Peking Garden is a casual, family-oriented spot on St. Paul’s University Avenue, where it’s been serving Cantonese fare since 1991. Come for the excellent hospitality, the lobster with ginger and scallions, and the sizzling beef brisket five-spice hot pot.

Master Noodle (formerly Magic Noodle) makes fresh, hand-pulled noodle dishes daily in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. There are few better places for tender, springy dan dan noodles, hot and sour sweet potato noodle soup, and Mongolian beef fried noodles. Master Noodle also serves an excellent Taiwanese tomato beef brisket soup.

Szechuan, of course, specializes in Sichuan cuisine: glassy dumplings swimming in chili oil; beef with Sichuan bean curd and peppercorns; dry pot with squid and vegetables. But it also serves Cantonese and Mandarin dishes, plus some Chinese American appetizers like cream cheese wontons. The dan dan noodles are especially popular. Szechuan’s sister restaurant, Jun, helmed by chef Jessie Wong, is another great stop for fiery Sichuan fare.

After nearly 15 years on University Avenue, Tea House remains a staple for excellent Chinese fare — Szechuan in particular. It’s a great place to dine family-style: Mix and match between a steaming bowl of thick, supple kudai lamb noodles (a street food from China’s Shaanxi Province); the whole braised Anhui walleye; or the classic kung pao chicken, peppered with crispy peanuts. On the weekend, come for a dim sum brunch.

Legendary Spice — formerly of the Lao Sze Chuan restaurant group, now linked to a Chengdu, China-based restaurant — focuses on classic Szechuan cuisine. The vast menu spans seafood, pork, beef, chicken, and vegetarian dishes, but the highlights are among the Szechuan cold appetizers (preserved duck egg with chili pepper, sliced beef and maw, etc.) and the Chengdu local favorites (spicy mao cai, tea-smoked duck, Szechuan crawfish, etc.).

This 31-year Dinkytown staple is known for its top-notch Cantonese menu. It specializes in seafood dishes, like crab with ginger and scallions and baked lobster in a five-spice salt. (For holidays and celebrations, the Peking duck is a solid choice.) Shuang Cheng has great hot pot, too.

Situated on Eat Street’s main drag, chef Tammy Wong’s Rainbow Chinese has been dishing up excellent “Chinese Minnesotan” fare since the late 1980s, and after a pandemic hiatus, the dining room has finally reopened. Wander down Nicollet Avenue for plates of sauteed green beans, firecracker dumplings with fried hot pepper, and ma po tofu, simmered with Sichuan peppercorns.

Chef Luo Guanghe’s dishes, shimmering with chili oil and studded with peppercorns, hit all the hot, sour, mouth-numbing notes of classic Szechuan cuisine. Try the beef and tofu in hot peppercorn broth, or the spicy lotus roots as an appetizer.

Though Yangtze has a full menu, it’s best-known for its weekend dim sum, served every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Spare ribs arrive in a rich black bean sauce; golden-seared shrimp and chive dumplings are packed with sharp allium flavor. Round out the meal with sweet bites of egg custard.