Discovered Website Text
================================================================================
FULL TEXT EXTRACTION: Saveur – Best SGV Restaurants
URL: https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/
Extracted: 2026-01-10T19:47:34.108665Z
================================================================================
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAGE 1: Food Recipes, Ingredients, Food Ideas, Comfort Food Recipes | Saveur
URL: https://www.saveur.com/food
Words: 36
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Our Best Lunar New Year Recipes for an Auspicious Feast By MEGAN ZHANG Recreate Your Favorite Chinese Takeout Classics With These 29 Recipes By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 50 Best Mexican and Mexican-Inspired Recipes By FATIMA KHAWAJA
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAGE 2: The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur
URL: https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/
Words: 4,069
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count. By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Dai Ho (Photo: Jessie YuChen) California Culture Features North America Travel By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Keep Reading 7 Excellent Food Movies to Watch Right Now By ELISSA SUH These 14 Business Class Lounges Are Redefining Airport Dining By SAVEUR EDITORS The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making By CATHY ERWAY Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures By CHANTAL MARTINEAU See All Continue to Next Story ADVERTISEMENTAD AD
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAGE 3: Saveur: Global Recipes, Food, Drinks, Travel, How to Cook
URL: https://www.saveur.com/
Words: 567
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Eat the world. Scroll For More Culture Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making The elegant British entrée is easier—and more adaptable—than you may think. By Cathy Erway What We’re Loving Now Culture Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND Culture Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Culture David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Culture The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Shop Order Our Limited-Edition “12 Holiday Cakes” Cookbook Subscribe Now Shopping & Reviews Our Editors’ Most-Loved Cookbooks of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Shopping Guides 7 Best Travel Credit Cards for Food Lovers By CHRIS DONG Trending Recipes Recipes Alpine-Style Winter Amaro By DANNY CHILDS Recipes Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Recipes Joan Nathan’s Classic Latkes By JOAN NATHAN Recipes Oyster Shooter By FARIDEH SADEGHIN Greece Spotlight Recipes Fried Sesame-Crusted Feta With Honey By DIMITRIS CHANTZIPLAKIS Travel Where to Eat Like a Local in Athens By KATHERINE WHITTAKER Recipes Avgolemono By DIANE KOCHILAS Culture At These Greek Taverns, Order a Drink, and the Rest Will Follow By DEREK SANDHAUS Travel Culture 13 Under-the-Radar Montreal Restaurants Locals Love By MAYSSAM SAMAHA Culture Experience the History of Paris Dining Through These 10 Restaurants By LINDSEY TRAMUTA Travel 11 Rave-Worthy Restaurants in Telluride, Colorado By KATIE SHAPIRO Travel Berlin’s Cemetery Cafés Are Very Much Alive By DIANA HUBBELL Make This Tonight Recipes Pan-Roasted Pork Chop With Apples and Mustard-Onion Gravy By RYAN MCCARTHY Recipes Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles By SAVEUR EDITORS Recipes Melty Braised Cabbage With Bacon and Pecans By BENJAMIN KEMPER Recipes Puntarelle Alla Romana By SAVEUR EDITORS Drink Up! Ménage à Quatre Cocktail By DAVID LEBOVITZ Gogl-Mogl By JOAN NATHAN Glühwein By MIMI SHERATON Creole 75 By DOMINICK LEE How to Make a Perfectly Balanced, Complex Amaro at Home By ALEX TESTERE Alpine-Style Winter Amaro By DANNY CHILDS Spiced Quince Sharbat By KAT CRADDOCK Pink Squirrel By SAVEUR EDITORS Bloody Martini By GARY REGAN View all The Future of Food Culture The New Era of Indigenous Dining By DIANA SPECHLER Culture This Mutual Aid Group Is Delivering Groceries to Families Impacted by ICE Raids By SHANE MITCHELL Culture Where Did All the Banana Ketchup Go? By LEILANI MARIE LABONG Culture The Climate Crisis Is Coming for Your Favorite Foods By SAVEUR EDITORS Gems From the Archive Culture A Love Letter to Gianduja, the Perfect Union of Hazelnuts and Milk Chocolate By SIMON BAJADA Culture The Traditional Latkes Recipe I Always Come Back To By JOAN NATHAN Culture An Eye-Opening Look at the Feast of the Seven Fishes By STACY ADIMANDO Culture How Dorie Greenspan Does New Year’s Eve in Paris By DORIE GREENSPAN Latest Recipes Grilled Fish Tacos With Creamy Chipotle Sauce By SAVEUR EDITORS Cilantro Rice By SAVEUR EDITORS Spicy Black Beans With Queso Fresco By SAVEUR EDITORS Marjolaine By DAVID LEBOVITZ Beef Wellington By JESS SHADBOLT Beef Bourguignon By SAVEUR EDITORS New England-Style Baked Beans By GABRIELLA GERSHENSON Mussels With Coconut Milk, Fennel, and Lime By PEARL JONES Standing Rib Roast With Black Currant Port Glaze By KELLIE EVANS View all ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Traveling soon? The food-focused travel newsletter you’ve always wanted has finally arrived. Wherever you’re off to next, our global network of intrepid food experts has the knowledge you need.SIGN UP NOW
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAGE 4: Menus | Saveur
URL: https://www.saveur.com/menus
Words: 130
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
6 Magnificent Indian Grilling Recipes You Can Pull Off Indoors or Outdoors By MEHERWAN IRANI A French-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu By KAT CRADDOCK Sign Up Now For Our Holiday E-Newsletter! By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A Mexican Feast for Día De Los Muertos Menu: Elegant Mother’s Day Dinner A Late-Summer Tomato Celebration Christmas Menus from around the World 9 Complete Thanksgiving Menus ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Menu: A Tour of Southeast Asian Food Dinner Party Diaries By ANDREW SEAN GREER Menu: SAVEUR’s Seder Dinner Epic Dinner Party Dishes, Tips, and a Heavenly Dessert By SAVEUR EDITORS Little Gem Lettuces With Marinated Anchovies and Bottarga By KATIE JACKSON Our Best Recipes for Day of the Dead By SAVEUR EDITORS A Classic Southern Easter Menu By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A French Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAGE 5: Newsletter Signup | Saveur
URL: https://www.saveur.com/newsletter/
Words: 52
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Did you know we have newsletters? Enter your email for recipes, stories, and recommendations tailored to your palate. Email Address * By subscribing to our newsletters (which may include marketing communications and promotions from our affiliates and partners), you agree to our Terms of Use. You also agree to our Privacy Policy.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAGE 6: Contact Us | Saveur
URL: https://www.saveur.com/contact
Words: 210
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
JENNY HUANG Contact Us Contact us for advertising, licensing, and PR inquiries, customer service and pitches. Advertising Inquiries For all advertising inquiries, including requests for media kits, please visit the advertising page. Letters to the Editor Have questions/comments about articles? Send an email to editorial@saveur.com Licensing For customer service inquiries regarding SAVEUR Selects, please contact cookware-bakeware@saveurselects.com. For inquiries regarding international licensing or syndication, review award licensing and permissions, or product licensing, please contact partnerships@saveur.com. Media Inquiries Inquiries or interview requests from members of the media should be directed to saveur@districtonestudios.com. Pitch Guidelines Want to pitch a story for SAVEUR? We’d love to hear your ideas. Please find instructions and pointers here: How to Pitch SAVEUR. Subscription Services Subscribe to SAVEUR’s semestrial print edition in the SAVEUR Shop. To manage your print subscription, mailing address, and payment methods, log into the SAVEUR Shop Customer Portal. You can also email print subscription questions to shop@saveur.com. Manage your free SAVEUR email newsletter preferences by following the links at the bottom of any newsletter. Website To report any problems with this website, or if you have any questions or concerns about Saveur.com, please contact webmaster@saveur.com. Wholesale Inquiries Stockists can purchase issues in bulk via our Wholesale Shop. Email retail and resale questions to wholesale@saveur.com.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
PAGE 7: The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur
URL: https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#
Words: 4,069
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count. By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Dai Ho (Photo: Jessie YuChen) California Culture Features North America Travel By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Keep Reading 7 Excellent Food Movies to Watch Right Now By ELISSA SUH These 14 Business Class Lounges Are Redefining Airport Dining By SAVEUR EDITORS The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making By CATHY ERWAY Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures By CHANTAL MARTINEAU See All Continue to Next Story ADVERTISEMENTAD AD
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MENU CONTENT
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
===== MENU FROM: https://www.saveur.com/menus =====
6 Magnificent Indian Grilling Recipes You Can Pull Off Indoors or Outdoors By MEHERWAN IRANI A French-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu By KAT CRADDOCK Sign Up Now For Our Holiday E-Newsletter! By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A Mexican Feast for Día De Los Muertos Menu: Elegant Mother’s Day Dinner A Late-Summer Tomato Celebration Christmas Menus from around the World 9 Complete Thanksgiving Menus ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Menu: A Tour of Southeast Asian Food Dinner Party Diaries By ANDREW SEAN GREER Menu: SAVEUR’s Seder Dinner Epic Dinner Party Dishes, Tips, and a Heavenly Dessert By SAVEUR EDITORS Little Gem Lettuces With Marinated Anchovies and Bottarga By KATIE JACKSON Our Best Recipes for Day of the Dead By SAVEUR EDITORS A Classic Southern Easter Menu By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A French Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two
Complete Master Bundle (Raw JSON)
{
"target": {
"id": "saveur_sgv",
"name": "Saveur – Best SGV Restaurants",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/",
"entity_type": "restaurant"
},
"metadata": {
"created_at": "2026-01-14T18:09:23.317599Z",
"source_directory": "batch_05/saveur_sgv"
},
"extraction": {
"http": {
"status_code": 200,
"final_url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/"
},
"seo": {
"title": "The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur",
"meta_description": "From Cantonese dim sum parlors to Uyghur noodle shops, these are the best Asian restaurants in San Gabriel Valley.",
"canonical_url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/",
"og_tags": {
"og:site_name": "Saveur",
"og:image": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp&width=2000&height=1509",
"og:image:height": "1509",
"og:image:width": "2000",
"og:locale": "en_US",
"og:description": "From Cantonese dim sum parlors to Uyghur noodle shops, these are the best Asian restaurants in San Gabriel Valley.",
"og:title": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"og:type": "article",
"og:url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/"
},
"twitter_tags": {
"twitter:site": "https://twitter.com/saveurmag/",
"twitter:card": "summary_large_image",
"twitter:description": "From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count.",
"twitter:image": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp",
"twitter:title": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"twitter:label1": "Written by",
"twitter:data1": "Esther Tseng",
"twitter:label2": "Est. reading time",
"twitter:data2": "11 minutes"
},
"all_meta_tags": {
"viewport": "initial-scale=1, width=device-width",
"theme-color": "#f68f44",
"description": "From Cantonese dim sum parlors to Uyghur noodle shops, these are the best Asian restaurants in San Gabriel Valley.",
"article:published_time": "2024-06-28T07:15:24-04:00",
"news_keywords": "best restaurants san gabriel valley",
"section": "Travel",
"sub-section": "United States",
"tags": "Issue 202",
"item-id": "171438",
"facebook-domain-verification": "c16nx0f9hyjvvo2sj3lj9cj1uksdhw",
"robots": "index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1",
"og:site_name": "Saveur",
"og:image": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp&width=2000&height=1509",
"og:image:height": "1509",
"og:image:width": "2000",
"og:locale": "en_US",
"og:description": "From Cantonese dim sum parlors to Uyghur noodle shops, these are the best Asian restaurants in San Gabriel Valley.",
"og:title": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"og:type": "article",
"og:url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/",
"twitter:site": "https://twitter.com/saveurmag/",
"twitter:card": "summary_large_image",
"twitter:description": "From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count.",
"twitter:image": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp",
"twitter:title": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"author": "Esther Tseng",
"twitter:label1": "Written by",
"twitter:data1": "Esther Tseng",
"twitter:label2": "Est. reading time",
"twitter:data2": "11 minutes",
"taxonomy:content-type": "1. Group,2. Page Type,3. Timeframe,4. Funnel,Bottom Funnel,Evergreen,Feature,Non-Membership",
"next-head-count": "48",
"influencerrate-verification": "21a3e1d6f5b4bfbf5b07c275a2d57093",
"fo-verify": "40817dca-92b0-447e-983b-7c6ff892a76c"
}
},
"schema_org_source": [
[
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#primaryimage",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1932,
"name": "dai ho602"
},
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Person",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/authors/esther-tseng/",
"name": "Esther Tseng",
"image": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#personlogo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"caption": "Esther Tseng"
},
"description": "",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/authors/esther-tseng/"
},
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#article",
"author": [
{
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/authors/esther-tseng/",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/authors/esther-tseng/",
"name": "Esther Tseng"
}
],
"headline": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"datePublished": "2024-06-28T07:15:24-04:00",
"dateModified": "2024-06-28T07:15:24-04:00",
"mainEntityOfPage": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#webpage",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/",
"name": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley | Saveur",
"primaryImageOfPage": {
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#primaryimage"
},
"datePublished": "2024-06-28T07:15:24-04:00",
"dateModified": "2024-06-28T07:15:24-04:00",
"description": "From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count.\n",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"isPartOf": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "WebSite",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#website",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/",
"name": "Saveur",
"description": "Eat the world.",
"publisher": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#organization",
"name": "Saveur",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/",
"sameAs": [],
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"contentUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"width": 2000,
"height": 384,
"caption": "Saveur"
},
"image": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"contentUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"width": 2000,
"height": 384,
"caption": "Saveur"
}
},
"potentialAction": [
null
],
"inLanguage": "en-US"
},
"potentialAction": [
{
"@type": "ReadAction",
"target": [
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/"
]
}
],
"breadcrumb": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#breadcrumb",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "Travel",
"item": "https://www.saveur.com/category/travel/",
"position": 1
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "North America",
"item": "https://www.saveur.com/category/north-america/",
"position": 2
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "United States",
"item": "https://www.saveur.com/category/united-states/",
"position": 3
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "California",
"item": "https://www.saveur.com/category/california/",
"position": 4
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"name": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"item": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/",
"position": 5
}
]
}
},
"publisher": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#organization",
"name": "Saveur",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/",
"sameAs": [],
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"contentUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"width": 2000,
"height": 384,
"caption": "Saveur"
},
"image": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"contentUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"width": 2000,
"height": 384,
"caption": "Saveur"
}
},
"image": [
"https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?format=webp&optimize=high&precrop=16%3A9%2Csmart",
"https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?format=webp&optimize=high&precrop=4%3A3%2Csmart",
"https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?format=webp&optimize=high&precrop=1%3A1%2Csmart"
],
"thumbnailUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp",
"keywords": [
"Issue 202"
],
"articleSection": [
"California",
"Culture",
"Features",
"North America",
"Travel",
"United States"
],
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"copyrightYear": 2024,
"copyrightHolder": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Organization",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#organization",
"name": "Saveur",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/",
"sameAs": [],
"logo": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"contentUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"width": 2000,
"height": 384,
"caption": "Saveur"
},
"image": {
"@type": "ImageObject",
"@id": "https://www.saveur.com/#logo",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"contentUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2021/03/12/saveur_logo-black-1.png?auto=webp",
"width": 2000,
"height": 384,
"caption": "Saveur"
}
},
"isAccessibleForFree": true,
"articleBody": "Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home.In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. Dai Ho9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City(626) 291-2295This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.)Hui Tou Xiang704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel(626) 281-9888 Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel(626) 308-0803Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait.Newport Seafood518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel(626) 289-5998Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences.NBC Seafood Restaurant404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park(626) 282-2323Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy.Yang’s Kitchen112 W Main St., Alhambra(626) 281-1035This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours.Bopomofo Cafe841 W Las Tunas Dr., San GabrielBopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia(626) 446-0886SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba.Bistro Na’s9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City(626) 286-1999Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauceDolan’s Uyghur Cuisine742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra(626) 782-7555Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena(626) 510-6286This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. Hsi Lai Temple3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda HeightsIn the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste."
}
]
],
"contact": {
"emails": [],
"phones": [
"6780204078",
"-118.0683422",
"(626) 282-2323",
"(626) 281-9888",
"-118.1117593",
"5390166698",
"17680740538",
"-118.0692357",
"-118.1144398",
"744-6553563"
],
"addresses": [],
"social_profiles": {
"facebook": "sharer",
"instagram": "explore",
"twitter": "saveurmag"
}
},
"hours": {
"found": false,
"raw_hours_text": "",
"schema_hours": [],
"always_open": false
},
"menu": {
"found": true,
"menu_urls": [
"https://www.saveur.com/menus"
],
"menu_pdf_urls": [],
"menu_items": [],
"menu_sections": [],
"raw_menu_text": "\n\n===== MENU FROM: https://www.saveur.com/menus =====\n\n6 Magnificent Indian Grilling Recipes You Can Pull Off Indoors or Outdoors By MEHERWAN IRANI A French-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu By KAT CRADDOCK Sign Up Now For Our Holiday E-Newsletter! By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A Mexican Feast for Día De Los Muertos Menu: Elegant Mother’s Day Dinner A Late-Summer Tomato Celebration Christmas Menus from around the World 9 Complete Thanksgiving Menus ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Menu: A Tour of Southeast Asian Food Dinner Party Diaries By ANDREW SEAN GREER Menu: SAVEUR’s Seder Dinner Epic Dinner Party Dishes, Tips, and a Heavenly Dessert By SAVEUR EDITORS Little Gem Lettuces With Marinated Anchovies and Bottarga By KATIE JACKSON Our Best Recipes for Day of the Dead By SAVEUR EDITORS A Classic Southern Easter Menu By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A French Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two",
"has_prices": false,
"price_range": null
},
"cuisine": [
"American",
"Mexican",
"Chinese",
"Japanese",
"Thai"
],
"reviews": {
"found": false,
"rating": null,
"review_count": null
},
"navigation": {
"primary_nav": [
{
"text": "Subscribe",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#"
},
{
"text": "Newsletter",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/newsletter/"
},
{
"text": "Print",
"href": "https://shop.saveur.com/"
},
{
"text": "Stockists",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/stockists/"
},
{
"text": "Digital Issues",
"href": "https://saveur.zinioapps.com/"
},
{
"text": "Recipes",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes/"
},
{
"text": "Recipes by Ingredient",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-ingredient/"
},
{
"text": "Recipes by Course",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-course/"
},
{
"text": "Recipes by Cuisine",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-cuisine/"
},
{
"text": "Recipes by Season & Occasion",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-season-occasion/"
},
{
"text": "Techniques",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/techniques/"
},
{
"text": "Culture",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/culture/"
},
{
"text": "Features",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/features/"
},
{
"text": "Cookbook Club",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/cookbook-club/"
},
{
"text": "Trends",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/category/trends/"
}
],
"footer_nav": [
{
"text": "Home",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/"
},
{
"text": "Meet the Team",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/meet-the-team/"
},
{
"text": "Newsletter Sign-Up",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/newsletter/"
},
{
"text": "Contact",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/contact/"
},
{
"text": "Privacy Policy",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/privacy-policy/"
},
{
"text": "Terms & Conditions",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/terms/"
},
{
"text": "Accessibility Statement",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/website-accessibility-statement/"
},
{
"text": "Print Subscription",
"href": "https://shop.saveur.com/"
},
{
"text": "Sitemap",
"href": "https://www.saveur.com/sitemap/"
},
{
"text": "Digital Editions",
"href": "https://saveur.zinioapps.com/shop"
}
],
"all_internal_links": [
"https://www.saveur.com/website-accessibility-statement",
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#",
"https://www.saveur.com/newsletter/",
"https://www.saveur.com/stockists/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-ingredient/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-course/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-cuisine/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/recipes-by-season-occasion/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/techniques/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/culture/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/features/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/cookbook-club/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/trends/",
"https://www.saveur.com/",
"https://www.saveur.com/authors/esther-tseng/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/dumplings/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/travel/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/california/",
"https://www.saveur.com/category/north-america/",
"https://www.saveur.com/sponsored-post/food-movies-mubi/",
"https://www.saveur.com/authors/elissa-suh/",
"https://www.saveur.com/travel/best-business-class-lounges-food/",
"https://www.saveur.com/authors/saveur-editors/",
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-food-trips-2025/",
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/seeds-savers-preserve-palestinian-cuisine/",
"https://www.saveur.com/authors/doug-bierend/",
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/amused-bouche-david-lebovitz/",
"https://www.saveur.com/authors/alyse-whitney/",
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/beef-wellington-spotlight/",
"https://www.saveur.com/authors/cathy-erway/",
"https://www.saveur.com/recipes/most-popular-recipes-2025/",
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/most-popular-food-travel-stories-2025/",
"https://www.saveur.com/culture/montreal-new-orleans-reveillon-holiday-celebration/",
"https://www.saveur.com/authors/chantal-martineau/",
"https://www.saveur.com/meet-the-team/",
"https://www.saveur.com/contact/",
"https://www.saveur.com/privacy-policy/",
"https://www.saveur.com/terms/",
"https://www.saveur.com/website-accessibility-statement/",
"https://www.saveur.com/sitemap/"
]
},
"images": {
"total_images": 29,
"images": [
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho1.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Dai Ho",
"width": 1345,
"height": 837
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/hui-tou-xiang3-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Hui Tou Xiang Restaurant",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/golden_deli_pho-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Golden Deli",
"width": 1440,
"height": 960
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/newport_seafood_lobster_02.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Newport Seafood Lobster",
"width": 1440,
"height": 618
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/nbc_seafood_restaurant._02.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "NBC Seafood Restaurant",
"width": 1345,
"height": 837
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/bopomofo-Restaurant-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Bopomofo",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/SinBala_1-1-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Sin Bala Restaurant",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/MG_2578-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Hsi Lai Temple",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1087
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Dai Ho restaurant",
"width": 1366,
"height": 768
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho1.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Dai Ho",
"width": 1345,
"height": 837
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/hui-tou-xiang3-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Hui Tou Xiang Restaurant",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/golden_deli_pho-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Golden Deli",
"width": 1440,
"height": 960
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/newport_seafood_lobster_02.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Newport Seafood Lobster",
"width": 1440,
"height": 618
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/nbc_seafood_restaurant._02.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "NBC Seafood Restaurant",
"width": 1345,
"height": 837
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/bopomofo-Restaurant-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Bopomofo",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/SinBala_1-1-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Sin Bala Restaurant",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/MG_2578-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Hsi Lai Temple",
"width": 1440,
"height": 1800
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/Ramen_Shop-scaled.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Ramen Shop",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/10/Photo_Courtesy-Delta_240506_AD_S09_CarneAsada_GambasAlAjillo_Piquillos_Wine_0501-copy-2-scaled.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Delta",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/best_food_trips_postcard_opener-scaled.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Best food trips",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/Finalart_SAVEUR_HalimaAziz.png?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/Lebovitz-Banner-scaled.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/photo-scott-semler_food-styling-camille-becerra_20251112_Saveur_Squid_BeefWellington0195w.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/chocolate-decadence-cake_16x9.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Chocolate Decadence Cake",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/asturias-spain-hero.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Asturias Spain",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/rev14-scaled.jpg?crop=4%3A5&format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2025/12/gift_guide_25_books-scaled.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "Travel",
"width": 302,
"height": 377
},
{
"src": "https://www.saveur.com/saveur-newsletter-signup-bg.jpg?format=auto&optimize=high&width=1440",
"alt": "",
"width": 659,
"height": 374
}
],
"images_with_alt": 27
},
"pages": [
{
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/food",
"page_name": "Food Recipes, Ingredients, Food Ideas, Comfort Food Recipes | Saveur",
"title": "Food Recipes, Ingredients, Food Ideas, Comfort Food Recipes | Saveur",
"content": "Our Best Lunar New Year Recipes for an Auspicious Feast By MEGAN ZHANG Recreate Your Favorite Chinese Takeout Classics With These 29 Recipes By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 50 Best Mexican and Mexican-Inspired Recipes By FATIMA KHAWAJA",
"word_count": 36,
"char_count": 225
},
{
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/",
"page_name": "The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur",
"title": "The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur",
"content": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count. By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Dai Ho (Photo: Jessie YuChen) California Culture Features North America Travel By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Keep Reading 7 Excellent Food Movies to Watch Right Now By ELISSA SUH These 14 Business Class Lounges Are Redefining Airport Dining By SAVEUR EDITORS The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making By CATHY ERWAY Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures By CHANTAL MARTINEAU See All Continue to Next Story ADVERTISEMENTAD AD",
"word_count": 4069,
"char_count": 25099
},
{
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/",
"page_name": "Saveur: Global Recipes, Food, Drinks, Travel, How to Cook",
"title": "Saveur: Global Recipes, Food, Drinks, Travel, How to Cook",
"content": "Eat the world. Scroll For More Culture Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making The elegant British entrée is easier—and more adaptable—than you may think. By Cathy Erway What We’re Loving Now Culture Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND Culture Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Culture David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Culture The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Shop Order Our Limited-Edition “12 Holiday Cakes” Cookbook Subscribe Now Shopping & Reviews Our Editors’ Most-Loved Cookbooks of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Shopping Guides 7 Best Travel Credit Cards for Food Lovers By CHRIS DONG Trending Recipes Recipes Alpine-Style Winter Amaro By DANNY CHILDS Recipes Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Recipes Joan Nathan’s Classic Latkes By JOAN NATHAN Recipes Oyster Shooter By FARIDEH SADEGHIN Greece Spotlight Recipes Fried Sesame-Crusted Feta With Honey By DIMITRIS CHANTZIPLAKIS Travel Where to Eat Like a Local in Athens By KATHERINE WHITTAKER Recipes Avgolemono By DIANE KOCHILAS Culture At These Greek Taverns, Order a Drink, and the Rest Will Follow By DEREK SANDHAUS Travel Culture 13 Under-the-Radar Montreal Restaurants Locals Love By MAYSSAM SAMAHA Culture Experience the History of Paris Dining Through These 10 Restaurants By LINDSEY TRAMUTA Travel 11 Rave-Worthy Restaurants in Telluride, Colorado By KATIE SHAPIRO Travel Berlin’s Cemetery Cafés Are Very Much Alive By DIANA HUBBELL Make This Tonight Recipes Pan-Roasted Pork Chop With Apples and Mustard-Onion Gravy By RYAN MCCARTHY Recipes Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles By SAVEUR EDITORS Recipes Melty Braised Cabbage With Bacon and Pecans By BENJAMIN KEMPER Recipes Puntarelle Alla Romana By SAVEUR EDITORS Drink Up! Ménage à Quatre Cocktail By DAVID LEBOVITZ Gogl-Mogl By JOAN NATHAN Glühwein By MIMI SHERATON Creole 75 By DOMINICK LEE How to Make a Perfectly Balanced, Complex Amaro at Home By ALEX TESTERE Alpine-Style Winter Amaro By DANNY CHILDS Spiced Quince Sharbat By KAT CRADDOCK Pink Squirrel By SAVEUR EDITORS Bloody Martini By GARY REGAN View all The Future of Food Culture The New Era of Indigenous Dining By DIANA SPECHLER Culture This Mutual Aid Group Is Delivering Groceries to Families Impacted by ICE Raids By SHANE MITCHELL Culture Where Did All the Banana Ketchup Go? By LEILANI MARIE LABONG Culture The Climate Crisis Is Coming for Your Favorite Foods By SAVEUR EDITORS Gems From the Archive Culture A Love Letter to Gianduja, the Perfect Union of Hazelnuts and Milk Chocolate By SIMON BAJADA Culture The Traditional Latkes Recipe I Always Come Back To By JOAN NATHAN Culture An Eye-Opening Look at the Feast of the Seven Fishes By STACY ADIMANDO Culture How Dorie Greenspan Does New Year’s Eve in Paris By DORIE GREENSPAN Latest Recipes Grilled Fish Tacos With Creamy Chipotle Sauce By SAVEUR EDITORS Cilantro Rice By SAVEUR EDITORS Spicy Black Beans With Queso Fresco By SAVEUR EDITORS Marjolaine By DAVID LEBOVITZ Beef Wellington By JESS SHADBOLT Beef Bourguignon By SAVEUR EDITORS New England-Style Baked Beans By GABRIELLA GERSHENSON Mussels With Coconut Milk, Fennel, and Lime By PEARL JONES Standing Rib Roast With Black Currant Port Glaze By KELLIE EVANS View all ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Traveling soon? The food-focused travel newsletter you’ve always wanted has finally arrived. Wherever you’re off to next, our global network of intrepid food experts has the knowledge you need.SIGN UP NOW",
"word_count": 567,
"char_count": 3581
},
{
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/menus",
"page_name": "Menus | Saveur",
"title": "Menus | Saveur",
"content": "6 Magnificent Indian Grilling Recipes You Can Pull Off Indoors or Outdoors By MEHERWAN IRANI A French-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu By KAT CRADDOCK Sign Up Now For Our Holiday E-Newsletter! By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A Mexican Feast for Día De Los Muertos Menu: Elegant Mother’s Day Dinner A Late-Summer Tomato Celebration Christmas Menus from around the World 9 Complete Thanksgiving Menus ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Menu: A Tour of Southeast Asian Food Dinner Party Diaries By ANDREW SEAN GREER Menu: SAVEUR’s Seder Dinner Epic Dinner Party Dishes, Tips, and a Heavenly Dessert By SAVEUR EDITORS Little Gem Lettuces With Marinated Anchovies and Bottarga By KATIE JACKSON Our Best Recipes for Day of the Dead By SAVEUR EDITORS A Classic Southern Easter Menu By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A French Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two",
"word_count": 130,
"char_count": 808
},
{
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/newsletter/",
"page_name": "Newsletter Signup | Saveur",
"title": "Newsletter Signup | Saveur",
"content": "Did you know we have newsletters? Enter your email for recipes, stories, and recommendations tailored to your palate. Email Address * By subscribing to our newsletters (which may include marketing communications and promotions from our affiliates and partners), you agree to our Terms of Use. You also agree to our Privacy Policy.",
"word_count": 52,
"char_count": 330
},
{
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/contact",
"page_name": "Contact Us | Saveur",
"title": "Contact Us | Saveur",
"content": "JENNY HUANG Contact Us Contact us for advertising, licensing, and PR inquiries, customer service and pitches. Advertising Inquiries For all advertising inquiries, including requests for media kits, please visit the advertising page. Letters to the Editor Have questions/comments about articles? Send an email to editorial@saveur.com Licensing For customer service inquiries regarding SAVEUR Selects, please contact cookware-bakeware@saveurselects.com. For inquiries regarding international licensing or syndication, review award licensing and permissions, or product licensing, please contact partnerships@saveur.com. Media Inquiries Inquiries or interview requests from members of the media should be directed to saveur@districtonestudios.com. Pitch Guidelines Want to pitch a story for SAVEUR? We’d love to hear your ideas. Please find instructions and pointers here: How to Pitch SAVEUR. Subscription Services Subscribe to SAVEUR’s semestrial print edition in the SAVEUR Shop. To manage your print subscription, mailing address, and payment methods, log into the SAVEUR Shop Customer Portal. You can also email print subscription questions to shop@saveur.com. Manage your free SAVEUR email newsletter preferences by following the links at the bottom of any newsletter. Website To report any problems with this website, or if you have any questions or concerns about Saveur.com, please contact webmaster@saveur.com. Wholesale Inquiries Stockists can purchase issues in bulk via our Wholesale Shop. Email retail and resale questions to wholesale@saveur.com.",
"word_count": 210,
"char_count": 1558
},
{
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#",
"page_name": "The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur",
"title": "The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur",
"content": "An Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count. By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Dai Ho (Photo: Jessie YuChen) California Culture Features North America Travel By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Keep Reading 7 Excellent Food Movies to Watch Right Now By ELISSA SUH These 14 Business Class Lounges Are Redefining Airport Dining By SAVEUR EDITORS The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making By CATHY ERWAY Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures By CHANTAL MARTINEAU See All Continue to Next Story ADVERTISEMENTAD AD",
"word_count": 4069,
"char_count": 25099
}
]
},
"content": {
"full_text": "================================================================================\nFULL TEXT EXTRACTION: Saveur – Best SGV Restaurants\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/\nExtracted: 2026-01-10T19:47:34.108665Z\n================================================================================\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nPAGE 1: Food Recipes, Ingredients, Food Ideas, Comfort Food Recipes | Saveur\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/food\nWords: 36\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\nOur Best Lunar New Year Recipes for an Auspicious Feast By MEGAN ZHANG Recreate Your Favorite Chinese Takeout Classics With These 29 Recipes By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 50 Best Mexican and Mexican-Inspired Recipes By FATIMA KHAWAJA\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nPAGE 2: The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/\nWords: 4,069\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\nAn Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count. By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Dai Ho (Photo: Jessie YuChen) California Culture Features North America Travel By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Keep Reading 7 Excellent Food Movies to Watch Right Now By ELISSA SUH These 14 Business Class Lounges Are Redefining Airport Dining By SAVEUR EDITORS The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making By CATHY ERWAY Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures By CHANTAL MARTINEAU See All Continue to Next Story ADVERTISEMENTAD AD\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nPAGE 3: Saveur: Global Recipes, Food, Drinks, Travel, How to Cook\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/\nWords: 567\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\nEat the world. Scroll For More Culture Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making The elegant British entrée is easier—and more adaptable—than you may think. By Cathy Erway What We’re Loving Now Culture Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND Culture Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Culture David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Culture The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Shop Order Our Limited-Edition “12 Holiday Cakes” Cookbook Subscribe Now Shopping & Reviews Our Editors’ Most-Loved Cookbooks of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Shopping Guides 7 Best Travel Credit Cards for Food Lovers By CHRIS DONG Trending Recipes Recipes Alpine-Style Winter Amaro By DANNY CHILDS Recipes Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Recipes Joan Nathan’s Classic Latkes By JOAN NATHAN Recipes Oyster Shooter By FARIDEH SADEGHIN Greece Spotlight Recipes Fried Sesame-Crusted Feta With Honey By DIMITRIS CHANTZIPLAKIS Travel Where to Eat Like a Local in Athens By KATHERINE WHITTAKER Recipes Avgolemono By DIANE KOCHILAS Culture At These Greek Taverns, Order a Drink, and the Rest Will Follow By DEREK SANDHAUS Travel Culture 13 Under-the-Radar Montreal Restaurants Locals Love By MAYSSAM SAMAHA Culture Experience the History of Paris Dining Through These 10 Restaurants By LINDSEY TRAMUTA Travel 11 Rave-Worthy Restaurants in Telluride, Colorado By KATIE SHAPIRO Travel Berlin’s Cemetery Cafés Are Very Much Alive By DIANA HUBBELL Make This Tonight Recipes Pan-Roasted Pork Chop With Apples and Mustard-Onion Gravy By RYAN MCCARTHY Recipes Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles By SAVEUR EDITORS Recipes Melty Braised Cabbage With Bacon and Pecans By BENJAMIN KEMPER Recipes Puntarelle Alla Romana By SAVEUR EDITORS Drink Up! Ménage à Quatre Cocktail By DAVID LEBOVITZ Gogl-Mogl By JOAN NATHAN Glühwein By MIMI SHERATON Creole 75 By DOMINICK LEE How to Make a Perfectly Balanced, Complex Amaro at Home By ALEX TESTERE Alpine-Style Winter Amaro By DANNY CHILDS Spiced Quince Sharbat By KAT CRADDOCK Pink Squirrel By SAVEUR EDITORS Bloody Martini By GARY REGAN View all The Future of Food Culture The New Era of Indigenous Dining By DIANA SPECHLER Culture This Mutual Aid Group Is Delivering Groceries to Families Impacted by ICE Raids By SHANE MITCHELL Culture Where Did All the Banana Ketchup Go? By LEILANI MARIE LABONG Culture The Climate Crisis Is Coming for Your Favorite Foods By SAVEUR EDITORS Gems From the Archive Culture A Love Letter to Gianduja, the Perfect Union of Hazelnuts and Milk Chocolate By SIMON BAJADA Culture The Traditional Latkes Recipe I Always Come Back To By JOAN NATHAN Culture An Eye-Opening Look at the Feast of the Seven Fishes By STACY ADIMANDO Culture How Dorie Greenspan Does New Year’s Eve in Paris By DORIE GREENSPAN Latest Recipes Grilled Fish Tacos With Creamy Chipotle Sauce By SAVEUR EDITORS Cilantro Rice By SAVEUR EDITORS Spicy Black Beans With Queso Fresco By SAVEUR EDITORS Marjolaine By DAVID LEBOVITZ Beef Wellington By JESS SHADBOLT Beef Bourguignon By SAVEUR EDITORS New England-Style Baked Beans By GABRIELLA GERSHENSON Mussels With Coconut Milk, Fennel, and Lime By PEARL JONES Standing Rib Roast With Black Currant Port Glaze By KELLIE EVANS View all ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Traveling soon? The food-focused travel newsletter you’ve always wanted has finally arrived. Wherever you’re off to next, our global network of intrepid food experts has the knowledge you need.SIGN UP NOW\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nPAGE 4: Menus | Saveur\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/menus\nWords: 130\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\n6 Magnificent Indian Grilling Recipes You Can Pull Off Indoors or Outdoors By MEHERWAN IRANI A French-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu By KAT CRADDOCK Sign Up Now For Our Holiday E-Newsletter! By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A Mexican Feast for Día De Los Muertos Menu: Elegant Mother’s Day Dinner A Late-Summer Tomato Celebration Christmas Menus from around the World 9 Complete Thanksgiving Menus ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Menu: A Tour of Southeast Asian Food Dinner Party Diaries By ANDREW SEAN GREER Menu: SAVEUR’s Seder Dinner Epic Dinner Party Dishes, Tips, and a Heavenly Dessert By SAVEUR EDITORS Little Gem Lettuces With Marinated Anchovies and Bottarga By KATIE JACKSON Our Best Recipes for Day of the Dead By SAVEUR EDITORS A Classic Southern Easter Menu By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A French Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nPAGE 5: Newsletter Signup | Saveur\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/newsletter/\nWords: 52\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\nDid you know we have newsletters? Enter your email for recipes, stories, and recommendations tailored to your palate. Email Address * By subscribing to our newsletters (which may include marketing communications and promotions from our affiliates and partners), you agree to our Terms of Use. You also agree to our Privacy Policy.\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nPAGE 6: Contact Us | Saveur\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/contact\nWords: 210\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\nJENNY HUANG Contact Us Contact us for advertising, licensing, and PR inquiries, customer service and pitches. Advertising Inquiries For all advertising inquiries, including requests for media kits, please visit the advertising page. Letters to the Editor Have questions/comments about articles? Send an email to editorial@saveur.com Licensing For customer service inquiries regarding SAVEUR Selects, please contact cookware-bakeware@saveurselects.com. For inquiries regarding international licensing or syndication, review award licensing and permissions, or product licensing, please contact partnerships@saveur.com. Media Inquiries Inquiries or interview requests from members of the media should be directed to saveur@districtonestudios.com. Pitch Guidelines Want to pitch a story for SAVEUR? We’d love to hear your ideas. Please find instructions and pointers here: How to Pitch SAVEUR. Subscription Services Subscribe to SAVEUR’s semestrial print edition in the SAVEUR Shop. To manage your print subscription, mailing address, and payment methods, log into the SAVEUR Shop Customer Portal. You can also email print subscription questions to shop@saveur.com. Manage your free SAVEUR email newsletter preferences by following the links at the bottom of any newsletter. Website To report any problems with this website, or if you have any questions or concerns about Saveur.com, please contact webmaster@saveur.com. Wholesale Inquiries Stockists can purchase issues in bulk via our Wholesale Shop. Email retail and resale questions to wholesale@saveur.com.\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nPAGE 7: The Best Asian Restaurants in San Gabriel Valley | Saveur\nURL: https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/#\nWords: 4,069\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\nAn Insider’s Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley From Cantonese dim sum to spicy Uyghur laghman noodles, this region northeast of Los Angeles boasts more cuisines than we can count. By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Dai Ho (Photo: Jessie YuChen) California Culture Features North America Travel By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD By Esther Tseng Published on June 28, 2024 Pull into a parking lot in San Gabriel Valley, then take a whiff: Is that five spice tickling your nostrils? Hoisin wafting out that window? The smell of dumplings sizzling in a skillet? As anyone who’s traveled to this corner of Southern California knows, hiding among the drab, sand-colored strip-mall storefronts are some of the nation’s most outstanding Asian restaurants. Situated 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, these eateries often catch diners’ eyes with bright neon signs and “Best Of” stickers pasted on the doors. Step inside, and you might find soups brimming with braised meats and handmade noodles, baskets of steamed baos, or dim sum carts overflowing with dainty mouthwatering morsels. In the mid-1800s, citrus farming brought the first wave of Chinese immigrants to San Gabriel Valley (aka SGV). They were mostly from Guangdong (formerly Canton), which led many Americans at the time to believe Cantonese food was representative of all Chinese food. That false impression was cemented by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred immigration from China altogether. It would be nearly a century before SGV got its next major influx of Asian immigrants—primarily from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Vietnam—who joined the Mexican, Filipino, Japanese, and South Asian Americans who had already made the area their home. In the 1970s, new restaurants began cropping up celebrating the cuisines of Hunan, Sichuan, Shanghai, Taishan, Taiwan, and beyond. And recently, wealthy Chinese investors have further changed the face of SGV’s food scene by opening a smattering of high-end dining spots. An Angeleno of 27 years, I began my exploration of the area’s food scene in college with late-night rides to boba tea shops and to Hong Kong-style cafes to study for midterms. These days, you’re more likely to find me devouring Emperor’s jar soup, Uyghur big plate chicken, or Asian American mashups like Bopomofu’s honey-walnut shrimp burger. Whatever you’re in the mood to eat, you can probably find it in SGV. Here are the Asian restaurants I’m head-over-heels for. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Dai Ho 9148 Las Tunas Dr., Temple City (626) 291-2295 Jessie YuChen This popular and efficient Taiwanese noodle house opens just three hours for lunch because its handmade threads are sold out by the afternoon. After starting with refrigerator-case appetizers such as shredded tofu with celery and carrots and smashed spicy cucumbers, move on to the beef noodle soup (the national dish of Taiwan, natch), whose springy noodles rest in a complex broth and come topped with flank steak and bright green spinach. If you’ve got room for more, order more noodles—preferably the ones topped with minced pork and fermented bean sauce. (Be sure to bring cash, or be ready to pay via Venmo or Zelle.) Hui Tou Xiang ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 704 W. Las Tunas Dr. #5, San Gabriel (626) 281-9888 Jessie YuChen Hui Tou Xiang serves tender dry noodles and rich noodle soups, but pan-fried pork dumplings are their strongest suit. They stand out for their rectangular shape, which makes for more crispy surface area. The pork filling is equally delightful with its touch of unexpected sweetness. Then there are the soup dumplings, with their impressive number of pleats, delicate yet sturdy wrapper, and gloriously splurty center. Basic ambiance and decor—pleather booths, hardback chairs, fluorescent lighting—let the food do the talking. Golden Deli 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 308-0803 ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Many pho spots look alike in this corner of SoCal, but it’s a mixed bag when it comes to how good the broth is. At Golden Deli, it’s just right—the clear soup sweetly beefy and aromatic with ginger, onions, star anise, cloves and cinnamon. Top your bowl with tender slices of rib eye and brisket, and if you like, tendon and/or tripe. A must-order pho precursor is chả giò, fried spring rolls, which are spectacularly crispy. The best way to eat these is by wrapping them in a lettuce leaf and herbs, which make a crisp, cool counterpoint to the juicy filling of pork, carrots, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Since its first location opened in 1981, Golden Deli has become an SGV institution, with long lines that are worth the wait. Newport Seafood 518 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel (626) 289-5998 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Newport Seafood is known for its quality seafood, often seen swimming in its tank before you order it. The signature dish is wok-fried, sauce-coated lobster with green onions, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and butter, a recipe developed by co-owner Ly Hua reminiscent of his childhood in Phnom Penh. A close second is the baked shrimp and crab, served crisp and eaten shell-on. Speaking of shells, one of my go-to orders is clams with “spicy hot sauce” whose name is as misleading as it is redundant, since there’s little heat to report but plenty of aromatics like basil, garlic, and ginger. Hua and wife Wendy Lam have roots in Guangdong but were born in Cambodia; both sojourned through different countries to eventually land in Southern California, where they met. Through their journeys you can taste your way through the restaurant’s menu filled with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian influences. NBC Seafood Restaurant 404 S Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park (626) 282-2323 Jessie YuChen Dim sum in SGV has come a long way, starting from roving dim sum carts and moving into made-to-order dishes brought hot from the kitchen. NBC Seafood Restaurant is one of the few remaining push-cart holdouts. You know the type: white tablecloths, lazy Susans, satiny gold chair covers that drape over the carpeted floor. I love the bustle and hum of the place—the servers hawking their wares, the whine of turning cart wheels, the din of diners’ conversations. The classics are all you want at NBC, and the classics are what you’ll get: crystal shrimp dumplings; open-faced pork, shrimp and mushroom dumplings; steamed pork ribs; steamed and baked buns filled with chicken or pork and pan fried radish cakes. Just be ready to wave and point when a dish catches your eye—this is no time to be shy. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Yang’s Kitchen 112 W Main St., Alhambra (626) 281-1035 This second-generation restaurant by Chris Yang and Maggie Ho is a brunch hotspot five days a week and a dinner destination for four, but you can always count on products from local purveyors: This time of year, it’s all about kabocha squash from Yao Cheng Farm and dry-aged barramundi from The Point. Traditional dishes like congee and cold sesame noodles are my go-tos, as is the strawberry amazake smoothie made with Chavez Farms strawberries and oolong “Fresca.” At dinner, Hainan fish rice is a creative spin on what’s usually a boiled chicken dish, with added crunch thanks to crispy fish skin. Dan dan campanelle delivers perfect QQ, and the smoked char siu pork jowl is perfectly tender and sweet, capped off with an outer char. Yang’s wine list is singular and exciting, featuring unexpected bottles such as Domaine Bükk’s “Litro Libre” made with zenit grapes from Hungary. A great reason to make a reservation for the weekend is wine nights: Flights are $34 and consist of three generous pours. Bopomofo Cafe 841 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Jessie YuChen Bopomofo is the quintessential SGV Cafe: It’s a casual cafe by and for second-generation Asian Americans and a side project of YouTube sensation Philip Wang of Wong Fu Productions and Eric Wang. They serve inventive beverages like mint matcha lattes and lychee berry bliss, the latter made with calamansi juice, strawberry purée, and coconut milk. If you’re peckish, consider my favorite menu item, the honey-walnut shrimp burger slathered with wasabi-yuzu sauce and topped with candied walnuts, pickled jalapenos, and red onion. There’s also your standard variety of popcorn chicken, crispy niblets dusted in house seasoning, available in white or dark meat and furnished with Thai basil aïoli. SinBala 651 W Duarte Rd. Ste. F, Arcadia (626) 446-0886 Jessie YuChen ADVERTISEMENTAD AD SinBala has long been the local standby for Taiwanese comfort food and desserts. The classic order (from the enormous menu) is the pork chop over rice, a battered-and-fried behemoth with a crunchy layer that gives way to tender, juicy meat. There’s also the glutinous meatball, a staple of southern Taiwan, topped with a sweet, orange-tinged garlic soy sauce. Every bite is a delectable combination of pork, wood-ear mushroom, and lip-smacking sauce. After all that richness, a refreshing dessert is in order: Shaved ice topped with condensed milk and your choice of mochi balls, grass jelly cubes, red beans, and boba. Bistro Na’s 9055 Las Tunas Dr. #105, Temple City (626) 286-1999 Bistro Na’s introduced SGV to the Imperial cuisine of the Qing Dynasty, representing a new era of deeper-pocketed Chinese immigration to the area. Inside its red- and gold-walled dining room, guests can feast on dishes that were literally made for royalty. Dishes by Bejing-born chef Tian Yong include extraordinarily crispy shrimp in its rendition of walnut shrimp and Emperor’s jar soup, a blend of beef tendon, mushroom, fish maw, quail egg, and sea cucumber suspended in concentrated chicken stock. The restaurant serves only eight Peking ducks per night, and to claim one, you’ll want to call ahead. The bird’s skin has a uniform thickness that almost shatters when you bite into it. Chef Yong carves it delicately and serves the dish himself in two stages—first with only sugar, then in hand-rolled wraps filled with cucumber, green onion, and homemade plum sauce Dolan’s Uyghur Cuisine ADVERTISEMENTAD AD 742 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra (626) 782-7555 Before this Alhambra restaurant opened in 2019, there were hardly any Halal restaurants serving SGV’s Uyghur community. Here you’ll find dishes seasoned with star anise, cumin, black pepper and cardamom—signature flavors of China’s Turkic Muslim minority. Big-plate chicken, the standout main, features flat noodles, potatoes, bell peppers, leeks, and chiles in a spicy, hearty sauce. Equally hard to pass up are the hand-crimped beef and onion manti and the hand-pulled laghman noodles with stir-fried beef and vegetables. Televisions show landscape shots of the vast and diverse landscape of Xinjiang province, and make you reflect on this deep-seated culture fighting eradication. Colette 975 N Michillinda Ave., Pasadena (626) 510-6286 This Pasadena gem that opened in 2022 brings SGV Cantonese cuisine full circle. Though you’ll spot classic preparations—such as dim sum staples like juicy pork dumplings and egg yolk buns or salt and pepper tossed calamari—there’s a new emphasis on seasonality and quality of ingredients. A case in point is chef Peter Lai’s chicken stuffed with shrimp paste distinguished by phenomenally crispy skin. Don’t miss the stir-fried vegetables, including savory luffa tossed with salted egg yolk, and wokked chayote with minced pork and pickled olives. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask your server what the specials are, but don’t veer too far off: While the menu is vast and includes modern takes, experience has shown me that the classics are where it’s at. ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Hsi Lai Temple 3456 Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights Jessie YuChen In the Easter SGV enclave of Hacienda Heights lies one of the largest Buddhist temples in North America. Hsi Lai, which means “coming west,” is a breathtaking, 15-acre complex with gardens and temples built in Ming and Qing dynasty architectural styles. Every day, they put out a humble $10 vegetarian buffet as a service to the community. You’ll find fairly standard dishes such as tempura vegetables; sesame tofu salad; vegetable broth; stir-fried noodles and cut fruit. The food is nothing to write home about (and may be bland to some, since it’s allium-free due to religious restrictions), but the compound is worth visiting for its meditative serenity alone. The temple encourages visitors to take only what they can eat, so be mindful of waste. Keep Reading 7 Excellent Food Movies to Watch Right Now By ELISSA SUH These 14 Business Class Lounges Are Redefining Airport Dining By SAVEUR EDITORS The Best Food Trips SAVEUR’s Editors Took This Year By SAVEUR EDITORS Seed Savers Are Working to Preserve Palestinian Cuisine in Diaspora By DOUG BIEREND David Lebovitz’s Party Tricks Include Chartreuse and Disco By ALYSE WHITNEY Why Beef Wellington Is a Versatile Party Dish Actually Worth Making By CATHY ERWAY Our 12 Most Popular Recipes of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS Our 12 Most-Read Food and Travel Stories of 2025 By SAVEUR EDITORS In Montreal and New Orleans, A French Holiday Celebration Endures By CHANTAL MARTINEAU See All Continue to Next Story ADVERTISEMENTAD AD\n\n\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\nMENU CONTENT\n────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\n\n\n===== MENU FROM: https://www.saveur.com/menus =====\n\n6 Magnificent Indian Grilling Recipes You Can Pull Off Indoors or Outdoors By MEHERWAN IRANI A French-Inspired Thanksgiving Menu By KAT CRADDOCK Sign Up Now For Our Holiday E-Newsletter! By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A Mexican Feast for Día De Los Muertos Menu: Elegant Mother’s Day Dinner A Late-Summer Tomato Celebration Christmas Menus from around the World 9 Complete Thanksgiving Menus ADVERTISEMENTAD AD Menu: A Tour of Southeast Asian Food Dinner Party Diaries By ANDREW SEAN GREER Menu: SAVEUR’s Seder Dinner Epic Dinner Party Dishes, Tips, and a Heavenly Dessert By SAVEUR EDITORS Little Gem Lettuces With Marinated Anchovies and Bottarga By KATIE JACKSON Our Best Recipes for Day of the Dead By SAVEUR EDITORS A Classic Southern Easter Menu By SAVEUR EDITORS Menu: A French Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two\n\n",
"word_count": 9392,
"pages_crawled": 7
},
"files": {
"screenshot": "batch_05/saveur_sgv/screenshot_20260110T194732.png",
"source_directory": "batch_05/saveur_sgv"
},
"ai_summary": {
"summary_text": "The Saveur San Gabriel Valley restaurant guide is a comprehensive editorial article published by Saveur magazine that serves as a culinary travel guide to the best Asian restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley region of Southern California. Published in June 2024 by food writer Esther Tseng, this feature article provides an insider's perspective on the diverse Asian dining landscape of SGV, covering everything from traditional Cantonese dim sum parlors to Uyghur noodle shops. The guide explores the rich cultural and culinary history of the area, which began with Chinese immigrants in the mid-1800s and has evolved into one of America's most concentrated and authentic Asian food destinations. The article functions as both a historical overview and practical dining guide, featuring specific restaurant recommendations, cultural context, and detailed descriptions of various Asian cuisines available in the strip malls and establishments throughout the San Gabriel Valley, located about 15 minutes northeast of downtown Los Angeles.",
"structured_data": {
"business_type": "Editorial travel and dining guide article",
"cuisine_type": "Not applicable - covers multiple Asian cuisines",
"price_range": "Not available",
"key_features": [
"Restaurant recommendations",
"Cultural history",
"Asian cuisine diversity",
"Travel guide format",
"Expert insights"
],
"best_for": [
"Food enthusiasts",
"Cultural explorers",
"SGV dining research",
"Asian cuisine discovery",
"Los Angeles area travel planning"
]
},
"jsonld_schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"@id": "https://katiejakesbar.com/directory/saveur_sgv.html",
"identifier": "saveur_sgv",
"name": "An Insider's Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/culture/best-restaurants-san-gabriel-valley/",
"description": "The Saveur San Gabriel Valley restaurant guide is a comprehensive editorial article published by Saveur magazine that serves as a culinary travel guide to the best Asian restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley region of Southern California. Published in June 2024 by food writer Esther Tseng, this feature article provides an insider's perspective on the diverse Asian dining landscape of SGV, covering everything from traditional Cantonese dim sum parlors to Uyghur noodle shops. The guide explores the rich cultural and culinary history of the area, which began with Chinese immigrants in the mid-1800s and has evolved into one of America's most concentrated and authentic Asian food destinations. The article functions as both a historical overview and practical dining guide, featuring specific restaurant recommendations, cultural context, and detailed descriptions of various Asian cuisines available in the strip malls and establishments throughout the San Gabriel Valley, located about 15 minutes northeast of downtown Los Angeles.",
"datePublished": "2024-06-28T07:15:24-04:00",
"dateModified": "2024-06-28T07:15:24-04:00",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Esther Tseng",
"url": "https://www.saveur.com/authors/esther-tseng/"
},
"headline": "An Insider's Guide to the Pilgrimage-Worthy Asian Restaurants of San Gabriel Valley",
"about": [
"San Gabriel Valley restaurants",
"Asian cuisine",
"California dining",
"Restaurant guide",
"Food culture"
],
"keywords": [
"best restaurants san gabriel valley",
"Asian restaurants",
"SGV dining",
"Cantonese dim sum",
"Uyghur noodles"
],
"articleSection": [
"Travel",
"Culture",
"Features"
],
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"isAccessibleForFree": true,
"copyrightYear": 2024,
"image": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://www.saveur.com/uploads/2024/06/dai-ho602-scaled.jpg?auto=webp",
"publisher": {
"@type": "Restaurant",
"name": "KatieJakes Bar Directory",
"url": "https://katiejakesbar.com"
}
},
"recursive_reflection": {
"functional_role": [
"cultural_indexer",
"culinary_guide",
"storyteller",
"regional_amplifier"
],
"interaction_geometry": {
"primary_flow": "readers → cultural context → restaurant discoveries → dining experiences",
"secondary_flow": "historical narrative → contemporary dining scene → specific recommendations"
},
"temporal_behavior": {
"mode": "continuous",
"cadence": "evergreen",
"event_intensification": false
},
"identity_tension": [
"travel guide vs cultural essay",
"historical archive vs contemporary guide",
"magazine feature vs practical directory"
],
"negative_space": [
"non_transactional",
"non_review_based",
"non_booking_enabled",
"non_real_time_updates"
],
"stability_profile": {
"identity_coherence": "high",
"format_persistence": "high",
"volatility": "low"
},
"relational_surface": {
"connects": [
"restaurants",
"cultural_communities",
"geographic_regions",
"culinary_traditions"
],
"acts_as": "cultural_bridge"
}
},
"schema_type_reasoning": "I chose @type Article because this entity is a published editorial piece that provides informational content about restaurants rather than being a restaurant itself. The schema.org data clearly identifies it as an Article with headline, author, datePublished, and articleSection properties. While it discusses restaurants extensively, the entity itself is journalistic content published by Saveur magazine."
}
}