The service was good. You'll just have to flag them if you need something. They were all helpful…read moreand nice. Food wise - everything we ordered was great. The cumin lamb was flavorful and spicy. The Mao Cai was spicy, full of meat and the broth was tasty. The boiled fish was my second favorite - spicy and fish was not overcooked. The fried intestines were really great! The shrimp fried rice is ok. I wanted either a whole fish or a whole crab but they ran out - on a Saturday night. They have a good Asian beer selection. $35 for corkage. $6 valet parking with validation. Free for 1 hour only with validation. It's a very casual place. Clean.

My fav: wontons in chili oil, tea smoked pork ribs -- phenomenal, and my best pick so far is…read moreLeshan's Qiaojiao beef soup -- especially very comforting on a chil winter day I prefer the Alhambra's location over this Westwood one, because it looks more modern, with a vibrant design and a cozy vibe. It also appeared to me that the food tasted slightly better at the Alhambra location, but that may very well have been my bias. The restaurant workers looked more organized vs this location that has more of a traditional Chinese vibe, slightly tired building, not particularly clean, service feels a bit rushed and sloppy. We went there for Thanksgiving Dinner and it wasn't packed but we went at the opening time and the people kept coming. 90% looked Chinese which also speaks for the authenticity.

My friends and I came to Swan impression on a Sunday night around 7:30 PM. They were still pretty…read morebusy during this time and I was not surprised by it. We've been at their location in Tustin and I heard this one was better than that location I was really excited about it. Teson is really good too, so I had a pretty good expectation on this location. Upon arrival, we were immediately seated by the staff member and she was pretty efficient and on top of things. I have attached here, but the ambience is pretty lively, but also not too loud. It was an enjoyable experience where you can talk with each other and be able to hear one another. At the same time, they had a clean and classy decor to their interior design. We ordered the stirfry lamb with cumin, shredded potato, and the chili oil fish fillet. The Lamb - 5/5 was perfectly cooked and seasoned with a very nice heat to it. Be careful because this is not for those sensitive to spicy food, but if you do like spicy, this has such a nice kick to it. The shredded potato - 5/5 one of my favorite dishes to substitute for the rice. Don't be deceived by how it looks. It definitely has a kick and can numb your mouth; however, you can still taste the pickled flavor in each bite. The chilli oil fish - 5/5 one of my most favorite dishes from both locations. Although the spiciest of the dishes, you taste the flavor through each bite. The dish is perfectly cooked and just dissolves in your mouth. Overall I am extremely satisfied with our visit and recommend coming here if you're ever in the area!!

Came by Sichuan Impression and had a pretty mixed experience overall…read more We ordered the spicy squid tentacles dry pot, which honestly was a bit disappointing. The squid tentacles were tiny, and the dish felt like it was mostly filled with mixed vegetables. For $25.99, it definitely felt a little like a rip-off. On the brighter side, the Tea Smoked Pork Rib was really good--super flavorful and probably my favorite dish of the meal. That said, most of the menu is on the pricier side, and the portions aren't very generous, so value-wise it's a bit questionable. Service was just okay. No one really checked in on us, and we had to wave our hands a few times to get attention when we needed something. Overall, solid flavors in some dishes, but the portion size and pricing hold it back from being a full 5 stars.

Yum! We were actually on our way to another sichuan food restaurant close by and drove by this…read moreplace and decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad we did! Most of the food here is delicious and authentic, and it definitely has more of a homey feel. We got the mapo tofu (delicious), wonton in chilli oil (delicious), golden corn (basically deep fried corn with salted egg) was the surprising standout, and deep fried intestines/ offal was good too. The happy chicken was a tad on the dry side, will skip. The pork belly dish was good too and a nice respite from the stinging heat of all the dishes. Don't get me wrong, the spice was strong, but in a good way. Ordering is done via QR code and service was quick. Great option for a quick meal!

Since I no longer truly reside in the 626 on a permanent basis, my search for new Asian restaurants…read moreputs me in many areas to find the latest delicious food venues, and Xiang La Hui is one of them. This place is not for the faint of heart, if you're afraid of spicy food. However, if you're adventurous and like a little kick to your dishes , this is the place to be. I did ask for my kung pao chicken to be less spicy, but I ordered the Dan Dan noodles to be regular spicy, and it was quite delicious. The noodles had the requisite springiness in its bite. The Jamaican lady sitting at the next tables shared a spicy Tin Foil pork rib with me, it was also delicious. She also recommended the Happy Chicken dish. Finding out the best dishes is easy, if you manage to talk to the regular customers. Generally, it's really hard to find people like me who occasionally like to adventure out for spicy food, but this place hits the spot when you have a dried chili craving. It's a good restaurant to bring your good friends, there are several large round tables available, several rectangular tables with booth seats or chairs, and the portions are very good for sharing. There is parking lot located at the back of the restaurant, and also some limited street parking. In the dining area, there's a mounted television showing you the chefs who are cooking Szechuan dishes, twirling around the red dried chilis in the wok pan, dishing out the food, and you see people enjoying and eating the food, great entertainment if you're eating by yourself. Do check out this restaurant when a craving for delicious spicy food comes upon you, this place won't disappoint you!

Soup was good and service was very fast, food was delicious. Me and my friends left there very fat.read more

I recently ate at Yang Chow in Pasadena, so I was pleasantly surprised that my coworkers wanted to…read morego to the original location in Chinatown. We had two orders of slippery shrimp, kung pao chicken, eggplants with hot and spicy garlic sauce, juicy steamed dumplings, and pork fried rice. Overall, both restaurants in Chinatown and Pasadena provide great food quality. The ambience was cozy with dim lighting. Our round table had a wooden rotating tray. They have pictures of celebrities and politicians who've visited their restaurant. Service was relatively quick, but there was a 20-minute wait for the dumplings. Valet parking can get difficult when the lot gets full. A few cars entering the narrow driveway had to reverse out of the way to let others leave. The kung pao chicken was very tasty with a good amount of spice. I noticed that the slippery shrimp didn't taste as spicy as the portion from Pasadena. Reviews say that the spice is adjustable. Regardless. it tasted great as it came right off the pan. The pork fried rice was delicious with a savory flavor that didn't seem overpowering. I thought the juicy steamed dumplings were the weakest dish out of our whole order. There wasn't enough flavor and heat from the broth. I didn't try much of the eggplants, but they tasted adequate for me.

Daybird is one of my favorite spots to get a fried chicken sandwich because of the spices they use…read morein the batter. The chicken breast is not only perfectly crunchy and seasoned but it is way bigger than the bun. I joke saying that the bun is a handle for the chicken breast. The spices go great with the sweet Asian slaw. The fries are also very good- perfect crisp. The spot is small. There is only a counter on the wall to eat. Parking is available in the lot as well as their underground parking structure. Service is great. The guys behind the counter were very chill and friendly.

I suppose I'll be hunting for other fish sandwiches in LA. Second time here, 0 for 2 on fish…read more Today we stopped by around 12:30 (they open at noon)... aaaand they're closed? Open on Google, open on Yelp, no notice on any of these platforms or Instagram unless all they did was post a now-expired story which isn't very helpful. There's some vague post saying something to the effect of: great news, they aren't closing and are opening a new location! Is this instead of the Silver Lake one? In addition to? It takes literally less than a minute for the business owner to change Google business hours to CLOSED--I do this for my workplace--which is significantly less than what potential customers spend driving here. Another guy and his family might've come up from Riverside to a closed door. Hopefully they actually live here and weren't in LA just for this!

My friend had tried this spot a few times--he lives a bit closer--and he recommended it as a…read morereasonably priced place to try for our weekly dinner. So off we went, trying to get there on the early side, as it's small (25 seats) and we'd heard it can fill up quickly. We arrived somewhere around 5:45 and were one of only two tables, but maybe a half-hour later it was completely full. The staff is super friendly, the ambiance is cozy and clean, and I like that the spice levels can be adjusted. We opted for the cucumber salad, dan dan noodles, dumplings in chili oil and the mapo tofu (which my friend wanted to try, since he hadn't yet). Food came out quickly, and while I realize that's not uncommon, I wouldn't have minded just a little more spacing. Still, it wasn't so quick to be a problem. My favorite items were the dan dan noodles, which were addictively delicious, and the dumplings in chili oil, which are longer and flatter than some and more flavorful than most. The cucumber salad was also excellent and a nice palate cleanser between other items. I was probably a little less enamored of the mapo tofu. It was good but not quite at the level of the other dishes for me. I still remember the mapo tofu served at the late, great Ricebox in DTLA, and theirs had much more flavor punch. But all in all, Mala Class was excellent, and I'd be happy to return to try more of the menu (and maybe repeat a few faves!).

mala class has been on my list for ages but Highland Park is a bit of a stretch, so I came with a…read morefriend on a Thursday for lunch. Parking was pretty chill at that time (snagged a street parking spot in front) and there was no wait. The dan dan noodles had a nice chew to them and the flavoring had the perfect hint of spice against the peanut sauce. The wings were a little too overseasoned -- we had to shake off all of the peppercorn on the top and it was still pretty salty and peppery (but not THAT spicy). They were perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, though. The dumplings and chili oil were probably my favorite bite. They're like wontons except they didn't do the last fold, and the sauce they are in is very well-balanced with a strong hit of acid against sweetness. The mapo tofu needed some sugar to bring out the flavor of all of the spices because otherwise it felt like there was no real flavor, where there were a million spices working against each other. I would definitely pass on this one but everything else was pretty good. The interior is very classically Highland Park-esque and our server was super nice! I would come back to try other dishes.

I called in beforehand at 5 o'clock to ask for the wait time - the server is happily made me a…read morereservation for 530 just in case there was a wait. As my family and I arrived for dinner, we were seated right away. Between the four of us, we ordered five dishes (forgive me I do not have all the names listed on the top of my head)- mapo tofu, string beans, broiled fish, garlic chicken, & spicy bite sized chicken! Each dish was absolutely delicious. If you like spicy food - it was a great balance between numbing and spice. The service was absolutely amazing as well - they always insured that our tea pot was refilled, and that we were tended to. As the check came, our servers kindly wrapped up our food for us! We'll definitely be back next time

Incredible flavors -- loved every dish we tried…read more We got the following dishes and each item made for the perfect balance of flavors: 1. Sliced beef with tofu pudding in Spicy Sauce 2. Spicy green beans 3. Wontons in chicken broth The spicy green beans were perfectly cooked and had a nice char on the outside with a great bite. My favorite dish. Everything was so flavorful and tasty. Fast and friendly service. Interior looked a bit dated but in a cozy way -- it added to the charm. Overall a must try if you're craving Szechuan food in the area.

We ordered 6 different dishes for the table to try.. Only 2 of us had been here prior.. BUT we will…read moreALL be back.. They were quite busy but the staff was very efficient and very cordial as they managed getting all of us fed and satisfied.. EVERY dish that we tried, was fantastic.. Order with confidence that your meal(s) will all be great.. Thank You..!!

I recently had lunch at Pine & Crane and it was a fantastic experience. The atmosphere is modern,…read morelively, and perfect for a casual meal with friends or family. The menu offers a great selection of Taiwanese-inspired dishes, and everything we tried was fresh and full of flavor. Popular times like Dan Dan noodles, beef rolls, and dumplings really stand out for their taste and quality. The ordering system is quick and efficient, and the staff were friendly and helpful throughout the visit. Portion sized are generous, making it great value for the price. Overall, it's a vibrant spot with delicious food anfun vibe. I would definitely come back again soon!

I went here today for lunch with my girlfriend at around 1:30 p.m. The restaurant looked clean,…read moremodern, and wasn't busy at all. Customer Service: (5/5) The waiter was very nice throughout. She was very endearing as she talked to my girlfriend in chinese and also kind to me when speaking in english. When asked about dishes and proportions, she was very knowledgeable and honest. Food: (4.5/5) We ordered the Mapo Tofu and Meizhou Special Fried Rice with chicken. The food came out within 10 minutes and the portions, as I saw on previous reviews, were generous enough for us to share and be full. The Mapo Tofu came out on a hot ceramic bowl. It wasn't as spicy as I thought, not overly spicy but just enough where you get that numbing kind of sensation in your mouth that leaves you wanting more. The beef wasn't like the ground beef you see in other mapo tofu, but more of chunkier pieces which I wasn't a big fan of as it didn't seem spread evenly. The Meizhou Special Fried Rice with chicken was probably one of the best fried rice dishes I've ever had. You can tell it was made from a wok and the flavors were just incredible. The chicken seemed to have been friend separately and added on top afterwards but the saltiness of the chicken didn't take away from the fried rice at all. Instead, it added to the flavor and made it all so enjoyable. For the ultimate experience, I'd recommend eating both together to maximize your palette!

The Peking duck is still the reason to come, but nearly everything around hasn't kept pace with the…read morecompetition. The space feels worn -- menus tattered, décor dated, the whole interior overdue for a refresh. For a restaurant positioning itself at the higher end of Chinese dining, Meizhou Dongpo is sleeping on the finer details. No complimentary tea service, and rather than offering a pot for the table, they serve individual tea by the mug -- a comically oversized Western mug at that. Chopsticks arrive without spoons, and when you ask for one, you get silverware instead of the porcelain you'd expect at Chinese restaurant. The Peking duck accoutrements came with a little plastic spoon on the tray. Small things, but they add up.The fried rice was a letdown too and looked nothing like the menu photo. Spots like Din Tai Fung and Lunasia Signature are operating at a different level and the gap shows. Meizhou Dongpo has the bones of a great Chinese restaurant. The duck alone proves it. But until they invest in the experience around the food, it's hard to recommend at this price point.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Fei Xiang Gong was an awesome place for a birthday celebration for friends! in large part, the…read moredinner was saved because of the waiter Jay's kindness in cooking the meat when he realized our table was struggling LOL. There's a number of korean/chinese kebab places across Ktown and SGV but this place stands out for the quality of meat. Beware, the price reflects the quality, but service is attentive and quick, and the banchan is solid. Portions for the large entrees and appetizers are generous. Side street parking is available but rare, so look hard!

Reminisced of my time in Korea when I had skewers and soju with my friends on weekday night. Found…read morethis place shortly after and we loved it. Great quality meat. Staff was super friendly and accommodating. Almost private-intimate experience since it's located upstairs in shopping mall. Great place to gather with a small group of friends.