9 sichuan rooms worth the trip across United States, editor-ranked. All cuisines in United States.
Han Dynasty ★ 4.7 · Philadelphia
old-city · 110 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Han Dynasty in Philadelphia is Han Chiang's Sichuan room on Chestnut, the kitchen that ranked the spice scale 1 to 10 and made the city order dan dan noodles.
Tip: Order one dish below the heat level you think you can handle. The 10 scale is honest.
Chengdu Gourmet ★ 4.6 · Pittsburgh
squirrel-hill · 5840 Forward Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Chengdu Gourmet in Squirrel Hill serves chef Wei Zhu's Sichuan cooking in Pittsburgh. A James Beard nominee with a separate, fierier Sichuan-specialties menu.
Tip: Ask for the Sichuan menu, not the standard American-Chinese one. Cash and card both fine; expect a wait at peak.
Mala Sichuan Bistro ★ 4.5 · Houston
bellaire-asiatown · 9348 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036
Mala Sichuan Bistro in Houston is the Bellaire Boulevard Sichuan room since 2011, a Michelin-recommended kitchen with serious mapo tofu, dan dan noodles.
Tip: Cold appetiser cabinet near the door has marinated beef and tendon that are the menu's quiet stars.
Han Dynasty ★ 4.5 · Philadelphia
old-city · 110 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Han Dynasty in Philadelphia is Han Chiang's Sichuan room on Chestnut in Old City, the kitchen that ranked the city's spice scale 1 to 10 and made the dan dan.
Tip: Order one dish below the heat level you think you can handle. The 10-spice scale is honest.
NiHao ★ 4.4 · Baltimore
canton · 2322 Boston Street, Baltimore, MD 21224
NiHao on Boston Street in Canton is chef Peter Chang's Baltimore room, plating Peking duck, dim sum and dumplings in a busy waterfront rowhouse.
Tip: Weekend dim sum brunch is the move; reserve, because the rowhouse seats fill fast.
Z & Y Restaurant ★ 4.4 · San Francisco
chinatown · 655 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Z & Y in San Francisco is the Chinatown Sichuan room that hosted Obama, with a benchmark dry-fried chicken and a real numbing-spice score on the page.
Tip: Ask for the dan dan noodles 'house style' to get the version the kitchen makes for itself; off the menu.
Hwa Yuan Szechuan ★ 4.3 · New York City
chinatown · 42 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Hwa Yuan on East Broadway brought Sichuan cooking to New York City Chinatown in 1968, closed in 1992, and was rebuilt by the founder's family in 2017.
Tip: The cold sesame noodles claim to be the original American version; whether or not you buy that, order them.
Mala Sichuan Bistro ★ 4.2 · Houston
bellaire-asiatown · 9348 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036
Mala Sichuan Bistro in Houston is the Bellaire Boulevard Sichuan room since 2011, with serious mapo tofu, dan dan noodles and a chilli-oil dumpling order.
Tip: Order at least one dish from the cold appetiser cabinet near the door. The marinated beef is the menu's quiet star.
Han Dynasty ★ 4.2 · New York City
east-village · 90 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Han Dynasty's East Village outpost runs Chengdu-style numbing-spicy Sichuan in New York City. The dan dan and the dry pot are the room's calibration plates.
Tip: The spice scale runs 1 to 10; the menu says 7 is hot, the kitchen means it. Start at 5.