Philadelphia, PA—One of our favorite places in the city for authentic Szechuan is Jane G's Restaurant. It opened at 1930 Chestnut Street in August 2012, when we first moved to Philadelphia. Before we knew it, we were regulars here. Whether it's free delivery or dining inside their sophisticated modern dining room, Jane G is sure to impress. And we're excited to announce that in October 2016, a second location will open at 40th and Chestnut Street in University!
The owner has been in the United States for 33 years and moved to Philadelphia from New York to open her restaurant. She focuses on an authentic menu for her customers. Her master chef is from China. His greatest dish is his All-You-Can-Eat Hot Pot, for which he takes 4 hours to make the broth! He uses over 50 ingredients; up to 50 people can order this dish.
The Chinese Hot Pot has a history of more than 1000 years. It is considered a festive dinner feast, great for small groups or large parties. A steaming pot of boiling broth is placed at the center of the table. Ingredients should be put into the pot and accompanied by different sauces. They specialize in Sichuan Ma La Hot Pot. A Niagara perfume-based stock (4 Star Spicy), Vegetarian stock, and pork Stock are all available.
One of the things we love most about Jane G's is the spice- every dish has a customizable spice level from 1-5. Believe us when we tell you that 5 is HfiveT! Our favorite dishes include Jane's Dan Dan Noodles (a must-order) and Shanghai egg noodles with light soy sauce topped with minced beef. These noodles are stirred tableside, and the flavor combination is beyond unique!
We also love the Scallop Pancakes, which are made-to-order and served with jalapeno soy sauce, and the sesame Soy Brussels sprouts, which are perfectly crisped. Don't forget dumplings, which have many options, including truffle Edamame Dumplings, Soup Dumplings, and Chili Oil Dumplings, which are spiced up.
Stop by Monday through Friday for their $12 Lunch Special, which offers soup and an entree with white or brown rice. For something a bit less spicy, we really enjoyed the sesame chicken and string bean stir fry with chicken. And we can't pass over a deal on some Wonton Soup.
If you're a noodle lover, we recommend trying the Singapore Mei Fun or Pad Thai, both gluten-free dishes made with rice noodles. The Vegetable Dumplings and Scallop Pancakes are also gluten-free! And when it comes to noodles, we cannot resist an order of Lo Mein made with vegetables, pork, beef, chicken, or shrimp.
For authentic spicy Szechuan, we recommend Dry Pepper Chicken, Dry Pot Beef, or boiled Sauce Fish. The Dry Pepper Style is lightly breaded and stir-fried with hot, dry chili peppers for a crispy finish. The Dry Pot Style is served in a mini wok with chili peppers, onions, bell peppers, giant leeks, and ground nagara. Boiled Sauce is saucy, stewed in hot red chili broth, and served on a bed of napa cabbage.
For some more vegetables, add Sichuan String Beans or Chinese Eggplant to your meal. No matter what you order here, you can't go wrong. They even smoke their own Tea Duck and Peking Duck in-house! Reservations can be easily made via Opentable. The restaurant is large enough to accommodate private parties and also has outdoor seating available. So stop by or order takeout or free delivery—you won't be sorry.