With so many Chinese cuisine restaurants popping up all over the East Valley in the last few years, it has almost become routine to just expect a new one. So much so that the news is often over looked, and passed off as just another restaurant added to the bottom of your list of places to try. However, this time, when a new Sichuan restaurant opens up, it may get a little more attention, especially by the local foodies in and around Mesa.

That is because this restaurant is run by one of the most successful, if not controversial, Chinese restaurateurs in all of the United States, the Chicago-based Tony Hu. Hu’s new Arizona-based branch of his famous restaurant, Lao Sze Chuan, will open in Mesa in September and will bring Hu’s own style of spicy Sichuan cuisine with it.

The original Lao Sze Chuan was opened by Hu in Chicago’s Chinatown back in 1998, and since then has gone on to become one of The Windy City’s most famous, and arguably best, Chinese restaurants. It is also known for being the cornerstone of the popular and influential restaurant chain empire. Though, an empire that is not without its own struggles, as it has been hit with some upheaval since Hu was charged with wire fraud and money laundering earlier this year.

Lao Sze Chuna is best known for dishes like ma po dofu, and, especially, Sichuan spicy rabbit and lamb with cumin. These dishes, and many of the others served at the restaurant explore a deep depth of flavor that might come as a shock to the taste buds of Americans who are used to more flat, Americanized versions of the classic Chinese dishes. However, if you are prepared for the ambush of flavor, you will leave satisfied, and wanting to come back. And now, Mesa residence will be able to.