Szechuan Taste & Thai Cafe

Almost $ 100 for the worst meal I’ve had in a while. I complained and there was no response. You will get better sushi at the grocery store. Worse than an buffet with three times higher prices. Wish we would have gone anywhere else.

I was pleasantly surprised with the dinner we revived on our first visit, but during our last meal we found some hair in our food that looked like it originated from the public region.
Absolutely NEVER ordering from this restaurant again, I suggest you do the same.

OMG! Are you kidding? What is a place like this even doing in Newburyport. Okay… totally redecorate this place from top to bottom. It’s like you’re stepping into the 1970’s. Instant smell of old dormitory room carpet when you walk inside. Vinyl booths with cracked and peeling vinyl, wall paper from hell and dusty, outdated chandeliers that look like they came from the old Liberace mansion.
We’ve never been to a restaurant that had so many out-​of-​stocks. Sashimi is our go-to…so don’t go here! Newburyport is a sashimi City. Don’t they get it? If they redecorated and became a sushi and sashimi destination they would be a goldmine. But again, they don’t seem to get it.
Here’s our theory…(and firstly let’s state that the owners and manager will never read Unilocal reviews). We suspect that the owner of this restaurant owns the entire building and that this restaurant is a small fraction of the large building. And that this restaurant does not need to be profitable to exist… that the rents from all the other businesses support the owners and their employees… so at the end of the day, quality of product and service do not even matter.
No only was the sashimi previously frozen, thawed out and tasteless and watery, but the seaweed salad was so sweet it should have been on the dessert menu. 50% of the items we ordered were out of stock with no apology… and at the end of the meal, the waiter strode by and tossed a couple of fortune cookies on our table with no words or eye contact. Stay clear if you are looking for any type of comfortable atmosphere or any quality food.
This place has the most incredible location in the city of Newburyport but all they cater to is people who love noodles, Pu Pu platters, and fried chicken wings. What an incredible waste of location and culinary opportunity!!!

Amazing Chinese food — I was surprised to see the low rating on Unilocal.I live in Boston and would be hard pressed to find a Chinese restaurant here that tastes as good! We ordered the fresh broccoli in garlic sauce and chicken — delicious! Fresh ingredients and good portions. Will definitely be coming here again on my next trip to Newburyport!

Not sure of the bad reviews here. I guess many people are so picky. I’ve eat in there numerous times and never had a problem. The food is great and not as greasy as most other chinese restaurants. Price is fair. Definitely worth going back.

The masaman was amazing! The service was great too. I wish I would have seen the sushi bar downstairs.

ordered pad thai. it was bland. not horrible but not good. perhaps the other food is better. based on other reviews though, probably wouldnt go back unless everything else was closed as they do stay open later than some which is a plus.

Been there many times in 10 plus years. This last visit, messed up order and dishes were brought out when ready, instead of all being delivered. For example rice being delivered appetizers are still being eaten.
They repeatedly mess up orders over the years. Nbpt could use a good Chinese place…
My order, a Thai basil dish was ordered with ground beef. I made sure she understood ground beef. I also ordered it extra spicy.
Delivered: beef strips and mild.
When the check came, she had written it correctly, kitchen made the error.
I’m done with them.

I think this place gets some unfair reviews because, as a first-​timer, it’s easy to order the wrong thing. The menu is enormous and stretches between Chinese, Thai, and Japanese. This is not a great place to go for Thai food, despite the name, it’s not just a thai restaurant. Their real attraction is delicious chinese food with fried rice done right (no peas and carrots), great pu pu platters (their chicken wings, egg rolls, and boneless ribs are great).
Everyone is super nice and attentive: I don’t think it’s possible for your water glass to run dry. Good tea and the broccoli with garlic ginger sauce is my absolute favorite. Generous portions, great location, quiet atmosphere (with hilariously stereotypical music on repeat), and massive scorpion bowls make this place a winner.

Love this place. I always get Chinese but everything I’ve ever had is always delicious. Seems a better quality of food than any other Chinese restaurant in the area. Highly recommend.

I was in the Newburyport area with my boyfriend, looking to get dinner at Oregano. Oregano, unfortunately, was packed. My boyfriend suggested that we go across the street to Szechuan Taste and Thai Café, as we both love good Thai food. I warned my boyfriend, since he is not from the area, that I remember this restaurant as being a «little sketchy» from the times that I ate there as a child back in the late 80’s and 90’s.
Walking into the restaurant was a blast from the past. I don’t think that the restaurant has changed, and that is not a compliment. On arrival you are greeted by a family of large goldfish, crammed into a tank too small for the group of them, gasping for air.
I ordered a Mai Tai to start, and got something that resembled a mixture of cloudy orange/​pineapple juice, definitely not worth the $ 7 dollars that I was charged.
We started with an order of scallion pancakes, which were overdone and hard, and also lacking any scallion flavor. I can only assume that these are pre made and then zapped in a microwave to heat?
We ordered a plate of vegetable fried rice and vegetable lo mien, hoping that maybe they would redeem themselves with these simple dishes. Well, our main dishes took a little longer than you would expect rice and lo mien to take, and seeing as how the restaurant was dead, even on the Chinese New Year, it probably shouldn’t have taken as long as it did. When our main dishes arrived, we noticed that the veggies in both were also over done and rubbery. The rice and lo mien was coated in this thick oil, which can only be compared to grease in a fry-​o-​lator. Nothing tasted or resembled «fresh».
We waited a bit before receiving our check, slowly losing our minds from listening the loop track of what I can only compare to a pan flute solo, over and over.
I don’t understand why people continue to go to Szechuan Taste when there are so many other good restaurants in the area. They can barely pull off decent Chinese Cuisine, and there Thai Cuisine is shameful. If you want amazing Thai Cuisine, drive an extra 8 miles and head to Royal Orchid Thai in Rowley, you won’t be disappointed.

I’m pretty much in agreement with the other reviewers here. It seems to be a matter of taste. There are a number of restaurants that serve Szechuan this way back home, and I wasn’t really impressed with any of those either.
For example, I ordered the Bean Curd Szechuan Style expecting it to be «hot» as Szechuan is supposed to be. I even asked for «extra» hot. It wasn’t. The problem is they use pepper flakes instead of real, whole peppers. I guess they save money, but the peppers don’t work right this way. Instead of lighting up your taste buds, the peppers end up lighting up your throat. They did, however, get the tofu right.
I like my Bean Curd/​Tofu to be of the firm variety, and then fried in the wok to maintain that texture while picking up some of the seasoning and flavor. I was not disappointed with the flavor and texture of the tofu.
My wife loves eggplant, and she was disappointed by this eggplant. It was too greasy. You just seem to get that at some places, and this is one of them. Generally, if they use pepper flakes, they also serve greasy eggplant. I do not know why that is. It’s just a difference in style, but, if you think you like it served this way, go to one of the restaurants I’ve reviewed that I believe does it right, and I guarantee you will both notice and appreciate the difference.
This restaurants, and others like it, are OK for satisfying an urge for Chinese and maybe even Szechuan, but, for my tastes, they could really be a lot better. Oh, by the way, this restaurant also offers Japanese items on its menu like odon and donburi. That might be a better option, or, if you still want Chinese, go with the lo mein.

There is a distinct different between the quality when dining in and taking out. The sesame chicken, General Tsao’s, beef with broccoli, beef peapod, really any meat dish is going to be fresher when you sit down to eat.
The food is great in terms of greasy, fried Chinese food. It’s more filling and tastier in that McDonald’s sort of way, than the average Chinese restaurant. As per most, the preparation is timely — quick. Szechuan Taste is a better Chinese restaurant than any neighboring ones in the greater Newburyport area unless you’d rather have straight Thai food.

Food is awful. Service is awful. Location is good. Never gotten a drink, but they apparently never card.

definitely ok. good for junky cravings and even for stir fry.
DO NOT GET THE SUSHI, sickness will occur after.
the tiki bowl is great and so are the chinese dishes, but really not the best to venture off into the thai or japanese menu.

If you can’t do one thing right why try two. Let me expand so that this review doesn’t, get pulled. I’ve been here a few times, even lived in the building that houses the restaurant The Thai food tastes like a Chinese chef is trying to cook Thai. It lacks the true flavors of Thai. As for the Chinese food, it tastes like generic, bland American style Chinese food. Not szechuan. Try szechuan gourmet in Brookline or Framingham and then you’ll know what real szechuan tastes like.

This is one of our favorite take-​out restaurants. They serve Chinese/​Japanese/​Thai and I think they even have some Vietnamese selections on their menu. As far as variety goes, no other Chinese restaurant has a wider selection, and our #1 choice for Thai food in the area.
First, they are meticulous if you have allergies — but do be sure to tell them up front and double check to make sure they understand. This caused a huge emergency for us when a waiter didn’t understand allergy and put mushrooms in one of my dishes.
Second, they have a very nice luncheon menu with combination plates to please even the pickiest I-don’t-care-much-for-Chinese-food eaters. They are budget friendly and the portions are very generous. This must be a well kept secret because every time we have had lunch there, the restaurant has been very quiet. But definitely give lunch a try (or get it for take-​out and heat it up later for dinner).
Third, the restaurant, especially the downstairs, has a nice atmosphere. There have been times when the waitstaff seemed bored and disinterested, but even if they weren’t exactly personable, they were still very efficient and our food was served promptly and hot and they were close by and responsive if we needed anything.
I love their tea, and I especially love their ribs on the bone, chicken wings, sweet and sour pork, and Thai fried rice. Hubby loves their soups and twice cooked pork and pad Thai. Son loves the hot and sour soup and Mongolian beef, fried rice, egg rolls, and anything spicy.
But our absolute favorite thing to get there is the Peking Duck for two. It is cooked perfectly, but if you get it for take out, make sure that you ask for the vegetables and white rice on the side, as they apparently don’t send it along unless you specifically ask for it.

This is our go-​to Chinese place for delivery. It’s not the best Chinese food in the universe, but it’s tasty enough & satisfying when you’re craving some crab rangoons.

As a newcomer, I’m originally from Maine but I moved here to Newburyport with my boyfriend last fall. We never ate at Szechuan Taste & Thai Café until a couple months ago when my parents came up to visit and we ate there for lunch. The overall appearance of the restaurant is actually quite nice with chandeliers, vintage wallpaper, and a large open window that brings in a lot of light. The first time I ate here with my parents, we had their «corporate lunch special» which included various lunch/​soup specials. My parents enjoyed the food and there were no complaints to be heard after.
My boyfriend and I just came back here this past weekend and again, we had no complaints. I ordered the chicken and vegetables (not a huge Chinese food fan) and my boyfriend had his usual General Tso’s Chicken. For drinks, my boyfriend just had a water but I ordered a shirley temple which they brought out with orange/​cherry on the top and a cute umbrella. I’m not sure why this place has such bad reviews (of course unless people are picky) because I have certainly had worse food. Our waiter was very nice and would come back frequently to ask if I needed another refill or how our food was. My only complaint might have been sitting near the kitchen, but I’m not a picky person and it didn’t ruin my night. I will certainly come back here because I don’t see anything wrong with the food. Even my boyfriend’s father’s girlfriend has remarked several times about their sushi bar!

Two of us went to Szechuan Taste for lunch a few days ago & it was a really good change from the take out that we usually get in my office. The twice cooked pork was very well done and I hope to explore the menu further sometime soon. Our waiter didn’t seem like he wanted to be there, but he got the order right and was quick. That’s good enough for me.
Considering that this seems to be the only Chinese restaurant in downtown Newburyport, I’m impressed that the food was so good. There are a few recent bad reviews here and I didn’t experience problems during lunch.