Spicy tasty Chinese cuisine. If you love spicy, you might be happy here. Toothpick lamb!! Dan Dan noodles. Sometimes there is a line outside so I will call in and order to go.

Accept no imitations! The numbing sauce will make it so you feel absolutely nothing. I ate here three days ago and I still feel numb. I watched Steel Magnolias last night, which I usually need a box of tissues to get through, but this time? Nothing! No tears. "Must be the numbing sauce" said my wife. I'm afraid I've grown numb to her opinions as well. Quite frankly, I haven't felt anything since the numbing sauce. My desire to play catch with my kid has gone entirely. And I'm becoming less enthused about my twice weekly crocheting club. Once a week is enough!! Give it a rest, Beatrice! Not all of us can just sit around crocheting and hearing you talk about your grandkids nonstop. He got an A in Science? Big whoop I could do that. Gosh, Beatrice really boils my blood. I guess the numbing sauce must be wearing off. Finally! Also, plenty of parking and the service here was excellent.

Standard sit down Sichuan place where families often go. They seem to have a perpetual line out the door, since people were waiting from the time we were sat to when we left. Came with friends and it was a good time. Sichuan food was pretty good, not the best/most authentic I've ever had. For the prices, pretty good. Kung Pao chicken - delicious with rice and fairly priced. Again with not the best I've ever had, but solid. Boiled Sliced Fish in Hot Sauce - my go-to at any Sichuan restaurant. Flavor was good, but that's where I have to stop. I really did not like the texture of the fish - it felt more cartilaginous than fish texture. I've been eating this dish since I was born and this was the first time I felt like I couldn't continue eating after the first bite. Dan dan noodles - Good flavor and nice texture to the noodles. Ground meat is at the bottom, so make sure you properly mix it. Worked great for our group order so everyone could have a little bit. Sauteed shredded potato - again, been eating this since I was a kid. Pretty good, a bit sour for my liking but the potato was crisp and every piece was evenly cooked. Great for breaking up the mala flavor between every bite. We ordered 3 bowls of white rice to eat with our meal, and they ended up giving it to us all at once in a larger pot. Generally, good flavors. I would come back with a group and avoid the boiled sliced fish in hot sauce / shui zhu yu.

They have a large menu so we got a variety of dishes to share. We got the couple's sliced beef in chili sauce, shredded pork in garlic sauce, toothpick lamb with cumin, boiled fish with green pepper sauce, and wontons in chicken broth. Needless to say, we had a lot of leftovers... All the food was good but the standout was definitely the shredded pork! It was one of the best versions I've ever had of this dish. I loved that they added chayote, which added a crunchy texture and break from the richness. Surprisingly, the wonton soup was my second favorite. The wrapper had a nice chewy texture and the soup was a nice complement to all the spices. FYI once you sit down, you use a QR code to place your order, so there's minimal interaction with the staff. With that said, they were attentive and great about filling our waters and bringing napkins.

Gave this place another chance, but this time we tried their more signature Sichuan style dishes, and I have to say I enjoyed the food much more this time around. Either my spice tolerance increased or they mellowed out their spice level but it changed for the better. I can see why their Toothpick Lamb with Cumin is so popular. It was very well seasoned and pairs well with white rice. I was very pleasantly surprised with their Boiled Fish with Green Pepper Sauce. This dish had a dominant Sichuan peppercorn flavor, which I very much enjoyed. It was very flavorful, perfectly spiced (not too spicy, but just spicy enough to make your nose run), and the fish was very tender and flaky. We also ordered their Shredded Potato (sautéed to perfection) and Mung Bean Jelly Noodle in Chili Sauce (refreshing and interesting mouth-feel). I'm glad I gave this place a second chance, would love to go back again.

Everything we ordered was delicious! Some dishes were numbing spicy but it paired well with rice! You place your order through a QR code on your phone. We ordered garlic A choy, toothpick lamb, stir fried kidney, and sautéed eggplant with spicy garlic sauce. The spiciest dish out of all was the stir fried kidney. It's the numbing kind where it grows and lingers in your mouth and doesn't go away. Would come again.

We came with friends who were familiar with the cuisine and speak Chinese. This is real Szechuan food and nothing like anything we've had before. Because of the history of that part of China, preserved food was a necessity. With that in mind, it was a little saltier and oilier than we're used to. However, that didn't diminish the experience of trying new flavors. Beware of the spice level if you are sensitive to that (not a problem for us.) The presentation and flavors were satisfying and we'll be back for more!

tl;dr don't be deterred by the painfully absent service -- you can't afford to miss the heavenly Couple's Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce or the electric Boiled Fish with Green Pepper Sauce When it comes to Sichuan cuisine in Los Angeles, there are few bigger names in the game than Chengdu Taste. The mini-chain opened in 2013 and put mala on the map, and it was among the favorites of beloved Angelino food critic Jonathan Gold. Now, Chengdu Taste boasts locations across the US -- but the original Alhambra outpost remains approachable and unpretentious. Cross your fingers for street parking on this busy, mostly industrial block of Valley. The square space is modern and compact. Immediately upon entering, a select assortment of reviews are framed to the left. Cushioned dark-wood chairs are tightly pressed up to white-clothed tables. The scarlet half-booth, the wall of colorful theater masks, and the vibrantly hued dishes each pop against an otherwise gray-shaded backdrop. Low-volume Mandarin-language music is mostly drowned out by the respectful din of chatter. Among the dishes, plenty are unambiguous hits. My favorite is the Couple's Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce: thinly shaved meat mixed with a unique combination of chili oil, black vinegar, salt, and garlic. The meat is effortlessly tender and served cold, offering a refreshing complement to Chengdu's numbingly hot dishes. The Boiled Fish with Green Pepper Sauce is also a must-try, sporting large filets of white fish and lots of crunchy bean sprouts, swimming in a light, briny broth with an electrically piquant, pickled taste (of note, the Sliced Fish with Tofu Pudding in Hot Sauce is a similar albeit less exciting version of this). The Guess Guess Shrimp has an enormous portion of crispy, shell-on shrimp swimming in a sea of addictively garlicky fries. The crunchy Cucumber Salad is sesame-forward and leaves a mild, lingering spice; the Mung Bean Jelly Noodle in Chili Sauce is sweet, sour, spicy, and chewy in each bite; the Tan Tan Noodle will be among the most flavorful in LA; and the melt-in-your-mouth Ma Po Tofu is extra rich, between the bean paste and the ground pork, and feels warm to the palate without being overwhelmingly spicy. The veggies are no slouch either. The Garlic Arden Lettuce is soft, oily, and garlicy; the Sauteed String Beans, tossed with diced meat, are rich and salty, although they could be a tad crisper. Even the Chengdu Style Fried Rice is a winner -- oily, salty, and as enjoyable as fried rice can be. Only the signature Toothpick Lamb with Cumin has been a letdown for me: the meager portion of meat is, tough, chewy, and one-dimensional. Chengdu is consistently busy for dine-in, even on slower weekday evenings, and there is always a steady stream of takeout customers. Ordering through the buggy QR-code app is admittedly a pain, and service is mostly uninvolved -- the staff only will approach the table armed with food or the check. As with most Chinese sit-down restaurants, the portions are generous, and a larger party can indulge in a wider selection of dishes. Appetizers go for about $10, while the pricier appetizers may cost upwards of $30. Expect to spend around $30 per person (after tax and tip) for a heavy feast, with a strong possibility of leftovers. I've visited all of the popular Sichuan spots around SGV, and I can safely say that Chengdu is the tastiest of the bunch -- even if service leaves something to be desired.