Hands down my favorite restaurant in Maryland and perhaps the entire country. Do yourself a favor and order the spicy fish fillets.

I ordered a mushroom stir fry, but what arrived was more of a slimy soup with raw mushrooms doing laps in it (see photo). Naturally, I asked if this was the right dish and they confidently responded something like “some stir fries render water.” I couldn’t eat more than a bite and will never step a foot in this restaurant.

We had a reservation for a party of four last night and unfortunately, our experience was quite disappointing. First off, the Peking duck was awful. It wasn’t crispy, lacked freshness, and was even served a little cold. Given how overpriced it was, we were expecting much better quality. Secondly, the table we were seated at was far too small for our party, which made things uncomfortable. Additionally, when we were still working on our dish of stir-fry cabbage, the server took it away without asking because he needs to put down a new dish, and it was never brought back. To make matters worse, no one came around to refill our water throughout the entire meal, and we had to flag down someone for assistance. Lastly, it was unsanitary to see the server touch the food directly with their hands as they served it to us. It left a really unpleasant impression. Overall, we were really dissatisfied with both the food and the service. We won’t be returning.

Lao Sze Chuan in Baltimore offers an overall pleasant dining experience. Our group of 10 sampled a variety of dishes, with the cucumber salad, Szechuan pickles, chili oil chicken, crispy fish filet, crispy eggplant, spicy beef cubes, Dan Dan noodles, Chongqing spicy chicken, and string beans being standout favorites. Each dish had a unique blend of flavors, especially the crispy fish filet and Chongqing spicy chicken, which delighted the taste buds. However, there were a few hiccups. The braised pork belly was overly sweet for our liking, and the crispy chicken turned out too salty. The European sea bass, while cooked well, didn't leave a memorable impression. The service experience was a bit challenging. The staff seemed inexperienced, requiring explanations to manage our order in staggered stages, considering the large group's constraints. This necessity for repeated instructions was frustrating. This location of Lao Sze Chuan is more casual compared to their Bethesda counterpart. While the food generally met our expectations, these service hiccups affected the overall experience. I'm eager to try their duck on my next visit, but some improvements in service would elevate the dining experience. Overall, I'd rate the visit 3 stars.