Old Mexico Express

The only authentic Sichuan place in town, and probably within a 50 mile radius. I ordered Dan Dan Noodles, Mapo Tofu, Pork Belly with preserved vegetables, Twice-cooked pork, and Beef with Scallions and Onions. Not quite spicy enough and slightly pricey but I'm glad I've found a decent Sichuan place in Ithaca.

Monica

Wow I was really impressed by this place! All the dishes we ordered were delicious. I especially love the lamb dish and the pork belly dish was also good. The string beans were also really flavorful. We went during a weekday for an early dinner in the summer so there wasn’t a lot of people and the service was prompt and the food came out fast. The restaurant itself is at the bottom of some stairs so you might miss it if you’re not looking for it. The inside has lots of seating and it feels like your typical Chinese restaurant with a somewhat of a dark interior.

Jackie L

WOW. This place deserves 6 stars. If you like szechuan/spicy Chinese food, you NEED to come here. Seriously. Came in half an hour before closing and every single dish was amazing. I'm from NYC, which has no deficit of authentic Szechuan restaurants in flushing and Manhattan, but I can honestly say that this place is one of the best and it's a shame that I don't live in Ithaca to eat here more often. It's the perfect combination of great food and great prices. The prices here cannot be beat. Most of our dishes were less than $20. The food: again, every single dish we got was great. Beef stir fried with hot chili peppers, popcorn chicken with chili peppers (la zhi ji), lamb with cumin, and mao xue wan were all 10/10. The egg drop soup with beef was delicious too. The owner is really humble and came to ask for feedback after the meal and said that he uses customer feedback to improve their food. But honestly, I would come back just for the food alone. Price is a bonus. Note that they changed owners about 10 months ago.

Evelyn Liew

If you love Sichuan hot pot or dishes … excellent food in this basement restaurant at Ithaca. 👍👍👍Discovered this place during my daughter’s last semester in Cornell. We went there like 15 times within a 3 month period. Very memorable and will it miss it lots 😭

Vivian Lu

Delicious and authentic Chinese food! Great portions for the price, and some of the tastiest food in Ithaca regardless of cuisine. We didn’t get the hot pot. The spicy chicken with peppers, cumin lamb, and bok choy were flavorful and came out hot and fresh.

Ornwara Tritrakarn

My favourite restaurant in Ithaca!!! Most dishes are very tasty and the price is reasonable too. Best if you come with a big group so that you can try various dishes! Some might find the food too oily though.

Charles Woodard

Nice restaurant, great food and good staff. This is the first time I have dined here, the staff and service is very good. The Hot Pot and jasmine tea were excellent. Cannot wait to try the other meals on the menu.

Anchine Liu

This was the best Sichuan restaurant my family and I have eaten at ever. There was simply spectacular taste in every dish we ordered, and this is definitely a memorable dining experience. (Also, the photo in the review is at the point where we had eaten halfway through the chicken after a couple minutes, so it doesn’t show the actual portion.) Starting with the basics, the menu is very well-rounded, the decor is lovely and warm, and the atmosphere is great. My family and I ordered the egg drop soup with minced beef, shredded beef sautéed with little hot peppers, sliced lamb with cumin powder, maoxuewang, and smoked wok tossed chicken with roasted chili. We highly recommend all of these dishes, especially the lamb. The prices for these dishes are reasonable, even more considering that the portions are huge but still manageable. This is definitely one to add to all of our favorites. You won’t regret taking time to eat in this wonderful restaurant. You can tell that the staff are all hard-working. They also don’t mind chatting with you if you ask them questions, which we did about the restaurant. The food is indeed authentic; just the pleasant smell of the restaurant walking in told us that. Overall, I don’t know what else to say except that this restaurant is truly mind-blowing. When we all took our first bites into the food, we were surprisingly delighted. Such high levels of crisp, tenderness, spice, authenticity, flavor, seasoning, and feel cannot be replicated elsewhere. I hope that I can revisit this place, even though I do live in NYC. I really won’t forget this experience, and thank you restaurant staff!

Oscar Lam

My number one restaurant in c-town! I go here at least once a week and love every single dish.

Ryan Chan

They serve incredible and authentic Szechuan style food with reasonable prices and large portions. Despite the restaurant's name, I'd suggest the menu dishes over the hot pot. Can't go wrong with the mapo tofu or la zi ji

Sage Lee

My friend and I ordered two lunch specials today, which comes with fried rice, two dishes, and hot & sour soup. We ordered both with the mapo tofu and the dry string beans of the four options given. That’s what the special offers online, but it seems like the options are different if you order in person. Anyways, the portion of food was perfect and everything was delicious. The string beans are my favorite menu item and I order them every single time. My only gripe was with how oily the food was, but other than that, it was so delicious. And it was about $12.90 per person, which isn’t too bad (although Apollo’s special is cheaper, iirc).

Junlin Yi

The only authentic Sichuan place in town, and probably within a 50 mile radius. I ordered Dan Dan Noodles, Mapo Tofu, Pork Belly with preserved vegetables, Twice-cooked pork, and Beef with Scallions and Onions. Not quite spicy enough and slightly pricey but I'm glad I've found a decent Sichuan place in Ithaca.

Fırat Yılmaz

It is a great taste! It has been so long that I had this tasty Kung Pao Chicken! It comes with a lunch menu of rice and soup with really good price! This will be my place for the next couple of months to try out noodles, beefs and apperatizes.

Service is meh, but food is absolutely delicious here. One of the best places in town for authentic Chinese food (not Americanized). My favorite here is the dry ribs. I get it every time I go

Amazing food, we go here every time we're in ithaca. Food is flavorful and service is fast. 10/10

Clarence Baillo

Service is meh, but food is absolutely delicious here. One of the best places in town for authentic Chinese food (not Americanized). My favorite here is the dry ribs. I get it every time I go

Been here several times! They used to add 15% tips automatically but they don’t do that anymore. Food is awesome! I like the Wok chicken&chillies, Yellow Bovine something, Shredded potatoes, and Sautéed eggs &tomatoes It’s underground so I didn’t expect it to be fancy or anything in the first place. Service is okay. They serve complimentary fruits before checking out. 🍊

Detasty is a great place in collegetown, they have good chinese food but at a bit of a price. Do remember I compare these with Indonesian restaurants which have crazy low prices. Try the chilli fried pork/chicken. The food here actually has spice for spicy food lovers

Solid hot pot + amazing Sichuanese. De Tasty is a staple for Cornellians and Ithaca folks alike. The hot pot is comforting and consistent. The broth could be more flavorful. Garnishes (veggies, noodles, mushrooms) are a bit sparse but adequate for a small solo pot. They have a small sauce bar on the side for $2 as well. Sichuanese here is always a hit. Highly recommend the Mapo Tofu or spicy fish stew. Large family style portions that are perfect for sharing. Would recommend the entrees here over the hot pot. Prices are reasonable given the portion sizes and quality. HEADS UP: There is a 15% service charge automatically included in the check. Perfect place for large family/friend outings and cold snowy days. Will definitely be coming back 🍲🫕

Been ordering De Tasty for online delivery and I am in love with their lamb dishes which is the Sliced lamb with Cumin Powder Dry Chili with such a wise portion including the white rice and I could eat it for three meals. Yesterday was my first time dining inside the restaurant and inviting two friends of mine to capture this moment of having one of the best meals I've ever had in Ithaca. I've wanted to have the lamb again but I need to move on this time although my love for the lamb will be infinite still! Lol. I got the Beef with Chili Peller Soup in Dried Pot which was so good, loving the soup, it was even served with vermicelli (I guess?), and the beef was so tender. My friend #1 got my favorite lamb dish and she loved it! I was so glad to know it. My friend #2 got the lunch special of Boiled Fish Filet and Tofu with Roasted Chili Pepper Sauce (starting from 11-2pm if I'm not mistaken) where we could get soup also besides white rice for every entreé. The fish filet and tofu dish were also scrumptious, the flavor is so rich and the sauce is tempting as you can see it is orange brown bright colored. The staff was friendly but some of them have a language barrier which was okay but sometimes it will be hard to understand each other. Recommended to those who want to experience delicious meals that are rich in flavor in Ithaca which was hard to find, at least for me as an Asian!

Joshua Dirga

Detasty is a great place in collegetown, they have good chinese food but at a bit of a price. Do remember I compare these with Indonesian restaurants which have crazy low prices. Try the chilli fried pork/chicken. The food here actually has spice for spicy food lovers

Sonia Taa

Solid hot pot + amazing Sichuanese. De Tasty is a staple for Cornellians and Ithaca folks alike. The hot pot is comforting and consistent. The broth could be more flavorful. Garnishes (veggies, noodles, mushrooms) are a bit sparse but adequate for a small solo pot. They have a small sauce bar on the side for $2 as well. Sichuanese here is always a hit. Highly recommend the Mapo Tofu or spicy fish stew. Large family style portions that are perfect for sharing. Would recommend the entrees here over the hot pot. Prices are reasonable given the portion sizes and quality. HEADS UP: There is a 15% service charge automatically included in the check. Perfect place for large family/friend outings and cold snowy days. Will definitely be coming back 🍲🫕

Anne Dewanto

Been ordering De Tasty for online delivery and I am in love with their lamb dishes which is the Sliced lamb with Cumin Powder Dry Chili with such a wise portion including the white rice and I could eat it for three meals. Yesterday was my first time dining inside the restaurant and inviting two friends of mine to capture this moment of having one of the best meals I've ever had in Ithaca. I've wanted to have the lamb again but I need to move on this time although my love for the lamb will be infinite still! Lol. I got the Beef with Chili Peller Soup in Dried Pot which was so good, loving the soup, it was even served with vermicelli (I guess?), and the beef was so tender. My friend #1 got my favorite lamb dish and she loved it! I was so glad to know it. My friend #2 got the lunch special of Boiled Fish Filet and Tofu with Roasted Chili Pepper Sauce (starting from 11-2pm if I'm not mistaken) where we could get soup also besides white rice for every entreé. The fish filet and tofu dish were also scrumptious, the flavor is so rich and the sauce is tempting as you can see it is orange brown bright colored. The staff was friendly but some of them have a language barrier which was okay but sometimes it will be hard to understand each other. Recommended to those who want to experience delicious meals that are rich in flavor in Ithaca which was hard to find, at least for me as an Asian!

First off, I will say for authenticity, the food is pretty good. I ordered the fish dry hot pot, my wife ordered a spicy beef stew. Both dishes were excellent. The food was also served fast, which was also nice. But that was about the only good thing. Food is not enough to make me want to come back. The service was non-existent. Aside from bringing us the menus and the food, they did literally nothing. When we asked for the drink menu, they pointed to a cooler near us, and said help yourself. Mind you, there are two ladies doing the ordering and bringing the food, a chef cooking ..and several grown men sitting around talking to each other or playing on their phones. Not cleaning, not organizing, not bringing the food or asking about the service. That is why the place had zero customers aside from us. When we were there, only two take out orders, and no dine-in customers. Also, rice should be a given. I should not have to order it separately or find someone and ask for it. Also, when my wife says not to make very spicy, that doesn't mean "throw as much pepper as you can on top, and dose it with a whole bottle of chili sauce". The worst service I have ever had in a restaurant, worldwide. If they can fix that, and add more lights, and add more traditional Chinese decor, they can make money. The food is excellent, just need to touch up the environment and actually have people working there. Very lazy people working there, and you can thank the four guys sitting and playing on their phones who should be working. Get off your butts and clean the place and add new lights. If you want to force a 15% tip on the bill, at least provide an actual service.

L C

First off, I will say for authenticity, the food is pretty good. I ordered the fish dry hot pot, my wife ordered a spicy beef stew. Both dishes were excellent. The food was also served fast, which was also nice. But that was about the only good thing. Food is not enough to make me want to come back. The service was non-existent. Aside from bringing us the menus and the food, they did literally nothing. When we asked for the drink menu, they pointed to a cooler near us, and said help yourself. Mind you, there are two ladies doing the ordering and bringing the food, a chef cooking ..and several grown men sitting around talking to each other or playing on their phones. Not cleaning, not organizing, not bringing the food or asking about the service. That is why the place had zero customers aside from us. When we were there, only two take out orders, and no dine-in customers. Also, rice should be a given. I should not have to order it separately or find someone and ask for it. Also, when my wife says not to make very spicy, that doesn't mean "throw as much pepper as you can on top, and dose it with a whole bottle of chili sauce". The worst service I have ever had in a restaurant, worldwide. If they can fix that, and add more lights, and add more traditional Chinese decor, they can make money. The food is excellent, just need to touch up the environment and actually have people working there. Very lazy people working there, and you can thank the four guys sitting and playing on their phones who should be working. Get off your butts and clean the place and add new lights. If you want to force a 15% tip on the bill, at least provide an actual service.

The food is ok but the price is not the same as the menu. The waitress just said they changed the price. They should have informed me at the beginning! Also, what they claim to be premium meat is not fresh. So, goodbye and good luck!

Tien Luyen Vu

The food is ok but the price is not the same as the menu. The waitress just said they changed the price. They should have informed me at the beginning! Also, what they claim to be premium meat is not fresh. So, goodbye and good luck!

If there were a zero rating that would be too high. Should be around a minus 5. We stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the restaurant wondering if we should go down. We decided to try it but shouldn't have. The restaurant we found behind the filthy entrance door was horribly depressing. I'd describe the atmosphere as early dark and dingy dungeon. But the service was even worse. Too much to even try to describe. They set the bar for poor service. Don't expect too much. The food was very oily and thoroughly overcooked. Like chewing bark. If you are in to extremely salty you may like this though. But the hot and sour soup was good. We both actually felt ill after leaving the restaurant thinking we may have been pumped full of msg but can't say for sure. So, you have been warned. It's up to you.

Skip Knight

If there were a zero rating that would be too high. Should be around a minus 5. We stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the restaurant wondering if we should go down. We decided to try it but shouldn't have. The restaurant we found behind the filthy entrance door was horribly depressing. I'd describe the atmosphere as early dark and dingy dungeon. But the service was even worse. Too much to even try to describe. They set the bar for poor service. Don't expect too much. The food was very oily and thoroughly overcooked. Like chewing bark. If you are in to extremely salty you may like this though. But the hot and sour soup was good. We both actually felt ill after leaving the restaurant thinking we may have been pumped full of msg but can't say for sure. So, you have been warned. It's up to you.

Allen Wong

It's been a while since I've been to a restaurant this bad that it has motivated me to write a negative review. So, I would congratulate the owner on that accomplishment. The food is incredibly salty. I actually ate only half of what I had ordered because I was afraid of the health effects of eating that much sodium. For one dish, we deliberately told them less salt as it was for my 3 year old son and it still came out salty. So, I don't know whether to blame the waitress or the chef. Several hours after eating there and I still don't feel well from the high amount of sodium. I think they have enough self awareness on how bad everything is as they shake you down for a 15% service fee that they tack onto the bill. That service fee says it all; they're not willing to bet that you will leave a good tip based on the food and the service. It's their vote of no confidence on themselves.