Pepper House serves up top Chinese food in the nation with authentic Sichuan flavors

CBS News

31-05-2025

Pepper House serves up top Chinese food in the nation with authentic Sichuan flavors
Pepper House serves up top Chinese food in the nation with authentic Sichuan flavors
Pepper House serves up top Chinese food in the nation with authentic Sichuan flavors
Pepper House, a local Chinese restaurant in Ellicott City, is attracting people from all over after getting national recognition as one of the county's top restaurants.
Nestled along Route 40 in an office complex, Pepper House offers authentic Sichuan flavors.
When Yuan Shen and her husband Frank Liang opened the restaurant during the pandemic in 2020, they never imagined making it on the national map.
"Both me and my husband were teachers," said Shen. "We know nothing about restaurant. We never ran [a] restaurant before. But just one day, he said, 'Could we make real Sichuan food for American friend?' "
Recently, Pepper House earned the 11th spot on Yelp's 2024 list of top 100 Chinese restaurants in the U.S., encouraging many supporters to come out and congratulate them.
The ranking is now attracting people from all over, including Pennsylvania, Virginia, D.C., and more.
What exactly is Sichuan cuisine?
With over 200 reviews and a stellar 4.7-star rating on Yelp, customers praise Pepper House for its spicy, fragrant, and flavorful dishes that capture the essence of Sichuan cuisine, mostly known for its numbing effect from Sichuan peppercorns.
"The flavor is incredible, and she's right, it's the flavor more than the spiciness," said Ryan, a customer who was dining inside Pepper House. "Everything blends together so well."
Their secret is that everything is made from scratch and with love.
"Our chili oil sauces, and dumplings, and noodles all are handmade," said Shen. "It's very tasty, yeah, it's different."
That's what brings customers like Vineeth Garnepudi and Jack Ragonese returning for more.
"We really like Sichuan food," Vineeth exclaimed.
"I had to give it a try," said Jack. "I loved it the first time, so I had to come back."
Both say they're proud to see Howard County represented at the national level.
When Shen and Frank are not running their restaurant, they're singing opera. As a professional opera singer, Frank still teaches students sometimes at the restaurant, and when it's not busy, he plays the piano.
It's music to your ears and food for your soul.
"We want more and more people, all the country, all the people from everywhere to try this because it's good!" said Shen.