Tea Horse Sichuan Bistro is a sister restaurant to Orient Express and Red Pepper which are local sichuan restaurants. After hearing so many recommendations from friends to check this restaurant out, i have to say it didn't disappoint. I got the cumin beef, tomato and egg, and garlic pork belly appetizer. The cumin beef was exceptional, very balanced in spice and flavor and extraordinarily tender. If you like the smokey flavor of BBQ paired with super tender beef and chinese spices this is the dish for you. The Tomato and eggs were decent! I would personally not order it again because I can make it myself but as a classic chinese comfort food it served its purpose. my only critique is that the tomatoes were a little undercooked for my liking but that's personal preference. the savory and slightly sweet flavor balancing the soft and fluffy eggs pairs excellent with rice. Lastly, the pork belly with garlic appetizer was a unique take I haven't seen before. braised instead of merely boiled, the pork had a wonderful color to it. I will say i prefer this dish to be saucier because it was a bit dry but overall it was okay. The atmosphere inside is elevated, with nice decor and plenty of people dining inside even for a tuesday night. As an authentic chinese restaurant the servers predominantly speak chinese, but can also do english. They were very hospitable and attentive so no complaints there. Overall, would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to broaden their horizons to enjoy authentic chinese food! highly recommend the cumin beef as a must get if you go, it's one of their specialties.

Updates from recent visit: - Hot and Sour Rice Noodles - absolutely tongue numbing, as we were told it would be. It was mostly chewy clear rice noodles and the spicy chili pepper sauce/soup with sliced green onion and some bean sprouts on top. Kind of fun and tasty, but for me it was a one time thing. Would be nice to have more veggies or something. - Smoked Tea Duck: good, not as crispy as the first time I had it. It did have some really thick pieces of duck meat. A little boring on its own, but actually quite good when dipped in the hot and sour rice noodle sauce! - Stir-Fried Green Beans: awesome, one of my favorite. They cook it with garlic, onions, and pickled veggies. It comes with pork as default which you can ask to leave out, but we swapped it for chicken (for $3) which was better I think. - Fish Fillet with Rattan Pepper: the fish was very tender and well cooked. There are a bunch of bean sprouts underneath! The broth was good but there was wayyyyyy too much green peppercorn in here. We spent some time fishing it out. My brother thought there was too much spice in general. The soup is good over rice. - Sticky Rice Ball in Rice Wine Soup - really nice, comforting dish. The soup was slightly sweet, but not too sweet. There was some soft rice and the wine flavor was present but mild. It was kind of like a soft egg drop soup with the rice wine and small (~1cm) lightly chewy rice balls (nothing inside them). Initially we were like wow $15? But I understood when it came out bc the amount in the bowl could easily serve at least 12 people in small bowls. I think I would say this place is like 4.25 stars (rounded to 4) for my taste buds, though my mom gives it 4.5 stars. Some really excellent dishes, some dishes that could use a few tweaks, but clearly high quality, well cooked Sichuan food with lots of spices and bold flavor. Great if you love spicy food.

We went Saturday evening and only waited about 5-10 minutes to be seated. All the food we ordered was good but wish they came out around same time. Our beef/tripe in chili sauce came out first and then the sweet and sour whole fish (two of our favorite dishes). The baby bok choy dish, pork trotter dish and fish cabbage soup came out way later. Fish soup was too spicy for my husband to enjoy and it had way too many bones to pick out so would not recommend for lazy eaters

Tea Horse has become one of my favorite go-to spots for incredible Sichuan food. Every visit is a treat, and I often find myself coming back for more of their delicious dishes from their very extensive menu! These are my absolute must-try dishes: Shredded Beef with Pepper: This is a standout dish that I always order. The beef is tender, perfectly seasoned, and has a delightful smoky flavor that keeps me coming back. Chili Wontons: Another favorite, what truly sets these chili wontons apart is the sauce they come in. The sauce is a smoky, spicy concoction that strikes a perfect balance between heat and umami. They're the perfect appetizer to kick off a meal at Tea Horse! If you're looking for more spice and heat, I would suggest the mapo tofu and chicken with Szechuan pepper. The chicken is crispy, tender, and the Szechuan pepper adds a unique, numbing spice that's just irresistible! For more of a sweet and savory dish, I would start with the eggplants that come in thick, flavorful sauce and the fish fillets with rice crust. It, also, comes as a spicy beef with rice crust dish, but I prefer the fish as it was less dry and came with a sweet and sour sauce. This dish is a delightful combination of textures and flavors. The crispy rice crust adds a wonderful crunch to either the fish or beef! Tea Horse excels not only in its food but also in its service and ambiance. The service is consistently fast and attentive, making every dining experience smooth and enjoyable. The interior of the restaurant is clean, elegant, and stunning, creating a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere that enhances the dining experience. The flavors at Tea Horse are bold, authentic, and consistently excellent. I would highly recommend checking this spot out and you can find me here very frequently trying out new dishes every time!

summary: Located in a strip mall on rt.40 of Ellicott City, Tea Horse looks pretty unassuming from the outside, but their venue is beautiful and impressive on the inside. The service was very attentive and ready to go and their menu boasts an impressive selection of Sichuan cuisine. details: Not sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised when I walked in and saw how big the venue was. Their decor was also beautiful and would be great for special events. They even have private rooms for medium/larger sized parties. Their menu is large and has a ton of things that sound delicious. Everything we ordered was delicious. It is also one of those places where "spicy means spicy." For context: I'm decent with spicier foods, but Sichuan peppers/spices tend to feel a bit on the spicier side for me, so I'd just keep that in mind if you're sensitive to spices. closing: Definitely enjoyed my experience here and would recommend checking out.

Overall- Gorgeous restaurant, professional service, good food, with multistall gendered restrooms We popped in around 6pm on a Saturday evening and they were able to seat us without a wait. We were stunned with how gorgeous the spot was. It was a lot bigger and more elegant than I had expected from the outside and they even had private rooms. It was a little unclear if we had a specific server. It seemed like a ton of people were serving us, which worked well when they could guess our needs but it was a little confusing when you wanted to ask for something and you weren't sure who to ask. Without us asking, servers brought us water, all sorts of items to accommodate our toddler, and refills. They were speedy and thoughtful. The menu was huge with so many options. We liked our food and the serving sizes were large, but the flavors felt pretty one dimensional. It would have been nice to have some brightness or acid to balance out the savory heat. I liked the way they cut the shrimp and the eggplant had a good texture.

My wife and I consider ourselves Asian food aficionados, and we probably have sampled more of this kind of restaurant than any other in the Baltimore area or any place else for that matter. The broad takeaway from every place we've been is how remarkably similar everything seems to be. There can be slight variations in quality or ingredients from restaurant to restaurant, but it's like all the owners and managers and chefs learned at the same place at the same time. T-horse breaks that mold and in a fantastic way. The cuisine is far and away, the finest Asian food we have ever experienced anywhere. It's as though the mold on how to do a cookie cutter Chinese restaurant was broken and run through the garbage disposer, and to have a wholly fresh take on the whole experience happen here. The design and decor is different and in a good way, with a big plate glass window which allows the patrons to watch the entire kitchen. The menu is excellently organized with huge, high quality pictures of what all the foods look like. This takes a lot of guessing game away, and replaces it with a level of certainty and customer control. The portions are generous and the prices are fair for what you get. Interestingly, our party of two was asked how many rice orders we would like with our meal. As if an answer other than two, might be appropriate? Call it a charming oddity. Service was competent and prompt. We did have to ask for conventional American silverware, which were provided in lieu of the high-end chopsticks we began with. Do be careful about ordering things to spicy if you really are not accustomed to the Asian definition of that, because you will find yourself reaching for the water early and often. But the heat in no way camouflaged many excellent flavors that were going on in our dishes. To go packaging was cheerfully provided as we ordered much more than two people could reasonably consume for a Sunday lunch. We plan to come back again and again, for there is a huge menu to work through. FYI in case you cannot find it, Tea Horse is where the old Normandy shopping center used to be. If there's better Asian food in the Baltimore Washington area, we simply do not know where it is for we believe it is right here.

2.15.24 This may be one of my new favorite Chinese restaurants in Howard County. They are located in the Normandy Shopping Center. The jasmine rice alone was good and better than many local Chinese restaurants. Hubby and I split an order of fried Dumplings, which was good, but I felt there could have been more meat. I ordered Beef and Eggplant in Garlic Sauce and I requested it be non spicy. I loved the beef and eggplant which were cooked just right. The beef was tender and not chewy. The garlic sauce was flavorful. My husband ordered the Double Cooked Pork and Scallions. Although he enjoyed the pork, he thought it was too salty and he loves salt. Had he known, he would have gotten the Chicken Lo Mein, which he was initially going to select. Miscellaneous Info: -They have two private rooms. -Open layout kitchen so you can see behind the scenes. -Patio seating is available. -There is a nice piano that guest can use if they are a competent pianist. -There is a bar and happy hour drink menu. -They have a lunch menu available on weekdays. -Menu has photos of menu items, which my husband appreciated. -A bowl of rice cost $1 as it is not included with entrees. I am glad I discovered this gem and can't wait to return. I want to try the smoked tea duck at my next visit.

I have been eyeing Tea Horse for months. My friend's company hosted their holiday party here and the food here did not disappoint. The menus are made of some high quality material. When you enter they have high ceilings, private dining rooms on the left and a glass window where you can look into the kitchen. My friends and I ordered the hot and sour soup, spicy chili wontons, fried pork with leaks, and fried pork with peppers. This was plenty of food for 4 people. Everything was seasoned perfectly. Portions sizes were average and textures were on point. The pork and shrimp dishes are must orders. My friend told me the soup dumplings here were ok so we decided to skip it. Fair warning if you do not like spicy food do not dine here. I finished 2 glasses of water and 4 cups of tea. Well worth my tongue numbing. The servers were really friendly and the location is really clean. Just observing the chefs and staff you can tell this restaurant is well maintained. I will definitely be back to try their other speciality dishes.