Sichuan Jin River

Located in downtown Rockville, Maryland, Sichuan Jin Restaurant specializes in authentic Sichuan cuisine. My wife and I have been loyal customers for over 20 years, and our recent visit reminded us why. Don't expect fancy decor or ample seating, but if you crave spicy Chinese food, especially Sichuan dishes, this restaurant delivers. Sichuan Jin's standout features include homemade-style cooking with generous portions, making it ideal for intimate gatherings with family and friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the authentic Sichuan flavors through every dish. During our recent visit, we ordered four dishes, including the delicious beef noodle soup and a dessert: crispy pumpkin cake with sweet red bean paste. A must-try! Consider try it before dinner – you won't regret it. The price was approx. $50 per person, well worth it considering the generous portions and leftovers. Overall, I strongly recommend Sichuan Jin Restaurant for Sichuan food enthusiasts.

We had been to this restaurant more than 10 years ago and always curious to return. We are glad we actually did. Food is delicious and authentic. A native from Sichuan I could see a lot of authentic touches in the dishes that are hard to find in other restaurants in the area. The portions are very generous comparing to the price. Three of us walked out with a $90 bill after ordering three entrees one appetizer and one desert. The ambiance needs some work as you can see a lot of boxes piled right in front of you when you enter and decor needs some improvement. Service is ok but waiters could be more enthusiastic.

March 2024 We came here for lunch on a Sunday. It was pretty quiet and not very busy. There was only one waiter for the whole place with the guy behind the desk helping out when needed. Service was quick, but this is definitely a place where you need to flag someone down if you want something. This place is located in a slightly sketchy looking shopping center. Note that the parking lot surrounding the area is divided into paid parking (mainly for Rockville Town Center) and free parking for the shopping center. The paid parking spaces have green signs and are marked with #2850 for ParkMobile. The inside is dimly lit, with all the windows covered by both blinds and curtains. Entering, the right section has 4-people booths while the left section is a few steps up and has tables of various sizes. The place is clean, though the booth section is a little cluttered with supplies along the wall opposite the booths. They play quiet and soft instrumental music in the background. The food was good, some better than others. The scallion pancake was obviously pan fried (this is good), with minimal oil. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a decent amount of scallions (less than what I prefer, but typical for a restaurant). The beef noodle soup was definitely spicy, a bit past my tolerance from someone who prefers mild-spicy. The soup was not oily and the beef was tender. The orange chicken was white chicken and slightly dry. The orange sauce was a little bit too light, but definitely orangey. The soup dumplings were ok, different from Taiwanese soup dumplings (which is to be expected). They do have a good amount of soup in each. Note that the accompanying sauce had alcohol in it. Overall, both the service and food were ok. May come again.

An authentic Sichuan experience - they serve a variety of well cooked dishes, all properly spicy and numbing as you'd expect out of Sichuan cuisine. I came here with a friend group a few days ago and we ordered a number of staples - double cooked pork, cumin lamb, chengdu spicy chicken, and hotpot boiled beef (I'm not sure how else to translate it). Every dish was high quality and tasted good, and the overall price for the meal was quite reasonable. The dishes I listed above are all recommended, though anyone who orders them should be wary as they're all spicy! Of course, if you're coming to a Sichuan restaurant missing out on the spice would be a shame.

Truly cannot recommend this place enough -- Sichuan Jin River is my new go-to for authentic and delicious Chinese food! They have a wide array of my childhood classics, and they certainly take the "Sichuan" in their name seriously, so be prepared for some heat (and some numbing)! I came with a group of four on a chilly, rainy DMV evening, the perfect weather for some hot Chinese fare. We got an array of seafood and veggies, including their Whole Fish & Bean Jelly in Hot Sichuan Sauce, Mapo Tofu (without the pork), Stir-Fried String Beans, and Crispy Rice Cake & Vegetables in White Sauce. It's hard to pick a favorite from that list since every single item was executed to perfection. As far as the proteins go, the fish was delightfully tender and perfectly seasoned; the Sichuan hot sauce absolutely packed a punch and paired wonderfully with the steaming white rice. I appreciated that the kitchen allowed us to modify the mapo tofu to take out the pork, and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to try it! Like the fish, the tofu was super tender and the hot, numbing sauce was perfect. The veggies were equally delicious -- the string beans were crispy on the outside and soft in the center, with a great char from the wok and a huge punch of flavor from the blackened garlic. Both the crispy rice cakes and vegetables were certainly crispy; the veggies were fresh and not too overcooked, and they paired wonderfully with the light white sauce. If you do order this one, definitely try to eat it quickly, though, as the crispy rice cakes will lose their battle with the sauce after 10-20 minutes and get a touch soggy. Not only was everything delicious, but it was also super affordable! Our individual bills (not including tip, but including tax and two other meat dishes beyond what I listed above) came out to ~$20! Not bad at all for a DMV restaurant and a pretty hefty meal. So if you're craving some authentic, no-frills Sichuan food at an affordable price point, definitely give Sichuan Jin River a try!

One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the area. Have ordered here many times, both dine in and takeout. I cannot say that any dish in particular stands out above the others but the Sichuan dishes are all very good and I have found I have always gotten my money's worth on whatever I ordered. Great taste and portions for the price!

Time: Friday around 6:30 pm Seated: towards the back end of the restaurant. As other reviews mentioned, the back end of the restaurant is a bit disorganized, but we don’t really mind. But the main issue with that seating is that it’s really hard to get the servers attention. We waited a while with our hands in the air whenever we needed something. Food: they were great! Hence the four star. Taste is authentic, and the portion is big. I mean BIG. It’s actually family size and I highly recommend you bring a friend or two to share the food. We usually order a lot more, so we can try different dishes and get the leftovers for the next day. Price: honest pricing. Compare with the taste and the portion, they have very good pricing.

I came here a ton as a kid and came by fairly recently with my family for the first time in over a decade. I'd say, overall, it was hit or miss. I unfortunately don't know the names of too many of the dishes I ordered in English, as many are traditional Chinese dishes. However, the classic dishes that I remembered as a kid are just as good as they used to be. A couple, on the other hand, were fairly mediocre. Big fan of the hai xian guo ba, but the tofu dish that we got was fairly average. Service is good, so no complaints there. This is a fairly authentic restaurant, so keep that in mind (all the servers speak fluent Chinese).

The restaurant is located just on the edge of Rockville Town Center. Parking is free. Plenty of seats when we came by at 5pm. Not much of service but it's the food that counts. A friend recommended this place for their Sichuan dishes. We ordered a couple appetizers and 3 entrees - rice noodle, eggplants with basil and garlic, and the spicy fish fillets. All in all their dishes are fine, a bit on the sweet side and bland. Tho I appreciate the generous size of their entrees as we felt quite satisfied after our meal. The spicy fish fillet sauce was tasty; I wish they used different kind of fish instead of what tasted like tilapia or catfish. Another plus of this r is its location. There are several dessert places within walking distance. We walked a block over for dessert at Kung Fu Tea.

Great Shezhuan dishes. We enjoyed very much. Been there twice. I recommend this great little restaurant.

The food here is OK, but doesn't stand out compared to other better Chinese restaurants in Rockville. Green beans and niurou mian were decent. Niurou gan was also good. If you dine in, there was absolutely no ventilation in the restaurant. I'd recommend here for carry out only.

One of the oldest Sichuan restaurants in the Rockville and DMV area is shown by the accolades they got on the wall from 2011/2013 era. Food was plentiful and affordable compared to just Peter wang across the street. Service was ok, but fast. Food came out fast after ordering. Eggplant was not mushy. Peppercorn fish is unique and they are probably the only ones that make it in the area.

We have been coming to Jin River for spicy Chinese foods since 2015. Great location, next to the block, right by Rockville town center area. Their dishes spices are not the spiciest but the SiChuan flavor is authentic. From meats to fish to all sorts of Chinese pastries are all very delicious. Also don't forget to try their smoked duck meat, one of my favorite. The customer service has always being friendly and attentive. Pricing is reasonable. The restaurant has been here forever, but it does not seem like any renovation has been done on it, so looks dated both inside and outside. There are plenty parkings out front and around, BE AWARE, only the ones right in front of the restaurant with no pay parking signs are free. Others are all pay to park. Do recommend by @winedinenvacay

I came here a ton as a kid and came by fairly recently with my family for the first time in over a decade. I'd say, overall, it was hit or miss. I unfortunately don't know the names of too many of the dishes I ordered in English, as many are traditional Chinese dishes. However, the classic dishes that I remembered as a kid are just as good as they used to be. A couple, on the other hand, were fairly mediocre. Big fan of the hai xian guo ba, but the tofu dish that we got was fairly average. Service is good, so no complaints there. This is a fairly authentic restaurant, so keep that in mind (all the servers speak fluent Chinese).

Truly cannot recommend this place enough -- Sichuan Jin River is my new go-to for authentic and delicious Chinese food! They have a wide array of my childhood classics, and they certainly take the "Sichuan" in their name seriously, so be prepared for some heat (and some numbing)! I came with a group of four on a chilly, rainy DMV evening, the perfect weather for some hot Chinese fare. We got an array of seafood and veggies, including their Whole Fish & Bean Jelly in Hot Sichuan Sauce, Mapo Tofu (without the pork), Stir-Fried String Beans, and Crispy Rice Cake & Vegetables in White Sauce. It's hard to pick a favorite from that list since every single item was executed to perfection. As far as the proteins go, the fish was delightfully tender and perfectly seasoned; the Sichuan hot sauce absolutely packed a punch and paired wonderfully with the steaming white rice. I appreciated that the kitchen allowed us to modify the mapo tofu to take out the pork, and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to try it! Like the fish, the tofu was super tender and the hot, numbing sauce was perfect. The veggies were equally delicious -- the string beans were crispy on the outside and soft in the center, with a great char from the wok and a huge punch of flavor from the blackened garlic. Both the crispy rice cakes and vegetables were certainly crispy; the veggies were fresh and not too overcooked, and they paired wonderfully with the light white sauce. If you do order this one, definitely try to eat it quickly, though, as the crispy rice cakes will lose their battle with the sauce after 10-20 minutes and get a touch soggy. Not only was everything delicious, but it was also super affordable! Our individual bills (not including tip, but including tax and two other meat dishes beyond what I listed above) came out to ~$20! Not bad at all for a DMV restaurant and a pretty hefty meal. So if you're craving some authentic, no-frills Sichuan food at an affordable price point, definitely give Sichuan Jin River a try!

Oh wow!! Sichuan Jin River is the place to go for authentic Sichuan food. I lived in Sichuan for half a year and visited a couple more times after that. I really miss the food and eating here brought me right back! Everything I had from the Dan Dan noodles to the fish and Sichuan green beans were delicious! The chili oil and spices were on point, and the ingredients were fresh and tasty. I would recommend going with more people so you can try multiple dishes...OR keep everything for yourself As for the service and ambiance, I liked how it was a family-owned Chinese restaurant. Service was not like American restaurants, but that's what was great. The servers were nice and they also mostly left us alone to eat. I highly recommend you give Sichuan Jin River a try. If you like spicy authentic Chinese food, come here.

Always great! The cumin beef, Mapo tofu and do miao (pea pod greens) are our faves. I also love the cold plate of tripe with Szechuan peppercorns.

When you are seated, they immediately bring over a pot of hot tea. I love it, even though I'm not especially a hot tea fan. I like the old-school approach to Chinese restaurant service. The menu is diverse including a number of items with animal and fish body parts that I don't ever see myself consuming. But, in addition to having a great hot and sour soup (one of the best I've had - spicy and rich, with a nice amount of mushroom and Chinese vegis for each mouthful), and good steamed dumplings, their Dan Dan noodles are delish and they have other apps that are more exotic and I will try over time - just not with fish heads or animal intestines (which they have). For entrees, I typically get eggplant with a garlic sauce, but have gone with a group before and tried everyone's entrees - honestly, not a bad one or even weak one in the mix. One warning is the service. The service is good. However, when you order apps and entrees, don't be surprised if the entree comes out first. It seems like you order and they cook everything - and bring it out in the order it's ready. So, if you want soup and apps and THEN entrees, make sure you order things over time. I don't want to criticize the service for this, but to warn you and let you know how to deal with their approach. The portions are huge and we often bring lots of food home. The place can get crowded as it's very popular. Price point is nice, too. There's a Peter Chang across the street (the subject of another of my reviews). Peter Chang is more expensive and I just don't get the attraction with this restaurant right across the street. I guess it's the ambience. Sichuan Jin River is not fancy and if you eat at the lower tables (right side of the restaurant), it's like sitting at a diner with the tables tightly together. The left side is a bit nicer, with tables a bit further apart and more attractive surroundings on the walls.

It is a popular Chinese restaurant of Sichuan cuisine. Lunch time on weekend was packed with families and friends. The service was efficient and a bit rough. The atmosphere was a bit noisy because we were surrounded by big groups. The prices were very reasonable. The food was good and the portions big. Tips were not automatically added even for a party of six, unlike other restaurants. You really get good bang for your buck here. We ordered: 4*Sauteed Spinach with Garlic 大蒜菠菜: it was pretty good for a simple spinach dish. 3*Mixed Vegetables素什锦: the white sauce was a bit salty for a healthy dish like this. I assume people order this for health reasons, so it should be light. 4*Diced Spicy Chicken Salad 成都口水雞: flavor was not strong enough for me; needs a bit more spice to get the desired flavor. 4*Duck Feet with Hot Chili Sauce 紅油鸭掌. It was pretty good, but mild. I prefer a little spicier. 4*Flounder & Soft Tofu in Spicy soup 豆花魚片: portion was big, not that spicy. 3*Founder with Fresh Hot Pepper & Black Bean Sauce 尖椒豆汁鱼片: we ordered mild. It's ok and the portion was big. 4*Sweet Taro Rolls 酥炸香芋卷: not sweet at all. One of us really liked it; I would have preferred sweeter rolls. Too plain for me. 5*Red Bean Paste w/ Mashed Taro Wrap 豆沙芋泥饼: everyone in our party liked it, sweet but not too sweet, just right.

Food was flavorful however the slices of beef and chunks of chicken were a bit larger than we prefer.

The spicy lamb pieces were delicious! Not to mention the fish with noodles, it was simply perfect! Soft and yummy, the most delicious combo. It wasn't too spicy, but not bland at all. I loved this place so much! After ordering about a dozen dishes, the price didn't go much over $100. Amazing taste AND good deal? My type of combo! On top of that, the waiters spoke Mandarin and English! The menu was also in both languages. Very helpful! 5/5 stars, definitely reccoment for someone looking for Chinese food, or just to try something new!

We ate here for the first time tonight. We were seated on the lower side of the restaurant, which is decidedly NOT at all attractive. All of the restaurant's back stock of napkins, cups, etc are stacked in plain sight of all of the tables on that side of the restaurant. The scallion pancake was really good. Could've used more scallions cooked inside, but there was enough to give it good flavor. The man ordered the steamed pork buns and they were, according to him, delicious. They were also enormous! (see photo). The man ordered the General Tso chicken, which came pretty quickly and (he says) was really good. My tofu with mixed vegetables took another 10 minutes, which was unusual. I was not at all impressed with my dish. Everything was overcooked to the point of mushiness, there was way too much oil, and the flavor was just a little strange. Sichuan Jim River was a mixed bag. I'm not sure I will return.

I really enjoyed Suchuan Jin River. I started with a wonton soup which was tasty. We shared shrimp w mixed veggies, chicken and broccoli , dumplings (both steamed and fried) - both great- and also Singapore noodles . Everything was tasty and I'd def return!

Good neighborhood Chinese restaurant. Not much ambiance, but food was pretty good--best we've had locally post-pandemic. They have a lot of Asian clientele and the menu reflects it.

Food was great, service was decent and the price was pretty good! The spicy dry pot had so many different ingredients in it and was so unexpectedly delicious! There were 3 of us total and the portion could probably feed 4!

The portions were big and the food was good - I was simply just feasting. I ate quietly and listened onto my friends' conversations. I was too focused on enjoying the food to contribute much. FYI - if you have cash, they charge you a bit less. CUMIN LAMB - 20.95 This is a classic Sichuan dish. I liked the spices, peppercorns and heat that came with every bite of lamb, which was tender. There was a a lot of lamb in this stir-fry along with other herbs. The dish is definitely on the saltier side for me, so I had to consume this with a lot of rice. Overall, I would recommend giving this a try here. FLOUNDER WITH FRESH HOT PEPPER & BLACK BEAN - 19.95 This was definitely my favorite dish tonight. I love the black bean paste (?) and the hot pepper flavors. The flounder sat on a broth/sauce (soaked up the flavors well) and it was so tender... Each bite of flounder melted in my mouth and I thoroughly enjoyed every single bit of fish I was able to consume. For this price, they give you so much fish here. I am salivating as I am writing my review on this. I was able to enjoy the flounder on its own without rice, but you can generously pour the broth/sauce on top of your rice for extra flavor, which is what our table did. I'd highly recommend this for the incredible tender texture of flounder and the taste was top-notched. SNOW PEA SHOOT - 17.95 We wanted to at least be a bit healthy so we wanted vegetables. Between this or the classic Sichuan green beans, I'm glad we chose the pea shoots tonight. They definitely added a good amount of chicken bouillon or MSG to the vegetables, but it worked out because it was tasty. The way they stir-fried the pea shoots were perfect as the texture of each pea shoot was enjoyable. Crunchy, but fully-cooked, and the pea shoots tasted fresh to me. Also, enjoyed the generous amount of garlic in this dish. Super yummy - would recommend paying a bit extra for the pea shoots instead of green beans. Coming from a non-Sichuan Chinese person, maybe this doesn't mean much if you have a more refined Sichuan cuisine palette. My Sichuan friend thought the food was just OK/decent, but my other friend and I definitely enjoyed the food more than he did! However, I do think that Sichuan Jin River has the best Sichuan food I've had in the DMV area given its price and style. It's the typical standard entrees that are restaurant quality, nothing super fancy or overly-modernized. Lowkey, still thinking about that flounder, haha.

I give this place a 5 star! The complimentary tea at the table was the perfect touch. We ordered scallion pancakes, chicken fried rice, sesame chicken, shrimp chow fun, stir fried lamb and stir fried minced chicken......WOW! AMAZING AND DELICIOUS! They did not disappoint at all! I don't typically eat lamb because I don't like the gamey taste. But this fried lamb was so juicy and tender. You have to try it out. I can't wait to come back and try more dishes.

Authentic Chinese dishes that are fairly priced for how large the portions are! Fast service and good space for big parties. We loved the green beans, fish with ginger scallion, pork with bean curd, and the cumin lamb. Skip the appetizers and the white rice is not the best but works fine.

Been coming to this place for years and the dishes never fail to disappoint. Waiters are friendly and they bring out the food very fast after you order. Spicy beef tendon dish is very good and I always order it. Definitely a family friendly atmosphere here.

Very cheap prices for tasty authentic Chinese food. I did not know this place existed for the longest time. I lived in the area for 10+ years but had NO clue this restaurant was opened and running. Pretty hidden behind the Spot, couldn't see the place driving by. So sad I didnt know about this place sooner. The prices are great and the food is pretty good!! Small Pork Buns Filled w/ Chicken Broth ($9.95) [4.5/5] So happy to get like 8 Xiao Long Baos for only $10. That is such a steal At Bob's you'd only get like 6 for 12. Rlly tasty, lots of soup inside. I'm happy. Kinda annoying tho how it stuck to the bottom sometimes and all the soup would explode before leaving the tin:( but its okkk I was very fast lol Fried Scallion Pancake ($5.50) [3/5] The scallion pancakes were ok. I dont think they were salted at all? Maybe it was just this one time they forgot salt or smth. I need my salt lol other than tht it was rlly good, still chewy and flaky. Fried Wontons ($4.50) [5/5] OH MY GOSH GET ITTT. Such a good price for so many won tons. I was going to cry. So tasty, so juicy, so crispy. SO CHEAP. I will be back. I definitely want to try the spicy fish filet!!

Most authentic Sichuan Chinese restaurant in Rockville and beyond. Expect to bring back leftovers due to generous portions.

One of my favorite restaurants! Really good food and reasonably priced. The fish with black bean paste and chili is my must have dish. No complaints about the service - they've never barked at me and they get my order correct and it comes out in reasonable time. It's a bit messy with boxes and things out in the open, but as long as I get my fish, I'm happy.

This is a favorite of ours after church. I grew up in Sichuan, and it definitely has tastes of home! It's not exactly the same, but the best i've had in terms of authenticity in the greater DMV! Would recommend the dan dan mian (noodles), and Chongqing la zi ji (think spicy popcorn chicken)!

Overall: Easily 4-plus stars. Excellent value. Food: Excellent. Well prepared. Generous portions. Well priced. Service: The best. A very attentive owner and staff. Ambiance: 2 stars. OK, but the place would look uncluttered if supplies were kept in the back, not in the front where customers are being served. Parking: 3 stars. Plenty but shared with surrounding apartments and other businesses.

This has one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the area. It's convenient to Metro, Rockville Town Center, and has easy parking. Most importantly, the food is always delicious. BUT... last night, we had just absurdly careless service. We had to ask for water. We had to ask for duck sauce and spicy mustard. We had to ask for RICE to go with one of our entrees! We had to ask for the check (and boxes for leftovers) multiple times. And then, after charging my card, they returned the receipt and credit card to the wrong table!!! (I'm probably leaving out something else...) I'm hoping that this was a new server, learning his job, but it sure made a normally lovely meal into something more frustrating.

Was able to dine in here this time around. Still really good. They know numbing if you ask for it! The vegetable fried rice is also really good. The star dish was the cauliflower dry hot where I asked for da ma. It did not disappoint. I also got the General Guan's cumin chicken and the deep fried tofu with hot pepper. These were just okay, but not bad. Definitely will be back again when in the area.

This has been here for some time now and they are still here. Even when the surrounding area keeps getting developed, they are still here. What does that tell you? Food is good. It may not look much on the outside and the inside needs a bit of updating, but the food is what delivers. I tend to get take out from this place. The flavor can be a bit muted sometimes, but some dishes really packs a punch. I personally love their spicy fish dish. They give out good portions for those. The service does what it needs to do and gets me my orders on time so no complaints there.

We are die hard Bobs Shanghai 66 fans, but we wanted to try something new. This place was also very solid. The menu is huge and has so many cool dishes. But we were in the mood for classics. The mapo tofu had an earthier flavor than usual, but I really liked it. The cumin beef felt fancier or more elevated than Bob's, but it was very salty (and I LOVE salt and MSG). It was still good though. The chengdu spicy chicken was solid. Overall, we were happy with the meal. I don't think it's unseated Bob's for us though! But we didn't get the more unique menu options. I'd definitely come again.

I enjoy both the food and prices at this restaurant. They serve delicious dishes, and the staff, especially the boss at the front desk, are always friendly and helpful when taking my orders.

Very bad experience. Very rude and mean on the phone. No any respect for customers. When I was checking the menu, the stupid owner just pushed and pushed, saying she was busy. And when I said ok, just the three dishes for now, maybe I can call you later for more, She said no, you are not allowed to change your order. I said I am not changing, just adding. She said no. This is so ridiculous. Not to mention the dishes are not that good. Never order there again.

Great food and great service. I eat there on a weekly basis. It is a good environment serving good authentic Chinese food.

Very solid. Definitely get the sichuan green beans. Lamb is also excellent. Food comes out fast, portions large.

Ordered a few classic Sichuan dishes plus a recommended by the server steamed chicken buns, and really came away disappointed. Hot & sour soup: neither sour nor hot (spicy), felt a little watered down. 2/5 Mapo tofu: 3/5, not too terrible but didn't have the Sichuan peppercorn taste (no numbing). Intestine & blood hotpot: 4/5, this was the best dish ordered. The blood cake was a little thin and hard, which means they got this from a vendor and didn't make it from scratch. A 5/5 would have the blood cake being as soft as tofu. Chicken steamed buns: ugh, not sure why people order this, the skin was thick and it was simply not very tasty. 1/5 Spicy wonton: 1/5, I felt like I was having dumplings (skin too thick) dunked with soy sauce.

Sichuan Jin River is the place for authentic Chinese comfort food, especially on a cold and rainy day. The chili peppers were more flavorful and numbing rather than spicy - just the way we like it! The pork intestines were too fatty but the duck, spicy fish, and stir fried cabbage were delicious! The three of us shared everything and we left feeling very full!

One of the best Sichuan restaurants in the USA. Excellent fuqi feipian (spicy beef internals)and Suan cai yu (sour spicy fish)

Food was okay. I have high expectations for Chinese food, and over all it was a little greasy. Price was really good tho! The owner was also really nice and came to tell us we didn't need to pay for parking.

My partner absolutely loves this place, and he cites it as his favorite Sichuan restaurant and has been coming here since he was a child, so definitely take what I have to say with a grain of salt, as I can definitely see opinions differing here. I was mildly disappointed with the authenticity of this place as the spicy chicken we got was far from what I know to be authentic. To begin with, the coloring was off, and there simply was not enough peppers in the dish. As someone who struggles with spicy foods, this was a huge let down, as I usually get this dish to really sweat it out. Unfortunately, I could barely taste any spice, and the only flavor I got was oil. Regardless, it was still really delicious. The other chicken we got was not spicy, and was pretty good as well! Definitely not my favorite Chinese restaurant or even Sichuan restaurant, but it's owned and run by amazing people, and I would definitely recommend the experience if authenticity isn't your top goal.

Growing up in the DMV, Jin River was always hailed as one of the best authentic Szechuan restaurants by all my closest Chinese family members and family friends. We used to go a lot when I was younger but I hadn't been in a few years. I recently came back here to celebrate my Dad's birthday (it was his favorite restaurant, after all) and we had a blast. They don't take reservations so we came early (around 530 PM) on a Saturday night and were able to be seated immediately. The service is fast, clean, professional. The food was a huge hit for everyone - including a friend who was trying Szechuan food for the first time ever. They have a great selection of traditional spicy foods as well as some more mild dishes. On the spicy range, we got the beef tripe, the mapo tofu, and the fish soup. On the milder side, we got green beans and sizzling beef with onions. All 5 of these dishes were delicious and more than enough food for a party of 4 - we had so many leftovers! My father, who likes to be the judge of what is "authentic" Chinese food swears that this place is the real deal. I don't doubt him - for the small amount of spicy food I was able to tolerate, I could tell that the flavors were delicious and stand-alone. Highly recommend for all veterans of and newcomers to Szechuan food!

Service was excellent. Food delicious. Highly recommend coming here. The meat is tender and fresh. Perfectly made.

We celebrated our brother's birthday here. It was recommended by my sister in-law. The place itself seems old since it is in an old building. The food was great i like the deep fried intestines. And the the fried chicken nuggets. My sis in law knows a lot of the dishes and we ate them all up really well. I feel bad for the server he was the only one with like 40 people to be served. But he did well.

This is a top sichuan restaurant for us, we love coming to this restaurant. I have discovered more new and amazing dishes each time I tried something new, it is particular hard to veer off the consistently good dishes because they are so good. My kiddo's fav is the steamed fish slices, it seemed so simplistic but here they just executed it so well, I think the standard of the Chinese restaurant can be tested with a simple dish like this. My friend who was not adventurous whatsoever, was not too keen at the idea - yew fish dish!!? I took her there once and ordered it, it was such a perfect dish, fresh slices of fish with scallions, ginger, cilantro and soy sauce mixture mixed with the juice of the fish, it was so organic. She was speechless. The other dish I discovered was the chipped beef, tofu and mushroom soup. It is like an eggdrop soup but with beef flavor, I ask for a dash of black vinegar. Needless to say, it became my fav soup. Another dish was the wrapped cumin lamb with peanuts and red peppers, it was such a balanced dish and the lamb was so tender!! I tried a new dish today it was pork slices with lotus roots, although I asked for chicken slices instead, it was so good the savory sweet balanced well. The dan dan mian spice mix continue to be the most authentic and flavorful compared to so many places I had tried that was just too oily and flat. Highly recommended.

Guys when I tell you this is the BEST SICHUAN FOOD I have ever had - I am not lying. Sichuan is hands down one of my favorite cuisines and if there's a Sichuan restaurant near by, guaranteed I have tried it. I am not exaggerating when I say I don't think I have had Sichuan food as good as Sichuan Jin River. We've been here so many times and there's always a lot of things to try. My personal favorite - spicy tofu. That classic numbing spice paired with crispy exterior and soft, spongy interior of fried tofu. It is truly immaculate. Other runner ups for me include cold spicy beef and tripe, eggplant, and cumin beef. But honestly anything spicy from this place I can guarantee you will be good. Down to the white rice they serve is always fresh and fluffy. I've been here pre-COVID numerous times and taken out during COVID as well. Right now they are still take out only. Call ahead or order online - never had an issue with either. We like to order and eat at the tables near The Spot - especially with the weather being so nice lately paired with some Gong Cha is a honestly a vibe. Pro tip - pay with cash to get a discount This place is a 10/10

I love Chinese food that is as genuine as possible, and I'm sorry to say that we had a pretty bad meal here this weekend. We'd eaten at Sichuan Jin previously and the quality of the food was much higher and the flavors more genuine, but our most recent dinner was on a par with mediocre middle American Chinese restaurants that I haven't patronized in decades. Pork dumplings had overly thick and doughy skins, a fish dish had so much corn starch in the sauce that it quickly congealed into gluey transparent glop, spicy tofu had no complexity of flavor and the tofu was spongy and rather bland, smoked duck had flabby greasy skin and tasted old. Perhaps they had a bad substitute cook and had Americanized the food because we're not Chinese (always a mistake!) but I'm afraid the overall mediocre quality of all the dishes tells another story.

One of the best Sichuan spots in all of Montgomery County. 2nd behind my favorite spot called Tasty68 located in Damascus. Stir Fried Spring Beans (8/10)-Super flavorful, but just a bit too oily Spicy Fish Fillet w/peppercorn (10/10)- Best dish here and highly recommend it. Fish is not overcooked and the numbing spice gives it the finishing touch. Spicy Pig Ear (8/10)- The amount you get is worth money. Not too spicy and flavorful. Beef w/peppers (8/10)- Beef was very tender and packed a lot of flavor Overall, it's a decent Sichuan spot. Dishes are a bit oily, but the flavor and quality of food for the price makes it worthwhile. Good Sichuan spots are hard to come by in Montgomery County so give this place a try if you're in the area.

Sichuan Jin River is a gem of a Chinese restaurant and deserves all of the praise. From my experience, they know how to nail authentic Chinese dishes and are liberal with their use of peppercorns for a great numbing spice. My first experience was so positive that I went back the very same week. Between the two visits, I tried the eggplant, sichuan beef noodle soup, steamed short ribs with sticky rice, Dan Dan noodles, pork buns, soup dumplings, sliced beef and vegetables in fiery soup, moo shu pork, and spicy wontons (yeah, I know, lots of food). I probably could have ordered half of that and still would have been stuffed, because portions are generous. Everything was good and worth ordering, but the absolute musts were the eggplant, Dan Dan noodles, sichuan beef noodle soup, and spicy wontons. And on top of all of that, the prices are reasonable. I will probably still keep going to Shanghai Taste or Bob's to get my dumpling fix, but Sichuan Jin River has earned its spot in my Mount Rushmore of Chinese food in the DMV.

It's a pleasant restaurant with excellent and friendly service. Kung pao chicken and their delicious Dan Dan noodles are my favorite!

We keep going back. I think Jin River has some of the best variety of traditional and Chinese-American dishes conveniently in one place. Sometimes you just want Orange Chicken, other times go for cold noodles and tripe. Portions are good, price is good, food is always ready on time when say it will be, which I don't think many other restaurants in Rockville can claim.