Terrible rude person working the front store rudest person lady I ever met in my life. She kept leading me on like you're welcome. You're welcome like I like I didn't say thank you to her ever and she forced this like you're welcome on me. She was really rude she ignored me. I asked multiple times where the restroom was. Did the rudest person ever I ordered food there went to pick it up and just dealt with the most terrible rude person I've ever encountered at a restaurant. She has these wooden stools that she steps up on top because she's not tall enough to reach the counter and she's excessively rude to customers. read more

I like the foods and all the food is quite chinese style and the boss is good guy should have a lot of stories read more

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

The server lady was soooo sweet and made awesome recommendations on the phone. I had the "eggplant pamphlet" and orange shrimp and they were sooooo yummy!!! I have not dined in but the place is relaxed and chill. Nothing too crazy, but a gem for Chinese food in this area! read more

Food was okay. Got the noodles but was lacking some flavor. Very peanutty and wish there was a little more to it.

Great location since it's close to the beach. This is an old looking building (same on the inside). Don't expect anything to look newer than 8-10yrs. Important part: Pros: looks like these keep things clean as they can be. The foods I've tried had some good flavors. Great portions for your money. Staff seems to be attentive and friendly. Cons: my fav is the shrimp Kungpao but out of the 6/8x I've had it some of their veggies don't taste fresh/good. If you run into this problem I'd say try to omit the green bell peppers as I 'think' that is the culprit! read more

It's been awhile since revisiting my favorite Chinese in Venice which is Mao's Kitchen, located at 1512 Pacific Avenue, close to the beach just to the left of the world famous VENICE sign. I was back at Mao's on 7.31.23 with a friend and we both had the Spring Roll ($4), while I had the Chicken Mushroom with Rice ($17) and my guest had the #3 Lettuce Cup ($14). We both had Jasmine Iced Tea and David was our server. The total bill was $47.63 including Tax and I left a $10.00 Tip for great service for a total of $57.63. The help at Mao's is always friendly and courteous on this Monday evening. I love the pictures of Mao, especially the Andy Warhol that sits on the wall above the kitchen! With COVID in the rear mirror, I'll be back to Mao's on a more frequent basis as the menu is strong and remains the same. Long live Mao's Kitchen and the number is (310) 581-8305. RECOMMEND! read more

I have been comming to Mao's Kitchen since I was a kid, and I mean this truly when I say it is some of the best chinese food I've had in LA. The atmosphere is casual and cool; brick walls, high ceilings, Chinese Communist posters on the walls, and recycled paper menus. The staff is friendly and the food doesn't take super long to be served. Everything is fresh made to order, the portions are huge (great for groups or for wanting leftovers to take home), and the prices are amazing considering the quality and quantity (they did recently raise their prices a bit, but very understandable due to the recession, and it's still a bang for your buck). My go-to is their Egg Flower Soup; forget all of your presumtions on what you expect egg flower soup to be before you get this, because Mao's is insanely better. Filled with a perfectly smooth broth and lots of veggies, it is a delicious healthy option. Everything else I've tried here and there is also delicious; love their fried rice. While they don't serve alcohol, with a small corkage fee you can bring your own. Mao's Kitchen is always a must have for me after a day by the beach in Venice! read more

Mao's Kitchen - 8. Egg Flower Soup, 17. Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

This spot is great to sit or do takeaway. When you do eat in, they serve fried wontons strips with a sweet chili sauce. I literally think about the Dan Dan Mian noodles all the time... they're soooo good! The service is quick and friendly. Favorites: peasant's onion pancake, people's potstickers, Dan Dan Mian, Orange Ginger chicken read more

My family and friends and I have been ordering food for take out from Mao's for years- and I recently got to come in and eat inside the actual restaurant. It's a steady reliable menu that always delights when you are craving egg rolls, noodles and other Chinese inspired fare. read more

Pro: orange ginger chicken Grow: mapo tofu Tip: order takeout, skip dining in. We happen to be hungry in Venice beach at stumbled upon this restaurant which is conveniently located next to the Venice sign. The restaurant is very cozy and gets busy with people ordering takeout. The server was a bit slow and seemed overwhelmed. Food: the orange ginger chicken was so bomb! I would go back solely for this dish as it was crunchy and aromatic. The rest of the dishes were a bit lackluster as the green beans were too overwhelming, mapo tofu pork was tough and noodles were under seasoned. We ordered some tea which took a while to get to us and was not too special. Overall, it's a convenient spot for a quick meal. I would order takeout over dining in as they get very busy and the service was not the best. read more

Mao's Kitchen - Green beans and orange chicken - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

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This is genuinely the worst Chinese food I have ever eaten. This restaurant claims to serve country style Chinese food, but if you are looking for authentic Chinese food, I would not recommend this place. It appears that none of the workers are Asian, including the one server and the cooks I saw in the kitchen. The restaurant uses Japanese chopsticks, and the menu uses pingyin (the romanized version of Chinese) at the top of their menu instead of the real Chinese characters. Additionally, the table and seats were wobbly, and there were multiple flies flying around the restaurant. The mushroom chicken was too salty, and the pork dumplings were also quite salty. The waitress also did not seem to know all the prices for the menu and had to ask one of the cooks the price of a side of chow mien noodles were. The service was quite slow (there was only one waitress), and the food took a while to come out even though there were not many customers (there were two groups of other customers when we walked in and by the time we entered there was only one group of customers). We also ordered one of the spring rolls, thinking that there would be multiple, but it was just one long, kinda sad looking spring roll. To make matters worse, after we were done eating, we also found a hair in the rice noodles. In other words, if you are looking for an authentic Chinese restaurant, this is not the place for you. read more

This has got to be my alll time fav place in all of Venice Beach. The service is absolutely phenomenal, i adore these folks. They can read your mind and know what you mean prior to asking. It's very thoughtful and appreciated. I've been here countless times, for its delicious vegetable chow mein and additional vegetarian options. Which they also serve with amazing chips and sweet and sour sauce. I cannot explain why this always rocks my socks off. These lil details are my favvvv. Last time I was here, my sis and I walked over from my place for their lunch specials. They were so wonderfully kind and brought her doggie Leo a water bowl. Leo couldn't have been happier to see a supply of water. The best part of it all is you can always cal in and order and it's ready for pick-up in a moments notice. Also, be aware on the weekends when Venice sis flooded with tourists they can sell out of things. Their restaurant sits adjacent to the boardwalk so its a prime location. This was the first restaurant my bf ever took me to when he introduced me to Venice Beach, so it keeps a special place in my heart. :) read more

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They need more help here. I placed a phone order saying 30 minutes. Drove to get it and waited over an hour once I got there. There was only one person working doing EVERYTHING. Honestly she was trying her best serving the dining room and taking all phone ordered and packing to go orders. It was insane. But it was unacceptable to have her doing all this work and making customers wait so long. So shame on the owners for that. The only positive is the food is always good but that was just unacceptable. read more

I have lived in the Venice/ Mar Vista area all my life and Venice Beach has always been one of my stomping grounds but I am sad to say I am just now trying Mao's for the first time. If I only knew back then how good this place is, I would've started coming here sooner. The food here is incredible. Their Orange Chicken is sweet and I love the hint of ginger in sauce. Other places use watercress and bamboo shoots as fillers in their Kung Pao Chicken but not here. It's loaded with white meat chicken pieces and there's enough extra sauce to mix with your rice. The Shrimp fried rice is my favorite. Sometimes places use dark soy sauce and it overpowers the taste of the rice. Mao's uses light soy sauce and the taste is more neutral than other fried rices. Plus you can smell the jasmine rice fragrance and the shrimp aroma in the rice- it literally takes me back to the old Chinese spot my parents used take me as a kid. The crispy wontons are filled with minced chicken and has a mild onion flavor. It goes great with sweet and sour sauce and I tend to add chili paste in my sauce and it makes for a great appetizer. The staff here is very friendly. Pricing is very affordable. I will be frequenting this spot more often now that I know how delicious this place is. I highly recommend this restaurant. Tourists: If you're looking for good spot for incredible authentic Chinese food, take your chances at Mao's- you will not regret it. read more

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

For Service a 10/10! Savina was really wonderful. She kept an eye on us and was fast, helpful and sweet, she made it a great lunch. We've been eating there for over 15 years and mostly it's been great. The plate sizes (and egg rolls) seem to have gotten smaller over time but everything has, right? read more

This is not a traditional chinese restaurant nor cooks. Far from that. Food wasn't good at all to be honest. I walked in and had a bad feeling it. Should have followed my gut instinct. Server wasn't as nice. This added more to it. read more

After sailing in nasty conditions we pulled into marina del Rey and hoofed it over to this Chinese place for lunch. I had eaten there 20 years ago... that alone reveals they are doing something right... to survive decades in that trendy neighborhood is really something. When our delightful waitress found out we were sailors, she gave us some free stuff (strange anti-dirt lover mystical Chinese tea). She said we ordered too much food but we said we don't care- bring it! She was right we ordered too much but now we have leftovers. Anyway- in this day and age where prices have doubled and portions have evaporated, it is nice to eat at a place where the vibe is amazing and the food is abundant. We will be back! read more

I'm so glad this place is still here, as it brings me a lot of nostalgia from my old days living in Venice. It hasn't changed a bit since 2010, which is great. The restaurant is super accommodating to different dietary choices, like vegan and gluten-free, because they make everything from scratch. Loved the hot and sour soup and mapo tofu. Plus even the rice puffs they put on the table are gluten-free! AND, the food was super affordable for the quality and portion size. The female employee who took served on Saturday night was so kind and helpful, and I was thrilled that the vibe was so chill at 5pm (only a few people sitting inside, but many take out orders). read more

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

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Great food, good prices for the area. The Sesame and Yam, Curry Rice Stick, Orange and Ginger, and spring rolls are stand-outs, but it's all great. Service is cursory at best, but that's not why you come here. read more

Have seen this landmark for years. Today went in had lunch and met the owner. He has been in business for 24 years! Clean, healthy and tasty. Magical service! Great location. Food fresh and fantastic. Had Pork Fried Rice and Lettuce Chicken cups. Large servings and incredibly tasty. I will be back for more. read more

This place has changed. I've been coming here for years and always getting the Dan Dan Mian. First it used to come with way more broth. The broth was in its own container. Now it just comes with broth included which is almost no broth. It's practically dry. A shame. Also I ordered spicy level 3 and it is not even close to what it used to be. Change it back!!! read more

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

Came down from San Francisco to turn some friends on to this place and I was embarrassed. I was last here about 2 years ago and it was good as ever. Yesterday was a different story. The wonton soup was the blandest soup I've ever had. The broth was scorching hot but the wontons were under cooked as was all of the veggies except the zucchini which quickly became over-cooked in the broth. The lettuce cups were so bland, too. Giant pieces of Romaine just don't work well to hold the food as it tastes like lettuce instead of the chicken and veggie filling. The onion pancake must have been leftover from the day before. It was a dried up on a the outside and inside was this soft green dough. Truly inedible. The curry was the best dish with a nice creamy texture and perfectly cooked vegetables and meat. But again, bland. I asked the waitress if there was new ownership or a change in chefs, and she said no. I loved this place but I guess all things must pass. read more

A friend recommended me this place and I am so glad I tried. First, be warned, parking is a mess, had to circle the block many times to find a spot on a weeknight. Would have paid, but limited paid options as well. I started with a side salad and egg roll, the egg roll was super delicious and only $1, the side salad had a tasty dressing. For my entree, I got the sweet and sour shrimp and a hot and sour soup, both were very large and I had leftovers. Shrimp had a fantastic and tangy sauce, was crispy, and even the leftovers were still super tasty the next day. The hot and sour soup was one of the best I had and a huge portion. Service was friendly and I liked the atmosphere and decor. My only issue was, I wanted to leave and the waitress disappeared and I couldn't get my bill for a prolonged time. She then gave the bill to someone who had begun dining after me, which was annoying and I had somewhere to be. But, the food was so tasty that I can't take away a star for something like this. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to do family style or in a group, was almost too much to handle for a solo diner. Grab dinner and go for a walk on the beach to decompress. read more

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Ni Hao Ma! Or as they say in Chinatown, what it do! This place is a hidden gem in Venice paying homage to one of the great haircuts of all time. Mao pushed the envelope of fashion, and if that's not worth a tribute to, I don't know what is. As far as the restaurant itself goes, great food, prices, and portions. No monkey business here; bring an appetite and pack a lunch. Long story short: next time you're done pumping iron at Muscle Beach, stroll over to toast Chairman Mao and enjoy some of his delightful cuisine. read more

It was a delivery kind of night, and the food was tasty for the most part. The kiddo wanted dumplings and fried rice with chicken, and I had the Weiwuer lamb. The dumplings were gone so fast I looked away to take a bite of my own food and they were GONE . The lamb was flavorful, but felt on the greedy side for my taste (for today). The only real reason it's a 3 and not a 4 is that it's listed as free delivery but then I had an $8 delivery charge from the restaurant. And then it got here with zero utensils, napkins, or anything else to help us actually eat the food. Luckily we had some leftover plastic stuff in our hotel room. Finally, our food sat outside our door for 30 minutes because they said "we're running late" but didn't message at all to let us know they'd arrived, nor did they knock or otherwise indicate their presence. This last bit is probably more of a grubhub issue. Happy to get to sample an interesting take on Chinese food. read more

As a long time Venice resident I've always loved Mao's, but I agreed with a few of the comments from the last couple years, they had started to get a little sloppy. I heard post-Covid they changed things up a bit, and boy did they ever!! In the last few weeks I've dined in person twice and delivery once. I wish I could give more than 5 stars. First, it is very clean inside now. Spotless tables, flowers and a candle on each table. Fast service. Considering the food is very inexpensive, with no alcohol, so the waitstaff must not be making a killing, I was shocked at how fast we were served, each step of the way. I went in once with girlfriends on a packed Saturday night and another time with my husband and kids on a slower weeknight and only one server working. Both times, great service. Most importantly, the food!! It is way less saucy than it had gotten for awhile. Everything was fresh and delicious. You can't be the $1 ginger salad. My 3 and 5 year olds even wiped the bowl clean with their fingers! I wish they would sell that dressing. The sauce on the Longlife green beans is one of the most delicious sauces ever. The orange chicken actually had big chunks of chicken. And fried rice (we added shrimp) was so fresh and tasty. The other great thing people fail to realize is Maos is BYOB!! Meaning $0 corkage fee! We always bring a bottle of wine and they open it and give you glasses. You can't beat that!! They now accept credit card in addition to cash. When a delicious dinner (with a nice wine we brought) for 3 adult women for a girls night out is $50 including tax and tip, you know you found a gem. read more

I went here with my mother, and the food was great! The service was great too! We also had some tea, and the tea was great too! I think it's one of those places in Venice that have been here for ages and that haven't changed all too much which is nice considering it's a place you'd want to come to again which is also due to the ambiance. read more

STOP! Read this!!! Okay okay okay, I don't eat here as often as I want. If I could I would eat it everyday but I don't want to ruin it either! You know it's good when a local recommends it so that me recommending it! Just shut up and eat here and stop contemplating on wtf to eat today, problem solved. Don't be an annoying gf choose this. Pineapple fried rice, orange chicken, noodles, dumpling give it to me all bby! read more

We have loved this place for years, but I honestly got scared for a little while after the pandemic. Our last time here before our visit yesterday was unnerving due to not being able to eat at the location and only being able to pay in cash. We we're ecstatic yesterday when we called and they let us know we were able to dine in again! The food was delicious as usual. For only $1, that dollar salad is one of the best salads ever. The dressing is something that I wish they would bottle and sell. I would stay stocked up forever haha. The chicken fried rice & orange ginger chicken were also amazing as usual. We were just disappointed that a lot of the appetizers weren't available, so my daughter couldn't get her potstickers. The service was pretty slow, but there was only ONE lady working the entire front of house when we went, so it wasn't anything against the place. It was busy and for only one person, she did a great job. Thankfully, as we were leaving, more people stepped in to help, so I'm hoping their service got a bit better. The building is small, so it can get a bit loud at some moments, but it doesn't take away from the space. I wish they could find someone to invest in making some updates, but it's still not too bad. All in all, I'm happy it's looking like they're back on the incline & I can't wait to go back next time we're in Venice! read more

Our thin blooded grandparents from Florida are in town and as the sun settled over the pacific and the temperatures dropped, they shivered and requested soup. We stopped into Mao's and were able to be seated right away. Immediately after, they grew busy and every table was full with a wait. There were short staffed, but based on reviews it seems that it can be a hit or miss with speed of service. Nevertheless, our waitress worked very hard to serve all the tables and every worker we encountered was kind despite the rush. The food is great and the portions are huge. We all loved the ginger ale a lot. Be careful! That wasabi hot sauce snuck up on me and cleared my sinuses for the foreseeable future. read more

Hunan which is where Mao was from, the place's foods are super spicy. But this restaurant's foods are not spicy at all, which contradict what they are selling. But their decoration is interesting and their foods are yummy. My waiter wasn't nice, she's a middle aged median lady, she offered us complimentary chips but she never did. I highly suspect she "forgot" And it took about half hour to have our foods served. But for the food quality it's worth going! read more

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

We had a great dinner at this cozy place. The food was delicious, as well as the personnel was friendly. It is not the best noodles in the world, but for the price you are paying, you'll enjoy it for sure. read more

Mao's Kitchen - Mix of two plates - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

Food was amazing here! We had weiwuer lamb which was something I have never had anything like before, was so good! Then we had some noodles with beef. Also amazing. read more

Mao's Kitchen - 38. Weiwuer Lamb - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

MY. FAVORITE. SPOT. super lowkey, chill vibes, great service, unreal food. definitely a venice gem. oh and they have an unsaid byob rule and like how sick is that. 12/10 read more

Worst customer service ever. I've never seen this man in the place before but he's an absolute ass wipe. He will remember me because that's what I called him to his face. He insisted my service animal stand outside in the rain while he taking my order because he had a sick dog on the premises. He wouldn't let me call in an order because he said people don't pick them up. Which meant I had to walk down there to place the order. Horrible human. He sure shouldn't work there again unless he is doing something out of reach out the customers. ON ANOTHER NOTE, THEIR FOOD IS DELICIOUS. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT'S A PROBLEM read more

It's yummy! Really great location and sweet employees! Not a lot of meat in the non-breaded meat dishes (vegetable heavy) but I think it's great price point and amount of food for the location. read more

Although the service was great. The food was not so good. I ordered kung pao chicken. 80%was sautéed red pepper and the rest chicken and onions and peanuts . Not sure about the spices. The noodles were ok. I noticed two other tables had leftOver red pepper, almost the entire servings. That should have given me a red flag. I won't be going back there sorry. read more

Wow!!! This place is so good and I've been to Venice 1,000 times and I'm disappointed I haven't came here sooner!!! Lmaoo ! Shoutout to Tamara for OUTSTANDING SERVICE! I will definitely be back! (; P.S. one of the best orange chicken I've ever tasted in MY LIFE. !!!!! read more

Mao's Kitchen - 19. Orange-Ginger Chicken 17. Fried Rice 1A. Peasants Onion Pancake - Chinese Near Me - Venice, California

I met up with an old friend I hadn't seen since I left Italy almost seven years ago. We'd arranged to meet in Venice, and figure out dinner from there. En route, she asked if the rest of her tour group could come with. Suuuure, I said. How many could that possibly be? Which is how I found myself searching for a restaurant in Venice that could seat a group of SEVENTEEN. Without a reservation. On a Saturday night. I happened to see Mao's Kitchen while hitting up another eatery, and when they couldn't accommodate us, Mao's Kitchen could. I mean, that alone accounts for the 5-star rating. The staff was clearly busy, and yet they managed to rearrange the tables to seat us all together. We had to wait, of course, but I'm glad we did. Not just for the tables to be freed (so they could be moved), but also for the rest of the party to arrive. Ours was not a quiet table, let me tell you. Haha. There was something just magical, though, about being surrounded by Italians, eating Chinese food, on Venice Beach. And Mao's Kitchen made it possible. I had the mapo tofu, and it was good. Although looking back, I kind of wish I'd gone for the onion pancake. Or the dan dan mian. Or the dumplings. Those looked REALLY good. Oh well. At least I know where to go next time I'm in Venice. Thank you for feeding the hungry group of Italian travelers (and me, their American tagalong)! read more

Unfriendly service, yuk food. Not worth wasting my time explaining. They don't really care about the customer or what they are feeding you.