Top Chinese Restaurant in Santa Monica
Mandarin Chinese & Japanese Cuisine
2618 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405, United States
Ive lived in Santa Monica 21 years and Ive tried most of the restaurants here. This is the best Chinese restaurant in town, and maybe in all of Los Angeles. Also, dont hesitate to order their sushi. It always arrives fresh and perfect.
dan modern chinese - santa monica
1403 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
Inconsistent unfortunately. We didnt have high hopes for authentic Chinese food in Santa Monica, but perhaps this would be a modern Chinese restaurant that got everything right on its limited menu. Unfortunately, this wasnt the case. We were seated quickly, but the servers seemed more focused on boxing up all the takeout orders that came in, so our dinner order was taken late, and water glasses went unfilled. The onion pancakes were superb- light and crispy with multiple layers. Really the best I have had outside of China. The three-cup chicken was also very good. But their famous xiao long bao had little soup within the dumplings and there was no ginger. The mapo tofu however, had too much ginger. Our order of pea sprouts with garlic were forgotten, then delivered to the table at the end of the meal too salty to eat.
Lotus Asian Cuisine and Bar
326 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
Placed an order for pick up via the Lotus website. Received a message from their system saying that the order is ready. I drive over there to pick it up and they say they have no record of the order in their system. I said fine then cancel my order and refund my money. Mike then proceeds to tell me he can’t do that till the manager James arrives. What? So you expect me to wait until your manager shows up. I have absolutely no faith that ill get this refund. Extremely unprofessional restaurant. I expect more when paying top dollar SM prices for Chinese food.
Sichuan Impression
11057 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025, United States
If I could avoid coming to the restaurants in Santa Monica for dine in, I would. The parking lots are never free, and you would barely get restaurants who provide complimentary parking. Nevertheless, the quality of food in Sichuan Impression are definitely worth coming back to (I have been here twice) every once in a while. Anyhow, the restaurant is cozy, spacious, clean and well lit. The customer service is also great! Food is served pretty quickly.The food:Home-style Fried Rice ? (10/10): Find yourself a girlfriend that is not crazy about fried rice so that you get to enjoy it all by yourself ⚠️. Because this dish is one of the most delicious Chinese fried rice I have ever tasted! First of all, the aroma was great! The salt level was on point! The rice texture was perfect and the minced beefs ? flavor was rich!Toothpick Mutton ? (10/10): Cooking quality lamb meat is not easy. However, Sichuan Impression has definitely perfected this skill and as a result, this dish was mouth-wateringly good! The meat was juicy, mildly chewy and didnt have that typical weird lamb meats smell. Moreover, those toothpicks definitely made it more convenient to eat.Stir-Fried Cauliflower (6/10): I had expectations for this, and sadly I have got to admit that this was the most disappointing dish of the day and my girlfriend agreed! I wanted to like this dish. It did smell good, but the taste (kind of plain tasting) didnt match the aroma.Hot pot Starch Noodles/ Impressive cold noodles ? (9/10): This was surprisingly delicious given the appearance of the dish. It didnt have anything else other than the glass noodles. The spice on the noodles was acceptable and the noodles were mildly chewy! Definitely a good appetizer!Big Mouth Ginger Frog of Zigong ? (9/10): This was also tasty! The only problem that I had was that the frogs didnt have a lot of meat on them but still cost us $30. Delicious but not worth the price!Stir-fried Spicy Pork Intestines ? (9/10): Ok, hear me out! I know the thought of eating intestines is weird! I felt the same way, but they are delicious nonetheless! This dish was great, and the flavor was spot on! I just wished that they were a little less crispy so the intestines would have a little bit of juice in them. Nevertheless, I think it depends on your preference! If you love juicy intestines, this might not be worth ordering. But if you like the crispy ones, then this is perfect!Overall, just like other people have mentioned, I really enjoyed dining here because the food is great apart from the pricing, some of the dishes pricing are ridiculous.P.S., I had forgotten the name of the noodle dish we ordered. Its best to ask the server if you would like to try them!
Panda Express
804 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403, United States
Its the best food I have ever had! I have gone there since I was young and it was right across from my school so it was an easy fast lucy when we didnt have time to make one in the morning. The servers are great but they do rush you a little bit. There are so many great options for whatever you are in the mood for for. I once had to bring in worldly food for school and totally forgot so in the morning before school ran over and got some noodles and rice and egg roles and they were great, the best food there everyone loved it I almost didnt have enough. The one thing that I would change is that they run out of food very fast and so sometimes you have to wait a long time for them to make more. I think the only way to fix that though would be to make more of everything as people order so they always have extra/ My mom used to never really allow me to have fast food but she would occasionally let me have Panda Express. Its cheap and fast, a family favorite, my kids love it, mostly the one in santa monica! Its the best fast food you will ever eat exempt for in n out which I love as well!
Lees Chinese Fast Food
1610 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404, United States
Worst Chinese food experience ever. I got a 2 item combo, finished my chop suey and started on my fried rice and chicken curry. Pulled 2 flies out of the rice and one out of the curry. I asked my for money back. We argued over what I had ordered, so I pulled my receipt out. They didnt want to refund me the entire combo since I ate my vegetables. But I wasnt leaving without my money. They eventually refunded me the money but it was after extensive arguing. Food sucked anyways, Im glad I got my money back.
Hop Li
11901 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025, United States
A long time restaurant four typical Chinese food but a very extended menu. We had lunch for two the place is unique in that it only has two two standard soups with Camille we paid extra to have a deluxe one ton soup which we must say is very good. Quite honestly we used to having soy sauce on the table and being served Chinese noodles as we come from back east but here in Los Angeles they do things differently the service was good the food was tasty. We paid about $35 including tip for two large dishes home lunch and the special soup I think that was a very fair price. Again it was quite tasty
Formosa Cafe
7156 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046, United States
I recently talked to restauranteur Adam Fleischman about the Formosa Cafe. He said they are revamping the menu.Inspired by Beverly Hill's Red Medicine's Vietnamese-themed menu and bar bites, Red Med at Formosa Café features some of the most popular dishes, including dumplings, spring rolls, bahn-mi, brisket and whole fish to share.My eyes had to adjust quickly as I walked into the dark restaurant to meet a group of foodies. We frequently used our iPhone flashlights to read the menu and snap photos.The walls are still lined with over 250 black and white headshots of some of the most famous actors in the world. There is still a display case showcasing a collection of Elvis Presley decanters and statues above his old booth.One of the head bartenders, Billy Ray arrived at our table with some of the classic cocktails that have been added to the cocktail menu. Bartender Matthew Boddie created a ginger daiquiri a la Central, pisco apricot Tropicale and the Singapore Sling for us to enjoy.We were told that gangster Mickey Cohen ruled the underground of liquor, women and cash at Formosa Café. His safe was built into the flooring between the two front booths to the left of the front door.Interesting dishes include the entirely green Rock shrimp dish with layers of avocado. The marinated eggplant offers vivid flavors of garlic, sesame, and celery that almost vibrated in my palate.I enjoyed the ethereal Shanghai rice cakes that tasted like little chewy dough pillows dusted with bacon, shishito and Thai basil.The chicken wings are a Red Medicine recipe rolled in flavorful crumbs, fish sauce lime and Thai chile, that spices the wings with aromatic flavors.The crispy spring rolls are deep fried and stuffed with a healthy dose of crab and Asian herbs.Everyone at the table enjoyed the oyster mushrooms with crisp haricot vert beans, and a French chili pepper from Espelette mixed in with the oyster sauce.Large parities may want to go straight to The Group Effort column on the menu for plates of tender Wagyu Beef Brisker braised in a secret plum sauce for 36 hours or a deep fried whole black bass that arrives whole. The server filets it to reveal light colored and moist fish with a crispy crust. These dishes easily feed three to four guests.The Formosa Café is open for dinner at 4 p.m. until the 2 a.m. “last call.” Parking is available in the West Hollywood Gateway parking garage.
Meizhou Dongpo Restaurant
10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067, United States
Meizhou Dong Po on Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles offers a delightful experience for lovers of Sichuan cuisine. The Serrano Pepper Beef was a standout, delivering a perfect balance of spice and flavor. For those who enjoy spicy options, the menu provides a variety of choices to suit your palate. Another highlight was the Dongpo pork belly with preserved vegetable—a classic dish that showcased the restaurants commitment to authentic flavors. The meat just melts in your mouth. Overall, Meizhou Dong Po provides a satisfying and flavorful dining experience for fans of Chinese cuisine.Update: we visited again on a Saturday night. waiting list was about an hour. So plan ahead. The upside being in the mall is there are planty places to visit while waiting.
Dumpling Monster
7318 Santa Monica Blvd Suite 60, West Hollywood, CA 90046, United States
I ordered from his restaurant on Goldbelly around December 12th . I ordered chose dumpling and wonton combo. The dumplings tasted store bought to me . Or from a Chinese restaurant at best . My sister in law is Chinese and I know good homemade dumplings. I have yet to try the wontons. But dumplings a Huge disappointment.