Chengdu Taste

I think people confuse this restaurant with another one with the same name but different locations. Because when I walked in I was surprised by the ambiance that is bright and spacious. There is no red light like I saw in the reviews. I don't know if the restaurant renovated or the photo is for a different restaurant, my experience was great here. Very good food and very friendly service, which is not very common in Chinese restaurants. Such a good experience!! I absolutely loved the food. It is not very spicy even though it's Sichuan style. I'm sure you can ask for more spicy, but standard taste is good for me. There are too many things I want on the menu, I plan to go back very soon and try other dishes.

Fabulous Szechuan! Large menu with The menu has more exotic Szechuan specialties for more adventurous types, but it also has traditional choices for those with a tamer palette.

Although we ordered a bunch of Dim Sum, Husband's Beef & String Beans came first. The Soup Dumplings were smaller than we are used to, but were very tasty We also ordered Fried Pork Dumplings, Dumplings with Chili Oil. The dumplings with the chili oil were good but probably my least favorite. My favorite starter though was the Szechuan Cucumbers. They had such a tasty, savory sauce, but were still so light and refreshing!

17 year old and I shared two main dishes as well. Everything had tons of flavor and lots of spice!

The food was okay but it didn't stand out at all. I might be a little more critical because of the great reviews this place has but I need to realize that people will like Chinese food just because of the location of a place. We ordered takeout and the crab Rangoon had a rubbery texture, the lo mein had no sauce and not much chicken. The general tso and chicken dumplings were good but average at best.

I'm a very picky eater, especially Chinese food. But I think this restaurant is pretty good for Sichuan style food, because my friend came from Chengdu and he said it was good food.

Ordered takeout from here for the first time and absolutely enjoyed the food.

We started with the pork dumpling in chili oil. The dumplings had a good ratio of the amount of filling and skin. The chili oil wasn't too spicy. There was about 6 dumplings. This was $9.95.

We ordered two entrees from the lunch special. My husband had the L22.Country Style Bean Curd and I had the L28.Ma Po Tofu w.Mince Pork. When we first received the containers, the portions looked a little small, but it was very filling. I really enjoyed the ma po tofu with mince pork. The pork pieces were small and the tofu was very fresh and smooth. It was a little spicy, but not too bad. The lunch special comes with white rice or vegetable fried rice and a side. We chose vegetable spring rolls for the side. The spring roll was very crunchy and fresh. The vegetable fried rice actually had vegetables in it, sometimes at restaurants the options are just white rice or fried rice with pork. The country style bean curd was $11.95 and the ma po tofu with mince pork was $12.95. It is a little pricy for the lunch special, but it was worth it.

I can't wait to try this restaurant in person and order additional sichuan dishes.

This place looks run down from the outside. In fact, I would have guess it was permanently closed. I am SO glad it's not.

I first came in with a large group on a Sunday. The place was absolutely empty. We decided to order a bunch of food and share. I am so glad we did! Just about every single thing I tasted was amazing. Shrimp crystal dumplings: amazing. Cold szechuan noodles: the best ever. Scallion pancake: delish. We also had a fish soup, the Chong Qing chili pepper chicken, Kung pao chicken, and a duck dish. Everything was so delicious but the chili pepper chicken was the best. It's fried and spicy but somehow light and crispy. My favorite. I came back two days later to get it again, and in addition to reordering some of the things I already tried, I tried the pickled vegetables, the garlic string beans, and a sliced duck that had ginger with onions and peppers. Everything was so, so good.

I am already figuring out how to justify going back soon. My mouth is watering just writing this review.

An easy five stars even with some pros and cons (see below), but all things considered, Chengdu Taste is well worth a visit if you like Sichuan and a must-visit if you love Sichuan. The menu is deep and interesting. At its worst, the food is very good. At its best, the food is spectacular.

Crystal Shrimp Dumpling: Clean, fresh, plump, full shrimp flavor. Simple dipping sauce lacked ginger but the dumplings had enough flavor and freshness not to need it.

Pork Wontons in Red Sesame Oil: Just know you're getting the soft wontons, more like dumplings or the wontons in wonton soup, not the fried kind. Very soft. Red sesame oil is self explanatory. No surprises, but nicely done in every regard.

Steam Shanghai Little Juicy Pork Bun: Think of these as Soup Dumplings Junior. Not that juicy, soupy, or interesting, so other dumplings options (or Dan Dan noodles) may be the way to go.

Clams in Black Bean Sauce: Small clams, but plenty of them, so no worries. Boatloads of flavor in the black bean sauce. Not as pepper-studded as in the menu photo.

Chongquing Diced Chicken with Hot Chili Peppercorn: As addictive as popcorn, this has plenty of crunch and plenty of spice, and some salt too. No sauce, but not necessary, as long as you get at least one dish with sauce to go with rice. This is a signature dish that should be a requirement on any first visit.

Fried Lamb with Cumin: Far and away my favorite dish here, this is very tender, perfectly cooked lamb, good spiciness, and strong cumin presence. Flavor galore and a very complex flavor, not just heat. It's so delicious that it's hard not to order it every time.

Braised Fish Filet and Napa Cabbage with Roast Chili: The classic dish with very tender fish, fairly spicy sauce (though tamer recently than in the past), and cooked-to-wilting cabbage to round out the fish and give some vegetables. Great over rice and great to spoon on its own.

Fish Fillet with Tofu in Chili Pepper: Poached/braised fish extremely tender, and really nice if you gravitate toward this style (like in Fish and Napa with Roast Chili), though others might think it undercooked. Flavors subtle but pleasingly effective from the surprisingly light sauce, but perked up with tasty chiles with a texture and pickly freshness similar to red hots.

Chicken with Long Horn Pepper in Black Bean Sauce: Large chunks of chicken in a classic black bean sauce, no spiciness in the sauce, but a hint of it in the peppers similar to Anaheims. Enjoyable for what it was, but for a dish labeled as "2-peppers" on the heat scale, way too mild.

Spicy Cellophane noodle with Minced Pork: Bright red, oily (it's supposed to be), and full of flavor and spice (gotta have both, and this delivered). Nice soft, crumbly texture to the pork, which appeared to be ground. Jiggly clear noodles. A hit as both a pasta and spooned as just the broth.

Singapore Mei Fun: Thin thin noodles with several proteins, including shrimp, and a yellow curry sauce. Not oversauced.

Cabbage in Griddle: Crunchy, lightly spicy, just saucy enough. A solid accompaniment dish to the proteins in other dishes.

Double Cooked Fish Fillet: Mild, flaky white fish in a very crunchy batter that still provided way more fish than batter in every bite. Heavy on the salt. A bit greasy. If you're looking for a dish with sauce, this isn't it, but definitely not lacking in flavor.

Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce: Nicely cooked pork, good meat-to-vegetable ratio (gotta have plenty of both and still not skimp on meat). A sweeter, thick-brown-sauce item more similar to what you'd find at a suburban Sichuan restaurant, but executed much better.

Hot Sour Shredded Potato: Not as sour as at other places, but pleasant flavor with subtle heat, just enough sauce to keep them lubricated, and a very nice crunch. It's the kind of dish that grows on you with every bite.

Pickled Bean with Minced Pork: A nice vegetable alternative that has meat too, and a different kind of flavor and texture from most. It's crunchy and sour in addition to being spicy. Mixes well with white rice and reheats well the next day.


Plusses:
- Food is very authentic, very well prepared, and mostly delicious.
- Convenient parking lot (a rarity in Providence).
- Clean, quiet environment with roomy seats and good lighting. No bar or noisy bar crowd.

Minuses:
- High price-to-quantity relative to other Chinese restaurants--but I say the quality justifies it.
- Spice levels are inconsistent on the same item from visit to visit.
- You are very likely to have as your server a 10-year-old child or someone who doesn't speak English.
- Service charge (3%) for using a credit card.

First timer based on "chefs recommendations"...
Pork dumpling in chili oil...DANGER! This oil is so spicy that it caused an immediate adrenergic reaction--think--tear gas (same basis-Capsaicin
Choking-loss of breath etc.) On top of that--the dumplings were mushy--average. Little juicy pork buns were very good--sauce accompanied, pathetic.
Pork dumplings-average.
Soups--Hot and Sour ...as expected. Won Ton soup--broth was dishwater,tasteless.
Shredded chicken in garlic sauce--a cold dish?? Probably good over salad?
Absolutely nothing to go back for.

First the ambiance is quite sad. Decor and interior are stuck in another era gone by.
The service was soulless and not particularly friendly.
The food was weak at best.
The hot and sour soup was ok the best thing we ate was the scallion pancake. The main dishes- kung poa chicken was meh and the other tofu dish was barely eatable.
We went there based on a couple of chefs featured in RI Monthly magazine recommendations.
Does not warrant a return.
The search for a good Chinese restaurant in RI continues!

100% worth the drive to try out this restaurant. Definitely authentic and delicious Sichuan, cheng du cuisine.
Tried a few appetizers and entrees. Service is excellent!
43. Shredded chicken with sesame chilli oil is highly recommended
Ox tongue and ox tripe with chilli oil was tasty but a little salty. Has a good texture and good portion of cilantro.
Sour and hot sweet potato noodle soup is tasty. Good balance of acidic flavors m. But could be a little more spicy.
Sweet and sour pork ribs are delicious. Authentic Shanghai style.
Pea shoot sautéed with garlic is one of the best I have had. Definitely order this again. Also the Sichuan garlic cucumber is excellent!!!
Excellent food and service. Booth seatings are comfortable and place seems clean.