Alhambra

Pal of mine moving to Mission and Garfield area Alhambra. I’m looking forward to hitting up the local spots there. What are your favorite spots right near there ?

Jiang Nan Spring, Xiang La Hui, Sichuan Impression

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Thanks. I’ve been wanting to try Jiang nan spring from @Chowseeker1999 s review.

Appreciate the tips !

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Hi @chienrouge ,

Nice! If you’re visiting Alhambra, realistically (by L.A. standards), you’re now in easy driving distance of everything in the “San Gabriel Valley” (Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Temple City, Rosemead, etc.). They are all literally minutes from each other. :slight_smile:

From some reviews I posted, you can definitely check out places like:

You then get into the old standbys mentioned back in the Chowhound days, haha, like:

  • Dim Sum - Sea Harbour
  • Xiao Long Bao (Shanghai “Soup Dumplings”) - Shanghai Dumpling House (227 W Valley Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776)
  • HK Roast Pork Belly - Ruby BBQ (Cash Only). Their Roast Duck is also solid for flavor (but lacking the crisped skin, but no one in So Cal does that).

But I’d defer to @ipsedixit @A5KOBE @paranoidgarliclover to chime in for more OG SGV recommendations. :slight_smile:

Enjoy!

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Thanks @Chowseeker1999 . Lots of time went into this post and the others that’s really appreciated. Ipoh Kopitam is def on the list to try for something new for me with JNS.

some great spots noted – Tam’s is a favorite. My buddy there is a walker not a great driver so also thinking things that are really close to his apartment. Places that do good take out for a single person also a plus. He’s happy to have a movie theatre about 15 min walk away. We may hit up the Jay Dee for the NBA finals I’m excited about that.

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Definitely hit up Medan Kitchen. You won’t regret it.

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This request is so hard to answer without some parameters.

Local favorite spots?

Really depends on what you’re looking for?

Sit down formal dining-esque? Sea Harbor, Bistro Na, Jiang Nan, Newport, among others comes to mind, but then it again depends on the type of cuisine you want, i.e. Cantonese, Beijing, Sichuan, Shanghai? Something else.

Or do you want noodles? So maybe something like Mian, Liaoxi, Kim Ky, 1919 Lanzhou, Nha Trang, Golden Deli, etc. And then of course you have to ask what kind of noodles? Hand-pulled? Pho? Beef noodle? Something else?

Or do you want dumplings and other non-noodle carbs? Luscious Dumplings comes to mind, Hui Tou Xiang, Aghoo’s Kitchen, One One, You Kitchen, Wangjia Kitchen, among many many others.

Or perhaps you’d like Taiwanese breakfasts like say crullers, phan tuan (or rice rolls), etc., then perhaps you might want to try places like Four Seas, Yi Mei, and A&J might be worth exploring. Or maybe even Delicious Food Corner.

Then you have one-off specialties like VK Foods (tofu, soy milk, and derivative desserts) or Mr. Champion (rice paper rolls, not to be confused with phan tuan).

I could go on and on, but really need some directions.

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Hi @ipsedixit - thanks

My buddy is a mid forties asian American single man from Chicago. He’s been in la for decades living in Pasadena, Los feliz and otherwise around town.

I think non fancy food and solo and two person dining with an occasional leaning towards healthier food. Close to his crib. Not super expensive. Cool spots where he can hang and chill and watch a game or drink relax a plus. Also good suggestions for social outings.

I bet he would love a place to get the Taiwanese crullers and donuts, good coffees, places to drink and also to bring home some stuff to last a few days like ruby or whatever they call Beijing pie house these days. Some of those casual take out dumpling or noodle places would be a good call.

He’s got a great deal on an a swanky apartment and sorta knows Alhambra but never lived out that way. Things in walking distance from his spot mission and Garfield ish r a huge plus. Spots that could be good pre or post movie spots also a bonus. Im looking forward to visiting and gives me an excuse also to sample some of the delicacies.

Thanks

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Tasty gas station fried chicken

Krispy Krunchy.

Folks are lining up. Seeing em at a bunch of spots in CA now.

Commenting on this approximately 9 months after it was originally post, but Fosselman’s Ice Cream in Alhambra is quite special (I haven’t been in about 15 yrs, though!)

https://www.fosselmans.com/

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