Authentic Chinese food, great service, great value for the price. Love this place. It has s good…read morefor family gatherings or friends hanging out.

Amazing. My Chinese parents were impressed. Will be returning. Every dish was amazing.read more

First of all- this is the best restaurant I've been to in Monterey Park…read more When I say the line is worth it, I mean it. The service is incredible even though the place is super busy. They give large portions and everything tastes INCREDIBLE. Super authentic flavors and will definitely be coming back MUST TRY: Beef roll- flaky on the outside and stuffed with delicious marinated beef. My favorite dish Pan fried pork bun- super juicy just like in China Fried squid- the best fried squid I've ever had. Even better than the Hong Kong Cafe. Super crunchy almost like Korean fried chicken in the outside and tender in the inside. Not hard to chew at all! Lemon green tea- absolute massive glass. 100% delicious and not too sweet with a faint jasmine floralness Inside is a bit small but very generous with the AC Definitely come here!

A friend mentioned this place to me. I've driven by the plaza plenty of times but never really…read morethought to stop in and try the restaurant. The menu looked pretty similar to a lot of other Taiwanese spots I've been to. I ordered the beef noodle soup. The beef was tender, although it was a little on the salty side for me. The bok choy was cooked well and still had a nice texture without being overcooked or soggy. My friend got the honey green tea, popcorn chicken, and tomato beef noodle soup. He thought everything was fine, but nothing really stood out to him. We came on a Friday right before noon, and it started getting pretty busy soon after. I probably wouldn't wait a long time to eat here, especially on a weekend. There are quite a few other places that serve similar dishes and are pretty comparable. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but I'd be open to coming back and trying some of the other things on the menu, especially the xiao long bao or one of the other rice noodle soups.

Came here for the 1st time after seeing it on IG. Had reservations so we were seated rght away…read more Nice, clean, and modern restaurant with Asian inspired art and eclectic furniture. Inside is not very big. Parking structure located in the back, shared with the motel. Servers are friendly and attentive. The food was good but spicy even though we ordered MILD. So be sure to say NO SPICY if needed. My favorite was the Miso Sour Soup with fish filets. It was very flavorful and appetizing. All their dishes were huge portions! The Pickled Chili Bullfrog was good but too spicy! It was so numbing. I wanted to keep eating but just couldn't. Next time I come back I will remember to order all Non Spicy.

made a reservation on a sunday night which i highly recommend doing as they can get fully booked…read moreduring peak dinner hours (6:30-8pm). the restaurant is pretty small and only has a few tables. food was pretty good but was not spicy/numbing at all. i'm not really complaining since i don't like numbing spice that much but flagging for those who yearn for numbing spice. all of the dishes were flavored well. my favorite was the sour fish soup which tasted just like tom yum soup but i love tom yum so i really enjoyed it. i also really liked the spicy chicken cold dish. it was super flavorful and again, not that spicy lol. the mapo tofu was my least favorite. it was flavorless and was just very meh. the service here was great. everyone was super nice and accommodating. the ambience is also very modern and artsy looking, a bit like a speakeasy vibe.

First time at a Chinese restaurant in Monterey Park…read more Got pork wonton and Chilean sea bass Tasty and pretty good ..near the hotel with my mom

I've passed by Mama Lu's on Garvey every day but had never actually stopped in. After visiting…read moretheir second Monterey Park location previously and finding it just okay, I was curious if this original spot lived up to the constant lines and local hype. When you arrive, be sure to write your party size on the sign-in sheet to secure your spot--there often isn't staff at the door to assist, so you'll need to manage it yourself. We visited after a long day and only had to wait about 30 minutes. Overall, the food was pretty average--or "mid," as the kids say--and I didn't feel it lived up to the hype. Here is a breakdown of what we ordered: * #26 Shanghai Style Chow Mein ($13.99): This was the standout. The noodles are thick, almost udon-style, and it's great comfort food. I would definitely come back just for this dish. * #1 XLB Juicy Pork Dumplings ($9.99): These were just okay. Not bad, but not great, and I'd likely choose somewhere else for dumplings next time. * #16 Spicy Wontons with Pork and Shrimp ($11.99): These didn't "wow" me, though I did enjoy the chili oil. I might order these again. * #62 French Style Beef Tenderloin ($17.99): The meat was very soft, but I've had better versions elsewhere, so this will be a skip for me in the future. * #83 House Special Fish Fillet ($15.99): It was very crispy with flaky fish, but the batter was quite heavy. It was enjoyable at first, but I got tired of it quickly. While the Shanghai Style Chow Mein is worth a revisit, nothing else stood out enough to make this a regular spot for us. It's a 3.5/5 experience, but I probably won't be back anytime soon.

Dined at our old favorite and food was still consistent. Service was courteous and efficient as…read moreusual. We ordered our usual items: Beef Chow Fun, Fish Fillet with Tender Green, and French Style Beef Tenderloin. Portions were still big and of good value. Prices went up about a dollar per plate as compared to last year, roughly about 6-7% which was reasonable because ingredients are costing more these days. They do charge 2% for credit card USA. If you're looking for a casual place to eat reasonably good and reasonably priced Chinese food, this is a solid option.

Been here only a few times and yes if we went with others we have to send each other the right…read moreaddress as there's two mama Lu's on the same street! Just East vs West. We were able to find parking in the back and it was full so there's more parking underground. This place was pretty full, but given the capacity, the place had more ceiling space than seating place. We met family and friends while they already were in the middle of dinner and we came pretty late. Mama Lu's is known for their dumplings but they also serve Chinese dishes such as beef chow fun, roasted duck, fried fish fillet, and more. Staff were friendly, they were helpful and a wasn't hard to flag them down if we needed something. Overall, good place, would come again to try dumplings.

Came in on the weekend. Parking lot was packed but we still found parking. You can order dim sum…read morehere almost any time of the day. They have a new menu and we ordered the Minced Pork & Egg Rice. This is the non-gravy/sauce version like some local restaurants are starting to do. Break the runny egg yolk and mix everything together. It was pretty good. We also ordered the pan fried turnip cake which is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It's better than many dim sum restaurant versions. Also got their beef rice roll again. Their rice rolls are always a hit. Don't forget to order their HK lemon iced tea on the side. It pairs well with everything especially on a hot summer day. Good air conditioning. Lots of indoor seating. Great service. Highly recommend!

Rice noodle rolls with shrimp 4.5/5 Shrimp could be prepped…read morebetter, but rice noodle is amazing texture. Near close to Asia in terms of bounciness and silkiness Siu mai 3.5/5 Pretty good, better than most places. Chunky and juicy Chicken feet 3.5/5 Lighter flavor compared to other spots, could be steamed longer. I liked it more than bae Sticky rice in lotus leaf 3.5/5 Was fine, I did like how it didn't have a bunch of rice , but maybe could be saucier No wait on a Sunday with plenty of tables open

This place is legit. Nostalgic, authentic, comforting flavors…read more Braised pork rice: a classic dish that they do right. Love that they give you sauce on the rice. All the sides you typically want with 卤肉饭 are included, from egg to cabbage to pickled veggies. Vinegar shredded potato 土豆丝: perfectly cooked texture and the flavor is refreshing light savory and perfectly vinegary. I will keep coming back here! The prices are reasonable and the food has been consistently delicious each time. So glad I discovered this place to give me the home flavors I want when I get a craving

We've been here many times throughout the past 3 years and each time we leave with our bellies full…read moreand a smile on our faces. It's simple what they do well here, they make darn good food that tastes like homemade food (healthy and delicious), they price everything on the menu very reasonably (especially in these crazy times), and they treat all their customers like family/neighbors. Now that I've given you the why, let's move on to the good food. We usually order the beef noodle soup because of how tender the meat is and the soup & noodles are just perfect comfort food. And we always pair it with veggies (garlic cucumbers or water spinach) and pork dumplings are also amazing. Almost any of their braised meat rice/noodles are just really good (popular ones are braised pork rice or braised chicken leg rice). Interior space is also very roomy and comfortable for big groups or cozy meals Parking is pretty easy since they have a lot in their back entrance and they used to let you park underground as well but the building's new management started closing the gates at 6pm because they're just sad and unfriendly human beings lol but luckily the surrounding area has many places to park.

This is one of my favorite places in the 626. When you arrive you will be given a sheet to fill out…read moreregarding what you'd like to order. Once you're about to sit down, the server will take your sheet so the kitchen can prepare your order. Once you sit down, the food is brought over to you within minutes. The restaurant is clean and feels like you're inside someone's kitchen. I have never had a bad meal here and I love everything I have tried. Must get: noodle soup

:) it was tasty!…read more Service was good, prompt They play music It filled up pretty quickly on a Saturday.