Sichuan Pavillion - Rockville, MD

My cousin and I were in the mood for Chinese food on a Saturday night, so Yelp helped us pick Sichuan Pavilion. There is plenty of free parking in front of the restaurant and the closest metro stop is Rockville on the red line. They also have an outdoor patio for warmer weather.

Nothing too fancy about the inside.

I love tea with my Chinese food!

There are 2 menus - American Chinese Style and Authentic Chinese Style. I think it's pretty self explanatory as to which menu you will find the Sweet and Sour Chicken or the Duck Blood Curd in Sichuan Sauce.

We started off with some Crispy Cucumber Salad ($3.50), which were pickled cucumbers. It would have been a bit better with some chili peppers.

A staple item we like to try at any Chinese restaurant (if served) is the Fried Scallion Pancake ($2.95). It was pretty big, but dry and bland.

The Eggplant in Garlic Sauce ($9.25) was ok. The overall texture of the entire dish was mushy, and had more oil than I would have preferred.

Based upon suggestions from Yelp reviewers, we ordered the "Mapo" Tofu with Minced Beef ($9.25). We didn't know what to expect, but it tasted like...pine needles. We couldn't eat it, so we brought it home and the bf couldn't eat it.

So aside from the food being disappointing, the kicker was the service! On Saturday they claim to close at 10:30pm. Between 10:10pm and 10:20pm, the entire staff had their coats on, we were handed the bill and asked to pay cash for faster processing (we didn't have cash). After swiping our credit cards, the server didn't leave our side until she saw us sign the check. We weren't asked if we wanted to take the food home, but after asking for it to be packed, they only packed 1/2 of it! Then one of the staff members starting singing the tune "So Long, Fair Well" from the Sound of Music....mind you, we were still EATING. Ok we can take a hint, but you're still technically open! So we left after that lovely song.
Sorry if you guys love this place, but I'm not recommending it. There is plenty of good Chinese food in Rockville like Seven Seas, Bob's Noodle 66, Joe's Noddle House and A&J.

410 Hungerford Drive
Rockville, MD 20850
(240) 403-7251
www.scpavilion.com