Grand Sichuan

The food is ok. We shared a dish as we were not happy & I don’t think the waitress was too pleased. Service is like the ones in any other asian restaurant (in general), abrupt & efficient (ie clearing the dishes sometimes before you’re even done). which can cime across as rude.
Nothing special really.

Grand sichuan got mentioned alot with a general inquery on good Chinese in downtown.
I had imagined something old school but the worn bright yellow awning looked more crappy than awesome. Still the faded old red carpet with gold pattern, and the busy girl making pork wonton filling on a back circle table with a crate of fresh green beans to be snapped next to her spelled old school Chinese.
I still couldn’t help but thinking about the cities rat problem as I peered into the unshiny used kitchen on my way to the bathroom.
The $ 7 lunch special was enough to forgive everything and at a table nearby a young man’s dish of caramel fire glowing general tso chicken seemed rib sticking satisfying perfection on a cold January day.
I picked vegetarian hot and sour soup as my one lunch special add on which was perfectly spicy a little thick and loaded with tofu. Hot tea was served.
The general tso’s chicken was uncomfortably thick breaded but I eventually found some thick white meat underneath and the lovely rice served as a nice vehicle to sop up the sweet spicy syrup.
Later as I witnessed older Chinese patrons enjoying large soups and other none lunch special items I wondered if I had ordered the wrong thing.
For a $ 10 lunch with tip and a small box of leftovers for later, you couldnt ask for much more, but I will still continue my exploration of Chinese options in NYC, in the meantime keeping this on my list for a retro style budget lunch
Pros — budget $ 8 lunch, 5 star kitsch factor, and decent Chinese American classics, Chinese patrons, swift friendly enough service
Cons — a bit dirty somehow

This place is worth the hype… if you embrace it as one of the best «corner» Chinese spots and not something that is like next level cooking.
If you’re tired of questionable Chinese places that are as ubiquitous in NYC as bodegas, Grand Sichuan is a great way to go, without literally going to Sunset Park or Flushing.
To quote the one humorous waitress… «You, (points at your humble narrator) you order from White menu. We (points at self) we order from Yellow menu.» True story :) Break her advice and order from the Yellow menu, your spicy soy sweet savory taste buds will be happy you did.

When it was hot, it was very hot, not just the food, but the whole restaurant. When Grand Sichuan opened at this location in Chelsea in 1998 it was destination dining for people of many cultures and in due course was even noted in The New York Times. Then long lines were the norm, especially at dinner time, but yesterday we stopped in for the lunch special and it was fair for the price without being special. There was welcoming hot tea and a choice of soups or a roll preceding a main plate with plenty of protein and rice, but don’t expect a veggie if its not listed on the menu and don’t look for destination cooking. Although the front door is accessible the table tops lining the narrow back hall to the small and heavily graffitied men’s room render it effectively inaccessible. Service was fast and efficient.

You would never think it was Chelsea when you sit down here. It has a true Chinatown vibe to it from the setting to the staff, and the food. I was in the mood for hearty Asian food and realized I didn’t know the difference between Chinese, Hunan and Szechuan (Imma learn today!) So I went with this place after seeing the pics on Unilocal and working up an appetite. I ordered the crab and pork soup dumplings (yum!), the scallion pancakes which were disappointing, they were dry, green, and flaky and the hunan chicken with pork fried rice. The main course was good the chicken was super melt in your mouth tender and even though the rice was soy sauce’d brown, the pork in it was suuper yummy. Next time I’ll go and try a pork meal instead.

the vegetable chow mein (fried rice noodles) were pretty good, a bit greasy, so I would ask for less oil. I also tried the corn egg drop soup, which was decent but resembled Chinese take out soup a bit. I would come back to try their more popular spicy dishes next time.

I love this place.
the dan dan noodles are yummy. But my absolute favorite dish is the sour long bean with minced pork. So spicy and so delicious.
My friends and I have a hard time not going here when in Chelsea.

Old school family style Chinese food. We came here for a work lunch and it was fantastic.
Don’t miss the soup dumplings, string beans, and the prawns.

My wife is Chinese so we have been a lot of Chinese restaurants in the city and Grand Sichuan is one of my favorites. We have been here about 2 – 3 times a month for almost 2 years and some times more. The reason why I am not giving them 5 stars is sometimes when we try something new it isn’t as good. Their fish for example is good but not as good as other Chinese restaurants. However, their fresh Guizhou spicy chicken and beef with peppers are some of the best dishes of any Chinese restaurant I have ever tried. In most Chinese restaurants they just want business and don’t care too much about learning about Western culture, however I feel the staff here is warm and friendly with touch of American sarcasm, that you don’t get in most Chinese restaurants. Anyway after writing this I think I will take my friends there this weekend.
Oh I forgot, their Xiao Long Bao (Soup dumplings) are amazing. just as good as some of the more famous Chinatown ones.
I never wrote a review because I was on a long hiatus from Unilocal

so good! my favorite chinese. get the azhui chicken (spelling?) from the chinese specialties menu — it’s got spectacular spice and the chicken is friend perfectly in small bite size pieces. served with spring onion stalks, spicy spicy peppers and something i think must be a turnip perhaps. with rice. very delish.
the other thing that i love here is their ma po tofu — i don’t even know if it’s listed on the menu but if you ask they have it. it’s a tofu dish that has ground pork, peas and it’s in a spicy stewy sauce that is very great over rice. highly recommended.
third thing — the hot and sour soup, despite being vegetarian (or vegan?) is top notch.
also they always serve tea during the meal and oranges at the end. prices are very reasonable and the place is frequently full because it’s so good. if i lived a little closer i’d be here weekly. as it is i go whenever i’m in the area. i even went by myself once or twice cause i can’t resist when i’m in the area

Deserves a much better rating. I’m really surprised and glad I walked the extra steps to get here after finding it on Unilocal.I passed another place on the way and thought about going there instead and I’m so glad I didn’t. I ordered from the Fresh Chicken Special menu page and picked the Kung Bao Diced Chicken with Peanuts. Best dish I’ve had in a long time and I eat asain times a month. This is worth the extra effort to get here and if you can handle a little spicy, try the fresh Kung Bao chicken and you won’t be disappointed. :)

The place was once pretty good, but it seems to have a change in ownership… The pork dumplings were really bad, the main course soso… At least it was relatively cheap.

Found Grand Sichuan on Unilocal this weekend when I was in the area. I live on the east side and I’m really not too familiar with the restaurants on the west side. My mom & I were looking for a sit down Chinese restaurant and this seemed to have a bunch of reviews/​decent rating.
The restaurant was packed when we got there! Good sign considering we hadn’t been there before. We were only 2 of us so we were seated immediately. We ordered pork soup dumplings (they were just ok), shrimp with garlic sauce and sesame chicken. The two main dishes were excellent! A lot better than we had expected after not loving the soup dumplings.
If you’re in the area and need a great Chinese restaurant to take out from or sit down this is a great option.

Walked 4 miles to get here, specifically for the Chonqing chicken. Was not disappointed! Incredibly smokey and tangy flavorful, while packing a serious capsaicin punch. I would need a designated driver if I wasn’t walking… staff was fun and friendly, service was quick.

As a new patron of the surrounding area, i embarked on my quest to find my go to chinese spot? Could this be it? Two answers. A Resounding YESSS! if i want dumplings. The juicy pork dumplings are a ¹⁰⁄₁₀. The pork bun, a delectable soft melt in your mouth piece of heaven reminiscent of warm Hawaiian sweet bread, with a center juicy mouth watering package of the forbidden to jews delight.
Here’s the bad news. I ordered the spicy azao beef and shrimp, and all i could find were cucumbers or something of the sort, and very little beef and shrimp. They skimp you on beef portions, how dare you? I’d rate the little portion of beef and shrimp as a solid 7−8÷10.
Come here if you want dumplings and Pork Buns. Forever etched in my taste buds.
PS. I ordered takeout

Great neighborhood Chinese! Had a hankering for some Chinese good and walked by this place and saw that it was pretty packed. Luckily my buddy and I were able to snag a seat without a wait, but boy this place was packed. We ordered an egg roll (⁴⁄₅), dry green beans with pork (4.5÷5), and sesame chicken (⁴⁄₅). Service was about average, but the food was above average and all quite enjoyable. The price was a bit high for Chinese food with the total being about $ 20/​person with tax and tip. Overall would recommend this place if you want some Chinese food and are in the area.

My father, brother, and I walked to Grand Sichuan, passing a couple of Chinese restaurants we considered instead because we were so tired. And I really wish we had opted for another restaurant.
We were greeted by a «how many», having three menus put on the corner of a nearby table as if she were too inconvenienced to place them properly or to even look at us. We were poured water – possibly tap – and given a pot of steaming hot tea, which was actually alright.
When we ordered, it seemed as though the waitress hardly spoke English, making it difficult to communicate, but we managed to order 2 spring rolls, white rice, beef with broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, and mildly spicy Hunan chicken. Our rolls came soon after, hot and fresh and incredibly greasy.
When the Hunan was brought out, the server unsurprisingly made little effort to place it to the right person. We waited for the others, getting the beef plate a minute after, then waited five minutes for the sweet and sour.
The food was actually delicious, and I wish that I could say it made up for the shoddy service… the employees were incredibly loud in talking with each other in Chinese in the dining area, playing around and being a distraction in our meal.
Overall, we felt like an inconvenience to them, and as though we hardly existed anyhow. Food was good, but could easily be matched with any other Chinese place with better service.

Wow! Best Chinese food I have had in as long as I can remember (and I live in ChInatown). Its rare that you find a restaurant in NYC that more than exceeds everyone’s expectations and that can provide dinner, drinks, and leftovers for just under $ 30 a person.
We came here not knowing what to expect and left full, with plenty of leftovers, and very pleased with our meals. One of the four people at our table had spent a year and a half in China and felt that the food was fairly authentic and overall very good.
Where to begin?!? The pork soup dumplings are a must! I seriously will be craving these and may need to make a special visit during my next trip to NYC. The House Spicy Beef was very filling, had a definite kick to it (you can ask for less spicy if needed), and was my personal favorite dish. The Aui Zhou Spicy Chicken was also very good, very well-​flavored, and was the table’s favorite. The Broad Beens were also very good.
The service was great! The staff provided some excellent recommendations, was very attentive, and was able to joke and exchange in some good-​natured banter with us. The next time I am in NYC and craving Chinese food, I’ll make a trip to Grand Sichuan!

Good neighborhood find for some sit down Chinese.
We were craving some «American» Chinese and decided to just walk in without reviewing, since there always seems to be a crowd. Big, generous portions. My General Tso’s chicken was soaked in a great spicy sauce with some broccoli. My friend decided to get Kung Boa Chicken and opted for the «fresh» chicken that seems to be one of their specialties. He enjoyed — just too much celery in mix.
There doesn’t seem to be any heat in the room — so good thing they bring your hot tea. We did ask for extra chips and duck sauce, and never received. Fine though because we had so much food already.
Wish we had looked online before and ordered the soup dumplings!!! Look great!

I’m giving this place a 4 star because it’s probably one of the best cheap eats around this area. I live a couple blocks away from here and cheap eats is hard to find.
I am a regular here for lunch time because they have an awesome lunch special that comes with any entrée of your choice, rice, and soup for 6.50.
One of my favorites are the pepper steak, beef and string beans, and pan fried noodles