't gotten her further down the rabbit hole just yet. Lol Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar is located in a small strip pretty much across 128th from the Walgreens there on University. Parking is mainly in a small lot in front of the restaurant with additional parking nearby. Seating is a combination of tables and chairs and booths. As always we were greeted right away when we walked in and seated immediately. Our drink orders were taken a minute or two later and we were given time to look over the menu. I've never had a bad experience here! The food and service is ALWAYS on point! We ordered the following: 1x Firecracker roll (Right) - Cream cheese, kani, jalapeno, cilantro on the inside. Tempura battered and fried. Spicy mayo, crunchies, unagi sauce and spicy tuna on the outside. 1x Unicorn roll (Left) - Tempura shrimp and avocado on the inside. Spicy tuna, soy paper, raspberry and a house sauce on the outside 1x Shrimp tempura roll (middle) The sushi rolls hit the table after a short wait. We both loved the Firecracker roll! The Unicorn roll was very good too. I don't think I've ever had a raspberry sauce on a sushi roll before... Nice! I was strangely impressed by the shrimp tempura roll... While this is a basic standard roll at most places the shrimp was more heavily breaded... The crunch factor on this one was fantastic! It's that contrasting texture thing I guess... If you're not into sushi the other menu items here are great too! The menu is extensive and covers a lot of items we normally associate with Chinese food along with Korean dishes as well. If you haven't been here it's worth the stop! If you just haven't been here in a minute... It's time to go back! Pro-tip. I have two soups I consider kryptonite to a cold. One is Brenda's Spicy Noodle soup at the Vietnam Cafe in Merle Hay Mall... The other is here! Their Hot & Sour soup with shrimp. Add rice, a side of kimchi and extra chiles. You can thank me later! https://www.orderonlinehub.com/mandaringrillsushibar_q8fzy3 https://www.facebook.com/MandarinGrillandSushiBar

    Photos
    Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar - Interior.  Decor, seating, and sushi bar.

    Interior. Decor, seating, and sushi bar.

    Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar - Bi Bim Bap

    Bi Bim Bap

    Mandarin Grill & Sushi Bar - Exterior signage.

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    Exterior signage.

    Szechuan House - szechuan - Updated May 2026

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