Stopped in on a whim and was pleasantly surprised!!! We actually came back two days later because we were craving it again :-) Does the trick when you're craving authentic-ish Chinese food on the West side, and the location is really pretty and spacious! There are heating lamps outside and the decor is bright and flowery :-) Over our two (day apart hehe) visits, the standouts were: -seaweed eggdrop soup -lobster dumpling -Lo mai gai -stir fry veggies -scallion fish fillet!! The vegetarian mapo tofu was ok- it was kinda overwhelmingly spicy with not much additional flavor. Also the e-fu noodles' consistency was a bit off. Overall, delicious and delightful dinner spot! Will definitely be back soon :) read more

Fifty One - Cute panda chopstick holders!! - Chinese Near Me - Culver City, California

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Late review for a visit at the beginning of the year. Couldn't get over it, since every time passing the place, it reminds me the bad experience. Service - negative, our 1st waiter started showing impatience face when we asked for hot water. And he INTENTIONALLY THREW our first dish on the table then quickly walked away. We were shocked and took us a couple minutes to reflect what's going on and why. This waiter never came back to our area, we were served by another waiter for the rest of time, whose service is standard. Food- 3, Chinese food made for American taste. Ambience- 3, nice decoration, but it was cold when we were there, seems no heater in a rainy day in Jan. read more

Like another review mentioned, the dim sum here won't blow you away but if you find yourself craving dim sum and don't want to drive to the SGV, this place can suffice. The ambiance inside is really pretty and it's located in downtown Culver City which is a cute area. Here are the items we got: Lobster Dumpling: 2/5 would skip. Not great but not the worst thing I've ever eaten. They are pretty big though and the syringe is kind of fun Ha Gao: 3/5 my favorite dim sum dish! It was ok. It's shaped like a rabbit which is cute but kind of disturbing to eat. The skin is really thick. Siu Mai: 3/5 we got the sampler and none of them were really memorable. I think it's kind of weird that the siu mai doesn't come with shrimp already? Every dim sum place I've eaten in the SGV has shrimp and pork. Here they just make it cost extra if you want shrimp. Wasabi Shrimp: 5/5 this was my favorite out of everything we ate. Good flavor and it tasted like a wasabi version of honey walnut shrimp. Sticky rice with lotus leaf: 3/5 not memorable but not bad I came on a Sunday so the dim sum was half price. I can't imagine paying full price for what it is. Even half price is still kind of pricey but given it's West LA it's not horrible. Would not recommend coming here and paying full price. read more

Fifty One - Chinese Near Me - Culver City, California

while the presentation of the food was very nice, i dont think the taste matched it. this is the blandest dim sum ive ever had and the efu "longivity" noodles were way too oily. maybe its supposed to be healthy idk but dim sum was not summing. at least it was 50% on sundays and its pretty inside. also the server was very nice and attentive read more

First i'd like to say that this was our first time coming here. Second we had a party of 20 for a Birthday Celebration. The table was set perfectly and the interior is beautiful. The waiter did NOT go around the table asking for drink orders, we had to request it. Maybe everyone orders water and nothing else but we are not those people. The food is absolutely delicious. We ordered several entrees family style along with many appetizers. It seemed to me that they were not well versed and perhaps understaffed in having large parties. This is a very well located area of Culver City and it has huge potential. Rarely did anyone come back to check on us and we would have kept ordering had they returned. AGAIN, Food was amazing but service could have been better. Not giving up on you guys just yet as i've worked in the service industry myself and understand it's challenges. Bravo for the great food! read more

I was super excited to find a Sichuan restaurant on the West side. I decided to take my work team here to try new kinds of foods (none of them are Asians). We walked into the restaurant and were greeted by a super friendly manager. We ordered about 6-7 dishes. In general, the food here is not authentic Chinese food. It is created for the Western palate. Free appetizers of roasted peanuts drenched in soy sauce. Not a fan, but my Caucasian colleagues liked it. Best dish was the house fried rice. Typical Chinese fried rice made with seafood and chicken. Seafood curry was uneventful. Bland curry flavors, made with seafood and veggies. House noodles with Uni / Sea Urchin. Avoid this dish. Tasted like bland chow mein noodles with a splash of soy sauce. Uni did nothin for the dish. Soft shelled crab - was okay. Didn't have much of a Chinese influence in taste. Fish Hot Pot - one of the classic Sichuan dishes. Nice ingredients, but the dish tasted nothing like how it is classically made. This dish is adapted to the Western palate. Fried Fish appetizer - one of the better dishes we ordered. Battered and fried white fish. Salt and peppered. Dry Hot pot - uneventful. A bunch of veggies wok-fried. Soy Sauce Duck - the worst dish of the meal. First, I asked the waitress if this duck was baked the authentic ways. She said yes. This dish was refrigerator cold and inedible. It tasted like it was pulled out of the fridge, cut, then served. Avoid this dish. Not a fan of this place. Not one Chinese (or Asian) employee in sight, which confirms that this restaurant caters to the Western. Good if you are looking for an upgraded Panda Express. Not good if you are looking for an authentic Sichan experience. read more

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Parents were in town and, craving Chinese, picked this spot. We'll start with how they're notoriously high maintenance so kudos first to the staff who were all kind and accommodating (not to mention surprisingly young/diverse/attractive,) especially given we had 2 kids in tow. Final verdict? Good for Chinese-fusion-esque sort of cuisine. And the prices really are pretty reasonable. It's also really inside, a little oasis of sorts. It's in the heart of downtown Culver City; not sure how I've missed it right next to Rush Street all this time but all in all, I was satisfied. We tried multiple dishes on the menu. Dim Sum was actually tasty, and are available for dinner: prepare for large versions of Har Gow (shrimp dumplings) and Shumai (your choice of chicken or pork), and the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) were actually decent. Some interesting renditions of some dishes: Orange Chicken is served 'deconstructed' - fried slices of chicken (like chicken katsu) with the orange dip on the side. Chicken soup served with chicken on the bone on the side. The sauteed shrimp in tea leaves was one of my favorites. Even the desserts were good - sesame balls were authentic, fried coconut eggroll was warm, crispy, and hit the spot. For just over $200 we fed 5 adults and 2 kids and had plenty of leftovers. Only gripes? 1) They explicitly state on the menu (even the one published online) that they give 10% off your bill if you leave a 5 star review on yelp or google. Not a fan of high ratings solicitors. 2) The charge for tea was high for what it was. $6 a pot and not like you had a choice of what kind of tea. Because we thought we were making a generic ask like in authentic Chinese restaurants, we thought it was complimentary - oops. read more

Came in on the eve of Chinese New Year and luckily we had made a reservation because this place was super busy. I was worried about the crowd and getting service but that was not an issue here! Parking- street parking only. But there are lots near by. Service- very busy given the holiday but the people who helped us were friendly and super courteous. We needed to waive them down a few times since there was no dedicated server for our table but not a problem at all getting attended to as they were quick to help out! Food- highly recommend the lobster tail with noodles and the honey walnut shrimp! Probably our favorite dish here!! We also tried the Japanese spare ribs and white fish which were also good. String beans were spicy but amazing. I would pass on ordering friend rice since this was basic. Dessert was the sesame pancake which was perfect to share among a table of 5-6! Overall, would recommend this place and definitely will be back. read more

Fifty One - My entire table loved these cute chopstick holders!! - Chinese Near Me - Culver City, California

Came to Fifty One on a regular Sunday and have done this before. As usual it was great at first. However, we waited nearly an hour for our food and every time we asked for them to check on our food the guy with the beard rudely told us it's being worked on. We decided to cancel the rest of our order and didn't even get an apology for the long wait and rude service! Food may be good and prices may be good but DO NOT RECOMMEND! It's NOT worth it at all. read more

Restaurant has been highly touted locally and we couldn't wait to try it. It wasn't busy but we waited, waited, waited to be seated, eventually...more than 15 minutes with no one even coming to seat our group...no one seemed to be in charge of the front of the house, staff seemed to be in a state of chaos, and I really didn't want to eat there,but our friends insisted we stay. Finally got a table and had to beg for service. Friends all ordered seafood dishes, I'm allergic so I ordered brown rice, which came out long after every other dish, and mapo tofu which was incredibly boring. No flavor in the sauce. I can't comment on the other dishes. The place was loud, sound seemed to bounce off hard edges. I could tell staff was working hard, but was it an off night or is it that way all the time? Not sure I need to go back to try again? read more

Has to be a top 3 dim sum spot. Most beautiful modern interior with florals and bamboo vibes read more

Fifty One - Lobster Dumpling - Chinese Near Me - Culver City, California

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I've only been here for dine LA- but the previous time I only did takeout. The portions are very generous for the price. I had a group of 4 and we had enough food for leftovers! We had to ask for some of the dishes to not be spicy which they were happy to accommodate. Our favorites were the walnut shrimp, the lettuce wraps and the kung pao chicken dishes. read more

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Great vegan selection!!!! I came here with a large group and wasn't sure I would find anything to eat. But I was pleasantly surprised at how many options they had available. Food was great. Came out quickly. The restaurant is quite large. Good for large groups and families. read more

51 Chinese kitchen Maggie was incredible and had the best sense of humor along with great customer service.. Some of the best hot and sour soup I have ever eaten in my entire life. I WOULD go back and order all of this again. Tsingtao (beer) Hot Tea Pot Pork Xiu Mai Pork Xiu Mai/Shrimp Chicken Popstickers Steamed Dumplings Lobster Dumplings... read more

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Simply the best of this type of Asian cuisine in West LA. Can't get enough of this place - and the team is so attentive and polite - talk about service !!!! read more

The first time we tried this restaurant, we disliked the food so much that it was years before we tried it again (and then only with a Dine LA special). Since then, we've eaten there several times, so I can say with confidence in this updated review that the first time was either "new restaurant screwups" or just an off night. Except for that very first time, the food has been uniformly excellent and the service has been good. Fifty One is now one of our go-to restaurants (especially during Dine LA, when they offer a fabulous special and are one of the few restaurants that allow you to take the food to go). read more

My daughter invites me to dim sum. I came to beautiful Chinese Restaurant with very nice decor.Drinking water was cold and fresh. My daughter ordered a lot of food and everything was delicious! If u like dim sum u should definitely go Fifty One in Culver City. read more

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I heard about Fifty One in Yelp's monthly e-mail flyer as it was named one of the top new restaurants to try in Culver City. For personal reasons, I wasn't able to try it out immediately, but I finally made it here for the first time and I can honestly say that there's finally a chinese spot that knows how to pair ingredients well and create dishes catered to patrons that love garlic, ginger, chilies, and other Chinese flavors. The food here is amazingly delicious! I ordered the Sichuan Chicken and I was surprised to bite into chunks of ginger, whole dried chilies, and scallions. It might bother some people but I personally love those textures. The sauce was very unique--spicy but not too spicy. Something I haven't tried before. It was just an explosion of flavors. I loved it! I also ordered Kung Pao Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice. Kung Pao was very simple and the flavors in the sauce were well balanced. Not too sweet, not too savory, and a touch of chinese spice. I love that there are only chicken, red bell peppers, and peanuts in this dish. I hate when an entrée is over crowded with fillers. Trust me, you are safe (unless you have peanut allergies) with ordering this dish if you don't know what to order. Their Veggie Fried Rice is so good! I thought I'd miss having protein mingled in but I really didn't miss it at all. I loved the fact it was lite and fluffy. Fried rice can get too heavy due to the type of rice you use. This was made with Calrose rice, which tends to be way less starchy and the grains doesn't hold up, becoming more separated from the other grains. It is lightly tossed in tamari soy sauce, mixed with carrots, cabbage, scallions. One order can feed 2-3 people. So, if you do decide to order this, make sure you order enough for however many people are in your party. Very elegant set up! The aesthetic of the restaurant is so stunning!! The indoor dining area is very chinese-chic. You have a big, fully stocked bar with gold chinese décor on the walls and a big faux cherry blossom tree in the middle as a statement piece. The tables were well set with accented plates, chopsticks, and black dining linens dressed with gold iridescent napkin rings. The feel of this place is so warm, inviting, and filled immensely with positive vibes. They also have a outdoor patio seating area that gives off a chic, tropical shack vibe. Nice area to dine on a beautiful day. The staff here are super nice and friendly. They would come by frequently to check on us and ask if we were okay and if we needed anything. Very attentive and polite workers. Above all else, Fifty One serves up very delicious food at reasonable prices. Great staff and service with positivity radiating all over the place. I see myself frequenting Fifty One for as long as they're in business. read more

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This place would be better-billed as a Dim Sum Restaurant. We happened to go on a Sunday and got a bunch of half-off pork bao, chicken soup dumplings, chicken gyoza, and these adorable, rabbit-shaped double-stuffed shrimp dumplings. All of the above were some of the best dim sum I've ever had, super fresh, full of flavor, and dirt-cheap. The two sauces they gave on the side too were next level and full of Chinese five spice and tang. I will definitely go back to Fifty One for dim sum. But the main courses we ordered: Kung Pao Chicken and Beef Noodles were both bland and unimpressive especially considering we paid almost twenty dollars for each of them. The service too, although good, was kind of slow at the start. Still, I'd go back and give Fifty One another try with just dim sum and maybe some of the boba other Yelpers seem to be talking up. read more

Disgusting and disappointing, very poor food quality. Save the calories and money and buy some Trader Joe's frozen dumplings- they are 100x better. . From the soup to the dim sum to the noodles, the flavor of everything was horrible and unnecessary sweet. This was one of the most regrettable meals of the year, they must be paying for reviews as the food doesn't match up. Management and Chef need a MAJOR wake up call. read more

Complete Chaos, Two different servers gave us four menus? We ordered Hot and Sour soup, Bao, Sticky Rice, Pot Stickers and Beef and Broccoli. Very very slow service (we had to ask for soy sauce three times) Food came out in very random order, first the main (no side rice, until the soup showed up), then the bao, THEN the soup (had to ask for the bowls). Finally the sticky rice. Pot stickers never showed. Except for the hot and sour soup, overall the food wasn't that tasty. Honestly, it looked like nobody knew what to do. And it wasn't just us! Two tables over the group had the same look of disbelief when they were trying to get someone's attention. read more

Came here to have dim sum with couple friends. The food was pretty good and proportioned. Pretty interior and clean for the most part. I do recommend the daikon cake! The service is a hit and miss. Few of the waiters are nice and courteous. Few others looked they just don't want to be there as they would either ignore you or forget your request... read more

Fifty One - Chinese Near Me - Culver City, California

Service was good. Nice ambiance though it was slow so it's hard to tell. The food was excellent. Nice big portions and flavorful. Left happy with a full warm belly read more

I enjoyed my dinner here and the blend of traditional with modern. Excellent staff. Very friendly and gave helpful recommendations. My friend and I shared the walnut shrimp and the e-fu noodles with chicken. The e-fu noodles were a little bland but the walnut shrimp was quite flavorful. I enjoyed our dim sum the most. We had one that was filled with soup and it was delicious. The decor has a modern flair and warm. I really enjoyed the vibe here. I would like to come here again and try more dishes. read more

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I'm from Vancouver and love dim sum. The Sunday one here is our regular place - cannot beat the prices and quality. We go with my brother in law and absolutely load up on delicious food with cheap beers and a sake combo, and leave over the moon happy. read more

Amazing food and friendly staff! The environment is relaxed and peaceful. A great spot to bring large groups. read more

Fifty One - House-Made Xiao Long Bao Char Siu Bao - Chinese Near Me - Culver City, California

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Overpriced. Horrible food quality and even worse service. Ok, I get it, Chinese restaurants are busy on Christmas Day. That is precisely why we booked a reservation days in advance for Fifty One Kitchen. My girlfriend and I had not been out for good Chinese in a very long time, so we found this place and the ratings and reviews online, as well as the menu, made it our choice for our Christmas Day dinner. We had been looking forward to this dinner for some time. We did not realize how utterly disappointing and deplorable our dining experience was going to be. We arrived just in time for our 7pm reservation. There was a big crowd of people around the front door and the place was packed. The host apologized and told us they were running a little behind but would seat us as soon as they could. About 20-25 minutes later we were seated. It took another 10-15 minutes before a waiter came to our table to take our order. We were really hungry at this point. We put in our rather simple, uncomplicated order - egg roll starters, won ton soup ($19.99) and two entrees; sweet and sour pork ($23.99) for me and honey black pepper steak bites ($31.99) for my girlfriend. Both with a side order of brown rice. We also ordered black tea and sake. Upon putting in our order, the waiter informed us that the kitchen was backed up and our order could take up to 40 minutes. At that point, what were we to do but wait? About 20 mins later we got the egg rolls. Both were slightly over-cooked. About 10 minutes later my entree, the sweet and sour pork arrived in front of me. But no won ton soup. No tea and no saki. And the entree for my girlfriend was absent as well. We figured it would be right out, so I waited before digging into my entree. But not before my girlfriend and I both had a little nibble. The sweet and sour port was lukewarm at best. Not hot. Time went by. I repeatedly tried to flag down a waiter. Meanwhile servers repeatedly stopped at our table mistakenly bringing us dishes for the surrounding tables, but not the rest of our order. After 30 minutes, I got up and stood and waited nearby as one of our waiters took the order of other diners. I was really frustrated, but maintained my composure in expressing my dissatisfaction with our service to that point. The waiter made excuses and made no amends. He did finally get us our tea and sake, but not before making excuses --- "No other restaurants around here are open and we are overly busy... etc." I reminded him that we had made a reservation for that very reason. Another 20+ minutes later my girlfriend's black pepper steak bites were finally served. I had finished my entree long before, at her insistence, and even bussed my plates because no on came to clear the table - as no one ever came to check on us. Still no soup, even though we were given the assurance it was coming. Meanwhile, other parties that were seated around us after we were seated received far better service and even got their soups. Oh, and we never got our sides of rice to go with our entrees either. It then took us some time to finally get the check. And we had to remind the waiter that we never got the soup so we should not be charged. The service was inexcusably bad. No one ever came to check on us. I had to chase down servers on 5 separate occasions to get what food I could from what we ordered. When expressing our dissatisfaction, no amends were made or offered. No acknowledgement or consolation whatsoever. Honestly, these guys managed to ruin our Christmas. I have had better Chinese food, far cheaper, at Panda Express. If I wanted that, I would not have wasted my time seeking out a dining experience. At least with Panda Express my food would be served to warm and together. We are usually good tippers. Tonight we left no tip and wrote a note of dissatisfaction on the merchant copy of our bill. We will never go back. And we will warn everyone in our social circles to steer clear of this place, as we are warning those of you reading this review. read more

This was my first time visiting this restaurant. I came here tonight to celebrate a very good friend's birthday. Our waiter (Christopher) was excellent! He was very attentive to us and accommodating to our 16-person party. I ordered the rangoons, a hot hibiscus tea and the yang fried rice. It was excellent!!! Christopher recommended the rangoons (which were fantastic), and everyone had beautiful dishes, including: the mixed fried rice and the lobster fried rice. The decor is amazing and the ambiance was great. Thank you Christopher for making my first experience and my friend's birthday a huge success! read more

I've been to Fifty-one a few times over the years, usually in large groups enjoying a variety of food. The ambiance is lovely and the service and food have always been good. This afternoon, however, was a completely different story. It was around one or 1.30 when I decided to grab the lunch special to go, so I rang the restaurant to place an order for pick up. I could not complete the order over the phone because the call spontaneously dropped and though I kept ringing again and again for over 20 minutes, all I got was a full vm. Seeing as I was close by, I just decided to drive over and when I arrived, I explained that there was an issue with the phone. Darren confirmed and proceeded to take my dine in order. I ordered the vegan mapo tofu & asked if the rice could come with no egg. He explained that it was pre-made so it already had egg in it. Instead, he offered white or brown rice and I told him the white rice would be fine. I also asked abt the soup because I did notice they had a vegan version of the lunch special soup on the regular menu, but again he let me know that the only available soup was not vegan and I believe had egg in it also. Again, he offered instead either an extra veg egg roll or cucumbers. I requested the cucumbers. So far, so good. Until... When the food arrived, there was fried rice with egg and two egg rolls on the plate. When I was able get the other server's attention, I politely explained to him what had happened. A few moments later, Darren came by and apologized and said he would fix it. He then brought back a bowl of white rice, but no cucumbers. He also left the egg rice which I had removed and set aside for him to take away as the smell was ruining my appetite ( I am disgusted by the smell of scrambled egg.) Again, he apologized and a few minutes later brought a bowl of sad looking cucumbers. At this point, I politely requested standard condiments and asked for him to please take the egg rice away from the table, which he did. At this point the mapo had cooled off quite a bit. There were only 2 other parties in the restaurant, but he appeared to still be a bit frazzled with service. I also requested silverware because the fork had been placed in the egg rice and I could not use it. So once again, I waited, trying to dabble with in the mapo with chopsticks (not an easy feat) while he took a few minutes to bring back flatware after helping a new party of 2 that had just arrived. Throughout all of this, we both remained graceful, but at this point I decided to just ask for containers to pack up for take away. I had only sampled the mapo tofu (it was okay) and rice thus far and had sampled a cucumber and bite of egg roll. The process of getting containers proved to incur a few more snags, but again, I just chuckled it off and tried to remain patient. I did ask for fresh rice, as I clearly remember reading the menu during my call-in order and seeing that it said up to 3 refills of rice and since my rice was cold, I figured I'd get a fresh bowl to go and start all over, trying to enjoy my meal elsewhere. Darren brought the check, I quickly paid with card and left. The real issue; the straw that broke the camel's back is that after I had left, I discovered that I had been overcharged! I initially thought it was because the tip had been auto-added, but when I rang back, I discovered that Darren had charged me for the rice! I asked him politely if he had read the menu regarding the free refills, but he contended that it wasn't on the menu. I offered to send him a screenshot from my phone, which is when he got very rude with me. So, instead of simply apologizing, he proceeds to argue with me about HIS mistake. I calmly reminded him of the entire unpleasant dining experience with one after another mishap on his account and asked to speak with the manager. He then told me that Kate (said manager) would not be in until Friday and that no one would be able to help me with a credit or refund or anything else. He also told me, rather rudely, that he was working and had no time to talk with me. So, Kate, I am hoping that you read this. I documented the experience on yelp expressly for the purpose of reminding myself to ring you on Friday. A terrible lunch experience amongst several otherwise lovely ones which I have enjoyed in the past. Looking forward to speaking with someone who has time to talk to a customer abt such mishaps soon. read more

TLDR - comparable well-priced dim sum that offers chicken alternatives to a usually pork dominant cuisine. This place slaps If you're looking for a reasonably priced dim sum place that doesn't make their dumplings pea sized (especially on the west side) come here. Dim sum is generally spend-y already so expect to spend about 15% more here than the Alhambra / San Gabriel Equivalent. Even with what I call the west side tax, I'd still say it's reasonable. Real talk tho it's really tasty and the design is great. Contrary to the American take on a typical "Chinese restaurant" this place definitely doesn't fall into that category. There's no cheesy interior design or terrible drapes not that we can dine in at the time of this review. they're all set up for pick up only with a table that blocks the entrance of the restaurant so you can't go in. A brief peek in there while picking up my food gave me the impression that they put the space to good use and really dressed it up well. Food packaging for take out was beautifully done. I came home and ate it almost immediately and it was definitely a great meal. The lobster dumpling is a must, so is their Shumai (Xiumai). Their shumai sampler gives you dumplings with different toppings like urchin (uni), fish eggs (masago) and shrimp. If you like seafood I'd suggest giving it a try. Go try it out. I'd go back everyday if I could. Might not be the best thing for my health but sure beats a lot of other things I eat. read more

Fifty One - Lobster Dumpling Cantonese BBQ Platter Egg Custard Buns House-Made Jumbo Pork Xiu Mai House-Made Jumbo Chicken Xiu Mai Red Bean Buns - Chinese Near Me - Culver City, California

We had an incredible time at Fifty One. I was shocked when we walked in that it was practically empty, considering it was so beautiful and peaceful. But I suspect we came just before the dinner rush, because by the time we were done eating, the place was packed! We enjoyed a honey chicken appetizer, which was absolutely to die for. My husband really loved his Cantonese BBQ meal, and I was very happy with my Szechuan spicy chicken. The portions are ENORMOUS and so affordable. We took a lot of it home! Also if you're into macaron ice cream sandwiches, you won't find better ones than here. They have the most incredible flavor options (like black cherry fudge -- WHAT) and I would drive hours out of my way to get the Cherry Vanilla again and again. My husband got the Cookies & Cream, which was delicious as well. My only gripe is that they are so understaffed! Our poor server was the ONLY person working. I'm not sure if it was just a weeknight thing, but he needs some help! I saw him LITERALLY running across the restaurant multiple times to take care of all the guests in a timely fashion. If you dine here and there's only one server, please be kind and patient! read more

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Normally the food here likely wouldn't get 5 stars but for the half off dim sum Sundays the deal is amazing! While they don't have the largest or most authentic menu, pretty much everything is good except the spare ribs. Word of caution to the fried Taro cake which comes out incredibly hot. Service can be a little slow read more

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What good luck! Fifty One was right in our path as we exited the movie Crazy Rich Asians! It had the upscale gold floral decor that made the perfect transition from the glitzy Singapore scene in the film. We enjoyed the friendly, poised, down to earth Vanessa, who took our drink order at the bar. She attentively waited on us, and was clearly the most knowledgeable person on the floor. The other staff was friendly as well; they just need training. We started with Jumbo Ha Gow (not so jumbo) and vegetarian E-Fu Noodles. Both were familiar flavors, both underwhelming. We asked for the chili sauce to boost the flavor. We were intrigued by the high elevation mushrooms, so we added the Stone Pot Curry and Rice to our late night lineup. By accident, the green curry soup was ordered too. This soup was delicately balanced with hints of ginger and mushrooms. The stone pot curry was a little more flavorful with a homey yellow curry and many textured mushrooms. I felt like this would be great medicine when one feels under the weather! Lastly, we had wait for the bonfire of flames to subside to eat the foil wrapped wings. They had flavors of sweet soy sauce sprinkled with a pinch of anise. The wings were of a steamed texture. They were a little chewy as opposed to crunchy. The good news to report is the owners are amenable to feedback! How about having hand-pulled noodles made to the specifications of each customer? You would have a line around the theater. I send good luck wishes to Fifty One to be true to the original flavors of Chinese Cuisine. Make sure you give a powerful kick to the tastebuds! Aiyaaah! read more

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Pops up as xian chinese eatery on postmate, just got 2 items delivered. Got mabo tofu and braised pork belly with 1 order of rice. Mabo tofu 2/5: Its... sort of blend its got lot of chopped of ginger and garlic which is great but it almost tastes like watery mabo tofu tease. Not to mention its bit greasy with all the oils floating around from the ground pork. Braised pork belly: Not exactly what I expected but its pretty decent! The pork is soft and its got lemony after taste which throws me off. Still better than tofu. Rice.... this part honestly got me the most... they charge $1.49 for small tinniest rice I have ever seen from Chinese restaurants... I finished rice before i even touched 1/3 of my entrees it was almost an insult. The price is fair but my god plentiful rice is staple of restaurants like these when the entrees cost $12+ They had a $5 off deal so with all these total came up to $26 ($31 if there wasn't a deal) which is not cheap at all. Imagine spending that much and getting a rice smaller than my index finger... I grew up from bay and I eat a lot of Chinese food and this place seems bit far from authentic, almost sorta fusion taste but not good. There is couple places around in Culver where you can lot tastier and cheaper food for far bigger portion. read more

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My husband and I went on a date night to Fifty One. I had gotten rave reviews from an old coworker and waited almost a year to visit this restaurant. The restaurant is beautiful. The staff is polite and eager to please. However, the most important element to a great restaurant is good food, and this they do not have. We ordered the shrimp crunch roll, dim sum, chicken dumplings, lobster dumpling, salt and pepper shrimp, and combination fried rice. The only two things on the list of items we ordered that had any taste were the dumplings...minus the lobster dumpling, that was definitely a no go. Now, the good things about the restaurant were: the food came out warm and fast and the service. If the restaurant actually added tasty food to the menu, they might have an excellent restaurant. It was a 45 minute drive and we would have been better off going to a Chinese express in the hood if we wanted more flavor. My husband said the mango black tea was exceptional. But not worth a 45 minute drive to Culver City from Long Beach. I'm giving this restaurant two stars one for the service and the other for the ambience. read more

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WOW! Mind blown!! Ordered take out after seeing them on the DineLA list and browsing their VEGAN and SEAFOOD section of their menu. Gotta hit that! It's basically like high-end Chinese food. They had a mix of dishes that I had never had before and traditional Chinese ( i.e. what we think of when we order Chinese food in the US). Noodles and walnut shrimp were as expected. But the 2 vegan dishes were huge standouts for this pescaterian!! First the MONEY BAGS - mushrooms, cabbages + veggies wrapped in chewy bean curd and tied off with I believe to be sea weed. This was like the most beautiful dish my quarantine'd eyes had seen in over a year!! The attention to detail to wrap such delicate items; too beautiful to eat. Sweet and sour sauce was spiked w/ tomatoes and rosemary reminding me of Italian soup! Mind blown!!! Second - I think this dish is more traditional so one day when I go to Guangdong province I hope to learn more. The Black Pepper Steak. Same veggies from Money Bags but now wrapped in chewy/crispy fried bean curd skin. OMG. It looks like a cute hand held sandwich. It came w/ basically hoisin based sauce that had been mixed w/ more oils / seasoning. This one was more greasy BUT WORTH IT!! I almost downed the entire dish in one sitting but am holding back. You gotta like the chewy outside! So if you're not a fan of chewy and you have never had bean curd and if you're not an adventurous eater - then there may be a more entrylevel dish for you. I love eating all Asian foods and trying new dishes so I especially loved this dish! Now I'm already thinking of going to Monterey Park and finding other restaurants that serve similar versions *dream*. Then the noodle dish and shrimp walnuts were very good; however not as memorable as the ^ two dishes. HENCE - I will 100% continue supporting this restaurant and adding it to my go-to. I will admit, I had judged the store-front as being too high-end looking when I walked by. And I was like - am I that kinda high-end Chinese/Hong Kong food kinda gal? But now that I ordered from there, they have a mix of what you'd expect dishes and more interesting dishes so I recommend you do not judge a book by its cover. Do not be turned off by how chic their logo and packaging are. This place is BOMB!!! I'm already drooling thinking about what to order next. read more

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51 has a well designed upscale decor both inside and even on their patio. There are ample heat lamps on the patio for winter. The service is attentive. The food is OK for the Westside but pales in comparison to the Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. We had 5 or 6 dishes. Most were hits but a couple were misses. One miss was dumplings with a super thick wrapper. Parking is eassy in one of the 3 downtown Culver City parking garages owned byi the City. The restaurant does not validate. I have been invited to 51 by friends a couple of times and have declined. I would rather wait and drive to the San Gabriel Valley on a weekend. Just my personal preference. Enjoy! read more

Was trying to find someplace to eat on New Year's Day and everything was closed. Ran into this place and decided to give it a chance. It has a wide-ranging menu of Asian food, but most of it tasted pretty generic. I got the spicy chicken and it was literally covered with three inches of chopped chilis. Very strange. Overall, food and service were average. They gave me my drink in a plastic cup with a sharp rim that's made to have a lid put on it. No clue what they're thinking there, but the cup felt like it was cutting my mouth. Two of us ate and the bill was $72 after tip! This is WAY too much for the quality of food, though the portions are fine. Not bad, but there's so much amazing Asian food in West LA that we won't be back. read more

Fifty One is probably best described as a more upscale, modern version of Cantonese cuisine seen in the LA area. Prices reflect this. There are a few menus including a dim sum menu, a prie fixe (lunch and dinner), their standard menu, and the 50% off menu. The last one features experimental or new dishes that are all 50% off when you order directly through them. Certainly a good way to get lobster at a cheap price for lunch, for instance. So far I've had the steamed spareribs (pai gwat) and the newly added Nanjing salted duck. The spareribs are tasty with a mild but still flavorful blackbean sauce. There's pumpkin at the bottom and rice can be added for a dollar more. I was lucky to nab the duck as they recently added it and it was on the 50% off menu. You get about a half duck, mostly deboned. The comparison isn't perfect but if roast/Peking duck is to soy sauce chicken, then the Nanjing salted duck is to bai qie gai (white sliced chicken). The duck doesn't have great color, looking like it's just been simmered. Certainly different than the crispy golden-brown ducks hanging from delis in Chinatown. The flavor is great though, it's salty and very complex in its spices. There's no real heat. It comes with what tastes like quick pickled veggies (some heat) and smashed cucumbers. Go here for some slightly fancier Cantonese dishes. Expect things like jumbo xiu mai (shu mai) and lots of lobster options. The Westside has a good slew of Cantonese places, but this fills a slightly different niche. Entering illustrates some beer and wine options but I have not personally asked about the menu or prices. read more

I came with a few friends for dinner after work and there seemed to be a large party there for a holiday. It was very clear the restaurant was very short staffed and seemed very lost. We were seated first and the server seated the rest of our party elsewhere. We were incredibly confused because I made a reservation, if they checked in, wouldn't you take them to where we're seated? After we realized it was potentially going to be a disaster of a dinner we decided we're going to order everything in one go. Jake who had started just days prior was kind enough to be our server after we flagged him down after no one stopped by. TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN was just the chicken and the basil, it didn't haven't the seasoning that you normally have. SICHUAN DAN DAN NOODLES was more like a soup, and the noodles weren't the right noodles. The CHINESE EGG DROP CORN SOUP was actually quite good, and it comes in a very large portion. (Easily 7 bowls of soup.) PEKING ROASTED DUCK was also quite good, I'd recommend that. HONEY BLACK PEPPER STEAK BITES I think it really depends on your food pallet. I thought it was really salty, but others thought it was good. Overall, the food isn't bad, they just need to get the service sorted. Jake was a godsend for us at dinner. ENJOY! read more