Spicy City Chinese Restaurant

This is my all time favorite place for Chinese food. We had Szechuan food when we visited ChengDu. I would say this place is close to what i had in China. We've been ordering take out almost once every two weeks. Tonight was the first time we dined in since the pandemic. All dishes are delicious. The portions are big and very reasonably priced.

We ordered:

Spicy Chicken Dry Pot
Chef's Special Green Bean
Salt and Pepper Pork
Seafood with Bean Curd
Shred Pork with brown sauce and buns
Special Sweet Rice Ball Soup

I also like their stir fried rice cake with preserved vegetables and pan fried pork buns.

I'm sure we'll be back very soon.

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I've been wanting to try Spicy City for a long time now, and I'm so glad I did. We had the fried cumin lamb and sizzling beef. The presentation of the beef being transferred onto the sizzling plate really gets your appetite going. Food was served quickly, and it was easy to get the attention of servers for things like to-go containers. The price isn't bad for the quantity of food you get, as we had plenty of leftovers-- enough for the two of us to have another meal.

The food isn't too salty, seasoned just right to be flavorful. I definitely want to come back and try the Szechuan style spicy fish that everyone raves about.

And oldie but a goodie!

I first dined at this restaurant when I was in college in the area many moons ago. Since leaving the area after college, I haven't had the opportunity to return much. But on a recent work trip, I was actually visiting another establishment in the same place. I saw that Spicy City was still there and decided I would come back on another day to see if it was just as good as I remembered.

I was very happy with my order of shredded potatoes with green pepper, dry sauteed string bean and homestead kidney. The portions were sizeable and the dishes did not feel overpriced. I had plenty to take with me for a meal the next day.

Everything I ordered came out quicky and piping hot. The staff was friendly and attentive. It was a packed house at about 7pm on a Wednesday which was great to see.

If I'm in the area again, I will definitely want to come back to venture into the cheek numbing options.

This place has a big menu, they have a lot of different types of cuisines in China. We had a Stir Fry Shredded Pork, Stir Fry All Veggies and a Fish Head with Hot Pepper, they are all so delicious. They are better than I expected since this restaurant's review is not that great. But from a real Chinese perspective, I think their food is good and authentic, I definitely recommend!

Came on a rainy Saturday night without making reservations, and managed to secure the last table large enough for 5! The restaurant's interior, on the smaller side, exudes a classic charm reminiscent of family-owned Chinese establishments, sparking a nostalgic feel.

Portion sizes were great, and the menu was a bit smaller/less varied than other Sichuan/Chinese restaurants I've been to, but still had a decent amount for diverse tastes at very fair prices. Value is definitely their strong point.

While the spice level didn't quite match up to the intensity of Szechuan food in SF/Bay Area, the flavors were still rich and savory. The eggplant with spicy garlic sauce, while good, had a unique twist with a strong vinegar flavor that might not be everyone's preference. However, the cumin beef stole the show with its bold, savory taste. My only wish is for the dishes to pack a bit more heat and intensity of flavors.

I will start by saying that the food here isn't as spicy (or numbing) compared to the szechuan food in LA! BUT it was still very flavorful and delicious.

We came on a Tuesday night (after Christmas) and it was BUSY! Every restaurant in the plaza had a wait and the parking lot was full. Luckily, there was a lot of street parking available if you're okay to walk a bit. We waited about 30 min or so and were seated at 8pm. They closed at 8:30, so once we sat and ordered, the food came out super fast!

It's a pretty small place, but we were able to fit a high chair at our table with 4 adults. The ladies seem very stressed, could come off as rude. But a couple of the other male servers were more friendly.

We tried the Mapo Tofu with "regular" spicy and it was barely spicy at all -- an enjoyable amount of spiciness, not much of the numbing feeling. The string beans with garlic were also good, super flavorful and the fried garlic was amazing.

The eggplant with spicy garlic sauce was good, but I could probably skip it. The fried salt and pepper fish was super good! Big pieces of fish and super crispy.

Overall, a good dinner spot if you're craving Asian food! And it's not too spicy at all, so I think anyone could enjoy it.

Came at 1 PM on a Friday afternoon as a party of 2. It's in a packed plaza with other Asian places but it stands out with its phenomenal portion sizes, vast menu, and fair prices. The interior is a bit small and it looks like The restaurant was busy but fortunately there were some open tables. We ordered two dishes that could easily be shared amongst 3-5 people. Definitely a place to go if you want leftovers. So excited to come again and try their other dishes!

Beef Fried Rice 8.5/10 - they didn't skimp out on the meat!
Stir-Fried Pork Intestines with Pickled Chili Peppers 8.5/10 was worried it'd be sweet and sour sauce but it wasn't!

We came here for dinner last night with some friends, and this place is so good!! Our server, Auntie Huay, is the absolute sweetest and recommended us some delicious dishes. This is what we ordered for a party of 7:

Hot and sour soup ($10, rated 5/5): My husband said this is the best hot and sour soup he has ever had, and I have to agree. I love the taste of white pepper in this.

Sizzling beef ($19, rated 5/5): Tender beef with a delicious sauce on a sizzling hot plate. I feel like everyone would enjoy this.

Toasted fish ($33, rated 5/5): This dish is MASSIVE. The catfish tasted super fresh, and we loved how this came with a bunch of goodies like fresh veggies (potatoes, celery, napa cabbage, soy bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms) and tofu!! It's all soo flavorful and good after boiling away in that broth. Auntie recommended this to us; this is a must get dish!!!

Beef chow mein ($13, rated 4/5): The texture of the noodles was perfectly chewy. I just wish there was more wok hei. Another classic dish that everyone would enjoy.

Dan dan noodle ($10, rated 4/5): The texture of these noodles are also perfectly chewy. The sauce was a bit thick and not a lot of meat (if any at all) but still really good overall.

Chef's special green beans ($14, rated 5/5): The green beans were fresh and cooked well. This is one of my favorite dishes in general, and this place did not disappoint!

Wonton tossed with chili sauce ($11, rated 4/5): I have really high expectations for wontons tossed with chili sauce. This dish was not as good as the one at Din Tai Fung, but it was still good.

Fried chicken cubes with hot pepper ($16, rated 5/5): Chicken was sooo crunchy, and seasoning was spicy and salty. Another must get dish!

We all walked out super full and even had leftovers. Prices are fair for the portion size. Coming from OC, I am always skeptical of Chinese food in SD, but this place rivals restaurants back home. Definitely recommend it if you're looking for authentic, spicy Chinese food.

This was my first time here, I came in with a large group to try out their food. I like spicy food and had high expectations, the food here is spicy and tasty and has good sized portions, but the service here is not very good or friendly.

We were seated and ordered several items off the menu, full of hot chilies like the hot and sour soup, szechwan spicy shredded pork, mapo tofu, beef chow mein and onion pancakes, that were all moderately price.
We had a couple of issues at this restaurants, we had to ask our server multiple times about our food that was never brought out, they didn't really check on us for water or tea refills, and there were items charged to our bill we never ordered and it became a hassel to fix our bill.

The food is good here, but I not sure I will be coming back, especially with the limited parking around the area.

I love this place, my girl and I come here all the time when we're in SD. She has been a staple customer here for years and she officially has me converted. The first time I stepped in here with her, I was greeted by the friendly staff in Cantonese and at home right away.

The service here is TOP NOTCH, especially for an old Chinese restaurant. Try getting the attention of staff at a Chinese restaurant in SGV, good luck with that bruh.

Everything I've had on the menu here is ON POINT. From the friend chicken, spicy tofu, spicy dumplings, spicy eggplant, you get my point. They have non spicy traditional Cantonese dishes as well, if you're not hard enough to deal with the pain.

I'll always come back here when I'm in SD. The portions are so big, there's enough left overs for the both of us for days! Best Chinese restaurant in San Diego bar none!!!