Szechuan Express

Food was pretty good. Not greasy at all which is a huge plus. Very hard to locate if its your first time visiting. Its not out of this world Chinese food but its really good compared to other places I have been too. I recommend this place for a quick fix or take out since it is not a seated restaurant. One thing I loved was the chicken soup… it was delicious. Lastly, the chicken is meaty and big. Some places will cheap out on that but this restaurant gives a good portion.

Great take-​out. Particularly liked the Sechuan chicken with a spicy brown sauce and lots of fresh veggies. I also appreciated the friendly order-​taker and quick service.

House special Lo Mein is the best. Everything else is ok. Really wish the woman at the front was customer friendly.

The best Chinese food in the area! Everything that I have tried is always very flavorful. The fried chicken dishes are my favorite. The chicken is cooked properly and always crispy. Also, the wait time given over the phone is always right on point (15 minutes) which is great if you work in the area.

Classic Chinese food ! I can never stress how hard it is to find really good Chinese food in Philly. It’s located on the side of Acme kinda creepy but whatever the food is worth a slightly dark alley. Me and wifey ordered the chicken and broccoli platter and we both were not disappointed. Make sure you have 20 to 25 minutes to waste before picking up though because you’ll be waiting. The prices are a little more than your average Chinese spot but the portions make up for it. Make sure you get the brown sauce it’s on point!

Szechuan Express is [literally] a hidden gem in Bala Cynwyd (the entrance is not found alongside all the other storefronts; it’s tucked away in an alleyway around the middle of the shopping center).
It is a little pricier than your average Chinese take-​out, but it’s worth it for the quality. For starters: you’ll actually find white meat inside when you bite into a general tso chicken /​sesame chicken /​etc. The portion of food that they give is also fair. It’s definitely one of the better Chinese take-​out places (if not the best) in that neighborhood.
It’s probably not 4 stars overall, but it’s 4 star in the world of Chinese take-​out.

I went here for the first time for lunch a few days ago and I have been back everyday since then! The broccoli shrimp with schzeun sauce is amazing and so Is the pork fried rice! The house made ice tea is yummy too! Overall this Chinese food is some of the best I have had And I’ve been in philly for almost 6 years now! I’m actually going back for lunch today! Happy eating.

Not bad at all. As New Yorker, I know me some Chinese food and this food could definitely survive the NY eaters. Get the Thai chi chicken and garlic chicken.

One night i was at my friends house and we decided to order some Chinese takeout. Well we were so wrong. The chicken dishes we ordered (General Tso Chicken, Chicken Broccoli) was SPOILED the meat was NOT FRESH AT ALL. This makes me really mad why would you use spoiled meat for such a high rated Chinese place? The shrimp with garlic sauce was ok a little bland but ok. We ordered spring rolls that were soggy and when we tried to pick up after 30 minutes the food still wasn’t ready we had to wait an extra 15 minutes. We tried calling the place but they kept saying how they would never feed us spoiled meat and how we were wrong and they are right. This is the worst Chinese place i have ever been to. Never had i in my life experience such disgrace to chinese food.

This place is a hidden gem for
Sure. Sits hidden in a shopping plaza but don’t be deterred! From what I’ve heard what makes he place so great is everything from sauces to dumplings and even the breading on the general Tso is homemade. I love spicy, so their homemade spicy sauce is a must, and their ribs are great. I’m sensitive to sodium and am never bloated or regretting eating their food, so that tells me they don’t use a whole lot of salt or soy. Only minus is There is no room to eat in.

Their food is good shrimp and broccoli and chicken and broccoli the lunch specials are a good price. And they did in business for a long time is a small little place no one can eat in this just you have to wait. All the food is good. And they also have dinner specials is a little bit more with your dinner you get eggroll

Definitely in a place that could easily be missed. Thanks Unilocal for helping me find this in my time of need!
Ordered a small order of wings and rice broccoli with brown sauce. The wings are more like wing dings. Had a good flavor but there was a lot of noticeable hair on them.
The brown sauce was very flavorful and delicious, I will definitely order that again… spicy of course!

I was here yesterday and had the most enjoyable Chinese food ever. Their lunch specials are the best that I’ve had in a long time. One would think that Philadelphia being a very popular metropolitan city would have a lot of options for quick Chinese food. But no, I’d pretty much given up until I came by these guys. The food was spicy just to my liking and it was very delicious. Mind you, I had already had breakfast. So there are no hunger pangs associated with my review of the food here. Absolutely terrific.
The only thing I would change is their décor and lack of space and availability. Otherwise, it was amazing!

I saved their number in my contacts, so that should explain something, right? And thanks to fellow Unilocalers, I was able to find it easily on the side of Acme… otherwise, I would have been lost.
Lunch specials are good and proportionate. The prices of the lunch specials are okay, although it could be so much better, in my opinion, if they include a choice of soup or something else. Like I mentioned in my previous review of New China, the lunch specials there are cheaper AND have soup or egg roll. But I still prefer Szechuan Express over New China. I haven’t even tried anything else around the Bala Cynwyd area yet since Szechuan Express has been on repeat.
I’ve tried the Shrimp with Lobster sauce (even though I know it’s not really lobster sauce… I mean, come on), Spicy Chicken and Broccoli, Tai Chin Chicken, and the homemade sweet tea. My favorite so far is the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce, oddly. If you like shrimp and have the same taste as mine, you should try the Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. As for the others, it was just A-​OK. Spicy Chicken and Broccoli and Tai Chin Chicken weren’t oily and had a kick to it, but aren’t my cup of tea. Tai Chin Chicken was surely a better version of General Tsao’s Chicken, but if I were to order it again, I’ll ask for less sauce. Not sure if it was the sauce or the combination of that meal and their homemade sweet tea, but I was about to knock myself out at work shortly after. I only recommend their homemade sweet tea if you like to drink heaps and heaps of sugar and/​or if you are able to pass out after. I’m still in a food coma as I write this and my heart is beating super fast.
Szechuan Express will be in rotation, for sure, when I don’t bring lunch or am not in the mood for trying other foods in the area. For the next visits, I will just stick to Shrimp with Lobster Sauce and others that are light or have «white sauce» instead of «brown sauce.» No more homemade sweet tea for me.
Recommend to anyone working or looking for a quick and simple meal in the Bala Cynwyd area!

Another venture in Szechuan Express cuisine within a week. This time I went for Tai Chin Chicken (lunch special). Outstanding flavor! The perfect amount of spice and sweet. I’m in heaven with this place.

This place is a close walk from my work and the go to Chinese place for my office. Quick service for pick up and the food is always hot and ready when you get there. Not more than a 10 minute wait. What’s different about this place is two unusual Chinese dishes but very crowd pleasing. Tai Chin which I got on this visit. Basically small crispy balls of battered chicken in a spicy general tsos like sauce. Basically their version of general tsos comes with a piece or two of broccoli. I order mine extra extra spicy. Then there is Chi Yang which is similar and also spicy but instead of a skimpy broccoli accompaniment there is sliced celery and peppers. The pork fried rice is fairly standard and the prices for lunch combos are reasonable. Better than the place across the street.

This is a tiny place, almost literally a hole in the wall, and very easy to miss. It’s tucked away in an alley between Olive Garden and the Acme supermarket.
The little vestibule where you order your food and wait is bright and clean, with a small television to keep you entertained. The woman at the counter was friendly and polite, and the food was prepared relatively quickly.
It is Chinese-​American food, but at a higher level of quality than your average corner place. I ordered General Tso’s Chicken but was given General Tso’s Shrimp instead – the only misfire, and I like shrimp anyway so, no harm, no fowl (heh). But I would recommend that you check your order before you leave, just in case. I also ordered Broccoli with Garlic Sauce, which isn’t on the menu, but they were happy to make it for me.
Both dishes were fresh, slightly spicy, and savory with shallots and szechuan chilis. The General Tso’s sauce in particular was a far cry from the sickly sweet syrup all too common at other fast food Chinese places. It had a complex, rich flavor that complemented the fresh sweetness of the shrimp.
The prices are fair, although I think some of the vegetable dishes are a tad overpriced. But all in all, I think Szechuan Express has good value for money, and I would come back the next time I’m craving some Chinese-​American comfort food.

My husband and I love this place. Virtually everything we have gotten has been fantastic and full of flavor. You can tell it is really well made with fresh ingredients and lots of skill. My favorite is the beef and broccoli, moo shu chicken, and the wonton soup. My husband likes the chi yang chicken because it has some kick! The prices are really fair and the service is super fast!

A better… much better take out only Chinese place in the area. In addition to the standard Chinese takeout fare, Szechuan Express lives up to its name of having dishes that are spicer with heavier use of Sichuan peppers and a bit garlicky. Both of which I like. I noticed that they do go more American spicy than Asian spicy in their scale, i.e. Asian spicy being something like Han Dynasty spicy. So if you want some heat, make sure to order extra, extra spicy.
For a place like this, you really should try a variety of dishes and pick and chose your favorites after trying it rather than let someone tell you what to order. You really can’t go wrong here unless you live so far away from this place that your food gets cold. Szechuan Express truly is not a one dish wonder place!

Just a little hole in the wall but some of the best Chinese I’ve ever had. Prices a slightly higher than most places, but boy is it worth the extra dough! Amazing Beef and Broccoli, Beef Skewers, Egg Rolls, Fried Rice, Shrimp and Mixed Veg! Can’t wait to go back again… only issue, they are not open on Sunday!