Co-partners Han Zeng and May Liao have opened the Sichuan City Restaurant in Sunrise Plaza.

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Bold flavor, authentic cuisine.

That's the motto of Sichuan City, a new Chinese restaurant now open in the Sunrise Plaza at 7777 Sunrise Blvd., Suite 2000 near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Antelope Road in Citrus Heights.

Sichuan City opened May 2 and replaces Sushi Star, a popular Japanese sushi and hibachi restaurant which opened in 2022 and closed in May 2025.

Owner May Liao, of Chinese descent and a single mom of a 13-year-old girl, bought Sushi Star in 2024 from previous owners Eric Su and his wife Joanne, and then managed Sushi Star herself for the past two years, before closing their restaurant.

“I enjoyed their creations and their hibachi dishes and welcomed an opportunity to manage the restaurant myself,” she said. Liao soon discovered that retaining a skilled sushi chef to serve her customers was more difficult than she thought. “It was very difficult to find and retain a sushi chef of Eric’s exceptional skill."

The art of making sushi lies in the development of the chef’s own personal style and creativity.

A variety of flavorful appetizers, soups, rice and chow mein noodle dishes are featured. Vegetarian options are available.

Eric Su had brought 15 years of professional experience as a sushi chef to Sushi Star where he had previously worked side by side with sushi chefs in Las Vegas, the San Francisco Bay area and in Vail, Colorado.

“It was time to make a change, and I went back to the familiar Chinese recipes which I grew up with and thought our customers would love,” Liao said.

Liao rebranded the restaurant reflective of Sichuan City and her family heritage. Sichuan cuisine or Sichuanese cuisine later Romanized to Szechwan, originated in the Sichuan province of China. Modern Sichuan cuisine is rich, bold, flavorful and spicy.

New bright red exterior signage announces the recent restaurant name change and a grand opening banner now hung over the front entrance welcomes customers to try a variety of lunch and dinner specials.

Sichuan City Restaurant is a joint venture with co-partner Han Zeng, owner of Hidden Dragon House in Elk Grove.

“He’s both an amazing chef and business partner,” she said.

May Liao stands inside the restaurant poses beside a bubbling water tank feature which was added during the recent interior refresh.

Together the pair have created a menu of personal favorite Chinese dishes and interpretations of popular favorites for their menu and have refreshed the interior with new paint and décor.

Daily chef’s specials include spicy boiled fish, creamy shrimp and Szechwan-style hot and spicy Dan Dan noodles.

A variety of flavorful appetizers, soups, rice and chow mein noodle dishes are featured. Vegetarian options are available.

An appetizer of mushu chicken, a traditional northern Chinese stir-fry dish featuring pork, scrambled eggs, vegetables and wood ear mushrooms, served with very thin crepes and a light plum sauce was delicious.

Daily lunch specials which include a choice of white or fried rice and hot and sour soup starts at $13.95. Luncheon portions of curry chicken and a grilled vegetable deluxe plate featuring an assortment of broccoli, bok-choy, carrots, zucchini, onions, cabbage and mushrooms offered good flavor and light spice.

Dinner prices are slightly more, starting at $17.95. Lunch and dinner portions are generous. Five varieties of ice cream are available for dessert.

Sichuan City restaurant, located behind Walgreens in the Sunrise Plaza at the corner of Antelope Road and Sunrise Boulevard, is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Call 916-735-3579 for more information or visit sichuancity.com to view a sample menu.