Staff Picks: CA, LA’s Chinatown Restaurants

LA’s Chinatown is a fantastic place – the restaurants, the shopping, the art, and of course the culture. You feel like (is just for a moment), you have left Los Angeles. Here is a list of staff picks for the Best Chinatown Restaurants. CLICK HERE to find out additional info about the annual New Year Parade, or CLICK HERE to read a more personal account of my experience at the parade. 

Best Chinatown Restaurants

Here is a list of some of ETG’s staff picks for the best longtime restaurants in Chinatown. Yes there are many new eateries popping up all the time, but this article features the traditional tried-and-true restaurants. Unfortunately for all of us that recognizable restaurant Hop Louie shut down after a 75 year run, but below you’ll find some excellent contenders. 

Hop Li Seafood Restaurant

Cindy Brenner, one of writer’s favorite restaurants in Chinatown is Hop Li Seafood Restaurant. She claims she has been dining there for the past 15 years. The wait staff is friendly and the food is consistently good. Cindy recommends the Pu Pu Platter, which offers a variety of option for two people. Other favorites include Beef Chow Mein, Braised Yee Mein Noodles as well as Shredded Black Mushrooms with Oyster Flavor Sauce, and also Scallop with Garlic & Black Bean Sauce. Her husband Jonathan (also an ETG writer) told us his favorite dish is the B.B.Q. Pork and Oyster in a Hot Pot. He also noted that beer, wine, and sake is available at the restaurant! Hop Li Seafood Restaurant, 526 Alpine St,. Los Angeles, CA 90012; https://www.hoplichinatown.com/

Hop Woo Restaurant

Another traditional staple which started with just eight tables back in 1993 is Hop Woo Restaurant. Offering classic dishes along with lobster and fish plates, It has kept up with the times by providing an entire vegetarian, and vegan section on the menu. Hop Woo Restaurant, 845 North Broadway, LA, 90012;  https://hopwoo.com/

Yang Chow

One of my favorites…Yang Chow opened its doors in 1977, in the heart of Chinatown. Located beneath the Bing Wong Hotel, it was a former diner that was converted into a two room eatery. Started by a family of five brothers, the restaurant was named after their hometown. The Yun family comes from generations of cooks and restauranteurs. An LA Times article highlighting the restaurant’s signature dish in the early 1980s, Slippery Shrimp, brought Yang Chow to the limelight. Some customers came with the article in hand asking to try the dish with a memorable name. From that time, business started to climb steadily and the business has expanded over the years.

With three locations, LA, Pasadena, as well as Long Beach, you can please your taste buds at several spots in the city. The downtown LA is known for its Slippery Shrimp (which is delicious) but other staff picks include: Sate Sauce Three Ingredients Chicken, shrimp, and beef with Malaysian spicy, Sizzling Platter with scallops, and House Special Chicken (Shredded black mushroom, snow peas, and carrots with chicken). Yang Chow, 819 N Broadway, LA, 90012; https://yangchow.com/