Was recently back in my old stomping grounds in Venice just off of the infamous Venice Boardwalk. OF COURSE I had to stop by Mao's Kitchen. Nowhere like this! Simply the best Chinese country food you will find. Real, simple, for the working person! Hasn't changed a lick. I still lick my bowl when finished. If you've never been, you GOTTA GO! read more

What a pity: the service becomes so bad that one really needs to rethink whether it is worth to go there again. The guy who on 12-28-2025 at 17:30 was literally "running" the show was totally unfocused, seemed to be on steroids or other stuff, and was unable to have a normal rapport with the patrons. Not only ran over one of our party, but later suddenly ran out the restaurant a few times - who knows why but seemed not to be advantageous to the serving task at hand. The food was theoretically good but so insanely hot that I had to request some ice to cool it down when simple waiting or blowing did not help. PREVIOUS REVIEW 2: Well done and hence time to revisit and re-upgrade my rating: The food was wonderful, looked very colorful and yet had a clean, fresh and very appealing appearance. The flavors and texture were on point, and everything seemed to fortunately be again what we had originally been enjoying many years ago. As you can see, it took me 8 years to try again, but I won't wait that long til the next time anymore. The service was not superfast, but at least attentive. Only suggestion: Please print enough menus to have them brand-new for each table. And lastly, the paper menus should be just printed anew every day. They looked disgusting. PREVIOUS REVIEW (2014) The wait time is pathetic: 90min from ordering!!! The food is unquestionably delicious but you might have starved to death by the time it arrives. Favorites: coconut curry, szechuan eggplant, orange ginger chicken, sweet&sour chicken. 4 stars for the food, 0-1 for the service. read more

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You cannot (I can't express this enough) CANNOT be in a hurry here. But BYO bottle of wine and be ready to sit for a bit over a HUGE portion of spicy Dan Dan noodles and crispy wonton chips? It doesn't get much better! One of my top five comfort spots on the Westside, now and forever! read more

Chill and cozy restaurant right next to Venice beach! Server greets you right away with iced water. Pleasant customer service! I would describe this more as Thai food... Orange chicken and Dan Dan Noodles are a must! Tasty shrimp eggroll as well. Portions are gd enough for 2. Loved this place so worth it! read more

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Located on Pacific Avenue in Venice almost across the street from Ospi (see my earlier review), my buddy recommended Mao's Kitchen while he went to a nearby barber for a quick beard trim. :-) The restaurant is fairly large, with high ceilings and lots of tables. The server was very friendly and mentioned a Fried Rice special which I immediately ordered. The fried rice was fantastic! A huge portion meant that I'd definitely have leftovers for the following morning's breakfast. I ate till I got my fill, and the server quickly made sure I had the necessary accessories to pack my leftovers. I will make it a point to visit here again ... sooner rather than later! read more

Mao's Kitchen - Fried Rice Special with fried egg! - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

I'm sure I left a favorable review - and yet it's not visible. Imagine a parallel universe with hard wood tables as though a Hiao Miazaki roadhouse came to life. It's charming and cozy and memorable: for high quality authentic Chinese cuisine. The waiter was a peach! read more

Mao's Kitchen - Fresh vegetables with yaki sobe noodles! Yum!! - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

So disappointed! I'd walked past a number of times and it looks so cute. today I ordered take out beef lo mein and a spring roll. It was not good......fresh but lacked flavor and didn't eat. I love noodles and have never not eaten from anywhere! read more

Solid choice for Chinese food cravings in the Venice Beach area Food is solid, I like it. It shines in its own right, unique but still tasty. My cravings were satisfied. Interior looks nice, but j opted for take out. Interior has a rustic feel to it with classic wooden tables and chairs Staff is friendly and professional, and food came within 5-10 minutes from ordering. Great sevice overall. read more

Mao's Kitchen - Fried rice with chicken - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

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Back years ago there was one of these in Beverly Grove, so was very excited to see this place.As remember the noodles, orange chicken and other dishes were terrific Who says you cant go home. read more

I can say one thing, this restaurant has terrible service, there is one woman who works, she doesn't even pay attention to the guests and He makes it especially difficult to wait, and doesn't even apologize. read more

Got the orange chicken and was pleasantly surprised by the portion size but a few bites into it realized all of the "chicken" was just fried chicken skin. Couldn't eat more than a few bites because it was so chewy. Waited the rest of the time for our waiter to return so we could ask if this was the norm but she never came back once in 20 minutes. We then we saw her clock out and leave and hand our table off to someone completely different who also never checked on us. read more

Mao's Kitchen - 19. Orange-Ginger Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

Got the noodle dish and noticed that they were jammed pack into the container. Which would be good if the meal was actually delicious. But basically all of my noodles were served broken. Service is fairly slow and this is the second time I've been here. Which is both good and bad since they were slammed. read more

Mao's Kitchen - To go bag in front of Mao's Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

Very strange place for a Chinese restaurant .it reminds me of an old hippie restaurant of the 60's but in need of repair. We dined inside and got to share our experience with a sewer repair guy running his pumps while we dined about 20 feet away . If we would have known this we would have taken our food out. What I found very strange was that I ordered a $20 dinner and had to pay $2.50 for rice to accompany it. We both thought the food was ok and the service was good. Nothing special . There were 2 servers working. One lady who was friendly and a British guy who was very odd and not too friendly! What really creeped us out was the sewer guy pumping right in the cooks station while he repaired our meals. Disgusting. read more

Being on a salt/sodium-free diet, Mao's is one of my places for going out and bringing guests. The servers and chefs are always congenial about preparing any of their traditional Asian and fusion dishes to the customer's order, eliminating or adding ingredients as needed. My only disappointment is the shortage of Snow Peas. Can be very loud and noisy at peak dining times, so try to go earlier or later if table conversation is a priority. They also have a BYOB policy with no corking fee! read more

We stopped by this local Venice spot for dinner and it was great! The spicy wontons were very good and the perfect amount of chili spice. Also the staple orange chicken was good with plenty portion for 2 people. Will be back again! read more

Stopped by here for a quick dinner before a red eye flight, and ordered the Model citizen soup and Orange ginger chicken. Both dishes were very large and are good for two to three people. Note that the entrees don't come with rice, so you have to order that separately. The model citizen soup came recommended by our waitress since the noodles are handmade. There's plenty of veggies and a starchy broth. The orange chicken had a great crunchy texture and only a hint of ginger. It has some broccoli on the side. We had leftovers and I'd recommend storing the noodles separately from the broth so they don't get soggy. Plenty of indoor seating and they do offer takeout. read more

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The woman at the cash register refuses to make any eye contact nor would help me, even when I said "Excuse me". Asked the other waiter for help and he refused. Waited for 10 minutes and then she puts her shoes and her bags on the counter and quits. Absolutely nuts. Walks out. I finally get my $20 tiny container of food, 20 minutes later, and it is BLAND. Do not go there. Such a waste. Used to be a reliable restaurant. read more

Found roach in noodles! My sister literally swatted it out of panic, while it was trying to eat her food! This is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! Meanwhile, the server, an Asian lady with tattoos up her arms ignored our ENTIRE party! Mind you my two kids were there watching and wondering why the server kept ignoring their table. No water, no drinks, no soup. Maos has gone DOWN Moving forward Maos in no longer for us Beware! Make sure there's no extra protein in your food that you didn't ask for! Cheers to anything but this Yelpers! Xx read more

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Amazing place. Have been going for years. I was in there today and a customer, I believe named David, Was harassing and threatening a young male employee. He went full Karen trying to record and shame the employee. It was awful. I have been helped by this young man several times and he is an awesome waiter. Incredibly kind and helpful. I expect the disrespectful customer will be leaving a negative review and I hope this cancels it out. I love Maos. All homemade food. Best Chinese food in LA by a mile. read more

Calm atmosphere, very easy going, relaxed helpful staff. The wonton soup was exactly what I needed to be me back in a good space but the tea is LIFE! Will go again!! read more

Mao's Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

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What a cluster f***! Ordered online several days in advance for a 14 person Christmas party and confirmed by phone the day of for a 5:30 PM delivery. With the Christmas crowd gathered at we got a call at 5 PM that they were running over two hours behind! Then they started hanging up the phone when we called. Out of desperation, we showed up in person to experience firsthand what could only be called kitchen Armageddon. Never got our food and we suspect many others had the same disappointing outcome. Still working on getting a refund for our full advance payment. read more

Pro-tip: good luck finding parking around here ! Bottom-line: Surprisingly, Mao's kitchen ranks among the upper echelons of Chinese cuisine society . Each order made to order, so expect to wait a decent amount of time . But it is worth it! I've had a couple of items in the past, but my latest order was the large hot'n sour soup. There are many variations of this classic soup dish. In theory it should be equal parts sour/spicy, but I'm impartial toward the spicier take with an ancillary 'sour' after taste. Mao's hits my preference on the head. The base is smoother, savory, and spicy. Would definitely come back to try a main entree dish. read more

Mao's Kitchen - 9. Hot and Sour Soup large. Very good!!! - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Venice Beach! The ambience is normally quiet, which I appreciate and they have a very easy grab and go counter upfront. You place your order, wait, create your order right then and there and then take out. - I love the cuisine. The flavors are so explosive! I also enjoy the decor and the kindness of the staff. You can eat indoors or outdoors and you are located one block away from the boardwalk. Parking is not easy so plan to arrive via Uber, bicycle or walk. read more

Mao's Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

This restaurant is a scam. I ordered online for delivery and never got the food or heard from them. Continuously called to see what was going and they'd hang up on me. I drove down to the restaurant and they said they could not refund me and I'd have to go through Square which is impossible. They were rude, unapologetic, and the manager was no where to be found or reached. Avoid this place at all costs. Worst run restaurant I've ever experienced. read more

Been coming here for many years. Their food is reminiscent of old school east coast restaurants I grew up with. Fried Rice is our favorite. We always order it with either chicken or shrimp. Love the Hot and Sour Soup. Our favorite appetizers are the Shrimp Roll and the Beijing Egg Rolls. Prices are reasonable although they did increase slightly after the pandemic shutdowns. Service has improved significantly and it's a pleasure to see Sabina. She's always so friendly and upbeat whenever we visit. It's nice that she always remembers us and welcomes us like family! I don't know and didn't ask, but Sabina takes care of the guests like she owns Mao's now. If not, she's the greatest employee an owner could hope for! Beware, the portions are plentiful so come with an appetite. We almost always order more than we can eat in one sitting! However, you'll have great leftovers for the next day. The only negative I can say is that I find the seats (older metal and wood folding chairs) are a little uncomfortable, at least to me. We love this place and its people, both the staff and their friendly and interesting guests! Highly recommend. read more

Mao's Kitchen - Freshly painted! - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

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Been coming here for 20 years, just as good everytime. Love the wonton crackers and sauce you get when you sit down. Service was really good, quick and attentive. The restaurant is decorated nicely, they can accommodate small groups and big groups read more

Mapo tofu low-key had no flavor. Even though I literally asked for it to be spicy. Ugh

Mao's is the biz!!!! Living nearby, I eat here often; and I love everything I've had here. Tonight was coconut curry with chicken, long-life beans, hot and sour soup (BEST H&S EVER!). Mao's is a Venice staple, and it's a BYOB (or wine) spot. SO GOOD and the staff is amazing. read more

I used to go to Mao's years ago and and I think I didn't have something good so I stopped going. Recently they sponsored a Venice Art Crawl dinner and I went twice and it was amazing. Other people told me that as well so I've been going and also having food delivered and I am not disappointed at all. I am very delighted that their soups and their noodles and chicken are all wonderful again. I also like the space and I think I'll be going in to dine as well. read more

Went in the afternoon during the week to pick up an order. Checked the bag before leaving and noticed there was no sauce or utensils. I asked for utensils and the woman snapped and rolled her eyes "no, you have to ask for it" to which I applied "Yes, this is me asking for utensils".. After she handed it to me she repeated that we have to request sauce and utensils "not my rules, not my restaurant".. Well that was clear. I would hope that if it was in fact her restaurant she would be more careful with tone. Ok. maybe the owner wants to save on cost so utensils by request only. How you deliver information can completely change the interaction. read more

Mao's kitchen is a nice little spot in Venice right before you get to the beach. There's a decent of seating and always a few waiter and waitress moving quickly. They do a good job at checking in with you and making recommendations. The Shao lamb was good. It had a whole lot of flavor and was cooked well and its total is a lit of food. It was nice and juicy and tender good texture but the only problem was there was so much more vegetables then lamb and it felt like it was gone pretty fast. I didn't have a lot of the pineapple fried rice but from what. I had I liked it a lot it was nice sweet and savory. The shrimp added a lot to it. Together it blended really well. The spring roll was good nice juicy and crispy but nothing really special. The chips and sauce at the beginning when you first sit down is also good but the sauce carries it heavily. read more

Mao's Kitchen - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

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We've been eating here forever. The food is great and reasonably priced. Support your local non-chain restaurant that's been around for eons! read more

Walked in looking to order, sort of on the fence about to stay or to go. We stood, with another customer behind us for at least 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged our presence, all the while the hostess was there the entire time. Finally, her attention was brought to us by the cook who hit the "order up" bell just to grab her attention and still she ignored us. We asked where the restroom was and she dismissively gestured to the hall. On the way to the restroom, we asked if she maybe hadn't seen us or why she didn't greet us to which she just became indignant and kept gesturing to the bathroom. After that experience we decided to not eat here and we left. As we were leaving she said "restrooms are for customers only" in an attempt to berate and strong arm us into buying food despite her nasty attitude and lack of service. She also threatened to call the police read more

I had a delicious lunch. The orange-ginger chicken was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend had the dan dan mian, which was amazing. I love the communist China decor and the propaganda posters. So much fun read more

Tremendous food, so many options made it hard to choose. Nonetheless the food was amazing, as was the portion sizes! Can't wait to go back and try something new! Service was outstanding as well. read more

Always consistently good food. Helpful service. Spicy chicken excels. Outside or inside seating.

Terrible place. They stole $10 by adding a "1" to the tip after we paid exact bill with zero tip and wrote zero. Dirty tables and dishes, awful food, long wait of almost an hour. Dishonest and unacceptable. One star. read more

There's a hair on the rice noodles. The mushroom chicken is too salty. Pork dumpling is salty and filling is too hollow. Ugh! Why a Chinese restaurant has no Chinese character should forewarned you that it's not very authentic Chinese . read more

Placed an order for 13 guests 3 days in advance and when the order was late I was not informed. I had to call them to be told they were running 2 hours behind. When I told them that was unacceptable they told me to "get your fucking food somewhere else" and then hung up on. read more

This iconic place is a local and tourist attraction. It has been a while since I have visited this neighborhood hangout. I was attracted to the way it made my mouth water after the last visit. The food is still yummy and what was a disappointment was the lack of service provided. I counted 3 people working the room and the to go orders. Next time, I'm calling in my food because every time we needed something, we had to ask! Not once did anyone approach the table to ask for our order, fill our water glasses and I thought about bringing the food myself to my table since I saw our food go from hot to cooled down. read more

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