China Hot

Since El Grullense is moving in and opening their forty-​seventh branch in this location I suppose I’ll have to face up to reality and say good-​bye to one of the best mapo doufu I’ve ever had:
Bye bye, salty black beans, fresh ginger, and minced garlic!
Bye bye, wood ear mushrooms!
Bye bye, you deep, brick-​red, blazingly hot sauce!
Bye bye, numb-​stinging Sichuan pepper!
Oh, but meanwhile Panda Distress manages to stay in business at Sequoia Station by serving up six different varieties of Sweet Chafing Dish Chicken.
Yes, I’m bitter. This was the best, authentically spicy Sichuan food for a number of miles.
But thank goodness we’re getting an El Grullense! I’ve never seen one of those before in Redwood City!
Sigh.

My favorite Chinese spot in RWC… or was.
I went there the other day hoping to get my spicy fix to find out that they are closed. Waaahhhh!

Closed.
Something was brewing as it was tough just getting a beer as they were sold out way too many times to be a coincidence.
Very good food, but it appears as if that location is a death knell for restaurants.
It’s is being replaced by another El Grullense.
We need another Mexican place in Redwood City like they need another Mexican place in TJ.
Just plain depressing!

I’ve been here a few times now, and I must say that it is probably some of the best Chinese food I have eaten (and I’ve been to many different places in China multiple times). Notwithstanding I am a fan of extremely spicy food, and that is China Hot’s specialty being a Sichuan restaurant. However the menu is robust and has plenty of variety to even satisfy those with tastebuds that favor the more mild side.
I highly recommend the Boil Spicy Fish Fillet Bowl w/​Spicy Red Chili. It is a must eat for spicy food fans.
Also the Fire Burst Tulo Fan Lamb and Cumin is also worth a try. Being Uyghur and actually from Xin-​Jiang, I was pleasantly surprised to see a home town dish on the menu. Definitely not up to par as the kabab’s I could get back in Urumqi, but a pleasure to eat nonetheless.
Try to make it for the lunch special if you can, where most of the dishes are only $ 7!

I saw the reviews on Unilocal a couple months ago and I kept saying to myself… hmm a Chinese restaurant in Redwood City, must be Americanized just like the rest of them in the area.
But boy. I was absolutely WRONG!!! I was craving for spicy food and we were in RWC area so I told my bf about this place he was excited to try the «new place.»
The restaurant looked pretty sleek, new and nicely decorated. more modern looking than most other Chinese Restaurants around!!!
The lady (hostess and waitress) was very friendly and surprisingly speaks good English (1 extra star!!!).
We ordered:
— Spicy Fish Fillet Pot with Pork Intestine — Woohooo!!! so flavorful, spicy (could be spicier for us) so delicious! and most importantly. they cleaned the intestine very well that there wasn’t any funky smell! Please be mindful that. there is also pork blood jelly in this dish. so if you will be grossed out. don’t order this dish! The portion is quiet large, we actually took about half the dish home!
— Fire Burst Tulo Fan Lamb with Cumin — WOW!!! No regret in ordering this dish! Flavorful combination of spiciness, saltiness and cumin flavor… it just burst in my mouth! yumm!
Unlike other restaurants where they usually add onions, bellpepper etc to the dish… this dish is ALL MEAT!!! There are some green onion at the bottom. but certainly MOSTLY MEAT!!! One whole plate of lamb! good deal for $ 10.95!
— Crispy Fried Noodle with Seafood — It was the only non spicy dish we ordered… The sauce was a bit sweet. but it was delicious. The portion is generous too but could have more seafood in it. there were more veggie than seafood… but with the $ 7.95 price tag. I guess I shouldn’t complain.
Some people complained about them charging for rice… but they actually didn’t charge us for rice last night… not sure if it was a mistake. Our total was about $ 33 including tax, before tip… pretty good price since we got plenty leftover for lunch today!
Service could use some improvements in efficiency. They did refill our water without us having to flag them, but it took us 10 – 15 minutes to get the check and the first dish arrived but the other two dishes arrived about 10 – 15 minutes after.
We look forward to dining here again… it’s certainly now my go-​to chinese food in RWC!
BTW, great prices and LOTS of options for lunch specials too!!!

Overall: Way too greasy and not enough vegetables.
I’d really like to like this place more (been here twice), but the food is dripping with grease and there are not enough vegetables to balance the dishes out. The last time I was there I even ordered a plate of string beans to try and get more vegetables, but they were so greasy that I couldn’t enjoy them.
some pros:
good and friendly service
plenty of parking

I stopped for lunch today and I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered the shredded pork with spicy garlic sauce and it was delightful. The pork was tender, the black mushrooms were fresh, and the bamboo was the perfect touch. The spice was perfect, hot, but subsides after a few moments. The good kind of hot.
I will come back– I’m sure I will have cravings.

This place is right near my work so I pop in for takeout and a chat. I love the orange peel tofu. It has orange peel, crispy tofu, and they give me rice, offer me ice water, and needlessly tell me I have big, beautiful blue eyes. C’mon guys, I’m already a regular. Such charmers!
The vegetarian chow mein is also pretty decent and I like that there are vegetarian options for a gal on the go. With so few options for a quick bite around here, I’m really happy they opened.

This place couldn’t be any better for what its trying to be: a totally authentic Sichuan place with no frills and super affordable prices.
I love that they use the right kind of peppers: instead of just holy hot they give your lips and tongue a tingly numb. A lot of places sub in the typical red Mexican peppers you see in the supermarket.
The ma po tofu and dan dan mien were awesome!

You let me down, Unilocal.My husband and I decided to order some takeout based on the reviews here.
Our order was quickly filled and the staff was helpful. The food was packed in sturdy plastic containers, which we liked.
We ordered vegetable chow mein, sweet and sour pork, «Kiss of Fire Orange Chicken,» and Lemon Chicken. Everything was okay — not great, not bad, just «meh.» The «Kiss of Fire Orange Chicken» was not spicy at all, and despite the orange pieces in the sauce, barely had any orange flavor to it.
Not a horrible experience, but not worth coming back for.

Sichuan Delight was my favorite Chinese restaurant in the area and I was so sad to see it go. Luckily, now China Hot is in, and I am happy again.
China Hot is serious with their authentic Chinese (Sichuan style) food. The food is definitely far more authentic and spicier than the old Sichuan Delight. Everything is rich in flavor and spice without being overly greasy or salty. We enjoyed every one of our dishes very much. Strongly recommend their spicy cumin lamb, it was delicious!
I also used their delivery service and it was great. They were very friendly and on time even though you should make sure to communicate clearly over the phone as their English isn’t very good.
I am super psyched to know that we finally have a true authentic Chinese restaurant in the area. I hope they are here to stay!

Chinese food custom cooked, tasty and hot! nuff said!
oh, the servers (or owners?) include a couple amiable giants with lots of tattoos but always smiling and friendly!

Food = 3.5 stars
Service = 5 stars
Had a very late late meeting so went to China Hot with my fellow workers. I’ll have to say I was nicely surprised with the food and service. One of us patrons liked the food Superman hot, and the other one including myself liked it medium. The owner was more than willing to accommodate all three of us and it was to our satisfaction.
Service — dishes owner recommended were all good, we ordered fish and he gave us complimentary glasses of white wine to go with the fish, and in the end he gave us each a 10% discount on our next visit.
Food
Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce — very good
Beef with some sort of vegetable — good
Chicken — good
Hot and Sour Soup — okay — I’m bias because I make my own and am use to the Canton Hot and Sour Soup one gets from Toronto, Ontario, Canada which is red in color not brown.
Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce — very fresh and very good but a small portion.
Chicken Wings (more like chicken nuggets with bones) — very spicy and good
I first started to give it 4 stars but then changed it to 3.5 stars because my husband and I went back but got take out. We ordered different foods except the chicken wings and the food was still spicy but not as tasty as my visit with my fellow workers. I also took a friend to the place and the food was better, than when I did take out, but not as good as the first time I went. Perhaps, I should just ask the owners to recommend dishes for me.
I do think that I will return again because I really like the owners (two brothers) and I think this place has potential.

No no no. I don’t know classification of Chinese food this falls under but I say it’s Panda Express’ evil stepbrother in disguise.
I had the following:
Mongolian Beef — WAY too many onions. They should call it Mongolian Onions with some beef.
Pork Chow Mein — OK.
Lemon Chicken — Too much batter.
Vegetables with Garlic sauce — Overcooked.
Vegetarian Eggrolls — OK.
Up your game please!

Brand new restaurant serving great Szechuan food. The service is great, the waiters are surprisingly friendly and they bring the food really quickly too.
Don’t worry if you don’t eat very spicy food, they’ll make it as mild as you please. Obviously their specialty is the spicy stuff though so, if that’s what you like, you will LOVE!
Check out this place while it’s still new and unknown!
Seriously, who can say no to Explosive Chili!

As of this writing, China Hot has a five star average and I think that’s only because of the small number of reviews. I know a five star restaurant and this is NOT five stars. 3.5 or 4 stars is appropriate. The servers are nice and the food is pretty good. Honestly, the only reason why they charge so much and the reviews are so great is because there aren’t many other Chinese restaurants in the area.
Good, not great.
If this restaurant was in San Francisco, they would only be able to charge half the price. Go to Clement and there’s one of these same restaurants on every block.

I called in my lunch order for a Lemon Chicken Lunch special and Pot Stickers. I was told that it would be ready in 10 minutes, and it was. The hot and sour soup was bomb! I actually broke out in a little sweat, and the nasal cavity opened up! I’m a big fan of hot and sour soup, and I think I like China Hot’s the best, sorry Peach Garden.
The lunch special portions are just right, not too much, not too little. I’m not a huge fan of pot stickers, but these were pretty darn good, and I love the dipping sauce. I’m definitely going to continue to order my lunch from here whenever I need my Chinese food fix while at work.

This place is legit. I remember the old Sichuan Delight being ok but not something I’d look to returning to. China Hot is pretty damn good. Got the spicy cumin lamb, fish fillet with red chili pepper, and the Sichuan tan tan noodles. Everything was super tasty and the level of spicy was decently high.. My friend who has gluten allergies got a recommendation of a chicken and dual mushrooms dish which was also really tasty, considering soy sauce and wheat couldn’t be used
The server was really nice and made a good set of recommendations, which I’ll have to finish trying in subsequent visits. Great new joint in a run down and uninteresting strip mall. Seek it out and you’ll be pleased if you like spicy Sichuan style cooking. 4.5 stars

I do not go out for Sichaun often, but have a pretty good tolerance for spice. The server narrowed it down to 3 items he recommended and I went with the Cumin Lamb dish. I’m hesitant of ordering lamb at many places, but this was excellent! The spice wasn’t overbearing, but rather blended well with the other ingredients, I would definitely order it again!
fyi I almost drove past this place based on outside appearances alone, definitely worth checking out though

People… when they say China Hot… they mean HOT.
We stumbled upon this place after shopping at Target. We like spicy Chinese food and we were not disappointed. This place served up some HOT food, as advertised, and it was awesome.
The Ma Po Tofu is killer hot, which is a good thing, and we also had the twice cooked crispy fish filet and it was really tasty.
My husband was excited to see so many things on the menu described as «explosive» and «flaming.» We will definitely be eating here again soon.