Five Spices House

Reopened and floors look clean. Not much of a revamp but I am so happy they opened. The best Mapo tofu I had is at Five Spices!! Also love their dry eggplant which unfortunately I did not find on their new menu .. though still available at the Cambridge location. Service has always been iffy but compared to other places in Chinatown the service is way better than the norm.

Gorgeous food, ordered fired noodle, Dan-dan noodle, beef tongue and cabbage with pork, all super good. And their ingredients are so fresh, as good as food I had in China. Would highly recommend everyone. I

Came here because we didn’t want to wait at other restaurants and I'm so glad we did! Lamb cumin-style was out of this world. Beef with garlic chives was a nice, milder contrast. Eggplant in garlic sauce was delish, but seafood with peppercorn was overwhelmingly ginger-y. Food came out fast and hot and was beautifully plated. The service was attentive. We were seated immediately but it got crowded fast by 615 on Saturday.

Foods are authentic and delicious, they offer great service, and has great environment!! Enjoyed the experience a lot.

everything is so delicious. best szechuan in boston. we got : Dry sauteed string bean Crab rangoon Scallion pancake Dry pot fish Sesame chicken Cucumber salad Sichuan seafood with green peppercorn Spicy boiled beef Mapo tofu everything was perfect and incredible.

Definitely not 3.9 star, probably a 4.4-4.5. Crab Rangoon are awesome (Top 10), beef with broccoli was moist and tender, sesame chicken is crispy and mildly sweet(perfect). If you a Chinese Food Snob go to a $40/plate place and leave great places like this to be explored by people like me.

All these people ragging on the prices might do themselves a favor and arrive before 4 for the lunch specials. I think it's 13.99 for a wide array of lunch dishes. I got the sezchuan twice cooked pork. I do hear what the other reviewers are saying about the saltiness of the dishes. Mine was absolutely soaked in oil to the point of excess but as most of the reviewers can attest, the flavor is strong. I was feeling like a big spender so I got an iced tea drink, which hit for sure. I think I'll be back next week for a different special for my afternoon job.

Good outing. The location and setting wasn't on par with other restaurants, but the food was good. Try the fried pork buns for a really tasty snack. All of the food required extra salt and seasoning, but we prefer to have food with too little salt than too much. Prices are a tad steep for what you get. Overall it was an enjoyable experience, but we might try another outlet next time we are in the vicinity.

Omg the crispy chicken appetizer - amazing!! Sooo good! Basically it's popcorn chicken but the pieces are small pieces and strips. So good especially when they were hot and fresh crispy on the outside and tender on the inside- perfect flavor too - savory not too spicy just delicious! We were looking to order Chinese street food and our usual go to restaurant was no longer on GH so decided to look for alternative restaurants and came upon 5 Spices house and gave it a try. We were not disappointed at all! We ordered our usual go-tos - scallion pancakes, hot n sour soup, steamed pork dumplings. And for entrees - dry spicy chicken, kung pao chicken (a bit too sweet), beef n broccoli (good) and mapo tofu (tasty). Needless to say we had plenty of good food and also plenty of leftovers! Food came pretty quickly and all the food was hot and fresh. Portions were quite good. One thing I should point out though that none of the entrees come with rice! We usually expect that but only realized it when the food arrived. So we ended up having to cook some rice lol! Oh well lesson learned for next time, but I do think they should clearly mention it on the online ordering that you would have to order it separately. Anyway overall good food and looking at the menu will surely try them again for some of the other dishes.

I came here on a pretty busy Friday night with two friends and despite the crowd, we were able to get seated on a calmer 2nd floor, which made the experience a bit more comfortable. Starting with a disappointment, the tea left a lot to be desired. We were served a teapot with a single tea bag, which hardly sufficed in both quantity and quality. Not only was it not loose leaf tea that you'd probably expect from a Chinese restaurant, but the flavor was non-existent because again, it's a single tea bag. If I remember correctly, they charged $1 per cup for this fascinating set up. However, the food thankfully took a turn for the better. The Szechuan beef was the star of our meal - truly remarkable and left us wishing we had ordered more. Truly redeemed a lot of the dining experience. The eggplant, szechuan fish, and orange chicken were all very solid picks, but did not shine nearly as hard as the beef. The restaurant was honestly a bit of a rollercoaster of experiences. Given that you're in Chinatown, I think you could find more consistent and reliable options in the area.

Five spice house is one of the worst restaurants in Chinatown. Their food is proportioned correctly, however it is cold and not seasoned properly. Furthermore, their restaurant is dirty. The waiters cough and don't cover their mouths as they serve food. The food is very overpriced and they will hover over you as you write the tip and will extort you into writing a tip they approve of. They will not let you leave until you give them the tip they desire. Do yourself a favor and don't eat here. You will be saving yourself from a horrible shit the next morning.

Really good food and HUGE portions for the price. We got chicken fried rice, chicken lo mein, and steamed vegetable dumplings. I really liked the lo mein and fried rice. They have seating inside and service was fast.

A real disappointment, especially considering its prime location in Chinatown. The Sichuan won tons were watered down, literally. The flavor was barely detectable. We tried the crispy beef, this was pretty decent although very salty and obviously loaded with MSG. The dining room has no ambiance, service was abrupt, and the menus were dirty. Please consider going somewhere else

Overall rating: 3.75 stars ALMOST a 4 Food: Szechwan spiced foods including dumplings, veggies, tofu, and variosu fish and meats As well as non spicy buns, dumplings, etc Texture: the beef we got was crunchy with the tongue numbing spice of Sichuan pepper corn and spice! Pricing: the beef was $20 and the golden buns were $8 a steal! Ambiance: not much seating and not very romantic being able to see the live lobster and seafood, there is not much decor BUT that's how you know a place is authentic and good (when the decor is minimal but the food is bomb) Seating & Parking: no parking due to it being in chinatown, seats about 5-6 small groups of 2-4 with one round table seating up to 8 Service: the service was nothing stellar but they were still polite and refilled our water Music: Chinese music Bathrooms: male and female Final comments: a hidden gem for Szechwan food

Spicy and delicious. Got the steamed pork with garlic appetizer - thin strips of pork belly wrapped around sliced garlic chives and cucumber strips in a sweet and spicy sauce. Then the spicy dry pot chicken and the hot and spicy fish fillet. The dry pot chicken was a huge order (we got another whole meal out of it at home with rice) with lots of salty spiciness and tingling Sichuan pepper corns. The fish fillet had a great crunch and nice spicy chili oil. I would gladly order all three dishes again. We probably could have done just the dry pot chicken and rice and been totally full.

Five Spices House is my go-to on Uber Eats, and let me tell you, it's a flavor fiesta! I'm hooked on their dry pot--it's next level delicious. The menu is a treasure trove of authentic options, and each dish is bursting with flavor. Seriously, so good! Gotta be real, it's a tad on the oily side, but honestly, I can overlook that because the taste is worth it. Price is a bit up there, but hey, you get what you pay for in flavor town. I find myself constantly craving their dry pot. It's that good. Five stars for sure! --------------------- My Star Rating Scale: 5 Stars: Blew my mind, had a wow factor, will come back 4 Stars: I liked it but didn't love it, no wow factor, will still come back 3 Stars: It was okay, I didn't hate it but didn't like it either; would not voluntarily come back 2 Stars: I did not like it, I would not come back 1 Star: Absolutely hated it, I would not come back here

I requested some spicy mustard and was told over and over that they don't serve spicy mustard. Not sure why because I've ordered from here 10 plus times before and they've always had it. Weird behavior I guess?

We popped in on a snowy day while our flight was delayed. Restaurant was extremely clean and staff greeted us immediately. The food was hot and fresh and absolutely jam packed with flavor. The Dan Dan noodles were second to none delicious! Highly recommend!

Highly recommend the green beans, eggplant with garlic sauce, and mapo tofu! Everything is well seasoned and goes great with rice

Leaving two stars for the food and zero stars for the hospitality. Staff was very rude and made me forcibly pay 18% gratuity. Food was okayish. I ordered veg dumplings, fish fillet and crispy shrimp. Fish was not fresh and all the dishes were way too salty.

Food is good but the server looked at our tip (written in the custom section) and told me the minimum tip is 18% and wouldn't leave our table until we changed it to 18%. Would not dine in again

Okay, at this point I'm becoming a lunch regular. The service is hit or miss - while food is often prompt, getting more water, an extra napkin, or even a friendly greeting or smile from a server can be challenging. That aside, I keep coming back for the food. Hard to pass up the double cooked pork, but I also really like the shredded beef with spicy green pepper and the fish fillet in spicy broth.

Checked out this spot in Chinatown since it was so close to the theater. We made a reservation online but they did it have it but accommodated our party. While the vegetable dumplings were not great (lacked flavor and the texture was weird) the lobster fresh from the tank was DELICIOUS! The fried rice pair perfectly with the tender and well seasoned protein. Previous reviews talked about the lack of service so we entered with that understanding. We weren't offered chopsticks. Apparently if you are not Asian presenting you only get a fork. We were rushed out of the restaurant and that felt unnecessary as we had just paid and were utilizing the restroom before we left. Just be prepared if you choose to enjoy the food.

the BEST food i have had in my whole entire life. get this and thank me later. so spicy, so flavorful, PERFECTION. love u guys

I always go to Chinatown but I've never entered this place before. I saw a reel on Instagram about the spicy dry pot from here and it looked really good. Ever since I had Tang Bar in San Fran I was wondering what that specific hotpot style was called and where I could get it in Mass. So me and my fiancé decided to try it out and I was not let down at all. I wasn't sure how the spice levels were so I got the medium and even though it wasn't crazy spicy, the flavor itself was just so amazing that you don't even need it to be spicy! Definitely coming back to get it again but spicier.

I got delivery from here one night. I should've taken pics but completely forgot. The delivery was average timed and well-packaged. The food still arrived warm so it was fresh and promptly sent. It was all really good though. I got the eggplant in garlic sauce, chicken n broccoli, fried rice, and salt n pepper squid. We crisped up the squid in the air fryer since it got a little steamed in the container. It was a little pricey but not crazy at all, esp for delivery. I'd definitely order from here again.

Took an entire walk through of Chinatown to finally settle on a place for lunch. Upon arrival we were greeted and placed in booth. We ordered the 3x lunch which was 3 entrees and 3 daily house soups for just $33. The waitress was a little rough around the edges which is the reason for the lost of star but the food overshadowed her personality all the way around. The food came in less than 10 minutes, piping hot and filled with flavor! Every single dish was outstanding! The mapo tofu was just the ridge amount of heat and the tofu was like silk, literally took zero efforts to chew, just swallow. The general t'so was our "kid friendly" dish and it was jammed pack with flavor. The chili braised fish melted in your mouth and made to perfection. Tuesday's house soup was egg drop soup which after a little shake of salt and pepper turned it delicious. I highly recommend this place!!!!

My friends and I had the following dishes (all vegan): - Dry sautéed eggplant - good crispy texture - Dry sautéed string bean and bamboo tip - delicious - Ma po tofu - delicious - Spicy dry pot mixed vegetables - great but definitely very spicy!

Food was ok, a bit salty. I wouldn't return. Service, was terrible. Two waitresses, went around 2pm, only two tables with ours and we couldn't get the waitress to help us. When she did, she had a terrible attitude. Bad experience overall. Go to another restaurant. Plenty to choose from with better service, food, cleanliness. Thanks

Five spice is a Sichuan style Chinese restaurant located next to Target and Hmart. Their lunch specials ($13) come with rice, soup, and a dish and are a great deal for a filling meal. Regular menu items are priced fairly as well, with my party of 4 splitting the bill $20 per person. Standout items include the scallion pancake, tomato and egg, and Kung Pao chicken. I look forward to returning in the near future to try more items!

Mala mala!! It's so delicious here, a bit pricey bc they weight what you choose but definitely worth it. If you like spicy you will fit in here. Get a side of rice for your meal bc this thing is hot. Wide noodle + fish cake and whatever else yum yum.

This is my personal favorite sichuan place. This was my first time eating here since 2020, and it was just as great. It's always busy too. I came on a saturday night so it was especially busy. I think I waited around 15 mins for at table. We got the spicy beef tendon/tripe appetizer (which came with peanuts, and my friend was allergic. I wish they would label what items have peanuts and what don't because we didn't know), spicy dry pot, and the pickled fish soup dish. The spicy dry pot is a bit expensive, it was around ~$18 for 1 lb, but it was really yummy. It was a bit too salty for us. The pickled fish soup dish was amazing! It was a HUGE bowl, and we ended up eating the rest of it for dinner the next day. It was around $40 I think, which is expensive, but we did eat it over 2 days. Will def be back again soon to eat more!

Great spot, slightly above average. Some dishes were spectacular and some were good/average. Loved the wide variety. * dry hot pot (3/5). Unfortunately lacked that distinguishing hot pot spice flavor. Too salty. The lamb was not as gamey, chewy, and tough. * fried eggplant (5/5). Amazing a most get. Incredibly soft and flavorful inside. * minced pork with black bean sauce over noodles (2/5). Did not enjoy. Was definitely not a black bean traditional Chinese sauce. Almost an odd soy sauce Dan Dan noodle re-make. * fish in chili sauce (4/5). Fish was incredibly tender. Nailed the Sichuan flavor. * sesame beef (5/5). Incredibly crispy layer despite being doused in their sweet sesame sauce. Food prices were $17-$26 per plate. A bit pricey for the type of food.

The food was absolutely fantastic. The dishes that I and my roommate ordered had great flavor and a well-balanced level of spice that wasn't too overwhelming. I only wish the portion sizes were a bit larger, as you would expect a $20 dish alone to fill you up (I'm referring to the foil-wrapped lamb in this case; everything else was around $11 to $15). Nevertheless, we left more than satisfied. The lamb from the foil wrapped lamb was wonderfully tender. I only wish they gave us more lamb and less peanuts. Once again, the level of spice was just right, which perfectly complimented the natural fattened of the lamb. The Dan Dan noodles were a fantastic appetizer, with a strong, savory peanut flavor. The tomato and scramble eggs were a classic Chinese comfort dish, and I'd say they've executed it pretty well. The eggs were nice and silky. Finally, the dry spicy cauliflower pot was wonderful, especially on a cold afternoon. The cauliflowers were well cooked and had the perfect level of spice that will leave your tongue tingling but yearning for another bite. Overall, great place if you're looking for something spicy.

We started with the spring rolls. Crispy outside and delicious inside. We also ask the fried pork bun. Very doughy with a delicious meat center. The chicken fried rice and chicken lo mein were both delicious but the chicken lo mein might be the best I have ever tasted. The sesame chicken was crispy and flavorful. We will definitely be back!

The worst service we have ever had, our server was insanely rude, it was like we were annoying her from the second we sat down. We eat out a lot and travel a lot, we usually get on with whomever is serving us so we were confused by this treatment. The food was decent so if you are wanting to try it I recommend take out!!

I rarely give any 1 star to any business but this place disappointed me twice in a row. I've been a loyal customer here for 3 years and usually have the dry pot. I have no problem with the food. However, last time I was here, me and my Chinese friends were really pissed. They asked if they had zero coke, not the diet coke in Chinese because they thought it would be easier to communicate in their native language. The server responded in a very rude way and had such an attitude so my friends ended up getting a green tea. The bill was 80$ something and I told them I wanted change when I gave a hundred bill. But the lady kept explaining for many times that I had to pay the 18% tips as a minimum (which is over 100$) even though I told her to just give me the change first. I still paid everything overall with the tip included and we were so mad. I also complained with one in the front and just want to let her know that I wasn't happy. That girl was nice and apologized so I just kinda left because I didn't want to be the troublemaker. And yes, this time, I'm still here for the dry pot. I ordered for to go and that lady served me and my friends last time remained her very unwelcome way of serving. As an Asian, I was taught to be respectful and polite to other people, especially people who are older than me. But sometimes I think I'd rather speak for myself, and people who also feel the same way in the review section here. I find it ridiculous when some people there think and force their customers TIP them as a requirement when they can't even do the BARE MINIMUMS. I don't think I'd ever want to go to this location anymore.

The food was amazing and always taste so good! The first time I been there they combined our table with two other strangers, they were very rude and making offensive comments about Chinese people, which was ridiculous since it's a Chinese restaurant. So I didn't go back for a long time. It was the waitress' fault for didn't ask us and combined our table with two horrible guys. After hearing how good the food is too many times, I decided to go back, and it was fantastic! We had our own table, ordered food and come fast, the lady was super attentive and friendly. I'm glad I give it second try, definitely didn't disappoint me. I'll definitely go back again.

Ordered delivery and this place was delicious. The dry pot (although pricy) had high quality ingredients and was packed to the brim. The scallion pancakes were good too.

This is a special place. I was attending a meeting at the Boston convention center and walk all the way here. It was a trek but very doable and worth it for the food. The lobster was a must for Boston and it was worth it. They carried out the live lobster ( see photos) to show me and 5 minutes later... Voila! Delicious lobster in a delicate sauce. But I was very hungry and also had the Bok Choy with mushrooms and the Chicken 5 spices . Everything was delicious and all were 10/10! So if you crave good Chinese food come here. If you don't live near Boston, buy a plane ticket!

OK food. A bit expensive. Mandatory min 18% Tip required. If you leave less? They loudly call you out in front of everyone. I left what I could afford. 12%. Extremely rude and unprofessional. Go elsewhere. Lots of good choices in Chinatown Boston.

Dry pot has become one of my favorite foods ever since I tried it for the first time in New York. To my delight, I found this store right by where we were staying in Boston's Chinatown. And it closes on the later side too! At around $24 for three proteins and three vegetables, I would say this is typical of what it would cost when you go to a restaurant to eat it. The profit margin is big but hey, you got to account for that delicious flavor! We got cabbage, mushrooms, tofu skin, beef, gizzard, and fish tofu. Unfortunately they got our order wrong and we didn't get the tofu, but we asked for a refund on DoorDash. although that's my favorite topping when it comes to dry pot, it wasn't so bad because everything else still tasted good. Warning: extremely spicy really does mean extremely! I knew we were going to have issues going to the bathroom the next day upon my first bite. It hurts so good though. We ordered one portion of rice (which comes in a container big enough for two people I'd say) to go along with the food. We also got the hot and sour soup and chow fun. all of the items were good, and the chow fun also helped with washing down the spice. Pro tip: There was a nice 15% discount up to $10 if you order for pick up through DoorDash.

One of my favorite places in Chinatown! (Prefer this over the Cambridge one) I have been here over 10 times and have loved it every single time. Scallion pancake: 4.5/5, not very oily, tastes amazing with the sauce! Spicy Dry Pot Mixed Vegetable 5/5, this is the bomb. I order this when i am have a bad long day, and this instantly makes me feel amazing! Shredded Potato 4/5, tried this for the first time, not great, but definitely good, I can eat it again. Veggie noodles 4.5/5 I do not remember the exact name of this dish, but I loved it. Just go for it!

Food: Decent but there's been a definite dip in quality. Not worth it for the price of the dishes. Service: Staff held us hostage for a tip. Said stuff like "everyone tips here". We couldn't write in custom tips and she insisted the restaurant had 3 choices: 12%, 18% and 21% and that we could only choose one out of the 3. Would not recommend. There are better places in Chinatown at lower price points

Came here with a group of 6 for dinner after work one day. No one else was in the restaurant so we were seated quickly - there was only one person working both the front and the tables so things got slow when folks walked in, but otherwise we were the only table eating for a majority of the meal so service wasn't that bad. The food itself was pretty delicious - I loved the bitter melon as it was super unique and yet pretty modern with the salted egg yolk flavor. I loved that and the pork belly as well, the latter being a little salty but the spice itself really made it a nice dish to eat. The dry pot could fit a lot in it - you essentially go up and say what you want added to a pot and then they weigh it to determine the price. They have everything you could possibly think of so it's truly just whatever you want. They're also very vegetarian friendly with their choices! I left feeling very full and satisfied. The food itself was great and the service was nice - while this wouldn't be my first choice ( dry pot is only good for me on occasion ), I would not mind coming back as I know it'd be plenty worth it.

A must visit! one of the 5 spices must be metal as I recieved one of those small metal goodie bag twists in my chow mein the staff is so nice they glare at u and are basically robots. At the end she even insisted I had to tip a minimum of 18% for my whopping party of 2! must be for that special ingredient I received. U guys r lucky I dont have the energy to call the health inspector

Orders for take out and they completely scammed me. Half of my stuff isn't in the order. STAY AWAY!!! Paid $40 for this btw

Came here on a weekend for an early lunch at 11AM with a friend, got the spicy water-broiled fish and cumin tofu. Both weren't very spicy and the flavors were very mild. Cumin tofu was deep-fried which I wasn't expecting, but it was quite crispy. Fish dish could've used more fish and vegetables, lots of soup. Service was lacking, place became fuller closer to noon. Pricey for food at around $40 post-tax, portions were fine.

Lovely atmosphere and killer food. I will always come back here when I'm in town! Rad spot, on my list from now on!

I thought the food was good but the service was extremely bad. After I put down my tip, one of the waitresses came over and grabbed the receipt. Very weird. She then proceeded to show the receipt to another waitress who then came over to our table to spew a bunch of nonsense and scold us. One thing she said was, "you know it's the law to tip 20% right?" Very interesting. She continued to give my Chinese friend a lecture on how if we lived here we would know that and how expensive owning a business in Boston is. Very funny. That's not my problem buddy. Maybe don't do that so people will actually enjoy their experience and come back

(4 1/2 stars) Really enjoyed our meal here. The pan fried pork buns were great! The steamed pork dumplings, king pao chicken, and beef with broccoli were all good. Pleasant and clean inside but you still get a bit of the old school feel. Fast service.

Fantastic spot, especially if you can get here for the lunch special - you order an entrée and it comes with a side of white rice and egg drop soup. We ordered some of the simpler dishes, chicken with broccoli and sesame chicken. The chicken with broccoli hit the spot, and the sesame chicken was a bit chewy but still good. We left feeling very full and happy (and ready for a nap haha) - we will definitely return!

Do you like Dry Pot? Do you like Chow Fun? This amazing gem on a China Town corner is the place to be. We've eaten here every single day of our visit to Boston. Which Dry Pot, you say? Try the fish filet dry pot. It's the best of all of them. The cooks get the fish slightly crispy and then mix those filets with the other ingredients. We tried the Beef Cow Fun and Dan Dan noodles as well. We also tried Beef Dry Pot and Shrimp Dry Pot. Every single dish was delicious. You will notice mostly other Chinese folks in this restaurant. If you like authentic Sichuan food, this is the place to be.

My friend insisted on bringing me here and I was initially weary due to the poor reviews but this place is one of the best Chinese restaurants I've ever been to. The food was very authentic and extremely delicious. It reminded me of when I used to go to my Chinese church and one of the grandmothers in the church would had us over to cook. The water boiled fish dish was my favorite and I attempted to recreate it at home ! I also really like the beef and green pepper dish !

A humongous menu. I wanted seafood and I like spicy. The seafood dry pot delivered. Very spicy, but with flavor. Lots of seafood. This could be shared. My wife was less adventurous. Her shrimp lo me in was good.

Very tasty foods than a lot other restaurants Service is good and foods are prepared very quick the only complaint is the spicy chicken is a bit sweet not as spicy as I think.

I ordered deliverers of salt and spicy fish, cumin tofu, and snow pea leaves. Everything was cooked right. Full of flavors and good portion. Very happy with the order.

Order take out from this place a few times, everytime is missing something either a drink or the rice. 幾個月前叫了外賣回到家發現他們沒有給水但是我付錢了，然後今天又沒給我飯也是外賣！太離譜了，打電話回去那個女的說下次我送飯給你。。。什麼叫送「是我付了錢你們沒有給我，還說這麼好聽送給我」你送給我，我以後也不想回去了。現在明白為什麼他們business so bad! Bad customer service is the worst