Szechuan Royale
How many of you go to Szechuan Royale in Hastings Square? I have been going there with my family for many, many years. Christine knows us by name even when we call in to place our order.
We went there last night for dinner and found that Christine retired over a month ago and her nephew now runs the place. I wasn't impressed with the food last night as they made so many changes.
I want to wish Christine the very best in her retirement and to let her know if she or anyone she knows reads this post, how much she is missed already.
Sher Had wonton soup and a spring roll last week that made me violently ill. I can't go back.
Schmedley Wilcox Food is not the same. Not returning for takeout. Still looking for a decent Chinese take out.
Leslie 
Stymie 
Booster90 We've tried a quite a few in the area since moving here a year and a half ago. China house over in flanders seems to the best so far.
JWolfe75 Food use to be pretty decent there. It seemed like little by little the quality of the food just kept going south.
billy zincThanks for letting me know. For good chinese take out try China Garden on Stiger St. They also deliver.
Brooke I've noticed the same thing, with Szechuan Royale. Now, I know why. A long time ago, when Jetto(sp?), owned Hong Kong Palace, they were absolutely the best Chinese foot around. Then, when he retired, their food went downhill, as well. I've been looking for good Chinese food, again.
sparksjbc1964 the Red Lantern in Long Valley was very good - nice variety - much better than anything I've had in town...
4catmom We've lived in this area a very long time. We tried Szechuan several times over the years and never liked their food. We like the food, the cleanliness and the waiters who have been at Hong Kong Palace for many years. In our humble opinion It is the best Chinese food in the general area. Jeddo Does the Cooking. He "un-retired" about 3 years ago. You do not see him walking around the restaurant as he did in the past because he has mobility issues. Also, his background in Chinese Restaurant cookery goes back a very very long time to working at the August Moon and New York Tea Garden in Morristown. Does anyone on HL remember those two excellent restaurants?
MrsPipes Mrs Pipes, I loved going to the New York Tea Garden with my parents. Great food. Never went to the August Moon unfortunately.
Mansfield mama Booster & Mrs. Pipes... I didn't know that! I've got to get back over there, and give it a try. Thanks for letting me know. To the rest of you, thanks for not laughing at Chinese "foot"! That's what happens with pre-filling and rushing... not to mention my spelling abilities to go down the tubes! LOL
Mrs Pipes and Mansfield Mama We were from Morristown and remember the two Chinese places from there. We were thrilled when we moved here and found Jetto and the Hong Kong Palace. We missed Jetto when he retired and so glad to see him back.
Best food around this area. Clean, fresh and friendly. Also, reasonably priced.
Bernie Went to Teahouse of the August Moon
many, many times.
Good food, clean, great little atmosphere.
You just reminded me.
Went to August Moon also. But the best was the NY Tea Garden (Chinese restaurant on the square).
Also went to the Italian bar and grill opposite the shopping center where A&P was and Spring Street. Can't remember the name.
We both graduated Morristown High School. This year they are having the 55th year reunion.
Was it called "Cutters's". I think I remember it. I also remember "The Thirsty Ear" on Washington St. It was a coffeehouse and people sang there.
Yes, it was "Cutters." "The Thirsty Ear" sounds familiar to me, but I never had lunch or dinner at the Ear.
Has anyone tried China Wok in Belvidere on Rt46? The student I drive home says they are the Best around! When I look up reviews for them they are so so, just wondering before I throw away good money on nasty food. Nothing around here is anything to write home about:(
Sergio Qureshi Thanks for the answer CUTTER's. "The Thirsty Ear" happened after we left town.
We loved the mini pizza (bar pizza) that Cutters had also. When we moved here CAVNAHS (Marleys now) replaced these fun memories.
Weedwacker China House in Flanders changed owners over a year ago. Went from being everyone's go to place, to no one goes place! It is awful.
SubSailorJoe It's a matter of the cooks that come and go in Chinese restaurants. S.R. is still better than all in town. About 10 years ago they had a cook who was there for years and left t open his own place. He was a great cook and was there for about 5 years.
C.J. I am a Szechuan Royale customer for 10+ years and was aware that Christine was retiring and waiting for the drop off, but we have been there approximately 4 times since she left and everything has been good as it always has been.
CraftBeerBob I have to agree with the previous posts about the food at Szechuan Royale. I ordered lunch there about 2 weeks ago and the food was not what it used to be. In addition, I got a spring roll, the cabbage was brown and soggy and when I bit into it, I bit into shrimp which I'm allergic and the owner was not too bothered by that.
I believe the Spring Rolls always have 1 small shrimp in them. That's my recollection as my yougest son always takes it out as he does not like shrimp.
kb2755 
Luca SO disappointing to hear about SR! Been going there 25+ years. WHY would anybody take over a very successful business and change things????? unbelievable.......
worried Never liked SR. We have been loyal to Hong Kong Palace for over 20 years. We've tried others but think their the best.
Suzanne Their food isn't what it used to be and I agree with Luca, why do they not have reg. egg rolls. Also the place can use a renovation, it has a musty smell in there.
Just went to SR today for the lunch buffet. Not bad, but not as good as I remember it from the last time I went, so many years ago. The soups are still good. Hong Kong Palace needs to resurrect itself before I ever eat there again. Always enjoyed going there, it was the place to eat when it first opened, but boy, did it go downhill and went downhill bad. Limp, overcooked broccoli, no seasoning, dumplings giant blobs of dough with the tiniest speck of filling. Not Chinese, but chinese food geared toward western tastes. Salt and bland. Yuk.
Denise All oftheChinese restaurants around disappoint me these days. I love Veggie a heaven in Denvilke, but it's too far of a ride ride.
GetOverYeself 
crp crp, I agree. I've never been disappointed over the last 25 years or so, and I have tried all the others in this area more than once and that always confirms my personal opinion on Hong Kong Palace being the best in this general area.
+1 4catmom - Love that place! They just revised the menu - they added a few new things. I drive past Red Lantern on the way home from work & have picked up take out from there many times & it never disappoints!
Hubby and I just returned from Dinner for Two at Hong Kong Palace. Never been disappointed with a meal there yet...
Joyful Take Out from the Chinese restaurant by the ShopRite on 57 is the ultimate. I like Hong Kong Palace too but doesn't compare to the one by the ShopRite.
Meem 
Res2 We have been eating here for over 20 years, mostly take out, and over the last few years have seen a decline in quality. Last night we ordered over $50 in take out and it was the best we have ever had from them. Spring rolls were very fresh and crispy, spare ribs were huge and very flavorful, lo mein was not greasy, and General Tso's chicken was amazing. Keep up the great work Szechuan!
Funny you say that Foodguy...I had stopped ordering for a while for the same reason and decided to try again last night as well . I agree, it was very good!!! Seems like they are back on track.
JRT Great news, I'll give them a try sometime this week. What's the name of the one by ShopRite?
Forcefed4door 
Denis 
Parental Unit I'm so glad to hear this. Szechuan has been my favorite for the past 26 years.
Walking Girl Good to hear about Szechuan, we liked their food but it did seem like it was going downhill. We actually enjoyed eating in there, felt like a throw back in time for us, we liked that.
Bessie I stopped going to Szechuan for the same reason. I've been going to King Wok, which is good, but not exactly convenient. Can't wait to give Szechuan another try!
NerdBird I was passing by it last week and stepped in to ask if they can prepare strictly vegetarian food and he said they could. Not all places do. I too am eager to try the new Szechuan and to compare it to Hong Kong Palace's vegetarian food.
My work just catered a good bye lunch for me from Szechuan. Everyone enjoyed the food, didn't seem to have fallen off at all. I am vegetarian, so i had the fried tofu and broccoli in garlic sauce, satueed string beans (sans meat), vegetable lo mein and veggie fried rice.
The rest of the staff had General Tso's chicken, Chicken and broccoli, Pepper steak and spring rolls that had shrimp and pork in them.
Office of 30 or so people, I didn't hear a single complaint and may people commented it was great.
Sandy Last 2 times we ate there we noticed a difference in our favorite dish...way too much garlic! Very sad as this was our favorite place!
concernedparent ConcernedP, I have noticed it's pretty much hit or miss with Szechuan as of late too. Out of the last 4 times I ordered... Twice one dish, twice another... One time was excellent, the next time the same dish was "meh". Rinse & repeat lol. Hackettstown Chinese has the best food in the area, but unfortunately after years of really bad service and finding foreign objects in the food on more than one occasion I just had to give up on them. Formosa is my favorite, but traveling to Chester for Chinese isn't always convenient.
weebiekins I gave up trying to find a decent Chinese place in the area. I now drive to Hunan Taste in Danville when I am really craving it - 1/2 hour drive. Yes, not local but at this time I don't know where else to try.
Has anyone tried the Asian Diner in Roxbury? It has a lot of good Yelp reviews. Thanks!
We gave up on Szechuan too. Last two times when I had a dish with garlic sauce sauce was absolutely bland, it even wasn't salted/peppered, leave alone any presence of garlic or any other spice.
Lena Never heard of Asian Diner but I see they have a vegetarian section. Thanks for mentioning it --- can't wait to try it out!!
I loved Szechaun Royale A few weeks ago I had 2 Spring Rolls on the go and were so Greasy and Oily !!! Grease was dripping as I bit into them and hands covered !! So disappointed . Done there
LittlePiglet At at Hong Kong Palace tonight - food just okay -- staff - excellent - may give it one more chance...............
We noticed them going downhill and stopped going for a while. Over the summer took a chance and tried it again and the food was great so I thought they were back on track. Ordered about a month ago and again not the best, but thought maybe just an off night. Just tried again this weekend and honestly it was awful. Threw 3/4 of it away....I think I gave enough chances now.....done there. Its disappointing because I have been ordering from them for so many years.
We like West Lake in Budd Lake. My husband also likes King Wok in Budd Lake. They are the only one around that has a lunch special on Sunday.
Tracy None of the chinese food around here is any good. I'd rather get lunch at Pandan Room.
Metsman 
Greg Hong Kong Palace is that kind of old-school Chinese restaurant with all the waiters in maroon vests and giant pu-pu platters and all that. The food there is pretty good and the portions are huge. I haven't found a Chinese restaurant I'm in LOVE with, but when you have that pork-fried-rice-and-eggroll craving, they hit the spot.
honestyseasy Chinese food is greasy and gross. I work with a lot of American Chinese and they laugh at us "round eye's" eating what they call a fast food joke. Try eating authentic Chinese food sometime, albeit you need to look hard for it.
not fooled I like Hunan Wok By shop rite in Mansfield the best out of anything in the area. Bamboo would be second choice, if we are talking local to hackettstown
Darrin This is from Szechuan Royale,we heard all of your opinions,we will try the best to make every cumstomer happy about our food!thank u,we will follow any complaints
allen I love how not fooled assumes no one on this board is Chinese.
Sure, there is better Chinese food in NJ if you head to Edison, and better than that in NYC's Chinatown or Flushing, and then better in San Francisco, and best if you go to China. But since this is a Hackettstown forum we're discussing what's best in our area.
Thank you to the people at Szechuan Royale for hearing everyone's opinions on this forum and looking to take the reviews in mind.
Szechuan Royal cared enough to send me an email.
Good business.
I'll give 'em another look.
Had szechuan royal last night. Food was very good.
Steamed dumplings was all meat and not just dough. Sesame chicken was very good. Moo shu vegetable was great. And hot and sour soup was very good. They should make egg rolls, that would be nice. I wonder why they dont.
Zero have been going here for years. new owners = went down hill. dirty dirty dirty. food not as good.
Been there twice now food was by far the best in the area. Menu could add a few items.
I have been going to szechuan royale for over 21 years. I'm so unhappy lately. I gave them yet another chance the other night; ordered pork with garlic sauce, and it was so fatty and chewy I couldn't eat it.
The sesame chicken was pretty good...at least my son enjoyed his food.
MissingMelvin Hong Kong Palace ... our humble opinion ... still the Best in the area, and we did try others including Szechuan Royale which we really did not like and tried it several years ago more than once. In our humble opinion Hunan Wok 2nd best.
Always thought Hong Kong was the best around, last couple of times have been disappointing. The food didn't have great flavor as in the past which led me to believe they have a new chef. Have been a customer for 25 years. Just saying.
I agree with Bob. S - second time at Hong Kong - pretty tasteless except the hot and sour soup....That was very good and full of flavor.
Queen bee,I don’t know which part of our server were not good! Our restaurant is very clean and we all focused on the quality
I have always preferred Szechuan over Hong Kong, and I know many who prefer Hong Kong over Szechuan, just a personal taste preference. I wish them both much success in 2018!
Ken Returned to szechuan for a try after having a couple of poor meals - glad to say that we were pleased - chicken pieces were white meat and of good size, food cooked well and of better quality -
rleaf We also gave it a second chance - chicken was great and I really liked my garlic sauce. Ordering online is very convenient.
Sounds like the time is now! Thanks for advise.
I love online. Bottle King has it. Panera’s has it. I know because bagels n beer —- together at last!
Strangerdanger I gave it another try after reading the reviews that it had improved. I'm sorry to say I did not have the same experience. My chicken, and by chicken I mean flavorless, rubbery, Chewy pieces of breading, was so bad I just ended up throwing it away. Spring rolls were good though.
Did take out from Hong Kong Taste - yummy soups - inedible sesame noodles - gummy is being nice about it - very disappointed
The one by Shop Rite is Hunan Wok. They are the only one I will go to in the area. So far so good never had an issue.
At the top this thread I said I couldn’t go back. Well I did. Have been for a while. They were getting better and I wasn’t getting sick. A new problem has surfaced recently... I don’t know if the chef is overworked, but a few times now the beef has been uncooked. Maybe a good steak, but a Chinese beef dish shouldn’t have a red center. Time for another break.
Had lunch at Asian Diner in Roxbury. It was pretty good but not great. We had the Vegetarian General Tso's Chicken and Vegetable Udon. The texture of the *chicken* was good but the sauce was too sweet for my taste and it was not spicy enough. Our server never appeared to ask how everything was until we were practically finished with our meal. If she had, I would have asked for some chili oil to add to the dish. The Udon was OK but also lacking in enough flavor. Our server did ask us at the end of our meal how we liked it, and I told her about the sauce. She said to specify a hotter and less sweet sauce the next time. I'll try them again since they have the vegetarian menu (they also have a regular menu) but I'll ask more questions about the dish before ordering.
Place is nice inside and the fried noodle they bring to the table is unique..... kind of like a wonton.
When I'm in Roxbury and want vegan, it would be Loving Hut. That's a very good place. Plus you get to watch "Mother Earth" TV. ;-)
GC Back in January, we had a nice meal from Szechuan Royale - and we were hopeful for positive changes. However, a couple of weeks ago, we had one of the worst meals we have ever experienced from them. Chicken that was breaded had obviously sat out and been re-breaded and re-fried - with the result being horrible double thick fried crust with minimal, very over cooked chicken, and an overused oil flavor - disgusting and inedible. Other meal items were also overdone and poor flavor - so disappointing, but that does it for us - we definitely won't try again - we were so turned off that we can't even contemplate having chinese food without feeling nauseous.
We order from there frequently and have not had any issues until this past weekend. The food was fine, most of it tasted exactly as it normally has - except for the chicken lo mein. It had an almost sweet taste to it. It wasn't horrible; just not what it normally is. My biggest complaint is that our order was incorrect. We got the types of food we ordered, but instead of getting the combination platters that I ordered, we got full orders of the entree and fried rice. It was a lot more money than what it should have been. The girl taking the order on the phone was very flustered and I even had her read the order back to me, but I guess she didn't put it into the computer correctly or something. I ordered, husband picked up so he didn't know. Guess I will have to be more vigilant when we order from there again.
Htown Resident You can't beat HONG KONG PALACE. Why try something different for this kind of food?
Always good, fresh, and reasonable with confident help.
We had dinner at Chun Bo in Newton...........The Chinese dinners we had were both excellent, fresh and reasonably priced. We saw several platters of sushi that looked fabulous. This was far better than any of the local places we've tried. I think it's worth a slightly longer ride for great food.
Chun Bo is delish! Service can be a little slow but I’ll put up with it to get great Chinese food!
I agree 4catmom....haven't been there in a few years , but when I lived in Sussex County that is where I got my Chinese food.
MtBethel Wow, thanks for that rec. I remember passing it by once and saying --- that's different to see an actual Chinese look on an actual Chinese restaurant --- way out here.
Sushi, sashimi bar --- wow again.
And what a menu --- so many choices starting from either Chinese or Japanese.
Started with shared CA roll (I know, not real sushi --- but safety first!), and a couple of combo soup/entre'
Had a great time; server had no issues with sharing so next time it's two small plates and some sushi and soup for starters, some appetizers to cover and then one entre' to top it off. And hopefully something better than cookies for desert. If brought to table at the similar pace as our first visit, it will be a splendid parade of a wide variety of items at a just the right pace for leisurely dining and conversation.
Thanks for the rec for our new go-to Chinese....and Japanese.
Only funny thing is "chef's choice" for special sushi/sashimi combo's. Now I know you put your life in your Sushi chefs hopefully capable hands, but chef's choice? ---- now that's a trust fall. Until I know where his Momma lives, I don't think so....:>)
Took Sickles back to 611 to top it off with a nice country drive home.
Well, that's enough positive reviews for me. It was also very easy to place an order from Chun Bo's website for pick-up later - another plus. Thanks for the tip. Looking forward to Chinese dinner tonight!
Rebecka Chun Bo also has a small bar with all the usual fruity drinks that similar Chinese restaurants serve. It's been a while since I've been there and I usually just have the tea and water, so I don't remember what or if they have for beer and wine selections. I have heard if you just want to go to the bar and hang with some friends and share an appetizer, you can get drunk on the cheap.
Lynnada 
Robert Charalambous I definitely agree that it is the worst Chinese food I’ve ever had! The owner and his wife are very rude and it is very dirty! I don’t know how they stay in business!!
GrossedOut Well , I think most of you are spoiled lol , I moved away to wa state and can't find ANY good Chinese or pizza , I so miss Szechuan my husband and I went there every week for lunch buffet and take out on sundays , love love love Szechuan what I wouldn't give for chicken and broccoli recipe and general , I'm drooling if I ever go back I'm going to go every day
Cowgirl1 just gave szechuan the last chance a couple of weekends ago . Gross chicken and chewy. We get delivery from hackettstown chinese about once a week and it's always pretty good.
Cowgirl, the restaurant changed hands as the food is NOTHING like it was. I started going there in 1996, so it’s not a matter of being spoiled. It’s a matter of refusing to accept s change to substandard food.
DocMartin We got takeout last weekend and it was just as good as it ever was. We hadn't gotten food from there since we moved out of Hastings, but we were pleasantly surprised that it remained the same. Including the best crispy fried noodles around.
htownguy Have to shout out to Szechuan Royale. Their food has greatly improved. It’s the best fried rice anywhere, and the sesame chicken has gone back to the way it always was - amazing.
Thank you to the staff for listening to complaints here on Hackettstown Life forum and working through the issues.
We’ll keep coming back if the food stays this good!!
PublicExplosionBeef I got their food for the first time last Saturday. I will definitely be getting my Chinese from there from now on. It was really good.
Just had a terrible experience with Szechuan Royal in Hastings. We haven’t ordered there since they changed hands and thought to give them a try. Within an hour of eating everyone was sick and in the bathroom. Our guests even left to go home due to feeling ill. I called to let them know and the manger was extremely belligerent on the phone and told us he was coming to our house to take the food back and see if we were really sick. I explained I was just trying to inform him what happened when he hung up on me. Then he actually showed up at our house! I gave him the leftovers and invited him in to see that both bathrooms were occupied with sick kids. He just took the leftovers and yelled that he “knew what we are doing” and left. Thank god we paid with credit because the charges will now be disputed mainly due to his crap attitude and unprofessionalism.
Traci Wow! Was it delivered in the first place? How did he know your address? Most certainly reverse the charges unless he did already of course.
I must say my last two meals there were sub par to say the least. Always enjoyed it in the past. It's over Johnny....
Gotta love those credit cards.
Not to mention that if SR gets enough dings, the cc companies blacklist them, so that's strike one!
3wbdwnj 
jjmonth4 Food was ordered for delivery so he had the address. He stood on the front porch berating me and demanded leftovers back. I had no desire for them so I gave them back. He stated he didn’t think anyone was really sick so I told him I had kids occupying both bathrooms if he needs proof of that. I felt safe being as I can take care of myself, my husband was home and we have a large dog standing right next to me. Reported to BBB and also left reviews on Yelp etc
I'd report to the health board if you got sick so fast. Also unfortunate you gave him the left overs. May have been useful in determining what caused the quick onset sickness. Not doubting you, him wanting the left overs back is odd.
Yesimpc Do you remember what dish it was? We ordered shrimp mai fun about 2 weeks ago and I would not even eat it, it just smelled off.
Independent observer We reported it and thinking back we should’ve kept the food. We were just so disgusted and sick that I just wanted him and his crappy food gone. We ordered several basic dishes-General chicken, sweet and sour chicken, veggie Lo mein, chicken and broccoli.
Wow. Sorry you experienced that. I will cross that place off the list permanently.
I guess that guy has absorbed too much MSG- It's gone to his brain...
I ordered food from them! It was delivery! The food was delivered somewhere else on my road and then try accused me of stealing....An hour and a half later I called that ahole manger said it was delivered somewhere else and said I was trying to pull a scam! Said f u! Called Amex and disputed the charge! Got my money back! Never will order from them again!
Wait how would you know it was delivered somewhere else on your road unless your neighbor told you? And then what the neighbor took your food? LMAO...
Traci!i am the owner of SR!sorry to hear your experience with my restaurant!i ask driver you said you want to cash back,but you paid with credit card! We do the food severe ,we are 100% sure the food are health,between you and the cashier misunderstood,I will say sorry!you don’t need to disputed your balance!i will refund your money
SR I’ve eaten there numerous times and NEVER had a problem. I feel for you and your family, but In all fairness you don’t really know what made you sick. There is so much going around these days, one stomach virus after another and even the E. Coli every couple of months.
The way it was handled obviously wasn’t good but I would tend to think there is somewhat of a language barrier. The people there have always been very nice and accommodating and seem to try their best.
Before destroying their reputation maybe try to be somewhat understanding that that’s all it probably was, was a misunderstanding.
I hope you and yours are feeling better and stay well during this holiday season. God bless
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