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Chilli Garden
- Nearest Transit:
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37 Riverside Ave @ Medford Sq (101, 134, 326, 94, 95, 96)
Salem St Opp River St (101, 134, 326, 354, 355, 94, 95, 96)
City Hall Mall @ Salem St - Medford City Hall (101, 354, 355, 95)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Among our favorite dishes are: Crab Rangoon, Peking Ravioli, Pad Thai, Red Curry and California Maki. Treat yourself to a wide range of Chinese and… read more »
67 reviews for Chilli Garden
Review Highlights
"Dan dan noodles here are highly addictive."
(in 11 reviews)
"This place does Sichuan food."
(in 9 reviews)
"...a treat - the House Special Chicken with peppercorns is..."
(in 3 reviews)
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67 reviews in English
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Review from Jason M.
2/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
There really is no reason for me to review this other than to give the place five stars.
We went to celebrate Chinese New Year... and there is no better way to kick off a New Year.
First... let's get this out of the way. Nothing about Chilli Garden is sexy. It's kind of run down and dated. Plus, its in Medford. If anything drains the sex factor out of a restaurant, its Medford.
But then, you get to the food.
Our friend ordered everything for us in Mandarin... so I can't really tell you what we had to eat other than it was all szechuan. If you don't order the szechuan food, you're missing out.
So... there was some sort of green vegetable thing slathered in garlic and oil... with a lovely heat that was sweet and smoky. There was some sort of meat thing that had the most wonderful spice. There was some sort of other meat thing that we all happily ate.
OH OH OH!
The boyfriend ordered twice cooked beef. Super delicious.
As a closer, they have the best fortune cookies.
Here was my fortune: "Enjoyed the meal? Buy one to go, too."
Here was Eric's fortune: "Your lucky SAT answers are: a, c, d, a, b, b, c" -
Review from Kristin A.
Arlington, MA
11/13/2011
Chilli Garden's specialty is Szechuan style and the customer base is mostly Chinese.
The chili peppers that they overnight from China via Fedex are absolutely addictive!! Plus, Chilli Garden offers brown rice.
Here's what I recommend:
Spicy cold noodle appetizer - UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS!! OMG!!!
Bamboo shoots with chili sauce appetizer
Szechuan style green beans
Chicken with sour mustard and peppers
Sesame rice dumpling dessert - DO NOT MISS!! They look like avant garde eye balls. Fun for the whole family.
The dining room decor is extremely casual and low budget, but it is very clean and comfortable. Don't let DIY expressionist paintings on the wall distract you too much from the food.
I would give this restaurant a perfect five stars, except they've recently added two flat screen TVs and this has made things a bit confusing... I can never decide if I should sit facing CNN or FOX News! -
Review from Edward C.
Medford, MA
10/22/2011
My credentials: Taiwanese Tufts student from the Bay Area without a lot of money. Spent three months in Beijing, China and Taiwan.
After a long Friday evening of working, me and two friends had a hankering for Chinese food. I'm still a student at Tufts, so I really wanted to go big, get a lot of food and go cheap. Chilli Garden eventually won out over a Taiwanese student event of $5 for unlimited do-it-yourself dumplings. My friend won me over with the argument that this was one of the best authentic Chinese restaurants around the area. I was skeptical coming from the Bay Area (where all the good Chinese food is), but I decided to go anyways.
breakdown of my dining experience:
We arrived at around 9PM and the restaurant was absolutely deserted.
We went ahead to order a soup, dan-dan noodles, lamb, double cooked beef, rice. mapu tofu.
The dan-dan noodles were tasty and lightly flavored
The lamb/mutton was absolutely amazing - correctly seasoned and served over white cabbage. I was in Beijing for three months, so I know how lamb should be cooked and this meat was definitely better cooked than that of Chinese restaurants/street vendors.
The Twice Cooked Beef was nice and tender without a lot of oil. The bell peppers nicely complimented the dish.
Ma Po Tofu - I'm a little conflicted. On one hand, it had the right amount of oil content. But, it wasn't spicy enough and/or had too much salt.
cleanliness - dishes and tables were well organized, but there a few flies that flew around our dishes which was VERY annoying.
BOTTOM LINE:
* Eat from the Sichuan Menu
* This restaurant has authentic Sichuan food, that will satisfy your desire for Chinese food. This is NOT Kee Kar Lau's/shitty Chinese food. This food makes me reminisce of China
*Great place to eat if you have $$ -
Review from Laurel C.
Burlington, MA
1/31/2012
Got take out for the first time and think they must be either very good or awful, with not much in-between. The dan dan noodles were amazing, very spicy, but that is to be expected. The house chicken with dry pepper is both pricey ($12.95) and disgusting. Dark meat, gristly chicken a la General Gau's chicken, not at all like the more authentic versions and quality versions I've had elsewhere. Not sure I'd go back. Although good, the dan dan noodles are pricey and there are other equal version to be had locally. Nice girl at the counter, though.
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Review from Elizabeth P.
Medford, MA
9/23/2011
We had dinner at Chilli Garden a couple of weeks ago, and overall, the experience was solidly good. The food seemed authentic, particularly if you ordered from the Szechun side of the menu, and was pretty tasty. We started out by splitting an order of the Szechun pork dumplings, which were by far my favorite thing of the night. The sauce had a bit of a zip to it, but wasn't too spicy, and the chew of the meat and exterior of the dumpling worked perfectly together. If I end up coming back, I'm definitely going to be ordering them again!
For our entrees, we went with two options from the Szechun part of the menu: the wild drumstick mushroom with pork and the chicken and peppers. I wasn't a big fan of the mushroom and pork dish initially--it seemed kind of bland, although I loved the texture that the mushrooms had. When we broke into our leftovers a couple of days later; however, the entree was much improved. The chicken and peppers entree had a nice kick to it, as I'd hoped for, although I'm not sure I'd order it again. It was a bit simpler than I expected it to be: literally just strips of chicken and strips of a moderately spicy green pepper stir-fried together.
That brings me to one of my complaints about Chilli Garden... they could really use more of a description on the menu of the dishes they're serving. As someone originally from an area where Chinese-American restaurants are the be-all-end-all of Chinese cuisine, I found the menu difficult to navigate and wished I'd had some more information about what I was ordering. Modifying the menu or having a staff that is more helpful (our waitress paid us little attention and seemed more interested in the TV) would definitely help.
I'm not sure how frequently I'll be coming back to Chilli Garden, what with all the other options in the area, but it's definitely worth a try if you're in the area. -
Review from Kana O.
Medford, MA
Updated - 8/1/2011
Noooooo...! what happened to Chilli Garden!?
We've eaten here for years, but something's changed recently... did they get a new chef? The last time we ordered Ma Po Tofu it actually made our tongues numb (not from the spiciness, but from some ingredient that I couldn't quite figure out), and it also lacked flavor.. The double cooked pork belly used to be a plate full of tender pork and yummy veggies but now it had turned into burnt bacon and mushy veggies. This is too disappointing... :(1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/31/2010
I've finally found a Szechuan restaurant in MA that is truly authentic! Like others have mentioned,… Read more »
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Review from Margaret W.
Medford, MA
Updated - 7/31/2011
People, if you're hankering for "Americanized Chinese food", as one reviewer put it here, don't bother coming to Chilli Garden. I'm disheartened that they've received so many low marks based on their non-Sichuan menu. I suppose it's fair in a sense, but if a restaurant is known for its smokin' Sichuan fare, you pick from the *other* side of the menu and you're disappointed, I don't know to tell you. What part of "DON'T ORDER FROM THAT SIDE OF THE MENU" do you not understand?
I've been going to CG for a number of years now, and what I can say is that the food quality varies -- sometimes the special chicken with dry pepper is amazing and sometimes it's just dry -- but even the OK Sichuan here is pretty good. I have a new favorite -- twice-cooked Tilapia. And I don't even like fish!! : ) Truly melt in your mouth perfection.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/26/2006
Chilli Garden cooks some of the best Szechuan food in the Boston area! I could live on the spicy… Read more »
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Review from Amanda H.
Briarcliff Manor, NY
9/25/2011
My grandma was born & raised in Sichuan, and I grew up eating her food (actually, she still cook for my family everyday lol). TRUST ME, in Boston, Chili Garden is one of the most authentic Sichuan you will find!
In response to Kana O.'s review, Ma Po Tofu has to numb your tongue. "Ma" means "numbing"! Otherwise it would just be called...stir-fried Tofu. A signature part of Sichuan cuisine is the peppercorn, which numbs your tongue. I actually stopped ordering the Mapo tofu after one try because i didn't find it numbing or spicy enough, plus it was filled with corn starch....
In college, this was my default restaurant to order from during finals, stress-week, etc. The Lazi Jiding and Dan Dan Mian are both really good! Enjoy =). -
Review from M Z.
Newton, MA
11/25/2011
If you are Sichuan people() or love Sichuan food, Do not waste your money and time to go there.Their chef is not Sichuan people and do not know how to cook sichuan food, he is fujian people(even he worked the sichuan resturant for few years. It's like letting Indian people cook trandition Italian food. the taste is total not Sichuan and horrible. I am Sichuan people. I won't go there again, and highly recommend you do not go there.
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Review from Celia L.
Medford, MA
11/21/2011
One of our favorite restaurants. The Sczechuan menu is excellent and very spicy. Our favorites are the Dan Dan noodles, Spicy Szechuan dumplings, spicy bamboo sprouts, Three pepper chicken, and Szechuan string beans. They also have standard dishes like sesame chicken and orange beef that the our kids like. Their dishes are sometimes salty, but the authentic Szechuan dishes are worthwhile.
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Review from Julia F.
11/23/2010
I found this menu in our dining room. We've had only so-so delivery experienced from other Chinese places in the area, so I crossed my fingers and placed a call.
I was dying to have pan fried noodles with tofu and vegetables. It has been my all time favorite dish to get at Chinese restaurants dating back to the late 80's-early 90's. And by that, I mean it was the only thing I would eat.
My boyfriend likes General Tso's chicken, so I got that for him, with a side of rice. And just for kicks- some fried pork dumplings. Cause it's been a tiring week, I needed some comfort foods!
I called at around 5:45- the wait time for delivery was "40 mins" - 6:37.... Still not here! Que lastima! I'm hungry peoples! I had already made pie crusts, done laundry, showered and cleaned the house a bit. Now it's chow time- but still no food?!
Once it finally got here... I completely forgot how long it took in coming! It was exactly what we wanted! Which is a rare thing around these parts where delivery is concerned.
I will definitely go and pick it up next time. So it can be warmer and faster. I want to try dundun noodles and a few other things now that I know it's good food! I wished there were fewer mushrooms and more tofu in my dish- but as I sat with a very full stomach, I decided this was our new take out Chinese joint. It's a but pricey, but sometimes that's what it takes for something that tastes THAT good. -
Review from Smar T.
Medford, MA
2/14/2011
I'm not an expert about chinese food, and don't really know the difference between sichuan cuisine and other (americanized?) chinese food. I'd read the reviews that its great sichuan and foolishly extrapolated that all of their offerings would be good.
There were four of us so we ordered an assortment. 4 entrees and 2 apps, and it came to $63 without tip. The steamed dumplings were waaaay too doughy with very little filling, the veg in our entrees was overcooked (except for the bok choy which was far too plentiful). The flavors in most everything we got were bland and dishes needed added soy sauce. And sadly, we couldn't doctor it with yummy spicy mustard bc no sauces whatsoever came with our delivery.
I know chinese is really subjective. We used to live in Arlington and LOVED Tiki In, which has seriously mixed reviews on Yelp. But there the meats were never gristly, there was always lots of fresh, crisply cooked veg in everything, and it was really reasonably priced. Even before we get to a discussion of subjective tastes (like too much or too little soy sauce) Chilli Garden loses...
So I guess its back to the drawing board until we find something that suits our (albeit subjective) tastes. Or until I learn which of CG's dishes are sichuan and try those. -
Review from Q S.
Somerville, MA
11/13/2010
Really great Sichuan food. I haven't had anything else in Boston that is as authentic.
We got the green bean cold noodles in chili sauce, which was a great appetizer. I also enjoyed the double cooked tilapia.
Will return soon to try other dishes! -
Review from DJ N.
San Francisco, CA
10/17/2010
The worst Chinese food experience I've had in a long time.
Basically, the quality of the meats was poor, the quantity of the food was low and the price was very high.
We ordered take out after reading good reviews about this place on Yelp. Sadly, this was one of the more disappointing food experiences I've had in a long time.
Not only was the food taste and quality bad, but we barely had enough food because the togo containers were barely half filled. Really??? You couldn't spare a little more of that nasty fatty dark meat chicken you use in the Kung Pao Chicken dish?? Odd....
3 entrees (a beef, chicken and shrimp dish), one fried rice, and a beef teriyaki (only 4 thin dry pieces for $8) - a total of $50+ (without tip).
The fact that the server made me feel bad about asking for duck sauce and chili sauce was sad. When I brought the food home I was so disturbed by the quantity that I had to call immediately to voice my concern. The server told me he would talk to the manager and call me back. Unfortunately, the manager never called us back. The server did, only to tell us that the manager would comp us for the beef teriyaki the next time we went to Chilli Garden. Are you kidding??
WE WILL NEVER GO BACK
Horrible Food.
Horrible Service.
Horrible Management.
Over Priced.
What else do you need to know about Chili Garden?? -
Review from Bobby C.
5/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Place is ok. It is more of a family owned business with one person in the kitchen cooking and someone being the hostess/waiting tables/cashier. Food is inexpensive and served quickly. Our glasses water were filled regularly. We definitely needed it with the spicy foods. There is a parking lot behind the building in case you plan to visit this establishment and not from the area.
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Review from Kristin S.
Medford, MA
5/18/2010
I had a horrible dinner the night before from China Delight in Somerville, so I was still craving Chinese food. I ordered the spring rolls, crab rangoon, and bean curd homestyle. The spring rolls and crab rangoon were very good, and the bean curd was decent; very bland. However, compared to my food the previous night, it made me very happy, and it satisfied the Chinese food craving I had been experiencing.
My biggest issue was the delivery; it took over an hour for my food to arrive, and it was not hot. I would give this place another chance. -
Review from JC F.
Medford, MA
5/18/2010
First off - I am a very picky "Yelper", and it is mind-blowing that Chilli Garden is rated as low as it is.
Chilli Garden is some of the best delivery Chinese I've had in a long time. Their Americanized items are quite good, fresh, and tasty - despite what others may say. Their chicken wings are crispy and huge. Not like any other wings you've had. The beef and chicken teriyaki are also not what you'd expect; they are not rubbery or dull. In fact, they burst with a smoky/grilled flavor and are as close an actual 'steak' or 'chicken breast' as you can get from an app. An absolute-must is the spicy Szechuan dumplings - they are definitely hot, but full of flavor.
Their entrees are also very good. One disappointment was the Kung Pow chicken. Being a Sczechuan specialist, I expected a lot better. Their other Szechuan entrees are good, with spicy beef & vegetables being one of my favorites.
I have since moved away from Medford, but I haven't found a place with as many good options as Chilli Garden. Savor it while you can! -
Review from Lily S.
8/23/2010
Sliced beef tendon with chili sauce,Ma Po Tofu with meat,Dandan noodle with minced pork,Eggplant with garlic / soy sauce. and their salty crispy pork were amazing. Alot of their dishes are spicy, be sure to ask before ordering. Even their non-spicy dishes were pretty good.
I heart this place! Their service was up to par even if we did go an hour close to closing time. -
Review from Emily F.
Medford, MA
10/18/2011
I love trying new foods here! One of the most authentic chinese restuarants ive been to, and way better than the american stuff! i normally dont even like chinese food, but i love this place!
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Review from Matthew A.
Salem, NH
10/17/2008
Simpley authentic and fastastic Chinese food.
This place reminded me of Zoe's Chinese but a hell of a lot nicer.
They also appear to specialsize in Sczhwan spicy which I love.
The Dan Dan Noodles are spicey and so good. The spicy pork dumplings and chicken with cucumber was delish.
Mango fried rice had fresh mango.
I hoep to come back soon and try more off the menu.
This is NOT a BYOB restaurant. They do offer beer and wine. -
Review from Michael M.
Back Bay, Boston, MA
8/25/2010
After reading the reviews on here I realize this is the spot to come to for something authentic. If you are in the mood for good ol' Americanized-Chinese food though, avoid this place.
You come to expect things to be a certain way after years of eating them. You typically know what to expect when you order crab rangoons, or chicken fingers, etc... from a Chinese restaurant. All of their items were 'off'. The hot and sour soup was insanely oily and spicy and the dumplings were undercooked and flavorless.
Maybe I will try their more authentic stuff one day, but I'll never order from here again when I have a hankerin' for good ol' Americanized-Chinese food.
Note: The delivery took about an hour and thirty minutes as well. Way too long! -
Review from mary d.
Cambridge, MA
7/19/2010
Overall a pretty good experience, though I'm a little bit confused about part of my order -- will get to that though.
Went to foodler looking for desserts, got Chinese instead. The dangers of foodler. We decided to heed the advice of the Almighty Yelp Consensus and stick with Sichuan dishes, ordering the Sichuan-style Pork Dumplings, the DanDan noodles with minced pork, Wonton Soup with Chili Sauce and Vinegar, Country Style fried rice, and Sweet Sesame Dumplings for dessert.
Everything arrived (via delivery) hot, which was nice. (Related note: if you're choosing one of the coupons at foodler, make sure that it's applied! I thought we'd be getting the 'free cold sichuan noodles' with our order, but when all of the cartons were piping hot realized that for some reason the coupon hadn't been tacked on at the end of our order process after all).
The country-style fried rice (veggies and sausage) was pretty much the stuff you've come to expect if you've ordered this from other places -- lightly fried, more sweet and savory than oily.
The Sichuan style dumplings smelled divine! Garlic and chili, soy sauce and sesame. The dark sauce they were soaking in made me sort of nervous (and I love spicy food) -- it just had that vague air of 'I will melt your face directly off of the bone' to it. Don't be afraid! It's pleasantly hot but my lips aren't falling off, so fans of spicy food probably don't have to worry.
The DanDan noodles didn't look as dangerous -- they sort of looked like a spaghetti bolognese that somebody had skimped on the sauce of -- but were in actuality a lot hotter. Hot enough to make your mouth blush, your throat tingle, and your nose run, people! Spicy-food fans, endorphin addicts, and veterans won't have any trouble finishing the bowl, but people who hesitate when they see little red peppers on menus should really give this one a pass. They had that 'quick and dirty Chinese fast food' thing going on. I can see them getting pretty addictive.
The confusing item on my list is -- I can only assume -- my order of sesame dumplings. I think this is just a case of 'clueless American is insufficiently familiar with regional cuisine', but just a heads-up for the gringa-gaijins out there like me: What I received was a container filled with liquid that I would have difficulty describing, in which were floating lots of tiny black specs, and three white balls. When punctured, they were filled with a lot of greenish black stuff. I have to assume that this is the dessert we ordered, but didn't find it appetizing -- no fault of the dish's, likely!
If the rest of their offerings are as consistently good as what I had tonight, then Chilli Garden can definitely go into my splurge-delivery rotation. -
Review from Shannon M.
Medford, MA
5/19/2011 3 photos
YUM YUM YUM. A bit salty, but deeee-lish! I decided to play it safe and ordered top rated items from Foodler - the spicy dumplings, sichuan beef and leek and Taiwan style noodles. I posted pics. I ate the leftovers for 2 days. Will definitely order again. I don't know what else to tell you except I was thrilled with what I ordered and the food was super fast (less than 30 mins on a weekday around 4).
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Review from Boston A.
Boston, MA
9/28/2010
Once our favorite for Szechuan.
Lately food nothing to dwell on,
but bill still gargantuan. -
Review from Lauren L.
Boston, MA
3/29/2010
Their Americanized Chinese food section is nothing to write home about, fairly standard delivery fare, but it was the 'authentic' Sichuan section of the menu that interested me.
After reading some pretty positive reviews here for their Sichuan style food, I was pretty pumped for some good food. I ordered the green pepper beef, the twice cooked pork, and the dan dan noodles. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with any of the dishes and don't think I'll be ordering from them again.
Dan Dan noodles: noodles with ground pork and chili peppers swimming in a pool of red oil. I was expecting more flavor from this, but all I could taste was chili oil. Pure spiciness =/= flavor in my book. I can handle my spice, but I don't like it when I can't taste anything but chili oil. There was no flavor complexity and the pork was nothing more than texture variation.
Green pepper with beef: This was thinly sliced strips of beef stirfried with sliced green chili peppers (not bell peppers). The sauce was tasty enough (a bit reminiscent of the Americanized beef and broccoli sauce), and the chili peppers packed a decent amount of heat, but the beef pieces were really tough and chewy.
Twice cooked pork: This was the only dish with a decent amount of flavor. The pork slices were fatty and well cooked with a black bean sauce, but the dish was way, way too salty. For every bite of thinly sliced pork I had to pile on the white rice to balance it out.
On top of the pure spiciness, tough beef, and oversalted pork, I had a raging MSG headache a few hours later. This wouldn't be my pick for Sichuan style food, I'd recommend Old Sichuan/Szechuan out in Bellerica and Lexington for flavorful and authentic Sichuanese food. -
Review from cameron t.
Virginia Beach, VA
1/28/2008
After reading all the previous reviews I was scared to eat here. Food poisoning is not fun and I didn't want to take any chances. Luckily, no one got sick. YAY!
Ok, so we ordered take out. We had Dan Dan noodles, the House special chicken, sauteed bok choy, and shredded beef with dried tofu. The only thing that was spicy was the Dan Dan noodles. They were very spicy, but lacked any other flavors. The shredded beef had no bean curd in it. We thought maybe they gave us the wrong dish. Overall, I was very disappointed in the meal. The chicken was good but didn't think it was spicy at all. Everything except for the bok choy was very dry. I had to drink a few gallons of water after my meal.
Disclaimer:
Ok, so I am overly critical when it comes to Chinese restaurants. I know! I'm Chinese, and come from a big family with more than a few chefs. I also used to live in NY & LA, and the chinese food there is a lot better than Boston. I was also born in Hong Kong, so I'm sure that doesn't help either.
If I was not Chinese, came from lets say....Texas, Nebraska, or Oklahoma, had never eaten "real" Chinese in my life, then I would give this place 4 stars. -
Review from a l.
Newton Center, MA
3/27/2007
I love this restaurant. Their cold noodle dish is one of my favorite all-time dishes in Boston! Tangy, spicy, VERY garlicy. The szechuan peppers makes my eyes water, my nose run, and my mouth tingle!
I've tried a bunch of their other dishes, including the cold wontons (excellent), the chili bamboo, the aromatic duck. The small dishes are are very much worth the price (5-7$ typically). I've had mixed experiences with the various entrees, but this might be secondary to my own lack of tolerance of extremely spicy foods (i.e., the whole fish, the kung pao chicken unless taken a notch down).
Recently, I went with a group of 6- got 3 appetizers and 5 entrees. Total was about 15 dollars per person. That really can't be beat! Especially since you leave the restaurant stuffed and without the faintly greasy feeling you can get at other Chinese restaurants. (No offense, I'm Chinese and love the food, but you probably know what I mean...)
P.S., I voted yes to good for kids. Unless I'm there, and may fill one's ears with expletives and explicit body part references...Ooops! Sorry to anyone out there who has been offended. Also apologies to the one kid my husband knocked over.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Jay B.
Arlington, MA
11/22/2008
This is the stuff of dreams and legends. The menu is based on Sichuan cooking - and everything on that side of the menu is amazing. The traditional side features your usual stuff and it's okay but the sichuan is where it's at. We always order the Dan Dan Noodles, Garlic and Sichuan pepper dumplings, Aromatic Pork Ribs with Bamboo Shoots, and Salty Crispy Pork Tenderloin.
Then each time we sample out 1 more dish. We've tried just about all the new dishes on the sichuan menu - and we can safely say - best chinese food in Boston. If you want a treat - the House Special Chicken with peppercorns is amazing. The big thing to remember is this stuff is HOT. So anything with 2-3 peppers is going to require some drink to keep on top of the temperature.
Just writing this - my mouth is watering. -
Review from Andrew H.
Cambridge, MA
8/25/2010
If you have ever been to China, traveled and eaten extensively (the non-tourist 'eating') and you enjoyed the food, this place will bring back great memories. I've never found any place in the US that evoked the memories of the food from when I was there as a student.
First good sign - they speak Mandarin, not Cantonese. If you used to speak it, you'll have fun just listening.
Second good sign, there are little dried red hot pepper in almost everything.
Third good sign - the second half the menu is the 'Chinese' section. This is all authentic stuff. I had the cold Sichuan noodles (cleared my sinuses out), the bok choy with garlic (just as a I remembered it from 10 years ago), Kung Pao chicken, and Ma Po Tofu. All of it was great! I look forward to going back.
Fourth good sign - it's mostly Chinese people walking through the door.
One note, if you're looking for peking ravioli, boneless spareribs, and crab rangoons, this place is definitely not for you. They don't really eat any of that stuff in China and therefore don't have it at this restaurant.
If I were to detract any points, it would be that they had one server for all the tables and he was a bit overworked. Didn't really affect our experience though. -
Review from Melissa A.
Medford, MA
4/11/2008
Chilli Garden is a local favorite of mine in Medford. I've been going there for the past 6 years and have been pleased every time.
If you're looking for tasty, fresh, healthy, and cost-effective Chinese food, then this is the place for you!
I don't do spicy food, so I can't attest to the Sichuan dishes. However, some of the non-Spicy dishes that I recommend include: crab rangoons, wonton soup, chicken w/ string beans/asparagus, crispy sesame beef, and the Ma Pa Tofu w/ meat.
I've also noticed that the majority of the customers there are Chinese, which says a lot about the authenticity of the food.
Lastly, on an unrelated topic, I rather enjoy their selection of old school R&B tunes that they play. I'm guessing it's a cd since it's the same music every time. I'm almost positive they're jamming to the likes of The Stylistics and Roberta Flack. -
Review from Maggie W.
Cambridge, MA
7/18/2007
This was my all time favorite Asian food until I ate at Anise (their sister restaurant in Kendall Sq.) and then this week at Blue Orchid in, of all places, Westwood.
The menu is interesting, and has a mix of wonderful and spicy flavors. I do not really love their Chinese selections, but the Szechuan menu is nothing short of amazing and delicious!
The dining room lacks ambiance, and I think they still have BYOB - so, they do a large take-out business. They also deliver - which if you are in the vicinity, is a big bonus!
I typically get the wantons in vinegar (which is really wantons floating in this wonderful hot peanut sauce - so, the name throws you off...) and a spicy shrimp dish that will really blow you away. Everything I have tasted on the Szechuan menu has been delicious - I highly recommend...and go whenever I am near Medford. -
Review from Susan D.
Burlington, MA
2/4/2010
As far as Szechuan food goes, this place does great authentic food. First off, I never could have found the restaurant without my husband's great eyes because the name of the restaurant overhead is in Chinese characters and lower on the windows is where they write Chilli Garden.
For those seeking American-style chinese food, I have no idea about their boneless spareribs, chicken fingers, or crab ewwgoons. I don't eat fake food.
I digress. I tried the dan dan noodles, which are white thin noodles with a beefy broth on the bottom and minced meat on top. This was very favorful, but maybe alittle too salty for me. At first, you don't think that it is that spicy until a moment later your tongue is rather numb, but in a good way.
Next the pork/cabbage dumplings appetizer was delicious! It is swimming in a sweet and deceptively spicy oil broth.
Then, we tried the most amazing eggplant with garlic sauce.... so soft and delicious sauce. The pork with bamboo was great. The bamboo are the real thing and not found in a can. It's like baby bamboo that has been hand torn. Perfection! We mixed everything in with brown rice and had much leftover! -
Review from Melissa M.
Medford, MA
8/25/2010
Stick with their Szechuan cuisine and don't do what I did and get the Pu Pu Platter delivered to your house on a cold and rainy summer night. The Pu Pu was poo poo. The rice was dry, the beef teriyaki was dry, the boneless spareribs, dry. Yeah. My fiance's twice cooked pork was good, as well as the Szechuan green beans. Sadly, his white rice was not in the bag though it was on the receipt. I dined at this place last winter and it was good. So, I'm sticking with two stars, I've definitely had better. If you find yourself here or with a delivery menu at home on a cold and rainy night when you are STARVING, do yourself a favor and order some food, but stick with the Szechuan.
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Review from Jennifer C.
Medford, MA
5/7/2010
I ordered delivery from here with one other person. We got the spring rolls, crab rangoons, white rice, brown rice, dandan noodle, general tso's and sweet and sour chicken. As for the general chinese, it was your typical chinese fair. I wasn't impressed with the sweet and sour as it didn't come with pineapple or any fruit/veggies. The general tso was good, came with broccoli, pretty standard. Spring rolls, again, standard. Crab rangoons were all right. Not the best I've had. The dandan noodle though, was very impressive. SUPER spicy hot. I will definitely be getting the Szechun food next time as that seems to be the general consensus.
The delivery service was quick and the guy was very nice. Dressed respectably was just generally nice. -
Review from Grimace M.
Cambridge, MA
12/30/2008
Several years ago, this place was recommended to me by a coworker from Sichuan as his favorite local haunt, except that he told me it was called "Spicy Garden". This translational problem led to it taking a while for me to even figure out WTF he was talking about. Even after locating it, a few years passed before I managed to sample their fare due to transportational issues, but recently it popped up on my Foodler list.
I've been working my way through the menu, and it's been consistently better than Zoe's which has been my go-to for delivery sichuan food. The best comparison that I've been to locally would be the Sichuan Gourmet in Framingham, where I've found some dishes better at one and some at the other (for instance, I have liked the noodle dishes, dumplings, water cooked beef & ma po tofu better here, I remember liking the cumin beef better at SG, etc).
I don't know how much they appreciate delivering all the way to where I am (they charge me extra due to distance), but they do it.
And for those using Foodler, at least at the time of this writing you can get a free order of the spicy cold noodles if you order more than $30 of stuff. Not only do you save $5.50 but they're delicious as well. -
Review from R. G.
Arlington, VA
6/8/2009 1 photo
Located near downtown Medford (if there is such a place), and looks like a typical American-Chinese restaurant. No atmosphere to speak of. The service is nothing exciting. (We got kicked out once, when it was nearing--note, NEARING--their closing time.)
Don't be fooled, however. The place is realy quite good as far as spicy Sichuan food goes in the Bosotn area. The kicker is, you must know the right menu items to order.
Otherwise you'll end up with some bland crap like those microwave chinese dinners advertised on late-night tv. -
Review from Mark C.
Medford, MA
2/21/2010
This restaurant tastes like "real" Sichuan food to me. I have been to several excellent Sichuan restaurants in China, including in Cheng Du, and I have been to a number of restaurants around Boston that supposedly offer Sichuan food, but none have the unique flavor like this one does.
You will find two menus at this restaurant. One is in Chinese and English, the other is in English only. The former is the one with the great Sichuan specialties. The one without English is fairly standard and reasonably competent American/Chinese food.
When this place opened some years ago, it was consistently excellent. As time has gone on, the chefs have changed from time to time, and I find it less consistently excellent; that's why I give it four stars instead of five. -
Review from ladyjane s.
Cambridge, MA
9/28/2010
Dan dan noodles here are highly addictive. Wonton soup is just OK, but the broth is very hot and wontons yummy. I'll be back for the noodles and more spicy goodness!
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Review from A C.
Andover, MA
3/1/2011
I'm glad to find a decent SiChuan restaurant around this area. I love Sichuan food! The other day I passed by it and the near by area smelled really good so I decided one day I'm going to try it out.
I was a little worried the Chinese food here would be too Chinese American. But i'm happy to find that if you are Chinese you'd be happy to go to this restaurant.
We ordered stir fry string bean, it was great, and is done with the sichuan style. The hot pepper chicken dices are a little over fried but the flavor is great. We ordered the pig ear in hot sauce as an appetizer and it was really nice also.
Can't wait to go again to try some of the famous sichuan noodle on the menu. By the way, if you love American Chinese food, this is probably the wrong restaurant to go to, the menu that has Chinese words are the better menu, authentic sichuan food. -
Review from Nicholas C.
Cambridge, MA
11/7/2010
Best Sichuan cuisine in the area. The good reviews are not hype. Order virtually anything from the Sichuan menu, and you will be pleased. If you have never had Sichuan cuisine before, prepare to be enthralled. I most recommend "sliced beef tendon with chili sauce," "Pork Tenderloin In Vinegar & Sweet Sauce ," and "Dry Diced Chicken with Green Peppers." I have found even the mild Sichuan specialties to be enjoyable. Appetizers, soups, noodles, and rice are also great quality. The American Chinese food menu is less pleasant. However, I have never ordered that much from it. Doing so is a misinterpretation of the point of this restaurant. They should honestly get rid of it, because I do not think it brings in customers. That is also likely why this restaurant does not get 5-stars from every customer. Claims that prices are high and portions small are overblown. Portions are generous, and prices usual for a Chinese restaurant.
As for service, I do not think that it is particularly rude, or inattentive. Cultural misunderstanding is the primary issue. Tip well (for online delivery orders) and be polite, and you will receive good service and food. Keep in mind that one of the servers does not have great listening comprehension in English, and be forgiving (at this moment. Of course, people get better over time in languages). Treating your servers fairly is a reasonable requirement.
