Mountain House
Sichuan restaurant · East Village ·
Homey Sichuan dishes, many with chili, and pots of tea.
Homey Sichuan dishes, many with chili, and pots of tea.
"Though this third location of one of our top-rated restaurants is more vertical and less sprawl than the original, they still have enough space for you to reserve a table online for up to nine people. The portion sizes of consistently good Sichuan dishes are just as appropriate for big groups as the size of the place. And, if you ask us, faux village decor is always a nice touch when you're eating la-zi chicken, mapo tofu, and tender bamboo fish in a clay pot full of green peppercorns and mushrooms." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, ciera velarde
"This St. Marks Szechuan restaurant with an original location in Flushing serves dishes that happily numb, like bright and slick mapo tofu and la zi chicken with a shovelful of chiles. In addition to ordering those, we always get the spicy bass with tender fish and an electric-green broth that induces just a little bit of forehead sweat. The place stays extremely busy, but the servers are still attentive. Even if you drop your chopstick, they’ll replace it within 30 seconds." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, neha talreja
"Located amongst a bunch of pasta and steak frites specialists in Hell’s Kitchen, this is a particularly exciting option for a dinner where each dish—from Sichuan classics like double-cooked pork to more playful things like pork belly on a swing—shines. With two floors (the upstairs is nicer), this third location of the Sichuan chain is slightly less impressive than its St. Marks one, but the shingled-roof, faux-village theme is intact, and cozy. Portions are generous, and you can’t go wrong with anything from the green pickled pepper frog to the mapo tofu. It works for groups, and you can make a reservation for up to nine people online." - bryan kim, sonal shah, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick, ciera velarde, arden shore
"Eating at Szechuan Mountain House is an all-around thrilling experience. The chaos of St. Marks travels right up to the restaurant, where servers zip around with headsets, delivering dishes with hit after adrenaline hit of electrifying flavor. The combination of numbing peppercorns and spicy chilies can be found all over their menu, for example in their mouth-vibrating ma-po tofu and fried la-zi chicken. But Mountain House (which also has locations in Flushing, Midtown, and other cities) has so much more to offer. It’s always filled with people eating things like pickled frog legs, sour beef soup, and strips of pork belly and cucumber, served with a garlic paste that’s louder than any chili oil on the table. It’s sensory overload, in the best way. Afterwards, the East Village seems almost serene." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"Come to Szechuan Mountain House for face-numbing mapo tofu, sour fish and cabbage soup, and other Sichuan favorites. At this large restaurant, service is always fast and friendly, you never have to wait too long for a table, and it's great choice for a last-minute group dinner. You’ll probably see a lot of people taking photos of a tiny wooden A-frame of thinly-sliced pork belly and cucumbers hanging over a dish of spicy garlic sauce. Trust us when we say that this dish isn’t just a gimmick." - carina finn koeppicus, kenny yang, neha talreja, bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick