Dan Modern left a great impression on the table…read more Ordered the following: 1. Baby Bok Choy 2. Chicken Lo Mien 3. Shrimp Fried Rice 4. Pork/Crab XLB Everything tasted amazing and well prepared. The prices are premium, the quality matches! Enjoyed every dish!

This place is a family favorite. The food is consistently delicious and we highly recommend the Dan…read moreDan noodles with pork chop,Three Cup Chicken, Chinese chicken salad, and the spicy pork dumplings. A special thank you to our server, Eric, who took care of our family. He was warm, attentive, and genuinely kind, making our dining experience even more enjoyable. He also recommended the Dan Dan noodles with the pork chop which we had not tried before and my family raved about. Unfortunately, our experience with the host was the complete opposite. When we asked if we could be seated in a booth, he responded with a sour expression and unnecessary attitude, as though having the booth cleaned was a personal inconvenience. Even after we thanked him for accommodating our request, his response remained cold and dismissive. That interaction is the reason we're deducting one star, because customer service matters just as much as good food. Our family frequently visits the Sawtelle Japantown location, where we've always been welcomed with outstanding hospitality. We hope this location can provide that same level of warmth and professionalism in the future.

Mama Lu Dumpling House is my favorite Chinese spot in the area. The dumplings are amazing, which is…read moreexactly what you hope for when going to a place known for them. You really cannot go wrong with the xiao long bao, steamed buns, or any of their other dumpling offerings. Beyond the dumplings, they have a lot of other dishes I really enjoy. Some of my favorites are the beef rolls, spicy wontons, green onion pancake, chow fun, orange chicken, and chow mein noodles. The noodles are especially good and, importantly, not overly greasy or oily, which can sometimes be an issue at other places. The prices are also competitive, especially considering the portions and quality of the food. It is the kind of place where you can order a good spread, share a bunch of dishes, and feel like you got a solid meal for the money. I also love that they bring out sugared peanuts when you sit down. It is a small touch, but a really nice one. The restaurant has plenty of seating, though service can be a bit slow at times, so good luck flagging down a waiter when it gets busy. You can also tell they are a high-volume dumpling restaurant because there is often steam in the dining room, which can make the restaurant feel a little warm at times. A couple of practical heads-ups: the tables are on the smaller side and can get crowded quickly if you order a lot of dishes, so just be mindful if you are planning to feast. You will also likely need to park in one of the structures around the area, but there is a large parking structure right across the street and plenty of parking options around Old Town. Overall, Mama Lu is a great spot with excellent dumplings, solid noodles, competitive prices, and a menu that keeps me coming back. Definitely one of my go-to places in Pasadena.

My family group of 6 adults ate at the Pasadena location of Mama Lu's (61 S. Fair Oaks). This was…read moremy 1st time. They sat us at a small table for 6 people right by their front door & in front of a blowing fan. The table looked too small to hold all of the 8 dishes that we would be ordering. I asked for a larger table, but they said the table for 10 would be too large. There were several larger empty tables. The restaurant was not busy. As it turned out, our table was too small to hold our 8 entrees. The server wasn't even sure herself on how or where to put our orders on the table due to a lack of space. We had to combine several of our entree dishes onto 1 plate to make room on the table. The service was terrible because no one would check up on how we were doing, & no one would take our mountain of extra dirty serving plates away. Staff were standing around instead of being attentive. We got up & brought the many empty dirty serving dishes to their main counter ourselves. We had to ask for water refills because no one came to see if we needed anything. They then had the audacity to automatically charge us an 18% service fee ($19.83) for their bad service. The bill totaled $139. Tipping is NOT optional, even for bad service! The food tasted OK, not great. The facility & restroom was clean. Available street parking was very hard to find on a Saturday at noon. The Pasadena location was a big disappointment & a bad experience. I will not return, & I do NOT recommend eating there. It was not enjoyable. NOTE: The Chinatown location of Mama Lu's has excellent & very friendly service, larger tables, better tasting food, & an adjacent free parking lot. I highly recommend that facility. I've always had a good experience at that location.

Stumbled upon this place while trying to go to a nearby cafe down the block. My husband loves…read morenoodles and this was a happy gem that we found. The staff was nice and the noodles was delicious! Wontons were perfect for this nice day. It's a small cozy place with a glass to see the kitchen! We loved everything we order and we will be back for more!

Is the best noodle I've ever had. Nd I'm a noodle fanatic…read more Thy serve northern part of China style noodle , specifically lanzhou (兰州拉面）and it comes with ur choice if variety of hand pulled noodles. And knife sliced (刀削） noodles The noodles are well made nd it's extremely tangy with amazing texture The broth is also well seasoned The dinning area is also clean and spacious Service was fast and thy will take the time to explain what each item comes with and the spicy levels of it Over all, 10 outta 10 mandatory to try when in the area

I've been coming here at least once a week for the past five months, and this place continues to…read moreimpress every single time. The service is consistently great... attentive, efficient, and genuinely welcoming. Fair warning for anyone new to Sichuan cuisine, the dominant flavor is "spicy". That said, the dishes are not just about heat... they're layered, aromatic, and incredibly well-balanced. Every dish I've tried has been outstanding, both in flavor and presentation. If you're a fan of bold, authentic flavors and reliable service, this spot is definitely worth visiting. Tip - If you're new to the cuisine, I strongly recommend getting everything MILD spicy. I've been told by some of my colleagues that MILD spicy is still pretty spicy, so be warned. With that said, strongly recommend the dishes below. Lamb with Cumin 11/10 - My favorite dish here by far. Aromatic, flavorful, and the spices are just on point. Dan Dan Noodles 9/10 - Solid and consistently good. The sauce is properly seasoned and truly compliments the perfectly cooked noodles. Shredded Cabbage with Pork 9/10 - Not to be confused with twice cooked pork. This dish is so simple and bland looking, but it's packed with flavor... so good! Garlic Pork Belly 8/10 - This is a cold dish. The meat was perfectly cooked and properly coated in chili oil. Solid and consistently good. Kung Pao Chicken 8/10 - In my opinion, it's an elevated Kung Pao Chicken. Solid and consistently good.

This place is crazy good. When you think of Szechuan food you're probably thinking SPICE, but you…read morecan adjust the heat of most of the dishes here so you're not frying your tongue off. It can get really busy, though, so expect to wait or just call in your order and take your food to go. I recommend the soy sauce tofu with beef dish. It's fire. Massive W. Gen Z words. Good.

Overview: convenient kiosk ordering, tough parking, delicious dim sum…read more ---- We decided to order some dim sum to-go and got the classic offerings of siu mai, har gow, cheung fun, chicken feet, pan fried turnip cake, ginger beef tripe, black bean pork short ribs, and egg tarts. Everything, and I mean everything, was so delicious. One of the best dim sum places I've been to. The pricing of the items ranged from $8-$10 per item we ordered which is expensive but as a treat every once in a while and for the amount of time and effort that goes into making dim sum, it was worth it. I've tried making dim sum at home and it is so hard! Pricing breakdown: $8 items: - har gow (4 pcs) - siu mai (4 pcs) - black bean spare rib - pan fried turnip cake - egg custard $9 items: - chicken feet $10 items: - shrimp rice noodle roll I think they no longer have the tripe on their menu anymore bc I couldn't find it on their online ordering. Also their chili oil was priced at $0.98, which was kind of small, I would do without it next time. ---- The parking was really tough, luckily I had another person with me drop me off then I ordered and then we double parked waiting for it to be finished. The inside of the restaurant felt like an elevated dim sum place, things were neat and a darker ambiance which felt more intimate if you decided to eat in. We took ours to-go and it was still so good! ---- Overall: if I'm ever back in Pasadena I'll be sure to stop by for dim sum, classic dishes with an elevated taste, pricey but worth it

Perfect family dim sum experience for us…read more We took out my parents and in-laws for dim sum: my parents' very first time ever. We did wait about an hour, but honestly I didn't mind at all because it gave us a chance to relax, talk, and catch up as a family. Once we were seated, my parents were immediately impressed with the decor: elegant and cultural without feeling overly modern or cold. And can we talk about the tea kettles? They looked like literal pieces of art being poured at the table. Ordering was super easy with the QR code system, so my husband handled the whole spread: shumai dumplings, chicken feet, sesame balls, and more. Everything came out hot, fresh, and beautifully plated. The ENTIRE table agreed on one thing: the chili oil condiment deserves to be sold in bottles to take home. It was that good. Smoky, just the right amount of spicy, and addictive. Now for the real test: my in-laws. They've been to *many* dim sum places and are not easily impressed. They declared this place to have the best chicken feet that they've ever had: meat easily sucked off the bone, melt-in-your-mouth tender, and perfectly seasoned. High praise coming from dim sum veterans. Most importantly, my parents' first dim sum experience couldn't have been better. They loved everything from the ambiance to the food to the overall experience. My husband and I want to come back to explore more of the menu because there's clearly so much more to try

Food very good, service very nice, awesome everything good ,place very nice, and everything nice…read moreand good Gbu all

Good food Good service…read moreModerate pricing Relatively quick I think the food at dinner is better than the food at lunch. Both are good. I have been coming here for years and it hits the right combination of price, service, food quality and atmosphere. Good for chatting and lunch meetings

I really recommend this place if you're looking for a hot pot spot! This place is located in Old…read moreTown Pasadena and based off of first impressions, it is a little run down, however, the food completely makes up for it. My husband and I got seated right away when we got here, and the restaurant was a pretty empty, but it did start filling up as time went on. We were greeted as soon as we got through the door, and the waiter explained that we will order our broth with him, but all other food will be ordered through the iPad. It's always nice when restaurants utilize the iPad, because it just makes the process so much easier! We ordered the Tom Yum broth, which was incredible--it was so rich in flavor and the perfect spice, too. It's one of the best Tom Yum broths I've had. We ordered quite a few things on the iPad: greens platter, ribeye, marbled beef, fish roe balls, corn, rice, and handmade noodles. Their sauce bar is at the entrance of the restaurant, and there's quite a few options that they have. All their veggies, noodles and meats were pretty high quality. Would definitely recommend getting the Ribeye! The service there was top notch. The workers there would grab empty plates almost immediately, move plates closer to us as we finished other things on the table and filled our broth quickly. Overall, I would definitely recommend and return here! It was such a great option for hot pot!

Chong Qing Yao Mei in Pasadena has become one of our regular hot pot spots, and it's easy to see…read morewhy. If you love authentic Sichuan-style hot pot, this place delivers--not just with the food, but with the entire experience. The restaurant is beautifully designed with a 1930s Chinese-inspired theme that gives it a unique atmosphere you don't often find at other hot pot restaurants. It feels immersive and adds to the overall dining experience. We always order the half-and-half broth with the spicy beef broth and pork bone broth--a perfect balance of bold, numbing spice and rich, comforting flavor. Our usual spread includes greens, mushrooms, corn, tofu skin, their famous rose shrimp balls, plus thinly sliced lamb and beef. One thing that really sets Chong Qing Yao Mei apart is their grilled specialty skewers. They're cooked fresh outside to order, and my boyfriend absolutely loves them. Every time we come, he can't resist ordering a whole bunch! They're smoky, flavorful, and definitely worth adding to your meal. The sauce station is another highlight. My boyfriend is a big fan of their pre-made dipping sauces, while I always make a beeline for the snack section. I especially love the pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage, and the sesame balls--they're the perfect little bites before (or after) the hot pot. The service has always been attentive, friendly, and accommodating, which keeps us coming back just as much as the food does. Between the authentic flavors, fun atmosphere, delicious skewers, and consistently great service, it's no surprise this has become one of our favorite and most frequently visited hot pot restaurants.

We just found out that Grandview closed! What?! How?! They were very popular! Unparalleled green…read morebeans! Probably the best green beans on earth! Everything they made was incredible! What the fuck are we even doing here?! Our hearts and stomachs are broken. This sucks.

This is a long established restaurant in Pasadena. My family has been customers since 1998, through…read moremultiple locations. This location is older and provides no frills with the decor. Today, I did have to wait a while to be seated as it seems they were understaffed. Food here is always consistent and good. My favorite menu items are the Egg Foo Young and Combination Fried Rice. For this visit I had the lunch plate which includes an entree, soup (Hot and Sour or Egg Flower), salad, rice (steamed or fried), and egg roll. I ordered the Sweet and Sour pork (Egg Flower soup w/ fried rice)($13) and a cola (2). The food came out quickly and was hot. Flavor of the food was good. I especially enjoyed the salad. Overall good value for Old Town Pasadena.