foodandtravelbyretta
Have been going to Sichuan House since 2007. Always love their food, everything's always great.
Highly recommended dishes:
1. Sweet & sour pork
2. Cumin pork ribs
3. Kung pao prawns
4. Stir fried five spice tofu & chives
5. Mapo tofu (best to eat with yang zhou fried rice)
6. Sichuan cold noodles
7. Spicy dried tofu
8. Spicy beef
9. Fish in spicy soup
10. Stir fried shredded pork with tea tree mushrooms
Jason
Haven't been here since pandemic started and used to love this place but the quality seems to have dropped a bit. The noodles now have a sesame base which detracts from it's previously umami base. The Chongqing chicken is much smaller and not as flavourful. Tried the cumin ribs for the first time. Had lots of meat compared to most other pork ribs but quite oily. Tastier the next day after taking it away from the oil base. The more expensive eggplant on the hot plate used to be one of my favourites but didn't try it this time. Not a fan of the mung bean noodles.
Lawrence
My go-to place for Sichuan cuisine.
Highly recommend their toothpick beef, cumin pork ribs, spicy fish soup and green beans. Fair price and the portion is big.
Arron Manins
OMG we are out of lockdown and can finally eat Sichuan food. The last place we tried such delicacies was in Hong Kong two years ago. We went for the Chongquing chicken, chilli beef on toothpick "skewers" and fried green beans with minced pork. Our only mistake was not ordering the beans with chilli/schezuan pepper.
The beef was dangerously good. The fight was on between me and my wife for these delicious morsels. My desire for chongquing chicken got the best of me however and I got 4 less pieces of beef as a result. Authentic, cheerful, tasty and affordable!
Ruji
Highly recommend crispy duck, pork ears and the steamed chicken in spicy sauce. The food is delicious.
S L
One of the OG Sichuan restaurants in Melbourne. Their taste is authentic! So good, would definitely come back here again next time. Have been coming here for Sichuan foods
Neet Taylor
We love Sichuan House and go out of our way to visit every time we travel to Melbourne. We always take away some dishes for our friends and family to enjoy aswell. Favourites are the Cold Noodles & Fish in Spicy soup. But we enjoy lots of dishes and always try something new as the menu is so extensive.
Belinda Jackson
I've been waiting to come to Sichuan House for years - totally worth the wait. The food was so good - cumin pork was next level. The customer service was amazing - they were so caring with us and my 7 month old daughter, trying to make her laugh and entertain her. Very sweet. Highly recommend.
Sichuanhouse Melb
Hi, Sichuan food lovers, Cumin pork ribs is back again! We will reopen on this Thursday 18/06 and do takeaway. You are welcome to visit us. Thank you for your liking us. See you soon.
SohzFoodTrail
Yummy food. Busy place.
Michael Santinon
A little tricky to find, but what a little gem. Food was amazing, staff were nice but hard to wave down for service during busy times. I will definitely go back again soon.
Linda
One of the best hidden gems in all of Melbourne!! I love it here! Can’t go past their spicy beef with the crispy coated lotus root pieces. The flavours really pack a punch with the Sichuan kick. A Melbourne institution.
Cindy Tran
Absolutely love this Sichuan place! Hidden in Corrs lane with not the most appealing decorations it still stands as a traditional Chinese eatery in Chinatown. We ducked the huge line in front of shanghai dumplings and decided to dine here and trust me it wasn’t a mistake at the slightest. <br/><br/>Ordered: <br/>4x rice bowls <br/>Sichuan boiled fish fillets $28<br/>Free range Sichuan chicken $13.50<br/>Xiao long bao (12pcs) $10.80<br/><br/>Review:<br/>Despite the unassuming decorations the food and service was outstanding. With the generous, cheap proportions we were surprised at how delicious the food was. The fish was delicious, tender but then boiled and absorbed all the spicy, mouth numbing Sichuan flavours. The bean sprouts underneath gave a great crunch, we found the soup however to be a bit oily but that is what Sichuan is know for, its known for flavour and we can’t complain. Chicken was served cold but showered with a unbelievable amount of Sichuan seasoning it was so flavourful and delicious it was heaven when paired with warm rice. The xiao long Baos filling was nice and packed flavour but wished there was more soup, hoped the skin was a little thinner but after all they master in Sichuan cuisine.
Leslie Yapi
What is the first thing that come up when you think about Sichuan food? For me OIL OILY VERY OILY. <br/><br/>This is because they are famous for that. This place is different. Yes they do have oily food (if you choose to order one). Otherwise, its more to spicy yet delicious.<br/><br/>Must order:<br/>Cold noodles<br/>Yu Xiang Eggplant<br/>Cumin Pork Ribs<br/>Work Fried Chicken<br/>Seafood Soup (to balance)<br/><br/>If you are one of the person who are traumatized with Sichuan food (I was), trust me, the must order above would change your perspective on SIchuan food. <br/>
Jessica Sargeant (Unbeleafablefood)
I love coming to Sichuan house with colleagues for dinner !<br/><br/>The food is just so delish, and of course has a kick to it! <br/><br/>I love the spicy cold noodles, and the veggie mapo tofu is amazing. The menu is huge so you are bound to find something for EVERYONE!
Streaky Eats
Located in Chinatown is this restaurant that’s known for its cumin pork ribs and other Sichuan delicacies. It has a slightly upscale seating and can get busy during dinner time. Here’s what I got:. 1. Spicy Green Bean Jelly Noodle. Spicy green bean jelly noodle ($7). A small starter dish of jelly noodles made from green bean. It has a silky texture and is served with a blend of chili topped with crushed peanuts. The taste of the chili has a close resemblance with the Indomee seasoning.
William H
Came here because of the reviews and ratings - unfortunately did not live up to expectations. Ordered the following dishes in the photos - all them were way too salty. Added a plain rice which slightly helped. Cumin pork was not spicy at all.
Kris L
Very authentic and delicious Sichuan food! We’ve basically tried most of the dishes on the menu by now and it’s great every time. It’s also very affordable and portions are generous. Don’t expect top notch service but the staff are friendly enough (just very busy with limited people on shifts).
Paul In OZ
Food 3/5<br/>Service 3/5<br/>Environment 3/5<br/><br/>A Sichuan restaurant is located in the deep end of the lane near China Town. The dishes are average and I thought it more perfect fit the taste of western people rather than Chinese. All the dishes taste average and plain. Not spicy even no enough salt. The best one is pork kind, which is tender but too much bean sauce. The pork ribs with cummin can change the name to a big piece of pork, only a few pieces have a bone.
Little Pink Piggy
Delicious and spicy Chinese dishes to be enjoyed at this place. Service is quick but not exactly plesant. It's an in and out sort of restaurant and you wouldn't want to be there for too long anyway because the wine's no good! Food is very very good though.
Jasmine
Really awesome food, even though the interior was a little tight. <br/><br/>Food was flavourful, and reminded me a lot of home. Very Asian, with intent for the food to be share dishes, it's a great option to bring family and close friends to be loud and raucous. Very affordable as well!
Xiaopeng
Almost everything here is fried, the food are delivered in a way that is more attractive to westerners. The original tastes of spicy of the Sichuan food is absent. It’s something edible but have little to do with Sichuan food. Mostly coated meats fried and mix with some veggies and traditional Chinese herbs in a soy sauce based slightly sweet and spicy flavour.<br/>There were a lot non-Chinese gathering that seems quite enjoy the food. That may explain the over-rating.
CMonique
Delicious food!!!!! Super yummy, quick and fresh. Service is pretty good but the best part is the cumin pork ribs!! Xiao long bao is also pretty good👌
Montastic
I’ve been loving the food from this Sichuan House since more than more than 5 years ago.<br/>The quality of the food here has never failed me, not even once by far.<br/>The spicy fish with beansprout is the first choice for me everytime I visit this place.<br/>Then the spicy pork ribs is one of a must try as well, if you’re new here. <br/>The mapo tofu here is really nice and best enjoyed with rice, if not it could be a little bit salty.<br/>The greenbeans with minced meat is good as well.<br/><br/>The portion is big here. As for the service here is quick and friendly enough.
Kerli Kerli Kerli
Haven’t been here for a while and the food here was still very tasty.. first time here with a few friends who don’t really eat spicy food and the kitchen was able to cater for a “less spicy” experience.. <br/>Highly recommend the cumin pork ribs, corn (forgot the name of the dish ) and garlic braised pork.. <br/>I wouldn’t order anything that doesn’t look spicy.. as the sweet and sour pork was a let down and first time we ordered this dish..<br/>Price was cheap as too.. would highly recommend this place for group meal.. make sure you book too!<br/>
CQL
the mala fish was my favorite one here, though it tasted abit oily and salty. everythings here were tasty. place wasn’t really big but fine , service was fine.
Tom Gan
Haven’t got the food yet. However, I just want to give them low rating. I had been to so many restaurant in Melbourne. This restaurant is the first one charging for a glass of hot water. I can understand if you charge people for the hot tea. But... hot water... really. As a Chinese restaurant, I think you understand the Chinese’s habit of drinking hot water. Is that the reason you charging for hot water. Are you going to charge your customer for cold water? Ridiculous!
EatorTreat
If you love Sichuan cuisine like I do, you would definitely want to try different Sichuan restaurants around. We finally decided to try this place out with high expectations, however it was just alright for me.<br/>We ordered a few dishes: spicy chicken cold dish, pork ear stir fry, spicy beef skewers, chongqing chicken, and fish flavoured eggplant.<br/>Though it was still delicious, I have certainly had better Sichuan food here in Melbourne. It was not as spicy as expected, and lacking that burst of flavour that I wanted.<br/>Still delicious, but I’ve had better. I usually finish a Sichuan feast feeling absolutely satisfied, but this one was just alright.
Timinmelbourne
A friend and I had dinner here. The service was ok, and the food came out reasonably quickly. <br/><br/>We ordered some Chinese broccoli which w oyster sauce, a simple dish executed perfectly! Yummo<br/><br/>For main we shared a spicy chicken dish (can’t recall the name) which was really tasty. The chicken was moist and the batter was quite light, w some dried chilli’s in the dish this was really impressive. <br/><br/>We had some boiled rice and we didn’t leave hungry. <br/><br/>The only negative was that I asked if we could get a doggy bag as we didn’t finish the veggies and the waitress told us that we had to pay .50c for the container. We paid to the container but I won’t do that again.
One.hungry.girl10
One of the best Sichuan restaurants in Melbourne that never fails to meet my spicy cravings. Beware there are no non spicy dishes! <br/><br/>Must order the spicy fried chicken and the spicy fish. Atmosphere and service is average but the food is really delicious.
Koki
Service is good, staff are friendly, importantly food is great. Hard to find it but you won’t get wrong choosing this hidden restaurant in china town.
Alan Tse
Hot on the way in, hotter on the way out? No toned down spice here!<br/><br/>For a Sichuan place we got good service. They actually suggested we had ordered too much and have one less dish. The flavours are very authentic and I am very keen to try other dishes. Definitely one to take a bunch of friends so you can order a few things. Pricewise not too bad. $70 for one main, a vegetable dish, rice and two long necks of Tsingtao. Maybe I was more thinking in the $50 range - BYO wine next time!<br/>
Facebook User
Ordered the most popular dish - the cumin pork ribs. The ribs weren't cooked in hot enough oil so they ended up being greasy, and the cumin flavouring simply did not stick to the meat, leaving you having to bite the rib and then shove a hit of salt/seasoning into your mouth to mix the two. In total a dozen ribs for $27? No thanks.
J0yy173
For someone that's not generally enamoured with Sichuan cuisine, I was pleasantly surprised by the visit. This place is an institution in Melbourne and was here long before restaurants serving Sichuan dishes sprouted in the CBD. Today I came with a friend who knew what to order and luckily has similar chilli tolerance levels as me.<br/><br/>We first sampled the twice-cooked pork. Jam-packed with flavour, the pork belly had the right balance of fat and meat, complemented by the textures of stir-fried vegetables and a delightful sauce. Then came the fish slices in a pickled vegetable soup. Generous slices of fish so soft and tender they just fell apart and melted in the mouth. The slightly sour and salty tastes blended in harmony. So delicious soon I was lamenting we hadn't come to try this out sooner.<br/><br/>You come here for good food, fast service and good value for money. The decor can't be called trendy but the chairs are comfortable and you are not squashed against other diners and clashing elbows. Worth a return visit to try out other offerings.
The Casual Diner
Will come back for:<br/>+ Ant on the hill<br/>+ Prawn and Crab Tower<br/><br/>The Sichuan food here is authentic and flavour packed. The ant on the hill (Sichuan noodles with mince pork) was delicious and truly satisfying. The prawn and crab tower was generously sized with loads of big fresh prawns and crabs and fried with Sichuan spices that leave the mouth tingling yet not too spicy. We also had a serve of chilli cabbage to accompany the meal which helps to cool down the palate. For what you pay, the meal here is pretty good value, tasty and satisfying.
Debby
This Sichuan restaurant used to be really popular but have since lost it's popularity due to the increasing competition. We ordered five dishes and found them to be pretty average. The star was the cold noodle, it was refreshing and tasty. The rest of the dishes are lacking that complex Sichuan flavours.
Cheeseman
What’s to say. The best around 👍🏽👍🏽 Can’t go past the spicy fish in soup or the cumin ribs or the eggplant chips or... well you get the picture
Joy Zhao
I would have given 0 if I am given the option. We went for dinner. Chicken with chilli sauce was a disaster, still frozen and super chewy. We could even see the ice bits in it! Asked to give it back because it wasn’t editable. They claimed that it was supposed to be like that. So someone can serve anything to the customers and say oh it’s supposed to be like this, suck it up?! Worst experience ever!!!!!!
Anthony
Always solid Sichuan food. Sometimes can be a little oily but deliciously spicy and full flavoured. Pork ribs, mabo dofu and green beans in minced pork are all fantastic.
JC
Love the food here, full of flavour and plenty to go around (huge servings!). Expect staff to be just friendly enough and dishes to be brought out as they are ready. The interior is incredibly dated though that didn’t detract from our experience.
Eat_today_diet_tomorrow
Amazing food very authentic as we went with our Chinese friend and she really enjoy the food! <br/><br/>However, the service wasnt that nice the staff wasnt very welcoming not smiling at all. The last dish was served when we already finished everything else! <br/><br/>Kung Pao chicken was on point! Really recommended ! <br/>However, the crispy duck could be a bit better.
The Amazing Eater
TBH, worst customer service in Melbourne. Horrible place wonder how they survive with such customer service in Melbourne.. Definitely not recommended and won't be back again.
Peter W
There were 14 of us booked for dinner. We had a great night. Great food and service. Cumin ribs and the Eggplant were the standouts for me. <br/>If you enjoy Sichuan food then you have to visit Sichuan House.
Ja Young Kate Won
Dumplings and the steam rice were the best. The rests were SALTY AS FK..........BEAWARE..........................................................
Jennitals
LIT! I've been here more than 10 times and still love it! Main dishes include the cumin ribs, sand prawns, cold noodles and fish in chilli pot. It's a great place to share large dishes amongst a couple of friends! <br/><br/>NOT SO LIT:n/ a <br/><br/>HIGHLY recommend for groups! Thanks for having me.. like always x
ZzzPpl
I actually have no idea why the rating is so high for this restaurant. I came here on a weekday night, it was not busy, and the service was very good. It's just the food...was nothing like all the good reviews...We had eggplant and beef skewers, both were just so so though the plate was huge. It was far away from authentic Sichuan food in my mind.
RoamingEats
Sometimes the best gems are hidden within Melbourne's numerous laneways. Portions are fairly generous so if you only get one dish make it the cumin pork ribs, they are truly out of this world. Fantastic balance of heat and aromatic spices - You'll just keep diving in for more!<br/><br/>Also had the spicy chicken which despite being swarmed in chillies, wasn't burn your tongue off. However for me this dish didn't stand out at all. Breast fillet lovers beware, the chicken mostly comes in pieces with small bones. I don't mind but I know of those who do!
Food Critic
Food is good here, very consistent, and portion size is good for sharing. But this place is abit unorganised. Staff need more training and need to act more professional. I don't mind English barrier but since it's a busy place, it need more experience staff to assist the Customers. Some staff are ok but some are clumsy. And one of the waitress which I don't know her name but she kind of chubby with long wavey hair, she rude to customers. She act like she own the place. If she doesn't like working or like the job then she shouldn't be there because it will turn customer off. Lady boss is very helpful and it is good place to try if you love Sichuan food. 😀😋
Jeffry
Sichuan house offers the authentic cuisine from Sichuan province that is famous for their spicy food.<br/>The key ingredient in the Sichuan food isn't merely on the chilli hot, but the floral Sichuan pepper would be the key role in this cuisine.<br/>The restaurant was pretty hidden in the corrs lane (china town). <br/>It has spacious seats to manage small - big group of people.<br/>The customer service was alright and very efficient.<br/><br/>We ordered :<br/>* Corns in Gold Sand<br/>The corns were served hot and crispy. The taste was great but it was too tasty and too much seasoned.<br/>It would be better if the dish was less seasoned because at some point you would give up and had enough when it was too salty.<br/>We couldn't finish the dish.<br/>Note: No spicy at all<br/><br/>* Ants Climbing the Trees<br/>This dish added to our favourite dish as the vermicelli was perfectly cooked and well seasoned.<br/>Unfortunately, it was slightly oily **health concerned**<br/>Note: spicy level (medium)<br/><br/>* Fish Flavour Eegplant<br/>It was our least favourite dish compared to others.<br/>The eegplants were overcooked, too sweet and very oily **another health concerned**.<br/>Note: spicy level (medium)<br/><br/>* Beef on ToothpickThe beef was well seasoned and cooked well. <br/>The beef on toothpick was another dish added to our favourite.<br/>It was tender, juicy and well seasoned but be careful of the Sichuan pepper, Dry Chilli and the toothpick when you want to eat this<br/>Note: spicy level (hot)<br/><br/>The note for the spicy level voted by our mates who don't have good tolerance in spicy food.<br/>We ordered 4 dishes as mentioned in above with additional 3 bowls of rice for $96.60 split by 4 so it'll be around $25.00 AUD per person.<br/><br/>In addition, they do have many wait staffs but they weren't very attentive as we had to keep waving our hands for some time to get their attentions.<br/>Overall, "Ants Climbing the Trees" and "Beef on Toothpick" were the winner on that day as they had really great taste and well cooked.<br/>All dishes were served in generous portion and they were good value to spend.<br/>However, they were slightly salty - slightly less seasoned would be awesome.<br/><br/>Anyway, we had a good time in this restaurant and certainly will come back anytime soon.<br/><br/>Service: 3.0<br/>Price: 3.5<br/>Taste: 4.0<br/>Speed: 4.0<br/><br/>Yay: All dishes were very tasty<br/>Nay: Very oily dish, customer staffs weren't attentive<br/><br/>Location: 22-26 Corrs Lane, CBD, Melbourne, VIC<br/>Phone: 03 9650 8589
Cynthia Giang
Sichuan House serves some well known Chinese dishes to satisfy those cravings. The food is authentic, and perfect if you love that Sichuan heat. Pricing is reasonable, and the staff gave consistently pleasant service through the evening.
Jenn
Great restaurant to visit as someone who loves spicy food. <br/><br/>Wide variety of dishes to chose from + authentic Chinese food. Have been a couple of times and all the dishes I've tried have been great. <br/><br/>Would recommend cold noodles & the spicy chicken dish (forgot name) & cumin ribs.
Food Lover
Have been coming here every month for over 2 years and I have to say this is place is the best Sichuan restaurant in Melbourne. <br/><br/>Yes it may be a bit pricy but I guarantee you get what you pay for, they are very generous and whenever we eat out we always take away. <br/><br/>Service is good and even when it's busy I even see the boss working hard. Some times there must be a wait but you have to be patient coz it is definitely worth the wait.<br/><br/>When you eat here a must try is chongqing spicy chicken and spicy beef skewers. <br/>If you can take the spicy heat and love flavoursome , mouth watering foods give Sichuan house a try you'll love it.
MelbFoodHunter
As a German I tend to be careful around spicy Chinese food, especially with the prefix Sichuan 😂. The typical Chili smell of the Sichuanese cuisine will welcome you from the distance when you are near Sichuan House. But it is a pleasant smell, one that may give you the impression that i can't be too spicy. But be careful when ordering! I was lucky to visit this restaurant with a group of Chinese friends who knew how to treat this kind of spice so we ordered everything mild and with a side of rice and porks buns for everyone to balance the heat.<br/>When you survive the first hit of spice, you will be able to indulge in a highly complex cuisine that is super tasty and warming so perfect for a cold winter day. My favourite was definitely the fluffy bun due to its more European-friendly level of spice and it's perfect execution. <br/>Service is friendly as well and prices are very welcoming for every budget. Definitely coming back. Seb
Tian Tan
This place has the the nicest tasty fish in Melbourne in terms of value! It is not overpriced like many others and its spiciness is right on spot even for a chili-eater like me!
Eat.y
Food is always tasty and very fast to arrive, which is good as sometimes there is a queue of people waiting for a table. Service is fast as well.
Champagne Breaky
Yum! Had dinner here with a group of friends! They were super busy which gave us time to find a place for a little drink while waiting. The service was great, the lady was training a new staff member and you could see the level of detail that she liked to provide for the customer. It was a great night.
Rohan
This is my go to restaurant for Sichuan food. Been here a fair few times and have never walked out disappointed. My favourites and must orders are the cumin pork ribs (Crispy and mouth tingling spicy because of the Sichuan peppercorns.. Oh Lord!), fish fragrant eggplant (crunchy yet chewy) and their cold noodles (was very sceptical about a cold dish but it is irresistible). I have tried a few others dishes as well which are really good. Highly recommended this place!
Petite Foodie
I went there with boyfriend. We walked in without any advanced reservation. High recommended for their mouth water chic . However, in term of services, we don't think they really entertain customers whose doesn't make reservation.
KSWH
Cumin pork ribs. Everyone seems to be raving on about them. It was good, but every dish here felt a bit too salty? Like they were marinating everything in msg and then trying to cram as much flavour into it as possible. I'm not sure this place is a 4+. Portions were massive and so I guess that's great value. But flavour wise... I'm just not seeing where the current rating is coming from. I shall go back and try a few more of their dishes.
Jake Allan Ross
Second best sichuan in melb and relatively easy to get a table. Long time favourite of mine. Smash the Chongqing chilli chicken all night long
Michael
This place is awesome. We had the Kung Pao chicken and fried pork ribs. The food came out fast and was delicious. It's pretty spicy so make sure you're up for it. <br/><br/>They let us take the left over food home which was really awesome of them. <br/><br/>Can't wait to come back and try the other items on the menu. I think this joint is suited to big groups where you can try lots of different items.
Anne
Beans and pork mince : beans too shrivelled and pork mince not flavourful. Too much chilli and peanuts in Kang pao chicken . Will not be back
Evan
Went there with some friends, one of which has lived in Sichuan for several years so he is the one to judge: the food is not really authentic, if at all. But, the food (especially the cumin pork ribs) tastes good, with large portion size. So I would recommend to give it a try if you are not specifically after Sichuan dishes.
Emily
Food service was speedy with very generous portions...great scezuan food...full of flavour as well as a good selection of drinks..great ambiance although it does tend to get abit packed at peak dinner hours.. food is reasonably priced given the portions..definite recommendation for anyone looking to try.
Kelly Shen
If you don't want to travel all the way to Dainty Sichuan in Toorak, this is the place to go. everything tastes nice except the crab is a little bit flavourless.
N R
great place to go for sichuan lovers...consistent quality, average ambiance; service could improve a bit though. overall, would visit it again.
Yutingyang11
Really bad. Too much salt and monosodium. No worth to try. Cannot believe they can make Sichuan food like that. <br/>
Tukangmakan (Novi N)
Portions are wow! The presentation is good. I really enjoyed the crispy chicken and eggplant. And oh the corn is also yummy! But i forgot its name.
Foodlover2
Great place. We love coming here for huge portions authentic. Dry the frid chicken and cumin pork ribs... yum. Also great big beers to share
Marta Troicka
Wonderfully fresh, inexpensive and, obviously, spicy spot in Chinatown. Vegetarians will have to inspect the menu closely, but the few choices they do have make Sichuan House a favourite. Portions are hefty. BYOW!
Shanmuga Prabhu
My first Chinese restaurant in Melbourne. My cousin brought me here for lunch after finishing the Melbourne Marathon. The food we had ordered was really very good. Service was quick and efficient. The dining experience was truly awesome. This is a must try restaurant if you are around this area and looking for good Chinese food.
Megan L
Introduced to this place by a friend, got the eggplant, green beans, ants climb over tree (noodle dish) and cumin pork ribs (not "cummin" like in the menu xD). Overall could've been spicier, but definitely was not lacking in taste, culminating in a very enjoyable dinner experience. A queue started to form around 7.30pm, so try to get in early. Also it was annoying but unsurprising that they only took cash.
Minda Barley
Team lunch takes place most weeks and our little group of four like to frequent the cheap and cheerful which generally means Asian food. This time we took a suggestion and headed to Sichuan House which wasn't the big, glitzy Sichuan restaurant on the main road with the neon lighting I thought we'd be going to but actually kind of next door, down and alley and hidden away.
Art
Authentic AF Sichuan food. No shortcuts, no side steps. Just bang in your face spicy flavours. Been here many times. My favourite dish changes every time. The fish fragrant eggplant is my current love. Great place for a group banquet with some cheeky Tsingtao longnecks. I literally have dreams about Sichuan House. This place is why I love Melbourne and food and life
Shekhar Nepal
Awesome food. Been there 4 times. Never disappointed with the food. Good job guys. Keep it up. Looking forward to going there again soon to challenge the tastebuds.
Live_in_melbourne
I can't believe I haven't wrote a review about this place! Have been here so many many times and still love coming back. This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in cbd. Although some of my friends can't handle the chillis...but I love it so spicy!
Tony Kieu
Probably best Sichuan restaurant in Melbourne. Very authentic, fast, reasonably priced and conveniently located.<br/><br/>Come here at least once a week with a friend.<br/><br/>I would play 0 faults in this place, every time I've been its bee fast, tasty and consistent.<br/><br/>Will continue coming, even on the busy Fridays and Saturday nights, am happy to wait for 10 minutes because service is so fast and responsive.
Jordan Dean
Best Sichuan I've ever had in Melbourne... Ended up ordering way to much food cause I needed to keep trying everything!!!!! Pork ribs, oh wow!!!!!! Everything amazing!!!!! Must love chilli to go here!
N D
Best Sichuan restaurant in Melbourne. We always get the eggplant with pork, beans and pork, cumin pork, prawn tower, and just recently tried their beef on a stick. Just excellent!!! Everything is perfect! And so delicious.
Roz Germov
We dined here for lunch on 5 August 2016. We ordered the Cumin pork ribs, the wontons and prawn dumplings along with rice and a serve of bok chop greens. Although the cumin pork ribs come with a three chilli heat indication, you can ask them to make it at one chilli level. We ended up having to take food home because the serves are so generous. The pork ribs are absolutely delicious. It is a signature dish. The dumplings by comparison are somewhat bland but are not chilli hot. The bok choy greens are cooked to just over crisp level and are in a lightly applied garlic and mushroom sauce. They were very tasty. The food is fresh, quick and cheap. It is BYO for wine only. Wine selection is not great so best to bring your own. This place was packed for lunch. The service is efficient but impersonal. The wait staff do not engage with clientele in casual banter. This is a good choice for a winter meal that is cheap, quick, warming and filling. Don't expect refined service or a lovely ambiance but the place is good value. There are a few vegetarian options but not many. The staff are happy to let you take leftovers home and they are even better the next day. I sliced the cumin ribs and heated them up with the bok choy greens which i served with rice. A very tasty dinner the next day.
Christine Stephen
Absolutely love the eggplant and the cumin pork ribs! Food is quite spicy so only go for it if you can handle the spice or you're adventurous like that.
Hungry Ronin
Some places just knows their stuff; and they quietly humm along without making a fuss. Before you know it, they become an institution and no one needs to question their place in a city's gastronomy scene. If you have a conversation about sichuan cuisine in Melbourne, it will begin, and often ends, with sichuan house. Nevermind that it has been visited and premiered in Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, the food speaks for itself. On our visit the food was once again impeccable. Yes, there may be question marks about the curt service or loud marketplace-like ambiance, but that would just be a tad fickle and unaccepting for what it already is: SH has cemented its place in Melbourne's food scene.
Reynaldo
This restaurant is located in an alley and was really hard to find. However the food was amazing. The deep fried eggplant and chong qing chicken were the best dishes. We also ordered the black fungus which was dissapointing, and the cold chicken which was good but not great. Apparently the cumin pork is also good. Maybe we will come back someday and try it.
FoodieAboutTown
I must stop trying to kill my friends with spice!!! It’s a cold Friday night and the bar I picked that was supposed to have great bar food is a bit cold and loud and the bar food seems to be a cheese plate so we scurry off in the rain and I have the great idea of Sichuan House. Perfect on a busy Friday night, you can always get a table and it’s BYO or just super cheap anyway!!
Penny Miller
Disappointing experience- was looking forward to tasting the delights based on below reviews..unfortunately my dining experience fell short.<br/>Yes I would recommend the pork ribs - hot and spicy to the max but don't bother with prawn crab tower - probably worst seafood I've had! <br/>Dry -overlooked -tasteless.. Heaven forbid you advise its inedible as you will be told by the waitress .. " no it's ok ..I tried it .. It's nice!" Or better still .. " no one ever complains" but the ultimate was .. " The chef now refuses to cook for you.. Hot in kitchen .. He has temper!" Yep upon attempting to order a meat dish or other meal the response was no the chef will not cook for you! <br/>Do yourself a favour and go elsewhere - Shanghai dumplings around the corner is where we ate - quick - fresh food that was yummo
Pigpy Puropa
Cumin prok ribs...oh so yum! and a big pot of fish in oil is so tasty. If you like hot and spicy plus the taste of sichuan pepper, you have to go there. But it is quite pricy. Overall, best Sichuan food, good services. Let's your tongue to be numb!!
KungfuKitty
It is cold and raining in Melbourne so we decided to have sichuan food. Hot and spicy!<br/>This place is a hidden gem, tucked away in the alley. But they are popular among locals as the food is really good. Authentic sichuan food. Recommended the cumin pork ribs, gold sand prawn, chong qing chicken and the eggplant. We didn't order the chong qing chicken today and change to kung pao chicken as a friend can't eat too spicy. And it is pretty good too.
KEN
Excellent food. Genuine Sichaun-style. The chilli is unashamedly over-the-top like how it's suppose to be. I've had great experiences here and will definitely return
Stuart K
Been a few times. The food is the star here. Not shy and not western style Chinese. Gets busy so reservations are recommended, provided the phone gets answered. Last 3 chili dish i had didn't quite kick as hard as thought it would but it's still a go to for me.
TonkleChicken
Perfect for a hot fix. A massive range of unique and probably fairly authentic spicy dishes. Mostly quite hot, but a few choices for those who may like it mild. <br/><br/>Having said that, this IS a place to explore the levels of your tolerance. <br/><br/>Massive servings, (each single main feeds 2 to 3) so be careful not to over order, however you can take home your left overs. <br/><br/>I loved all of it.
ThePrestonProwler
This place hits you with a broad menu, with massive photos. Then the meals come out looking just like the photos. So great start and the food tastes pretty good. However the quality is not quite there. Eg beef a bit chewy. Service is ok.
Kimmy_desu
It still tastes yummy as ever. If you are looking for authentic Sichuan food in the CBD this is the place to be. Service is just meh, the kind you always get at Chinese restaurants, but at least they try. BYO wine only and corkage is $3 per person, which is reasonable enough in Chinatown. At less than $25 per person you can stuff yourselves to the brim, highly recommend the spicy Chongqing fried chicken and cumin pork ribs, and if you like some oily soupy stuff then the spicy fish pot.
Gaurav09005
Not much options for vegans....<br/>But cold noddles were quite a different and unique experience....<br/>We can try it once more....<br/>Average ambience....<br/>But service was fast....
Slick Chef Extraordinaire. Gangster Of Food.
If I could give the Sichuan House a 10 star rating, I would! Fucking insanely great food! My favorite restaurant to go to when visiting Melbourne!
Kimky
Came here with a friend. Ordered their cumin pork rib, prawns and fish favoured eggplant. The eggplant is crispy on the outside and moist inside. They were all spicy, favoursome and delicious. Portion size are huge, as we can't finish them and have to pack them home. It is a bit expensive.
Justin
By far the most authentic and delicious si chuan experience in Australia. The serving sizes are very generous and the food very tasty. You can't go past the cumin ribs, prawn balls and eggplant. I make a trip to this restaurant at least once a fortnight!
FoodHedonist
We were a group of 5, rocked up on a Friday night prime time, without reservation. Got a table within 10 mins but for smaller groups or 2 people it was easier to get a table. The place was buzzing but not crowded, better ambience than most Chinese places. It is BYO too which is great.<br/><br/>We ordered cumin pork ribs, golden prawns and veggies, xing lao dumplings and cold noodles. All were absolutely delicious and good quantity. Flavoursome and not too spicy. Cold noodles was the spiciest dish but everyone loved it. We got a second serving of those.<br/><br/>This seems like a Chinese restaurant to frequent when you crave really good food and can't risk experimenting a new place.
Ellen Silvia Oetomo
One of the best sichuan resto in Melbourne. The food is so yummy. Gppd place for you to dine with family and friends. Love one of the pork menu (forgot the name) and the fish soup. I never like sichuan food, but this restaurant make me love to eat sichuan cuisine.
Hania Trzaskowski
I still cry when I think of the time I went there for those cumin ribs. I literally have dreamt about them at night, wondering when I can have them again. The service may be mixed, and looking at other reviews, so may be the food. So I've started researching on how to make it myself but it's just never the same. <br/>I'll be heading back soon to check if it's still food from the spicy gods. Watch this space, but hopefully my opinion won't change :-)
Michael Wilson
As a regular of Sichuan House, I loved that it stood out from the many new Sichuan Restaurants opening in and around China Town, with its extra spicy dishes with tons of punch of flavours, and very generous portion sizes as well. On any Friday night without a booking, you would almost always have to wait for a table. Last Friday, my wife and I visited with some friends whom were keen to see what all the fuss was about, and we left quite disappointed.<br/><br/>Their signature dish - "Cumin Pork Ribs" had half the heat and half the spices of any previous serving we had of this dish. For a newcomer, it would still be a "nice dish", but for anyone whom has experienced it before, it was lacklustre and dull. It, and the other dishes we tried were also at least 30% smaller than the previous times we had come, and also lacked punch. It was heartbreaking to see that Sichuan House has truly lost its WOW factor that made it stand out from the rest of their competitors. The many empty seats we saw at 8pm, and the lack of seeing the previous owner / manager rushing around seems to hint that they are potentially under new ownership.<br/><br/>Don't get me wrong, our meals were ‘ok’ and our guests did not complain. However that smack in your face flavour hit, with beads of sweat on the brow were glaringly absent from this visit, which will probably be our last unless they return back to what made them the undisputed king of Sichuan in Melbourne's China Town.
Nick W
My favorite chinese restaurant in melbourne! The pork ribs is definitely one of my favourite dishes. A must visit for those craving good ol sichuan cuisine.
Joy
I always love coming here with a big group of friends, and the dishes are always fail safe as they appeal to a range of tastes (as in, even people who don't think they like Sichuan food, or who have never had it, will enjoy food here!). Their eggplant is amazing, somehow super crispy on the outside and also covered in a sweet and spicy sauce. <br/><br/>You must also order their cold Sichuan noodles. Everyone on our table loved it and we had to order a second serving xx
ReadySteadyEat
I loved the Sichuan house. Didn't find it as spicy as I had hoped (although I love chilli), but very good quality food! Really nice place eat at with friends, especially if they like spice! I'm definitely coming back!
Michelle
Came here a 2nd time for dinner and felt that the service was very poor. Waitress forgot about our order until we noticed that tables served later than us were getting their food earlier. The excuse she gave was that it was a very busy night. Not true. Shortly after, the cold chicken dish came out and it was still caked up and too cold. The eggplant dish and fish in pickled soup however were tasty. Probably won't be back here for awhile
TarnishedPath
The Cummin Pork. I love it. So numnumnum. The spicy braised beef was also very nice as was the Sichuan Mongbean Jelly Noodles. But the Cummin Pork is definitely my favourite, a must get when I come here.
Y Foodie
Must come in group of 4 or more, so you get to eat more different varieties. Favorites are the cumin pork rib and egg plant. Definitely worth a try. Negative is if you have kids, maybe let them have something to eat 1st. There is very limited choice of non spicy food.
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