Best Food In the San Gabriel Valley 626 GUIDE

The San Gabriel Valley, aka the 626, is one of the Asian food meccas of the world, and a new list just came out talking about the best restaurants, David. As 626 veterans, we got to talk about whether we agree, disagree, and what they left off. Yeah, I mean, I think as people have eaten at literally thousands of Asian restaurants in their life, made the 626 song, it's only fair that we give our evaluation of their evaluation. So let's get into number one on the list. All right, everybody, here we got 22 essential San Gabriel Valley restaurants, the 2022 edition. Starting off the list in no particular order, we got Laan Noodle. Oh, this spot is brand new, only a couple years old. I actually have not been here yet, but I will say, Andrew, just based off that photo, that literally looks like the best looking bowl of Lanzhou Laan Mian that I've ever seen in my life. Andrew, I know you got some interesting, perhaps controversial opinions on how you feel about Lanzhou Laan Mian. I mean, it's really good. I just feel like it's not the best beef noodle soup. Andrew, you'll have to say it in Chinese or else I don't believe, I cannot understand what your slander is. OK, you know what, you said it in at least, you know, I would say I think an alternative, Andrew, that actually is a chain from China is 1919 Beef Lanzhou Noodle. And that actually is from Lanzhou, but I will say this, Laan Beef Noodle looks even better. It looks like they elevated it, made it just, you know, added some more chef-like elements. And of course, the photos are really good because in China, it's more of like a staple food to just keep you going. All right, that does look pretty good. We got to try it when we go back next. All right, next on the list, we got Din Tai Fung. Whoa, Andrew! This is the great Din Tai Fung, but a lot of people say, oh, Din Tai Fung, they expanded too much, the quality fell off, it's overpriced. What do you think? Listen, man, if something was a 9.5 out of 10 and they dropped to like an 8.75 out of 10, they are still at 8.75 despite the drop in quality. Would you agree with that? Like, I don't like the Din Tai Fung slander because like it's still got the 18 plates on top and the robotic computer systems to make sure the xiaolongbao are cooked on time. Yes, do I think they possibly overexpanded and gave franchises to people who don't run them at the same quality as obviously the ones in Taiwan are? Sure, but I'm not here for the Din Tai Fung slander. All right, first of all, here's my last word on Din Tai Fung. Dollar for dollar, you might be able to get a better deal on Shanghainese and Taiwanese food, that's fair, but they are still the gold standard and still everybody is comparing their xiaolongbao to Din Tai Fung even to this day. Yeah, they're the Nike. I mean, at the end of the day, I would say that, you know, Shanghai Dumpling House, which is an alternative one, much cheaper. They got some interesting flavors. You can get a mala xiaolongbao there. You can get like danhuang, which is like egg yolk flavored ones. But at the end of the day, listen, guys, just because there are valid competitors, it does not mean that the big dog sucks at all. All right, guys. Oh, newcomer, newcomer, Chef Tony. We actually went to their location when it was in Pasadena, but now it is moved. Yeah, well, I think that they discovered that being on of Old Town Pasadena at the end of the day, Andrew, not that many people want to like eat this all the time in that district. They moved to Arcadia. This is delicious. It is a little bit more modernized. They do have the truffle. They will take, you know, some more liberties and putting mayo, you know, like recipes that are where we're not from. That's a truffle. That's a truffle, which is a house special chicken. I guess what I'm saying is they are like being more Hong Kong with it. Yeah, I mean, I think it's cool. I think that honestly, if you're thinking about big, large dim sum spots that are going to give you some type of Hong Kong experience, you got to think about Chef Tony. Yeah. And I think a substitute would be Bistro one nine six eight, which is a brand new dim sum spot. But I'm not going to lie, David, the little bit of truffle on top of the sumai. It's a little overrated. That's my aspect. I'm maybe it's because I've been eating dim sum the same way for like twenty five years. I'm ready for a switch up. So for me, at the end of the day, I am in support of this new, like modern age dim sum spots because, you know, like, you know, they're doing gold. So you about the truffle dim sum and the black button? I just think it's a nice switch up, man. I've literally been eating it the same way for like twenty five years, man. Sure, man. All right. Next spot on the list. Daiho Restaurant. Yeah, I think we've tried to go here, Andrew, literally like five or six times. They're only open for three hours a day, like four days a week or something. This is the beef noodle soup I was looking for. The Neuroman. Wow. All right, Andrew, I got a sleeper alternative pick that a lot of people would not think of. Eighty eight beef noodle in Arcadia. Yeah, that's really good. Really kind of like, I guess, dingy for Arcadia goes. But man, that spot has a very good Neuroman, too. But it's very interesting. You know, different people make Neuroman completely differently. Some people's broth, Andrew, is very red and some people's broth is very brown. Which one are you in more support of personally? Oh, man, I go with red. I like the Taiwanese like Hong Kong Neuroman for me. I generally like to think the deeper the broth, the more the flavor. But, you know, it's hard to say. I mean, I can just tell you this. The food looks great here. Yeah. Oh, yeah. No, that's a that's a good pick. All right. Moving on. We got Bistro Nas. David, funny story. Dad actually went visiting L.A. once he ate here. Bistro Nas. And he said, I quote, Yeah, I think this might be the best Chinese restaurant I ever went to in my life. Yeah. Whoa. And, you know, I don't think that's wrong to say, because Bistro Nas is so good at a lot of things. However, if you've eaten at a thousand places, you know that like each place could get known for like one dish. Yeah. So that's how it more is in China. Whereas like in America, it's more like one place cooking like a hundred dishes. Yeah, I think what my dad was referring to, first of all, this spot is really good. And it's imperial Beijing cuisine. And it's also kind of expensive. It is inspired by the imperial Beijing cuisine. However, but I just think the whole experience and the decor and the service and presentation is next level. And that's what my dad really was impressed by. And, you know, by the way, like my dad, you know, he often eats at a lot of Chinatown. And you know what I think is so interesting about it is because if you study the imperial history of like the banquets in Beijing, they were always about bringing all the best chefs from around China, specifically like the Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shanghai region, and bringing them to Beijing to like do a fusion of flavors. And I think that that's why Bistro Nas is so interesting because you definitely see some of that Hangzhou influence. I'll tell you this for Bistro Nas though, you want to come with a party. I think you need four more people to really enjoy it because you're going to save a little bit per person and you're going to get to try more dishes. I don't think if you come here and you only have two dishes, necessarily you'll get blown away. But if you have their top five or six dishes, then you're starting. You're looking at over a hundred dollars a person here, though, like realistically, especially if you get the fish. I would say a substitute, Andrew, that, you know, would not make this list for outsiders is Ji Rong. Ji Rong is really, really good. They actually have a similar like northern southern hybrid thing. I think the owners are actually from Dongbei, but they kind of make it a little bit fancier, obviously, than your average Dongbei spot. Moving on, Andrew, what else? Oh, my gosh, the Chongqing special noodles. This is 100 percent agree. This needs to be on everybody's list. This is delicious. It's fairly priced. It's cheap. It's a small spot. I guess you could call it a 626 hole in the wall. Yeah, because it's kind of dingy. Oh, I actually really like the hotpot spot, the Taiwanese hotpot spot that used to be here. Oh, lose, lose hotpot. Yeah, that was really good back in the day. Anyways, I'm glad that Chongqing special noodle also took that. Yo, Chongqing special noodles, honestly, for this type of like Huizhou, like Muslim influenced Chinese food is a 10 out of 10. Dude, it is a 10 out of 10. I would say maybe another substitute for that's more deep cut is noodle art. Noodle art in Monterey Park may be like very similar in terms of matching dishes. Yeah, I mean, there's some other spots that are somewhat similar. There's Chongqing special noodles. Gosh, it's on Main Street too, Las Tunas. This biang biang noodle with the tomato egg mixed in with kind of your spicy zhajiangmian. You know why biang biangmian is so good, Andrew? Because it's like fanxie chaodan, right, which is the tomato egg. It's like a lu rou fan and it's like a zhajiangmian all together. You get three of the jiangs, the three sauces. My gosh, David, they even have the big plate chicken. Dapanji. Yeah. And they do a good version of Dapanji too. Honestly, that from the Xi'an region, Andrew, I have a lot of Dapanji from a lot of different regions in China that were influenced by the Silk Road, Andrew, in the road to Iran or Saudi Arabia. You're a big plate dude. Xi'an might be the best, might be the best version, man. Wow. Moving on, David, non-Chinese food, Golden Deli, San Gabriel location. Let me tell you this, guys, when it comes to pho and especially the egg rolls, the jiaozi, I think Golden Deli is still at the top, bro. This might have the best, and I'm sorry for the pronunciation, I know different provinces pronounce it differently, the jiaozi, Andrew. Yes. They might have the best that I've ever had in the world. Yeah. You know what's funny? I've tried to look for better ones and how crispy and chewy this one is and the lettuce is nice and you wrap it up. With the mochi skin, right, the double fried. This is one of my favorite dishes to eat in the 626. I would actually say, to be honest, their Chinese Vietnoodles like Hu Tieu and some of the wonton Chinese Vietnoodles are the best there that of, you know, because I think Chinese Viet at Golden Deli, but I would say. Wait, David, what you mean, man, the pho not the best? No, it's the pho is really good at pho filet and rosemead. Yeah, I think you got to go to the Viet sections of 626 to get the best pho. You can get Hanoi style, you can get Saigon style, but I would say pho filet and rosemead is like more preferable to me for beef pho. Little side note, five years ago, they were serving cupcakes here and those cupcakes were fire, but they were coming out of somebody's kitchen. I don't know. I don't think they serve them there anymore, but those were some of the best cupcakes I've had in 626. They have the best Hu Tieu wonton Chinese Vietnoodles and best cupcakes I ever had in my life with the crab claw. Go back to the crab claw photo. You could get this with like a clear noodle. My goodness. Golden Deli is still good. It's still good. Guys, these are all very accessible like spots that a lot of tourists also like, but we're trying to give you like a real perspective on whether it Tourists, I'll tell you this, Andrew, they're not going to want to go to where pho filet is. Guys, oh, classic Newport Seafood Restaurant, David. So this one is really good. It kind of led the way as far as doing that like Chinese Cambodian pepper crab, which is delicious, by the way. However, a lot of people feel like Newport Tang is kind of like the Din Tai Fung, where it's kind of fallen off over the years. But what's another alternative? All right. To me, if it fell off, it fell from like, like I said, like a 10 to a 9. Well, here's my 10 to an 8.5, even a 1.5 drop. It seems like a lot. But when you're out of 10, it's only a six. My only thing about this is because I've been there while it was busy, and they just make a lot of the main dishes in bulk because they know everybody's ordering them. Right. So it's a system process. So so like waiters are coming out, flying out with like four plates going to four different tables at the same dish. So, you know, they could have cooked it together. I'm not saying they did. Anyways, Boston Lobster, Boston Lobster is probably a little bit better. But in terms of like entertaining your family, business clients, obviously, you're going to take a nicer ambience, you know, like, but for just pure flavor, I think Boston Lobster is honestly like maybe 5% better. I mean, Dave, I heard that this family who started Newport Tang did kind of basically invent that lobster dish. Yeah, well, I believe the dad is Chiu Chau from Cambodia, and the mom was Chiu Chau from Vietnam, and they had both spent time in Thailand. So if you guys know about Chiu Chau people, because they're so heavy in Southeast Asia, but they also like maintain some, I guess, like tightness because of their tight closeness because of their Chiu Chau-ness. That's what creates these like hyper unique products. Let me just tell you this, this lobster noodle dish is probably one of the best dishes the 626 has to offer. Yo, that's actually probably one of the best new Asian dishes that got invented in the past like 30 years, like just in the globe. Wow, David, award winning Jiangnan Spring. And why do I say award winning? Because people were raving about its scallion pancake. No, because it got a Michelin recommendation, I believe. Yeah, the scallion pancake here is pretty good. I would say it's maybe not even the best one I've had, but it is top tier. Yeah, it is top tier, but it's just a weird, I guess, tung yo bing is not like a topic that I fully like always discuss with other people. Like, yo, man, where do you get the best tung yo bing? But, you know, I know some people are really into it. You know, it's like Jiangnan Spring for Shanghainese food. It's pretty good, though. I would say try Shanghai number one seafood in San Gabriel as well. I know my parents go there a lot. But, David, what do you think about Jiangnan? It's kind of a catch all Chinese spot. Like, I think it's mostly Shanghainese dishes, but it'll have a little bit of Sichuan dishes, some Canto dishes, a little bit of dim sum, it looks like. I think that if you really understand like Chinese cooking, and I didn't even learn this till recently, Jiangnan, like Huayang Cai, it's almost like in an imperial way of looking at everything. So even if at Jiangnan Spring, they start to cook like Canto restaurants, there will be a certain approach to it. You know what I mean? Like a certain mindset. You mean attention to detail, knife work, subtle flavors. You're saying Shanghainese is a mindset. It's a lifestyle. It's a culture. It's a way of doing it. I think you can see like... It's a way of living. I mean, people always want restaurants out of the Momofuku Camp, Eleven Madison Park Camp, because it shows something about the way you've been taught. And it's kind of weird to create, you know, reference something that's like 4,000 years old with something that's like 20 years old. But yeah. David, do you agree with this next pick? Yang's Kitchen over on Main Street. Yeah, I got to give them props because these were the first people, Andrew, I believe that were thinking about opening the restaurant in like Silver Lake or Echo Park or Highland Park, which are very hipster parts of LA. And they decided, let's bring hipster style food like this, you know, this shouzua bing that has like beef and like farm to table carrots on a sungyo bing to the Enclave area. Because typically you think of the Enclave area, it's people, they don't care about gluten, they don't care about sodium, MSG, right? But like obviously in the hipster areas like Silver Lake, or that's really what they care about. So what do you think about people bringing these, I guess, hipster zone concepts to the Enclave zone? This is definitely a weird mixed plate right here because you have like your pepper prawns and then you have some pancakes, some like IHOP pancakes. I would say, I think the spot is pretty good. And I think why it's on the list is because it's indicative of the 626 being- The way it's changing, right? That it's Taiwanese, like American, but it's done well. I would say it is also kind of pricey. You can easily rack up, like these are like- It could be $70 a person for like- They kind of got like LA brunch prices here. So on Main Street, Alhambra. So I would say it's a little pricey for Alhambra, but overall the quality is there. Yeah, for sure. I think, shout out to them for like just having more of that thinking. I know Summer Rolls has a little bit of that like West LA thinking, bringing it to the San Gabriel Valley. Now, Andrew, interestingly enough, some people have mixed feelings about it, but my whole thing is like inclusion to like multiple tiers of Asian food or Chinese food is better. Because it's like, you can't be offended by the presence of this hipster spot. Just don't go there if you're more like keeping it with Dean Sin World and all these like old school spots. Exactly. Next up, we got Kogane. Wow. This is sort of in the same vein as Yang's Kitchen in the sense that this is something from the West side. $200, $300, $100 omakase, but coming to the Enclave Zone. And I think that goes to show you how much people are starting to perceive the 626 as a place that has a market for everything. You know what I mean? $300 omakase. Well, I'll tell you this, guys. You know, we do know the 626 is of the Asians, primarily Chinese. But Chinese people love all types of Asian food. Very, very, very pan-Asian in terms of food consumption. They love Korean food, and they love Vietnamese food, and they love Thai food even. Chinese people eat all types of food, actually, I would say overall. So obviously, David, what do you think about these high-end omakases? I mean, obviously, we haven't been here because this is fairly new and also fairly expensive. So I'm going to go back. Next time we go back, I'm going to go. You know what's surprising? Every time I see new sushi spots open up, I'm like, yo, how much uni and fish are people eating out there? Yeah, well, I do think the world's resources for tuna uni are, I would imagine, are being depleted. Yeah, I mean, they're having to farm raise a lot of this stuff, obviously. But I'm like, yo, how much uni is on everything nowadays? Anyways, guys, I think it's always cool to see, like we said, just like Yang's Kitchen, whether that's specifically for you or not. I love to see it within like, you know, a five-minute drive, 10-minute drive of where you live. David, our first non-Asian spot on the list is Claro's Italian Market. This is said to be an essential spot you got to go to when you're visiting the 626. Is this a token non-Asian spot or is it legit? All right, yes and no. I think that Claro's Italian Market, you absolutely have to go there because you're just like, whoa, why is there like a little Italy inside of like Chinatown? It's almost just like New York, how like there's a little Italy. And Andrew, a lot of the workers at Claro's are actually Albanian, but they do speak Italian. So, you know, you just wouldn't expect to see it. But I know that San Gabriel Valley, I believe 50 years ago, Andrew, used to be quite Italian. Well, Albanian that speaks Italian, David, that's actually a lot of the people who work in New York's little Italy right now. And I will say this, Chinese people do like Italian food. That is definitely a food that Asians like. Yeah, and is it because Italian food with Marco Polo has a lot of Asian influence? Obviously, that is scientifically not confirmed, but it is a theory. I would say in terms of Western food, outside of like burgers like McDonald's, Italian food is the number one Western food, excepted in Asia. That's from what I have seen. And this is traveling all around Asia. Um, Andrew, I actually prefer Palsiano sandwiches, though. Wow. Palsiano is a little bit more, you know, it's Italian American, that's Italian Italian. But Palsiano to me is even better tasting. But Claro's is certainly an experience when you go there. All right, next up, we got Shanxi Garden. David, this spot, oh my goodness. Yeah, man. It's good. This is like more higher end Xi'an food. Not focusing on the express concepts. This is like food food. Man, this is like. Yo, Andrew, say it. Say something that you want to say about the Roja Mua. Okay, first of all, I'm going to tell you this right now. You see how white this, uh, this, this manto is? The Mua. Oh, the Mua is. I think that's too white. I think it's too white. It's got to be a little bit more clear and have a little grayish color. That's when you know it's more tasty. I think they need to put more peppers in it. I do like the feeling that Shanxi Garden does for their Roja Mua, but I wish the Mua was, was different and more flaky. You know what I've noticed, Andrew? And it's not just like Xi'an famous foods here in New York, and it's not just like Roja Mua spots. But man, Andrew, food from Xi'an is just blowing up across America. They got this whole chain, Dunhuang. Dunhuang, obviously it's more from Lanzhou, but anything just basically what I'm saying is Silk Road type foods is just bananas. I mean, guys, I don't know how you can look at this picture right here and not feel like you want to eat it. What do you think it is, Andrew, about the mixture of like, you know, interesting, almost Middle Eastern influences along the Silk Road, whether we're talking about Xi'an, whether we're talking about Lanzhou, Gansu? Well, I can see why a lot of people say that these restaurants are some of their favorite because you have a mixture of everything. You kind of have the East, super Eastern Asian, like soy sauce, braises, oyster sauce flavor. You still have some of that there, which is generally known as like, you know, Shanghainese, Cantonese. Coastal. Just everything that's coastal, yeah, on China, right? But then you have the Western side that comes from the dry lands, comes from the spice lands, comes from the Western part of China, right? The Middle Eastern, the little cumin, the little more jalapeno peppers. Yeah, I mean, honestly, like, yeah, I mean, I can see why people love this food. It's great. Yeah, and I think that it has like a very wide appeal, like you said, to like a lot of people who were born with a lot of different taste buds from different cultures. By the way, I will try Biangbiang noodles everywhere I go because I think having that mixture, I love it because guess what, David? I'm also a mixologist. I would take two dishes and maybe mix them together. So that's why I like Biangbiang. Maybe I'm a Biangbiang guy. Yeah, Shaanxi garden, man. I'm really bullish on this style of food, you know, just blowing up more. Oh, next spot, man, from Chengdu Taste. Guys, we got mian. This is actually kind of like a little chain that's going around that's opening up different locations. I think they have some in the city of LA now. Oh, mian is owned by Chengdu Taste. Yeah. So clearly these people know how to mainstreamize like Sichuan flavors from Chengdu, Sichuan. I would say for a casual spot, it's good. I don't, I mean, overall, it's pretty good. Like honestly, this steamed egg is one of my favorite things to eat there, honestly. And overall, it's great for a casual like date or lunch. What do you think about this versus more mom and pop spots like Noodle Harmony in Monterey Park? I know that mian though, Andrew, they got it in Las Vegas. There's people partying at the Venetian and then getting mian now. Like, what do you think? They're the first people to figure out how to have 20 of them and look modern and ancient at the same time around America. I mean, aesthetic, service, kind of the crowd. Obviously, I think it's super more accessible for non-ancients. I know ABGs who go to mian. Yeah. ABGs. Yeah. You would not think the ABGs are going to Noodle Harmony, Noodle Art. If you guys know Instagrammer and actress Kirsten Leigh, that was the first time I met her. I bumped into her here at a mian. So everybody goes there. Shout out to Kirsten. Next spot on the list, Medan Kitchen. Wow. This is a brand new Indonesian spot. David, we actually have not been here, but I have a lot of opinions on Indo food. I love Indonesian food. I think there's so many different sectors of it. It looks like for me, she's cooking like real Indo food, even though I believe the chef is Indo-Chinese. You know, Wong's Java House is pretty good in Alhambra as well for Indo-Indo food. But then I have a pick, Andrew. Borneo Kalimantan, which is Chindo food, like Chinese-Indonesian food. That is super, super good too. There's also some Bali-type spots. I mean, the Chinese diaspora is pretty big, but I like it when they cook native Indonesian food. I really like it. Oh my gosh. They got beef rendang and the fried chicken. Moving on to our next spot, guys. We have 101 Noodle Express. This is also another chain with multiple locations. I think some people would say over the years the quality has gone down, but it's still a staple and still very indicative of the 626. Andrew, this place, I gotta, what do you think of like how it became less Shandong over the years though? Andrew, because they used to have Tezhou chicken, Shandong chicken. They used to have all these like deep cut, you know, you gotta be from like Qingdao area. Again, I think 101 Noodle Express is a great gateway for a lot of like non-Chinese or non-Asians that are trying to get into this type of food, that are trying to get away from like, you know, you're a Cantonese fare. I think this is a great place to start. And I do think the beef roll, the nyirou jianbing, which is one of my favorite dishes of all time, is very, very solid here. I like how the chungyou bing is not too thick. It's not too much to chew. So that's why I think they do a good job. And that's why it's still popular. Tell people about the history of the nyirou jianbing, because a lot of people don't know, unless you're from, you know, have roots in Shandong. People in Shandong, Andrew, they just take a da chung, da lu chung. They just take a big ass piece of like green onion and they just wrap it up in a, like a chungyou bing pancake and just eat that. Yeah. Without the beef, without the huixin, without the tianmian jiang. Yeah, that's what the- That is the root. And obviously in America, it became like, to be honest, it's probably like way more accessible to eat than nyirou jianbing. Yeah, I do think the beef roll was something that got really developed in America. But last dish I would try here is this cold chicken right here. Mom used to make that growing up. That's true. Hey, that's Shandong. I will say this, Yu Kitchen next door is really good. And the owner, auntie is from Dalian. Dalian is like a kind of a sister city to like, you know, coastal Shandong too. So check out Yu Kitchen, guys. We've made a whole video there. And actually Yu Kitchen is in the same plaza. So just go a few doors down. All right, chundu taste, of course, I think going back to it, whoever's got Tony Hsu, man, from chundu taste, smart guy, knows everything. This is one of their favorite, their top dishes is the lamb with the toothpicks inside. And chundu taste is famous. I know I've heard a lot of like Hollywood celebrities- Jonah Hill. That come to chundu taste. And, you know, not to say like Jonah Hill, like, you know, is an expert in Chinese food, but by all means, this spot is popular. Dude, a lot of, honestly, like Jewish Americans are Chinese foodies. Oh yeah. That's like a disproportionate amount. That is definitely an observation. I would say that hibiscus tree is also good. Hibiscus tree is not going to get the celebrity crowd, but there's a lot of good Sichuan spots. But in terms of like overall experience, having servers that can speak English, deliver even a half American style, like tier of customer service. These play into like when people pick essential restaurants, right? Andrew, it's not just about the flavor of dish to dish. No, I mean, I would just say the way that they do business is great. And shout out to chundu taste. It is one of the staples of the 626. Moving on, we got Sichuan Impression. Also has multiple locations. It does have one out in West side. We went there with John Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians. John Chu, the director, we ate there with him. It's pretty good too. I mean, again, it's gonna offer some of the same dishes as chundu taste, but these, this lamb rack. Oh man, this lamb rack. I got to tell you this, man. I think that a lot of people need to really check out Chinese lamb and the way that the Asians do it, especially the ones out in the Western part of China and the Sichuan lamb. That stuff's delicious. I would say an alternative that's gonna have less of the celebs here is the Shang La Hui on Main Street. So that's like your deeper cut spot if you don't want to wait. Moving on, Andrew, we've got Babita Mexican Cuisine. I got to say, I actually have not been here yet, but they do like, this is almost like a mom and pop. They run like advanced, like Mexican cuisine. Yeah, no, I mean, it definitely, I would say, I've looked at pictures of restaurants in like Mexico City and like- Tulum. Tulum, like this kind of looks like it. So I think that- I'm going, I'm going next time we're going back. I will say this though. I really do like Spanglish Kitchen. So Spanglish Kitchen is in Alhambra and it was opened up by second generation Mexican Americans to like, sort of like mainstreamize the flavors without compromising on the flavor. So I got to give a shout out to Spanglish Kitchen. Oh yeah, guys. One little note of history. The Caesar salad was actually invented in Tijuana at a Mexican resort hotel. Wow. Anyways, just thought I'd throw that in there. A huge tree pastry. Yes, yes, yes. This is a go-to. We filmed a commercial here. Yes, we filmed a lot of videos here. It's loved by many, many people. The font one is top tier, aka these sticky rice rolls, the guys, if you've ever had them. The way they cook their eggs at Huge Tree Pastry for the Taiwan zhaofan is just really, really, really, really good. Their font ones are good. The ratio between the meat, the rice and the things and the youtiao are fresh and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Everything at Huge Tree Pastry is really good. I would say for a more corporate chain version, Yimei is not bad. Yimei is very good as well. But Huge Tree Pastry, shout out to their whole family, man, because they've just been running that. The breakfast xiaolongbaos are interesting too, because they give you the bai cu, the white vinegar. Specifically, that's only for breakfast xiaolongbaos, which are smaller, less juice. David, one of our favorite dim sum restaurants, elite restaurant, in my opinion. Now, I don't know if the quality has changed since the last time I went. It's still my favorite dim sum spot in the 66 and that chashu bao, the miniature one, super soft, glazed with a little bit of honey on top. It's top tier. People would always compare elite with Sea Harbor in Rosemead. Generally, yeah. I would say elite is better than it. But like I said, for me in 2022, Andrew, this is just my opinion, not your opinion. You want the new dim sum. I want the new stuff, man. David. Give me the truffle. Give me the mayo. Give me the aiolis. I'm not saying you throw it on everything, but just give me as an option aside, give me a gerngchong dip. I know gerngchong only goes with gerngchong gai. Give me the gerngchong aioli. Just give me something new. I mean, David, come on. The spot is called elite. They got to be elite. Yeah. You cannot be elite. I just think that Chinese food needs like, you just need the options to be more modern and not only with the old ways. Oh, you want the new dim sum. I want the new. Travel with your crew dim sum. I don't know. You want the bao's that are blue dim sum. Wow. Yeah. Just give me some gold leaf. Just a little bit of gold leaf. Yeah, okay, okay. Well, you and your maybe, are you more of a dim sum traditionalist? I don't want to say I'm locked in. I always try the new stuff, but I think elite does the traditional stuff. I don't think that they should change. I think other new spots can change. Okay. Yeah, because you have to have the personnel to even be able to make the new stuff. Okay, David, you want a little bit, a spoonful of truffle on top of your siu mai? That's what you need? Okay. Yeah, go to Chef Tommy. Man, that's how I feel, man. All right, next spot. Delicious food corner. David, this is a, what would you call it? This is a tan tan tang? It is. It is, but it's almost like a mixture between a tan tan tang and more of a traditional canto spot. It's like a hybrid. I mean, I would say delicious food corner on a good day, and I've been there on a mediocre day, and it was okay. But if you get the right dishes, this spot is good. And this is very indicative of the 626 because it's focused on Hong Kong food, right? You have your chicken wings. You have your salt and pepper. You got this pork and rice dish that's actually really good. It's kind of sweet. It has a little nori on top. And yeah, I mean, overall, guys, I mean, this is feeding all the Cantonese people. Yeah, yeah. Very, very, very, very solid. I see why it's on the list because it gives you a good experience. Big windows, natural lighting, etc. Do you think that this is the best tan tan tang like in the 626? I actually like Alice's Kitchen, but Alice's Kitchen is way harder to get to, and it's just not like the same. You know what I mean? Like, you know, there's other old school traditional spots. You know what's another canto spot? I think it's not a tan tan tang, but I love is Hokie. Hokie is more focused on seafood. Yeah, but that's a really good canto spot. Hokie is, man, the Hokie empire is delicious. They're like pretty much batting 10 for 10. The Hokie noodle cart spot is OK. The chance, I mean, is not that good. But I would say that, man, HK Cafe is like a really good old school, old school one. This is more new school. All right. So that's the end of the list, David. Overall, Andrew, what did you think of, you know, these people were not from the San Gabriel Valley, but they were food writers. They do their research. What do you think of their essentials list for San Gabriel Valley? I think if you make it the essentials and how I read the title was essentials, not necessarily the absolute best restaurants, but the essential restaurants that define the 626. I don't disagree. Yeah, I don't disagree. Like if you if you're like, yo, I can only go to 20 restaurants and you're like, I just want to get to know the 626. I think these are fine. It's missing some other types of Chinese food. Like it had no Dongbei dishes like northeastern Chinese food dishes. Shenyang restaurant is amazing, right? We know that. But yeah, I do think there was a few things missing, but overall hitting the essentials. I get it. It was cool. Yeah. Moving on, though, Andrew, what did they leave off the list? This is what people come here for, because, you know, you spend so many calories eating at these spots. You've got to release the expertise to the people. Obviously, Huito Shang. Huito Shang, Andrew, are pork huitos, which are like, it's very difficult to describe. It came, I think, from, I want to say almost like it's like an ethnic minority food from the north. And man, the pork huitos are really, really, really good there. They got beef ones, too. Hokie, like we said, very delicious. I would say definitely check it out. You got Dolan's Uyghur cuisine. This spot's really good as well. And I'm glad to see it around. Yeah, I like Omar's in a way, some of the dishes at Omar, Xinjiang better. But Dolan's, it's got like, it's brighter, you know, it's just a whole different experience. Obviously makes it more accessible for your crowd of people who really like things to feel I guess very modern and accessible. Oh, Alice's Kitchen, man. I do think that this is probably better than Delicious Food Corner. So you guys got to check it out if you guys are into this type of food. Yeah, I think a lot of times it's like, what do you live by? You know, for some people, it's like the extra 20 minute drive to get something that's like one point better is not worth it. This was left off the list. This was literally needed to be on the list. And I do want to say that if you don't have Savoy Kitchen on one of your Essential 626 lists, yeah, you made an error. Yeah, but I definitely think, you know, maybe because people are thinking, oh, I didn't make the drive out to try like an $8, $9 spot. You know what I mean? Like maybe people are thinking, but yeah, obviously, especially if you live in the 626, there's no better place to get a cheap, delicious lunch with a good outdoor seating vibe than Savoy. They do their own style. It's their own take of Singaporean style. But I would say Savoy style is almost like just his own genre at this point. Oh, David, this is a new one that we went to recently. Chow Wei Ju. This is a Chiu Chow spot. Right, but a Chiu Chow, Chiu Chow spot. Yeah, from Chow Chow, not necessarily like of the Chinese diaspora, which there's nothing wrong with because that food is delicious. And this is a chain from Chow Chow. And I think it's really interesting because you get to see the root dish of a lot of Chiu Chow Southeast Asian dishes, but you get to see how like it stayed the same in Chow Chow, Shantou specifically. And Chiu Chow people are credited for making sacha jiang, by the way. Um, here we go. We got Borneo Kalimantan. You mentioned this earlier in the video. Let's just show them some pics. Oh, man, I'm telling you guys, I think that this deserves to be on the list for the best Indo food in America. And obviously like Indonesia is huge. There's a lot of different languages and a lot of different like food identities in Indonesia. But man, I'm telling you, this one's really, really good. Man, Lou's Garden, one of my mom's favorite places. And actually, I love this spot too. However, it can actually surprisingly get expensive when you order a bunch of these side dishes. Guys, this is a congee spot where you get congee and you get all these side dishes and then you eat it with the congee. It is delicious. Delicious. Yo, that's like, you know how dad said Bistro Naz was his favorite? Mom said that Lou's Garden is where- Well, you know, our mom and dad are different people. Uh, Yu's Kitchen. Yes, like we said, guys, this is in the same plaza as 101 Noodle Express. And I would say, you know, these Dalian dumplings, they have some Dongbei influence. They got some Shandong influence. I would say the Da Zui Bing right there. Go back to the Da Zui Bing. The big mouth pockets. This is something, man, you got to try at Yu Kitchen. And you got to try the fish dumplings. The fish dumplings. Oh my gosh. These dumplings right here. Baoyu Jiaozi. Baoyu Jiaozi is very typical of the Dalian, you know, Yantai, Qingdao region. Very, very good. So good. Uh, Boston Lobster. As we mentioned, this is an alternative for Newport Tang. Guys, the vibe may not be the same. It looks like they redid it on the inside. Let me see. Oh, they remodeled. Yeah, they had to. They had to. The parking lot is a little bit, you know, it could be a little cramped. But yes, every parking lot in the 626 is unideal. David, for Korean food, which we didn't talk about, Arirang Tofu House. Andrew, I am tired. And I'm not saying that everybody does. I actually think the 626 has better Korean food than people give it credit for. I believe the owners of Arirang are Chinese Koreans. Or they're Koreans from China or Chinese from Koreans. I just know they speak Chinese and they speak Korean. I think they're from Yanbian. Um, Andrew, I got to give a shout out to Sunungdang, Yukdaejang, Gamjatap, Myeongajenguk. You know, I mean, I just think there's a lot of like chains from Koreatown and Korean areas that are in the 626 now. But Arirang is like, that's like one of the best soondubu houses I've ever been to. Oh, Ben 10 Ramen for ramen. David, we didn't talk about ramen yet. You know, we had ramen, but no ramen. Ben 10 is underrated. It's in the same plaza as Ballpoint Mall 4. Yeah, because a lot of people think, Andrew, that ramen in the 626 is not going to be very good. However, Ben 10 was opened up by people from Japan. If I remember correctly- Yo, I'm going to be honest, guys. Can I be honest? This Sukumen is not to be overlooked. It is not to be overlooked. I've had great Sukumen in New York City, and I will tell you this, this Ben 10 one is pretty damn solid. It's very, very competitive with even some of the best Sukumens from chains from Japan. Yes. All right. Tsujida Ramen, obviously, over in the west side is better. But this, as far as this particular one, definitely try it. Kangkang Food Court, guys, this is obviously a to-go spot. This is a classic, also known as Xiaomei in different parts of the 626. But I think that the- Oh, my gosh. The Shengjianbao. Shengjianbao. You got to try this. I know that David Chang is a huge Kangkang Food Court guy. Yep. I think this is a great way for people who want something divy. You know, I know that different people want to engage with Asian food exploration in different ways. Some people want it really cheap so they can try a bunch of things, right? Some people only want divy atmosphere. Some people want fast, casual feeling atmospheres. Some people only want elevated, you know, expensive foodie looking things. Oh, my gosh. Guys, I wouldn't say Kangkang is a spot that, if you're a tourist, you're going to drive all the way out there to get. But if you live in the 626, you know. I would kind of compare it to, in some ways, Banh Mi Che Cali, which is a really cheap Vietnamese chain, which is really good as well. Oh, my gosh. We're still going, guys. We're almost 40 minutes into this video, but let's keep it moving. And we're in the AZN section. These are spots where you can find a souped up JDM whip or a souped up BMW. You can find ABGs. You're talking about pepper lunch. David, you know why? Because a lot of these spots, they're very appealing. But I have to be honest. Pepper lunch, it's OK. Like, it's cool, but it's not, like, the greatest, in my opinion. That is how I feel about it. Yeah, it's a fast food chain from Japan. And a lot of, like, sort of cheap, fun fast food chains from Japan, whether that's, like, a Genki Sushi or something like that, Kai Ten, they're popular in the 626. All right, guys. Next up, classic. You know what it is. JJ's Hong Kong Cafe. You know, I would say this. They got the Smelt Roll Fried Rice. This place is, like, very, very classic. You know, JDM meetups, just all types of debauchery going on after the club. People potentially throwing up in the bathroom. I don't know if it's still like that anymore. But, like, man, still just very emblematic of the 626. Is it the best food? No. But is it bad at all? No, definitely not. Is it open late? And is it there when you need it? Is it reliable? Then, yes. I think it's been popping for, like, 25 years. Oh, another overlooked spot is Big Catch Seafood, David. Contrary to what people may believe, they actually have a ton of Chinese dishes. They got a lot of Cantonese and Shanghainese dishes. Yeah. I mean, I think that this is also sort of, like, people that started concepts on the West Side coming in and trying to adapt to the local demographics, but still maintaining some of the West Side fanciness and elevation and, you know, presentation and customer service. So, you know, always interesting. Like we said, we're still in the AZN spots. Andrew, what's the next AZN spot? Happy hour there at Big Catch is good. Here we have Seven Leaves Cafe. This is a boba shop. We're not talking about too much of boba and drinks in this video, but Seven Leaves is an OC chain, and it's got a lot of cool drinks. It's Vietnamese owned. And they do a pandan boba, mung bean boba. You know, certain things that obviously, like, a Chinese boba shop doesn't have. Another classic is Boiling Point. Surprisingly, the reviews are... I don't know what happened to the reviews. Three out of five. Yeah. I think it's because they kept raising their prices, to be honest, too. Andrew, you thought that little slice of cheddar on top of the solo pots was going to save them. Um, yeah. I mean, I think a lot of people do this style now, but for some reason, I think people have fallen out of love with it. Now, there's more like mala xiang guo, mala, you know, kang guo and mala tangs and stuff like that. I just think that, you know, at one point, this was like the apex of personal hot pot. And do you still feel like it is, Andrew? It's still really good. Like, honestly, like, every time I come here, I will say, hey, like, this is still ranks in the top, top tier of this particular style of hot pot. But yeah, I mean, hey, there's a lot of other great food out there now, too. I think I remember when it was like 16, and now it's like 25. Real quick bit on Banh Mi Chai Ca Li. It's a great lunch spot for Vietnamese food. Very cheap. Has a ton of different dishes. And they do make fresh, fresh banh cuon. Their banh cuon is... It's freshly... For the price, you cannot find better banh cuon until I'm sure you get to a Vietnamese enclave like the O.C. San Jose, Houston. I seen the lady steaming the banh cuon, the rice rolls. Literally, it's solid. Anyways, guys, moving on towards the end of our list. Yoma Myanmar for Burmese food. I'm glad to see it's still open. It's been open for years and it's going to continue. The tea leaf salad is amazing. Decades. If you have not had Burmese food at all, please come here and try it. You got to get the tea leaf salad. My last pick is actually Veggie Paradise because I like vegetarian Chinese food. This is one of the best spots for those families who are Buddhist or just want to eat some more vegetarian food. Like, to be honest, this spot is good. Yeah. Delicious. Very, very good vegetarian food. And the interesting thing about Chinese vegetarian food is they try to imitate meat. Whereas, like, even depending on, like, where you are in veganism, that's even, like, could be semi-controversial. Andrew, I got to get into a few spots that we don't have the Yelp up for that we're going to pop up. Summer Rolls. Shout out to Tony. I mean, he's doing his thing, man. It's, like, elevated. Summer Rolls is one of those spots that I feel like a lot of, like, even non-Asian celebrities like to go to, you know? Yeah. Or, like, you know, well-known. When I say celebrity, I don't mean... Yeah, I feel like it's elevated, but also, Andrew, there's some ABGs there. Moving on, Andrew. Tao's Kitchen. Qingdao kou shui ji. Tao's Kitchen. I love it. This is a 10 out of 10 for me. Yeah. They mixed it with some California lime. Look it up, guys. With the Qingdao kou shui ji. Look it up, please. Chongqing Yao Mei in Pasadena. Probably the best Chongqing hotpot spot I've ever been to in my entire life. Yo, last time I was there, she had, like, a little corner where she was growing her own mushrooms. On a log. And then she came over, brought the log over to your table, and then cut the mushrooms off the log. I've never had such fresh mushrooms in my life. Dan Dan's Guilin rice noodles. This was a Guilin rice noodle chain, and I think they all split up because the ownership had beef with each other. But they have an ultimate noodle with bacon, Andrew, that is not traditional. I'm not the biggest fan of traditional Guilin mifen. It tastes very medicinal to me. I'm telling you, this ultimate noodle with the bacon, Andrew, something that... It's a 10 out of 10. Oh, Ipoh Kopitiam. Probably the best Malaysian Penang-style spot in 626. Yo, that one's really popping, guys. We're just gonna end it there. Honestly, I think that we could keep going for another hour about food in the 626. This video already went on way too long, I'm not gonna lie. And if you guys are still watching, well, now you got to know the 626 food pretty well. No cuts, guys. We just had it off the top of the head. Yeah. Thank you so much for watching, guys. Let us know what your favorite spots are, if we missed any. Hopefully, this can be kind of like a guide for you in the 626, because, you know, we always go back. Whenever we hang out, we go see Nelson, Nelson Chan, aka Hoopin' Life, and then we go eat food. We're in and out of the 626 all year round. So anyways, we keep up with what's going on over there. But thank you so much for watching, guys. That is your guide to the St. Gabriel Valley. Oh, and I gotta give a shout out to Christy Heng, David Chang, Sinosoul, the other food bloggers local to the 626. Yeah, they do good stuff if you follow them on Twitter. Until next time, guys, let us know what you thought of our evaluation of Eater's Evaluation. I'm sure there was some stuff that we left out. Whether you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. Hop Hop Boys, that was our review of 22 essential 626 restaurants, along with our additions. Until next time, we out. Peace.