Da Sichuan Bistro

Longstanding Chinese restaurant, located on the busy El Camino Real street in Palo Alto. Their specialty is spicy Sichuan cuisine, and the flavors did not disappoint. Mapo tofu was decent, and the beef with peppers was very spicy. Venue is a hole-in-the-wall, but the owners are very friendly, especially if you can speak Mandarin. Large free parking lot behind the restaurant.

Very authentic sichuan food. Good value in terms of portion and price. The owner is a very sweet lady is super friendly. She taught the secret of having spicy food. Should ask her about that next time when you visit. Spicy fish fillet and the suchuan noodle are my favorite in this place.

Da Sichuan is the place to go. I’ve had many meals here and all of them have been fantastic. I’ve brought along many friends and they have all agreed. The owner will often make recommendations about additional or alternate courses; she might even give you free samples. She is always correct. The potstickers are a must-try. The portions are generous and reasonably priced and service is always fast.

Visited on a quiet Tuesday at 1 p.m.; plenty of open tables. After six-plus years in this spot, the owners still greet every customer and check in often—service was warm, fast, and genuine. What I ate • Spicy Dan Dan Noodles (minced pork): Show-stopper. Perfect chewy noodles, sesame-peppercorn sauce, real Sichuan tingle. They can’t swap the pork for chicken, but it’s worth ordering as is. • Stir-Fried String Beans: Nicely blistered with true wok hei. Salt is on the slightly high side, yet they’re addictive. • Dry Wok Chicken: Plenty of bean sprouts, mushrooms, and jalapeños, but light on chicken and only mild heat. Tasty, just not the bold mala punch I expected—will try another entrée next time. • Canned Herbal Tea: Light, refreshing palate cleanser. • Complimentary Chicken Manchurian sample came out crispy and flavorful—likely a better pick than the dry-wok dish. Overall • Cozy, no-frills dining room (maybe a dozen tables). • Friendly staff who genuinely care if you like the food. • Great spot for authentic Sichuan flavors on the Peninsula—don’t miss the dan dan noodles. 👍 Recommended. I’ll be back to explore more of the menu, starting with a full order of that Chicken Manchurian.

PROS: - Affordable for Silicon Valley - Easy parking - Easy online ordering - Food was hot and ready on time - Egg Flower soup was tasty CONS: - Poor food quality. We ordered Beef w/Green Onion and the beef had a bizarre squishy, spongy texture, like it had been dehydrated and rehydrated. The noodles in the Chow Mein were overcooked and mushy, as were the green beans in our String Bean Chicken. This is very basic stuff, I don't know how they got that wrong so many times across the four dishes we ordered. - Flavors were inconsistent. The Beef w/Green Onion was flavored well. The Chow Mein was very bland and nondescript. Additionally it was made with breaded beef which is just a really weird choice. - Small portion sizes. The to-go boxes are very small. Every other Chinese place I've ordered from locally serves larger portions. The restaurant was totally empty on a Friday night, except for one couple. We should have taken that as a sign of what was to come! We will not be going back.

For the price I love the food at Da Sichuan restaurant. I think some of the negative reviews are not taking into account the price range of the food (and tempering their expectations accordingly). I like their lamb dish and enjoyed their braised egg plant. The portion size is moderate. Service is nice and parking is at the back so it’s easy to drive to

Amazing food! I love Sichuan food and this place is one of my favorites. The Manchurian chicken is a must, and the sautéed cabbage and string beans are delicious as well.

This is my favorite sichuan restaurant. The food is really delicious, and the flavors are quite authentic. They do have Americanized dishes, but I’ve never ordered those. Their numbing spice (mala) flavor is excellent, it’s quite hot although not unbearably so. They have a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian options. Particularly of note are the vegan variants of classic sichuan dishes, such as dandan noodles and twice cooked pork. Besides those two, some other of my favorite dishes of theirs are the chuanbei liangfen, garlic eggplant, Manchurian chicken. I also have nothing bad to say about the service, the waitress has always been very welcoming and quite funny whenever I’ve visited.