The new hot spot for Sichuan food in BrooklineFood:For apps- Szechuan steamed homemade pork dumplings, wontons in chili oil, hot and sour soup, dan-dan noodlesFor entrees- MUST try the Szechuan hot sauce style with chicken, it just melts in your mouth and is packed with spice and flavorAlso recc the kung pao chickenWouldn't recc the diced chicken with chili pepper- it was too dry and mostly fried batterOther:Friendly staff, fast serviceFamilial touch to the ambianceTLDR;Come here for a satisfying authentic Sichuan meal in the Brookline area
Della S.
This spot doesn't focus as much energy on decor the way some of the other restaurants in the neighborhood do, but don't let this be the reason for you to skip out on this amazing restaurant! I called ahead to make a reservation for 8 and was amused when the staff member sat us at one of those large, circular, plastic tables with folding chairs. While the vibes might not be exactly what you're looking for during a fancy date, the food is seriously incredible. Everything was very shareable, so the 8 of us picked 7 dishes along with white rice and were all stuffed by the end. Chicken in chili oil ($13.95): super tender, succulent chicken with a mild chili oil sauce. The chili oil wasn't the most flavorful so I would mostly recommend it for people who don't eat red meat. Beef and tripe in chili oil ($13.50): this was my favorite cold appetizer of the two I tried! Somehow the chili oil in this dish was significantly more flavorful than the chili oil in the chicken appetizer and the beef slices were melt-in-your-mouth tender. Sliced beef with Szechuan numb peppers ($26.95): I love dishes that are not shy about their mala spice and this dish understood the assignment! The soup itself was so fragrant and packed with veggies in addition to lots of beef slices. Yu hsiang eggplant ($14.95): the eggplant in this dish was very soft in the best way possible. This was the least spicy dish we ordered. The thick, sweet, and savory sauce clung onto the soft pieces of eggplant and went so well with rice! Spicy beef brisket in clay pot ($17.50): I didn't expect the beef to be almost shredded, but it was still quite tasty. This dish was on the savory side (whereas some of the other dishes were a little tangy or sweet). I would recommend this dish for people who are just getting introduced to Szechuan food. Szechuan hot sauce fish ($21.95): this is normally one of my favorite dishes to get at Szechuan restaurants and I love to use it as a reference to figure out if a restaurant is good or not. This dish was very delicious and packed a generous portion of fish! Dry pot chicken ($18.95): they light a flame under this dish at the table and it adds a lot of smokiness to the chicken. This is a great dish for people who like spicy food because there are a lot of whole dried chili peppers! There were a lot of veggies and I wouldn't have minded if the chicken-to-vegetable ratio was higher. While this restaurant is not bougie or fancy, the serving staff were all kind, patient, and helpful. I felt super relaxed and almost homey eating here. I'd love to come back again soon.
Pooja S.
The new hot spot for Sichuan food in Brookline Food: For apps- Szechuan steamed homemade pork dumplings, wontons in chili oil, hot and sour soup, dan-dan noodles For entrees- MUST try the Szechuan hot sauce style with chicken, it just melts in your mouth and is packed with spice and flavor Also recc the kung pao chicken Wouldn't recc the diced chicken with chili pepper- it was too dry and mostly fried batter Other: Friendly staff, fast service Familial touch to the ambiance TLDR; Come here for a satisfying authentic Sichuan meal in the Brookline area
Bichen Z.
Nestled in a cozy corner, this restaurant may be small, but it exudes comfort from the moment you step inside. Convenient street parking and nearby parking lots make it easily accessible. Serving authentic Sichuan cuisine, each dish packs a flavorful punch with its signature spiciness. Despite its culinary authenticity, the prices remain pleasantly reasonable. In comparison to other Chinese eateries, this gem stands out for offering delectable dishes at more affordable rates. For aficionados of genuine Chinese cuisine, it's a reliable go-to spot, promising a satisfying dining experience every visit.
John Y.
[Sliced Pork with Mashed Garlic] The flavor is great, with the pork sliced exceptionally thin and well-balanced in fat and lean meat. Paired with a sweet and spicy sauce, it tastes fantastic. This dish leans towards the spicier side, so if you enjoy spicy flavors, it's highly recommended. [Sichuan Flavored Beef Brisket over Rice] Despite the additional bowl of hot and sour soup, it felt overly salty. Both the dish and the soup were quite salty, so not highly recommended.
Sally O Gorman
I come here all the time and have never had a bad experience. Love the Dan Dan noodles and all the nice staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rebecca B.
Super delicious! We got the string beans with sliced pork (they didn't have any pork left) but they were still super delicious. We also got the Szechuan dumplings which were pretty good. Least favorite was the general gaus chicken. Not enough chicken but sauce was good. The chonquing street noodles were INSANE SO GOOD. I highly recommend. The peanuts they gave at the beginning were so good. Great prices and delicious food.
John B.
Since Mary Chung's closing and all the chaos of Covid (closing/new chefs), I've been struggling to find a new goto Chinese restaurant. Living so close to Chinatown, I never thought of looking in Brookline. I should have looked sooner. Great, fresh, well seasoned/cooked Chinese food. It's a small place with a small menu, but everything we had was exceptional. It's been a while since I've be so pleasantly surprised by a Chinese restaurant. More often than not, new places I've tried have been.., "OK" at best. Not Cubist Circle. It was awesome. I live in town, so heading out to Weymouth for dinner is probably not on the radar. But if it's anything like what I experienced in Brookline, I might reconsider and venture out to sample their larger menu selections. It's on my list of goto favourites.
Gerard Goubert
Delicious, best hot and sour I have had in a while.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robert H.
Spaghetti noodles were used for my dish. Flavor was good. Service was satisfactory.
I can honestly say that this is one of the worst restaurants I have been to. Atmosphere is aweful, prices are insanely high and the food tasted like a bucket of salt and MSG. Please do not go here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Tulsa H.
Meat soup can come across as vey filling and dense. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be going back here as there are no dishes that is appealing to us.
Wei Wu
Been here for 5 times and I highly recommend this place as one of the best Szechuan restaurants in Boston. Offering generous portions, delicious food and great value for the price. Beware: Dishes might be too spicy for some people.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Szechuan Numb Pepper Chicken
Wern O.
TLDR: bomb Szechuan food If you're looking for a new delicious Szechuan place this place is it. Inside is small so you're maybe better with takeaway or delivery but it's delicious.
Bei Baio
I had remarkable meals last year at this restaurant. You can smell the authenticity of Sichuan as soon as you entered the small diner with the distinct aroma. Then it all changed since I’d say summer, the same dishes no longer taste the same (spicy but no flavor at all, the familiar aroma in the air is also gone, you can tell it’s a sort of fake ‘gourmet’). We didn’t want to give up on it and went few more times thinking we might have hit at bad time until we concluded it was consistently bad. Very disappointed, not going to return again for sure.
The new hot spot for Sichuan food in BrooklineFood:For apps- Szechuan steamed homemade pork dumplings, wontons in chili oil, hot and sour soup, dan-dan noodlesFor entrees- MUST try the Szechuan hot sauce style with chicken, it just melts in your mouth and is packed with spice and flavorAlso recc the kung pao chickenWouldn't recc the diced chicken with chili pepper- it was too dry and mostly fried batterOther:Friendly staff, fast serviceFamilial touch to the ambianceTLDR;Come here for a satisfying authentic Sichuan meal in the Brookline area
This spot doesn't focus as much energy on decor the way some of the other restaurants in the neighborhood do, but don't let this be the reason for you to skip out on this amazing restaurant! I called ahead to make a reservation for 8 and was amused when the staff member sat us at one of those large, circular, plastic tables with folding chairs. While the vibes might not be exactly what you're looking for during a fancy date, the food is seriously incredible. Everything was very shareable, so the 8 of us picked 7 dishes along with white rice and were all stuffed by the end. Chicken in chili oil ($13.95): super tender, succulent chicken with a mild chili oil sauce. The chili oil wasn't the most flavorful so I would mostly recommend it for people who don't eat red meat. Beef and tripe in chili oil ($13.50): this was my favorite cold appetizer of the two I tried! Somehow the chili oil in this dish was significantly more flavorful than the chili oil in the chicken appetizer and the beef slices were melt-in-your-mouth tender. Sliced beef with Szechuan numb peppers ($26.95): I love dishes that are not shy about their mala spice and this dish understood the assignment! The soup itself was so fragrant and packed with veggies in addition to lots of beef slices. Yu hsiang eggplant ($14.95): the eggplant in this dish was very soft in the best way possible. This was the least spicy dish we ordered. The thick, sweet, and savory sauce clung onto the soft pieces of eggplant and went so well with rice! Spicy beef brisket in clay pot ($17.50): I didn't expect the beef to be almost shredded, but it was still quite tasty. This dish was on the savory side (whereas some of the other dishes were a little tangy or sweet). I would recommend this dish for people who are just getting introduced to Szechuan food. Szechuan hot sauce fish ($21.95): this is normally one of my favorite dishes to get at Szechuan restaurants and I love to use it as a reference to figure out if a restaurant is good or not. This dish was very delicious and packed a generous portion of fish! Dry pot chicken ($18.95): they light a flame under this dish at the table and it adds a lot of smokiness to the chicken. This is a great dish for people who like spicy food because there are a lot of whole dried chili peppers! There were a lot of veggies and I wouldn't have minded if the chicken-to-vegetable ratio was higher. While this restaurant is not bougie or fancy, the serving staff were all kind, patient, and helpful. I felt super relaxed and almost homey eating here. I'd love to come back again soon.
The new hot spot for Sichuan food in Brookline Food: For apps- Szechuan steamed homemade pork dumplings, wontons in chili oil, hot and sour soup, dan-dan noodles For entrees- MUST try the Szechuan hot sauce style with chicken, it just melts in your mouth and is packed with spice and flavor Also recc the kung pao chicken Wouldn't recc the diced chicken with chili pepper- it was too dry and mostly fried batter Other: Friendly staff, fast service Familial touch to the ambiance TLDR; Come here for a satisfying authentic Sichuan meal in the Brookline area
Nestled in a cozy corner, this restaurant may be small, but it exudes comfort from the moment you step inside. Convenient street parking and nearby parking lots make it easily accessible. Serving authentic Sichuan cuisine, each dish packs a flavorful punch with its signature spiciness. Despite its culinary authenticity, the prices remain pleasantly reasonable. In comparison to other Chinese eateries, this gem stands out for offering delectable dishes at more affordable rates. For aficionados of genuine Chinese cuisine, it's a reliable go-to spot, promising a satisfying dining experience every visit.
[Sliced Pork with Mashed Garlic] The flavor is great, with the pork sliced exceptionally thin and well-balanced in fat and lean meat. Paired with a sweet and spicy sauce, it tastes fantastic. This dish leans towards the spicier side, so if you enjoy spicy flavors, it's highly recommended. [Sichuan Flavored Beef Brisket over Rice] Despite the additional bowl of hot and sour soup, it felt overly salty. Both the dish and the soup were quite salty, so not highly recommended.
I come here all the time and have never had a bad experience. Love the Dan Dan noodles and all the nice staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Super delicious! We got the string beans with sliced pork (they didn't have any pork left) but they were still super delicious. We also got the Szechuan dumplings which were pretty good. Least favorite was the general gaus chicken. Not enough chicken but sauce was good. The chonquing street noodles were INSANE SO GOOD. I highly recommend. The peanuts they gave at the beginning were so good. Great prices and delicious food.
Since Mary Chung's closing and all the chaos of Covid (closing/new chefs), I've been struggling to find a new goto Chinese restaurant. Living so close to Chinatown, I never thought of looking in Brookline. I should have looked sooner. Great, fresh, well seasoned/cooked Chinese food. It's a small place with a small menu, but everything we had was exceptional. It's been a while since I've be so pleasantly surprised by a Chinese restaurant. More often than not, new places I've tried have been.., "OK" at best. Not Cubist Circle. It was awesome. I live in town, so heading out to Weymouth for dinner is probably not on the radar. But if it's anything like what I experienced in Brookline, I might reconsider and venture out to sample their larger menu selections. It's on my list of goto favourites.
Delicious, best hot and sour I have had in a while.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Spaghetti noodles were used for my dish. Flavor was good. Service was satisfactory.
Restaurantji Recommends
I can honestly say that this is one of the worst restaurants I have been to. Atmosphere is aweful, prices are insanely high and the food tasted like a bucket of salt and MSG. Please do not go here.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Meat soup can come across as vey filling and dense. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be going back here as there are no dishes that is appealing to us.
Been here for 5 times and I highly recommend this place as one of the best Szechuan restaurants in Boston. Offering generous portions, delicious food and great value for the price. Beware: Dishes might be too spicy for some people.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Szechuan Numb Pepper Chicken
TLDR: bomb Szechuan food If you're looking for a new delicious Szechuan place this place is it. Inside is small so you're maybe better with takeaway or delivery but it's delicious.
I had remarkable meals last year at this restaurant. You can smell the authenticity of Sichuan as soon as you entered the small diner with the distinct aroma. Then it all changed since I’d say summer, the same dishes no longer taste the same (spicy but no flavor at all, the familiar aroma in the air is also gone, you can tell it’s a sort of fake ‘gourmet’). We didn’t want to give up on it and went few more times thinking we might have hit at bad time until we concluded it was consistently bad. Very disappointed, not going to return again for sure.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2