This place is an institution. After I wrote that sentence, I felt like I was trite. And like I said something but not really. Like, one time I was watching Project Runway, a season finale episode, where the designers make their own creations, and do not have to make their ensembles from shredded newspaper or bird seeds or pinata remnants. And after a so-and-so of the fashion industry said, "I wanted to go and rip that jacket off the model." This other time, I saw a poster for a coming musical and it said, "stop everything you are doing, and go this musical now" says this important person in the theathre world. What am I am trying to say is that the comment I wanted to do this immediately or drop everything and do this immediately is so overwrought and widely used that it lost all meaning. Kind of like calling this place an institution. So I will call this place what I should to not be drown in my own trite. One time I went to this place and I went cause I was invited to a birthday party. And it was a large group of people. Me and a friend debated if Penny, from the Big Bang, had eaten at this place. She was also in Charmed--- it is a household name, I can't remember it. So this place is famous enough to be a go to move, and it has many pictures of celebrities that have gone there. The food is also super good, so this place, like I said is an insititution. When I went there a second time, I was more aware of the place I was visiting and kind of was ready to receive its Chinese fare with an unhinged jaw. I was dining with a friend, the same friend that I had the is that Penny from Big Bang debate? It was not. She eventually one. But like she and I ate here again, without knowing we were going to the same place. I would say its a small world but.... She and I ate with gusto. It does not take a lot to know that the speciality of the house is their slippery shrimp. They also have slippery chicken and slippery tofu. Super good, sweet, sour but it was not sweet and sour sauce shrimp, it had differences. I am not sure what. There were some heat notes but not like terrible heat. So I am not exactly sure what this place does to make their slippery sauce but let us just that it was delicious and different than other Chinese food sauces. Ronnie and I had the works. Rice, Beef with Brocoli, Pan fried dumplings, and dumpings. It was the type of Chinese food that was so good a coke was needed to balance the decadent saltiness of the fare. Yeah, that might not make sense but I wrote what I wrote. We had eniugh food to share between the two of us. It was that type of meal, where leftovers were welcomed and made sense. They were not left over, they were left untouched because it would be a shame to not enjoy them later. The service was great. The place felt traditional, and like it took you to an alley in China to eat a grandmother's food who knows how to use a Wok and pinch dumplings so they stay close for good. I saw this bad review that skewered this place. And I am like wow! How can we be so different. Not like Ying and Yang Different, more like flutter and flatten. But taste is subjective, so decide for yourself if this place is a peacock worthy of its feathers or a tiger with its claws clipped. read more

See all

Visited again this past weekend. Food was as delicious as I remember. Although, last time I came we were offered complimentary hot tea but this time we were not. We ordered the combination fried rice, Mongolian beef, slippery shrimp, beef lo mein, mixed veggies and Szechuan chicken. Everything was delicious and super flavorful! It took a while for our server to attend to us once we were seated (we waited about 10min before we asked to have our order taken) but after that the servers were very attentive. The place is busy. Quick turn around. One bathroom for the entire restaurant so expect a line. I saw a sign out front for valet parking but I didn't see anyone. But there's plenty of parking places nearby. Found a place down the street for $8 all day parking. read more

Yang Chow - Mixed fried rice, Mongolian beef, slippery shrimp, beef lo mein, mixed veggies, Szechuan chicken - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

One thing about me is that I'm never going to turn down some Chinese food! Asian food in general is one of my top fav meal choices. Me and partner stopped in for a quick lunch and we decided to share the Beef Lo Mien. It was excellent, smooth and saucy while the noodles had the perfect density to my liking. It filled us both up so we didn't need to get anything else. I can't wait to come back and try something new! read more

Yang Chow - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Went there today Saturday morning around 11:15 (15 minutes before it opened) to avoid the rush but after about 5 minutes inside the restaurant it was already half full so that tells you how popular this place is! Staff were very friendly as usual, got the Pan fried chicken noodles (soft or crispy, I got the soft noodles) and their famous Slippery Shrimp, both were very good but not excellent and $24 for the shrimp seems a bit high in my opinion.Is Yang Chow one of the best in Chinatown? Yes! Is Yang Chow one of the best in LA? No! read more

See all

Parking is very limited but we went on a weekday around 4pm but found 2 spots behind the restaurant. Little gem in the heart of China Town. Excellent service and clean. Food was so great. We ordered a lot and asked for food to go. Every dish cooked to perfection. Most people order the Slippery Shrimp. read more

Yang Chow - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Food was outstanding. If you never been, you definitely have to stop by. No wonder this place has been open for so long and all these celebrities and sports figures have ended up here. That's no coincidence, guaranteed you'll love it. read more

See all

Sooooo good!!! I've been looking for Chinese food like this for a while now love the amount of onions and peanuts they put in the kung pao chicken and service was great! read more

Yang Chow - Kung Pao Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

This place is a little hidden gem. We decided to eat lunch here and it was really good. The place was pretty roomy and there was a lot of people here. The servers were extremely attentive and made sure we had water at all times. The food itself was delicious. The shrimp was fried shrimp covered in their orange chicken sauce. The fried rice was clean tasting and wasn't too bad. I recommend this place if you are in the area read more

See all

I have been coming here for years and brought out of town members of my family. This time was different. Service was not good and the food was just not good. We started with sesame noodle which were pasty and had no real flavor Spring rolls were greasy and the Mushu lacked flavor. The green beans with chicken were over spiced . I'm not sure why . Maybe I will stop comedown town and will just go out to there Pasadena location read more

Yang Chow - Menu - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

As a lover of Chinese food I'm surprised I never ad this place before even though it's been in my bookmarks for years. One of the best Chinese food places in LA by far the flavor of everything was what I expected and the slippery shrimp is also definitely a must try. The smoky flavor in everything dish from the wok and the house made chili oil that also adds more smokiness but with a kick is really that authentic flavor people look for! Even though they are really busy and a bit cramped the service is still amazing! Located right in Chinatown also could not have been any better for the vibes! Go check them out if you guys want some great Chinese food! read more

Yang Chow - Slippery Shrimp, Sliced Beef with Scallions, Dry Sautéed Vegetable Delights, Yang Chow Fried Rice - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Oh my goodness! This was truly a surprising treat. A few friends invited me too grab a late lunch. As soon as I walked in, I could smell the fantastic aroma's throughout the place! It was clean and quite a few people dining. The food was extremely tasty! (Shrimp, Noodles, Orange & Kung Pao chicken) I am not able to describe the perfection of the fried shrimp!! My mouth is watering right now just talking about it!! Lol The rice (with small traces of veggies?) was just mediocre. I'm not quite sure if there was a specific ask because the food was already ordered by time I got there. But the sweet-and-sour sauce was very tasty over the shrimp and added it to the rice. On top of delicious food, we had the most amazing server! He was polite, funny, & checked on us often! I highly recommend it. read more

See all

We went to Universal Studio's and decided to make a pit stop at Yang Chow's with our kiddos. They are normally picky eaters but they really enjoyed their meal. We started with the sizzling rice soup and then slippery shrimp, Yang Chow Fried Tice and Mongolian beef. Lot of food and we took left overs. Service was excellent and they were extremely attentive. Our son said their Thai tea was the best he had. Of the items, the sizzling rice did not break apart that much so although good but not my favorite of the dishes. We enjoyed it and when we are back and hungry, come back. read more

See all

Many reviewers describe this place as good Americanized Chinese food, after trying it, that's exactly best way to describe it. Nearly a 50 year old establishment with Chinese food made to cater more towards western palate. A nostalgic place. If you want to taste original Americanized Chinese food, this is authentic in its own category. If you want more authentic ethnic dishes with roots from mainland China, then that's more in the heart of SGV. But Chinese food that is accommodating to most palate, then this is a good try. read more

We visited LA's Chinatown on a Sunday evening and passed by Yang Chow. There was a paper waiting list that was filled with names, so we decided to walk around Chinatown Central Plaza a bit before deciding to eat here. We were seated right away around 7:30pm on a Sunday. Photos adorned the walls of the numerous celebrity guests, so you know it's a classic spot! We ordered the slippery shrimp and mixed pan-fried noodles (shrimp, chicken, and beef). The food was prepared very quickly. I enjoyed the slippery shrimp ($24.50). I don't do spicy, and we were able to order the slippery shrimp with the chili oil on the side. The shrimp is battered, fried, and tossed in a sweet and sour sauce (and chili oil for a kick, unless you opt out like I did). You get a mountain of shrimp! It is definitely family-style portions. I wasn't a big fan of the pan-fried noodles ($19.25). I'm more used to Cantonese style, and Yang Chow specializes in Mandarin and Szechuan style. The noodles were more thick and chewy (think lo mein) than pan-fried and crunchy/crispy, and it quickly turned soggy from the brown gravy. Service was good overall, and we were given fortune cookies with the check. Service - 4 stars; food - 3.5 stars, but pretty ordinary for LA... nothing worth going out of your way for. read more

See all

About a 30 min wait at 730 on a Saturday. Pretty busy. Cute old school spot w a decent amount of tables. Slippery shrimp: one of their most popular dishes. Lightly battered and sweet. A bit of a lemony taste to it. Beef lo mein - a bit lacking in flavor. Beef is soft and chewy like most take out Chinese places. Wish there were more veggies - there was a bit of cabbage, mushrooms and water chestnuts. Szechuan wonton soup - not mala spice more black pepper spice. Wontons were a bit thick but pretty good. We poured some of the broth on the lo mein to give it more flavor. Prob would not come back. Food is fine but nothing that you can't get at any local Chinese take out place. read more

Went to Yang Chow on a Sunday had to wait outside for them to open the doors at 11:30 and it was totally worth it. This place is excellent and got four entrées for less than 100 bucks and would return. Please keep up the good work. read more

See all

Tried this place out with a coworker for lunch on a Thursday. They just opened so there was no wait and we parked on the street. Ambiance was busy Chinese restaurant with muffled chatter. Good service overall- they were quick with bringing the water and food and taking our orders. We got their slippery shrimp ($24) and yang chow fried rice ($18). Portions are big that we had leftovers. The shrimp was fried perfectly and the sauce is really yummy, slightly sweet and tangy. You can ask them to adjust the spice. read more

Yang Chow - Slippery shrimp - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

Yang Chow is a LA institution, having been around for so long thanks to its standard, yet consistent Chinese food. Granted, it mostly caters to a non-Chinese crowd, but being Chinese myself, I think it's still a solid choice for dining out while in the neighborhood. I went with a small group, and we ordered the famous slippery shrimp (crispy-battered and, yes, slippery), orange chicken, sauteed green beans, and Yang Chow fried rice. The portions were more than generous, enough to take home as leftovers. Although the dishes aren't necessarily innovative, they taste solid and represent the true essence of Americanized-Chinese cuisine (a genre in itself). Service was also really nice and efficient, and overall, I approve of Yang Chow! read more

See all

Honestly, not sure I get the hype. First of all, the line is crazy long and out the door. We ended up getting to go and still waited 20-30 min for our food. I got the slippery shrimp which everyone recommended. Yes, it is good, but I wasn't blown away. The sautéed string bean with minced pork was fine, probably could have used more garlic. The shredded beef with spicy garlic sauce had more veggies/ peppers than it did beef. Most of the people eating here seem to be tourists. Don't get me wrong, the food is decent and portions are generous, but I just dont get the hype over it. I think there's plenty of equally good (if not better) food at SGV for a better price too. read more

I recently ate at Yang Chow in Pasadena, so I was pleasantly surprised that my coworkers wanted to go to the original location in Chinatown. We had two orders of slippery shrimp, kung pao chicken, eggplants with hot and spicy garlic sauce, juicy steamed dumplings, and pork fried rice. Overall, both restaurants in Chinatown and Pasadena provide great food quality. The ambience was cozy with dim lighting. Our round table had a wooden rotating tray. They have pictures of celebrities and politicians who've visited their restaurant. Service was relatively quick, but there was a 20-minute wait for the dumplings. Valet parking can get difficult when the lot gets full. A few cars entering the narrow driveway had to reverse out of the way to let others leave. The kung pao chicken was very tasty with a good amount of spice. I noticed that the slippery shrimp didn't taste as spicy as the portion from Pasadena. Reviews say that the spice is adjustable. Regardless. it tasted great as it came right off the pan. The pork fried rice was delicious with a savory flavor that didn't seem overpowering. I thought the juicy steamed dumplings were the weakest dish out of our whole order. There wasn't enough flavor and heat from the broth. I didn't try much of the eggplants, but they tasted adequate for me. read more

Disappointment doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling after finally eating food that I've been craving for ages. I'd seen videos on tik tok, other people experience the amazing food. Then when I get it, it's nothing like how it was shown or even what I thought it would be. I'm talking about the Slippery Shrimp dish. It's, literally, just breaded and fried shrimp. That's it. In a sauce That's not that great. I ordered the Slippery shrimp, Slippery chicken, another disappointment, the veggies that contain baby corn and different types of mushrooms (delicious), vegetable fried rice (also delicious) and the grren beans with minced chicken (another delicious option). The Slippery shrimp and Slippery chicken were not good and entirely too sweet. I usually like the reviews from tik tok but in this case, it did not live up to the expectations. read more

This is my second time at Yang Chow. Wait time is fast, the service is pleasant. The food is 10/10. The food is filling. The flavors are there. I have no complaints. This is a solid Chinese restaurant, and the dishes are very clean. The chicken fried rices is a solid choice for someone who is a picky eater. read more

See all

This is our favorite Chinese restaurant hands down. It's in the heart of Chinatown which is a vibe just itself. We came with family/friends around noon on a Thursday. They do have parking right behind the property. It's basically free but I usually give them $5 - $10 for parking .Because, why not and your car is literally safe there. It was a party of eight of us and we came early. I recommend coming early because it does get crowded. We ordered a little bit of everything. We enjoyed, shrimp fried rice, chicken fried rice, slippery shrimp, broccoli, slippery chicken,fried spring rolls, and more. The food was delicious and top tier. Everything was served family style and the portions were huge. We had plenty of leftovers to take with us. Last, thank you to the wonderful staff. Everyone is extremely kind and professional. Our personal favorite is Benny. Benny, is extremely helpful ,and funny as hell. Thank Yang Chow for the magnificent experience. read more

See all

Yang Chow is always a great stop in Chinatown. The food is so good the fried rice, dumplings, and string beans are all must orders. Their Slippery Shrimp, which is one of their most famous dishes, is a must-try too. The Kung Pao, Chow Mein are also super popular and never disappoint. The service is attentive even when the place is packed, and it's almost always crowded, but honestly the wait is worth it every time. I also love looking at all the celebrity photos on the wall, it gives the restaurant that classic, old school Chinatown charm. read more

See all

I was extremely hungry this day!! The only thing that I had an "issue" with was the rice cakes. It was a little mushy and lacked flavor / salty. The beef was the best thing!! I liked the bamboo in it too. The sweet and sour pork was good, but nothing special about it. The staff was really nice though read more

See all

Food: 4/5 Loved the staples- can't go wrong with the slippery shrimp- full of flavored that is sweet and sour with crunchy texture and the green beans with ground chicken. Those two dishes with rice and a bit of chili oil makes the perfect lunch combo! Only downside is you can't get enough of it! Portions seem to be getting smaller for the price. Also rice is $2 a bowl. The moo shu pork was very flavorful, now they do come wrapped already. Pork cops were good, but I feel like there could be some dried garlic or jalapeños. Service: 4/5 staff was attentive when you first get seated, after you get your food, they don't really check on you. Ambiance: 4/5 Typical Chinese restaurant. Round ranked for family style dinner. read more

See all

Yang Chow is the spot to visit when you're craving an old school Chinese food restaurant. My friend and I visited on a Saturday evening around 6:30pm. Located in Chinatown, parking was a little sus' - I was able to find parking in a small lot across the street for $5/90 minutes ($15 all day), but BEWARE, it's a little scary after dark crossing the street and accessing the little alley to get to your car (fully recognize that I may just be a lil scaredy-cat). Anyway, all that to say, parking is available on the street and in nearby lots. Upon arrival, there were about 5 parties ahead of us, but we were still seated within 25 minutes or so, which was nice! Looks like they get SUPER busy around 7:30/7:45. The dining room itself isn't very spacious, tables are quite close to each other. So, you can hear conversations next to you (which is fine), do not expect privacy. The wait staff was EXTREMELY warm and friendly (and fun!). We thoroughly enjoyed interacting with one gentleman in particular who was making rounds refilling water. I'm sad I didn't catch his name, but I feel like if you've encountered him, you know! Now, for the order- Yang Chow has a full bar, with a menu of various cocktails. My friend ordered and thoroughly enjoyed a Lemon Drop martini. For food, we ordered the Yang Chow Fried Rice (Pork, Shrimp, Chicken) and the Slippery Shrimp. Both dishes were quite good. The Slippery Shrimp has a sweet/spicy sauce and the shrimp are delightfully crunchy on the outside. The dishes are quite big, so this is really all we had the tummy space to handle! My friend took our leftovers home, which should make for one more serving. I really liked the fact that although there were folks waiting, we did not feel rushed along once we'd finished eating. We lingered a little while (~15/20 minutes) after we finished eating. 4.3/5 for me (only because of location), but I would totally return! read more

See all

The food came out right away. The servers were on it. And everything was delicious and at a good price. For $95 that included 3 plates of different meats, rice. It fed 3 of us and plenty for lunch tomorrow. They even gave us an extra rice to go. Love that! read more

See all

So so good. The food is incredible and the service is amazing. Pictures of the food do not do it justice. Really good beef lo mein and loved the 3 ingredient kung pao (beef, shrimp, chicken). Make sure you order the hot tea. It's also nice they serve alcohol. I can't wait for my next meal at Yang Chow! read more

Yang Chow - Garlic chicken - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

This is by far the best Chinese food you'll ever have. This is my first time coming to this location. I usually go to the one in Pasadena, but it was the same exact thing they have the same recipes so obviously it's the same owner and has the same chef's cooking the food identically. The service is really good here. Also this place is much smaller than the Pasadena one, but they're on top of it they bring you the food ASAP and they constantly check up on you making sure your water glasses are full and if you're having a few drinks, they make sure you're good with a cold glass. I highly recommend this location for anyone looking for some good authentic food.. read more

Yang Chow - Main entrance - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

Excellent food, and friendly staff, great ambience. 2nd time here. Highly recommended read more

Been coming to YANG CHOW since 1991 and it's consistently the best food with the most awesome and family familiar staff who always recognize a loyal customer! All I can say is SLIPPERY SHRIMP , COLD SESAME NOODLES and SPICY WONTON SOUP! Lotta hot Chinese mustard please... Thanks - Dean - when do I get my photo on the wall? read more

I had a late lunch here with one of my friends on New Year's Day. They have Valet parking available as well as parking lots near by. I opted for street parking a couple blocks away to walk around before going to the restaurant. When my friend and I arrived at the restaurant, there was several groups of different sizes on the waitlist that is outside the entrance. It took about an hour or so to be seated. The inside is dimly lit and the tables are close together on the left side of the restaurant. My friend enjoyed his previous visits to the restaurant and highly recommended the Slippery Shrimp. We got the Slippery Shrimp and the Pan Fried Noodle with Mixed Ingredients which came with beef, shrimp, and chicken. We changed the crispy noodles to Lo Mein. For drinks, we got the Lychee Martini and the Mai Tai. The drinks came out first. The Lychee Martini had a generous amount of alcohol and had a skewer of lychee which added a nice touch. My friend enjoyed his Mai Tai and said it was strong. The noodles arrived first. They were delicious. I enjoyed the chili oil that was provided. The beef was very tender. The shrimp arrived a bit later. They were crispy and flavorful. The service is friendly. I would definitely come back but with a larger group of friends to try more items as the portions are family-style! read more

Yang chow is more like Yang Wow ! Haha As soon as we got there we wrote our name to add to the list and the wait was extremely fast. Servers, manager, and host were really nice and friendly. It's cool to immediately see a bunch of photos of all the famous people that have been there and when you walk inside you're immediately transported to the 80s-90s with all the red and mirrors. The soups are amazing and a must. We stayed for the slippery shrimp which is their #1 item and my only regret is not bringing more people to share the dishes with and so we could order more! Seriously, the portion sizes are out of this world large and my water glass was NEVER half empty or half full. read more

See all

Please be aware that If you order take out, it won't be fresh. After tasting my entree I was Appalled and immediately called to complain about the quality of the Food. The lady who answered the phone was in extreme denial and totally disregarded my complaint. This is extremely poor customer service. read more

Update: I was eating some of the leftovers, and I found a piece of chicken in my scallops. I'm pescatarian and haven't had meat in over 10yrs. Very disgusted and disappointed. read more

Yang Chow has many delicious options to choose from. Everything is well portioned and the service is friendly. The restaurant was busy when going, but that seems to be the norm of this spot. It was cool seeing all the celebs on the wall too! read more

Yang Chow - Slippery Shrimp and Szechuan Beef (Orange Peel Sauce) - Chinese Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I can see why this place is voted one of the if not the best Chinese restaurants in LA. The service was amazing and the food was delicious. Be prepared for a wait as it can be super busy. There is seating available outside for waiting as well. The restaurant was calm and not super loud I would assume because everyone is indulging in their meal, as I was. The slippery shrimp was delicious, the Mongolian beef was so tender and melted in your mouth, the fried rice was seasoned and cooked to perfecting and the tangerine beef was so crispy it was surprisingly delightful. I felt as if I was eating a flavorful chícharon. read more

See all

Yummy Chinese food in Chinatown. Saw all the reviews on google and decided to stop by while in Chinatown. Everything we had was delicious. For appetizer we ordered the shrimp toast and it was so delicious, perfectly crispy and the shrimp filling was so tasty! We also ordered the chicken fried rice and sliced chicken with hot spicy garlic sauce and it was so good I would definitely recommend this restaurant if in the area and in the mood for some good Chinese. I will be back when I'm LA again!!! read more

See all

Decided to try this restaurant for dinner with friends tonight. We were lucky to get seated right away for our large party of 8 because they seemed packed. We ordered lots of food and overall it was ok but I'm not sure it measured up to the high expectations we had going in. The shrimp fried rice was yummy. And I was surprised by the sweet and sour pork. Although the crispy duck appeared overly well done, it was not as dry as it looked and was actually pretty tasty. Service was great! read more

See all