Yang Chow

Slippery. Shrimp. That’s all. Get it.
Otherwise they make pretty good Chinese food. Not sure you wanna wait in that line tho…

Does this place even need another positive review? Zagat awards posted amongst the framed pics with happy celebrity customers should be proof enough of the high quality food and service you will get. Yesterday was our second visit, and again we were not disappointed! Our wait was a lot longer than the estimated 20 – 30 minute quote, but didn’t that phase us as we knew what awesomeness we were in for! It’s not common my husband, our 8 year old son and I can agree on one restaurant. Yang Chow is one of the few exceptions! This time around we had the Szechwan Chicken, Three Musketeers Lo Mein, Yang Chow Fried Rice, and my favorite Shrimp in Lobster Sauce. This was the first time we tried the Szechwan Chicken, and oh my gosh. This is now a new top favorite! We actually drive pass the Yang Chow in Pasadena to come to the one here on Broadway, and will continue to do so! Our son has a wooden sword and sponge nunchucks we bought from the charming man next to the gift shop one door down from each time we have visited. Each time I’ve heard «I Eat Cannibals» blasting from the man’s playlist. How can one not make the drive for this? And with your purchase, he wishes you «Have a good life.» Not bad for just having good food next door!

Not much else to say about this place that hasn’t been said… Yeah it’s not real authentic Chinese food I don’t care as long as it’s delicious! That slippery shrimp is killer. All the food we ordered tasted on point and service was spot on!

This place deserves more than 5 stars. Easy to find stopped in after shopping. Had a 20 minute wait well worth it .Once seated service was fast although never rushed. Nice menu we had Steamed vegetable dumplings best ever! Dry fried vegetables nice flavor and crunch. Slippery Shrimp famous and certainly deserving. Vegetable Egg Foo Young… not on menu but the most amazing I’ve had in 20 years! Fried Rice delicious. We enjoyed a fabulous meal great service and again although it was crowded felt like we were the only ones there and never felt like they were trying to rush us out to serve more people. We eat at the other location in The Valley and wanted to visit the original!!! Love Yang Chow you will too!

The moment my friend and I entered Yang Chow, she knew immediately that our meal would be inauthentic. «It smells like American Chinese food,» she proclaimed, identifying hints of orange amongst the mixture of smells emanating from the kitchen. This premonition proved true, as the food at Yang Chow, while all right, reminded me more of a local Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere than a restaurant in the heart of a Chinese community. As the only Asians in the restaurant aside from the waitstaff, we should have known better, but hunger got the best of us and we stayed.
The restaurant itself is fairly clean and inviting, which may explain its popularity among locals, including numerous celebrities whose framed photos adorn the walls. While I wouldn’t call this an upscale Chinese restaurant, it’s a step or two above the hole in the wall joint you’d probably find several doors down. There are three sections to the restaurant, but I’d still classify the restaurant as small/​medium in size. Service is fast and efficient; everyone speaks English, so no need to worry about language barriers.
Although you might assume that food in Chinatown is cheaper than elsewhere in LA, you’d be greatly mistaken. Most items range from $ 12 – 18, almost double the price of entrees at other Chinese restaurants in the area. That wouldn’t be quite so outrageous if the food were as upscale and well-​portioned as the price implied. While there is a weekday lunch special, the options are limited and still range from $ 10 – 12. Since my friend is vegetarian, we stuck to the eggplant in spicy garlic sauce and the vegetable lo mein — both in the $ 12 – 14 range despite having no meat. The vegetable lo mein had a good amount of vegetables (broccoli, mini corn, water chestnuts, mushrooms, snow peas), but lacked any flavor other than soy/​salt. The eggplant in spicy garlic sauce was the better of the two dishes, as the sauce was slightly sweet, slightly salty, and slightly spicy — a winning combination. Together, the eggplant and lo mein worked well together, but I could easily see how the wrong combination of dishes could spell disaster since both were on the oily/​greasy side. NOTE: I’m pretty sure they use MSG here, as I’ve been suffering form an MSG-​induced headache since dining here earlier this afternoon.
I wouldn’t recommend coming to Yang Chow if you’re looking for affordable, authentic Chinese cuisine without MSG. Save your money and go somewhere better!

Casual restaurant in Chinatown. Found out about YC through mom and co workers. (City employees love this place!)
I can not speak on the authenticity of Yang Chow — however, I am able to say, the food here is: consistent, well seasoned, and reasonably priced. Food is served family style.
Veggie fried rice is solid.
Schezwan beef is perfectly crunchy and tangy.
Sweet and sour chicken (was told chicken is mix of white and dark meat) comes with chunks of pineapple and a glorious amount of sweet glaze.
The string beans with minced pork is so flavorful (must order!) and is always a table favorite as is the slippery shrimp.
Service is great. Employees are not particularly welcoming, or friendly, and sometime seem miserable — but they ARE efficient, quickly clearing unused plates and silverware and I’ve noticed there is someone always on the floor. It’s nice. You don’t have to look through restaurant to find someone.
My favorite thing about Yang Chow though is Benny. He is the manager (he also may be the owner?). He is genuine, patient, and really adds a nice touch of hospitality and warmness that his FOH staff lacks.
Thank you Benny for making all guests feel comfortable and for helping/​accommodating my vegan sister.

Read the reviews and the Slippery Shrimp was repeatedly mentioned. Now I know why… it was DELICIOUS!!! Also had the Shredded Beef in Spicy Garlic Sauce and Sweet and Sour Chicken. All three plates were delicious and well worth the price. The portions were big and had enough for leftovers. Everyone was really nice and attentive. Overall, had a great experience.

Slippery shrimp, braised string beans with pork, pan fried beef noodles, pork fried rice, Kung pao and schezwan beef.
That was our dinner tonite it was amazingly delicious! I’ve eaten here once before but I prefer to go to the one of of Rosemead. Both locations get five stars.
Today I picked up to go not sure if it would be the same as to din in. By this I mean I’ve ordered to go at other restaurants and the meal looses its flavor as soon as you get home. YANG CHOWS to go taste the same no difference at all.
I ordered over the phone and my order was ready in 20 min. It took me 15 to get home and the food was still hot. It served four adults and three children and there was still left overs for the next day.

So so!
Food is not fresh, taste is general, especially the steamed fish very bad, not recommended. but the service is nice.

I can’t believe this place has 4 stars on Unilocal.The food was horrible. The slippery shrimp was overly sweet. The spicy wonton soup was also sweet and not spicy at all. The wonton skin was too thick and the filling was tasteless. Kung pao chicken was bland. I thought it was way overpriced for the food that was served.
The service was pretty good. Our server was attentive and efficient.
This place serves Chinese American food and not authentic Chinese food. I won’t be going back.

This spot was ok. Nothing special or yummy about the dishes I ordered. I’ve had better else where. Not to mention the platters I usually order at other restaurants were not available here. This place is on the pricy side. The waiter who attended us did a sucky job and the ladies in front were annoying and not friendly. The manager was nice and asked us if everything was okay, while we were eating. The only thing I liked from here was the slippery shrimp and the iced tea. Both delish. I will return in the future just for those two items. I’m still on a quest to find a bomb Chinese restaurant, as the one I went to for over 15 years changed owners and the food is no longer the same.

We attended on new years day for lunch without a reservation. We arrived just in time 11:30.
They have LOTS of seating and it all fills up. This makes it a bit chaotic and noisy.
They have many waiters/​waterboys/​busboys to cater for the volume of customers.
The food was above average in quality for americanized Chinese food.

Ive been here at least 10 times in the past 10 years. Hands down my favorite restaurant in Chinatown. Cant go wrong with ordering anything on their menu. Our favorites: slippery shrimp, three musketeers lo mein, dry sauteed green beans with pork. Love their efficient service, quality food, and not to mention the celebrity, local politico visitor pictures. very la.
I’m giving Yang Chow 4 stars. The food and the service is hands down top notch, 5 stars. However, prices are on the high side. I love slippery shrimp but at $ 17 an order, its too expensive!
Tip 1-​this is a very popular place. Expect to wait 30 minutes to 1 hour before being seated.
Tip 2-​If you have kids, visit the restroom near the kitchen. you’ll be able to show them the cooks in action
Tip 3-​Request a table away from the front door. On hot and cold days, a lot of people congregate at the front door near the register. If you want to eat in peace, wait for a table that is out of sight from the front door.

Another great run of restaurants! Came here on Christmas Eve and it was packed! Good thing we got reservations!
Ordered hot and sour soup. Now, most Chinese restaurants slant this soup either on the hot and sour, when in reality it should be a perfect blend of both worlds! I love their take on it. Was the best I had in awhile.
Ordered the slippery shrimp and Kung pal chicken. Slippery shrimp came in a sweetened sauce, and it had lots of flavor. The Kung pal chicken was slightly spicy, but my only real complaint is the fact they skimmed the cashews.

The best damned Chinese food east of the 110 freeway (and north of the 10)! My boyfriend and I always order to go because it is ALWAYS crowded. Don’t be fooled by my 3 star rating. I love this place. I rarely give out 5 stars and one star was taken away for the parking. I hate paying any price for parking… ever
The slippery shrimp goes without saying but it is also good in chicken form! You must order it: every single time. I’ve been hypnotized into thinking so. The service and the prices are very good which is why this is a Los Angelino fave.

I was very surprised with the way the reviews conflicted with my experience. The food was decent… Just very very average. We ordered from the lunch special menu and the hot and sour soup was not sour at all. My colleague who is Chinese said it was «horrible, tastes just like soy sauce soup» and I am a huge fan of hot and sour and I had to agree with him. It was missing something. For the meal I ordered the shrimp with lobster sauce and it was decent. I could tell the peas that were used in the sauce were frozen and that was no bueno. Prices were pricy for china town. Our meal was close to $ 30 for just two lunch specials. This will be a one time visit.
Side notes: restaurant was packed. No Asian customers aside from my colleague.

Ok let me start by saying it’s been years since I can honestly say I’ve had GOOD Chinese food. So these 5 stars may be just a little over excited.
Nah. It really was that good.
You walk into the place and immediately you feel like Quentin Tarantino characters are going to pop out of no where. Love the old school ambiance. And when you start to look at the pictures on the wall. You know this place is going to live up to the hype.
Slippery Shrimp– mouth watering bite size shrimp nuggets that will cure any salty sweet craving.
Spinach — cooked perfectly sautéed in a very tasty oil maybe sesame. Just crunchy enough. Very nice portion.
Kung Pao chicken– so delicious and savory.
Shrimp Fried Rice — hands down the best damn shrimp rice ever. In history of mankind.
Didn’t try the dessert but I’m sure it’s just as good. This place gets a big olé 5 stars for holding down some good ass American Chinese favs.
Speaking of I forgot to order a eggroll. Darnett! Welp, I’ll go back. Maybe tonight ;)

How do I put this gently? This is not Chinese food. This is Chinese American food, and bad Chinese American food at that. I have no idea why Yang Chow is so popular, but I suppose it’s probably because of its location and reputation with people who don’t know what good Chinese and Chinese-​American food can taste like.

I usually hate when people throw the term «authentic» around to rave about a foreign food joint in LA. But I kind of don’t know how to else to describe this place. Because it is, in fact… Well you know.
I like the simple setup here. It’s a simple table restaurant with a simple sign outside that you probably would miss by a mile if you weren’t looking for it. When you walk in, you may be surprised to see all the pictures of the celebrities that frequent the place. Apparently this really is the place to be.
One of the things I’ve always liked about this place is that the majority of people order a few items and treat them like small plates to share with friends. The last time I came we got two appetizers and four meals to split among the four of us. And that was PLENTY. The menu is also pretty big, so there’s lots to explore. I enjoyed the Kung Pao Chicken. Which was great. It’s so nice to enjoy chinese food that doesn’t just feel overly fried and quickly splashed with some cheap sauce. Our food was well prepared and had just the right level of sweet and spiciness.
The staff is enjoyable as well. They’re very straight to the point, as most chinese restaurant servers are. Don’t take offense to it, because they’re not being rude! They just want to get you your food as quickly as possible, which is always pretty darn quick. They’re also really on top of table checks and work hard to keep your beverages full. Which is pretty important in a restaurant that specializes in sweet and spicy foods.
So come here with a big group and sample everything you want. You won’t be disappointed.

Me encanta todo lo q brinda este local, me encantan los famosos slippery shrimp !! Los adoro

It was okay. Came a few weeks ago.
I was looking for authentic food.
Plates are huge and Americanized.
Service was very good.
Food was just alright.
Too expensive.
Glad I checked it but will opt for somewhere else next time while in the area.