Tea Horse Sichuan Bistro 川知味

I had the chance to dine at Tea Horse, and it did not disappoint. The restaurant is surprisingly spacious compared to how it looks from the outside, with a nice balance of fancy yet casual vibes. The staff were friendly and offered great suggestions based on our preferences. Now, let’s talk about the food, absolutely amazing! Every dish was bursting with taste. The portions were generous (we even had to take some home), and it reheated well without losing any of its rich flavors. Overall, it was a wonderful dining experience, and I look forward to returning.

I've been meaning to try Tea Horse for ages and oh my god I'm so glad I finally did. I got the dandan noodles and scallion pancakes and both were incredible, with very generous portion sizes too. The selection of teas - particularly the chrysanthemum, were also of extremely high quality. Don't miss this place if you're looking for top tier Sichuan food.

This is my 2nd visit. I tend to not judge a place off the 1st. I can say both visits I truly enjoyed my meals. I been too china multiple times plus my wife is chinese. When I say you can many authentic dishes I am serious. The food all taste great and reasonable priced. I am speaking about authentic meals not American chinese.

In the course of two days, we came to this restaurant twice! The setting of Tea Horse is gorgeous, newly renovated and with creative integrations of Chinese culture and modernness. We ordered a sweet and spicy soup, and to start off, it was delicious. I’ve been to restaurants where the soup is too watery and has no flavor, but this soup is authentic and the tofu is soft and silky. Next, the spicy beef tripe also met our standards. it was flavorful, with just the right amount of spice, and chewy beef tripe. For veggies, we ordered stir fried green beans, and when I say that they are DELICIOUS, they really are. The toasted mustard stems and minced meat bring out so much flavor and the green beans themselves are extremely crunchy. Finally, the fried pork kidneys were here. Unexpectedly soft but crisp on the outside, the pork kidneys were simply amazing. Complemented with bok choy, wood ear mushrooms, and spicy sauce, the dish is scrumptious. And don’t be afraid: even though pork kidneys sounds scary, don’t worry, it’s so delicious and you’ll forget about what it is entirely.

Delicious, authentic Sichuan food with plenty of spice and a very big menu. Well decorated interior, but it's always chilly inside.

Amazing. The crispy spicy shrimp was great, so crispy so tender and flavorful. The green beans, man that was the best execution I’ve ever seen. The pork bits and the dryness of the beans were flawless. Egg tomato was nice, really tender and balanced sweet flavor. The rice was super good, great texture and moist. the spicy beef soup was a bit too strong for me Cool vibes and decor. Nice lazy susan, and place mats. And the detail of the wooden chairs and the door ways and open windows, lovely. And the tea map was fun. Great atmosphere overall

I absolutely loved my experience at Tea Horse! From the moment I walked in, the atmosphere felt warm and welcoming. The staff were incredibly kind, attentive, and made me feel right at home. The food was the real star though — everything was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Each dish tasted authentic and was perfectly balanced, especially the dumplings and noodles, which were some of the best I’ve ever had. The portions were generous, and the prices felt very fair for the quality. I also really enjoyed their tea selection — it paired perfectly with the meal and added to the whole dining experience. Tea Horse is definitely a gem, and I can see myself coming back again and again. Highly recommend to anyone who loves authentic Chinese cuisine or just wants a great meal in a cozy atmosphere!

Each dish is uniquely delicious and I recommended any dish. We ordered a lot of traditional dishes and some foreign. Mala spices are perfectly executed with aromatics, proteins, and veggies. They pair just enough spiciness making the dish enjoyable. Seating is primarily accommodative to a party of four and the private dining has a minimum spend to each. We came with 6 adults and 3 kids and did not find the seating ideal. Tea was steeped for too long making it bitter and the tea cups weren't ideal for the tea. Service can be questionable but I found it to be average at most.

The food here is so good. And the portions are huge. I'm on a mission to try all of the restaurants in Ellicott City. I think with so many options in the inner city and Columbia, I sometimes forget about it. The team here are very friendly and give speedy service. The restaurant is kinda big, lol . Like what you see on the outside is nothing like what's really inside. Theres a nice bar area and a pretty white piano. Then there's an open restaurant with a nice sized tv for watching sports. Then off to the left there's a more private dining area. They have an extensive menu, it's literally a book. There's so much to choose from. I suggest coming with a group and sharing or coming back multiple times. They have a good cocktail and mocktail menu as well. The food was so good. They have something for those who are use to to Americanized Asian food and also have something traditional meals as well

We had a great dinner here on a Friday night! We came at around 6pm and got seated right away. My favorites were the chili oil wontons 红油抄手 and eggplant garlic stir fry. The beef dry hot pot and the peppercorn fish had too much of a strong peppercorn oil flavor. I will definitely be back to try other dishes though! The decor is beautiful and service is great.

We came here on a Sunday from 40+ miles away but it was worth the drive. We had a little puppy with us and the weather was nice and warm, so we decided to sit at an outside table in the terrace. A nice server brought menus and some water in a little container for our pup. That was so nice of him. My Ching Tao beer came with a chilled glass. This is common in Japan but not in America IMO so I was happy. We ordered 4 of the traditional Sichuan dishes and enjoyed very much. The food is quite authentic here. And the price is very reasonable compared to Northern VA and DC.

Dined at Tea Horse again today and took my parents. We tried the hot and sour soup, dan dan noodles, spicy chili wonton, salt and pepper calamari, bitter melon and shrimp fried rice. Everything was delicious. My favorite was the salt and pepper calamari. The only downside is the service. My parents and brother were seated before me and they were in the restaurant for 20 minutes and no one asked them for their beverage order. I never asked our waiter for his name but can say that he wasn't the friendliest or engaging server. He brought us our food and never came back. My dad had to track him down and ask for more tea. He didn't even clear our plates or give us our check. Luckily, we weren't in a hurry but the lack of service when it wasn't busy was noticeable.

Amazing and authentic spot for Chinese food in the area. The food is amazing- amazing noodles, and their green beans and duck are to die for. The service is also very friendly and quick! The space itself is also very spacious and beautiful. Great for groups or for dates as well. 100% recommend!

We had a pretty good lunch experience at Tea Horse. It was three adults with one toddler. We ordered three entrees with one appetizer. We only took a pic of the appetizer: pork in garlic sauce (蒜泥白肉). The total was about $120 post tax and tips. We had the eggs and shrimp, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir fried cabbage, and pork in garlic sauce. I thought the shrimp and pork ribs dish were super enjoyable. The pork in garlic sauce was a bit different than what I expected but it was still pretty good. The cucumber in the dish was definitely a unique twist to the dish. I barely ate any of the cabbage but my wife enjoyed it. We couldn't finish everything and the take home was about 1/5 of what we ordered. The price and portions were reasonable. The service was pretty good too! The servers were always around to refill our water.

Delicioussss. The stirred fried aachoy was my favorite, so simple but cooked to perfection (crunchy!) and with the tastiest seasoning. It was the perfect pair to the fried sweet and sour fish, which can get oily by itself if you eat too much of it. The spicy wontons were delicious as well. This was a good amount of food for two people! I would definitely go back to try their other dishes.

This place is authentic and had many good veggie options. Of all the things we got, my favorite was actually the simple steamed vegetable dumpling. Homemade. Just beautiful. Had a great thanksgiving here. Other dishes to recommend were several tofu dishes and cucumbers.

I ordered takeout from this restaurant. A little pricey. Food was ok. It seemed to be popular for in restaurant dining with a good setup for groups and group dining.

I wanted so badly to love this place. The food was good and very garlicky, but the smallish portion sizes coupled with the bigger price point will make me choose otherwise. I cami in twice in the same week, both times carry out. Once around 12 noon time and the other after 4 pm. Both times, there was only one table occupied in the whole place. Both times, the host offered me a glass of ice cold water, which was welcoming and refreshing. It was hot outside, so I could not refuse it. Because of this, I voluntarily added a gratuity of $1.00 onto my bill. I utilized the ladies room on both occasions, both times, the bathrooms were very clean and pleasant. Dinner: I ordered the Green Bean with Minced Pork ($15). All their entrees DO NOT come with rice, you have to order it separately, for an extra $1.00. I opted to do without because I already had rice at home. The plastic container that it came in was on the smaller than expected size and was very shallow and thin. Definitely not worth $15. I wish I took pictures of it. This entree was chock full of garlic bits, btw. Lunch: I ordered the Eggplant in Garlic Sauce ($12) and the Green Bean with Minced Pork ($12) Lunch Specials portion. Both entrees had the same flavor and both came heavily littered with garlic bits of the jarred variety. I did not mind because I happen to love garlic, but you have been warned. Portions were smaller than expected for a lunch boxed meal that came with white rice (only because it's a lunch special) and it also came with a choice side of soup or spring roll. I chose the latter because it's too hot out for soup! This place also does NOT carry Egg Rolls, you heard correctly, they only have Spring Rolls (vegetarian variety only). The spring rolls were small and meh. I love Chinese Food and am always on the lookout for a place that I can frequent. This place, sadly is not it.

OMG this place is the real deal. Warning: if you don't want spicy be sure to speak up. The default setting for the chefs here is 5 alarm, smoke-coming-out-of-your-ears spicy.

I was in the area and decided to try here for the first time, placed a to-go order. It was just ok. I have definitely had better Chinese food. The shrimp in the shrimp fried rice is wayyyy too small and you don't get much of them. The General Tso's was too salty and not very tasty. The lo mein had a weird taste to it and the chicken pieces were chewy and hard, too many onions. The inside of the restaurant was nice and they have a separate bar area. Since there are many other places closer to where I live, I most likely will not visit here again. The containers also were not filled all the way, like you get in many other Asian restaurants.

I loved the ambiance of Tea horse Sichuan Bistro! Every little detail was beautifully thought out like the mural on the wall explaining the restaurant name, the intricate chairs and tables and wall decor/hangings. We were able to get a table without a wait around 1pm on Sunday and tried the won ton soup, fish filet in wine sauce, sweet and sour ribs, Xiao long bao soup dumplings, and beef noodle soup. My kids loved the soup dumplings, and my favorite dish was the sweet and sour ribs--the sauce was perfectly tangy and sweet and sticky. The won ton in chicken stock was a little bland, so next time I'd like to try them in chili oil instead. It's nice to have a solid authentic Chinese food option available in this plaza!

Tried this for take out with my husband and brother in law. This was authentic Chinese. My husband and brother in law said it was good. I don't have a palate after this. Perhaps I'm too American and used to my honey glazed and Chinese flavored chicken nuggets, but this was way too spicy for me and did not understand what I was getting into when I ordered what sounded different from everywhere else and fun. I like spicy, but I couldn't feel my mouth after 2 bites. My husband is excited to order again. I'll be ordering off the Americanized menu portion. Highlights were the scallion pancakes. Husband loved the noodle dishes. Brother in law loved the Szechwan chicken.

Outstanding. Best sechuan meal we've had in years. On par with NYC and SF. Eclectic menu. Excellent service and ambiance very spicy if desired. American-Chinese dishes available too.

We ordered for delivery. It is really good fresh spicy Sichuan! Will be back. Authentic fresh tasty!

Tasty Szechuan food- we came in on a weeknight as a party of 2 and were seated right away. It took a little bit for our waiter to arrive to take our order but once they did, the food came promptly. It is meant to be eaten family style so the food comes out when it is ready (not held in the kitchen for everything to come out at once) This is nice because each thing was fresh and hot. I really liked the mapo tofu and bok choy, and was glad to see they have a regular and vegetarian version of the mapo tofu. Prices were a little high but the portions are large enough to take home leftovers.

Always love coming here for either dine in or take out. The prices are reasonable and the portions are even better! My go-to dishes are the Szechuan cold noodles, mapo tofu, chicken with Szechuan peppers, and the cumin lamb. The service has always been kind and attentive. The ambiance may give upscale vibes, but it is pretty casual.

Had to come back again for lunch. Again everything is flavorful and delicious. The Szechuan flavor of the mapo wasn't too overbearing but it still gave that numbing taste

Oh my!!! Be careful... this plaza reminds me of one in NoVA... if you go at peak time, you are going to have trouble parking. There are lots of really popular restaurants super close to each other. Once you get past that, you're in for a treat. I decided to check out Tea Horse, who was featured on a recent top list of places to eat. And I got to see my cousin and his wife, it's been a while! They beat me there, so I just joined the table. After about 10 minutes or so, someone came by to take our orders. Their menu is expansive, and has so many enticing photos, I was losing my mind!! Appetizers were easier than the entree, which I had to get advice for. I got the sichuan dumplings and pumpkin cakes as appetizers. I asked for a recommended spicy dish, and was told to have the chicken with sichuan peppers. The dumplings were delightful. Just the right amount of sauce and flavorful meat was inside. The pumpkin cakes... fried pumpkin is a game changer, OH MY GOD. They were so good -- and they were shaped like hearts! They could've been a dessert really -- just needed some ice cream or gelato. The chicken & pepper dish was indeed spicy, flavorful, and satisfying. Definitely left my mouth burning a little, but that's what I was going for. I also have to say that the portion sizes for the entrees are MASSIVE... at least in my opinion. And the place is nicely decorated... someone was performing live on a beautiful white piano on the far end of the restaurant. The place was darn near full... I think that might've slowed down the frequency of our server checking on us. But otherwise, I see why they made the top list. Ellicott City is poppin!

There was a pretty big parking lot, so that wasn't an issue. We came on a Thursday evening and had no difficulties getting seated immediately. The service was cool; nothing great nor nothing bad. 1) Sesame cold noodle-they were delicious. They had a lot of flavor and O loved the texture. 2) Cumin lamb-this was a huge portion and was drowned very well. 3) Hot and a sour soup: it was delicious and very fulfilling. 4)Orange Chicken-was very flavorful and meaty. The portions for all the food were huge! everything was flavored very well. I'd definitely go back here. The food was a little bit oily but that was expected because of the items we preferred.

Service: The service here is always top-notch. They're super quick with refilling water, and the wait time after placing your order is minimal. However, this visit stood out because, for the first time in a long time, the server didn't comment on the amount of food we ordered. Usually, they'll mention, "You might want to stop--you've probably over-ordered," which we intentionally do. This time, the server just kept taking our orders and bringing the dishes out, even using a neighboring table to accommodate the overflow--no complaints there! Food: This is hands down one of the best Chinese spots in Maryland. Highlights of our meal included the Peking duck, string beans, spicy fried shrimp, and hot and sour soup.

Definitely give this place a shot if you like spice and are craving some good Chinese food. The interior is spacious and modern, with tons of seating available inside. They also have a big, shared parking lot so we've never had problems finding parking. Service is quick and efficient. The menu is expansive so there's bound to be something for any picky eater (my favorite thing about most Chinese restaurants). They have Chinese American dishes, but if you're here, I'd recommend trying something new with more classic Chinese dishes. Dishes lean towards the oilier side. The prices seem a bit high at first, but the portions definitely make up for it. I recommend that you eat it family-style. Of all the dishes I've tried, my favorite is the chicken with szechuan pepper. There's a ton of chicken pieces included and the seasoning is great. It was super juicy (and oily). We also tried their mapo tofu, and that was also pretty good! It has a bit of a kick to it which I appreciated. They also have a braised beef tendon dish which I really like, but have not been able to order as of late. We also tried the braised pork shank in spicy garlic sauce, which is a HUGE slab of meat. The sauce is slightly sweet, and there is plenty of it to spread on the meat. We also ordered a pot of jasmine tea, which was so floral and delicious! One dish I didn't enjoy as much was the spicy chili wonton in red oil. While it comes with a lot of oil, we felt like the flavor of the wonton itself was missing. Overall, things are good here and I would recommend you give it a shot! They seem to have a full bar and happy hour deals, though I have never drank here. Their cocktails sound great!

This is our GO TO! Best sichuan in and around Baltimore. Lost track of the number of times we've been here but they never disappoint. Service is usually fantastic, although I will say that at our most recent visit our waitress forgot to place one of our orders (which does not typically happen). I love their mapo tofu (if you like tofu and pork this is the OG sichuan dish to try). The salt and pepper shrimp is delicious. I tried the dan dan noodles once - good. The chili oil dumplings are great! I don't know if it's just me... but over time I do feel like there's a been a slight reduction in portion sizes (or my appetite has gotten bigger!).

This was a place personally recommended by a co worker so we had to try it. We started out with scallion pancake, xiao long bao and dumplings in chili oil & added a pot of hot tea to start. We then perused the rest of the menu for entrees. Our youngest member decided on orange chicken, we got green beans and chick lo mein too and the rest of the dishes were new for us. Cumin fish filets, pork belly w leeks were delicious as was all the other dishes we got. Our servers were all attentive and checked in frequently our food came out pretty quick considering it was full of diners and we didn't have to yell to hear each other. Theres also a piano that players can use if they so wish. We even got greeted by one of the owners. We look forward to coming back and trying more dishes!

I loved the mapo tofu I got here! It is super spicy, so beware, but really tasty and just to my liking. I thought the service here was great, they brought out our food pretty quickly. We did go on a weekday, so it wasn't too busy and we were able to get a table easily. I love the interior design and this restaurant was very aesthetically pleasing. I am looking forward to going back!

First time here after seeing some good reviews. Very few good Sichuan places in HoCo, so I definitely wanted to see how this place is. A little tough to find, but it's all the way in the back right corner of the shopping center. Pretty big place and nicely decorated. Overall, service was pretty good. Food came out fast, drinks filled, and they even let us bring in a cake which they cut and plated. Many in our party can't handle spicy food and they have a big enough menu if you can't eat heat. I love that the menu has a lot of pictures; I wish more Chinese places did this. Ordered a few dishes to share: pan fried pork dumplings, spicy boiled beef, salted egg yolk shrimp, garlic shrimp w/ vermicelli, and crispy rice lamb. The two shrimp dishes were outstanding and my favorites by far. The egg yolk makes a great coating for the shrimp, keeping is juicy with a nice texture. The garlic shrimp was exactly as described...really garlicky and so good. The lamb dish was pretty unique and I liked the crispy rice. It was covered in a great spicy sauce and paired well with the lamb. The beef dish was a kinda hit or miss; this is usually my go-to for any Sichuan place. It had great flavor and not fully overloaded with peppercorns. Lots of great veggies underneath, but the beef wasn't very tender. Other places velvet the beef to really standout amongst all the ingredients, but it was tough. Pricing and portions were pretty good, although the lamb dish was a little smaller than expected. They also dial back the heat level here, probably to accommodate more people. Next time I'll have to tell them to make it hotter. Overall, a pretty good Sichuan place and I'd definitely return. Living in MoCo, we have several really good Sichuan places and this is comparable, but maybe a small step below.

I hate to post this review, but my only other option would be to stop coming here because of their bad service. I have complained to the manager about this before. And the last time I came here, the service was so bad I walked out, refusing to pay. And I have eaten here 10s of times and brought a group for a group dinner. This is among my top 5 favorite restaurants for food in the greater baltimore area and one of my favorite Sichuan restaurants better than any spot I know of in Flushing NYC. But I would never bring a group here and subject them to such service. When I was seated, my server kept pushing me to order despite my saying I need more time. They have 2 menus, double sided full of lunch specials, plus the regular menu is HUGE. When I finally was ready to order, my server was at the server station ignoring me. The server came back at least 3 times in 2 minutes. So not a good start. But the order finally got placed with my asking for my food MaLa MaLa. Real MaLa MaLa. Of course, it came out regular spicy but I did not complain. I was half way thru my meal when I needed to visit the restroom. On my return, my dish was half full and I literally had chopsticks full of food on the way to my mouth when the server started to pick up the bowl asking me if I was finished and if I wanted it packed to go. I had FOOD IN MY CHOPSTICKS as I said I'm not finished with my food, waving my food filled chopsticks for emphasis. They walked away only to return IN LESS THAN A MINUTE. This time I had a second bite in my chopsticks. Again she was taking the plate I was actively eating from. A moment later attempt number 3. Again, I demonstrated I was actually eating. Did this sink in? Nope. She was back and dropped the check on the table and grabbed my dish again. At that point, I got up as this was now well into harassing behavior. I went to the front and told the host/manager, who knows me by sight, that i was leaving and I was not going to pay. He acknowledged I was a regular and he remembered the last incident because he pointed to a different table which is where I sat the last time. So here are my last 4 visits. Today... walked out without paying. I left not quite full and I have indigestion from the unpleasantness. I came in wanting to eat and all I needed was not to be harassed again. Fail. Last time: walked out without paying. Hungry and with indigestion. Fail. 2 times before that I left without finishing my meal, each time complaining to the manager. Each time I left hungry and with indigestion. Fail Fail. So I hope this serves as a wake up call. I am not calling out your server for not being proficient at English. I go to a lot of restaurants where there is a language barrier but there is a desire to please the customer. But not here. I am calling her out for being clueless entirely. I do not know how much more I can do than ask to be left alone while waving the food I am EATING for emphasis. I had no reason or need to spend $30 for lunch. I did not expect warm and fuzzy service. I just did not want to be pushed to my limit repeatedly during lunch. But I was. So please respond here, or I can not come back. But more than respond, please CHANGE THE SERVICE! Depending on the response, I am willing to give you one more try but I will not brush off multiple bouts of pushy, rude service again. Especially after using my words repeatedly.

We enjoyed the Dan Dan noodles, King Pao Chicken, and Hot and Sour Soup, Very good food. Restuarant was clean and well kept and had a nice ambiance. The service was good.

summary: Located in a strip mall on rt.40 of Ellicott City, Tea Horse looks pretty unassuming from the outside, but their venue is beautiful and impressive on the inside. The service was very attentive and ready to go and their menu boasts an impressive selection of Sichuan cuisine. details: Not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised when I walked in and saw how big the venue was. Their decor was also beautiful and would be great for special events. They even have private rooms for medium/larger sized parties. Their menu is large and has a ton of things that sound delicious. Everything we ordered was delicious. It is also one of those places where "spicy means spicy." For context: I'm decent with spicier foods, but Sichuan peppers/spices tend to feel a bit on the spicier side for me, so I'd just keep that in mind if you're sensitive to spices. closing: Definitely enjoyed my experience here and would recommend checking out.

Wow, I'm so happy that I found this restaurant. This is a fantastic representation of how all Chinese restaurants should be. Throughout the whole night, the restaurant was packed, with lines waiting to get a seat here. The host and service staff seem very experienced, and it was nice to see them bustling around without running into one another. We ordered the kung pao tofu, salted egg yoke tofu, and dry chili vegetable hot pot - less spicy. My parents and I agreed that the salted egg yoke tofu was the absolute star of the evening. The scent, texture, and hotness was superb. They know what they're doing here. The kung pao tofu also had a nice texture, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. The sauce was tasty. Since I eat a lot of dry hot pot, this didn't really stand out to me, but I appreciate the variety of vegetables here. We had enough leftovers to take home; the prices are very good here considering the high quality portions. It's a little bit loud inside for my liking but good energy all around. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic restaurant with my parents.

It's a no-return for us! Such a shame; Tea Horse has soo much potential. It's a beautiful restaurant in the newly renovated Normandy Shopping center. I loved the decor and it was so clean. The lack of good service was a complete turn off. There were a few times we were ready to get up and chase down a waiter. The waiter that took our order rushed me and was rude when I asked a question. I was contemplating ordering dumplings, but he made me feel so small for not knowing the menu, I decided not to. We also ordered the wrong dish I guess-Kung Pao chicken that I usually love (even at authentic Chinese places) was ugh. Any good flavor was overpowered by a large quantity of fresh ginger. I didn't even taste the chili spice just ginger that stayed on my tongue. My husband didn't like it, so we wound up leaving the dish there without getting a box. The fried rice was good, but lukewarm when served. Our original rude waiter never returned to the table after taking the order. We flagged down two waitresses to refill water and give us the check. The place was packed on aFriday night; hopefully they are receiving better customer service than we did.

2.15.24 This may be one of my new favorite Chinese restaurants in Howard County. They are located in the Normandy Shopping Center. The jasmine rice alone was good and better than many local Chinese restaurants. Hubby and I split an order of fried Dumplings, which was good, but I felt there could have been more meat. I ordered Beef and Eggplant in Garlic Sauce and I requested it be non spicy. I loved the beef and eggplant which were cooked just right. The beef was tender and not chewy. The garlic sauce was flavorful. My husband ordered the Double Cooked Pork and Scallions. Although he enjoyed the pork, he thought it was too salty and he loves salt. Had he known, he would have gotten the Chicken Lo Mein, which he was initially going to select. Miscellaneous Info: -They have two private rooms. -Open layout kitchen so you can see behind the scenes. -Patio seating is available. -There is a nice piano that guest can use if they are a competent pianist. -There is a bar and happy hour drink menu. -They have a lunch menu available on weekdays. -Menu has photos of menu items, which my husband appreciated. -A bowl of rice cost $1 as it is not included with entrees. I am glad I discovered this gem and can't wait to return. I want to try the smoked tea duck at my next visit.

Overall- Gorgeous restaurant, professional service, good food, with multistall gendered restrooms We popped in around 6pm on a Saturday evening and they were able to seat us without a wait. We were stunned with how gorgeous the spot was. It was a lot bigger and more elegant than I had expected from the outside and they even had private rooms. It was a little unclear if we had a specific server. It seemed like a ton of people were serving us, which worked well when they could guess our needs but it was a little confusing when you wanted to ask for something and you weren't sure who to ask. Without us asking, servers brought us water, all sorts of items to accommodate our toddler, and refills. They were speedy and thoughtful. The menu was huge with so many options. We liked our food and the serving sizes were large, but the flavors felt pretty one dimensional. It would have been nice to have some brightness or acid to balance out the savory heat. I liked the way they cut the shrimp and the eggplant had a good texture.

Tea Horse Sichuan Bistro is a sister restaurant to Orient Express and Red Pepper which are local sichuan restaurants. After hearing so many recommendations from friends to check this restaurant out, i have to say it didn't disappoint. I got the cumin beef, tomato and egg, and garlic pork belly appetizer. The cumin beef was exceptional, very balanced in spice and flavor and extraordinarily tender. If you like the smokey flavor of BBQ paired with super tender beef and chinese spices this is the dish for you. The Tomato and eggs were decent! I would personally not order it again because I can make it myself but as a classic chinese comfort food it served its purpose. my only critique is that the tomatoes were a little undercooked for my liking but that's personal preference. the savory and slightly sweet flavor balancing the soft and fluffy eggs pairs excellent with rice. Lastly, the pork belly with garlic appetizer was a unique take I haven't seen before. braised instead of merely boiled, the pork had a wonderful color to it. I will say i prefer this dish to be saucier because it was a bit dry but overall it was okay. The atmosphere inside is elevated, with nice decor and plenty of people dining inside even for a tuesday night. As an authentic chinese restaurant the servers predominantly speak chinese, but can also do english. They were very hospitable and attentive so no complaints there. Overall, would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to broaden their horizons to enjoy authentic chinese food! highly recommend the cumin beef as a must get if you go, it's one of their specialties.

My wife and I consider ourselves Asian food aficionados, and we probably have sampled more of this kind of restaurant than any other in the Baltimore area or any place else for that matter. The broad takeaway from every place we've been is how remarkably similar everything seems to be. There can be slight variations in quality or ingredients from restaurant to restaurant, but it's like all the owners and managers and chefs learned at the same place at the same time. T-horse breaks that mold and in a fantastic way. The cuisine is far and away, the finest Asian food we have ever experienced anywhere. It's as though the mold on how to do a cookie cutter Chinese restaurant was broken and run through the garbage disposer, and to have a wholly fresh take on the whole experience happen here. The design and decor is different and in a good way, with a big plate glass window which allows the patrons to watch the entire kitchen. The menu is excellently organized with huge, high quality pictures of what all the foods look like. This takes a lot of guessing game away, and replaces it with a level of certainty and customer control. The portions are generous and the prices are fair for what you get. Interestingly, our party of two was asked how many rice orders we would like with our meal. As if an answer other than two, might be appropriate? Call it a charming oddity. Service was competent and prompt. We did have to ask for conventional American silverware, which were provided in lieu of the high-end chopsticks we began with. Do be careful about ordering things to spicy if you really are not accustomed to the Asian definition of that, because you will find yourself reaching for the water early and often. But the heat in no way camouflaged many excellent flavors that were going on in our dishes. To go packaging was cheerfully provided as we ordered much more than two people could reasonably consume for a Sunday lunch. We plan to come back again and again, for there is a huge menu to work through. FYI in case you cannot find it, Tea Horse is where the old Normandy shopping center used to be. If there's better Asian food in the Baltimore Washington area, we simply do not know where it is for we believe it is right here.

Solid place, the place is one the nicer end that you can bring friends over and you can see how they prepare the food in the kitchen.

I truly loved this place Service was great. I came in late evening. Before closure. So Noone was there. Staff was super friendly. Food arrived fast Was fresh. And let me tell you something guys - portions were huge. And one more fact - when it says spicy - they mean it. I absolutely loved everything we got. Spicy shrimp. Spicy fish filet. Orange chicken. Fresh and super delicious. Ambience was quiet. Again. It was late evening. And no one was there. Lovely place.

I have been eyeing Tea Horse for months. My friend's company hosted their holiday party here and the food here did not disappoint. The menus are made of some high quality material. When you enter they have high ceilings, private dining rooms on the left and a glass window where you can look into the kitchen. My friends and I ordered the hot and sour soup, spicy chili wontons, fried pork with leaks, and fried pork with peppers. This was plenty of food for 4 people. Everything was seasoned perfectly. Portions sizes were average and textures were on point. The pork and shrimp dishes are must orders. My friend told me the soup dumplings here were ok so we decided to skip it. Fair warning if you do not like spicy food do not dine here. I finished 2 glasses of water and 4 cups of tea. Well worth my tongue numbing. The servers were really friendly and the location is really clean. Just observing the chefs and staff you can tell this restaurant is well maintained. I will definitely be back to try their other speciality dishes.

Beautiful, clean, and Delish! Daughter and I enjoyed checking this off of her restaurant bucket list. Tea Horse takes quality and cleanliness seriously. That is evident, not only from the decor and beautifully presented food, but also by the huge window that allows you to see straight into the working kitchen. It takes guts, courage, and pride to put your kitchen on display this way. By the way, too many pages to post their entire menu. What you will be handed could be compared to a beautifully laid out coffee table book. Drool-worthy pictures with a few items listed on each page with prices. A joy to look through; seriously, not kidding. We ordered the wonton in chili sauce, the mapo tofu, and the fried green beans with meat. Both of us loved the wonton in chili sauce. I was not as keen on the mapo tofu but daughter raved. Understand that this dish wasn't bad... it just wasn't my thing. It was much better than other mapo tofu that I have had elsewhere. It must have had an entire 16oz portion of tofu and at least 1/2 c. Of Szechuan peppercorns if not more. The numbing is a real thing but in a very tasteful way. As for the green beans, I could eat them every day all day. They were amazing. If I could make these at home we would all eat more vegetables! The layout of the restaurant is conducive to parties of two to large groups. There were round tables that seat 6, 8, and possibly more. There are rooms to the side that can offer groups a more private dining experience and a room that can be reserved for parties. The atmosphere is clean, relaxing, and enjoyable. There is a white grand piano that I am guessing may be used for live music at times. The music being played through the system was clean, relaxing piano music. On one wall they have a painting of the Tea Horse Road with a paragraph explaining its history and how they incorporate and honor it at the restaurant. I'll leave the mapo tofu for the kids but will not hesitate to return. This was a wonderful dining experience and there are many dishes left to try.

Updates from recent visit: - Hot and Sour Rice Noodles - absolutely tongue numbing, as we were told it would be. It was mostly chewy clear rice noodles and the spicy chili pepper sauce/soup with sliced green onion and some bean sprouts on top. Kind of fun and tasty, but for me it was a one time thing. Would be nice to have more veggies or something. - Smoked Tea Duck: good, not as crispy as the first time I had it. It did have some really thick pieces of duck meat. A little boring on its own, but actually quite good when dipped in the hot and sour rice noodle sauce! - Stir-Fried Green Beans: awesome, one of my favorite. They cook it with garlic, onions, and pickled veggies. It comes with pork as default which you can ask to leave out, but we swapped it for chicken (for $3) which was better I think. - Fish Fillet with Rattan Pepper: the fish was very tender and well cooked. There are a bunch of bean sprouts underneath! The broth was good but there was wayyyyyy too much green peppercorn in here. We spent some time fishing it out. My brother thought there was too much spice in general. The soup is good over rice. - Sticky Rice Ball in Rice Wine Soup - really nice, comforting dish. The soup was slightly sweet, but not too sweet. There was some soft rice and the wine flavor was present but mild. It was kind of like a soft egg drop soup with the rice wine and small (~1cm) lightly chewy rice balls (nothing inside them). Initially we were like wow $15? But I understood when it came out bc the amount in the bowl could easily serve at least 12 people in small bowls. I think I would say this place is like 4.25 stars (rounded to 4) for my taste buds, though my mom gives it 4.5 stars. Some really excellent dishes, some dishes that could use a few tweaks, but clearly high quality, well cooked Sichuan food with lots of spices and bold flavor. Great if you love spicy food.

If you are looking for some authentic Sichuan cuisine, Tea Horse is your place! It has a upscale vibe, but doesn't make you feel like you have to dress up for dinner. We recently tried their new lunar new year menu and it was such a steal for food and price point! Their food is high quality and has that authentic Sichuan spice to it. If you're from this area, you know there aren't many Chinese family style restaurants! Definitely give this place a chance if you want a good meal with a group!

Great food and fast service, I never really have any complaints when I visit. I highly recommend the sweet and sour whole fish. The portion sizes are great for sharing and everything always tastes fresh.

We went Saturday evening and only waited about 5-10 minutes to be seated. All the food we ordered was good but wish they came out around same time. Our beef/tripe in chili sauce came out first and then the sweet and sour whole fish (two of our favorite dishes). The baby bok choy dish, pork trotter dish and fish cabbage soup came out way later. Fish soup was too spicy for my husband to enjoy and it had way too many bones to pick out so would not recommend for lazy eaters

Summary: We go back here once a month! This is one of our favorite spots in town, close to town, in the suburbs. While I wouldn't say the location is ideal for someone living in Baltimore city (at least 20 minutes out), it is the best Sichuan food that I've had in the area. Pretty much everything we've had here is amazing. The mapo tofu is our favorite and the cumin beef might be our second fav. We've experimented with a whole lot of dishes here and they've mostly been great! Portion sizes are amazing, prices are very reasonable. The ambience is really good and the management has done a great job with the wait staff and service - Really responsive, very polite and friendly. This place is definitely on our rotation and we come back here anytime we have guests visit. Highly highly recommend!

Got takeaway from here yesterday and it was so so good! We ordered the Dan Dan noodles and veg mapo tofu. Both were good, but the mapo was very very good and generously portioned. Can't wait to go back. Definitely some of the best Chinese in the Baltimore area!

i love their sister restaurants, orient express & red pepper, so i had high expectations - tea horse cleared ! the decor was so nice and the food was amazing. service was good and the interior was just so pretty.

Still delicious. Service was very quick. We had three dishes for four people, just the right amount. Incense pot vegetables, fish fillets with pickled vegetable, and house shrimp which was like a popcorn shrimp and FULL of dried red peppers. All different and all good. We were sorry about the addition of the huge tv screen over the nice view into the kitchen.

The food was really good! The shrimp was overcooked though. They forgot a drink my brother ordered but the server took it off our order just fine when we asked him to so it was okay