Szechuan House

N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago

Score: 74 in February, 1999

I go here occasionally with co-workers for the All you can Eat Chinese Buffet Lunch. The food is mostly good and there is plenty of it. I prefer General Tso's Chicken and Pork with Asparagus, and the salads and appetizers, such as Crab Rangoon, are also excellent. I always tend to eat too much, so I guess that's a good sign. I don't have an opinion on the regular menu or the quality of the food other than what is served on the buffet.

Service tends to be snooty and sometimes you have to seek out a waiter or busperson when you want something. Given that its a buffet, that doesn't bother me too much, but it is difficult to get anything to drink sometimes. The people at the front desk aren't particularly friendly, and have even criticized my party for not tipping as much as they thought we should on a couple of occasions. I could never figure this out since it is a buffet and not a full service restaurant, the service isn't particularly good, and we always left a fairly reasonable tip. At any rate these people need to realize that tipping is a customer's prerogative and they should improve their service instead of berating their customers.

Its a pleasant space, but they crowd too many people in so that someone is always bumping into you. Given its location, you've got to expect crowds, but it would be nice if it wasn't quite so cramped.

The price for the buffet seems fair and its a good value, especially if you like to eat a really big meal or try lots of different items once in a while. The buffet is $8.95, so you can expect to pay about $13.00 per person with a soft drink, tax, and tip.