Top 10 Chinese Restaurants in the Greater Los Angeles Area

Los Angeles has a thriving Asian community that has produced a thriving Asian culinary community. To pick 10 good Asian restaurants would be an easy task; let's narrow our search a little bit to find the 10 best Chinese restaurant in the greater Los Angeles area!

Sunday Bistro

1032 E. Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 282-0238

A true Chinese cuisine connoisseur knows that you do not go to a Chinese restaurant for the service, but for the food. This restaurant is the living embodyment of that concept. From the wonton noodle soup to the wide variety of fried rice, this place is absolutely delicious. A hong kong style cafe, the prices range from $5 to $10 per entree. Drinks are usually around $1.50. My favorite order from this store is the baked pork chop rice with a nice cold ice tea on the side. So if you have tons of patience, don't mind bad service, but love Chinese food. This is a perfect place for younger people to eat at.

Tasty Garden

1212 South Baldwin Ave
Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 445-9388 www.tastygarden.us
A direct contrast to the Sunday Bistro. This pseudo Hong Kong cafe has some of the best service you can find. The highlight of this restaurant is their rice in a pot. Their rice in a pot is cooked with digital rice cookers so the dish comes out perfect everytime. This restaurant offers some Hong Kong cafe style dishes and some tradition dinner dishes. Cost for a party of two will not be more than $20. While the cafe style menu appeals to the younger crowd, the traditional chinese dishes draws in the older crowd. The environment and seating is comfortable. This restaurant is highly recommended for a casual dinner with friends or family.

Boston Cafe

1631 S Azusa Ave
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745 (626) 820-1238

Another fantastic HK style cafe. The food comes out at lightning speed and the portions are elephant sized. The price is slightly higher than the two previously mentioned cafes, but only one or two dollars more. The atmosphere and seating is also more comfortable than most cafe's. The selling point of this restaurant is that it receives an "A" grade from the health inspectors on a consistent basis. That is hard to find when it comes to Chinese restaurants. So for those who love asian food, but is weary of germs and poor kitchen cleaning practices, you cannot go wrong with Boston Cafe.

Prince Seafood restaurant

11828 South Street
Cerritos, CA 90703
http://www.princeseafood.com/

Moving away from the HK style cafe's, we move into more traditional Chinese restaurants, where Chinese families go to eat a nice dinner. The food here is above average; the bad thing is the price here is also above average. Nonetheless, this restaurant serves respectable dim sum dishes during the day and even boasts reasonably priced "lunch specials" for those who are more comfortable with Panda Express styled dishes. The dinner menu is diverse and well crafted and reflects traditional Chinese cuisine. This place amazingly also has free internet access for those who are really too busy to be eating at a restaurant. This is also one of the most popular place to hold a wedding banquet as they have a beautiful and private banquet room. A little bit further from Los Angeles, but it is within driving range and the quality is well worth the travel. Expect to pay around $50 for a family of 4.

China Garden

14825 Jeffrey Rd
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 653-9988

Still veering a little bit away from the heart of Los Angeles, a restaurant that must be mentioned is China Garden. This is probably the best Chinese restaurant in Orange County in terms of dim sum and authentic cantonese food. The most noteworthy highlight of this restaurant is the variety and freshness of their seafood. That is reason enough to drive down to Orange county. The price range is also around $50 for a family of 4.

Long Kee
15423 Chatsworth St
Mission Hills, CA 91375
(818) 891-1068

Another traditional seafood restaurant. The menu is typical Chinese but the old american chinese classic the egg foo young, while not found at the more traditional Chinese restaurants, is brilliant here. The gravy is delicious to say the least. Other authentic Cantonese dishes can be found here as well. The price is reasonable and you can feed a family of 4 for $50

China Cafe
317 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 628-8481
http://grandcentralsquare.com/

The China Cafe at Grand Central Market is the best Americanized Chinese food you can find. Cheap, fast, oily, and comforting. they have everything from chow mein to chop suey. While this might not be pleasing to those enjoy traditional and authentic Chinese food, it's a joy to those who are most comfortable with orange chicken and fried rice. Please don't spend more than $10 per person here or you might end up with a heart attack.

Mission 261
261 S Mission Dr
San Gabriel CA 91776
626.588.1666

Now onto the big guns. If you have an important Chinese client you want to impress, Mission 261 is a great choice. The rooms are elegant, one even sports Chinese antiques. The food is plated with fine dining written all over it and taste delicious. Critics might say that there are tastier restaurants in LA, but none few can compare in terms of elegance and atmosphere. The price can range from $25-$50 per person.

Elite Restaurant
700 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-9998

Another restaurant similar in flair to the Mission 261. An upscale restaurant that would cater to those with fine dining in their blood while maintaining the traditional Chinese flavors. The dim sum offerings are higher in price and in extravagance. The dinner menu also proves to be elegant as well. If you wish for a clean, comfortable setting with controlled noise levels, this is definitely a place to consider. Prices here can also range from $25-$50 per person.

NBC Seafood Restaurant
404 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-2323

For some reason, Chinese people liked to name their restaurants after TV networks. NBC is definitely the best out of CBS and ABC. It has been around forever and survived despite it's horrific parking situations. The dim sum here is definitely above average and the food is authentic above many others. Residents and Chinese around the area eat here all the time without hesitation. While not as upscale as the Elites of this world and not as low scale as the China Cafe, this restaurant has everything you want or need to eat. Definitely one of the top in Los Angeles county.

Eating Chinese food is an adventure, the best way to figure out what you like best is to go out there and try it. Of course it doesn't hurt to have some restaurants to start with. Hope you enjoyed this guide. Until next time, eat well and prosper!