Crocodile Palace at The Little Fleet

A Sichuan restaurant in Traverse City, run by 2 local people, with a very short menu, but tastes really authentic!!! What a surprise!!! Crocodile Palace, check it out! You won’t be disappointed if you enjoy spicy food

We ordered takeout and were blown away by how delicious everything was. We tried the wontons, chicken wings, pork belly, Dan Dan noodles, rice, and a side of chili oil—and I’d recommend every single item. The chicken wings remained crispy even after bringing them home and were not that spicy (at least for us). I just wish we lived closer, so we could order more regularly. Absolute chef's kiss!

I was craving Asian or Middle Eastern food and decided to give Crocodile Palace a try. BEST DECISION EVER! We ordered the crispy pork, grilled & chilled romaine, and pork dumplings. Everything was perfect; delicious, fresh, bold, and with generous portions. This protein, vegetable, and appetizer fed two adults and we could barely finish it all. The pork could not have been more perfectly done, the dumplings were sumptuous and wonderful, and the grilled & chilled romaine was astonishingly delicious (we actually fought over who would get the last bite!). It was all on the spicy side, but then again we did dump chili oil on every bite; it was fantastic! There is no seating in the restaurant and the outside tables were already taken so we grabbed some beverages from the convenience store next door and drove around the corner to the Civic Center & ate at a picnic table. It was a wonderful evening and I can't wait to go back and try more dishes. Also the remodeled interior makes it look totally new & modern inside, a big improvement from before. Here are two tips that we'll remember for next time though: the crispy pork didn't come with rice, so be sure to order some on the side. Also, ask for an extra cup of their chili oil condiment because it's almost good enough to drink.

The food is amazing!! I ordered the mapo tofu as is my habit when it's on the menu. For those that don't know this is supposed to be a spicy flavorful dish. They delivered both extremely well. The way the Sichuan peppercorns tingle your tongue is not something you normally get to experience. Truly an authentic experience!! I will only be in Traverse City for a couple days, but I will be eating here again before I go home.

We finally had the opportunity to bring our out-of-town family to Crocodile Palace this holiday week after telling them about it for 2 years. It absolutely left an impression on them and became one of our favorite holiday memories. The staff (Sunday, Dec 28) were incredibly kind and patient with our order for nine people, and our questions. There was truly something for everyone - my husband and I who love the Dan Dan Noodles and Ginger Noodles, my sister-in-law who is from Sichuan province and rarely gets to try new inventive places featuring flavors she loves, my brother who prefers to be sweating out of every orifice when he eats Sichuan, three picky kids who enjoyed the heck out of their noodles, and two reluctant 70 year olds who were fans by the end of the meal. We have never tried the brussels sprouts and especially loved, loved them. The ambiance is so great when you pair this meal with drinks from The Little Fleet bar. Crocodile Palace is the one place as a local I would say you'd be remiss to skip out on when visiting the area and is such a fun experience for the Traverse City food scene.

Crocodile Palace is a great place for takeout Sichuan cuisine. I tried the pork wontons and the mapo tofu, and both were packed with flavor. The wontons had lots of herbs and spices to amp them up, and the mapo tofu was rich and somewhat spicy. Admittedly, I’ve had spicier versions of mapo tofu before, but this one was still very tasty. I didn’t have to wait too long, and things seem like they’re made nice and fresh. The staff was professional and I was happy with everything. I’d definitely eat here again next time I’m in Traverse City.

It is authentic yes, is the portion small, also yes. Good try on Sichuan cooking, but Sichuan food is more than just spicy. It is not buffalo wings. They are missing the "Ma" flavor in their chili oil. Need more Sichuan peppercorn and less chili flakes to have a good balance. If you cannot handle heat that well, try the cold noodle dish, it is easier to enjoy when your mouth is burning. Also the spice doesn't burn your mouth forever, it has delay start and it will go away without any drink. I like that they use good ingredients and effort. Everything is good, chicken is tender and smooth. If only it is less spicy and more ma, then it will be perfect. Also for Chinese food and it doesn't come with white rice, that was disappointing. Room for improvement.

Great spot — takeout only located in a small building. Clean and updated. Open-kitchen concept. Food was great! Pay attention to the spiciness rating, not to be ignored. It’s great having an option in TC with such unique flavors. The thrice cooked bacon + rice cakes were a surprising favorite between the both of is.

Easily the best Chinese food I've ever eaten. I read other reviews before going, and I still wasn't ready for the explosion of flavors each of the dishes we ordered had to offer. They only do takeout, because the entire shop is basically their kitchen. We ordered at the counter and had food ready in about 10 mins. (It's also really close to the beach, so I would highly recommend taking your food down there to eat.) We ordered mapo tofu, Dan Dan noodles with tofu, and dry chili chicken (I think that's what it was called) and each one was absolute perfection. It also comes with white rice. 10/10 would recommend!

As I'm headed to our next destination after a lunch at the food truck location and last night's dinner at this location, I'm trying to convince my husband that we should get it to go to take home with us...6 hours away. My God I love this place. This is not your typical overly sugary to go Chinese food. This is unique and has depths of flavor. Our to go order: Chicken and dried shrimp fried rice - hands down the crowd favorite. It wasn't "fishy" like I feared but a perfect blend of flavors. How can something that seems so simple taste so spectacular? Every grain of rice was consumed. Each grain of rice was perfect fried with a small amount of crispness. Beef and rice cakes - spicy but oh so good. If you like noodles, you should like rice cakes. Szecheun spicy is a differing type of spicy. It's numbing and a bit floral but in a good way! This dish was very unique and we loved it. Cold noodles - bright and full of flavor! Little spicy but my two year old (he has a love of spicy food) was able to handle. The grown ups stole some bites and we loved it as well. Cucumbers - very spicy! I prefer the recipe served at the food truck loc but my husband preferred these. Chicken (forget the name but it's the hot one not the poached one) - one of the most unique dishes I've had. Great balance of sour and spicy, nice mixture of textures from the meat, veggies, and peanuts. This is served w rice. Very good! Hands down the best Chinese food we have ever had. Please come to Indianapolis. Now, to figure out how to get it back to Indiana with me.

It is authentic yes, is the portion small, also yes. Good try on Sichuan cooking, but Sichuan food is more than just spicy. It is not buffalo wings. They are missing the "Ma" flavor in their chili oil. Need more Sichuan peppercorn and less chili flakes to have a good balance. If you cannot handle heat that well, try the cold noodle dish, it is easier to enjoy when your mouth is burning. Also the spice doesn't burn your mouth forever, it has delay start and it will go away without any drink. I like that they use good ingredients and effort. Everything is good, chicken is tender and smooth. If only it is less spicy and more ma, then it will be perfect. Also for Chinese food and it doesn't come with white rice, that was disappointing. Room for improvement.

Whoa! This was our first time and this is my jam! So fricken good. Spicy! But they accommodated to mild requests for kids. Excellent quality and wham bam delicious. Ordered enough for leftovers and I'm looking forward to it. It's take out only but there are parks near by.

So good! I get the student noodles with ground tofu at their Little Fleet location. Food is always hot and fresh, and staff are always friendly!

I would make a trip back to Traverse City just to eat here again. Incredible flavors, spice, and ingredients.

This place is so freaking good. If you don't enjoy every bite, then you simply don't like amazingly flavorful food! Bravo gentlemen! Hats off to you all. Cheers.

This place is amazing. I ordered near everything on the menu. Dan Dan noodles, mapo tofu, fried rice, pork belly, maybe more. I'm full of bliss. It's spicy and they know what they are doing. Eat here. You won't regret it.

Great food, great people, just generally great to have something like this available in Traverse City. That's not all: They've altered the menu a few times already and introduced some new dishes. I like the mapo tofu, the stir-fried potato slivers, and the chicken wings. I've had bits and pieces of other dishes I like, too. I'd encourage new diners to explore the menu.

Outstanding menu, the food is amazing and the service is wonderful! We had the noodles, fish sandwich and soup and all were outstanding!

Amazing Sichuan gem! Had it twice while passing through Traverse City, I will be back every time I'm in the area.

Spotless, well maintained carry out Chinese. But wow, that's some spice baby! I loved the menu, just can't do spice like this anymore. Our mouths were numb. But I wish them well, really interesting food!

Delicious Sichuan fare. We enjoyed the dumplings, Dan Dan noodles, and kung pao chicken. The sauces were extraordinarily flavorful. Came because of mention in NY Times last weekend.

10/10, I would come back just for the cucumbers. I can not recommend enough. The spice on the Dan Dan is spicy and perfect. The chicken is perfect. The rice? Perfect. The only mistake? Was me not ordering 1 of everything and 2 cucumbers.

This tiny place has a very small menu, many of spicy dishes, but it serves the best Chinese food I've had in TC in ten years.

We really enjoyed our meal. This is a carry out place and is an unusual location but the food was delicious. We got the bear paw tofu, dan dan noodles and pork dumplings. We liked all of it. Its spicy so if you would like it more mild, let the staff know upon ordering.

This place was amazing! I got the cucumber salad, cumin lamb & rice cakes, and the red braised beef noodle soup. The lamb and rice cakes were definitely my favorite, but the five spice in the noodle soup was such a delicious flavor bomb and the cucumber salad was the perfect cool, crunchy counterpoint. All in all, a delicious meal!! Note: this place is takeout only.

Was not expecting to find authentic Sichuan in Traverse City but this place was BOMB!

This place delivers when it comes to flavor. Great food and my bear paw tofu was delicious. My toddler couldn't stop eating the salted cod fried rice, and my husband loved his gong bao chicken. We'll definitely be back.

So good! Easily the most flavorful food in Traverse City. Fun level of spice. My favorites are the cucumbers and Dan Dan noodles. I'll never be able to get back into ketosis but it's worth it, 10 out 10. Would do again.

Stoked to have this little gem - diff than any other Asian type eatery here. It's all take away, but there is a little table outside to wait at - bear paw tofu was delicious, slightly sweat and savory and without any weird fish taste. Dan Dan noodles were good kind of floral and a little spicy so keep that in mind. The cold noodles with chicken and sesame were bomb. The fire wings are crunchy and have a diff kind of flavor than any others in town- kind of like five spice with chili - good tho - excited to come back and try the other stuff- would be super amazing if they'd do egg-rolls or spring-rolls too. Hint hint. The kitchen is super clean and open and vibey. Overall dig them and it was worth the drive from west bay.

This place is amazing. The food is so flavorful, so fragrant, and yes -- SPICY. Not Midwest Spicy -- actually spicy! Standouts include the dan dan noodles, poached chicken, cold noodles, and the mapo tofu. Try everything you can!

Great flavors! Ordered the cucumber salad, bok choy, and bears paw tofu, and a side of rice. Tofu was my favorite. I'd recommend treating it like small plates and ordering a few things to share along with a side of rice. I'd probably be a little disappointed if I just ordered any of these as a whole meal but when treated like a side it was yummy!

Delicious. Appeared to be legit Sichuan fare and delivered. Mapo Tofu was just what I needed on a cold rainy day. Dan Dan noodles are what they should be. Tongue numbing heat. The dumplings were a flavor bomb. Go here asap

First time trying this place. I had no idea this restaurant was here. It is next to impossible to find quality ethnic food of any kind in this city. This place is a gold mine. Also, I'm vegan and there's very little to choose from in traverse city. The kitchen is open and super clean. Nice guys. I ordered bear paw tofu and it's amazing. With a side of rice, there's enough tofu for two people easily. The Dan Dan noodles with tofu has so much flavor. Really unusual spices. This is the real deal. So glad I tried them!

Pleasantly surprised. Perfect spice combination and aroma. Worth the effort to visit - just outside of downtown. Takeout only.

Very disappointing! Got the chicken and fried rice. It was a box of rice with about 5 chicken bits and flakes of chicken skin. Empty of nutrition. This place boasts culinary chief but no chief I've ever known from a culinary institute would dare let this box of rice go out the door.

this may be the best place to eat in the Traverse City area. I is rare that I do not have to access my pantry to season my take out. this was seasoned and spiced perfectly.

Easy online ordering and payment and our food was ready as scheduled. We ordered spicy numbing wings, mapu tofu, dandan noodles, and cucumber salad. The wings were incredibly crispy, full of flavor. The tofu was delicious and complex. Noodles same- totally delicious. The cucumbers are the perfect crispy cool bite to cut the heat. The food was spicy, no question, but absolutely delicious. Chatted with the owners, seemed like great guys. Go give them your money!

FOOD WAS RAW. Tried to call back and discuss. Staff was rude, said that's the style of their cooking. Pretty sure uncooked chicken makes you sick......

We couldn't wait for this place to open, and WOW - was it worth the wait! The dishes are spicy like they're supposed to be, but nuanced and absolutely delicious. People will probably say it's overpriced, but you get what you pay for - and good things are good! This place is GREAT. We will definitely be back!

We were in the mood for hot and sour soup (which is not offered), but settled for Chicken and Wonton Noodle Soup. Pricey and a bit thin.

Really good food. if you like spicy food or salty. It also is a cute little restaurant.

Absolutely shook over how delicious the Chicken and wonton noodle soup is! Amazing. Can't wait to try other menu items next time. Cheers ya'll

Best Asian food I've ever had probably! Ordered about half the menu, very very spicy, but incredible. Just wish I could add an option to reduce spice a bit so I wouldn't sweat so much. Also if they had Mexican coke in the store that would be good to eat with the food.

Very utilitarian feel at the locale, but boy are the flavors outstanding! Very authentic, yet very original

This place is really really good. Easy to order and pickup, unique options and locally owned by two rockstar chefs! Give it a try.