How Lee Chinese Restaurant

Enjoyed the really broth-heavy fish and some of the veggies. Definitely an emphasis on szechuan spice which can be a good or bad thing. Some dishes lack certain flavors which make it a little more underwhelming.

Absolutely amazing food. Everything I've ordered has been off the authentic Sichuan menu and it's been great. My favorite so far has been the Sliced Chicken with Mala Chili Sauce. I haven't had Chinese food this good since an authentic restaurant in my home town closed when the owners retired. I don't know what's with the negative reviews about service, but everyone has always been kind and attentive whether I ate there or ordered take out. It's inexpensive as well. Yes, the parking situation isn't great, but that's Squirrel Hill. Also, just a tip, but if you order something with peppers you may get A LOT of peppers. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Long-standing Asian restaurant in Squirrel Hill that serves both Chinese and authentic Sichuan dishes.
The restaurant is casual and was preparing a lot of take out orders when I arrived for mine. This was my first time trying How Lee and I was intrigued knowing that they have been in business for quite some time.
I really enjoyed the food. It was fresh and tasty. How Lee was a nice change from the usual place I order from.
The eggroll was a little greasy. My favorite was the Shrimp with Broccoli. We also tried the Shrimp Fried Rice, Szechuan Chicken and Sweet Chili Shrimp. All were really good.

The front desk customer service was less to be desired here… But…

the food made up for it once I finally was waited on and got my order home to try it. I was very hungry after work.

I walked in and stood in what I thought was a line and noticed there were a bunch of delivery drivers there in line and some appearing to be waiting on orders.

The front desk worker (I think her name was Shirley) was busy however, she got off the phone several times and never asked me if she could help me. Never acknowledged me. Some people came in from outside after me and she gave them orders. I am thinking hello…

I moved to the counter directly in front of her. Stood there. I noticed she picked up the phone again - then got off, gave a few folks their orders and then busied herself with checking bags until I finally asked her if she can assist me please. I asked her if she saw me standing there. I let her know that I had been there waiting and was ignored / overlooked for about 10 minutes. She said she did not. She then said you could of said something too. I guess a random person standing there was not a customer? Ok, No apologies. It was what it was I guess. Breakdown in acknowledgement and communication I guess.

My order was $ 95.66 and because of the poor service experience I wanted to hate it because I was annoyed with her but, some of the food was decent but, a little pricy for the portion size.

Egg rolls were tasty almost $2.00 each
Steamed $7.95 and fried dumplings $ 7.95 with the sauce they provided was good
General Tso good but at $16.95 the order was super small like lunch size small
Vegetables Lo Mein good $ 9.95
Egg drop soup lacked flavor $ 2.00
Sesame beef meh was used to the meat not being as slimy and more fried - just my preference $ 16.95
Beef egg foo young was good. 13.95
I had wonton soup too but did not taste it yet.

I will try other places in the area before recommending them to see the comparison or to see if I have a better experience. Left with a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Money earned can always be spent anywhere.

I really love How Lee. It’s one of my favorite reataurants in Pittsburgh. I usually order one of the noodles(all delicious), home style tofu, and the sichuan style braised fish filets. The fish has bean sprouts, a generous amount of fish and a great sauce. I’m a big fan!

I am a big fan of Lo Mein, chicken with garlic sauce. The people are very warm and attentive. This is an amazing food place for people who like authentic Chinese cuisine and oh, love the fortune cookie at the end of every meal. My safe bet for Chinese food in North squirrel hill.

They have nice plants too, I know their names. 😃

Loved it as a student years ago. Always ordered Chengdu Spicy Chicken, and dry pot with intestines. Spicy and delicious.

Update 2023:
They changed owner but the Chengdu Spicy Chicken's flavor is unchanged. Still tender inside and fried outside.

I visited based on the Yelp reviews. I was not very impressed. Parking is a feat especially around the 6:00 hour. I parked a few streets down in a residential area which was a short walk and not too bad. How Lee is small and located in a downtown “main” street area. The place has a few tables and some booths. My waitress was attentive and she promptly waited on me which was very nice. The food was plated beautifully but lacking in taste and seasoning. The portion was indeed generous and the dishes are family style. Overall not very impressed with the taste of the food despite the fact that it looked delicious. I ordered the braised tofu and the beef large noodle.