Food was delicious. Very spicey but delicous. Rabbit tasted just like it should and lamb also(most places try to pass off mutton as lamb. This was true lamb) Couldn't talk the wife into eating the pork entrials, however the eggplant she had was great. Nice atmosphere. Good service.
(5)
Cindy P.
It was good and you will love this place if you like spicy food. Most of the food on the menu is spicy, I only ordered one dish and I asked my server to not make it spicy. She couldn't make it non-spicy so she said it would just be a little bit spicy. It was very good and not too spicy as she said, so I'm very happy with the food. The dish came with a fairly big bowl of white rice. The atmospher is very calm and I love the umbrella hanging from the ceiling. There is also a lunch buffet... though I asked my server about it and I actually got more confused. On their Facebook it says $6.99 lunch combo.
YAY the gangly chinese guy is GONE!!!!!! finally. They've hired other people and I think they're still hiring. I haven't come here for the menu entree in forever, because I'm here almost every day for the lunch special. SO GOOD. $7 for rice/noodles + 3 actual entrees + soup + egg roll (most days) = GREAT. I noticed they don't give as much food as they used to, but that's fine with me bc I think they gave out like wayyy too much food before.
(5)
Astrid B.
I liked this place because it has a cute atmosphere, authentic chinese dishes and american chinese dishes. I do wish they served dim sum, but I understand there is a regional difference i the type of restaurant this is compared to dim sum places. The bar here also looks pretty cute for a nice night out.
(4)
Rania G.
I will start by saying that I have never been to China, so this food may be very authentic, but if it is, then I do not prefer authentic Chinese food. Three of us ordered 3 different dishes and shared them. The spicy eggplant was the best of the three, but for the price, it was honestly underwhelming and not memorable. The chili pepper chicken was simply very spicy, and lacked flavor depth. The chicken was also cut into bite size pieces, but there were bones in all the chicken pieces. It was extremely difficult to eat with chopsticks because of the bones, and I found myself fighting with the food in order to eat it. The last dish was the duck, and it was literally cooked duck. It came with two dipping sauces, which were "meh" at best. The service was also meh. I accidentally spilled my drink, and NO ONE responded. We had to snag napkins from the bathroom to partially clean up the mess. Our bill was $60. As far as I'm concerned, that was very expensive for the proteins we ordered, the underwhelming flavor, and the poor service that we encountered.
(2)
Charlie G.
Wonderful atmosphere, food was amazing!!! Our server was gracious and welcoming he asked us if we had dined there before which we had not he instructed us how to Grill our food . And at what texture certainly items we order would be done so they would not be overcooked had a wonderful time will return very soon.
(5)
Sir Paul L.
My wife is Chinese and we were looking for authentic food so we tried Small House based on reviews. Can confirm, very good, authentic food. Actually, I had a dish I only have seen offered in China when I visited. We have lived in San Francisco and NYC and know good Chinese food as well. While not the best, it really is pretty good and we are so thankful to find in Gainesville of all places. We're moving there and will be sure to frequent this place. The decor is the only downside. It's obvious they took over the lease of another restaurant and never changed much. It needs to be classed up. Take down the neon beer signs, make the place warmer and more upscale restaurant like. The prices on some dishes are a little high as well. Again, with the current decor, you wouldn't come back so often. It's not a place to take colleagues or business people. The tea should be free, like all authentic chinese restaurants, I was surprised by that. Also, the staff is just college students who really don't know much about being a professional server. I only say this because it has potential to be a great restaurant but right now is being operated like a fast food place that has good food.
(4)
Olivia N.
I think Bento has competition! The food is a lot fresher and well-prepared. The service was good and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. The decor is well done and we enjoyed our meal. The price is right, too. Highly recommended. Update: It turns out that the service is inconsistent. The last few times I've gone have been disappointing because the waiter was rude and food took a long time to get out. I wasn't impressed by the authentic clay pot dishes either.
(3)
Jaimee C.
Really great service. Servers were very attentive and even suggested their favorite dishes for my husband and I to try for next time. My husband loved the twice cooked pork and my favorite was the squid on iron plate. We also ordered the spicy sauteed chicken, which was great. I just wish the chicken wasn't chopped into small pieces for that dish because small bits of chicken bone were breaking off while I was eating it, which got frustrating. Overall though, we had a great first visit and we'll definitely come back again to try more dishes.
(4)
Yan Q.
I visited it every one or two weeks. They have original chinese food. The 沸腾鱼 was very good!
(5)
Alex Z.
My family is visiting this area on vacation from New York. Came in and tried this Chinese restaurant and the food is really authentic Chinese food. The taste is exactly like the restaurants in New York City Chinatown, which is so surprising to find in Gainesville. I would highly recommend this restaurant for people who is looking for authentic Chinese food and not those highly Americanized Chinese fast food. I have taken some pictures of the dishes we ordered on yelp.
(5)
John P.
One of the few authentic Chinese restaurants in Gainesville. The food is served family style with a rotating turn table in the middle for larger groups. The service is okay, but the waiters and waitresses are mostly international Chinese servers, so there's definitely a language barrier when it comes to asking questions about food (unless you speak Chinese, of course). It's best to go here with a large group of people so you can all order a variety of dishes and share. Not the best Chinese food I've had, but it's definitely worth trying.
(3)
Oanh N.
Wait for getting our food was forever! They even forgot one of our dishes until we got our bill and didn't really say much. It was a pain waiting to get our check so don't go here if you're on a time crunch. However the dishes were good for Gainesville standard. Definitely better than Gator Suyazki. Eggplant was the winner of the night for me. Good amount of spice and sweetness. Cucumbers was not spicy and kind of lack the punch for me. The 8 treasures was decent but not too much flavor. Do not get hot and dry noodles, they have no flavor. Might come back again...
(2)
Mama C.
Delicious and authentic. Very thoughtful and accommodating servers/owners. Get the beef noodle soup! And, anything with pork belly. Yumm.
(5)
Courtney F.
The food is delicious and legit. If you order off the American Chinese menu you are ripping yourself off. It's family style to be prepared for large portions. Small House gave me hope that good Chinese food can exist in Gainesville!
(5)
Amanda H.
Small House, big deal. Love love love it. Has both a more authentic Chinese menu and a limited American Chinese menu with all the classics for those looking for familiar favorites. Food is delicious and atmosphere is unbeatable.
(4)
Jeannine W.
I've lived in Gainesville for just over 8 years and have been consistently disappointed in the Chinese food available. To be honest, I gave up a long time ago and would eat it when I went to Orlando or Jax. After seeing Small House had opened and reading reviews on here, we tried it. I love this style of Chinese food. Yes, the menu was a mess but I was prepared for that. They were out of the spicy shrimp that I wanted but the chefs supposedly recommended something else instead so I got it...but it wasn't spicy AT ALL. But it was still very good. My boyfriend got the spicy lamb and it was very spicy but also very tasty. We also got dumplings and chicken fried rice, both excellent. The fried rice was just like what I used to get at the awesome Chinese place in my hometown. People commented about the portion sizes. They were not small and very typically of Chinese restaurants. We will definitely go back, already looking forward to it.
(4)
Dawn M.
Very pleasantly surprised. The ambiance could use a little work, but the food is great:)
(4)
Nora H.
I ate here for dinner tonight with my boyfriend. We were seated immediately and our server was super nice. We ordered the rabbit appetizer, won tons and hot a sour soup to start. The won tons were amazing! They're pork and come with a chili sauce in the bottom of the bowl that was really good. The hot and sour soup was also really good, it's a huge portion, we each had a few bowls and there was still a quart left to take home. The rabbit had nice flavor but it was served cold (?) with lots of bones in it. It's chopped up into tiny pieces and served with all of the bone in it, we asked and the manager said that rabbit is hard to take off the bone (not true) so in traditional Chinese cuisine they leave the whole rabbit together and chop it up. As I said it had really nice flavor I just didn't expect it to be served cold with tons of bone in it, so I think they would benefit from better menu descriptions. For our entrees I had shrimp in tomato sauce with rice cakes which was pretty good. The rice cakes are just like rice crispies but not sweet, and they pour the shrimp in tomato sauce over the rice cakes in front of you. There were a few vegetables in the dish, the tomato sauce wasn't very flavorful but it wasn't a bad dish. My boyfriend ordered the duck (it's number one on the chef's recommended dishes list) and it was a whole duck cut in half (no head) with great flavor but again it was served cold, with nothing else other than the duck. There were bones in this dish as well but that was to be expected, I was just surprised that it was cold, I think it will benefit greatly from warming it up in the oven at home. We also got a thai bubble tea which was really good! I'm giving the restaurant four stars because our server was great and none of the dishes were particularly bad they were just served cold (intentionally) and I think that should be noted on the menu. Also I don't think rabbit should be served with lots of a small pieces of bone, but apparently in authentic Chinese cuisine they just eat the bone. The portions were huge, and for everything we ordered it was only $63. I guess I'm just not a fan of authentic Chinese cuisine, I would love to try some of the American Chinese they had listed in the back, the won tons were AWESOME and so was the thai bubble tea.
(4)
Scott E.
We are back! Again great food ! Lots of Asian customers enjoying authentic Asian cuisine.
(5)
Priscilla C.
Nice atmosphere inside and out in the covered courtyard. Great for large groups for lunch and walking distance to campus. Love spinning the lazy Susan.
High price and small quantity! Ordered spicy duck and grilled lamb, no meat at all and too many duck and lamb bones for the dishes. I will neither recommend to my Chinese people nor American friends.
(1)
Heinrik V.
Be careful parking. The only places OK to park are at Bank of America or behind Chevron. The apartments behind are tow away!
(3)
Kristen H.
Their lunch special and shared plates make this a fun place to go to with friends. They also have a nice bar with Fat Tire, Swamphead and Blue moon on tap. I went here for lunch and everyone was helpful and nice. I ordered the hot and dry noodles and sliced cucumber. The hot and dry noodles had pickled vegetables and cilantro and was enough for two. I also had the sliced cucumber which I also couldn't finish because the portion was too big and it was nice and savory. I would definitely go here again and recommend others do as well!
(4)
C C.
Finally an authentic Chinese food place in Florida!!! Make sure you ask Yiman for suggestions!!!
(5)
Theda B.
I had dinner at Small House today. It is extremely clean, and the servers are very helpful. I had the pork fried rice, and the beef with vegetables. Both dished were delicious. The portions are very large, and the quality of the food is excellent. This is Gainesville's best Chinese Restaurant!
(5)
Lee L.
Not a professional Sezchuan food place. Me and my friends are super Sezchuan food fans so we came here more than 5 times but always disappointed. The food are different from the traditional Sezchuan style. The owner said they have 2 chefs are from the Sezchuan and Hunan province. The dishes they cook are more close to the American-Sezchuan style. The lunch they serve only can fill half lunch to go box. If you are a guy I don't think this place is a good choice cause you may feel hungry 2 hours later.
(2)
Jared H.
My girlfriend is from Chongqing, China, known for awesome spicy food and I have to say.. it seems pretty legit and it is not TOO spicy.. but it is spicy.. big portions and great taste.. I will be back.
(4)
Emily N.
if you want real authentic Chinese food, especially the spicy part, this is the place to go!
(5)
Kritee G.
I've been to Small House 3 times now, and each time with a different group of people. Since the entrees are big enough and are meant for sharing, I was able to get a good taste of the several dishes there. And I must say that each of the dishes has been so authentic and extremely delicious. Each of my friends has been telling their friends about this place! The pork that I had at Small House, in each of the different dishes, took me back to the pork I had in China - but I found the pork dishes at Small House to be even better. I feel that their menu does not do them justice, and if they had pictures, it might be easier to get more tempted. I loved each dish I had there (like, really!), but my favorites have been the two fish fillet dishes, especially the bean sauce one, and the garlic eggplant dish. The pumpkin bean paste dessert is also unique and yummy. Can't wait to go there again soon!
(5)
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Address :1120 W University Ave
Gainesville, FL, 32601
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Tom M.
Food was delicious. Very spicey but delicous. Rabbit tasted just like it should and lamb also(most places try to pass off mutton as lamb. This was true lamb) Couldn't talk the wife into eating the pork entrials, however the eggplant she had was great. Nice atmosphere. Good service.
(5)Cindy P.
It was good and you will love this place if you like spicy food. Most of the food on the menu is spicy, I only ordered one dish and I asked my server to not make it spicy. She couldn't make it non-spicy so she said it would just be a little bit spicy. It was very good and not too spicy as she said, so I'm very happy with the food. The dish came with a fairly big bowl of white rice. The atmospher is very calm and I love the umbrella hanging from the ceiling. There is also a lunch buffet... though I asked my server about it and I actually got more confused. On their Facebook it says $6.99 lunch combo.
(4)Kevin C.
Description: Small House is a nice restaurant that serves decent authentic Chinese food. It's definitely a solid place to go with friends as there are plenty of tables to sit at and the menu offers a decent amount of dishes to choose from. Food & Service: I went with two of my friends and we split three dishes together for about $12.50 a person plus tax. Very reasonable for the amount of food given and ample side rice provided. The quality of the food was okay. The mapo tofu was too oily and somewhat bland. Without rice, it would be difficult to eat on its own. The eggplant in garlic sauce was not bad though. I'm used to a heavier saucier version but this was a solid veggie choice. Last, we got the sautéed squid on griddle. Flavor was well balanced and the squid cooked well but the portion was a little smaller than what I hoped for. Service was good but at times slow and a little awkward (probably due to communication barrier) but it didn't make my experience less enjoyable really. Final Thoughts: With that said, Small House is ideal for people near campus craving authentic Chinese food. To be honest, it's not my preferred Chinese restaurant of choice but it's a solid place to eat after a night of studying or for catching up with friends. I give it three stars but think of it more as 3.5 stars.
(3)Y C.
YAY the gangly chinese guy is GONE!!!!!! finally. They've hired other people and I think they're still hiring. I haven't come here for the menu entree in forever, because I'm here almost every day for the lunch special. SO GOOD. $7 for rice/noodles + 3 actual entrees + soup + egg roll (most days) = GREAT. I noticed they don't give as much food as they used to, but that's fine with me bc I think they gave out like wayyy too much food before.
(5)Astrid B.
I liked this place because it has a cute atmosphere, authentic chinese dishes and american chinese dishes. I do wish they served dim sum, but I understand there is a regional difference i the type of restaurant this is compared to dim sum places. The bar here also looks pretty cute for a nice night out.
(4)Rania G.
I will start by saying that I have never been to China, so this food may be very authentic, but if it is, then I do not prefer authentic Chinese food. Three of us ordered 3 different dishes and shared them. The spicy eggplant was the best of the three, but for the price, it was honestly underwhelming and not memorable. The chili pepper chicken was simply very spicy, and lacked flavor depth. The chicken was also cut into bite size pieces, but there were bones in all the chicken pieces. It was extremely difficult to eat with chopsticks because of the bones, and I found myself fighting with the food in order to eat it. The last dish was the duck, and it was literally cooked duck. It came with two dipping sauces, which were "meh" at best. The service was also meh. I accidentally spilled my drink, and NO ONE responded. We had to snag napkins from the bathroom to partially clean up the mess. Our bill was $60. As far as I'm concerned, that was very expensive for the proteins we ordered, the underwhelming flavor, and the poor service that we encountered.
(2)Charlie G.
Wonderful atmosphere, food was amazing!!! Our server was gracious and welcoming he asked us if we had dined there before which we had not he instructed us how to Grill our food . And at what texture certainly items we order would be done so they would not be overcooked had a wonderful time will return very soon.
(5)Sir Paul L.
My wife is Chinese and we were looking for authentic food so we tried Small House based on reviews. Can confirm, very good, authentic food. Actually, I had a dish I only have seen offered in China when I visited. We have lived in San Francisco and NYC and know good Chinese food as well. While not the best, it really is pretty good and we are so thankful to find in Gainesville of all places. We're moving there and will be sure to frequent this place. The decor is the only downside. It's obvious they took over the lease of another restaurant and never changed much. It needs to be classed up. Take down the neon beer signs, make the place warmer and more upscale restaurant like. The prices on some dishes are a little high as well. Again, with the current decor, you wouldn't come back so often. It's not a place to take colleagues or business people. The tea should be free, like all authentic chinese restaurants, I was surprised by that. Also, the staff is just college students who really don't know much about being a professional server. I only say this because it has potential to be a great restaurant but right now is being operated like a fast food place that has good food.
(4)Olivia N.
I think Bento has competition! The food is a lot fresher and well-prepared. The service was good and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. The decor is well done and we enjoyed our meal. The price is right, too. Highly recommended. Update: It turns out that the service is inconsistent. The last few times I've gone have been disappointing because the waiter was rude and food took a long time to get out. I wasn't impressed by the authentic clay pot dishes either.
(3)Jaimee C.
Really great service. Servers were very attentive and even suggested their favorite dishes for my husband and I to try for next time. My husband loved the twice cooked pork and my favorite was the squid on iron plate. We also ordered the spicy sauteed chicken, which was great. I just wish the chicken wasn't chopped into small pieces for that dish because small bits of chicken bone were breaking off while I was eating it, which got frustrating. Overall though, we had a great first visit and we'll definitely come back again to try more dishes.
(4)Yan Q.
I visited it every one or two weeks. They have original chinese food. The 沸腾鱼 was very good!
(5)Alex Z.
My family is visiting this area on vacation from New York. Came in and tried this Chinese restaurant and the food is really authentic Chinese food. The taste is exactly like the restaurants in New York City Chinatown, which is so surprising to find in Gainesville. I would highly recommend this restaurant for people who is looking for authentic Chinese food and not those highly Americanized Chinese fast food. I have taken some pictures of the dishes we ordered on yelp.
(5)John P.
One of the few authentic Chinese restaurants in Gainesville. The food is served family style with a rotating turn table in the middle for larger groups. The service is okay, but the waiters and waitresses are mostly international Chinese servers, so there's definitely a language barrier when it comes to asking questions about food (unless you speak Chinese, of course). It's best to go here with a large group of people so you can all order a variety of dishes and share. Not the best Chinese food I've had, but it's definitely worth trying.
(3)Oanh N.
Wait for getting our food was forever! They even forgot one of our dishes until we got our bill and didn't really say much. It was a pain waiting to get our check so don't go here if you're on a time crunch. However the dishes were good for Gainesville standard. Definitely better than Gator Suyazki. Eggplant was the winner of the night for me. Good amount of spice and sweetness. Cucumbers was not spicy and kind of lack the punch for me. The 8 treasures was decent but not too much flavor. Do not get hot and dry noodles, they have no flavor. Might come back again...
(2)Mama C.
Delicious and authentic. Very thoughtful and accommodating servers/owners. Get the beef noodle soup! And, anything with pork belly. Yumm.
(5)Courtney F.
The food is delicious and legit. If you order off the American Chinese menu you are ripping yourself off. It's family style to be prepared for large portions. Small House gave me hope that good Chinese food can exist in Gainesville!
(5)Amanda H.
Small House, big deal. Love love love it. Has both a more authentic Chinese menu and a limited American Chinese menu with all the classics for those looking for familiar favorites. Food is delicious and atmosphere is unbeatable.
(4)Jeannine W.
I've lived in Gainesville for just over 8 years and have been consistently disappointed in the Chinese food available. To be honest, I gave up a long time ago and would eat it when I went to Orlando or Jax. After seeing Small House had opened and reading reviews on here, we tried it. I love this style of Chinese food. Yes, the menu was a mess but I was prepared for that. They were out of the spicy shrimp that I wanted but the chefs supposedly recommended something else instead so I got it...but it wasn't spicy AT ALL. But it was still very good. My boyfriend got the spicy lamb and it was very spicy but also very tasty. We also got dumplings and chicken fried rice, both excellent. The fried rice was just like what I used to get at the awesome Chinese place in my hometown. People commented about the portion sizes. They were not small and very typically of Chinese restaurants. We will definitely go back, already looking forward to it.
(4)Dawn M.
Very pleasantly surprised. The ambiance could use a little work, but the food is great:)
(4)Nora H.
I ate here for dinner tonight with my boyfriend. We were seated immediately and our server was super nice. We ordered the rabbit appetizer, won tons and hot a sour soup to start. The won tons were amazing! They're pork and come with a chili sauce in the bottom of the bowl that was really good. The hot and sour soup was also really good, it's a huge portion, we each had a few bowls and there was still a quart left to take home. The rabbit had nice flavor but it was served cold (?) with lots of bones in it. It's chopped up into tiny pieces and served with all of the bone in it, we asked and the manager said that rabbit is hard to take off the bone (not true) so in traditional Chinese cuisine they leave the whole rabbit together and chop it up. As I said it had really nice flavor I just didn't expect it to be served cold with tons of bone in it, so I think they would benefit from better menu descriptions. For our entrees I had shrimp in tomato sauce with rice cakes which was pretty good. The rice cakes are just like rice crispies but not sweet, and they pour the shrimp in tomato sauce over the rice cakes in front of you. There were a few vegetables in the dish, the tomato sauce wasn't very flavorful but it wasn't a bad dish. My boyfriend ordered the duck (it's number one on the chef's recommended dishes list) and it was a whole duck cut in half (no head) with great flavor but again it was served cold, with nothing else other than the duck. There were bones in this dish as well but that was to be expected, I was just surprised that it was cold, I think it will benefit greatly from warming it up in the oven at home. We also got a thai bubble tea which was really good! I'm giving the restaurant four stars because our server was great and none of the dishes were particularly bad they were just served cold (intentionally) and I think that should be noted on the menu. Also I don't think rabbit should be served with lots of a small pieces of bone, but apparently in authentic Chinese cuisine they just eat the bone. The portions were huge, and for everything we ordered it was only $63. I guess I'm just not a fan of authentic Chinese cuisine, I would love to try some of the American Chinese they had listed in the back, the won tons were AWESOME and so was the thai bubble tea.
(4)Scott E.
We are back! Again great food ! Lots of Asian customers enjoying authentic Asian cuisine.
(5)Priscilla C.
Nice atmosphere inside and out in the covered courtyard. Great for large groups for lunch and walking distance to campus. Love spinning the lazy Susan.
(5)Michael M.
Tonight, me and a small group went to Small House. I had been meaning to try this place after since the last restaurant at this location closed. We were not disappointed. Small House is not your typical Chinese food restaurant. They specialize in a family style dining experience. I've had meals like this in other, larger cities, but I can't think of any other Asian restaurants around here that do things this way. Our table of five men with healthy appetites ordered four entrées and an "snack". Portions were plentiful, but I felt we could have easily finished off another entrée. It didn't hurt that the food we ordered was absolutely delicious. Having recently opened, Small House didn't have all of their items quite ready yet. Even still, there was a large number of choices. Their menu is divided by protein, and then the last page was described to us as "American-style" Chinese food -- you know what they're talking about. The first entrée was the spicy duck. The duck was delicious and practically fell off the bone, but be warned: they are not kidding about spicy. It's pretty normal to get ridiculously spicy food in an Asian restaurant, but this was over the top. There were more chili peppers on the plate than actual duck. I wouldn't have wanted to eat much more than a spoon of it, but my friend who loves spicy food really enjoyed it. We also had shrimp and broccoli, tofu and seafood delicacies, and pork belly. The shrimp in the seafood dishes was giant and tasty. The pork belly was fantastic, sweet and tender. We also tried the pork rolls and the date rolls, both of which were amazing. The pork roll was like a pork dumpling, but much meatier and 10 times as delicious and the date roll was a super sweet dessert treat that was like a nuanced cinnamon roll. The servers were pleasant and attentive, and the restaurant still looks newly renovated. I'll miss the restaurant that used to be there, Farrah's, but Small House is a welcome addition to the Gainesville food scene.
(5)Chongwei C.
High price and small quantity! Ordered spicy duck and grilled lamb, no meat at all and too many duck and lamb bones for the dishes. I will neither recommend to my Chinese people nor American friends.
(1)Heinrik V.
Be careful parking. The only places OK to park are at Bank of America or behind Chevron. The apartments behind are tow away!
(3)Kristen H.
Their lunch special and shared plates make this a fun place to go to with friends. They also have a nice bar with Fat Tire, Swamphead and Blue moon on tap. I went here for lunch and everyone was helpful and nice. I ordered the hot and dry noodles and sliced cucumber. The hot and dry noodles had pickled vegetables and cilantro and was enough for two. I also had the sliced cucumber which I also couldn't finish because the portion was too big and it was nice and savory. I would definitely go here again and recommend others do as well!
(4)C C.
Finally an authentic Chinese food place in Florida!!! Make sure you ask Yiman for suggestions!!!
(5)Theda B.
I had dinner at Small House today. It is extremely clean, and the servers are very helpful. I had the pork fried rice, and the beef with vegetables. Both dished were delicious. The portions are very large, and the quality of the food is excellent. This is Gainesville's best Chinese Restaurant!
(5)Lee L.
Not a professional Sezchuan food place. Me and my friends are super Sezchuan food fans so we came here more than 5 times but always disappointed. The food are different from the traditional Sezchuan style. The owner said they have 2 chefs are from the Sezchuan and Hunan province. The dishes they cook are more close to the American-Sezchuan style. The lunch they serve only can fill half lunch to go box. If you are a guy I don't think this place is a good choice cause you may feel hungry 2 hours later.
(2)Jared H.
My girlfriend is from Chongqing, China, known for awesome spicy food and I have to say.. it seems pretty legit and it is not TOO spicy.. but it is spicy.. big portions and great taste.. I will be back.
(4)Emily N.
if you want real authentic Chinese food, especially the spicy part, this is the place to go!
(5)Kritee G.
I've been to Small House 3 times now, and each time with a different group of people. Since the entrees are big enough and are meant for sharing, I was able to get a good taste of the several dishes there. And I must say that each of the dishes has been so authentic and extremely delicious. Each of my friends has been telling their friends about this place! The pork that I had at Small House, in each of the different dishes, took me back to the pork I had in China - but I found the pork dishes at Small House to be even better. I feel that their menu does not do them justice, and if they had pictures, it might be easier to get more tempted. I loved each dish I had there (like, really!), but my favorites have been the two fish fillet dishes, especially the bean sauce one, and the garlic eggplant dish. The pumpkin bean paste dessert is also unique and yummy. Can't wait to go there again soon!
(5)