Taste of Sichuan Vancouver

CLOSED!!! The only Sichuan restaurant in Vancouver is no more. Sad to see this one go…

It was great while it lasted– closed as of today.

If there’s better Chinese in all the Couve, I have yet to find it. Shoot, I have yet to come w/​in the same ballpark in all of SW Washington. How I love the swimming fire fish at ToS — - ah such endorphins! Such sweats! Feel the rush! feel the buuuuuurn!
I have loved everything I’ve tried both at this as well as the «mother ship» in Beaverton. Their expansive menu has breadth and depth and far surpasses the typical Chinese American take out… from rabbit to lamb to hog’s ears to frog’s legs, this here is some fonky, FONKY grub.
Shay shay!

Good quality fresh food. A little heavy on some sauces.
Large restaurant interior, good for groups. Parking is plentiful in private lot.

Delicious lunch– great value: $ 6-​$ 9 for soup (egg flower or hot & sour) steamed or fried rice, small salad and entrée of choice. If you really like it spicy ask for 4 stars or you’ll be disappointed in the lack of heat. Personal favorites so far: Hunan Black Bean Chicken & Kung Pao Chicken. My only criticism at lunch is that the food comes out too fast (before the soup can even be enjoyed) Note: they close after lunch at 2:30 then re-​open for dinner.
Based on the diners it must be authentic– lots of families enjoying plates & bowls of Chinese food goodness at big round tables. We’ve been for dinner and it’s a bit pricey for some dishes.

Went there last night on a Friday. Huge place, ½ was empty and my GF commented it felt like a cafeteria, as there were no objects such as greenery or a koi pond perhaps, to break up the large open room.
We ordered the pot stickers for an appetizer. They were great and the best part of the meal.
I ordered the Kung Pao Squid. It was fresh, cooked appropriately and nice.
My GF had the General’s Chicken dish and I have to say, it was gross. Not sure what part of the chicken they used, but it wasn’t breast meat. And it was overcooked, so much so that the deep fry was all you could taste. And it tasted sour to boot! Not good. Sometimes, like with chicken strips, the deep fry element can actually be tasty and good, but this was definitely not one of those times.
Overall, just ok. The pot stickers were delicious, the squid was good, the General’s Chicken dish should be fed to dogs or farm animals.
Not sure if we will be back…

This place used to be incredibly delicious! Unique and authentic chinese cuisine that you couldn’t find any where else on this side of town. HOWEVER, hold everything — I think they may have a new chef — and it isn’t a good change!
Potstickers are smaller, lacking the depth of flavor they used to have — the dipping sauce still rocks though. The cashew chicken — was dried up bits of meat that if I didn’t know better had been sitting in a warmer (buffet style) since lunch. Horrible. Even the cashews were stale and odd in taste.
My 15 year old son even said «are they trying to save money? This doesn’t taste anything like it used to». The Basil Beef was flavorful and good — so yay! I plan on giving them one more chance and then I’m out and it’ll be for lunch because for the quality it is too expensive.

I was so excited when I decided to come try Taste of Sichuan. Upon arrival the girl at the front was nice. My waiter came over promptly with water. I had a question about a liquor in their Bellini and he didn’t know what it was so I ordered Pinot Gris instead. I combed through the HUGE menu and settled on the Sichuan dumplings from the «wild» menu and the map po tofu with pork.
The dumplings came and they were awesome!!! So soft and the broth was spicy and delicious. The tofu cane shortly after. It was ok… Very very salty. I tried to work through it because the flavor was there but I couldn’t get past the immense amount of salt in the dish. After I had stopped eating and finished my wine the waiter came over with the bill– didn’t ask if I wanted anything else and when he asked if I wanted to box my food up I said yes to the rice and dumplings and he didn’t ask why I wasn’t taking home the pound of tofu. That was really disappointing. If someone barely touches their food you should ask why. All in all I would consider going back but I firmly believe in customer service and they definitely fell short in that area

Best Restaurant? Are you kidding! PF Changs beats this place, hands down. Heck, Panda Express is better. And I’d take Safeway’s orange chicken, egg rolls, and pot stickers over this place, any day.
Service? Non-​existent. It’s like you’re a nuisance. None of the servers look happy and most have scowls on their faces, as if you’re interrupting their day.
Egg rolls were inedible. The cabbage was packed in so tight, virtually raw, cut in these extremely long, skinny strands, it made them impossible to eat and there simply was not flavor aside from almost raw cabbage.
They claim the potstickers are «homemade» and they obviously are, by unskilled hands. The dough is thick and gooey. The filling; ok. The dipping sauce, meh.
Orange «flavor» chicken, had no orange flavor. Honey walnut shrimp (or whatever they call it) is trying to be some kind of PF changs rival, but it’s not even close.
The wonton soup was edible enough. Probably pre-​fab. The veggies certainly look like it.
The portions are HUGE!
My recommendation:
Go to panda express, pf changs, or safeway.
This place is simply a No.

This place is GREAT, but is definitely not for everybody.
First, just about everything on the menu is VERY hot (spicy). Definitely be prepared for this. If you’re not a fan of strong of hot flavors, this is probably not a good place for you.
Second, be adventurous and order a few things from their authentic menu. We got the jellyfish and the rabbit chunks with chili sauce. Both were far different than anything I’d ever had elsewhere, and both VERY good!
We ordered a BUNCH of different foods, and all were absolutely outstanding. Even «typical» dishes such as sesame chicken were particularly noteworthy. My eldest son ranked Taste of Sichuan as one of the top three culinary experiences of his life (yes, he liked it that much).
The restaurant is HUGE, too. This speaks well and suggests that it probably gets REALLY busy on weekends. I’d heartily recommend Taste of Sichuan and am very much looking forward to our next visit.

This place is so good. We used to go up to Seattle just for DTF’s xiao long bao. Quality here is comparable, if not slightly better. You have to order this dish when you are here.
Other good stuff: their cold appetizer! It’s authentic. Also try their Dan Dan noodle and spicy braised beef noodle soup, deliciousness. We were so happy and almost in tears while we took our first bite.
The price is not bad, each dishes listed above is less than $ 10! Friendly staff and clean space. New favorite spot!

This is our go to Chinese place in Washington. My first exposure to Taste of Szechuan was at the Beaverton location and the great service and great food is present in the Vancouver Washington location as well. I’m always very happy with the different things I try and the food varies from very authentic Szechuan food to good Americanized versions as well. There should be something here for everyone on the menu and it’s always served hot and fresh in my experience.
Dare to try something off of the wild side menu… the pork belly with colorful peppers is to die for despite the slightly off putting name.

As far as Camas options go, this is a pretty good one if you’re craving Chinese food. They have some lunch specials. I think some dishes can be way too oily.
The place is spacious and the customer service is pretty good.
I would order ahead if you’re picking up for lunch.
Here’s the take-​out menu.

Their food seems very inconsistent. Last time, I ordered 2 rices and it came in a huge bowl, so we had a lot left over. This time, I ordered 1 rice, and it was just a tiny cup. By comparison the rice for 2 seemed more like for 4.
The meat dishes are still large servings, but most of the dishes look vastly different than the pictures here and their menu. Most of the chong quing chicken pictures have lots of long red peppers, but when we got it there were virtually no peppers. We had to request them and he seemed confused that we wanted a spicy Sichuan dish to be spicy. The other dish we got was the fiery pot beef. It looked good in pictures, but it was really lacking in flavor. It just tasted like lifeless, boiled meat in a bowl of oil. It really could’ve benefited from some browning, crisping, or even some more spices.
The meal wasn’t bad, just a little disappointing compared to the last time we were there. I kind of want to give it 3 stars since I did feel very «meh» about the meal, but I’ll probably go there again and try something else. Hopefully I don’t have to drop this down to 3 stars.

More like Taste of Sigh Yawn instead of Sichuan … hey-​yo!
Since moving to Vancouver, my wife and I have been desperately seeking quality Chinese food with the flavors and tastes of China. Taste of Sichuan was really hit or miss. Some of the dishes were ok-​to-​good while others were meh-​to-​yawn.
* Xiao Long Bao Steamed Dumplings
Sichuan isn’t famous for XLB like Shanghai or Taipei, but, my oh my, these were a steamed disasters. The dumplings completely fell apart with the skin sticking to the pan, the meat lacking flavor, and none of the fun you get from sucking the juice out of fresh Xiao Long Bao (1 star)
* Scallion Pancake
I didn’t think you could mess up a Chinese Scallion/​Green Onion Pancake, but the one we tried was soggy in the middle and rock hard on the edges. I didn’t enjoy either part for what is usually an easy «go to» option at Chinese restaurants in America. (1 star)
* Swimming Fire Fish ($ 15)
This was the main dish we were seeking because we both love the traditional Sichuan bowl of Fish in Spicy Chili Oil. Though the heat/​spice level was severely muted from such options found in Chengdu, the flavor was at least close and comforting. I’d order it again (3 stars)
* Ground Pork and Noodles
The first dish to arrive at our table was the first to be finished. This bowl of noodles may not be ideal for sharing, but it didn’t stop us from slurping together. It could of used a bit more spice, but overall this is a safe choice. (4 stars)
* Fiery Pot of Fish on Cabbage ($ 14)
We hoped for more fire from this «fiery pot,» but it was still nice to try one of my favorite Chinese dishes of all-​time. We asked them to up the spice level to max, but it was still relatively tame. If it was fiery, I’d probably be a bigger fan of Taste of Sichuan. (3 stars)
Service was like the food … hit & miss. We had to go in search of chopsticks and napkins after waiting about 5 minutes with a bowl of food in front of us. The décor has hints of traditional China in a big open room with plenty of large tables for families and groups, so, I’m not sure why there were so few people working in the dining room. The tables near us sat empty, but dirty throughout most of our meal which took away from the overall experience.
Compared to the awesomeness of the Taste of Sichuan in Beaverton, the Vancouver location was a serious let down. Clearly, the cooks in the kitchen are different and the food served was, too … ranging from good to ok to meh to yawn.

This place is the most authentic Chinese restaurant in Vancouver, and the area is nice and spacious. That being said, the food here is not as spicy as I would expect for a place that serves Szechuan.
If you’re looking to try something authentic in Vancouver, I highly recommend this place. However, if you’re looking to try some of your favorite Chinese American dishes like sweet and sour pork, you will probably leave disappointed.

Large and spacious! Easily can fit 100+ people. No need to reserve or wait for a table.
The food was good. I was hoping for spicier dishes, but every one’s taste is different.
We had 6 adults and 2 children. Six dishes were enough to fill our stomach, and still lots of left overs. No need to worry about lunch tomorrow.

Great style here and very good food. I loved the darkish wood and mellow modern style asian atmosphere. The food was quite good from the ma po tofu (which is always my test of a good sichuan place) to the simple mixed veggies. Also the lunch special was pretty good sized, I got the hot garlic chicken which had a nice medium spicy sauce that seemed to have a touch of rice vinegar.
Service was excellent. Overall I loved it, I wish they were closer.

You cannot find edible Chinese food in Vancouver (or Portland for that matter). But Taste of Sichuan is the exception.
I’ve only been here for their lunch special ($ 6-​$ 9) but it is an amazing deal. The portions are very generous so come hungry. The food is quick to come out and actually tastes like Chinese food?!
The décor is also several notches above what you would expect from a Chinese restaurant in this area. Very very high vaulted ceilings give you a very spacious feel, tall windows bring in plenty of sunlight, and the furniture is reminiscent of what you would imagine a stereotypical Chinese restaurant may look like.
However with all of this said, the food is still only decent, the flavor seems a little off for many of the dishes, there is way too much oil and salt, and I did not see any speciality dishes that would be considered rare for them to make.
The reason I put 5 stars is because it is the best that I’ve tried in the area, the price to food quality and quantity for Vancouver is very high. I’d normally rate this place at 3.5−4 stars but it deserves 5 stars for being in Vancouver.
But don’t get me wrong, I recommend this place and will visit again.

It’s my first visit and you can tell the owners and restaurant are still working on getting the restaurant ramped up but for what I experienced on my initial visit, service, décor and of course the food was excellent. Keep in mind however when it says spicy, they mean it. Just an FYI.
I had the Kung Pao Tofu and it was by far one of the best I’ve ever had. Just writing about it now makes me want to go get some more. Da Bomb.
My friend I was with had the beef noodles and I tried it and found it also delicious, but spicy as well. I’d recommend giving them a try.