Sichuan Pavilion
Sichuan Pavilion, 410 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD, just north of Rockville Town Centre, invisibly deep into a strip mall with “Saigon” restaurant and Revere Bank. Enter on the north side of Beall Avenue (south side of the restaurant) between North Washington Street and Hungerfod Drive, across street from Taste of Saigon and the library, about 600 feet southeast of Bob's Noodle 66. Don’t miss it! 240-403-7351, book in advance! (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | Gazette.Net | Don Rockwell | Yelp]
Wow and double wow.
Get the Dan Dan Noodles and the Jelly Noodles. Get dumplings and more dumpling-like phenomena. This is the most authentic Sichuan restaurant around and it makes Hong Kong Palace look like Burger King. I haven’t yet “cracked” the best dishes on the main menu (I did like the crispy potato but thought the Chengdu chicken only decent), but it doesn’t matter. Just choosing from the starting, first section of the menu makes this a “Top Five” restaurant. First-rate ambience and clientele as well.
Highly recommended.
Outside from Beall Street side looking north - Washington Street is to the left, Hungerford Drive is to the right
Soy beans with jelly noodles
Mmmmmmm
Beef tendon
Green beans
Fish
Chicken
Comments
Thanks for the recommendation! Have been hoping to find some good Chinese food here for a while.
Posted by: Maxwell James | October 28, 2009 11:39 AM
Glad you enjoyed Sichuan Pavilion. Bang for the buck, it is my favorite restaurant in the DC metro area. I have been to Sichuan Pavilion more than a dozen times, often with large groups. Each time it has been fantastic. The dishes are chock full of deliciousness (and are very, very spicy), while being far less greasy than usual for fully-spiced Sichuan. Sichuan Pavilion is in a totally different league than Hong Kong Palace, which I found uninspiring.
Next time you go to Sichuan Pavilion, I recommend ordering off the last page of the menu. It does not appear to be available online. The Dry Chicken with Hot Peppers is fantastic, with a ratio of 65% hot pepper to 35% chicken. The braised (or maybe "boiled") beef with hot pepper is astonishingly flavorful. The string beans are perfect, as is the Ma Po Tofu (both with and without pork). The bok choy with black mushrooms are a great respite from the heat, as is the salt and pepper shrimp, which is crispy and delicious but not at all greasy.
The only things I would avoid are the egg drop soup, which is just average on a menu otherwise full of superlatives, and the vegetarian goose, which tastes like an ashtray. (It's probably an acquired taste, but I'll pass on acquiring it.) Everything else I have eaten I would order again (and again).
Now I'm getting hungry. I may have to grab lunch there tomorrow ....
Posted by: Z Tripp | November 10, 2009 11:38 PM
It sounds like this is related to the restaurant with the same name at 18th and K NW in DC. Everything I've had there has been good or excellent, with special mention for the Ma Po Tofu and the DanDan Mien.
Posted by: Aron | December 1, 2009 11:28 AM
Went there on Friday afternoon (12/11) after reading this entry. Was every bit as fantastic as described; easily the best Chinese menu in the area. Thanks for the tip.
Posted by: asg | December 13, 2009 01:35 AM
Went there for the first time today for lunch. Fantastic food, excellent and friendly service. We had the Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce, Pork with Pickled Cabbage, Beef with Bitter Melon and Dan Dan Noodles. Outrageously good food and outrageously reasonable prices.
Posted by: Jim | January 11, 2010 02:20 PM
Glad you enjoyed Sichuan Pavilion. Bang for the buck, it is my favorite restaurant in the DC metro area.The dishes are chock full of deliciousness (and are very, very spicy), while being far less greasy than usual for fully-spiced Sichuan. Sichuan Pavilion is in a totally different league than Hong Kong Palace, which I found uninspiring. It sounds like this is related to the restaurant with the same name at 18th and K NW in DC.
Posted by: mobistro | February 24, 2010 03:12 AM