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    The Congee

    4.0 (551 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Noodles
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    The Congee Photos

    Business Info

    THE CONGEE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - The Congee

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    Combination with wonton, house fish ball, and beef stew
    Suzanna L.

    The house fishballs and beef stew were pretty good and they operate efficiently. They were communicative about table availability and strived to get us seated ASAP. This place was full at lunch time on a Thursday but the wait was only about 5 minutes. However, another reason why you can't always trust your AI chatbot: it steered me wrong with the wonton noodle soup. While the wontons were large and full of shrimp, the shrimp were quite overcooked and lacking the crispness that you get from marinating them in baking soda. The skin was also too thick in texture, and the noodles were too soft. While I would stay away from the wontons, I think you'd be satisfied with some of the other items on the menu. Maybe I should've taken the hint and ordered congee...

    Mary C.

    We missed this place. One of the best wonton noodles. Their congee is also very good. I usually order the century egg and pork. Service is always fast and friendly.

    Chicken Wings
    Lulu Z.

    All the grandparents were out dining here, that usually means the food is legit good. The BEST shrimp wonton noodle soup and spicy salt wings (8). Five large size wonton, dense filling with 2 shrimps, with some greens, noodle was perfect and balanced soup base. Shareable if on a diet but it's soo good, I should have ordered my own bowl and plate. We ate the fried chicken wings so fast, I forgot to take a photo of its beauty.

    Two item combo noodle soup ($16) with wontons and beef stew
    Jordan H.

    Yum! One of my to-go places in 626. It is a hole-in-the-wall in a Chinese plaza with maybe 7-8 tables. Service is quick and the staff speaks English. They specializes in Cantonese style wonton soup and congee. The wonton soup is my favorite and one of the best I've had in SoCal. I like getting the "two-item combo" noodle soup ($16) where you can pick two items (ex. wonton and beef stew) in a bowl of egg noodles. Delicious! The bowl also comes with a hefty portion of Chinese broccoli. The last couple times I came for lunch the place was pretty full but since service is fast you shouldn't have to wait very long, if at all. They take credit card. I've seen some reviews talk about it is dirty here? I never experienced or noticed that on my visits. It is no different from any other authentic, hole-in-the-wall style Chinese restaurant. Delicious, authentic, fast, and affordable. What else could you ask for?

    Seafood congee
    Daisy P.

    Loved this hole in the wall: plenty of parking in the back, small, attentive staff, clean, quick, cheap, delicious! Order everything I got: lettuce with tofu sauce, seafood congee, chicken wings, and shrimp wontons with seafood balls - warning the wontons are huge and amaze-balls. Baller.

    John S.

    I came here because I wasnt feeling good but still hungry. The seafood congee was a nice, easy to digest food that helped me get over the sick feeling. The wonton soup was good too. The soup was kind of salty fir my liking but still the warm soup was soothing. The restaurant is a traditional chinese restaurant. Service is good and staff is friendly.

    There's like 2-3 shrimp in each wonton!
    Sara P.

    Tried The Congee for the first time and wow! Another go-to for comfort food discovery. I got the shrimp wonton noodle soup and the wontons were massive. Truly giant. I was getting full just from those alone. No complaints though! It was soooo good. The broth is light, not salty, and easy to customize with chili oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper, or black vinegar. I went the chili oil route for my wontons and chef's kiss! My husband ordered the golden shrimp egg lo mein with house fish balls. He loved the veggies, the sauce, and the chewy noodles. His dish also came with a side of soup (same broth as mine), which was a nice touch. The place is clean, service is fast, and prices are reasonable, especially for the quality. I'm already planning my next visit to try the congee and the fried chicken wings!

    Menu as of October 2025
    Christina T.

    Delicious hong kong style noodles for about $15 a bowl. Perfectly al dente thin egg noodles, deliciously savory and shrimpy broth, and a side of choy sum/mustard greens(?) that adds refreshing crunch. I love the shrimp wontons. Each one is huge, stuffed full of fluffy pork and big shrimp pieces in a thin wrapper. There is a wonderful sesame aroma in the filling and the wonton overall is so juicy. Their house special fish balls are also great, much better than any store bought fish ball with tiny pieces of chinese sausage in it. I like to split one bowl or order a regular noodle with a protein and a plain noodle in soup and share the protein between my partner and I. I would have to be pretty hungry to finish a bowl on my own. The restaurant is pretty small, sometimes you have to wait during rush hour, but tables clear pretty quickly. Service is no nonsense and brusque typical of casual Asian restaurants around here. Seating areas are kept very clean. There is parking around back, don't usually have trouble finding a spot.

    Janet L.

    This is what wonton soup taste like. I love it and so glad I found it. Yes, 4 GIANT wontons and the perfect broth! The wonton fillings is what it should be! I also got the abalone jook to go. That was 2 meals for me. It was perfect taste! And yes, it was packed when I went. Definitely going back! Friendly and fast service too!

    Here for my mom. She wanted jook, but pivoted to beef stew noodle soup with beef tendons. Happy. 5/5
    Elizabeth W.

    Ping was so helpful, I have a seafood allergy so she steered me clear of the soups and the congee...both broth bases are made with dried scallops...and most of the dumpling and won ton fillings have shrimp. If you have a seafood allergy, take care and listen to Ping. THANK YOU Ping!! The most important thing was is my mom happy. We came for breakfast...the place is austere and more like a takeout with tables, but once there mom realized she was craving beef tendon soup, so she pivoted and was glad she did. The beef tendon noodle soup was really good quality ingredients and it put a smile on her face. Yayyy. I tried the lo mein wirh beef, minus the oyster sauce...it was basically soup dry on a plate. All the ingredients seed fresh...the soup egg noodles were chewy like homemade but i dont know if they were...3/5... Mom says she'll be back to actually try the congee. Parking in back...enter off valley and one street parallel to Garfield...also an entrance off the west side of Garfield. Free parking.

    3 item combo noodle soup-- wonton, house fish ball, sliced beef
    Ashley Y.

    I used to come here all the time when I was younger and just went back the other day... and maybe it's nostalgia but I swear it tasted better back then. The noodles were soft and overcooked with no bounce, the house fish balls were also too soft (like yes it's supposed to be soft but ... not mushy fall apart soft), and the wontons just didn't have that wow factor anymore (it falls apart, didn't have much flavor, just tastes exactly like ground pork and shrimp). The sliced beef was good and tender, no complaints there. They also have a B rating as of the time this review was written so ... do what you want with that information. There was one fly buzzing around when I was eating... I do like that they have chili oil + red vinegar available and used that to dip all my toppings in. For me that was a must since nothing was really wowing me at all. In the past, I really liked their seafood congee also! They put lots of seafood in like scallop, shrimp, fishball. Didn't order that this recent visit. But again, in the past I also really liked their wontons, house fish ball, and noodle soup... so hmmm ... take that with a grain of salt. Could just be an off day but I went on a Saturday afternoon so most likely not? Not sure if I'll ever go back but definitely not anytime soon.

    Indoor seating
    Helen Q.

    Came by on Sunday around 4:45 pm and the place was completely empty of patrons. Not sure if this is the norm. Possibly because it's scorching hot outside and no one wants to eat hot soup... or is it because it's health code Grade B. Which I didn't noticed until I already paid for my order and my order was almost completed. Ordered the seafood congee and herbal drink. Although congee isn't difficult to make, it's nice to have a place I can run to if feeling under the weather or simply craving some congee. This place specializes in congee and also has other soup dishes on the menu. I echo everyone else rave reviews on the seafood congee, however, I was still hoping I wouldn't get taken down with some food borne illness. That Grade B was making me a little nervous. I would have liked if they included a fried Chinese bread donut that is typically eaten with congee. Private parking is in the back. Entrance in from back or front.

    Winnie W.

    Upsetting. Everything that's gone wrong with a good bowl of wonton noodle soup. Wrong wonton 雲吞 , Wrong dumpling 水餃, and semi-soggy noodles. That just sums it up. And their congee (jook) is just ok. :( So, these places are really popular in HK where they served only congee and wonton noodle soups. And in Asia, they are almost always good because with a simple menu, the same dishes are served over and over and practice makes more perfect, right? WRONG. The food at this place is - honestly - terrible. For me, I ordered a Wonton and Dumpling Noodles Lo Mein 雲吞水餃撈麵。 A classic and super simple dish, and I've never had worse. For a poster child of Everything that's gone wrong with a good bowl of wonton noodle soup, you can come here: * Semi-soggy egg noodles: noodles are supposed to have a 'crunch' in it, or what you may call el dente. But not at this place... the egg noodles are semi-soggy and just over cooked. * Wrong wonton 雲吞 : The wontons are GIANT. They are not supposed to be this big. The wontons here are bigger than your Siu-Mai dim sum and there's no care in the wrapping. Just a ball of meat squeezed into a wonton wrapper, that's it. Worse yet, the meat is foul smelly, filled with un-fresh pork fillings with traces of small shrimp. Wrong wonton size, wrong size shrimp used, and there's just no excuse for using un-fresh meat. BAD. Looked bad, taste even worse. * Here's the worse part yet -- wrong dumpling. when you go to a wonton shop to eat 雲吞水餃, you know what you're expecting for "dumpling"... and this place serves you "boiled pot stickers" as dumplings for crying out loud!!! I questioned the waitress that "this is the wrong dumpling", and she simply replied, "this is OUR dumpling" and pointed to the pictures in the menu. Er, ok - my bad I guess. These boiled pot stickers, I guarantee you, are straight from the freezer section of 99 Ranch Market. * Fried Chicken Wings are dry and deep fried at least for the 3rd time. Not good. * Congees are barely ok with a shop that bares its name. Consistency is not the best but overall tolerable. With so many choices in the 626, I can't believe I stumbled at such a horrible-tasting restaurant. Now to be fair. the restaurant was clean and comfy, and the wait staff were fast and efficient. But man, with such bad food, just the thought of coming back bad makes me shake... that foul smelly un-fresh pork filling in their wrong sized giant larger than Siu-Mai wontons.... omg! Ok, I'll stop the complaining now.

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    Best place for shrimp wonton noodle soup. This soup always hits the spot. Quick service too. Friendly staff/people.

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    Page 1 of 14

    Ask the Community - The Congee

    Do they have chicken wontons or non pork wontons?

    Their large shrimp wontons have pork in them. The house fish balls do too. The only pork free options are the regular fish balls, beef balls, and octopus balls.

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    Luyixian

    Luyixian

    4.5
    (526 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Beautiful Flower arrangement
    Beautiful Flower arrangement
    Couple's sliced beef
    Couple's sliced beef
    Mushroom and Napa cabbage

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    Mushroom and Napa cabbage
    Meow Rice Noodle

    Meow Rice Noodle

    4.5
    (186 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Was craving rice noodles so decided to give this place a try as it's been on my radar. I think it…read morewas okay, but not as amazing as I expected. Menu option is kind of limited. I went with the tomato and sliced beef for $14.99. This came with bean sprouts, which I wasn't aware of, and there was a lot of bean sprouts inside - almost as much as there was rice noodle. Not a fan of bean sprouts but will eat if I need to, but in this case - it totally overwhelmed the dish. There also wasn't enough rice noodle for me. Everything else was good, but that kinda blew it for me. Also got the spicy soup with beef and tomatoes. This is more of a gentle burn in spice they slowly works its way up. It's good if you like spice. Restaurant wasn't too busy when we arrived but got a good amount of customers by the time we were leaving. Workers are friendly. Not sure if I'd be back though. Lots of street parking or a small lot to the side.

    One of my favorite noodle spot in SGV area…read more My go to dish would be tomato sliced beef rice noodles- the tomato soup base is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The portion rice is very generous, I can never finish and would end up taking leftovers. Parking: they have a lot next to the restaurant, I never had an issue with finding a spot. The only downside is they don't have their AC on during the summer. I remember one time I was sweating while eating and it was very uncomfortable.

    Photos
    Food documentary playing on the TV.
    Food documentary playing on the TV.
    Tomato & Beef
    Tomato & Beef
    Peach oolong tea, listed as a Chapai Fruit Tea on their menu.

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    Peach oolong tea, listed as a Chapai Fruit Tea on their menu.
    Noodle King

    Noodle King

    3.8
    (10 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    Ordered three items here and all were fantastic. Best noodle in a bowl of beef noodle soup…read moreever--hand pulled noodles just done right and extra noodles are free! Beef roll looked more like a giant taco but was also excellent. In the most convoluted sequence of restaurant occupancy in the annals of Chinese restaurants in the United States, Noodle King has supplanted Rice Hero/Hero's Kitchen/In Joy Lunch in Alhambra in the space formerly occupied by a different restaurant named Noodle King in the 1980s and 1990s. There's a lot to explain here. I used the compound name for the previous occupant because the name on the front entrance was Rice Hero, the back entrance said Hero's Kitchen and the digital menus said In Joy Lunch. I say the old restaurant was supplanted, not replaced, because the old restaurant sort of still hangs around, with a tiny sheet of paper with all 3 old names taped to the front door, and many old dishes still on the menu. Why the three names I don't know. In Joy Lunch had been a popup that operated during lunch hour serving Dongbei food in a space in YYDS Fried Strings in Rosemead. In Joy Lunch then struck out on their own last year with this space in Alhambra, adding the new names. The old Noodle King had been a Taiwanese noodle fixture before moving out in 2003. Since the new Noodle King also serves some of the Rice Hero/Hero's Kitchen/In Joy Lunch items, the same name seems to be just a coincidence. But despite holdover menu items the staff clearly say they're a new restaurant, with the Noodle King himself greeting you at the front entrance and the signage in both front and back now say Noodle King.

    Their crispy/fried pork chops had a perfectly fried exterior that had a pleasant sweetness to it…read moreand was my favorite item here. Their beef noodle soup is pretty good and the broth had decent flavor. Their staff were really friendly and helped us pick items based on our preferences and what we wanted to eat that night.

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    Noodle King
    Noodle King
    Noodle King

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    101 Noodle Express

    101 Noodle Express

    3.8
    (2.2k reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    I came to 101 Noodle Express in Alhambra for a late dinner on a Thursday night. It's located in the…read moresame building as Alhambra Valley Bowl. From the outside, you can't tell the inside has really good space with booths plus tables and chairs, but it does. They weren't super busy at the time... about 5 tables occupied. I was greeted right away by the one server who was working the entire floor. Interior was clean and well lit. Atmosphere was comfortable. Menu has a variety of options... boiled dumplings, pan-fried dumplings, steamed mini buns, stir-fried noodles, regular noodles, rolls & pancakes, side dishes, rice, soup, and beverages. They also have frozen food to-go (just two items... dumplings and dezhou chicken). I got one Steamed Mini Buns (aka Xiao Long Bao), one Stir-Fried Noodles with pork, one Lamb Noodles Soup (with hand torn noodles), and one Jasmine Green Tea with honey. Yes, this seems like a lot of food for one person. I'm not a stranger to bringing food home for another meal. *Steamed Mini Buns - juicy with flavorful pork filling, adequate skin thickness, good size buns *Stir-Fried Noodles with pork - best dish out of the 3, good balance between pork, veggies, and noodles, mild spice level was perfect, portions were reasonable for the price *Lamb Noodles Soup - great amount of lamb and noodles, lamb was tender, noodles were a tad mushy on the edge... they need to be firmer, soup was savory *Jasmine Green Tea with honey - good size cup, tea was a bit bitter, probably needs more honey Food came out steaming hot and timely. Staff and service were wonderful. Yan, the server, was patient and helpful. He did an amazing job working the entire floor by himself. Thank you Yan! Highly recommend this place for their pan-dried and soup noodles. I would come back for more pan-fried noodles and try their pan-fried dumplings. Btw, cash, Zelle, or Venmo payment ONLY for bill total under $50. Bring cash if you don't plan to eat lots.

    I have been coming here for years. I like the beef roll here. It doesn't disappoint…read more The beef and tendon noodle soup is sometimes a hit and miss. This time it was very good. I have had ones in previous visits that the beef was chewy, not tender. You have a choice of regular noodles or hand torn noodles. Hand torn noodles are more filling since the noodles are much thicker than the regular noodles. They are both good. It is a matter of preference. The minced pork with noodles (aka Jia Jiang mien) is also good. For this visit, I did not order dumplings. But their dumplings are usually good. The service is adequate but don't expect good service.

    Photos
    101 Noodle Express
    Pan-Fried Noodles with pork
    Pan-Fried Noodles with pork
    IG: happyfoodieoc

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    IG: happyfoodieoc
    Sam's Noodle Station

    Sam's Noodle Station

    3.9
    (340 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    CASH ONLY Decided to…read moregive this spot a try and was pleasantly surprised. It's a small, cozy restaurant with attentive and friendly service. I ordered their promotional dine-in-only noodle dish with thick yellow noodles, and it did not disappoint. The dish was flavorful and generously portioned, loaded with tender pork, ground meat, boiled shrimp, and crispy fried shrimp for a great mix of textures. It also came with a side of soup! Overall, a solid experience. I'll definitely be back to explore more of the menu.

    3.5 stars I think…read morethis might be my second time eating here. The first time I tried this restaurant was maybe back in 2021, when we had a family friend in town. I don't remember what we ordered that time, but I do remember that nothing has changed. It is still a hole-in-the-wall type of restaurant. My mom thinks it's a Chiu Chow restaurant, but there's Vietnamese translation, so it could mixed. We're not sure. This time, these are what my mom and I ordered: Shaken Beef w/ Red Rice ($18.95): if you like your steak at medium rare, this place does a decent shaken beef. Personally, I took most of the beef home to cook again b/c I do prefer it medium-well/well-done. Otherwise, the beef was tasty and the red rice was satisfying. Portion was huge. 4/5 stars House Chow Fun ($16.95): Mom ordered the wet version. It came with beef, chicken, shrimp, canned mushrooms, bean sprouts, and some greens. It is tasty fresh, but it does get soggy if you got leftovers to take home. 3.5/5 stars Free parking on site, but parking is small and limited. If you're normally a solo diner, there is a good chance you'll be sharing a table with other solo diners during lunch/dinner rushes. I thought it was good and would definitely come back. I would recommend to anyone who isn't squeamish about hole-in-the-wall mom-n-pops.

    Photos
    Inside of the restaurant
    Inside of the restaurant
    Sam's Noodle Station
    Here's the restaurant

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    Here's the restaurant

    The Congee - chinese - Updated August 2026

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