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Red Hot Chili Pepper has its name for a reason.  With a diverse array of spicy dishes ranging from mildly to extremely spicy, it is an Indo-Asian delight.

The restaurant is located near the corner of San Carlos Avenue and El Camino between Cuisenette and Saffron.

Upon entering, the Indo-Asian vibe can be felt with both the multi-cultural staff and various decorations.

The menu ranged from exotic creations to standard Asian dishes like fried rice; most have a selection of degree of spiciness.

Even for the most daring, it is better to stay on the less spicy side at first due to the extremity of the “extra spicy” option which requires the signing of a waver upon ordering.

You will be seated quickly after entering the restaurant, but the service drastically slows due to the high capacity of the restaurant and the low number of staff members.

To start I ordered the chicken spring rolls, beef ribs, and chicken lettuce cups. The spring rolls, when mixed with the given sauce are delectable, but the ribs and lettuce cups were far from it.

For the main course I ordered the Hunan chicken, fried rice, and the T’sing Hoi potatoes.  The standard fried rice was bland, but with the chili sauce, it became a good side dish. The Hunan chicken had a nice twist in flavor, but needs to at least be ordered with medium spice to really top off.  The Hoi potatoes had a harder kick, but like the other dishes, were most enjoyable at a medium degree of spice.

Overall, Red Hot Chili pepper is good restaurant for any occasion, but isn’t slanted towards children.  The slow service and average food quality makes it overpriced. With the very spicy food and exotic dishes, its best to think before ordering as one wrong decision could ruin the whole meal.

Rating: 3.5/5

Bar: Beer and Wine only

Service: slow

Capacity: large

Group size: any

Kid’s menu: no