What a nice surprise! Driving in the rain and craving hot and sour soup so we stopped here when we saw the sign. Super nice and attentive staff- we were there on an off hour (2pm Sunday) so the place was mostly empty. I got a hot and sour soup . Not too sour or spicy but extremely flavorful beef -ish broth - REALLY good and I liked it a lot. Also got the pork friend dumplings- kind of a cross between gyoza and steamed buns- again extremely flavorful and right out of the fryer- no sogginess here! The BF had Spicy beef noodle soup with rice noodles and the bowl was big enough for four people- I kid you not. He is a big guy and still ate about 1/3 of it! He says the spice was spot on as well. Try the place- you will be really glad you did (and lots of leftovers to boot) We WILL be back again! read more

I learned of this restaurant after doing a yelp search. As a fan of Boston's Gourmet Dumpling Cafe, the menu is very similar however the service at Szechuan Dumpling was exemplary. A team waited on us and we received fresh plates after each dish, a touch that you don't find in most restaurants. The mini juicy pork dumplings were scrumptious, the Shandong Dumplings good, the Spicy Fish fillet served in a pot with cabbage were very good-a bit heavy on the white pepper and the kung bao chicken was tasty but not spicy as expected. The restaurant was very clean and serves beer & wine. A very good value overall and a high bar was set for service. read more

Good enough Chinese food, would not travel here just for this but only order it bc it's nearby. And not all that often. It's often empty in this restaurant, we'll see how long it lasts. The dumplings and dishes are so so, not the best not the worst. I only come here when I really crave Chinese food and don't want to go anywhere far due to my laziness. just gotta trial and error as to which dishes are good and which you don't care for as much. read more

Dumplings are smaller in size but you'll 8 pieces instead of 6. The dough is thin but I wont call them "juicy dumplings" because there are hardly any. They are good though. The spicy beef noodle soup is peppery and flavorful. Soup base is pretty mild. If you're afraid of squishy and fatty meat, then avoid this dish. I don't mind them at all. Spicy fish stew is SUPER spicy, just the way I like it. Too bad the dish is too gelatin-y. Top layer is so thick that I had a difficult time fishing for the tofu and fish fillet. Countless bobas in my milk tea! read more

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Food wasn't tasty. Service was ok. Given the quality of the dishes I had, they are overpriced.

This place is a gem. Super authentic Hangzhou food (approved by Hangzhou locals). Get things from their Chinese menu, not the English one. And if you don't read chinese, the owner will def recommend to you. Won't disappoint. Now I'm on a mission to come here until I try everything on their Hangzhou menu. read more

I ordered their house lo mein, and this is the first time ever I have not added soy sauce. Great dumplings and steamed buns. I only wish they were closer to where I live! read more

This place is amazing! They make orders quickly and the food is sooo good! Their house special lo menu and the general Tso chicken are amazing. read more

I am not a huge American Chinese food fan as I tend to avoid sugary sauces, but I like this restaurant. They know their way around a green vegetable and their portions are very generous. The green beans are standouts. I prefer all of their vegetarian items over their meat dishes as I am not a big fan of super tenderized beef or seafood with thick sauces. The shrimp with string beans was tasty but had a WAY heavier sauce than I anticipate. The scallion pancakes are AMAZING. They are like the Lay's potato chips of this place: you cannot just eat one. Order up. Eggplant with basil is another great dish worth ordering to round out your meal. Anything with tofu is good too. The tofu isn't typically seared, which is my preference, but they always impart a good flavor, texture, and large portions. The protein and veggies all taste great - I think asking for "light on the sauce" would make the food here even more enjoyable. read more

Ordered take out as I was craving soup dumplings. As a former Chinatown resident, adjusting to 2-3 Asian restaurants has been a tad difficult. Two of the restaurants in town only have steamed or fried dumplings. This place is the only one with soup dumplings. Get them. Actually don't get them so I can get them! But seriously, when you open the top of the dumpling and that little burst of steam comes out, I get excited. Then you put in that soy/vinegar/ ginger sauce into the dumpling, it's worth burning your tongue for. Which I do. Every. Single. Time. Other dishes worth noting, Chinese eggplant and basil is always a winner. Peapod leaves are very good too but of course a little pricier than other vegetable dishes. Their house fried rice (which I believe is more authentic than the ultra dark brown fried rice with frozen peas and carrots) is usually cleared by the end of the meal due to its lighter quality (doesn't weigh you down as much) and generous amount of protein. The front staff and servers are always helpful, kind and very attentive. Winner winner soup dumpling dinner. But one more thing, if you pay in cash, they actually give you a discount. read more

We love good Chinese food and a quiet place to have a meal. Szechuan's Dumpling excels at both. My sons have both travelled to China and one spent a summer in university in Beijing perfecting his Chinese. I experienced authentic Chinese from an early age and have hosted banquets in NYC and SF (and Greece and Cyprus - but I did the cooking). So we were surprised and delighted to find excellent soup dumplings and fresh Szechuan cuisine in Arlington. Everything we have ordered has been low in sugar and heavy on flavor. Their vegetables are crisp and their main courses are large servings and light. When you leave you have that "clean" taste in your mouth that only excellent Asian cuisine can provide. read more

Excellent! Seems to be under new management. Hot and sour soup, juicy dumplings, beef and vegetables - fresh, bursting with flavor, large portions. read more

My fav is Pian Er Chuan, the Hanzhou style noodle! I ordered that every time I went there, and it would stay very well even I took it back home, this made ut distinguished from other very normal noodles read more

The best place around. You can't go wrong here. The staff is very nice and the orders are very quick. Some of the standouts on the menu are the mini pork juicy buns (soup dumplings) and the jumbo shrimp and fish imperial (on the chef specials). I've dined in a few times and order take out very frequently. Never had a bad experience. We love this place!! read more

I dont like to start a review as rebuttal to another person's review but I need to get this off my chest.... Rule#1 :: If you're not familiar with the cuisine, dont diss the cuisine until you've actually tried it. Szechuan's Dumplings has a menu full of enticing szechuan/sichuan, taiwanese and shandong selections. This isn't chinese-american, polynesian or watered down cantonese cooking. If you want chicken fingers and fried rice, there are dozens of other options in the area. Reviewer "john m" said he got "nervous" when he saw jellyfish on the menu. Well John, jellyfish served cold with sesame oil (or garlic oil) is a traditional dish and very common in authentic restaurants. The fact that jellyfish, pig ear, bitter melon, congee's, dishes made with Sa Cha sauce etc are on the menu is exactly what attracted me to try SD. In fact there are at least two places in neighboring Belmont that have these types of items (Golden Garden, Shangri La) so why not Arlington. BTW an old spot I used to frequent in chinatown used to do a quality frog with bitter melon.... but i digress So lets talk about what I have tried. The shredded beef with spicy green pepper is delicious. The only issue is I have, as a fat american, is the beef 'presence' is a bit lacking. I find this to be this case with all cooking using shredded beef. Its the cut and not the quantity. Next time i'd order it with extra beef. The shrimp with veggies was basic and not overly salty which is good. Sadly the taiwanese beef with tomatoes rice plate was not to my liking. They use shredded beef and there was egg in the sauce which I didn't expect. I'm not a fan of eggs. It turned the whole dish into a chunky gravy over rice. It didn't taste bad (a bit too sweet though) however I wasn't feeling it. I like bigger pieces of beef and no egg. The mango chicken is deliciously awesome. There's no need to elaborate on that. The sa cha beef was good. It is prepared with bell peppers and of course sa cha - which is more like a paste rather than a sauce made up of ground dried fish, soy beans and spices. This beef is *not* shredded which I was thankful for. Since their name says dumplings, I had to get some. The pork and vegetable dumplings were delicious (steamed). The order contained over a dozen! I'm looking forward to trying a bunch more things on their menu. I cant wait! They have stinky tofu which is a brined and partially fermented tofu (sometimes fried) and I cant say that any other asian restaurant in the area has this on the menu. They have a bunch of okra dishes on the menu too. They also have congee which is rice porridge which can be tasty (with the right herbs, anyway). As far as a new restaurant not having their operation together, sometimes it takes a few weeks to work out the kinks. I never judge the service side of a new operation in the first month. That said, things seemed to be running smoothly the two times I've been. read more

Szechuan's Dumpling - Szechuan Near Me - Arlington, Massachusetts

Unfortunately, the most memorable thing from our experience was our unfriendly disinterested waitress. From the moment she handed us menus, to the end of our meal when she gave us little plastic bags of severely broken fortune cookies, she projected an attitude that said we were an imposition. We dine out frequently. We are not slobs, we usually tip generously, and we don't give cause for hostility. Shortly after we sat down, a small bowl of bar peanuts was placed on the table. Big whoop. The waitress then brought to the table an overly full pot of hot tea that spilled from the spout the moment it was lifted, making a large puddle of tea on our table of which the waitress never took any notice. She took our orders while staring off, avoiding eye contact. The steamed pork dumplings were small and gray, with pinkish meat inside. They were undercooked. The sauce on the side tasted mainly of soy. The dish was both boring and worrisome. The crispy chicken with basil was a plate of batter fried small pieces of chicken (a variety of parts, some still with skin). They were dry and chewy, with a few crispy leaves of basil in the pile. The steamed rice served on the side had the consistency of the boxed type. It was the middle of the day, on Saturday, yet while we were eating, a staff person proceeded to vacuum the floor of the restaurant. There were three tables of diners eating lunch and they decided to vacuum. Who does that? Why not test the fire alarms too? The decor was uninspiring, with generic tables and chairs, and no tabletop adornment. This is not a place where one should eat, or spend time and money. It was bad. We stopped at a bakery on the way home because we were still hungry. I jotted down a few notes about this restaurant so I could enjoy football on TV and write this review later. My bad impression remains. read more

I love this place, and I give places 5 starts ONLY if they are authentic. Or at least it feels authentic to my picky taste buds. This means, sorry, but no American Chinese Food (too salty and oily!), no Crab Lagoon stuff (since when do we Asians eat cheese?), and not afraid to make it strong in fish flavor if it involves seafood (seafood means you taste fish, duh!). Pros: Now their Xiao Long Pao is very good. (In English menu it's called Pork Mini Juicy Dumpling) I love that they have jellyfish as appetizer, though for my preference, their garlic is too strong. My favorite soup of all time, Suan La Tang (Hot and Sour Soup) is real nice. Sweet and Sour Pork, OMG. Done right, very rare. But OK, what got my heart (and stomach) was their Shrimp Fried Rice. It's not brown color like the fake Chinese food, it's the normal golden egg color. And the right amount of egg, the (white?) pepper to add fire, and the lettuce.... the correct ingredient. What is supposed to be in a fried rice. Oh and they deliver. It's of course better tasting at the restaurant, as with anything else, but as far as delivery goes, it's as good as it gets. And fast, 30 mins if within Arlington. Done right and done well. I thought I never would find another place like Shanghai Gate (Brookline) in Boston. Then I found one, of all places, in Arlington Heights. I apologize to Arlington Heights, I have underestimated you. read more

I second Robo t.'s opinion. A restaurant should ideally be at least competent at all the dishes it lists on the menu, but it's wise to try the food it promises to excel at. The restaurant is called Szechuan's Dumpling. So you might order something Szechuan, or some dumplings maybe. The 2 dishes I ordered and enjoyed greatly: - Xiao long bao, listed as something like mini pork dumplings. These are the famous small dumplings with hot soup inside along with meat/veggies. The version here is very tasty - the skin isn't too thick, the soup is lightly flavored and not too hot. - Spicy beef noodle soup. They give you a choice of noodles. Try the flat noodles that you find in chow fun. Just perfect for cold days and nights. I wish the spiced flavor was a bit more punchy, and for now I prefer the version at Chilli Garden in Medford. The menu is big; the takeout menu is 14 pages of small font. The staff was very friendly - no doubt making an effort during these days just after opening - so they'll likely help you navigate the long list of dishes. I'll be going back for salt and pepper wings, oyster pancake, plus old classics like mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork. Can't wait to try those. read more

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We ordered through Grubhub today and almost everything was inedible. The veg dumplings had no flavor at all according to my wife. The spicy chicken wings also had not much flavor. For some reason, they broke all the bones in half. Weird. The fried rice had little more flavor than white rice. The worst was the Scechuan Beef, which was a bowl of thick gelatinous, mucuslike liquid with shaved beef sitting in it. Showing some courage, I tasted the glop. It was tasteless like the rest of the meal. I was not going any further with that. To top of a terrible experience (the worst meal we've had in a long time), at least the packaged fortune cookies were good, but even they were flawed by being undersized! I don't usually write reviews, but I had to write this one. read more

My boyfriend is Chinese and we eat juicy pork dumplings at least once a month. We ate at the prior restaurant (pre change of management) in August 2014 and then again after change of management in November. The dumplings were fantastic and the food was yummy delicious. I specifically recommend you order the juicy dumplings, the steamed buns and the westlake beef soup, The owners, Mimi & Lu, and waitstaff were all very friendly. The Mapo Tofu was excellent also. Love this place - great to finally have a real dumpling place outside of the city! :-) read more

Did a takeout from here. The food was ok. The restaurant was almost fully occupied. We ordered for a few items and I had the shrimp with mixed vegetables and was disappointed that it did not come with a side of rice to choose from or not even a fountain soda or a spring roll ($11.95), which is the case with many other Chinese restaurants. Also the dumplings were very doughy and lacked flavor. Overall on ok place. read more

Mmmmm.. soup dumplings (aka pork mini juicy dumplings). I'm quite happy that there is a local place that does them well. How do you eat these beautiful bags of goodness? You dip one in the soy sauce provided, put it on ceramic spoon (I top it with some ginger at this point), then slurp away. The other dumplings (shang dong fried dumplings, pork and veggies, beef and veggies) are also quite good. For some reason, the regular chinese dishes like chow fun, taiwanese rice noodles, beef tofu rice plate, tasted a bit off to me flavor-profile-wise. So I would stick with the name sakes and order lots of dumplings here. An excellent addition to Arlington! :) read more

When this place opened, the reviews I read (even on Chowhound!) made it sound amazing. I couldn't wait to try it but have found it to be disappointing overall. First up, the dumplings are good. No problem there. But I don't see a lot of menu items that I typically associate with Szechuan food, such as (ironically) the Szechuan dumplings in spicy sauce (like they serve at Chilli Garden), Dan Dan noodles, shredded beef with hot pepper, etc. The dinner items I have ordered (Kung Pao chicken, Pork with garlic sauce) are much more heavily-sauced than I'm used to at Szechuan restaurants, and the sauce is sweet and gloppy, not spicy. It's not standard Americanized Chinese food, but it's not any better (and to tell the truth, I preferred the Kung Pao chicken at Jade Garden). Overall, other than the dumplings, I have found nothing exceptional, or even better-than-average, about this place. For dumplings and good Chinese food, I'd much rather go to Qingdao Garden in North Cambridge. read more

I have a special place in my heart for Juicy Pork Dumplings (AKA Xiao Long Bao). I've had them all over the U.S., from Boston to California, and this place is one of the best. Outside of one or two places in Downtown Boston and Chinatown, this is as good as it gets. A pleasant surprise in Arlington Heights, close enough for me to get my dumplings when I have a craving that I can just walk to instead of having to get into my car and driving into the city, and then having to look for parking. The dumplings are well made, with just enough hot soup inside that it doesn't overwhelm the pork. The skins are paper thin, but tough enough that they won't rip when you pick them up and put them into your spoon. Delicious, and fragrant. Their Salt & Pepper Pork is also a winner. Crispy, spicy, and tender. I also enjoy a good Mapo Tofu, and they give you a nice portion size. All in all, this is a place I'm going to be a regular at. read more

We have high standards for Chinese food--not Americanized past recognition and no fusion foods. We have had some difficulty finding a reliable takeout place since moving away from our old standby some years ago. We discovered Szechuan's Dumpling about a year ago. Dumplings are taken very seriously in our household, and both the pan-fried and steamed varieties here stand up well, although I prefer the pork mini juicy buns, myself. Our litmus test for Chinese restaurants is usually sesame beef, and the dish here was tasty, with the correct proportion of coating to meat. My husband says the steamed red bean bun on the dessert menu is authentic to his childhood memories. The scallion pancakes are decent. The boneless pork ribs were a little stringy, but we liked the sauce. Prices are in line with the average for this type and quality of Chinese food. read more

I feel so fortunate to have this wonderful restaurant in my neighborhood! The dumplings are, of course, outstanding and delicious. The staff are always friendly and welcoming. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Came here for lunch and ordered their soup dumplings, lo mien, and lunch special shrimp. The dumplings were also really dried out and had an odd taste to them. The food was just really bland and not well prepared. The staff also decided that they were going to all take a lunch break while we were dining. Their food looked great compared to the sad helpings we got. I'm ok with bad service at Asian restaurants as long as the food is worth it but this was just sad. We weren't really appetized with our meals so after a couple bites, we boxed the remainder and went elsewhere for a more fulfilling lunch. read more

Love the soup dumplings, delicious. We get the beef with long horn peppers and usually a chicken dish. Great soups and fresh fried rice. Our go to Chinese restaurant. read more

The stars are for the food. Service, not so much. Coming here for a CNY dinner, gave me a good opportunity to try various dishes. Started with several different dumplings. The soup dumplings were very good. Whether steamed or fried the dumplings are done right. Their noodle dishes are excellent. The Shanghai noodles had a nice chew to them, and the pan fried angel hair noodles were perfectly crispy; unlike those I've had in Chinatown, it was evenly crispy throughout and mixed well with the sauce. If you want something meaty, but is vegetarian, get the mushroom with bok choy. The mushrooms were so meaty and very tasty. The fried chicken was a bit thin, maybe because we ordered the small we received the less meaty pieces? The service, overall, was okay, but it's done by the group of waiting staff, and with a very busy restaurant (there were people waiting to get in), this lead to a mix up with an order of vegetable dumplings that arrived late, receiving two orders of pork dumplings when we ordered just one, the manager telling us that we could keep the second order as complimentary, then one of the wait staff taking away that second order a minute later. Quite the debacle. Still would like to come back but when it isn't so hectic. read more

The food here is a little bit on the pricey end. Also, the food is too Americanized and is held back on the salt and spices making it a little bit bland. If you are new to Chinese cuisine, this place is a good starter. However, if you are accustomed to the real thing, you might be a bit disappointed However, the service is good. read more

The Taiwanese main courses are pretty good relative to Chinatown, but the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) are just awful. I've gone twice, and both times there is literally no soup in the dumplings, and the meat inside is a very tough ball of meat. Like a terrible meatball. A total shame, because something just not right that they are serving soup dumplings that are this bad. read more

Really disappointing dinner. The juicy pork dumplings were cold. The crab Rangoons had almost no filling. The noodles were tasteless. Everything was greasy. The pan fried dumplings were nothing special. I was excited to give this place a shot but it was on the worse side of food I've had in Boston. read more

I guess I don't need to go to Chinatown anymore. This place provides a variety of Chinese dishes, Taiwanese, Szechuan, Shanghainese and Cantonese! This is the closest place besides Chinatown where I can eat authentic Chinese food. When I miss my Hong Kong specialty dishes - Beef chow fun and salty fish chicken fried rice, I would come here. It's pretty much made the same like back home. Service is fantastic so far I've been here at least 5 times. And another great thing to say is that the price is very reasonable/or better compared to other Chinese restaurants around the area. Keep it up! Will come back over and over again. read more

we took my parents and grandparents here for dinner and it was an all-around crowd pleaser. the restaurant has ample seating and was not too crowded, so we felt like got great attentive service during our meal. the name says it all, the dumplings were the best item on the menu and should not be skipped - go with the pork mini juicy dumpling, for sure. we got a number of other dishes including orange beef, lo mein, fried rice, and a ginger vegetable dish, and everything was quite tasty. i also enjoyed the hot and sour soup. portions are large but inexpensive so it ends up being a nice value. read more

I was a little concerned about dinner here because of recent reviews. With the change in management the food has gone downhill. I probably will not return. We ordered spring rolls, mini juicy pork buns and chicken and vegetable dumplings, as well as hot and sour soup and wanton soup. The soup and service were both good and I was optimistic. The spring rolls came out before we could finish our soups so by the time I got to mine it was cold, and greasy. Very little taste. The pork buns and the chicken dumplings tasted the same - bland without any seasoning. If I had not been told which was chicken and which was pork, I'd never have been able to guess. Our waiter was a very sweet and gentle man and hence the 2 stars. But the food was not good. Perhaps another change in management will bring back the quality. read more

Great food and awesome service! Employees are all very friendly and polite. They observe well what you need and react instantly. We got our food less than 5mins after we ordered and they were all very delicious! Parking is free on the road side. read more

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If you love traditional Chinese dumplings you NEED to eat here. I usually go to Chinatown for dumplings, but this place is SO good. Get the Mini Juicy Pork Dumplings! They are the best I've ever had in the US. We also had the Triple Delight and the Pork and Eggplant and they were both really good. read more

What I really want to comment on, is the food item that makes me come back time after time again. Every time, I MUST get the stinky tofu. It is very authentic Taiwanese style and I love it. Of course, it is not for everyone. It can be a little too stinky and garlic-y for some, but those who've had it know what I'm talking about. I haven't had very good experiences with some of the other items on the menu, especially fried rice or some of the noodle options. So when I come here, I usually stick to ordering a few of the appetizers (including stinky tofu) and of course, the dumplings. I love this place and the service has been decent. read more

There are a lot of Asian restaurants within the area, but this venue by far offers the most authentic and tasty Chinese dishes. The owners are extremely friendly, and you can tell they take pride in the quality of their food and service. A few recommended dishes: Moo Shi Peking style pork, pea pod leaves, spicy duck and beef w/long pepper. read more

Szech Dump is no dump. I went here being skeptical because I was skeptical but I left here nonskeptical. It was afternoon and I was the only peep in the place. The waitress was very pleasant and spoke "the Engrish." I hastily chose Hot n' Sour Soup as well as Szechuan Chicken. The H n' S Soup was OK -not the best and not the worst. I could tell it was not made that day but it was OK tasting. The coupe de grace though was the Sesh Chik. I asked for extra spicy and it was very spicy and huge and mental as hell. My pet peeve is that usually restaurant food is almost always cold to barely warm as it is rarely freshly made and immediately brought out to the diner. But this fab dish was scalding hot! Yes! Nice hot Make Round eye the Big happy! I would say this puppy was almost a half-gallon bowl and had TONS of meat and was yumski to the ultrauber X-treme. Check out Sesh Dump and get this dish! The Hot Big nice Yum yum! read more

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