Sichuan Garden II at The Baldwin

I will not go into detail in this review regarding food or drinks since it woull be redundant. My advice:
Enjoy dinner and drinks on the 2^nd floor. We have done both and many of the specialty cocktails are only on the menu there and they have some great ones. According to the bartenders downstairs, they don’t have the equipment to make some of the «upstairs» drinks. In the first floor bar they will make or concoct what you like and drinks were good but not like upstairs.
If you are going on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, make reservations or go early like 6 p.m. early.
Attitude adjustment? Maybe. I have read several of the reviews that mention this so I will add my 2 cents. My take is that they like to give people a bit of a hard time maybe to convey that they are booked all the time. Went to make reservations for a Saturday night in February 2016 for 5 people. Called 2 weeks in advance. First they said to call back since they couldn’t take reservations until after 3. When I called back they said to call back the next day. One Saturday evening a few weeks ago my husband and I walked in at 6:15 and wanted to sit at the bar. Now there was no one sitting at the bar but they still said they had to check their book. OK, so we waited 10 minutes and then were escorted in. We had dinner and stayed until 7:30. During the whole time we were there only one other couple sat at the bar. Guess it would be funny if it weren’t annoying. Ok, I vented.
We will go back… food drinks and service are all good.

This place has delicious cocktails and cool ambience (we sat upstairs) but the food was so-​so. Service was alright, great when the server thought to come by. They also charge extra for a side of rice, which seems weird to me.

Visiting Boston on a business trip and this place was recommended for the upstairs bar. Unfortunately the upstairs was not opened the day we were there but downstairs looked just as intriguing so we stayed. We sat and ate in the bar. The food was beyond amazing. I ordered the pan seared pork dumplings and the smoked beef with plum sauce. On the menu its smoked pork but the waiter suggested I get beef because I was getting pork dumplings. OMG! I have never had such tender beef at a Chinese restaurant in my life. The dumpling tasted so fresh, a little thick of a pasty but I liked it that way! No oily greasiness at all. The waiter/​bartender (I wish I could remember his name) was so interesting to talk to. You could tell he really enjoyed working there. He made us all drinks by asking what we liked and didn’t like and they came back with some concoction… they were delicious. Unfortunately they closed at 930 so our last call came way too fast. The food was so good though that I woke up craving it and ended up ordering it again for take out the next night. I only wish we were going to be in town when the upstairs bar was open. Everything was reasonably priced. We ordered 6 craft (strong) drinks two entrees, fried rice and dumplings and our bill was $ 120 Not bad at all… Im thinking maybe they miscalculated!!!

Food is decent, some fairly authentic but certainly not as good as szechuan gourmet in burlington.
Echoing some of the other reviewers, the owner was very rude when taking carry out orders over the phone, took the orders of a caller who called in after me just because i asked one question (how long will it take?), and refuse to listen to my complaint when i arrived in the restaurant (still being on hold on the phone!)
If he can’t do business fair and don’t listen to customer complaints, he will lose business.
Or, if he does not have the client facing mentality, hire someone who does before he piss off all the customers.
I would have given at least three stars for the staff who works there and the food but with the abundance of choices available, i don’t have to put up with a rude owner.

This place is an absolute Hidden Gem (Unless you grew up in the Woburn Area and remember the Baldwin House)
I dont think I have ever gone to Sichuan without ordering the ChengDu Chicken Wings or Peeking Raviolis, because they are simply amazing. Never had a bad experience here
One of the best Bars in the area as well. World Class Bartenders will whip up any drink your heart desires (Dont be afraid to ask them to make it strong)

My ideal dining experience.
I’ve never been to or heard of a Chinese restaurant that serves craft cocktails and boy is that a shame! We ate in the Baldwin Bar on the 2^nd floor and the décor was amazing with wood paneled walls, leather booths and a strong aroma of bitters in the air.
The service was amazing, the bartender gave us a tailored experience by asking us what kind of flavors we wanted and what type of alcohol we preferred. He would then recommend a drink for us on the menu, or make one of his own concoctions off the menu.
The best dish of the night was easily the Fei Tang Fish, I’ve never had another Chinese dish quite like it. The dish was perfectly balanced with not being overly spicy and had a good mix of textual elements. The mushrooms and bean sprouts complimented the supple fish perfectly. A few of the dishes we ordered had the Sichuan peppercorn that numbs your mouth a little, which was an interesting experience. I think some of the dishes overly used the peppercorn, which took away from the flavor a little bit.
The drinks were amazing!!! Whenever a place claims to make craft cocktails, I always order a Rye Manhattan. The bartender recommended the World’s Fair on the menu. It’s not a textbook rye Manhattan, but tasted better than any I’ve ever had! Based on my drinks and the sips I had from my friends’ drinks, I would give this place 5 stars just off the drinks.

Sichuan Garden is a fantastic restaurant for those with Chinese food cravings. On top of that, it’s located in a historic building and features craft cocktails that rival or best some of Boston’s best.
The food here is spicy and flavorful, as evidenced by a wonderful and highly recommend Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce dish. My group and I also had the Braised Fish Fillets & Napa Cabbage– a great Sichuan fish stew. The Braised Shiitake with Baby Bok Choy adds balance to any mouth that is or isn’t accustomed to the spiciness of Sichuan food.
The cocktails and drink selection at Sichuan Garden is unlike any scorpion bowl that you’ve had in a neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Ran Duan, who mastered his craft and technique as a patron at Eastern Standard, Deep Ellum, and Drink, has featured on the cover of GQ for his self-​taught mastery of cocktails. He presides over the bar program at this restaurant, and his quality concoctions don’t disappoint. I especially enjoyed a four-​rose bourbon drink I had. Do note that the cocktail menu changes a few times per month, so the selection is always fresh. Even the bar (the Baldwin Bar) itself is quite the beauty, so it’s worth checking out even if you’re not in the mood for great Sichuan food.
While the service can be slow at times, it is nonetheless extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Our waitress helped make our graduation dinner a special occasion. Furthermore, the Baldwin mansion indeed offers a unique and homey dining environment– perfect for casual and slightly more upscale functions. Finally, the food and drinks here come at a very reasonable price.
⁵⁄₅

Simply amazing food in a very unique setting. The drinks are unique and delicious. Nights and weekends really call for reservations. The place gets packed, especially the upstairs bar. Certainly significantly better food that what you normally get with Chinese delivery or take out… By far.

The best drinks I’ve ever had and the food the great. Fun n friendly staff. If your looking for amazing drinks, this is the place to be.

We went to this place for
was an awful experience, as we entered the restaurant the person at the front desk yelled «How Many» as if he is giving free food
When it comes to service they were very careless and were in a hurry… when we asked if they serve any desserts the answer was just «No we don’t, what else «again as if they are feeding us for free of cost…
We have ordered broccoli in spicy garlic sauce, fried rice, spring rolls and a bowl of white rice .none of these are tasty… glad that they have small portions else it would have been very difficult for us to finish the
food
We made a decision to go to this restaurant as it is very close by and by seeing the reviews on Unilocal … will never ever step in this restaurant.

The food tasted good, however, beware of small portions! I ordered for take out and was so shocked at the portion of the sesame chicken that I called to let them know. It was a Monday night. The man that answered was presumably the fellow at the host desk. When I was done complaining and waiting for a response there was a long silence and then he just hung up on me! Incredible. Not only was the portion small, but when I cut the pieces, they seemed to be mostly batter. At $ 12.95 for the dish, that’s ~1.29 per piece, and if 60% of each piece is batter, I paid about $ 7.74 for batter! I will never go back. I will stick to my favorite location, CHUNG KING in Billerica Mass, where the portions are excellent and the food is delicious, and the owner is a great guy.

I came here on my way back to Boston after a weekend up North, and finally got to try this place. A Chinese restaurant with cocktails? (Also, first time getting carded
I didn’t get to try too many dishes, and while I personally did not like everything I did get to try, I have to admit that everything was executed well.
Service is a little slow and inattentive.
Get the eggplant with spicy garlic.

Living in the city I don’t often consider heading out to the suburbs for cocktails and food, but oh my god is this place worth it. I’ve been twice, and after a recent Friday night visit my friends and I are committed to making it a monthly tradition.
I considered writing a long review about all of the delicious food we’ve eaten here, and obviously the ridiculously amazing drinks, etc., but really at the end of the day what people should know about The Baldwin Bar is that these guys just straight up know their shit. They love what they do and it shows in their attitude from the minute you walk in (and are greeted with complementary glasses of champagne — seriously who does that??) to the moment you stumble happily out the door after having enjoyed custom-​made cocktails and lots of laughs.
Ran and his team make coming here with friends such an absolute joy (shout-​out in particular to Todd who rules). If you’re at all interested in craft cocktails and trying something new, this is the place for you.
So rent the Zipcar (and beg your friend to be DD for the night), pay for the Über, or teleport; just make sure you don’t miss out on The Baldwin.

5 stars for the bar alone! Get the Gin Joint. Or two. And then try the other tasty cocktails the bar masters have to offer. The bar area itself is pretty small, probably holds maybe 20 or 30 people at most. The room is dark with dim lighting here and there, definitely a speakeasy feel. I haven’t run into this because I’ve gone at odd hours, but I hear you need to make reservations on the weekends if you even want a seat at the bar.
You can order everything on the regular restaurant menu at the bar. Try the spicy chicken wings! They are so perfectly crispy and hot with flavor. I’d probably give the food 4 stars but I’m leaving it at 5 because the drinks deserve it.
The actual dining room (s) is a lot bigger. It’s kind of weird because it’s not your typical one-​room restaurant setting. It felt like a hotel where all the rooms were turned into dining rooms. Definitely more low-​key and family-​friendly, compared to the bar side.
Also, it wasn’t open when we were there, but the new lounge on the second floor looks pretty cool. Very fancy with the décor and furniture. Will have to check it out next time.

If you think a choco-​tini is a great cocktail, don’t come here.
If you order pupu-​platers and orange chicken every time you go to a Chinese restaurant, you will not appreciate the numbing, spicy and delicious flavors of Szechuan cuisine here.
This place is for people who appreciate fine, inventive craft cocktails and authentic and delicious Szechuan food.

Their new 2^nd floor library lounge is real class act. I love the roaring 20’s décor, comfy leather seats, high ceilings and the consistent, impeccable service from the bartenders and staff.

We come here often. But when I’m sipping their cocktails and eating their food, it’s not often enough.
Try their twice cooked fish, dan dan noodles, mapo tofu, chicken wings, kung pao chicken and pickled veggies. Make sure you get a huge bowl of white rice to sap up all that chili oil.
The Betty Draper cocktail is the piña colada’s pretty prom queen sister.
The oracle — like this place, is a complete glitch in «The Matrix». If Walter White was a bartender, he would come up with this drink.

The Tiki Cocktail– a drinkable Monet, a true work of art.
I can go on… and on… and on…
Eat and Drink here. Repeat. This place is a reminder that life is wonderful.

I’m not gonna lie… I’ve been avoiding reviewing this place because I don’t want it to be overrun, but seeing as Ran Duan’s been on the cover of GQ and all, I guess the secret is kinda out.
This review is specifically for the bar (and amazing library bar) at The Baldwin. I haven’t ever dined outside in the restaurant, and after many comfy cozy visits to the bar, I don’t really find a need to.
First off: the cocktails. My one major complaint about this place is that it’s in Woburn and not inside my house. So I can only have so many cocktails before I safely and responsibly drive home. The bartenders are super inventive and very very good at their craft — so if you want to go off menu and ask them to make you a drink, you will not be disappointed.
Secondly the food. Szechuan style everything. Spicy and mouth tingling deliciousness. The pork dumpling appetizer cannot be missed. There are two kinds of wings (bourbon BBQ and dry hot) you really should do yourself a favor and order both. And maybe one of my favorite things on the menu is the Chinese broccoli. It really doesn’t look like anything to shake a stick at, but it’s crunchy and garlicy and just plain tasty. I could eat a mountain of that stuff.
And finally the service and atmosphere! Service is always impeccable. Even when it’s busy, service is very friendly. You never feel rushed or pushed out the door. It’s great. The downstairs bar is great, but the upstairs library bar is so comfy… i never want to leave.
A++ all around!

Devra First concluded her tenure as the Globe food critic with a glowing three star review of The Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden. Owner Ran Duan knocked out the stiff competition to be crowned GQ Magazine’s most imaginative bartender in 2014. The setting is beautiful: the 17^th century Baldwin Mansion, located in Woburn, is transformed beautifully into an upscale Asian dining destination. The mai tais we had were all delicious and well made, despite the waitress bringing me a different version than I had asked for.
But the food, and more importantly the service, was completely lacking given the hype and ambiance that surrounds Sichuan Garden. Of the five dishes we ordered, three arrived from the kitchen lukewarm. We waited a long time for the next two dishes to come out, and by the time all the dishes arrived, we were eating cold food. I tracked down the manager to explain our plight and he shrugged and exclaimed that «it’s Saturday night, it’s busy.» But that wasn’t going to cut it, and we pushed for our dishes to be sent back to be reheated and he obliged. The manager made things right in the end, as the new dishes arrived quickly, fresh, and piping hot. Why couldn’t this have happened the first time? Why was it our problem that the restaurant was busy? Why couldn’t have offered us a round of free drinks for the extended wait and confusion?
With the myriad of Asian dining destinations in the area, I can’t say I’ll be back. Perhaps Devra was right: kitchens do have her picture hanging next to the stove for whenever she comes in to review a restaurant. But they don’t have mine, and they probably don’t have yours either.

Honestly, I don’t get the hype. We were greeted by an absurdly strong smell of incense. I burn incense sticks, from time to time, but never to the point that it’s stronger than the smell of my kitchen when I’m cooking multiple meals at a time.
Imagine how inconvenient (to put it politely) is to eat your food and you can’t smell its flavor, but the incense burning in a place? Yup– that was our experience here.
This is a large house turned into a restaurant. We, my fiancé and I, were seated at a small 4-​seat table in a tiny room, uncomfortable chairs and I couldn’t see any booths anywhere. There were three tables total in that room, all occupied with five people total (including us). It felt cramped!
Also, the place was soooooo silent you could almost hear everyone’s thoughts… we were all whispering, I mean, really? What’s more annoying than everyone listening to your business? Oh, yeah– your food smelling like incense instead of food.
Then onto the food… we ordered the Sichuan pork dumplings, Sauteed Chicken Breast and veggies and the Sauteed baby shrimp with chilly sauce. We asked them to go easy with the sauces, and they don’t have brown rice. Really?
I love spicy food and have a high tolerance to spice. This food was spicy and that’s not the problem, the problem is that the food was simply spicy, but it did not taste like anything else! The white rice was delicious– if that counts.
Needless to say– I’m not going back to this place, which is a shame because we just bought a house 30 seconds drive from it…

I came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon during peak lunch time (around noon). There is ample parking. The restaurant is located inside a historic mansion. I found it a bit disappointing that one would use such beautiful home for commercial reasons. Regardless it made for a nice dining environment at each of the rooms (including upstairs) were converted to smaller, intimate dining spaces. One of the first things I noticed is that there were a large number of Chinese patrons, so that was definitely a great sign!
I ordered off of their lunch menu which is a good deal. For $ 8.80 one gets a choice of soup, spring roll or chicken wings, and an entrée with your choice of fried or steamed rice. I had the hot and sour soup, spring roll, king pao chicken and steamed rice. Everything was really good, and I would definitely be back.

This is a combination review for Sichuan Garden and the Baldwin bar. Didn’t realize you needed reservations for the bar at a Chinese restaurant in Woburn. Also didn’t realize I was in for the best cocktails in the Boston area. The bartenders were super friendly and said we could stand in the bar area and enjoy the vibe and a drink while waiting for our table in the restaurant. They can make you a huge variety of cocktails, just list things you like and they seem to be able to perfectly meet your tastes. These are also strong, I had two and lets just say its good that I didn’t drive.
On to the food. While disappointed that we couldn’t sit at the bar (the restaurant part is not nearly as cool), you can still order off the cocktail menu. Oh, and the Sichuan food is great. Dan Dan Noodles with that trademark numbing feeling from Sichuan Peppercorn are an appetizer, but you could make a meal out of two orders and probably should since they’re incredible. We ordered a tofu dish that was more savory than spicy. It was good, but completely outshone by the eggplant. I can’t remember how the menu describes it, but this is basically fish fragrant eggplant and quite delicious.