Szechaun Express in West Berkshire

This Chinese was once great but of now terrible! Started with spare ribs which were really good. The main was sweat and sour which tasted like vinegar, battered prawns which tasted like banana oddly (guess it’s the batter). And egg fried rice which was almost glow in the dark orange in colour. Also the man at the reception is very grumpy ! ☺️ Sorry but I won’t go back now.

Had sweet & sour chicken balls with egg fried rice which it wasn't egg fried rice tasted like cheese spring rolls .very small portions

Had takeaway from here before and it was great but this time it was very poor service was good and quick but the beef in the chow mein was dry and chewy, the Kung po chicken was bland.

Hands down this place does the best chilli beef in the world. It’s unreal! When ordering chilli beef at other restaurants or takeaways.. it pisses me off because everywhere sucks compared to Szechwan express. I have come to the conclusion it’s pretty much pointless due to the fact that Szechwan express have set the standard way to high. The other food is also very good but to be fair I just mix everything with chilli beef and I always ask for extra chilli beef sauce. Also the chicken satay, bbq ribs, smoked chicken, salt and pepper chicken and the chicken balls are 10 out of 10! But trust me.. Definitely try the chilli beef

Always great take away and Always 10 minutes

Nearly £50 of food in bin. Chicken and Pork dishes tasteless, BBQ ribs so over cooked couldn't get teeth into them

Great food - the Beef in Blackbean Sauce was lush - and fast and friendly service.

Gone badly down hill. Very bad food on two occasions now. Shame it used to be great.

Best Chinese take out in town. Those thicc spring rolls are the king of spring.. Rolls.

Awful. Everything was soggy. Spent Christmas Eve looking forward to it and very disappointed with it all. Nothing good to say about it other than it was disgusting

Set Meal, too much sugar on Crispy seaweed and very dry ribs, far too much uncooked onion, other than it was ok and you get plenty

Had a takeaway for two people. Food cold. Prawn toast were rubbery and crackers overcooked. Satay dry and generally tasteless. Received and charged for food we didn’t order. £34 spent on a disappointing meal. We chose this place as we thought it was the best locally. How wrong we were. Will not go back.

You can cook better at home, the rice was yellow full of oil and tasted nothing. I don't normally write bad reviews but to people who want a treat do not waste your money here. Cooked quickly tho

Yuk We spent nearly £30 for 2 people for our Saturday Takeaway and unfortunately it all went in the bin. Disgusting soup so thick it would hardly come out of the pot. Chicken in pineapple was gross tasted like grapefruit. Horrible prawn crackers didn't enjoy it at all. This will be my last visit. We need a decent Chinese restaurant in Newbury and Thatcham - miss The Laurel.

Disappointed with our order. Prawn crackers were not crispy. Vegetable curry was cold as were the chips The rest of our order was satisfactory. But its not the first time we've been disappointed .

Hot sweet and sour sauce instead of szechaun sauce. The dish is 90% raw onions and paprika, the smell of onion is overwhelming. Ordered rice on a side but none was given. Crispy beef is not crispy, rather sticky and hard. Came here on a friends recommendation, sadly won't be returning:(

Very disappointed. It’s a shame you have gone down hill. Used to be excellent ☹️ Had a takeout tonight. Not good I’m afraid.

Delicious. I loved the crispy chilli beef - huge crispy bites of joy as far as I'm concerned. I loved every mouthful as did my friends. And there was enough for one more portion the next day. Wish I lived a bit closer.

Very good food and great value Service was excellent

Probably the worst take away I’ve had the duck was over cooked and very dry very little sauce given I’ve been getting my take aways from there for years. It might be time for a change.

To many peppers and onions in the meals. Should have more different veggies in the black bean. If I wanted black bean and onions and green pepper I would ask for it...

Had Szechuan prawns and chicken & mushrooms, plus rice and starters and really wasn’t impressesd at all. The prawns dish was mainly made up of big chunks of onion and the chicken one was very bland with no flavour coming through. Won’t be trying again I’m afraid.

Very disappointing dinner, the chicken and mushroom was simply tasteless and the Szechuan prawns mostly consisted of onion chunks. Would no be ordering again.

Great food, shame they don't do delivery

Great takeaway, cook freshly and ready when they said it would be. Had a mix of beef and chicken dishes with rice and noodles. All were made with quality ingredients with plenty of meat. I will be going back.

Easily the best Chinese I've had, especially since the Szechuan Inn was handling their food. I recommend the spicy smoked chicken, and their satay sauce is easily the best I've had.

Tried Szechuan Express for the first time last night. I can honestly say it was the worst I have ever had.It went straight in the bin,I live 8 miles away so couldn’t be bothered to return it.Never again!!! The pictures tell there own story Chilli Beef,Special Chow Main.

very bad paid £26.90 for E1 menue was the worst takeaway ever .Can start to explain it was that bad.Just dont use it.

Excellent food and the service is good

Grandchildren were delighted to get a take-away after school and it didn't disappoint--duck pancakes, seaweed, rice ,satay skewers, prawn crackers and chow mein all disappeared very quickly! Delicious!

Great menu selection and cooked beautifully with no saturated oil like you get in other resturants. Whether ordering take away or sitting. Must choice for area

Quick polite service great food

Food was excellent ,attentive staff, happy days.

Awful. Don't even risk it. I don't understand how people think this is okay. We've thrown it away. Second time we've tried this place and will never make the mistake again. Dishes were overwhelmingly raw onion, then raw pepper, and undercooked noodles. We had to take the raw onion out and cook it before trying to eat. Mushroom chow mein and kung po prawns looked and tasted of syrupy tomato-ketchup flavoured sauce, beef in black bean sauce was tough and mostly raw onion. The 4th soggy battered prawn I bit into felt and tasted off. That's when I spat it out and we threw £22 in the bin.

Usually this is my favourite Chinese takeaway. The set meal that I just ordered -E1- was tasteless, contained either tinned or frozen veg. Portions were scanty, especially the prawn toast. The main complaint was the blandness and complete lack of flavour. Will not use again.

Not the best got meal for four we all felt awful the next day will not return

Friendly staff however I like my Singapore noodles spicy they were not spicy at all and hardly any meat. Chips, house chowmein and chicken satay spot on, just let down by Singapore noodles.

It was OK. Seemed more freshly cooked than some Chinese takeaways, but a bit bland.

Just the best takeaway in the Broadway, hands down.

Expensive small portions but very nice to eat

Second time this week to this takeaway There curry’s are excellent Had a big order this time Everything was hot and very tasty Would recommend to anyone Very consistent with serving good food

Good selection. Decent prices. Fast service. Watch them cooking whilst you wait. How much more do you need?

First time here, it was delicious. We will definitely be back.

Great as always, also quite cheap when compared with others in area but so much better.

Great takeaway service where you can view the kitchen. Very quick and efficient service. The vegetarian dishes work out quite expensive but in general the food is tasty with a good chouce

Use this take away venue whenever I have friends to stay. Lovely variety of dishes, which can be pre--ordered or chosen on site. Always enjoy the dishes I choose.

We always use this takeaway always hot and tasty,very polite staff.tried other takeaways around but just keep going back to this one,so may it continue.

Consistently good food served quickly.

Fab food as usual, this is our go to Chinese in the area. Quick service and good price. Varied menu, suits all taste buds.

This is the best Chinese take-away I know in the area. I live about 11miles away, but I am quite prepared to drive here for an excellent meal. Service is courteous and quick, and you can watch your food being cooked through the glass partition, which shows the beautifully clean kitchen area. Apart from the excellent dishes on offer, you can order from the superb restaurant next door, which however may take a little longer as it is cooked there. I have been coming here for years, and can truthfully say that I have never been disappointed! Prices increased recently, but still good value.

Food tastes nice but omg how much grease-I ordered prawn sesame toast just tasted like over fried bread, chicken balls they were fine but the special chow mein, half the noodles were still crunchy and covered in oil never had noodles like that before-id rather wait for it to be cooked properly than them rush to please me, rather disappointed this time around I'm afraid

Fantastic food and great service

Good quality food, large portions, good prices and fast service. Would recommend.

Just got a takeaway Satay chicken Sweet and sour chicken balls Chinese chicken Szechaun prawns The only item that was edable was the prawns Chicken so tough you could not eat it Worst meal I have ever had Will never use them again wast of money

Yes the takeaway is very nice and prompt service. Very busy so I advice you to order on the phone. A little piece of advise is to order the takeaway from the restaurant next door, a much better quality and great service. Advice you to...

Always use this for take away, not had a bad meal in 10 years.

it was bad from the phone call really I got hung up on while I was just asking my partner a question! but I phoned back! ordered £35 worth and was told it would be 5 minutes?? collected our order... ribs- meet fell off bone...

Unfortunately the Pork rib starter was very dry , usually get sauce !! Rice was also dry, and no flavour to my pork sweet & sour either !! ........must have been leftovers from yesterday. At the cost of £18 , it was very disappointing.

Tasty food and efficient fast service

Food wonderful. But found it pricey as expensive as London prices especially the drinks. Need to check the bill

Definitely the best Chinese in thatcham by far! Great food and service is super fast!

I've probably had over 50 takeaways from this place starting in 2009. Back then it was the best in Thatcham but something has gone seriously wrong! The last couple of takeaways have been really poor. The latest last Saturday was the worst I think I've...

Very quick and friendly service. The food has always been well cooked and appetising.

Never been let down by this lovely lot, food tastes great, great value and quick option!

Been using the Szechuan for some years but it has slipped recently, the quality has gone down, and the food is hidden In some very sugary sauces. I have tried elsewhere now and decided to give this one a bit of a rest. It was...

We have had a zillion Chinese take aways from here over the years - we would never go elsewhere for a Chinese when at home - faultless service - we ring an order (sometimes over £100 worth if we have family visiting) - they always...

Rude staff rush you while ordering,write down the wrong items then shout at customers !!! Curry and curry sauce is just full of salt. Will not return !!!

It's always fantastic, food is cooked amazingly fast (when they say 15mins think 10! Or less. Staff are always helpful and don't forget you can order from the restaurant menu as well (get the steamed dumplings they are excellent!)

Having sampled "real Chinese" food whilst working in China I have to say I am not a fan of the UK version of it and quite often suffer after eating it. Having said that we decided to give it a go instead of the normal...

Shame about the incredibly rude woman on the phone.

Watch your food being cooked while you wait. A great take away. The good is always top notch. Highly recommended. No photos sorry.

Simply the best Chinese around for takeaways. They can exclude Chilliest of requested and the Crispy Duck is always lovely . Best crispy beef I have ever had including restaurants

I have a Chinese here and it was not nice

Food can be hit and miss.the telephone orders I difficult as they don't seem to understand and is the only Chinese I've ever been to where you spend over £15 and still don't getprawn crackers free if you want them you get charged £1.20

This is where we have bought Chinese takeaway as a treat for many years and always had excellent meals. But this Saturday was defiantly a bad day for the chefs! Chilli beef was not cooked, too large uncooked carrots in the chilli beef. Prawn toast...

Reliable, reasonably priced, good food.

We have been many times over quite a few years and we always enjoy it. The food is excellent and the you get very attentive service, always feel like the only customer. Happy to tailor some dishes to suit you palette.

Been going here for a long time we no Jeffrey very well the food is very good we all ways pick different things don't have set menu to often

Used Szechaun Express for many years...never been disappointed ...we ring ahead and always it takes 10 minutes to pick up...sometimes for 20 people yet still cooked fresh in 10 mins!

Our first visit to this excellent Chinese restaurant. The food was amazing and so was the service. The owner has been here over 20 years and it is clear to see why so many people come here time after time. We will definitely be returning...

I Found the staff here very friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere totaly stunning with beautiful music. The food delicious and plentyful. Each course arrived piping hot and colourful within its variety. The premises were very clean and comfortable. This is a beautiful setting to go...

Speed of service is fantastic, if they say 10 minutes, it actually is 10 minutes! Food is great too.

I liked the open kitchen which I thought was a nice touch but the food was pretty disappointing. I should say that I'm a vegetarian and so was looking for a bean curd based dish. I asked what they had and was told that they...

We use the Szechaun Express as our take away of choice and have done for many years now. Food can be seen cooked to order and the range is pretty decent.

The best in town - regardless of what anyone else tells you. Fast turnaround Always well cooked Entertaining to watch cooks through the window

I living in Thatcham I use the Szechaun Express every now & then. Like all restaurants it's not entirely consistent. One visit it'll be exceptional & then the next quite average, so my advise will be, if you fancy some Chinese give it a go,...

Have visited several times and the service has always been very attentive and fast. The food has always been very well presented and proved to be very good value for money.

Never used this restaurant before always go to the jade but decided to try this one the sraff are really nice food was great have since had takeaway which was just as nice will use again and advise anyone to eat here