Chili Szechuan closed its Baltimore Avenue location after a little more than 2.5 years of operation. (Archived photo/West Philly Local)

We received some requests from readers asking what’s happening with Chili Szechuan’s Baltimore Avenue location as it seems to have closed. As you may know, the popular Chinese eatery opened a new location on the 4200 block of Chestnut Street in the summer, and the owner, Kangzhi Ma, said she might close the Baltimore Ave. location, which opened in early 2013, at the end of the year. So we can confirm that Chili Szechuan at 4626 Baltimore Avenue has already closed, so that the owners can focus solely on the Chestnut Street location. As as one of Chili Szechuan workers we spoke to back in May said, “it is a bigger place and close to campuses.”

So it will be interesting to see what business will occupy the now empty storefront at 4626 Baltimore Avenue, a very lucrative piece of commercial property.

Chili Szechuan is opening a new location at 4205 Chestnut St. (Photo West Philly Local)

The owners of popular Baltimore Avenue restaurant Chili Szechuan have announced that they will be opening a new location on the 4200 block of Chestnut Street within the next week or so.

We stopped at the restaurant for dinner over the weekend and got a chance to chat with the staff. “We found a bigger place and it’s close to campuses… the current location is doing well business-wise,” one of the restaurant workers said.

The new location is opening at 4205 Chestnut St, at the former Dana Mandi International Foods and Spices space. (Dana Mandi moved next door, to 4211 Chestnut St, last spring). This location is also next door to Kabobeesh restaurant. The new restaurant will have the same menu items as the current location but will feature some new items as well, according to Chili Szechuan owner Kangzhi Ma. Both locations will be open until the end of the calendar year, after which, the owners will make a decision whether to keep the Baltimore Ave location open or not.

Chili Szechuan’s original location at 4626 Baltimore Ave. (Archived photo)

The original Chili Szechuan location opened at 4626 Baltimore Ave in early 2013. We did a food review about the restaurant then and would like to report that it is still as delicious as we remember it to be.

By the way, during our latest visit to Chili Szechuan we stayed off the “Americanized menu” because we felt like there was something snarky about the title, so we went for the authentic stuff. The Dan Dan noodles were very flavorful and the flavor was robust. Next was the deep flash fried chili chicken, with a biting spice. (Be sure to keep the water and napkins coming). Another highlight was the Szechuan style chicken, simmered in sauce and cabbage. The portions were huge, so there were many leftovers.

– Rana Fayez

Chili Szechuan, newly resident in the former Green Garden space at 4626 Baltimore, neatly fills the gap between the takeout-only, bulletproof Lucky’s (4710 Baltimore Ave) and the popular, pricier Han Dynasty (3711 Market St). With its varied menu, fresh-tasting ingredients, reasonable prices, and central location, Chili Szechuan will soon be doing brisk business.

I went for eat-in dinner with the family one night, then ordered delivery with co-workers for lunch the next day. The “Chef’s Special” menu offers Szechuan favorites like Dan Dan Noodles ($5.95), spicy/crisp Szechuan Style Cucumber ($5.95), and Mapo Tofu ($9.95), each of which rivals the Han Dynasty versions. Cumin Lamb ($14.95) is just lots of thinly sliced, tender, spice-crusted meat with onion slivers, and the Dry Pot Flavor Jumbo Shrimp ($14.95) packs enough heat to cause temporary but not unpleasant paralysis of the tongue. You can also get the Dry Pot treatment for Fish, Rabbit, Lamb, Frog, Beef, or Chicken, or choose from other Szechuan styles like Pickled Chili Flavor, Salt Backed Flavor, and Tofu Pudding flavor.

If you don’t like flaming spice, there’s the “Americanized” menu. The Sesame Chicken ($11.95) is sweet and gloopy, and the Chicken Lo Mein noodles ($7.25) are dark and tasty. Of the appetizers not marked with hot peppers, the kids liked the flavorful, crispy House Special Chicken ($6.95) and the good quality Boneless Spare Ribs ($5.95), with dipping sauce on the side. The chefs do not skimp on the proteins – there are no extraneous filler vegetables taking up space on your plate. So you’ll want to order a vegetable dish (each $8.95). My co-workers and I tried Eggplant with Garlic Sauce: plump, purple, creamy, perfectly cooked. For lunch, order from the regular menu or get one of the “Combo” specials ($7.25): smaller portions of “Americanized” dishes with a choice of three soups and white, brown, or fried rice. There’s also an eggroll option. My co-workers tried Szechuan Chicken and Cashew Chicken lunch specials – each delicious and a terrific deal.

As with all new ventures, there are some logistical kinks. At the online order portal (www.chiliszechuan.com) I couldn’t input all the variables of the Lunch Special Combos, so I gave up and called it in. My advice for now is to phone or fax. Also you might want to specify that you want rice – we had to ask for it after our eat-in food was served, and it was left out of the lunch order altogether, so we called back and the delivery guy made a second trip.

As for the ambiance of the dining room, I think it’s perfect. Nothing fancy: just clean, warm and pleasant. New, white Ikea dishes. Nice waiter. No music, but I like hearing the drama and clatter beyond the kitchen door. People are coming and going, getting their take out, so wear a sweater for the drafts. Unlike Lucky’s it’s only open ‘til 10:30, and unlike Han Dynasty, there’s no bar, but you can BYO. Be sure to BYO corkscrew or bottle opener, and don’t be surprised to find yourself drinking wine out of ceramic cups. All of these things are good things, in my opinion: at Chili Szechuan, you are paying for the food, and it’s totally worth it.

– Jen