Lao Szechuan Hot Pot Buffet

I found the spicey broth to be very flat in flavor. Heat level... not too bad, most people would find it too hot I am sure. The place is mediocre clean. The choices to cook are limited. I had the shaved beef, fatty beef, squids, and some mushrooms. The "fake" fish balls were a chewy clump with fake crab meat, the actual fish balls, had the same outer chewy rubbery tecture, but with a fishy filled something on the inside. It wasn't bad. They put a mandatory 15% tip...all a waitress does in pick up dirty plates and bring drink if needed. I pretty much always tip hirer...but if they denand a 15% tip. That is all they get. Im pretty sure I wont be going back. I'd definitely say overpriced. For such a limited selection on the buffet.

If I could give zero star, I would do so. Alas, there is no such option. My suggestion for prospective eaters: please RUN! Just don’t eat here. We are visiting from California for a few weeks. We have been enjoying restaurants in Sioux Falls. Today we craved for Chinese food so decided to give this place a try. When we arrived, it was prime time. No other soul in the restaurant. That was a bad sign. We came here with low expectations but OMG our experience was a nightmare. Our first dish smelled so rotten that we had to have it sent it back. We did not want to get food poison. The second dish was equally bad. The cabbage was not even fresh; it tasted so soft and bland and salty. We had one bite and couldn’t bring ourselves to continue. The last dish, which was supposed to be their selling point, was slightly better. But it was so greasy and full of MSG. Please save your money and save your stomach trouble and don’t eat here. Panda Express has better food than this place. Because we didn’t eat much here, we had to go to another restaurant. The moment we left, we felt relieved. It was probably the worst dining experience ever in my life. Not only was the food horrible to the point of being inedible but also the server had a long face the whole time. She was mean. JUST AVOID THIS PLACE by all means!

Lao Szechuan Hot Pot Buffet, as the only Chinese Sichuan restaurant in the Sioux Falls area, offers a uniquely authentic Sichuan dining experience. As a Chinese international student at South Dakota State University, I often visit this restaurant with my friends to enjoy the taste of home. We especially love the Fuqi Fei Pian(Couple’s Sliced Beef in Chili Sauce) and Cumin Lamb. Personally, I’m a big fan of their Koushui Ji (Chicken in Chili Sauce). Overall, this restaurant is definitely worth a visit, and I highly recommend trying their signature dishes.

I have enjoyed the hotpot at Lao Szechuan numerous times, and it seems to get progressively better with each visit. I am particularly fond of the spicy broths and the unique flavor of Sichuan pepper. I have yet to explore their regular menu, cocktails, or fruit and milk teas, but for the only hotpot in Sioux Falls, it’s a great representation at an affordable price.

Chicken and broccoli lunch special w/fried rice… WONDERFUL!!!! Curry chicken dinner…. Very large and filling!!! Great curry flavor, not too strong. Mandarin trio plate… great assortment or both veggies and meat, no skimping there. Business was slow during the day, but I liked it that way. Good service.

The only, and I mean the only reason I’m giving it a 4 star is the price is bit steep. OTHERWISE I’m in love with this place. I often wait in giving Reviews. I go a few times and few weeks apart to see if there are any changes. And I’m not gonna lie. There was none. The same employees, different times and different days. Each time, Amazing. This is a standard Asian food restaurant. Every stereotype filled. But the hotpot is amazing. I’m a picky eater myself but I really like this place. The family who runs it is really nice. Always on top of getting your drinks, and checking your broth. The have all kinds of things to eat mushrooms, tofu fatty lamb, even octopus. It’s a clean place and the broth is amazing. They have a 2 hour limit on the buffet and a 15% tip is added to your bill. They also have a $12 fee for food waste, but to be honest as long as you eat what you get, it’s not an issue. The cost is worth it. It really is. It’s a great place of date night, and it’s a great place to have a family dinner.

Delightful adventure! Husband and I went here for date night and we had a great time. The staff we nice and very helpful to help us understand the process and what we needed to do. We had one side as "normal" and the other side as "spicy". The meat is cut thin so it cooks quickly and everything tasted so good! We were able to try a few items we wouldn't normally try and we've found a cute date night spot. Highly recommend and we will go back again!

Preface - this was my first time trying hot pot. I am also from Illinois, but I am visiting my wife's family for the holidays. I stopped in for lunch (12PM) while my wife visited Creative Beauty Studio a few doors down in the mall. The restaurant was empty, but I was immediately greeted and seated. My waiter was very attentive with my drink order and quickly prepared my 1/2 regular, 1/2 spicy hot pot. I made my own dipping sauce with hot chili oil mixed with sesame and peanut butter, and I also tried the non-spicy house sauce. The selection of meats, seafood, vegetables, mushrooms, dumplings, and noodles was impressive. Everything I tried was quick to prepare and absolutely delicious. I preferred the spicy broth, but the regular was also fantastic. In total, I spent about 1 hour on lunch and my bill totaled just under $30. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone regardless of if you are a local or just visiting. I think it would be nearly impossible not to find something you enjoy and/or to walk out of the restaurant still hungry.

Good food at a great price and great portion size. We ordered off the menu but they also offer a hot pot Buffet. The service was super fast, only took 5-10 minutes to get our food. Very kind server that checked in and was very polite.

First and last time I'll eat here. I got the hot pot and the taste was pretty good. Service was good. But I was a little worried I would get food poisoning because the cleanliness, presentation, and storage of food was questionable. The fridge temp did not feel cold enough for storing raw meat

Disappointed from menu pics and taste. I feel like I honestly could've made chicken fried rice than this. Hot and sour soup tasted different than all the hot and sour soups I've tasted all over the US. Meh . :/

**DO NOT GO HERE** If I could rate this place no stars I would. Decided to take my family here for my birthday to try something new and different. There are 7 of us total and a child. My husband paid $104 for me, him, and my sister in law. My brother in law paid $70 for him and his gf. We shared 2 hot pots. The selection for ingredients to put in your hot pot is limited and genuinely gross looking. It tasted just as bad. I'm an avid Asian cuisine lover and this place was a huge let down. The hot pot flavors were not good, in fact extremely bland. The food was gross and the price was even worse. It was our first time there and they never even came to help us understand what to do there. They make you pay a 15% tip when your water comes to your table maybe 2 times. When we went to pay they also tried to charge us for 3 hot pots each.

Great place to eat spicy, Chinese food! I'be eaten Chinese food from different places and this one is pretty good! The restaurant is split in regular menu dining, to sushi all you can eat, and hot pot all you can eat. Both all you can eats are $16.00 for adults. You can rice included with your meal, which is important to me! If you spend over $30, you get to pick one of the soups to share for free. The staff are very nice and friendly. There is also a bathroom inside that you can use while dining.

I'm a Chinese food junky. I have tried several Chinese restaurants in the area and so far this one is my favorite. We ordered off the menu. The atmosphere is nice and our waiter was very friendly. My only complaint would be they don't have garlic chicken, which is one of my favorites. The servings are huge and I was able to bring home leftovers that will last me a few days. Going forward this will be my go to for Chinese

I recently had a terrible dining experience at Lao Szechuan that I want to warn others about. My wife, children, and I went there to celebrate a special occasion. However, it was not great at all. Right away, we noticed the lack of atmosphere. There was no background music or nice décor to speak of. The place felt empty and unwelcoming. But I thought, no matter, as long as the food is good. Well, that turned out to be far from the truth. We opted for the hot pot "buffet," which sounded fun since you cook the ingredients at your table. However, the selection of items was very limited and mostly still frozen. The place also had a strange smell and flies buzzing around - not very appetizing. My 12 year old daughter ate next to nothing, but she was too old for the children's discount. For the four of us, the bill came to a whopping $150 - that's $28 per person. Fine. But then you add taxes and a mandatory 15% tip (even though all the server did was bing out the pot, refill two drinks, and pick up the check). To eat there you get all the ingredients yourself from the coolers. They also have signs threatening to charge you $12 per pound for any "wasted food." Not very nice. Plus they warn that you can only stay 2 hours. Makes sense, but I can't imagine anyone staying too long there. The excessive bill might be understandable if the food, service and atmosphere were any good. But everything about Lao Szechuan was mediocre at best. I advise going anywhere else if you want a pleasant dining experience. Don't make the mistake we did of wasting time and money here!

The service was awful , they have a built-in 15% gratuity and perhaps it has them very relaxed about customer service. Never again. There is no senior discount so my 93 year old mother paid the same price for a rice bowl sized meal as i paid for a plate. So sad. 3 of us ate and it was 98.00 for soup. In a self-serve diner.. We had hot pot, fried rice and a pork dish. We asked for a senior discount- we are all seniors- and were denied. Really? Any discount at all? Nope. Need a little education in how to run a restaurant. You'd find it in basic food service 101. I say that with much experience. So disappointed. Never wrote a bad review before

I do not recommend the broth was too oily and salty, the place was dead and had the food stored in Pepsi fridges. Overall just looked very sketchy and I did not take any seafood out of fear for my life. The bill for two was $68 and not worth that price! You are better going somewhere else.

This was a typical Asian restaurant and most of their dishes were spicy in nature and looked very good. The buffet was attached to the same restaurant although from the outside it mostly looks like two separate locations. The food was great, although I probably would have preferred the buffet after I had a chance to look at it.

I loved that I was able to get lamb off the menu. The flavors were very good. I picked order my food to go and they were quick.

Love this place! It's fun and everything is so fresh. Last time I was there the selection of raw ingredients was more limited but everything was fresh and paired perfect with the broth. Wait staff is always friendly.

Place was very small, it didn't have a good verity on foods to cook nor sauces. The broth was very bland, I have had hot pot before and this is by far not worth the price! It was very rushed. I nearly walked out but being my husband is prior military and said it's more authentic well next time I'll go by my gut feeling!

Not your typical Chinese restaurant in that the sauces and flavors are very, very bland!! Service is mediocre--server took the order, got the order, and got the check. Ambiance is not Chinese restaurant decor. Ventilation is strongly needed in the dining area, as the establishment smells like curry. Management needs to address these issues. We're the only two dining customers during dinner hours.

Wow AWESOME We walked in not knowing what to expect, the lady was super nice, explained everything and made us super comfortable. I can't say enough good things about the experience. Place is clean, great ambience All in all 5 stars. And I don't give stars PERIOD. That's how much I loved it.

Vegetarian friendly- I ordered two dishes (green beans and tofu) to go, and they are acceptably delicious to a picky customer. Large portion - a lot of food for each order

We were going to leave because we didn't think the Hot pot would work for our little group . Glad we stayed ! The menu was great and the food was Great .The size of the serving was huge ( lots of take home ) . Our server was outstanding , Hui Wang . I highly recommend these folk and will be returning again . Also the restaurant and the Rest Rooms were sparkling clean . Great Job Folks

This is such a great find! Delicious food and great service. I had the house fish plate and it was spicy but still had so much flavor. The steamed dumplings were also very good and you get a large portion.

Salt and pepper shrimp - go order it now. Totally blew me away. One of my favorite dishes since I first had it at Z&Y in San Francisco - this version is better. Absolutely perfectly crisp shrimp (for non adventurous eaters you do eat the whole thing- head, tail, shells) and it was perfectly seasoned. Paired with the fried rice which is totally delicious on its own. Best Chinese food I've had in a while (on a couple of continents) and you do not want to miss. Haven't tried Hot Pot yet, or the sushi, but I'll be back for this dish. Also, highly recommend fish in hot chili oil - super delicious as well from my last take out meal.

Excellent home town restaurant and bar!! Staff always go above and beyond!! Great for take out!! Pizza's are outstanding!!

This place is amazing. Absolutely amazing pricing and portion sizes. Daughter had 2 substantial sushi rolls that were fresh and delicious, husband had Lo neon and leftovers for days. Spicy chicken appetizer, egg drop soup and rangoons was more than enough food for 3 people. All perfectly fried, fresh and delicious. Attached pic was just my leftovers! Crispy, perfectly spicy and sweet General Tso's. I'm ruined for all the other Chinese restaurants in town.

I brought my kids for some authentic hot pot and Lao Szechuan delivered in spades! This will definitely be a new family favorite! 100 times better the Mongolian Huhot! I have three hungry teenage boys. Feeding the healthy delicious food when eating has always been a challenge. It always surprises me how many vegetables my kids eat with hot pot. Thank you for an amazing Mother's day meal with my boys!

Appetizers - I could make a meal of their egg rolls, dumplings, rangoon, etc. it's all tasty! House spicy beef is good, General Tao's is good without being too sweet. One of our go to places in sioux falls

We did not do the hot pot as we were super curious about their authentic Chinese food. We had the cumin lamb, roasted duck, and Szechuan green beans. Probably the best Szechuan food in town although I have not been to all of them. The standout was the green beans, some of the best we have ever had. Portion sizes could have happily fed 4 people with our 3 dishes.

Finally authentic Chinese food here in Sioux Falls! I love this place and have not had a bad experience yet. The dumplings and stuffed buns are amazing! The Rougamo is probably my favorite item on the menu, the Pork and Jalapeno filling is super delicious! I go pick them up a couple times a month. The staff is always friendly and informative if you ever have any questions! Great experience! Looking forward to trying the Hotpot soon!

This place was absolutely delicious! The spicy broth was amazing. Coming from a Chinese background and moving to the Midwest it's hard to find ingredients to make authentic Chinese hot pot. I was anxious to try Lao Szechuan when I herd it was opening up! So delicious and The staff is very friendly too! I will be back and will be my go to place for some hot soup!

Traveling for work has some upside. I get to experience some amazing local restaurants wherever I go. If you find yourself in Sioux Falls SD be sure to check out this place. AWESOME food. I was very impressed. Wish I was staying longer so I could come back. Don't miss it. Amazing.

Amazing flavors!! By far THE best Chinese food in Sioux Falls We would recommend this to anyone and everyone. We will be visiting as often as possible.

Looking for real food amd we found it. I can only eat that good old boys farm food for so long. We found a great spot Tonya had the hot pot buffet and loved it. Me I'm a stickler for the specials so I had the lo mien off the lunch menu and it was still more than I could finish. The food was tasty the staff/owners were kind and pleasant. We're coming back for the Sushi buffet I'm sure it will be great!

I got take out from here, and it very well might be the worst Chinese I've had. Plenty of other options that are far better

What a great find!! The spicy Szechwan green beans... so yummy. This place has authentic Chinese food, but for those who like the familiar there's lots of favorites as well. This is going to be a regular haunt for us. Great work!

This is a whole in the wall Chinese restaurant! All the dishes we ordered were savory! I would come here again! Service was good as well.

This place was amazing! I've never had cold chicken or beef covered with chili oil but it was delicious. The concoction went well together and smacked. Didn't have to wait for the meat to get cooled down so time is money. The lamb was good also! The aroma of the spices filled my nostrils with a level 100 Taco Bell flavor smell for my brain. Will be back on crack!

Lao Szechuan Ian the easiest to find if you are a first timer, but it is the best Chinese food I have found yet located in Sioux Falls. I am severely picky when it comes to sauces and tastes/textures but they have hit the mark! I of course am a fan of the sesame chicken and their chicken fried rice. My partner loves the sushi (a little high priced for what you get) and is looking forward to trying the All You Can Eat Sushi Buffet. What's even better is now they are starting to recognize us because we are there so often! That's golden to me. The only downside I do have is pricing, but other than that this is the best place to get your Chinese in Sioux Falls! Eat up!

Gross. Terrible tasteless food. Ordered three dishes. Gave it one more try. Beef chow mein was 95% onions and the meat tasted as if it had been frozen for months after it was cooked, very stale. The lomein was tasteless. Not a single Asian vegetable just onions carrots celery and stale meat and tiny shrimp. Anyone could make this.

Most authentic Chinese food in town. Healthy, delicious, as it should be. Not greasy or all taste the same. Flavors are just amazing. Each dish has its own fantastic flavor. Service is great! It's literally the only place I would do take out now . So happy we got this restaurant in town. :)

My Chinese friend usually likes what she orders, but we both agree that service is sketchy. Most real Asian-owned restaurants don't allow the staff to keep tips ~ FYI. Usually it's a family owned establishment and this place seems to fit the stereotype. A couple of the younger females that have waited on us seem clueless. Language can be a problem, unless you speak Mandarin. The American items can vary in quality from day-to-day. I've had the same item and noticed a big range in food quality. We've had steamed rice that was clumpy and I believe was microwaved from the day before. There is a separate "Chinese Menu" if you can navigate the language...my Chinese friend seems to be more satisfied than I am at food options and quality. Portions are plentiful, I suggest lunch portions if you aren't ravenous and don't want to generate leftovers.

The food was decent, but everything was rather bland. The egg rolls were good and the steamed dumplings. The Mei fun and sushi were lackluster.

$26 for adult and $13 for a kid.! At these prices I would expect gourmet food, instead we got bland cooked food. Shrimp balls that were inedible, mushy fish and fat with tiny pieces of beef inbetween. The dips were also bland so the only hope for some flavor was the jar of soy sauce. I would not recommend.

This was our first time doing a hot pot, and it was so fun! Our waitress was super nice and answered all our questions. I didn't like some sake I ordered and she had no problem taking it off the bill. A little pricey, but for the amount of food you can have, it's understandable. Would def go again, but if you go make sure you're hungry!

Very friendly right as we walked in the door. Having traveled through China this is authentic as it gets. Loved the Spicy Fish Soup, and 3 Vegetable Dish. Check it out and be adventurous!

Hotpot review only I was so excited to go here with my friend. It had been such a long time since I had hotpot. We decided to split a pot. I got regular she got spicy. We both got loads of veggies and mushrooms. I tried the fish all she didn't. I got FOOD POISONING she didn't. I had nothing to eat before hand as I had planned on fully gorging myself here. Not long after we finished I felt pains but I thought I maybe I ate too much. Except the pain got worse. And worse. Then I spent the next six hours on and off vomiting violently and painfully. The next day I felt so sore from vomitting and extremely fatigued the next few days I've never felt to so horrifically disappointed and betrayed by food. I am sad b/c i went in wanting to love it. I can't speak for their Chinese food or sushi but I don't think I'll chance it. This happened the week before Christmas so maybe they've improved their health and safety standards and Have taken food safety courses but I doubt it . Does anyone know their health department score by chance?

The hot pot side is a lot of fun, but (and I realize this sounds weird) there is somewhat of a learning curve to figure out what you are supposed to do. Luckily the staff was friendly and helpful. Will definitely be back.

They have never ending sushi, which is so wonderful! The rice is surprisingly flavorful, the fish is pretty good, and they have some fun and inventive rolls that you can order. The only thing I really disliked was the salmon. The salmon was plastic-y and had a horrible flavor. If I go back, which I will, I will not order the salmon again. But everything else was lovely!

Great authentic Szechuan cuisine. I had the fried pork intestines, pork belly, and the pork belly special and I was not disappointed. Definitely an authentic place and will be ordering from them again.

UPDATE... A wonderful Mother's Day lunch in spite of the virus fear! I was really craving authentic SE Asian food and was thrilled Lao Szechuan is providing take out during this CoVid 19 isolation! It was a simple process to order all my favorites online. It arrived home beautifully packaged, warm and they even included a Mother's Day treat. Delicious and best of all... leftovers for today!

Happy to see some authentic Chinese cooking. Portions are designed for sharing family style. If you like spicy, this is the place for you, although there are milder options. Everything we had was delicious--salt and pepper shrimp, enoki beef, and the whole spicy fish. The Shanghai cabbage was fresh and sweet. Looking forward to going back and trying the clams, garlic lamb, squirrel fish, lobster, and some of the other soups and appetizers. I've had the hot pot too, which would be a fun group activity or date, but I prefer ordering off the menu.

Walked in and was immediately told about the hot pot only. No other menu offer. We said we did not what spicy anything. She tried repeatedly to change our minds. Could not understand the waitress at all with her mask. The price was ridiculous at $24 a person I don't care if it was all you can eat. You had to get your food out of a cooler. We were totally confused. If it was so good why were we the only ones there at 7pm on a Sunday night. Would never return.

This place is great! Everyone is always super friendly, explains everything very well, and the food is delicious! Hands down the best crab ragoons I've ever had!!! Great sushi - the all you can eat option is so good and a good selection of food options, just make sure you can eat all that you order otherwise you will be charged for the waste! Overall- great restaurant!!!!