The 26 Best Chinese Restaurants in Los Angeles

LA’s tremendous Chinese food scene keeps getting better and better. In recent years, some upscale new places have opened serving some of the highest-end Chinese food in the U.S.

, though there is still a wealth of reasonably-priced strip mall finds from Alhambra and Rowland Heights. The San Gabriel Valley, in particular, boasts some of the strongest regional Chinese restaurants anywhere, so it’s worth digging deep and searching out those small mom-and-pop spots hidden away in food courts or behind the main streets. Here are 26 of the best Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles.



Tigawok Tigawok’s Chinese fast food rivals dishes found in the San Gabriel Valley and Panda Express at more affordable prices. The food is prepared by automated robots capable of stir-frying, stewing, boiling, and simmering with heat control up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. These machines can also add up to 16 types of seasoning per dish and test the temperature before serving.

Afterward, they wash and sanitize the equipment in under 30 seconds, helping to reduce the cost of labor. Entrees cost around $4 each, with a wide variety that changes regularly. The menu includes seasonal options alongside staples like mapo tofu, pork belly with peppers, orange chicken, Hunan spicy beef, chicken with Thai basil, and kung pao chicken.

Dan Modern Chinese Dan Modern Chinese is a local chain with seven locations across Los Angeles, including Playa Vista, Sawtelle Japantown, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Topanga, and Manhattan Beach. It is known for its open kitchen and upscale ambience. The restaurant specializes in handmade xiao long bao and fresh noodles.

The menu offers Chinese cuisine with a modern twist, featuring dishes like three-cup chicken, street food-inspired dan mein noodles, fried rice, mapo tofu, crispy pan-fried dumplings, and scallion pancakes. Diners can also enjoy a great selection of beer and wine, as well as a refreshing menu of high-end boba drinks. Lan Noodle Lan Noodle is a powerhouse for Lanzhou-style noodles and each bowl is made to order.

Customers can watch the noodle master pull eight different shapes while throwing the strands over their shoulders and into a pot of boiling water. Each type of noodle requires a special kind of wheat flour to get the perfect QQ (chewy) texture. Lan sources local beef to make a broth that is simmered for 10 hours and topped with house-made chile oil.

The restaurant recently expanded to West Hollywood. Also featured in: The 18 Best West Hollywood Restaurants Joy On York This hip, fast-casual Taiwanese spot in Highland Park offers a focused menu of classic street foods, including rice bowls, noodles, and buns, along with a rotating selection of cold appetizers like crunchy lotus roots and wood ear mushrooms. Joy is the sister restaurant to Pine & Crane with locations in Silver Lake and Downtown, but its menu is more solo-dining friendly.

Some items are carried over from Pine & Crane, like the minced pork on rice, but Joy also introduces some exclusive dishes, such as the flaky thousand-layer pancakes, which are best filled with egg, cheese, chile sauce, and basil. Saving room for dessert is a must — the shaved ice and soft Hakka mochi dusted with finely crushed peanuts and black sesame are excellent choices. Taste of MP Previously known for decades as New Lucky, the landmark San Gabriel Valley restaurant rebranded during the pandemic as Taste of MP, retaining the same chefs, staff, and dishes.

The restaurant offers complimentary traditional Cantonese soups to sip on for lunch, and during dinner, it brings out complimentary traditional Cantonese desserts to end meals. In addition to reasonably-priced lunch specials, Taste of MP serves an array of high-end banquet-style dishes, including abalone, lobster, and other live seafood options. Favorites include geoduck prepared three ways, pork belly with preserved vegetables, salted fish with eggplant, and the popular fried salted duck yolk-covered pumpkin sticks.

A post shared by Kristie Hang | LA based host & journalist (@kristiehang) Also featured in: 22 Landmark Cantonese Restaurants to Savor in Los Angeles Sign up for our newsletter. Check your inbox for a welcome email. Oops.

Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again. Yunnan Restaurant Yunnan Restaurant is an SGV institution that has been around for decades and is best known for its “crossing the bridge” noodles that are big enough for two people.

The server will bring over a piping-hot broth made from chicken stock with a rich layer of fat on top and a plate filled with toppings like chicken, quail eggs, ham, bean curd sheets, chives, mushrooms, and seasonal vegetables. Fresh rice noodles are served on the side. Diners can choose to have the dish prepared by a staffer or to DIY using the heat of the broth to cook the ingredients.

Don’t miss out on the cold dish table at the front of the restaurant where diners can mix and match up to three items per order. The marinated seaweed, cold beef slices, cucumbers, and pork slices are solid. Other popular menu items include the lamb pot dry roast, water-boiled beef, and crispy rice.

A post shared by Eric W (@es_wuuu) Henry's Cuisine Henry’s Cuisine specializes in Cantonese specialties with a hint of Vietnamese and Hong Kong flavors. The sauteed lobster comes with fried garlic and a mountain of thick-cut green onions. Add some egg noodles to soak up all the extra sauce and occasional roe.

The slow-roasted German-style pig’s knuckle is a must-try, with its crispy crackling skin and moist meat. The menu is vast, but the seafood options like the black tiger prawns with glass noodles; steamed pork meat with salted fish and egg; shaking beef; and sautéed shrimp with salted egg are all favorites. A post shared by Jeffrey Woo (@foodmento) Also featured in: 22 Landmark Cantonese Restaurants to Savor in Los Angeles Jiang Nan Spring Jiang Nan Spring — which translates to “south of the river” and refers to the areas south of the Yangtze River, including Shanghai — specializes in Zhejiang cuisine made with lots of seafood and seasonal ingredients.

One of the most unique items on the menu is beggar’s chicken, which consists of marinated chicken wrapped in layers of lotus leaves, parchment paper, and dough baked on low heat. This dish rarely appears on menus because of its complexity and laborious preparation. Other house specialties include stir-fried crab with rice cakes, braised pork belly, lion’s head pork meatballs, eight treasure rice pudding, and osmanthus glutinous rice balls.

A post shared by sarah ✨ (@eat.sar) Also featured in: The 22 Essential San Gabriel Valley Restaurants Editor’s Favorite Restaurants to Try This Weekend in LA Newport Seafood Restaurant Newport Seafood is an institution in the San Gabriel Valley. The star dish is the house-special lobster fished from tanks and stir-fried with heaps of chopped chiles, scallions, roe, and garlic.

The family-style restaurant uses Chinese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Thai flavors. Signature items include lobster, shaking beef, crab with tamarind sauce, and sashimi-style elephant clams. Also featured in: 20 Classic Los Angeles Restaurants Every Angeleno Must Try The 22 Essential San Gabriel Valley Restaurants Ji Rong Peking Duck Ji Rong is a San Gabriel Valley staple that specializes in traditional Peking duck served with thin pancakes, shredded green onion, julienned cucumber, and hoisin sauce.

The duck skin is sliced thinly over a layer of fatty and tender duck meat. The bones are all removed, making it easy for diners to make their wraps. There are no walk-ins for Peking duck; make sure to call ahead and reserve one at least an hour and a half to two hours ahead.

Although the Peking duck is the star dish, mapo tofu, stewed pork belly, kung pao chicken, and lamb skewers are also standout options. A post shared by 吉榮烤鴨店 Ji Rong Peking Duck (@jirongpekingduck) Also featured in: 21 Essential Asian Restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley Prince Dumpling Prince Dumpling is known locally as the “Din Tai Fung dupe.” Prices are slightly lower than the soup dumpling giant’s with usually no waits and more menu variety.

The restaurant even has an open kitchen where workers wrap fresh soup dumplings just like at Din Tai Fung. Although the soup dumpling skins are not quite as thin as Din Tai Fung’s, they are otherwise comparable. In addition to the ones filled with kurobuta pork, Prince also offers chicken and lobster xiao long bao, along with wontons, pan-fried dumplings, and boiled dumplings.

Other entrees include popcorn chicken, crispy radish, beef rolls, abalone noodles, and many vegetarian options, Bistro Na's Bistro Na’s, which received a Michelin star in 2019 and 2021, is one of the San Gabriel Valley’s most upscale dining destinations offering an extensive menu of imperial-style Chinese dishes. The Beijing duck, which must be ordered a week in advance, is widely regarded as one of LA’s best. The duck is carved tableside and served with thin handmade pancakes, green onion, and sweet bean sauce.

Chef Tian frequently adds new modern Chinese dishes alongside the restaurant’s standby dishes. Also featured in: 14 Splurge-Worthy LA Restaurants Perfect for Special Occasions The 22 Essential San Gabriel Valley Restaurants Ruby B.B.

Q. Food Ruby BBQ may be unassuming, but it’s home to some of the best roast duck and crispy pork in town. This no-frills, fast-food spot operates mainly as a takeout establishment, with just a handful of tables and chairs for those dining in.

The menu sticks to the basics: five-spice duck, roast duck, and crispy pork. Customers can choose combos that pair the meats with rice or noodles and vegetables or purchase slabs of the meat to-go. Options dwindle later in the day, but the food remains quick and satisfying.

Ruby BBQ is cash only. A post shared by Jon B (@jonnichiwa.ttv) Also featured in: 22 Landmark Cantonese Restaurants to Savor in Los Angeles 8 Essential Hong Kong-Style Barbecue Restaurants in LA Happy Together Tucked inside a Holiday Inn, Happy Together is one of the newer additions to LA’s dim sum scene with prices averaging $6.

50 per item. There are no carts, and the dim sum is made to order. Favorites include steamed garlic spare ribs, beef balls, shrimp dumplings, and various noodle roll combinations that are hard to find elsewhere, such as one with barbecue pork and corn and another with pork and onion, along with the option to add an egg on top.

Also available are more unique dishes like pumpkin and red bean cake, cheese and shrimp egg roll, and individual-sized Cantonese soups, including steamed coconut chicken soup and cordyceps flower chicken soup. The barbecue section has roast goose, coconut crispy chicken, roasted squab, and other Cantonese meats. Also featured in: The 22 Essential Dim Sum Restaurants in Los Angeles Mr Chopsticks Seafood & BBQ Mr.

Chopsticks has been a mainstay in the area for over three decades and is one of a handful of Cantonese restaurants that still provide free soup at the start of the meal. The lunch menu includes 40 affordable and amply portioned specials, like beef chow fun, kung pao shrimp, chicken wings, and salt and pepper shrimp. Given 24-hour advance notice, Mr.

Chopsticks whips up its famous seafood winter melon soup that’s made from scratch using ingredients from the restaurant’s garden and serves up to 15 people. A post shared by Nolan Fan | Chicago Food (@extranoodles) Also featured in: 22 Landmark Cantonese Restaurants to Savor in Los Angeles T-Kebob T-Kebob is a Chinese barbecue skewer restaurant with a Korean twist. Open late until midnight, it offers a vast variety of meats, vegetables, seafood, and carbs to choose from.

The restaurant’s unique self-rotating machine ensures an ideal blend of smokiness and tenderness. Favorites include the cumin lamb skewers, pork belly, oyster mushrooms, and corn. There’s also a slew of offal selections like chicken gizzard, heart, and even bull penis.

All skewers are accompanied by both spicy and non-spicy powders and sauces. Sands Chinese Restaurant Sands Chinese Restaurant in Irwindale is one of the most unassuming and underrated culinary gems in Los Angeles. Inside, expect a fairly spartan interior with only a handful of tables.

The chef, who previously worked at the Sands Casino in Macau, creates specialty Cantonese dishes you won’t find anywhere else in Southern California. While they offer a regular menu, the standout items come from the pre-order menu, which requires placing an order at least three days in advance. Some of those must-try dishes include the Thousand Layered Tofu, chicken wings stuffed with sticky rice, rolled steamed tilapia, rice wine egg white Dungeness crab, and the Eight Treasures stuffed duck.

Eat Joy Food Eat Joy Food is part mini-mart and part Taiwanese restaurant. The large menu is chock-full of seafood dishes with plenty of vegetarian options. During lunch, find a la carte items and bento specials that come with soup.

The restaurant offers exquisite banquet-style meals for dinner. The showstopping lobster salad features chunks of lobster meat atop a bed of fruit. The regular menu includes many Taiwanese specialties such as grilled monkfish, steamed black cod with pickled cordia seeds, stinky tofu, stir-fried chayote leaves, pork kidney soup with noodles and ginger, stir-fried bitter melon with salty egg yolk, and oyster pancakes.

A post shared by Eat Joy Food 頤中福 (@eatjoyfood.restaurant) Szechuan Mountain House For a beautiful ambience with both modern and traditional Sichuanese dishes, Mountain House offers favorites like mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork, and kung pao shrimp, as well as Sichuan dishes seldom seen on menus in the U.S.

That includes the Yibin-style ran noodles, also known as burning noodles, which are chewy, dry noodles that get their spice and salt from cardamine bean sprouts and roasted nut powder. Don’t forget the signature dish at Mountain House is liang yi pork belly, thin-sliced pork belly dipped in chile oil with a wad of minced garlic and draped over a miniature wooden rack. Not all the dishes here are spicy.

There is also a wide range of vegetables, as well as golden baked salted corn kernels with salted egg yolk that tastes like buttery popcorn..