Spicy City

I wish I could give negative stars. Spicy City dished up the worst «meal» I have ever had in my life, on any continent. I truly think they were messing with us because we are not locals and probably looked out of place in there but we were game to give it a try based on the many favorable (and clearly bogus) reviews.
We ordered the Spicy Fried Chicken and I really think they just scraped up the leftover bits from the grill (or floor) and put them on a plate with an abundance of chilis. No flavor whatsoever. Pointless, really. We ordered soup or something that arrived at our table, a bubbling cauldron of third-​degree burn inducing liquid, and contained a few bits of what, I’m not sure. Again, I really think they were pranking us because we were clearly not locals. And I say that as a lifelong resident of Monterey Park.
To those that love Spicy City, my hat’s off to you. You either have much more developed palates or your taste buds (and tongues) have been burned off by the extreme heat of the soups and chilis. I like spicy, really spicy, but I also like flavor, taste and to recognize what it is that I am eating. Or at least be able to make an educated guess.
Good luck if you give it a try but be prepared to go elsewhere after dinner for… dinner.

One of the best Sichuan restaurant for sure! Love their «husband & wife lung slices» — direct translation for da cold cut sliced beef.

I came with a group of 6 around 8:30pm and didn’t get seated till almost 9.
I really liked the lamb skewers/​tooth-​pick dish. The flavors were well done and it had a slight crisp to them that made that dish awesome.
I also enjoyed the cold noodle dish. I’m not sure what this dish was called. It consisted of this jelly clear noodle in spicy chili oil and sauce and it tasted spicy and refreshing at the same time.
We also ordered a beef and fish combo in this spicy soup-​like concoction. That was pretty okay. It didn’t feel all that special to me. There was one more cold dish that we ordered. I am not sure of the name, but it consisted of pork belly in another spicy oil/​concoction.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle the spiciness, but it turns out I underestimated myself. It’s not the kind of spicy that burns your tongue. Rather it’s the kind that’s kind of numbing after awhile.
Overall, I enjoyed my meal here. Some of the dishes felt pretty mediocre to me. After awhile, all this spicy food really numbs out your tongue and taste buds. All the flavors end up tasting the same after awhile. Some people end up sweating a storm and some, like me, had to blow their noses a million times. If you’re interested in trying out Szechuan style food, check it out.

I had Spicy City the other day and it totally compelled me to write this review.
I’ve been here twice in the last two weeks to try out their menu. Conclusion: very impressive.
Not only that, but the service at this place has been on point, which is a huge plus at any asian restaurant.
TLDR: just read the –
What stood out to me:
Chicken with chilis: this dish is the chongqing-​style crispy chicken bites with chilis that you see at other chongqing or sichuan restaurants. It has a bit more heat and bite to it compared to Huolala’s version, and it also comes in a huge platter that can feed four people, easily, if you’re sharing it with them. The sichuan peppercorn flavor is bold in this dish, so it’s not for those that find that flavor repulsive, because you WILL taste it in every bite.
– A must for spice lovers that want the chongqing-​style fried chicken bites.
Tooth-​pick lamb: This dish is similar to the tooth-​pick lamb you find at Chengdu Taste, but I prefer this one a little bit more. Portion wise it’s virtually the same, but I found Spicy City’s version to bring out more of the flavor of the lamb. The Chengdu Taste tooth-​pick lamb is good, but most of the time I find it more jerky and drier than the two times I’ve had it at Spicy City. Spicy City’s tooth-​pick lamb carries more of a juicy lamb flavor (I don’t know if I would put my finger on it to call it fresher) and is overall more succulent compared to Chengdu Taste. My brother dislikes the texture of the tooth-​pick lamb because it’s less jerky and dry and too strong in lamb flavor, as he enjoys the super concentrated cumin and chili flavor at Chengdu Taste. To each his own.
–A must if you liked the dish at Chengdu Taste. It’s pretty close, but juicer and bolder in lamb flavor.
Honey Walnut Shrimp: This is a dish my brother got at Spicy City and he absolutely loved it. The walnuts served with the battered and dressed shrimp were candied to perfection. They were neither burnt nor raw, but just right with the correct dose of sugary coating glazed on them. The shrimps themselves were the larger kinda and at first we felt like we were skimmed on the portion size, compared to the rest of the items we ordered. However, after having just two of them, we realized that these shrimps were much larger than the ones we were accustomed to receiving at other restaurants. The shrimp meat was plump and juicy, steamed to the right bouncy texture inside the fried batter shell. It was a very good dish and I was happy with the quality all around. A bit on the pricey side, but a good dessert towards the end of the meal.
–A discretionary order, but it’s a good version of dish. In fact, it’s probably the best Honey Walnut Shrimp I’ve had, but that’s not saying too much because I generally don’t order it.
Sichuan cold noodles: I wasn’t really a fan of this dish. The noodles were undercooked or too tough. It was disappointing because this dish is usually a sample in my sichuan dining experience where I go and here it did not really do me justice. The chili oil and sauce mixed in with the noodles were fine, but the noodles really knocked down the appeal of this dish too much for me. I’d skip this and get something else for the money at Spicy City.
–I’d say pass on this dish unless you’re really craving it.
Beef noodle soup: Great soup served with rice noodles, but not the same rice noodles you’d find in your bowl of saigon-​style phở, the thick kind. The broth tastes like a strong vegetable stock with a bit of the beef flavor imparted from… well the beef in it. Very enjoyable and not spicy at all. It’s a good comfort item for someone that wants something that’s not spicy and not a heavy entrée item. My brother thought it was very good.
–Good for those that want a non-​spicy dish and soup plus noodles. They may share it with others if they choose to, but it’s a big enough to be its own meal.
Those are just some of the dishes I’ve tried and remembered after the past two visits, but I will be updating this review with more items in the near future.

This is my favorite restaurant in LA. Its the best most flavorful unique and spicy Chinese food you will find. THE BEST thing is the cold meat deli, don’t be scared just get it, I get the cow cheek with Seawood noodles and this damn dish is so amazing it has me driving 40 minutes every Saturday, trying to find parking in the WORST place on earth just so I can satisfy my craving. Its crazy authentic, I’m consistently the only white person there, which I always consider a good thing. Menu is in english so don’t be a wuss about it.
Favorite menu items:
Cow cheek cold deli — as stated above
Chefs green beans — just trust me
Spicy fish and tofu
Sizzling beef and veggies — not spicy but excellent flavor and comes out cooking as it arrives.
Parking is a nightmare, be patient, its worth it. OHHHHh and its CHEAP!!!

OMG. There was a medium sized roach (~2 inches) crawling right next to me on the wall.
Their food sure is tasty but I am more worried about the hygiene of this place. If you are going anyway, I recommend you take the chairs and not the couches so this won’t happen to you.

Solid cold noodles, meh mouth watering chicken, and particularly good toothpick lamb. The lamb comes with just enough gristle for texture without ever getting overwhelming. The mouth watering chicken was kinda bland.

Not really much of a deviation from your standard Szechuan fare. It was very good. We got the chicken with peppers, Szechaun style fish, and the green beans. Chicken and green beans were a little on the salty side, but the fish was excellent.
Don’t speak Chinese? No worries. The menu is like Denny’s– it’s just pictures. I tried to order in my sub par Mandarin (I have been practicing, though!), but the waitress just wasn’t feelin’ it, so I just wound up pointing to the items. What can ya do?
Good for groups and HUGE portions. Definitely expect to bring leftovers home with you.
Service was what you would expect of a fairly authentic Chinese place, so it’s not personal. God forbid you need more water.
Overall I liked it and would not be against going back if I’m in the area.

I just went here for lunch and I am a pretty big fan! We ordered the cold combination platter with seaweed, potato, husband and wife dish, and pig ear. The pig ear was so thinly sliced and perfectly textured and flavored. The rest were really good also.
For entrees, we ordered the sichuan cold noodles, spicy oil fish, sichuan cold chicken, cumin lamb, seafood tofu hot pot, and dry pot sausage and smoked pork.
The noodles were a little too sweet and the tofu flavor and cooking method wasn’t quite right (but this isn’t a Sichuan dish anyway so I should’ve known better), but all the other dishes were spicy, flavorful and quality! Also, the service is surprisingly good for a chinese restaurant.
Awesome spot!

I LOVE THIS PLACE!
This is my go to place for good spicy food!
The service is good and the place is clean!
The food is amazing literally everything will make you sweat (in a good way)
I always get the assorted vegetables and one of the spicy noodles (the ChungKing noodles are my favorite)
I always leave this place feeling like I can breathe fire!!!

After visiting the restaurant again last weekend, I’m going to give this restaurant 5 stars. The food is just that good. Will repeat a lot more times in the future.

Came here to celebrate a friend’s birthday on a Sunday night. We got hot tea right away, which was quite delicious. When our whole party had arrived it took a while to order. Like many have mentioned, they provide pictures for each item. Super helpful! When it came to ordering we had to basically flag down the servers.
We got the pineapple shrimp, which was just Ok. It was the most expensive item we got, yet the pineapples outnumbered the shrimp. By a lot.
The Dan Dan noodles were a hit! They were a little spicy and very flavorful.
The spicy pork was delicious and VERY spicy!
Kung pao chicken was great, no complaints there!
Twice cooked fish was good, but lacked flavor. Had to add some vinegar to make it better tasting.
Overall good place, there’s some tasty dishes!

When they say «Spicy», wow, they mean it. I love spicy food, even if it takes me a hour to slowly eat without crying. LOL.
House special spicy chicken — yummy! The name of the dish is pretty self-​explanatory.
Frog with green chili and special hot sauce. This is not the first time I’ve had frog legs. Yes, they do taste exactly like chicken (my little brother actually thought it was a strangely jointed chicken wing). I would definitely come here again, but not for a little while. I need to let my digestive tract a break. I’m pretty hard on it with the crazy stuff I eat.

Big portions. Love how they have photographs of the dishes so you can see what you’re going to get. But that’s also how my party knew we didn’t get ginger chicken, we got the frog legs. The frog legs were spicy and all cut up – a million fractured bones which made it a pain in the butt to eat. The braised pork belly was sweet and a welcome change of pace to all the heat.
The bad news is the service. It would take asking three times asking for a refill on water, and believe me, you are going to need water. The fish in hot chili oil is super hot — the red peppercorns and Sichuan peppercorns hit you. Numb you. Then hit you again. You need water. You need extra napkins too because the ones they use are flimsy. You’d try flagging a waiter, and they’d do a U-​turn. Or go the other way, as if they wanted to avoid you.
I get it. They want to save money, keep costs down. But would it be so hard to leave a carafe of water on the table? Perhaps they’d prefer someone to pass out? Choke?

My wife and I had a hankering for some Sichuan food and after seeing a long line at Cheng Du Taste (thank you Mr. Jonathon Gold) gave Spicy City a shot.
The restaurant is large and open which is a change of pace from most joints in San Gabriel. They have maybe the best menu i’ve ever seen consisting of 100% pictures making the ordering process presently easy. Our server was polite and prompt.
The food–
Vege bar– not the best I’ve had. but also not the worst. The wood mushroom was the best of the lot.
Leng Mian (cold noodle) — Not bad. Maybe a tad salty for my taste.
Kou shui ji (spit chicken) — Fabulous! One of the best versions of this dish i’ve had in the United States.
Cumin Lamb– Pretty good. But not outstanding.
All in all Spicy City is a solid 3*. If you are in the area and the usual Sichuan restaurants have too long a wait… this place is a solid backup.

Met up with my parents for my birthday meal. It’s not super fancy or anything, but I do have an appreciation for the simple things in life.
First off, Spicy City is one of those places where most of the staff are FOBs, that means their English skills aren’t the best. But no worries, the servers taking the orders are young and smart. I’m sure you can get your point across one way or another; also I hate parking at Focus plaza, it’s always super packed during the day time. So come early (morning) or come late (at night).
Just like any fine Sichuan style establishments, there is always a delicious spread of cold dishes/​appetizers. You can usually just go up to the front and see what you want to order. You can pick and choose which appetizers you want. I recommend getting the combo plate where you choose about 2 – 3 items. Definitely try the «Husband and wife» beef slices, pig ears, and cucumbers. Other favorites includes chicken gizzards, seaweed, and tripe.
Beer duck, supposedly, the beer is suppose to tenderize the duck meat. Well, the duck was tender and spicy. The sauce or soup was especially flavorful. Probably the best dish out of the few we’ve ordered.
Fish head, I’m not sure what kind of fish they used, but it’s a super big head. Stewed in some chili sauce. The Chinese people believes that people who know how to eat fish, eats the head of the fish. All I know is, big head equals BIG CHEEKS. If you know how to «eat head,» you’d know that the cheeks are the best pieces of meats!
Whole fish in pickle chili, it’s either a carp or tilapia, whatever it is, it’s not cheap, and it’s probably one dish you SHOULD order if you aren’t familiar with Sichuan cuisine. Steamed and coated with picked chili peppers, one of the unique way of prepare a whole fish. Lots of flavor, no fishy aromas (thanks to the chili peppers), and quintessentially Sichuan. It’s a great balance of savory, spicy, and tart flavors.
Stir fried frog, also know as the chicken of the rice fields to Chinese people. I love to eat frog meat because the bounciness of their flesh reminds me of eating fish cheek meat, and we all know how Good that is. This dish is more of a textual treat. But it’s still very tasty. Dowsed in a bunch of dried chili peppers, stir frying it with garlic and other aromatics, really brings out a whole bunch of flavors that’s very close to my heart.
Cold mung bean noodles, not gonna lie, I always get this dish when it’s available. It’s nostalgic food for me. Of course it’s never going to be as good as the ones I’ve had in China, but the slimy texture and spicy chili oil hits the spot every time. Although this place’s wasn’t very memorable, it was still pretty decent.
There are so many Sichuan/​ChongQing/​Yunan/​Hunan restaurants popping up these days, this place definitely meets my standards for a decent Sichuan restaurant. Is it worth driving super long distance for? Probably not. But if you are around the neighborhood, is craving something spicy, and is lucky enough to find parking, why not give this place a try? You’ll be glad that you did.

I’ve been here twice in the past week. My most recent visit was a tad frustrating despite the delicious food.
After arriving, we tried to sign into their waitlist but there was no pen to be found and no waiter/​waitress actively paying attention to the front area. When a waiter did arrive he kept asking us if we had signed in and I kept telling him there was no pen. He finally understood and left, leaving no pen (we borrowed the one he had).
We were seated about 10 minutes after and then waited a small eternity waiting for the same waiter to come take our order. I think that area by the door was the dark areas of the Spicy City Kingdom whereupon he must never gaze.
We ordered the cold noodles (again), the twice-​cooked fish (again), and Pork in brown sauce.
The cold noodles always come first and they serve as a delicious and cheap appetizer. They are spicy and well cooked but a tad oily. These might be the culprit for my after-​spicy-​city tummy aches. They’re good enough that I will risk the stomach discomfort every time.
The twice-​cooked fish was a tad on the soggy end the first time I had it but was crispy and nicely done the second time I had it. Worth getting every time as I am a sucker for spicy fried fish. It is spicy, with lots of fried garlic, ginger, and Szechuan peppercorns. Definitely highly recommended.
The pork in brown sauce was average but it went great with the white rice.
Would I come back? Hell yes. I have leftover fried fish and I can’t wait to dig into it.

Spicy city is located on the 2^nd floor of the plaza with 99 ranch in San Gabriel. Parking is a nightmare on the weekend so we ended up having to park far away in the huge parking lot and walking.
We were seated right away but our server wasn’t very nice or attentive. We ordered the cold dishes, which were okay but the bean thread noodle that this type of Chinese food is known for was quite good. After eating that first, I had high hopes for the rest of the the dishes we ordered but I was sorely disappointed.
We had the hot pot dish wtih meat and vegetables. The sad part is there was way too much potatoes and too little of everything else. The dish wasn’t cheap so I felt a little jibbed. The worst dish was the Tasty Frog. It was huge and had tons of huge frog legs but the meat was overcook and tough. The sauce was also too oily and not tasty. I ended up not eating a whole lot of it.
Although the bean thread noodle is better than Chendu taste, their entrees didn’t impress me. It’s also a little too pricey so I probably won’t be coming back any time soon.

This is some pretty darn good sichuan food in SGV. Not that I have a lot to compare it to, I haven’t dined a lot in this neck of the woods. But as far as my sichuan exploits go, they pretty much nail the flavors here. Lots of huajiao, lots of spicy red pepper, and lots of forehead sweat.
I had a really negative experience in China getting sick after eating food with a lot of huajiao (it’s tough enough on the way in, it’s devastating on the way back up) so I’m a little bit scarred from the stuff. If you’ve never had real sichuan peppercorns, they have a numbing effect on the tongue and an intense aromatic spice that dominates the palate. You tend to either love ‘em or hate ‘em. And they’re not often used in quantity on this side of the pacific. Except at Spicy City.
Some of the dishes like the pepper water fish and tofu are a fairly exact throwback to what I ate in China. There are lots of great dishes here but my favorite might be the dry fried green bean and the selection of cold dishes such as the spicy beef jerky and interesting pickled beans. They do use enough of those little black pepper-​beasts, so I had to hold back on my intake. But I can say that if, unlike me, you have yet to be stung by these peppercorns, you’ll find that these dishes will do you right.
They don’t serve beer here (which is pretty much a requirement when eating food like this) so I suggest you BYOB. They don’t mention that they allow it but we saw some folks who had brought theirs in, so I’m guessing they do. Cold beer is a necessity to douse the flames.
The ambiance is what you’d expect from a restaurant like this. Loud, crowded and sweaty. The staff are friendly enough and the food is priced right. If you love that huajiao, this is the place for you.

A very popular spot in the San Gabriel Valley, offering some solid Chongqing cuisine!
You can get your standard dan dan mien, mung bean noodles, and mapo tofu, but it’s worth venturing beyond your usual Sichuan favorites and trying some of the more unique dishes here.
«Spicy Chicken Cube» is definitely the most popular item here, and it’s fantastic. It’s made of deep-​fried dark meat chicken that is then dry-​fried with dried arbol chillies, peppercorns, scallions, and sesame seeds. The fried batter isn’t too thick and has a great citrusy flavor from the peppercorns, which also give the dish a solid ma-​la «mouth-​numbing» effect. A really great dish that a just couldn’t help eating more and more of.
Another dish that the restaurant features and explains on the front page of its menu is the «Crossing Over Bridge» noodles. The legend has it that a woman had to cross over a bridge to a small island to bring dinner to her husband every day, but when she brought him noodle soup it was cold and soggy by the time she reached him. So she put the boiling broth in an earthen pot with a thin layer of schmaltz to insulate it, and kept the noodles and other ingredients separate until she reached him.
This dish is likewise finished table-​side, with the chicken, bean curd sheets, sprouts, and rice noodles added to the hot soup in front of you. It’s a very mild and homey broth without any trace of MSG or sodium — a perfect chicken soup for when you’re sick. If you find yourself here but aren’t a big spicy fan, this is the item to get.
Also go for the cold platter. Gotta love tripe and pig ears!