Linda K.

This restaurant has been featured by several influencers, so we decided to see what the hype was about. Conveniently located on University Avenue, it stands out among the many dining options in the area. We were seated immediately upon arrival, which made for a pleasant start to our visit. One thing that could use some improvement is the menu presentation. The menu was printed on plain white paper and appeared somewhat worn with visible stains. Offering a QR-code menu could provide a more modern and cleaner alternative. For my meal, I ordered the Chongqing Fried Chicken, which came with mixed a small portion of French fries as shown in the photo. The flavors were wonderfully authentic, and it's definitely a dish I would recommend. I also tried the Peanut Noodles. It's a solid vegetarian option with a rich, nutty flavor. However, after finishing about half the bowl, I found the peanut sauce to be a bit overwhelming and heavy. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, and I'll definitely be back to try their dumplings, which seem to be one of the house specialties.

Rose G.

The facility looked bright and clean. We were greeted right away and service was great! Super welcoming and friendly. We tried several items so we can try different tastes. Everything came out quick and they were very fresh. The fried rice and the pork fried ribs were good. I would say our favorite was the sesame balls. The only complaint I have is there was a small hair in one of the condiments. It was something that could've been overlooked and no big deal but I chose not to use it because of that purpose. They also have a "spin the wheel" activity we were able to do which my daughter enjoyed! All in all I would give it an 8/10!

Pauline L.

It LOOKS SO GOOD!! This is such an adorable and charming place, but like the other reviews said, it's not really the best when it comes to service. Im compelled to write a review because of the several funky mishaps that occurred Maybe we were just unlucky, but within the first few minutes of sitting down, we encountered some strange things -- 1) They were out of popcorn chicken. And 2) They were unable to do steaming work in the kitchen today. Sucks to suck for us We ordered a specific vegetable dish but what came out were green beans instead. Im not sure how that happened. What was good, however, was I think the dish came out free to compensate for us The food was very nice and tasty regardless. I liked the taste of the green beans, especially. I liked the pineapple chicken fried rice too but could find it more nice if it was seasoned/flavorful. It wasnt completely bland at least Good food, just be prepared for hiccups

Jeremy S.

Really nice addition to the University Village plaza! Came here with some friends for a family style lunch on a Sunday. The restaurant was a bit busy but our party was seated and served right away. We tried a variety of dishes and the highlights were definitely the green beans, beef noodle soup, sauerkraut fish and the garlic pork ribs. The dumplings were just okay and the only option they had this particular day was boiled. Everything tasted great otherwise and the noodles in particular were good and chewy. The custard buns are a good dessert option as well although it took awhile to come out. Service was good throughout and checked on us often. They also have a cool prize wheel you can spin gift every $45 you spend! Overall we had a great experience here and will definitely come back again!

Edbert S.

Overall this place is pretty good. It's nice to see more Chinese restaurants opening up around the riverside area. From social media, this place was referenced as the dub tai fung dupe but personally, this is not it. It's more of an authentic style Chinese restaurant. The menu was a paper menu, it looks like this place is still a soft opening so the menu could change? We ordered the pork and cabbage dumplings which were just ok, they were kind of small as well. We then ordered the beef noodles and dan dan noodles - highly recommend, the noodles tasted pretty fresh. The menu also had the sauerkraut fish, written in only chinese, on the menu so we tried that as well. I have to say this dish was pretty delicious and authentic. It's rare to see this type of dish around here. The other items we ordered were the green beans and pork ribs - highly recommend! Service from what I heard can be a miss but all the food was brought out in a timely manner except the custard buns, but the taste made up for it. Its definitely a great spot for chinese food!

Mathew P.

The service is slow, if you see the tables are packed expect a long wait time for your food. From the time we signed in to the time we got our food was approximately 65mins and there was only 1 person in front of us. They do not serve alcohol. Sitting in the restaurant felt like sitting at yoshinoya same colors and seating style. We ordered the sweet bbq pork bun, the pork dumplings, sweet n sour pork ribs, house special spicy beef noodle soup, and the Yangzhou fried rice. Out of everything we ordered only the fried rice was good. Fried rice had layers of flavor! The house noodles was very bland, the pork ribs were good, the pork buns were ok, and the dumplings were not good. Not worth the $$ They said they were better than dim tai fun. Absolutely not.

Alex M.

LOC is a new spot in the University Plaza near UCR that is authentic Chinese food The space is clean and bright, with orange upholstery on the booths and large floor to ceiling windows facing University Ave. Expect to wait a minute to he seated as the Server is also the Host, so they might be waiting on a table. The food is top notch Chinese and on par with spots in the OC. They have everything from scallion pancakes and hotpot to pig ear stir fry and bao. I took my wife and daughter. We had boiled pork & cabbage dumplings with chili oil, pan fried beef dumplings, beef roll, scallion pancakes, cold beef appetizer, wok fried green beans, pork buns, dan dan noodles, spicy beef noodle soup, and golden beef hotpot. Everything was really good So fresh and hot. Things came flying straight from the kitchen to our table. The appetizers were on point. The dumplings and bao were hot, chewy, full of meat and flavor. The hotpot is served in a pot over a flame, bubbling hot and delicious. The spicy beef noodle soup was just as amazing It comes in a large bowl full of beef broth, buckwheat noodles, bok choy, and the star of the show is the huge beef rib with all that tender meat attached to it. We ate like it was our last meal and loved every bite. We'll definitely be back......in a few days

Elizabeth T.

I would give this place 4.5 stars if I could. We came here by accident but were not disappointed. We ordered their pork dumplings in chili oil and their shrimp dumplings along with the combination fried rice. The rice was delicious and the dumplings were also tasty. The restaurant was clean with plenty of seating, the ambiance is bright and welcoming and the staff were nice and attentive. We will come back.

Grace J.

Newer casual diner spot for dumplings and noodles near UCR! They have a cool wheel to spin for rewards, and the staff was very kind.

Went to try on 5/27 for my wife and I's anniversary. We had high hopes due to the hype on TikTok about this place. I will start with the good, I definitely loved the kung -Pao chicken with vegetable noodles they have. The cucumber salad was great. The bbq pork buns were good. Service was good over all, we got a table right away. There was a spinning wheel, which you got to spin after you pay if you paid a certain amount. I think it is geared for children perhaps, but was fun to spin. Now the bad. The dim-sum that day did not taste good, it tasted off, not sure if it was seasoning but did not taste like any dumplings I've had in the past. I tried the colorful dumplings, which I knew were an assortment of flavors but would have been great to have a little chart to know what flavors each were. Most of the flavors though, did not taste good. I tried to like them but couldn't. My wife ordered a wonton noodle soup and the broth was not good. I don't think I will be back to eat here any time soon. But try for yourself! This is just my opinion!

Rebeca Z.

Came here on a Sunday for a late lunch/dinner. The restaurant didn't seem too busy. My immediate first thoughts made me a little nervous and honestly set my expectation low. The menu is a basic paper menu, I can picture the restaurant adding pictures in the future because the eyes usually eat first. The restaurant is very white with minimal decor and pretty quiet. It would have been nice to have some music playing in the background just to create a nicer ambiance. The food did take a little bit of time to come out after ordering. I considered this a little bit of a good thing because it feels like the food is made to order, just as it should be. My party ordered Har Gow shrimp and shrimp Shumai, as well as chow mein, kung pao chicken, orange chicken, scallion beef and garlic eggplant (originally wanted the green beans but they were out of them). I initially came here because a social media post described this place as a Din Tai Fung dupe. I've gone to DTF once and I'm not an expert on Chinese cuisine, but the food was very flavorful and delicious, not one dish was overly sweet or salty. I was genuinely surprised! I noticed the doors were left open the entire time so I did have to shoo away a couple of flies once the food arrived. I also noticed that the soy sauce, vinegar and sriracha bottles were dirty and crusty which is quite common in a lot of restaurants but it would be nice to know and see everything at the table be clean. After packing up food to-go and paying, we were able to spin a large wheel twice for a couple of prizes which was fun. Just before leaving, someone in my party went to the restroom. When they got out, they informed the staff as well as the rest of the party that there was not any soap in the restroom. A staff member said that the soap dispenser was not working (I sure do hope the soap dispensers in the kitchen were working)! I know this is the "soft opening" time period so there are some improvements to make. The experience was a really good one until I learned about the lack of soap in the bathroom at the very end. I am willing to come back at a later time because the food was really good but I'd probably check out the restroom first. TL;DR - the food was really good and flavorful, but the cleanliness of the bottles at the table that everyone touches was questionable and the lack of hand soap in the restroom made me question overall cleanliness.

Jose M.

Food was delicious! I also had the pineapple fried rice, house made noodles with peanut sauce, and the noodles in beef broth. Everything tasted really good! The only thing that was mid were the regular pork XLBs, but I did like the red and yellow ones!! Service was friendly and the location was clean! I'm definitely coming back and will be bringing some friends!

Iris D.

This spot is low-key my new go-to. Ordered the twice-cooked pork (huiguorou) and the peppercorn beef--both hit different. The huiguorou has that legit street food vibes, super smoky and savory. Straight up a rice destroyer. The peppercorn beef? Huge portion, loaded with veggies. Easily gave me like three meals' worth. Perfect spot for anyone on a student budget. Definitely my little campus canteen now.