Due to the diversity of Chinese immigration in Los Angeles, USA, you can taste a variety of Chinese delicacies here—from the spicy flavors of Chengdu to the imperial cuisine of Beijing, everything is available. Most star-rated restaurants are located in the far eastern corner of Los Angeles County, particularly in the San Gabriel Valley, which is home to approximately 600 to 800 Chinese restaurants. Valley Boulevard alone has 200 Chinese restaurants.
Chinese cuisine is divided into different regional styles. Northern food makes extensive use of black rice vinegar and flour. The South is the champion of rice-based foods. Coastal areas prefer seafood, while inland provinces favor land animals and vegetables. The more humid the region, such as Hunan and Sichuan, the more people enjoy spicy food; the colder the region, such as Xinjiang, the more people prefer lamb and beef.
Let's take a look at which Chinese delicacies are favored by "foreigners." Below, our editor will list the top 10 popular Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles, USA:
1. Chengdu Taste
"Chengdu Taste" opened in 2003 and is positioned as a high-end Sichuan restaurant. The restaurant is a champion of traditional, old-school Sichuan cuisine. It focuses on serving fresh water fish, beef, and lamb. The restaurant has many fans of its boiled fish and toothpick lamb. The boiled fish features chili oil poured over fish fillets, bean sprouts, and cabbage. The toothpick lamb consists of bite-sized pieces of meat that are fried three times and then skewered with toothpicks. Most dishes use authentic spices imported from Sichuan.
2. Dai Ho Kitchen
At "Dai Ho Kitchen," you can enjoy a variety of freshly made Chinese noodles, though the restaurant is only open for two and a half hours a day. The owners are two Chinese individuals who serve beef noodle soup, hot dry noodles with sesame paste, and the best dan dan noodles in town. The owner might tell you: noodles are best eaten immediately.
Address: 9148 Las Tunas Dr Temple City, CA 91780;
3. Din Tai Fung
"Din Tai Fung" is a classic in Los Angeles. Their soup dumplings, also known as xiaolongbao, are their specialty. Xiaolongbao means dumplings steamed in a small bamboo basket. "Din Tai Fung" has its roots in Taiwan, but xiaolongbao originated in the Jiangnan region of China and is now popular worldwide. The classic combination is a mixture of crab meat and pork filling. Contrary to popular belief, the soup is not poured in; rather, meat and fat are added, and as they steam, the fat turns into soup.
Address: 171 Caruso Ave, Glendale, CA 91210;
4. Szechuan Impression
"Szechuan Impression" has moved away from old-school Sichuan cuisine, focusing instead on modern, trendy Sichuan dishes. The owners are very avant-garde, so the menu is not static but changes based on the ingredients. The ingredients are personally selected by the owners every day, and the spices come from Hanyuan County in Sichuan, which has the best Sichuan peppercorns in the world. We recommend the garlic pork. The cold pork jelly mixed with chili oil and beef broth is delicious.
Address: 1900 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91803;
5. Tasty Duck
"Tasty Duck" offers Peking duck, with crispy duck skin and meat served on paper-thin pancakes, accompanied by thin cucumber slices, scallions, and sweet bean sauce. This is authentic Peking duck, which is time-consuming and not cheap. A plate of roast duck costs $30. However, "Tasty Duck" will make you feel it is worth the price. We suggest pairing it with eel sticky rice.
Address: 1039 East Valley Blvd., San Gabriel;
6. Lunasia
"Lunasia" offers made-to-order dim sum. Located in Alhambra, the dim sum is prepared as it is ordered. Service is bilingual. Classic snacks include shrimp dumplings, siu mai, char siu bao (BBQ pork buns), and pork chops. The portions are very generous; one shrimp dumpling contains four or five shrimp. If you like sweets, there are also taro buns.
Address: 500 W Main St., Alhambra, CA 91801;
7. Silk Road Garden
The menu at "Silk Road Garden" is entirely Halal, and both the head chefs and the owner are from Xinjiang in Western China. Popular dishes include Big Plate Chicken, seasoned with star anise and Sichuan peppercorns, and long, hand-pulled noodles served with cumin and meat sauce, symbolizing longevity. The noodles here are incredibly long. The thick, homemade Xinjiang yogurt, served with sesame, honey, and raisins, has a unique flavor.
Address: 18920 E Gale Ave., Rowland Heights, CA 91748;
8. Earthen Restaurant
"Earthen Restaurant" belongs to the Shandong cuisine style. Shandong is famous for producing soybeans and vinegar. They offer a variety of noodles, rice dishes, and dumplings. If you like pancakes rolled with scallions, the taste here is excellent. Another favorite is the Shandong chicken, which is first boiled, then fried, and served with a sauce made of black rice vinegar, chili, and soy sauce. The chicken is served over a bed of cucumber slices and topped with cilantro and chives.
Address: 1639 S Azusa Ave., Hacienda Heights, CA 91745.
9. Beijing Pie House
They have delicious meat pies here. The Beijing meat pie is a dough crust filled with meat and savory broth, with both sides of the pie fried until crispy. The atmosphere here is casual. People like to order a pile of pies and eat until they are full. The pies here have a unique taste, and there are many repeat customers.
Address: 846 E Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, CA 91755;
10. Shaanxi Gourmet
Do you need to know what to order at "Shaanxi Gourmet"? Here are some suggestions; the recommended dishes on the wall are all quite good. Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi and the home of the Terracotta Warriors. The handmade biang biang noodles are a specialty, named after the sound the noodles make when slapped against the cutting board. Xi'an cuisine often uses pork or lamb, with heavy use of garlic and chili. Beer is the ideal drink to pair with the meat. However, the most famous dish of all is the lamb paomo (pita bread soaked in lamb soup). The bread is broken into pieces and soaked in lamb broth. The bread absorbs the soup, making it delicious. In Xi'an, you break the bread yourself, but at "Shaanxi Gourmet," they will prepare it for you. It is served with cilantro, chili, and pickled garlic.
Address: 8518 E Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770;
