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Why Lao Sze Chuan Is on Our Top 50 Chinese Outside China
Lao Sze Chuan, under Tony Hu's direction, is ranked #38 on our Top 50 Chinese Restaurants Outside China. The regional Chinese register: Sichuan.
The technique: Wok hei, ma la spice tradition. The signature dish: Chairman Mao red-braised pork belly, Sichuan dan dan noodles, ma po tofu.
The dim sum program: No primary dim sum; Sichuan mains focus. The chef lineage: Tony Hu; Chicago Chinatown Sichuan institution since 1998.
The award lineage: Chicago Chinatown institution since 1998.
How to Order at Lao Sze Chuan
The booking lead time: Walk-in. Reserve through OpenTable, Resy, or the restaurant's own booking line where applicable; institutional walk-in Chinatown restaurants accept no reservations and run a queue from opening.
Order the regional Chinese signature. The kitchen's strongest expression at Lao Sze Chuan is the Chairman Mao red-braised pork belly, paired with the institutional regional Chinese tradition the kitchen takes as its starting point.
The dress code: Casual. The dinner spend: 30 to 60 USD per person at dinner. The kitchen at Lao Sze Chuan is rated 10/10 for food and 8/10 for ambience in our editorial scoring.
Why Lao Sze Chuan Is Worth the Pilgrimage
"Tony Hu's Chicago Chinatown Sichuan institution since 1998. The most consistently family-run Sichuan restaurant in the Midwest; the Chairman Mao's red-braised pork belly, the Sichuan dan dan noodles, and the ma po tofu anchor the institutional Archer Avenue experience."
Our editorial scoring places the food at 10/10, ambience at 8/10, and value at 10/10. The Sichuan register is structural; the chef training lineage and the regional Chinese tradition produce the meal that rewards the pilgrimage.
View Lao Sze Chuan on Restaurants for Kings →
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- Top 50 Chinese Restaurants Outside China. The full editorial ranking, of which Lao Sze Chuan is #38.
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